The Island Village Shaman Dad Is a Chaebol's Illegitimate Child... 28
His biological father walked toward the lighthouse. Kang-to was standing at the point where Chiluijae began, and he did not move until Lee Tae-seop drew close.
"I knew you'd come."
That was Kang-to's first words.
"Hmm..."
"Did the second gongsu bring you here?"
He asked it as though he already knew the answer.
"Was that a curse?"
The reply had an edge to it.
"A curse is what happens when dramas portray shamans as villains. A proper shaman would never do such a thing, and if one did, the punishment of their body-spirit would ruin them."
"Then how did you..."
"I only followed divine insight as a disciple of the gods."
"You foresaw that my wife would be in a car accident?"
"Could it have been a coincidence?"
Kang-to's eyes flashed. Lee Tae-seop had come with his guard up from the start, but when sparks jumped in Kang-to's gaze, that hard angle of his softened a little.
"In any case, there was an accident. Her life isn't in danger."
"Do you understand the true value of a shaman now?"
"......"
"Still refusing to acknowledge it, I see."
"Where is your mother's grave?"
"The whole hill is my mother's grave."
"You mean she was cremated and scattered?"
"Yes."
"Then where exactly am I supposed to pay my respects?"
"Why don't you find it yourself?"
"What did you say?"
Lee Tae-seop's eyes wavered. This was an island. From the mainland it looked no bigger than a palm, but once you stepped onto it, it was far from small.
"My mother spent her whole life enduring. You know how hard it is for a woman to raise a child alone. If you understand that even one ten-thousandth, I trust you won't mind the trouble of finding the place where her soul rests. Wouldn't that bring her some comfort?"
Kang-to cut him off.
His biological father, Lee Tae-seop.
At last, he had come to pay his respects.
And yet he did not look willing. So Kang-to added a condition.
Mother and biological father.
He did not know anything about that force of attraction, or whether it even existed. His mother had never once spoken of his father. But something had drawn them together, hadn't it? For one brief moment, there had been something mistaken for love. Kang-to wanted to see that for himself.
How could a man like you
win my mother's heart?
Show me the proof.
"But..."
Kang-to kept going, his eyes on the sea as he spoke to Lee Tae-seop.
"Are you planning to make your offering with empty hands?"
"......"
Lee Tae-seop clicked his tongue. This was a reluctant act of remembrance. Even so, he could not perform it empty-handed. That was common sense.
He took out his phone.
"Driver Jang, stop by the market at the dock and get..."
Kang-to's gaze shot to the phone in his hand.
"Phew."
Lee Tae-seop steadied his rough breathing, ended the call, and got back into the sedan.
The car returned a moment later. A black plastic bag swung from his hand, and inside were dried pollack and soju.
He carried them as he looked up at Chiluijae. Then he glanced at the sea as if measuring something, and started walking. He crossed the first hill, looked back at the water, and stopped on the second.
"......"
This time, Kang-to was the one who was startled. Lee Tae-seop took out the dried pollack, then the soju. Exactly at the second hill of Chiluijae. If this were the Big Dipper, it was the place of Mizar and Alcor. He poured a cup there and offered a moment of silence.
This.
Coincidence?
He thought about it for a moment, then shook off the suspicion. To doubt it would be no different from Lee Tae-seop doubting Kang-to's body-spirit.
"How did you know?"
He asked the question after the offering was done.
"This was it?"
"It was my mother's favorite place when she was alive. It was her own prayer ground, too."
"That day... your mother told me about the seven hidden jewels on this island."
Lee Tae-seop let himself drift back along a memory faded by time.
You know the Big Dipper, right?
I do. When you sail a yacht, you end up studying the constellations too.
Then do you know the seven stars of Chilui Island?
There are stars on Chilui Island?
In the sky there are seven stars of the Big Dipper. On Chilui Island, there are seven hills.
Park Chang-hae's eyes never left the hills of Chiluijae as she explained.
Look at the little hills spreading out above the lighthouse.
I can't really see them.
There are seven in all, which is why this place is called Chiluijae. The second-to-last hill, especially, is hidden by the others and hard to see. But they say the person who can see it will have their wish granted.
I can see it.
Oh, really? Then make a wish.
I already did.
What was it?
You.
Lee Tae-seop's finger had rested over Park Chang-hae's chest. Over a chest whiter than moonlight.
"Hypocrite..."
Kang-to muttered under his breath.
"Hypocrite?"
