Chapter 67

#67 <The Great Fortune of Protection (2)>

***

Considering that he could be seen as the enemy who caused his brother’s death, Cheon Gil-ryong maintained the demeanor of a friendly country uncle. Grateful for his kindness, Jin Hyuk bowed deeply. Then, remembering his original purpose for coming, he looked at Cheon Gil-ryong.

Beyond the sharp gaze were clear eyes filled with charm. How could an old man’s eyes shine like a child’s? For a moment, Jin Hyuk was lost in a mysterious admiration.

“You didn’t come here to listen to my complaints, did you? What could a young lad like you be so curious about that you’d seek out a superstitious old man?”

With a look that seemed to already know the reason for his visit, Jin Hyuk finally revealed his purpose.

“Well… too many strange things have been happening to me.”

Cheon Gil-ryong closed his eyes and listened intently.

Thanks to that, Jin Hyuk was able to explain the events in chronological order.

From the fat real estate agent to using force against Yoon Seong-dong’s gang, his suddenly healed back pain, and even the incident where he thought his sister had been bitten by a snake but turned out fine.

After hearing Jin Hyuk’s explanation, Cheon Gil-ryong clicked his tongue.

“Hey, you—.”

Cheon Gil-ryong took a few deep breaths, as if starting an engine. The movement of his chest was peculiar. It felt like a dragon that had been asleep for centuries was waking up, sending a strange tension down Jin Hyuk’s neck.

Was the pause really to start the engine? Cheon Gil-ryong finally began to pour out words like a tractor.

“Where do ghosts exist in this world, you fool! What? You suddenly used your fists? Well, you just use your fists suddenly, don’t you plan it? If you did, you’d be an assassin! You hit someone who insulted your parents, and you think it was because of some ghost playing tricks, not because your heart moved? People kill each other over a few pennies! If you just stand there while someone insults your parents, you’re an idiot and a bastard! My brother died for our parents, and as their son, you should at least do that much to make his death worthwhile! What? A snake? Animals, when they feel threatened, will do all sorts of crazy things! A snake will spit venom and even shed blood if it feels threatened. Some even lay unripe eggs when they’re about to die! Even if ghosts exist, do you think a ghost would suck the venom out of your sister’s snake bite? Do ghosts look that bored? Ghosts are happy when someone dies because they get a new friend! Ghosts aren’t firefighters, who do they save? What? Fixed your back? Is the ghost Heo Jun?”

Ah, is that so? Jin Hyuk shrunk his neck. He couldn’t bring himself to ask if the snake would have spat venom at Yoo Jin, who was just standing still. The barrage of blunt truths was too harsh.

Kim Eun-jung once saw a cow urinating while visiting a friend’s house. The stream of water pouring out like a waterfall was more like a bladder explosion than mere excretion. Cheon Gil-ryong’s speech resembled that. Yet, his calm breathing and clear tenor voice remained undisturbed. Does he practice diaphragmatic breathing?

Putting aside the admiration for a moment.

‘Then did the snake spit venom because it was scared of Jang Gun-i?’

Jin Hyuk’s expression turned dumbfounded. Cheon Gil-ryong’s words sounded too convincing to him. He even began to doubt if he had lived so foolishly in the past that he hadn’t yet developed normal human emotions. Still, he didn’t feel intimidated or shaken. It seemed like the effect of the phenomena he experienced during the watermelon harvest.

“Huh! That kid.”

Seeing the boy lost in thought without affirming or denying anything, Cheon Gil-ryong fanned himself like someone with a thousand fires inside.

“Even if you have a lot on your mind, it’s useless, kid. If you try to hold the whole world in your heart, you won’t even get a damn thing.”

Cheon Gil-ryong’s words, pouring out again, struck Jin Hyuk’s heart like arrows.

They say he’s a living intangible cultural heritage, but he’s more like a rapid-fire rapper born in the wrong era. A grandfather you’d want to call a two-time outsider. Maybe he’s not a shaman but a recluse who mastered divination by reading strange texts.

“So, ghosts don’t exist? Nothing’s attached to me or—.”

“Ha! What’s with you, kid! You look fine, yet you’re spouting nonsense about ghosts eating rice!”

Cheon Gil-ryong’s face turned red as he waved his pipe and jumped around.

Heh, Jin Hyuk finally burst out laughing. He felt grateful, as if someone had taken his side. Even if not everything was resolved, he had vented his worries and got the answers he wanted. A soft smile appeared on his lips.

He politely handed over a few crisp 10,000-won bills with both hands.

“Thank you. Here—.”

“Keep the money—, just don’t forget me, kid! I’ll offer a few on my brother’s altar too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thinking that his parents’ memorial day might have become Cheon Gil-ryong’s ascension day, Jin Hyuk bowed deeply.

‘Anyway, I don’t need to feel uneasy, right?’

Jin Hyuk headed home in a good mood. He had visited out of doubt but found unexpected comfort.

The day was hot, and the cicadas were deafening, but his heart felt like it was walking in heaven. His tangled thoughts had been sorted out, and the uneasy feeling was gone.

He walked slowly, enjoying the scenery with Jang Gun-i. It was a rare moment of leisure. He even felt the excitement of being a carefree fourteen-year-old again. This, too, was a strange thing.

“After breakfast, I’m ready to leave—. My new straw sandals fit perfectly—.”

