Chapter Text
In the second month of his disciplinary demotion, the Jade Emperor summons Park Joong-gil to her opulent office. He is thankful for small favours. If their discussion is to take place in her office and not the conservatory, that would involve real work and hopefully none of her schemes.
She has a task for him.
“There is a newly minted Reaper joining the Escort Team. However, he’s rather… unconventional. I’d like you to keep an eye on him.”
While his former position remains unoccupied, the Director herself has been overseeing the affairs of the Escort Team. Although they frequently work in groups, he still can’t help but think she has something up her embroidered sleeves with this request.
Park Joong-gil remembers the last time the Director directly asked him to oversee a new recruit.
“Is this new Reaper from Hell, too?”
Her full-bellied laugh surprises him.
“No, no. Koo Ryeon was an exceptional case. ‘You don’t meet a girl like that in every dynasty’, as I once heard in a popular movie, but I digress. He is not from Hell. He is simply… unique!”
“Unique,” he repeats warily.
She steeples her fingers and leans forward on the desk.
“I’d like to leave him in your capable hands, Park Joong-gil.”
He bows respectfully. “Yes, Director.”
“Excellent. His partner will be Jeon Bo-yun, so you’ll join and supervise them as a team for the next two months.” Leaning back against her office chair, she gives him a warm and motherly smile. “Please guide the young ones well.”
When they first meet, Kim Han-byul’s eyes are dull, almost lifeless.
They are eyes that spoke of a life of hardship and guarded walls around his heart. The boy’s eyebags could almost rival his own. As the three begin to work together, he slowly emerges from his hardened shell and comes to life, becoming the energetic young man that he is now.
Then, one day he comes to work haggard and distracted. Joong-gil notices knuckles bruised and his jaw discoloured, hastily and poorly hidden by makeup.
Bo-yun beats him to the question.
“What happened to you, Han-byul-ssi?”
Joong-gil wants to give him time and space to explain himself, but the girl is far more concerned and sympathetic. Kim Han-byul seems to wrestle internally before looking straight into her eyes.
"Bo-yun-sunbae, haven’t you heard the rumours about me from the other Jumadeung staff? Aren't you scared of me? Or disgusted by my presence?"
The girl is simply confused.
"Should I be?"
He nods solemnly.
"My father was an Imperial Japanese soldier."
Bo-yun blinks at him several times, startled by the statement. Joong-gil watches from a distance, ready to intervene if need be. This must be why the Director had called him unconventional.
"What?"
"My mother was Korean, but my father was Japanese, and an Imperial soldier. Everyone that knows this doesn't want anything to do with me. That's why I had four Reaper partners walk out on me, until the Jade Emperor assigned you, Bo-yun-sunbae."
"Why did you decide to share all this out in the open?" Park Joong-gil didn't know what to make of his behaviour.
Kim Han-byul looks at both of them, then clasps both of Jeon Bo-yun’s hands in his and presses them to his chest.
"I care about you, Bo-yun-sunbae!" She blushes at the sudden declaration. "I don't want you to find out later and hate me for not telling you myself. I've decided to always be honest, because secrets have always destroyed everything I loved in my past life."
Park Joong-gil crosses his arms and sighs. At least the boy had his heart in the right place, even if he was brutally honest about it.
Bo-yun tries to process his words carefully.
"Were you an Imperial Japanese soldier too?"
"Nah, I was only ever a poor Korean farm boy until I died." Han-byul gives a relieved sigh when neither he nor Bo-yun show any sign of repulsion or hostility and finally smiles for the first time that day. “But who knew wars and politics follow into the afterlife too, huh?”
“Hang in there, Han-byul-ssi.” Bo-yun frees her hands from his grip and once again covers them with hers, clutching them tight. “We know you’re a good person inside. Fighting!”
After working together as a three person unit for a full month, Park Joong-gil has started to feel more like a glorified babysitter than an Escort Team supervisor. The end of the second month couldn’t come faster.
Kim Han-byul has become a handful.
