Chapter 13-2

by Han Yong-un · 2026-08-25

Soon-young, as if it were a habit, was chanting 'Namu Amitabul' when suddenly the thought of wanting to take refuge in the Buddha arose.

However, she had no idea how to go about it.

It was difficult to go around looking for any temple and asking to be accepted.

There was no one she knew to introduce her or guide her.

The more she thought about it, the darker her future seemed, as if she were abandoned in the middle of an unknown desert on a dark night.

Then suddenly, her thoughts returned to the last words spoken by Dae-cheol and Un-ok.

She recalled Dae-cheol saying that the reason someone rescued him from the sea of Wonsan was that a nun from Hwanhui Temple had given him money.

Then it suddenly came to her that a nun had once given her ten won to treat her.

As that thought arose, Soon-young felt as if the dark path she was wandering on suddenly brightened, like receiving a lantern.

Thus, she decided to go to Hwanhui Temple without thinking about or caring for anything else.

Soon-young tidied up her trivial belongings so as not to disturb others.

And when she finally left Sajik Park, she felt quite sad.

Even though it was a place she wanted to leave as quickly as possible due to the tiresome hardships, she couldn't understand why she felt so regretful.

With every step she took, she looked back once, and with every two steps, she looked back again, unable to hold back her tears each time.

Soon-young's skirt seemed to get caught on nonexistent branches, and her toes felt as if they were hitting nonexistent stones.

It was not long after that Soon-young arrived at Hwanhui Temple.

Perhaps because it was to the north, the autumn air was palpable.

The weather was cool, and it seemed that the leaves were beginning to change color.

As she reached the entrance of Hwanhui Temple, a clear stream flowed without a speck of dust, though she did not know where it came from.

There were also clouds drifting freely, coming and going without any hindrance.

Such things had nothing to do with the dusty world.

What one likes or dislikes, what one mourns, hates, or loves,

she could not even guess when she had washed away the human emotions and worldly affairs that one sees, hears, and experiences every moment.

There were nameless birds chirping freely among the bushes.

There were also fish she had never seen before, swimming upstream and then downstream.

Everything was joyful and peaceful, and there seemed to be no hearts that were competitive or envious.

Whenever Soon-young felt that the birds and fish were surprised to see her, her heart was uneasy.

It felt as if a dirty person startling a clean and peaceful creature was a sin.

Thus, she had often held her breath and stopped her steps.

Deng, deng.

The sound of a bell resonated between the clouds and trees.

She also smelled the incense smoke that was carried by the wind, breaking and rejoining.

Knowing that she was getting closer to the temple, Soon-young felt as if she would soon become an immortal and a Buddha.

As she went further in, the temple began to come into view.

The sacred figure of the hanging Buddha was visible straight ahead, and colorful flags were fluttering.

Monks wrapped in robes were moving about in the majestic temple.

Even for Soon-young, who did not know the customs of the temple well, it was not an ordinary day, and she could guess that something was happening.

At that moment, Soon-young, who had come with a single desire to abandon all worldly matters, suddenly felt her heart tremble and stopped her feet.

She wanted to hide her body anywhere.

She wanted to turn back.

As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, she noticed a nun in a robe.

With a worried expression, she seemed to be waiting for someone, looking toward the entrance, when her eyes met Soon-young's.

“Is this Hwanhui Temple?”

Soon-young bowed politely and asked.

“Yes, it is.”

The nun stood up, joined her hands in greeting, and then looked at Soon-young.

“Where are you from?”

“I come from Seoul.”

“You came from far away. What brings you here?”

“I came here without any particular reason.”

“Please have a seat.”

The nun moved slightly from her seated position and invited her to sit.

After the two sat down, Soon-young spoke first.

“Is something happening at this temple?”

“Yes, a senior monk who was here has passed away, and tomorrow is the forty-ninth day.”

“We have been holding a three-day ceremony since yesterday.”

“So, the wealthy monk has passed away?”

Soon-young felt a chill in her heart, as if she had nothing to hold on to.

“No, he was not wealthy.”

“He was a monk who did many holy deeds in his lifetime, and the forty-ninth ceremony is being held at the temple with contributions from many people.”

A sad light crossed the nun's face.

“What good deeds did he do?”

Soon-young's heart trembled even more at the thought that the person she had come to find might be him.

“Good deeds? He did many things in various ways.”

“He rescued the needy, cared for the sick, and saved those who were about to die.”

“That is why he was called a Bodhisattva and a living Buddha.”

“Now that he has entered Nirvana, many people, both monks and laypeople, are mourning.”

“He was our teacher.”

The nun wiped her tears.

When Soon-young entered the temple, she had thought this.

Such a remote temple would be different from the human world, and those studying there would have no worries or concerns,

and she thought that tears would be sounds she did not even know.

However, seeing the nun sitting there with a worried face and shedding tears, she had a strange thought.

Soon-young wanted to ask about the nun she had come to find, but she did not know how to ask.

Not knowing her name or even her appearance clearly, she could not say anything.

Thus, after a long pause, she inevitably began to tell the story of why she had come, asking if the nun knew such a monk.