The Beat February 2003

“Always in motion, the future is.” - Yoda

Under the second bridge between Namp‘odong and Youngdo is as strange a district as Busan has to offer. “Fortune alley” is the place where young couples go to hear about their marriage plans and old folks go for advice on investments and funerals. For under 20,000 won, kind old soothsayers will sit you down in their living rooms, make you comfortable and offer everything from friendly advice to mystical visions about your personal life. These clever old counselors have been prognosticating up and down the peninsula since the dynastic days of old. So we at the Beat decided to stow our skepticism for an hour and head down there on a dusky winter afternoon to see what Bae Nam-sik and her magic coins had to say...
Fortune Teller: Your age?
M: 27 real age. 28 Korean.
F: (Chanting and throwing coins) 28. Family name? What did you say your name was?
M: Bradie.
F: I see. Family name is Buh-lay-dee. Don‘t you know your birth year, month and day?
M: August 20th, 1975.
F: (Chanting) 1975, August 25th.
M: No, not the 25th, the 20th.
F: (Stops chanting) The 20th? 20th.
F: (Resumes chanting, throws coins and looks at them) Wow. In your fate, very smart. Talented. Smart. Loss of crown. You don‘t have enough luck to be a prosecutor, D.A., or doctor. Even if you‘re a governmental officer, you won‘t be successful. Can‘t become a big tree. Loss of crown, you have to be a businessman, running from east to west, south to north. Other countries. You‘ve got running fate. Your fate can‘t stay in one place. Should run. Run. Your fate is making you active. After 30, you will achieve distinction. Should get married after 30 also. 31, 32 or 33 you can get married. If you get married before 30, you‘ll get married twice. (Resumes chanting and throws coins) You are the year of the rabbit. Three bad years. Next year, after samjae (3 bad years) – from 31, 10 years continuous great luck. Money will come to you like a rope. Now, even if you try really hard, you don‘t have much money. Don‘t have a lot of money. Your heart is anxious, but no money. After 30, after 30. Now samjae, samjae. Get married after 30. You know next year your bad 3 years end. But you know, just before samjae ends, people get injured, health is not good, no luck. Wherever you go, like Japan, there are bujeoks (paper talismans). Maybe you don‘t know, but if you have a bujeok, you can avoid those bad things and be successful. But if you don‘t have a bujeok, you‘re going to have a difficult time with rumors, quarrels. Be patient. (Resumes chanting and throws coins) After 30, there‘s absolutely nothing to worry about in your fate. Continuously good.
M: Can I get a bujeok here? How much is one?
F: Fifty-thousand for three bujeoks.
M: Where can I put it?
F: You have to carry it with you. Put it in someplace like a diary, and take it with you. On January 1st of the year you turn 30, burn it and give a big bow to the moon like this (Demonstrates). Next year, nine, not good. Really bad. Horribly bad. Hey you, how old are you?
Andrew: I was born in 74.
F: Tiger? You‘re a year older. Right, tiger, one year older. You‘re 29 now. You‘re going to be 30 in February (lunar new year).
F: (Starts chanting and stops) Family name?
A: Kuh-ran-suh-ton.
F: Ahh…Kuh-ran-suh. (Chanting and throwing coins) Before 30, your fate told lovers to follow you. Don‘t you have one?
A: If I have one what should I do?
F: If you have a lover, you have to date her. Luck for lovers comes to you. Now you‘re 29. Next year 30, good luck. (Chanting and throwing coins) You‘re going to get married before this guy (Points to Mike). Your fate said you should go first. (Begins chanting and laughs) That‘s how it goes. (Chanting and throwing coins) Well let‘s see, tiger, horse and dog are a good match for you. Older women are fine too, especially dog years. Older women and same age are good. (Chanting and throwing coins) Even if they‘re not one of those years, nowadays we don‘t do arranged marriages so it doesn‘t really matter. Just going out and being together will make you well matched. Less well matched in the beginning, but if you like the person and spend time with them, you can marry. (Chanting and throwing coins, looks at Mike and Andrew) Tiger and rabbit – putting you guys together works well. Even if you argue, you‘ll solve it quickly. (To Andrew) Next year is OK. You know, no samjae. This guy (Points at Mike) has samjae, but you don‘t. That‘s why you (Mike) need a bujeok, but you don‘t. Here (Points at Andrew) is ok. Here is no samjae and you‘re tiger. Whatever you do will go well. Here (Mike) is samjae, going to have physical problems. If you have any questions ask me.
M: When will I die?