It could be due to his youth, since he passed on at a comparable age to Jeon Bo-yun, or it could be that he has become comfortable enough around them to act and speak so frankly.
At times, the young man reminds him of the Risk Management Team’s Choi Jun-woong. They’re both tall, boisterous overgrown puppies with far too much energy for their own good. How Koo Ryeon took care of that boy for over five months he’ll never know.
While the young man does a professional job (most of the time), he has also become too upbeat and chatty to keep up with. He snacks at any and every moment possible and sometimes speaks in confusing internet slang because he spends far too much time on his personal phone.
(No, that last one was not speculation. The boy happily admitted to Jeon Bo-yun that he spends at least four hours a day watching funny videos online.
“You’d never believe what these living souls are up to these days, Bo-yun-sunbae! I can’t keep up!”
“Hehe, I can barely keep up with you, Han-byul-ssi!”
“You’re super cute, Bo-yun-sunbae!”
“Ah, please don’t tease me!”
He wants to vomit recalling this particular memory.)
There are three concrete reasons why Park Joong-gil has come to dislike Kim Han-byul, in addition to the myriad other options to choose from.
Firstly: Kim Han-byul has the most obvious crush on Jeon Bo-yun, and shows absolutely no subtlety about it. It was alarming to realise and witness, similar to watching a school boy fret over the girl he likes without doing anything substantial.
Park Joong-gil is fond of Jeon Bo-yun.
Not only did he escort her to the afterlife himself, he has witnessed her growth since then and feels immensely proud. She is a dedicated Reaper, and a pleasure to work with.
There is something almost comforting in watching the way she guides departed souls. She greets them gently, like an old friend they haven’t seen in years and patiently answers any questions they may have. Jeon Bo-yun reminds him of the morning sun, makes him think of that metaphorical light people often describe seeing at the end of their life.
Rather than being overwhelmed with how bright her aura can be like Kim Han-byul, her innocent positivity is infectious. Even in his most irritable moods due to his ongoing battle with insomnia and Kim Han-byul’s existence, her presence is a soothing balm.
He feels a strangely paternal urge to protect her.
As they await the elevators at the Jumadeung atrium, Joong-gil notices the young man shifting uncomfortably on his feet. Han-byul takes out a small packet of chips seemingly from out of nowhere and offers the open packet to Bo-yun.
“Do you want some, Bo-yun-sunbae?”
Bless the girl, she simply shakes her head and refuses for the fifth time that very day.
“No, thank you, Han-byul-ssi. Are you feeling hungry, again?”
He nods and tries to pout. It’s uncomfortable watching a six foot tall young man try to act like a cute puppy to the girl he likes. Joong-gil feels embarrassed watching them.
“I’m always hungry, Bo-yun-ssi. I guess it has something to do with the way I died. I did starve to death, afterall.”
“Oh!”
Secondly: Kim Han-byul has no verbal filter.
“Kim Han-byul, it’s impolite to drop such personal information in casual conversation.” Despite the pounding headache signalling the start of another migraine, Joong-gil refuses to massage his temples out in the open. He simply clenches his jaw harder.
“Oh… ahaha… Sorry Sir, I didn’t realise.”
“It’s okay, Han-byul-ssi.” Sweet Bo-yun pats the young man gently on the shoulder. “At least you know not to do it now, right? You’re a fast learner afterall.”
He nods fervently, probably wagging an imaginary tail at her.
Joong-gil almost pities him, he was so obvious. Bo-yun turns to Joong-gil and takes a deep breath, most probably about to launch into another distraction technique so he doesn’t snap and strangle her junior.
“Team Man– I mean, Sunbae! Would you like to hear about this one time where my Unnie and I…”
Bless her, Jeon Bo-yun is a soothing balm to his tired mind.
That was, until her story suddenly stops and she looks off in the distance, excitedly calling out, “Team Manager Koo!”
Park Joong-gil discovers his last and most important reason to dislike Kim Han-byul that day: He was obsessed with Koo Ryeon.
