Chapter 36
“If I have work, I might be a little late! Don’t everyone make such a fuss!”
At Sook-hee’s words, the guests stopped pestering her and began murmuring.
When the clock struck 1, the guests sighed and left the café.
Sook-hee confirmed all guests had departed and approached Jung Jik-han.
“They said you were late today because of me... Is that true?”
“Huh?”
“I heard you went to look for my brother...”
Sook-hee cleared her throat and crossed her arms.
She tried to hide her feelings, but her expression betrayed her.
It was clear she clung to hope.
Did Cha Ye-won tell you?
Jung Jik-han smiled warmly.
“I haven’t found him yet, but there’s a lead.”
“A lead? What does that mean? Did he become some evil spirit?”
Jung Jik-han shook his head.
“Not an evil spirit—a deceased soul.”
“If he’s a deceased soul... Is he at another café for the dead?”
“No. He was at a restaurant—the Restaurant of the Deceased.”
At these words, Sook-hee covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes reddening.
She licked her chapped lips.
“Why... why is he there? Is he waiting for someone? Does he have a wife? Children?”
“I don’t know. The restaurant owner seemed to know Kim Deok-bae, so we exchanged numbers.”
“Oh... You didn’t meet Deok-bae directly?”
“No. It’s just a possibility. It’s fine to hope, but... don’t be certain yet.”
Sook-hee stared at him with tearful eyes.
Had hope curdled into disappointment?
Maybe I should’ve waited until things were clearer.
Guiltily, Jung Jik-han spoke up.
“I’ll tell you once I’m surer...”
But Sook-hee hugged him before he could finish.
Her voice trembled.
“Thank you... Jik-han.”
“Huh? I haven’t even found him—”
“Thank you for trying.”
All this time, no one had answered her cries for help.
Even at the Café of the Deceased, none had acted to ease her regrets.
She’d been ready to abandon hope when Jung Jik-han appeared.
Grateful for his efforts to help her find peace, she hugged him tightly.
Sensing her heart, Jung Jik-han patted her back.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
“......”
“Everything will work out. I’ll make sure of it.”
“...Thank you. Truly.”
As the clock passed 1 a.m., guests from the Hour of the Ox began arriving.
While taking orders and brewing coffee, Jung Jik-han noticed something odd.
‘Two are missing.’
The regulars who always came at 1 a.m. were absent.
Running late today?
Dismissing it, he served coffee and sat to read the Season 2 script for The Waves of That Winter.
The web drama’s popularity had greenlit a sequel.
In Season 2, Jung Jik-han’s character Kang Cheol-min took a larger role—a man who, after being dumped, reinvented himself into a successful food franchise CEO by his late twenties, now clashing with the female lead at a food company.
‘The writer’s brilliant.’
Season 1’s protagonist studied Food and Nutrition, which Season 2 expanded into careers and grown-up entanglements.
While Season 1 depicted youthful college romance, Season 2 simmered with mature drama.
Jung Jik-han marveled at the script.
‘They write so well.’
Despite his lack of formal training, each scene unfolded vividly—expressions, tones, movements. He credited the writer’s skill, never considering his own talent. Director Kim and Lee Seon-hye had likely profited most from spotting it early.
Ding-dong—
The entrance bell jolted him upright.
“Welcome! Café of the Deceased... Huh?”
But the figure entering was Cha Seung-pyo, shivering violently.
“Team Leader!”
“C-coffee... Make it hot.”
His pallid skin had turned bluish, lips bruise-purple.
Jung Jik-han seated him by the window and hurriedly brewed an Americano.
Cha Seung-pyo gulped it with a trembling hand.
“Kuh...”
He wore a beatific expression, as if the sip had delivered him to heaven.
Jung Jik-han draped a thick blanket over him.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“I helped a vengeful spirit pass on.”
“A vengeful spirit?!”
The spirit had left him battered—trembling uncontrollably, wounds on his arms and calves.
Jung Jik-han fetched bandages and ointment from the storeroom (meant for the deceased, not the living).
As he applied the salve, Cha Seung-pyo winced.
“Does KarMa Entertainment run a hospital? You should go—”
“There are no hospitals for the dead.”
“......”
For us, death is nothing but complete annihilation.
Disappearing without even a trace of having existed in this world.
That was complete annihilation.
Jeongjikhan wore a troubled expression, lost in thought, before hurriedly heading to the counter. There, he brewed a hot Americano and handed it to Cha Seung-pyo, saying,
“Drink this.”
“......”
“You never know. If you receive my ‘Gil’ (吉), your wounds might heal.”
Cha Seung-pyo drank the coffee as if he’d been waiting for it.
[1 unit of Jeongjikhan’s ‘Gil’ (吉) has been transferred to Reaper Cha Seung-pyo.]
As soon as Cha Seung-pyo received the Gil, a system interface appeared before his eyes, and he began browsing the shop. After purchasing something, hot steam rose from his entire body.
“Haaa...”
Cha Seung-pyo let out a short groan as if stepping into a scalding bath, then assumed a calmer expression. Jeongjikhan raised the corner of his eyebrow in puzzlement and asked,
“What’s happening? What was that?”
“Thank you.”
