Little Pink Starfish

Top floor of the Bichang Guild Central HQ.

The space that once held the office of Guild Master Yoo Gwangcheol.

From what I knew, Yoo Gwangcheol had died during an SS-grade Gate subjugation in New York.

After his death, Bichang Guild chose to operate without appointing a new Guild Master.

His office had been sealed off, preserved exactly as it was.

I remember seeing a replica of it at the guild’s memorial exhibition.

But all that was in the world of the living. Things looked very different in the world of the dead.

“Hey, kid! Want some apple pie?”

“N-no thank you….”

A man with a golden battle axe slung over his back held out a piece of pie to me.

“Isn’t that outfit uncomfortable? You’ve been through a lot.”

<…Not at all. The clothes I wore when I was alive were way more cumbersome—wait, I’m being hugged?!>

A muscular woman clad in glowing blue leather armor had the King of the Underworld in a tight embrace.

‘…What the hell is this?’

It was baffling, to say the least.

Right before the elevator doors had opened, I’d braced myself for combat.

But what greeted us was a grandly decorated party room.

A long rectangular table was set with food, and the dead—presumably all former Bichang Guild Hunters—sat around it, feasting.

Before we knew it, we had been pulled into their Halloween party.

“This… what even….”

Jeong Noeul mumbled, dazed, while chewing on a smoked chicken leg.

I was just as stunned, and so was the King of the Underworld—but I was sure Noeul had it the worst.

‘Eat some vegetables too, would you…? Doesn’t your stomach feel greasy…?’

I wanted to nag him, but now wasn’t the time.

“Kehehe!”

A mischievous laugh rang out.

“Looks like we gave you quite the shock!”

A man at the end of the table, seated with his back to the window, spoke.

He wore a clean-cut suit, his elegant beard lending gravity to his appearance. Despite the warm smile on his lips, his eyes sparkled with power.<That one emanates deep magic.>

The Star spoke.

<He must be the one managing the power of this space—and the souls that dwell in it.>

‘Right. That makes sense.’

Because this man was—

“…Yoo Gwangcheol.”

The moment I spoke his name, he stood from the table.

“Hooh? You know my name?”

He looked genuinely surprised.

“Bwahaha!”

And then burst out laughing.

“Unbelievable! A youth from my grandson’s generation knows who I am?! I died before I even had kids, let alone grandkids!”

“You’re amazing, Master~!”

“Your body’s gone, but your name lives on!”

Laughter echoed throughout the room.

“W-wait a second!”

Bang!

I slammed my hands on the table.

All eyes turned to me.

“This has got to be a trap, right? We just exorcised your comrades on the lower floors! I mean, I kicked some of them and even grabbed their heads!”

“So what?”

Yoo Gwangcheol bellowed.

“It’s not like they had real bodies! I’d be pissed if you dug up their graves and pissed on them, but these are just phantoms!”

“Still, I—!”

Jeong Noeul stood up.

“I’m the reincarnation of Abrilah, you know…?”

“I know, I know!”

Yoo Gwangcheol smacked the table and shouted.

“It’s obvious! You even look like him. Give it ten more years, you’ll be a dead ringer. When we killed him, he was cloaked in dark energy, so I didn’t realize he’d be such a clean-cut young man.”

That surprised me too.

The photos in the textbooks always showed Abrilah shrouded in darkness.

‘So when I saw him in Jeju…’

I’d been shocked at how human he looked.

“But more importantly…”

Jeong Noeul looked shaken.

“…You’re not angry? I remember everything.”

His past life.

Noeul began to speak of it.

Before the coalition of S-rank Hunters led by Yoo Gwangcheol had arrived, Abrilah had been an overwhelming force.

And utterly merciless.

He hadn’t spared even a single flower.

“Before you killed Abrilah… you said this.”

Jeong Noeul continued.

“…That I must pay the price for taking lives.”

“I did.”

Yoo Gwangcheol nodded.

“You remember that clearly. I’d almost forgotten it. Ah—by the way, pass me that vegetable soup. You haven’t touched your greens at all.”

“…Agreed.”

I chimed in automatically.

“I was going to eat it…!”

Jeong Noeul muttered, glancing at me.

“So you came here to help us pass on, right?”

At Yoo Gwangcheol’s question, Jeong Noeul nodded.

“…That’s my own way of atoning.”

“Is that so?”

Yoo Gwangcheol tilted his head and turned to the other souls seated at the table.

“Do you all truly believe this boy came here out of penance?”

No one responded.

“I do.”

So I spoke up.

“Eunyul-hyung…?”

Jeong Noeul looked surprised.

“Even if he had no memory of being Abrilah, I think he still would’ve helped all of you.”

I said, looking away from Noeul.

“You sure?”

Yoo Gwangcheol asked, intrigued.

I nodded.

“I’m sure. I trust Noeul—not Abrilah, Noeul.”

“I see.”

Yoo Gwangcheol turned his back.

