“Hmm…”
At Seoran’s answer, Mua let out a troubled groan. In the end, the ritual failed, but if Mua hadn’t been there at that time, there was no telling how the results would have been different.
In fact, the Afterlife hadn’t felt anything strange even until the day the ritual took place. This was truly a big problem. This was no ordinary bastard. Honestly, even Mua found that ability frightening.
“If you want to pull out of this matter, you can.”
At Mua’s sudden words, Jieon widened his eyes and looked at him. When was it that he had searched everywhere to find a shaman who could help him, and now he was suddenly telling the talent he had barely found that it was okay to quit?
“What do you suddenly mean by that?”
It wasn’t just Jieon. Seoran also seemed surprised by the unexpected words. However, Mua continued calmly.
“Just as I said. You didn’t get involved in this matter because you wanted to, did you? In fact, it’s no different from me half-threatening you.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“I didn’t expect the opponent to be this dangerous, so I’m giving you a choice. If you don’t want to, I won’t force you anymore.”
Honestly, even Mua couldn’t understand what he was saying right now. If he lost Seoran, it would be hard to find another shaman of this caliber. What was immediately important wasn’t the safety of one insignificant human but restoring order to the Living World and the Afterlife.
However, Mua didn’t take back the words he had spoken. He didn’t want to. No matter how much he disliked and was disgusted by humans, he didn’t want to forcibly put them in danger with his own hands.
See, look at that. He acts all tough by himself, but at the crucial moment, he’s always like that.
He seemed to hear the sound of Yeomra clicking his tongue. Still, it couldn’t be helped. Mua admitted that he was irrational and incompetent.
“Aigoo! Grandma, just stay still for a bit!”
At that moment, Seoran suddenly shouted. Thanks to that, Jieon, who was startled, flinched his shoulders, then saw the composed Mua and unnecessarily cleared his throat while managing his expression to pretend he wasn’t surprised.
Seoran seemed to be lost in thought, rolling his eyes here and there. He was probably having a fierce battle with his grandmother.
Mua could easily guess the content. Seoran’s grandmother deity had been very wary of him from the beginning. Even if she had abilities, she was a case of a human becoming a deity, so a Grim Reaper would inevitably be uncomfortable.
Moreover, in this case, the matter clearly looked extremely dangerous. From the perspective of the grandmother deity who cherished Seoran, it was natural to tell him to pull out while there was a chance.
What puzzled Mua was Seoran. He was a young shaman who still lacked experience compared to his abilities. Normally, it wouldn’t be strange for someone his age to run away himself before his deity stopped him.
Yet Seoran kept grumbling quietly, scolding his grandmother deity. Before long, Seoran opened his mouth toward Mua with a triumphant face.
“It’s okay! I can do it!”
“Huh…”
Flustered, Mua made a deflated sound. He hadn’t expected to hear that he would do it, so he asked again.
“Really? If you’re doing this because you’re worried I’ll harm you, you don’t need to worry…”
“You, Grim Reaper-nim? Harm me?”
However, Seoran openly burst into laughter at Mua. To anyone watching, he didn’t look like someone worried about the consequences.
“I already know Grim Reaper-nim isn’t that mean of a person.”
“No, I’m…”
“It’s not because I’m scared of Grim Reaper-nim, but because I want to do it.”
At that moment, Seoran’s eyes sparkled. It was a gaze as if holding flames.
“A shaman who can only use abilities of that level in such a pathetic way needs to meet a proper opponent and get beaten up to come to their senses.”
From Seoran saying those words, one could feel an emotion closer to competitive spirit than a sense of justice. Only then could Mua guess the reason Seoran wouldn’t easily back down. The young shaman who had pride in his skills and beliefs seemed to have been properly provoked.
“Then I won’t stop you anymore either.”
Mua said. Honestly, if Seoran backed out, the situation would obviously become more difficult, so there was nothing more for Mua to weigh. Above all, if his grandmother deity ultimately gave permission, it also meant Seoran had the ability to confront the opponent.
“However, promise me one thing.”
“Yes! Please tell me anything, Grim Reaper-nim!”
“Your grandmother will handle it herself, but no matter what happens, absolutely don’t rashly step forward, and act cautiously in all matters. Understand?”
“I understand!”
“The opponent is surely more experienced than you and a very sinister person. Never be overconfident, and promise to pull out without delay when your grandmother tells you to. If you don’t, I won’t accept your help.”
“Yes! I’ll listen well to Grandma and move carefully!”
Seoran, who answered spiritedly to Mua’s repeated urging, looked at Jieon sitting beside him and smiled.
