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Chapter 5. This Is Why You Sleep at Home (2)
After trying various experiments, Myeongin guessed the reason he had become visible.
“It seems like it’s because I was called ‘Choi Hori.’”
“Huh? That’s just a role.”
“Still. Mom said that although my name is ‘Myeongin,’ it’s the same as having no name.”
Chang-su knew that too.
“Maybe I became visible because I got a name?”
“Could… that be possible? I don’t know. But then isn’t that bad? What if the grim reapers find you…”
Myeongin answered with his usual smile that made people feel good.
“That’s why I’m going to be careful.”
“Is that it? I thought… you were just happy because people could see you.”
“I am happy too, but Mom told me to be careful, and then be careful again, until I turn 20.”
Myeongin, who was always bright, became serious only when he talked about Muwol. It seemed he already knew that she had tried to protect him at the risk of her life.
‘They said he was sharp, and he really knew everything.’
As Chang-su looked at Myeongin with pity, Myeongin showed him his phone screen and said,
“So, I need to go home and sleep. It’s 6, so when should we leave? It took two hours when we came earlier, so I think we should go.”
“Ah! We should. Let’s eat at the meal truck before we go. Got it?”
“Oh, yes! But can I eat too?”
“Of course! If they say no, we can just pay.”
“Yes!”
Myeongin smiled brightly and enjoyed himself, and Chang-su quietly stared at him.
‘He didn’t want to leave…’
* * *
On the way home.
The traffic was jammed far too badly. The two of them were barely moving in the middle of the road.
“What is this? Why is it so jammed here? What’s going on?”
“Should I look up traffic information?”
“Yeah! Do that! I should’ve looked it up sooner.”
A moment later, Myeongin opened his mouth with a startled face.
“They said there was an accident in front of Yangpyeong Meeting Plaza, 958 Gyeonggang-ro. Huh? The time is the same as when we got that call saying the actor Jang Ji-won had an accident earlier.”
“They’re still handling that?”
“It says a large truck carrying gravel got into an accident, so all four lanes in both directions are being controlled.”
“Ah! This is the only road to Seoul too. Even the detour probably goes past the Meeting Plaza. When do they say it’ll be over?”
“They expect around 10. But it must have been a really big accident. It’s on the main page.”
“Then we’ll get home around 12. Will you be okay?”
“Yes! I normally lie down and watch movies or dramas until around then before I sleep. You’re the one who’ll have a hard time driving, mister.”
“What, you brat. Why are you suddenly speaking so prettily?”
The traffic was bad enough to make someone irritated, but perhaps because Myeongin was beside him, he did not feel that irritated.
“You must have been a golden retriever in your past life.”
“I came from another world, though.”
“That’s this life. Do you even find looking at cars fun? You charmed all the staff earlier, and now you’re even charming cars?”
Myeongin was enjoying himself even while looking at the cars lined up in a solid traffic jam.
* * *
Because handling the accident dragged on, they were only able to enter Seoul after much longer than expected. It was normally a two-hour distance, but it had taken more than twice that long.
During that time, although it was just light chatter, the conversation between the two of them continued.
Of course, Chang-su felt good, but since he was also driving on a jammed road, he could not help feeling tired.
Fortunately, Myeongin was now silent for a moment too.
‘Yeah, look outside even for a little while! Ugh, my jaw hurts like crazy.’
Chang-su rubbed his jaw as he kept driving.
But contrary to Chang-su’s expectations, Myeongin was dozing off. Since he had been stuck in the car in the same posture the whole time, sleep had washed over him.
He knew he must not fall asleep anywhere without the talisman his mother had placed in his room, so he had done all sorts of things alone while talking with Chang-su, but he could not stop his eyelids from drooping.
While repeatedly dozing off and waking right back up, Myeongin once again startled at the fact that he had fallen asleep, and woke up with a tremble.
“Whew! I almost fell asleep! That really startled… Huh…? Who are you…?”
Chang-su had definitely been driving, but now, a strange man who was not Chang-su was sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Yeah, I’m a grim reaper.”
