GRR 91

After exhaling once more, Kwon Chasa put away his buwol. He glanced around and realized the sun had already set and the surroundings had grown dark.

It was around this time yesterday that Jion had called him out. Kwon Chasa chuckled and shook his head upon recalling that. Now was not the time to get distracted by such thoughts.

Kwon Chasa cleared his mind and immediately tried to send a telepathic message to Yu Chasa. If Yu Chasa hadn’t finished his work yet, he planned to go there.

‘Chasa-nim, it’s really, really cold today. Could you please take me home?’

But Kwon Chasa couldn’t send the message to Yu Chasa. It was because another voice had reached his ears. He tried hard to ignore the pleading voice and was just about to send the message when a reply came back saying that the soul had just been handed over to Lee Chasa, No. 196. There was no need to go all the way to where Yu Chasa was.

‘You don’t have to come if you’re busy… but I miss you, so I’d like you to come….’

No sooner had he sent the telepathic message to Yu Chasa suggesting they meet at home than Jion’s voice rang out again.

‘There’s something I really need to tell you…’

He could no longer ignore the voice. Jion was determined to keep talking to him until he came. Kwon Chasa rubbed his forehead and let out a short sigh.

It was strange. Even though he knew he was being led around by Jion, he didn’t actively try to break free.

Maybe it didn’t matter. After all, he didn’t have much time left in this world, and once he wrapped things up, he would return to the underworld. Then he would go back to his original duties, and since he traveled back and forth between hells, there was no reason for him to come down to this world.

When that day came, Jion would realize that he needed to sort out his feelings. And he, too, would be able to clear his cluttered mind.

‘Don’t be so cold to him, be nice to him.’

Until that day actually came, it would be better to do as Yeomra. Or should he cut things off more decisively? He pondered it, but no answer came to mind.

Kwon sighed once more and teleported to where Jion was.

“Uh… Kwon Chasa-nim!”

Jion was on the convenience store terrace. Perhaps his complaint about the cold wasn’t a lie, as he was huddled up tightly. Kwon Chasa’s restless heart calmed down a little upon seeing Jion smile the moment he spotted him.

Kwon Chasa landed on his feet, gave Jion a quick glance as he approached, and silently gestured toward his house. Since he’d asked him to take him home, he planned to hurry him there and then head back himself. But Jion pouted, dissatisfied with something.

“Aren’t you even going to say hello now?”

“Just hurry up.”

He’d asked him to come, and he’d come, yet he still had so many complaints. Kwon Chasa let out a sigh and began walking briskly. When he glanced at Jion, who had quickly caught up, a smile immediately appeared on his previously sulky face.

Anyway, keeping up with humans was no easy task. Instead of trying to understand Jion, Kwon Chasa opened his mouth, recalling what Jion had said.

“What do you want to talk about?”

Jion’s lips curled into a wide smile. Relieved that it didn’t seem to be anything serious, he felt a bit curious [stolen content]about what Jion was going to say.

“You remember Suho, right?”

“Suho?”

“Jung Suho. You and I first met thanks to Suho.”

It wasn’t until he heard the explanation that he remembered. Jung Suho, the deceased whose soul he had first attempted to collect after descending to the living realm for the first time in a long while. But he couldn’t figure out why Jion had suddenly brought up Suho out of the blue.

“Why Suho?”

“Suho’s mom and dad came to school today. They thanked me for helping send Suho off that day.”

If they were Suho’s mom and dad, he had caught a glimpse of them back then. He didn’t remember their faces clearly, but he could recall vividly how Suho had beamed with joy, unable to hide his happiness. Even though Kwon Chasa showed no particular reaction, Jion couldn’t hide his excitement.

“But when I thought about it carefully, I wondered if you shouldn’t stolen contentbe the one receiving the thanks. After all, you safely escorted Suho to the underworld.”

Was that something that warranted thanks? Yu Chasa and he had simply done their duty. Since the story didn’t resonate with him, Kwon Chasa’s expression remained impassive. But Jion didn’t mind and continued speaking.

“Oh, and I heard Suho will soon have a younger sibling.”

“……”

“Since Suho was such a hard won child, his parents apparently never even imagined they’d have another. Maybe that’s why they said it feels like Suho has come back to them.”

