“You think he’ll leave if you kick him out?”
“You can just leave.”
“Why should I? This is my house.”
Jieon bristled. Anyone could see the problem was with Shin Mua, so he couldn’t understand at all why he should run away and even give up his house.
“Is now the time to be standing on your pride?”
Suchan admonished with worry. His words made sense too. Pride or whatever—now was the time to make a realistic judgment. But Jieon shook his head.
“Pride aside, if he’s really a guy trying to pull something, do you think he’ll sit quietly just because I leave?”
“Hmm.”
“It’ll be even more anxious if he’s out of sight. And… I need to figure out what his scheme is for suddenly acting like this.”
He was sincere. Honestly, if it had just been memory loss, it would have been too obvious an act and he wouldn’t have even been curious about the scheme. But saying he was originally a Grim Reaper and had possessed Shin Mua’s body so he had no memories? Honestly, how many people could ignore this absurd excuse?
“Hey, it’s going to be a lie anyway, so what’s there to be curious about regarding his scheme?”
Suchan once again tried to dissuade Jieon. In his view, it was needless curiosity. He understood that the option of abandoning his own house and running away just because of Shin Mua was an issue that touched Jieon’s pride.
“Anyway, I’m not running from my own house. I have no reason to.”
However, Jieon’s resolve was firm. His gaze turned toward where Shin Mua’s room was. He wondered what kind of nonsense Shin Mua was doing inside that tightly closed door.
Jieon knew there was a contradiction in his own words. He already knew the reason why Shin Mua was telling such an absurd lie. It was to somehow cover up a relationship that was already broken from the ground up, to somehow prevent being kicked out of this house.
So saying he’d find out his scheme could sound like a contradiction. If Shin Mua’s excuse had been only words, Jieon wouldn’t have paid much attention to his nonsense either.
But like grains of sand rolling around in his mouth, an inexplicable unpleasantness kept bothering him.
Shin Mua’s eyes that gave an unfamiliar feeling as if facing a complete stranger. A speech pattern and concept that was an unreasonable gamble that would logically only backfire. Most of all, that night when he’d overwhelmed him in an instant and made it impossible to even breathe properly, the chilling energy he’d felt from Shin Mua.
More than anything, what bothered Jieon was that the subtle displeasure he’d always felt when dealing with him until now wasn’t felt at all from the current him.
From the moment he first met Shin Mua, Jieon had been uncomfortable with him. At first, he thought it was because he was someone he didn’t know well, and when they became a married couple living in one house, he considered it awkwardness from becoming spouses with someone he didn’t love. A problem that would naturally resolve itself with time.
But no matter how much time passed, the discomfort didn’t improve. No, rather, the awkwardness grew increasingly worse. Even before Shin Mua’s obsession became severe, Jieon had always felt a very subtle, inexplicable displeasure from him.
After their relationship deteriorated, that sensation naturally became even worse. Later on, just making eye contact would give him goosebumps all over his body and make him nauseous. It was closer to instinctive rejection rather than because of what he said or did.
But strangely, after the accident, he didn’t feel that particular displeasure from Shin Mua, who claimed to have lost his memory. It felt as if dirty filth had been completely washed away.
The point of doubt was precisely there. Could simply Shin Mua pretending to have lost his memory and acting like a Grim Reaper make even the disgust Jieon had felt disappear? Was that really possible?
Jieon liked things to be certain. So he wanted to find evidence that would blow away his unresolved suspicions in one go.
Evidence proving that Shin Mua was lying, conviction that would allow him to mock him right to his face.
“Just wait and see. Before long, I’ll make that bastard confess everything with his own mouth.”
Jieon muttered while still glaring at where Mua would be. That day’s Cheon Jieon was certain it wouldn’t take very long until the truth was revealed.
***
“Ah, you scared me!”
Jieon, who had been standing in the kitchen explaining the basic tasks to the new housekeeper and then turned around, jumped in surprise, yelled, and stepped backward. Because Shin Mua, who he didn’t know when had come out, was standing right in front of him.
Like some old man out for a stroll in the neighborhood, Shin Mua had his hands clasped behind his back and clicked his tongue as if finding the pale-faced Jieon pathetic.
“Why are you so startled?”
At those words, the new housekeeper behind Jieon widened her eyes. Anyone would be surprised if a person who looked to be in their twenties at most suddenly used a period drama speech pattern.
