I had so many questions and so few answers. Then again, maybe some of those answers had been struggling to come forward. That’s why I found myself, again, near the burned house. The scenery changed quite a bit from when I’d first seen it. As I learned the other day, that first encounter happened years and years and years ago. I couldn’t step closer anymore; it gave me a weird vibe. Not because of that ghost’s memories, not because I got hanged there when I was a child and not because it still had ravens around the place.

Those damned reapers watching my every move.

If that house was Daesung’s old place, it deeply upset me. What happened to that child? Daesung is rather innocent, yet I can’t bug off the sparkle in his eyes which tells me there’s more beneath the cover and his smiles might not always come from the bottom of his heart.

I wondered if Jung Min knew something about it.

Putting aside all of my thoughts, I went back to the pâtisserie, bought a couple of things, then returned to the apartment. As I opened the door, Daesung was nowhere to be found.

“Oi! Daesung!” I called out as I made my way to the kitchen “I have food!”

“Foood?” came his reply from the bathroom. Ah, that figures. Daesung’s joyful expression popped at the kitchen’s door.

“Foood!” I said and grinned with pride.

Man, was that stuff good.

“Foood!” he repeated as we both ogled the delicacies and rubbed our hands in expectation.

A doorbell earned my face a frown.

“In a sec!” I shouted as I eyed Daesung and pointed at him. He looked like a hurt puppy as he stared at me, then at the food, then back at me. “Don’t you dare eat it all!” I warned before I went ahead to see who could be at such an early hour.

I stopped before I even touched the doorknob. The symbol on my back was acting funny.

Of course, it did that only around one... thing.

I unlocked and door and tried to remain as serious as possible.

“What? You’re no longer using windows?”

Jung Min gave me a sheepish smile and pushed me aside. “That’s so old-fashioned.”

“Oh, it’s stink man!” Daesung said with his mouth full of croissant-goodness.

Jung Min didn’t look amused. I, on the other hand, was still surprised to see him walk inside the apartment like any other human. It didn’t cover his smell when he... well, I don’t think he turned human, just projected his image. Otherwise, I couldn’t explain how Daesung could see him. Unless the kid was on the edge of dying, there’s no way he can see a reaper. Jung Min used the same trick the day before, so it made sense for him to act all alive, again, while the blond was around.

Then again, it still annoyed me to see him there.

I decided to skip breakfast and push Jung Min in the living room. He waved after Daesung as the kid stared confused.

“Couldn’t you wait until night or something?” He grabbed my chin, examined me, then let go and sighed.

“Sorry, I’m worried.”

“You? Worried?” I snorted and decided he wasn’t worth it. As I went back to the kitchen, Jung Min followed me. I took a seat near Daesung and ate in silence with the blond. Jung Min didn’t look impressed.

“Hey stinky man,” Daesung pushed forward the paper bag “Dig in!” then grinned. Jung Min mumbled something, before he took a small piece and ate with a disgusted face.

“Daesung,” I wanted to say that Jung Min can only eat one thing, preferably something that was stuck inside the soil, but... “Good boy! That’s how you act around guests, even unwanted ones.”

“Says the girl who plays with dolls.”

I happened to start a staring contest with Jung Min as he slowly chewed on the food.

Daesung laughed.

“You guys are funny! Grandma, is he your boyfriend?”

“No!” I snapped and lost the competition.

---

With Daesung around, I could relax in the living room as he cleaned the house, the bathroom and threw the garbage for me. I mentally beat myself for abusing the kid, but I’m pretty sure he was legal. And I was paying him with shelter and other stuff, so there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Alright, maybe it is.

But I had to. It gave me an opportunity to see why Jung Min was strutting around in his imaginary meat-suit.

“He’s useful, isn’t he?” he joked as he happily munched on a piece of dirty carrot. Those seeds I planted a while ago in containers grew up nicely. Jung Min loved his carrots.

“Ne, Jung Min~” he was still munching as I put on my kind voice “What do you know of Daesung?”

“Not much,” he bit on the second carrot “A demon attacked his house. Fortunately, he escaped, but his parents died in the fire.”

“So, they aren’t reapers?”

Jung Min gave me a quizzical look.

“No, Sooyoung, they weren’t killed by the demon. We still don’t know how it happened. I’m just glad I’m stuck to your , or else it would have fallen under my jurisdiction.”

“Is it that bad?”

“The reaper in charge of that area was put to sleep.”

“Eh?” Alright, maybe Jung Min was a rich source of information, but it would help if he told me straight what happened.

“You won’t understand if I tell you.” And there he went again with the mind-reading. Or maybe he’s just good when it comes to communications.

Not.

“Oh, please do~” I chirped as he swallowed the carrot and his fingers.

“We made sure he’s stuck on earth.”

“Oh,” that was kind of terrifying, a reaper to be walking and talking around the earth. I wondered if it made any difference in its power. “Wait, you can do that?”

“Yeah, but you don’t need to know about it.” He got up from the couch, fixed his black suit and stretched his hand for me. I took it. Jung Min immediately pulled me to his chest and embraced me.

“You stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiink!”

I’m sorry, I just can’t stand it. I know he does that just to make me sick and stop my interrogation. He let go of me as I ran to the kitchen and pushed my head outside to breathe in some fresh air.

“Ne, stinky man,” Daesung pointed his broom towards Jung Min “Don’t hurt grandma!”

“Speaking of that,” he pulled out two train tickets “Why don’t you guys take a break?”

I didn’t move from the window. Its breeze was better than anything Jung Min had to offer. Daesung took them, examined them and then shrugged.

“Hey grandma, wanna go?”

“Sure...” I mumbled “Why not?”

What could go bad during a small trip? It was also my chance to learn more about Daesung.

---

The sun has long set. People were gathering their things from the market and food was served all around. Me and Jung Min stopped and ordered some warm porridge. Jung Min had a bottle of soju as he watched me dig in.

“Are you feeling better?” I put the bowl down and shook my head.

“No, but...” I clenched my fist and then released it. There was no glow present. “What was that?”

Jung Min drank some of his soju, ruffled his hair and grabbed my hand. His pressed on my knuckles, forcing my fingers to spread apart.

“I’m not sure. But it feels...” he trailed off as he pressed his thumb over my wrist “Nice. It soothes me.”

I’m not sure what he was talking about. I pulled my hand away from his grasp and slowly placed it inside my pocket. I got a carrot out and rolled it down the table towards Jung Min. He happily grabbed the vegetable and took a big bite.

“Jung Min,” he stopped “Why are you my reaper? I mean, why you.”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” he laughed as my cheeks turned red.

“I’m not! Just... why you?”

“I was in the neighborhood.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, darling. What do you expect?” he eyed a handsome boy from the other table that nodded his head towards us “That I might pose as your lover?”

“I hate you,” I mumbled as I returned to my food. Truth is, I do kind of like him. As in, like-like. But he’s dead and I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to have a relationship of such nature. I also don’t want to end up hurting someone because of how I am. Also, it was impossible to find someone that won’t tell I’m insane to every passerby.

“Sooyoung!” Mistress Yuri’s voice startled me.

If you wanna get with me,
there are some things you gotta know
I like to eat fast.
and my ghosts down low.

I’M SORRY (ノдヽ)