Diem Kieu: She's a senior in high school: so this story deals a lot with supernatural/patterns of life and death. In terms of the show, and possibly Korean tradition, a human soul is reincarnated three times, four lives. The show ended when she was born into her second life, so now I have her as an eighteen-year old in this new one. Most people, thanks to the Grim Reapers, forget each lifetime after they die, but Eun Tak opted to remember; she died at 29 in her first life, the day after she married Kim Shin. I guess that's a little bit of context for you. Thanks! DFTYA!
Angela273: Thank you so much, and welcome! I hope you enjoy it! :D I promise, I will keep updating. :)
Queen Emily the Diligent: Bitte; thank you for reading! Enjoy: I hope there should be another chapter soon. :)
Chapter 4 reviews will be responded to in Chapter 5, set for update next Saturday. :)
Kim Shin immediately sets out to prepare. He has the opportunity to convince Eun Tak's Appa—Mr. Ji, as he recalls—that she is the Goblin's Bride, and belongs here, married as is her fate. His brow narrows as he wonders where her necklace is: she didn't have it on when she died. Maybe she left it here somewhere.
He smiles deviously to himself: it worked. She liked his coat. He fingers the sleeve proudly, then walks into the other room, pacing and trying to decide how he can possibly occupy his time waiting for her. In his flurry he suddenly remembers the necklace. He wants to make everything exactly as it had been.
But as he ruffles through her things—the ones she left in his room—his movements slow. Things can't be the same. Duk Hwa is on his deathbed, ready to go and meet his son, and his grandson Woo Bin is ready to take the position of serving the Dokkaebi. Unlike Duk Hwa had been, Woo Bin is a responsible child, and Kim Shin already looks forward to spending more time with the young boy.
Further than the first issue, however, the Grim Reaper is gone as well. Kim Shin, even though he has found the necklace and has it draped across his fingers, slows almost sorrowfully in his movement. Echoes of laughter around this house ghost back to him.
"I need a Grim Reaper," he murmurs. He stands and walks to the door; no doubt another Grim Reaper has taken the place of Wang Yeo. He steps through the door and out of the store a block or two down from the teahouse. He marches down the rest of the street and knocks hastily on the door. It's just dawning here in Seoul: perhaps he can show up early for dinner if he finishes business with this new Reaper.
As he expected, the dark soul appears at the door with a confused expression. He looks Kim Shin up and down, and then his eyes light up with realization.
"You! You're the Dokkaebi!"
Kim Shin's eyes narrow . . . and he remembers he saw this Grim Reaper on that day when Eun Tak almost got killed in a bus accident. There were a dozen Grim Reapers lined up at the bus stop; this one had mentioned something about never seeing a miracle before. Good: he fears the Dokkaebi.
The Goblin steps into the teahouse, inspecting it. The colors are the same, but the atmosphere is different: it's gentler. Seemingly this Grim Reaper won't be as enjoyable as Wang Yeo used to be, but Kim Shin needs an insider to know if Eun Tak is safe.
"I've come to ask a favor," Kim Shin says.
The Grim Reaper swallows. The Goblin smiles; he forgets what capability he wields sometimes, especially since he hasn't bothered to deal much with the outside world for fifty years.
"I need someone to come and rent my home," he says. "A Grim Reaper, specifically. I need to know death announcements for Ji Eun Tak."
"I have a home of my own," the reaper replies, his voice shaking. "I can't rent yours; I've purchased one."
Kim Shin considers this for a long moment. He's not patient enough to coerce a Grim Reaper; besides, Eun Tak is back, and he can be on his best behavior now. His mouth twitches up at the thought of kissing her . . . of being married tonight and living life to the fullest tomorrow and for the rest of her life.
Her life. He needs a Grim Reaper.
"At least give me the information I need," Kim Shin persists. "Tell me whenever Ji Eun Tak gets a death announcement card, or I'll burn every card in this district and you'll never get your job done."
The reaper's eyes widen. "Ji Eun Tak," he mutters. He shifts his gaze towards the Goblin periodically, as though to ensure he hasn't gone through with his threat yet. Kim Shin almost smiles, but this is serious: he needs this.
The reaper shuffles through a huge filing binder. "I have no Ji Eun Tak," he says. Then he halts. "Wait a minute. Yes, I do: she does have a death announcement card."
Kim Shin inhales sharply, anger and anxiety beginning to bubble within, but he quiets them. "When?"
"She's over eighty years old, so she will die of natural causes," the reaper says, again throwing the Dokkaebi a concerned look. "I doubt you can do anything. Thankfully this will be the only time you get a death announcement for her." Then his brow furrows. "Isn't she your bride?"
