The Thirty-Fourth Assignment — Novice Teacher, Novice Student ⑦

The next day.

The moment dawn broke, Changmo set out on his mail run. Up to that point, it was just another busy day like any other — except today, he was working a soul-searching spell at the same time. The reason, of course, was to find her. At last, the days of a pounding heart had begun.

Man, using this after so long is exhausting.

His heart felt light, but his body was the opposite — worn out. A spell he hadn't touched in decades felt thoroughly rusty, and using it in broad daylight only piled the fatigue on thicker. Changmo steadied a body that wanted to seize up and headed for his destination.

It was a journey that refused to let him concentrate. Finding his stops, keeping the spell going at the same time — doing two jobs with one body left his head in a snarl from every angle.

This is the right place.

It was where he'd first spotted her. People tended to cross paths again in the same spots, so he'd deliberately routed himself through here. Even so, the woman was nowhere to be seen. Had she not come out today?

Guess finding her right away was too much to hope for.

He wandered for a long while without a glimpse. With a look of disappointment, Changmo gathered his power and pushed his detection range as far as it would go. His spiritual ability spilled out in every direction.

And his exhaustion doubled.

The result: a complete bust. He'd swept a radius of a kilometer and found not a trace. After forcing the search a little longer, he pulled his power back within minutes. Combing an area that wide in the middle of the day was too much. His head was ringing.

Ah, forget it. Enough. I shouldn't overdo it for no reason.

You couldn't fill your stomach with the first bite, but in his excitement he'd forgotten that. Good thing Simyeong and Yuhwa weren't around to see. He'd finish the deliveries first, then look around afterward. His flight, slowed by the spellwork, picked up speed again — though the disappointment lingered.

"I wonder what that girl is up to right about now."

The curious mutter scattered into the air.

About 1.2 kilometers west of the direction Changmo was flying.

"......"

The woman who had, out of nowhere, caught a Grim Reaper's fancy stopped in her tracks and looked up at the sky.

Her eyes were shining today, too. There was a clarity even her glasses couldn't hide. Those spotless brown irises were as captivating and sweet as perfectly blended chocolate. A flicker of doubt gathered at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the corners of those eyes.

What was that?

Whether she'd felt the spiritual ability he'd scattered, she looked exactly in the direction Changmo had passed. But the distance was far too great. Even up close, spotting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a Grim Reaper would have been difficult. The woman decided she'd imagined it and looked away.

"What's wrong, Seri?"

Her friend asked with a puzzled look. The woman — Seri — gave a light shake of her head. She couldn't worry her friend over something so trivial.

"It's nothing. I was just looking at the sky because it's so clear."

"The sky's been clear for days. Quit being weird and hurry up. We're gonna be late for class."

"Okay, okay, don't rush me."

Seri followed after her friend, who was already running ahead. A lingering unease still sat in her chest. But she didn't look up at the sky again. As her friend had said, today was another busy day.

And just like that, the two of them missed each other in the most ridiculous way.

"Guess she didn't come out today."

A few hours later, Changmo came back from finishing his letter deliveries. Fate had already gone wildly off course. That original two hundred meters now felt painfully close. Maybe it was a blessing that neither of them knew.

Changmo's sharp gaze swept in every direction. The odds were low, but he couldn't give up. Once more he scattered the spell all around, sifting through the colors and textures of countless souls, searching among them for the one that belonged to her — his.

Tch.

This time he searched for over thirty minutes, fatigue be damned. But she was long gone. What Changmo was doing now was like standing at a bus stop looking for a bus that had already left. Still, the lingering attachment wouldn't let go, so he moved from place to place, searching.

"What now?"

He'd been dragging it out for an hour when a ringtone suddenly went off at his hip. Changmo frowned and picked up his phone. The number was Yuhwa's.

"Hello?"

Huh?

Not only was she asking his location out of the blue, she was announcing an unannounced visit. Changmo's forehead crumpled into a thicket of wrinkles. What wind had gotten into this senior of his? He barely managed to smooth out his voice.

"I'm heading back from delivering letters. Looking for that woman while I'm at it, too."

"You'll be waiting?"

She'd called out of nowhere and hung up just as suddenly. He was speechless. She was a fiery one, sure, but today's behavior was downright bizarre. Changmo glared at his phone for a moment, as if it were Yuhwa herself.

"Ugh!"

Staring a hole through it changed nothing. The phone sat dead silent, and the spell sweeping in every direction kept coming up empty. A strong hunch settled in: Not today. Changmo clicked his tongue. His feet wouldn't leave the ground.

He took one last look around. A noisy, bustling scene filled his eyes. She had to be somewhere in there! He forced himself to look away and flew toward the base. Tomorrow would have to do.

Meeting someone is really this hard, huh.

The sun, dragging a long trail of light behind it, seemed to lay Changmo's lingering attachment bare.

"You're here."

The moment he arrived at the base house, he opened the door. Inside, Yuhwa greeted him as if nothing were unusual. She'd been cleaning, apparently — broom in one hand, dustpan in the other. Changmo grumbled at her. His heart, after coming up empty, was all over the place.

"What's going on? You told me to handle the base myself."

"You think I'd actually leave it all to you? It's a shared space, so I should come check it out too, as Sub-Team Leader. Simyeong said he'd drop by if he has time. Anyway... looks like you came up empty today? Your face isn't looking great."

"You can tell just by looking."

His reply came out curt. She'd come to help, and he wasn't grateful in the slightest — because, as she'd said, he'd come up empty. Normally a lecture would have come flying at him right then, but today Yuhwa was a little different from usual. She snorted a laugh and answered.

