I Have Already Done That
The nervousness came to Eun Tak at once after the Goblin had jumped down the building. She tried to relieve herself, saying that it was because of Joong Heon Park, but she couldn’t fight off the feeling that something was going to go wrong. Eun Tak sat on the corner of the rooftop and took out a book from her bag. It was the book she had bought to try to figure out more about the Goblin; Eun Tak flipped to the back of the book and found the dried buckwheat flowers.
‘What do you think buckwheat flowers mean?’
‘Lovers.’
From the moment the Goblin had said the word lovers out of his mouth, she had wanted to be his lover. The lover of the man who stood sadly in front of the dazzling, blue sea, with a sword stuck in his chest.
Eun Tak smiled at the memories and picked up the dried flowers when the wind blew. Without a chance to stop them, the flower petals spread out through the air. The white flower petals flew into the dark night sky without hesitation. Her face fell with a sinister feeling.
A dark aura came into view behind the flying flower petals. It was Joong Heon, but for some reason, Eun Tak couldn’t see him.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to see me.”
A high-pitched laughter screeched out of Joong Heon’s mouth as he walked towards Eun Tak.
The Goblin had come to find him after he had figured that he couldn’t kill him with the sword of water. After laughing at him, Joong Heon had come to find Eun Tak. The reason his precious Yeo had been destroyed was all because of the Goblin; it was also the Goblin who had strangled him to his death. The pain Joong Heon had gone through; he was planning to give it back to the Goblin, a hundred times worse.
At that moment, Eun Tak stood up with the lighter and her phone in hand.
“It’s because of me. He’s been waiting for my mark to disappear… He’s trying to use me to pull out Shin’s sword.”
She realised why Joong Heon had told her that Sunny was first. Joong Heon stood behind her, getting ready to possess her when Eun Tak’s phone rang. She quickly lit the lighter when Joong Heon grabbed the girl’s neck.
“Don’t blame me; it’s your destiny.”
Choking on the invisible hand, Eun Tak could see a blurred vision of Joong Heon in front of her. Her vision was becoming far off; breathing had become an impossibility. With the last strength she had left in her body, she blew the lighter off. A blue fire burned brightly, and the hand grabbing Eun Tak’s neck slipped away.
“Eun Tak! Are you okay?”
With a sob, Eun Tak opened her eyes.
“I figured it out. I figured out why Joong Heon suddenly appeared. Kill me. Quickly! If he possesses me, it’s all over. He’s trying to use my hands to pull out your sword. I would have already died if it wasn’t for you. So kill me, quickly!”
The Goblin’s face turned cold at Eun Tak’s realisation. It would have been better if she had not figured it out; he had wanted Eun Tak to not know anything to the end. Suddenly, a dark smoke appeared around Eun Tak’s body and her back bent backwards.
“You should have listened to this girl. You should have killed her. From now on it’s me or you. One of us is going to die today, but you have so many other things on your mind, it seems that it is probably me who will kill you.”
Eun Tak’s body was being used by Joong Heon Park. Eun Tak’s body took a step forward to pull out the Goblin’s sword.
“Joong Heon Park.”
The cold voice that was heard came from the grim reaper. The grim reaper was wearing his black hat, and his face was full of anger. The date in Eun Tak’s death card had changed to today, so the grim reaper had come here even though he was suspended. The grim reaper called the name of the evil spirit. If he could rip out Joong Heon’s soul with a name call, he would call it out thousands of times.
“The dead spirit will answer to the reaper’s call.”
The grim reaper’s call started.
“Joong Heon Park.”
“You dare!”
“Joong Heon Park!”
It was a sound that overwhelmed the night’s darkness; Joong Heon got flung out of Eun Tak’s body. The Goblin catched unconscious Eun Tak in his arms, and took her arms towards his chest.
When Eun Tak’s hands came near the Goblin’s chest, a blue fire became visible, and the sword came into view. With a determined face, the Goblin pulled the sword out with Eun Tak’s hands. With the long-held sadness, sorrow, and longing, the sword burst into blue flames. Pain filled the Goblin’s chest. The mark on Eun Tak’s neck lit brightly and disappeared. Her eyes slowly opened.
Without a moment to waste, the Goblin ran towards Joong Heon and sliced him with one movement. Everything had happened so fast, even the grim reaper hadn’t noticed what was going on. With determination, the fiery sword cut Joong Heon in half. The spirit slowly vanished into the air, but curses kept flowing out of his mouth till the end.
“This is my end, but I have not died in vain. I have killed you again, and you have killed me again. In the end, everything ends in a catastrophe.”
With an evil laughter, the spirit vanished completely.
The Goblin fell to his knees in front of the grim reaper. It was his last moment.
“Forgive me. I know it is late, but I inform you of my death.”
This was his last war; neither man could lift their head up high. Red ashes flew around the Goblin’s body. From the place the sword was at, the Goblin was slowly disintegrating into ashes.
Eun Tak’s face creased as she saw the man’s sad silhouette. She screamed in horror as she ran towards the man and embraced him with her arms as if to catch the falling body together.
“...No!”
The Goblin looked at the girl crying in front of him and tried to keep the tears in. He was sorry that it was the only thing he could do. He was sorry that everything had to end. He was sorry that he had to leave her behind. But there had been no other way.
With his hand, the Goblin wiped the tears from Eun Tak’s face. He could feel her warmth on the tip of his finger, and he was grateful for that.
“After meeting you, my life was a reward.”
“Stop it! Please… You said that you wouldn’t let go of my hand. You promised.”
Her sobs became louder. In the thousand years he had lived, he had never felt so much pain. He had lived for that long, but he had not known. He had not known anything. Because his lovely girl was crying, and at that moment he was more sad that he couldn’t do anything for her, than the fact that he was disappearing. The Goblin wished that she would cry today and smile tomorrow; he wished that she would be more lovely and happier. If she was happy, he would be too.
“I will come to you as rain. I will come to you as the first snow. I’ll beg the gods to let me do at least that.”
And after being happy, if they could meet again…
“Don’t do this. Don’t leave me like this… I love you. I really love you…”
Her last confession was a cry of sadness. The Goblin’s body had nearly vanished too. With the saddest eyes of all, the Goblin returned her confessions.
“Me too. I love you. I have already done that.”
A tear dropped from the Goblin’s eyes.
And into dust, into wind, the Goblin vanished.
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