Hands clasped behind him, he gazed out the window.

Likely imagining the view of Seoul.

“Abrilah.”

He called the name, and Jeong Noeul answered.

“…Yes.”

“Tsk. Why are you responding? You have your own name, don’t you?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Cherish your human name. Even though we’re dead, we linger in this world. We know a bit about the living world.”

Then he turned back to Noeul.

“I fought Abrilah with everything I had. I wanted to protect this world, and Abrilah wanted to claim it. We were both desperate. From a human’s perspective, yes—I resented him. He took far too many lives.”

“…I know.”

“But I’m no longer human. Just a wandering spirit, orbiting the world I once swore to protect. And from a spirit’s perspective…”

Yoo Gwangcheol smiled.

“You’ve done your best.”

The living cannot see the dead.

Which means the dead reside in a world invisible to the living.

They see more.

Yoo Gwangcheol surely knew of everything Noeul had done in Jeju—and what he intended to do here.

“Of course. That’s why we threw this party!”

Yoo Gwangcheol shouted brightly.

“Darn right! I mean, one of us was even a man-eating tiger in his past life, and look how chill he is!”

“That’s right, dear… You can go find your own way now…”

Noeul looked like he’d walked into a surprise birthday party—his face a mess of conflicting emotions.

He had a lot to think about. But time would help him sort it all out.

‘…This went smoother than I expected.’

I let out a quiet breath of relief.

I placed a dish of pumpkin soup next to Noeul.

Scooping a spoonful, I lifted it toward his mouth.

…That’s when it happened.

“Ah, by the way.”

Yoo Gwangcheol suddenly said.

“You came here to help us pass on, right?”

“…Mmgh, yeah! That’s right!”

Noeul dodged my spoon and answered quickly.

“And maybe, while doing that, you wanted to show someone what it’s like?”

He turned his gaze.

Toward—

“…That friend with the hearty appetite.”

<Wow, ghosts can eat food here!>

The King of the Underworld was stuffing fruit into her mouth.

Noticing everyone’s eyes on her, she—

<Ahem!>

Cleared her throat awkwardly, then said,<I wanted to know what it feels like to move on.>

She looked at Yoo Gwangcheol and added,

<Noeul said… that if I saw how souls with lingering regrets passed on, and still wanted to… he’d grant my wish.>

Her face darkened.

<…That was our deal.>

‘So that’s what it was.’

It made sense now.

She was only borrowing the title of “King of the Underworld.” In the end, she was just a ghost.

And with Noeul wearing Abrilah’s Crown, he had the power to help her move on.

‘…So she wants to pass on.’

Probably because she knew her existence was hurting Min Heejae.

Even though I’d only seen it in writing, the condition Min Heejae was enduring was beyond anything imaginable.

‘Once she passes on, her divine name would return to its rightful owner…’

Min Heejae would be freed from his affliction—and could receive the Authority of the true King of the Underworld.

With his skill level, that could easily push him into the upper ranks if a high-tier Constellation backed him.

‘But Heejae-hyung probably wouldn’t want that…’

Still, I couldn’t fault the King of the Underworld for her resolve.

“Well, we knew all that too. This is our domain, after all. We’ve been watching your movements day and night.”

Yoo Gwangcheol said.

“But here’s the thing. We’re not really clinging to life anymore. After seeing young Jeong Noeul here…”

<That’s it?! Then why become ghosts in the first place?!>

“Fair enough. But old folks like us are like that. One look at bright young people, and our icy hearts start to melt.”

<Oh, please! But I guess that’s all part of the passing-on process, huh?>

The King of the Underworld grinned.

<This was fun!>

“Truly?”

<Truly!>

“But the real fun starts now!”

<…Huh?>

What now…

I was starting to get a headache.

“You’ve got some regrets about life, don’t you? Although it doesn’t seem like you chose to be bound to this world…”

Yoo Gwangcheol’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“And that’s why we prepared this! It’s Halloween, isn’t it? The time when ghostly power peaks! When we can pull the living into the world of the dead! Bwahaha!”

This guy…

He was like a grandpa way too hyped to see his grandkid after ages.

I sighed, resting my chin on my hand.

“H-hyuuung…”

A small boy’s voice spoke.

“…Huh?”

I turned my head.

“Hyuung… Where am I…?”

A boy with oversized round glasses looked up at me.

“I want to go home…”

He tugged on my sleeve, tears welling in his eyes.

“A kid ghost…?”

I tilted my head.

<He’s not a ghost!>

The King of the Underworld shouted.

“Waaah…!!”

Startled by her loud voice, the boy began to cry.

<That cry!>

The King of the Underworld zoomed toward him.

<That bizarre pair of glasses! That way of tilting his head when he cries! That red nose! It’s unmistakable!>

With a huge grin, she shouted:

<…It’s little Heejae!!>

“Pffft!”

Jeong Noeul spat out his drink.

I was just as shocked.

That crying little boy—

Was Min Heejae…?