Chapter 11
“Damn it!”
Seungri ended up missing him and kicked the floor in frustration.
He really was as fast as a ghost.
Junmo, panting as he ran up, checked on her safety and let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t bad at running either, but Seungri was quite fast herself.
“What’s wrong?”
“A ghost.”
“What?”
She ran so hard she felt like her eyebrows would fly off because of a ghost? This was so anticlimactic.
Junmo, who had been so tense, suddenly felt all his energy drain away.
“I should have caught him.”
He couldn’t even get angry at Seungri for being so disappointed. She really did look upset.
And what seeped into his heart was a feeling of pity for her. It must be hard to have her daily life affected by a ghost or whatever it was.
“Let’s go. The udon will be soggy.”
“It wasn’t an ordinary ghost. It was the kind that sticks to violent criminals.”
“Okay, let’s just go.”
“You don’t believe me.”
What on earth was a ghost that stuck to violent criminals?
Junmo wanted to shout for it to appear before him if it really existed.
“Honestly, it’s hard to believe. I don’t believe in ghosts, and seeing ghosts is beyond my ability.”
“……”
“I’m worried about you. Do you know what I was thinking as I ran here? I was going crazy thinking something bad might happen to you. I was worried that you might get into another accident because I suggested coming here.”
Not just once, but twice. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if that happened.
Only after Junmo confessed his worries, feeling frustrated, did her expression darken with embarrassment.
“Sorry.”
Junmo gently lifted her chin, which was lowered.
“Look at me.”
Seungri looked at him with a resentful gaze.
What was there to be resentful about just because he didn’t believe her? She had decided not to have any expectations.
But the current flowing in her heart was sadly flowing towards him.
Once a current starts flowing, it can change direction, but it never flows against the tide.
Their gazes locked onto each other intensely.
“Catching criminals is my job.”
“Catching ghosts is my job.”
“Right now, just… look at me.”
“Why… would you say that…?”
“Because I want you to. When you’re with me, just look at me. Don’t think about anything else.”
Thump!
Seungri felt a shock as if her heart had fallen a thousand feet.
His eyes, his tone, everything about him was commanding her to look only at him. The current in her heart surged more and more violently.
“I’m…”
“Shhh! Don’t say anything. Just take a deep breath.”
Was her breathing ragged?
Seungri, who hadn’t even noticed that, took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled.
One, two, three…
His lips curved into a pleasing smile as he watched her quietly.
“Good job. Do you feel a little better?”
Seungri’s anger at missing the ghost subsided as if it were a lie.
It was as if she were standing in an empty room where no sound could be heard, as if only he and she were in that room.
At that moment, she couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything. She only saw him, only heard his voice.
“I’m okay.”
Her eyes welled up with tears. She suddenly felt sad that she had been struggling alone without anyone’s support.
Seungri really didn’t know that a small comfort from someone could be so appreciated and such a great help.
She felt relieved that the person sending that comfort was the one holding her lifeline.
7:30 AM. A loud alarm rang out in Seungri’s room.
“Ugh…”
She had come home at 3 AM and couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, and had finally fallen asleep around 4 AM, so it was a struggle to wake up because she was so sleepy.
Seungri, who had been lying there with her eyes closed for a moment, jumped up as if shaking off her sleep. She couldn’t break her promise.
She quickly took a shower, dried her hair, changed her clothes, and put on makeup.
Her favorite clothes were a white shirt and black jeans. She had a lot of bright clothes, but strangely, those two types were the ones she reached for.
She couldn’t even dream of wearing high heels, as she might have to run at any time.
Her shoe rack was full of sneakers and flats.
The only pair of high heels she had was one she had bought when she went to her family’s villa in Gangwon-do.
“Is it too gloomy?”
Seungri was worried that she didn’t like the clothes she was wearing that day.
She thought about changing to a bright pastel color for spring, but quickly changed her mind.
“Don’t overdo it.”
She came to a clear conclusion and left the room with her bag.
‘Are they still asleep?’
The living room was quiet, so it seemed that everyone was still asleep because it was Sunday, a day off.
Seungri quietly came out of the front door and pressed the elevator button. The elevator was just coming down from the 3rd floor.
