Chapter 18
"Does using the Eyes of the Deceased make them permanent?"
[Normal people can't use the Eyes of the Deceased permanently. Only those with, like, a special constitution can have the Eyes of the Deceased for good.]
"A special constitution? What kind?"
"You mean people who are, like, born seeing ghosts?"
"I guess shamans would count, too."
"Then what about me?"
[You, Jung-han, you work at the Cafe of the Dead, and you're with KarMa Entertainment.]
[You can use the Eyes of the Deceased whenever you need to, and the dead guy in front of you right now is asking you something.]
"What's he asking?"
[It's about Ms. Kim Suk-hee, the one who comes to the Cafe of the Dead. I can't give you the details, though.]
Just hearing Kim Suk-hee's name made my mouth go dry.
‘It's gotta be Suk-hee's husband, right?’
Only one way to find out.
Jung-han took a deep breath and said, "Eyes of the Deceased, activate."
[Using the Eyes of the Deceased.]
[The Eyes of the Deceased will be maintained for 1 hour and consume 1 Gil (吉) of Jung-han's.]
It uses up Gil (吉)? (Gil (吉) - basically, good luck points)
Seriously? They should've told me that upfront.
Cha Seung-pyo and Nahan, too... those guys from the underworld really suck at explaining things.
Nah, hold on. Am I really expecting a good explanation from dudes who snatch souls after calling their names three times?
Whoosh!
Right after, my blurry vision suddenly cleared.
It was like finally putting on glasses after going without them forever.
Jung-han blinked, and the blue glow coming from the tombstone started to, like, form into a person. Then, a dude in an army uniform showed up.
"Suk-hee, do you know Kim Suk-hee?"
Jung-han could hear the guy's voice, clear as day.
And he was wearing a 1950s army uniform.
He was all messed up, cuts and bruises everywhere, and his left arm was gone below the elbow.
The blood where his arm had been ripped off... I didn't even realize I was swallowing hard.
Then, the guy put his right hand on Jung-han's shoulder and yelled.
"I'm asking you!"
Whoosh!
Blue flames shot out from Jung-han's shoulder, and the guy yanked his hand back, exclaiming, "Woah!"
Jung-han was freaked out by the goblin fire, too.
So this is the Goblin Mark's power?
"Chill out, and talk to me from over there."
I tried to keep my voice calm to get Lee Dong-wook to relax.
But Lee Dong-wook just scowled and got louder.
"What's your deal?"
"I'm here because..."
"Where is my wife?"
"Ms. Suk-hee is not here. She'll be at the Cafe of the Dead at midnight..."
"Suk-hee... did Suk-hee marry another man?"
Dude, give me a sec to explain!
Jung-han waved his hands and said, "No. It's not like that."
"If that's not it, then spit it out!"
"That's what I'm trying to do..."
"I can smell Suk-hee all over you! How long are you gonna keep this up?!"
Let me talk, so I can explain, dammit!
"Let a guy finish!"
"..."
"How can I say anything if you keep cutting me off? And you think you're the only one who can yell?!"
Jung-han yelled back, and Lee Dong-wook shut his mouth.
Lee Dong-wook licked his cracked lips, stared off at the mountains, sighed, and said, "It's been forever since I've talked to anyone..."
He actually sounded sorry, so Jung-han cooled down and asked, "Is your name Lee Dong-wook?"
"That's right."
"Your wife's Kim Suk-hee, right? You guys first met in Primorsky Krai, and then got married in Gaeseong?"
"My Suk-hee... is she alive? What's she been up to? She's so delicate; she used to cry every night when I was gone. Has life been rough...?"
"Here we go again. Calm down."
"..."
Jung-han was annoyed that Lee Dong-wook kept jumping ahead, but, hey, it had been 70 years since the guy had talked to anyone.
The guy must be going crazy.
He was a good guy, remembering Suk-hee's scent after all that time.
Jung-han cleared his throat and asked, "Where was your last memory together?"
