Chapter 141

Chapter 141

Inwangsan Fairy Bodhisattva (1)

“I’m back!”

As soon as I entered the house I greeted energetically.

A welcome answer came.

“Aigo, my child came?”

Grandmother who was sitting in the living room stood up with a whoosh and ran over.

With a black plastic bag turned over on her head.

Looking at the military blanket and flower card plate spread on the floor, awkwardly smiling grandmother Ok-bun and helper aunts, roughly the picture was drawn.

‘Our grandmother opened the warehouse.’

Only at grandmother’s seat coins were piled.

Mostly 10-won coins though.

“Grandmother why here?”

“Because not answering the phone.”

Looking into, the phone rang noisily all day so secretly pulled the phone line.

“My child, anywhere hurt?”

Grandmother groped my body here and there with a worried hand.

“Eh, why would I get hurt?”

“Saw lingering in the very front of the protest group all through newspaper and broadcast!”

The reason grandmother ran over in a hurry.

“Where is there that fearlessly went out? Adults also while protesting get caught and die and get hurt like that.”

Forced suppression of protest groups in the dictatorship era is famous.

In the past I was still young so never experienced directly with the body, but rumors seen and heard were quite a lot.

“I just held the loudspeaker and read the appeal all.”

“Luck was good! Don’t know that if mixing in the protest group and wrapping a red band on the head, whether child or old person not distinguishing and catch?”

Grandmother tightly hugged me and sighed low.

“Because too young and not knowing well did so. But again, absolutely, promise won’t mix in such dangerous protests. Yes?”

Other family members called and giggled smiling saying my face came out as large as a gate in the newspaper.

Grandmother was on the verge of tears and swept my face.

“Cute my child, grandmother thought breath would stop surprised.”

“I not hurt, no armed suppression, even the negotiation result all okay. Saw the newspaper so know.”

“So luck was extremely good! Promise. Again absolutely never do dangerous protests or something.”

Well.

If necessary seems have to step forward.

‘Originally the more constraints put on means and methods, life becomes stuffy.’

So could only make a troubled smile.

“If not promise, grandmother will lie down on this living room floor and ‘mother, the soup is salty!’ throw a tantrum.”

“Will be careful.”

“Not promising until the end.”

“Our company’s union is striking in front of the company, can’t not look out pretending not to know for life.”

“······.”

“I don’t deal with mouth-right promises that can’t even keep.”

“······Anyway only such things resemble me so.”

“Dislike that I resemble grandmother?”

“······.”

Grandmother’s expression was truly strange.

Only the lips moved several times, again a long sigh flowed out.

“Aigu, can’t even nag a child who has to step forward to the management front line later.”

Grandmother clicked her tongue.

“Then exclude Taeseong. Can promise absolutely not even peeking at other company’s union protests or democratization struggles?”

“······.”

That also if necessary seems have to mix.

Because even a fine board if turned upside down into a mess, the things to pick up and eat increase more.

‘But no thought of inviting danger forcibly. Don’t want to make family members worry either.’

I slightly hooked my finger on the little finger grandmother held out.

“Will promise. Until becoming an adult will watch the body as much as possible.”

This is the maximum concession I can make.

“Aiguuuu! This stubborn stubbornness is Seong-jun’s carbon copy.”

“Dislike that I resemble dad?”

“Ahem, no way. ······Promised.”

“Yes.”

Grandmother reluctantly hooked the little finger I hooked and lightly shook up and down.

I smiled but grandmother stuck out her lips poutingly.

“If this grandmother throws a tantrum until the end what to do?”

Seems couldn’t abandon the lingering!

“Will lie down on the floor and throw a crying fit.”

“······.”

“Until the eye corners fester, will cry at the top of the voice all day. While saying ‘hate grandmother!’.”

“······Grandmother not thrown a tantrum yet.”

Grandmother rolled her pupils roundly.

“Then if grandmother threatens saying will make your mother suffer as a daughter-in-law?”

“Will starve.”

“What?”

“Will enter the room and lock the door and hunger strike for a week or ten days or a month.”

I took out the red band neatly rolled from the coin wallet.

