INV 20

Kwon Yihyeon hurriedly chased after Reaper Gwak.

And when he stopped in front of the third crosswalk, caught by the third traffic light, he thought:

‘To think a city made of a glass dome could float…’

He had observed it while crossing three different crosswalks, and as expected, the horizon was not visible beyond the glass dome.

The only thing reflected in Kwon Yihyeon’s pupils was the firmament itself.

The 21st century. Technology. And the occult.

Could it be this fantastic when those three elements fall into place? Beneath the glass dome, buildings form a forest, and next to a park drawing a gentle ridge, cars at the asphalt-paved intersection beep their horns—Honk, honk. Peering inside a bus stopped at a green light, he sees a modified-hanbok-wearing villain holding a long pipe, puffing out smoke—Puff, puff—only to be dragged out by the hair by the bus driver. He was momentarily distracted by the bus driver planting an American-football-style tackle into the modified-hanbok villain’s gut, and before he knew it, the back of Reaper Gwak’s head was out of sight. Even though Kwon Yihyeon knew he shouldn’t, he was soaked in an inexplicable lyricism and silently raised his head to look at the sky. They say the sky is deep blue now because the morning sun is up, but how will this scenery change when the sun sets? Or when the dawn breaks?

Of all things, the world was so blue that his eyes began to sting again. Even though Kwon Yihyeon feels like running away whenever he sees something insanely beautiful.

Nonetheless, he had a premonition that he might end up loving this scene. Perhaps it would take a long time to love it, and even after loving it, he would occasionally hate it, get annoyed, feel frustrated, and want to look for stomach medicine, but he didn’t have to care about that this very moment. Kwon Yihyeon already liked this world a little bit. Because of that, he felt a sudden surge of fear, and his stomach churned.

Truly unrealistic, but truly 21st-century-like.

The Underworld. Afterlife Company. The Company.

This place where the modified-hanbok villain and the bus driver were having a showdown…

Was the world Kwon Yihyeon had to live in from now on.

“Hey, you punk! Do you know how old I am!”

“I’ve achieved youth restoration.”

“Ah. My apologies, big sister.”

The modified-hanbok villain prostrated himself flat on the ground and bowed, while the bus driver let out an indifferent snort—Snort—then sat in the driver’s seat and sounded the horn. It was a signal asking if he was going to cross or not.

It seemed to be because he was standing awkwardly in front of the crossing even though the yellow light was blinking.

Still, he was afraid to readily step forward, but,

“Hey, hey. Newbie. Fresh meat. You punk, what the hell are you doing not following your superior’s tail? Are you determined to get lost from day one? Are you the son of a bitch who came to ruin my performance evaluation?”

Reaper Gwak, who had woven back through the crowd at a fast pace, pointed irritably at the blinking yellow light as if to make a point.

Strangely, as soon as Reaper Gwak appeared, the bus driver stopped honking and began to quietly look into the distance. Pedestrians who had been passing by while subtly glaring at Kwon Yihyeon, who was standing tall and blocking the way near the crosswalk, also took a long detour after seeing Reaper Gwak’s fit. Even so, Reaper Gwak barked—Woof, woof—as if that were only natural.

He thought he would be the only outsider here. But he wasn’t.

Reaper Gwak was an odd bastard after all.

And for Kwon Yihyeon, that much certainty was enough.

“Yes, I’m coming, I’m going.”

The stationary Oxford shoes began to walk—Clack, clack. Toward the transparent building that reflected light to a surprising degree.

⋆˙⟡

Newbies occasionally fall under an illusion. The illusion that the first day of work is a grand event. Especially in cases where they get into a large corporation, there are quite a few who believe that their lives will change just by going to work.

Not a chance. Going to work is nothing more than the opening run on the road to hell. However, newbies who haven’t been scrubbed by a mentor don’t know that, so they give off a scent of greenness. It’s called excitement. It’s called fantasy.

Kwon Yihyeon had something like that, too. He doesn’t now, though.

It didn’t take long for the fantasy to shatter.

“Ah, so I’m asking why you won’t let us in? Is it etched into the Underworld regulations? Does it say to treat Gwak Deuk-cheon like a total joke whenever you see him?”

While Kwon Yihyeon’s motivation scattered white like a breath…

At the entrance of the towering building in the center of the city, the Afterlife Company headquarters, Reaper Gwak was throwing a temper tantrum like a Tosa dog with rabies.

“Why, I said. Why. Fuck, hey. Do I look like a pushover to you? Is the experience I’ve eaten here a joke? Look at this. Are you pissed? Why? If I leave you alone, are you gonna hit me? Let go. Ah, let go of me. Let’s see what happens. I gotta see to know, fuck. What are you gonna do if you clench your fist? My mood is at an all-time high, so let go of me so I can see if I die from getting beaten to a pulp!”

‘Is this guy a lunatic?’

