377 The Spirit Of Wol Kang 1 (2/2)
Although it was slightly amusing coming from a dead person, Juho resisted the urge to chuckle and asked, ”About what?”
”How to get on your nerves.”
”C' mon, Mr. Kang. Can't you go easy on me?”
”I'm not telling you the ending,” Wol said playfully and mischievously.
”If you keep bringing me boring stuff to talk about, you won't be seeing me for much longer.”
”How is this boring? It's part of the story that you left unfinished.”
”Because I've finished writing it.”
At the unexpected response, Juho's eyes widened. Flabbergasted, he asked, ”What do you mean you finished writing it?”
”And, I buried it somewhere,” Wol said.
”I'm sorry?”
”I wonder if it's turned into a fossil by now.”
”Is this all true, Mr. Kang?”
At that moment, Wol turned around and observed the young author's expression. Then, he burst into laughter, holding his sides.
”I mean, you could try digging the cabbage patch.”
Looking at Wol cackling, Juho started to make sense of Hyun Do's att.i.tude toward the author. At which point, Juho chuckled quietly. Plunking down on the sand, Wol started to grumble about how cold the ground was.
”We could just go inside, you know.”
”I'm out here for a reason.”
”And what would that be?”
”To get some air.”
It was wasn't a very interesting reason. Sighing, Juho walked up to him, and standing next to him, he said, ”I went to see Mrs. Baek today.”
Remaining silent, Wol stared into the ocean.
”She told me that she saw your spirit.”
”Ah.”
Wol's last moment had been rather quiet and uneventful. Juho looked at Wol, who was exuding joy.
”That was me, all right,” Wol said. Then, before Juho had time to speak, he added, ”I made sure that she knew I was saying goodbye.”
”Did you see yourself?” Juho asked, and Wol looked at the young author with sharp eyes.
”Did you see what your spirit looked like?” Juho asked again.
”You really know how to ask the right questions, don't you?”
”Is that a compliment?” Juho asked.
”What do you think?” Wol replied light-heartedly. Then, he said something he had never said up to that point, ”I don't know.”
As Juho opened his mouth to speak, Wol interjected yet again, saying, ”... That's what you wanna hear, right? You're just trying to get me to say something, aren't you?”
”But, you don't really know, do you?”
”What makes you think that?”
”Because you're dead.”
Laughing frivolously, Wol said, ”Aren't you a rude one.”
”I'm sorry.”
”I like you, kid,” Wol said, lying flat on the sand under the fierce wind. Seeing the wave drawing near, Juho warned the unsuspecting author. However, Wol didn't move a muscle. Drowning in weather like that was bound to be lethal. It wouldn't be weird if one had a series of heart attacks back to back. At that moment...
”You're right,” Wol confessed. ”I don't know what I looked like in Yun Seo's eyes because I was dead. I lost the one and only opportunity to see what my spirit looks like. It's a b.u.mmer, really.”
Since being diagnosed with tuberculosis, Wol had known that he hadn't had much time left. He knew what it felt like to get eaten away from within by the disease.
”That's why you started writing that book, right?”
”I wrote in a hurry too.”
”But you couldn't finish it.”
”Well, that was me,” Wol said, his hair blowing in all directions. ”That story was left incomplete on purpose because it best represents who I am. I'm a free soul. I can end my story however I want. On top of that, I get to experience it myself because life is long. Think about it: a story with a predetermined ending. Where's the fun in that?”
Then, a certain thought occurred to Juho, which he brought up promptly, ”Were you by any chance…”
”You don't think I'm some moron who can't even finish writing a book within a week, do you?” Wol asked with both of his hands behind his head. The tips of his fingers were turning pale. ”Although, I wouldn't have thought in my dreams that I'd die a week later. Man, thinking back to that moment still terrifies me. My body still remembers what it feels like to suffocate in its own blood. Maybe that's why I have trouble sleeping at night.”
”You go to sleep at night?”
”Well, I'm a person, and a person's gotta sleep.”
Juho couldn't tell where Wol was being serious and where he wasn't. At which point, Juho felt a strong urge to sigh. However, it wasn't long before that urge turned to laughter.
”Mr. Lim seems to have trouble sleeping at night as well.”
”He's way too sensitive.”
With the exception of the wave breaking in the distance, the beach sank into silence. Juho looked down at Wol and said, ”The protagonist is going to kill his customer.”
”Grim, isn't it?” Wol said. Then, unfazed, he asked, ”What makes you think that?”
”What really needs to happen is that he needs to see a spirit so that he realizes that he did something that he can never undo. Only then, will a foolish person realize their own folly.”
Juho had been made certain of that during his conversation with Yun Seo. There had to be a reason why Wol had made the protagonist completely devoid of morality, and Juho had shared his thought on that with Yun Seo as he exited her room. Juho observed Wol's demeanor, waiting for his reaction. Then…
”It's getting cold here,” Wol said.
”Cold?”
At that moment, to the young author's shock, he noticed Wol's feet were completely wet.
”I know you're already dead and all, but this can't be good! Are you OK, Mr. Kang!?”
”Do I sound OK?”
”Well, what are you doing lying down, then!? Get up!”
At that, Wol stood up reluctantly. Then, looking up at the sky, he said, ”Huh! I didn't realize how late it was! You're fun to talk to kid, I'll give you that.”
”Is that right?”
”Maybe it's because you've died once.”
At that moment, the beach became engulfed by the dark. The Sun had gone down. It was night, and an enormous moon was in the sky.
”Was the water cold?” Wol asked.
”Cold enough to kill me,” Juho replied after some time. Wol let out a dry chuckle.