Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
translator PennyWorth
At an airport convenience store, I bought a mask.
‘By the time Wuhan Pneumonia is officially declared a pandemic, it won’t be this easy to get a mask, right? Demand will skyrocket as it becomes an essential preventative item.’
Wuhan Pneumonia hadn’t yet made its way to Korea.
But it was only a matter of time.
Korea was going to be hit the hardest by Wuhan Pneumonia.
The current Korean government values its political and economic relationship with China.
They should be imposing a full entry ban on China, but they’ll likely only implement partial restrictions.
Just think about how hard the current Korean government is working to improve the strained relationship between Korea and China since the THAAD deployment in 2017.
Actively trying to prevent Wuhan Pneumonia from entering the country was, of course, too much to expect.
No matter how many possibilities I considered.
“Why did you buy so much?” Mom asked.
“I don’t know how long we’ll be there.”
“After we drop off Grandfather, we’re going straight home.”
“Mom should go.”
“Huh?”
“I have something to do here.”
Without even asking what that was, Mom’s eyes widened instantly.
‘No matter how many times I reassure her that I’m living a life completely unrelated to ghosts… it won’t work on Mom.’
I could now recall why Father had suddenly died away from home.
I also remembered Mom’s face, her eyes swollen and sad as she looked at me at the police station.
Ten years old wasn’t a young age, so why was I so immature back then?
The way I threw a fit, demanding that they bring Father back, only made Mom sadder.
I changed my plan.
“No, let’s go back together. It was nothing.”
“You…? Tell me honestly. Are you seeing things again? Yes or no? It’s okay, really, it’s okay, you have to tell me the truth. Don’t be scared.”
By this point, Mom’s worry could be considered an obsession.
‘She can’t lose her beloved son the same way she lost her husband.’
If I were Mom, I’d feel the same way.
I had to turn away toward the bathroom, fighting back the tears that were welling up.
“Really, it’s nothing. If I see something later, I’ll definitely tell you. I’m just going to the bathroom for a bit.”
* * *
“Ouija Ouija, please come.”
A chant that was popular when I was in elementary school in Korea.
“Show me your form.”
I quietly muttered, looking at the bathroom mirror.
My reflection in the mirror was solemn, but nothing happened.
If ghosts recognized the summoner’s nationality and reacted accordingly, this method was wrong.
I changed the language and chanted again.
“Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.”
Even with a sincere voice, there was still no change in the mirror.
“Is anyone there?”
I asked again, facing myself in the mirror.
But it was still endlessly silent.
I tried every so-called ghost summoning chant I could remember.
But nothing happened.
If Mom had seen me, she would have rushed over and smacked me on the back of the head, but I kept repeating the process.
In the end, no ghost was summoned.
But that didn’t mean I could dismiss the existence of ghosts in this world.
Even setting aside my family history, I recalled the empty things that had approached me when I was a child.
If you ask if I was scared, the answer is no.
Because I also remembered the ridiculous way they ran away with their tails between their legs as soon as they saw Grandfather.
Before I knew it, the reflection in the mirror was smiling along with those memories.
I returned to Mom.
“See? There’s no such thing as ghosts.”
“What are you talking about, you…”
“There was nothing in the bathroom.”
Mom lost her words with a bewildered expression.
“I’m saying that if I see a ghost, I’ll really tell you, so don’t worry.”
“Yeah, right. But you can’t hide it all by yourself. You have to tell Mom, okay?”
We were already used to this conversation, which would have been impossible just yesterday.
“At this rate, even ghosts that don’t exist will appear. Let’s talk about something else on the way.”
The road down to Soyang wasn’t a pleasant one for Mom.
I changed the subject to industry news.
It was almost time for the bus to arrive.
* * *
From New York to Seoul.
From Seoul to Jeonju.
And then back to Soyang.
We were a little tired after traveling such a long distance.
But there was still a long way to go.
The road that started after passing Soyang led straight into the mountains.
As we struggled along the unpaved mountain road called Gomti Pass, the magnificent scenery in front of us didn’t even catch our eye.
The old, dilapidated house where Grandfather had lived during his lifetime, and where his great-grandfather had also lived, appeared vividly before my eyes, piercing through my old memories.
I was naturally humbled by the fact that it looked exactly the same as it did back then.
Only my great-aunt had experienced the passage of time in this place.
“Oh my! Oh my! I wouldn’t have recognized you from outside.”
“I’m sorry, Aunt. We’re too late.”
