GRR 17

Jion gave an awkward smile as he looked at Yu Chasa, who clasped his hands together earnestly as if he were about to kneel.

The only wish he had was for his mother to be at peace and for his grandfather to live a long, healthy life. Even a grim reaper wouldn’t be able to interfere with the reincarnation of a soul, nor could they intervene in human lifespans. It might be a wish even more difficult to fulfill than wishing to become rich.

So, rather than thinking of it as making a deal with them blinded by a wish, wouldn’t it be better to just think of it as helping them out of a good heart? After all, it involved helping grim reapers, so the underworld might consider him kind. That would naturally have a positive influence on his mom and grandfather as well. Besides, the tasks they ask of him weren’t difficult either, as he had been doing them all along.

“Who do you think you are, deciding whether or not to grant two wishes?”

“Oh, Kwon Chasa-nim…! He is considering it right now…!”

Just as Jion was about to answer Yu Chasa with a good heart that he would do it, Kwon Chasa interrupted him in a blunt voice. How did he end up with a colleague like that…? Although he felt sorry for Yu Chasa, who was flustered and blushing in embarrassment, and wanted to answer him right away, his heart grew cold when he saw Kwon Chasa, who did not have a shred of gratitude.

Maybe it was better not to get entangled with the grim reapers anymore. He would just live doing more good deeds from now on. He wasn’t particularly interested in wishes anyway, so he wasn’t the one who was disappointed. There was no need to drag this out any longer.

Just as Jion was about to speak, Kwon Chasa suddenly stood up from his seat with a sigh. Jion’s gaze slowly followed him.

“I need to go to Yeomra Palace.”

“What? Now?”

“Yes. We need King Yeomra’s permission no matter what we do, so what’s the use of us just chatting amongst ourselves? Since it involves a living person, King Yeomra might say no.”

“Is that so…”

“For now, give the student the spring water and send him home. I’ll speak to King Yeomra.”

“Ah…! Yes! I will take full responsibility for sending him home safely! Have a safe trip, Kwon Chasa-nim!”

Kwon Chasa straightened his crumpled clothes, then laughed, perhaps finding Yu Chasa’s fluctuating emotions absurd, before quickly turning and crossing the hallway. After the sound of a door closing in the distance, silence quickly filled the hanok.

As their eyes met, Yu Chasa smiled awkwardly. For some reason, he looked a little pitiful, so Jion had no choice but to smile back.

“Haha… could you wait just a moment? I’ll get the spring water.”

“Ah, yes….”

Jion watched Yu Chasa’s retreating figure as he scurried away the moment he heard the answer, before leaning against the sofa. His head ached as if it were overloaded. He couldn’t tell if it was because he had tried to erase memories twice in a row, or because he had momentarily given serious thought to the sudden proposal.

Judging by the fact that Kwon Chasa stated they needed King Yeomra’s permission, it was unlikely that their proposal would be accepted. However, since Kwon Chasa somewhat agreed with Yu Chasa’s opinion and appeared to be heading to persuade King Yeomra, it was impossible to predict how things would unfold.

He had lived well without any trouble while helping ghosts all this time, so why was he suddenly facing such an ordeal? Why had he been encountering the grim reapers so frequently lately, when he hadn’t seen one since he was eight?

Jion sighed as he ruminated on his unanswered questions. Yu Chasa, who had emerged from the room before he knew it, gestured for permission and entered what appeared to be the kitchen. As time passed, the sweet scent of tea began to spread through the air, calming his turbulent insides, at least a little.

Ah, I don’t know. It’ll somehow work out. It seemed like Yeomra’s permission that Kwon Chasa mentioned was more important than his own decision.

Jion stared at the ceiling. It was the moment when, for the first time in his life, his grandfather’s nagging about not getting involved with ghosts resonated deep within his heart.

***

Upon arriving in the underworld, Kwon Chasa stopped by Mount Dongdae before heading to Yeomra Palace to obtain a full supply of spring water from Dongsu-ja. He could not entirely rule out the possibility of encountering another human with spiritual eyes, and he also intended to provide ample water for the arrogant living person.

Dongsu-ja nagged him about how he shouldn’t give such a large amount all at once. It was a good thing he lured him out by promising to tell him stories about the living world, knowing that Dongsu-ja was very interested in human affairs; otherwise, it would have been a headache.

