Chapter 3: You Again
aka The Tale of Cho Bun Nyuh
Bun Nyuh let out one last sigh as she took in the sight of her grandmother's old house. The leaky roof was patched and the stone wall that was crumbling on one end was also repaired. The rotting wooden gate was torn down and redone so a solid padlock held the doors in place. All around the house she had bolted and secured the waterproof panels and covered all of her grandmother's articles with pure white cloth or secured them in the storage shed. She didn't know when she would come back to this formerly haunted house so Bun Nyuh wanted to make sure it was secure. Even though the next owner would most likely demolish it, the house stood as testament that her grandmother had once lived. When the new year comes she would have to go back and pay her respects to her mother here. This was the place where her loved ones had lived and died. Where else would she call home?
Ever since her first, and last, shamanistic performance the night before her grandmother died, the place remained peaceful for once. The rotting ghosts seemed to have moved on, just like her grandmother. Or perhaps it was because she had lost her powers? Now that she was no longer associated with him....
It was an ordinary, even beautiful day in the countryside: something in direct contrast to her still aching chest.
She turned to find the path out of the village toward the main road. It would be a two mile hike before she reached the nearest bus stop that would take her to the train station. From there she would catch the train back to Seoul.
Along the lonely road, she couldn't help but recall the events of the past few days. A strange foreigner from England had purchased the necklace of peach wood her grandmother had given her--something she severely regretted throwing out. That led to a strange series of events where she discovered the truth behind her grandmother's past and why her family was cursed, and the "god" secretly behind it all was none other than her shop assistant. Her grandmother passed away peacefully after that, having fulfilled her obligation to the ghost she had once betrayed in life.
There was still so much Bun Nyuh wanted to ask--so much she felt had been hidden from her because her grandmother specifically did not teach her the shamanistic arts out of fear of cursing her, like her mother. No one told her anything about her mother, her father or her existence. This she all learned for herself and after knowing, she felt completely emptied as opposed to satisfied.
As her sadness wrapped around her like a mantle again, she took the palms of both hands and slapped her cheeks painfully. The throbbing sensation kept her mind focused as she trudged on to the bus stop.
When she finally reached the bus stop, a quicker journey than she anticipated because she didn't carry much on her, she saw that it was empty. But as she approached she noticed a figure dressed in an archaic black robe and a funny clerical official's hat. It looked as though he had just stepped out from a Korean period drama. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought perhaps it was him.
Upon closer examination she saw that he was not a ghost because he had feet. He also looked as if he was wearing a white death mask, but it was his face. Bun Nyuh sighed. It was a Reaper.
She was still able to see him.
"'Sup, Dongnam. Long time no see," said Bun Nyuh casually as she plopped down onto the bench. The Reaper jumped up in shock and just stared at her.
"Yeah, I can see you. We've been over this when you visited my shop that rainy day months ago, remember? You were so bad at playing with hwatoo cards you lost your uniform and your death scroll to me," smiled Bun Nyuh almost nostalgically.
"G-good morning, Miss Cho," he said nervously.
"Come to claim me or something?" she asked nonchalantly.
"No, of course not! Not you," he said shaking his head violently.
"Oh," she said. "Do you..." Bun Nyuh hesitated. "Would you know if my grandmother is reincarnated yet? Has she taken the ride over the River?"
He looked at her wide-eyed as if she had just divulged his organization's greatest secret.
"Yeah, I know about it," she smiled. "It's really a nice, smooth ride."
He looked as though he were sweating bullets. Dongnam couldn't tell what she actually knew, and he was very wary of this girl who had turned the underworld upside down recently by crossing the River of Oblivion and then turning back. The ferryman wouldn't stop ranting about it but there was nothing to be done because their Chief would not let her die. Dongnam wasn't even sure if he was supposed to talk to her.
"N-no," he stammered. "I wouldn't know anything about that. Only high ranking gods like our Chief would know that."
"Your Chief is Kang Rim?" she asked quietly.
"You know about him?" he asked carefully.
