I'll Prove It to You (2)
Si-hun sat huddled as if on a bed of nails, doing nothing but sipping his drink.
"Yeong-hyeon. You're still young. I told you, you can do anything," Shin Hyeon said.
Si-hun stole a glance at Shin Hyeon.
His voice wasn't raised, but he looked incredibly serious.
"That's why I'm trying one of the things I can do," Noel replied.
Then Si-hun looked at Yeong-hyeon.
He wore an utterly indifferent expression.
Being forced between the two of them was making Si-hun feel like he was going crazy.
Lord, lead me not into temptation.
He wanted to offer up a prayer right then and there.
He had assumed they would sort it out themselves, but somehow he had been dragged along into this.
"Trying anything is great, but why on earth does it have to be a shaman?"
"You said all professions are noble, Uncle. That's what you told me."
"Well... I did say that, but this is different. This isn't even what you wanted in the first place."
"What did I want?"
"Baking."
At Shin Hyeon's words, Noel paused. Yeong-hyeon and Si-hun both nodded.
—Opening the best bakery was my dream. Yes, indeed.
"Is it because of your injured arm...?" Shin Hyeon asked, his voice softening. "But the doctor said that for daily life... No, Uncle will ask properly during your next checkup."
"Was he... badly hurt?" Si-hun asked.
Shin Hyeon looked at Si-hun with grateful eyes. "You're Si-hun, right?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for worrying. His arm was fractured, so they had to put in some pins, but he'll be fine."
Bzzzz.
The phone vibrated. Checking the caller ID, Shin Hyeon let out a long sigh.
"Excuse me for a moment. It's an urgent call."
After asking for their understanding, Shin Hyeon quickly stepped away.
"I'll make an excuse to my uncle, so you can go home now," Noel said, leaning back against his chair and taking a sip of his drink with one hand.
It was a flavor he had never tasted before, but it kept sliding down his throat smoothly.
An Einspänner... latte, was it?
He felt like humming a tune.
The weather was nice.
The drink was delicious.
And he was relaxed.
"But... was it really a car accident?"
Despite being given the chance to leave, Si-hun asked the question, showing no intention of going anywhere.
"Didn't you hear from the doctor?"
"He told me to hear it directly from you."
"Do you have a big mouth?"
"No."
"Well, if you lie, the God you believe in would probably be very displeased."
"D-Did your memory return? Do you remember that I'm religious?"
"No. I can just see a cross shining brightly above your head."
Noel didn't know how deep the boy's faith was, but with that level of radiance, most ordinary ghosts wouldn't even dare to approach him.
In fact, a rather nasty-looking spirit was keeping its distance, merely staring at Si-hun from afar.
—Does that one bother you too? Should I go ask it what it wants?
At Yeong-hyeon's question, Noel shook his head. It was best not to get close to things like that.
"Can you... really see that?" Si-hun asked, wide-eyed.
"I'm telling you because I can see it."
"The Lord really was watching over me."
A bright smile spread across Si-hun's face.
—It's okay, you can tell him. You know Si-hun can keep a secret.
With Yeong-hyeon's permission granted, Noel spoke.
"It wasn't a car accident. I jumped."
"..."
The bright smile on Si-hun's face vanished instantly. He stared at Noel, utterly shell-shocked.
"My whole family died in an accident," Noel added, speaking as if it were someone else's story, before sliding a tissue toward him.
It seemed the boy was highly empathetic and full of affection.
"I-I'm so sorry. I was being thoughtless."
"It's nothing to apologize for."
Noel looked at Yeong-hyeon. Even though his hands couldn't touch, the ghost was trying his best to comfort Si-hun.
"Crying for someone else isn't an easy thing to do. If anything, I should be the one saying thank you."
Perhaps he hadn't been the perfect friend to Yeong-hyeon, but Si-hun was undoubtedly a good person.
Noel waited leisurely until Si-hun stopped crying and Shin Hyeon returned.
Since it was his first time in a place called a cafe, everything felt quite fascinating. Seeing people gathered like this, bustling and chatting away.
But humans weren't the only talkative ones.
Ghosts had also gathered nearby, gossiping about the happenings in the area.
—...Hey, did you hear about the daughter of Sumi's Side Dish Shop? It's so tragic.
—Did you go there again?
—Their side dishes are just so good. Ah, just thinking about it makes my mouth water. If I'd known, I would've asked my family to put some of their side dishes on my memorial table before I died.
—So they still haven't cured the daughter? I heard shamans have been going in and out, performing exorcisms and everything.
—The energy of the thing in there is incredibly strong. Tsk, tsk. What a shame. They must have made a fortune, but with their daughter like that, they must feel like dying.
