"When someone dies alone, my work begins..."
Life and death are the greatest ordinary in the world.
Haruki Murakami wrote in Norwegian Forest:
Death is not the opposite of life, but eternal existence as part of life.
The crematorium master in the movie "The Mortuary" said:
Death may be a barrier, and passing away is not the end, but transcendence, to the next journey.
In the Korean drama "Move to Heaven: I Am a Relic Sorter", there is also a confession from the Relic Sorter:
They can't tidy up their homes, so they ask us to tidy up their homes.
Screenshot of Move to Heaven: I'm a Relic Finisher
We always avoid the word "death", but the Korean relics finisher Kim Kwan in "Relic Sorter" is to put death on the table, so that we have to face the issue of death.
Born in Seoul and raised in Busan, Kim Gwan studied poetry at university, and in order to become a professional writer, he began to live in the countryside in his thirties, interviewing and writing in Japan, and became interested in cleaning up the mess for the dead. Therefore, after Returning to China, Jin Quan set up a special cleaning service company "Hardworks" to officially start the work of the relics sorting division.
"Relic Sorter" is Jin Guan's real work notes as a relic sorter, including 13 special on-site cleaning records, 11 in-depth thinking essays, observing life and death from a special perspective, both gentle and sharp, constantly thinking about life and the meaning of survival.
1. "I am a relic sorter"
"Microbial walls, floors filled with filth and animal carcasses, quilts soaked in blood..."
"Relic Sorters" in special industries who shuttle through various death scenes, while cleaning up the blood and relics at the death scene, think about the value and meaning of life.
In East Asian cultures, the relic arranger is similar to the mortician, which may be an obscure and mournful profession, but this "Relic Finisher" uses this special profession to tell a lonely and gentle story, and re-examines the universal issues of life and death, human nature and love through "relics".
If the mortician is to revitalize the already cold person and give her eternal beauty, then the relic arranger unveils the story of each soul who has died alone, which not only "sorts" the soul of the deceased's family, but also heals the self.
Screenshot of "The Mortician"
The author Jin Quan once lamented that the work of the relics sorter "cannot be revealed in front of people like a ghost, and even many people do not know our existence." Perhaps because of this, there is this "Relic Sorter".
This is a true record of the life and emotions of the deceased when the author Jin Quan faces the scene of death, like a small fire and slow cooking mournful chicken soup, not to die, but to heal the body, mind and soul with death.
As Yoo Sung-ho, a professor at the Department of Forensic Medicine at Seoul National University School of Medicine, said:
If a person's life is like a movie, then the author Jin's work is the last line in the movie's ending list, and if you don't look at it, it will be easy to ignore. Through this book, the author will illuminate the last tired figure of the silently departed people around us, and in turn convey the strong will and preciousness of life.
2, the last move in life
As a relic sorter, Jin Quan also expressed his true thoughts about this special profession in his thinking essay:
Like your job, my job is special. After the loss of a unique and precious life in this world, I came to help him clean it up. A man does not die twice, and for him to die, the service I provide is only once, and it is indeed a very special and noble job, isn't it?
Sorting out relics is a heavy and serious matter. The relics arranger who cleans the rooms of the deceased sees not only the dried blood and daily necessities left by the deceased at the scene of death, but also the struggles hidden in the dark corners and the lament of having to succumb to the social framework.
This special and noble relics sorting work is the last move in the deceased's life, and it is also a typical microcosm of the phenomenon of "lonely death" in society.
In "The Relic Sorter", Jin Quan specially records the special scene of cleaning during the work process, and silently explores the story behind death, such as: a suicidal woman who lives in a tent, a person who will sort garbage before she dies, and a person who arranges her own affairs before she dies... Subsequently, the work of the relic sorter will begin.
Before officially starting work, adequate preparations are necessary. The relic arranger carries two flat, rough black boxes filled with protective tools, including blue medical gloves, shoe covers, masks, and more.
The first step in the cleanup is to open the door, carefully examine all corners of the room, accurately grasp the amount of work required to clean up the scene, and start cleaning the room of the person who died alone.
Following the sight of the relics finisher Jin Quan, we are not present, but we witness the story behind each death, feel the loneliness and despair of each life before embarking on the road of death, let us re-examine our own lives, but also bring people the courage and strength to face life.
3. Greetings to the dead and revelations to the living
Life and death are like two sides of the same coin, only one side is not established, in the place where the deceased dies, in fact, it will show his life and existence more vividly.
"Relic Sorter" is a niche profession, and "Relic Sorter" is a niche subject, but the statements of these true stories, the description of minor details, and the exploration of life and death make this profession and this book more profound and touching.
Walking on the fringes of the dead and the living, the relics arranger directly hits the scene of lonely death and re-examines the problems of life that may have been ignored for a long time from a third perspective.
Through the display of these relics of the dead, the traces of life that once struggled on the cliffs, the lonely deaths regardless of age and gender, are clearly recognizable. While mourning heavily, it also makes us truly feel the meaning of the existence of every ordinary person.
"They have cried, laughed, loved, and hated in this world, and every step of life has left a trace."
The collection of relics is both a reverence for the deceased and a comfort for the living. This sense of devotional ritual is not only a greeting to the deceased, but also a revelation to the living.
"Relic Sorter" satirizes society with a true narrative, wraps social issues with death, unveils the true face of the special profession of "Relic Sorter", and the story of each soul who has died alone, so that we gradually realize the symbiotic relationship between life and death: it is precisely because of the existence of death that life is so precious.