Originally if struggling the red band.

Slightly kept in case might use again.

“This grandmother not made the daughter-in-law suffer yet.”

Grandmother even took off the black plastic bag worn on the head with a whoosh and threw and shouted.

“Our Jeong-hyeok lunch?”

“What time is it. Naturally ate.”

“Then want to eat snacks?”

Grandmother rummaged the Prada bag.

Sugar-coated twisted bread and injeolmi bean rice cake.

No, this completely my taste?

“Will eat well!”

“Prepared with what Seong-jun likes, wonder if will suit the mouth.”

Grandmother took out something else from the Prada bag one by one.

“Like roasted grain powder?”

“Can’t eat because none.”

“Slightly mixed black beans too. This good for men, really good, can’t explain what?”

“Why can’t explain that can’t?”

“······.”

“Good for hair health. Strong even to the hair roots. Hair loss prevention. No?”

“······.”

As expected things good for the body have to be taken care of in advance from young.

This is precisely investment for the future!

“Grandmother the best.”

I raised a thumb.

* * *

“Serious?”

I asked back surprised.

“No, saying will receive the wedding day before even the meeting of the parents?”

“If combining household anyway marriage better than cohabitation, if marriage doing anyway the day the faster the better?”

That’s so but.

“Originally work is doing and seeing. If entangled whether porridge or rice somehow a conclusion comes.”

Agreeing but.

“Rather than watching others’ eyes and measuring and calculating and lingering, better to cause an accident first and clean up.”

That also right words but.

“Seems the maternal family side will be very flustered if know?”

“That is the share that side will handle.”

From one to ten right sounds so no words to refute?

At this point amazing how thoughts so similar to me.

“If dislike say so. This or that this!”

“No, no option of persuading somehow?”

Didn’t know the day would come to take out such words with my mouth.

Remarks talking about options were always questions thrown at me.

A matter of living long and seeing the world.

“If saying premarital pregnancy chased the child······ consider not heard this. Before marriage also gave birth to a child, also organized the family register, finished words of accepting as my family my daughter-in-law, our side no problem.”

Of course the side becoming a problem is my maternal family side but.

“If something kidnap enough.”

“Who?”

“Who is who. Naturally your mom.”

“······.”

“What use kidnapping the in-law elders? Not even wrapping and making into daughter-in-law.”

Grandmother was laughing like a villain.

“If resentful tell to charge. I win all.”

Didn’t know even such reckless bold guts similar to me?

‘Seems not the type that pushes forcibly without reason.’

So decided to ask.

“What is the real reason suddenly rushing like this?”

“Heard Inwangsan Fairy Bodhisattva reservation full for 1 year.”

A reason absurd beyond measure for me who doesn’t believe superstition.

What such a thing.

Flabbergasted.

“When came here last time, mistook this person as the in-law house. The two excitedly agreed to marry and immediately hung the reservation right away. To catch the wedding day.”

The moment the absurd act of skipping the meeting of the parents and receiving the wedding day first a bit understood.

‘Thought finished the meeting of the parents with grandmother Ok-bun.’

But this urgent too urgent.

I waved a hand.

“Even now if proceeding step by step enough. Contact the maternal family and visit in advance, finish the meeting of the parents among family, then both families catch the wedding day together.”

“Reservation is in 1 hour.”

“······.”

So charged in recklessly like this?

“This year presidential election and general election held simultaneously. Besides politicians even business world people providing fund lines all fuss reserving.”

“······.”

“Didn’t want to delay the wedding saying have to wait 1 year to catch the wedding day.”

Don’t know why hanging the neck so much for receiving the wedding day what a big deal.

Fortune-telling houses or philosophy halls scattered everywhere.

Couldn’t even click the tongue openly.

While looking with pathetic eyes, grandmother made excuses with a voice going in.

“Honestly speaking was going to catch the day together with the in-law house but deliberately decided to go alone.”

“What reason particularly doing so?”

“In the past Inwangsan Fairy Bodhisattva warned once.”

Grandmother’s expression was quite serious.

