novelraw Chapter 72 : Fare for the Afterlife (4)
Chapter 72 : Fare for the Afterlife (4)
Chapter 72: Fare for the Afterlife (4)
Those who possess reason know the passage of time. It is not age, but the changes in one’s surroundings that make one aware of its flow.
When leaves sprout on bare branches, one knows spring has come. When the sunlight grows harsh, summer arrives. When the mountains turn with fallen leaves, autumn is here. And when frost falls like rice flour, winter has come.
Even Yeomra, the ruler of the Afterlife, could not escape this eternal truth.
However, time flowed a little differently for Yeomra in the Afterlife.
He perceived time through the world reflected in the Karma Mirror.
[Please, just let me see the child—just to see that the child is doing well.]
[Why would our Yoon-gyeom be your son! How dare a lowly servant girl try to hinder the future of the main household’s heir? What are you doing! Throw that wench out, now!]
[Madam, please, I beg of you…….]
[So you're a wench who won't understand words. Hit her!]
[Yes, Madam!]
-Thwack. Thwack.
Faced with the horrifying scene, Yeomra tightly shut his eyes.
“Your Majesty, you must look into the Karma Mirror to pass judgment.”
“I can’t bear it.”
“Still, you must. Only by judging the sin can we ensure such things never occur again in the Living Realm.”
At the vassals’ earnest plea, Yeomra had no choice but to reopen his eyes.
And again, time passed.
[Did you hear, Woo-hyeok’s mom? Ah, really. That new girl who transferred the other day? I heard she had lots of problems at her previous school. Something about being involved in bullying—who knows if she was the one hitting or getting hit? Anyway, you can always tell kids from poor neighborhoods.]
“Take it out.”
…….
[If you take the fall and turn yourself in, we’ll get you a top-notch law firm and make sure you get a suspended sentence. Then you’ll move out right away.]
“Take it out.”
…….
As time passed, Yeomra’s expression hardened.
Even in the face of terrible sins, even upon hearing vile language that made him want to cleanse his ears, the accumulation of years had dulled his emotions.
But that was not the end.
“It is time to drink the Tonic of Oblivion.”
“Yes.”
Yeomra received the medicine bowl offered courteously by the retainer. Yet, just as he brought it to his lips, he set it back down on the table.
“Your Majesty?”
“A moment.”
What Yeomra held instead of the tonic was a worn notebook.
『Things Not to Forget.
I am Yeomra, ruler of the Afterlife.
I must distinguish between those who sinned with their tongues and those who did not.
…….
…….
Wear clothes from the Living Realm. [∨]
Go to the teahouse and read a book. [∨]』
The writing densely packed in the notebook grew clearer toward the bottom. And at the very end, a new line was added.
『253. Go to Dangsan-ri Café again.』
And so, leaving behind one more memory he must not forget, Yeomra drank the tonic.
-Ding.
The alarm rang to signal midnight.
It was time for the café to close.
“He didn’t come today either.”
“That Grim Reaper?”
“Yes, it’s been long past the day he said he’d come.”
“Pfft, in all the world, you must be the first fool to wait for a Grim Reaper.”
“Ha-ha, I suppose so.”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Elder’s scolding.
Come to think of it, it really was ridiculous. A Grim Reaper. And he seemed to be of quite high rank, too.
Even if he meant no harm, just the thought of letting such a being into the café was unsettling, wasn’t it?
But he had seemed too pure for that.
So pure, in fact, that his eyes lit up over a cup of Ssanghwa Tea, and he teared up over a single game of Blue Marble.
It was because I knew how heavy a promise from such a pure person must be, that I waited.
“Still, you made such a fuss, even conjured up the Gate of Hell, and now he doesn’t even show his face. Aren’t you disappointed?”
“At the National Intelligence Service, it was merely a preventive measure.”
“We’re truly sorry.”
I could imagine how much hardship lay behind that empty phrase of the Director’s, calling it a preventive measure.
After all, a storage facility for cultural assets had sprung up practically overnight near the café.
And I heard a hefty sum had been paid to acquire the Gate of Hell installed there.
But with no news for days, I began to feel embarrassed myself.
“Well, if you wait long enough, he’ll come. Don’t let it weigh on your mind too much.”
“Still, I should look into it. Ria is waiting like that too.”
“There's no good in getting too entangled with those who deal with the dead. You're going to go out searching yourself?”
“It’s not so hard to ask around while passing by. And they didn’t seem like such bad people.”
“Tsk! That nosiness of yours is a sickness.”
There wasn’t really a need to go searching. I already knew where many of the dead bound for the Afterlife gathered—the memorial park where I had met Han Sewoon's mentor.
“I’ll stop by after work tomorrow since it’s too late today.”
“If you’re going, I’ll come too. I feel uneasy letting you go alone.”
“You mustn’t. I’m actually thinking of taking Sanyi.”
“What? Do you know what might happen if you take that brat?”
“If the Grim Reapers show up while I’m gone, it’s far better to have Elder here than Sanyi. Besides, Sanyi is coming tomorrow anyway.”
“Well, that’s true, but……”
Honestly, I’d have liked to leave Sanyi at the café too, but knowing Elder wouldn’t allow it, this was the best option I had.
