GRR 2

The homeroom teacher adjusted his glasses with a displeased look upon seeing Jion still wearing his bag.

“Chae Jion, are you late again?”

“No! The bell rang as soon as I entered the classroom. I’m not late.”

“How many times have I told you that counts as being late? Hm?”

Since the time when ghosts were most active was the hour of the rat, from 11 PM to 1 AM, whenever Jion encountered a ghost, he would always fall asleep after that time had passed.

Naturally, since he was so sleep-deprived that he would often fall back asleep even after setting an alarm, being late was an inseparable part of his daily life. Honestly, it felt shameful to ask his homeroom teacher to let him off the hook.

Jion did not reply further and simply gave his usual good-natured smile. The homeroom teacher shook his head, tapped the teacher’s desk with the wooden pointer he always carried to get the attention, and then spoke.

“We will start counseling today based on yesterday’s mock exam grade cutoffs, so keep that in mind. Class president, come to the teacher’s office later.”

The homeroom teacher tapped the desk a couple of times with the pointer, and left the classroom after giving the usual nagging about focusing on studying. Only then did Jion take off his bag and hang it next to his desk. His chest heaved slightly due to his breathing, which had not yet calmed down despite the passage of time.

Jion, who had barely managed to calm down only after consciously taking several deep breaths, checked the timetable. Oh Hyunsoo glanced up at Jion as he stood up to go to his locker, then spoke while looking at his phone again.

“They say it’s Jjamppong and sweet and sour pork for lunch today.”

“We run no matter what as soon as the fourth period ends.”

“Okay.”

After formulating a plan more serious than ever before, the two looked at each other and grinned. Unable to hide his excitement, Jion returned to the classroom after finding a book in his locker and immediately took out his cell phone. Meanwhile, Oh Hyunsoo disappeared. He said he was going to the restroom, and Jion, with his head bowed, opened the internet on the screen and typed into the search bar.

‘Siheung-dong death’

As he racked his brain to figure out how to find Suho’s mother, the method he came up with was to search for news articles. He didn’t know the exact circumstances, but it was highly likely that Suho had been in an accident nearby and passed away at a young age. Since tragic stories are often reported in the news, there might be traces of it left somewhere.

Jion clutched his phone tightly with both hands and diligently scanned through the text, hoping to find even a small clue.

Please, please let there be something. Let there be anything. He busily moved his fingers while anxiously biting his lips.

“…There is.”

Jion muttered and swallowed dryly as he focused on his phone. He clicked on the headline of an article uploaded about eight months ago and lowered his head, afraid that someone might be peeking.

[4-Year-Old Child Dies After Being Hit by Drunk Driver in Siheung-dong, Seoul]

The article stated that a boy died in a traffic accident that occurred at an intersection near the Siheung-dong Community Center earlier this year. It reported that a van struck the child while making a sudden right turn despite the pedestrian signal being green, and the child died instantly at the scene. At the time, the child’s mother had dropped her cell phone and briefly let go of the child’s hand while trying to pick it up. The accident occurred when the child attempted to cross the crosswalk first after he noticed the signal had changed in the meantime.

“Isn’t that insane?”

He could not contain his boiling anger when he saw the report that, despite it being broad daylight, the driver’s blood alcohol concentration was high enough to warrant license revocation.

Jion gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down as he read the article to the end. Separate from his rising anger, he did so to see if there was even the slightest bit of information that could reveal the child’s identity.

Scrolling further down, a photo of the crime scene investigation came into view. Jion found it strangely familiar, he stared at it for a while before exclaiming upon suddenly realizing something. It was the very intersection he always passed by whenever he went to work at the convenience store.

Since Suho was staying in the alley right behind the convenience store, it was highly likely that the child who was reported dead was Jung Suho, whom Jion had met yesterday. After all, timid souls tend to wander the place where they met their death, the vicinity of it, or familiar spots.

“Ha….”

Although he somehow understood the situation, it was safe to say there was nothing Jion could do right now. He couldn’t go around all of Siheung-dong by himself, and he certainly couldn’t just abruptly ask the police for help, claiming he was looking for Jung Suho’s mother, Lee Yujeong. It was obvious he would be treated like a lunatic and kicked out.

