GRR 37

Jion grew worried because couldn’t hear the conversation, but it was a relief that Jo Yunkyung didn’t avoid Kwon Chasa even after seeing him. Even though he knew ordinary people couldn’t see them, Jion still looked around. He felt that he stood out more because he was staring at the line between the sea and the sky. He hugged his bag and sat down on the sand.

Time passed, and the conversation between the ghost and the grim reaper took longer than expected. Even from a distance, he could clearly see Kwon Chasa sighing in frustration.

He probably threatened her. Or maybe he just relayed the message, and Jo Yunkyung is being stubborn. Jion shook his head, then suddenly lowered his gaze to the bag that entered his view.

“…Ah.”

Right, there was the wooden plaque.

Jion quickly opened his bag and took out the plaque. He placed his hand over the engraved name and murmured.

“I’ll talk to her, so could you come over here with Seolhwa’s mother…?”

As he looked at him earnestly and sent the signal, Kwon Chasa turned his head toward where Jion was sitting. Jion shook his head hard enough to make his head ring, and then he saw Kwon Chasa gesture with his chin toward Jo Yunkyung. Only then did Jo Yunkyung’s gaze turn toward him.

Not long after, as he watched Jo Yunkyung slowly float toward him, Jion smiled.

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While Jion was talking with Jo Yunkyung, Kwon Chasa brought Park Seolhwa to Busan. Jion and Kwon Chasa patiently waited until the mother and daughter finished sharing everything they couldn’t say before. Kwon Chasa didn’t bother hiding that he wasn’t pleased, but he didn’t say it out loud.

Around the time the sun began to set, a hongsalmun suddenly appeared in the middle of the sea, and through it, a grim reaper descended into this world. He politely greeted Kwon Chasa, then unfolded the jeokpaeji, and soon disappeared beyond the hongsalmun with the mother and daughter. Park Seolhwa and Jo Yunkyung had finally ended their long wandering in this world and were on their way to the underworld.

When the hongsalmun disappeared, Jion finally relaxed, and felt a surge of hunger. Everything he needed to do in Busan was finished, so all that remained was going back to Seoul, but he was reluctant to leave. It was his first time seeing the Busan sea, and he wanted to enjoy it a little more.

Then there was only one excuse he could use.

“…Chasa-nim.”

“What?”

“Can we eat dinner here before we go? I’m really hungry…”

If this were just Gyeonggi Province… no, even if it were Chungnam where he could take the subway home, he wouldn’t cling to Kwon Chasa.

If Kwon Chasa left, he’d have no choice but to take a bus or train back to Seoul alone, but if Kwon Chasa took him, they could get there in 1 second. That’s why he brought it up, just to buy some time for dinner.

Kwon Chasa looked at Jion and snorted. Jion’s face fell for a moment at the negative reaction, but then, without saying anything, Kwon Chasa gestured with his chin.

It was a half-hearted gesture, but Jion noticed that he had accepted what he said.

With a satisfied smile, he started walking without thinking. But there was no way he knew any places. What should I eat in Busan? Jion stopped for a moment and thought carefully, then decided that since they were near the sea, eating sashimi would be best. He immediately took out his phone, searched for nearby restaurants, and pointed ahead.

“Uh… it says there’s a sashimi place that way.”

When he spoke and glanced at him, Kwon Chasa looked like he didn’t care either way. Afraid he might change his mind, Jion quickly started walking. Kwon Chasa matched Jion’s pace and followed him.

Only after leaving the sandy beach did they spot the restaurant building. They were guided to an empty window seat and sat down, and beyond the glass, the wide Haeundae sea stretched out. Jion nodded to the employee who brought water and a wet towel, then picked up the menu on the table. Kwon Chasa silently watched him.

“Wow… this is really expensive…”

Jion muttered to himself. He hadn’t expected it to be this pricey.

I should’ve checked the prices earlier… He came here without considering his budget, so he couldn’t blame anyone.

