episode_0076

We obtained the fate of the Grim Reaper from an abandoned factory.

At that time, there was only one thing that Sarah did and I did not do.

I remembered the situation when I had just taken the fortune of life and death from Heejin.

Sera confirmed the details of the life and death section with her own eyes. I clearly saw the death dates of the people listed there.

He even tried to tell me that a famous celebrity was destined to die soon.

In the end, I didn’t tell you.

‘But I didn’t see it, right?’

However, I have not been able to read the Book of Life and Death until now.

I tried to watch it when I had time to kill time, but I was quite busy over the weekend. There was no time to be bored as I was helping Sarah with the purification ritual of the curse tools. In the end, the details of life and death were still an unknown world to me.

Could it be that the grim reapers are treating the details of the life and death records as confidential? If people carelessly reveal things like their death dates, the world will become a mess. He is trying to kill Sarah, who happened to see the contents of the Life and Death Book.

“Wait a minute, Sarah.”

“Why?”

“You saw life and death firsthand. So the Grim Reaper is trying to kill you? They didn’t misunderstand us as thieves from the beginning. If that were the case, the accident would have happened to me too.”

Sarah nodded as if she understood what I said.

“Is it because you saw something you shouldn’t have?”

“I guess so. They’re just persistently targeting you, not me.”

I got into trouble.

I’ve seen people’s lifespans, but I couldn’t just pretend I didn’t see them.

“I don’t think this problem will end even if we return the father-in-law. What are you going to do now?”

“Um.”

This was not a matter that could be resolved simply by returning the living and dead parts.

Regardless of whether or not the dead body was returned, the Grim Reaper would continue to seek Sarah’s life.

Sarah, who was contemplating with her pretty face frowning, opened her mouth.

“Let’s treat the Grim Reaper by offering him a lion statue. If I treat you to a meal, you won’t just try to kill me.”

The lion statue was an offering to treat the Grim Reaper who came to fetch the dead. In Korea, since ancient times, people used to prepare food offerings to the Grim Reaper in homes where mourners were buried. They served food to the Grim Reaper to make him look after the dead comfortably.

It’s a kind of bribe.

If you offer a lion statue, you will be able to calm down the grim reaper full of murderous intent.

good night.

There’s something I need to do.

It was when I was about to open the gate and enter Hyehwadang.

Sarah, who had been walking calmly, suddenly knelt on the floor.

what?

What is it again this time?

“… Hmm.”

Sera spoke with a rare tearful expression.

“No, I hit my little toe on the threshold.”

“Ah.”

“Wow.”

He had hit his little toe on the threshold of the front door.

It was such a minor yet serious pain that I had nothing to say.

No matter how unhappy we are because of the Grim Reaper, we still face crises in places like this.

“If you can’t walk, should I help you?”

“… That’s it!”

After a while, Sarah got up and entered Hyehwadang with her feet up.

We prepared the lion statue with the ingredients we had in the house until nightfall.

Three bowls of white rice, three pairs of straw sandals, three 10,000 won bills, three glasses of makgeolli, three pollack, and three bowls of salt. These were items commonly found at home.

I went to the market and bought pollack and makgeolli.

By about 8 PM, we were able to prepare the lion statue.

All the prepared food was placed on the ancestral rite table.

“Jinwoo. Just leave it outside the front door.”

“I will do it, so just stay still.”

The location where the lion statue was placed was outside the main gate.

I left the completed lion statue outside the front door and returned inside the house.

Sarah was sitting quietly on the sofa in the living room. Rather than trying to move, it was better to just breathe.

“Jinwoo. I’m hungry.”

“I’ll prepare you some food. But what if it gets stuck in your throat like before?”

“I want to eat porridge without it getting stuck in my throat.”

I haven’t had dinner yet because I was busy preparing for the lion statue. I felt like if I prepared an ordinary home-cooked meal, I would end up with a lump in my throat again. We had no choice but to boil porridge and share it together.

“It’s hot, so blow on it and eat it.”

“Yes.”

Sarah ate the porridge from her spoon.

It was a series of misfortunes where I couldn’t even eat as I wanted.

Still, we still had a glimmer of hope.

The task was for the Grim Reaper to accept the lion statue set up outside Hyehwadang.

By negotiating with the Grim Reaper who received the sacrifice, Sera’s misfortune could be ended.

It was when we had all eaten dinner.

The sound of something breaking echoed loudly outside the house.

━━Click! thud! bang!

Unidentifiable noise.

“Well, what are you talking about?”

“Let’s go first!”

We carefully went out of the house and looked at the scenery outside the front door.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but be surprised when I realized what had happened.

Apparently, a lion statue was placed outside the front door before dinner.

What was broken outside the house was the lion statue. The wooden table was broken and all the food was rolling around on the floor. Things like alum, alcohol, pollack, etc. fell on the street and gave off a smell.

Who destroyed the lion statue?

It wasn’t long before the culprit was found.

Because there was a man in a coat standing near the gate.

He didn’t come with bare hands like the last time I saw him.

‘ax?’

The man in the coat was holding an ax that could be used to chop firewood.

The lion statue was split into pieces with that axe.

The moment I saw the bloody weapon, I got goosebumps all over my body.

Sarah asked the man in the coat next to her.

“You broke the lion statue, right? Are you saying you refuse the offering and are going to kill me?”

The man in the coat looked at Sarah with wide eyes.

I could feel the murderous intent in the eyes of the man holding the axe.

I knew it without having to hear the answer.

The man in the coat had no intention of even accepting the offering.

He was only trying to kill Sarah.

