As Giju Wishes – Chapter 7.5

Author: nicotine

“Hey, get lost.”

Choi Geon didn’t even look at the person who came out; he immediately checked the shoes in the entryway. One of Shin Giju’s shoes was sitting right there. Now he had plenty of justification for assault. Choi Geon immediately grabbed the collar of the man who was clutching his shoulder asking who he was and slammed him against the wall.

Thump—

“Ugh.”

“Answer me properly, you fucker. If you lie, I’ll smash your head with this. Try me if you think I’m bluffing.”

As he spoke murderously with his intimidating physique, the thin, short man swallowed hard in terror. It was because his gaze looked like he truly might kill him.

“Where is the owner of these shoes.”

Choi Geon said, tapping Giju’s shoe with his foot. The quick-witted man grasped the situation instantly. This was definitely someone who had come to rescue the sucker they’d caught. Usually, in these cases, they try to proselytize together, but the man in front of him looked like he wouldn’t fall for that at all. From experience, the only way to avoid trouble was to just let them go.

“He—he’s performing a rite in the inner room….”

Choi Geon turned his head in the direction the man pointed, threw the collar he was holding aside like a piece of luggage, and stepped into the house. His feet, which intruded with long strides along with the shovel handle, flung the door open without a moment’s hesitation.

What he saw then was Shin Giju clutching his bag to his chest, trying not to have it taken, and a middle-aged man grabbing Shin Giju by the hair, trying to snatch the bag away.

In an instant, Choi Geon lost his mind and, without a second thought, struck the man with the shovel he was holding.

Thwack!

“Urgh.”

The man hit by the shovel fell backward with a groan. But Choi Geon didn’t stop there; with a face like a Yaksha, he kicked and beat the man.

“G—Geon, Geon! No, stop it!”

Without even a moment to be surprised, Giju blocked Choi Geon with his whole body.

“How much did you get ripped off for.”

“Me…? Te—ten thousand won….”

Choi Geon, who stopped the beating, looked around. The people who couldn’t easily approach were hesitating in fear.

“What are you staring at? Hand over the kid’s money!”

The woman who had brought Giju hurriedly took money out of her pocket.

“Hey, how much was it?”

Choi Geon, who hadn’t heard clearly just now, asked again.

“Ten thousand won.”

At the mention of ten thousand won, Choi Geon shoved his hand into the offering box next to him and took a wad of cash. The penalty for their audacity and the compensation for mental distress were separate matters.

“Wait, what on earth…!”

The woman who was handing over the ten thousand won protested, but she was immediately silenced.

“Who else hit you.”

“I haven’t been hit yet.”

Surprise aside, Giju answered the questions well.

“Do you know this kid is a minor? If I report you, you’re all fucked, you beggars.”

Choi Geon swung the shovel, giving them a warning that sounded like a threat. Then, after staring coldly at the man groaning and bleeding, he threw the shovel on the floor. At the mention of him being a minor, the people in the room fell silent like a shut clam. The same went for Giju.

With those final words, Choi Geon grabbed Giju’s arm and left the place. Giju, who came out without even putting his shoes on properly, couldn’t say a word to that back that looked thoroughly enraged.

“Even if you’re going to follow someone, how do you follow people like that.”

Choi Geon said in a low, sunken voice. Giju stared blankly at Choi Geon before opening his mouth.

“…I thought they were people like me.”

“You say you have good eyes, yet you can’t even distinguish things like that?”

“There aren’t people like that in our neighborhood.”

For Giju, who had rarely stepped outside his neighborhood, this place was like a sort of field trip experience. That was why he also felt it was unfair.

“It’s not that I’m strange, it’s that those people are bad.”

“Yeah, those pieces of shit are all bad. But are you going to keep spouting that nonsense so peacefully even if you get your organs snatched?”

Thoroughly disgruntled, Choi Geon found Giju—who naively let people cut off his nose—and the world that tried to fleece such a person, truly shitty. He was even angrier because Giju’s words about those people being bad were true.

“I thought if my ancestral luck was unblocked, everything would get better.”

“Ancestral luck? You see my family’s ancestors just fine, so why can’t you see yours? Does that make any sense?”

Choi Geon was right. He wasn’t sure what had possessed him earlier, but he hadn’t been able to make a proper judgment. Giju lowered his head gloomily.

“And why the hell were you getting hit? Why didn’t you just give them that damn bag instead of talking back and getting beaten up.”

“There was money in the bag, and they were trying to take it,”

“I told you not to keep getting hit for such petty change!”

An enraged Choi Geon cut him off and turned around, shouting. His head grew hot because it felt like the people of this world were using that innocence however they pleased, treating him carelessly.

“It’s not petty change to me. It’s something precious.”

