24 I only deal with death

For the last five years, Nam Ji Won watches everything. That includes the other world. There are ghosts and death reapers among many strange things. At first, she has been afraid of them Later, she becomes desensitized to these things. One has to adapt to the circumstances.

The ghosts are always everywhere. The ones who died recently are really noisy. Some ghosts never realize that they died. Most would try to haunt and scare people in the corridors at night. A few ghosts are centuries older, but they ignore her and the new generation of the ghosts. There are friendly ghosts. They like to visit the children and newborn wards because some young children and the newborns can see ghosts. It is fun to play with them.

"You should avoid those the most." Go Jae Hee has been dead for fifty-six years. She didn't die at this hospital. But she has been here for a while. Hospitals and cemeteries are popular ghost spots because of a high number of ghosts.

"Who?" Nam Ji Won asks her.

Go Jae Hee points at a woman in formal black clothes. "See her? She is a death reaper. Though death reapers can't force you to cross over, they can still do nasty things if you make trouble."

"That's a death reaper?" Nam Ji Won is surprised. The woman didn't look scary. She looks like a normal person. She is short, cute and chic, wearing colourful star-shaped sunglasses. Her long hair is blonde with pink high lights. She is walking in a leisurely manner while holding a yellow umbrella. She stops next to the operating room and looks at her wristwatch.

"Three. Two. One." She smiles when she sees a man in blue robes coming out of the operating room. It is the surgeon who died of exhaustion. He looks at her with exhausted eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" The woman asks.

"Who are you?" The man asks in confusion.

"I am a death reaper." She holds her umbrella with her left hand. "You died because of overworking. I am here to take you to the afterlife."

"I am dead?" He is baffled. Then, he notices the ghosts in the hallway.

"You can go inside to confirm whether you are dead." The woman's voice is neither high or low. Just then, the door of the operating room is opened. The surgeon's body is brought out on a stretcher. His colleagues are crying for him.

"So, I am dead." He widens his eyes. "I died like that."

"Yes, take my hand." She spreads her palm. "In next life, I hope that you live happily."

"Next life..." The surgeon sighs. "I don't want to be a doctor. I think I want to be a plumber."

The woman just smiles. The surgeon's soul becomes a small bead of light in her palm. She pockets it and disappears.

Nam Ji Won is speechless. She has never seen anything like this before. The death reapers must have come every day, but she usually spends her time in her room. She feels funny after watching the scene.

"She is the one who usually comes to take souls from this area." Go Jae Hee's voice is ominous. "She is nice and doesn't like to scare or bully the souls who decided to remain in this world. If you see anyone other than her, you should hide or run away. They don't chase, but if they find you, bad things can happen. Death reapers are quite moody."

"..." Nam Ji Won doesn't know what to do with this new information. If she has choices, she wants to die or wake up. But she is stuck between life and death. She can't move on to the afterlife or go back to live her life.

"Do you think that they can help me? My body is here. I am alive, but I am also like this."

"There are others like you."

"What?" She is surprised.

"We call you half lives. People like you are neither dead nor alive. Half-lives like you are temporary guests of our world." Go Jae Hee looks at her with a dull expression. "If your soul stays away from your body for a long time, the bond between your body and your soul is weakened. Then, one day, the bond snaps and you come to our side as a permanent member. But...there are lucky ones who manage to wake up."

"It's better if I die." Nam Ji Won sighs. "At least, my family don't have to pay the hospital fees."

"Is that the only reason?" Go Jae Hee smiles. "Don't you have lingering feelings? Love or hate? Maybe regrets? In any case, I can see that you won't follow the death reapers either."

She ignores her questions. "What's there in the afterlife?"

"Who knows?" Go Jae Hee looks up at the ceiling. "The reapers never tell."

"Lousy service." Nam Ji Won chuckles.

"Lousy indeed." The reaper woman suddenly pops up. Nam Ji Won and Go Jae Hee scream in horror. They fall off their seats and crawl away from the reaper woman.

"What's up, cowards?" The reaper woman squats in front of them. "Go Jae Hee, how long are you going to linger here?"

"Don't scare me like this." Go Jae Hee punches her chest lightly. "You nearly killed me."

"You are already dead." The reaper cocks her head with an amused smile. She looks at Nam Ji Won. "I didn't see you before."

"She's a half-life." Go Jae Hee speaks before Nam Ji Won could introduce herself.

"It's better if you never show up in front of other reapers." The death reaper stands up. "We don't like people like you. We don't like ghosts either. We basically don't like anyone who makes us work overtime."

Nam Ji Won gives her an awkward smile. "Can you kill me and take me to the afterlife?"

"We hate you when your kind asks questions like that." The woman's voice is stern, but her eyes are kind. "Your time has not come yet. When it comes, you will see one of us. But for now, you have to stay like this until your body dies."

Nam Ji Won thanks her anyway. "Can you tell me how to wake up?"

The woman laughs. "I only deal with death. Life is too troublesome."

"It was worth a try." Nam Ji Won slumps her shoulders.

"Don't worry." Go Jae Hee pats her back. "Your family is likely to give up soon. They will decide to take away the life support when they run out of the money or will to carry on with your half-dead body. Then, you can become one of us."

"Or she can come with me to the afterlife." The reaper woman chuckles. "Don't you want to see your father?"

"Can I?" Nam Ji Won asks, hopefully.

"Who knows?" The reaper disappears.