The Thirty-Fifth Assignment: Between Sweet and Bitter (1)

March 21, 2018. Wednesday.

A cheerful, noisy alarm went off. The sound, like someone chattering straight into his ear, bored mercilessly into Changmo's sensitive hearing. He frowned and sat up.

"Morning already."

He patted his back with one hand. This damn bed still didn't feel right. Maybe he should have just laid out a floor mattress instead. The regret came late, but dipping into the budget for something like that would have been embarrassing. Changmo stopped grumbling and made the bed.

He had officially begun his life in the Mortal Realm two days ago, on Monday. The claw-machine shop he'd prepared with such fanfare had opened as well. Since he'd be managing the Earth Outpost for a while, keeping the household accounts had been tacked on to his duties.

"The Mortal Realm these days is rough. In more ways than one."

Looking over the ledger he'd written up yesterday, Changmo let out a sigh first thing. It was several times more complicated than living in the dormitory. Taxes, utility bills — all of it was a headache. It wasn't that he couldn't do it if he had to, but having never done any of it before, the sheer annoyance piled up. He shoved a book onto the shelf and started putting breakfast together.

He'd just been about to pick up his spoon when the doorbell went off. Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Someone was mashing the button like they meant it. Who on earth was making this kind of racket first thing in the morning? Clutching his sour stomach, Changmo approached the front door, pressed the intercom, and grumbled in a deflated voice.

"Oh. It's you, Yeoni."

"Yes. Have you eaten?"

"I was just about to, if you hadn't mashed the doorbell."

He couldn't exactly get angry when the youngest had come all this way. Changmo drooped as he opened the door — and the moment he saw Yeoni, the irritation that had been about to surge drained right away.

"I happen to have afternoon classes today. Mom said living alone makes it hard to put together side dishes, so she told me to bring some over. You're not picky about food, right?"

Changmo answered with a pleased smile instead of words. He would have accepted it even if it had been something he disliked — but the side dish Yeoni had brought was stir-fried spicy pork, his favorite. The thought that he'd hit the jackpot wiped his fatigue clean away. He threw the door wide open.

"Of course not. Come in. You can't just drop off the food and leave."

"Me too? I already had breakfast."

"Just a few bites, then. Even if you don't eat, let's chat a bit before we both get busy."

"W-wait a second! Hold on!"

This was perfect — he'd been bored and his head had been aching. Changmo grabbed Yeoni with both hands and pulled him inside. There was already a gap in strength between them; what could Yeoni do? He was dragged in helplessly.

"Good grief. Were you seriously about to eat with just seaweed and kimchi?"

The moment Yeoni saw the table, he clicked his tongue. Eating this sloppily just because no one was cooking for him. So even this gentle senior of his was, at the end of the day, a slapdash bachelor. Embarrassed, Changmo hurriedly took the stir-fried pork.

"W-we've got spicy pork now, so it's fine. Ha. Ha. Ha."

"You said this place is going to be used for a long time. You're the first one here, Changmo. If you start off eating like this, everyone who comes after will eat like this too. Go grocery shopping this evening."

Every word of it was true, and Changmo's conscience twinged. Yeoni shot a look at the thoroughly cowed Changmo, then rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Even if the side dishes were lacking, letting the presentation fall apart too would be a problem. He pulled a large bowl from the cupboard and mixed the stir-fried pork together with the rice. His hands moved with the ease of someone who'd done this many times.

"You're mixing that with some real force."

"I used to make this a lot when Mom was out. I'm not much of a cook, so I just used whatever side dishes were already made. There! You can eat now."

Yeoni stopped mixing and held out the bowl. The rice had been stained a vivid red by the seasoning, looking thoroughly appetizing. Changmo offered a word of thanks and immediately picked up his spoon. After maintaining Materialization for so long, hunger came on as quickly as it did for any living person.

"Thanks for the meal."

The meal was fast and thorough. Even in the Underworld, he'd been famous for his appetite. What was there to be self-conscious about in front of the youngest? The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠speed of his spoon was enough to inspire awe.

H-he's eating so fast.

In an instant, more than half the rice was gone. Was he going to give himself indigestion? The worry even crossed Yeoni's mind. But it was too soon to be surprised. Changmo, who had been eating with the steady force of a runaway locomotive, suddenly set down his spoon — leaving a modest few spoonfuls behind.

"Sorry, sorry. It was so good I didn't leave as much as I meant to."

"…The fact that you left anything at all, eating like that, is already a miracle."

Changmo apologized, but watching that eating speed, Yeoni felt nothing but amazement. Did Grim Reapers outdo humans even at the dinner table? Still a little dazed, he scooped up the remaining rice. Thanks to the thorough mixing, it wasn't bland at all — it was delicious.

It was a simple but satisfying breakfast.

"That hit the spot. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Want some coffee? I saw you bought some."

"Can't have a proper chat without something to drink. If you wouldn't mind."

Changmo leisurely requested dessert on top of everything. When Yeoni asked if he wasn't busy with work, he smiled and pulled out a letter — the one assigned to him for this morning.

"You're in luck."

"The moment I finish this delivery I'll get another one, of course. But I should at least have time for coffee."

The letter's address was Anyang, right next to Suwon. No wonder Changmo could afford to take it easy.

"How's the shop?"

That was the first thing Yeoni asked — he was worried about how Changmo's first shop was doing. Changmo shrugged and recounted the past two days' results.

"Not bad. There's no other shop of the same kind nearby, so people come by at least once or twice. I think we'll stay out of the red."

