Chapter 2: The Shamanic Group Muryeong
The luxury villa along the Han River was excessively spacious for one person living alone. Though Dohyuk found it unnecessarily large, his mother had purchased this 80-pyeong apartment without a moment’s hesitation, using the excuse that it was close to his workplace. While it seemed like maternal consideration, it was also about appearances. Cha Seonyoo wanted to demonstrate in visible terms that her son was different from other women’s sons.
As Dohyuk entered his passcode and stepped inside, the entryway lights flickered on automatically. He frowned at the neatly arranged women’s shoes as he removed his own. Only one person entered his place without permission—his mother. Normally he’d let it slide, but after their conversation this morning, he had a bad feeling about this.
“Son, you’re home?”
Hearing movement in the entryway, his mother emerged from the living room to greet Dohyuk with a bright smile. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, asking how many days it had been since they’d last seen each other. After waiting briefly until she was satisfied, he gently pushed her away.
As he headed to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator, his mother followed, speaking to him.
“Have you had dinner?”
“Yes.”
“I thought so. It’s quite late.”
Though she seemed concerned about whether her son had eaten, there were no signs of cooking in the kitchen. His mother was a pampered woman who’d never gotten her hands dirty. If Dohyuk had said he hadn’t eaten, she would have immediately called to have food delivered.
“About what I mentioned earlier.”
His mother finally brought up the reason she’d been waiting here. Hadn’t she said something about finding someone? He couldn’t understand why she needed to find additional security when he already had more than enough guards. Besides, Dohyuk’s own skills far exceeded those of any ordinary bodyguard.
“I barely managed to make contact through an acquaintance.”
What kind of extraordinary personnel required such a grand introduction?
“They only work with the highest echelons of politics and business. It’s only because I’m your mother that I could arrange this.”
His mother subtly boasted about her connections. But it was still just security, wasn’t it? Were they former presidential guards or something?
“So don’t argue and keep them close. They especially emphasized staying together at night.”
“You don’t mean inside my home, do you?”
He asked incredulously, but his mother nodded without hesitation. A sigh of disbelief escaped him.
“I refuse.”
“Dohyuk.”
His mother called his name with an anguished voice.
“I haven’t had a single peaceful night’s sleep since you started working under that man. I’m going crazy with worry about what those damned bastards might do to you.”
“That man” referred to Chairman Kang Mansik. His mother had been one of the chairman’s women, but she was also the one who hated him most. It was understandable—she’d given her body to a man she despised solely for money, to save her family, and had even been forced to bear his son. Meanwhile, Kang Mansik had no interest in her. The same was true for his other women. All he wanted was a son to succeed him. Nothing more.
It wasn’t even a proper marriage. Kang Mansik had three sons from different mothers, yet the space for a legal spouse remained blank in his family register.
“You’re all I have. You know that, right?”
How ironic. Despite half of Dohyuk’s blood coming from a man she despised with every fiber of her being, his mother had staked everything on her son because the other half contained her blood. She called Kang Mansik and his other children “damned bastards,” yet she didn’t stop Dohyuk from working at the same company. Rather, she wanted Dohyuk to crush them all and become the owner of Dragon Holdings.
She claimed she didn’t want her son in danger, yet she wanted him to survive in the most dangerous place. Dohyuk couldn’t understand this maternal love, and he’d given up trying. Regardless of his mother’s wishes, he would have acted exactly the same way.
Like it or not, Kang Mansik’s blood flowed through his veins. He could be more ruthless than anyone to get what he wanted and would use any means necessary. Unfortunately, those genes seemed particularly strong, as his half-siblings were the same—though they expressed it differently.
“I just want to protect you however I can.”
There was no point in arguing at length with his mother when she got like this; it would only exhaust him. Though he disliked the idea of letting someone into his home, the place was spacious enough that it wouldn’t matter as long as they stayed out of his bedroom.
“Do as you wish.”
As he sighed and surrendered, his mother’s face lit up.
“You made the right choice. I heard they have real spiritual power. It’ll definitely help you.”
Spiritual power? Dohyuk’s face twisted as he wondered if he’d heard correctly.
“Not bodyguards?”
His mother shook her head, asking what he was talking about.
“It’s a shamanic group called Muryeong, known only to the upper classes. I heard they even work secretly with the Blue House.”
“Ha!”
A laugh of disbelief burst out. So she was planning to bring some unknown shaman into his home.
“You’ve been having a lot of trouble lately. This is already the third incident this month.”
“Will having a shaman here stop the death threats?”
“There’s a reason ‘scapegoats’ have existed since ancient times.”
