Waiting For Your Reincarnation

Yeon-young wrinkled her nose and laughed like a bunny.

 

After taking off her robe, she was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and pants. She had only kept the robe on because she didn’t want her new clothes to get wet with her wet hair.

 

That’s how Ryu Won misunderstood her.

 

Ryu Won’s clear pupils momentarily dilated as she took off the robe. Although they quickly regained their position, one could tell that he was quite surprised.

 

It didn’t take Ryu Won long to realize that Yeon-young had tricked him.

 “You’re surprised, aren’t you?” “Surprised is not the same as surprise…, I expected it.” 

Ryu Won relaxed. At the word

“expected”

, Yeon-young narrowed her eyes. 

 

Ryu Won’s eyes flashed like a wild animal that had spotted its prey.

 

He slowly approached her, his eyes fixed on hers.

 

The air changed in an instant, and she swallowed hard and took a few steps back.

 

The towel she was holding fell to the ground.

 

With his long legs, Ryu Won was in front of her in an instant. Yeon-young’s heel caught on the bed frame and she fell backwards.

 

Ryu Won’s body toppled over her. Her nostrils filled with his scent, making her dizzy.

 

Yeon-young squeezed her eyes shut.

 

But no matter how hard she closed her eyes, nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, Ryu Won smiled.

 

Everything. His smile made her realize that she had been tricked.

 “Didn’t you have a plan when you took off your robe?” “Yes. I was just fooling around.” “Be careful, I don’t want you to pretend I don’t recognize you.” 

With his right hand, he cupped Yeon-young’s protruding shoulder blade. Then he moved up her shoulder blade in reverse and cupped her neck.

 

Her toes twitched with each touch of his bare skin. Ryu Won’s hand moved away from the spot on her neck.

 

From his pants pocket, he pulled out a palm-sized plastic canister.

 “What’s that?” “Ointment.” “Ointment?” “Excuse me for a moment.” 

As he lifted the lid of the canister, a foul odor wafted through the air. Ryu Won scooped up some ointment with his fingers and leaned his face close to it.

 

When his fingers touched his neck, he felt a cold sensation.

 “Your neck is damaged.” “Damaged?” 

Only now did Yeon-young remember that the snarl had strangled her.

 

It had only been painful when the Snarl had attacked her, but now that she didn’t feel any pain, the word

“damaged”

confused Yeon-young.

 “Do you usually say “damaged”

when you see a wound? 

Ryu Won furrowed his brow and carefully applied the ointment to Yeon-young’s neck.

 

Her curly bangs fell down her forehead and covered Ryu Won’s milky eyes, but he didn’t care.

 

He looked like a fairy tale prince.

 

Yeon-young swallowed her admiration for his freshly chiseled, statuesque face.

 “What did you say I should do when I see a snarl?” “Run away?” “Yes. Remember, Snarl’s attacks are more like soul-damaging than wounding, and if you are severely attacked, even this ointment can’t reverse it.” 

The ointment that Ryu Won applied soaked into her neck as soon as he applied it.

 

However, Ryu Won blew his breath on Yeon-young’s neck to make sure the ointment soaked in. Goose bumps appeared along her spine.

 

With a loving touch, Ryu Won squeezed the ointment into Yeon-young’s hand.

 “It’s done. You can use this until the scars on your neck disappear.” “Thank you.” “Clean up and come downstairs, I’m ready to eat.” 

Yeon-young obeyed as if this was the end of her duty. As he walked out the door, Yeon-young put the ointment on the table to the right of the bed.

 

She would have to use it again later.

 

***

 

On the table was a white, slightly larger wall calendar. Yeon-young looked at the date and realized how long she had been here.

 

The passage of time, even in death, made life fleeting.

 

As she straightened her clothes and went downstairs, she was greeted by a spicy smell.

 “What is that smell?” “Come into the kitchen.” 

Yeon-young entered the kitchen and was greeted by a feast that made her shins bend.

 

Strangely enough, only her favorite side dishes were on the table.

 

Ryu Won came up behind Yeon-young and pulled out a chair for her. Then she noticed a pink apron on the chair.

 “What is this? Is it from Mr. Ryu Won?” 

When she picked up the apron, she saw tiny flowers embroidered at regular intervals.

