“What are your hobbies, Director? Do you perhaps play golf?”
It was a question from the newly arrived supervisor. We had been talking about various things at the site when, as the conversation hit a lull, he suddenly threw in a personal question to lighten the mood. For a moment I considered giving a polite, superficial answer, but decided to be honest.
“I used to play golf a long time ago, but chasing after the ball didn’t quite suit my nature. Instead, these days I take Eastern philosophy as my hobby.”
“Philosophy? Do you mean studying the classics like Confucius or Mencius?”
“Haha, not quite. What I study is myeongrihak, in other words, the Four Pillars of Destiny. Put a bit more elegantly, it’s a branch of Eastern philosophy. I call it ‘K-Bazi’—the Korean style of Bazi—which I research.”
“K-Bazi… That’s a term I’ve never heard before. So in the end, you’re studying saju. Do you also read physiognomy?”
Lately, the media has been buzzing with talk about President Yoon Suk-yeol’s face being described as a “crocodile physiognomy.” Because of that, questions about physiognomy have become noticeably more common. But I always find it tricky to explain.
“I don’t read physiognomy. Ah, I just realized the time—it seems I need to head out now, as I have another appointment.”
Explaining physiognomy would inevitably take too long. And in the middle of a short business meeting, it wasn’t the right time to launch into such a lengthy topic. So I wrapped up the conversation lightly and stood up to leave.