The Best Kind of Proof
"Lee Kang-to."
As Kang-to came out of the verification room, Song Ji-na opened her arms wide.
"Incredible."
She pulled him into a hug. It was recognition given from the heart.
"Look at this. I still have goosebumps. Not only did you match the bones, you even identified the names?"
Song Ji-na rolled up her sleeves to show him. Gooseflesh stood out clearly on her arms.
"I just spoke to Mitchell. It's the first time I've ever seen him that stunned."
"Is that so?"
"How did you do it?"
"I met the spirits. They were all soldiers."
"Really?"
"Their names were on the uniforms, so it wasn't difficult."
"BBC's going to assemble a pre-investigation team right away. I told them our Beopsa Kang-to only gets free on Mondays, at the earliest."
"Thank you."
"They'll contact us once the schedule comes out."
"Understood."
"So, what does Chairman Lee think?"
Song Ji-na turned to look at him. Chairman Lee seemed a little strange. Unlike before, the force around him had gone down a notch.
"......"
"Nothing to say?"
"Mother, could you step out for a moment?"
"Okay."
Song Ji-na patted Kang-to on the back and left the waiting room.
"Lee Kang-to."
Chairman Lee finally spoke. Kang-to's gaze lifted to his eyes.
He had been an unplanned witness, a man who did not openly respect shamans. How would he have viewed Kang-to's struggle?
"A shaman..."
He began, hesitated for a moment, then finished his thought.
"You were extraordinary. Enough to tear apart every prejudice I had."
"......"
At those words, Kang-to's eyes snapped wide. He almost doubted his ears. Was this praise directed at him?
"The world really is vast."
"......"
"That Mitchell from the BBC. A man even the British royal family knows by reputation. He left a global investment firm in the States because he wanted to do what he truly wanted, and when he joined the BBC, that firm's stock was cut in half. I know him a little, and he is the sort of man who won't even glance at anything beneath a certain standard. It was the first time I'd ever seen him react like that."
"......"
"That spiritual power of yours, too, must be the result of harsh hardship and discipline."
"That's right. It was a spirit possession I received with my life on the line. To follow my mother's will."
"Your mother..."
"......"
"I saw her too."
"Pardon?"
"When you focused on the bones, maybe it was only my imagination, but your mother seemed to linger there."
"......"
"I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"If possible... since you can move between the world of the dead and this one... could you let me meet your mother?"
"You should tell me the reason first."
"The reason..."
A lonely smile brushed the corner of Chairman Lee's mouth. After a breath, he went on.
"It's far too late, but... I want to apologize."
"Pardon?"
"I want to say I'm sorry... I never imagined it had gone so far as a pregnancy. It's useless now, of course, but..."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. Only then can I move on to the next step."
"And what would that be?"
"Apologizing to you."
"......?"
"I heard it from your grandmother. What you said today about the perpetrator and the victim... it struck right through me."
"......"
"To be honest, the person who should have been celebrating today wasn't Mitchell, it was me. Mitchell isn't even blood related to you, and being Western, he probably had a strong bias against Eastern shamanism, but he still acknowledged your abilities and celebrated them. And I... your sudden appearance in front of me... that wasn't your fault, and yet..."
"......"
"To be frank, I was shocked. I had a lot to protect. So I turned away from you, to preserve everything I'd built up until now."
"......"
"And yet you... despite being looked down on for having such a shameful profession as a shaman... even while I was brandishing my wealth like a sword, you were the first to reach out your hand."
"......"
"At first, I wanted to shove a bit of money at you and shut your mouth. But as time went on, I found myself struggling with it. Blood ties... I couldn't simply cut them and sew them back together however I pleased."
"......"
"Then Mother told me. What you had said about the perpetrator and the victim... those words went straight for the lungs. When I looked back, I was the perpetrator. Toward my own mother, toward your mother, toward you, and even toward my family now."
"......"
"Watching your struggle, I realized something. What if you are a shaman? It was nobility that would not have been out of place in a priest. And your mother, standing beside that with that pure white smile... I could no longer pretend not to see the utterly innocent sincerity of your mother's heart."
"......"
"So what I'm saying is... I'm sorry, but what I truly need as proof is your mother's forgiveness."
