Chapter 2
Chapter 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 002
Chapter Title: First Harvest (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
So, in a nutshell, that's what it meant.
‘Does that mean my body was supposed to die?!’
But for some reason, Yeonwoo hadn't died.
Instead, he was staring at a very bizarre window right in front of his eyes.
‘This is driving me insane.’
He instinctively slammed the ‘No’ button as fast as he could, but that didn’t make the situation any clearer.
Still, one thing was crystal clear.
[Harvestable Lifespan: +49 days]
[Harvest lifespan to postpone death.]
The window that slid smoothly into view made it obvious.
“Chairman, the doctor’s here.”
“Oh, good. Take a look at this young man right away. He doesn’t seem to be in his right mind.”
“W-Well, right after waking up from a major accident, it’s common to experience temporary confusion with one’s memories...”
The doctor’s words didn’t even finish.
A clear, composed voice cut him off.
“Han Suhwan-ssi.”
“...Do you know me?”
The flustered old man’s demeanor sharpened in an instant.
The black-suited bodyguards surrounding them grew menacing as well.
“Did you approach me knowing who I am? Did you seduce my grandson to get to me?!”
The stubborn gaze, warm like he was looking at a benefactor, turned icy and sharp.
“I don’t know where you’re from, but if you’re trying to deceive me...”
“Ah. It’s not like that, so don’t misunderstand.”
Yeonwoo blocked Han Suhwan’s words.
The reason Yeonwoo knew Han Suhwan’s name was simple.
-Name: Han Suhwan (68/Male)
-Occupation: Big Shot of Myeongdong
-Disposition: Absolute Neutral
-Specialty: Money Making [A+]
-Affinity: Moderate-High
-Current Physical State: Healthy
-Current Emotional State: Anger
***Some items are currently unavailable.
***Detailed information on this individual is hidden.
***Lifespan can currently be harvested from this individual (49 days)
A strange info window had popped up right next to the old man, floating oh-so-helpfully.
‘What the hell is that?!’
There was no time to gawk in shock.
The old man, Han Suhwan, was on the verge of labeling Yeonwoo an enemy.
In that moment, Yeonwoo sensed it was time to sell some snake oil.
His eyes locked onto the info window that had slid up next to Han Suhwan’s face so conveniently.
[ Lifespan can currently be harvested from this individual (49 days) ]
He absolutely had to get that.
***
Minus lifespan.
Harvestable Lifespan notification.
Didn’t it add up perfectly?
‘If I don’t want to die, I have to harvest lifespan from this old geezer?’
But there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
There had to be a price to pay for that lifespan.
Maybe a trade.
The answer came quickly.
“Old man. Do you have a son? A dead son.”
Han Suhwan didn’t answer right away.
Instead, his already stiff face hardened further as he raised a hand, signaling the bodyguards.
“Secure the perimeter immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
The doctor, who had been dragged in reluctantly, was dragged out just as reluctantly.
Now, only Yeonwoo and Han Suhwan remained in the hospital room.
“You. Who sent you? You know me, and even about my son. Where did you hear that story?”
Han Suhwan interrogated him.
“What story?”
“The one about... me having a dead son.”
I could tell because I see the guy standing right behind you.
Yeonwoo glanced at the man with blood trickling from his head, wearing a sorrowful expression.
He looked a lot like the old man, but if the old man was a tiger, this guy was more like a gentle house dog.
“Roughly in his forties. Droopy eye corners? A tear mole under his right eye. Overall impression is pretty mild.”
“...!”
The old man’s expression changed again.
“Manager Jeong? Or Team Leader Han? There’s a traitor on the inside. Who sent you?”
Now, raw fury burned on the old man’s face.
“You dare drag my grandson into this, and even bring up my son to pull me in? I don’t care who’s behind you—I won’t let it slide...”
This old man’s about to say something that’ll get him in big trouble.
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, old man.”
“...What?”
“I get why you’re misunderstanding out of the blue, but my life’s on the line here too.”
Whether he lived or died right now.
Yeonwoo desperately needed those 49 days.
Enough to do something he’d never consider under normal circumstances.
“I didn’t do any background check. Believe me or not.”
Damn it. He just wanted to live a normal life.
The problem was, chasing normalcy now might mean boarding the train to the afterlife before he got there.
“Old man. I’ve got some spiritual gifts.”
A path he’d never wanted before.
One he’d sworn to avoid like the plague.
But in this moment.
Yeonwoo sensed it instinctively.
The normal life he’d so desperately wanted was gone for good.
***
“Spiritual gifts...? How dare you try to scam me...”
Han Suhwan’s face twisted in disbelief.
But that quickly turned to anger.
He had no intention of letting this young punk toy with him using empty words.
However.
That anger didn’t last.
“Yeah, well, believe it or not, that’s the deal. More importantly, old man. Doesn’t your son keep showing up in your dreams?”
Han Suhwan’s furious demeanor shifted in an instant.
“How... How do you know that?!”
Because I’m seeing it with my own two eyes.
This was the crucial moment.
“Old man. What did I say? I’ve got spiritual gifts, right? See? I’m telling you right now, I can see your son clear as day.”
It sounded a bit cultish, but so what?
“Gasp!”
That’s how even a skeptic like him would buy it.
As proof, Han Suhwan clutched his chest like he was about to keel over.
“I see. So that’s it... Yeah. I’ve kept my son’s story under wraps tight as a drum for ages. No way you’d know this much otherwise. ...And that bastard Yoon-beom might know, but not Re-young! I separated them thoroughly! Yeah... If you’ve got real gifts, it makes sense. It does!”
