A God, Yes, But a Slightly Lacking One

Across from 27 Saun-dong, Mumyeong City, if you pass the convenience store and keep walking, you'll come upon a small shrine.

Nobody knows how long the shrine has been there. Rumor has it that a shaman from near Hwanghae Province brought a sacred idol when she fled here as a refugee, eventually settling down and building this shrine. The problem is, that shaman died without leaving behind any children or disciples, so nobody knows what kind of deity is actually enshrined there.

Its name, its abilities, its taboos — nothing is known.

Literally a nameless god — a Mumyeong (無名) deity.

Still, the shrine is registered as a cultural property managed by Mumyeong City because of its unique architectural style. Scholars studying architecture and shamanism have visited Mumyeong City a few times to see this shrine. Currently, Mumyeong City civil servants take turns managing it. There were several attempts to hand the shrine over to practicing shamans, but every single one said the same thing — 'I'd rather worship my house cat than serve that kind of god' — and the plans fell through.

Why would the shamans say such a thing?

Well... the deity enshrined here is a god, technically, but a slightly lacking one.

At first, since it was a proper shrine with a proper god, people did come to pray — carrying the usual worries about health, exams, love, money, and the like.

But somehow, every time someone prayed here, things went horribly wrong.

One person wished to get into a university, and their body literally fused with the campus — it took hours to pry them loose. Another wished that their beloved would watch over them always, and they developed a bizarre condition where every single person in the world looked like their beloved — they ended up hospitalized.

One person, missing their late mother, wished to 'taste one more bowl of mother's homemade soybean paste stew.' And wouldn't you know it — their dead mother rose as a zombie and was found in the kitchen making soybean paste stew. She'd even chopped off her own wrist and tossed it into the pot for that authentic 'hand-made' flavor. The city workers had an absolutely terrible time putting her back to rest.

Old Mr. Choi? He foolishly wished at the shrine to 'live a long life,' and he's been alive for 236 years now. He's tried to die — failed. According to Mumyeong City regulations, pensions stop at age 200, so Mr. Choi drags his ancient body around collecting cardboard every day. If you happen to run into him, please give the man something to eat.

But the worst case? Someone prayed to get a job, and they became a Mumyeong City civil servant. I won't say any more about what that entails... It wouldn't be polite to gossip about those poor souls.

So yes, people sometimes wonder if the deity is some kind of god of calamity. But since it doesn't actually cast curses or bring spiritual harm, they just leave it be. According to one shaman, the nameless deity isn't actually evil. It means well — it just doesn't understand how the human world works, so things go sideways.

In other words, it's a kind-hearted but slightly lacking god.

Anyway, the shrine of the nameless god still stands in Mumyeong City.

A bit lacking, perhaps — but still a member of Mumyeong City.

The citizens, one way or another, cherish and love this nameless god.