"It's been explained to me," she sighed looking up to the sky.
"So...what did you do when you found out about him?" he asked tentatively.
"I told him to go to hell."
Dongnam's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. No wonder his Chief had returned to HQ in such a despondent, somewhat foul mood.
Bun-Nyuh looked at her bus stop companion carefully. "Should I not have? Will I die soon?"
"I don't think the Chief is vindictive. Also, there are no orders to come claim you, so I think you're safe," replied Dongnam, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"So, if you're not here for me, who are you here for?" she asked.
"Some old lady on the bus," he answered. "It won't hurt in the least."
"Could you--" she began. "Could you wait until I get off the bus? I've..." Bun Nyuh didn't have the words to plead with him. But these past months she had seen enough of death.
Dongnam straightened up and looked a little embarrassed. "Oh, my. I am sorry. I didn't even make that connection." The Reaper placed a cold hand on Bun Nyuh's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your grandmother."
"It's okay," she smiled. "If it wasn't for that annoying ghost that cursed my family she wouldn't have even lived long enough for me to exist. I owe that stupid ghost a lot."
"In respect for the dead you should light a stick of incense," he suggested helpfully.
"Yeah. But I'm not really a believer."
"Aren't you?" he asked raising his eyebrow at her. Though his rank was low, even a Reaper of his class could still sense the power radiating from her soul. Even now he could feel the Chief's aura surrounding her, though it was noticeably diminished.
"I always said I'd only believe what I saw, what I could prove with mathematics and science. But when I saw him at the River I knew I never really believed my own words. I had known these truths and I buried them inside me. when I finally opened my eyes it felt as though I was...remembering something I'd forgotten." A cool breeze blew through the road and picked up wisps of Bun Nyuh's hair. "He told me something that made me so uncomfortable afterwards. It made me feel as though his words reached across time to find their way to my ears again," she said quietly.
"What?" asked Dongnam.
"He said that he would never grow accustomed to the expression I was showing him; a look that depicted fear, resentment and hatred. It made me feel as though he and I...had gone through these motions before..."
"Life is a cyclical process. That's not uncommon," nodded Dongnam.
"It's like that gambling boss of yours told me that night. Go and stop. Meet and part. Kang Rim and I have parted again in this lifetime." She couldn't help but notice her voice sounded a little sad.
"Do you regret what you said to him?" asked Dongnam carefully.
"I couldn't help it--I felt so betrayed. He was the one person who always made me feel better, directly or indirectly. He'd clean up my messes and listen to me rant and rave about anything. But all along, he was the one thing I was rejecting. I was so angry I threatened to kill myself just to be rid of him," she answered wistfully.
"Wow. You actually played that card...you must have been really upset," sighed Dongnam.
"I still feel like my one ally betrayed me. I was counting on him, but now, again, I'm alone. I'm even more sad and more empty if that's possible. The shop is still there waiting for me and I...I don't know if I can do it."
"The remaining antiques will be the hardest to sell, I think. Will you have enough strength? Just living there could kill you. You have to get stronger before you go back," suggested Dongnam.
"I know. I'm not sure if I should go back, but I don't have any other place to go. I have no home," she said. Her voice cracked at the end of that sentence.
"You have a choice," suggested Dongnam.
"No, I have an obligation. It was my family's fault that the antiques are possessed. All the time I wandered away from them, I could still hear them calling to me, taking the shape of a giant monster chasing after me. They were desperate and I know how that feels. They just wanted someone to understand them, to know they have suffered. And the evil ones...they need to still be purged," said Bun Nyuh with quiet determination.
"You may not be able to do that by yourself," warned Dongnam.
"I realize that," she replied. "Oh, the bus is here."
The old country bus arrived surprisingly on time. The driver opened the door to the sole girl standing at the bus stop, apparently talking to herself. He shook his head and ignored it. As Bun Nyuh sat down in an empty seat, Dongnam sat down beside her. She rolled her eyes.
"I'm starting to think that I'm the unluckiest girl alive since I seem to always to have one form of Reaper or another by my side at all times." She let out a long sigh. Her companion maintained a stony visage as he eyed another passenger, an old woman, carefully.
