Riding the Hot Air Balloon, Part 3

Noel turned around at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sound of a heavy sigh behind him.

Yeonghyeon was staring blankly ahead.

—...It's them. It's really... my family.

Though he had yearned for them so desperately, reality was merciless.

A shattered skull, twisted arms, one side of the face swollen beyond recognition, and missing legs.

Not only did they look exactly as they had at the moment of the accident, but even the whites of their eyes were stained pitch-black.

Watching those blank, vacant eyes and their hollow, motionless figures, Yeonghyeon's breathing grew even more ragged.

"Hyung. Calm down."

Noel grabbed Yeonghyeon's arm.

For actual evil spirits, they were incredibly intact, and even quiet. It was really nothing to worry about.

—...Are they looking for me right now?

Yeonghyeon's eyes welled with tears.

"Probably."

At Noel's answer, Yeonghyeon bit his lip. It was what he had wished for, but not like this.

—Calm yourself.

Asin reached out and squeezed Yeonghyeon's shoulder. A warm, soothing energy spread through him.

—Think of nothing else. They simply love you so deeply that even after becoming evil spirits, they do nothing but search for you.

"And throw away any thoughts like, 'What was I doing while my family was like that?' If we're going by that logic, I'm the one who deserves to die," Noel spoke somewhat coldly.

He had been eating well and spending the money he earned, completely unaware of what had happened to his family. If they were comparing guilt, he was the trash here.

But that wasn't how one should look at it.

Happiness was something you decided for yourself, not something decided by others.

"Hyung, stay here for a moment."

—Why...?

"Those people aren't in their right minds right now. When love is too intense, it can easily warp into hatred of equal measure."

They said love and hate were two sides of the same coin.

They had become evil spirits out of love, but because they were now evil spirits, the corruption of erosion was highly likely to twist that love into hatred.

If so, what would be the first thing they said to Yeonghyeon?

"Can you handle the sheer weight of the resentment your family might unleash on you? If they see you and ask why you only came now, why you were the only one who survived, why it had to be you and not them... Can you handle that if they pour it all out?"

—...

—Listen to Noel on this one.

Kkamang-i clung to Yeonghyeon's frozen arm.

—If they say mean things to you, you might not stop crying. And you'll make me cry too.

Kkamang-i glanced up at Yeonghyeon.

He already wore a deeply wounded expression.

"So stay here. Why go out of your way to get hurt by words they don't even mean?"

—...I shouldn't.

Yeonghyeon closed his eyes tightly, then slowly opened them.

Who was Noel?

He was an incredibly dependable, amazing younger brother whom he could trust completely.

—I trust you, Noel.

If he couldn't trust Noel, who could he trust?

"Of course. I always deliver on my duties and my promises."

Noel looked at Kkamang-i, who was cradled in Yeonghyeon's arms, and then moved forward with Asin.

They stood at the park entrance, right in front of the spirits who were staring blankly at the passing students.

Their reaction was incredibly slow.

About five seconds passed before all their gazes fell upon them at once.

They blinked, their eyes slowly widening.

—Ha.

—...Haha.

One by one, they began to laugh, until all three were laughing in unison.

It was extremely loud, and a cold wind began to whip up around them.

Thrusting their faces forward, they opened their mouths wide.

—Found you.

—We finally found you.

—We found you!

Their overlapping voices were incredibly low, unpleasant, and raspy, as if choked with phlegm.

—Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why are you the only one who's fine?

Yeonghyeon's mother's neck was broken, her head ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tilted unnaturally to the side.

—We waited for you! We waited! Why! Why! Why didn't you come? Huh? Why didn't you come?

Yeonghyeon's brother was missing a leg.

—Let's go together! You're lonely on your own, aren't you? Right? Right? Of course you are! Let's go together! Go! Go! Go!

Yeonghyeon's father's face was swollen, his completely shattered jaw rattling with every word.

These were words they didn't truly mean.

To Noel, it was just another ghost talking, but to Yeonghyeon, it would have sounded entirely different.

"Asin."

At Noel's call, Asin struck the ground with her drawn sword, releasing a clear, resonant chime.

The erosion shrouding them instantly bubbled upward like foam, and Noel summoned purple flames in both hands.

Whoosh!

The erosion began to burn away.

Since they had only recently become evil spirits, the grotesque light in their eyes quickly faded. Noel spoke first, establishing one clear fact.

"I am not Yeonghyeon-hyung."

As Noel spoke to the air, passing students glanced at him, but he didn't care. He simply looked at the spirits.

Seeing their bewildered faces, Noel pointed a finger.

First, he needed to fix their appearance.

It was a family reunion, after all; they shouldn't look so battered.

Black smoke swept over their bodies, restoring their broken, shattered, and crushed forms.

Kkamang-i was a special case restored by the power of a holy relic, but normally, ghosts remained in the state they died.

"Are you back to your senses?"

At Noel's question, they looked confused.

