The Dosa-nim, who had just apologized to me, spoke again.

  “You cannot change your Saju, but your physiognomy, the destiny revealed through your face, can be changed as much as you want. The power that transforms your features through the state of your heart is called Sim-sang, or Mind-countenance, and it is far mightier than either Saju or your physical appearance.”

  “Changing my physiognomy?”

  It was the first time I had ever heard such a thing. But the Dosa-nim spoke as if it were common sense.

  “One’s physiognomy can indeed change. Didn't you know that?”

  When I continued to sniffle, unable to compose myself despite his comforting words, he told me to turn around for a moment.

  “Goodness, this won't do. I’ll write something for you. Just turn around for a second.”

  [Scritch, scratch, scritch, scratch...]

  As he spoke, he began to write something down on a piece of paper. A moment later, he placed it inside a silk pouch and personally sewed it shut with a red thread. He kept chanting some kind of mantra while sewing, and he looked truly mystical. Once the silk pouch was finished, he said to me.

  “Ultimately, the state of your heart is what matters most, but I will help you just a little.”

  With those words, he handed me the red silk pouch.

  “If you keep this silk pouch close to your heart, inside your clothes, it will help you ward off all misfortune. However, you must never open the pouch. Never. Promise me.”

  The Dosa-nim spoke firmly. But I still didn't quite believe him. My skepticism must have shown on my face.

  “Goodness, try to brighten up that face of yours!”

  Then, he added one more thing.

  “Around this time next year or the year after, I might have a reason to visit your area. It would be nice to see your face then.”

  When I finished the consultation and got ready to leave, I tried to pay the fee I had prepared. Then I asked.

  “How much for the talisman?”

  I had plenty of experience with Saju Philosophy Studios and shaman shrines. They would always scribble something on a scrap of paper, call it a talisman, and demand hundreds of dollars.

  Normally, I would have just walked out, but I had cried too much here today. I felt that if I had disrupted his business this much, I should rightfully pay the price.

  However, this Dosa-nim said he didn't need money for the talisman.

  “The silk pouch is free. That fellow over there is my grandson, and it’s my fault for not teaching him to hold his tongue. I should just break his legs! Blast that brat!”

  Normally, I might have laughed at his words. But I wasn't in the mood to laugh. Still, perhaps because I had cried my eyes out, my chest felt relieved. As I stepped out of the consultation room, the older sister who owned the hair salon was waiting in the lobby and rushed over to me.

  “Hey, what did the Dosa-nim say?”

  I didn't say anything. I just said to her.

  “We need to keep food on the table, so let’s hurry back and get ready for business. Sister, we’ve been here too long.”

  And so, I returned to work with her.

  A year has passed since my consultation at Mount Jiri.

  Even after that visit to the Dosa-nim, my daily life continued to be a series of hard and exhausting days. Yet, miraculously, from that day on, I never faced a single ordeal so unbearable that it could be called wretched.

  It felt as if this mystical talisman was blocking all misfortune. As the bad luck was warded off, my expression brightened a little. When I woke up in the morning and looked in the mirror, I even felt like I, whose face used to be covered in spite and misery, had become a bit prettier.

  Just before coming down from the mountain, the Dosa-nim had given me a few secret remedies.

  First, always carry the silk pouch and never let anyone see inside.

  Second, every morning, look in the mirror and say, “Whose daughter is this? She’s so pretty.”

  Third, love yourself more than anyone else.

  These were the three.

  One day, while I was following these three secret remedies and keeping the talisman safe, a man who looked like the decent guy the Dosa-nim had mentioned asked me on a date. He was someone I had already known for a while. In fact, he had been a regular at our eatery since long before I ever visited the Saju Philosophy Studio.

  It was a secret from him, but all the widows and single women in the neighborhood really liked him. His gentle eyes, dependable shoulders, firm skin, and deep voice made my heart flutter.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Please, just one more bowl of rice. The Gukbap here is the best.”

  If he said just one word, I wanted to slaughter a whole cow for him, let alone give him rice. But I couldn't express anything to him.

  He was a bachelor and I was a widow. He was even younger than me. It wouldn't have been a good look for me to flirt with him. Still, to me, he was like a flower I admired from afar, or an imaginary lover. Just looking at him relieved my fatigue. The younger sister at the side-dish shop next door said something similar.

  Then, that man spoke to a wretched woman like me first.

  “Don't you feel lonely by yourself? Soon you'll be at an age where you can't have kids. Wouldn't you like to try having a baby? I want a daughter, and I’d love it if she looked just like you.”

  It was a proposal! He wasn't as meticulous or sweet as my ex-husband, but I fell for him completely after that one blunt yet sincere confession. All this happiness had happened after visiting that Saju Philosophy Studio and following the secret remedies.

  The very next day after his confession, he ate a bowl of Gukbap at my place and spoke to me.

  “Don't you want to see the night sea? Shall we go today?”

  I quickly changed my clothes, finished some light makeup, and asked the older sisters and the younger staff I worked with to take care of things.