“See? I told you Grim Reaper-nim is secretly a warm-hearted person.”
Jieon missed the timing to respond to those words and only moved his lips. He should have come up with a rebuttal like ‘what warmth from that old fuddy-duddy’ as usual, but those words couldn’t quite come out.
He recalled the appearance from last night, calmly accepting his long-held sorrow. Even though no one was looking inside him, his chest inexplicably pricked, and he hurriedly tried to erase the image of Shin Mua from his mind. Unfortunately, it didn’t work well.
“Anyway, then I’ll go back for now and dig deeper with Grandma. To see if there are any clues about the opponent.”
Seoran said this while getting up from his seat.
“Let’s give it a try.”
It was truly the confidence befitting someone called a divine shaman.
***
“So… are you going to sleep now?”
Jieon, who had been sitting blankly on the sofa, awkwardly asked as he encountered Mua, who had briefly come out to the lounge. He absolutely couldn’t say that he had come out to the lounge wanting to have a conversation with him.
Mua saw Jieon and stopped without realizing it. He had desperately pretended to be unfazed, but because he encountered him too suddenly, he ended up flustered.
During the day, it was less awkward thanks to Suchan and Seoran alternately visiting, but now that everyone had gone back and they were left alone, he really didn’t know what to do. Mua originally disliked holding onto problems for a long time, but regarding the past incident, he just wanted to avoid it because an answer wouldn’t come out on how to resolve it.
However, what was more crazy and nerve-wracking than Mua was Cheon Jieon. Because he was the cause of all this.
He wanted to apologize, but he worried whether it might be awkward from Mua’s perspective to bring up that matter again. Moreover, judging by the fact that he hadn’t mentioned it until now, it seemed like Mua just wanted to cover it up as if it never happened.
In this situation, he wondered if it was right to go along with Mua’s wishes, but the biggest problem was that he didn’t want to bury this matter.
But if someone asked ‘then what do you want to do?’, he had nothing to say again. What did he really want to do? That was the question Jieon himself most wanted to ask.
“Right. I should sleep now. You had a hectic day too, so go to bed early.”
Mua, who had been standing stiffly, finally answered. He couldn’t tell whether he had answered without being awkward. Mua, who had come out with the thought of going out for a walk because of his troubled mind, just paced in front of the door like a puppy that needed to pee.
He wondered whether he should say he was going out for a walk, or just go in and pretend to sleep. At that moment, Cheon Jieon, who seemed to have made some decision with a determined face, said:
“If it’s okay, come here and sit for a moment.”
“Wh, why?”
Mua asked defensively. He was already awkward to death, so why was he asking him to come closer and sit? He doesn’t remember that thing, does he? Imagining Jieon’s voice pressing him, saying I can’t help it because of the rut, but why on earth did you do that? Why didn’t you push me away and even enjoyed it?, Mua shrank his shoulders.
“No, just, well, I have something to say.”
And at the words that he had something to say, Mua let out a deep sigh. This moment had finally come. There was nowhere left to run. The way things had turned out, it was right to humbly accept the result, apologize, and end it.
Mua sat down on the sofa, trying hard to calm his raging heart.
“……”
“……”
Even after sitting face to face, neither of them could easily open their mouth. It was completely different from usual when they would stare straight into each other’s eyes and talk back precisely, not wanting to lose even one word.
“So, I, well.”
After a long, long silence, it was Jieon who spoke first.
“First, I’m sorry. I didn’t know either that suddenly… the rut would burst out like that. My pheromones are on the stable side, so this kind of thing rarely happens.”
“No, well, that, what, there’s nothing to be sorry about.”
Mua was flustered. It was because he hadn’t thought Jieon would apologize first. Wasn’t he the one who should apologize instead? While Mua was surprised and stammering, he continued speaking step by step.
“I’m really, really sorry for… the unwanted skinship. I should have apologized sooner, but I was being cautious because it seemed like you might not want this conversation. I’m sorry for not apologizing right away too.”
Mua only blinked his large eyes. Jieon seemed to think that he had forcibly initiated the kiss.
Of course, it was true that he had physically restrained him. But in that moment, when Cheon Jieon approached him, closing his eyes and opening his mouth with a willing heart was entirely his own will. Perhaps it was the ‘body’ of Shin Mua, who had loved Cheon Jieon so much, that had welcomed it, but in any case, it definitely wasn’t forcible.
“I’m sorry.”
Jieon apologized once more and finished his words. Mua stared blankly at him with a dazed face.