“Seeing the living and dead was the problem, right? I’ll keep everything I saw a secret! All you have to do is keep your mouth shut!”

The man in the coat disappeared from the scene without a word. Sarah and I immediately chased after him, but it was impossible to catch up with him. It appeared and disappeared so much that I couldn’t even hold on to my collar.

It was the moment our hope disappeared.

Negotiations did not work and even the carefully prepared lion statue was destroyed.

*

“Jinwoo. Is there a legend about the Grim Reaper being exorcised by a person?”

“As far as I know, there is none.”

When we returned to Hyehwadang, we immediately searched the study. I didn’t know that there might be a book in Hyehwadang that records how to exorcise the Grim Reaper.

They tried to negotiate by offering a statue of a lion, but it had no effect on the Grim Reaper. The only way left for us was to exorcise the Grim Reaper like an evil spirit or monster.

Sarah and I looked through all the books in Hyehwadang, but the records related to the Grim Reaper were the same. The people who survived the Grim Reaper were all magnanimous, thanks to the Grim Reaper’s generosity. There was not a single record of a person defeating the Grim Reaper.

“Ha… .”

We sighed in the library filled with books.

“What note did your father leave? Did you see that too?”

“There is no exorcism for the Grim Reaper either.”

I had a notebook containing my late father’s exorcism method. However, my father was unable to exorcise the Grim Reaper when he was alive. Of course, there was no way there was an exorcism method written in the note.

“It’s a big deal.”

It’s already one o’clock in the morning.

Inside the darkened house, there was an eerie atmosphere that was different from usual.

The furniture I always saw looked brutal, like a weapon.

To Sarah, it was no exaggeration to say that practically everything in the house was a weapon. The current Sarah was one who could kill even the furniture if she let go of tension at any time.

My heart felt tight.

We spent time quietly in the study. It was impossible to sleep in this state. You never know what might happen while you sleep, right? If a gas explosion occurs, Sarah will die in her sleep.

━━Tick, tick.

The clock already showed two in the morning.

It was right then.

Sarah, who was sitting at her desk, suddenly woke up without a sound.

I reflexively grabbed Sarah’s hand.

“Where are you going?”

“… … .”

“It’s dangerous, so let’s stay together.”

Incomprehensible words were heard from Sarah, who had her back turned.

“Is it dangerous? What does that mean?”

what?

Sarah’s tone suddenly changed. Polite honorifics flowed naturally from her mouth. At that moment, I felt a strange sense of discomfort. I have experienced this strange phenomenon several times before.

‘no way?’

Sarah turned her head and looked at me. However, although it was clearly Sarah’s face, it felt like a completely different girl was looking at me. From the way she spoke to her gestures and facial expressions, she was completely different from Sarah’s usual self.

“What happened while we weren’t seeing each other?”

This unique way of speaking cannot be mistaken.

It was Hongryeon.

This is the spirit that Sera serves.

“Are you a fairy by any chance?”

“Yes, Jinwoo.”

The answer came back right away and Hongryeon was indeed right. It was a sudden excitement, but it could happen. Since before, Sarah had been used to receiving sudden excitement. There was a time when the owner of my body was replaced by Hongryeon while studying for an exam.

“Welcome! Sarah is in danger now. What’s dangerous is… .”

I tried to explain to Hongryeon what had happened so far.

But there was no need to explain in words.

“Wait a minute. I will check it myself.”

Hongryeon stopped me and placed a finger on my forehead.

“You say you can check it yourself?”

“You can just read the memory. I’m slowly getting used to this body, so I can read Sarah’s memories. Let me see what happened.”

You can read Sarah’s memories?

It was Hongryeon’s ability that was truly amazing.

If sharing a body with Sarah wasn’t enough, could she also share memories?

“Umm.”

After a while, Hongryeon nodded and opened her mouth.

The events that had happened so far flowed out of Hongryeon’s mouth.

“… By dangerous work, you were referring to the Grim Reaper. Serah didn’t know much about it, so she ended up seeing the living and dead part, right? So, I am receiving threats from the assistant manager who manages the list.”

“Ma, that’s right!”

It was very accurate.

There was no need for any explanation.

Hongryeon said while touching her cheek as if she was troubled.

“It’s a big deal. The grim reapers never let anyone who has seen the list live.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s the rule of the underworld. If there is someone in this world who sees the list, they will be taken to the afterlife regardless of the day they die. The contents of the list must not be known to the world.”

As expected, my guess was correct.

The Grim Reaper tried to kill Sarah to prevent the list from being leaked to the people. The expression “killer leafhopper” was a perfect fit. I was able to hear more details about the Grim Reaper’s methods from Hongryeon.

“At first, he probably tried to kill Sarah by making her unhappy. However, if you continue to survive without dying, the Grim Reaper will personally kill you and take you to the underworld.”

“The Grim Reaper commits murder himself?”

“The things written on the list are that important.”

Anyone who sees the list will suffer from bad luck so severe that they may die.

If you still don’t die, the Grim Reaper will come and kill you.

I remembered the image of the Grim Reaper I saw a few hours ago.

At that time, the Grim Reaper was holding a large axe.

If she continued without dying, that hideous thing would one day attempt to take Sarah’s life.

“Is there any way for Sarah to survive?”

Finally, I asked Hongryeon with great anticipation.

Hongryeon thought deeply and then gave an answer.

“There is one way.”

Is there “? What is that?”

“Sera contacts you when the Grim Reaper comes. Call me and we will negotiate. I will make it so that looking at the list never happened.”

An unusual answer was heard.

It was said that Hongryeon would negotiate with the Grim Reaper if they could contact him at the right time.