When the door opened, Junmo, who was riding in it, smiled brightly. He was wearing clothes he had bought in Dongdaemun and, unlike usual, he had clearly put some effort into his hair.
Thump!
Her heart beat loudly.
‘Has this man always been this handsome?’
It was the epitome of dandy casual look.
Seungri realized that Dongdaemun clothes could look like luxury brands.
The ankles revealed below the slightly rolled-up hem of his pants were so sexy. Clothes really do make the man.
“I thought you weren’t coming out.”
That’s what Junmo said as she got into the elevator.
He didn’t look tired at all, probably because he was used to staying up all night.
In terms of physical strength, he was definitely the best in the police station.
“Aren’t you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“I’ll tell you on the way.”
Junmo, who had gone down to the parking lot and walked to his car, opened the passenger door.
Seungri was momentarily flustered. It was the first time she had ever been treated to someone opening the door for her.
“Oh… ahem!”
She got into the car awkwardly and embarrassedly and secretly watched him walk to the driver’s seat through the window.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
“I’m going crazy.”
Should she really get her heart checked?
He got into the car and started the engine, but didn’t start driving.
Seungri looked at him with a ‘why?’ look.
Swoosh.
Suddenly, Junmo’s upper body leaned over.
This suggestive angle…!
‘Gasp!’
She reflexively moved her body to the side.
She had been in an erotic atmosphere on the rooftop last time, whether intentionally or not, but there was no woman who wouldn’t be flustered by such an openly erotic situation.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
It felt like a thousand drums were beating in her chest at the same time.
But then he reached out his long arm and pulled out the seatbelt.
‘Oops.’
It was a scene that often appeared in dramas. She always cringed whenever she saw it.
But she was the one doing that cringeworthy scene.
It was an even more fatal mistake to misunderstand that he was just trying to help her with her seatbelt as a kiss.
In an instant, the thousand drums disappeared and only hot embarrassment poured down on her head like a shower.
“Ahem, ahem!”
Seungri’s face flushed and she turned her head to look out the window. Junmo, who had chuckled without her knowing, nonchalantly started the car as if nothing had happened.
He didn’t tell her their destination even after driving for a long time.
It seemed like he was planning to go somewhere far away, as they were going out of Seoul.
Seungri couldn’t stand her curiosity and asked.
“Where are we going?”
“On a date.”
“What?”
“Why else would I suddenly need clothes? It’s our first date, I can’t just come out looking sloppy.”
First date. First date. First date…
Junmo’s voice rang in Seungri’s ears like a swarm of bees. Her mind went blank.
“A da…te?”
“You catch ghosts so well, but you can’t catch a man’s heart?”
“Wait a minute.”
“I can’t stop the car.”
He glanced at her, who was clenching her fist tightly with her mouth shut, and warned her in advance.
“You know what happens if you assault the driver, right?”
“Do you like me?”
Honestly, she knew he liked her. But.
‘When did you start looking at me like I’m crazy and suddenly a date out of nowhere? Who do you think you are, deciding on your own without asking the person involved!’
“I’m not so easygoing that I’d go on a date with a woman I don’t like.”
“Where, how, and why do you like me?”
“Because you’re pretty?”
Seungri was slightly disappointed by Junmo’s playful tone and turned her gaze forward.
“Tch. I knew it was a joke.”
“And… because I want to know you.”
Ha, he was serious again at times like this. Seungri clicked her tongue lightly as if she couldn’t trust him, whose boundary between playfulness and sincerity was unclear.
“If you don’t want to know me anymore, I’ll be dumped?”
“Do you know what I think about first when investigating?”
“What?”
“I catch them no matter what. I think the same way about dating. I don’t want to date while being afraid of failure.”
“Make it clear. Is it an investigation or a date?”
“A date. I don’t have time to chase after women. But I’m confident that I can only think about that woman.”
‘This man is determined. He’s only saying things that make my heart flutter.’
Even if it wasn’t a joke and he was serious, Seungri didn’t want to be dragged along by him unconditionally.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, in fact, she was very attracted to him, but it was difficult to connect it directly to a relationship.
‘You’re thinking too easily because you don’t know the reality of ghosts.’
