The Sweet Taste of Liberation
Windows and doors were places of passage.
To open a window or door from the outside in was an intrusion, but to open them from the inside out was a gesture of welcome.
The chill that had clung to this place of deep grudges was beginning to fade.
"Close it... My land... Don't do this. Please, I beg of you, don't..."
The man reached out desperately toward Noel, but Noel brushed him aside.
"You murdered the living. I don't see why you think you're in any position to make demands."
"This abandoned land... I bought it fair and square. I bought it! But they wanted it, so they killed my wife. They slaughtered her!"
"And what do you want me to do about that?"
"They hacked her to pieces so brutally..."
The man collapsed.
It was still so vivid to him.
The stench of blood.
Her body, mutilated beyond recognition, enough to make him sick to his stomach.
"They... they threw her to the pigs."
"I'm sorry your wife met such a tragic end, but your targets were clear. Instead of going after them, you just slaughtered innocent people. How does that make you any different from the monsters who killed her?"
"What was I... what was I supposed to do? My wife and child are here. Protecting this place was the only thing I could do..."
"They both crossed over to the afterlife ages ago. I'm just wondering what on earth you think you're doing here all by yourself."
"..."
Had he struck a nerve?
The man stared at Noel with hollow, vacant eyes.
"Shouldn't that have been your very first thought? But I suppose you were too busy looking elsewhere to notice."
Noel's smirk widened.
If your wife and child were really that precious to you, you should have looked for them first.
"What are you even doing here in an empty building? This is nothing but a temper tantrum. Do you understand?"
"...There is no one here."
"Exactly. No one. There is no one waiting for you here."
The man raised his head and looked around.
In this empty space devoid of even a single piece of furniture, there was only himself and them.
That was all.
Only then did the man truly break down.
He pressed his hands against the floor and bowed his head.
"You should count yourself lucky you weren't obliterated by my hands. And don't you dare forget that this is all thanks to the grace of the Guardian Deity."
Noel pointed at Asin.
Entities like him deserved to be erased, but Noel had to show some respect for Asin's wishes.
"Just guard this building like the Guardian Deity said. Pray for the souls of the people who died by your hands until you've cleared your karma. Pray over and over again. It's not like your hands will wear out from rubbing them together in prayer, right?"
Noel knelt on one knee, reached out, and forced the man's head down to the floor.
"You need to grovel lower than that."
There was no answer.
Naturally, there was no sound of breathing either.
There were no wails, but Noel saw tears dripping onto the floor.
Whether they were tears of regret or not didn't matter to him.
"I thank thee for showing me such respect, my contractor."
At Asin's words of gratitude, Noel stood up.
"The remaining impurity will slowly drain away as he weeps. Go on ahead."
Whatever she intended to do, Noel respected her decision.
"Alright."
"There is someone waiting for thee outside."
"The Grim Reaper?"
"Indeed."
"Aren't they supposed to be busy? Why does he always seem so free?"
"Perhaps that spirit over there is quite famous."
Asin pointed at the man.
"Ah... That makes sense. He must have been a massive headache for them too."
That single ghost had killed multiple people.
They should have dragged him down to the underworld immediately, so Noel wondered why they hadn't enforced it.
Anyway, I wonder what he's going to give me.
Sooner or later, the Reaper would have to ask him for a favor.
Noel walked out with light steps.
Whether Asin lectured the ghost or not, his goal had been achieved.
"Well, if it isn't our dear Reaper. What brings you here?"
Noel asked Jinhon, who was waiting for him just before he stepped outside.
"I came because I felt I must express my deepest gratitude."
Is it just going to be words?
Instead of voicing his thoughts, Noel asked something else.
"Was forced enforcement impossible?"
"With a spirit of this level, it's absolutely possible. In fact, it's the easiest and fastest way. If only other souls were like that... Ahem."
"Then why didn't you do it?"
"Two souls pleaded with us, risking their own reincarnations."
"His wife and child?"
"Yes. It wasn't just a simple reincarnation, but regardless, King Yeomra was so moved by their devotion that he shed tears. He personally blocked the forced enforcement."
Noel tilted his head slightly at those words.
What was so great about them that he would go that far?
Wouldn't it have been better to just choose reincarnation instead of sacrificing themselves?
It was truly baffling.
Feeling not even a shred of sympathy, he asked about the part where the enforcement was blocked.
"So, you're saying you just let people die until now?"
Whether here or in his original world, things belonging to the realm of the dead were incredibly useless.
Shouldn't they have taken care of this themselves?
"No, absolutely not. This is... well, highly confidential, but those who died had actually reached the end of their natural lifespans. It's surprisingly common for people to die in clusters like this. Usually, the living try to find some deeper meaning in it, which often invites even more misfortune."
"Ah. So it was just a string of bad luck? Is that it?"
