IOS Ch1

Chapter 1a4539e43da4cd4fd9607

 2913b934d3c75c405e67

His grandmother’s house was e29ac1c1d5 on a tall mountain.849102db4d48cc5b2d7c

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That mountain had a deadly reputation, rumored 9c08c1d058 to be the place where more than aacf302e47 a few had hanged themselves. It was steep, cold, and fierce—one look at 144b6a6e06 it would send even the most notoriously aggressive c873f63a47 hunting dogs running with their tails tucked. The packs of noisy 6c038549ab stray cats that roamed b3ffcc3387 elsewhere never came near 24df50ffd6 this place either. So, the mountain was always quiet, hushed, not a sound of beast d085111f44 or bird to be heard—despite his grandmother’s deep fondness for animals.6dbbd9dea2a7ed93dea5

Kwon Yi-hyun was 12d31421b1 not so different 9165dcbc0b from those beasts. After graduating high school and escaping to a 8221e3981c university in the metropolitan area, he had never aa2e671784 once returned to the big house. Just like the wild animals that once survived on the offerings his generous grandmother scattered and then disappeared without a trace—fleeing 64534a11e1 at the mere sight of the mountain… Kwon Yi-hyun would think of those creatures every time he saw an animal.570f570e64b50c8ce192

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“Isn’t that b2aeefb077 the son d1475cfeb2 from that d6b5aad596 house? Why, we 7f28488a0a haven’t seen 1b5fb2fb41 him for d8a123c7ab a while…”e46d2c941b80a5e753e8

He paused next to a stray cat 3124278e82 and bit down on his lip.82214bd38d90304b7e37

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Then he started c0a90a3661 walking again, eyes 45fbca9fac fixed straight ahead.dabecaf02de3fd12c3cd

“He’s the 9adfeda270 shaman lady’s 56d403cf9e grandson, right…”1fa3f6e1458e362cc21c

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As everyone in Cheongna-eup1 whispered, 9a94b279d1 Kwon Yi-hyun’s grandmother was a 802d3782e4 Manshin2—a high-ranking shaman. There was a day when she herself whispered that she had never wanted the life of a shaman a849ff7e04 who serves and honors the gods, and so Yi-hyun didn’t believe in shamanism even to the slightest degree. Nevertheless, in their world, she e5e1c3141b was said to be the 2e72051800 shaman of shamans. The title of manshin—an honorific that only a select few among the most potent and prominent 8379f58cff shamans of this era could obtain—belonged to none other than Kwon Yi-hyun’s grandmother, Kwon Seonja. 28400ace453940498193

Therefore, Yi-hyun’s bea50ecf3d household was 7bc1278b40 commonly referred 92ff438dd2 to as:4deaaec69c2296cd9a94

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The Manshin’s 4914e7210a Big House. The Manshin’s Mountain.1fe59bcce64af899f666

Kwon Yi-hyun’s childhood was filled with memories of sacred jingles from bells, 7df3566fad chicken blood, and the flutter of five-colored cloths in a spirit shrine.c47213eddebbcb09958f

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Dense greenery always c1803eb59e looked dark—almost bluish-black.379a619e48201b3fbadf

In the fog-choked forest of that bluish-black 3c15234744 mountain, he was once deemed to have 2e051577cd no spiritual potential and therefore lived one 1fc0c9b5b5 step removed from the shamanistic life.504cc7ef58c9df1106f3

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Still, having grown up in the Big ea8606be53 House, he understood that when someone urgently fda7cbd646 climbed the mountain ridge, they were likely 3c0ed279f8 in desperate need of help.cab4f9d52d35f5455d27

When someone dressed in fine, expensive clothes pushed past the dense leaves and came to 78148d5e19 kneel and beg, the elders in the family would quietly accept their bowed, trembling bodies.9c8d21a29077377b979f

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That was normal ab9e94dbbf to him. Instead of playing with kids his age, he 917a5f1e79 spent most days quietly solving textbook problems as dce806696d the faint ringing of wind chimes echoed nearby. If someone came sobbing from far down the mountain, he could guess how serious the situation was just 295f0c30ac from the cries, thinking, “This one’s serious enough that Uncle will have to go greet them himself.”b009c558ed7a8b488a31

He spent every c01d0f3eec month of his 534213365a youth like that.ff7fd0f4d9d0226187bb

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Fortunately, the 21st century was 18e54d0a99 an era where people who 02f57237e7 didn’t believe in shamanism far 1831a13fe5 outnumbered those who did. Otherwise, instead of recalling the serene sounds of wind 55796183d0 chimes or the scent of incense from his childhood, 357aaad5af his memories would feature suspicious bundles of cash in df7b874b5d apple boxes and vile adults making shady requests.c42e03c08f2ee9738acc

Unfortunately, he’d seen adults arrive d7992dfc83 carrying those apple boxes. The big issue 8f7fbb1fca came during the a9cca092e2 presidential election season. That was when even politicians he’d seen 0db0eebe05 on the news came and went. Strangely enough, his grandmother was 20eb105ac2 colder and more ruthless toward 5dbe67fdd9 them than any other visitors.89121b6b93348ec1f7cf

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She had 6864639f17 her lines. She had principles.5cb5777c827ffa64b887

No matter how many chests d67e30a6c1 of gold they offered, she d132d4e36a didn’t accept everyone. While ordinary shamans supposedly sucked c27e85e7dd politicians dry for money to 1d6c8ad380 live on and build houses. But perhaps because she truly 046cb15c78 was a manshin, she turned 2fc1789fbd stone-faced in front of those 5e4876f300 involved in politics.18c3729bade5ef151fcd