He paused his song and looked back at Cheon Gil-ryong’s house.

From the porch of the hillside house, he felt Cheon Gil-ryong’s gaze. It was quite a distance, but he had no trouble receiving that look.

When Jin Hyuk bowed once more in silent respect, Cheon Gil-ryong waved his pipe in acknowledgment.

Then, the colorful flags that had been hanging limply began to flutter. A strange sight. At the same time, Jin Hyuk’s long-standing question resurfaced.

‘But why do they hang the national flag?’

Well, it’s the national flag, so it’s hung at the top.

***

The fluttering flags made Cheon Gil-ryong’s brow twitch oddly.

“It’s just noisy, and there are no guests. Should I just take down all the flags?”

Cheon Gil-ryong leaned against the porch pillar, watching Jin Hyuk’s retreating figure. He looked like a grown man, unusually mature for his age. What’s a grown man? He looked even sturdier than the strongmen who used to ride bulls during the Dano festival.

‘I didn’t expect that kid to come looking for me on his own.’

When he sat face-to-face with Jin Hyuk, Cheon Gil-ryong was too overwhelmed by the boy to examine him closely. It was because of the boy’s appearance. He wore a loose, long-sleeved shirt as if trying to hide his body, but it was impossible not to notice what was hidden beneath.

‘What kind of trick did he use? Such a nasty power.’

It wasn’t just a sturdy body. The muscles and tendons woven with energy were clearly felt, but the boy somehow managed to contain that tremendous power effortlessly. It was a force that would drive an ordinary person mad, but the boy handled it as easily as breathing. It was truly remarkable.

‘He’s like a pig’s bladder.’

What about his eyes? They were shining with vitality, full of talent and unpredictability. Such people often lead unremarkable lives despite their talents. Their eccentric personalities and inability to focus on one thing are to blame. If he had been born in the city, maybe he could have blossomed in at least one area. That’s why people say to send them to Seoul.

‘Born in a house filled with starlight, gifted with all sorts of talents…’

But his fate changed to a comfortable house where not even moonlight could seep in. It must be because his parents are alive, but also because the power within him is extraordinary.

They say there’s no end to learning, and it felt like he had found a fresh subject for research, making his heart race.

“Huh, that kid. I thought he came to kill me too.”

If he wants to live to 100, he still has 18 more years to go.

Cheon Gil-ryong exhaled the smoke he had inhaled from his pipe and patted his chest.

“I wondered how he changed the great fortune.”

It had been a question that had puzzled him for years.

The village’s energy had changed because of that kid, but how he managed to do it was a mystery. Seeing the vibrant energy radiating from him, it made sense.

‘Let’s see… when was it?’

Cheon Gil-ryong traced back memories from over 70 years ago.

*

It was a village filled with ominous energy.

Though it was sunny, the energy was damp due to the seawater carrying yin energy deep into the village day and night.

Cheon Gil-ryong, born in Hamgyeong Province, was brought to this village by his brother a long time ago. He was less than ten years old, so it must have been around the time of the March 1st Movement in 1919.

– “Brother, why did we come all the way here to live in a place with no people? I’m scared of the wolf howls and fox cries.”

– “From afar, this place looked ominous. If we don’t suppress it with yang energy, the water will swallow the land someday.”

– “Didn’t you say it’s natural for land to dissolve in water and water to move land?”

– “It’s not just about this small piece of land disappearing. That land could become a nation, a continent. Countless lives will be lost. The energy of the heavens is like that.”

When they climbed the mountain overlooking the gray sea full of reeds, Cheon Gil-ryong never forgot the solemn expression on his brother’s face.

– “This is the navel. We’ll make it our lifelong work.”

Though he was young, Cheon Gil-ryong had a mysterious aura that made the locals follow him willingly. He built a communal cemetery on the mountain by the sea and lived there with his brother.

*

‘It was terrifying…’

From will-o’-the-wisps to ghostly cries and the sound of foxes digging up graves. If it weren’t for his brave brother, Cheon Gil-ryong might have gone mad. After his brother’s ascension, the first thing Cheon Gil-ryong did was file a petition to dig up the communal cemetery. Now, there was nothing to fear, but the memory of his cowardly childhood came back to him.

As Cheon Gil-ryong vaguely recalled his childhood, he opened his eyes.

Seeing the boy’s tiny figure in the distance, he vaguely understood.

It was just a vague understanding.

‘There’s no ghost attached to him.’

It’s as if there are two people. His spirit is unusually strong.

Even his brother, whom he considered a sage, couldn’t compare to the boy.

He regretted not examining him properly, distracted by his appearance.

On a moonlit night, his brother Cheon Gil-ryong said while looking at the moon rising from a fire can.

– “Brother, look at that. We can stop playing guardian spirits and ascend now. That kid is quite something.”

Having seen the boy up close, Cheon Gil-ryong agreed with his brother’s opinion, but he had no intention of ascending.

This world is good.

Cheon Gil-ryong, puffing on his pipe, grumbled to himself.

“You guys, come out. He’s gone.”

Are the so-called ghosts too embarrassed to show themselves?

As he muttered, his hands trembled.

Cheon Gil-ryong stared at the trembling pipe and frowned.

It was his brother’s pipe.

‘Why is this pipe acting up now?’