The Thirty-Fourth Assignment: Novice Teacher, Novice Student ⑧
Similar circumstances?
It was a peculiar choice of words, and even who she meant by them was anyone's guess. Similar how, exactly — and to what? Changmo leaned in, curiosity piqued. He didn't have to wait long for an explanation.
"Don't get the wrong idea just because I said similar. You remember when I was laid up sick?"
"Of course I do. That was a complete circus."
"Back then I made something like a confession to the kid. Told him he had to come join us as a Grim Reaper someday. Ever since then, that cocky little Dayeong's been keeping a hawk's eye on me. Hahaha..."
Ah. I see.
Only then did he understand who she was talking about. This was about him. And with that, Yuhwa's odd behavior suddenly made sense. Kindred spirits, was that it? What she felt wasn't quite love, but they shared the same predicament — an interest in someone from the Mortal Realm.
No matter how different their personalities, people carrying the same worry tend to draw closer.
"But watching you go through the same thing left me all mixed up. I never expected another fool to pop up. And of all people, you..."
A f-fool...
"That's why I called you out for a drink. Fools ought to talk it out with each other, don't you think? Better than bottling it all up."
Being called a fool stung a little. But she wasn't wrong, so he didn't complain. If a Grim Reaper let himself get jerked around by someone from the Mortal Realm, what else would you call him? Changmo shook his head and laughed.
"Ahahaha. It stings even more because you're not wrong."
"Once it stings enough, you'll get used to it. Come on! Another round, in that spirit."
Yuhwa thrust the bottle forward with gusto, holding out her own glass as well. That giddy look on her face was already approaching the danger zone. Changmo hesitated a moment, then shut his eyes and took the bottle. If things got out of hand, he could always call in another senior. He approached it with that lazy optimism.
"Please don't drink too much."
That one warning was the last scrap of his conscience. Whether Yuhwa understood his concern or not, she simply tipped her glass with hearty abandon. It was like looking at Simyeong instead of Yuhwa. Maybe the fiery liquor was only feeding the flames higher.
"I won't get drunk, so don't worry. Hic!"
You already seem pretty drunk, though.
The people who insist they're not drunk are always the scariest. Even if she was a Grim Reaper, that didn't make him any less uneasy. Changmo poured in silence, carefully regulating how much he filled her glass.
But that only lasted a drink or two. As the glasses and bottles piled up, the buzz crept in little by little. The liquor was disappearing faster than the snacks now. Neither Changmo nor Yuhwa gave a thought to tomorrow as they sank into the bitter heat of the alcohol.
"So this is why people love drinking. Whew!"
After knocking back the last glass of the fourth bottle, Yuhwa let out a sigh of pure satisfaction. They say a thief who learns the trade late is the one to fear. Yuhwa's late-blooming appetite for drink was every bit as formidable. Changmo, belatedly trying to regain control, pulled the bottle closer to himself.
"I knew this would happen. Drink slowly. You've got work tomorrow."
"Mortal liquor can barely get you properly drunk anyway. It's only because I'm using Materialization right now — once I go back to normal, I'll sober up in no time. Don't hold back. If we're drinking, we might as well get our money's worth."
"Ugh! Simyeong-hyung always knew how to pace himself..."
In a way, she was even harder to handle than Simyeong.
Simyeong was a hopeless lightweight himself, but at least he knew where to draw the line. Could a first-time drinker even have such a line? No matter how you looked at it, Yuhwa's slack, unguarded face was that of a drunk. And yet she insisted she was fine.
"If I actually feel drunk, I'll stop. Don't worry. Hehehe!"
"That's what everyone says when they're drunk."
"Hey now! If you can't trust your senior, who can you trust? Just believe me. They say fortune comes to those who believe."
If she said she was fine, what could he do? He didn't have the rank or the clout to force the issue. Telling himself he'd call Simyeong if things got worse, Changmo decided to play along for now. A few more rounds followed.
For better or worse, Yuhwa really did stop at a reasonable point. She drained her last glass and set drinking aside. Changmo's relief lasted only a moment before a question came flying at him.