Jion was overjoyed as if it were his own news. Kwon Chasa looked at his smiling face and tried to recall the details. Yeomra had said that if Jung Suho could be brought back within the deadline, he could be reincarnated, and indeed, after a summary trial, he was granted reincarnation.

Once reincarnation was decided, it was Samsin’ role to bestow the destiny of the new life. Since even the Jade Emperor couldn’t act arbitrarily, there were often times when she assigned a child and bestowed a destiny based on her own emotions.

Samsin must have looked into what kind of life Jung Suho had led, so perhaps she took pity on him and assigned him to be their child so he could meet his parents again. Just as they wanted to believe.

“Suho’s parents keep thanking me, but it was you who took responsibility for Suho until the very end. That’s why I really wanted to tell you this. You’re the one who deserves the thanks, not me.”

The corners of his mouth turned up, his cheeks naturally puffing out, and his lips chattered away. His excited voice and the affectionate gaze he cast up at him. Unlike when he used to throw tantrums begging him to come, he even spoke in a serious tone, as if he were trying to act like an adult. Kwon Chasa pondered each word before laughing.

Now that Jion had finished speaking, a look of pride was even visible on his face. He let out a wry laugh, and Jion immediately pouted.

“Don’t you like it?”

“Am I supposed to like it?”

To him, Jung Suho was just one of the souls he needed to bring to the underworld as soon as possible. Even then, his attention was focused solely on Jung Suho, he had no interest in his parents. If it weren’t for Jion, there would have been no reason for Jung Suho’s parents to show up in that alley.

“No matter how I look at it, it seems like Suho has been reincarnated so he can be reunited with his parents. Why aren’t you interested? You are so obsessed with reincarnation.”

“I am obsessed with reincarnation?”

“Yes. You threatened Suho so fiercely back then. You said he had to go quickly [unauthorized copy]to be reincarnated.”

He did often resort to threats when escorting the deceased to the underworld. But how could that be considered an obsession? He had simply informed them, who were nearing hell despite having the chance to be reborn as humans, that they still had a chance.

When Kwon Chasa shrugged, Jion sighed and shook his head. That gesture made it painfully obvious he didn’t understand him.

“You’re impossible to figure out.”

If he couldn’t figure him out, wouldn’t it be better to just give up on those feelings? Especially since he’d have to leave this place soon. He had no idea why Jion liked someone like him, but he decided to play dumb, afraid that if he changed the subject, Jion might latch onto it and keep harping on it.

When Kwon Chasa fell silent, a brief pause settled between them. Noticing that Jion seemed to have something to say, he gave him a slight nod. Jion cautiously said,

“Have you taken Seon Ayoung yet?”

In response to Jion’s question, Kwon Chasa simply shook his head without speaking. Since neither persuasion nor threats had worked, he had put her on the back burner for now and was in the process of guiding other souls to the underworld. Instead, he and Yu Chasa took turns watching over Seon Ayoung from a distance once or twice a day. She hadn’t moved from that spot yet, but they had to keep a close eye on her in case any unexpected changes occurred.

He had expected Jion to ask more about Seon Ayoung, but for some reason, he was just fidgeting. Judging by his expression, he had a lot to say, yet his lips were tightly sealed. Whether he had no intention of hiding it or simply couldn’t hide it, Jion’s expression gave him away.

“What do you want to say that’s making you look like that again?”

“…Can you tell that much?”

“Yes.”

When he answered bluntly, Jion gave a sheepish, shy smile and fidgeted with his hands. He was both embarrassed and hesitant. As they walked, matching Jion’s slower pace, it felt like they were never getting any closer to his house.

Just as he was about to urge him to speak up if he had something to say, Jion opened his mouth with a determined expression.

“Actually, I have so many questions. I want to know what you like and dislike… and I also want to know everything about how you lived before becoming a grim reaper.”

“……”

“But I keep wondering if it’s okay to ask this… if it’s all right. What you said to Seon Ayoung has been… weighing stolen content on my mind. It seems like you don’t really want to bring up things from the past.”

He hadn’t realized that the words Jion had held in before speaking were because of him. Jion seemed to have wrestled with his thoughts quite a bit and finally reached a conclusion. His clear eyes showed no hesitation.