The Drowned Body and the Chairman

"......?"

The fishing cooperative chief's brow knotted violently. A body had been hauled up by the fishing boats. More than a month had passed, so the flesh had begun to rot, but it was Hong-seo's father all right. Along with him came the frayed rope from an old piece of gear wrapped around his ankle.

"Aigoo, a shaman really did come through."

"No kidding. That kind of miracle wouldn't be out of place even when his mother was working her power."

"Could it compare to Lady Cheonhae? Even that old manshin's spirit sight wasn't this uncanny."

Almost everyone on the island had come running. Even the handful of guests staying at the island inns had joined the crowd.

Spirit sight was the act of sensing a deity through one's eyes. It required reading another person's energy with precision, so shamans whose body deity lacked power could only imitate it in appearance.

"Does that even make sense? It was just a coincidence, wasn't it?"

The ones tilting their heads in doubt were the director of the Buddhist retreat and Detective Yang, who handled the island's public safety and vessel security.

"I saw it with my own eyes, I tell you! When the rice was scattered, it floated on the seawater, the wind chime rang by itself, and Mr. Yoo rose right up out of the water. That's the body the police and the fishing cooperative searched for nearly half a month and never found."

The witnesses all spoke at once.

"Now that you mention it..."

It was Choi Ijang's wife who broke in.

"What? What else is there?"

"My old man says... those land buyers who were arrested earlier. Kang-to even predicted they’d end up in prison, too..."

"Seriously?"

"He came back after a drink of makgeolli and said it. And the moment he finished speaking, detectives popped out of the boat."

"Well then, it wasn't a coincidence. The third-generation shaman Kang-to must have received a truly potent spirit."

"Oh, come on... a potent shaman, my foot. The way I see it, his leg had been tangled in the net rope, and only by chance did it come loose and float up."

When the criticism came out, Hong-seo's grandmother moved in to punish ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.

"Who was that smart mouth? Honestly, who do you think feeds us and keeps our bellies warm? Isn't it thanks to Kang-to's grandmother, Lady Seohae Manshin? And yet you just flap that mouth of yours however you like? Didn't you see how he brought in Hong-seo's father? The police and the fishing cooperative all together couldn't do it, and he did. If that's not divine power, what is it? Anyone who tears Kang-to down in front of me had better not expect to walk away clean."

"......"

Once Hong-seo's grandmother started barking, the skeptics shut their mouths. After all, the fact remained that Hong-seo's father had been brought up from the water.

Kang-to didn't care either way. This was an age in which even faith in the supreme deity had grown hazy. So it was only natural that people looked down on the Nine Heavens Maiden and the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord. In this so-called scientific era, they sneered at shamanism as superstition and worse, but in truth persecution and contempt for shamans had been common even in older times.

All of it came down to the frauds who used the gods as an excuse to cheat people blind. That image wasn't something Kang-to could erase with a single explanation. He would simply have to prove himself, one stitch at a time, through relentless practice and results.

After seeing to Hong-seo's father and setting things straight, he walked toward the lighthouse. Hong-seo's mother and grandmother pressed their joined hands in thanks again and again behind him, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their gratitude following him for a long, long way.

He woke before dawn and ground the mineral pigment. It had belonged to his grandmother and mother. He recited the scriptures as his grandmother had done, then followed the ones his mother used. Kang-to was a bright child, especially when it came to chanting. That only made his mother's wariness grow, and in the end she had accepted the fate the gods had prepared for him.

In other words, he had been born to be a shaman.

By nightfall he had carefully laid out the preparations. Talismans were written at midnight. That was when yin energy was strongest, which meant the body deity's power would be stronger too.

He bowed seven times at Chiluijae and brought up water from the spring. It was something his mother had done. Then he picked up his brush, turned it neatly over incense and candles, and only then began drawing the talisman.

Shamans wrote talismans. Of course, not all of them did. By now there were even talisman factories, so plenty of people simply bought them ready-made.

That isn't a talisman.

It was his mother's words. They were also his grandmother's meaning. The life of a talisman lay in its spiritual power. If the deity within it did not exist, then even if it were drawn in gold dust, it was nothing more than scribbling on paper.