F: You‘ll turn 60 and 70. Yes, 70 and 80. At 83 there is a crisis. If you overcome it, you can live until 90. Long life. And you too (Points at Andrew). Ahh, no disease. Sometimes I see disease in someone‘s fate and they don‘t make a long life, but you guys have no disease. Healthy. If you don‘t do things like drinking. If you drink a lot, not good. If you don‘t drink a lot in a short time, you‘ll never get a disease.
M: How many kids will I have?
F: (Chanting and throwing coins) Two boys and one girl. Three children.
M: Waa, wow.
F: Here (Andrew) tiger, One boy and one girl, two children. (Chanting and throwing coins) If you have all of the children that are in your fate, it‘ll be four. But nowadays, people don‘t want many kids.
M: Should I marry a fat woman or a thin woman?
F: (Doesn‘t throw coins) She shouldn‘t be too weak or too thin. Average. This guy (Andrew) is a little thin so a woman who is a little chubby will be good. You‘re (Mike) just average sized, so meet a woman like you are. Average. A weak woman is bad. Can‘t deliver children.
M: Will I marry a Korean woman or a western woman?
F: There are a lot of people in your fate so both are ok. Korean woman will be a little bit better because you travel a lot. You don‘t stay in one spot.
A: Will I have any big accidents in the future?
F: (No coins) You won‘t have any, but he (Mike) has bad luck for accidents, police officers; everything is bad. I told you, that‘s why you need a bujeok. Just 50,000 for three. (To herself) They are here in a different country, so I shouldn‘t ask for a lot of money. If you have a good year, you guys are going to come back next year. I‘m honest.
M: What country will I die in?
F: Every direction is possible.
M: Should I live in a cold place or a warm place?
F: (Still no coins) Busan is the best for living. Seoul, Daegu are cold. Really cold. Here is the best. My hometown is Daegu. I came here when I was 30 and now I‘m 72. I‘ve lived here for 42 years. Busan is the best.
A: What kind of job should I have?
F: (Chanting and throwing coins) Studying history is good for a Tiger. Investor. Little things don‘t fit. Something big, like land, house or trading. Big stuff. Wholesale market.
M: How about me, what‘s the perfect job for me?
F: (Throws coins) Rabbit. Let me see, you are a Rabbit. Entertainer is ok. If you want to do something alone. (Murmuring) The field of entertainment, traveling a lot. Go to other countries.
M: Is there anything about my personality that I should try to change?
F: (No coins) You have to take care of that. For example, if you marry someone, even though your wife‘s personality is really tough, you can adjust your personality to her. I have to fix my own personality, right? I can‘t say ’you do this, you do that‘ for your personality.
M: What about, are there any ghosts around me?
F: Do you need a bujeok? Ok, sure, all the time around here. A long time ago that bridge (Youngdo) lifted up and down. When I started fortune telling here at age 30, that bridge lifted up and down. I had no place to go so I started fortune telling on the street and then rented this place. I put some money down; every month it‘s 130,000. This is shinjeom (ghost fortune telling). It looks strange to other people. Ghosts come here to tell people‘s fortunes. (Pointing at small hanbok) There is a baby. I lost my 3-year old baby. After that I just babbled strangely, non-stop. People thought I was crazy. So I started like that and now, here I am. So that baby let me make money to help its mother. That baby is riding a horse, running here and there. That‘s why I still hate horses. I hate them.
M: My eldest sister and I are always fighting. How can I stop fighting with her?
F: How old is she? The year?
M: She was born in ’77.
F: (Pulls out horoscope chart) She‘s (year of the) snake.
M: Yes, she is a snake!
F: Not matched! Not matched! Not matched! Even if you just glance at each other you‘re going to fight. When you don‘t see her you tell yourself ’Oh, I‘ll be a nice brother.‘ But when you really see her, you can‘t stop arguing.
M: Yeah, the last time I saw her she punched me in the mouth.
F: Put your age. (Pointing to Min-joo)
Min-Joo: Cow, ‘73.
F: Waah. You don‘t look like it. 25 or 26, people will believe. Don‘t tell your age to anyone, except when you go to a fortuneteller.
F: (Chanting and throwing coins) Family name and birthday?
MJ: Park. May 4th.
F: Lunar birthday?
MJ: Maybe April 30th?
F:(Chanting and throwing coins) You have a man‘s fate.
MJ: Really?
F: If you were a man you would be incredibly successful. Higher job, big money. Being a woman is your greatest enemy. According to your fate you should‘ve become an entertainer. You have to live the way you want. Go to the east, west and north; any country you want. If someone wants to control you it doesn‘t match well with you. You have to get married later.