“Gasp! I didn’t sleep, though?”
“Yeah, you did. This is inside your dream.”
He wondered if it was a joke, but the energy he felt from the man was strange. His way of speaking was strange too.
“A grim reaper…?”
The grim reaper glanced at Myeongin and then snorted.
“Do you think I’m not one because I’m not wearing things like a robe? Who wears that stuff these days? Do you know how uncomfortable it is?”
It was so vivid that it was hard to tell whether this was a dream or reality.
“Are you really a grim reaper…?”
“I said I am.”
“The grim reaper I saw before… wasn’t like this.”
“Ah! That one! I heard about it. It’s only been three years since our dress code changed. Anyway, that reaper got chewed out like crazy after losing you. He tried to find you again, but you disappeared without a trace.”
“Ah.”
“Whenever we tried to find you, the moon strangely disappeared, you see. We only found out after your mother died. How did she even think to cover the moon?”
“Ah…”
Because of his mistake, his mother’s sacrifice had gone to waste. More than the fact that he was going to die, Myeongin felt so sorry to his mother that tears poured from his eyes.
“Hic… Waaah, sniff…”
The tears he had held back when his mother passed away before poured out as well.
Then the grim reaper looked at him as if dumbfounded.
“Are you crying? Why are you crying? Anyone watching would think I’m a damn bad guy.”
“I’m just crying because I’m sorry to my late mom. Sniff…”
“You’re a really funny guy.”
The grim reaper snorted, then asked with a cold expression.
“What’s your name?”
At the question asking his name, the words his mother had left behind came to mind.
They were words written in the diary that was one of her belongings too.
“If I’m gone, the moon will shine again. Then, whether it’s sooner or later, a reaper may come looking for you. But they will never recognize you. So don’t be afraid, don’t be scared, and treat them calmly like our Myeongin usually does. Never tell them your name. Mom should have covered you until the very end… I’m sorry I couldn’t.”
There were quite a few things that Mom Muwol had left behind, but these words were what she had emphasized the most. Since this memory surfaced right then, Myeongin shook his head. This was exactly the moment when he had to keep his mind straight.
“Mu… no, I don’t know.”
“Hey, hey. I’m not taking you. I just want to know your name. If I were going to take you, I would’ve brought more guys. I would’ve brought the Direct Duty Reaper and the Supervisory Reaper too and threatened you. So just tell me. What’s your name?”
“I don’t know.”
That warning to absolutely never tell his name.
When he recalled his mother’s voice, Myeongin calmed down a little.
The most important thing he had to be careful of right now was that he must never say his name, as if that had been the correct answer, the grim reaper looked disappointed.
“Damn. You didn’t fall for it.”
It was exactly as his mother had said. Then, although Myeongin was still scared, he was not as terrified as he had been at first.
There was no way his mother’s words could be wrong.
The disappointed grim reaper began making a different threat this time.
“I didn’t want to go this far because it feels like insulting your parents, but you said your mom died, right? If you don’t tell me your name, your mom has to stay in hell. By now, an iron hawk is probably pecking her eyes out while she wanders around aimlessly. Aren’t you going to save your mom?”
“…”
“You don’t know what an iron hawk is? There’s this damn strong hawk. You know, the bird that flies around? But it’s made of iron, so it’s damn strong. I can’t beat it either. Scary, right? So tell me your name first.”
His mother was truly amazing.
They said she had been a shaman with extremely strong spiritual power, and she must have predicted even this.
“What’s my mom’s name?”
“Are you testing me? I’m a grim reaper. An Imperial Yellow Envoy, no less. Normally, I’m in a position where I can just order the guys to bring you in and only sign off on it.”
“So what’s my mom’s name?”
“If I tell you, you have to tell me too, okay?”
“I will. What’s her name?”
“You promised!”
“Yes.”
A tablet PC suddenly appeared in the grim reaper’s hand, and he began touching it.
“Let’s see. When did she die?”
“I don’t know.”
