The Unexpected Encounter
‘Beautiful? What is he talking about?’ Yoon-gi, without realizing it, followed Choi Deok-bae’s gaze and focused his own eyes on the same spot. ‘I can’t see it very well.’ Yoon-gi shifted his body, overlapping it with Choi Deok-bae’s. ‘Grandfather can move out of the way, but it’s hard for me to just step aside.’ Choi Deok-bae moved quickly, his form merging with the car as he locked his gaze onto a single point once more. ‘Let’s see, Grandfather’s line of sight is…’ Yoon-gi followed the spirit’s gaze, focusing his vision, and finally, he was able to pinpoint the spot.
‘Ah…’ What Yoon-gi discovered was a ghost, a rare sight indeed. She looked to be in her early forties. However, she possessed a ‘refined’ air, a ghost of a ‘widow’ that fit the description perfectly, sitting quietly on a bench. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen a ghost in person.’ Just because Choi Deok-bae could see them didn’t mean Yoon-gi always could, but he felt a slight spark of interest at the strange coincidence. Choi Deok-bae slipped out of the car and began to fly toward the widow ghost. A moment later, Yoon-gi watched as Choi Deok-bae gestured wildly with his hands and feet in front of her, while the widow ghost wept and spoke of something, and Choi Deok-bae appeared visibly agitated.
‘What on earth are they talking about?’ That curiosity lasted only a moment. Choi Deok-bae returned to the car at high speed, shot Yoon-gi a somewhat servile smile, and opened his mouth. ‘What is that? That tone of voice is completely different from his usual self.’ Yoon-gi felt a strange sense of unease, but Choi Deok-bae’s smile didn’t fade.
It was a cough that couldn't have been more deliberate. If the limousine’s partition hadn't been raised, both the driver and Cha Pil-gyu would have asked what was going on. ‘No, you’ve never shown a side like this before. Honestly, I’m a bit… flustered.’ ‘…’ Yoon-gi sighed but nodded. ‘I can’t promise I’ll help, but I’ll listen to the story. It’s certainly nice that you aren’t forcing me.’ Yoon-gi smiled at Choi Deok-bae’s objective judgment. ‘That’s true.’ A moment later, Yoon-gi picked up the car phone and spoke to the chauffeur. “I’m going to get some fresh air, so wait here.” After hearing the driver’s response, Yoon-gi opened the car door and began walking toward where the widow ghost was sitting.
“Shouldn’t I accompany you, sir?” “Ah, I’m just getting some air. I’ll be sitting on that bench over there, so don’t worry too much.” After settling Cha Pil-gyu, who had stepped out of the passenger seat, back into the car, Yoon-gi walked slowly toward the bench and soon arrived beside the widow ghost. Yoon-gi conveyed his inner thoughts to Choi Deok-bae, saying, ‘I didn’t say I would listen, though,’ but Choi Deok-bae cleared his throat and continued speaking regardless. Only after these words were spoken did the widow ghost wipe away her tears and lift her head.
[Are you truly serious?]
‘Ugh!’ At the sudden romantic phrasing, Yoon-gi felt as if butter was rising in his throat, but he desperately held it back. ‘Still, she is certainly beautiful. I can see it even better up close.’ If Choi Deok-bae wore the traditional durumagi of a Joseon scholar, the widow ghost was dressed in the ornate hanbok worn by queens of the Joseon Dynasty. Even her hairstyle was identical to that of a queen, making it perfectly understandable why Choi Deok-bae was so smitten. ‘Was she a queen of the Joseon era? But then, Grandfather wouldn’t be using that kind of royal speech, would he? What is this?’ Just as Yoon-gi’s curiosity was peaking, the widow ghost finally opened her mouth.
[Please, I beg of you, liberate my son.]
* * *
The name of the weeping widow ghost was Kim Ryeon. A rare single-syllable name for a woman in Korea, she explained that her parents had given it to her with the hope that she would grow up as beautiful as a lotus flower. Kim Ryeon confessed that she had been dead for about ten years, and she had been forty-five at the time of her passing. Choi Deok-bae, feeling pity, subtly moved closer to sit beside her. Kim Ryeon, perhaps feeling she could rely on him, didn’t move away and continued her story.
[To tell me they would save my shop if I inhaled coal briquette gas for five minutes... I still don’t understand how a human being could make such a proposal. Because of that, my baby... my baby...]
The ‘baby’ Kim Ryeon spoke of was her son, who had been a middle school student at the time. Feeling how much she must have cherished him just from her choice of words, Yoon-gi began to focus intently on her story.
[My baby said he wanted to work with computers when he grew up. I didn’t know what that was, but I wanted to give him whatever he wanted to do. But then, suddenly, business went bad... sob...]
To summarize, Kim Ryeon had run a hanbok shop, but business had hit a slump. One day, she received news from the police station that her son had committed suicide by coal briquette gas. After the funeral for her child, who had become a cold corpse, she took her own life. However, after becoming a ghost, she overheard a strange story while listening to her son’s friends. A wealthy student from his class had said something to his entourage. It turned out that her son hadn’t committed suicide because of the gas itself, but had been tricked into inhaling it under the pretense of saving his mother’s shop.
[How... no matter how much money they have, how could they do such a thing? Inhaling coal gas obviously kills you... It is true that my son was foolish to believe those words, but I cannot forgive that brat who used my baby for his own amusement. But I have no power, and I can only follow them around, hoping for misfortune to befall that wretch. Sob...]
‘That feeling... I can somehow relate.’ Yoon-gi recalled his past self after learning the truth. A helpless life where a thief had stolen everything, and he could do nothing about it. At Choi Deok-bae’s pleading words, Kim Ryeon looked at Yoon-gi. Her eyes were filled with such desperation, as if asking, ‘Can you really help me?’ However, Yoon-gi didn’t nod immediately. It felt as if Choi Deok-bae was saying, ‘I want to get married again,’ but Yoon-gi shook his head.