Muttering rapidly to himself, Han Suhwan’s eyes widened.
“Hey.”
Seeing that familiar glint, Yeonwoo thought:
Ah. This old man’s totally hooked.
“What do I—what do I need to do?! Just tell me!”
Yeonwoo’s reads had never been wrong, even if he’d never liked this ability.
***
“Old man. Do you know why your son is crying?”
“No, is that boy crying?! Why the hell is he crying? ...Is he resenting me after all? Because I never acknowledged his relationship...? Is that why he shows up in my dreams, cursing me even in death?”
Han Suhwan’s voice trailed into a lament.
He looked at Yeonwoo as if expecting him to confirm it.
But.
“No.”
“Uh... Huh?”
“That’s not it.”
“What do you mean?”
Yeonwoo stared at the dead man standing behind Han Suhwan.
‘He’s looking at you so fondly—there’s no way he resents you.’
They seemed like a father-son duo with a complicated history, but sadly, there was no time to clear up their old misunderstanding.
“So you’re saying Yoon-beom doesn’t resent me?”
“Yes.”
“Then why does he show up in my dreams every night, shedding bloody tears? Huh?”
At that moment.
The Child Spirit, who’d been lurking unobtrusively, quietly called out to Yeonwoo.
Had this guy followed him all the way here?
[Yeonwoo. This one has something to say.]
The Child Spirit poked Han Yun-beom, who was hunching his shoulders.
[Yeah? I can’t hear well. What? Oh. He wants you to pass this on: Don’t feel guilty.]
Bingo.
Yeonwoo grinned.
“Old man. Do you feel guilty about your son’s death?”
“...How could I not? It’s because of me...”
He could feel it coming.
Some long-winded backstory.
“No. It’s exactly because of that guilt of yours!”
Yeonwoo firmly raised a hand, cutting Han Suhwan off.
“Your son can’t pass on to the afterlife.”
Han Suhwan’s face filled with bewilderment at the interrupted words.
“What...? Because of my guilt?”
“That’s right. Didn’t your son have an honest, upright personality in life?”
“How do you even know th—”
How? Because it’s right there.
-Name: Han Yun-beom (32/Male)
-Occupation: -
-Disposition: Absolute Good
-Specialty: Good Deeds [B]
-Affinity: Moderate
-Current Physical State: Deceased
-Current Emotional State: Regretful
***Some items are currently unavailable.
***Detailed information on this individual is hidden.
***Lifespan cannot currently be harvested from this individual.
It was plain as day.
“Indeed... Yeah, he was. Unlike me, Yun-beom was too good for his own good. That’s what got him in the end... I shouldn’t have done what I did back then...”
He was about to spill his guts again.
Yeonwoo slammed on the brakes.
“Yes, exactly! That’s why your son can’t move on easily.”
“...Then what should I do?”
Yeonwoo quietly pulled a pen and memo pad from his pocket.
“Hm? What’s that...?”
“Shh.”
Scribble scribble.
He drew a simple incantation on a makeshift talisman and tossed it into the air without a word.
More precisely, at the Child Spirit chatting with Han Yun-beom.
[Ow!]
Crackle!
“Gasp?!”
Han Suhwan nearly had a fit seeing the paper ignite in midair on its own.
[Hey, why’d you do that!]
‘Do you have any idea how high the stakes are for me right now? Quit yapping!’
[The kid’s just too pure and kindhearted—what can you do.]
‘Did you figure out what he wants?’
[Yeah. It’s simple. He just wants to talk. Says his dad won’t believe it unless he hears it straight from him.]
As expected.
Yeonwoo had a hunch, but nothing came easy.
“Wh-What just happened...?”
“Old man.”
“Wh-Why are you doing that?”
Gone was Han Suhwan’s initial charisma.
He was now just a life supplier perfectly played by Yeonwoo—or rather, a pitiful victim.
Yeonwoo began selling in earnest.
“Listen carefully from now on.”
“G-Got it.”
“Take this home, burn it to ash, mix the ash in water, drink it, and go to sleep. Then what you want will happen.”
“Huh? Is this a talisman? There’s a phone number for some sketchy service...? This looks like promo memo paper no matter how I squint...”
Sharp eyes.
It was the promotional memo Yeonwoo had handed out back when he was reciting poetry like a street scholar—just in case, he’d kept some around, never expecting they’d come in handy.
“Old man!”
But he couldn’t admit it here.
This line of work—well, it wasn’t exactly a proper job.
Either way, one key part was talking big.
“Y-Yeah?”
Han Suhwan buckled under Yeonwoo’s intensity.
“You saw it! Flames bursting from thin air—could that be fake?”
“N-No, of course not.”
“Exactly. And true masters aren’t picky with their tools, as the saying goes. You’ve heard it, right?”
“Y-Yeah...?”
“Precisely. Folks like me! Real talents don’t fuss over fancy mirror ink or special talisman paper or brushes. That’s what frauds do—high-end excuses to suck you dry, er, I mean, make more money!”
“You’re right! Now that you mention it, that’s exactly it!”
Yeonwoo’s words swept Han Suhwan away like a storm.
“So no more doubting—go home, burn this properly with sincerity, drink the ash water, and sleep. Definitely! You have to sleep fast.”
So I can live.
“Got it. I’ll head back now and do exactly as you say. I’ll pop a sleeping pill if I have to.”
Han Suhwan gripped the flimsy talisman with a resolute face, forgetting why he’d come in the first place.
Five hours after he left.
Finally, the awaited notification appeared.
*Ding!*
[Successfully harvested lifespan.]
[Harvested Lifespan: 49 days]
Yes!
Yeonwoo clenched his fist.
Success.