Taesung
There we are, four cold-looking, motionless killers, with stony expressions, standing in front of the door. I hear muffled footsteps behind the door and, a second later, a middle-aged woman opens it. I am struck by the resemblance between her and Hyunjin. It's undeniable. She must be his relative. His sister? Perhaps. At first glance, it seems as though she intends to leave. She's heading off somewhere.
She invites us in and I am immediately enveloped in a sense of warmth and homeliness. She starts talking to Hyunjin in their native language, addressing her as Sunhee. The rest of us stand around them like shadows. We are like silent witnesses, who don't belong in this family portrait. I only catch snippets of their conversation, my name, and the name of Jiwok, after whom I took over the security position.
A cheerful squeal, followed by faint footsteps, comes from the back of the house. A little girl with jet-black hair tied in tousled pigtails runs around the corner and straight to Hyunjin. He bends down and takes her in his arms. Those are the same blood-stained hands that killed a man an hour ago without batting an eyelid and threatened to cut off my finger. But am I any different? I killed, too. For the first time in my life, I took someone's life.
His sister must know, what Hyunjin does for a living. It's impossible to keep such a bloody livelihood a secret from the family.
Hyunjin presses the child's head against his shoulder, but she can't stay still. She fidgets restlessly. She fixes her gaze on me. Her expression mirrors that of her uncle's. She looks at me with childlike curiosity. Something about me has caught her attention. She starts reaching out to me, with her little hands.
Hyunjin turns around to see, who she is looking at. Me. She tries desperately to slip out of his arms. I raise my hands in a defensive gesture. Children and I don't mix. I've had more than enough experience taking care of my two younger stepbrothers.
„She won't bite you," Hyunjin tells me, sounding somewhat mocking. Whether she bites or not, I refuse to touch her.
„Sofie, this is Taesung," he says, introducing me. „But you can call him Taei." Who does he think he is, deciding how a small child should address me? Sofie immediately picks up on the nickname, of course.
„Taei, Taei!" She starts shouting my name, reaching out to me as she tries to touch me for the first time. I take another step back, making it clear that I don't want any contact with her. If I'm supposed to play the role of a cold, unyielding bodyguard, then I'll embrace it fully and see it through to the end.
Hyunjin says goodbye to his sister, she leaves the house with an umbrella and heads out into the rain. We are left alone with Sofie. Are we babysitting now?
I move as far away from Sofia as possible and head over to the glass doors, that lead out to the terrace. I watch the heavy rain outside through the wet window. Streams of water run down the glass, rippling depending on the wind's direction and strength. The wind scatters the water across the glass in sharp waves that resemble scratches. These patterns become increasingly intricate, as if the restless soul of the sky itself were imprinted on them.
I see something white out of the corner of my eye that catches my attention, so I turn my gaze to the left. Hanging from a hook attached to the window frame is a white figure. It's a doll. It looks like a ghost. It has a round head with a scribbled face, and its loose clothes hang on a string. I reach out and examine it. I am so fascinated by the figure that I don't notice Hyunjin approaching me.
„What is this?" I blurt out, trying to hide the fact that I was startled by him. He was walking very quietly.
„It's a Teru Teru Bozu."
„Teru Teru... what?"
„Teru teru bozu," he repeats, noticing the confused look on my face, and agrees to tell me more. „It's a traditional Japanese figure made of paper or cloth, associated with a superstition."
„I had no idea you were interested in Japanese traditions." It's common knowledge, that Japan and Korea have been at odds since the occupation, when Japan annexed Korea and made it a colony.
„It's a tradition from my sister's husband's side of the family, as he's Japanese."
„What superstition is associated with it?" I ask, hoping to change the family subject to something else. I don't want to tread on thin ice and upset Hyunjin.
„During the rainy season, dolls like these are hung in windows. They are called teru teru bozu. They are supposed to ward off the rain."
My gaze falls on the heavy downpour outside. „Apparently it works great," I joke.
„It's just a superstition. It's not supposed to help." Ignoring my snide remark, he continues his explanation. „Teru means to shine, and bozu refers to a Buddhist monk, whose job it is to chase away the rain and bring back the sun." I wanted to respond sarcastically, but Sophie suddenly started yelling at the top of her lungs. After a moment, I realise that she's probably singing.
„Teru teru bozu, ashita tenki ni naare. Ano hi, yume no sora," she screeches in a false voice through the room.
„What is she doing?"
„She's singing a song about that character." He points to Teru Teru Bozu. I definitely wouldn't describe her yelling as singing. „She's asking for sunny weather and promising that, if her wish comes true, she'll pour sake over the doll and float it down the river to symbolise the character's return to heaven."
„Moshimo hareru nara, kin'iro no suzu," Sofie continues her solo concert, waving her arms and running around.
„What if her wish doesn't come true?" The question slips out of my mouth, prompted more by curiosity than interest.
His gaze darkens. „She'll cut off the head." I swallow. Dryly. The small, childlike figure by the window suddenly seems much more ghostly.
„I really hope your niece wouldn't be like you." I'd rather leave than get caught up in his cold, contemptuous lectures, about how I should behave towards my captor again.
... ༺༻ ...
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Teru Teru Bozu Song - EN verze (nalezeno na internetu)
Teru teru bozu, teru bozu.
Make tomorrow a sunny day.
Like the sky in a dream sometime.
If it becomes sunny.
I will give you a golden bell.
Teru teru bozu, teru bozu.
Make tomorrow a sunny day.
If my wish comes true.
I will let you drink sweet sake.
Teru teru bozu, teru bozu.
Make tomorrow a sunny day.
But if it is cloudy and you are crying.
I will snip your head off.
... ༺༻ ...
BLOOD DEBT (피의 빚)