Chapter 66

# 66 < The Great Fortune of Protection >

***

“After breakfast, I’m about to leave the house—when the dazzling sunlight wraps around me.”

Perhaps because his thoughts were in order, Jin Hyuk hummed a song he didn’t usually sing.

“General is coming down—General is coming down—”

He sang endlessly until he reached his destination, and among the songs were many that hadn’t even been released to the world yet.

Jang Gun-i, the dog, followed Jin Hyuk as he muttered strange songs.

‘Maybe it’s because it’s my first time, but I feel a bit nervous.’

Though his steps were light and fearless, the usual anxiety that comes with facing an unfamiliar presence accompanied him.

Should he go in? He hesitated for a moment.

Past Lee Hae-won’s little shop and deeper than Yook Seong-chan’s house, there was a small tiled house on a hill where a communal cemetery once stood. At a glance, it resembled the shrine of a prestigious family.

On either side of the gate, long bamboo poles were tied with white, red, yellow, blue, and black flags, and something was scribbled on the gate.

‘Well, the handwriting is hard to read, but it must be something good.’

The old man living here, Mr. Cheon, was like a living intangible cultural asset, known for painting folding screens and fans. His works were expensive, but since no one bought them anymore, he now lived by tending to his garden.

Of course, Jin Hyuk had come for a different reason.

Mr. Cheon was known as a “baksu” (a male shaman). But he was different from shamans who performed rituals or told fortunes. He was more like an elder who gave blessings during village events and was treated to food and drink. Still, there were rumors that he had some mystical abilities. Choi Mi-kyung’s grandmother had mentioned something similar.

He didn’t receive any divine possession or serve spirits, but the villagers, not knowing how else to describe him, simply called him a shaman.

He also gave names for free, so it was rare to find a child in the village who hadn’t received a name from him. Even Choi Tae-yang said his name was given by this old man.

Jin Hyuk’s reason for coming was simple.

‘They said he’s so powerful he can see ghosts.’

Creeeak—.

While he hesitated, the gate opened from inside.

Jin Hyuk gasped. He hadn’t made a sound, yet the old man had come out to greet him.

The old man was dressed in a yellowish hemp robe and wore a traditional hat. He was tall like a totem pole, with sharp eyes. His gray hair and beard made him look more like an immortal than an old man.

‘He looks more like Gandalf than Gandalf himself.’

Jin Hyuk bowed slightly, and the old man turned abruptly.

“If you’ve come, come in. Leave the dog outside.”

The old man’s smooth movements and concise speech suited him perfectly.

Though startled by the sudden appearance, Jin Hyuk followed the old man and stepped over the threshold.

Jang Gun-i sat with his back turned, pretending not to care. It wasn’t that he understood the words, but he seemed indifferent, like a queen surveying her territory from a high place. His tail was curled up, though no one knew why.

The old man, sitting with his back to a folding screen, gestured for Jin Hyuk to sit.

As Jin Hyuk sat down, unexpected words flowed from the old man.

“So, the one who caused my brother’s death has come.”

“Huh?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Before Jin Hyuk could even process it, the old man pushed a teacup toward him.

“When your parents settled in this village, my brother tried to stop them.”

As he filled the teacup, Cheon Gil-ryong began his story.

Jin Hyuk had just met Cheon Gil-ryong, and now he was talking about his brother? He was dumbfounded but listened quietly.

Cheon Gil-ryong’s brother, Cheon Gi-ryong, was more famous than him.

When Son Kwang-yeon and Han Yu-young first arrived, Cheon Gi-ryong warned them that the land they chose was extremely unlucky and advised them to build elsewhere.

It was just a suggestion from an old man with no real authority. Maybe the young couple dismissed it as superstition. Son Kwang-yeon didn’t change the location.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say he couldn’t change it.

Son Kwang-yeon and Han Yu-young had nothing, so they built a mud house on the land provided by Choi Jang-hwan. They couldn’t afford to listen to a fortune-teller’s advice.

Still, Cheon Gi-ryong warned them.

– ‘If you build a house here, people will die.’

