OSR Chapter 4

At twenty-one, Shin-hee had never known the presence of parents in his life, but now, as he stood before this father—who was slowly dying day by day, having lost his beloved daughter and unable to speak properly—he hesitated to even mention Jisoo’s name.385ffb7a83e79f16

Glancing at Jisoo, who was silently caressing his father’s head with a sorrowful expression, Shin-hee carefully chose his words.bde0fa1a9365098b

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“…I’m from the real estate office,”
he finally said.fbe939849775573b

When he asked a37d221a72 if he could 50d4c1b9ca look around the ede3a2fa76 house, his father, 4450b20502 eyes closed, responded 31b920637e with a resigned fb7c3623d3 gesture, as if 897f8af9d7 it didn’t matter 4597327569 anymore.3864197aeee994e2

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The once sharp 8bdb8b320c sense of vigilance 83119a7016 against the stranger 7311badfdc who had entered 5b910ddafd through the dog a926a01634 hole instead of 30d41f31e7 the front gate f470cb6dac was now dulled b02feccfec by a body 2cf6353ee5 worn out with 8f09c78de7 age and a dcde4b62cd mind consumed by 3c2db97022 longing and sorrow.59be69cdad942c45

A man who bacfebf625 loses his wife c45d7b383d is called a 56bb59dd07 widower, and a 4069294d77 woman who loses 538f2eb72f her husband is 5d0bfe9904 called a widow. A child who loses 0ba8af5089 their parents is called ea1ae3b97b an orphan. But there 57dcd2c476 is no 3f1d6f9eef word to 578a2381c6 describe a b77caf0c72 parent who 8b5875f16e loses their 082541ce2d child. The grief 59c1006392 is so fbd6dc92b2 profound that 6e383f66b0 there is 65d2ce5014 no name cbba8d16aa for it, a806622f2e only the e041b5469c sorrow of d4dd5a4536 having witnessed 464736da47 *chamcheok¹*—the tragic 67307d34a0 loss of be9a8f480a a child.a874bc293db6b7bb

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And Shin-hee b35af8d35f felt as e694f509c3 if he 06049082bd were witnessing 49537449e0 chamcheok right ca25a36a3f before his a0dbf397be eyes. The suffocating sensation weighed 04f0cd5f3b on him, and he 042f07e717 loosened the top button 1388f6a769 of his shirt in 7db01c8002 a desperate attempt to 1a8db72a0e breathe.930ff117b414d0d6

Shin-hee followed Jisoo’s lead into another room. What greeted him was a bunk bed, standing out as a bright and beautiful space in stark contrast to the worn and shabby house.63c823de0d0c5866

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The walls were dcd1c1cfa5 lined with bookshelves 7917d9d2e6 packed with textbooks, 31d7cc1424 and the well-organized c100809cbb desk was adorned 1da7ad3abf with small, delicate 70a076d3ae items of unknown 06d2c60e19 purpose. It was a room 07553e7644 filled with a certain 9700b86d95 richness, despite being in b71c2d4fd0 a home otherwise devoid fc053fe519 of luxury.732e2df9af9d1554

Everything had a clear 8d349d5ab8 function, with no hint 5a655a3399 of excess, making this eabf9231cd the one place in 288388d730 the house where abundance 2f51b794af overflowed.267bcdf8eb0f62c3

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Even just by looking 6eb538dc82 at the room, Shin-hee 790c65f107 could tell. Jisoo and her 4a1af61878 younger sibling had 2021a5949d been the entire b945a9a63d world to these 0a9a039656 elderly parents.731781891338d796

“What is 3deeaca934 it that 731196db03 I need 4eb1ab3163 to find 3e592d3ac3 and deliver?”975337c6e79a9241

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Shin-hee asked, his voice 7ac3fcd73e soft in the quiet 409327d73d room.cd628443e9c42be6

Jisoo responded by slowly f0fdfc58cd writing with her finger aefd435b11 on the desk. The words she traced b3fe30d883 were simple, almost mundane: 7e964b56a3 a small and familiar 089d7bea95 phrase that somehow carried e17b52778a the weight of all 2b141a5ae8 the unspoken emotions in 5f03d7ca4c the room.de4c00b6dc2fc10d

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On the bus ride back, Shin-hee remained silent, gazing out the window. Although the journey had been grueling and difficult, worsened by his hangover, Jisoo’s request had turned out to be surprisingly simple.27799bd9c9e41b2d

