episode_0018

… … … … …

Seo Yu-ryeong looked at the sleeping Ga-eul’s face. His peaceful breathing filled the room.

She sighed quietly and thought back on the day and the past few days.

When she returned from her assignment as assigned by the association president, she heard shocking news. There had been a terrorist attack at the mart where Ga-eul worked, and Ga-eul had been hospitalized.

Seo Yu-ryeong rushed to the hospital, but she could not hear anything other than the answer that the discharge procedures had already been completed.

Seo Yu-ryeong was flustered. Of course, since she was a spy, she could find Ga-eul if she took her time, but she wanted to find Ga-eul right now.

She had no choice but to sneak into the association president’s office to trace back information about Lee Seo-yeon, who was living with Ga-eul.

Although she had made all preparations, the security of the association president’s office was unusually lax. It was as if she was trying to induce him to break in.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter. As Seo Yu-ryeong was searching through the materials, she came across documents regarding a real estate lease that seemed to have just been completed.

Seo Yu-ryeong picked up the documents in a split second. The documents contained Ga-eul’s name and address.

“Autumn is moving… … ?!”

I don’t know the details, but this was a blessing for her. It was a chance for Ga-eul to escape from the hands of the detestable Lee Seo-yeon.

She threw everything else aside and headed straight for the address.

And then… …yes. I spent the night with Gaeul, watching her sleep.

However, when Autumn woke up, she misunderstood Seo Yu-ryeong. She was frightened when she saw the meal she had prepared, and soon buried herself in the blanket and trembled like a puppy.

Seeing such autumn seeds, Seo Yu-ryeong felt something black and slimy seeping out from deep within her heart. It was pain, resentment, and despair.

‘Ms. Autumn… … Please don’t be afraid. I am looking after you… … .’

She wanted to whisper, but she couldn’t show herself in front of Autumn, whom she cherished. What she was doing was trespassing.

Perhaps if I explained it well to Mr. Ga-eul, the child would accept me with a smile, but if I did it wrong, something bad could happen in the process of clearing up the misunderstanding – a loud noise could occur and the neighbors could report it.

Of course, the chances of that happening are low. What she fears most is that Autumn will not accept her care and reject it.

Her emotions, which even Seo Yu-ryeong couldn’t figure out, were about to evolve in an irreversible direction――and that misunderstanding progressed in a miraculous direction.

Autumn came to think of Seo Yu-ryeong as a ‘ghost’ living in the house.

The moment Autumn called herself ‘Ghost’, Seo Yu-ryeong felt a thrill run through her body.

The fact that her name is Ghost and that Autumn thought she was a ghost in the house. What should we call this coincidence?

“… … Yeah, right. This is fate.

The fate that brought me and Mr. Ga-eul together… … is fate.”

Seo Yu-ryeong accepted this coincidence as fate. Yes, it was a revelation of fate that she and Ga-eul must be together forever.

A look of ecstasy lingered on Seo Yu-ryeong’s face as she looked down at the autumn seeds. This was the expression of pure and beautiful love… … she thought.

“Autumn, we should be together now… …right? ”

She muttered quietly. In just one day, her feelings for Mr. Autumn had deepened to an irreversible degree.

… … … … …

When I opened my eyes in the morning, I felt a subtle warmth in my bed, just like yesterday. The other pillow next to mine was the same. A few long purple hairs were falling out.

“Haaam――Good morning, Ghost.”

I stretched and said hello and headed to the kitchen, where breakfast was prepared just like yesterday. Warm rice, soup, and a few side dishes were neatly laid out.

“Thank you so much today, Ghost!”

I sat down at the table and turned on the TV, and a strange game commercial was playing. I picked up my spoon while listening to the commercial’s song.

[Give up, you can’t do it. If you don’t hit 300, you won’t be able to enjoy this game―]

As we started eating, a ‘conversation’ with Mr. Ghost began, and the remote control moved on its own to lower the volume of the TV.

“Ghost, today I’m thinking of going to the mart where I used to work. I want to see what happened after that incident.”

At that moment, something hit the water glass hard, making a ‘ding-‘ sound. I looked at the water glass in surprise.

