PodCastle 855: Shim Hyeon and the Ocean God
* Author : Seoung Kim * Narrator : Yoon Ha Lee * Host : Matt Dovey * Audio Producer : Devin Martin * Discuss on Forums PodCastle 855: Shim Hyeon and the Ocean God is a PodCastle original. Rated PG Shim Hyeon and the Ocean God by Seoung Min Kim “They usually send maidens.” The Ocean God’s voice is a deep and resonant drawl. The whole palace smells of brine and sealife, like the fish market back in Inju. There are lights, but not from candles or lanterns — it’s a faint luminescence radiating from the walls. Shim Hyeon has his forehead pressed to the cool stone of the palace floor, but even if it was raised, he could not see the throne clearly from this distance. “What is your name?” “I am known in the village as Shim Bongsa.” Shim the Blind — and only for the past ten years since his eyes clouded, but the village must not remember him as he was before. He doesn’t let his true name leave his tongue. “I’m sorry,” he says, speaking to the stone tiles. Each one is carved with patterns and inlaid with pearl — he can tell by moving his fingers over them. “The merchants at Indangsu meant for my daughter to be your bride, but I stole her place in the coffin and they threw me into the sea instead.” “I have a whole city of unwanted daughters down here. If I married all of them I wouldn’t remember their names.” The Ocean God sounds bored. “So what am I supposed to do with you?” Shim Hyeon lifts his head. “I’ve lived a long life ” he begins, and the Ocean God snorts “ — and I will be satisfied as long as my daughter can live on in peace.” “Then we’ll put you in the kitchens. See what they make of you.” He raps his knuckles on the throne. “Seven, show this man to the servants’ quarters.” A hand takes his arm. “Thank you, young man,” says Shim Hyeon. The grip slackens in surprise at being addressed. Shim Hyeon does his best to examine his guide. Short and slender, but the boy holds himself with the poise of an adult — perhaps around his daughter’s age. The fabric of his jeogori is of fine silk. “Watch your step, ahjussi.” Shim Hyeon had to leave his cane behind when he climbed into the coffin meant for his daughter, but he can feel the ground beneath his worn sandals go from stone to packed sand as they pass through a courtyard. The sea swirls above the palace in a distant roar, kept back by the Ocean God’s magic. “And why are you here, young man?” “Call me Seven.” “That’s not your name, is it?” “Yours isn’t Shim Bongsa, is it?” Seven practically spits. Shim Hyeon has no answer for that. “I came to retrieve medicine for my parents,” says Seven. “Well, well. A good son,” says Shim Hyeon. Seven makes a scornful noise and tugs a little harder at his sleeve. “Wanted or unwanted, faithful or unfaithful, all of us ended up down here eventually,” says Seven. He leaves Shim Hyeon in the room and shuts the door. The sleeping mat Shim Hyeon is given is more comfortable than the thin straw he slept on in the village. The combined body heat of the servants keeps the room warm, and it brings him back to his youth, when he slept with his whole family in one room. But he is alone here. He misses the nightly ritual of his daughter combing his hair out, of combing hers in return. He falls asleep and dreams of floating in a coffin on top of the waves. Morning in the palace begins early for the servants.