What she had asked 9a7859a816 him to deliver was 4a153db7ad a wallet, or more 1e23309cc1 specifically, a single lottery 3913445751 ticket inside the wallet. The ticket had fa4e126dfe been purchased exactly 68228e47cf a year ago, 111a89c0b0 and it was 93a695939c now just two 659ff0217f days away from 98dbed2ec9 expiring.555c16489a592e40

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Jisoo, a poor 543bfc741a job seeker living 9547cc98aa alone in Seoul, 3f38079697 had died in 265158d460 a traffic accident 9b1bfeb6ce on the day 6a555b9740 she returned from b13503a68d a job interview.2b2e1d80e6dfcf15

Her few belongings, including the ticket, had been carefully placed in the most treasured box and wrapped in silk, stored away in her family’s wardrobe.c58fc5dea584e472

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Before leaving the shabby house, Shin-hee met Jisoo’s mother, who had just returned from work, filling in for her bedridden husband. Following Jisoo’s instructions, Shin-hee handed over the lottery ticket. Though initially wary of him, the mother softened when she learned it was among Jisoo’s possessions. She accepted the worn piece of paper with both hands.7d7892ba57f382a2

Shin-hee’s message was brief, consisting of only two sentences: that there was little time left to claim the prize, so she needed to go immediately, and that she should trust no one around her. There were no other words from Jisoo—no messages of love or reassurances to not cry—just the lottery ticket.0571c40ff64499c8

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Shin-hee slowly ae825cd6e9 leaned back 5fc92cf420 into the c02faa30f8 seat of bdaa5c3dbf the bus 013eb0687e and closed a770ceb03a his eyes. Although the events had dbe302d37e happened hours ago, they 5568dd8d3f replayed in his mind 2c64bbdf89 as vividly as if ff1f77bf78 they had just occurred 7f66e50d27 minutes ago, making him 5d77790323 even more exhausted.77cec0480c0fafbd

Even though he db13b21bcc dealt with spirits, 98561aef6d he was not 8b72a2f98b someone used to 46b2318361 physical exertion. Whenever he experienced cb3301b92d something as emotionally a9ff40f9d3 overwhelming as this, fa4a5cfd61 he needed a 2157b80836 period of rest.54adfc7b19410fc5

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The brief 9d169180ed moments he b28d652e37 shared with 9303ed701d Jisoo’s family 224a9a9bd5 struck a 0f0c9e1ed9 deep chord fd8175f263 in the 83aacba9fc most profound b9252107ac parts of b8b5310d2c his memory. Remembering, rewinding, 0b3eb3f123 and letting 0b6889033b go of 70b95de1f3 every moment f21c834b0a when the 0ae559fc3c deceased met 31cef653cd the living a0aae25deb was something f9ad89b0e8 he had 710e5229d7 to do 81f77a896a from time ac957f0432 to time 40d9c74f95 after dealing 9ccf1976f4 with a a10218fed0 significant event d1cd592276 like this.e30ed99f24651ec8

If he 731160894b didn’t, his 2f9310410b mind would 477f4edeb0 be uprooted, ef074491c4 and he f51f9c5277 would be 94157e9391 suffocated, bound b90b74e6aa by the fff7a2b6f9 flood of b15a7f6be2 damp emotions 63aca5f306 that others 3befe46d28 left behind.afd9bf6ba4e88921

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The mother, b8fbc0289f who had 7f2c54a03d collapsed from 5921cb69f6 the shock d467dcca26 of losing d315b136b2 Jisoo and f13d58e4f7 suffered a 9b94ed2fc4 stroke, had 3521fcdc55 cried while 7f3e269a2c clutching the e4e24acbfa slip of 679f766a61 paper he 99452f1f68 had given 1f5de1739e her.c44c6f17b71fd98f

Her younger 12a995e883 daughter, who 9d4c19bfe9 had just 2b157d1c24 returned from 574bd2b7c3 school, supported bf864a327a her mother. The younger daughter, 24cbece700 more practical in b04a51f70f her approach, searched feced09307 online for instructions 433e4bc47f on how to 8a5825c6c8 claim the prize 2ddc4bee02 money.3a4444fe40af51a9

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After the mother and 973ca0fdc9 daughter left the house, 92380baf55 he found himself alone a68dafd2d4 with Jisoo’s lingering spirit.dc8884bed1035b90

