1996, Tongyeong, Gyeongnam.
Exactly where, I do not remember.
Ding dong~
At the noisy bell sound, Young-soon’s mother went outside and opened the rusty iron gate.
“Hello. I am a humble follower of Buddha’s path. I’m sorry, but can I receive some alms?”
Young-soon’s mother, who was a devout Buddhist, invited the monk in, unable to turn him away despite her meager living.
The monk sat on a bench in the yard, looking around the old house.
“Do you want some bibimbap with leftover rice and vegetables?”
“Oh, that would be a feast for me.”
“Just wait a moment.”
Young-soon’s mother went into the kitchen, scooped some cold rice and several vegetables into a big bowl, drizzled a spoonful of sesame oil and chili paste, and served the bibimbap.
But while she was away, a boy about six years old had appeared next to the monk.
“Who are you, mister?”
“I’m a monk.”
“What’s a monk?”
“Someone who follows Buddha.”
“What’s Buddha?”
“Haha… honestly, I’m not quite sure myself.”
“Huh~ You’re a phony.”
Young-soon’s mother quickly came over, set the tray of bibimbap in front of the monk, and pulled the boy away.
“You mustn’t be rude to the monk.”
“It’s okay.”
Young-soon’s mother urged the boy to go inside, then apologized to the monk.
“I’m sorry. He’s still young.”
“Haha… it’s truly okay.”
The monk dismissed Young-soon’s mother’s apology and began to eat the bibimbap deliciously.
Seeing him quickly finish a bowl of bibimbap, Young-soon’s mother handed him a paper cup filled with instant coffee.
“I’m not sure if you’ll like it. It’s all I have at home…”
“I like coffee, too.”
The monk received the coffee with a smile and hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Um… what’s the boy’s name from earlier?”
“Young-hoon?”
“So, his name is Young-hoon.”
“What about Young-hoon?”
“Usually, after receiving alms, I say a silent prayer and leave, but I was curious after seeing Young-hoon’s face. Can I know his horoscope?”
Young-soon’s mother hesitated for a moment, then went into the house and came back out.
She carefully unfolded an old, carefully folded paper and handed it to the monk.
The monk unfolded the paper and after a long time, rustling his fingers, he spoke.
“Are you really Young-hoon’s biological mother?”
“I am!”
Young-soon’s mother, surprised, sat down on the ground.
“Really?”
“How did you know?”
The monk sunk into thought for a moment before speaking.
“Looking at the boy’s horoscope, his parents would change twice in his early years. But looking at your face, I thought you would not lose a child, even though your middle years would be tough.”
Young-soon’s mother quickly glanced at the room where Young-hoon had gone into and began to cry.
“Oh my, really… Monk, what should I do?”
The monk simply watched her weep for a long while, his hands together in prayer.
After crying for a while, she seemed to calm down a bit and began to share her story.
“Monk, actually, I had a really close sister-like friend. We were inseparable since our childhood in our hometown… Oh, even closer than real siblings. But then she suddenly disappeared one day. After about 5 years, she came back carrying a one-year-old baby.”
“Was that Young-hoon?”
“Yes. She was crying and told me that if she raises Young-hoon, he will become a shaman… In the meantime, she had received a divine revelation and became a shaman herself.”
What an extraordinary circ*mstance.
“No matter how close we were, taking care of her child is a huge burden, isn’t it? So I told her no, but she said if I don’t take the child, she would have no choice but to die with him. She said she would rather die than make him a shaman.”
“Hmm…”
The monk looked sympathetic.
“I believed that what she said wasn’t a lie. It was the first time I had seen such a determined look on her face. But… Raising a child is really hard. My husband’s business is failing, and we’re even running out of rice to feed our family… sob…”
As she broke down into tears again, the monk closed his eyes and waited for her to calm down.
After a while, she grabbed the sleeve of the monk’s robe and pleaded.
“What will happen to our home? To be honest, this is a bit embarrassing to say, but I’ve even thought of doing something terrible…”
It was clear what she meant by “something terrible”.
The monk, with his eyes still swollen, told her.
“Young-hoon has an extremely rare birth chart… that is, he was born under the stars of dishonor, misery, and curiosity.”
“What does that mean?”
“There won’t be any progress in life and business will decline. Without any success, he may escape into religion, but his inherent greed is too strong, and he can’t quietly turn his back on the secular world.”
“What does that mean…?”
“People with such a birth chart, filled with resentment and excessive greed, if they go wrong, they can become fraudsters and cause great trouble to those around them. Especially, his curiosity star is extremely strong. If he becomes a fortune teller, his extraordinary talents would be unimaginable and could bring great harm to the world. Give the child to me.”
“To you, monk? The child?”
Young-soon’s mother was greatly surprised.
“His birth chart isn’t that of a monk, so I will take him in and teach him properly until he becomes an adult.”
“Can you really do that…?”
Young-soon’s mother said, glancing at the monk.
Seeing her hesitation, the monk made a decisive remark.
“Young-hoon’s birth chart is like a whirlpool. It’s too large for an ordinary person to handle. Whether it’s health, wealth, or talent, he’ll want it all. Also, your facial features are quite strong, your nose is thick and your skin is fine and glossy, so you’re not without fortune. Once you give me the child, good luck will come your way.”
Considering she was at the point of thinking terrible thoughts, the monk’s proposal was sweeter than anything else.
She immediately accepted the monk’s proposal and quickly packed Young-hoon’s belongings and handed them over.
Was it said that he had a lot of worldly desires?
That day, Young-hoon wailed as if the neighborhood monk was taking him away.
One of the villagers even wondered if they should report to the police.
Young-hoon refused to hold the monk’s hand as if it were the devil’s and Young-soon’s mother had to harshly detach him.
Was the shock of hearing that she wasn’t his real mother too much?
After a full day of pushing and pulling, Young-hoon finally agreed to follow the monk.
“Meeting me is fate too. You need to let go of everything. Once you let go of your desires, I will send you back.”
That was when I was 7 years old.