"Heungnam Port."
"Do you remember the name of Suk-hee's little brother or sister who was with you?"
Lee Dong-wook squeezed his eyes shut, like he was thinking hard, then said quietly, "Kim... Deok-bae."
"Yep, got it. Ms. Suk-hee is looking for you, Mr. Lee Dong-wook."
Lee Dong-wook's eyes widened, and he looked totally freaked out.
He was clearly thinking hard, fidgeting and licking his bottom lip.
"Wait... Suk-hee's looking for me?"
"Yeah, and Ms. Suk-hee hasn't forgotten you, Mr. Lee Dong-wook, not for a single day in the last 70 years."
You could see all kinds of emotions on Lee Dong-wook's face.
I had no clue what he was thinking.
"Mr. Lee Dong-wook?"
Jung-han called out to him, and Lee Dong-wook's lips started trembling as he said, "But... if she's missed me for 70 years... why didn't she come find me here?"
"Huh?"
"I waited, too. Waiting for Suk-hee... I've been stuck here the whole time."
Jung-han took a good look at Lee Dong-wook's legs.
They were, like, fused with the tombstone.
‘So he's an earthbound spirit.’
Lee Dong-wook, who died during the war, had been waiting here all this time, hoping Suk-hee would come for him.
Over time, he became an earthbound spirit, stuck here, and he was still waiting for Suk-hee.
I hung my head, feeling awful, and Lee Dong-wook, with tears in his eyes, said, "My Suk-hee... if she missed me... she would've come here for sure."
"..."
"Are you... lying to me to help me, like, move on?"
He probably thought Jung-han was some kind of shaman.
Lee Dong-wook looked miserable and said, his voice all choked up, "We... we always got separated. In Primorsky Krai, in Gaeseong, too. I waited here, thinking we'd get separated again... but why... if she missed me, then why..."
Lee Dong-wook kept wiping away tears with his only arm.
Jung-han felt terrible, too, and said, "I'm not a shaman; how could I help you move on? That's not it at all."
"Then... did Suk-hee, like, start a new family?"
"Nope, not that either."
"I can smell Suk-hee on you. Are you gonna keep denying it? Unless you're Suk-hee's grandson... there's no way."
"No way. Ms. Suk-hee... she passed away a long time ago."
"Huh?"
He didn't see that coming?
Lee Dong-wook just stared at Jung-han, looking totally lost.
Jung-han sighed and laid out the whole story.
After Jung-han explained about the Goblin Mark, the Cafe of the Dead, Suk-hee, and why he was there, Lee Dong-wook just crumpled to the ground.
He looked totally empty, like his soul had left his body, and shook his head in disbelief.
"No way. No way."
"..."
"Suk-hee... you're saying Suk-hee died that day? Heungnam Port was where she...?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Ah... ah... ahh...!"
Lee Dong-wook started pulling at his hair, tears streaming down his face.
How can anyone cry that hard?
I wanted to pat him on the back, but I couldn't touch him because of the Goblin Mark.
"I... I left that day... I... I left Suk-hee all alone..."
Lee Dong-wook started blaming himself, pounding the ground, and then he started slapping himself with his only hand.
"You stupid son of a bitch! I killed Suk-hee. I...!"
"Mr. Lee Dong-wook, Mr. Lee Dong-wook, calm down! Mr. Lee Dong-wook!"
When Jung-han grabbed his arm, those blue flames shot out again.
It wasn't on purpose, but it worked - Lee Dong-wook calmed down a bit.
Lee Dong-wook, who couldn't say a word, just kept crying his eyes out.
Jung-han sighed and said, "Mr. Lee Dong-wook, you missed Ms. Suk-hee a lot, and she missed you just as much. I just want you to know that."
"Sniff... sob..."
People's hearts, man... I just don't get them.
Lee Dong-wook wanted Suk-hee to miss him, but he also wanted her to have moved on and been happy.
