GRR 12

The fact that he could erase it now might actually be for the best. Since Kwon Chasa said he wouldn’t lose any other memories, there was nothing to worry about.

Jion held the banana milk in his hand with a determined expression. After pulling out the straw and putting his mouth right up to the neck of the bottle to take a sip, it tasted insanely bitter, just as Kwon Chasa had warned. It felt as if he had poured a whole lot of powdered medicine into his parched mouth without any water. Even while frowning, Jion forced himself to drink the bitter banana milk, leaving not a single drop behind.

Jion roughly wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, quickly unwrapped the lollipop, and put it in his mouth. He admired the store manager’s foresight. Jion struggled to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth. Kwon Chasa, who had been watching this scene with a blank expression, rose from his seat.

“Close your eyes and relax.”

He approached and placed his hand on Jion’s head. Jion was slightly surprised, Kwon Chasa’s hand was unexpectedly warm. This was because he had thought that the grim reaper would be cold, as he was not a human but a being belonging to the underworld.

“You’ll lose consciousness for just a very brief moment. When you open your eyes, I won’t be in your memory.”

Only after hearing those words did Jion close his eyes and slowly relax his body, just as Kwon Chasa had instructed. He explained everything in detail, but perhaps because his voice was so cold, he didn’t get the impression of being kind or affectionate.

“From now on, try not to meddle in other people’s affairs. If you see something, pretend you didn’t, and just live a normal life. As I said before, if you get entangled with a vengeful spirit, there is no hope. Why hasten your death?”

“…….”

“Do you think I’m just trying to scare you? It’s easier to die a meaningless death than you think. Just don’t regret it later.”

Jion had absolutely no idea if he was giving sincere advice or cursing him. He let out a hollow laugh and slightly opened his eyes to glare at Gwon Chasa.

“Why is a grim reaper nagging so much? Aren’t I going to forget all of this once my memory is erased? Why say things that just make me feel bad…?”

When he replied sulkily, a burst laughter rang out. Feeling as if it were mocking him, Jion crunched on the lollipop with a dissatisfied expression. Soon, he pulled out just the stick, placed it on the table, and hurriedly chewed and swallowed the broken pieces of candy.

“Just close your eyes.”

Upon hearing his words, Jion obediently closed his eyes. Unable to complain aloud, Jion felt his mind gradually grow cold. He couldn’t tell exactly what Kwon Chasa was doing, but he could only guess from the occasional low murmuring that he was attempting to erase memories.

As time passed, his body grew a little lethargic. It felt like his energy was draining away.

I shouldn’t just fall asleep here. I have to go home…As those thoughts crossed his mind, his head drooped. He felt a strange sensation as if his body were floating in the air.

‎

‎

“Ah…….”

When he opened his eyes, the surroundings were completely silent. There was only Jion on the terrace where a plastic table was placed. Just then, a customer coming out of the convenience store with canned beer and snacks glanced at Jion, and then walked away.

Jion chewed the remaining candy crumbs in his mouth. He suddenly burst into a hollow laugh.

Far from disappearing, the memories of meeting Kwon Chasa and Yu Chasa remained vivid in his mind.

* * *

Jion fell asleep early for the first time in a while and woke up to a refreshing Saturday morning. He had breakfast with his grandfather, packed his bag, and left the house. Jion’s destination was Dakyung, which was about a 15-minute walk away.

They said it would rain around lunchtime, and the air was damp. Since fewer people would visit the trail when it rained, the cafe would likely be quiet today. He had told his grandfather that he could take his time coming out around lunchtime, and depending on the situation, if there were no customers, he thought he could manage the cafe alone today.

Upon arriving at Dakyung, Jion unlocked the door with the key and, as soon as he entered, pulled back the curtains and opened all the windows to ventilate the air that had stagnated overnight. On sunny days, warm sunlight filtered through the windows, but perhaps because the sky was cloudy today, only a damp breeze blew occasionally. The heat had subsided considerably and the temperature had dropped, so there was no need to turn on the air conditioner.

