GRR 26

The next day, Kwon Chasa also arrived at Han River Park at the time Jion was scheduled to meet Kang Seoyoon. It was a unilateral action kept secret from Jion, who was reluctant to have him by his side.

It didn’t seem like Kang Seoyoon would cause Jion any particular harm, but that didn’t mean he could let his guard down. He decided to follow them from a distance, both to ensure Jion’s safety and to take Kang Seoyoon to the underworld as soon as she overcame her fear.

He wondered why he had to go through such a troublesome and inconvenient process, but he had no choice because doing nothing would have make him feel more restless. It was due to a sense of responsibility: the belief that he had to look after the human to ensure he won’t get harmed.

After all, humans might look strong, yet they were more fragile than one might think. Besides, since Jion could see grim reapers and had spiritual eyes open enough to prevent his memories from being erased, ghosts would cling to him even more easily.

In particular, Jion was still young, and although his lifespan was unknown, he likely still had many years left to live. Therefore, given that they were bound by a contract, he had to take responsibility for his safety. At least, until this strange partnership came to an end.

Floating in the air, Kwon Chasa checked the jeokpaeji in his jacket pocket and quickly found Jion. Fortunately, Kang Seoyoon also appeared at the scene. Kwon Chasa maintained his appearance as a grim reaper to avoid human eyes, and diligently followed them. He also made sure to maintain a constant distance since Jion could see him.

“Noona, shall we look around the cherry blossom path first? It’s not spring, so there won’t be any flowers… but that’s okay, right?”

“Yes… that’s good.”

Kang Seoyoon readily accepted Jion’s proposal. Jion walked with excited steps. He looked around while constantly talking to Kang Seoyoon.

Saying things like, “Isn’t the weather so nice today?”, “Why don’t we ride a paddle boat later?”, “You absolutely have to eat ramyeon at the Han River”…

As Kang Seoyoon listened to Jion’s cheerful voice, she sometimes laughed and at other times nodded seriously. Kwon Chasa chuckled once or twice, as he found the situation absurd.

He couldn’t tell if Jion could speak so innocently without a care because he was still young, or if it was due to his innate personality. However, the thought briefly crossed his mind that unless someone was a ghost harboring deep resentment or dominated by negative emotions, they wouldn’t be able to turn away from someone acting so affectionately.

He wondered if it would be alright to just trust Jion and watch, but he didn’t have any better option. Kwon Chasa followed Jion and Kang Seoyoon, who had already finished sightseeing the cherry blossom path and arrived to ride a paddle boat, while keeping a keen watch over his surroundings.

Fortunately, no water ghosts appeared while Jion was riding the paddle boat. Once they safely returned to land, the two headed to a convenience store. Jion, seemingly hungry, bought a whole lot of things and devoured them all by himself without leaving a single bite. Kang Seoyoon marveled, telling Jion that he really ate well. At least he would not be interrogated for the minor offense of leaving food behind upon going to the underworld in the future.

“Wow… that was fun. Right, noona?”

As late afternoon arrived and the sun began to set, Jion found a secluded spot, sat down on the grass, and asked Kang Seoyoon. Kwon Chasa looked at Jion from above while checking the jeokpaeji from time to time. There were no noticeable change yet.

“I’m sorry, Jion. It’s all because of me…”

“I had more fun than you did, noona. All my stress is gone.”

Jion giggled and reassured Kang Seoyoon, who was feeling embarrassed. Kwon Chasa watched Jion chattering incessantly and couldn’t help but chuckle.

He was a person with a peculiar personality. He was nosy, had a good sense of humor, and was more enthusiastic about helping others than taking care of his own matters. Kwon Chasa suddenly became a little curious as to why Jion was trying to help ghosts to this extent.

Just then, sensing a strange energy in his bosom, he lifted his jacket slightly to reveal the jeokpaeji glowing white. It meant that the deceased whose name was written on the jeokpaeji was finally ready to depart for the afterlife. Without hesitation, Kwon Chasa landed on the ground and approached Jion and Kang Seoyoon.

“Huh…? How did you get here….”

Jion opened his eyes wide, surprised by Kwon Chasa’s sudden appearance. The grim reaper looked at Jion, who, unlike himself, was capable of displaying a variety of expressions, before turning his gaze to Kang Seoyoon. Although Kang Seoyoon flinched at the sight of Kwon Chasa, she did not run away blindly like she had last time.

“Kang Seoyoon.”