"You don't remember, do you?"

Almost simultaneously, they nodded.

With a still-bewildered expression, Yeonghyeon's mother spoke.

—...Why are we here?

Newly turned evil spirits often did things against their will. During that time, they could lose their memories.

They wouldn't know who they cursed or what they did, existing only in a state of hyper-fixation on whatever they were obsessed with.

"You probably came to find your son," Noel said, telling them the truth.

—Excuse me, but... may I ask why you have our son's face?

Yeonghyeon's father asked as calmly as possible. He was visibly tense.

"Do you remember the accident?"

—I remember.

Yeonghyeon's brother answered.

He looked down at his legs, narrowing his eyes as if sensing something strange.

—...I'm sure my leg was severed.

"Shall we move somewhere else first? There are too many people here."

Noel smiled warmly and pointed behind him.

***

—...So, you're saying Noel-ssi's soul entered our son's body?

Noel felt like clapping at the mother's quick understanding.

"Exactly."

—Then Yeonghyeon is...

She couldn't finish her sentence. Tears fell instead of the word caught in her throat.

—...I hoped it wasn't true. Please... I prayed it wasn't true.

—But why...? Why? Yeonghyeon was definitely taken away in an ambulance!

Yeonghyeon's brother cried out in frustration. The memory was still vivid.

—I vaguely heard... someone say he would be fine.

"Then why were you waiting for him there? If you were sure he survived, you should have moved on."

—...We couldn't bring ourselves to leave. If, just if, something bad had happened to Yeonghyeon, we thought he might be waiting for us somewhere. We couldn't leave him behind.

Yeonghyeon's father bowed his head slightly. He was their youngest, after all.

"And while you were waiting, resentment toward the perpetrator suddenly rushed in."

—Yes. Suddenly. In an instant, anger filled my head. Anger at myself for planning the family trip, at my own incompetence for looking back for a second and failing to avoid the oncoming truck, and at the truck driver who killed us. I was angry at everything. After that... I don't remember.

At the father's faint confession, Noel looked slightly troubled.

If they find out why Hyung died, the erosion will flare up again in an instant.

Noel summoned his extinguished purple flames and spoke to them calmly.

"Now that you know Hyung has passed, you should hear how he died, shouldn't you?"

The three of them, who had been crying, beating their chests, and bowing their heads, looked up at Noel again.

Why did Yeonghyeon die?

It was likely what they wanted to know most. That lingering attachment was probably what kept them from leaving, turning them into evil spirits.

"He jumped."

Noel told them the truth.

Only then did they notice the scars on Noel's body—the body that belonged to Yeonghyeon.

—...Oh my god.

Yeonghyeon's mother covered her mouth, and his father stared at Noel in disbelief.

—Is that... really true?

Yeonghyeon's brother asked.

"It's true."

At that definitive answer, they fell into despair.

Hearing a sizzling sound, Noel looked at his purple flames.

As expected, the erosion was flaring up again.

As the negativity began to ripple once more, Asin stepped forward and took their hands, one by one.

—This is not your fault.

As warmth radiated from Asin, they all burst into tears. They immediately fell to their knees and looked up at her.

—Do not ask Yeonghyeon why he could not live longer. Just as Yeonghyeon was precious to you, you were simply too precious to him. It is nothing more than that, so do not grieve so deeply.

—It's... all my fault.

At the father's words, Asin shook her head.

—If you make it your fault, will Yeonghyeon not bear the burden of owing you?

"She's right. If you want to leave Hyung with lingering regrets, keep blaming yourself like that," Noel spoke coldly.

He understood their grief, but they had to think about how those words would sound to Yeonghyeon.

"Hyung endured and endured just to meet you all. Even though his despair and resentment must have been far greater and deeper than yours, he never became an evil spirit."

—Indeed. Yeonghyeon is a very brave child. He did not harbor even a shred of common resentment, all so he could meet you.

"When you see him, hug him. Tell him he did well. That's all you need to do."

Noel gave them the simplest yet deepest words of comfort. This was the request ghosts made most often after they died.

What was the point of saying things after death that they could have said in life? But even now, it wasn't too late.

—Then, I shall return.

Leaving those words, Asin flew toward where Yeonghyeon was waiting.

Meanwhile, Noel had something he needed to do.

"Wait a moment."

Noel handed them the purple flames to keep them stable, then stepped aside.

"Grim Reaper Oh Jinhon."

Noel called out to Jinhon.

Surely, one of the animals passing by this area was serving as Jinhon's eyes.

Not even three seconds passed before Jinhon materialized.

"Aigoo, Master!"

Upon appearing, Jinhon beamed. He bowed, clasping his hands politely.

"I was actually planning to visit you to express my gratitude."

"Do Yeonghyeon is passing over today."

"......Pardon?"

At the sudden news, Jinhon's breath hitched. He hurriedly pulled out the Register of the Dead.