Dohyuk stared silently at his mother. He didn’t believe in scapegoats, but if such a thing were possible, it would mean finding someone to absorb harm in his place.
“I don’t need that.”
Beyond not needing it, he couldn’t believe in it. Shamans were no different from con artists who made money exploiting people’s weaknesses. He didn’t care if others got swindled, but he had absolutely no intention of becoming one himself.
“If anything happens to you, I couldn’t go on living.”
“The premise that something will happen to me is wrong to begin with.”
“Dohyuk, no one knows what life will bring.”
“I think it’s better to remain ignorant than to rely on a shaman.”
“They have genuine spiritual power. I’m telling you, they’re not the kind of shamans we typically think of.”
His mother refused to back down. He had no idea where she’d heard such things or why she was acting this way.
“Then just a few days. Let’s try it for a few days and then decide, okay?”
His mother clung to Dohyuk’s arm. He couldn’t suppress the sigh rising from within. He gently removed her hand from his arm. When she got like this, nothing he said would make a difference. She’d only give up after trying it herself and being satisfied.
“Do as you wish.”
Whether they were a con artist or a shaman, he could just tolerate them briefly and then send them away. If incidents like this morning’s kept happening even with a shaman in the house, he could cut them loose, proving it was all meaningless. Since they weren’t bodyguards, they wouldn’t follow him to the company—he could simply ignore them during their brief encounters at night.
With Dohyuk’s permission, his mother’s face immediately brightened.
“Thank goodness. They should be arriving any moment now…”
As soon as she finished speaking, the intercom chimed. Looking at the lit screen, they saw his mother’s personal assistant standing there. Another person was visible behind them.
“You called them for today already?”
He hadn’t expected such immediate action when she’d only brought it up this morning. His mother occasionally showed surprising initiative in the most unexpected ways.
“We got lucky. I heard people usually have to wait months.”
It wasn’t luck—she’d probably paid an enormous sum. While Dohyuk stood dumbfounded, his mother seemed excited. She pressed the button to unlock the main entrance on the first floor and went to wait by the front door herself.
“I’ve brought them,” his mother’s assistant announced, stepping aside to introduce the person they’d escorted.
Everything was pure white. A hanbok? No, it looked more like ceremonial robes. However, unlike traditional shamanic clothing that typically mixed red, black, and blue, this was entirely white. Not the white associated with mourning clothes. The outer robe that hung down the front and the sash were also white, with silver embroidery that caught the eye without being gaudy.
It was difficult to describe precisely, but the atmosphere was strange. Indeed, as his mother had said, this was different from ordinary shamans. Perhaps due to the otherworldly attire, it seemed as though the space where this person stood was somehow separate from reality.
As Dohyuk’s gaze traveled up from the clothing to the face, he frowned. The person’s eyes were covered with a white cloth. For a moment, he wondered if his mother had blindfolded them on the way here, but she too looked startled at the sight.
“Blind?”
At his mother’s question, the person turned their head toward her, seemingly following the sound.
“Won’t that be a problem for your work?”
His mother’s voice sharpened. Instead of answering, the person gave an almost imperceptible shake of their head. Were they mute as well? Dohyuk grew increasingly incredulous and no longer wanted to engage. He’d assumed the shaman would be female, but this was a man. Judging from skin as pale as the white robes, he wondered if they ever went outside during daylight hours.
Well, considering they were supposedly part of a secret group known to very few, perhaps they avoided sunlight. Dohyuk smirked at the thought.
“Keep them quiet, as if they’re not here.”
The fact that a shaman had been brought into his home was so absurd that he no longer wanted to remain in the same space. With those final words and the excuse of being tired, he retreated to his bedroom. His mother called after him, but he pretended not to hear.
“Such a temper…”
Dohyuk’s mother, Cha Seonyoo, sighed briefly as she looked at the closed door, then turned to her guest.
“Welcome. Master Muryeong said you’re more skilled than anyone else.”
At the mention of Muryeong’s leader, the person bowed their head slightly. Cha Seonyoo looked him over from head to toe.
Had she done something foolish? After spending hundreds of millions to barely secure his services, now that he’d arrived, all sorts of doubts crossed her mind. In truth, she didn’t fully believe in Muryeong’s abilities either. She’d called them out of desperation, grasping at straws because she’d go mad with anxiety if she didn’t do something.
“Please make sure nothing happens to my Dohyuk. He has important work to do.”
She didn’t ask for the guest’s name or anything else. All that mattered to her was Dohyuk’s safety. For that, she’d employ anyone—be it a scapegoat or whatever else. The strange man standing before her was just a tool for Dohyuk. It would be a luxury to show interest in something that would be used and discarded.