MJ: Later than now?
F: Now it‘s the right time. You should. After 30 is good. You missed your soul mate already. Now if someone shows up, you have to get married. A foreigner is okay too, if you like. A Korean‘s good too, someone nice. You have such high standards for men. You won‘t approach just anyone. (Chanting and throwing coins) You have good luck for men. Good luck for a husband. You don‘t worry about money. Have a good husband and a comfortable life. You‘re going out with someone, aren‘t you? If you‘re not, start next year. Or the person you‘re with now, get married next year. If you can‘t do it next year, uh-oh, it shouldn‘t happen. Next year is 31. Cow. Go! (get married) After Lunar New Year, Go! (Chanting and throwing coins) Next year, March and April are really good. East or north, any direction, wherever you go, you make flowers and leaves. Good fortune is rolling to you. May and June, there‘s a minor problem. You should be cautious. Be patient. July, August, good, good. September, October, some good events. You got a lot of good luck to get married. November and December, no harm. Just tie the knot. If you miss next year do you know when you‘ll get married? You have to do it by 33. Don‘t miss it next year. You‘ve got someone, don‘t you? (Chanting and throwing coins) 26 and 27 he passed. You were seeing each other and you stopped. Now there is someone coveting you. But you don‘t like him. You‘re heart is only half-full for him. There is someone who said they like you. (Chanting and throwing coins) One good thing, you can get married next year, and everything will turn out the way you wish. 31 to 36 I don‘t even need to look at the coins; everything‘s so good. Especially 35 and 36. So comfortable. Now your heart is busy. You‘re mind is not stable, but later you don‘t even need to worry. Don‘t need to be busy, lots of money, comfortable. (Chanting and throwing coins) Originally, this is a teacher‘s fate. Right, teacher‘s fate. Enlighten and guide someone, lead people. You don‘t need to worry about your future. You‘re going to meet an excellent husband. You definitely don‘t look your age. Never get worried about making a living. You have many male friends but no female friends, because you have a man‘s fate. No worries about money. You‘ll have two boys and one girl. It‘s physically difficult and costs a lot but in your case you can handle it. You can afford it.
A: What‘s your name?
F: It‘s Bae Nam Sik.
MJ: Oh, a man‘s name?
F: Yes. My parents didn‘t have a son so they gave me a boy‘s name.
A: Does anyone else in your family do fortune-telling?
F: No, just me.
MJ: Do more women come or men?
F: More women, but men too.
MJ: How about their ages?
F: 30‘s, 40 to 50. Around 25 or 26 they come here for their goonghap (a couple‘s wedding horoscopes).
MJ: If you see something bad in someone‘s goonghap or fortune, do you tell them the truth?
F: If it‘s bad I will tell them it‘s bad. For example, there was one couple. One of their parents found out that their goonghap is not good, so the couple came here to check it. And they asked me, “Is it really bad? My parents asked a fortune-teller and they said, ’Stop seeing each other.‘” And I say yes, it‘s really bad. If it‘s not good, I‘ve got to tell them it‘s really bad. They said, “We can run away.” If one comes alone or they come together it doesn‘t matter. Did you think if you came here together I would say it‘s good to make you temporarily happy? And lie to make some money?
MJ: How about older people, what are their questions?
F: They want to know about how long they‘re going to live. And their kids‘ fortunes.
M: If somebody‘s health is bad, do you tell them?
F: I see the directions. I see where they should go to get medicine, to the east or the west. Sometimes I see sick people with a ghost. In this case medicine doesn‘t work at all. After visiting someone who was sick, or a funeral, sometimes it happens. After I pray, they can be cured.
M: Can you see when they‘re going to die?
F: When sick older people come, I just look at them and I think ’Oh, medicine‘s not going to help; it‘s impossible to cure them. Just eat a lot of good food and enjoy the rest of your life.‘ In this case I don‘t do goot (exorcism).
A: Can you tell us what the coins mean?
F: They‘re called yeopjeon. They‘re really old coins. You see there is a hole in the center. Ancestors used to put some string through the hole to carry them. And one of these coins is a bus token from recent times.
A: Do they each have different meanings?
F: Sure, this one is really old. It‘s all faded. This, a little old. This one really old. It was (Motions with fingers) this thick.
A: When you throw them how do you get meaning from them?
F: At the moment I throw them, a ghost tells me. This one represents money, this one health, this one success.
M: What are you saying when you sing the song when you throw the coins?
F: Ghosts come to me and make me sing. It just comes out.
