A Friend's True Colors
"We're friends, aren't we?!"
"It's very simple for me, and a win-win for both of us."
"So. What exactly do you need me to do?"
"I left something with a friend. You just need to go get it. Simple, right?"
"You left money with a friend?"
Noel raised an eyebrow.
Is he an idiot?
Why on earth would anyone leave money with a friend? There were perfectly good institutions called banks.
"Exactly. I was on my way to get the money, but I slipped in the rain, hit the back of my head, and died. Just like a fool."
The middle-aged man turned around.
A sunken, caved-in spot on the back of his head, invisible from the front, was revealed.
"See?"
"I see it. But why didn't you put it in a bank? Was it illegal money?"
"No, no. Not at all. It was hard-earned money. I always got paid in cash. It just feels better that way, doesn't it?"
"Any money received is a joy."
At Noel's reply, the middle-aged man laughed heartily.
"Right! Money is the best! The day before I died... it was a few days before my wedding anniversary. My wife grumbled so much last year, so I wanted to get her a surprise gift. Something like that. I'm terrible at picking out presents, but I heard there's this thing where you put cash in, press a button, and a gift pops out."
A deep longing remained on the laughing ghost's face.
"But mister."
"Yeah?"
"Do you trust your friend?"
"Of course. He's like my own flesh and blood."
"Then why didn't he give it to your family after you died?"
As Noel gently probed, the middle-aged man spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Because I told him to keep it safe until I asked for it back."
"But you're dead. Is there any need for him to keep doing that?"
Noel pointed out the facts one by one. He didn't want to do pointless work.
"What if he already took it? What if he's spending it?"
There were good people in the world, but Noel knew all too well—bone-deep—that there were far more bad ones.
When you've been betrayed to the point of exhaustion, you learn to accept that the world is painted in very dull, dreary colors.
"But I still get my cut, right?"
He had to get what he was owed. To survive in any world, you needed money, and this one was no different.
"Of course. I saw your power. Why would I lie to you?"
"Good. You'd better not. I doubt you want your afterlife to become miserable."
Noel warned the middle-aged man.
He could easily put a leash on him, preventing him from ascending and forcing him to stay by his side. There were always plenty of ways to torment a spirit.
"Yeong-hyeon. Steel your heart. If you ever feel anxious or... have bad thoughts again, you must call me. Understand?"
Do Shin-hyeon.
He was his uncle.
He was the only one who had visited during the hospitalization.
According to Yeong-hyeon, they had been close since childhood.
His uncle had handled the family's funerals, paid the hospital bills, and sorted out all the other minor details.
Noel had wondered how anyone could work so fast, but it turned out he was a lawyer. A highly capable one.
"Yes. I understand."
Even though those words weren't truly meant for him, Noel replied with as much sincerity as he could muster.
After all, he bought me a phone.
As soon as he was discharged, they bought a new phone. His uncle did. He seemed to have a lot of money.
"Yeong-hyeon."
"Yes," Noel replied, looking out the window.
Shin-hyeon glanced at Noel.
"Should I stay over tonight? Why don't we play that console game you like?"
"You're busy."
"No, I'm not busy at all. Really."
The panic in his voice was glaringly obvious.
It somehow reminded Noel of his own father. His father had been just like this.
Noel's eyes deepened.
"Uncle."
"...Y-yes?"
"You're not the only one who's sad. You're grieving too, Uncle. So you don't have to pretend to be okay."
At Noel's sudden, piercing words, Shin-hyeon bit his lip.
His nephew, who had always seemed like a spoiled child, had suddenly grown up.
...Well, he is an adult now. But still.
Shin-hyeon gripped the steering wheel tightly.
When he first heard the news that Yeong-hyeon had jumped, he felt as if the sky had shattered.
Before being his beloved brother's child, he was his beloved nephew. He had watched over him and cared for him since he was a baby. He just loved him. Perhaps it was because he had no wife or children of his own. Or perhaps because he never planned to have any.
"...Yeong-hyeon."
"Yes."
"I only have you left, too. So... you can tell me everything."
His brother was dead, his sister-in-law was dead, and his other niece and nephew were dead. It was a tragedy beyond comprehension. How many times had he blamed himself, thinking he should have gone on that trip with them instead of declining because he was busy?
"Uncle."
"...Yeah."
But he couldn't let go of everything. He had a surviving nephew. He had to hold on.
