GRR 7

Jion had just put a mouthful of stir fried anchovies into his mouth. He was so startled that he swallowed the food after barely chewing a few times. Feeling his throat close up, he gulped down water and patted his chest. His grandfather clicked his tongue in disapproval. It took Jion a while to finally calm down, and he gave an awkward smile.

“I’m going to school to finish my personal statement and study a bit. Midterms are coming up soon.”

“…….”

“Ah, I’m serious. Early admissions start next week, so I have to wrap up my personal statement quickly.”

“…….”

“I’m telling you, it’s true….”

Jion grumbled at his grandfather, who was looking at his with a skeptical expression. While he couldn’t claim his words were the absolute truth, he felt a bit wronged because it wasn’t a completely outlandish lie either. But since he’d tricked his grandfather more than once before, the fact that he didn’t trust him wasn’t something that made him feel so hurt he wanted to cry. After all, he knew it was his own karma.

After a brief silence, grandfather resumed eating, and Jion seized the moment to speak up again.

“Grandpa, I’ll help you with the work tomorrow.”

“That’s enough. Just focus on your studies. You’re the kind of kid who goes to work after school, what are you going to do working even on the weekend?”

“It’s not that hard. I’ll eat breakfast and head over right away, so you can take your time getting ready.”

His grandfather had been running “Dakyung” (Tea Classic), a cafe and bookstore, in the neighborhood for over 30 years, long before book cafes began opening everywhere and became all the rage.

When Jion was young, it served as a gathering place for the neighborhood elders, but about two years ago, as the newly developed walking trail nearby gained popularity, it became a hotspot attracting a few young people as well. On weekends, the few tables would be completely full, and people would even line up outside to wait.

Since then, Jion had often helped out on weekends. Although his grandfather was still in good health, he was concerned about him managing the bustling Dakyung all by himself without a single part-time worker.

There was also the added fun that came with it, so Jion enjoyed working at Dakyung. Making the drinks people ordered, watching all kinds of people come and go, and occasionally spotting a ghost among them and listening to their stories was fun.

When Jion smiled, his grandfather felt there was nothing he could do about it and shook his head before changing the subject.

“Do you have enough money for lunch and dinner today?”

“I got my part-time paycheck a little while ago, so I’m fine. But if you insist on giving me some pocket money, I’d be very grateful to accept it.”

Upon hearing his cheeky reply, grandfather chuckled and nodded. Jion met his gaze, his eyes looking at him with a blend of indifference and tenderness, and smiled brightly.

Ever since his mother passed away, grandfather had become Jion’s only family. His father had been absent since before he was born. To quote what grandfather had said a few years ago while drunk on his mother’s memorial day, his father was “scum who wouldn’t even be worth beating to death.” He said that this man, whose face and name Jion didn’t know, had cut off all contact and run away the moment his mother found out she was pregnant with him.

To Jion, who had lost both parents, grandfather was both a mother and a father, and also a friend he’d spent so much time with. At the same time, he was the only person who knew Jion could see ghosts, and he was someone who could vaguely sense spiritual energy, though not as clearly as Jion could.

Just as Jion finished his bowl of rice and was wrapping up his pleasant breakfast as usual, grandfather got up from his seat and went into the inner room. Jion began cleaning up, placing his empty bowl and chopsticks into the pot of kimchi stew he had just finished. When grandfather came back out to the living room, he was holding a wallet that was old and worn, its leather smooth and supple.

“Spend this wisely.”

“Yes!”

Jion politely accepted the 50,000 won bill grandfather handed him with both hands. He bowed his head to express his gratitude, then quickly folded the bill in half, slipped it into his pants pocket, and began finishing up the cleanup.

Once again, with a flurry of activity, Jion finished cleaning up, moving back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, and then headed for the bathroom. It didn’t take long for him to brush his teeth, tidy up his messy hair, go into his room, get dressed, and pack his bag.

“I’m off!”

“Alright.”