Jieon, who had read the atmosphere, roughly messed up the back of his hair. It was because he hadn’t yet told the housekeeper about Shin Mua’s condition. He’d been hesitating because he didn’t know how to say it, when Shin Mua suddenly appeared and his head became even more complicated.
“Hey, why are you standing behind someone without making a sound!”
He was conscious of the housekeeper, and also a bit embarrassed by his own frivolous startled appearance, so his voice naturally rose. Mua let out an empty laugh as if absurd and continued speaking.
“You got startled because you’re small-livered, yet how brazen to turn the tables.”
Technically it was correct, so he had nothing to say. Jieon spoke to the housekeeper, thinking he should deal with the situation first.
“Um, Uncle told you roughly about it, right? This is Shin Mua… I’ll explain the details again later.”
“Ah, yes yes.”
The housekeeper tried to hide her bewilderment and answered politely. Jieon turned around and spoke to Mua.
“Follow me.”
Without even hearing Mua’s answer, he passed by him and headed to the living room when he heard a grumbling voice from behind.
“Impudent fellow.”
It was absurd who was calling whom impudent. First of all, he’d never acted ‘impudently’ toward Shin Mua, and if anything, Jieon was even older. Yet Shin Mua was acting as if he were his grandfather, so it was utterly ridiculous.
Well, he claims to be a Grim Reaper, so how exalted must he be.
“Who is that person?”
Mua, still with his hands clasped behind his back, followed Jieon into the living room and asked.
“You’re the one being impudent—what’s with that speech pattern?”
“I’ve lived easily a hundred years longer than you, so what’s the problem?”
“Ha… let’s not even talk. That person is someone who’ll be taking care of household chores starting today, so treat her well. Don’t spout nonsense about being a Grim Reaper or whatever.”
Then Mua looked at Jieon with an extremely pathetic gaze.
“Can’t you even prepare your own meals alone?”
“What?”
“How old are you and you still need someone to do household chores for you, tsk tsk… You were raised preciously.”
Shin Mua’s speech pattern definitely had aspects that made people angry. But to argue back, the words about needing someone to do household chores at his age were correct, and being raised preciously was also correct, so he had nothing to say.
“It’s not like you’re paying for it, so what does it matter?”
Jieon regretted it a little after spitting out those words. Even saying it himself, it was such an immature thing to say that his face grew hot. It was Jieon himself who had chosen to live like an idle rich man, escaping the fierce succession battle, yet he strangely felt embarrassed.
“Well, that’s also true.”
Fortunately, Mua didn’t pick any more fights. Jieon cleared his throat needlessly and then continued.
“Anyway, saying weird things won’t do you any good, so don’t even think about opening your mouth in front of other people with that nonsense about being a Grim Reaper or whatever. Got it?”
“I have that much sense too.”
“A guy who says he has sense still uses that kind of speech pattern? Ha, please, can’t you do something about that weird old man speech?”
“Are you telling me to use an unsightly speech pattern like yours?”
“What?”
“Wake up from your dream. I’m going to return to the Afterlife anyway. I have not the slightest intention of pretending to be human.”
“Ha…”
Jieon pressed his forehead, feeling a strong headache for the first time in a while. Shin Mua’s attitude was so obstinate that even the will to fight disappeared. Trudging wearily to the sofa and plopping down, Jieon asked in a drained voice.
“Fine, let’s say you’re a Grim Reaper, let’s accept that. But why do you hate humans so much?”
If it was a concept, why did he choose such a concept? It was a fundamental question. Wouldn’t it be better not to adopt a concept of hating humans? Same with the forced speech pattern that didn’t seem easy to maintain for long.
Suddenly exhausted by all of this, Jieon lowered his head and pressed his throbbing forehead with his fingers.
“Humans are…”
And the moment Shin Mua opened his mouth to answer, Jieon was startled by the chilling energy that instantly covered his entire body and raised his head.
It was a strange thing. Clearly the living room was filled with sunlight pouring through the large windows, yet it seemed as if a very deep shadow was cast only where Shin Mua stood.
Jieon reflexively blinked. Still, the darkness surrounding Mua didn’t disappear.
Am I going crazy? Am I going crazy too from hearing so much crazy talk? Could the aftereffects of the accident appear like this? For a brief moment, Jieon’s mind became complicated.
Wearing the darkness like a robe, Shin Mua spoke.
