Chapter Two: Atonement

Since childhood, I have been able to see ghosts, and having been born during the Ghost Festival, I’ve grown accustomed to supernatural occurrences. They no longer startle me, though at first, I was somewhat afraid.

“What’s the matter? Please tell me,” I said, taking a deep breath and forcing myself to remain calm.

The old man looked very aged, and his voice carried the weight of many hardships endured over the years.

“I was murdered,” he said slowly, beginning to reveal the truth.

It turned out that this old man had been a villager in life. After working in the fields one day, someone struck him from behind with a shovel, killing him. Because he died unjustly, his spirit was filled with resentment and unwilling to reincarnate, burdened by deep grudges.

After telling me this, he even gave me the address of his home.

Glancing at it, I reassured him casually, “Don’t worry, sir. Since you have been wronged, I will definitely help you.”

“Thank you, young lady,” he replied.

With these words, the old man who had been standing before me vanished in an instant.

At that moment, the temperature, which had just dropped to freezing, suddenly rose noticeably.

I glanced at the clock; it was already two in the morning. I had work early the next day, so I closed my eyes and tried to rest.

...

I didn’t sleep well. The sun was blazing bright in the morning, making it hard to open my eyes.

Shielding my face from the light with my hand, I stretched and then went down to work in the fields.

After all, I was the only one at home now. Though my fourth aunt cared deeply for me, she had her own family matters to attend to and couldn’t look after me every moment. I had to learn to be self-reliant.

...

Suddenly, I remembered the old man’s claim of being murdered. My curiosity piqued—I thought there might be a mystery to solve.

Though I was eager, I couldn’t dawdle and leave my work unfinished.

I asked the neighbors if there had been any recent deaths or murders in the village.

To emphasize, I even mimed holding a shovel.

Upon hearing this, a middle-aged woman looked tense, as if she knew more than she was letting on.

Before my grandmother passed, although I had the ability to see spirits, I didn’t pay much attention to such matters. My grandmother usually handled them. Now that she was gone, it was my responsibility.

The woman knew I had this gift and was a wise woman herself.

She must have thought: Even if I don’t tell her, she will communicate with the spirits and eventually uncover the truth.

After some hesitation, she led me to a corner.

“This matter is true,” she whispered mysteriously, as if afraid someone might overhear.

“But few people know the details. You’re lucky to have met me—I know something, though I’m not sure if it’s the whole truth.”

“I only heard it from others.”

Her cryptic manner only deepened my intrigue. “It’s alright, please tell me.”

“Here’s what happened…”

Apparently, this old man had gone out to work one evening when the sun was mild. Bored, he noticed someone having an affair—between the village rogue and the village beauty. The man was known as a loafer who often wooed young women, yet he was charming and good-natured, which drew many girls to him. That day, caught in the act, he feared exposure and, in a fit of rage, decided to kill.

...

So that was the origin of the tragedy.

Understanding this, I sought out the village rogue and the village beauty and confronted them with their crime.

Their faces were filled with panic as they begged me not to report them to the authorities, fearing their lives would be ruined.

I didn’t know what to say, but killing someone always comes with a price.

I told them that if they didn’t want to live burdened by guilt forever, they could go to the old man’s grave and sincerely repent, then care for his family as a form of atonement.

They heeded my words and began to do as I suggested.

“Thank you,” they said.

I smiled politely and left.

...

From a distance, I watched as they sincerely repented. The sun had begun to set, and the sky darkened. The old man’s spirit appeared.

I said nothing but noticed that the heavy resentment surrounding him began to lift. A faint smile touched his lips before his form gradually became translucent and then faded away.

I knew he had released his grudges and turned to reincarnation...