Chapter 29: A Peaceful End
Three years later, Minjun fell ill. It was cancer. The doctors recommended treatment, but Minjun refused.
"I think it's time to go," he told Sooyeon.
"It's still early," Sooyeon cried.
"No. I've done everything I had to do. Now it's time to rest."
Minjun spent his final months with his family. Hwahae and Pyeonghwa often visited with their grandchildren.
"Grandpa, are you sick?" his five-year-old granddaughter asked.
"No, I'm not sick. I'm happy."
"Can a bad person become a good person?"
Minjun hugged his granddaughter. "Of course. Anyone can change. What matters is the will to change."
On Minjun's last day, his family gathered around his bed: Sooyeon, Hwahae, Pyeonghwa, and his grandchildren.
"Thank you all," Minjun said, looking at his family. "Thanks to you all, I was happy." "And..." He looked out the window. "Mom, I'm going first. See you later."
His mother passed away 20 years ago. But Minjun knew that his mother was always by his side, like the wind.
In Minjun's final moments, a warm breeze blew through the room. Everyone felt it.
"Monk Beopryun..." Minjun smiled. "Monk, I'm going now."
And Minjun closed his eyes peacefully. A smile graced his face.
Chapter 30: Becoming the Wind
Minjun's funeral was a state funeral. Mourners came not only from the Northeast Asian Alliance government, but from all over the world.
"He was a saint of our time," the chairman of the Alliance government read. "His courageous confession brought peace to Northeast Asia, and that peace spread throughout the world."
After the funeral, Minjun's remains were cremated. And according to his will, his ashes were scattered in two places.
Half was at Cheonji on Baekdu Mountain, where Geobalhwan first descended. The other half was in the Atlantic Ocean, where Atlantis slumbered.
The moment the ashes were scattered, something amazing happened. A brilliant light rose from Baekdu Mountain, and a warm breeze began to blow across the Atlantic.
"He became the wind," a monk said.
From that day on, whenever a warm breeze blew, people thought of Minjun. And in that breeze, they felt comfort and peace.
Especially those suffering, those grieving, those unforgiving... When they felt the warm breeze, their hearts were gradually healed.
"Minjun is blessing us," people said.
Suyeon dedicated the rest of her life to researching Atlantis. She passed away peacefully at the age of 90. Her ashes were scattered in the same place as Minjun.
Reconciliation and peace, carrying on her parents' will, continued the peace movement. Their children, and their children's children, followed the same path.
Minjun's story has been made into books, films, and plays. People around the world have been inspired by his story.
"Forgiveness is possible. Change is possible. Peace is possible." This was the message Minjun left behind.
Part 7: The Truth - Hwan-guk and Baedal-guk
Additional Chapter 1: The Truth about Hwan-guk and Baedal-guk
After Minjun's death, the materials he left behind were made public. Among them were detailed studies of Hwan-guk and Baedal-guk.
With the existence of Atlantis proven, people began to consider the possibility that Hwan-guk and Baedal-guk had also existed.
An international research team was formed. They investigated Siberia, the area around Lake Baikal, and Mount Baekdu.
And surprising discoveries were made.
Evidence of a vast ancient city was discovered at the northern foot of Mount Baekdu. Carbon dating revealed it to be approximately 7,000 years old.
"This... could be the city of God!" the archaeologists exclaimed.
As the excavations continued, more evidence emerged: bronze artifacts, ritual vessels with unusual patterns, and...
"Isn't this... a heavenly woman?" One researcher discovered three bronze artifacts:
a mirror, a bell, and a sword. It matched the legend's description of the Heavenly Lady.
Discovery also took place in Siberia. A massive ancient ruin was discovered near Lake Baikal. The artifacts found there were strikingly similar to ancient Korean artifacts.
"Hwan-guk... may have actually existed," historians began to acknowledge.
Additional Chapter 2: Hwan-in's Records
The most astonishing discovery came from a cave near Lake Baikal. There, ancient stone tablets were discovered.
The stone tablets were engraved with unknown characters. Linguists from around the world gathered to decipher them.
Finally, one scholar made a breakthrough: "This is a form intermediate between Sanskrit and ancient Korean!"
When the stone tablets were deciphered, a shocking message was revealed:
"I am Hwan-in. The twelfth king of Hwan-guk. I leave this record for posterity."
"Hwan-guk existed on a planet other than this Earth. We were a civilization with a high spiritual level. Our lifespans ranged from 472 to 9,000 years." "We lived by the ideals of light. Hongik Ingan, benefiting all humanity. Jaese Ihwa, governing and enlightening the world with truth. This was the ideal of Hwan-guk."
"But as our planetary system aged, we had to find a new home. So some came to Earth, and some went to other planetary systems."