Even after the house was built, he went to warn them.

– “Tear it down or at least change the direction. Within ten years, there will be a funeral.”

At the time, Han Yu-young was heavily pregnant, so Son Kwang-yeon couldn’t follow his advice.

As Jin Hyuk listened to Cheon Gil-ryong’s explanation, he felt a chill run down his spine.

In a past life, things had turned out exactly as Cheon Gi-ryong had predicted.

But what did it mean that Cheon Gi-ryong died because of him?

“My brother risked his life to warn the young ones, but your parents didn’t listen. There was no funeral within ten years.”

Cheon Gil-ryong closed his eyes and stroked his beard.

“He paid the price with his own life.”

It sounded like a story straight out of a legend.

Even if the same thing happened again, Jin Hyuk would have saved his parents, but he felt sorry for Cheon Gi-ryong. In the end, it was because he saved his parents that Cheon Gi-ryong died.

“Don’t feel sorry. He was old enough anyway. If he died saving young people, then he died well.”

It was a shocking story for Jin Hyuk, but Cheon Gil-ryong remained calm.

“When did he pass away…?”

“The day you went out to the sea and made the moon.”

Cheon Gil-ryong’s eyes narrowed.

According to Cheon Gil-ryong, Cheon Gi-ryong had been watching the busy lights on the tidal flats when he saw Jin Hyuk spinning a flashlight and laughed.

– “It’s done! It’s done!”

He added that Cheon Gi-ryong had been as happy as a child.

Jin Hyuk maintained a serious expression and asked, “But there was no funeral in the village at that time, was there?”

“The spirit just ascends to heaven. There’s no need for a funeral. The old man quietly went into the sea.”

Cheon Gi-ryong had paid the price for revealing the secrets of heaven.

“Sir, I don’t quite understand.”

“Tsk. Why can’t a smart kid like you understand? You’re too used to believing only what you see and calculating numbers. Some things you have to feel with your heart.”

Not everything can be judged by right or wrong or logic. Cheon Gil-ryong clicked his tongue.

Though Cheon Gil-ryong spoke like that, Jin Hyuk still felt something was off.

He hadn’t received any help from the old man in saving his parents, so why did Cheon Gi-ryong have to pay the price?

“Could you explain a bit more?”

“Ten years. Within that time, someone from that house should have died, but no one did. You saved them, right? If the person who was supposed to die doesn’t, the grim reaper will look for another soul. Anyone. The first to reveal the secrets of heaven is punished. But my brother wasn’t just a shaman, as the villagers say. The grim reaper couldn’t take him as he pleased. So what does the grim reaper do? He causes trouble in the village. He pushes people down, drowns them, strangles them. It’s a protest before taking the wrong person.”

Even as he spoke, Cheon Gil-ryong remained calm.

While inwardly amazed, Jin Hyuk asked, “So, that old man—”

“Yes. He went on his own to save the young ones and the villagers. He wasn’t taken by the grim reaper or possessed by a spirit. He went on his own.”

Shamans who die suddenly or disappear usually do so to maintain the balance of karma.

Cheon Gil-ryong added that such people were the real shamans.

It was hard to believe, but Jin Hyuk, who had experienced many surreal things, couldn’t help but believe it.

Still, he felt regretful.

‘Couldn’t he have saved himself after revealing the secrets of heaven?’

If he had, Jin Hyuk wouldn’t have suffered so much in his past life.

But Cheon Gil-ryong stopped that thought.

“You only know the day has come when it’s right in front of you. You can’t intervene, and you can’t intervene for a reason. Only heaven knows the full will of heaven.”

It was the words of someone who could see into the depths.

Jin Hyuk straightened his posture.

“How can I make amends—”

“Amends? Bring me some crabs in the fall. I hear you’re the best at catching them in the village?”

Cheon Gil-ryong emptied his teacup in one go, perhaps because he had talked too much and his throat was dry.

“Ugh! Damn, that’s hot.”

