Not the kind of beggars who sit by the roadside and beg for alms, but the bold kind. The ones who walk up to your apartment and ring your doorbell. The ones who knock on your door. Multiple times until you open it.
I usually ask "Gaa mo?" before opening the door. Who is it?
"Its me, Acho!" is the answer. Assuming it to be someone I know, I open the door.
Its a sheepishly smiling (fake smile for sure) begger.
They are usually draped in a maroon shawl, which marks them as religious laymen. While most are elderly, some are teenagers and even kids.
As soon as you open the door, they start uttering some fast unrecognizible mantras. And you dare not anger them else you incur their wrath and curse.
So you scurr inside, bring out a fiver and press it in their hands. They fold their palms and mutter a small prayer.
The other day, I even saw one pass a thumbs-up sign to his colleague who was at another door.
Wishing each other the very best? Or communicating that he 'fooled' another person? Or...simply saying 'mission accomplished'?
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"Contemplating the world"
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| [Pensive Bodhisattva, National Treasure No. 78, Three kingdoms Period ] National Museum of Korea |