The Thirty-Fifth Assignment: Between Sweet and Bitter ⑤
Is it really that wonderful?
Looking at Changmo's beaming face, Simyeong felt something unfamiliar. The man had always been a playboy. But until now, he'd caroused while still carrying himself like an adult — a little bolder, a little more swaggering, perhaps. Not anymore. It was as if he'd been transported back to the day he was first appointed a Grim Reaper. There was a freshness about him now, the kind you saw in the young men of the living world.
"You look like you're in a good mood."
"Of course I am! The girl I fell for at first sight turned out to be even better in person — how could I not be? I already want to see her again. I've got her number, so I just need an excuse to call… now, what would work?"
There had been a time like this before. Seventy years ago, when he'd first laid eyes on Ksitigarbha, he'd been just as ready to leap for joy. To put it with only a little exaggeration, that was how happy this made him. Simyeong supposed he ought to be glad that Changmo was glad… and yet the corners of his mouth kept turning bitter.
This is awkward. I hate to rain on his parade.
"Hyung? Hyung?"
The silence had stretched too long, and Changmo called him twice in a row. Simyeong snapped back to himself and answered. He still didn't have the heart to dump cold water on the mood, so he needled Changmo, pretending to tease.
"It's nothing. I was just wondering what was going on, seeing a playboy sitting there looking so vacant. It's strange watching you do something you've never done before."
"Vacant? Hyung, if you saw Seri, you'd fall for her too."
"I'm not you. Everyone has their own type. Anyway, don't let it interfere with the work. You remember what the Director said?"
Simyeong brought up Heukchi, applying a quiet pressure. The implication was clear: keep it in check. Changmo was no fool — he composed his expression, if only a little. One way or another, his heart as a Grim Reaper remained unchanged.
"Of course. When did they say the relief staff would arrive?"
"Three months at the earliest. You can take your time preparing. For now, just focus on your own work."
"I'm on my own, so I should prepare at a leisurely pace, shouldn't I? If I'd known it would be like this, I would've brought someone along."
Changmo propped his chin on his hand and grumbled. Complaining was useless now. Where there was joy, there was hardship to match. He ran through the list of things he needed to do in his head, and Simyeong chuckled softly, offering him a word of comfort.
"Do your best. Starting is half the battle, isn't it? Once you've got things running properly, using the outpost will be much easier."
"I know, I know. You really do nag, hyung. I can go back out on deliveries this afternoon, so tell the kids to send me some letters. I can't just keep lying around sick, can I?"
"I was going to even if you hadn't asked. I'm busy myself, so I'll let you go. Good work today."
With those last words, Simyeong ended the call. The moment the conversation cut off, the house felt hollow and empty. Maybe it felt all the more real because there was someone he wanted to be with now. A little embarrassed, Changmo tidied up the bedding. As he'd said, he'd have to get busy again from the afternoon onward.
When should I go see her again?
Thoughts of Seri came creeping back, unbidden.
"Whew."
Simyeong set down the receiver and let out a sigh. He'd been sighing a lot lately. Heukchi, who had been waiting for the call to end, gave him a reassuring pat — a large hand thumping firmly against his back.
"Don't take it so hard, now. Changmo is happy — what's the use of you worrying yourself sick in advance? Leave tomorrow's worries for tomorrow. We're busy enough as it is; at least keep your heart light."
"It's not exactly an easy situation, sir. I still feel I have a long way to go compared to you."
Being told not to worry didn't make it any easier. You might call it borrowing trouble. As Team Leader, he had so much to answer for that whenever anything unusual came up, he found himself fretting over what would happen days or even months down the line. It was a strength and a weakness both, and today it was looking rather more like the latter.
"It's not a matter of experience. It's a matter of mindset. Don't think you have to carry it all yourself. Changmo's heart is Changmo's business."
"I know that. I just can't help feeling frustrated."
At the lecture that wasn't quite a lecture, Simyeong answered with a faintly sulky edge. Doing things by the book was exhausting. If he interfered and steered every little thing, it would be easier, more stable. But the proper way was the proper way for a reason. The crooked path had side effects waiting to match.
For the duration of this brief, pink-tinted dream, they had no choice but to remain thorough bystanders.
"You can tell me the truth, you know. It isn't only worry you're feeling, is it?"
Heukchi smiled faintly. The concern was genuine, of course — but the other feeling he was nursing was written just as plainly across his face. Simyeong flinched, then scowled and answered.
"I really can't get anything past you, Director."
"I'm in the same boat. For a while now the youngest and the Chief Team Member are going to be rubbing salt in our wounds as a matching set — it'd be stranger if we were fine. This is why the young ones…"
"You're telling me. I ought to stock up on antacids. That damn kid."
After the worry came the jealousy, rising to the surface. Having to feel that sugar-dumped-on-your-head sensation not in mono but in stereo! Just imagining it was enough to give you diabetes. Not that they could go out and fall in love themselves to even the score. And so, as ever, the two of them threw themselves into a hearty round of behind-the-back grumbling.
"Are you free this evening? Let's have a drink before bed. We old men who can't fall in love ought to at least empty a glass together. My treat."
"I take some exception to the 'old men' part… but all right."
He was a little sad to have been lumped in as an old man wholesale, but the promise of free drinks made his mouth water. Simyeong nodded, looking thoroughly satisfied. It had been a while, and there was plenty he wanted to talk over with Heukchi.
"Then I'll be getting back to it. The letters have piled up quite a bit."
"Has it gotten that late already? Good work."
With the evening's pleasure to look forward to, the two of them returned to the work that was theirs to do.
Should I try calling him?