He wanted to see her, even though he couldn't be with her, and he wanted her to be happy with someone else, but he also wanted her to remember him.
Is there any way to, like, connect these two?
‘Ah, that’s right.’
Jung-han pulled out the jade ring he had in his pocket.
"Mr. Lee Dong-wook."
"..."
Lee Dong-wook looked up at Jung-han, his face a mess of tears.
Then, he saw the jade ring in Jung-han's hand, his eyes widened, and he jumped up.
"Th-This is...!"
"You recognize it, right? It's your jade ring, Mr. Lee Dong-wook. Ms. Suk-hee gave it to you."
Lee Dong-wook took the jade ring from Jung-han with shaking hands, holding it tight like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Lee Dong-wook put the hand holding the ring to his chest and bit his lip.
Jung-han finally gave a small smile and said, "I bet... Ms. Suk-hee wanted to come here, too."
"..."
"But she wouldn't know how to get here. Just like you, Mr. Lee Dong-wook, maybe she was afraid you two would get separated again."
"Sob... sob..."
"I want to take you to the Cafe of the Dead with me... but it looks like you're stuck here. I don't know what to do. Should I bring Ms. Suk-hee to you?"
Lee Dong-wook shook his head and said, "No, no. Suk-hee... she might be stuck in one area, too, like a ghost."
"Is that so?"
So, not all earthbound spirits are the same, huh?
Some are stuck in one spot, and some are stuck in a whole area?
Lee Dong-wook wiped his tears and said, "You said she goes to the Cafe of the Dead where you work every day, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then she must be stuck in that area... and couldn't make it all the way here. My Suk-hee, she's gentle, but when she sets her mind to something, she's as tough as any guy."
Now that I think about it, Cha Seung-pyo said something like that.
There's more than one Cafe of the Dead.
That made sense, so I just nodded.
Then, Lee Dong-wook looked relieved, and a small smile crept onto his face.
"I feel better now. Knowing Suk-hee missed me, too... and that she was stuck, just like me, unable to see me even if she wanted to."
"..."
"It's kinda messed up, but... I'm happy."
"I'm glad you feel relieved."
"Crazy, right? How people's hearts work."
Lee Dong-wook's tear-streaked face broke into a smile.
Right then, Lee Dong-wook's body started glowing faintly and becoming blurry.
I stared at Lee Dong-wook, freaked out, and he said quietly, "May I ask your name?"
"I'm Jung-han."
"Jung-han... that's a good, solid name."
He smiled wide and said, "Mr. Jung-han, I hate to ask, but could you do one thing for me?"
"Please tell me."
"When you see Suk-hee again... please tell her this. Tell her I'll go on ahead and wait for her."
"..."
"Tell her this time, I'll wait where she can find me easily, where she can't miss me."
"I will definitely tell her."
When Jung-han agreed, Lee Dong-wook smiled wide and closed his eyes.
Then, his missing left arm grew back, and all the cuts and bruises on his body vanished.
His legs reappeared, too, and then he turned into a ball of light and disappeared.
It was like he'd never been there at all; he just vanished.
The only thing left was shimmering dust, showing that Lee Dong-wook had even been there.
Jung-han stared at the spot where Lee Dong-wook had been and whispered, "Mr. Lee Dong-wook, you said people's hearts are fickle... but you were wrong about that."
Jung-han looked up at the clear blue sky and said, "There are people who are loyal, just like you, aren't there?"
Ding!
[The dead spirit Lee Dong-wook has moved on.]
[Lee Dong-wook was an earthbound spirit for a long time, and moving on was pretty much impossible because of all the resentment he held onto when he was alive.]
[Everyone at KarMa Entertainment is super grateful to Mr. Jung-han for not giving up and pulling off something that seemed impossible.]
[We're giving 'Jung-han' a reward for helping him move on.]
[You get 1 Dae-gil (吉).] (Dae-gil (吉) - more good luck points!)
