OMS 28
by Cherry[Why aren’t you answering? I’m asking if you really did that.]
He sent a message to Kim Tae-han, but there was no reply. ‘I failed last time, but I think I can do better next time.’ What did that mean? Did that crazy bastard really make his father fall down the stairs? They said nothing was caught on CCTV…
[No, right? You’re joking?]
While sending messages repeatedly, the car came to a stop.
“Mr. Hee-soo. We’ve arrived.”
Park Dong-sik put his phone in his pocket and looked out the window. The sign reading ‘Hae Yeon Dang’ caught his eye. Their early morning destination was the shaman’s shrine they’d met in Daejeon. Located away from downtown, if it weren’t for the fluttering flags, the shrine could have been mistaken for an ordinary house. As they entered through the open gate, a man emerged from inside.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here for a fortune reading.”
“Fortune readings are done for today. Please schedule an appointment and come back later.”
“I just need five minutes.”
When he tried to push his way in, the man grabbed his shoulder. Kim Yoon-ah stopped him with her hand. “Don’t touch him roughly.” The commotion caused movement inside, and someone came out as a door opened.
“Why all this noise?”
Park Dong-sik recognized the man immediately.
“Oh, Shaman.”
Even though he raised his hand in a casual greeting, the shaman showed no surprise. Her expression suggested she’d been expecting them. This made it even more intriguing. Park Dong-sik didn’t believe in shamans. Whenever he’d gone for fortune readings before, they were all just scammers asking for money, claiming he had strong spiritual energy or needed a ritual.
“Come in alone.”
The shaman disappeared inside, and Park Dong-sik stepped onto the wooden floor, leaving Kim Yoon-ah behind.
“If you feel like your life is in danger, shout! You just need to call me!”
“Don’t worry.”
Upon entering, the smell of incense hit him strongly. Opening the sliding door revealed the heavily made-up shaman sitting on a mat, with statues of Buddha, paintings, and large fans used by shamans arranged behind him. Park Dong-sik stood in one place and simply looked around at his surroundings.
“You’re surprisingly modest. I heard you were a successful shaman, so I thought you’d have everything covered in gold.”
“What brings you here?”
Park Dong-sik sat down and pulled out a medical certificate from his chest.
“You cut me with a knife. See? Two weeks of treatment are needed. I’m thinking of pressing charges, but I wonder if you have enough for a settlement?”
The shaman didn’t even blink.
“Get to the point. What kind of bargaining is this, you evil spirit?”
Park Dong-sik ran his tongue across his front teeth.
He could definitely tell this wasn’t just random guessing. The shaman knew exactly what happened to him.
“Why do you think I’m an evil spirit?”
“Why call an evil spirit anything else? Should I call you Mr. Evil Spirit?”
“Fine. Let’s say I am an evil spirit. Then where did the real Hee-soo go? If you’re such a powerful shaman, you should know that much. Is he still in this body with me?”
The shaman stared intensely with a strange expression on his face. Park Dong-sik also stared back hard, not wanting to lose. In the middle of their battle of wills, the shaman picked up a bell. With eyes closed, holding a fan in one hand and jingling the bell in the other, he whistled, whee—
Park Dong-sik swallowed hard to hide his nervous tension. What if my soul suddenly gets thrown out? But the shaman opened her eyes and put down the fan and bell. Her lips pressed tightly enough to wrinkle.
“He’s not here.”
“What?”
“That day at the shrine, no matter how much I called, he didn’t come. I thought my prayers weren’t enough, but that wasn’t it.”
“Hey. Speak simply so that I can understand.”
“How stupid. Just like the thug you are.”
It felt like he had momentarily stopped breathing.
When Park Dong-sik kept his mouth shut tight, the shaman continued.
“It means he crossed the Samdo River. Understand?”
“W-What river is that?”
“The afterlife.”
“Why would he go…?”
“Why? Because he had no lingering attachment to this world. You stupid evil spirit!”
He was getting annoyed at being called an evil spirit repeatedly. Should I just flip everything over? No, what if he puts a curse on me? Though I don’t completely believe everything this shaman says…still…
..
“Then…can’t Hee-soo come back?”
“Why? Are you having the time of your life in his body?”
“Whatever. Let’s say you’re right that I’m not Hee-soo. Let’s say I came from another body. Is there really no way to go back?”
“Go back where?”
“To my original body!”
The shaman stared at him before asking curiously, “Do you have a body to go back to?”
Why wouldn’t I? It’s in the mortuary. He almost blurted out.
“That’s why I said ‘if.'”
“Well…if there is one, it might be possible.”
Ah, Park Dong-sik’s face brightened. I knew it. They say there’s always a way out, even if the sky falls. But the shaman’s next words shattered even that small hope.
“Of course, only if it’s still breathing.”
“…”
“I see that it’s dead.”
Park Dong-sik couldn’t say anything. A hot emotion rose from his solar plexus, but he forced it down. He took out his wallet and placed a check on the table. The shaman snapped at the sight.
“I don’t take payment from ghosts.”
