The Antique Gift Shop

Volume One

Chapter 1: The Summer Guest
An introductory story about a twice returned ancient ” jookbu-in .” The long-haired, tall and handsome Mr. Yang, the store’s sole employee, makes his first appearance. He has a mysterious knowledge of the antiques in the store and an uncanny talent for reading minds. ^[4]
Chapter 2: The Fox Lantern
One day a girl who is unable to love others walks the shop and asks for some candles but ends up buying a magic fox lantern, once used in the emperor’s palace to quell anxieties. The spirit in the lantern has her dreams of a young man who has lost his love. ^[5]
Chapter 3: The Secret Garden , part 1
The tale of a love triangle between three high school students, Eun-jae, Yang-ji and Dan-soo that almost ends badly for the help of Mr. Yang and an ancient diary that can only be read when moistened with tears. ^[6]

Volume Two

Chapter 3: The Secret Garden , part 2
The story of Dan-soo, cursed now by ” mongdalgui ” until the day he dies, and Jae-min, a recently deceased mongdalgui . It’s an unlucky day for Bun-nyuh when she, out of spite, takes off the talisman her grandmother gave her for protection. ^[7]

Volume Three

Chapter 4: The Secret Garden , Conclusion
Mr. Yang comes to Bun-nyuh’s rescue with the help of an ancient back scratcher and places the talisman around her neck. Bun-nyuh learns that even if she does not believe in her grandmother’s ways, her past is still a part of who she is. ^[8]
Chapter 5: Gahwi
Bun-nyuh’s bad luck-it’s no wonder she’s suppressed most of the bad memories. Raised by her grandmother in a small, quiet village in rural Korea, young Bun-nyuh’s first encounter with the cursed ancient results in tragedy. Mr. Yang’s connection to Bun-nyuh’s past, and the origins of the antique gift shop are revealed. ^[9]

Volume Four

Chapter 4: The Four Posts of Fate
Mr. Yang finds an unlikely girlfriend in a mob daughter. Strong willed Yun-ook attempts to use Mr. Yang to make the one she loves jealous. Unfortunately, the one she loves is the one person she can not have. Bun-nyuh tries to sell Mr. Yang as a fortuneteller to the mobsters. In turn, Mr. Yang tells the mobsters about a ritual peculiar called ” bosam ” which may help Yun-ook rewrite her own destiny. ^[10]
Chapter 7: Family Strange in Snow Heights , Part 1
A young assassin, Young-woo, takes refuge from the authorities in a creepy mansion called Snow Heights where his inhabitants are even creepier but strangely welcoming. The family there is keeping a secret that is tied to his past. ^[11]

Volume Five

Chapter 7: Strange Family in Snow Heights , Conclusion
Chapter 8: Go? Or Stop? 
When Mr. Yang takes a vacation for the first time, Bun-nyuh is left alone in the shop with her ancient curses on a rainy day. She has always had a phobia of rain, and she has been in charge of it, ignoring her customers. Help comes to her in the most unexpected ways. ^[12]

Volume Six

Chapter 9: Bun-hong
The story of Bun-nyuh’s mother is finally revealed, as is the mysterious way she died. Bun-nyuh has always blamed her grandmother for her mother’s death, but her grandmother has made a sacrifice so that Bun-nyuh could live. ^[13]
Chapter 10: Suspicious Relationship
Bun-nyuh goes to an OB-GYN for the first time to ask a peculiar question. Seeking through a pair of ancient glasses she uses to disguise herself, Bun-nyuh finds herself suddenly attracted to the doctor! The feeling seems to be growing until he reveals the story of his missing wife. Unfortunately, the tale is all too familiar to Bun-nyuh. ^[13]
Chapter 11: Do not Worry
When Mr. Yang gives an ancient Guatemalan Indian “Worry Doll” to a little girl crying outside of the shop, he decides to give it to them in their city. Unfortunately, the result turns out to be more trouble than it was worth. ^[14]

Volume Seven

Chapter 12: The Pot of Sungjoo
ChanYoung always thought he was troublemaker in the family. But when his brother is killed in a hit-and-run accident, Chanyoung discovers has a few secrets in his late brother’s house … a mysterious girl living there. ^[15]
Chapter 13: Kumari Soon , part 1
Bun-Nyuh lets a beautiful woman with a knack for selling antiques take charge of the shop. But this goddess’ s sales come with strings attached. ^[16]

Volume Eight

Chapter 13: Kumari Soon , Conclusion
^[17]
Chapter 14: A Mermaid Princess Lives in the Han River , Part 1
^[18]

Volume Nine

Chapter 14: A Mermaid Princess Lives in the Han River , Conclusion
^[19]
Chapter 15: The River of Oblivion , Part 1
^[20]

Volume Ten

Chapter 15: The River of Oblivion , Conclusion
^[21]
Chapter 16: Door 
^[22]

List of characters

Bun-nyuh Cho : The young owner of the antique gift shop who would rather be in school. She was raised by her grandmother in the rural countryside of Korea but abandoned in Seoul at a young age on a rainy night. Her mother was also buried on a rainy day, causing Bun-nyuh to have a phobia of rain. ^[23] Bun-nyuh was raised in a Christian orphanage and watched over by a relative relative during her adolescence. ^[24] Because of her tomboyish and rough attitude, she was much admired by the girls in school when she was younger. ^[25]

Though she is able to see spirits and ghosts, she stubbornly refuses to admit belief in anything that can not be explained by science. Bun-nyuh also excels in fortune-telling, just like her mother and grandmother. She has a memory of the tragic events in her past and is constantly in denial of her true feelings. She hates feeling weak or helpless. Bun-nyuh is also very modern, cursing and swearing and giving the one-fingered salute wherever she goes. She loves designer labels and would rather go shopping than pay her employees. She maintained excellent grades while in school before taking a leave of absence from the prestigious S University. ^[26] Despite her loathing for it, she is also an excellent salesperson. ^[27]

Yang / Mr. Yang : The only employee of the Antique Gift Shop , Mr. Yang is almost 7 feet tall and has long, silky hair flowing almost to the floor. He has a very god-like quality about him. When he is not dressed in his uniform and apron, he donates archaic embroidered dresses and very old-fashioned clothing. His delicate features are very beautiful and almost feminine.