  “Please just tidy up today and make sure to lock the doors.”

  The staff members who had worked with me for a long time cheered me on.

  “We’ll take care of the shutters, so you just focus on looking pretty, Boss!”

  “Sis, did you change into pretty underwear? Check if there’s any smell.”

  They teased me mischievously. Normally, I would have snapped back at them, but I didn't have the luxury for that.

  He and I parked the car near the pier, had a quick drink at a street stall, and walked along the harbor. Even though he was the one who suggested walking, he spoke up as the wind grew colder.

  “Aren't you cold? Wow, I didn't think it would be this cold, but the sea breeze is really strong today. Let’s get in the car.”

  I couldn't help but chuckle.

  “Pfft. Yes, let’s do that. I’m feeling a bit cold too.”

  When we entered the car to escape the chilly sea breeze, he suddenly lunged at me and gave me a deep kiss.

  “Mmm...”

  They say a widower knows a widow's heart. This man wasn't even a widower, but he knew my heart too well. No, he seemed to know women very well. I lost my senses as he held me strongly and kissed me softly.

  ‘Ah, this man, he seems to know a woman’s heart even better than that gigolo back then.’

  With that thought, I leaned into him deeper, and he kissed me more intensely. A moment later, his right hand gripped over my heart.

  [Squeeze!]

  At that moment, I felt a strange sensation, different from usual.

  ‘Wait, hold on!’

  When he grabbed my chest, I remembered the talisman I always carried over my heart.

  ‘My talisman! Why isn't it there?’

  Thinking back, it seemed I had left the talisman at the eatery because I was in such a rush to change both my underwear and outer clothes. After that, I couldn't focus on him at all because of the talisman. He, oblivious to my distraction, tried to move deeper into my body.

  But was it because it had been so long since I'd had physical contact with a man? I was very aroused.

  ‘Talisman or whatever, I’ll think about it tomorrow!’

  I decided to give myself over to him. That was when it happened.

  [TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!]

  Someone tapped on the car window with something like a key. It was the police patrolling the pier.

  “You shouldn't be doing this here.”

  The two officers said this with playful smiles, shining their flashlights all around the inside of the car. I hid my face with my clothes in shame. The man spoke up.

  “Ah, yes, I understand. Sorry.”

  As he spoke, he blocked the flashlight's beam with his jacket. However, the mood that had been so ripe was ruined. He said very bashfully.

  “I come here often, but I’ve never seen the police on patrol before. That’s strange.”

  Suddenly, I got a chilling feeling.

  ‘This guy, he might be a playboy.’

  And I became a bit cold-headed.

  ‘Of course. If a decent guy like him approaches a wretched widow like me, what else could he be but a gigolo after my money or a lowlife after my body?’

  When my thoughts reached that point, I threw a sharp question at him.

  “I guess you bring women here often?”

  Startled by my question, he replied.

  “No? You’re the first one.”

  ‘Liar. At least make it sound believable.’

  I thought this and asked again.

  “Then how do you know this place so well?”

  The atmosphere suddenly turned icy. Having almost no experience with this kind of thing, I spoke my feelings exactly as they were, regardless of whether he was embarrassed or not. Whether he realized my intent or was just stung by the truth, he answered.

  “Ah, no. I’m not that kind of playboy.”

  I straightened my clothes and adjusted my posture. To me, he spoke in a serious voice.

  “There’s an inn right next to here. Let’s go there and get some sleep.”

  When he said that, I, who had been floating on clouds in a fantasy, came crashing back to reality.

  ‘It’s because I don't have the talisman. Everything I do from now on is dangerous.’

  Becoming anxious, I said to him.

  “I need to get to the eatery right away. Can you give me a ride?”

  He looked very troubled.

  “That’s a bit difficult. I’ve had a drink too, you know.”

  He said he couldn't drive because he had drunk too much. Still, I insisted that I had to go to the eatery. He spoke again.

  “If I get caught for drunk driving, I could lose my license. Driving is how I make my living. If my license is suspended, I’ll lose my job.”

  I understood his situation well enough.

  “I really like you, Soon-ae, but that’s going to be difficult.”

  Saying this, he kept insisting we go to the inn to sleep.

  “I promise I won't do anything strange. I’ll just hold your hand and sleep. Please believe me.”

  Whether from the alcohol or anger, his face was beet red.

  ‘I just can't trust him.’

  What he was doing today was all too similar to the way that playboy used to treat me. I felt like I was being dragged along by him, unable to judge the situation simply because I was so lonely. As these thoughts overlapped, I felt that everything I did without the talisman was extremely dangerous.

  So, I made a decision.

  “Then you go ahead and sleep alone. I have to go to the eatery. I have something very important to do.”

  “Soon-ae, don't be like this.”

  [ JERK! ]

  I shook off his hand as he tried to grab me and got out of the car. Then, I immediately called a taxi from the public phone in front of a supermarket near the pier.