The Island Village Shaman Dad Is a Chaebol... 1

Mom became a butterfly.

She turned into a white butterfly, wheeled around the white lighthouse, and rose into the sky.

Her body turned to ash and remained behind on the hill of Chiluijae, spread out across from the old lighthouse—a place where the view opened wide in every direction, a place the mainland seemed to welcome with open arms.

"That’s my sea tomb."

"I’ll become your guardian deity."

Clatter.

Mom’s last testament lingered on, carried by the rattling sound of the old spirit bells made from seven bamboo stalks.

"I’ll be back."

The ferry’s arrival time was drawing near. He left his greeting with Mom and headed for the pier. The yard’s wild cherry tree swayed as if waving goodbye. It had been transplanted there in his grandfather’s time, and it had grown even more massive than the old dangsan tree by the harbor. That was Kang-to’s doing.

Below it, the glossy abelia trees were in full bloom too, their white flowers so abundant they looked like flocks of white butterflies fluttering everywhere he turned.

"Kang-to, heading to the mainland?"

Park Deok-gu, the president of the Young Men’s Association, who was mending nets beneath the dangsan tree, called out to him. Chilui Island had a little over 150 households and just more than 200 people, and—rarely enough—it even had a Young Men’s Association. The age limit was fifty-seven, which meant Kang-to was its youngest member.

"Now that the funeral’s over, you should sell off that shrine already. What century do you think this is..."

Chief Kim from the fisheries association shot him a warning look from the side. He was the same man who had looked down on shamanism so much that he had even filed a complaint with the county office demanding the shrine be torn down.

"Chief Kim, it’s only been how long since Kang-to buried his mother... And what harm has Cheonhaesinnyeo ever done us?"

Song Gil-dong, head of the boat captains, took Kang-to’s side.

"What do you mean, what harm? The fact that this island is falling apart has a lot to do with people thinking it’s some superstitious backwater."

"Then what about the old days, when that same superstition made the island prosper? And what about me—who got saved because of her fortune reading?"

Captain Seo’s rebuttal wasn’t exactly weak. He had, in fact, once benefited from Mom’s spiritual powers.

"Ah, since we’re talking about it, that was a coincidence. Do you really expect a person’s whole life to be determined by a shaman’s fortune reading?"

The fisheries chief clicked his tongue. It was not the first time they’d had this argument, so Kang-to let it pass without comment.

Meow.

Tat-chil, the island’s old resident cat who had been sunning himself on a moored fishing boat, greeted Kang-to in recognition. He stroked the cat’s neck fur once, then stepped aboard immediately.

"Whoa!"

From the deck came the nervous sounds of tourists trying to steady themselves. The gentle swells had suddenly risen up and slapped against the rail. This wasn’t even a place known for giant surf like other beaches.

"The waves are acting up, so please go inside."

The announcement followed.

"What the hell? It was calm just a second ago."

"Island weather really is impossible to predict."

Soaked tourists shook the seawater off their clothes.

Kang-to sat in a corner of the second-deck cabin. He wanted to look out at the sea, but he stayed where he was. It was because of a peculiar phenomenon. Whenever Kang-to went outside, the waves answered back. That had started when he was twelve and had his first wet dream. If he went down to the shore, the surf came closer. The waves followed him around. At first, it had only been a matter of them getting a little rougher. But now it was different. The difference was obvious to anyone—the water grew violently rough the moment he appeared.

Water Child.

That was what his friends called him.

The nickname did not last long.

It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠because he went to the mainland when he entered middle school. Chilui Island’s middle school had closed down, yes, but what really mattered was Mom’s order.

"When you get to middle school, you’re going to the mainland."

The waves that followed Kang-to. Mom seemed to know why, but she never explained.

Child of Earth.

That was his second nickname. It began with the jujube tree in a relative’s yard. It was so withered and sickly that they had already decided to dig it out. Then Kang-to arrived on his little “study-abroad” trip, and everything changed. The old jujube tree by Kang-to’s window. In less than a month, it started to revive. It even bore a lot of sweet, delicious fruit.