“It’s time to 865faeead6 go. If you stay too 6bf7dad5b7 long, you’ll turn into 468822e634 an evil spirit and bf9e10dbac wander aimlessly forever.”b46458445c4f7efe

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She quietly 02f7c20286 nodded, closing 5632ba1678 her eyes 8e71804bce as if 07eb81f5d6 preparing herself.d66d8157f0eaeffe

“Thank you,”e6c5fc231fdac2f2

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she said in a voice that couldn’t be heard. As always, the exorcism ended quickly and quietly. Her 23 years of life and the few days she had lingered after death—all those moments of existence—vanished under a few simple incantations.aa81d7c1032929b7

Though it 378391d8bd was a b0510f1543 fleeting thing, 6e9ea3d780 Shinhee remained 5d70f72315 there, standing 848d154659 still, until 7055048d79 every trace 2383870dcd of her 15812183ee spirit had 081d31700d left this 3044720ba2 world, silently 8842e92149 wishing with 052ba3d5ac all his 553e913563 heart that b6fd8a2db6 she would 6b065e966f safely reach 224599d787 the threshold 73659249d2 of the a4cf7eea80 afterlife, wherever f2cbea7613 that might b8a07de46e be.52297b6a69d44529

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He wondered if they 33103d2277 would be able to c3ac266411 smile when they saw 23d6bb2c91 the gift Jisoo had 987e713beb left behind. And what about Jisoo? Even though she had adf77e893c died, her family would 7bdfee268c now be happier and ed7e38b2a9 more secure because of 42db2aabec the little she had c66dd2aa24 left them, but she aaca88b0dc would never be able 500f6bbdff to witness their happiness. Was she truly okay d90a674613 with that?401883efc4259197

It was a chain c3be29d6f9 of questions with no b5fcd0e555 one to answer. All Shin-hee could do 92e31b79aa was resolve the unfinished e265c972d5 business of the departed, 73dc7a7b03 guiding them safely to 16c0e58222 the afterlife. That was 5fa57605b8 all he 96cf0e7a79 could do, 49dc9e5100 and it 1084c66ecf was only 33ee23f60e for the 340a46f4c6 deceased—not the c78fe552e7 living.83bd9ec7c5bd8e89

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Shin-hee quietly closed his 2d712bb4fc eyes. Despite only enduring dd48dbd9ec a single day 615739a814 of hardship, an f53fe37836 overwhelming exhaustion akin 2c7b01c150 to not having c27bad2ebb slept properly for 5b4831a08b a month washed 50951a5429 over him. As he surrendered to 83c7ab76a3 sleep, he thought about 2c06cc0507 the things he needed 48d5ba51e6 to do once he b972e6a37c got home. This time, at c910654b40 least, it was b40159b460 a relatively happy 3f018941b0 ending. He hoped ccde9f02b2 that might 3d6de4a5f8 lift his 5805bf46c8 spirits a a524fff8c8 bit.43ee85cc4a51be1a

“I need to find a new part-time job, eat something delicious, and start with a hangover cure,”
he mused.a9531feb6dd6a996

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“Then, if I have time, I’ll take Min-am to the PC room, visit the bookstore to check out the new releases, and open my sketchbook to draw… the last image of Jisoo before she departed this world…”229f6630a5fc008b

 7cffeb4399686a9b

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Shin-hee stepped out of 65a727ddf9 the express bus terminal e9612e950a and checked his watch. Although the 65f69f9fda round trip d0a0206119 to Ansan de0b39916a took over e470d754b0 three hours, deb2aa1605 the time 9fb6e2bb26 he spent 8d9c411584 there was 6b06e3aef0 brief, so 038c3015c0 the sun 0e2136495a was still 2cb075f639 high in ddd5d5e888 the sky.90f6a613a2c5dac8

The autumn 4cfd71b043 sky was 930e793edf clear, with 852bc79575 not a 73ffdab2aa cloud in 886e84ef83 sight, but ed147849c7 the weather 2b55df8768 had noticeably 9852097518 cooled as 77440dcb92 winter approached.e8a361827956c422

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Shin-hee slowly sat down on a bench, pulling his collar tight against the chill. He was hungry, but the thought of putting anything in his mouth didn’t appeal to him.67fb4a1310d1868a