At that, Giju said while hugging his bag tight.

“It was the money to buy you something delicious.”

Giju felt it was unfair, but he was sorry and simultaneously grateful. And his heart burned because his friend, who was getting angry on his behalf, was so dear and precious.

“What…?”

“I saved it to buy you something delicious, so I blocked them because they were trying to take it.”

“…….”

“I even saved it by not eating a hamburger, but they were trying to take it….”

At that one sentence murmured unfairly, Choi Geon felt as if someone had poured cold water on his heated head.

“I’m sorry, Geon.”

At the apology made with a sorrowful face, he felt a strange sense of futility. It was futility toward his own anger.

“You don’t have to look for Grandmother anymore.”

The futility soon turned into something fluctuating. He felt like he had become a flat cola. A lukewarm black cola that had become nothing but sweet sugar water. Seeing the dejected Giju made his mouth feel bitter. Choi Geon, who had been staring silently, turned around, grabbed Giju’s hand tightly, and dragged him somewhere. The autumn wind swept past them as they walked aimlessly.

🔖⛩️📿

“Everyone just die.”

Giju sucked on his ice cream while watching Choi Geon’s possessed “showtime” as he punched the air. Having ended up at the beach somehow, they had even bought alcohol—specifically, they’d bought it from some misters having a drinking session on the street—and were thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of the night sea. The first round was the beach, and the second round was the motel right in front of them. Of course, Choi Geon drank almost all of it. That was why he was currently drunk and pouring out his complaints toward the world.

“What if your arm falls off, Geon.”

Giju’s worry failed to reach the enraged Choi Geon. Choi Geon was busy fighting an invisible enemy right now.

“Die, just die.”

Whoosh— whoosh—

“Ugh, fuck. Hey. Why is it so stifling? Is this also some trick of a ghost?”

“No. You aren’t possessed by a ghost.”

Giju, who had been watching Choi Geon closely, said with certainty. There was still nothing wrong.

“Can’t you guess when I’ll be possessed?”

Choi Geon, who was on the balcony, asked as he approached Giju sitting on the bed.

“I’m going to make it so you don’t get possessed, so it’s okay if I can’t guess.”

At the words full of conviction, Choi Geon suddenly remembered what that grandmother had said.

‘What’s a guy who won’t make it past this year so curious about.’

Because he believed in Shin Giju, he still wasn’t afraid. He was just concerned about Shin Giju, who would be anxious at those words. Therefore, Choi Geon didn’t say anything, as if hiding it.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

Choi Geon, who had approached right up to his face, grabbed Giju by the collar.

“Don’t go around getting hit somewhere. And don’t disappear from in front of me. Got it?”

He could smell the thick scent of alcohol, but somehow, Choi Geon didn’t look drunk. Only his clear eyes were visible. Giju smiled softly at those kind words.

“Because you block everything for me.”

“…Wow, what a thing to brag about.”

Choi Geon, spitting out the words in a weak voice, flopped down next to Giju. At that, Giju also flopped backward.

“You’re damn weak for a protector. What are your ghost friends doing instead of helping?”

“It’s dangerous to use things like that recklessly. But don’t worry, Geon. If something truly big happens, I’ll ask my ghost friends for help.”

Giju spoke brightly, half-joking and half-serious.

“You’re saying there’s something even bigger than today? Ha… fuck….”

Only Choi Geon, who understood the context differently, spat out a desperate curse.

“Hmm… there shouldn’t be, but I feel like there will be for some reason.”

Choi Geon felt even more despair at Giju, who let nothing slide.

“Do I need to go find a gun or something somewhere….”

“Let’s go to Janggunsan Mountain early tomorrow, Geon.”

Choi Geon, who had been muttering to himself, turned his head to the side at Giju’s words.

“Will you be okay?”

“With what?”

“Not looking for your grandmother.”

“It would be good if I could find her, but there’s no way right now, so there’s nothing I can do. We were planning on going to Janggunsan Mountain anyway.”

Giju spoke without much concern. Strangely, his wavering heart had stabilized rapidly since meeting Choi Geon. Now, he thought of Choi Geon before his own emotions or his agony. Because of that, he wanted to mobilize everything he could to help Choi Geon.

“I’m okay now, Geon. I think I can see Grandmother later.”

Choi Geon, who had been staring at Giju for a long time, looked away and let out a deep breath.

“If you say so.”

“Let’s not break up anymore.”

At the subtle nuance, Choi Geon’s gaze somehow turned back toward Giju.

“…Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“We fought, we fought. We didn’t break up.”

Choi Geon, who pointedly corrected the wording, turned his body completely the other way this time. Then he closed his eyes shut.

“Anyway, we were apart.”

“Just go to sleep.”

“Are you going to sleep?”