“This bastard says he doesn’t know everything. You have to tell me that much.”
“I don’t know.”
“There’s still a way to know. Uh… judging by you, she should be around her 40s to 50s. Where were the deceased? Here they are.”
Myeongin became a little anxious too. Then, the grim reaper glanced at Myeongin and said, “Kim Ok-soon?”
“That’s not…”
“Not her. It’s not her, right? Then Baek Yeo-jeong… probably isn’t her either.”
“You don’t know, do you?”
“Ha… This bastard is seriously picky… What kind of guy are you? Aren’t you scared of me?”
Honestly, he had been scared at first, but thanks to his mother’s preparations, much of his fear had faded now.
Before he knew it, Myeongin was talking as he usually did.
“My mom is probably being punished directly by the Jade Emperor.”
“Is your mom some big shot? Don’t make me laugh.”
“She really is, though?”
“Stop talking nonsense and stay quiet so I can think.”
After his mother passed away, the only person Myeongin could talk to was Chang-su, who had the talisman, so now he was even finding this conversation with a new person, though he was not a person, a little fun.
“But maybe because you’re a grim reaper, you can see me.”
“Are you some big shot too? Why are you going on about being visible or not? You’re just <No Name>. What the hell is <No Name>, like some online game lagging? Ah, this is driving me crazy.”
“Do grim reapers usually have foul mouths?”
“I’m the refined one, you know? If you want to catch kids who ran away, this level is nothing. A colleague of mine starts and ends every sentence with ‘damn.’ You want to meet him once? Or will you tell me your name?”
“I really don’t know my name.”
“This guy is a headache. What even is this? Something that shouldn’t exist is existing and making a grim reaper tired? I wasn’t going to use this method.”
Although he did not remember clearly, Myeongin knew he had come from another world, like a parallel world. He also knew he was someone who was never supposed to exist here in the first place.
The grim reaper took out a red cloth, then suddenly stared at Myeongin.
“Kim Cheol-min. Kim Cheol-min! Kim Cheol-min!”
“…”
“Not Kim Cheol-min. Lee Deok-ju. Lee Deok-ju! Lee Deok-ju! Not Lee Deok-ju either… Damn it, when am I supposed to finish this! Ugh, why do I have to do this? If only it weren’t for that…”
“Did you cause some accident?”
“I once made a dead person regress… Are you going to keep talking to me? What kind of guy are you? This is inside a dream, so why are your eyes sparkling like that? Did you grease your eyeballs?”
As if he did not even want to look at him, the grim reaper turned his head away and let out a sigh, then suddenly took out something like a memo sheet.
“I really wasn’t going to use this method. The way I see it, it seems like a dead soul is already inside your body. Right? You’re definitely one of the souls on the run. Otherwise, there’s no way you wouldn’t say your name. So from now on, accept the investigation I’m about to conduct.”
After rattling off those words, the grim reaper wrote a name on the memo sheet and shoved it into Myeongin’s mouth.
At the same time, Myeongin’s eyes lost focus, and he fell into a dazed state.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, but listen carefully. What I shoved into your mouth is the memory of a deceased soul who hasn’t been caught. If you watch the memory and it matches, your soul will come out without you even realizing it. I don’t know how many I’ll have to feed you, but this is all because you won’t tell me your name, okay? It’s not my fault. Make sure you say that later when you’re put on trial.”
Even if it was inside a dream, from the moment he saw someone else’s memories, there was no way his mind could remain normal.
Most of the deceased souls running away were terrible criminals.
In all likelihood, he would have to face cruel and horrific scenes. Perhaps because Myeongin was facing those memories now, his face was turning pale.
“I have no choice because you won’t talk… What the hell, what is this bastard really? Why are his eyes sparkling again! This is driving me crazy!”
A moment later, Myeongin, who had returned to his senses, said with sparkling eyes,
“Is this a movie?”
“You crazy bastard!”
“Was that real? This person needs to be caught quickly! He’s a really bad guy!”
“What the hell is this? Did I feed him something weak? Eat this too!”