Cheon Gil-ryong wiped the tea from his white beard and cursed. The vulgarity didn’t match his appearance, but there was a charm in the incongruity. Even the way he glanced at Jin Hyuk’s reaction exuded the ease of a great man.

A faint smile spread across Jin Hyuk’s lips. He had thought the old man would be scary, but his casual tone made him feel at ease. He was grateful for the old man’s effort to make him comfortable.

Jin Hyuk’s senses, beyond the five and sixth senses, also aided his judgment.

‘He’s a good person.’

But he didn’t give me a chance to speak.

I came here for a different reason.

***

While Yoo Se-ra’s mom was engrossed in knitting since morning, Hong Soo-jung unfolded the newspaper.

It was a crossword puzzle, which Hong Ki-jun had enthusiastically recommended for brain development.

An easy clue appeared in the horizontal section.

Hong Soo-jung, being a kind older sister, read the clue clearly for Yoo Jin, who was lying on the living room floor with her.

“Three letters. The mother of Jesus.”

“Jesus? Mother?”

Of course, Yoo Jin’s pronunciation was more accurate.

Hong Soo-jung, with her pride as an older sister, filled in the answer correctly.

“Ma. Ry. A.”

She smiled proudly, revealing her red gums where teeth should have been.

Hong Soo-jung hit a snag with a vertical clue starting with ‘A.’

‘It’s in Korean, but…’

She could read it with her eyes, but her brain couldn’t comprehend it. It was a high-difficulty problem for a nine-year-old.

She lay on her stomach, propping her chin with both hands, deep in thought.

Hong Ki-jun had gone out for a walk, and while Yoo Se-ra’s mom had a broad range of knowledge, it wasn’t deep. When asked what “economic sense” meant, she just scolded her to brush her teeth and go to sleep. Even though she had no teeth to brush.

Look at her now. Even though her daughter made eye contact, she just coughed and pretended to knit. Is that a scarf or a rag?

‘If Oppa were here, he’d tell me right away.’

Jin Hyuk had left the house with Jang Gun-i right after breakfast.

Yoo Jin and I tried to follow, but he said it was a scary place and wouldn’t let us come. I don’t know how scary the place is, but the way he stopped us was scarier. I felt hurt. Hong Soo-jung cried in the corner of the yard, wiped her tears, and came back inside. Just you wait, Jin Hyuk.

Yoo Jin sighed.

Seeing Hong Soo-jung’s expression soften even when doing something together made her sigh without being taught.

In times like this, it’s best to ask Dad. Son Yoo-jin is happy to have many people to ask.

“Dad, what’s this?”

“Huh? What?”

Son Kwang-yeon, who had been clipping his nails, turned to look at his daughter.

After the Ojakgyo Motel incident, Son Kwang-yeon had been scolded by his wife and squirmed like an octopus on a coal fire. This time, he was determined not to answer unconsciously, so he tensed his trapezius muscles.

“At the tip of my tongue, I’ll recall it.”

“Okay. Soo-jung, can you read it?”

“Many people. In a miserable. Situation. Ugh—”

Hong Soo-jung paused halfway.

“Colliding. Tragedies. Metaphorically. Starting with ‘A.’ Four letters.”

Hong Soo-jung did her best, so Son Kwang-yeon could understand.

A genius, as always, reacts before thinking.

The genius’s mouth opened without him realizing it.

“Accident.”

Son Kwang-yeon’s response speed and vast knowledge, far beyond human intelligence, made Yoo Se-ra nod unconsciously. She then gasped, having caught Han Yu-young’s sharp gaze. Han Yu-young was holding back her anger because the kids were present.

Just then, a firecracker-like sound came from the bedroom. It was the same sound Yoo Se-ra often heard when she hit Hong Ki-jun’s back.

Son Kwang-yeon, who had been happily reading a strange book about this year’s great fortune of wealth rising like wildfire, seemed to have a fortune of fire on his back instead.

“Ahem! Where did this man go for a walk and still not come back? Soo-jung, Yoo Jin, shall we dye some balsam flowers?”

Yoo Se-ra, sensing Han Yu-young’s mood, quietly got up and took the two kids’ hands.