Ever since he briefly met the woman, Kim Han-byul has been constantly bringing her up, describing himself as “her number one fan.” Park Joong-gil doesn’t understand why the boy wants to become an electrical appliance, but he doesn’t want to think too hard about it either.
“Did you know that I chose to go to the Jumadeung Afterlife Division because of Team Manager Koo Ryeon? She’s basically legendary at the Training Centre, everyone knows her there.”
“Right?” Even Bo-yun was joining along with his antics. “Even though Team Manager Park will always be the person I admire most, I’ve always thought Team Manager Koo’s super cool!
It was mostly harmless, and at first, even heart-warming to see how much support and admiration Ryeon has from this younger generation of Grim Reapers. He wouldn’t mind listening to them singing her praises every so often.
He’s been so busy between supervising duties and his own work that he hasn’t had time to seek her out and see her. Hearing about her would have to make do as a weak substitute instead.
There was only so much he could listen to though, without starting to feel annoyed.
Kim Han-byul would not stop talking about her. If he was a puppy following Jeon Bo-yun before, he acts the part of a devout follower praising his Goddess Koo Ryeon every chance he could.
“Team Manager Koo has such a kind heart, to help souls the way she does. I could never take that kind of pressure day in and day out. To think there’s such a thing as a Grim Reaper who saves people, can you believe that?”
“Not at first,” he absentmindedly replies, as they walk the hospital corridors to collect the soul departing soon.
“Oh yeah, that’s why you hated them at first, right?”
Joong-gil stops in his tracks and turns back to look at the boy. Bo-yun stiffens, anxiously looking between him and Han-byul. Han-byul’s eyes widen, sensing he’s made a mistake.
“Where did you hear that?” Joong-gil asks quietly.
“There– uh… was some Book Management Team staff talking about it, when I sent in some reports. They also told me you tried to sabotage the–”
“Han-byul-ssi!” She elbows him in the ribs. “That was a while back, please don’t bring up such matters! Team Man– Sunbae has already been punished for it!”
“I am being punished for it.” Park Joong-gil steps closer to Kim Han-byul, and the boy shrinks in his spot. “Otherwise, I would be the Escort Team Manager. However, I am also returning to my post in a matter of months, so do keep that in mind.”
“Yes, Sir.” He replies in a small voice.
They carry out the rest of the mission in blissful silence.
The subtle warning worked.
Kim Han-byul became a lot more tolerable, even if he still couldn’t stop talking about the Risk Management Team and their beautiful leader. He has also become more adept at reading his Supervisor’s mood and adjusting himself accordingly.
They lean against the apartment complex rooftop railings, taking a breather for a moment before they go to escort the next soul who lives one floor down in less than four minutes' time.
“I heard the Risk Management team saved someone really important today! Some important politician or something like that. Imagine the state of our country and the political climate if they hadn’t!”
Bo-yun takes a biscuit from the open packet in his hand and hums, enjoying the chocolate flavour before hitting him with the bitter truth.
“Han-byul-ssi, you know that’s not why they do the things that they do, right?”
“Really, Bo-yun-sunbae?”
“They don’t do it for prestige, or anything like that.” Park Joong-gil takes over the conversation. “Every life is precious, that is all.”
Han-byul chews thoughtfully for a moment, swallowing before he continues talking. “But that kind of makes me curious, what if they save a bad person?”
He subtly takes a deep breath. The bitingly cold night, a lonely road and her conflicted eyes flash in his mind… as well as the mocking echoes of his own words.
“The Risk Management Team saves these kinds of people too?”
“What’s important is that they save them. We Reapers do not control fate, or interfere with the free will of the Living. The Risk Management Team simply ensures the people they save live out their designated lifespan.”
He looks back at the silent kids and finds them staring. Bo-yun looks inspired, Han-byul looks shocked.
“What is it?”
“You’re so cool, Team Manager Park!”
He can’t help but chuckle.
“Bo-yun-ssi…”
“Sorry, sorry! I just respect you so much it comes out naturally.”
