Yeon-hwa Noona was truly mysterious.

  Even though I had memorized all the theories of Myeong-ri, such as the Five Elements, the Ten Gods, and the Six Relatives, I still couldn't perform an accurate Saju reading. Grandpa had explained the reason to me.

  "Even if you know the theories well, you have to know the world to perform a proper consultation. Since you’re young and don't know the ways of the world, your readings won't be complete."

  However, Yeon-hwa seemed to know even less about the world than I did. Whenever Grandpa finished reading the newspapers delivered to the studio, I would start reading them immediately. Yeon-hwa used to nag me, asking what was so interesting about them.

  I knew exactly why she didn't read the newspaper. The papers Grandpa read were filled with Chinese characters without any phonetic guides. I had reached a level where I could read them by asking about the characters I didn't know, but Yeon-hwa wasn't in a position to do that. Because of this, I often ended up being the one to tell her the news of the outside world.

  Yet, despite knowing nothing about the world or a single formula of Myeong-ri, she could speak fluently about everything regarding a person just by looking at their Saju.

  In fact, there were times when she was even more accurate than Grandpa.

  One day, Yeon-hwa said this to a couple who came for a reading.

  "Instead of spending money on a Saju reading, go buy your husband something delicious. Isn't it because you’re always running around to places like this that your husband is having an affair?"

  I was flabbergasted watching from the side.

  If she had said that after looking at their Saju, I would have understood, but she said it the moment they sat down to write their birth details.

  When the man shouted that she was talking nonsense, Yeon-hwa replied calmly.

  "You haven't done much right either, sir. Stop scolding your wife for only giving birth to daughters. Those daughters will be incredibly filial to you. If you keep mistreating them, you will surely regret it later."

  Grandpa, seeing this, rushed over immediately.

  "I’m sorry. I haven't managed the youngsters well. I’ll read your Saju for free as a special favor."

  Even though Grandpa said this, the couple left the studio without a word. Afterward, Grandpa said to Yeon-hwa.

  "You came here to study, not to give prophecies. Look only at the characters. Don't look into the future."

  I found it a bit absurd. Myeong-ri is, by definition, a study used to predict the future. Telling her not to look into the future was a complete paradox.

  On a sunny afternoon, Yeon-hwa and I were memorizing palmistry patterns that Grandpa had drawn for us.

  "This is the An-jin pattern (the formation of wild geese) from the Ma-ui Sang-beop (Manual of Physiognomy). It’s a pattern that looks like a flock of geese flying together. It indicates a person who will enter public office and do great things."

  For me, palmistry was easier than Myeong-ri. The reason was simple: it didn't require understanding, just raw memorization.

  However, Yeon-hwa couldn't memorize a single one correctly. Grandpa was frustrated, and watching from the side, so was I.

  Just then, an unscheduled customer arrived. Grandpa stood up and said.

  "A customer came without an appointment. If I just send them away, your Grandma will come and give me hell, so I’ll go see them."

  Yeon-hwa and I were delighted, thinking the boring lesson was over. But Grandpa barked at us before he left.

  "You two! Memorize this well. I’ll teach you the next part when I get back, so stay in your seats!"

  Grandpa headed off to see the customer. As soon as he left, Yeon-hwa, who had clearly been bored with the lesson, spoke to me.

  "Hey squirt, want Noona to read your palm?"

  Grandpa had told us to memorize the patterns, not to perform readings. Besides, she couldn't even memorize basic positions like the Mount of Sun or Mount of Moon, nor the major lines like the heart line or life line. I couldn't understand what she was thinking.

  I scoffed.

  "Haha! Noona, you haven't even memorized the basic positions, and you're going to read my palm?"

  "Give me your hand anyway. I have my own way of seeing things."

  As she spoke, she flashed a smile at me. As if enchanted by that smile, I held out my palm. I didn't actually want to, but strangely, my hand moved on its own.

  When I gave her my hand, she didn't look at the lines. Instead, she held my hand and closed her eyes.

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  After a moment, she began to cry. From her cherry-red lips, a tiny, faint voice leaked out.

  "Little Dosa... is your mother very sick?"

  "You can see that in my palm?" I reacted in shock.

  "I haven't learned anything like that yet..."

  Yeon-hwa closed her eyes again without a word. I could see her eyeballs moving frantically under her eyelids. She spoke again.

  "I think your mother has recovered a lot. You’ll be living with her by next year. I see you being in the same house as her."

  ' Quack!!!'

  As I thought, she was a quack. My mother had cancer, a disease that was hard to recover from. I felt like I understood why Grandpa always called her stupid.

  Just then, Grandpa returned and saw Yeon-hwa holding my hand with her eyes closed. He grew furious.

  "I told you not to use those forbidden arts! What did you say to Hyeon-jin?"

  "I didn't use them. I didn't say much. I’m sorry if it seemed that way."

  With that, Yeon-hwa grabbed Se-yeon and hurried away from the studio.

  She’s going down the mountain without staying the night. I guess I’ll be sleeping alone again, I thought. Then, feeling curious, I asked Grandpa.

  "Did you tell her about my mom being sick?"

