GRR 36

–Since I can get through to you, I guess nothing much happened. I thought something was wrong since you didn’t reply.

“You sent that text at dawn. I was sleeping at that hour….”

–Is that so? Well, as long as you’re fine. But seeing as you picked up the phone, you must be free?

“No? I’m busy!”

–Wait there. I’m on my way.

“No, I said I’m bus–”

He hung up before Jion could even finish his sentence. Jion stared at the screen with an incredulous expression and sighed.

He’s so selfish… Jion blinked once, and in that instant, a dark silhouette was already standing there. Stunned, Jion soullessly blinked as he lifted his eyes to see a man leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Ah, I see. So you call lazing around being ‘busy’?”

Jion immediately sat upright. Kwon Chasa, dressed in his usual black suit, was looking at Jion with a smile, though to anyone else, it looked more like a smirk.

Jion had nothing to say, as his claim of being busy was a lie born out of petty stubbornness. He cleared his throat and looked away, pretending to be unbothered.

“…You said you’d come during the hour of the sheep.”

“If I’d known you’d be idling, I wouldn’t have specified the hour of the sheep. It’s better for me if we get going early.”

He shrugged and looked at Jion from head to toe. Only then did Jion realize he was wearing a loose t-shirt with a slightly stretched collar and plaid pajama pants. No matter how you looked at him, he didn’t seem busy; he looked exactly like someone idling at home enjoying a leisurely afternoon, just as the man said.

Feeling his ears burn with embarrassment, Jion scrambled out of bed.

“W-wait outside for a second. I need to change.”

Kwon Chasa left the room without a word. It was a relief that his grandfather had already gone out; if he had still been home, it would have been a disaster. Jion breathed a sigh of relief, only to let out another long sigh as a thought occurred to him.

He was worried about what kind of words or actions Kwon Chasa would use to make his heart race today.

***

He summoned a gate in Jion’s living room, and grabbed his wrist. Though it wasn’t his first time experiencing this, Jion’s heart still pounded. As soon as they arrived at a different location beyond the gate, he hurried to pull his hand from the man’s grasp.

As he massaged his wrist, which felt ticklish, the distinct salty scent of the sea wafted into his nose. Only then did Jion lift his head to look around. And his jaw dropped.

He was standing on a sandy beach, and before him lay the vast ocean with gentle waves rolling in. Was there a place like this in Seoul? Jion tilted his head and looked around. Behind him were rows of tall buildings, and there were only a few tourists on the sand, seemingly there to enjoy the view.

Jion’s mouth opened even wider. He was now at Haeundae Beach, a regular spot featured in the news every summer vacation season. Although he knew he could go anywhere by passing through the gate, he was still bewildered because he hadn’t imagined he would be leaving Seoul.

‘My mom was in Busan for work.’

Park Seolhwa’s words belatedly came to mind, Jo Yunkyung had been living in Busan.

Since Jo Yunkyung was said to have died about two months after Park Seolhwa, it must have been when she had returned to Busan to resume her life. If so, arriving at Haeundae Beach out of the blue wasn’t so inexplicable. It was simply fascinating that they had arrived in the blink of an eye at a place that would have taken hours by any other mode of transport.

“Student, I don’t think you’re here for a vacation.”

“…I know that.”

At the low rebuke, Jion trembled as if he had been stabbed and grumbled. It wasn’t like he deserved a lecture just for being unable to take his eyes off the sea. He was just a little, a very little, bit excited because it was his first time here. Jion kept his rebuttals to himself and turned his gaze toward Kwon Chasa.

“Did Seolhwa’s mother pass away here?”

“No. She died in the hospital after being in a coma. This is just the place where Jo Yunkyung haunts.”

Kwon Chasa replied in a flat voice. Jion’s heart dropped at the thought that she probably hadn’t been able to close her eyes in peace. He began to follow Kwon Chasa as the man started walking.

“…How did Seolhwa’s mother die? You mentioned before that there was an incident.”