"Do you know where the accident happened?" Noel asked casually.
Yeong-hyeon said he couldn't remember. Whether it was due to trauma or actual memory loss, Noel didn't know. But to keep his promise, he had to go to the site of the accident.
"......"
Silence fell. Shin-hyeon breathed heavily, then pulled the car over to the shoulder.
"...Why there?"
"I want to see it."
"Not yet. If you go there... something terrible might happen!" Shin-hyeon's voice rose.
Uncle looks... a bit unstable, Yeong-hyeon's spirit whispered.
It was just as Yeong-hyeon said. The unstable one wasn't Noel; it was Shin-hyeon.
"Uncle. Have you been sleeping?"
"......"
"Have you been eating?"
"......"
"The one in danger isn't me, Uncle. It's you. You're going to ruin your health."
Shin-hyeon couldn't find any words to reply to the blunt, piercing remarks. The boy felt like a completely different person right now. He didn't usually speak like this. He didn't make those expressions. Was this really Yeong-hyeon, or had the shock changed him?
"I don't want to lose you too, so please sleep well and eat well."
But at Noel's faint smile, all of Shin-hyeon's doubts vanished.
He... is trying to change.
They both knew they couldn't go back to the way things were. Yeong-hyeon had simply realized it sooner.
Shin-hyeon smiled too.
"I will. I'll sleep well and eat well, just like you said."
Starting the car again, Shin-hyeon spoke with a bright face.
"But I'm still staying over. Your arm is injured, isn't it? You know your uncle is an amazing cook, right?"
Noel openly showed his annoyance, but Shin-hyeon was already busy driving.
"Mister. Is it here?"
Looking left and right, it looked like a factory. After entering the apartment with Shin-hyeon, Noel had barely managed to send his clingy uncle away before coming here.
"...Yeah."
The middle-aged man hesitated. He felt strange. He hadn't been able to leave the hospital grounds before, but thanks to this student's power, he was finally out. However, he couldn't stray far from the student. Still, being able to see the outside world—if this wasn't heaven, what was?
"Why? What's the matter?"
"...No, it's just, well. Earlier in the car, I accidentally overheard..."
"Ah, it's fine," Noel cut him off sharply. He had no reason to be comforted. The one who jumped was Yeong-hyeon, not him.
"Kid. Life is long. Seriously. If I hadn't died so pointlessly, I would've lived until I was old and gray."
"Seems like it." Noel laughed lightly.
"...Are you two twins?" the man asked again, tentatively.
Their faces were identical. They had to be twins.
"Something like that."
At Noel's reply, Yeong-hyeon also nodded. He seemed to agree that there was no need to explain otherwise.
"But one of you has a pretty unique name. Did only one of you live abroad?"
"Mister. Don't cross the line."
"Alright, alright. Don't glare at me like that. I have no intention of crossing any lines. I'm just a bit excited to be out after so long." The middle-aged man smiled broadly.
"So, what do I need to do? Since I'm the one doing the legwork, there has to be an extra reward."
"Ah, of course, of course. Who'd want to do pointless work?" The man pointed forward, indicating they should go inside.
"Go in and find a man named Kim Jung-ho."
"Is that it?"
"Just deliver a message from me."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Fine."
Noel nodded casually and strode into the factory. Everyone inside was busy working.
I'll just go in and ask around.
That was his plan, but as soon as Noel took a step, several pairs of eyes locked onto him.
Having lived a life where he could be turned in at any moment, he was highly sensitive to people's gazes. Though he knew he wasn't in a situation where he needed to run, his body instinctively tensed up.
"Excuse me, student?" someone called out.
"Yes."
"You don't look like you work here... Are you looking for someone?"
Noticing the worker's hesitant demeanor, Noel felt a pang of curiosity. Why was he making that face?
"Yes. I'm looking for Kim Jung-ho. Is he here?"
"Kim Jung-ho... Manager Kim Jung-ho?"
"That should be him."
At Noel's firm reply, sighs of "Oh dear" erupted from all around.
The atmosphere is weird. He was a pretty respected guy here, the middle-aged man muttered.
They were treating him like someone who had caused trouble.
"...Um, by any chance, what is your relationship with him?"
Noel thought for a moment before speaking.
"A relationship bound by money."
"...Oh dear."
At that, the worker let out a long, heavy sigh.