"Ever since Kang-to came, the jujube tree’s come back to life?"

"Looks like your mom’s magic came with you."

His grandfather’s younger brother—his little grand-uncle, along with his wife—had smiled brightly at that. From that day on, even the potted plants in their house grew lively and bright. Orchids that had been yellowing turned green again, and dried bonsai trees bloomed flowers. Every plant Kang-to touched sprang back to life, and so he became the Child of Earth.

It wasn’t a coincidence. The old ginkgo tree in front of the shops near the school had been the same way. It was dying after some lunatic had attacked it with chemicals. But after it met Kang-to, it recovered its dignity. Of course, no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one knew that.

Mom had been firm.

She forbade him from coming to the island not only during middle and high school, but even after he became a university student. Or to put it more precisely, she kept him from getting too close to her.

Mom’s job was as a shaman.

As a child, he had loved the way her ritual robes looked. When she wore multicolored shaman robes or red and blue cheolik garments and held ceremonies at the pier, it felt as if an angel had come down from heaven. They were so magnificent they put a ship captain’s dress uniform to shame.

But Mom saw things differently.

It was because of the spirit that rode her. Her own mother had been a shaman too. His grandmother, known as the Great Shaman of the West Sea, had been so gifted in gongsu that she was counted among the ten greatest shamans in Korea. Before she died, she sat Mom down and left her with a final wish.

"Live your life as an ordinary woman."

Yet in the end, she broke her own solemn wish. When Mom’s shamanic affliction began, the grandmother came down as an ancestral spirit and took hold of her. It was a common story in the shamanic world.

Mom feared that cause-and-effect, which was why she never called Kang-to until the very end of her life was near. But Kang-to’s own shamanic affliction was no joke either. The premonitions of his illness told him as much.

Your mother is dying.

Kang-to’s shamanic illness had started as something mild, just a slight fever of the spirit. Then, when he entered middle school, it grew severe. The farther he advanced in school, the stronger and more frequent the attacks became, so even though he was smart, his grades never turned out especially well.

He called the island.

I guess...

When Mom didn’t pick up, he called Sangju-daek instead. She was the bodhisattva who took care of Mom. The moment she heard, she rushed into the island.

"......"

When Mom saw Kang-to, she let out a sigh first.

"So you received the premonition of my death... In the end, you were always destined to eat shaman’s fare, weren’t you?"

That was what people meant when they said fate.

Mom had two choices in front of her. On one hand, she wished Kang-to would never come. She did not want to pass on the shamanic path she herself had walked. But Kang-to’s shamanic illness was getting worse by the day, so in the end, there was no way to avoid it. That was what a shamanic affliction was.

"Chiluijae..."

Her will began there.

The declining island had become the subject of interest. It had started with rumors of resort development, followed by outside investors sniffing around for profit. It was still only in the beginning stages, but there was something Mom had to protect: the shrine and his grandfather’s lighthouse. And the seven small hills that stretched from there to the lighthouse. Mom valued them above all else.

There was history there too.

Chiluijae, the cluster of modest rocks on each hill, was not especially striking scenery, but the island had taken its name from the legend attached to it. The story was about the immortals playing go. According to the tale, the supreme immortals of heaven moved the seven rocks around while playing their game. Each time they did, flowers bloomed in abundance and good fishing followed.

Now it might sound like nonsense, but Mom saw it differently. She cherished it like her life, never stopped training there, and used it as both her shrine and her prayer ground.

"If I was going to be born with a shaman’s fate anyway, then Chiluijae is what we have to protect."

Mom was solemn. It was no exaggeration to say she had never looked that solemn when delivering any oracle or divination.

"This."

What she handed him was a business card from an outsider and a man’s luxury watch.

"Mom?"

Kang-to asked with his eyes.

"Go meet that man and ask him to buy Chiluijae."

"......?"