Seri sat turning her phone over in her hands, wrestling with herself. It was the first time she'd ever agonized over a phone. The only people she ever contacted were her parents, her professors, or her closest friends. She so rarely had reason to use it that she'd never had cause to clutch it like this. At least, not until yesterday.
He was pretty fun, that guy.
After last night, things were different. There was someone she wanted to call. And not someone she already knew well — a man she'd met for the first time yesterday. It was a change that surprised even her.
At the very least, she didn't dislike it.
It wasn't just those clean, striking features. The way he clearly knew his literature, the confident manner that suited his looks, and even the unexpected shyness he'd shown at the dinner — all of it had left a deep impression. She was drawn to him from more than one angle.
"Hmm."
Her fingers worked busily across the screen. Letters gathered and gathered until they formed a message, and presently the finished text appeared on the display. The recipient was none other than Changmo. She hesitated over whether to send it, then pressed a different button.
If I still feel like it, I'll send it. If not, I'll cancel.
She'd decided to give it a little time. A choice typical of a girl who was careful about everything. If she truly liked him, she could always let it go through. Seri closed her phone and headed for the club room. She was on her way to pick up her friend.
"Hi, everyone."
"You're here, Seri?"
"You did great yesterday. Thanks for all the hard work."
"You seniors worked hard too. Where's Seoah?"
The moment she opened the door, the seniors inside welcomed her. When she asked after her friend Seoah, they quietly pointed toward a far corner. There she was, wrestling with a laptop — transcribing yesterday's critiques, most likely. Seri crept over and gave her shoulder a playful tap.
"Hey—! Don't touch me while I'm writing— oh, it's you, Seri."
"Wondered what you were up to. Let's go eat lunch."
"Already? I just started working."
Seoah hesitated, glancing at her laptop. She seemed reluctant to walk away from what she was doing. Seri snorted a little laugh and peeled Seoah's hands off the mouse and keyboard. Left to her own devices, she'd plainly work straight through the night.
"You can do it after we eat. My treat today."
"You're buying? Then I'm in. Could you guys handle the rest for me?"
Seoah folded instantly at the promise of a free meal. The seniors looked incredulous at being dumped with her work, but the moment Seri added a word of request, they let it slide. They even waved her off, telling her not to worry. Seoah looked put out by the whole display.
"The seniors are especially weak for you, you know."
"You just have to accumulate enough good karma."
"It's not karma, it's talent. Tch! I wish I had an eye as sharp as yours."
Seoah looked at her with a mix of envy. If you had to name the standouts in the club, Seri was easily in the top five, and the peculiar favoritism stemmed from that.
And yet the person in question didn't seem particularly pleased about it.
"And what good does that do? Is it easy to make a living off literature these days? A hobby should stay a hobby."
"There you go again with the making-a-living speech. Try living a little lightly sometimes. If you don't take it easy when you're young, when will you? You'll regret it later."
The matter-of-fact answer was both pitiable and frustrating. Would it kill her to live a little more gently? Wanting to ease that, if only a little, Seoah brought up the usual topic again today. A blind date. Her face turned sly.
"Speaking of which — are you free this weekend? I've got a guy I want to introduce you to."
"Haa! You still haven't given up. I keep telling you to just leave me out of it."
"There's no such word as 'quit' in Cupid's dictionary."
Seoah said this and deliberately let out a loud snort. Love was the most powerful force for changing a person! So if Seri started seeing someone, she'd surely soften. There was no theory or evidence behind it, but she believed it all the same.
She really is impossible.
Thanks to that, Seri was in a bind. Turning her down once or twice was one thing, but keeping it up so coldly was getting embarrassing. Jumping at the offer wasn't appealing either. What to do?
She needed some way to shut down the invitation.
Ah. There was that guy, wasn't there?
Then, all at once, her thoughts turned to Changmo. She already wanted to see him, so it was perfect. If she asked him to play along, it would work out somehow. She smoothed out the frown that had been forming and looked at Seoah. Then she made her declaration, bold and clear.
"No. You don't have to."
"I don't have to? Why not?"
Seoah's mouth fell open. A bombshell, in every sense of the word. Leaving her stunned friend behind, Seri pulled her phone from her pocket. The scheduled message she'd written earlier appeared on the screen. The hand holding the phone trembled, just a little.
"You remember the guy who was in my group yesterday? Hong Changmo."
"Of course I do. He was pretty handsome, so I remembered him. W-wait, you're going to see him?"
"To be precise, I'm going to ask him to."
Seri's finger pressed down on Send. It was half impulse, but the gesture carried a measure of genuine feeling and earnest hope. The message went out, carrying that heart with it. Seoah lost her mind, declaring it the scoop of the century.
And so the moment Changmo had been hoping for finally arrived.
"Yahoo!!"
Sure enough, the instant Changmo received the text, he leaped into the air. He jumped so high he bumped his head lightly against the ceiling. The top of his skull stung, but he didn't care. The joy overflowed more than enough to drown out the pain. He barely managed to keep from shouting out loud.
It's here, it's here, it's here. It finally came!
If Yeoni had been there, he would have thrown his arms around him and celebrated together! No — even if it had been Yuhwa, he would have done the same. He carried on in a ridiculous, undignified frenzy. It took a long while before he managed to calm down.
"What do I even say back. Ugh, I'm shaking. I'm shaking!"
He suddenly had no idea what to send. He wanted to reply as courteously as possible. Changmo's nerves were far more rattled than Seri's had been. In the end, he gave up on answering right away. If only there were someone who could help.
Right. I'll ask Yeoni.
His fellow post office colleagues were out of the question. Yeoni it was, then. He cancelled the reply and tapped Yeoni's number. Yeoni might be in class, so instead of calling out of the blue, he sent a text. He kept it as short and concise as possible.