"Halmunee," said Bun Nyuh, tapping the woman's shoulder. The old woman looked at her curiously.
"You're sick, aren't you?" she asked bluntly. The old woman only stared at her. "You have an illness and you don't think you'll be able to pay for it, right? You don't want to impose on your son and his wife, am I right?"
"How did you--?" asked the old woman.
"It's okay. You should just let them pay for it. They really love you and want you to see their newborn. You don't have to kill yourself today," she smiled. The old woman looked at her and the tears started overflowing. She useda wrinkled hand to cover her sobs. Bun Nyuh patted the old woman gently on the back as she cried.
"What did you--??" asked Dongnam incredulously. He frantically took out his scroll and scanned the pages but the old woman's name was gone from the list.
"I told you," said Bun Nyuh sitting back in her seat. She rested her forehead against the window glass and stared blankly at the scenery going by. "I've seen enough of death for now. I don't want you to reap in front of me."
-0-
The entire trip home, Bun Nyuh was slightly amused that Dongnam stared at her in frustration and continued to be sore about what she had done. It made the trip home a little less lonely, although if anyone else had realized she was being followed and glowered at by a Reaper they might have thought that was creepy. When they finally made it to her street corner, it was already getting dark. She fumbled for her keys in her oversized bag as Dongnam stared into the darkened windows of the shop.
"I wish we..." she stopped herself. "I wish I had timed lighting or something. This place gets so dark at night," she grumbled.
"Was it this dark when you left?" asked Dongnam.
"I can't remember. Yang was..." she paused and thought about the name. It sounded so comfortable on her lips. "Your Chief was the last one to leave here. But he wouldn't have left the lights on. He had such...fondness...for this place."
"I don't think it was fondness for this place or the antiques that kept him here..." Dongnam said thoughtfully. Bun Nyuh blushed a little as she continued to fumble through her bag.
Kang Rim told her he wanted to stay with her a little while longer. The expression on his face at that time told her he had really meant it. Bun Nyuh shook her head furiously. "Aaargh! Not him again," she said, finally pulling out her key ring. "I have to stop spacing out over him! I'm going to ignore everything he ever told me and go to school, get my medical degree. To hell with antiques after this," she grumbled.
-0-
Taewoo and the other Reapers decided that their immediate boss, Minister Toh-bak was in a foul mood. The Chief had punished Toh-bak with another 50 years of demotion for breaking his vow of no gambling, and losing to a human girl (who made him change the death scroll to save her friend Ie Rang Ha, the famous actress). Somehow the Chief found out about that, and so, Toh-Bak's punishment was additional paperwork. Part of that burden was shoveled onto his immediate subordinates. Taewoo and his companions had double filing duty today. Only the fourth member of their squad, Dongnam, was missing. His name tag revealed he was still out reaping but Dongnam was usually quite efficient. It was unlike him to be so late.
Somewhere down the corridor, closer to the main hall where the Chief held audience, thunder rumbled and they heard a loud sneez. The intermittent sneezing had continued throughout most of the day, but the Reapers pretended to look the other way, or pretended not to hear it. Someone wondered aloud if Chief Kang Rim had caught a cold in the rainy season of the human world.
"Or, someone is cursing his name something fierce," said one of the other Reapers.
"I think we all know who that might be," smiled Daesun.
"I can't believe he came back even though Miss Cho is still alive," said the other Reaper. Taewoo sighed in frustration and pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket, handing it to Daesun.
"I lost fair and square," grumbled Taewoo.
"I can't believe you guys," said the other Reaper. "What is it with Reapers and gambling?" Before he got an answer, hurried footsteps passed their office and continued down the corridor. They all sensed that the immense spiritual power that had just whisked by was none other than their esteemed Chief of Operations, Kang Rim. Almost immediately, his presence was gone from Reaper HQ once again.
Taewoo snatched his cash wad back and shoved it into his pocket with a smirk of satisfaction.