—They'd do anything if someone could just cure her. Personally, I think there's something wrong with the building... Oh my god!
Mid-conversation, the ghosts suddenly spotted something and fled in terror.
What's wrong with them? Noel wondered.
What could have appeared to scare them like that? Turning his gaze, his eyes met someone shrouded in swirling black smoke.
...Well, look at that.
"Ah! Team Leader! We meet again!"
It was Jinhon.
Noel waved his hand enthusiastically in welcome. Judging by the black smoke swirling around him, Jinhon was only visible to Noel's eyes.
—A-A Grim Reaper is here?
Yeong-hyeon immediately hid behind Noel.
The arrival of a Grim Reaper meant only one thing: someone was about to die.
Tinkle.
With the chime of the door, Shin Hyeon walked back in.
"Sorry. The call took... Did you two fight?"
Shin Hyeon looked at Si-hun in surprise as he sat down, but Si-hun quickly shook his head.
"No. It's nothing like that."
"Uncle. Si-hun."
Not letting the opportunity slip, Noel spoke in a low, calm voice. Both of them turned to look at him.
"Someone is about to die. Don't be startled."
"...What?"
Shin Hyeon's face darkened. He knew better than anyone that his nephew wasn't the type to make such jokes.
"I need to prove that I'm not talking nonsense. Though, it's a pity to prove it with an event like this."
Noel sipped his drink through the straw and waited.
Jinhon's execution had begun.
Looking at his phone, the Grim Reaper announced the date and began calling out a name.
Three times.
Matching the rhythm of those calls, Noel raised his fingers one by one.
Three.
Two.
One.
Thud.
The sound of a heavy collapse and a chorus of screams erupted simultaneously. Noel quietly locked eyes with Shin Hyeon.
"I'm not joking, am I?"
"...H-How?"
"Because I saw it."
Noel didn't specify what exactly he had seen. There was no need to.
"I'm going to open a shop. You'll help me, right, Uncle?"
The voice was unmistakably his nephew's, but the gaze was entirely unfamiliar. Perhaps that was why he felt so strangely distant from time to time.
Shin Hyeon realized this wasn't just a simple, stubborn whim.
It was a difficult problem, one that made him want to run away from the spot immediately.
How treacherous would that path be? Even if he wanted to help, it might prove too difficult.
"I... want to become a priest," Si-hun suddenly chimed in. "My parents are against it, but I still want to do it."
Though he worried he might be intruding, Si-hun felt there was a reason his friend's uncle had brought him along and set up this meeting.
"Is it really wrong to want that? Yeong-hyeon and I are still young, so we have time to start over. Shouldn't we be allowed to try what we want to do?"
Si-hun gripped his cup tightly as he spoke. Stealing a glance at Shin Hyeon, he saw the man was smiling.
He had expected the adult to be angry at his insolence, but instead, Shin Hyeon looked relieved.
"Thank you. You're much better than me," Shin Hyeon said sincerely.
Right now, Yeong-hyeon was living on borrowed time, a life he could have let go of at any moment. Hadn't the boy leaped into the terrifying depths just to end it all? Yet here he was, talking about the future.
Whatever it was, it was right to support him.
"I'll help you, Yeong-hyeon. Uncle will help you with whatever you need."
Shin Hyeon looked at his nephew with warm, loving eyes.
***
"...Do you absolutely have to serve a specific god?" Noel asked Yeong-hyeon.
Both Shin Hyeon and Si-hun had asked him who his enshrined deity was.
—Isn't that how it usually works? I don't know much either, since I've only seen it on TV or in videos.
"So it's weird if I don't have one?"
—Probably.
"...Hmm."
Noel pondered for a moment before looking down at his phone. A god wasn't the priority right now. Where on earth was he supposed to summon a non-existent god from?
I can't exactly bring in a fake one.
—Ah! Look over there. The market alley.
Following Yeong-hyeon's pointing finger, Noel looked ahead.
Hadn't they just overheard some highly valuable information at the cafe? That the daughter of Sumi's Side Dish Shop was sick due to a ghost's doing.
The desperate party had to be the one to make the move.
Sumi's Side Dish Shop was located in an alley inside the market. Since it was a famous local eatery, they would surely spread the word if he helped them.
Thus, he had made his way to this very market alley.
As for the shop itself, Shin Hyeon had promised to help. He had mentioned that complicated paperwork and procedures were required, rattling off a string of highly unfamiliar terms.
Not knowing what any of it meant, Noel had simply told him to do his best, which had made Shin Hyeon burst into laughter. He estimated everything could be finalized within three weeks.