"......"
"Only with that can I ask for forgiveness from you and from my present family. Think about it. If the cause hasn't been resolved, what is the point of trying to manage the consequence?"
Your mother's forgiveness.
Those words pierced straight into Kang-to's brain.
They struck a chord without mercy. It was the highest good Kang-to wanted, because they had hit the core of it.
"So... please."
Chairman Lee's voice trembled.
"Did you tell Grandmother that?"
"I was planning to, if your mother forgave me."
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then I'll have to ask for forgiveness again. The sin I've accumulated while raising you alone couldn't possibly be washed away all at once."
Chairman Lee's eyes were steady. This was not a whim.
Suddenly, the thought came to him.
The director of this production might not have been Song Ji-na, but his mother. Perhaps she was envisioning a way to save both Kang-to and Chairman Lee.
"Close your eyes."
"Here?"
"No need to go all the way to the island."
"All right..."
Chairman Lee closed his eyes.
Jjararang.
A clear note began to ring from Kang-to's Chilseokgu. His mother's possession was not difficult. Following the sound of the Chilseokgu spirit bells, she descended like the movement of a butterfly's wings.
"Chang-hae..."
Chairman Lee spoke his mother's name. Her spirit passed through Kang-to and moved toward Chairman Lee. Kang-to stepped out into the hallway.
Haeweonsaeng.
It was not something that only appeared in a client's exorcism.
But even in the world of the dead, there were times and seasons. That was why people chose an auspicious day and held a ritual.
Then was this what his mother had meant by "the right time"?
The day Kang-to, Chairman Lee, and Song Ji-na stood aligned on a single line for the sake of resolving grievances and restoring life?
Chairman Lee remained inside for a very long time. Even by the time Song Ji-na returned from the bureau chief's office, he still had not come out.
"Where's Chairman Lee?"
Song Ji-na asked. When Kang-to looked back, he could no longer feel his mother's spirit.
Click.
He opened the waiting room door.
Chairman Lee was alone inside, leaning back in a chair and settling his emotions. The tears soaking his lapels told the story. He had received his mother's forgiveness.
"Are you all right?"
Kang-to asked.
"Your mother..."
"......?"
"She forgave me. She asked me to take good care of you."
"......"
"Now it's time for me to receive your forgiveness, isn't it?"
Chairman Lee looked at Kang-to.
"I'm not ready to accept that forgiveness yet."
"Still not enough?"
"That's not it... I still have my own proof to earn."
"Your own?"
"The BBC's final verification."
"You don't need to go that far. What we've done today is enough."
"No. My destination lies beyond the BBC."
"Beyond the BBC?"
"I'll tell you later. Only when that is complete will no one be able to attack your identity as a shaman or use it as a pretext to criticize my company."
"You still insist on calling me Chairman?"
"......"
"Your mother forgave me."
"Fath..."
"......"
"...er."
When Kang-to finished the last syllable, Chairman Lee pulled him into his arms.
"I'm sorry. That's all I have to say."
Chairman Lee's eyes were wet again.
"Looks like Chairman Lee is buying dinner tonight?"
Song Ji-na, leaning against the door, murmured loud enough for both men to hear.
"Of course. What do you want to eat?"
For the first time, Chairman Lee's voice sounded genuinely warm when he asked Kang-to.
***
"Let's hear the roadmap."
At the traditional Korean restaurant, Song Ji-na asked.
"I'll kneel before my wife and children too, and ask for their forgiveness sincerely."
"That's different from your strategy last time."
"Yes."
"What if they don't forgive you?"
"Then I'll have to try three times."
"Good grief. I'm a beneficiary, so I can't even cry or laugh."
"Beneficiary?"
"That's what our Kang-to Beopsa says. You're the perpetrator, and I'm the beneficiary. He says I got another grandson without lifting a finger."
"Sounds about right."
"What? Since when did you start shielding your third son?"
"And is that a problem?"
"Hmm... this is why children are only children while they're still in your arms."
"Since I couldn't raise him in my arms, I should do better now."
"Even so, Chairman Lee still can't beat me. I donated a desalination facility to Chilui Island, after all."
