Grandpa tried to teach me physiognomy,the art of face reading.

  At first, I told him I wouldn't learn such superstitions, but he countered firmly.

  “Face reading is how the ancients categorized people's appearances according to logic. It’s not superstition.”

  “But does it really make sense that a person’s future changes based on how their face looks?”

  “You thick-headed lad. It’s not that the future changes. It’s about predicting that people who look like this have lived like that, so they will likely end up here. Think of it as statistics, not a book of prophecies.”

  “So you’re saying it might not come true.”

  “Exactly. But if we can help someone avoid a bad path, isn't that worth something?”

  “Like what, for example?”

  “The problem with greedy people is that they never realize it’s their own greed that’s driving everyone away. He’s likely lost many people without ever knowing why. Can’t you at least tell him to curb his greed a bit? Surely you can give him that much of a wake-up call.”

  As a mere child, I had no logical way to defeat Grandpa. Eventually, I began learning the basics, starting with the Five Peaks and Four Rivers (五岳四瀆).

  For reference, the Five Peaks (五岳) represent the five protruding parts of the face, while the Four Rivers (四瀆) refer to the recessed parts. A good face is one where the Central Peak (the nose) is thick and well-set, strongly supported by the Eastern and Western Peaks (the cheekbones).

  While I was busy memorizing the Five Peaks and the Four Rivers and their forms, Grandpa suddenly asked out of the blue.

  “Do you know there are people whose faces or palms you should never read?”

  I became curious. “Is there such a taboo? People you shouldn't read for?”

  Grandpa spoke with great emphasis. “Siblings, friends, your wife, and your children. Even if you see something, it’s useless. It’s best not to look at all.”

  “Why?”

  “Never mind 'why.' For family or friends, don't bother with face reading . just give them love and friendship.”

  I didn't understand. Seeing my expression, he explained the reasoning.

  “Can you throw away a friend or family member just because they did something wrong?”

  I certainly couldn't. I shook my head.

  “Exactly. If you see it, you can't avoid it anyway. If that’s the case, you might as well live with a peaceful mind.”

  “But what if you avoid them because they are family or friends?”

  A bitter expression crossed Grandpa’s face at my question.

  “That would be even more miserable. It’s better to live a bit poorly but stay close to your family. That’s why I hesitated to teach you face reading at first. You end up avoiding people subconsciously. Just like I subconsciously avoid my own older brothers.”

  “Then why did you teach me?”

  I was genuinely curious why he was passing down such "minor arts" to me. Grandpa replied.

  “I wouldn’t have taught you if you didn't have that Mangshinsal hanging over you, a karmic 'Star' and a bad omen that brings public humiliation and deep disgrace. It’s the kind of fate that even puts your life at risk, as you’re always getting cheated or stabbed in the back. I taught you so you could at least reduce the blow. Though, whether this knowledge will be medicine or poison... I honestly don't know.”

  I couldn't understand a man who would talk to a seven year old about a life threatening Star of Humiliation. And to say that learning it might be poison? I stood there, jaw dropped in disbelief, wondering why on earth he would teach me this stuff. Then he added.

  “But hey, I’m teaching you because I believe you have a kind heart, so it won't become poison. These arts never turn into poison when used by a good person.”

  It wasn't comforting at all.

  ‘Should I tell him I’m quitting? No, I can't do that either.’

  And so, another day passed.

  It had been about a month since I started learning face reading. One evening, while we were watching television after dinner, Grandpa suddenly asked.

  “What do you think that girl’s personality is like?”

  I answered nonchalantly. “I don't know about her personality, but she looks like she has an insatiable appetite for men.”

  “Oh? Why’s that?”

  Grandpa asked with a twinkle in his eye. That look meant I had likely hit the mark.

  “It’s the shape of her eyebrows and forehead. More than anything, her eyes look very... moist.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Is that so?”

  “Usually, women with eyes like that have strong physical desires. Judging by the overall balance of her face, she would be classified under a lecherous configuration.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  “It means she has a strong craving for sexual desire. That’s how you taught me, Grandpa.”

  As I answered without hesitation, Grandpa looked extremely satisfied. Then he asked me one more thing.

  “Do you even know what 'Physical Attraction' (色) is?”

  “You said Yin seeks Yang, and Yang craves Yin that is what it's all about. It’s seeking one’s other half that is opposite to oneself. So if it’s a man, he seeks a woman; if it’s a woman, she seeks a man...”

  “Wow, that’s right! Keep going. Why did you stop?”

  I couldn't answer any further. Because Grandma, wearing a terrifying expression, had appeared right behind Grandpa.

  [SMACK!!!]

  It was like a palm strike straight out of a martial arts movie. Grandpa, his back stinging fiercely, scrambled backward, reaching for the spot he couldn't quite touch.

  “Is this old lady crazy?! It hurts like hell! What do you think you’re doing?!”

  Grandma rolled up her sleeves and barked.

  “You! What are you teaching my grandson?! Do you think those are things a seven year old child should be saying? Are you out of your mind? I told you not to teach him that trash!”