“If forcibly trying to marry with U-gwang’s daughter, your dad won’t avoid short life. Won’t even hold the wedding.”

In the past our father was scheduled short life with plane crash though.

So father passed away without even holding the wedding though.

‘Like a cow stepping backward and catching a mouse, a half shaman killed a person. Not once or twice seeing the trick of trying to tear money saying have to do a ritual after scaring.’

So my eyes couldn’t help but narrow automatically.

“Just in case at that time slightly pushed your mom’s four pillars of destiny to Inwangsan Fairy Bodhisattva and asked. How is this child as Seong-jun’s pair. Then said even more ominous sounds.”

“Ominous sounds?”

“Heard your mom’s life shorter. A destiny of coming out of the house and wandering and dying before even marriage talk comes out.”

In the past our mother left the world earlier than father with briquette gas poisoning though.

“The two are a match made in heaven so if seeing a child will obtain an amazing son unparalleled under heaven, but the bond between parent and child extremely thin so destiny of being tied again only after dying······.”

Flinched.

“Unfortunately that child lifelong no connection reaches with our Taeseong family. So no matter how trying to find no path to find······.”

Suddenly goosebumps rose along the spine.

“Both die before even holding the wedding, I keep worrying. Whether if holding the wedding a big accident occurs.”

Unconsciously an aching sound seemed to pop out from the throat.

A strange feeling felt for the first time since born.

‘There is a shaman who says such sounds?’

All sounds about our family were only curses ominous beyond measure.

But even if others don’t know I know.

‘With this level not nonsense?’

I carefully retraced the past.

Because never believed superstition in life.

So didn’t put interest in this side.

Even if sounds of being capable flowed from surroundings with squeals, I mostly heard with one ear and let flow with one ear.

‘Inwangsan Fairy Bodhisattva. Looking into somehow seems similar to a name I know.’

As soon as recalling the pretty face in memory, unconsciously strength entered the tightly gripped fist.

-Marry me.

She was one of the five big shots of the underground finance world who were active in the same era as me.

‘Heard that one was from a shaman house famous for matching everything from Joseon independence to the Korean War and regime change due to military coup?’

Famous figures of the Republic of Korea political and business world often came and went until the threshold of that house wore out.

How widely the rumor of being capable spread.

Even high-ranking officials from Japan and China secretly entered the country and came looking to see fortune.

‘Eh, no way. Wouldn’t be.’

Shook the head and tried to shake off the thoughts.

I am a person who extremely dislikes superstition, shamans, and fortune-tellers.

Grandmother slightly watched my eyes.

“Just in case seems the ominous time Inwangsan Fairy Bodhisattva mentioned not yet so······.”

Yes, that already passed.

Our parents barely avoided death.

No method to explain this what?

But what’s this?

An anxious heart suddenly surged.

‘Really correctly avoided death? The destiny of dying is not an ordinary matter, can escape so easily?’

I swallowed dry saliva.

‘If another form of death is scheduled for parents······ what to do?’

Tak.

Flicked a finger.

‘Hey, guardian deity.’

[This messenger cannot speak regarding human destiny.]

Don’t know when came behind my back.

The underworld messenger shook the head.

[Heaven’s secret leak.]

Know. Heaven’s secret leak.

But the anxious heart that once raised the head didn’t easily calm.

Because I am also a person who doesn’t know one inch ahead.

‘Okay to ask a shaman?’

[······.]

The underworld messenger didn’t answer.

But didn’t cut and oppose saying no either.

“If marrying anyway if tying on the most auspicious day in the world a bit better, and also······.”

Grandmother slightly looked at me then closed eyes tightly and said.

“What exactly the sound that Jeong-hyeok you no connection reaches with the Taeseong family, whether the talk of being chased from the Taeseong family correct, whether there is a way to block that, wanting to ask such······.”

Why playing the tongue long and delaying so.

If me would have taken out the main point at once.

Just like this.

“Grandmother, go together with me.”

“Yes?”

“Where is the shaman house called Inwangsan Fairy Bodhisattva or something?”

I stood up from the seat with a whoosh and crumpled and put on sneakers first.