Mana (manhwa)

Mana
마나
Genre	Horror
Author	Lee Vin
Publisher	Seoul Munhwasa
Magazine	Wink
Collected volumes	4

Mana (마나) is a completed supernatural manhwa series by Lee Vin. It is published in a South Korean magazine called Wink. It is not yet licensed, which makes the series a bit hard to find. The series follows Zion, a young woman who used to be taken advantage of by her friends due to her shy and timid nature.

Story

Zion, a girl that is always taken advantage of by her friends because she is so shy and timid, is approached by two people who asks her strange questions about whether she believes in Confucianist moral doctrine and in the end she is bowing and performing sacrificial rites to ancestral gods. It’s shocking enough that the daughter of a pastor is possessed by a ghost, but what’s more shocking is that this ghost is a young oppa who sports a fashion that surpasses most of the outstanding looks of bachelors and rockers! From this day on, Zion’s life changes forever. From a shy and unsuspecting high school student, she turns into an exorcist.

Characters

Zion | Song Shi-ohn

The main character of the story. She was a shy and timid adolescent at the beginning of the series who loved to read manhwa. After being approached by the two strangers, who actually tricked her out of her remaining money (and she eventually realizes this once she leaves the run-down town house), she wanders out towards the bookshop to find her favorite manhwa on the shelves. Trying to reach for it, she meets Mi-Ro, a ghost bound to her through the ceremony with the previous two strangers. At once, she thinks he's pretty good-looking, but her perception changes when he starts to follow her home. She later visits the old town-home to find out that it was as if it never existed. After a bit of a time lapse (taken place in the second chapter), she is shown as a newly confidant woman with a flamboyant fashion sense and makeup. She's actually pretty well-known for wearing designer clothing from her head to toes, (and being weird) but also as an exorcist. Because of her strange get-up, a few rumors of her being a transgender, as well as working at a night club has surfaced. She uses her own "powers" either for personal gain or to show off. Mi-Ro and Shi-ohn have a sort of comedic relationship like when she came home drunk taking the role of an angry husband and Mi-Ro, a victim wife. She has a website featuring her skills as an exorcist Mi-Ro disapproves of. It seems that Shi-Ohn, has feelings towards Mi-Ro, though she doesn't show it. But somehow shows concern and jealousy when Mi-Ro gets a visitor from a night-ghost who was his girlfriend before he died - shown by looking for the person and looking for information due to Mi-Ro never told her. It is shown that one of Mi-Ro friends before dying slept as many others did with his girlfriend, since she would sleep with any one that bought her shoes. Dwen-Jang later on comes to save her due to the bartender (Mi-Ro's band friend) made Shi-Ohn drunk and forced himself on her, and told her he wouldn't do anything if she walked out, which she tried, and in her mind she was calling out Mi-Ro to come help her as the many time he has before, but he never came, instead comes Dwen-Jang - Taking her back to her place, Mi-Ro is there to tell her that the ghost has already left, but she is too drunk to notice, and Dwen-Jang puts her in bed, she tries to seduce him and end up kissing, and then sleeping together, where in that moment Mi-Ro walks away and she describes how she thought she saw Mi-Ro's sorrowful face as many time before. Then it wakes up and is back in another era, where she is sleeping with someone and it's Dwen-Jang (in his previous life). She is later on told to attend to the King's banquet party, and her mother tells her that she might get chosen to become the king son's wife (said to be someone sent by the gods to the king - celebrating for this, the king tries to get a wife for him), Shi-Ohn doesn't want to, and admits that she has already taken a lover and her mother shares the knowledge of what she has been doing, telling her as well, that he might be her lover but it doesn't stop her from marrying someone else. Later, she tries to go closer to Dwen-Jang, though, he cuts her off telling her that she shouldn't so that in front of others. Later, the king introduces prince Chung and he resembles Mi-Ro, and Shi-Ohn get picked to be his wife due to she's the most beautiful of all the girls. Being practically forced into the marriage and with no complaint from Dwen-Jang. Later on, Shi-Ohn is in the prince's bed, and Dwen-Jang enters where the make love again, and she tells him that she loves only him and no one else, then Dwen-Jang asking her about the prince, though she says that he's a smart man, and sweet (she shows care and appreciation for Mi-Ro) but she doesn't love him. And while Dwen-Jang and Shi-Ohn say they "I love you", where just outside the room, prince Chung (Mi-Ro) is listening outside. Later, Dwen-Jang tells him that he won't come close or see either him or Shi-Ohn, making her cry and telling him that she loves him. But he reassures that he has friends, family and a country and he only has Shi-Ohn, but warning him that in the next life, he won't give her up. Later, back in the present, Dwen-Jang reveals that the girl mentioned preciously, was divided in two when they were born again. One being the night-ghost being Mi-Ro's girlfriend, having what he liked best of her in his previous life and the other half what Dwen-Jang loved of her (Dwen-Jang has full memory of his previous life). Shi-Ohn shows sadness and concern about Mi-Ro that has left. Later, she doesn't show up for Dwen-Jang's lecture as she usually did - later encounters the same people in the beginning that got get bonded to Mi-Ro, telling them off and later they run away just when her phone rings, and is mentioned that she is in a relationship with Dwen-Jang, though she doesn't want to admit it and tells him to hang up in a rude way while looking for the people she was talking to before, but couldn't find them again. Another thing that is mentioned, is that though Mi-Ro isn't with her, she can still see ghosts and she thinks that he's somehow still attached to her. She hopes that at least Mi-Ro is with his girlfriend from before he died, knowing that is the other half of her previous life. And just before meeting the weird couple that were at the first chapter, she went to the house of the girl and told her parents to please burn her belongings due to she wanted them in heaven, the parents are in shock since she looks exactly like their dead daughter.