She’s much too sweet to be a Grim Reaper.
Although it first came from a place of respect and admiration, Park Joong-gil had a sinking feeling that Kim Han-byul’s fixation with Ryeon was becoming less and less innocent and platonic.
As they walk the pathway up to the next departing soul’s house, Kim Han-byul suddenly stops to admire the red camellias blooming in the gardens. Jeon Bo-yun gives him a questioning look and he blushes, chuckling shyly.
“These flowers remind me of Team Manager Koo’s eyes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, they’re always surrounded by that gorgeous shade of red.”
Park Joong-gil clamps his jaw tight, but the words still escape him.
“That I picked.”
“Did you say something, sir?”
“Nothing. Hurry up.”
Park Joong-gil never had to compete with other suitors. He and Koo Ryeon met as children, fell in love and never looked at anyone else. He spent his time protecting the border, she spent her time protecting his home. Even when he was away on duty, he never had to worry about other men so much as even try to flirt with the Chief Officer’s wife.
Everyone knew how devoted they were to each other. Everyone knew that if their tongues slipped, they may have it cut out by his sword.
And here was this brat talking about her eyes.
He wants to choke the boy.
Kim Han-byul is walking behind him with Jeon Bo-yun as usual, but he has been checking his phone every few minutes or so. He tries to be subtle, but fails spectacularly. Park Joong-gil sighs, about to reprimand him when the boy suddenly speaks.
“Do you think Team Manager Koo will accept gifts if they’re just left on her desk at the Risk Management Team office?”
He has no idea what Kim Han-byul is up to now, but he doesn’t like the direction of this conversation. Jeon Bo-yun doesn’t seem to realise and encourages him regardless.
“I think it depends on what it is. Are you thinking of buying Team Manager Koo something?”
“Yeah!”
“Why?”
The kids jump at his voice. Han-byul awkwardly looks away and starts rambling.
“Well… I was shopping online, and I saw this one oversized Gucci sweater that I think Team Manager Koo would like. Team Manager Koo has such a unique vibe when it comes to fashion, and it’s something I’ve been getting into lately. I mean, not that I can wear anything but black on the job anyway… but she does! And I look forward to seeing what outfits Team Manager Koo is wearing every time I see her, so I thought–”
Park Joong-gil stops walking and the two follow suit. He turns and gives Han-byul a hard, long stare. Bo-yun shifts uncomfortably beside him.
“Please refrain from thinking about a superior’s clothing choices.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Do not send her gifts.”
“Oh… okay?”
Park Joon-gil narrows his eyes. “And control your crush on Team Manager Koo.”
The boy turns bright red. “I don’t have a–”
“Or else .”
With that, he spins on his heel and storms off.
The trio are back to where this story starts, right at the Jumadeung atrium elevators. Joong-gil is studying the information on his tablet, preparing himself for the next departing soul. Jeon Bo-yun is enjoying an unusual flavour of candy her junior had introduced when she suddenly lights up at a distant sight. Kim Han-byul looks over the same way and whistles low.
“Oh Mama, hot damn…”
He does not have the patience to deal with this today. “What?”
Kim Han-byul purses his lips for a second, hesitates, but still blurts out, “Team Manager Koo looks hot today.”
Park Joong-gil looks up and spots her in the distance. His heart skips a beat. She looks breath-taking as always, but there was something extra radiant about her today. Maybe it was because she’s wearing white.
He should be enjoying these warm feelings, and yet a tidal wave of anger rises up and washes over him at the boy instead. He is scandalised that Han-byul would vocalise such improper thoughts out loud, out of earshot of the intended recipient and in front of other people, including men.
‘Do not choke him, do not choke him, do not choke him–’
Ignorant to his superior’s inner struggle, Han-byul simply carries on, muttering more to himself than anything.
“Ah, Team Manager Koo’s so pretty, I wanna marry her.”
He clenches his fists, stuffs them in his trouser pockets. ‘He’s just a boy, a very dumb boy, do not–'
"And in those boots and skirt, Mommy looks like she got cake .”