Hmm, no way… …Is Mr. Ghost against it?

“Are you worried? Hahaha, it’s okay. I wasn’t on good terms with the people at the mart, but… … .

But I probably won’t be going back there again, so I want to see it even from afar.”

I said it with a smile, but this time there was no response from Ghost at all. A heavy silence fell over the table.

“… … If you don’t like it, I’m sorry. But it’ll really be okay. I promise.”

Even as I left the house after finishing my meal, I could feel Mr. Ghost’s worry. For example, it felt like someone was following me.

Looking at the mart from a distance, it was operating normally, just like the last day I worked there. Maybe it was because there were no deaths, but there were injuries, as I had seen on the news.

“Hmm… … As expected, everyone seems to be okay without me, the person they hated.”

It was a bit bittersweet, but I guess this is it… … I was thinking the same thing.

“I, I… … .”

I turned my head at the cautious voice.

She had dark circles under her eyes and an extremely tired expression, and she was sweating profusely, as if she had been sprinting in this weather.

“Oh, hello! Are you the one I saw at the mart last time?”

I greeted her happily, but she still seemed nervous. She couldn’t even make eye contact properly and just hesitated.

“I, thank you so much last time――”

The purple-haired woman didn’t even listen to what I was saying. Instead, she held out a basket of fruit and shouted at me.

“Get well soon… … Congratulations!”

“Oh, thank you?!”

She disappeared before I could even finish my greeting. I stared blankly in the direction she had disappeared to for a long time.

I returned home with a basket of fruit, but my heart was full of excitement and joy. It warmed my heart to know that someone remembered me.

… … … … …

“Mr. Ghost, I’m here!”

As soon as I got home, I bragged to Mr. Ghost and spoke to the air.

“It may be hard to believe, but this happened when I was working at the mart I mentioned last time――

At that time, a very kind and pretty woman helped me. She suddenly appeared and gave me a fruit basket to congratulate me on my recovery! ”

At first, I wondered how the purple-haired woman knew that I had recovered, but as I came back, I thought that if I had done some legwork and asked around, I would have found out. I could have gone to the mart right away and asked, and they would have told me.

Still, that whole rumor thing must have been quite a bother. Seeing that she went to such lengths to congratulate me, a mere passing acquaintance, it was clear that the purple-haired woman was an incredibly kind person.

As I was organizing my thoughts and telling them to Ghost, I suddenly felt someone pulling me hard.

It felt as if Mr. Ghost had hugged me tightly. Surprisingly, the hug was so vivid that it felt as if a human arm was wrapping around me.

“Ah, ah! Mr. Ghost, are you happy?”

The sensation of the hug grew stronger and stronger.

Something warm and fluffy enveloped my face, and something that sounded like a lukewarm human breath touched my ear. As the soft exhalation tickled my skin, I shivered without realizing it.

“Wow, wow… … ?! Mr. Ghost, you’re being too naughty… … .”

My face was getting hotter and hotter. This feeling… … was like, the body temperature and skin of a real person. This feeling… … I’ve felt it somewhere before.

――For example, when I was held between the breasts of Sister Seoyeon or Teacher Wolhee.

As soon as that thought occurred to me, my face turned red. My heart started beating faster, and even my ears seemed to turn red.

“Ugh, ugh… … Thank you, Ghost, but… … This is really embarrassing… … .”

I muttered in a small voice, but Ghost-san’s hug didn’t end. Rather, the hug became stronger and stronger.

It was a little embarrassing, but I still felt a strange sense of security in the embarrassment. It was a similar feeling to when I was hugged by Sister Seoyeon or Teacher Wolhee.

“Mr. Ghost… … It’s warm. I originally thought ghosts would be cold or chilly… … .”

When I came to my senses, I found myself unconsciously surrendering myself to the embrace of Mr. Ghost.

“Mr. Ghost looks like a real person… … .”

After staying in that position with Ghost for a while, I carefully untied Ghost’s arm. While I was having a strange exchange of emotions with Ghost with a blushing face, I suddenly remembered what I had to do today.

“… … Ah, now it’s time to start looking for a job… … .”