Until the shop was ready, Noel had to make his own preparations.
"By the way, what should we name the shop?"
—Don't they usually name them things like 'Bodhisattva So-and-so,' 'Shaman So-and-so,' 'Baby Deity So-and-so,' or 'Shrine So-and-so'? Look over there.
Following Yeong-hyeon's finger, Noel turned his head. On the opposite side of the street, a sign reading 'Baksu Bodhisattva' caught his eye.
"You said you wanted to open a bakery, right?"
—Yeah. It's hard work—you can feel your arms getting thicker even without working out—but once the bread is baked, the sweet aroma is just amazing. I'd just stare at it, wondering if I really made it myself.
Yeong-hyeon spoke with joy, but Noel could see a deep, lingering yearning stirring in his eyes.
"I'll try doing that too," Noel said.
—R-Really?
"I don't know if it'll go well, though."
—A Shaman Bakery? Or a Shaman Cafe? Something like that? Yeong-hyeon burst out laughing.
"We could do that. Once word gets out, the name of the shop won't matter much anyway."
Seeing Noel take it so seriously, Yeong-hyeon stopped laughing and stared at him. He couldn't help but realize that Noel was trying to leave a trace of him behind.
—You're a really good person. I'm so glad I met you, even after dying.
"No need to rate me so highly. I know I'm not that nice."
—Are you just shy? Yeong-hyeon teased, looking at him playfully.
"Stop talking nonsense," Noel replied coldly, but Yeong-hyeon knew he didn't mean it.
As Yeong-hyeon giggled, Noel gave him a brief look before silently stepping into the market alley.
—Isn't that the place? Wow, there are so many people. We wouldn't have had any trouble finding it even without looking.
Just as Yeong-hyeon said, looking at the long queue of people in front of the side dish shop, contrasted with the ghosts who absolutely refused to go anywhere near it, anyone would have been curious enough to seek it out.
But there was something else that caught Noel's attention even more.
—...But why does it feel so chilly?
At Yeong-hyeon's words, Noel looked at the swirling vortex of freezing black mist. It looked as if a violent blizzard were raging over that single spot.
Even though they were both ghosts, could Yeong-hyeon not see the violent, malevolent energy swirling there?
"It has become an Evil Spirit. Its power is considerable, and its grudge runs deep."
If it weren't an Evil Spirit, it possessed enough power to be revered as a god among ordinary ghosts. Perhaps even the spirit itself couldn't fully control its power, as it was barely keeping its energy from dispersing in all directions.
—An E-Evil Spirit? Do those really exist...?
"Of course they do. Did you think they didn't?"
—Honestly, I didn't believe in that stuff. But seeing everything after dying, I guess I believe in everything now, Yeong-hyeon chuckled sheepishly.
"There is always an unseen world. You'll be heavily affected by the energy of an Evil Spirit, so back away if it feels weird."
—What about you? Are you okay?
At the natural question, Noel looked at Yeong-hyeon. Were the ghosts in this world just incredibly naive? He wondered why they never thought to exploit or betray him.
In his original world, even evil spirits would desperately scramble to strike a deal, endlessly whispering that they would help him conquer empires if he only lent them his body. Dead souls there certainly had a lot to say.
"I'm fine," Noel replied casually.
He was a necromancer. Because his power was so closely aligned with death, he possessed a resistance far beyond that of any ordinary human.
—But why... do they become Evil Spirits?
"Because of Erosion."
—Erosion? What's that?
"Being influenced by all kinds of negative emotions is called Erosion. Humans have physical bodies, so they have the strength to endure it, but ghosts don't. People usually say grudges turn them into evil spirits, but ultimately, it's the same thing. Grudges aren't exactly positive, after all."
—Then what happens when they become an Evil Spirit? Do you have to perform an exorcism to banish them? Do they disappear?
Noel didn't quite understand the intent behind Yeong-hyeon's question. Why should they care about the fate of an Evil Spirit?
"Once they become an Evil Spirit, they just stay that way. Why bother them?"
—You just leave them alone...?
"Of course. Do you think they just throw tantrums when you mess with them? They're like stalkers who will chase you until you die."
Noel narrowed his eyes as a highly annoying memory surfaced.
It made no sense how they would harbor a greater grudge against the person who interfered with them than the original source of their resentment, but that was exactly how most evil spirits were.
—Then why did we come here? Weren't you planning to... exorcise it?
"I came for publicity. It's much faster to show them what I can do than to just talk about it."
Noel smiled thinly. He had said he avoided evil spirits because they were annoying, but he had never said he couldn't handle them.