The space next to his name was still blank, but a date was beginning to etch itself into the ledger.

"......Huh?"

Jinhon looked utterly bewildered, staring at the register over and over. This was a first for him since becoming Team Leader. He could only let out a series of flustered grunts.

"You can guide Do Yeonghyeon and the rest of his family, right?" Noel asked to make sure.

This was the most important part.

When Noel entered Yeonghyeon's body, the Register of the Dead had become tangled.

Because of that contradiction, there had been a temporary ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grace period.

"I saw the date being written in the register. That means there's no problem, right?"

The name was in the register, and the date was being set.

Everything should proceed smoothly according to protocol.

"But... Do Yeonghyeon-ssi is still alive?" Jinhon looked troubled.

Right now, both of them were "Yeonghyeon."

"You see the blank space next to the name here?"

"I do..."

"That's me. I'll die eventually anyway. It'll be a few decades at most, so is there really a problem?"

Jinhon had no choice but to take his side. Hadn't they made a promise?

Jinhon let out a long sigh.

"Master, did you foresee even this far?"

"Would you be mad if I said yes?"

"No. I am on your side, Master. Even if it's a bit of a tricky situation, I suppose I should be glad we can guide at least one soul for now."

"You should be."

Noel didn't explain everything.

Jinhon had promised to be on his side, but things were highly complicated right now.

Even so, Noel didn't want to drag him into a difficult spot on purpose.

So the reason my name doesn't appear in the register is because I'm not from this world.

Only then did Noel realize the reason. It made sense why they couldn't figure it out. An impossible anomaly had occurred, after all.

"Grim Reaper."

"...Yes?"

"Are there other people who have experienced an error like mine?"

"No, none."

"If there are, will you let me know?"

"Do you... suspect something?"

"Not yet. Anyway, you can guide them, right?"

"Yes. In any case, we need two souls to resolve this error. Even if they go to the afterlife, they won't be able to undergo the usual procedures immediately. Will that be alright?"

He had heard that after going to the afterlife, souls underwent trials for forty-nine days.

There were other processes as well, but they would be put on hold due to the error.

"Still, ghosts belong in the afterlife, not the living world."

"Then I shall treat them with the utmost care. Ah, and thank you for the curse matter. It was quite a mess, and we were in a tight spot. As promised, I have sent the location of the sacred ancient tree to your phone. I look forward to working with you again."

Jinhon bowed slightly and vanished.

Noel took a slow breath.

...It's done.

Honestly, this had been his biggest worry.

I'm glad it worked out.

Noel walked back, but stopped when he heard crying.

Yeonghyeon and his family were hugging each other, weeping.

A gentle light enveloped the family's bodies. Watching them, Noel smiled warmly.

The family departed first.

—...Noel.

Yeonghyeon turned his head to look at Noel.

He had cried so much already, but seeing Noel brought fresh tears to his eyes.

Their bond had begun with death, after all.

—I... said my goodbyes to everyone.

"Then you should go now."

Noel pointed upward.

Why hesitate?

Everything was resolved.

Yeonghyeon walked up to Noel and hugged him.

—...Thank you. Thank you so much!

"It's nothing. I promised, didn't I?"

—I...

Yeonghyeon stepped back and looked at Noel.

He didn't know when they would meet again.

—Meeting you...

Yeonghyeon's lips trembled.

—...was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Yeonghyeon forced a bright, tearful smile.

"Me too. Hyung, you were... a really good brother."

For a moment, Noel's eyes welled with tears. He quickly shut his mouth.

He had never felt like this before, as if he might blurt out words he shouldn't.

—Noel.

Noel nodded.

—Don't get sick. Don't get hurt. Eat lots of delicious food. Just live a happy, truly happy life before you come. Promise me.

Yeonghyeon was crying and laughing at the same time.

The sight was so silly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it almost chased away Noel's tears.

"Don't worry. I'm going to live a very happy life."

As light began to swirl around Yeonghyeon's body, Noel finally clenched his fists tight.

—Goodbye, Noel.

The final farewell shook his heart deeply.

But Yeonghyeon was simply going where he belonged. That was all.

"Goodbye, Hyung."

Noel said his farewell too.

He waved and smiled brightly so there would be no lingering regrets.

Yeonghyeon glowed beautifully, then dissolved into streams of light and vanished.

Staring up at the sky for a moment, Noel turned around, his smile still intact.

He took a deep breath and let it out.

Goodbyes were only temporary.

Later.

When he died, they would meet again.

They could talk about so many things then.

Kkamang-i stared up at him, and Noel stroked its head.

"Do you think this is my first or second time sending someone off? I'm fine, so let's go back to Uncle. He must be worried."

—...Are we heading home now?

At Asin's question, Noel pointed toward the mountains.

It was best to keep moving before sadness could swallow him.

"No. After we reassure Uncle, we're heading to where the sacred ancient tree is."

At those words, question marks popped up on Asin's and Kkamang-i's faces.