GRR 23

“…Hello.”

As Jion slightly bowed, Kwon Chasa nodded his head and immediately placed his hand on the floor. Not long after, the gate, which had become familiar to Jion’s eyes as well, appeared on the stair railing. Without hesitation, he pulled the handle and opened the door.

“Take it.”

Do I have to go to that house again today? Jion tilted his head in confusion but still obediently reached out and took the hand as Kwon Chasa instructed. Today, his hand was warm, so Jion wasn’t startled as he had been before.

However, as this routine repeated, Jion noticed something he hadn’t thought of before. He realized that Kwon Chasa’s hand was much bigger than his, and that it was very sturdy and solid.

Jion was soon sucked into the space inside the gate, which was pitch black, along with Kwon Chasa. Jion closed his eyes, and only opened them slightly when he felt the wind ruffling his hair.

“…Wow.”

The gently flowing waters of the Han River were visible, and behind them, tall buildings stood out. There were a few people gathered in small groups on the grass with tents or mats, chatting happily.

A moderately warm yet cool breeze and a wide open blue sky.

Jion had moved to the Han River Park from the stairs of an old building in the blink of an eye.

As the only places he had ever crossed through that gate were the hanok where Kwon Chasa lived and his own home, it felt all the more fascinating and surprising. It was a nonchalant remark from Kwon Chasa that instantly hurled Jion, who had been looking around with wide eyes, back to reality.

“Student, close your mouth. You’re drooling.”

“…….”

“Ah…”

Jion was about to wipe his closed lips, when he realized that his right wrist was still in Kwon Chasa’s grasp. The long, sturdy fingers, which were more than enough to completely wrap around his wrist bone, did not move, but he felt a tingling sensation on the inside of his palm. Jion pulled his arm toward his body.

“C-can you let go now…?”

“Ah.”

Kwon Chasa spread his fingers without hesitation. As soon as his hand was free, Jion quickly wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, but there was nothing.

This old man is unbelievable… Jion thought he might have drooled in a disgraceful way, but Kwon Chasa was just teasing him. Jion stuffed the wooden plaque into his pants pocket and diligently followed Kwon Chasa, who had already started walking ahead. It was only when Jion noticed people occasionally glancing at Kwon Chasa that he realized he was currently disguised as a human.

Come to think of it, people who look like that aren’t common, so it is understandable that people stare. Although his personality is a bit… no, very strange, he is tall, big, and has a face that looked like he’d received dozens of business cards from entertainment agencies. But since he isn’t a real human, such thoughts probably didn’t do much good…

“Student, you’re drooling.”

“…….”

Jion inhaled louder than before and rubbed the corners of his mouth vigorously. Feeling embarrassed, Jion cleared his throat and racked his brain for something to say to change the subject. His mind worked faster than when he was studying, and quickly recalled another grim reaper.

“Uh, um… did Yu Chasa go to work again today?”

“He has to stay in the underworld for a few more days, so he can’t come down. He’s probably still crossing the Samdo River.”

It is a pity. It would have been much more peaceful and easier if Yu Chasa had been with me. He had clearly only harbored such a wish inwardly for a very brief moment, but what Jion faced was Kwon Chasa, who was smiling slyly as if he could see right through him.

“Haha… But why aren’t you leaving…? Weren’t you just supposed to just drop me off?”

“If you persuades her, I can just take her without wasting time going back and forth, so why bother? Besides, who knows? My threats might work on her.”

Jion thought he was just taking him to where Kang Seoyoon was, but to think they had to stay together. He even felt the urge to go home, but he couldn’t back out now and say he couldn’t do it. The wisest thing to do was to meet Kang Seoyoon quickly and resolve the matter as soon as possible.

Jion quickly turned around and headed toward the river. It looked like Yeouido Han River Park, and since the location mentioned in the article he had looked up today was Yeouinaru Station, it was likely that Kang Seoyoon was indeed the victim of that incident, just as he had suspected.

Then where could Kang Seoyoon be? Judging by the fact that Kwon Chasa brought him here, it certainly meant she had settled down somewhere in this Han River Park. Recalling Kwon Chasa’s words that Kang Seoyoon spent her time gazing at the river or people, Jion looked around.

