Summary

In “The Shaman”, Geumbok became anxious after the one-eyed woman’s appearance. She was convinced “that the dead old crone had been the owner of the riches she had discovered in her ceiling” and feared that she was cursed (208). She hired a shaman to perform a rite and appease the old crone’s soul. However, during the ritual, the shaman was overcome by the old crone’s spirit and pronounced, “When the big fish falls into the mountain a pillar of fire will scorch the sky. And when a man from the south gets drunk your descendants will collapse like straw” (211). Geumbok calmed the chaotic crowd however rumors about the curse and its meaning continued to dominate town gossip. In “Cataracts”, the younger twin got married. When Geumbok and the twins were busy talking about the wedding, Chunhui set fire to...