"Yeah. I can see that. Cleaning's almost done, so leave that to me and help me unpack. We'll eat after we're finished. Got it?"

What's gotten into her?

Changmo's feelings as he looked at Yuhwa grew peculiar. Same as the phone call — she was strangely gentle today. Gentle? This?

For the two of them, this was extremely gentle.

Wasn't she the one who'd always been quietly displeased with him? They were close enough as senior and junior, but privately there was a slight distance between them. And yet today, even with just the two of them, she wasn't sharp. He had no idea why. It was a first, and he couldn't tell whether that was a good thing or something to worry about.

"Hey, you gonna answer or what? Your senior went out of her way to make time and come here."

Yuhwa pouted at his hesitation. Something was definitely different. Changmo, about to slip back into his usual self, quickly said he understood. She'd changed for the better — no point turning that down.

Something must've happened while I was away.

Curious as he was, he decided to enjoy the peace for now.

The two of them tidied the house with the practiced skill of people who managed lodgings for a living. Bed, wardrobe, chairs — even the smallest decorations were measured and set in their proper places. A Grim Reaper was a Grim Reaper even in the mortal realm. They arrayed every last object without a single thing out of line.

"All done! So from now on, this is our base whenever we come to the mortal realm, huh?"

At last, the organizing was finished. Looking at the now-spotless interior stirred something in them. Yuhwa, of course — and even Changmo, whose mood had been sour from coming up empty — felt a little lighter. The feeling of looking at your own nest was the same for everyone.

"There's a living room and three bedrooms, so it can house five or six people at most. It'd even work as a proper midway station. We should've done this ages ago."

"You think we'd have gone for a method the Western kids were using? We can thank the youngest for jumping on it first."

"Pfft! Don't put the youngest on such a pedestal. I would've thought of it eventually too."

"Yeah, in about fifty years. I'm getting hungry. Let's eat."

Yuhwa tossed the dishcloth in her hand and headed for the front door. Changmo, who'd been planning to cook himself, was thrown by her sudden movement. He hurriedly asked where she was going.

"W-wait. Where are you going?"

"Where do you think? Out to eat."

"I can just cook here."

Even the offer to cook for her didn't make Yuhwa budge. What she wanted wasn't just a meal.

"I want a drink, too. There's no booze stocked here. Street stall, meat restaurant, whatever — let's go out and eat. It's been a while since you had a drink, hasn't it?"

"Well, that's true, but..."

At this point it went beyond surprising into downright bewildering. He even wondered if this was really Yuhwa, but the spiritual ability he felt was unmistakably hers. Yuhwa caught on to what he was thinking and smirked. How was he this predictable?

"There's no law that says I can't drink. I just felt like it today. That's the whole reason."

She didn't wait for an answer and walked out. Changmo hesitated, then followed with a sense of giving up. He didn't have a hobby of eating alone.

The two Grim Reapers arrived at a pub. It wasn't the kind of place you'd go for a proper meal, but that didn't matter. Yuhwa found a seat and sat down with complete confidence, and Changmo joined her, half by force. It was the first drinking session he'd ever attended this awkwardly.

"You said we were eating, but you're going for drinking snacks?"

"If it fills your stomach, it's a meal. Over here!"

She ordered a generous spread: fish cake hot pot, fried chicken, and several bottles of soju to go with it. The moment the food hit the table, Changmo's mouth watered too. He wasn't about to sit on his hands. Forgetting his unease, he picked up his chopsticks and his glass.

"Thanks for the food."

Changmo and Yuhwa both knocked back glasses filled to the brim with soju. Unlike Underworld liquor, the aftertaste was bitter. Still, booze was booze. The heat that seared down the throat and into the stomach felt good. For a while they enjoyed the drinks and snacks in silence. Hunger really was the best sauce.

After a few glasses, Yuhwa — who'd been happily tearing into fried chicken — held out the soju bottle. Even the offer was uncharacteristically gentle.

"Your glass is empty. Have another."

"You're full of surprises today. Even pouring for me."

Changmo chuckled and held out his glass. He was tired of thinking something was off. Good was good — he let it go, and drained the glass she'd poured ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him. Yuhwa swallowed the soju in her own glass in one go.

"Ugh, that's bitter. I don't know how you and Simyeong drink this stuff."

"And Underworld liquor isn't this bitter. Besides, we drink it for the burn in the gut. Makes you feel light, too."

"So it makes you different from usual, is that it? Heh! Not wrong."

Now that she'd actually drunk it, it wasn't bad. Yuhwa laughed once and went back to devouring the snacks. Changmo worked his chopsticks just as hard, not to be outdone. After enjoying the food and drink with gusto, he carefully posed a question.

Just what had made her so gentle?

"Yuhwa."

"Mm. Go ahead."

"Did something happen today? You're a lot different from usual."

At the question of what had happened, the chopsticks that had been moving so busily came to a stop. The face that had been full of enjoyment grew a little still. Yuhwa sank into thought, then slowly laid out what was on her mind.

"Something? Yeah, there is."

"It's not Post Office business, I take it. If it were official, you'd have just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠told me to come to the office."

"Nailed it. That's our Senior Team Member for you. Sharp as ever."

Whether it was the alcohol, her tone had grown lighter. He wondered if she was drunk, but those vivid crimson eyes were as clear as ever. Mortal-realm liquor wouldn't get a Grim Reaper drunk that fast anyway. She seemed to be using the buzz as an excuse to say something she wanted to say. Changmo waited quietly for what came next.

"I just wanted to vent a little."

"Vent?"

Coming all the way to the mortal realm just to vent. Changmo quietly tamped down his swelling expectations. But what she said next stopped him.

"Yeah."