GRR 88

If he had lived 300 years ago, he must have married early. Back then, people used to get married even before reaching adulthood.

Jion suddenly felt jealous of someone whose name and face he didn’t even know. Kwon Chasa might sometimes speak harshly, but his actions were always kind, he must have been more affectionate and gentle toward his wife when he was alive. That thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, as if he were holding a mouthful of spring water.

Kwon Chasa, who had been quietly watching Jion, who had become quite serious, laughed in disbelief and sighed, saying, “Hmm…”

“There was someone I was promised to marry.”

“So, did you date that person?”

“Date? What are you talking about? It was just the elders in our families discussing a marriage arrangement. I’ve never even seen her face.”

“Hmm… Really?”

“Does it matter if it’s true or not?”

Jion squinted and stared at Kwon Chasa. His gaze didn’t wander, he didn’t touch his face unnecessarily, nor did he act any differently than usual. He didn’t seem to be lying.

So, was it just a marriage of convenience? He’d almost gone through with that kind of marriage, one entered into out of mutual interest, without love, and out of necessity. Jion breathed a sigh of relief. Kwon Chasa suddenly asked Jion a question.

“So, why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Uh… I told you I like you!”

Jion’s voice grew slightly loud as he answered the absurd question. He was about to add that he’d never even had a girlfriend, but decided there was no need to go that far and kept his mouth shut. Kwon Chasa realized his mistake only after hearing Jion’s words and looked away.

Jion seized the moment to continue.

“I don’t have a girlfriend, and since you’re not married, it’d be okay if we dated…”

“Nonsense.”

Kwon Chasa didn’t let Jion finish. But Jion wasn’t hurt in the least. Even though he sounded cold, the fact that he was still holding Jion’s hand suggested that, at the very least, he didn’t feel repulsed by the idea.

“So you don’t hate me, right?”

Kwon Chasa neither confirmed nor denied it. It wasn’t a difficult question, so his intention to avoid answering was obvious. It was obvious he didn’t hate him, but he probably chose silence because admitting it would make him feel like he was getting drawn into his world. Jion watched Kwon Chasa, who was walking with his head held high, and then smiled.

As they walked in silence for a while, they found themselves near his house before they knew it. Jion stopped first, turned around, and looked at Kwon Chasa. His face, bathed in the faint glow of the streetlights, was as expressionless as ever. Reluctant to part ways, Jion squeezed his hand tightly. His own hand had just started to feel a little warm.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going in?”

As Jion stood still, Kwon Chasa asked in a flat tone. Considering his usual self, it wouldn’t have been strange if he’d let go of his hand and walked away first, yet instead of turning away, he asked why he wasn’t going inside. Unable to contain his overwhelming emotions, Jion threw himself into his arms. Kwon Chasa’s sturdy body didn’t even flinch.

“I really like you, Chasa-nim.”

“……”

“I really, really like you, Chasa-nim.”

When Jion lifted his face from Kwon Chasa’s chest, he saw his eyes darting back and forth. After confirming that the lips, which had been twitching as if to say something, finally closed tightly, Jion slowly released his arm. He thought it was a relief that he hadn’t at least said things like “don’t talk nonsense” or “you’re confused.”

It was a shame, but they really had to part ways now. If he threw a tantrum wanting to stay longer, it might backfire. Instead, he made a plan of his own, he would send a text tomorrow just like today and try talking to him using the wooden plaque.

“Thank you for walking me home.”

Jion bowed his head and smiled brightly. Then he turned and walked away. Chasa Kwon just quietly watched him.

Jion grabbed the doorknob of the building’s entrance. He turned his head and waved to Kwon Chasa, who was still standing in the same spot. Although Kwon Chasa didn’t wave back, Jion pushed the door open, slipped inside, and vanished from sight. It wasn’t until the light in Jion’s room was on that he knew he had safely made it home and reached his room.

Only then did Kwon Chasa turn around. As if fleeing from a pursuer, even though no one was chasing him, he quickly returned to the house, which was located at the boundary between this world and the underworld, a place where time had frozen at midday, unlike this world where night was deepening.

However, Kwon Chasa couldn’t move his feet and stopped in front of the gate. He lowered his head slightly and looked at his right hand, which had been held by Jion.