His steps were slower than usual, as if the sand were pulling at his feet. In dramas, people walked in places like this on dates. It was absurd that his lot in life was to be walking here with a grim reaper instead of making romantic memories.

“Jo Yunkyung died instead of the human who was supposed to die. That person survived.”

Jion stopped in his tracks, startled. He noticed a contradiction in the man’s words.

“Then Seolhwa’s mother wasn’t originally destined to die? Is that why you called it an incident?”

“Yes. Her original lifespan should have been longer.”

To think that someone with so many years left had died early. How could he call that an “incident”? As Jion’s face turned somber, Kwon Chasa continued.

“They say this has been happening quite often lately. When the deceased don’t leave the living world on time and start interfering with its affairs, the order begins to get tangled. When that happens, living people who have no connection to them can end up suffering unexpected harm. That’s also why Yeomra sent me to this world.”

“…….”

“Jo Yunkyung saved a student who was trying to drown herself in the sea and fell into a coma instead. Coincidentally, that student was the same age as Park Seolhwa. I heard the student is doing well now after receiving treatment.”

Kwon Chasa gestured with his chin toward the wide ocean. The sunlight dancing on the ripples was sparkling, and the sound of the water was soothing, but the sea was more than just a beautiful thing. It was as cruel as it was beautiful, occasionally swallowing humans without hesitation.

“And Jo Yunkyung has probably….”

Kwon Chasa stopped abruptly and slowly turned his gaze. Jion’s eyes followed.

“She must have been here all this time, worried that there might be other kids trying to drown themselves. She pushed them away with the waves so they couldn’t get close.”

He saw a figure floating above the sea. The soul, dressed in hospital scrubs, was drifting through the air. However, Jion’s gaze turned back to Kwon Chasa. This was because he had confided her story as if he fully understood Jo Yunkyung’s struggles.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Uh… No, it’s nothing.”

Jion was a bit surprised. Until now, Kwon Chasa had never been curious about the stories of the deceased; he had treated them as obstacles interfering with his work. It was impossible not to be shocked when he was the one to first understand and explain Jo Yunkyung’s situation. However, because Kwon Chasa reacted as if Jion were making a fuss over nothing, Jion had to quickly change the subject.

“But… can ghosts really do that? How does she push people with waves?”

“I guess you haven’t seen those types yet. Occasionally, there are deceased who possess a strong will. Usually, when they become vengeful spirits or reach a state close to it, their will manifests, and they may harm humans. Fortunately, in Jo Yunkyung’s case, that will manifested in a good way.”

Jion looked up at Jo Yunkyung again. She hadn’t noticed him or Kwon Chasa yet. She focused only on the currents of the sea without sparing them a glance.

While Jion was contemplating what to say to her, Kwon Chasa slowly looked around. Suddenly, a cold energy filled the air, and Jion turned his head to see Kwon Chasa already holding his buwol. Only then did Jion realize that the man had returned to his form as a grim reaper and hidden himself from the crowd of people.

“Stay here for a moment.”

Even if he wanted to follow, he couldn’t. To get close to her, he would have to go into the ocean. Even if he wanted to get her attention, he wasn’t sure his voice would reach her from such a distance. Jion hurriedly stopped Kwon Chasa, who was ready to fly through the air toward Jo Yunkyung.

“Are you going to start by threatening her…?”

“I’m going to tell her to follow me quietly if she wants to see her daughter. How is that a threat?”

“Hmph….”

How can you say that in a way that makes you sound exactly like a kidnapper… It was as though Kwon Chasa would get sick if he didn’t say things in the most difficult way possible. There was no other way he could have such an outrageous way of speaking. Jion thought the man had changed since he seemed to sympathize with Jo Yunkyung, but he was wrong.

“You should say that Seolhwa wants to see her mom. If you say it like that, it sounds too much like a threat.”

Kwon Chasa considered Jion’s suggestion for a moment before giving a half-hearted nod and immediately flying into the air toward Jo Yunkyung. Jion could only watch the scene from a distance.