"Before you made a wish, you should've said you were married. That you had a son and a daughter too."
"That..."
"If you'd said that, would my mother have ever tied herself to you?"
"I have nothing to say..."
"Even that sounds half-hearted."
"What do you want me to do?"
"You didn't come to this island just to pay respects to my mother, did you?"
"You can read minds too?"
"Nothing I can't do."
"You should come to Seoul sometime soon."
"Why?"
"I have a mother too. Since I have to register you on the family ledger and can't hide you forever, I mentioned it to the elder of the house. As a matter of course. And she said..."
He paused on the phrase as a matter of course. He hadn't expected anything, but the man seemed not to feel even the least bit guilty.
"...she wants to see your face at least once."
"A paternity confirmation procedure?"
"You won't lose anything either way. Just the fact that I paid for Chiluijae alone more than covers your upbringing until adulthood. And once you're on the family ledger, even in the worst-case scenario, you'd still be able to claim your reserved share. I assume you've already looked up what that means."
"Not at all. The only things in my head are my mother, my body-spirit, and Sol-bi."
"So you're not interested in money?"
"At first, I wasn't."
Kang-to's eyes flashed as he answered.
"And now it's different?"
"If you see my mother and me as thugs trying to shake down a few scraps of inheritance, then I can meet your expectations."
"How dare you threaten me?"
"You may regret using the word 'dare' in front of my body-spirit."
"What did you say?"
"......"
"You mentioned Sol-bi... so that's your daughter's name?"
"You don't need to concern yourself with my daughter."
"You were talking about reading minds, but to be honest, I don't want to see you often either. I was even thinking of sending someone..."
"You were worried the rumors would spread, weren't you? And sending your son or daughter would've left you unable to face them."
"Lee Kang-to."
"Keep your promise of goodwill first. If another problem comes up, am I supposed to fulfill it every single time?"
"You only need to come in, say hello, and leave."
"I'm not that free either."
"Lee Kang-to."
"If you've finished, you should go. It was an unwilling act of remembrance anyway..."
"Then there could be a problem with the family registry. My mother is on a completely different level from the old people on this island."
"So you're saying there are people above other people?"
"Your insolence is impressive."
A cold sneer crept over Lee Tae-seop's mouth.
"Then I'll cancel my side of the arrangement as well. Sorry, but among my clients there are more than enough YouTubers and influencers who'd be curious about a gentleman's agreement with the chairman."
"......"
"Thank you for coming all this way with a heart that wasn't in it. Thanks to that, I now understand what the chairman really thinks."
That was Kang-to, rattling his opponent's nerves.
"Hoo."
Lee Tae-seop swallowed his anger and moved away with the sedan.
"Dad."
Sol-bi came trotting over.
"Who was that?"
Her expression was sharp. She was still young, but it looked as though she had inherited a sense for danger.
"Someone I know."
"Then why was he scolding Dad?"
"He wasn't scolding me."
"If anyone scolds you, tell Sol-bi. I'll go beat him up with the big brothers and sisters."
Sol-bi's comfort flew at him. Sol-bi was always on Kang-to's side, and thanks to that, the nagging unease in his chest eased a little.
"Beopsa-nim."
Chae-rin waved from in front of the lighthouse.
"Looks like lunch is ready."
Sol-bi brightened at once.
"Lunch?"
"Unnie made abalone dishes. Sol-bi helped."
"Did she?"
"Hurry up, Dad."
Sol-bi tugged at him. Her coaxing was so sweet it looked as if she could drag a mountain along with her.
"Wow."
Kang-to's mouth stayed open. It was because of the table. A spread worthy of a Michelin star had been laid out before him.
"I made this in return because the clam and blue crab dishes were so good, but I don't know if it'll suit Beopsa-nim's taste."
Chae-rin, wearing an apron, smiled in pale white.
When they got off the boat, she'd been carrying something, and apparently it had been abalone. Even so, Kang-to had not expected her to prepare such a magnificent meal.
The main dishes were abalone pasta, butter-grilled abalone, and abalone cold salad.
"The cold salad was made by Lady Gyeongsin."
Chae-rin blushed.
"Try it. It looks like this, but the taste is fine."
"I used some clams and ark clams from the fridge with Sol-bi's permission. The flavor actually got better that way."
Lady Gyeongsin and Chae-rin kept explaining as they worked.
"Sol-bi, say ahh."
The rolled-up noodles went toward Sol-bi's mouth.
But then...
"No, Sol-bi wants Chae-rin unnie..."