"Changmo."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Did you really fall for her at first sight? No plan, nothing?"
The question and her tone could have been disappointment or envy — it was anyone's guess. That tangled voice was a genuine riddle. Changmo's face flushed pink.
"If I hadn't fallen for her, I wouldn't have caused this much of a scene. If you'd seen her, you'd have thought the same, Yuhwa-noonim. Eyes that clear... in all my years as a Grim Reaper, I've only seen them twice. They were truly beautiful."
"If that's the second time, then the first was Yeoni?"
There she went — talking about the girl he'd fallen for, and yet she couldn't help dragging Yeoni into it. That little tic laid bare just how deeply she felt about him. Changmo found it both exasperating and endearing, like watching a child. He smiled.
"There's no one else it could be besides Yeoni. Anyway, if you saw that girl, your eyes would go wide too. I was hooked the moment I laid eyes on her. Ah! I wonder when I'll get to see her again."
"Eyes that good, huh? Hmm. Sounds worth looking forward to. It's not like you'd misjudge someone's eyes."
Yuhwa propped her chin on her hand and drifted into imagination. Eyes clear enough to rival Yeoni's — what would that be like? She'd never seen them herself, but even picturing it, she felt their beauty. If they were anything like Yeoni's, of course they'd be lovely.
"I don't know if you're lucky or unlucky. Meeting someone like that in the Mortal Realm, of all places."
"Lucky, I'd say. How often do you find someone that special? I caught a good one."
So that's how she sees it.
The look she gave Changmo dimmed slightly. It no longer held the drunken warmth of a moment ago. But it didn't last. Spoiling a good mood wasn't a hobby of hers.
She surrendered herself to the buzz once more.
"Yuhwa-noonim."
"Yeah? What?"
"I've got a question of my own, if that's all right?"
Whether he sensed her inner thoughts or not, now it was Changmo's turn to ask. Yuhwa nodded without a second's hesitation. Tonight, she was confident she could answer anything.
"Questions are good! Go ahead. Nights like this don't come around every day."
"Do you like Yeoni, noonim? Enough to wait decades just to bring him over as a Grim Reaper?"
An eye for an eye. She'd asked him an awkward question, so he returned one of his own. Her cheeks, already flushed from the alcohol, burned even hotter. Not as the strict Sub-Team Leader, but as a senior hopelessly smitten with the youngest, Yuhwa beamed.
"Where else are you going to find a mortal like that kid? His eyes might be similar to the girl you fell for, but his stubbornness and that gentle quality of his? Way better. A guy like that, you'd want to keep as a junior for a long, long time. I almost regret I can't bring him over right now."
"Even if you did, Dayeong would be a problem. She's helped us out quite a bit too. She's piled up merit without committing any sins, so there's a decent chance she'd come along as a Grim Reaper herself..."
"I'd get to be with the kid for a long time. That's a cheap price to pay. It's not like I hate Dayeong or anything. Things'd just get a little noisier, that's all."
If she could call that "a little noisier," then a marketplace would make a fine study hall. Changmo could only click his tongue at a senior whose rose-colored glasses were welded firmly in place. At the same time, an ominous thought crept in: Wouldn't I be the same? And that assessment was uncomfortably accurate.
W-well, but I like her, so what can I do.
The problem was that knowing and changing were two entirely different things.
"I'm jealous of you, noonim."
"Of what?"
"You've got a set timeline. You know roughly when you'll be able to bring Yeoni over. It's different from someone like me, who can't even find her. Must be nice."
That wasn't the only realization. From Yuhwa, who claimed they were kindred spirits, he sensed a composure he didn't have. Like waiting for fruit to ripen on the branch, perhaps. The way she thought so far ahead even stirred a flicker of envy.
Compared to this simple-hearted senior of his, he was...
What's with him all of a sudden?
In that instant, a deep shadow settled around Changmo's eyes. Even Yuhwa, who'd been riding high, caught it and her expression hardened. She quickly composed her face and tried to figure out the cause. Then she recalled her previous answer and frowned.