"That's a relief. You need a steady source of income if you don't want people getting suspicious. And since it's an unstaffed shop, keep an eye out so nobody steals anything."

"A Grim Reaper getting robbed by a living human? That'd be humiliating. Don't you worry about that."

He said it with confidence, clenching a fist. The fierce will to send any thief he caught to an early grave was plain to see. A Grim Reaper's iron-fisted justice would be more powerful than your average athlete. Nothing had even happened yet, but Yeoni quietly offered a prayer for the future thief.

He wouldn't actually kill them… right? Ahem.

"What about you, Yeoni? Start of the semester — you must be swamped."

Back and forth they went. Now it was Changmo's turn to ask. The moment the question landed, Yeoni's face crumpled. He scrunched it so hard that looking at his forehead alone, you'd think he'd turned into a grandfather. He let out a sigh that could have punched a hole in the floor and launched into the hardships of the past few days.

"Don't even get me started. Freshman year they didn't go easy, and now that I'm a sophomore it's even worse. What kind of assignments take the entire day? Ugh!"

"You can't half-ass your studies. It'll all turn to blood and flesh later, so learn it well."

"Bleh. Even you, Changmo…"

"That's how important studying is. Take it to heart. Take it to heart."

Yeoni made a gagging face. It was obviously a joke, and Changmo flicked him a playful knuckle to the head. That set them off, and the two of them traded jokes for a while. It was a delightful chat that didn't even need the coffee.

"Aigoo. Twenty minutes already. You'd better get going. Your mother will worry."

"Already? We barely talked, and it flew by."

The minute hand had already moved four ticks. It was time to wash up and head out to work. Yeoni, who had been half-dragged here against his will, now smacked his lips at the thought of leaving. He was a man soft-hearted in more ways than one. Changmo ruffled his hair and stood up.

"That's just how time is. Work hard today. I will too."

"Got it. Take care."

They parted with a promise to see each other again. The moment Yeoni left, Changmo brushed his teeth and took a shower. Wouldn't he be making the delivery as a Grim Reaper anyway? Today the distance was short enough to take the subway or a bus. In other words: the perfect opportunity to roam the city.

And if I just keep going, I'll pass the place where I spotted that young woman, too.

And that wasn't all. Ride Line 1 a little farther and he'd arrive at Noryangjin, where he'd first laid eyes on the woman of his destiny. Make the delivery, look around, and search for her. Two birds with one stone didn't even cover it — this was three. Faced with a combo this good, how could he just deliver the letter and call it a day?

I have to prepare thoroughly. Thoroughly!

He dressed neatly. He tidied his hair until it was impeccable. He made sure not a single flake of dry skin remained on his face. He groomed and prepared himself as thoroughly as he would to stand before the Bodhisattva or the Ten Kings — perhaps even more so. He fussed as if some impurity might cling to him and ruin everything. If effort alone were the measure, this man already had a perfect score.

"Well then. I'm off."

Changmo cried it out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inwardly, like an incantation.

At that same hour.

"I told you I'm not going. I said last time was the last time, and you're still at it."

Seri had been under siege from a friend's pestering since morning.

"I just don't feel like it. I'm busy studying — what's a blind date going to do for me? You should get on it yourself before your last semester hits. That's how you avoid the scramble."

The topic was, of all things, dating. It hadn't even been a week since Seri turned her down, and here she was calling again. As if finding Seri a suitable match were some kind of assignment, her friend had been relentlessly setting up meetings ever since they'd met as freshmen. As a single woman, Seri was grateful… but the results had never been good, which made jumping in feel uncomfortable.

"And I turned every last one of them down. I'm fine, so go find your own match first. What's the point of playing Cupid when you're single yourself?"

When none of her wheedling worked, the friend got in a huff and hung up. Even at that fierce outburst, Seri could only laugh. She knew her friend would call again anyway.

"She really is relentless."

A bitter smile gathered at the corners of her mouth. Saying she didn't like them was half an excuse. It was true none of them had caught her eye, but the bigger issue was that she didn't have the luxury. Put kindly, she was realistic. Put unkindly, she was too hung up on checking every last condition.

Whether she was the kind of woman who would suit the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠other person. Whether she could date without looking strapped or weak. She thought about it the way other people thought about marriage — Seri's worries were far too many. It was typical of a woman who took everything seriously and calculated every angle. And so, for now, she had no interest in dating.

I need a part-time job or something, some kind of footing, before I even think about it. Ugh, my head.

To be precise, it was that she had no confidence.

"If they're going to assign this, they could at least use books that are in the library. What is this?"

Regardless, she was busy with her studies. Class was later, but there were a lot of books she needed to buy. Today, too, a heavy backpack instead of a light handbag. If you were going to buy thick major textbooks, this was essential. Her shoulders grew heavy of their own accord.

"The bookstore with the major textbooks is… aah! I have to go all the way down to Noryangjin again."

Confirming her destination, Seri sighed. It couldn't be helped — every large bookstore nearby was in Noryangjin. A place also called the holy land of civil service exams. With so many students trying to forge their dreams out of studying, it was only natural.

Let's just go and get back. Before I'm late for class.

If she didn't want to be late in the afternoon, going now was best. Seri slapped her own cheeks a few times and quickly set off. A bus was visible in the distance.

The bookstore she was headed for was a large one near Noryangjin Station.

And by the most ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠coincidental of chances, it was the same place Changmo was heading.