GRR 8

Jion carefully stepped into the alley while holding his breath and harboring a fervent hope.

“Suho.”

As always, Suho’s small body was curled up under the streetlight. He didn’t answer. After looking around, Jion took a step closer. He crouched down in front of him and called out again.

“Suho, hyung is here.”

“…Jion-hyung?”

Suho finally lifted his head and responded. He stared into Jion’s eyes, then suddenly stood up and looked around. Jion already knew he was looking for his mother, and gave a bitter smile.

Should he tell him that he had met her? Or would that only give him false hope? Unsure of what to do, he hesitated. While Jion was unable to decide, tears welled up Suho’s eyes as he spoke in a trembling voice.

“Hyung… why isn’t Mom coming?”

“……”

“Suho… has to go with that scary man now… so Mom can’t come see Suho?”

After spending a night alone, it seemed he had come to some conclusion. He sounded resigned. Jion had hoped Suho would come to terms with things, but not like this. It hurt to think that such a young child had already learned what it meant to give up.

“No, Suho. Your mom will come.”

Jion chose to believe that words could shape reality. With a confident expression, he nodded and said,

“She’ll definitely come to see you.”

He forced a brighter smile, hoping Suho would not cry again. At that moment, Suho, who had been rubbing his eyes, turned his gaze toward the entrance of the alley. When he felt something unusual, Jion straightened his bent knees and stood up as well. If someone had seen him, he needed to act natural to avoid suspicion.

“…Mom?”

As Jion turned his head toward the alley entrance, Suho’s trembling voice rang out. Two people were stepping into the alley. One was Suho’s mother, whom Jion had already met. And…

“Dad… Dad is here too…”

Suho’s father was with her.

They took a difficult step and approached Jion. Jion glanced once at Suho, who was spinning in the air with a smile on his face, and then gave a nod to Suho’s parents.

Suho was already circling around his mother and father, unable to contain his joy. He kept calling out to them, but they could not hear anything and only stared at Jion. Suho didn’t mind the lack of response and wore a bright smile on his face.

“Um… you can’t see him, but Suho’s been circling around you both. I think he’s happy.”

He did not mention that Suho had been on the verge of tears just moments ago. Suho’s mother looked as if she might break down at any moment, so Jion carefully said.

“If you have anything you want to say to Suho, please say it. He… he can hear you.”

At times like this, it was better to step away than stand awkwardly between them. After giving a small bow, Jion turned and slowly walked back toward the entrance of the alley.

Jion watched them from a distance, hoping that everyone would be able to compose themselves. Although the sound was not audible from the distance, it seemed that Suho and his parents were sincerely sharing what they wanted to say to one another.

Suho gently patted his mother’s shoulder, then suddenly clung to his father’s back. Whenever they wiped tears from their eyes, he spread his arms as wide as he could in an attempt to comfort them with a hug.

Watching them made Jion think of his own mother and felt like he was about to cry. He bit his lips, rubbed his nose, and took several deep breaths to calm himself.

After some time, Suho’s father turned his head to look at Jion. It seemed their conversation was coming to an end, so Jion started to walk toward them. But before he could take more than a few steps, something descended from the sky and blocked his path. The figure landed so lightly it was hard to believe it had fallen from above.

“Oh, you’re here too, living one!”

It was Yu Chasa, who seemed the most human of the two grim reapers met last night, who spoke to Jion with a smile. When Kwon Chasa appeared shortly after, Jion recoiled and stepped back.

With the daylight, Kwon Chasa’s face was much clearer than the night before. His features stood out more, making him look even more intimidating. The piercing that had sent chills down his spine was still sparkling in his ear.

Jion found himself staring at Kwon Chasa’s face before hastily looking away the moment their eyes met. Just then, Yu Chasa, still wearing a cheerful smile, spoke again.

“Kwon Chasa said we should come before the hour of the pig (9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m), so I thought he was rushing for no reason. But the jeokpaeji was glowing white! Oh, wait, are those two Suho’s parents?”

“…Yes.”

“Wow… I didn’t think you’d actually do it ! Honestly, I thought it was worth a try at best. How did you do it? That’s amazing…”

Was that… really a compliment? Jion was unsure, mostly because of Yu Chasa’s bright voice. But when Yu Chasa gave him two enthusiastic thumbs up, he could only scratch the back of his neck and smile awkwardly. It was the first time anyone had praised him for something even his grandfather told him to stop doing.

Then his eyes met Kwon Chasa’s, who was like an unmoving tree. Jion flinched as a chill ran through his skin. Kwon Chasa tilted his head slightly. He did not understand Jion’s reaction and shrugged. The towering grim reaper probably had no idea how intimidating he looked.

“Yu Chasa, begin.”

“Yes!”

After speaking, Kwon Chasa stepped back. When they had descended from the sky, his hands had been empty, but now he held the long shaft of a buwol in his right hand.

Meanwhile, Yu Chasa pulled out a rolled jeokpaeji from inside his jacket and glanced at Suho, who was still circling around his parents. Only then did Jion realize that Suho’s parents had been staring at him this whole time, likely confused, since they could not see the grim reapers.

“Jung Suho.”

As Jion gave Suho’s parents an awkward smile, Yu Chasa unfolded the jeokpaeji and called Suho’s name. Suho immediately floated in the air. When his name was called again, he drifted through the air until he was right in front of Yu Chasa. At the third call, shackles were fastened to his ankles.

Worried Suho might be frightened, Jion kept his eyes on him. But Suho had let go of his attachment and wore a relieved expression. When their eyes met, he even smiled. Feeling a dull pang in his heart, Jion pressed his palm against his chest.

“Hyung… thank you for letting me see Mom.”

Jion smiled brightly upon hearing Suho’s trembling voice. Thankfully, he had properly said his goodbyes.

“Hyung… can you tell Mom and Dad not to cry?”

“Of course.”

“And… um… tell them not to get sick either.”

“Okay. I will. Don’t worry.”

Jion reassured him several times, hoping Suho could leave with some peace of mind. When Suho looked once more at his parents and then turned his gaze to Yu Chasa, the sky split open, and a hongsalmun appeared. Jion’s gaze naturally turned toward the sky as well. Feeling intimidated by the sight, which was not much different from what he had seen when he was eight years old, he swallowed dryly.

Back then, the hongsalmun had torn through the ceiling of his house, not the sky, and had swallowed his mother whole. Jion bit his lip, immersed in emotions as if he had returned to that day.

“Thank you so much! Please take care on your way back!”

Yu Chasa was already holding Suho’s hand. As he bowed respectfully and soared into the air, Suho naturally followed him. Kwon Chasa, who was the last to take flight, stood at the very front of the short procession and brought his buwol down once, turning the entrance of the hongsalmun pitch black.

“Hyung, goodbye! Thank you!”

Jion waved both hands at the departing Suho. Not long after, the two grim reapers and Suho passed through the hongsalmun and disappeared into the darkness. The hongsalmun gradually faded away once it fulfilled its role.

When Jion closed his eyes once and opened them again, the orange sky, where the sun was setting, was peaceful as if nothing had happened.