Kim Shin glances down at the filing binder, at the name clearly written: "Ji Eun Tak," and a birthdate of March 5, 1998. Then it occurs to him, in his confusion, that her name is no longer Ji Eun Tak.
"Ji Min-hee," Kim Shin says, pushing the binder away. "Keep an eye on Ji Min-hee; she is eighteen years old and lives in Incheon. She is my bride." He points at the Grim Reaper. "If she dies, and you are the one to have neglected to tell me ahead of time—,"
"Yes, sir," the Grim Reaper says hastily. The Dokkaebi cuts off a satisfied smile and marches out the door. He stares up at the sky: it's only mid-morning. He doesn't want to eat right now, but he knows Eun Tak would.
He opens the door to enter the Grim Reaper's teahouse again and walks right into his home. He has to find out where she lives: no doubt she would be happy to eat two meals with him instead of just one, although her parents might not like it.
He puzzles over how to find her for a short moment until it occurs to him: ghosts. He's found her through them before. Whether she can see them or not in this life he's not sure; he berates himself for not looking to see if she has a birthmark again. But if she's still the Goblin's Bride, at least ghosts will respect that his desire to find her. He walks out the door once more, but doesn't disappear anywhere. He wanders the streets of Seoul . . . and finds his spirit brightening. The streets where he would wear her scarf, once tired and heavy, look bright. Even though the faces are different and the stores have altered, she's back, and he feels so much younger again. Not as though he's ever really felt young, not since the ages of Goryeo.
He hasn't walked three blocks before he sees Mr. Ji opening the door for Eun Tak to enter a tall apartment complex, built not three months ago. It looks like they're carrying more suitcases than she had with her coming out of the airport, and Kim Shin decides they must have just moved here. Why, he doesn't know, but a smile grows on his face: she lives so close by, and her parents won't be hard to convince. Even if he must wait two more years until she can marry him, he will wait by her side every day.
He walks right up to the door and almost walks in, then decides to grab one more thing from home. He steps into the door, in her room again, and steps back out into the apartment complex. He frowns: he doesn't know where they've gone.
"Excuse me," Kim Shin says to an elderly staff member. "Does the Ji family live here?"
The man's brow furrows. Kim Shin's eyes flicker: the man's future appears before him. He will go home to his family, be reprimanded by the grandmother of the house for not bringing home more money. She'll snap at him and say the children are starving. The vision cuts off before Kim Shin sees anything more, and while the phenomenon is strange he's seen all he needs to see.
"Yes," the man says finally. "I helped the mother move in this afternoon. They're on the third floor, apartment 271. You must be Min-hee's Dokkaebi she told me about."
Kim Shin holds up a hand to halt the man, steps through the door into a Subway store, and quickly purchases a foot-long. But as he steps back out, he steps right into his house. His brow furrows: he didn't mean to. He shakes his head—he feels like he's lost his concentration.
This time he gets it right, stepping straight into the apartment building.
"Go home now," Kim Shin says. "Give this to your grandchildren, and tell your . . ." He pauses. Usually the vision reveals everything, but it never specified whether the woman was the man's sister or wife. "Tell your family you'll be able to secure a job in the next couple of weeks. Go to the Chunwoo Group and see what you can do for them: they are most likely to hire you."
Tears bubble in the man's eyes. "Truly, you must be a god," he whispers.
"Only a weak-hearted one." Kim Shin stares up at the ceiling. "Deity himself is a selfish creature."
"But he apparently listens when we pray, for he has sent you to me." The man lowers himself to the floor. "Thank you for saving us."
Kim Shin resists the urge to smile: Ji Eun Tak would be happy to see this. "Go home now. Do what I have asked."
The man nods and hurriedly runs out the door. Kim Shin frowns when he notices the man has a clubfoot. He shakes the thought away: he's done what he can. He trots up the stairs and finds 271, one of two apartment suites on the third floor. He knocks, and Mr. Ji comes to the door. His eyebrow lifts subtly when he sees Kim Shin.
"It's not exactly time for dinner, unless goblins have different eating habits."
"I came to take Ji Eun Tak for lunch. Call it a date if you will," Kim Shin says, glancing inside. There are moving boxes everywhere. "Where is she?"
Because Mr. Ji hasn't placed himself in the way, Kim Shin wanders inside. He snorts to himself: this place isn't deserving of Ji Eun Tak. Admittedly, it is nicer than most of the apartments in Seoul, but she must remember living in his house, secluded and well-furnished. The walls here are rather plain, and the carpet is mediocre; he prefers his wood floors anyway. And there are no candles anywhere.