Leaving behind his grandfather’s matter-of-fact response as he read the newspaper he’d left unfinished in the living room, Jion stepped out of the old apartment building.

A solemn expression appeared on Jion’s face as he shouldered a once-in-a-lifetime mission even more important than his personal statement.

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Jion finished his personal statement and stretched his arms wide. After massaging his stiff shoulders, sending the file via email, and tidying up his workspace, he realized it was already well past five in the afternoon.

It’s already this late… Jion rubbed his dry eyes with the back of his hand and hurriedly packed his bag. Since he had promised to meet Suho’s mother at six, he couldn’t afford to linger like a layabout. After shutting down his computer and leaving the library’s computer room, Jion walked out, reflecting on the events of that morning.

The moment he left home that morning, Jion naturally headed for Suho’s house. Fortunately, someone was home today, but it took quite a while for the door to open and for them to actually start talking.

‘I’m not selling insurance or a pyramid scheme… Could you just listen to me? It’s about Suho…’

He stood at the door and pleaded into the intercom several times, begging them to at least hear him out, before he was finally invited inside. He was relieved that Suho’s mother didn’t immediately treat him like a weirdo.

Jion quenched his parched throat by downing the juice in front of him, then began a story free of any exaggeration or lies.

‘This might sound really strange, but I can see ghosts. I met Suho two days ago. He hadn’t been able to leave this world yet… and he said he missed you so much.’

Just like Suho, who had started crying at the mere mention of “Mom,” Suho’s mother began sobbing the moment she heard the name “Suho.” Not knowing what to do, Jion waited quietly until she had calmed down.

When her cries began to subside, Jion brought up the most important point.

‘Suho doesn’t have much time left… Would you please come with me to see him today?’

‘……’

‘…I know very well that this is hard to believe… but Suho really doesn’t have much time left…’

‘……’

‘Please, just this once… could you try to believe me?’

Seeing her look of skepticism, Jion grew anxious. Unless they could see ghosts like he does, this story would inevitably be dismissed as nonsense. Jion understood her lukewarm attitude, but he desperately hoped she would just go along with it and believe him just this once.

‘…I’ll talk to my husband when he gets home.’

After crying her heart out, she looked exhausted. So Jion couldn’t bring himself to say anything else and nodded. Finally, he told her where Suho was and cautiously asked what time she might be able to come. The woman replied that if she did come, it would likely be around six o’clock.

There was no way to know if Suho’s mother would actually come. Even if she didn’t come, the outcome wouldn’t change. Suho would inevitably be seized by that grim reaper and dragged off to the underworld.

If Suho refused to let go until the very end, the reaper would likely start by brandishing that terrifying buwol to scare him. And if he didn’t follow immediately, he’d threaten to send him straight to hell.

Judging by the way he even threatened a child, it wasn’t hard to imagine how that grim reaper dealt with ghosts. The other grim reaper had even said, with a bright smile, that if he accepted help, there would be no need to waste energy on threats. 

That grim reaper, Kwon Chasa, might have been using his fearsome buwol to intimidate the dead into letting go of their grudges and attachments.

Jion recalled that smug face that had hurled harsh words at Suho and shook his head. Both the grim reaper he met when he was eight and the one he met again at nineteen had sharp tongues, neither of them was exactly good.

It was a relief that the grim reaper who showed up late was at least a little kinder…

‘Alright. Then maybe I’ll trust this nosy living person for once? Since he’s willing to help.’

He felt a surge of defiance upon recalling what he’d heard last night. After all, there were plenty of ghosts he’d helped let go of their grudges and ensure they could pass on to the afterlife without causing any more trouble. He didn’t expect them to fully appreciate all his efforts, but that didn’t mean he deserved to be ignored.

As the thought occurred to him that he didn’t want to lose to Kwon Chasa, he clenched his fists.

Jion prayed that Suho’s mother would appear, giving him a chance to prove that his methods weren’t wrong, that sometimes, problems could be solved without resorting to threats.