“I’m sorry.”
Mom and I took a seat on one side.
The journey had been quiet.
But as soon as we entered the yard, we could see the bustling atmosphere at a glance.
It was clear that they were people from Grandfather’s industry.
There were monks, female monks, and many impressive people who looked like shamans. Unusually, even a few priests were present.
As expected, Grandfather had been widely respected in various industries.
In any case, since Father wasn’t here, I was the chief mourner.
When I came out of the room in a suit.
My great-aunt, who had spotted me, immediately ran over and pushed my chest violently.
Unlike what she looked like, I didn’t know where she got such strength.
“No, you can’t. Absolutely not. Don’t even dream about it. Just watch the ritual and eat the rice cakes.”
“I’m the chief mourner, Aunt.”
I said, turning my gaze to the room where Grandfather’s portrait, which I hadn’t even seen yet, was located.
“No means no. Don’t dilly-dally around, just go to that room over there and rest. You must be tired, I’ll wake you up when it’s time.”
It wasn’t just because of my great-aunt’s firmness.
The guests around us had also been quietly staring at us, or rather, at me, for some time.
The strange sense of unease I felt there made me feel slightly intimidated.
Everyone seemed to know why I shouldn’t be the chief mourner.
‘…What is it?’
Only Mom seemed to be confused, as if she couldn’t make a proper judgment.
About an hour passed.
I was faithfully following the instructions not to help with anything, not even as the chief mourner.
“Hey, can I come in?”
A man opened the door slightly and showed his face.
His kind face and drooping eyes with a gentle smile reminded me of a boy I used to play with whenever I came here as a child.
“I don’t know if you remember me.”
I greeted him warmly, sensing his hesitation.
“Of course I do! You idiot. Jin-wook! It’s been so long. Come on in. It’s good to see you.”
Before my Awakening, I wouldn’t have been able to remember his name.
He came in with a tray of snacks and showed the same smile he had as a child. He seemed touched for some reason, but he was still a little shy.
‘He used to laugh so foolishly that Grandfather would often hit him with a broom.’
I guess it’s true that the vessel matters.
Looking back now.
Jin-wook, who had received his calling at such a young age, must have had a pretty rough childhood.
Jin-wook had no friends in the neighborhood.
He was always waiting only for me, not knowing when I would come.
He said.
“I’m sorry as soon as I see you, but don’t be surprised. You just have to sit still.”
I wondered what he was talking about.
But he gently put down the tray as if he were a new bride, and then suddenly gave me a deep bow.
Once, twice, three times.
Why is the phrase ‘three times’ so often used in Korean culture?
The number three symbolizes completeness and perfection.
That’s why three bows are an important part of the communication ritual with spirits in shamanism, in this industry.
Two bows are for the ancestors, and the third is for the spirits.
Things I had picked up when I came here as a child had now turned me into an expert in shamanism.
As expected, the face of the guy who met my eyes after raising his head was exactly like the face of a junior who had just entered Wall Street when they met a legendary senior in the industry.
Why wouldn’t it be?
It seemed I had become the Warren Buffett of the shamanic world.
No, something even more than that.
Damn it…
I couldn’t take it anymore.
“What the hell are you doing with a living person here? It’s not just surprising. It’s uncomfortable and unpleasant. It was nice to see you after a long time, but are you trying to ruin it all?”
I continued to spit it out.
“This isn’t a funeral, it’s a commissioning ceremony……”
I knew that running away wouldn’t solve anything.
I threw the door open.
The next person in line was standing in front of the door.
He flinched at the sight of my angry face.
“You should have at least explained it before doing it. What the hell is this all of a sudden?”
I said to him, but it was really for everyone outside to hear.
“I don’t see Grandfather, let alone a ghost! If I’m someone you should be bowing to, you should at least see a Child Spirit, right?”
“You shouldn’t lie, Hyun-woo.”
“I don’t see it. I don’t have that ability.”
This time, I really shouted outside.
“You’re all mistaken!”
Those adoring gazes I had felt in the yard, those strange eyes that made me feel like some kind of sacred being, came back to me.
“Stop it! Why are you all doing this! I’m just a normal person. I can’t see anything, and I don’t have any powers!”
Only then did my great-aunt step in.
Meanwhile, Mom’s face had turned dark with despair, as if she had heard the whole story.
So, the current situation was…
It could be said that a certain legend passed down from the Korean shamanic world was being passed on to me.