“Wait... Can you also use Nahan’s Karma Ledger?”
“I’m part of KarMa Entertainment too.”
“Did you recover using the Gil (吉) I gave you?”
“Yes. If you hadn’t refilled my coffee earlier... I’d have been in real trouble this time.”
Jeongjikhan swept his bangs back in confusion.
“Hold on—you’re saying you can buy medicine with the Gil (吉) I gave you?”
“It’s not exactly medicine. The yang energy of Gil (吉) rapidly melts frozen spirits.”
I didn’t know that.
Jeongjikhan stared at Cha Seung-pyo with newfound interest.
“Then why didn’t you just ask me to refill your coffee sooner?”
“Mr. Jeongjikhan. Do you remember the contract you signed when you first came here?”
Of course I remember the contract.
With only five clauses, it hadn’t been hard to memorize:
The employee shall listen attentively to the stories of the deceased and engage actively in conversation.
The employee shall not argue with the deceased.
The employee shall not demand money from the deceased, nor coerce or accept anything from them.
When serving tea, always confirm whether the deceased’s grievances have been resolved.
The contract term is 10 years, adjustable to 5 years based on performance.
As Jeongjikhan recited each clause, Cha Seung-pyo nodded.
“Reapers follow similar rules.”
“Reapers have regulations too?”
“You’ve heard there are underworld regulations, yes? Hence why we’re called underworld civil servants.”
Jeongjikhan eyed him skeptically.
“Are you saying... reapers can’t demand coffee refills?”
“Correct. Just as you can’t demand money or coercion from the deceased, reapers can’t demand refills. It’d be equivalent to forcibly taking a living person’s Gil (吉).”
The reason Cha Seung-pyo had regarded Jeongjikhan with curiosity.
The reason he’d chosen to trust him.
The reason Kang Moo-chi believed there was purpose in saving Jeongjikhan.
Jeongjikhan felt no aversion to giving his Gil (吉) to others. He was the type to help willingly if it made a difference.
Cha Seung-pyo shuddered as sudden warmth spread through his torso after drinking the coffee.
“Simply put... this café for the deceased functions as a hospital for reapers.”
“Heh... Well, I’ll be...”
Jeongjikhan scratched his forehead awkwardly. Cha Seung-pyo continued with a grave expression:
“And that’s also why I thanked you for aiding the deceased’s ascension.”
“Huh?”
“The two vengeful spirits I captured today were regulars from the Hour of the Rat.”
Two regulars from the Hour of the Rat?
Certain fixed customers arrived like clockwork at 1 a.m. Two had been absent—had they become vengeful spirits?
Seeing Jeongjikhan’s stunned face, Cha Seung-pyo forced a bitter smile.
“This isn’t your fault. Don’t dwell on it.”
“But... how could they...?”
“When the deceased fully comprehend their unresolved earthly grievances, they sometimes turn into evil spirits.”
“......”
“Those two... became vengeful spirits due to overwhelming resentment. A moment later, and they might’ve claimed a living life.”
What resentment could drive someone to murder?
A likely answer surfaced: violent crimes.
Jeongjikhan asked grimly,
“Did those two vengeful spirits... pass to the underworld by your hand?”
“Yes.”
“What becomes of them? Do they burn in hellfire for becoming vengeful spirits?”
“No. Underworld judgment isn’t so simplistic. They assess karma, confirm sins, then assign fitting punishments.”
“If punishments are assigned, do they suffer in hell for eternity?”
“No. Those receiving millennial punishments like in dramas are beyond redemption. Others get lighter sentences and reincarnation chances.”
After hearing this, Jeongjikhan tilted his head.
“So they can’t reach heaven?”
“Heaven depends on how one lives after reincarnation.”
In the end, the mortal world was neither heaven nor hell—merely a transient waiting room for judgment. This was the reality Jeongjikhan inhabited.
Cha Seung-pyo rotated his stiff shoulders.
“Regardless, thank you. Thanks to you, I recovered quickly.”
“Come anytime you need help.”
“I will.”
Cha Seung-pyo stood, checked his condition, then glanced at the counter.
“Cha Ye-won covered today’s shift, right? She didn’t cause problems? With no café experience, she must’ve made mistakes.”
“No broken mugs, and she brewed coffee on time. Though it seemed tasteless.”
“Tasteless? Did the deceased complain?”
“Not... exactly.”
“Tch. I’ll have her work tomorrow too. Teach her proper brewing methods this time.”
Teaching’s fine, but customers won’t approach with a reaper at the counter.
When Jeongjikhan mentioned this, Cha Seung-pyo laughed dismissively.
“I’ll send her before Jasi hour. Is 9 p.m. acceptable? Unless you have plans—”
“No, tomorrow’s fine.”
“Understood. I’ll inform her.”
Cha Seung-pyo gulped his remaining coffee.
“Mr. Jeongjikhan—you claim otherwise, but you’re special.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Not for your dokkaebi traits, looks, or brewing skills.”
“......”
Jeongjikhan rubbed his neck awkwardly at the abrupt praise. Unfazed, Cha Seung-pyo continued:
“You genuinely empathize with others’ pain. You’re rational, responsible, and generous. I value that highly.”
“...Thank you.”
“No—thank you, always.”