A question flickered through her mind.
Was this kid truly turning a blind eye to the problem of lifespan?
"Y-you brat. So now you know what jealousy feels like. That's why you should try. The Director went out of his way to give you a chance — it'd be embarrassing if you blew it. Right?"
She wanted to ask, but held back. If someone was going to pour cold water on him, that was his own job — not hers. Right now, she needed to salvage the mood. She quickly glossed over it and tried to change the subject.
"You're right, noonim. A playboy failing to get a girlfriend would be a disgrace."
"As it happens, everyone's already placed bets on whether you'll succeed within the time limit. For the record, I bet on you. So if you fail, that's on you."
"They actually placed bets? Ugh! Leave it to our Post Office family to stick their noses into everything."
Fortunately, the diversion worked. Changmo pulled a long face at the news of the betting pool — though his eyes quickly lit up with interest. He asked Yuhwa for the full details. He wanted to know what his seniors and juniors actually thought.
"Which side's winning? He'll make it? Or he won't?"
"Pretty even. The Director and Simyeong-sunbae abstained. Nahee and Giryeo are split down the middle, and the rest of the kids are about one-to-one. While we're on the subject, should we let Yeoni in on it? He's got experience — he'd probably bet accurately."
Yuhwa smiled slyly. It was fun, sure, but she also had the look of someone angling to rope in one more sucker. The bigger the pot, the fatter the payout. Changmo silently offered Yeoni his condolences. Quietly, so no one would hear.
"That could be fun. The kid's accuracy rate would be pretty high."
"Right? Great. I'll drop by Yeoni's place tomorrow on my delivery route. Hehehe..."
"Yeah, yeah. I get it, so stop ordering more drinks and finish the food. They'll be waiting at the Post Office."
"Fine, fine."
The two of them opened the last remaining bottle. They had to pace themselves, so they drank in small sips. Over that final glass, conversation bloomed between them as it rarely did. In seventy years of being senior and junior, this was the closest they had ever talked.
That alone made tonight's gathering worth it.
"Hong Changmo."
Eventually, everything they'd ordered was gone. The dinner that had started so haphazardly was winding down. Yuhwa called Changmo's name, her face flushed. He answered calmly.
"Go ahead, noonim."
"I'm in the dark on my end too, so I can't give you real advice. But since we're in the same boat, a few things came to mind. Skip the small stuff and just remember this one thing."
Yuhwa raised her index finger and grinned. That confident smile wasn't for herself — it was for Changmo, who was struggling. A warmth she might not show again anytime soon. Changmo listened as though he meant to store every word away.
"Aww, that's kind of underwhelming."
"Underwhelming, my ass. You know how many idiots know this and still can't follow it? I don't like that playboy streak of yours, but I'll be damned if my junior ends up just like those losers. So you better — you better take this to heart and live by it. Got it?"
The alcohol had her tongue twisting. Even so, the meaning — and the sincerity behind it — came through loud and clear. Changmo answered with a warm smile.
"Got it. Take it to heart and live by it."
"Good! We're making a promise, too."
They even hooked their pinkies together for a final vow.
Whether they could wrap things up as cleanly as the advice given — and the advice received — remained to be seen.
"I promise."
He simply hoped the sincerity would reach her, and that she would know it.
Once the cleanup was done...
"Noonim. Time to get up. Noonim?"
Changmo found himself facing a brand-new problem. While he'd been settling the bill, Yuhwa had fallen asleep. He shook her, but she didn't budge. She'd already sprinted off to dreamland, an inexplicable look of satisfaction spread across her face. Sleep-talking, as a bonus.
The perfect portrait of a drunk.
"Ehehe~ Next weekend I'm gonna eat pankekes with Yeoni. Leave Kim Da-yeong out of it. Just the two of us."
That's textbook! Completely textbook!
You have to make sure a beginner drinks in moderation.
That forgotten truth sent a shudder through Changmo.