"Mom, I'm really not sick," I said to my mother.
"I know, my son. But there's nothing wrong with getting a checkup," my mother said sweetly.
"I get that you want me to get a checkup, but why are we in Cheonliang? We could have just gone to a normal hospital in Seoul. This place is so backwards," I huffed with annoyance.
My mother smiled sweetly before ruffling my dark red hair. "Your case is very unique, Baki. You know we've seen all kinds of doctors in Seoul, but no one can tell us anything about your condition."
"But Mom, I don't have any condition."
"Yes, yes. I know you're not ill. But since we've already come to Cheonliang, there's nothing wrong with meeting the shaman, right? I've heard great things about him."
I nodded helplessly. For some reason, ever since I'd entered Cheonliang, I'd been getting an uneasy feeling. The people here seemed very strange.
An hour later, my mother and I reached the shaman's house with help from some villagers. Though they were very unfriendly at first, as soon as Mom inquired about the shaman, they became very friendly and led us to his home.
Outside the house, there were two Japanese men—one wearing glasses and looking gentle, the other with a nasty scar on his face that gave him a scary appearance. The reason I knew they were Japanese was because I am Japanese myself. We had recently moved to Korea.
The villager who had guided us walked toward them and said something.
The gentle-looking man opened the door to the shaman's house and entered, while the villager walked back to us and said, "You have to wait here for a bit. Lord Shaman will call you inside."
With that, he left us standing outside.
I looked around the courtyard curiously. A large tree stood there, ribbons hanging from its branches—decorations traditionally associated with shamanistic rituals. A small shrine was situated underneath the tree. Just as I was looking around, the man who had entered the shaman's house earlier came back outside and signaled us to enter.
My mom grabbed my hand before entering. Inside, the first thing I noticed were rows of dolls hanging from the ceiling. As I was staring at them, a man came into view. He was sitting in front of the rows of dolls, cradling a goat on his lap.
"Hello, ma'am. I am the village shaman, Shinmyung Cheon."
As he introduced himself, he gestured for us to sit in front of him.
My mother sat down, then pulled me down to sit beside her.
Shinmyung smiled and said, "You've done very well coming here. May I ask what the problem is?"
"Sir, we have been to all sorts of hospitals, but it was of no use. We lived in Seoul and came all the way here to Cheonliang."
The shaman replied, "My lady, whom I serve is able to treat illnesses that even modern medicine cannot."
"Then can my son really be cured? His name is Baki Hanma. After my husband died, we moved from Japan to Korea."
When I was younger, I had a brain injury. An X-ray revealed that my brain is naturally folded in the shape of a demon's face. Since then, my mother has always worried about me. But I don't see any problems with it.
Hearing the description of my condition, the shaman replied, "A terrible thing has attached itself to your son. We'll have to perform several exorcisms."
My mother was desperate. She handed the shaman a bag full of money.
"I am counting on you, sir."
I could see the shaman grin from ear to ear as he took the bag.
"With this level of sincerity, my lady will be satisfied as well."
Then with another grin, he said, "We will begin right away."
Both my mom and I were shocked.
"What?!"
Just as my mother exclaimed, the door behind us opened and the two Japanese men from before looked at the shaman as he commanded them, "Get them ready."
What happened next was too fast for my brain to register. Within a few minutes, we were dressed in ceremonial clothing and brought to the shrine.