Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
translator PennyWorth
Black-Haired Investor Awakened as a Superman 005
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"Grandfather loved me very much, and thanks to him, I was able to grow up so healthy. So, I will definitely do the last thing I can do for Grandfather."
There was strength in my voice.
"But I want to make it clear here that I refuse any other rituals. I don't have the qualifications or the ability to receive them."
Considering the superhumanly soaring intellectual abilities I now possessed, I felt a slight pang of conscience.
However, the image or abilities that these people in the shamanic world wanted from me were definitely not brain Awakening or anything like that.
So, I could easily shake off such guilt.
"My dear... my dear..."
My great-aunt begged me, even showing tears.
It was after receiving my promise that this would be the last time that I agreed.
The sounds of the janggu and gong rang out.
Shamans began to surround me, holding various ritual tools.
A gut ceremony suddenly unfolded before me.
Holding a talisman in one hand and shaking a bell in the other—
Everyone was desperately trying to draw their legend out of me.
As if incantations calling upon the gods were being engraved on my entire body, their touch was rough and persistent.
For everyone, this was more important than Grandfather's funeral.
Only Mom and I were worried about Grandfather's funeral. In the midst of all this, the name of the legend they wanted from me was revealed.
The name was Han Gi.
The 'Han' as in the Korean people.
It seemed to mean a vessel containing the spirit of the Korean people.
The shamans desperately called out to the existence of Han Gi, as if grasping at their last hope.
"Han Gi! Han Gi!"
The heat of the gut ceremony flared up intensely in an instant.
However, as time passed, there was no response. Disappointment began to creep across their faces.
Their voices gradually lost strength.
Even the hand shaking the bell slowed down.
Eventually, their heads drooped one by one.
The gut ceremony could no longer be sustained and sank into silence. The heat that had been overflowing just moments before had vanished without a trace.
"It seems the lineage of Han Gi has been cut off. What should we do..."
One of the shamans said in a disappointed voice.
Confusion spread across the faces of those around.
Some hung their heads low.
Others were staring blankly at the floor.
"Hyun-woo is an American now, right?"
Another shaman cautiously spoke.
As those words floated through the air, the people around looked at each other with tense eyes.
"Oh dear, I suppose that's the problem..."
Someone sighed and said quietly.
Oh dear. Oh dear—
The whispers about me gradually turned into wails.
Delightfully so.
It finally felt like I was at a proper funeral.
Han Gi or whatever.
The dilapidated state of this old folk house clearly showed how difficult my path would become the moment that legend was officially passed on to me.
Not a single ounce of wealth is permitted.
The life of Grandfather, who was forced to sacrifice himself his entire life, permeated this place.
Since I was young, my dream was to succeed on Wall Street.
My bigger, more specific dream was to stand at the center of the capital market. Because that was the power of this era.
But what? Han Gi?
'The thought of inheriting the traditions of this country as a leader of shamans...'
Was something I had never even considered for a moment.
The countless battles I had to endure with Mom in America.
To lose all of that meaning in this remote mountain corner was too unfair and unbearable.
For myself.
And for Mom.
Mom had fought for me, risking everything, for so many years.
I spat out each word as if grinding my teeth.
"It has become clear that Han Gi is not with me. Look for him elsewhere, and from now on, I will focus solely on the funeral as Grandfather's grandson."
The only person whose face brightened upon hearing my words was, as expected, my Mom.
Time passed quickly.
After the funeral, on the way to the limousine terminal in Jeonju, our family was in the truck that Jin-wook was driving.
"I'm sorry. I was blinded back then, and I didn't think about how you felt at all. I'm sorry."
"Jin-wook, let me ask you something. Do you feel anything from me?"
"We already checked."
"You didn't."
"If you're not it, then you're not it. What's there to check?"
I sighed and looked out the window.
"I'm an American."
"That's why I'm saying this. Go back and become a great man. You'll do well. Grandfather was so proud of you."
"......"
"I heard you went to Harvard?"
"Not Harvard. Princeton."
"Princeton. Even the name sounds amazing. I heard you work for a really big company. A fund manager."
"Can I brag about you a little to my friends? No one will believe I have a friend like you."
"What big company? I already got fired, you idiot."
Then I turned to look at Mom.
Mom shrugged, as if she didn't know what was going on either.
I asked Jin-wook again.
