An Unexpected Death
On the day before the wedding, the grim reaper called Eun Tak to the house. When she arrived with a worried face, the grim reaper was folding the laundry.
“What are you worried about? Are you scared that your name is on the death list?”
“I'm not worried. Just a bit curious. I want to know how my destiny has changed.”
“There’s too many changes in your destiny, it’s hard to tell.”
Whether it was just the role of the Goblin’s bride that changed her fate, or the strong will of human Eun Tak, the grim reaper did not know.
“The Goblin’s mark has disappeared, I pulled out the sword, and I have lived a peaceful life for 9 years, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am a missing soul. I shouldn’t have been born, I’ve lost my loved one from death, and the man in front of me is a grim reaper. Humans die all the time. I suppose that is why life is more beautiful.”
The grim reaper understood what she was saying. Many things had happened over the past few years and the Goblin and his bride had overcome every problem together. However, Eun Tak’s death would be something that would be hard to overcome for either of them.
“When I got my memories back, the first thought I had was to live every day like the last. If this is my last day in this life, this will be the last memory I have of my loved one. So I’m going to love him. I’m going to stay alive and love him. That was my first thought.”
“Your life is already beautiful. Remember that.”
Eun Tak smiled at the grim reaper’s encouragement. She had gone through a lot of hardships in her life, but Eun Tak still loved her life.
The grim reaper gently placed a small box on the table and let Eun Tak open it. A lovely, white flower garland sat inside.
“Congratulations on your wedding, Eun Tak.”
She really was the literal Goblin’s bride now. Buckwheat flowers glistened brightly under the moonlight. Under the shining moon, the Goblin and his bride, Eun Tak gazed at each other. The wedding dress was beautiful and the wedding suit was handsome.
“Until death parts us; to your every word; whatever it is; me too.”
“Even when death parts us; to your every word; whatever it is; me too.”
Their wedding vows filled the night.
People gathered to congratulate their marriage, and the grim reaper popped the cork of the champagne. Duk Hwa and Chairman Kim sat on the long table with the three, and they ate their meals together happily. It was a wonderful night.
Days passed and everyday was better than the day before. The misfortune that had followed Eun Tak around like a shadow had disappeared, and the sorrowful destiny was nowhere to be found.
*
That was why everybody had forgotten the darkness behind the light.
The grim reaper looked at the 15 names on the death list. There was going to be a massive car crash soon. All the names except one, the driver, were toddlers. There was going to be a massive car crash with a preschool bus soon. It was always uncomfortable to guide young children to the other side, and it was at these times when he felt like that being a grim reaper was in fact a punishment. His face, shadowed by his black hat, was full of sadness and misery.
The preschool bus was parked at the curb to drop off the students. The grim reaper watched the children when his phone rang, notifying him of a call from his junior grim reaper.
A car stopped in front of the grim reaper, who was answering the phone. It was Eun Tak. She waved her hand brightly with a wide smile on her face. It seemed like a Deja Vu. He remembered this moment from some time before, when Eun Tak was 19. It was from the bus station years earlier, when the Goblin had created dozens of missing souls in a minute. It had been the busiest week of his life. His hand waved back without a second thought like that time. But before he could do or say anything, the traffic light turned green, and Eun Tak started her car again.
“Hello, this is the Death List team. You can throw all your cards away, the children aren’t going to die today.”
“Really?”
That was a relief. The grim reaper went to check the death cards again, when Eun Tak’s car came into his sight. There was an ominous feeling, and that feeling made the grim reaper more pale than before. Destinies changed sometimes. An unexpected death could change the destiny of another.
“How could someone die without their name being on the death list?”
The grim reaper looked at the empty street in front of him.
“An unpredictable death.”
Sacrifice. He couldn’t move. The place he stood was hell.
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