"Exactly. The only one who was truly fated to die was Mr. Shin Jang-yul over there. That is why Heaven intervened and led him to meet that renowned Buddhist monk."
Wow.
Hearing it all laid out like this, Noel couldn't help but find it mind-boggling.
Coincidences really didn't happen for no reason.
"But are you allowed to tell me all this?"
"Well, you don't receive Divine Punishment, do you?"
"I don't."
"And besides, I'm on your side now, Master Noel."
As Jinhon smiled warmly, Noel instinctively felt a sense of suspicion.
If they hadn't aligned themselves, Jinhon's fangs were so well-hidden that Noel wouldn't have known when they might sink into him.
"Although this place became polluted because of that spirit, it is actually a prime location with excellent feng shui. You made an outstanding choice, Master Noel. Your eye for these things is truly remarkable!"
"You're not trying to pass that off as my reward, are you?"
"Oh... Ah, my goodness, look at the time. I am so busy..."
"Mr. Reaper?"
"Look at this."
Jinhon held out his phone.
Ding. Ding.
Countless notifications were chiming so rapidly it was hard to even read them.
"I have this many souls to guide."
"Mr. Reaper. You were planning to dump that evil spirit on me, weren't you? Now that the Guardian Deity is by his side, he'll mend his ways, and you'll finally be able to guide him. You're not just going to slip away, are you?"
"O-of course not..."
Avoiding Noel's gaze with a somewhat anxious look, Jinhon began walking out of the building.
As Noel followed him, Jinhon muttered, "Is it here? Yes, this should be it," and came to a sudden halt.
"There should be something quite valuable buried right beneath this spot. Someone buried it here after the building was constructed and never came back for it. By the way, this is a blind spot for the security cameras."
"My goodness. To think someone would be so generous as to leave a donation on someone else's land."
It meant this was money he could pocket without any consequences.
Noel smiled quietly.
"Will this suffice...?"
"Mr. Reaper."
"Yes?"
"I look forward to working with you often in the future."
Noel bowed politely and raised his head.
Yeong-hyeon had told him that this world was a very happy place as long as one had money.
He wasn't wrong.
Ordering delivery was fun, and even just buying a waffle from a random street vendor brought him immense joy.
"I look forward to it as well. If I am too busy and send my subordinates instead, please do not be alarmed."
"Of course. Don't worry about it, and here—eat this to keep your energy up."
Noel pulled a gummy candy from his pocket and handed it over.
Jinhon froze.
"It's not a violation of the rules, is it?"
"No, it's just... I'm surprised. It has been a very long time since I've eaten anything. Thank you so much."
For the first time, Jinhon wore a genuinely innocent smile.
Clutching the gummy tightly in his hand, he bowed repeatedly before vanishing.
Why didn't he eat it right away? Can they not eat unless a living person offers it to them?
Noel brushed the thought aside and turned around.
Seeing Yeong-hyeon peeking out from behind the building, he smiled warmly.
"Did you take care of it?"
"Of course."
"What about the Guardian Deity?"
"She told me to go on ahead because she had something to discuss with him. Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"They say there's something buried right under here."
When Noel beamed, Yeong-hyeon's face lit up as well.
"Jewels? Gold?"
"I'm not sure, but my heart is racing. Is yours?"
"Of course! It's like a treasure hunt!"
A treasure hunt was never boring.
Even though his heart wasn't physically beating, he felt a thrill of excitement.
"This is my first time hunting for treasure. I should go tell him right away. Maybe the owner will dig it up for us."
"Wait. If we find treasure, how are we going to split it?"
"Sixty-forty?"
"You get sixty, right?"
"Is that fair?"
"Isn't it? Honestly, I think you deserve seventy, but since it is his land..."
"That's why I'm splitting it. If it weren't his land, I would've taken all of it."
Noel wore a slightly regretful expression as he walked.
The treasure was strictly within private property, after all.
If nothing else, he needed to maintain a good relationship with Shin Jang-yul.
Jang-yul watched anxiously as Noel stepped out of the building, suddenly walked behind it, and then came back.
In the midst of this, Jang-yul's body suddenly felt incredibly light, as if a curse had been lifted from him.
Not only did the persistent headache that had plagued him vanish, but a long, involuntary sigh of relief escaped his lips.
He couldn't be entirely sure, but he felt a profound sense of liberation.
The endless voices whispering in his ears had finally fallen silent.
Yet, he still didn't know for certain.
He wouldn't know until his savior came over and told him everything was fine.
He could only hold his breath and wait for him to approach.
His savior drew closer step by step.
Just seeing him walk over stirred a tempest of emotions within Jang-yul.
A lump rose in his throat, and he clenched his fists tightly to hold back his tears.
"Did you wait long?"
Hearing that voice, Jang-yul closed his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them.
Memories of the countless times he had wanted to die because of that unseen entity flashed through his mind.