Talismans were for dealing with wandering spirits.

As in Hong-seo's father's case, water spirits, strays, and other wayward ghosts had gathered in groups. Some had sunk with capsized boats, some had drifted over from the mainland, and on rare occasions the vengeful spirits of those who had thrown themselves into the sea, taken their own lives, or been murdered whispered curses from all around the island.

People with weak convictions were easily swept away by them. Hong-seo's father's desperate end had been no different. So Kang-to was laying down defenses before anyone else could be harmed.

Once the talismans were ready, he pressed them in place at several key points. The island was small, but when you were doing work like this, it suddenly felt vast. The problem was the abandoned houses. As people left the island, or as elderly residents who had lived alone passed away, empty homes multiplied. Some had stood vacant for so long that no one could even say when they had been abandoned. There were places where lingering resentment had soaked into the walls. The grudges of those who had died with bitterness still remained.

Kieeee.

Startled by the talismans, low-level stray spirits scattered toward the back of the island, where the coast ran into the cliffs. It was a place heavy with yin energy, which was why there were even more abandoned houses there.

He couldn't make any more talismans. He would have to wait for more materials.

"Kang-to hyung."

That evening, Hong-seo came by with a bundle of semi-dried fish.

"You said you wouldn't take a fee, so at least take this."

When Hong-seo's mother reddened at the corners of her eyes, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠took it without another word.

"My mother said to ask whether you'd send him off with a rite so he can go to a good place."

"He's already gone to a good place, so no rite is necessary."

"Really?"

"Yes. Please tell her that."

"Oh, thank goodness. He had been underwater for so long..."

"Just take good care of Hong-seo's grandmother and the rest of the family."

"Thank you."

Hong-seo's mother left with Hong-seo in front of her. The shoulders that were always bowed under some invisible weight looked a little lighter now.

By contrast, the mainland news was in chaos. It was because of the brutal string of murders that had been piling up recently. They were happening at random, centered around Seoul. Even the island's news could not avoid carrying the reports.

Four people had been killed so far. And yet the police had failed to find even the faintest clue. The culprit was an intelligent criminal who rendered even CCTV, the jewel of police investigations, utterly useless.

"Ah, I saw the video people posted online, and it was seriously chilling."

Sang-gyu, who had begun the lighthouse renovation work, clicked his tongue. For the past four days he had been throwing himself into the work on Kang-to's shrine.

"Want to see it? I heard the grandmothers at the pier this morning saying you're incredibly gifted. Maybe it was the work of a ghost?"

"You don't believe in ghosts."

"I don't believe in ghosts, but I do believe in my friend Lee Kang-to's spiritual power. My father is the proof, after all."

"Let's take a look."

At Kang-to's words, Sang-gyu found the video for him. You could find everything on YouTube except the things that vanished. Some videos were deleted immediately, but that didn't mean they were really gone.

"......?"

Kang-to's expression twisted sharply.

Brutal. Tragic.

There were two videos, and those were the shared words that came to mind. Depending on how you looked at them, they could be accidents—or murders soaked through with a grudge old enough to last an eternity.

And...

There was one more thing they had in common: the oppressive feeling of a vengeful spirit's curse. Yet it couldn't be confirmed, because the two impressions followed different patterns.

"Do you think it's ghosts?"

Sang-gyu asked it like a joke, but Kang-to's answer was serious.

"It seems likely."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Whoa. So it really is a ghost, then?"

"That's my judgment. But from the video alone, it's hard to be certain."

"Hey, then this case doesn't need the police—it needs our Kang-to. The ghost serial killer is apprehended by the gifted shaman Lee Kang-to."

"Someone's calling for the carpenters."

Kang-to pointed behind him.

The work was nearing its end. Once the afternoon paintwork was finished, they could open immediately. All that remained was giving his name as a novice shaman. That problem had been solved by Madam Gyeongsin.

"Are you settled down a bit now?"

After lunch, as he was collecting his thoughts, his phone rang. Kang-to had meant to call and greet her anyway, but Madam Gyeongsin had been suffering from a severe spiritual fever since the initiation rite, so only now were they able to connect.