If he knew the reality, his feelings for her would disappear cleanly.
As many men had done, she was likely to be demoted from an attractive woman to a ghost-seeing woman in an instant.
She was so depressed that she had to go through such humiliation again.
While Seungri was negative, Junmo was already muttering with a face in love.
“Now that I think about it, it’s really cool.”
“What is?”
“How beautiful it is that the lifelines of people in love are the same. People who really love each other die around the same time.”
“That’s when you’ve lived long enough. What’s so beautiful about dying young?”
“I didn’t say anything about dying young.”
“You said you didn’t care when you died.”
“I might want to live desperately depending on what you do.”
“Me dating a detective? Ha!”
Seungri had never even imagined it.
The words she said that she wouldn’t feel wronged if they liked each other were just a joke.
Moreover, a detective, whom she hated so much! The joke really became a reality.
“You’ll regret it if you miss me.”
She glared at him with a ridiculous look at his confident attitude.
“What’s with that endless self-confidence?”
“Don’t play hard to get and just date me.”
“I don’t want you to regret it.”
“I won’t do anything to regret. I promise.”
“Let’s be friends instead of lovers. That would be better.”
Junmo asked as he walked along the Metasequoia Road on Namiseom Island.
“Have you been here before?”
“First time.”
“Me too.”
Junmo and Seungri fully enjoyed the spring scenery.
The sparkling sun between the cool, straight trees, the fresh air, the cool breeze, and the lovers who looked happy in it.
It was so precious to escape the complicated city and enjoy nature.
“Wow, this place is overflowing with romance.”
“I know.”
Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Seungri inadvertently put her hand in her pants pocket. It was Junmo who took that hand out.
He clasped her hand tightly. Junmo’s long fingers intertwined with her slender fingers.
A thrilling sensation swept through her entire body, and it felt like her sensory nerves were all focused on her palm.
Seungri’s heart felt like it was burning because her touching palms were so hot. She tried to pull her hand away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“I’m a little scared of unfamiliar roads. You can do this much for me, right?”
Junmo joked with a honey-dripping look in his eyes.
She forgot that she was embarrassed and laughed in disbelief.
“That look is dangerous. You look like a wolf.”
“Heh heh. If you just say okay, I can become a wolf in an instant.”
Seungri deliberately ignored his feelings.
She had so many scars in her heart that she was reluctant to let him into those scars.
If she became lovers with Junmo, it would only be possible after she caught that guy. After the scars were erased and she quit being an exorcist, when everything was lighthearted.
Of course, she didn’t know if he would wait until then. This playful curiosity might end before that.
‘The Rose of Versailles.’
There were many books in Sungjae’s house, in the small room. Suho, who found a comic book among them, took one out and turned the pages.
Oscar. The same name as the main character as the cafe.
Click.
Sungjae came in carrying a tray with milk and cookies. He put the tray on the table and explained without being asked.
“My mom was a manga fanatic. That was her favorite manga. The cafe’s name is from the main character’s name.”
‘I see.’
“My mom had a strong girlish sensibility.”
She was a woman as pure and clear as a girl, and a mother who wouldn’t spare her own life for her only son.
Anyway, after her son died, that woman wouldn’t have been able to live either.
‘She would have ended her life by suicide.’
Suho could clearly see the miserable outcome. That’s why he granted her request to prevent an even greater tragedy.
‘If only she hadn’t recognized who I was back then.’
She, who was so pure, recognized a grim reaper that even an exorcist couldn’t recognize.
In the end, she died, and her son lived instead. And the small favor he showed came back as a disciplinary action. Just like what happened to Seungri four years ago.
‘Showing kindness to humans is very dangerous.’
Suho braced himself, watching Sungjae act friendly. He didn’t want to do anything he would regret again.
“But, hyung… your head…”
The bandage had disappeared from Suho’s head as he put the manga back. And the stitched area was perfectly fine, as if he had never been hurt.
“It’s all healed.”
“All healed? In just two days?”
Sungjae couldn’t believe it at all.
A wound that was bleeding so badly had healed in just two days.
“I just recover quickly.”