In any case, having accomplished his objective, Kwon Chasa headed for Yeomra Palace. Judging by the slightly noisy atmosphere, Yeomra was here. After meeting the young attendant at the door and exchanging a brief nod, he entered the main hall and saw Yeomra slouching on her throne. It appeared that she had not long since returned from concluding a trial. She was surprised to see Kwon Chasa appear suddenly.

“What’s going on all of a sudden? I heard the report, and I even gave the register to Yu Chasa just a moment ago.”

Yeomra took a sip of the tea placed on the desk and wore a questioning expression. Then, seeing the gourd in Kwon Chasa’s hand, she nodded a few times as if to say she understood.

“Ah… Did you come to get the spring water? Is Dongsu-ja doing well? Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I last saw him.”

She picked up a piece of gangjeong with her hand. Yeomra chewed the gangjeong with a much more relaxed expression, as if her accumulated fatigue had finally melted away. Kwon Chasa sighed as he looked at the carefree woman, and then, with an indifferent expression, started speaking.

“Are there humans whose memories cannot be erased?”

“Hmm? Why the sudden question?”

“I mean that living person I mentioned before whose spiritual eyes are fully open. His memories haven’t been erased.”

Yeomra’s eyes widened. She even choked, and only managed to regain her composure after drinking a few sips of tea.

“Does that mean the memories remain exactly the same?”

“Yes. I had Yu Chasa try it as well, but it was the same.”

“Hmm… that’s really fascinating….”

Yeomra tapped the armrest of the throne with her fingertips. It must had been a rare occurrence, given that even she, who had lived for countless years, found it fascinating. Kwon Chasa once again addressed her when he saw that she was lost in thought.

“So, Yu Chasa said something I never expected.”

“What did he say?”

“To receive help from that human.”

Yeomra blinked for a moment, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter. Kwon Chasa, who had expected Yeomra to lash out first tilted his head slightly at the unexpected reaction. Yeomra, whose eyes were welling up with tears from laughing so hard, wiped them away with her fingertips and spoke once she calmed down.

“Tell me in detail. What kind of person is he to go so far as to ask for help?”

Far from taking the matter seriously, Yeomra was rather intrigued. Judging by her reaction, if things went well, they could persuade her to accept human help, and at the same time, both he and Yu Chasa could end their assignments early.

“He possessed a peculiar talent for conversing with souls. Perhaps, if it weren’t for that human, we wouldn’t have been able to bring Jung Suho or Yoo Kanghyun to the underworld this quickly. Yu Chasa suggested that we accept help from that human and grant a wish in return.”

Yeomra had thought that the situation had been resolved smoothly simply because Kwon and Yu had done a good job. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity when she heard the whole story.

“How did you end up getting involved with a human?”

“It was just a coincidence. Both times.”

“Hmm… really?”

Seeing that Kwon Chasa, who didn’t even get along well with his fellow grim reapers, had accepted help from a human, she wondered if he had had a change of heart; however, judging by the way he flatly denied it, it probably was an unintentional occurrence. Yeomra was slightly disappointed, but quickly hid that expression behind a smiling face.

“Anyway, now that I think about it, I realized that what Yu Chasa said wasn’t entirely far-fetched. The task might be finished faster if we got his help.”

“Hmm…….”

“Wouldn’t it be good for King Yeomra if the work finished even a little bit sooner?”

Kwon Chasa added calmly yet seriously while staring at Yeomra. It meant that now that he had explained enough, he wanted Yeomra to make a decision quickly.

After a considerable amount of time had passed and Kwon Chasa’s patience was nearly at its limit, Yeomra, concluded her contemplation and finally spoke.

“So you’re saying that person with the strange talent was of help to you?”

Although he couldn’t understand the intention behind the question, Kwon Chasa nodded once. Especially when it came to taking Yoo Kanghyun, it was safe to say that the human had resolved everything before he and Yu Chasa even stepped forward.

The jeokpaeji glowing white meant that the deceased whose name was written on it was reasy to depart for the underworld, and by the time they went to where Yoo Kanghyun was immediately after discovering it, everything was already over.

In return, they would have to take responsibility to ensure that nothing bad happened to the human involved with them, but if it meant finishing the task quickly, he could endure that trouble.