"She's asleep," Mr. Ji says, gesturing across the room to a white door with a simple knob on the other side. Kim Shin thinks there's something a bit deeper than irritation, something more like amusement or analysis. "She didn't get any rest on the plane ride, and she needs it."
"I'm sure she would be—," Kim Shin pauses. Perhaps being stubborn isn't the best way to do this, not with her father. He nods. "Of course. I'll get going, then." He opens the door, and glances behind him as he slips out the door and into Ji Eun Tak's room.
He breathes a sigh of relief as the door shuts behind him . . . and then his gaze falls on her. Her sleek black hair drapes exhaustedly across her face, and she hasn't bothered to change out of her school uniform. Unbidden tears sting in Kim Shin's eyes as he kneels beside her beautiful form: the last time he saw her relaxed like this, her soul had no longer been present. He raced right to the accident, but she'd already left with the Grim Reaper. His eyes sink shut: he'd sliced off the door of the car with his sword and lifted her body from the vehicle. His long fingers trembled as he brushed the blood from her gentle but cold skin. He didn't cry then, still suffering from shock.
Now he fingers the hair away from her face. It slides around and across his fingers like silk kelp, and he locks it behind her ear. She looks so peaceful there; he wonders what she's thinking about. He leans closer to her, and soon he's close enough to feel the warmth of her skin. His cheek innately touches hers, and need overwhelms his every other feeling. He's been parted often with people important to him, but he's never wanted and had the opportunity to make a human one with him in every way: Ji Eun Tak is different from the rest.
Kim Shin leans over her, and his lips ghost against her cheek, then deepen. She chuckles in her sleep, and he breaks away to watch.
Her eyes tiredly flicker open, and she glances up. "Good morning." She yawns. "Is Mr. Reaper awake yet? I'm ready to eat."
The tears break out of his eyes now, but he smiles in spite of them. "It is time to eat. But Mr. Reaper is not here. Your parents are here."
For a moment she looks confused. "My parents?" Then her eyes widen. "Oh."
Kim Shin stands. "I've come to take you for lunch; we'll come back and eat dinner with them. But I think it's about time we were seen together." Possession takes over again. He feels a little fickle for all of this, and then decides that, in the case of seeing his bride again, he has every right to feel deeply. He lifts her from the bed and squeezes her close to him. "I've waited so long for you."
"You said you would wait two hundred years if need be, and you're like this after fifty?" she jokes. But then her little arms embrace him back in their endearing way, and she leans her head against his heart. He breathes deeply in the sweet silence, of the woman that is fated to belong to him secure in his arms with nothing present to harm her.
He pulls away to look at her. "I have steak at my home, if you'll come with me."
Ji Eun Tak glances around the room. "Seeing as you're up here, I suppose my father knows." She nods with a bright smile. "Let's go."
Kim Shin takes her hand and leads her straight through the door, filled with elation he feels he should keep down if he wants to retain any dignity. But the moment they step outside the door, Canadian music fills the air.
Kim Shin frowns. "Well, I didn't mean to come back here, but—," When he looks to his side, Ji Eun Tak is gone. "Ji Eun Tak?" He glances up and down the street, but there's no sign of her. "Ji Eun Tak!"
He turns and marches straight back through the door, only to wind up in the Reaper's teahouse. Ji Eun Tak is standing there, looking confused, and so is the Grim Reaper. Kim Shin doesn't say anything, frustrated by this eruption in his power: he doesn't understand. He marches back through the door, right into her bedroom, but at least she came with him. Finally he makes the step one more time, and steps onto the dark oak floor of his room. He meant to go through his front door, but this is good enough.
"Ajhussi . . ." Ji Eun Tak glances around, obviously confused. "What's going on?"
His brow furrows. "I have no idea. I've never had this happen to me before. I wonder if it has anything to do with meeting you again."
Ji Eun Tak's expression falls. "I'm sorry," she mumbles.
"Sorry about what? Never mind; just come downstairs. I'll have you home in a couple of hours." He offers his hand again, and she takes it. This time the door opens normally, and he leads her downstairs. Soon the house is filled with the sizzle of steak. The Dokkaebi's empty longing is flooded with excitement while she clings to his arm, watching excitedly.
"I don't get to eat beef very often," Ji Eun Tak says. "I guess I was fated to be poor, because both of my lives I get the best parents with not very much money." She wraps her arms around his waist and squeezes; he almost jolts enough to yank the pan off the stove. "I missed you, Ajhussi."
Kim Shin smiles and glances down at her hands, joined around him. "Me too."
She's still tired while they're eating, and after a few minutes he seats her in her lap. She falls asleep with her head on his shoulder.
Kim Shin's expression falls as he brushes his thumb across her shoulder. You only have three lives left. Can't you let me die with you?