Ah-gen got the bar of soap wet and gently rubbed it around his neck and collarbone until there was a little lather.
     He rubbed for a while and then set the soap down. Then he rubbed his neck some more until he felt that it was slick enough and then, without even meaning to, he looked at himself in the mirror and let out a giddy laugh.
     One, two, three.
     Ah-gen counted silently to himself, and on the count of three he concentrated all of his energy on his neck, lifted his shoulders, and pulled his neck down and in . . . one inch, two inches, three inches. . . . Then something strange happened. His collarbone gradually opened up and his neck slowly sunk down into his body.
     Ah-gen opened his eyes wide and looked in the mirror, only to see the spectacular sight of himself withdrawing his neck into his own body.
     His neck disappeared first, and then his chin, his lips, his nose. . . . When it got as far as his nose, the tip got stuck on his sternum. He lifted his hands and forcefully stuffed the tip of his nose inside, using a final powerful squeeze. With a little “click” sound the tip of his nose went in and the bridge of his nose followed quickly after. Then . . . this was the crucial moment; after more than a month, and after practicing countless times, the farthest he had gotten was to his lower eyelids, and not an inch more above. Today he decided that no matter what he was going to get his eyes in, because the eyes were the most important part. He thought, if he could just retract his eyes into chest, he wouldn’t have to see this world. Only when he couldn’t see would he feel like he had completely hidden—if he could only go as far as his nose, then what point was there to this “head retraction art”? His two eyes would still be on the outside, wide open and looking at this ugly world.
     Of course, one reason he called this skill of his “head retraction art” was to differentiate himself from those itinerants and their overhyped “bone retraction art.” He had always looked down on that element of the Chinese martial arts known as “bone retraction art”; he had seen many people demonstrate it, most of them small girls, and they managed to fit themselves into a leather suitcase or a bamboo basket. To call this a “bone retraction art” was really an exaggeration. As long as someone practiced from when they were little and stretched their muscles and ligaments a bit, anyone could do it. What was special about that? “Soft bone art” would be a more appropriate description than “bone retraction art.”
     But his “head retraction art” was different. He was really like a turtle, and could retract his head into his chest, could hide his entire head; of course, there was a bit of boasting here, since up until now he could only retract his neck, chin and lower eyelids into his chest.
     Sooner or later, though, I’m going to practice until I can retract my entire head, he thought.
     The description of his experience practicing his “head retraction art” had a legendary quality to it.
     Ah-gen learned this technique without studying in any school or from any great master. From start to finish he was self-taught. In fact, you could say that even he himself didn’t know what had happened. By chance he found out that he had this strange ability
     The first time he discovered it was a month ago.
     That day, an essay in the newspaper supplement had a problem, and Ah-gen was called into the publisher’s office to be cussed out. It was then, when he was angry and ashamed and enduring a blistering attack from the publisher, that he suddenly discovered that he could lower his head and then pull in and retract his neck and even his chin into his chest cavity.
     At first, he didn’t realize what had happened. He had just lowered his head as he listened to his publisher endlessly enumerate his faults.
     “You have to know, running a newspaper isn’t like running a magazine, you can’t pour a basin of water and be done with it. With a newspaper you have to stick it out for the long run, after a long period of hard effort you communicate new ideas to the public and gradually change their ideas.”
     His publisher kept going with no sign of slowing down. It wasn’t the first time that the publisher had rebuked him like this for his editing of the newspaper supplement. He understood the publisher’s worries. The publisher had always taken care of talented employees, but he also didn’t want his entire newspaper to collapse because of Ah-gen’s editing of the supplement.
     “I understand your ideals, but ideals need to be realized gradually. You can’t bring the entire organization down because you’re anxious to achieve your own ideals. How many people does this organization have to feed? If the newspaper has to suspend publication because of you,...