The Thirty-Fourth Assignment: Novice Teacher, Novice Student ⑤

"What? I haven't made up my mind yet."

"That is your decision. Would you even have hesitated if this were any other time? You're in deep — deep, you hear me!"

Simyeong pinched Changmo's cheek even harder, then turned to look at Heukchi. Heukchi understood exactly what that hesitation meant and let out a dry chuckle. Yuhwa was so incredulous she snorted outright. Feeling thoroughly treated like an idiot, Changmo stuck out his lower lip.

"I'm starting to feel like a complete moron here."

"You nailed it. Getting jerked around by one woman — if that's not being a fool, what is?"

"I-is that so."

"Obviously."

Simyeong shrugged. That settled it.

"It's just as you see, Director. He's more out of it than we thought. Normally he would have answered in under ten seconds."

"He certainly has."

At the very least, Changmo himself was not taking that woman lightly. Pointing out that he had fallen too fast was useless. When had the heart ever been something reason alone could explain? He had fallen, and that was that — whatever the outcome, it was better that his feelings be sorted out properly. Even Heukchi had no choice but to yield.

"What a troublesome fellow you are. You've gotten far too good at giving your superiors and seniors a hard time. And this time, of all things, over a reason this absurd. Reflect on that."

"I'll be more careful."

"If it must be done, then so be it. Go ahead."

If it was necessary, you did it. That was the posture of a Director.

"Thank you, Director!"

"However — it will not be for free."

Of course he had never said it would come free. As Changmo was about to celebrate, Heukchi sent him a meaningful smile. In that brief interval, he had already finished running the numbers. If they were going to send him to the mortal realm anyway, they could hardly send him empty-handed. A very special package had been prepared just for Changmo.

"When you say it won't be for free..."

"If something goes out, something ought to come back. Wait just a moment."

Heukchi's hands produced a small brush and a sheet of paper. He hastily wet the ink and began writing — shorthand worthy of several centuries of experience. A short while later, he finished and held out the paper. Changmo took it.

And Changmo's expression turned sour.

"Uh, Director. Are you serious about this?"

He was throwing back the very question that had been asked of him. And with good reason — every item written on the paper was outrageous. Simyeong and Yuhwa, watching from the side, looked equally dazed. The demands were as follows:

For something dashed off on the spot, the conditions were thorough and densely packed. The Director's skill was impressive — and the sheer malice of demanding he fulfill every last one of them was enough to make tongues click. Changmo offered a wry smile.

"You didn't have these thought up in advance, did you?"

"Hardly. Until a moment ago I was opposed to the dispatch, was I not? Once you reach the rank of Director, this sort of mental agility is the bare minimum. Naturally."

"Even when I get older, I am never becoming a Director. Hahaha..."

This kind of cunning was the baseline? He had once dreamed of the Director's chair himself, but after today, it seemed that dream would have to be retired. There was a reason a great senior was a great senior. Heukchi cackled at the sight of Changmo going pale. As if he'd let anyone get something for nothing.

"Think of it this way. You've let personal matters encroach on official business — so is it not fair that official business encroach a little on the personal? If you don't like it, you don't have to go."

"Not like it? When an opportunity like this falls in your lap, you'd be a sucker not to take it. I'll do it!"

They were giving him permission — he wasn't about to let it slip. Changmo accepted before the words could be taken back. Simyeong and Yuhwa watched him grin from ear to ear and wondered whether they ought to laugh along.

They say in the mortal realm, if someone suddenly changes personality, it's an omen of death, Yuhwa thought.

We're Grim Reapers. Dying isn't something we have to worry about. Let's just call it a win, Simyeong countered inwardly.

I'm not sure we should let it slide that easily. Hmm...

Their junior's new side was fascinating — and more than a little unsettling.

"Well then... we'll need to decide where to go."

They had muddled through the crisis, more or less, and now the question of where to establish the outpost presented itself. Pick an unfamiliar location and it would all come to the same thing. Everyone sank into thought.

And then they all settled on a place. They opened their mouths at the same time.

"That place would be best, wouldn't it?"

"Right. It's the most familiar."

"Better that than going through the trouble of scouting somewhere else."

"I was thinking the same. So you all had that place in mind as well."

As one, they all pointed to that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠place. Not a question, not an objection — a clean, unanimous vote.

And just where was "that place," you ask?

March 17, 2018. Saturday.

One week later.

Yeoni, too, found out where "that place" was.

"Hey, Yeoni! How've you been?"

...Did I not get enough sleep?

A bolt from the blue, first thing in the morning. The knocking had been so loud he'd opened the door — and found himself face to face with a steaming plate of rice cakes. How, exactly, was he supposed to take this out-of-nowhere rice-cake delivery? He pinched his cheek, but all he got was a stinging pain. Yeoni asked in a dazed voice,

"What's going on? You showing up at this hour with rice cakes?"

"What's going on, he says. They say when you move into a neighborhood in the mortal realm, you're supposed to go around handing out rice cakes. I'm going to be living here for a while, so I figured I ought to follow mortal-realm rules, right? I bought them from a good place, so take them already."

He had not misheard. Yeoni realized what had happened and despaired. The advice to set up a residence in the mortal realm — he never imagined it would come back to smack him this hard in the back of the head. He was still tired, and now even his mind was going faint.

"Don't worry. I'll come up with something reasonable for your parents and your sister. A close upperclassman, or a senior from your part-time job — either story will work. It's not even a lie."

Changmo smiled with his eyes as he offered the reassurance. Somehow it felt like he was enjoying this, at least halfway. Yeoni, thoroughly put out, grumbled in earnest. Would it have killed anyone to show a little consideration for a junior's private life?

"The fact that you moved in nearby is the problem in the first place. For crying out loud. The Director didn't object?"