"Thanks to you, yes. I'm so grateful."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you, I got to make my mark before the heavenly gods as well. By the way, when are you opening the shrine?"

"As soon as the construction's done."

"And you've chosen a law name yet?"

"Not yet."

"You said you're setting the shrine up at the lighthouse, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Then the name Kang-to Beopsa sounds good to me... Since you've taken the Nine Heavens Maiden as your deity, Gucheon Beopsa or Gucheon Seonsin would be fine too..."

Kang-to Beopsa.

It wasn't bad.

"I'll go with Kang-to Beopsa."

"And... I was thinking I might send someone your way."

"Someone?"

"There's a girl called Baby Bodhisattva. She used to be an entertainer, but then spiritual illness came on her and she received an initiation rite from a famous shaman. Still, it seems she may be harboring a false spirit. Apparently they even did a sorting rite later, but it still hasn't been sorted out."

A cleansing rite or a false-spirit rite is something you do again when the divine possession has become confused. The shamans' shaman picks out the real deity. Cases like that happened from time to time, because when a shaman fell ill with spiritual affliction or underwent possession, all sorts of stray gods and wandering ghosts could swarm in. If you mistook them, you might end up taking the wrong spirit as your body deity.

"Do I really have the ability to handle something like that, when I'm still just a novice?"

"A novice is a novice in name only. With the Nine Heavens Maiden and the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord on your side, you're better equipped than every shaman in our country put together."

"......"

"Do me the favor and meet her once. At your level, you probably won't even need to hold a full rite to sort it out. Baby Bodhisattva wants to meet you anyway."

"If you say so..."

It was Madam Gyeongsin's request; he couldn't refuse. Not after the connection she had given him with his mother, and not after the initiation rite she had performed by putting her own life on the line.

"And... this is just an old shaman's caution, since your body deity is one of the supreme heavenly gods, but you should steer clear of political messages."

"You mean politicians?"

"Unfit creatures, every one of them. To put it bluntly, how many people have passed through shamanic rites—from presidents to ministers to National Assembly crooks? Every election season they come running, begging us to reveal heavenly secrets and hand them the formula for victory, and then as soon as they get what they want they strut around saying we're ruining politics, calling it superstition and whatnot... Of course, some shamans are especially shameless about advertising that sort of thing and showing off their fortunes, but you, Kang-to, have taken the supreme heavenly gods into your body. Keep your distance."

"I'll keep that advice tucked safely in my heart."

Kang-to made the promise. Madam Gyeongsin wasn't the sort to give reckless warnings.

"Kang-to, the painting's starting."

As the call ended, Sang-gyu called him over.

The contrast of black and white.

That was the core of Kang-to's shrine.

He had no intention of hanging riotously colored deity paintings or decorating the shrine with multicolored paper flowers the way other shamans did. They decorated their places that way because the gods they served liked bright things. But Kang-to's body deity was the Nine Heavens Maiden, and the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord. These were gods above gods; they transcended everything.

In any age, the color of a transcendent being is never flashy. That was why a space of black and white, linked to the symbolism of yin and yang, was enough.

He would set a small table there and sit to deliver his readings. The transcendent gods disliked clutter, so there would be no problem with sensing them.

"Cool. That's our Kang-to."

"What's cool?"

"When you said you were decorating a shrine, I went around and looked at a few famous shamans' places. But their interiors... I didn't really like them. Too alien, too uncomfortable..."

"The gods who descend into shamans like that sort of thing."

"That's from the shaman's point of view. It's not from the point of view of the person coming to have their fortune told, is it? If divination is supposed to be for people, as you said, then you could show a little consideration."

"......."

"And then when you sent me your draft, you shocked me all over again. Man, our Kang-to really is something."

"Thanks for seeing it that way."

"The only thing I'm worried about is that it's so far from the mainland... Still, don't worry. I'll do a lot of promotion while I'm out on construction sites. My father said he'd do the same."

"Thank you."

"But... aren't you going to put up one of those things? Bamboo poles with white flags, red flags, and the like... Other shamans' places have those."

"You mean spirit poles."

"Spirit poles?"

