GRR 9

Among those remaining in the alley, Jion, the only one who had been able to witness everything, could not take his eyes off the sky for a long while.

“…Did our Suho leave safely?”

Suho’s mother approached Jion, breaking the silence that had fallen over the alley. Jion looked at the two of them, they still hadn’t escaped the lingering emotions, as their eyes were soaked with tears. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

“…Yes, he left.”

“…….”

“And… he asked me to tell you both not to cry, and not to get sick either.”

Jion smiled because he didn’t want to make the atmosphere heavy. He rubbed the bridge of his stinging nose. Upon hearing Suho’s final request delivered through Jion, they tried their best to remain calm, but Suho’s mother still could not hide her choked-up breathing.

Jion looked up once more at the sky where the hongsalmun had appeared. In the now calm sky, as if such a tumultuous event had never happened, no trace of Suho could be found.

I hope Suho doesn’t encounter anything harsh in the underworld. Since I’ve sent another soul to the underworld, I hope the karma my mother accumulated in this world is lightened even a little, so she can be far from pain.

After making a silent, earnest wish, Jion politely bowed toward Suho’s parents and turned away.

 ***

Upon arriving in the underworld, Jung Suho underwent a summary trial and was granted the opportunity to reincarnate in the human world. Considerations were made for his young age and that, although he had stayed in the living world for eight months without responding to the grim reaper’s call, he had not harmed humans or committed any other sins.

Kwon Chasa left the cleanup to Yoon Chasa No. 15, who was originally supposed to bring Jung Suho, and spent some time idling in his office. As soon as he heard that King Yeomra had returned from the trial, he headed straight for the Yeomra Palace’s main hall. He had to report on this matter, receive a new register, and there was something else he needed to say to King Yeomra.

When he reached the entrance of the main hall, the doors opened immediately without him even giving notice. A long stretch of red silk embroidered with gold thread at the edges led from the entrance to the throne where Yeomra sat. Kwon Chasa stepped onto it without hesitation and walked right up to Yeomra. Yeomra was pressing her thumb and index finger against the bridge of her nose, appearing weary.

“You’ve gained more wrinkles in the meantime.”

“You bastard… I just returned after the trial, and instead of saying I worked hard, is that really something you should be saying?”

“Isn’t that something the King of Hell ought to do? Ah, they sell a lot of good things in the mortal world; should I buy you one? What was the name again… a wrinkle-reducing firming cream?”

Yeomra, who had been massaging her stiff neck, chuckled incredulously. Just then, a young attendant brought out a tray of tea and snacks and placed it on the desk to the right of the throne. He had made sure to bring them, as it was one of Yama’s long-standing habits to relieve stress by drinking bitter tea and eating shudder-inducingly sweet yumilgwa after trials.

Yeomra quickly picked up and ate a bite-sized yakgwa soaked in grain syrup. Her expression became much more relaxed. As she munched in silence, Yeomra realized that the other grim reaper who should have been by Kwon Chasa’s side was missing and asked curiously.

“Where is Yu Chasa?”

“He slipped while crossing the Samdo River and fell into a deep part. The impact was severe, so I told him to just rest.” A river at the border between this world and the afterlife in Buddhism.

“Haha, that fellow… Come to think of it, was that the first time Yu Chasa crossed the Samdo River himself?”

“So I’ve heard.”

After taking a sip of tea, Yeomra leaned back more leisurely on the throne, picked up the register from the left desk, and handed it to Kwon Chasa. Yeomra clicked her tongue in disapproval as he watched Kwon Chasa accept the book carelessly with one hand.

How could he remain so consistently ill-mannered for several hundred years? Though he wasn’t truly wicked, Kwon Chasa, who looked and spoke like a rogue, exuded an aura that made him difficult to approach. Yeomra shook her head and tucked her waist-length hair behind her shoulder before changing the subject.

“Hmm… how long has it been since you personally collected a soul? How does it feel to be back on the ground after so long?”

“If you’re that curious, why don’t you try it yourself? It might actually suit your aptitude.”

Kwon Chasa paused while flipping through the register and looked into Yeomra’s eyes with a smirk. Since Yeomra wasn’t in a position to be completely upright either, she just coughed and gulped down her tea, which hadn’t cooled yet.

Today marked the fifteenth day since King Yeomra had sent Kwon Chasa and Yu Chasa to the living world for a “special dispatch.” It was only natural that Kwon Chasa, the most experienced among the three hundred or so grim reapers, was chosen as the top priority for the dispatch.