Kang-to’s brow furrowed. Chiluijae was broad. It started with Mom’s shrine, then the seven hills, and beyond them the lighthouse. As an area on the island, it accounted for almost twenty percent of the whole. The lighthouse belonged to Mom. It had been built during the Japanese occupation. After his grandfather, three different men had been appointed to run it, but each of them resigned in succession, and once a new lighthouse was built on the opposite island, this one lost all practical value.

When the state tried to tear it down, Mom went into debt to buy it herself. She treasured the lighthouse just as fiercely as she did her own life.

At the very edge of the island, it was just mountains and idle forestland, but with the plan for a comprehensive leisure resort and the speculative fever it had stirred up, it was no longer something you could think of in terms of a mere few hundred million won.

"On the night of July 7, 1997, by the lunar calendar."

"......"

"He made the promise on a yacht, staking his own soul on it, so he’ll honor it."

"Who is this person?"

"You’d better hurry. There’s a rumor that the outsider will be signing a contract soon."

"Mom."

"Take one of Mom’s college photos with you."

"......"

"If things become unavoidable, I may have to deliver the oracle through your mouth. Please understand."

"Mom..."

"Number one. Number four."

"......"

"When the time comes and you have to make a choice about your life, remember that."

"Mom."

"Among my ritual tools, you’ll find the Chilseokgu spirit bells. Never throw them away... And scatter my remains on the second hill, after you circle the seven Chiluijae hills. That’s the only way it can help your shamanic possession—and your future."

The Chilseokgu was one of Mom’s ritual implements. They were unusual stone bells that made no sound no matter who shook them. There was only one exception: Kang-to.

Clink.

Faint, but a sound came out. It had happened when Kang-to was very little. Mom’s face had frozen like stone. Maybe that was why Kang-to had been sent away to the mainland in the first place.

Mom’s final gaze had been fixed on Chiluijae and the lighthouse. When she asked him to open the door, he obeyed. And in that instant, as Kang-to turned back, Mom closed her eyes in peace.

The ashes were scattered on the morning of the third day.

Hop, hop.

Wearing a white cheolik and a white gat, Mom lightly stepped across the seven hills. After passing the last hill and reaching the lighthouse, she circled the old structure once, just as she had in life, and then rose into the air. Like the color of the white lighthouse itself, she became a butterfly so clear it was almost painfully transparent.

Hoooonk.

With the ferry horn sounding, the little island of red and blue roofs receded into the distance. The boat traveled for more than an hour before it finally reached the mainland. The moment Kang-to disembarked, the waves that had followed the boat settled down as well.

"No way... Was he possessed by a ghost? There wasn’t even a rough-sea warning."

Listening to the crew muttering on deck, he walked toward the bus stop.

He took out the card and looked it over. Lee Tae-seop’s signature was on the back. Beneath the signature, he saw Mom’s memo.

As for Cheonjo Group, it was one of the top ten conglomerates in South Korea. It had started by focusing on leisure, hotels, and casinos, then expanded into broadcasting and entertainment as well, gaining even more momentum.

The phone number began with 011.

Judging by the old card and the number, it had to be more than twenty years old. The watch brand carefully wrapped in gold-lamplike brilliance was none other than Rolex. A quick search showed that it was a rare item worth well over a hundred million won.

A large-corporation executive and a Rolex watch.

Neither of them had anything in the world to do with Mom.

Could he be a distant relative of Mom’s?

He erased that thought immediately. Mom had no relatives who had made such worldly, upward-climbing success. That was something he had heard from the lighthouse keeper grandfather when he was little.

"In our family, this old man is the most successful person there is."

"I mean, I am a civil servant, aren’t I?"

"And I work in a high lighthouse, so that makes me an important man, doesn’t it?"

By the last line, Kang-to’s nose had gone a little sour.

"Your mom isn’t the only one who saves people who’ve lost their way. Your grandfather lights up the night sea and saves ships that are drifting without a course."

Grandfather.

Please save Mom too, now.

Before the bus came, he propped up a dandelion that someone had trampled and bent nearly to the ground. Strangely enough, the dandelion lifted its head proudly and saw him off.

Kang-to had guessed right.

The card was old. There was no man named department manager Lee Tae-seop. Instead, there was someone else—Lee Tae-seop was the chairman of Cheonjo Group.