If he wasn’t under disciplinary action, the wound would have healed the moment it happened. It was because he was under disciplinary action that the recovery speed was slow. A human body was quite inconvenient.
“Wow, awesome! Hyung, you have a really unique constitution.”
Why would someone like that become a homeless person?
He was a really mysterious person. Sungjae thought of Suho bending a spoon and became even more interested in him.
“Oh, by the way. Do you know where that mister went? I think he went with noona. They secretly went out together last night too. I hope they’re not dating?”
Sungjae, who even knew that Seungri had secretly left the house and come back, pouted his lips with jealousy.
Suho crossed his arms and just shrugged. As if it was none of his business.
“Hyung. Isn’t there a good way? A way for me to win against that mister.”
“Why do you like that woman so much?”
Suho couldn’t help but ask, out of curiosity. It was so unrealistic that a young kid liked a woman who was so much older than him.
A smile spread across Sungjae’s face, just thinking about it.
“Is there a reason for liking someone? I just like everything about her.”
“Is that possible?”
Suho looked incredulous.
“Hyung, you’re older than me, so you should know. What’s the way to win as a man?”
“…”
He might know how to win as a human against a grim reaper. As a grim reaper, Suho had never thought about such a thing in his life.
As if it had no value, Suho’s answer was indifferent and concise.
“Never thought about it.”
“You’ve never been in a relationship?”
At the word “relationship,” Suho laughed in disbelief.
“Nope.”
To think he was a natural-born virgin, what a shock.
Sungjae scolded him as if it was a great sin that he had never been in a relationship with that visual.
“What have you been doing if you haven’t been in a relationship?”
It would be one thing if he were living as a human, but a grim reaper having a relationship was against the rules.
But there was no way to explain that, so Suho just stared intently at Sungjae. Sungjae, thinking that he was avoiding the answer, looked disappointed.
“I was going to get some help, but I guess not.”
Sungjae, who had become sullen, just crunched on the cookies.
Suho felt a little confused and just drank some milk.
He thought it was really hard to keep up with human thoughts. He was asked the question because he didn’t know he was a grim reaper, but Suho thought Sungjae was a quirky guy.
Junmo and Seungri, sitting on a deserted bench, watched the gently flowing river. The wind blowing from the river naturally ruffled their hair.
They held iced coffees they had bought on the way.
‘This is really nice.’
Seungri closed her eyes for a moment and felt the warm air.
Seungri’s peaceful appearance was reflected in Junmo’s eyes.
His gaze trembled gently. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was drawn to.
At first, he thought she was unique, and unlike her strong image, her pale complexion and sad eyes bothered him.
It was also a great coincidence that she was involved in the incident four years ago. It felt like they were tied together by an inescapable thread of fate.
In that sense, it might be true that he held her lifeline.
If he couldn’t avoid his fate with her, it would be wise to face it head-on.
“You know what? Your lips are begging for a kiss.”
Seungri, who had been feeling the breeze with her eyes closed, was jolted awake by those words.
At the same time that she turned her head to him, Junmo’s upper body also leaned towards Seungri.
“We… we decided to be friends.”
He paused and stared at her as he said.
“I didn’t answer.”
“Are you going to keep being rude?”
The moment the word “rude” popped out of her mouth, Seungri was the one who was surprised.
Honestly, she didn’t think he was being pushy. It was just a defense mechanism that came out without her knowing because she was flustered.
‘What am I saying?’
She couldn’t just take back her words as if flipping her hand over. It would sound like she was accepting his feelings.
She couldn’t even talk about the reasons why she was reluctant in detail. They didn’t believe in ghosts, so explaining it would just sound like an excuse.
She was at a loss for what to say when.
“I’m sorry. I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Junmo, who had become embarrassed, quickly got up from his seat.
Seungri, who had missed the timing to speak because he apologized first, looked regretful. The atmosphere had turned cold because of one wrong word.
‘What a corny outburst.’
Was there no way to reject him more elegantly?
It was the first time she had ever felt so foolish.
‘Ugh, this is the worst.’
Just as she felt the urge to plunge her head into cold water, he slowly left his seat. Seungri, looking tearful, followed him.
Until they left Nami Island, he showed only his back and said nothing.