Most of the deceased accept their deaths humbly and respond to the grim reaper’s call, but there were those who did not.

Those whose grudges were so deep that even a grim reaper could not control them; those like Jung Suho who, for some reason, had strong attachments to the living world; or those who, due to a grim reaper’s mistake, failed to cross the hongsalmun gate within 15 minutes and were left to wander.

As these types of souls increased, troublesome matters began to arise not only in the underworld but in the living world as well. Souls who failed to cross the gate in time roamed the living world, causing the future to change slightly, and incidents where innocent people were threatened or killed became frequent, throwing the registers into chaos.

When things reached a point where they could no longer be ignored, the Ten Kings of Hell and the Jade Emperor gathered for several days to discuss the matter. As a result, they took an extraordinary measure: Dispatch grim reapers to the living world to handle them exclusively.

The Ten Kings all pointed to Kwon Chasa as the right grim reaper. Although he had not been dispatched to the living world since twelve years ago and served to escort grave sinners to the Sixth King, Byeonseongwang, for trial, this dispatch marked his first time personally collecting a soul in a very long while.

When first proposed for the task, Kwon Chasa refused. He naturally hated the idea of having to shoulder the burden of troublemakers while leaving all the obedient souls to others. Furthermore, he was even more displeased because he didn’t know how many such souls there were or how long it would take to catch them all and bring them back.

Yeomra coaxed Kwon Chasa for days, promising a “reward” once the dispatch was over. Although he stubbornly resisted by claiming he wanted nothing, Kwon Chasa eventually had to descend to the living world.

“Mmm… but, Kwon Chasa. What did you do to your ear?”

Yeomra, feeling a shred of guilt for that decision which had been like a bolt from the blue for Kwon Chasa, quickly changed the subject to avoid prattling and getting on his nerves. Just then, her curiosity was piqued as something she hadn’t seen before sparkled on Kwon Chasa’s ear. Kwon Chasa fiddled with his ear and calmly answered.

“Ah, this? I heard young people are wearing them these days, so I gave it a try. I thought maybe I’d look more human if I did this.”

“…Is that an earring?”

“They called it a piercing.”

On the first day he was dispatched to the living world, Kwon Chasa was looking around a crowded downtown area to get used to the new environment when he discovered a piercing shop. Driven by curiosity, he stepped inside and had both ears pierced at the recommendation of a friendly employee. Afterward, he liked it more than expected, as it seemed to give him a better appearance for intimidating ghosts.

As Kwon Chasa smiled recalling that day, Yeomra felt a chill run down her spine yet laughed awkwardly.

“Erm… you said you didn’t want to go to the living world, but it seems you’re enjoying it more than anyone?”

“I never said I didn’t want to go to the mortal world. I said I hated cleaning up after other grim reapers’ mistakes. That’s why I told you to hire more officials. Since there are only three hundred, work just keeps accumulating before we can even solve the incidents.”

Yeomra couldn’t say a word and just bit her lip as Kwon Chasa countered every point without yielding. Kwon Chasa sighed and ran his hand through his hair before speaking with a resigned tone.

“What’s the point of complaining when everything’s already decided? So I just decided to enjoy the work.”

“That’s a very good attitude, Chasa Kwon. So, are you having any trouble adjusting?”

“Isn’t living in the world much the same everywhere? Except for the occasional times I have to humanize, most of the time the living can’t see me since I walk around hidden……”

Kwon Chasa, who was answering while fiddling with the corner of the register, stopped talking. The last words ‘since I walk around hidden’, slid down his throat and got stuck in his chest.

It was because he remembered a living person who could see him, even though he had hidden himself so as not to be seen by humans.

‘Suho misses his mother very much. Please let him see his mother one last time before he goes.’

Kwon Chasa rubbed his furrowed brow. It didn’t feel very pleasant remembering how that brat, still wet behind the ears, had held his head high and spoken in front of him.

‘I made a promise, so I’ll take responsibility and make it happen. Once Suho has sorted out his feelings, you two just need to take him then.’

Thanks to that living human, he had brought Jung Suho back easier than expected, but regardless of that, he couldn’t help being annoyed by the fact that an exception had occurred. When an unexpected exception arises ( like that living human interfering) it always leads to a headache and a tedious situation. As if cleaning up after the grim reapers wasn’t enough, this time he had to clean up after a human, it was impossible for him not to be annoyed.