Though not revealed in volumes 1 – 6, the reader has the sense that he has known Bun-nyuh’s family for quite some time. He refers to his ancestral village as his “hometown.” ^[23] He also possesses the ability to “speak” to the ancient and to read minds. ^[28] But it is not known to those who believe in their lives to be able to believe that they are not able to understand the truth. There is the sense that he has served one human particular, Bun-nyuh, for centuries. ^[26]

Mr. Yang actually knows more about Bun-nyuh and her family than he lets on, and more than even Bun-nyuh is aware of herself. Their relationship is often characterized as “master-servant” in other instances the relationship between Bun-nyuh and Mr. Yang could be characterized as “student-teacher.” In brief moment in the manhwa, Their relationship can be caractérisée as “intimate,” as When They go to the movies together, ^[27] When He puts her to bed as she recovers from a hangover, ^[26] When He saves her from being white raped by the mongdalgui possessed Dan-soo, ^[29] and when to he tells the hwatu characters to cheer her up while he’s gone Because He knows it will rain. ^[30]

Grandmother : Bun-nyuh’s only living blood relative to the world, his grandmother is a shaman of the Divine Spirit and can see ghosts / spirits, conduct purifications, exorcisms and predict / read fortunes. She is mysteriously under a curse and is constantly hounded by a ‘spirit guide’ who takes the form of a woman in a long time. Her spirit guide claims that Bun-nyuh’s grandmother ‘owes her’ goal is willing to take over Bun-nyuh to satisfy this debt. The nature of grandmother’s curse stems from both her and his spirit having the same fiancé in the past who has the ancient curses to begin with, Mr. Sailor Park. Bun-nyuh’s grandmother abandoned her in Seoul to let her granddaughter live a ‘normal’ life for as long as possible before the family caught up with Bun-nyuh.

1st rank Ha / Nae-soong Ha : Bun-nyuh’s best friend in high school who has become a popular Korean actress. Ie-rang was a beautiful but shy girl who was bullied. Like Bun-nyuh, Ie-rang was primarily an orphan. Bun-nyuh holds a grudge against the rank for stealing her first love. Ie-rang only stole Bun-nyuh’s first love because she was in love with Bun-nyuh. She later confesses that Bun-nyuh was her first love in her autobiographical movie, “Raise the Flag.” Bun-nyuh slept through most of the movie. The Bun-nyuh’s Antique Gift Shop. Bun-nyuh’s Antique Gift Shop. Bun-nyuh’s Antique Gift Shop.

In-gyu : A young man from a wealthy family who has amnesia after a car accident. He loses his lover in the accident and his family will be remembered because of their union. He is beckoned to wander and find the red lantern he sees in his dreams.

Yoon-ju : In-gyu’s deceased lover. She was known to have a psychological disorder.

Soo-young : The anti-social young writer who takes up renting In-gyu and Yoon-ju’s old apartment. She buys the Fox Lantern from the shop because of her spirit called to her. The lantern brings her dreams of In-gyu and she finds herself falling in love with him and wishing she were Yoon-ju. She is unaware of their plight until she finally meets In-gyu in person.

Eun-jae Jung : A young girl who buys the Hollow Diary from the shop. She is interested in Yang-ji, she is secretly in love with. Yang-ji, however, is in love with Dan-soo, a popular boy from school. Eun-jae soon discovers that Dan-soo is a playboy who is dating and mistreating her sister. Yang-ji misunderstands and believes Eun-jae is in love with Dan-soo, which causes a rift in their relationship.

Dan-soo : One of the most good looking and popular boys in school, his classmates are unaware that he made a pact with cursed ghosts called mongdalgui in order to get that way. Yang-ji and Bun-nyuh are all over the world. Yang stops him and tells him he must become a monk or he will die young.

Yang-ji : Eun-jae’s clueless best friend from school who does not realize the value of their friendship until she almost loses it.

Ji-yong : Bun-nyuh’s childhood friend His spirit still lingers at Bun-nyuh’s ancestral home.

Yun-ook : A headstrong mob daughter who is in love with her childhood friend Tae-joo, but can not be expected to kill her first husband.

Tae-joo : The unlucky object of Yun-ook’s desires since childhood. He runs the mob group organized by his father after the untimely death of the boss mob. He is unable to marry because he is in love with Yun-ook.

Green Ruperts : Grim reapers who take the dead to Hell. They have a face in the form of a book in the form of a scroll. Their mottos are ‘no gambling’ and ‘precision.’ Despite this, they have a love for gambling and playing hwatucards. The leader of the Green Ruperts has an intimate history with Bun-nyuh’s family as he was one who took her mother on the day when Bun-nyuh was born.

Bun-hong Bun-nyuh’s insane mother. Faulted for being ‘weak minded’ as a shaman, she was possessed and went insane, was cursed to act like a child for the remainder of her days. She ran away from home and worked in a beauty salon for a time, conceived Bun-nyuh with the sound of a wealthy family, and then came back. Every February 12, on the anniversary of her death, Bun-nyuh’s grandmother and Mr. Yang will greet Bun-hong’s spirit, now in his right mind in death. Bun-hong waits every year for her pay respects, but every year waits in vain.

References