And so the next day came.
As soon as work was done, I loaded Sanyi up and headed to the memorial park.
“Hm-hm~ Foxes turn into beauties~ Raccoons into scholars~ The fox easily turns into a beauty~ And the raccoon into a scholar~ Hm-hm~”
“You like it that much?”
“It is very good! When I was in the basket, I couldn’t see outside very well!”
Despite shrinking to a size where she had to crane her neck just to glimpse out the passenger side window, Sanyi was thrilled and kept looking around nonstop.
“Oooh! That is Chunghwa Chinese Restaurant! A place that sells delicious Black Bean Noodles! That over there is Pizza!”
As we passed the sparsely planted roadside trees and entered an area where commercial buildings began in earnest, Sanyi sprang up from her seat in excitement.
“Sit down. That’s dangerous. How do you undo the seatbelt so easily?”
“You just twist your body like this—hororok—and it comes off!”
“I locked that just now! Don’t undo it again!”
Was this too much after all?
We weren’t even halfway there, yet it was already difficult to handle Sanyi who had learned the Transformation Technique.
After several attempts to fasten the seatbelt again and coax her down, I finally succeeded in distracting Sanyi with a video on the tablet—every parent’s cheat code at times like this.
Of course, it worked a bit too late. We arrived before she could even finish watching a single video.
-Screech.
“Let’s get out.”
“We’re already there?”
“Yeah.”
“Hing, they just got to the part where they eat Black Bean Noodles.”
“Finish watching it then get out slowly. I’m going to look around.”
“Is that really okay?”
“You’ll catch up soon.”
“Then I’ll finish it quickly! Jinseong, don’t go too far either!”
“Alright.”
She must have thought she was playing the role of a bodyguard—giving me that kind of warning.
I got out of the car and slowly walked outside the memorial park.
Since the place had already opened, it seemed our car was the only one not belonging to staff or insiders.
But the late-setting sun of summer and the quiet air had a sentiment that only ordinary people could appreciate.
With the Divine Eye allowing me to see into the world of spirits, this space—from the parking lot to the park’s interior—appeared quite different to me.
Strangely, it resembled a job fair held in the school auditorium back in my university days.
【Rebirth still possible after the 49th Day! Full refund guaranteed if you’re Hell-bound!】
【Reincarnate with features more like Unbin and Kim Taehwi than any cosmetic subsidy can offer.】
【We’ll change your nationality! Within 3 days, replace the Samdo River with the River Styx!】
【Specialists in resolving inheritance issues for children】
The signs bore all sorts of messages.
To make it worse, Grim Reapers in black suits waved flyers in both hands, desperately marketing their services.
“We’ll send your son two dreams today! Only until the end of today! Ma’am! Don’t just walk away—please listen to our explanation!”
“Sir! Even if the paperwork’s wrong, we can revive you if there’s just bones left! You know Skeletons in the West? That’s our team’s work!”
“Last bus to clear your grudges and escape being an Earthbound Spirit! If you miss us today, you won’t make it past the threshold of the Afterlife!”
It was a bizarre sight: souls walking past while Grim Reapers enthusiastically yelled out these aggressive ads.
With this level of sales pitch, you’d feel guilty not dying once for them. Who knew Grim Reapers lived such tough lives, even tougher than in the Living Realm?
“Oooh! Is this a marketplace?”
“You finished watching already?”
Before I knew it, Sanyi had come up beside me and shared the same impression.
“I want to eat here today!”
“I don’t think they sell food here.”
“They’re selling it over there.”
“Where?”
【Free ancestral meal tasting with consultation only】
Sanyi pointed to an actual food stand. Normally, these bait products don’t offer much quality.
“Let’s finish up quickly and eat Black Bean Noodles later. How about that?”
“Oooh! I like Black Bean Noodles better too!”
With that dramatic agreement, we joined hands and blended into the crowd.
How long did we walk around like that? At last, I spotted familiar faces—two Grim Reapers who had once visited our café.
“Sir, this really is too much. You said you’d go to the Afterlife with us, so we even gave you stock tips for your son’s dream, remember? What? Your son didn’t buy them? That’s not on us—he didn’t buy them, not that we didn’t tell him… Excuse me! You two over there! We’re wrapping up here soon, so don’t go anywhere—please have a seat here! Shin, give them a brief explanation first. Got it?”
Before we could even greet them, we were pulled into plastic folding chairs by the Grim Reaper.
“Yes, so our Samdo River Tour has a 4,000-year tradition… Oh?”
“Hello.”
Only then did they recognize us.
“D-Deputy General Manager.”
“I said it’ll be quick. Just explain it like we practiced.”
“That’s not it!”
“What? Ugh!”
As his junior forcibly turned his head, the Grim Reaper finally saw us and let out a bizarre shriek.
“It’s been a while. I came because I have a few questions.”
“H-How did you find this place…….”
“It seemed like the place where Grim Reapers would be gathered the most nearby. I came just to ask around, and luckily, we ran into each other.”
I was lucky. Grabbing just any Grim Reaper didn’t guarantee I’d get the right answers.
But their expressions were a bit off. They looked like they’d seen a ghost—though they themselves were Grim Reapers.