  Grandpa stared at me for a moment and then held my hand without saying a word.

  "What did that girl say to you?"

  I explained what had happened while he was away. After hearing the whole story, he spoke.

  "She saw how much you’ve been thinking about your mother. That kind of 'skill' is something our side can't even dream of."

  "What do you mean, 'that kind of skill'?"

  "There is such a thing. You must not learn it. Even if you tried, you wouldn't be able to. It’s a skill people are born with."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Yeon-hwa used to be a Mudang (a Korean shaman). She was a Manshin (a high-ranking shaman who serves ten thousand spirits) acknowledged by other shamans. She came to me after losing her Gu-ae-bi."

  "What’s a Gu-ae-bi?"

  "It refers to shamanic tools like bells, knives, or blades used by those who have finished their work as a Mudang."

  Seeing my interest, he continued the story.

  "They say Yeon-hwa started finding Gu-ae-bi one by one as soon as she started walking as a child. She supposedly found her first one, buried in the ground by shamans of old, when she was only five."

  It seemed Yeon-hwa was a born Mudang. But then, a question popped into my mind.

  "But why did she lose them?"

  "She said they were stolen. Strangely, no matter how well she hid them, someone would steal them like a ghost. That’s why she came to me, holding nothing but a newspaper clipping about me, asking me to find her Gu-ae-bi."

  Grandpa closed his eyes as if recalling that time.

  "If a Mudang who makes a living from performing large rituals like the Pung-eo-je (a grand ceremony praying for a bountiful catch and the safety of fishermen at sea) loses their tools, who would give them work? Eventually, the drummers and other helpers all went their own way, and she was left alone."

  Suddenly, I felt a bit sad. I wondered what it felt like to be left all alone.

  "Other shamans avoided her because she was a Mudang who lost her tools. In the end, there was no one left around her."

  "Ah..."

  I felt like I understood a little more why Yeon-hwa couldn't easily approach people. The thought that I might do the same if I were abandoned by my close friends and colleagues crossed my mind.

  "On top of that, she was maintaining her shrine by giving readings just to get by, but one night, an intruder broke in and... well, he forced himself on her. It’s truly tragic."

  "What do you mean, 'forced himself on her'?"

  "Well, there’s such a thing. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. You’ll need about ten more years to get it."

  As he told the story, Grandpa took a gulp of water and looked around. I got the strong feeling he was checking to see if Grandma was nearby. After confirming she was far away, he continued.

  "Her body felt heavy, and she thought she was pregnant, so she went to her Spirit Mother (a senior Mudang who initiates and mentors a new shaman into the spiritual lineage)... and she told Yeon-hwa that she had seen what happened in a dream. But then, she told her not to report it to the police. She claimed that the gods (various indigenous deities believed to intervene in human life) had come and given her a 'god-child.' She even told her to jump from a high place to kill the baby and receive the child’s spirit as her own servant-god. How cruel..."

  Stories about Mudangs are honestly scary. Or rather, Mudangs themselves are scary. Not long ago, while running an errand for Grandpa, I locked eyes with a Mudang lady at the foot of the mountain. I ended up peeing my pants right then and there.

  Another question occurred to me.

  "But why did you ask what she said to me?"

  Grandpa hesitated, seemingly wondering if he should tell such a thing to a child. But Grandpa was a chatterbox.

  "Well, it’s just... if Yeon-hwa said, 'Sir, watch your wrists,' he’d end up with a broken wrist. If she said, 'Be careful on the road,' he’d get injured while traveling. I even heard that when she told someone to 'Watch out for dogs'..."

  "Did they get bitten?"

  "Exactly. They got bitten so badly they had to go to the hospital. Strangely, whatever Yeon-hwa says whether good or bad comes true. That’s why I told her to be careful. I told her not to say anything at all. It’s better for everyone that way."

  Hearing this, I found it a bit funny. I wondered if there might be another reason, as he seemed quite different from his usual self.

  "Come on, no way. Then you should just ask her to say, 'Grandpa, you’re going to be rich.' Then you’d actually become rich."

  When I said that, Grandpa didn't answer immediately. He just flinched.

  'Did he actually try it?'

  "I did try. It didn't work. She said that words spoken because someone forced her to say them never come true. She said, 'If I could make anything happen, why would I come here to look for my Gu-ae-bi?' And she had a point."

  Just then.

  [Thwack!]

  Grandma landed a heavy blow on Grandpa’s back with a rice paddle. Grandpa shouted at her in anger.

  "Ouch! Is this woman crazy? Why are you hitting a man’s back like this!"

  Rolling up her sleeves, Grandma snapped back.

  "Good grief, Mr. Dosa! There are things you should and shouldn't say to a child! Once you start talking, you just spout everything, don't you? Why don't you just go around the whole village announcing that you have a wife possessed by a Jang-bi ghost?!!"

  It didn't seem like their fight would end anytime soon. So, I stepped out onto the porch for a moment and looked at the stars. I thought about what Yeon-hwa had said to me earlier.

  'By next year, you’ll be living with Mom. I see you being in the same house as Mom.'

  I felt grateful to Yeon-hwa. And my mood brightened as well.