Only after sweeping the floor, wiping the tables, and putting the books piled up on one side back in their proper places was Jion able to enter the area behind the counter. After contemplating for a long time what to drink today, he took out his grandfather’s homemade lemon syrup, sparkling water, and ice from the refrigerator and quickly made lemonade. Finally able to catch his breath, Jion sat down at the counter and took out his workbooks and writing tools.

On days when he worked at the cafe, Jion studied whenever he had a spare moment. Although he had recently applied for early admission, he could not completely stop studying because he would have to meet the minimum CSAT requirements even if he were accepted.

Although his grandfather misunderstood and thought he was completely neglecting his studies because he was busy messing around with ghosts, Jion was actually managing his grades in his own way. After all, he didn’t want to disappoint him.

Jion scanned the cozy cafe, which was still empty of customers, and then opened the non-fiction practice exam book. He planned to read the questions first and then look at the passage, but he could not concentrate as the events of last night suddenly came to mind.

‘To erase your memory.’

Kwon Chasa, who came all the way to the convenience store to find him and erase his memories, had said something like that. That people whose spiritual eyes have opened are greatly influenced by the energy of the underworld. That grim reapers must purify the energy that clings to the humans they meet.

He drank the bitter banana milk as he instructed, and when he told Jion to close hid eyes and relax, he followed his instructions without a word. However, the memories that were supposed to be erased remained exactly as they were. He couldn’t tell if any energy from the underworld lingered around him or if it had been completely purified.

‘From now on, try not to meddle in other people’s business. If you see something, pretend you didn’t, and just live a normal life. As I said before, if you get entangled with a vengeful spirit, there’s no hope. Why hasten your own death?’

‘Do you think I’m saying nonsense to scare you? It’s easier to die a meaningless death than you think. Just don’t regret it later.’

If he had lost his memory, everything he had said would have evaporated, but unfortunately, he remembered everything. Thanks to this, Kwon Chasa’s words felt more like a curse than advice. Jion shook his head and sighed. He didn’t want to recall that cold face.

Why are my memories intact? Was it really acceptable to handle matters this carelessly? Jion clutched his head, unable to find answers to his questions. He couldn’t bring himself to ask his grandfather, fearing he would only cause him unnecessary worry. Yet, with no guarantee of ever meeting Kwon Chasa again, the path to solving the mystery was distant.

He wondered if the smell of the underworld had faded a bit. Jion brought his arm to his nose and sniffed for a long time before sighing. Since he didn’t know what the underworld smelled like in the first place, he wouldn’t be able to smell it no matter how hard he tried. Never mind the memories, he worried about what would happen if even the bitter banana milk had no effect.

Perhaps it is because he had heard Kwon Chasa’s curses, but his worries only increased. Even though he had been entangled with ghosts all this time, he never once thought that he might die early.

I need to eat at expensive restaurants with Grandpa and go on overseas trips… That would mean both Grandpa and I need to live a long time… It didn’t matter if he couldn’t live a long life, but there were too many reasons why he couldn’t die early.

“Haaa….”

Jion buried his face in his workbook, then suddenly looked up as goosebumps rose on his forearm. There was no sound of the door opening, but there was a customer in the cafe.

A man covered in ash and with his face smeared with soot. Although he was visible to Jion, he was not a human but a ghost. The man, who had been looking around the cafe with curiosity, flew towards Jion the moment their eyes met. Jion swallowed hard as he watched him, feeling more nervous than usual, perhaps because he had recently heard stories about vengeful spirits.

“Uh, by any chance, are you Jion-ssi? Can you see me?”

“…Yes, that’s right. I can see you.”

“Ah, that’s a relief. I was worried I might have come to the wrong place.”

It was no coincidence that the man had found this cafe. Jion could easily guess from what he had said. He straightened his posture and sat upright. Moreover, the fact that he even knew his name meant that he had heard his story from someone.

Jion set aside his fear for a moment, closed his eyes, and felt the man’s aura. He, too, bore a lot of the energy of the living world, just like Suho. However, it was a relief that he did not sense any evil energy that would harm people.