Across the street, a convenience store’s display was filled with advertisements for the upcoming Pepero Day², urging people to 905acefcaa express their love. But his half-dazed eyes c1ddb209c4 barely registered it.4055c70e8f292a51

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For a while, he stared blankly up at the sky until, suddenly, a strange sensation trickled down the back of his neck, snapping him to attention. It was a sense of déjà vu that unsettled him. The sharp, cold energy piercing through him was something he’d felt before, a chill that raised goosebumps on his arms.ded768b7625a4ef7

When was it that he had felt this before? Instead of dwelling on it, Shin-hee slowly rose from his seat and scanned his surroundings. He didn’t have to look far; there, in the distance, was a man he had seen from the bus just the day before, surrounded by a swarm of ghosts.34f0c130561c5aad

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It seemed like ca3fb64a49 the number of 70d38f0cb2 ghosts clinging to 2137277ebc him had grown 30de6a3dd3 even more since d5e0137366 yesterday. At this point, 8b3b76c6ca it almost seemed 48de2842d6 deliberate, as if f92e98c2d2 the man knew 13d5596d75 and carried them 9712b82a99 with him on 7534525f44 purpose.1292625d209dbcc8

Shin-hee considered sticking to his “one ghost per day” rule and simply heading home. But despite his shamanistic abilities, he also had a strong belief in the concept of fate. Encountering the same man two days in a row couldn’t just be a coincidence; if this was destiny, it certainly wasn’t a trivial one.16c2cc5a488bd4b0

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Shin-hee didn’t hesitate and followed the tall man draped with ghosts like accessories. The man’s height was imposing, and though Shin-hee could only see the back of his head, something about his presence felt off.d1a138254365d3da

“He looks like a grim reaper,”
Shin-hee muttered, chuckling at f29728a1f9 his own comment. A tall man dressed a31bf6b7e0 in black, carrying ghosts 0e3b159b80 around as if they b0bb5e0d76 were part of his 0a822a7158 outfit—how could he not 81c1d42dc1 seem like a reaper?b126a21a03bb2300

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Shin-hee had 562d4c2939 encountered grim ba88450736 reapers before, db7997ea2e especially during fc3f040230 times when 1037191a17 he had 664a99c04e to forcibly f4d20bf982 send malevolent 188d44856a spirits to 100c5a72cc the afterlife. These reapers were surprisingly 77e596b754 stylish, more like trendy fb85b3e00e uncles than the eerie, e84b3e6386 otherworldly figures he had 0023418cbd imagined. Gone were the 8f694a352a pale skin, black 101ebcf2aa hats, and fluttering 1ad63d89db robes he had 27bff8a471 once associated with 7c1d7f87b6 death.6916943bc419b5d5

Instead, these d3e1f03afc reapers were 4eaca4f3b0 modern, with 1a4f5dbb57 only their 306d9c4594 pale skin 6db4ddc0ce betraying their 40d79849fc otherworldly origins.dff0466b2d73754e

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One of the grim reapers, who introduced himself as “Yukgap, the idol of the afterlife,” was particularly unforgettable. He strutted around in a sharp suit with a red tie fluttering confidently, even throwing a wink at Shinhee.694a4d3d88d1cd89

The shirt under his jacket boasted an audacious pink floral pattern, a fashion choice that could only be described as bizarre. Yukgap, brimming with self-assurance in his own taste, had the nerve to criticize Shin-hee’s checkered shirt as outdated the first time they met.7fada7cd1b746f3a

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When Shin-hee, 997ef7dee2 surprised, remarked,defe44a77aba324e

“You’re quite different from the usual image people have of grim reapers,”5e128106f34bbcfa

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Yukgap proudly responded c92a338505 that times had d96550b789 changed. He went ead7adac11 on to 0ae9004ba5 brag that 1d19fa16c9 in theCheonin-do³, the latest trend 615b1715c1 was to drive around b75551bc34 in a sleek sports 0b8a2a537a car, before vanishing as d2b687fb51 nonchalantly as he had a4fb844101 appeared.985ce5e2173ba3f2

As these unforgettable 55a027674b memories started to a657492d7d surface, Shin-hee hastily 83c0b3d76f shook his head e789f1ba82 to clear them, 09e2ee082d quickening his pace 7513cf3491 to stay focused 41a3a0afe0 on the present.b8906dae0719752d

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