“Student, over there.”

Jion heard a low voice and turned his head to see Kwon Chasa gesturing somewhere with his chin. When he looked in the direction his head was pointing, he finally noticed an alien presence mixed in with the people.

A woman sat alone on the stairs. Judging by her slightly blurry figure, she must be a ghost. Even people going up and down the stairs passed by without noticing her presence. However, she was completely unconcerned.

“She’s in such a conspicuous place…”

There were a few people using the stairs, and some were sitting on mats on the lawn next to them. It was obvious that if he went straight up to the stairs and spoke to her, he would be met with strange looks.

“Uh, uh….”

While Jion wondered how to take her to a secluded place, Kwon Chasa began walking toward the stairs where Kang Seoyoon was sitting. Feeling anxious, Jion hurried after him, but his eyes met Kang Seoyoon’s, who had looked up after sensing his presence.

“Ah, excuse me …!”

There was no time to do anything. Kang Seoyoon straightened her bent knees and stood up before spinning around in the air with a terrified expression. Not knowing what to do, she suddenly flew toward the river. Kwon Chasa frowned, he stirred up a slight gust of wind at his feet, and instantly soared into the air to chase after her. Jion gaped in shock, but no one else had seen the sight.

Did he turn back into a grim reaper? Jion shook his head and ran, trying to get even a little closer to Kwon Chasa. However, every time Kang Seoyoon ran away, Kwon Chasa chased after her like a madman, it was impossible to catch up.

So that was why Yu Chasa told him to make sure he went with him. Yu Chasa had already anticipated that if Kwon Chasa tried to handle it his own way, Kang Seoyoon would run away. Jion gritted his teeth. They were still far away, so he had to run.

It was definitely near the paddle boat rental area, but before he knew it, he was close to the dock. Finally, not far away, yet on the water that Jion could not reach, Kwon Chasa and Kang Seoyoon were facing each other.

At this rate, the whole day would be spent just chasing and being chased. He had to attract Kang Seoyoon’s attention and let her know he was safe. After contemplating, Jion looked around, then raised his right arm high into the air and swung it vigorously. He felt it would be better to act like a madman just this once rather than let things spiral into disaster.

“Seoyoon-noona! Talk to me!”

Jion could feel the furtive glances directed at him, but he didn’t mind and waved his hand enthusiastically. At that, Kang Seoyoon, whose face was still pale, turned her gaze toward Jion. Jion smiled brightly, hoping she would lower her guard. He also didn’t forget to quickly shake his head while glancing toward Kwon Chasa.

“Did you… call me…?”

“Yes, that’s right. I wanted to talk to you, noona.”

Fortunately, Kang Seoyoon descended from the air and approached Jion. However, perhaps because she hadn’t completely let go of her suspicions, she stood a little distance away. Only then was Jion able to examine Kang Seoyoon a little more closely.

The hair tied up was slightly disheveled, and the dried blood that had flowed down from her forehead to the chin was clearly visible. Since they were standing face to face, the back of her head was not visible, but just by looking at the blood on the clothes, he could guess how severe the injury had been.

Although she looked so wretched that it was difficult to face her as if nothing were wrong, Jion forced himself to smile.

“Noona, by any chance… is there somewhere we can talk quietly?”

In the meantime, Kwon Chasa approached Jion. As Kang Seoyoon flinched and showed signs of running away again, Jion hurriedly blocked Kwon Chasa’s path.

“Noona, don’t worry about this man. Talk to me.”

“…….”

“I’ll listen to everything you have to say, noona.”

Kang Seoyoon bit her thumbnail. She couldn’t let her guard down even at Jion’s gentle voice. If only Kwon Chasa, who was standing behind him like a statue, had just stayed still, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point. Jion sighed in disappointment, and smiled sweetly at Kang Seoyoon.

After a brief silence, she barely managed to nod, and Jion was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. As he carefully followed Kang Seoyoon, who began to take slow steps, Jion declared war on Kwon Chasa.

“…Please stay quiet while I talk to her. If you say even a single word, I’m just going home.”

Kwon Chasa frowned in annoyance.