"I gave my son, Geobalhwan, a heavenly wife and sent him to Earth. He will plant the new ideals of Hwan-guk here."
This record shocked the world. Was Hwan-guk an extraterrestrial civilization?
Additional Chapter 3: Geobalhwan and Baedal Kingdom
As more excavations and research were conducted, the true nature of Baedal Kingdom was also revealed.
Baedal Kingdom was not simply confined to the Korean Peninsula. Its territory extended beyond Northeast Asia to Central Asia, Tibet, and even Sumer.
"It was a vast civilization," historians said. "Its scale rivaled that of the Roman Empire or the Alexander the Great."
Murals from ancient temples discovered in Tibet depicted figures dressed in Northeast Asian attire. And next to it was the inscription "Hwanung."
Even on ancient Sumerian clay tablets, records of "people of light from the East" were discovered. They were described as possessing high moral standards and advanced technology.
"Baedal may have been one of the origins of world civilization," scholars cautiously suggested.
Especially surprising was the social structure of Baedal. Excavated artifacts and records demonstrated the existence of gender equality.
"Female warriors' graves were treated equally with male warriors," said the archaeologist. "This was very progressive for the time."
Additional Chapter 4: The Bear Tribe and the Tiger Tribe
The story of the bear and tiger in the Dangun myth was also reinterpreted.
"This is not a story of animals becoming humans," one anthropologist explained. "It symbolizes the process by which totem tribes were integrated into Baedal."
The tribe with the bear as its totem had an agricultural culture, while the tribe with the tiger as its totem had a hunting culture. The story of "eating only garlic and mugwort in a cave for 100 days" actually referred to a 100-day period of training and cultural adaptation.
The Gomjok successfully adapted and became a major force in the Baedal Kingdom, later becoming the mother tribe of Dangun Wanggeom. The Tiger Tribe initially struggled to adapt, but were later absorbed into the political system.
"This was a very peaceful process of cultural integration," historians have assessed. "It was voluntary, not forced."
Additional Chapter 5: Emperor Chiyou and Karma
Studies have also been conducted on Emperor Chiyou of Gojoseon. While Chinese records portray him as a violent barbarian, newly discovered evidence tells a different story.
"Chiyou was a brilliant warrior and leader," one scholar observed. "However, he suppressed the Chinese resistance with extreme brutality."
Excavated battlefield ruins revealed traces of massacre. As Minjun observed, Chiyou "rose from nothing and fell from nothing."
"This sowed the seeds of Gojoseon's downfall," historians analyzed. "The law of karma applies not only to individuals but also to nations."
Chinese scholars also acknowledged this. "We, too, incurred karma by destroying Gojoseon. Therefore, we, too, were constantly invaded by foreign powers."
Additional Chapter 6: The Sufferings of Goryeo and Joseon
Even the sufferings of Korean history were reinterpreted through the lens of karma.
The Yuan Dynasty made Goryeo a vassal state and exacted countless women as tribute. The Qing Dynasty invaded Joseon and humiliated it at Samjeondo.
"These are all connected to past karma," Minjun wrote in his writings.
But at the same time, the Korean people were able to overcome these hardships thanks to their past good deeds.
"The Hongik Ingan ideology of Geobalhwan and Dangun Wanggeom was the shield that protected the Korean people."
The creation of the Tripitaka Koreana, which repelled the Mongol invasion, Yi Sun-sin and his volunteer army overcame the Imjin War, and the independence activists resisted Japanese imperialism...
"All of these were virtuous cycles created by past good deeds."
Additional Chapter 7: Karma with Japan
Japan's karma was also shed new light. As Melchizedek confessed, Japan was protected by its non-participation in the Atlantean War.
"But that protection bred arrogance," a Japanese historian admitted.
The Imjin War, the Japanese colonial period, and the atrocities committed during those years...
"We believed we were special. But we are like all other nations. We are not free from the laws of karma."
The Japanese government designated "Karma Settlement Day" as a national holiday ten years after Minjun's death. Every year on that day, Japan reflected on its past wrongdoings and apologized to its neighbors.
Additional Chapter 8: 11th Berlin Olympics Marathon gold medalist Son Kee-chung's Tears in 1936
Minjun's research included a special chapter on Son Kee-chung.
"The 1936 Berlin Olympics. Son Kee-chung won the gold medal in the marathon. However, he had to run under the Japanese flag. At the awards ceremony, he bowed his head and wept." "Those tears weren't the tears of an individual. They were tears condensed with the sorrow of an entire nation."
"But at the same time, that gold medal was also a symbol of hope. It was proof that the Korean spirit did not die even under Japanese oppression."
Son Kee-chung's grandson attended Minjun's funeral. He said in his eulogy,
"My grandfather longed to erase the Japanese flag of that day all his life. Thanks to Mr. Minjun, we can now release that sorrow. Thank you."