He has no idea what that means.
But this boy needs to die.
There’s a blur, screams and a crash against one of the Jumadeung pillars.
Park Joong-gil holds Kim Han-byul in a chokehold against the cold marble with one hand, an indescribable fury on his face. The boy is pale as a sheet and shaking. Bo-yun watches in horror from a distance.
"You will do well to respect your senior staff, especially if they are a Team Manager.”
There was a crowd gathering. Frightened whispers erupt. Some take out their phones, but he couldn’t care less. He wasn’t done yet.
“Do not besmirch a woman’s dignity. Do not detail your disgusting fantasies out loud. And do not talk provocatively about another man's woman."
“Park Joong-gil!”
He turns and there she is. He drops the boy like a hot potato.
“Ryeon-a, I–”
“RYEON-A?!”
He sends Han-byul a death glare.
A few in the crowd squeal and giggle. Someone slaps money into another person’s hand. Murmurs and speculation spread like wildfire.
He suddenly, vividly remembers villagers surrounding them as he threatens gossip mongers with his sword. He feels like history is repeating itself.
Why was his self-control so poor when it came to her?
Why did he keep hurting her like this?
“Park Joong-gil…” Her voice was soft, and her expression reproachful.
He sighs, turns back to the young reaper and offers him a hand to stand back up. The boy is too busy gaping back and forth between the two of them to notice at first, before he finally takes it to get up.
The two men stand side by side, in front of Koo Ryeon, the woman who holds both their affections.
She turns to the boy first, glances down at his staff ID card.
“Kim… Han-byul, was it?”
It feels like watching a mere mortal experience the Divine for the first time. It was obvious to anyone who has eyes that he’s resisting the urge to scream.
“Yes, Team Manager Koo!”
“Don’t give your superior a hard time.”
Ryeon places a hand on Joong-gil’s upper arm and gives it a quick squeeze. He looks down in disbelief. He can’t remember the last time they made any physical contact in this afterlife.
“And you.”
Joong-gil looks up from her hand to her face, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable and exposed in front of this large crowd.
“Yes?”
The disappointment he noticed earlier has faded and is replaced with solid understanding. The hand on his arm gives him another squeeze. It was so warm and gentle, he’s missed her touch so much–
“Stop choking everyone.”
Was that… a pout?
Was Koo Ryeon really pouting at him?
Why was she pouting at him for something like– Oh.
“Do you want them to add more months to your punishment?”
Ah, yes. She has a valid point there.
“I’m sorry.”
Her face softens.
“I’m not the one you should apologise to.”
They both turn to the boy still gaping at them. Park Joong-gil feels exactly the same way he did when he was chastised by her in the past. The words seem stuck in his throat, but with a small questioning head tilt from Ryeon, he recovers quickly. He nods back at her, then bows his head to the younger Reaper.
“Kim Han-byul, I apologise sincerely for my earlier actions–”
“No, no, no, it’s okay, Sir!” He vigorously shook his head and hands, bright red from the tip of his ears to the bottom of his neck. “I was completely out of line! All this time, I had no idea you two were so passionately in love and dating!”
He– What?
Jeon Bo-yun squeaks and suddenly appears in front of them, almost attacking Han-byul. She smacks and covers his mouth with one hand, grabs him by the hair on the back of his head with the other, and forces him down to his knees onto the floor with her.
“We’re so sorry for everything today, Team Man– Park Joong-gil-sunbae! We’ll be going now!”
He would never imagine the day that sweet and small Jeon Bo-yun would manhandle a fully grown man a full head taller than her. She drags Han-byul away by the ear in one hand, a handful of his collar in the other. He stumbles along to try and match their height difference as she chastises him under her breath, trying not to draw further attention to them.
“Well…” Joong-gil immediately misses the warmth of Ryeon’s hand as she finally takes it away and crosses her arms. “They’re certainly… active. Jeon Bo-yun seems to be taking after you too.”
He feels like a proud father at that comment.