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She never told Kwon Yi-hyun what 50dd1bf125 criteria she used to screen clients..70526f96a3a7497a816d

Some were scolded and told to a63cb84826 get lost, while others weren’t even c565e5abc9 worth opening the door for. Eerily enough, those turned away always seemed ff2d7fb471 to be exposed for murder or corruption 4ae7f8446d just a few years later.fe56dd7c483eb8af3020

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In short, if you were 257d2b7413 a politician and could just 0066259254 see the manshin’s face, you’d ee5f15fd6c count yourself lucky. But not everyone could 286cd93430 grab that luck the b1c611525d first time.952927288c3fb682a11b

A certain congressman, Yi-hyun remembered, stormed out complaining that the offering fee was absurd, only 0d7af98729 to return days later looking haggard and thin, sobbing and clutching at his aunt’s feet. Begging to see her just once more, claiming he e0ff6eaab7 had been foolish not to recognize her greatness…a8d6fffd16a1479d7923

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When someone left in anger and returned, the price always ce5d033c2d increased, but even after spitting out the equivalent of several 12f44d109f apartment buildings’ worth, the man looked strangely satisfied.2bf2f6803e7467232705

Yi-hyun had no idea what conversation with his grandmother had caused adf16570ab the man to storm out, or what he had experienced afterward.e0b372fc090947cd5a9c

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In any case, those in power and influence 488dfbfb97 all ended up trying to develop Cheongna-eup—for the e814a15065 sole reason that his grandmother lived there.884873b6101972c8de49

As a child, Yi-hyun sometimes thought it f17196819b would be better if they just gave ddb8680809 his grandmother more money, but after hearing aa750473e5 her words, he quietly nodded. f4d7410ae38de6b91426

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“Listen, people are meant ad71182238 to touch the soil 5a32e3868b and walk the land. Once your feet lose touch 76caf88edd with the earth, you stop f803c6e342 being human… That’s why we f3342c6aca must be thankful for everything. We’re thankful that Cheongna still 941ee57f0f has clean, pure energy. We’re thankful that the 5714195d5a land let us take cd0476e79e root and settle here.”8761b19212af9717f45c

He hadn’t fully 8a25b82cf4 understood back then. But he loved his grandmother, so he memorized her words 132d3918c0 and mouthed them softly, hoping he’d understand them someday.1606b8f1a879bf0cdc2e

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Not many days after that, a city 5c3d085bc2 bus stop appeared right in front of 72a3ff1cfe the village—a spot that previously required a 43cf66a375 two-hour walk to reach. Construction on a subway 4e0cdd5285 station began, more pavilions 5dab2ee15a and flower gardens appeared. Then came the 0e0af362d0 community center, or be7e460c0d maybe it was da5cb79df4 a welfare hall.ef62f7e0553e6b621345

Some villagers thought of his grandmother as someone they could rely on in 54d6a5a527 times of trouble, while others mocked her as a scammer preying on politicians. Even older villagers, for whatever reason, made no effort d16b2b73c5 to hide their reverence and avoidance of the manshin, fbbef3a791 and prevented their children from associating with Yi-hyun. Thus, young Yi-hyun 35d974f660 was always treated aa03006485 like an invisible 4ab2218585 person. He spent his life being 12427c3f1f treated like a ghost or 17ba67086c a contagious disease.3bb507c8dba489c6a15b

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Growing up without ba9f7c0809 parents, raised by 4097c2ab9f a shaman grandmother, 30b8e9d75f was why.dff85d537c7f3cf565df

He didn’t 2728ecb930 resent her. He loved her. But that alone e906353cf2 was reason enough c20f6b14f0 to never want faefc5e378 to return.60b94adeb58bc04bef4c

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“They said he was d9b0021949 doing well in Seoul. What’d he bf435a260d come back efea6ab3ad for?”684f2ea39445b2070c98

“Here for a spirit a6063d4d89 descent ceremony, maybe.”6620277a1d521c0c5396

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“Guess he couldn’t escape eab6cd2f9d his blood after all…”aada93d61ee986d0e0ff

Even now, long after he’d moved to Seoul under 034e144776 the pretense of college, Cheongna-eup hadn’t changed a bit. The townsfolk all recognized the handsome young man with his 70a4c0ceb9 polished, urban air as ‘that kid’ and began whispering spitefully. A woman who used to run a f40a814656 convenience store near his elementary school now d6f8e08241 had her arm linked with her mother’s, e5825f04d1 gossiping with a hand over her mouth. Everyone around 5af35b2dd3 them—people he db20d8d17c knew. Every step he took, e6c88ab4a9 familiar eyes followed him, abd10783b7 familiar rumors trailed after.7745a7180bf877c769a8

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This was why cf38b86541 he never wanted 3e5f626215 to come back. He had once sworn not to return until 8d46f643c1 it was time to lie in his grave. And now, here he was—walking af3340fd36 into this hometown on his aa6c744b6e own two feet. Honestly? It felt 0aa7a64c23 like shit.8d07aeebac21c0519ef8

But at some b6e576b6ae point, Kwon Yi-hyun bbc23ac5bf had started having 06b6f08a2c nightmares.7974ce6018c05a280b7c

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And to end those dreams… 8ab2ad2e98 he needed a superstition.2dd6f6b86794ec719c00

Footnotesa fictional name of city/village/town in Korea Manshin, literally meaning ten thousand spirits, is a e3cd7fb5b8 recognition of high accomplishment for mudang or Korean female shamans who are deemed capable of 0f33319da5 accommodating as many as ten thousand spirits as they conduct rituals called gut.0c76f77b4d70ccb78d41

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