Kid... If you say it like that, won't people misunderstand him?
"But it's true."
"...Huh?"
"Nothing. Can you guide me to him?"
"The manager didn't come in today."
The worker pulled a notepad from his pocket, scribbled something down, tore the page off, and handed it to him.
[Address of Kim Jung-ho]
Pine Tree Park, Bisan-dong
"You'll find him if you go here. If you see him, could you tell him his leave is almost over and he needs to come back soon?"
"Sure, that's easy enough. But... has someone else been looking for Kim Jung-ho?"
"...The police?"
The middle-aged man had been looking serious the entire time. They said the police had come by because of something related to his friend. They didn't know the details, but after that, he had taken leave and stopped coming to the factory.
It seems your friend got caught up in some kind of incident... Yeong-hyeon tried to comfort the man, reading his expression.
"There's no way. He wouldn't do that..."
So noisy.
Noel checked the address on the slip of paper. He expected him to be in a bar, but he was in a park. Why was he here?
Despite the freezing cold, a man was drinking something with hollow eyes. As Noel drew closer, the smell of alcohol hit him.
Of course he's drinking.
Noel stood in front of the man.
"You're Kim Jung-ho, right?"
At the mention of his name, the man raised his head. Jung-ho looked Noel up and down.
The boy's face still had a youthful look, with a bandage wrapped around his head and a cast on his arm. There were minor scratches, but that didn't matter. This wasn't the kind of person who would have any business with him.
"...What do you want?" his voice was thick with annoyance.
"Nothing much. I just came to collect something."
Jung-ho stared at Noel instead of answering. He let out a long sigh.
"Kid. I've never seen you before in my life..."
"Seo Sang-won said to return the money. He wants to give it to his family now."
"......"
Jung-ho froze. He stood up slowly, staring blankly at Noel.
"...Who the hell are you?"
"Who do you think?"
Jung-ho scoffed.
"I don't know what kind of rumors you've been hearing, but that money was given to me by my friend. So there is absolutely no way I'm handing it over..."
"Then why do you have it, Kim Jung-ho? Seo Sang-won was going to give it to his wife for their wedding anniversary. Now that he's dead, shouldn't you return it?"
Noel smiled casually, and Jung-ho's eyes wavered.
"How... how do you know that?"
"Does that matter? I was asked by Seo Sang-won. Now, give it back."
Noel held out his hand and wiggled his fingers.
"It's exactly 4,150,000 won. Don't leave out a single penny."
Their wedding anniversary was April 15th. The amount was chosen to match that date.
"......"
As Jung-ho fell silent, Noel stared at him, having expected this reaction.
Hey. What's wrong with you? Sang-won laughed awkwardly. Is it because I died so suddenly? Man, you're really holding a grudge.
"...I can't give it to you."
At Jung-ho's words, Sang-won froze completely.
...Hey. What is wrong with you, seriously?
Sensing the unexpected tension, Yeong-hyeon began to look anxious.
"Why?" Noel asked bluntly.
"Do you have any idea what happened after Sang-won... after that bastard died? The police came looking for me."
"No. How would I know that?"
"Sang-won died right after saying he was going to meet me. Because of that, I was treated like a suspect and dragged to the police station day in and day out! People at work were whispering behind my back, and Sang-won's family looked at me like I was some kind of... criminal! Me! After all the years we spent together!"
Jung-ho grabbed his head with trembling hands.
"...And after all that, you want me to return the money? Sang-won gave that to me before he died. It's mine. Do you hear me? It's mine! If you think otherwise, show me some proof!"
Listening to the complex mix of emotions in Jung-ho's voice, Noel looked at Sang-won. The ghost looked utterly devastated.
This is why you should never leave money with a friend, no matter how close you are.
He had hoped there might be an exception, but of course there wasn't.
"What do you want to do?"
Noel smirked at Sang-won.
At Noel's sudden shift to informal speech and his changed expression, Jung-ho followed Noel's gaze.
"I can help you if you pay me a little extra. Want me to?"
Who was he talking to? Just as Jung-ho's confusion deepened, Noel's gaze shifted. It was as if a completely different person was looking through his eyes.
"You absolute son of a bitch! You ungrateful piece of trash!"
At the vulgar insults delivered with perfect, familiar fluency, Jung-ho's eyes widened.
Wasn't that Sang-won's favorite curse?
How did this kid know that?