"If that's not underway yet, then hand it over to me."
"Trying to freeload?"
"Isn't this about strengthening the bond between father and son? Mother's the one who should help. Who else would?"
"Sorry, but we've already signed an MOU, so no."
"Ah, Mother, honestly..."
"Then let Chairman Lee handle something else."
"Something else, like what?"
"Kang-to Beopsa?"
Song Ji-na passed the ball to Kang-to.
"Fine. Since the topic's come up, tell us."
Chairman Lee pulled his chair closer and sat down.
"Then, since Director Eun runs the education foundation..."
"Mother."
Chairman Lee cut Kang-to off.
"......"
"I know it feels awkward at first. But you have to get used to saying it."
"Understood. Then could my mother... perhaps make educational investments on Chilui Island?"
"The branch school there?"
"The number of students is so small they're worried about closure. And when you think about it, that comes down to the water shortage too. If Grandmother resolves the water problem, maybe people who left the island will come back."
"And so?"
"I once saw this while riding a express bus. At an elementary school reunion for a school that was worried about closure, they had hung a banner. If you transfer to this school, we'll cover your entire university tuition."
"That's not a bad idea."
"And if you look at the Ivy League schools my brother and sister graduated from, sports activities are very active there. Could we benchmark that and offer things like yacht lessons, swimming lessons, or golf lessons? Free for all students, of course. It would cost a lot, naturally."
"Good idea."
Chairman Lee slapped his forehead.
"Not bad at all. Cheonjo Group supporting a remote island school. It fits the company's image too. We could set up a modest swimming pool and golf course."
"If you ask Mother for that and Father sponsors the company side, wouldn't the number of transfer students increase?"
"That's good."
Chairman Lee looked at Song Ji-na.
"See? What did I tell you? The more family, the better."
"At this rate, I'll need to make ten trips instead of three."
"Thanks for agreeing."
The reconciliation accelerated.
That didn't mean he started swallowing the whole pot of soup before it was ready. Even with the thaw between him and Chairman Lee, he did not let his guard down. The real body of the verification had not even begun yet.
"Oh, Beopsa Kang-to?"
When Yoon Hee-ra opened the door, she brightened at once.
"The minister sent the county governor, so I came by to greet you properly."
Inside the living room, Kang-to bowed his head. Before going to the island, he had stopped by to pay his respects to Minister Kim.
"It wasn't such a big deal that a busy man would come all the way to greet me..."
Kim Ki-wook smiled for the first time in a long while.
The son who had once been the family's great hope. He had graduated from a good medical school and was preparing to open his own practice when tragedy struck.
And for parents who had grieved because they could not even find his remains, Kang-to's help in recovering them meant they could not possibly be anything but grateful.
"How is the island's desalination project coming along?"
"Yes, the county governor has also promised additional support."
"I'm no longer in office, so my influence has thinned out, but if there's anything I can do, just say the word. I'll do my best, as if I were taking care of my own son's business."
"Didn't you also serve as ambassador to China, Minister?"
"I did, before I went to the Ministry of Unification. Why do you ask? Are you planning to make divination trips to China too?"
"I'm still just an island frog for now."
"Now that you mention it, there are communist party officials in China who like fortune-telling too. If you want, I can introduce you around."
"I may not need fortune-telling, but there could be something else I ask you to help with."
He made the opening and left the mansion. There wasn't much time; he had to catch the afternoon ferry.
The reason he had laid that groundwork was for the plan after the BBC verification.
In truth, Kang-to's final target was China. Song Ji-na's network was beyond imagination. But as the saying went, more was often better in the world.
Not just anyone became ambassador to China, so this was a contingency he was setting in place. Beyond that, he wanted to proceed as independently as possible.
As for Song Ji-na's umbrella, he was content to use it for the BBC connection. That was enough for Kang-to's own value to shine.
"Sol-bi, Dad..."
He called Sol-bi from in front of the pier. Since the fish-shaped buns were on the island already, he thought he'd ask about something else.
Before he could even finish the sentence, Sol-bi's voice thundered through the phone.
"Dad, how many fish buns should I bake? Great-Aunt says there's not much batter left, so hurry up and ask!"