"A magnificent unanimous vote. The Director, the Team Leader, Yuhwa, and me — all of us."

"Oh, a magnificent unanimous vote. Sure."

He shot that back — and still swung the front door wide open. You couldn't turn away a guest. Changmo ruffled his hair once and stepped inside. Mrs. Bae and Hyeonhui, who were already in the house, went wide-eyed.

"Yeoni, who is this? And what's with the rice cakes?"

"Hello. I'm an upperclassman from Yeoni's department — we take classes together. I happened to move in nearby, so I thought I'd come by and introduce myself. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

The introduction was so swift there was no gap to squeeze a word in. The gentle voice melted the two women's wariness on the spot. Whether she noticed Yeoni's awkwardness or not, Mrs. Bae took Changmo at his word. She was the first to offer her hand.

"What good manners for a young man. It's nice to meet you. I'm Yeoni's mother. Hyeonhui, you say hello too."

"Ah — hello."

Hyeonhui hurried to greet him as well. She went a step further than her mother and welcomed him outright. Perhaps she'd been struck by his looks — her face had gone entirely pink. Yeoni was appalled at his sister's complete lack of backbone.

I ought to just tell her the truth.

"Yeoni's quite popular with his seniors at school, and his little sister's cute too. Thanks for the welcome. I just bought the rice cakes, so eat them while they're hot."

"Okay!"

His mouth itched. Would she still be this taken with the handsome older guy in front of her if she knew he was older than her grandfather's grandfather? Changmo caught the look in Yeoni's eye and jabbed him in the ribs — a silent order to knock it off.

Why are you poking me.

You know why. You'll ruin everything out of jealousy.

Jealousy, nothing. I just don't like that vacant look on my sister's face.

Yeoni grumbled inwardly. Apparently that was just how it felt to be an older brother with a little sister. Listening to the wariness-laden griping, Changmo smiled with genuine fondness. So even this little brat was an older brother through and through.

"Oh, right — would it be all right if I borrowed Yeoni for a moment? There's something school-related I need to talk to him about."

The greetings had gone far enough. Changmo slipped smoothly into the real business. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Goodwill had already been established, so permission came without a hitch. Mrs. Bae even prepared a snack and pressed the plate into his hands.

"Eat plenty. I'll bring more if that's not enough."

"This is more than enough. If you'll excuse us for a moment."

The two of them headed quickly for Yeoni's room. They didn't forget to lock the door on the way in. Better safe than sorry. It was unlikely anyone would come in from outside, but safer was always better.

"You scared me half to death, Changmo. You could've at least called before showing up."

Yeoni started complaining the instant they were inside. His heart was still hammering; a faint flush lingered on his face. Fair enough, given that someone had barged in without warning. Changmo quickly pressed his palms together in apology.

When the teacher got sulky, the student was the one in trouble.

"Sorry, sorry. I was busy finding the outpost and getting the place in order. It took so long I figured I'd come say hello first. Cleaning up a house by yourself is harder than it looks."

"You did that alone? Aigoo, you should've called me for help. If I'd known ahead of time, the shock wouldn't have been half as bad."

"I was so busy I didn't think of it. Anyway, I'll be in your care. We're neighbors for a while, right?"

Changmo winked, shameless as anything. Yeoni had to wonder how many layers of nerve the man had plastered over his face. He sulked for a moment, then gave up and smiled back. But then something struck him as odd. He had been prepared for a refusal — and yet permission had come down surprisingly fast. He pressed the point.

"All right. I'll be in your care too. That aside — the Director approved this pretty quickly, didn't he? I figured it would take at least two weeks."

The moment the question landed, Changmo's bright expression curdled. Thinking back on a week ago still made his stomach turn. He answered in a drooping voice.

"Don't get too happy. It wasn't free."

"If it wasn't free, did he put conditions on it?"

"Yeah. A whole lot of them. Want to hear?"

Changmo leaned in and whispered the conditions he had been given. With each one, Yeoni's face went a shade paler. By the time he had heard all four, a headache was blooming. He quietly tore into Heukchi under his breath. That damn Director!

"I think the Director is getting more underhanded by the day..."

"I think so too. Before you came along, he was rigid as a board. I don't know whether to be glad about this or worried."

If you got down to it, Yeoni had no room to talk. The person who had brought change to the Post Office was none other than himself. He realized as much and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠laughed, hollow. Who would have guessed that running wild would come back around like this.

Karma, in the strangest of places.

"It's not a bad thing, so let's let it go. So you're staying in the mortal realm now, then? For a while."

"It's a rotation system, but I'll be here a good few months at least. And for that stretch, I can see her without worrying."

Changmo's eyes sparkled. Things were falling into place, and his spirits were soaring. In his heart, he was already out on a cheerful date. The grin stretched across his face was so generous it looked like he owned the world.

"That good, huh?"

"You bet!"

His mouth was so wide a fly could have landed in it. He was so purely, dazzlingly happy that Yeoni couldn't even bring himself to pick a fight. Yeoni shrugged and pulled a notebook from the bookshelf — the one that hadn't quite done its job last time, thanks to all the scrambling.

"Understood. If you're that happy, I'll help with everything I've got. Did you think about what I mentioned last week? A schedule, things to say when you meet, all of that."

Like a reporter seized by a scoop, he picked up a pencil and stared in a way that was frankly oppressive. Because Changmo had used Materialization, the force of that gaze landed even harder. But today was different. Changmo took the questions with complete confidence — the composure of a man who had come prepared.

"I've got it all ready. Let's do this for real. I'll be in your care, Romance Teacher."

"Please don't call me that. It gives me the creeps..."

He did seem a little too fired up for his own good. But that was probably fine.