“…….”

The slightly cool temperature of his hand. The rapid heartbeat he had felt from Jion’s body as he was held in his arms. And now, even the tremor he felt in his own hand. Everything felt strange and awkward.

Kwon Chasa clenched his fist tightly. He tried to forget every sensation left in his body. However, the sensations did not easily disappear and lingered for a long time, as if urging him to do something.

***

Jion, who had been lost in a dream without even hearing the alarm, woke up only after hearing his grandfather’s shout. Kwon Chasa had wrapped his arms around his waist and was just about to kiss him, he was puzzled by the sudden disappearance of his face and blinked blankly.

It wasn’t until his grandfather smacked him on the back that Jion realized it had been a dream and that he was late. He hurriedly scrambled to get ready for school. You’d think they’d cut him some slack now that the college entrance exams were over, but his homeroom teacher still strictly caught latecomers and showered them with scolding. Jion shuddered but ran as fast as he could.

Just one minute before the bell rang, Jion had barely made it up to the third floor where his classroom was located. As he turned the corner, he came face-to-face with his homeroom teacher, who was heading toward the classroom from the opposite direction.

“Ha… Hello, teacher!”

Even while gasping for breath, he gave a cheerful nod, but his teacher’s expression turned sour. Of all times, why did he have to run into him like this…? He was just a few steps away from the classroom, but he couldn’t move because he was staring right at him. Jion forced a smile, but as the teacher tapped his pointer against the wall and approached, he clicked his tongue.

“Come with me.”

“Huh? I’m not late yet…”

Before he could finish his protest, the bell rang throughout the school. From the beginning of the semester, the homeroom teacher had insisted that students had to be seated in the classroom, ready to study, before the bell rang, otherwise, they were considered late. But now, standing all alone in the hallway and caught red-handed, his luck couldn’t have been any worse.

The college entrance exam is over, can you just let it slide …? Jion turned around with his hands behind his back and sighed as he watched his homeroom teacher walk away.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you following me?”

Jion, who had started trudging along at the ensuing rebuke, couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion. If the teacher wanted to nag, he should have gone to the 3rd-year homeroom teacher’s office, but the teacher had started going down the central staircase.

Why is he going downstairs? Could it be to make me run laps around the playground? As Jion imagined the absolute Read on worst case scenario in his head, he was relieved when the homeroom teacher changed direction. It was none other than the direction of the teachers’ office.

“Come in.”

Even as he was confused by the teacher’s intentions, he stepped inside, and he could feel the stares of several teachers. With his backpack still on, he looked exactly like someone who’d been dragged to the office to get scolded for being late. Feeling embarrassed, Jion kept his eyes fixed on the floor as he trailed after his homeroom teacher.

When his homeroom teacher stopped, Jion stopped too. They stood in front of a small table in one corner of the room. When he looked up, his eyes met those of someone with a familiar face.

“Uh…! Hello….”

A man and a woman sitting there stood up the moment they saw Jion. They weren’t strangers, so he couldn’t figure out why they were there. The woman among the two smiled gently at Jion.

“Please go inside so you can talk comfortably.”

“Thank you, teacher.”

At the homeroom teacher’s words, the man bowed his head slightly. Jion didn’t even have to search his memory for long to recognize those faces. They were Jung Suho’s parents, whom he had met about two months ago.

“Jion, come up to my office when you’re done talking.”

“Yes…”

As the homeroom teacher turned away after leaving those ominous words, Jion followed them into the counseling room inside. Why had the two of them come to see him?

Could it be something related to Suho? But he didn’t really know what happened visit our site to Suho either. All he knew was that he had safely gone to the underworld.

As soon as Jion sat down, he asked.

“By the way, how did you know my school?”

Suho’s mother, Lee Yujeong, smiled as she looked at Jion, whose eyes were wide with surprise.

“It’s the school near our house. So I’d seen your uniform a few times. Luckily, I remembered your name from your name tag… I’m sorry for showing up here so suddenly.”

“No, it’s fine! I was just curious how you found out…”

As Jion waved his hands to reassure them that it was okay, their expressions softened. The atmosphere was different from the last time Jion had seen them.

That made it even harder to figure out why they had come to see him.