Nothing much had happened until just now. It was only that the security guard at the entrance told them to step back for inspection, but from that moment, Reaper Gwak had been lying down and throwing a fit, chanting a tantrum.

For the record, it wasn’t a joke; he actually lay down.

He wondered if he wore the old suit just for this.

Traffic congestion occurred due to the mess unfolding in front of the main gate. Everyone stared at the prostrate Reaper Gwak and Kwon Yihyeon as they passed by. No, it would be lucky if they just passed; some people were even seen lining up in the lobby to watch. What is it? Is it because the person wearing sunglasses is tall that he particularly catches the eye? Or is it because his gaze feels unpleasant?

He tried to eavesdrop on the onlookers’ chatter, but they were covering their mouths, so he couldn’t catch their pronunciation. Kwon Yihyeon feels he can’t tell if this is because of him or because of Reaper Gwak. He is just embarrassed.

While he rubbed his heated face with all ten fingers, an office worker who followed late joined their hands together desperately and explained the situation as if almost begging, but Reaper Gwak didn’t even pretend to listen, picking his ear with his pinky finger before blowing away the earwax—Phew.

‘He really is a lunatic…’

“P-Please don’t be like this, Reaper Gwak. A report will go to the higher-ups…”

“Forget it. Move. Now! When a superior speaks, you should understand it the first time! What’s the point of following an antiquated system?”

No, you punk. Kwon Yihyeon thought decisively. A company definitely needs a system. If the Underworld has a fault, isn’t it just that they haven’t fired Reaper Gwak? What crime did the deceased commit to have to meet a Grim Reaper like Reaper Gwak?

At that moment, Reaper Gwak rubbed his bleary eyes roughly and opened them wide.

“Do I look like a joke to you?”

“Oh dear. It’s not like that.”

“Then does the Jae Angshin look like a joke to you?”

“…”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Everyone looked at Kwon Yihyeon. Kwon Yihyeon couldn’t hold back the hiccups that welled up.

Hic. Hic. Hic.

But Reaper Gwak didn’t show a single sign of surprise and simply snapped back fiercely.

“Did you think that if you poked a madman who crawled into enemy territory on his own feet, he would just stammer and smile while being treated unfairly? Or are you on the side of the total nutcase who said we should start by locking up and torturing a human who is being cherished as a groom?”

He poured out words as if it were meant to be this way from the start, and Kwon Yihyeon couldn’t even close his slightly parted lips in bewilderment. It seemed the conflict within the Afterlife Company due to Kwon Yihyeon’s existence was more intense than he had imagined.

Since that guy Park Seongjun didn’t warn him separately, he didn’t know, so he wanted to throw a tantrum and ask to call it off, but the world does not give opportunities to recant so easily. That is the way of things. Even in an Ale-kkagi match bet on a meal, you have to beg to get one chance to take back a move; there’s no way a job placement with fate on the line could be recanted so easily.

Especially not at this moment, standing awkwardly in enemy territory.

Despite talking about things related to Kwon Yihyeon, Reaper Gwak, who hadn’t spared Kwon Yihyeon a single glance, pierced the office worker’s eyes for a moment before closing one eye. Only after Reaper Gwak closed one eye was the office worker able to breathe, coughing violently—Cough, cough—and Reaper Gwak looked on indifferently before muttering.

“…Aha, I think I roughly know which side it is.”

He didn’t know the method, but Reaper Gwak, who had broken the office worker’s spirit just by looking, jumped up, dusted off his knees, and began to dig through the massive security team.

At the end of the path he cleared by bumping with his lanky shoulders and sometimes using his hands to push aside chests, there was a glass main door, and beyond it, a wide lobby stretched out.

And in the next moment, without a single bit of preparation, Reaper Gwak struck the glass door with his fist. Crunch! A sound of breaking echoed, and cracks went—Crack—through the onlookers’ heads. Unlike what was visible, the scenery beyond the glass was likely safe, but an earthquake-like crack had formed on the glass door, and Reaper Gwak glared at the onlookers as if he would kill them.

“I don’t care what you’re relying on to pull this shit, but unfortunately, I’m not an idiot. You son of a bitch. Shut up and get over here. Before I break your shins.”

If he had seen such a scene at the charcoal-grilled pork rib place he often went to with Park Seongjun, Kwon Yihyeon would never have intervened, even if he died.

He knew that made him a coward and selfish, but Kwon Yihyeon was too precious to himself to die for someone else. It’s the same now. He could just let him run wild on his own and break his hand. But because that guy Reaper Gwak happened to give a hint. Because he felt like he was taking his side here, even if he didn’t know what it was…

Kwon Yihyeon ended up intervening in the mess.

“Ha. Look here. Give me your hand.”

“What? Hey. Kid. You stay out of this. Where do you think you’re going when an elder is proceeding…”

“You’ve got glass in it, you man!”