Mi-Ro

A ghost bound to Shi-ohn by a contract (also by former lives). He was in a band when he was alive and Mi-Ro is indeed his stage name. His real name is not known by anyone yet, not even Shi-ohn. He's also responsible for Shi-ohn's complete personality change. As for that, he sometimes shows concern of her personality and explains that her "awakening" was due to a past life (which she tries to guess and even asked if she was Marie Antoinette) For some reason, he won't tell her just yet. He often teases Shi-ohn about her makeup and clothing. He likes to take part in her activities and follows her without her knowledge. But mainly goes to satisfy his own curiosity. As for his past, it's unknown. All that's given was he was in a band, and it is later revealed that his parents are still alive with his father being a retired teacher. As for his personality, Mi-Ro is playful and flirty. He possesses Shi-Ohn later and helps Dwen-Jang, Mi-Seuhl and Hyeon-Seo when they run into a strange ghastly case. Dwen-Jang holds information, and somehow fooled Mi-ro, telling him that he will eventually lose Shi-Ohn and walks away. Mi-ro had a girlfriend before he did that loved shoes, and dies soon after he dies. He seems to have feelings for Shi-Ohn, but they aren't shown completely, though you can see that he loves her but isn't shown. After Dwen-Jang, saves Shi-Ohn from a previous friend Mi-ro had before dying while she was trying to investigate who was the night-ghost that she saw in her room, Mi-ro walks again and disappears, never to be seen. It's revealed that he was the Chung prince, and was the former husband of Shi-Ohn in her previous life. Though, it is mentioned that he might have gone to await for his next life. And is speculated that he is still around Shi-Ohn, though she can't see him anymore since that time.

Dwen-Jang

A really handsome tenant in the building. Shi-ohn and Won-Jun hear strange sounds coming from his room and mistake it for something else. He's confronted by Shi-ohn in the morning and tells her he'll "tell her to take notice" in which Shi-ohn gets mad because he puts the blame on his "partner". He happens to be a professor and professional broadcaster. He was studying to theology to become a minister, but gave it up to study folklore. He asks Shi-ohn a favor later when Hyeon-Seo is having his problems in which he laughs and Shi-ohn gets an eerie feeling. Later, Mi-Ro tells him to properly explain what takes place in his room. Later on, it is told that Dwen-Jang is the reincarnation of a member from the military that was the former lover of Shi-Ohn in her previous life. Giving her up because Mi-ro back then only had her. She also says that she hadn't realised from it before, but she was attracted to him since the very beginning which later he says that he knew since the first time he saw her, and that it was faith that they were together again. He mentions that in their previous life he gave her up but in the next one he wouldn't do so again. At the end of the manwha, he calls her to tell her to come meet him after his lecture since she didn't go as usual - and she saying that she didn't go due to she didn't want people to think that they were dating since rumours where spreading around the campus and he saying that they were. She then hangs up on him. But, it's presumed that they'll be together, and will keep on happening always, since it's faith.