M: What are your dreams like? Do you have special dreams?
F: Sure, I dream.
M: I mean some people can see the future in their dreams…
F: If I dream, I‘m always doing fortune-telling.
A: Did you have a good dream last night?
F: I made a lot of money in my dream and today I really did make a lot of money. In my dreams, if I see a lot of customers and am selling a lot of bujeok – moving bujeok, samjae bujeok - always the next day I made money.
A: What are the actual symbols of good luck or bad? Like if you see a pig it means money…
F: If you see women fighting it‘s really bad. In my case, if I walk in a long, narrow, dark alley, and cross a log bridge I‘m wondering if I‘m going to die. I don‘t feel good the next day. If I‘m doing a lot of fortune-telling and praying in my dream, it is really good. That‘s a lucky dream.
A: This next year is the year of the lamb, so does that have any special meaning?
F: Lamb, Rabbit, and Pig are coming out of samjae next year. This year of the Lamb is good.
MJ: Can you see anything about the future of Korea or of the world?
F: In my intuition, I thought the younger candidate was going to make it in the presidential election.
M: Are you friends with the other fortune-tellers?
F: In my neighborhood, the other fortune-tellers are all blind. It‘s hard to hang out together.
M: Who is the greatest Korean fortune-teller of all time? The most famous.
F: (Points upstairs) This old man. He‘s around 80 and half-dead. Also blind, but great.
M: What about mudang (female shamans)?
F: That‘s different. Mudang is a family business. Mother is mudang, daughter is mudang.
M: Is it interesting? Do you think it‘s true?
F: Yeah, of course. That‘s why it‘s on television. If it‘s not true it shouldn‘t be on television.
(Laughter)
M: Have you ever tried doing something like goot?
F: Yes. Prepare some food and set the table and pray for the ancestors. Hang up some flowers.
M: Do you do that knife dancing? (Gesturing with hands)
F: We don‘t. That is for mudang.
M: Ok, and have you heard about fortune-tellers in other countries?
F: Yes but they all work together with the same ghosts.
M: Can you read palms?
F: Yes, but palms and faces are not accurate.
A: Really? What about superstitions? Do you have or know of any superstitions?
F: I have heard of some, but I don‘t believe in them. Even fortune-telling isn‘t something I want to do, but I have no choice. If I don‘t accept this, I will have severe physical pain.
M: Yeah, we call it channeling. Does this area of Busan have any special power?
F: Sure, it couldn‘t be better. It is located in the ocean. It‘s more spiritual. There is a spot down the road to pray to the Sea King. A lighthouse. We prepare some food for him.
M: Are you Buddhist?
F: Yes.
M: Do you have a personal Buddha?
F: When I feel like going to a temple, I go to someplace nearby, in Youngdo. It can be good for hiking also.
M: What happens after we die?
F: If we are nice people we go to yeonhwa dae (Lotus Palace). Christians go somewhere over the river Jordan. It depends on your culture.
M: What about reincarnation?
F: Yeah, books talk about that. But who knows, we‘ll find out after we die. It starts when you are a nice person and when you die, you go somewhere and there‘s a judge. He asks you if you want to go to the Lotus Palace or live a human being‘s life again. If you go to the Lotus Palace, you‘ll have an amazing time, and if you choose the human being‘s life, you‘ll be born into a great family with a lot of money.
M: There‘s 10,000 won in front of Buddha. What does it mean if I put money in front of the Buddha statue?
F: We call it shi-ju – it‘s just a little gift to Buddha to say ’Hi.‘
M: What about 1,000 won?
F: 1,000 won is okay too. You can put however much you want.
M: Who‘s that guy in the box?
F: That‘s the Sea King.
M: What does he do?
F: I put those things there to attract customers. To help the customers trust me.
MJ: Do foreigners ever come here?
F: Yeah, but without a helper…no way.
M: (Pointing to peppers) What are those peppers for?
F: I grew them and I hung them up to get the seeds for next spring. (Laughs)
M: (Pointing to papers hanging over entryway) What does that bujeok do?
F: Banishes bad luck and calls more customers so you make more money.
M: And I will buy a bujeok, but I will come back. How long does it take to make one?
F: They‘re already written. (Pulls out some underwear boxes)
MJ: Oh, got the bujeoks in the underwear box. (Laughter)
F: This one is for samjae. This one is for better luck and this one is for blocking misfortune. Three together are 50,000. Ok I‘ll give them to you for thirty.
M: Can I get one to protect me from angry ex-girlfriends? (Laughter)
MJ: Don‘t worry, I‘ll protect you.