With the show almost over and almost no one wanting to see Park Joong-gil and Koo Ryeon making bedroom eyes at each other, the chattering crowd finally disperses. Assistant Manager Lim Ryung-gu steps forward and greets the other man, ever her faithful shadow.
“All this chaos reminds me of when Jun-woong-ssi was still around.” Ryung-gu chuckles. “If only we had more energetic people like that, work would be a lot easier. Do you think you could spare Kim Han-byul for the RM Team?”
“No.”
Park Joong-gil doesn’t want to even think about Kim Han-byul spending most of his time with Koo Ryeon when he can barely see her as is. Turning back to his beautiful former/future wife, he bows his head low.
“Team Manager Koo Ryeon… I would like to once again sincerely apologise for the terrible commotion this morning. I once again lost control of my emotions, I’m ashamed of myself.”
“Did he really deserve it?” Ryung-gu shamelessly interjects, blatantly curious.
Looking up, Park Joong-gil frowns, but acquiesce to the fact that he and Ryeon won’t be having a private conversation afterall.
“He said… things I’d rather not repeat. Please forgive me as his supervisor and senior, I should have taught him better manners.”
Ryeon steps closer and looks up at him, the teasing glint in her eyes back again.
“Well, I’m sure that boy will think twice next time before he talks about my ass again.”
“He was… talking about… that?"
Park Joong-gil is speechless. Only the sound of Ryeon’s breathy chuckles calm him down, the sudden urge to find and end Kim Han-byul quickly fading away.
Lim Ryung-gu mischievously smirks at him.
“By the way, did you really say ‘another man’s woman’? Wow… how bold. ”
He was saved from answering (and probably murdering) the other man by a sudden vibration from his work phone. “Please excuse me.”
He had a message from Kim Han-byul:
[We’ll take over all your work for today! Please take it as an apology for being so noisy and interfering with your love life!]
Then another one comes in:
[Oh… Bo-yun-ssi just told me you’re not dating Team Manager Koo yet.]
And another one:
[I can still see how much you love her though. Fighting, Sir!]
Ryeon’s soft voice breaks through his homicidal haze again.
“If you keep grinding your teeth like that, you’ll give yourself a migraine.”
Joong-gil groans and consciously tries to loosen the muscles in his jaw. Finding it ineffective, he finally allows himself the freedom to massage the angle of it instead with his middle and index fingers.
“It seems it's too late for that. How did you ever put up with Choi Jun-woong and his antics?"
“He wasn’t that bad.” Ryeon protests.
Her Assistant Manager snorts.
“He wasn’t that bad, later on.” Ryung-gu corrects her.
“Yes, well… I guess in the beginning, I just had a lot of patience. And coffee.”
Checking her own phone for a second, Ryeon snaps it shut and signals Lim Ryung-gu with a look. The man seems to resist the urge to laugh, but respectfully bows his head to the both of them regardless.
“I’ll take my leave first.” He makes a peace sign and walks off.
Joong-gil feels like he is missing something.
“Want to go get some?”
He blinks and stares, a little confused.
“Coffee?”
“Coffee.” Ryeon gives him the most adorable grin. “I know a good place.”
Koo Ryeon was inviting him for coffee. His work for the day was covered by his subordinates. This was an extremely rare opportunity.
Considering all that had transpired today, he hopes this is an acceptable move on his part.
Eyes on her at all times, Park Joong-gil tentatively takes her left hand, holding it loose enough that she can easily break free. Ryeon stares back. He slowly and steadily brings it up between their chests, then leans down to gently brush his lips against her knuckles.
Ryeon holds completely still.
He finishes with a soft kiss to her ring finger.
Her breath hitches.
"I'd be delighted, Team Manager Koo."
Her breathy laugh and lingering smile makes all the terrible feelings of the morning go away, replaced with warmth and light instead. Even after she reluctantly takes her hand back, they closely walk side by side, closer than they ever have in the Afterlife.
Park Joong-gil supposes there’s something to be learned from Kim Han-byul’s earnest openness.