Won-Jun Shin

He recently moved in from the country and seems to have a strange relationship with his mother. He's fairly happy with his newfound freedom but actually thinks back of his mother and their arguments. He's a bit of afraid of the supernatural as he soon finds out about the building he's living in. Once returning to his building after school one day, he finds water on the floor, but that's soon forgotten as he finds his room sparkling clean, boxes unpacked and food on the table. Mistakenly thinking it was his mother, he calls her and finds out that she hasn't done anything seeing as she was "Pepper field pickin' peppers." He immediately suspects Shi-ohn and confronts her saying his intuition tells him so because "She likes him". After the door slams in his face, he then asks his friend, Yong-Woo. Realizing it wasn't him, either, Yong-Woo asks him to "investigate" the girls at the school seeing if he's caught the eye of a "dumb girl". He later finds out that it was Lee Ji-Won when he finds her in his house making him a meal. They both confess to each other and he happily meets with his friends and they decide to throw a house-warming party. They all get drunk, fall asleep and during the night, one of his friends drink a cup of water Won-Jun's mother left out as precautionary protection. In the morning, Won-Jun's secret spills that he likes Ji-Won, and she was coming over when his friends ask who she was. He starts to freak out explaining she was in their small circle the other day, but they strongly deny seeing anyone else. He becomes depressed and seeks out Shi-ohn for help. Shi-ohn tells him that Ji-Won was a ghost, which he responds to by crying while eating a hamburger. She tells him he created an image for her since Shi-ohn couldn't clearly see her. She reveals it was his mother's doing and leaves disappointed thinking it was a real Songak-Si. When Shi-ohn leaves, Won-Jun's mother calls asking him to turn on the television. He explodes over the phone, arguing about his mother's food and calling it disgusting. He hangs up and Yong-Woo calls to tell him to turn the television on as well. Doing so, he finds his mother on the TV presented in a documentary which she explains all she's done for her family. He breaks down crying and calls his mother back to make up.

Hyeon-Seo

A tortured young man seeing and hearing ghostly activities at night in his own home. He mistakes them to be actual conversations with his father, mother, and grandmother about a secret mistress or mistresses his father has. He's haunted by them and can't get any sleep. He's surprised about the conversations seeing as his father and mother have never raised their voices before, but even more baffled as how they can act normally every morning after. Night after night, he keeps hearing the arguments and starts to grow bitter as his family carries on as if nothing has happened the next morning. Shi-ohn takes notice of him and tries to capture him with her flashy look and overdone makeup and tremendous aura. He and his friends mistake it as a ghost might be following him around. He disrupts a spirit in the bathroom, whom he mistakes for a real person. He also makes the mistake when he mistakes the spirit for Shi-ohn. Later than night, the fighting resumes, although this time, he's brought into it. He has enough and goes to confront the fighting family only to see no one is there except his grandmother. After talking with is grandmother and putting her back to sleep, they find her dead the next morning in the bathroom. At the grandmother's funeral, he runs into the woman he interrupted in the bathroom the day before and she threatens to kill him. While his father and mother are in mourning, he confronts them about the fighting at night. They don't know what he's talking about, and he leaves them to mourn his grandmother. At night, the fighting resumes. He confronts the figures seeing the faces of his mother, father, two mistresses and his dead grandmother and passes out. Later, escaping the hospital, he suddenly arrives at his house where his classmates are. Asking "Why are you here?" and making Shi-ohn believe he was talking to her, he suddenly hugs Mi-Seuhl, getting Shi-ohn angry. He collapses again and mistakes Shi-ohn as the woman who wants to kill him. He becomes freaked out and tells the whole story in which his mother still strongly denies. It is said he can see what ordinary eyes cannot detect which explains the fighting spirits no one else can notice.

Mi-Seuhl

A young woman taking a folklore class Shi-ohn blindly enters. A childhood friend and girlfriend of Hyeon-Seo. She questions what kind of shaman Shi-ohn is, humiliating her. Later, she tells Shi-ohn she's sorry for provoking her earlier because she doesn't like to see her abusing her abilities to make fun of people. She's the granddaughter of the local shaman and educated in the ways of Se-Seub-Mu since she was young. She claims to have a lot to learn and can't even do an exorcism. All she can do is see the ghost and possesses no other ability. She asks Shi-ohn to help the family and bargains with her about giving up as Hyeon-Seo's "girlfriend" if she can help him. She retells the story of Hyeon-Seo and her playing hide-and-seek when younger and Hyeon-Seo being able to see ghosts. She admits he's more in possession of abilities than she was. She's a bit cruel and still humiliates Shi-ohn. When Mi-Ro possesses Shi-ohn, she gets a bit excited to see Shi-ohn's guardian spirit. She at the end, can't give up her boyfriend and is presumed she will marry him, causing her not to make too much deal of her being a shaman for the sake of appearance and what Hyeon-Seo's parents might think later on.

Yong-Woo

Won-Jun's spectacled friend. He occasionally visits Won-Jun and they both talk about Shi-ohn and the "weird noises" coming out of her room.

Lee Ji-Won | Lee Ji-Eun

The "girlfriend" of Won-Jun. It is revealed later that she's a ghost taking care of him due to his mother's superstition.

Won-Jun's Mother

She has strong beliefs of the supernatural and often warns her son of the dangers. She's really superstitious and believes a whole bunch of odd things (like a spider coming down means a guest is coming, or toe scraps being eaten by a mouse and becoming a person to hurt people.). She plays a minor part in the second chapter when Won-Jun's "girlfriend" shows up. After seeing Shi-ohn, she believes "That girl is a man-eater!" She works hard for her family despite her arguments with her son and loves him very much.