Sol-bi shook her head and betrayed him. By then she'd already squeezed herself tight against Chae-rin's side, and the bond between them was stronger than the abalone they'd latched onto.
"Keep this up and I'll get even with you, Chae-rin."
Kang-to made a timid threat.
"Then just don't let unnie leave."
Sol-bi even offered a solution as she slurped up the noodles.
Pop.
With that sound, cream splattered around Sol-bi's mouth and speckled her face. On other days she would make a whole scene demanding to be wiped clean, but today she was grinning and too busy gobbling up Chae-rin's noodles to care.
"This is no ordinary skill set."
Kang-to looked at Sol-bi.
"When I was an actress, we shot on location in Italy. I once ate pasta at a long-running old restaurant there, and the taste was incredible even though it didn't have a Michelin star. So I learned from them while we were filming on location... and today I made it again."
"Wow, unnie was a celebrity?"
Sol-bi cut in.
"Back then. Not so much now, right?"
"No, unnie is pretty even now. Be a celebrity again."
"Hmm... I actually like things better the way they are now."
"Why? If you're a celebrity, you get to wear pretty clothes all the time."
"Unnie thinks the priest robes you wear now are prettier. And if I were still a celebrity, it would be hard to come to this island."
"Huh?"
"Mm-hm."
"Then that's not good. Don't be a celebrity."
Sol-bi's mood swings were on full display. Her expression was so serious that everyone burst out laughing.
Since he'd been treated to a meal, Kang-to took on the dishes.
"Beopsa Kang-to."
Lady Gyeongsin approached.
"About that guest from earlier..."
"Yes?"
"Wasn't he the chairman of Cheonjo Group?"
"......"
Slip.
The plate in his hand nearly slid out. He caught it by reflex, so it didn't break.
"I saw a photo of an interview when I was flipping through a magazine last time. I've got a sharp eye, you know? Besides, the two of you looked alike."
"Me?"
"Yes, even our little bodhisattva said so."
"You must have seen wrong."
Kang-to cut her off.
"Then is he an acquaintance of our little brother? He looked like he was paying respects..."
"......"
"All right. I can tell it's awkward to talk about, so I won't ask anymore. Brother, I should take Sol-bi and go dig for clams in the tidal flats too."
Lady Gyeongsin, catching the chilly mood, opened the door and went out.
After clearing the dishes, Kang-to went up to the lighthouse shrine. The Chiluijae hills spread out in the distance and met his eyes with a cold, unwavering stare.
His biological father.
He had come to pay respects.
But.
His heart had not come with him.
Would his mother have...
...been glad anyway?
He thought about it for a while, then started searching.
[Chairman of Cheonjo Group mother]
Different from the island elders?
What ridiculous noble-blood nonsense.
So being rich made it all right?
"......?"
When he hit enter, Kang-to's eyes twitched.
There was a reason for that. This was not some ordinary rich grandma, but an astonishing woman of power.
[World-renowned jewelry designer Song Ji-na]
[President of global jewelry company Songra Jewelry]
[The star of the world social scene, Jina Song]
Beneath that glittering list of credentials, related photos kept appearing one after another.
Still vigorous. Still active. A woman with immense influence in the world of high society.
As if to prove it, some photos showed her with foreign leaders and celebrities, while others showed her with domestic entertainers.
Only then did it become clear. The reason Lee Tae-seop had come to Chilui Island in person was not because he cared about his mother, but because he had been overwhelmed by her authority.
Song Ji-na...
Among the photos was one with Lee Tae-seop. He found a recent one and enlarged the face.
"......?"
His gaze froze there.
My God.
The exclamation slipped out on its own.
Song Ji-na, radiating elegant authority beside Lee Tae-seop. She had been born with the luck of wealth, family, and career. Even past eighty, she still seemed to overflow with that refined brilliance.
Seen side by side, her force surpassed Lee Tae-seop's. From the photograph alone, one might think the real power behind Cheonjo Group was not Lee Tae-seop, but his mother, Song Ji-na.
And yet.
There was an inescapable fate wrapped inside that elegance, a fate invisible beneath the sheen. Even with her triumphant smile, noble jewels, and graceful fashion, she could not hide from Kang-to's spiritual sight.
This...
Kang-to's blood ran hot.
If he handled this well, it could become an opportunity for a complete reversal.
"It's me."
He called Lee Tae-seop at the dock. Then he delivered a short, blunt sentence.
"I'll come to Seoul as soon as possible."