The grim reaper immediately wrote another name on paper and put it in Myeongin’s mouth. But this time, his eyes did not even go dazed, and instead sparkled from beginning to end.
“You haven’t caught this person either? He’s a really bad person too! Is it okay for someone to kill this many people?”
“…”
“No, why couldn’t you catch him? Seeing as you’re suspecting me, it seems like they can possess other people, so that’s a huge problem.”
“…”
The grim reaper was rendered speechless. This was the first time he had encountered something like this in his 800 years as a grim reaper.
Everyone was usually busy trembling when they saw him, but this kid kept trying to talk…Right now too.
“Actually, I went to a drama filming set earlier. The role that appears there was just like these people.”
“So what!”
“I thought it was something that only happened in dramas, but there really are bastards like that. It’s a little creepy. The person I just saw was even whistling.”
“Hey. Shut up!”
“Why?”
“I said stop talking to me! Why do you keep trying to have a conversation with me! Did I ask?”
“That’s not it. Earlier, I acted as a murderer for a moment. Back then, I didn’t know how to do it, but now I think I know. The people I just saw were so happy while stabbing people. They made faces like this.”
Myeongin imitated the murderer’s expression from the memory he had just seen and mimed stabbing with a knife.
“Ah! Fuck! You scared me!”
“Were you scared?”
“Ugh, that startled me! This guy really must be crazy. He wasn’t just an ordinary crazy bastard?”
“Were you really scared?”
“What the hell is this really?”
“Ah! I think I can do it well now. I can feel that person’s heart completely. So it’s a little scary, but I think I can act like that person. Ah! I don’t mean I’ll kill people.”
The grim reaper was dumbfounded. How could someone look at another person’s life and remain fine?
Unable to understand the situation, he violently messed up his own hair.
“Why is he fine? This isn’t supposed to happen. I was going to find out who he was and then restore him to his original state.”
With a face full of irritation, the grim reaper opened his mouth.
“Ah, damn it, why are they waking him up again. You, ‘No Name,’ eat this. Ah, open up!”
The grim reaper roughly put something into Myeongin’s mouth.
“What is this? Ptoo.”
“What… Why are the memories still there? What are you? Why are you fine after seeing other people’s memories, and why are the memories still intact?”
The grim reaper snapped in irritation, as if he was sick and tired of him, then opened his mouth.
“I don’t even know if another huge problem happened! Hey, I’ll prepare again and come back, so wash your neck and wait.”
“Yes. Please get home safely.”
“Why the hell are you saying goodbye!”
At the same time, Myeongin felt a hand on his shoulder, and instead of the grim reaper, Chang-su appeared before his eyes.
“Hey! Did you sleep? How could you sleep!”
“Uh… I think I dozed off for a moment.”
“Are you okay?”
“I met a grim reaper. But he was a little…? strange.”
“Huh…? Really? Are you okay? Are you really okay?”
Myeongin slowly moved his body, but there was nothing strange at all.
Rather, perhaps because he had talked with someone other than Chang-su, he even felt a little happy.
“I’m really okay. He wasn’t as scary as I expected.”
“Ah… You scared me… Do you know how startled I was when I saw you asleep? You’re really okay, right?”
“Yes. I remembered what Mom told me and got through it well.”
“Teacher did? Well, if it’s Teacher… that makes sense.”
Afterward, when Myeongin explained his conversation with the grim reaper, Chang-su was so shocked that he stopped the car and began worrying about what they should do going forward.
But unlike Chang-su, Myeongin grinned and asked Chang-su as if he had thought of something.
“Mister. Do you know if they found a stand-in for Choi Hori?”
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“I want to try it again.”
“You…?”
“I think I understand a little now. If I practice a little at home, I think I can do better!”
Would he?
Chang-su, who had seen Myeongin’s acting on set, thought there was absolutely no way that would happen. But the guy was practically his nephew, and when he asked with such sparkling eyes, there was no way he could refuse.
“Fine. And I’ll help you practice your lines too.”