"Is there a namesake?"

Kang-to asked the young woman at the information desk.

"Our chairman did once serve as a department manager in the past."

"Then please let me see him."

Kang-to said it plainly. A major conglomerate’s department manager was impressive enough, but a chairman? Something felt wrong, but this had been Mom’s last wish. So he couldn’t simply turn around and leave.

"Leave your name and contact number. We’ll get in touch once the chairman gives instructions."

It was a polite, perfectly polished refusal.

"Then please deliver this."

He handed over Mom’s keepsake and the old business card, then wrote down his phone number.

"Hey. That watch is..."

The woman called after him, but he didn’t look back.

He believed in Mom.

She had never done anything carelessly in her life.

Soon after, a call came in from an unfamiliar number. It was at the very moment he was debating whether to return to the island.

"This is the Cheonjo Group secretary’s office."

The secretary’s office?

It was a call from the chairman’s side.

"Go in."

The door to Cheonjo Group’s guest waiting room opened.

The woman pointed him toward the chairman’s office. Just as he drew in a deep breath, his shamanic sickness surged up, dizzy and fierce.

Of all times, now...

He pressed hard at the tail of his brow and rested for a moment.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No. Just a moment."

It was the fever again. It had been quiet for a while, but now it was showing signs of another attack. Still, this was an opportunity he had fought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hard to get, so he gritted his teeth and went in. The chairman’s office was grand. Expensive furnishings, and photographs from yacht competitions everywhere. In one picture after another, Chairman Lee stood in front of luxury yachts in a muscular pose. Even an idiot could tell the man was a yacht fanatic.

"Chairman, Lee Kang-to is here."

At the woman’s announcement, the chairman lifted his gaze.

"Lee Kang-to?"

Those were his first words. His voice was heavy, businesslike.

"Yes."

"What are you?"

"Pardon?"

"You said you brought this?"

Chairman Lee touched the old business card and the luxury watch.

"Yes."

"So who are you, then?"

"I’m Lee Kang-to."

"Why did you want to meet me?"

"I came because of my mother’s last wish."

"Your mother’s last wish?"

"Yes."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Do you know my mother?"

"Your mother?"

"My mother’s name is Park Chang-hae."

"Park Chang-hae?"

"Yes."

"What does she do?"

"She was a shaman."

"A shaman?"

"Yes."

"Sounds like some shameless fraud of a shaman sent you here to squeeze money out of me with a cheap fortune reading."

The chairman’s sneer was cold.

His hand moved straight toward the intercom.

"I’m not here to squeeze money out of you. My mother died a few days ago."

"What?"

The chairman was about to press the intercom button, but then he looked at Kang-to again.

"Do you know Chilui Island?"

"Chilui Island?"

"It’s an island in the West Sea. People who go yacht cruising sometimes visit there, just like in that photograph."

"And?"

"My mother told me to find you and ask you to buy Chiluijae from the island. She said it was a promise you made on a yacht on the night of July 7, 1997, by the lunar calendar, while staking your soul and looking up at the Big Dipper."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Back then too?"

"Yes."

"An old card... and a Rolex... The card looks real, and you even know I’m a Rolex man. You put together a pretty serious script, didn’t you? The Rolex might be a fake, but this card...?"

The chairman, who had been dripping sarcasm, slowly furrowed his brow.

"You said your mother’s name was Park Chang-hae?"

"This is a photo of my mother from her college days."

Kang-to took the photo out and laid it down.

"......?"

The chairman’s eyes, as he reached for it almost absentmindedly, flickered with a brief blue shock.

This man knows Mom.

From that one flicker alone, Kang-to understood.

And then...

"What the..."

The chairman’s words came out like a groan.

"Don’t tell me..."

His jaw trembled. His shoulders shook with a shiver that seemed to run through his whole body. With deep conflict written across his face, the chairman forced out something utterly unbelievable.

"Are you saying you came here to see me because you’re my son?"

This story is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a fantasy novel. Please read it as nothing but fiction.