Kwon Chasa took out the jeokpaeji and called her name. This time, Kang Seoyoon responded. Her body floated up, moved close to him, and shackles appeared around her feet. Only then did Kwon Chasa turn his gaze back to Jion.

“Student, don’t stray off the path; go straight home. There are a lot of the water ghosts you’re afraid in the Han River.”

If Yu Chasa had been there, he would have told him to take Jion home, but he couldn’t because he was busy moving around here and there. Instead, he warned Jion about the water ghosts.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“…Alright. I’ll go. I’ll watch noona leave first.”

The mention of water ghosts had worked, Jion answered obediently. Kwon Chasa silently nodded once and summoned the hongsalmun. Kang Seoyoon turned her head to look at Jion and smiled brightly. Only then did Jion also smile.

Kwon Chasa gazed at the Han River in the distance, and only when he saw no ghosts that could threaten Jion did he cross the hongsalmun with Kang Seoyoon. As soon as they arrived in the underworld, the terrain of Mount Sacheon, which was visible right before their eyes, did not seem very rugged, so it appeared they could cross it quickly.

“Excuse me….”

Just as he took his first steps and was about to explain to Kang Seoyoon that they had to cross that mountain together. She looked at Kwon Chasa and began to speak.

“…You’ve been watching me and Jion this whole time.”

Kwon Chasa stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Kang Seoyoon. No matter how open Jion’s spiritual eyes were, it was difficult for him to sense a grim reaper’s energy more acutely than a ghost. Kang Seoyoon had realized that he had been watching them all along for that very reason.

She was stiff, seemingly gauging the situation, then stammered before finally managing to speak.

“Jion… is really cute and kind.”

Kang Seoyoon smiled once she finished speaking. He wondered what she was going to say. Kwon Chasa couldn’t help but chuckle when she spoke about Jion as if he were her youngest sibling.

Kang Seoyoon pursed her lips as if she had never smiled, and spoke again.

“He’s so kind… I’m a little worried that he might be that kind to bad people too…”

“…….”

“…I wonder if he will be fine.”

Kwon Chasa, who had been mulling over Kang Seoyoon’s worries, simply nodded slightly without saying a word. That nod was not meant to reassure Kang Seoyoon. It was a gesture to reaffirm his responsibility toward Jion once again.

As Kwon Chasa crossed the peaceful Mount Sacheon, which was as serene as a hill, he thought to himself that he must be careful to ensure that Jion, who was as kind and gentle even to ghosts as she had said, absolutely never got entangled with a vengeful spirit.

***

“Jion-ah, are you ready?”

“Yes! Just a moment!”

Having spent a busy weekend, Jion woke up early on the first day of the upcoming Chuseok¹ holiday to get ready to go out. This was because there was a place he used to visit with his grandfather every year during Seollal² and Chuseok. It was the columbarium where his mother and grandmother’s ashes were kept.

Jion finished getting dressed, grabbed only his wallet and cell phone, and left the room. He hurriedly followed his grandfather, who was already wearing his shoes. Jion clung to his side and smiled sweetly.

The columbarium was less than an hour’s drive from home. Jion said nothing as he traveled there with his grandfather, taking both the subway and walking. His lips, tightly closed due to the heaviness in his heart whenever he went to see his mother, never parted. It was the same for his grandfather.

When they finally arrived at the columbarium, it was bustling with visitors celebrating the holiday. They stepped into the room where his mother and grandmother’s urns were kept. Jion composed himself amidst the solemn atmosphere. After briefly watching his grandfather gaze at the urns of his mother and grandmother placed side by side, Jion paid his respects to his grandmother, who had passed away before he was even born, and then stared at the niche where his mother’s urn and belongings were placed.

“…….”

Through the transparent glass door, he could see a photo in an album. In the picture, his mother and he, around the age of six, were smiling happily, lacking nothing. Given how brightly they were smiling, one would expect the memory of what they did together that day to be vivid, yet the remnants were hazy.

There were a few photos containing memories of his mother in the thin album at home as well. Most of them were pictures of him alone, but there were some taken with her. There was the photo at Dakyung that his grandfather had taken, a selfie they took while eating ice cream together, a picture at the playground with a slide in the background, and so on. Although there weren’t many, they were enough to remind him of his mother whenever he looked through them occasionally.

1. Known as the autumn harvest festival, it is a time for families to reunite, honor their ancestors through charye  (ancestral rites), and share abundant seasonal foods. ↩︎
2. Seollal is a Korean traditional festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the Korean lunisolar calendar. ↩︎