Jion sighed and decided to look through the menu carefully to find the cheapest option. The cheapest item was hoe-deopbap, but even that used fresh fish instead of frozen, and the price still didn’t feel cheap to him. If he ate this, he’d probably have to give up snacks completely until he got paid from his part-time job.

But if I’m going to eat, I should enjoy it. Who knows when I’ll come to Busan again? Jion pushed aside his complaints and slid the menu toward Kwon Chasa.

“What about you? Aren’t you eating?”

Kwon Chasa pushed the menu back to him and shook his head. Come to think of it, Yu Chasa had said that grim reapers didn’t have the Three Desires… If his guess was right, one of those was probably appetite.

“…Do you not feel hunger?”

“That’s right.”

“I see…”

If he couldn’t feel hunger, then there was no need to eat. But then why did he buy milk at the convenience store? Was he just curious about the taste? Jion was curious, but he didn’t ask further. He knew Kwon Chasa wouldn’t answer kindly. He just looked back down at the menu that felt out of reach.

When people come to places like this, they usually eat a full spread until they’re stuffed. Jion recalled a food show he once saw on TV and let out a sigh of regret. Kwon Chasa looked at him with a questioning gaze.

“You said you’re hungry. Why are you just sitting there?”

“I am… but it feels a bit disappointing to come here and just eat hoe-deopbap. But the other things are too expensive, and they only take orders for 2 people, so if you don’t eat too, there’s way too much and I’d end up leaving most of it…”

As he listened to Jion speak with a dejected air, Kwon Chasa snatched the menu away. He flipped through it quickly without hesitation. He didn’t know what Jion considered expensive, but it was definitely more expensive than the milk from the convenience store.

“What do you want to eat?”

“I want this course here. I’ve always wanted to try something like this.”

Jion felt a bit embarrassed after saying it and rubbed the tip of his nose. After hearing his answer, Kwon Chasa called over an employee who was passing nearby. Jion was confused by his action. Kwon Chasa held out the menu and pointed at something.

“We’ll take this.”

Jion looked at where Kwon Chasa’s finger was pointing. It was the most expensive course on the menu, Course C, 100000 won per person. Before Jion could take back the order, the employee quickly left.

“Wait, I don’t have money…”

“Who said you have to pay?”

Kwon Chasa shrugged, then reached into his suit jacket and showed him a card. It was the same black credit card he used at the convenience store and when he bought cube steak at the Han River night market. Jion asked carefully, just in case.

“Then… are you buying it for me?”

“If you really want to pay for it yourself, I won’t stop you.”

“No! I’ll enjoy the meal, thank you.”

There was nothing to gain from refusing here. Afraid he might suddenly change his mind, Jion quickly thanked him, just like when he got allowance from his grandfather.

Kwon Chasa put the card back into his jacket and stared at Jion. Should he call him honest, or shameless… It had been so long since he spoke with a living human that he wondered if all kids these days were like this. Anyway, after hearing nothing but chatter, hearing one obedient sentence made him laugh.

Jion wondered if Kwon Chasa was laughing at him, but he didn’t say it out loud.

It hadn’t even been 5 minutes since they ordered, but the basic dishes of the course began to fill the table one by one. There were familiar-looking foods like corn cheese and bite-sized seafood pancakes, but many of the seafood dishes had a strong ocean smell and looked unfamiliar.

The employee kindly told them the sashimi would come out soon and quickly left. Jion gulped and immediately picked up his chopsticks, but he couldn’t bring himself to reach for the food because he was feeling conscious of the person sitting across from him.

Even if Kwon Chasa couldn’t feel hunger, it still felt awkward to eat alone while someone was sitting in front of him.

“Chasa-nim, you’re really not eating?”

When he asked just in case, Kwon Chasa didn’t answer and instead pushed all the side dishes toward Jion. It reminded him of his grandfather, who would always place the best side dishes in front of him when they ate together.

He said he was old enough to be my ancestor… maybe all adults are like that. Jion couldn’t stop himself from laughing.