"There are two kinds of shamans. In hereditary shaman lineages, they set up spirit poles to guide the path the gods travel when they descend."

"Aren't you hereditary too? Your grandmother, your mother..."

"If you look at it that way, yes, but we're all possessed shamans who received the call. The three generations are hereditary only on the surface."

"I see. All right, get out now. The paint fumes are strong, and staying in here too long isn't good for your lungs."

Sang-gyu pushed at Kang-to's back. He had started out knowing nothing and stumbling around in every direction; now he had the shape of a real professional about him.

Then all at once there was a commotion near the helicopter pad. The fishing cooperative chief, the head of the women's association, and Choi Ijang all hurried over.

"What's going on?"

He asked Yun-ji's mother, who was carrying a basket of cockles.

"A big-shot chairman from Seoul is coming."

Her voice was bright with excitement. Come to think of it, Yun-ji's mother was on the side that welcomed development.

"A chairman?"

"That gentleman said he wants to develop this island, didn't he? He's probably coming to look it over and make his final decision this time."

"He's coming by helicopter?"

"Do you think that chairman is an ordinary man? If he set his mind to it, he could buy up every island in the West Sea and still have money left over. So, of course, he has to come by helicopter."

"......"

"If you ever decide to sell Chiluijae, just say the word, Kang-to. I'll make the connection for you."

Yun-ji's mother drifted away with a flirtatious smile.

"He's here."

Eyes from the crowd gathered around the helipad turned toward the coast. A helicopter was flying over from the direction of Gyecheong Island.

Thrum, thrum.

When the noisy rotor finally stopped, a chairman in sunglasses stepped down. He was dressed in golf clothes, in his fifties, but he had the clear, handsome face of a celebrity.

"Chairman Jo."

The groveling started with the fishing cooperative chief and only grew more elaborate from there. The chairman didn't spare even a glance for any of it. Then he accepted a map held out by his female secretary and looked toward Chiluijae. One of the men accompanying him caught Kang-to's eye. He was in his seventies, and from the way he was dressed, he was clearly no ordinary man.

"I'll show you around."

As the chairman started walking, the competition in flattery between the fishing cooperative chief and Choi Ijang flared up like a fire. The head of the women's association and Yun-seo's mother weren't about to be left out either.

Money is power.

Even on a sleepy island like this, the rule was no exception. That was why everyone was swarming around him like hyenas that had caught the scent of blood and were now following the smell of money.

"Hey, Kang-to, go and say hello. This is Chairman Jo of Taebaek Comprehensive Development in Seoul."

The fishing cooperative chief's overexcited introduction arrived first.

Chiluijae was private land.

But out on the island, distinctions like that didn't really exist. A man who arrived by helicopter looked mighty only in the army. Kang-to had seen a corps commander come for an inspection by helicopter once. Outside of that, helicopters drew no special interest from him. Chairman Jo came to stand before him.

Wow.

The sigh escaped him on its own. From the perspective of spirit sight, Chairman Jo's luck batteries were completely full. From wealth luck to marriage luck, he possessed the highest tier of the five blessings, a man with nothing left to ask for. The only thing missing was children, which left the center of his family luck blank.

But one thing, and one thing only, was utterly drained.

Merit Vault — empty to the point of collapse.

From grandfather to father to the man himself, he was someone with no connection to any kind of benevolent influence. In particular, his grandfather's crimes had piled up like a tower of steel. That meant Chairman Jo's wealth had clearly been built on his grandfather's wrongdoing.

And then... following from that, an even greater disaster...

No way.

Kang-to's brow furrowed violently. A fatal baleful streak had settled onto Chairman Jo's forehead. Even Kang-to, who had received the divine eye and spiritual insight of the Nine Heavens Maiden, wavered on his feet. It was a heavenly calamity of a vengeful spirit, heavy with a grudge spanning a thousand autumns, and a sixfold killing curse.

At this level...

It would be difficult to get through today safely. Sweat broke out on Kang-to's forehead just as Chairman Jo, unaware of any of it, extended a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thick hand.

"You're the owner of this land?"

The moment Kang-to took that hand,

"Ugh."

his body, resonating with the power of his body deity, pitched backward.