What was terror?
That entity had taught him the true meaning of fear.
"No..."
Jang-yul's voice was already trembling.
"It was the shortest wait of my life."
There had been times when exorcisms went on for days, and countless times he had prayed desperately.
Compared to those agonizing times, this wait was nothing.
"You feel liberated, don't you?"
At the calm question, Jang-yul bit his trembling lip.
He waited for the next words.
"It is all over."
At those words, Jang-yul shut his eyes tight and covered his face with his hands.
No matter how hard he tried to hold them back, he couldn't stop the tears from soaking his palms.
"You will be able to sleep peacefully starting tonight."
As that confident voice washed over him, Jang-yul let out a choked sob and covered his mouth.
He was finally free.
At last.
His secretary watched Jang-yul with slightly tearful eyes before quietly walking back to the car.
"You've been through a lot."
Noel stepped closer and patted Jang-yul lightly on the shoulder.
When one was freed from such agonizing torment, age didn't matter; anyone would break down.
Noel, too, had felt a profound sense of liberation when he was dying.
Wasn't that a sweetness one could never forget until the day they died?
But sometimes, business had to be discussed, even at moments like this.
"I'm not sure if 'reward' is the right word... but apparently, there's something valuable buried over there."
At the mention of money, the weeping Jang-yul slowly lowered his hands.
It seemed his rationality was returning.
"Please, take all of it, Master Noel."
...Never mind. He's still out of it.
It seemed his mind hadn't fully recovered yet.
"But this is your land, Mr. Shin. We should split the share."
"Master Noel..."
"Yes...?"
Jang-yul looked at him with an intensity that was somewhat overwhelming.
It was a gaze Noel had never seen before.
"The debt of gratitude I owe you... is so immense that I could not repay it even if I spent my entire life trying."
Jang-yul poured his entire soul into every word.
There could be no greater suffering in life than what he had endured.
And Noel had delivered him from that hell.
"But Mr. Shin, this is your land."
"I would not dare be so arrogant as to claim I fully understand your heart, but I know that your generosity is deeper than the ocean."
Life.
There was nothing more precious.
Who didn't know that life was a value that could never be bought, no matter if one poured hundreds of millions, billions, or an astronomical amount of wealth into it?
Yet, Noel had saved him, asking for nothing more than to lease the first and second floors of the building.
On top of that, Noel had even revealed the information about the treasure buried on his land when he easily could have kept it a secret.
And he had even offered to share it.
He was a man of unfathomable nobility.
Age had nothing to do with such grace.
"Please, I beg of you to accept it."
For this was the connection that the renowned monk had said would support and guide his entire life.
"No, I will have it dug up and delivered to you myself, so please, just accept it."
Jang-yul bowed deeply as he spoke.
Noel stared at him, utterly bewildered.
...What is wrong with him?
How could a grown man grovel so completely?
Noel eyed Jang-yul warily.
Something felt incredibly suspicious.
Is he trying to swindle me out of something? He looks filthy rich, so why is he trying to squeeze blood from a stone?
Noel barely managed to keep his face from grimacing.
...Whoa!
Noel's eyes widened in amazement.
So this was a mega-mall.
Whether he had Do Yeong-hyeon's memories of it or not, seeing it in person was truly spectacular.
"Are you sure you do not require my assistance with your shopping, Master Noel?"
Jang-yul spoke to him, his attitude still exceedingly polite and deferential.
"I'm fine."
"Master Noel. I am truly sorry for postponing our important appointment due to my family's personal matters."
He was originally supposed to visit Jang-yul's family as well, but it seemed they were incredibly busy.
Just as Noel was thinking it was actually a relief that they could meet next time, Jang-yul kept acting so incredibly humble.
He had asked where Noel was heading, and upon hearing he wanted to go shopping, he had personally driven him all the way here.
It was quite overwhelming.
Noel didn't know why he was acting this way, and it was starting to break him out in a cold sweat.
"My secretary has already contacted the management here, so they will serve you with the utmost care."
"Pardon...?"
"Then, please enjoy your shopping."
Jang-yul bowed with a gentle smile, and Noel practically fled from him.
Jang-yul watched him go, and once Noel had entered the mall, he climbed back into his car.
"Secretary Jang."
"Yes, sir."
"First, take care of those who tried to play me for a fool."
Starting with those charlatans who babbled about being famous.
The only real master was Noel.
"Rent out the finest venue. We must host Master Noel properly. And..."
Jang-yul paused.
"If anyone is digging into Master Noel's background, report it to me immediately. Other factions must have already started making their moves."
"Understood, sir."
"You made sure they knew to treat Master Noel with the absolute highest level of hospitality, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Let's go."
Jang-yul leaned back in his seat, staring at the entrance of the mall Noel had walked into, and smiled warmly.
I hope he has a wonderful time shopping.