 

It was well-kept and didn’t smell like a closet. She could tell from the frayed edges of the fabric that someone had used it.

 

‘Did he ever invite other girls over?’

 

She was pretty sure he only confessed to her, but she didn’t know, he was too handsome and skilled for that, and everything was as natural as water.

 

She felt more and more uncomfortable.

 

There was a moment of silence between Yeon-young and Ryu Won.

 “Ms. Yeon-young.” “Don’t make excuses, we’re not together, it’s okay.” 

The sharp words tumbled out of her mouth. Ryu Won tore his apron and stuffed it in the bottom drawer of his kitchen.

 

Just looking at it made her lose her appetite.

 

However, Ryu Won’s sincerity made Yeon-young pick up her chopsticks and nibble at the food.

 

Ryu Won only started eating when he saw her scooping up the rice with her spoon.

 

After hearing only the clinking of utensils, Ryu Won spoke up.

 “What color does Miss Yeon-young like?” “Purple.” “Really? Purple.” 

The conversation ended abruptly. But thanks to Ryu Won’s efforts, the frozen atmosphere gradually thawed.

 

After eating for a while, Yeon-young asked the question she was most curious about.

 “How long do you have to work here to be able to afford a house like this?” “It doesn’t take long if you work on commission.” “Really? When did Mr. Ryu Won buy this house?” “Hmm. But if you blink, I’ll buy you a house.” “Liar.” 

Yeon-young wished that she hadn’t died and ended up in Tanato’s world.

 

That way, it would be less unfair that she couldn’t be reincarnated.

 

But judging by Ryu Won’s reaction, she wouldn’t be able to afford such a house anytime soon.

 

The blink of an eye for Ryu Won would be a very long time for Yeon-young who had just crossed over to the Tanato world.

 

If Yeon-young had puppy ears on her head right now, they’d be droopy.

 “Eat. I’ve been shopping since dawn to feed you.” 

At Ryu Won’s words, Yeon-young picked up her cutlery, looked at the food, and rubbed her eyes with her hands.

 

However, the food on the table looked very blurry, as if an artificial holographic screen had been turned on.

 

She looked at Ryu Won in disbelief, but he took the food as if nothing was wrong and began to eat it bit by bit.

 “This is strange.” “What is it, are you sick?” “The food is all blurry.” “Oh, just the food?” “Yes.” “It looks like that because what we eat is actually energy.” 

Yeon-young scoops up a spoonful of rice. It definitely felt more like scooping up rice with a spoon than scattering light smoke.

 “So what are we eating now?” “We eat the good energy of food. Good energy reduces the tiredness of the soul. After you eat, your body will be exhausted.” 

Ryu Won took Yeon-Young’s spoon and scooped up a big spoonful of food and held it in front of her mouth. Yeon-young raised an eyebrow and took a step back.

 

Then he pushed the spoon closer. This meant that he would keep doing this until she took it.

 

Yeon-young opened her mouth and took a bite.

 

Eating the food energy was like eating very hot soup. As soon as she ate, her whole body felt revitalized, washing away the tiredness.

 “Maybe we can go shopping together.” “You look beautiful. I’ll cook for you every day from now on.” “That sounds like a lot of work.” “I have no opinion, but do soirits die here if they don’t eat?” “No, spirits don’t die if they don’t eat, but they will eat naturally.” “Why?” “Because our time here is too long to waste doing nothing.” 

Ryu Won put down the spoon he was holding as if he remembered something. His eyes took on a dark shade as he stared at the table.

 

He wondered how long he had been here.

 

And if Yeon-young hadn’t been reincarnated after finding his memories, how long would he have to stay here?

 

His eyes were dizzy.

 

‘What is the point of thinking about this?’

 

Yeon-young put her cutlery on the table. Worrying would only cause more anxiety. 

 

Now was the time to think about how to live in the present.

 

She remembered the main reason why she decided to stay in this house.

 “Mr. Ryu Won, when are we going to start practicing my skill?”Hello readers!Please note that I am changing the POV (Point of View) for the rest of the novel starting with this chapter. I realized that it is much easier to translate it in third-person-POV than first-person, which I did from chapter 01.Thank you for your understanding and for reading my translations.