Park Dong-sik tapped the amount on the check with his finger.
“Look before you speak.”
The shaman glanced at it, and her brow furrowed. At the significant amount, the shaman’s eyes wavered, and Park Dong-sik placed another check on top.
“It’s not for the reading, It’s for keeping quiet.”
The shaman silently stared at the checks before taking them with a nod.
“Sometimes it’s better not to know.”
Park Dong-sik smiled bitterly. Neither Hee-soo nor I can go back—that’s all I’ve confirmed. Still, his mind was somewhat settled. If something can’t be reversed, you need to let go of attachments. That’s how you move forward.
As he stood up, the shaman held out something.
“Keep this in your wallet.”
“Wow, Shaman. Such good service. Money talks, huh?”
“If you don’t want it, give it back.”
“Not that I don’t want it. I’m just saying. But this isn’t a charm to ward off evil spirits, right? You’re not backstabbing me after I paid? Just try it. I’ll cut off your balls and make you into a real fairy!” When he threw out the mix of threats and jokes smoothly, the shaman scattered nearby beans, telling him to get out.
When Park Dong-sik came outside, he saw Kim Yoon-ah standing there with an anxious expression and smiled.
“What did they say? You said you’d sue? Are they scared?”
“It’s been settled for now.”
“Ah, that’s a relief. Let’s go quickly. This place gives me the creeps. We’re going straight home, right?”
“No, to the funeral home.”
“What? Who…”
Park Dong-sik smiled calmly, though he couldn’t hide the bitterness behind it.
“Let’s go see Park Dong-sik one last time.”
***
Upon arriving at the funeral home, Park Dong-sik headed to the mortuary. His steps were heavy. When he first came here, it felt like the sky was falling, but now, having somewhat accepted and let go, it wasn’t as painful as before. At the mortuary entrance, the attendant opened the door while looking around.
“Usually, we’re not supposed to do this…”
Park Dong-sik took out an envelope of money from his chest and slipped it to the attendant. Upon entering, the distinctive smell hit his nose. He pulled the handle in front of the name “Park Dong-sik,” and the bed slid out with a rumble. When he lifted the white cloth, Park Dong-sik lay there. Though he felt empty and wronged, the tears didn’t flow like before.
“Let us be alone for a moment.”
“You can’t stay long.”
“I understand.”
After the attendant left, only the deceased Park Dong-sik and the living Lee Hee-soo remained in the mortuary. Lee Hee-soo living luxuriously in a wealthy house, and Park Dong-sik who died after a life of hardship. Lee Hee-soo, the omega desired by all, and the pitiful Park Dong-sik who died without ever experiencing a man’s touch, only masturbating.
No matter how you compare them, Lee Hee-soo’s life was much better than Park Dong-sik’s.
Smiling bitterly, Park Dong-sik carefully reached out to touch his own fingertips. Cold. Is this what they mean by cold as ice? He tried not to cry, but fuck…While rubbing his burning eyes with his hand, his lips moved.
“You worked hard…living…”
Abandoned at an orphanage as a child, abused by the director until he ran away barefoot one rainy dawn. After searching extensively, he found his father, but life wasn’t any different from the orphanage. Daily beatings and money earned at a young age were exploited. Then he became a gangster. Because he was sick of being beaten black and blue every day.
Only after death came the regret. Why hadn’t he thought to study hard and become a better person? Not everyone who had an unfortunate life took the wrong path.
“Next time…be born as a good person.”
Though his throat tightened, he didn’t shed any tears. He pushed the bed back in and closed the door. After staring at the three characters spelling “Park Dong-sik” for a long while, he collected himself and went outside.
“Are you finished?”
Kim Yoon-ah, who had been nearby, walked up to him.
“Yeah. Tell Park Chun-bae to handle the funeral.”
“Should I ask them to leave the columbarium address?”
“No. It’s fine.”
After getting in the car and starting off, snow began to flutter outside the window before long. Being in a remote area, there were no passing cars, and it was the kind of night where something might jump out from the dark gloom.
“Should I put on some music?”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s snowing a lot.”
“Yeah.”
Silence continued as the car stopped waiting for a left turn signal. Amidst only the sound of wipers moving and turn signals blinking, Park Dong-sik let out a quiet sigh. As the arrow pointing left appeared on the traffic light, Kim Yoon-ah turned the wheel.
Suddenly, intense light poured in from the right. There was no time to properly open their eyes or recognize and defend against the situation. Bang! After the strong impact, the car spun around and crashed into the guardrail.
Ugh. Park Dong-sik, barely holding on to consciousness, looked around. Kim Yoon-ah was groaning and holding her head, and outside was still blindingly bright.
That was when it happened.
Along with the sound of an engine revving, his hair stood on end.
“Fuck…”
Just as Park Dong-sik, sensing danger, reached for the seatbelt, an enormous impact caused the car to flip over instantly. The sky became the ground and the ground became the sky, and he couldn’t tell how many times they rolled. The world looked hazy, and amidst the drip, drip of something falling and the overwhelming smell of burning, Park Dong-sik lost consciousness.