"Did Grandfather say that? That I went to a good university and work as a fund manager at a big company?"
"I think that's what he said."
I was speechless for a moment at that answer.
'How did Grandfather know that?'
I was sorry, but I had never contacted Grandfather.
I tried to recall.
But as expected, after our family moved to America, we had not contacted Grandfather or any of our relatives.
'But how did Grandfather know what path I was taking in America?'
That question lingered in my mind.
Then, as if reading my mind, Jin-wook said nonchalantly.
"Han Gi must have told him."
With that one word, the conversation ended.
Even thinking about it again, it still gives me chills.
Even when I entered Korea.
After the funeral, I had planned to stay in Korea and learn more about the strange phenomena that had happened to me.
But as if mocking me, there was that bizarre ritual in the mountains.
'Inheriting the legend of Korean traditional shamanism?'
Just imagining myself wearing colorful shamanic robes instead of a suit and shaking a bell sends shivers down my spine.
Especially because it was something that could have become a reality, not just a concern.
"Our aircraft is now heading to New York. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened until the seatbelt sign is turned off."
Finally, the plane left Korean soil.
Our family could sigh in relief at the same time, as if we had made a promise.
We suddenly smiled as we looked at each other.
"That was close. It was a fantastic horror movie, wasn't it?"
"If you experience anything strange, you have to tell Mom. It's like a disease, so you can't let your guard down. It can appear suddenly, even when things are good. Mom is a doctor in this field, so listen to Mom."
Mom said, looking at me.
Her eyes were filled with apology.
It seemed she herself felt awkward about treating me, who was over thirty, like a child.
Hesitantly, Mom quietly added.
"I'm sorry, son. I know you're a grown adult now, but this isn't a normal thing. I'm so worried. I only realized it after experiencing the pain myself..."
It was time to talk about 'Father,' a forbidden word between our family.
I changed the subject.
"It's okay. It's all over now, so Mom, you can take that off now."
I pointed to the old band around Mom's wrist.
Mom paused for a moment and looked at me with surprised eyes.
She was clearly shocked that I knew what the old band was.
It was a band bracelet that she had been wearing ever since she received the news of Grandfather's death.
It was probably one of the things Grandfather had left for Mom, anticipating this moment decades ago.
Mom looked at her bracelet silently for a while, then asked in a slightly trembling voice.
"...How did you know?"
"Jin-wook told me. He said it's for warding off evil. It's not good to keep wearing it."
It took a little time to remove the old band from her hand, but Mom finally put down the bracelet and smiled at me.
Her eyes were still filled with worry and apology.
"Okay, that's a good idea. Let's stop now."
As expected, Mom knew what it was.
She knew that wearing it would allow her to take the brunt of the bad luck instead of me, and that was why she had been wearing it silently until now.
On the one hand, I felt a small resentment towards Grandfather.
He had taken advantage of Mom's willingness to sacrifice herself for me.
But nothing went as the old people had predicted.
Mom didn't take the brunt of the bad luck instead of me, and I wasn't chosen by the legendary monster worshiped by Korean traditional shamans.
The only thing that had changed was this one thing.
My superhumanly soaring brain.
I warmly held Mom's hand and nodded.
"Yes, let's stop now, Mom."
At that moment, our eyes met.
It was time to live a normal life again, like before.
"With grit."
Mom started first.
"And guts."
I followed.
It was the victory cry that had protected our family in America.
We quickly returned to our daily lives.
Just like the days before we heard the news of Grandfather's death, we didn't talk about Grandfather or Father again.
There were no more concerns about whether I was in pain or seeing things.
Maybe we both just wanted to forget all of this.
As if nothing had happened, as if we had promised to live a normal life again.
As if the things we had experienced had been a dream.
It was when I was checking the market trends for the last time before going to bed, as always.
A breaking news story on Bloomberg caught my eye.
Click!―
「 South Korea Reports First Wuhan Pneumonia Case – Global Spread Concerns Rise
South Korean health authorities have announced the first confirmed case of Wuhan Pneumonia.
The confirmed case is a 35-year-old Chinese woman who entered the country from Wuhan, China, on January 19, and is currently receiving isolated treatment.
As a result, concerns are growing that Wuhan Pneumonia may spread beyond China to the rest of Asia.
January 20, 2020, 23:10 EDT
By Bloomberg 」