Thinking there might be some other clues, he searched here and there and found an article stating that the driver had already been sentenced to prison. It seemed he was no longer being mentioned in the media. Feeling dejected at the lack of tangible results, Jion sighed; then, Oh Hyunsoo, who had returned to the classroom, playfully messed up his hair and asked.

“What’s with the sigh?”

“There’s just… ha… I really should listen to Grandpa, but why do I always remember only after I’ve already messed things up?”

“What kind of bullshit is that first thing in the morning? Are you still half-asleep?”

Jion glared at Oh Hyunsoo, who carelessly patted his shoulder, then sighed and slumped weakly onto the desk. Since he kept the fact that he could see ghosts a secret even from his best friend, Oh Hyunsoo, there was nothing he could say.

Wasn’t he just making his own life harder? He ended up doing it again despite his grandfather’s earnest warning that he should never make a promise or deal with a ghost, as a wrong move could lead to getting entangled with a vengeful soul and suffering terrible consequences.

“…….”

However, just as he had done so far, Jion had no choice but to promise the ghost that he would continue to help him. Even if he were to be beaten with his grandfather’s pipe again, he would never be able to ignore the souls unable to leave this world.

Because he believed that helping the deceased leave this world was an act of atonement on behalf of his mother, who left after accumulating much karma by refusing to go to the afterlife because of him.

* * *

In the spacious and quiet study, the sound of thin papers being turned could be heard from time to time. Low, occasional murmuring voices also naturally blended into the atmosphere.

“What is it about this little brat that made everyone so anxious?”

The man placed his chin on his left hand while nervously flipping through papers with his right. He furrowed his brows. At the same time, a knock was heard from outside. The man clicked his tongue in annoyance and showed no further reaction. Not long after, the door opened cautiously, and a youthful face slipped through the gap.

“Kwon Chasa… do you really not have to help?”

A cautious voice stammered out. Yu Chasa, a youthful-looking man who appeared to be in his late teens at the earliest and early twenties at the latest, cautiously entered the room and closed the door behind him.

The man called Kwon Chasa opened the drawer without a word and took out a rolled-up red cloth. He picked up the brush placed on the inkstone and began writing without the slightest bit of care.

The deceased’s name and date of birth were inscribed in white on the red cloth. After writing his signature 權 (Kwon), Kwon Chasa raised his head and gestured for Yu Chasa to come closer. As Yu Chasa hurriedly ran over and stood before the desk, Kwon Chasa handed him a brush. He carefully took the brush and wrote the character 劉 ‘Yu’ next to Kwon Chasa’s signature.

As Yu Chasa placed his brush down on the inkstone, the red cloth rolled up in the air. The red decree, bearing the signatures of the two officers and possessing the power to collect the soul of the deceased, emitted a bright light once and was then carefully landed on one side of the desk.

Yu Chasa, who had been staring at the scene, received the register of the dead from Kwon Chasa. The latter leaned back in his chair and spoke with an indifferent expression.

“His name was Jung Suho, and he died in a traffic accident on January 3 of this year. He was four years old at the time of his death.”

“Ah… yes, just a moment.”

Yu Chasa quickly opened the register and scanned the text. The register handed to him by Kwon Chasa was the book containing information on ‘Jung Suho’. Perhaps because he had met his end at a young age, it was noticeably thinner than the registers of others.

The register contained a detailed, complete record of everything from the birth to the death of Jung Suho, who had lived for only 50 months and died in a traffic accident.

“That brat must be damn stubborn. They say he’s the one that Yoon Chasa, No. 15, ran away from because he couldn’t handle it. You can imagine, right?”

“Ha, Yoon Chasa No. 15?”

“Right. If things go wrong, the trial won’t end even at King Yeomra’s¹ level. I’ll go assess the situation today, so think of a good plan if you have one.”

Upon hearing Kwon Chasa’s words, Yu Chasa nodded and read the register more carefully. To think that this was a soul whom even Yoon Chasa No. 15, famous for his impeccable work, had failed to take to the afterlife, the stubbornness and lingering attachment of the boy named Jung Suho were stronger than steel. In a way, it was only natural that such a troublesome burden had suddenly fallen right in front of him and Kwon Chasa.

1. Fifth of the ten Kings of the Underworld and was believed to be the supreme ruler of the Underworld. Yeomra’s role was to judge the sins of the dead and decide where they would spend the afterlife. ↩︎