  Grandpa dodged her, complaining. “Just use your words! Everything can be understood without hitting. It really hurts, you know!”

  “It didn't hurt at all! How much could a woman’s strike possibly hurt? Stop exaggerating!”

  Grandma said it didn't hurt, but if I had been the one hit by that... I would have died.

  That night, through the room door, I heard Grandpa asking her to put a medicinal patch on his back.

  “Oh, Dosa, it’s all swollen here. Did a piece of iron fall on your back or something? Jeez! Learn to be more careful!”

  In the bedroom, Grandma was gentle and soft toward Grandpa. But it seemed her memory wasn't very good.

  One day, while teaching me face reading, Grandpa suddenly said.

  “But remember this one thing. You can forget everything else I’ve taught you.”

  “What should I remember?”

  “It’s not my own words, but a famous saying by Baekbum Kim Ku, a great figure in Korean history who fought for the nation's independence.”

  He then recited a verse.

  Sangho-bul-yeo-sinho (相好不如身好)

  A good face is not as good as a good body.

  Sinho-bul-yeo-simho (身好不如心好)

  A good body is not as good as a good heart.

  Being so young, it was too difficult for me to grasp. Naturally, I asked him.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that the state of your heart is far more important than the features of your face. Having a straight and honest heart is faaaar better than having a handsome face. Understand?”

  Suddenly, something clicked, and I asked Grandpa with a serious expression.

  “By any chance... was that Grandpa Kim Ku ugly?”

  Grandpa looked back at me with an equally serious face. “Why would you suddenly think that?”

  “That saying sounds like something ugly people say to comfort themselves.”

  At my remark, Grandpa’s expression became even graver.

  “That’s plausible. Mr. Kim Ku wasn't exactly a handsome man.”

  Then, Grandma shouted from behind.

  “He was a lot more handsome than the two of you! Stop talking nonsense and both of you go to sleep!”

  I always listened to Grandma. And Grandpa listened to her even better than I did.

  A few days later, on a busy day with many visitors.

  A man who hadn't made an appointment came to see Grandpa. At that time, I was running an errand, bringing water as Grandpa had asked. Passing by the consultation room, I noticed the man’s appearance.

  His clothes smelled like a homeless person who hadn't washed in ages. His socks were so dirty you could practically see the stiffness. His hair was overflowing with grease.

  But his appearance wasn't the only problem. The real issue was his face!

  His eyes were Sabaek-an (eyes where the white is visible on all four sides) and Jeo-an (pig-like eyes), and blood vessels pierced through the pupils. Even in the waiting room, he looked anxious, as if he were being hunted.

  Then, I heard him muttering to himself while shaking his legs violently and biting his thumb.

  “Damn it! How long do I have to wait? Grrr... if I just kill all these people waiting, I can go in, right?”

  Having been learning face reading, I looked at him and thought.

  ‘He’s going to kill someone at this rate.’

  I ran straight to Grandpa. I told him a man with such-and-such features had arrived and that it would be better for Grandpa to see him first. After hearing my story, Grandpa went out to the waiting room, stared intently at the man, and immediately took him into the consultation room.

  “Grandson, you stay outside.”

  “Yes, Grandpa.”

  Following his orders, I stayed outside. Normally, Grandpa was quite lazy. If a client didn't have anything serious going on, he’d give them a quick, casual reading.

  He still took their money, of course.

  But he stayed with this man, who looked like he didn't have a cent to his name, for over an hour. I wondered if he was even getting paid for this.

  So, I secretly eavesdropped on the consultation. Grandpa’s style wasn't aggressive. Since I’d arrived, I had never heard the sound of a consultation reach the waiting room.

  However, despite being a man, the man sobbed loudly, and his cries echoed outside the room.

  He cried for over an hour. No one who had been skipped in line dared to complain.

  After the 'crying man' left and the day's work was over, we had dinner. Afterward, while eating apples Grandma had sliced on the wooden porch, Grandpa spoke.

  “Grandson. You earned your keep today. I felt that teaching you was worth it.”

  “Pardon?”

  Grandpa explained his sudden remark.

  “You were right that he was going to kill someone... but that person was himself.”

  I couldn't understand. As I stared at him without a word, he continued.

  “I read his Saju (Four Pillars of Destiny), and it was a chart for suicide. When I asked, I found out his business failed, his wife ran away, and his child died in a car accident.”

  “Whoa... If his parents died in an accident and he got a divorce, that would be the 'Final Boss' of bad luck, wouldn't it?”

  “He was the Final Boss. His parents died of illness, and while it wasn't a divorce, he hadn't seen his wife's face in ages because he was being chased by debt collectors.”

  “Wow. How did he manage to endure all that?”

  “He said he held on for his remaining children. He was so desperate he went to a shaman, who told him he’d die if he didn't perform an exorcism (Gut) and asked for a million won.”

  “A... a million won?”

  At that time, an average person’s monthly salary was about 150,000 to 300,000 won. A million won for a man whose business had failed... it was an absurd amount.