Chapter 2
Yeon-su awkwardly draped Su-ryeon’s long hanbok over her clothes and sat uneasily in the Baby Bodhisattva’s place.
No matter how hard she tried to act natural, waves of nervousness kept rushing in.
The VVIP client who stepped inside looked to be in his early thirties.
Sharp eyes glimmered beneath thick brows, making his gaze look cutting.
His sharp nose and jawline gave him an even stronger presence.
He was nearly one meter ninety tall. Standing straight, his head almost brushed the low ceiling.
“Sit down.”
Yeon-su recalled what Su-ryeon had said and was about to choose her words when she noticed the corner of the man’s lips twist upward.
He definitely thought something was off.
If Su-ryeon was right, this man was a VVIP client. That meant a golden goose.
She couldn’t afford to be careless and chase him off.
Yeon-su had seen Su-ryeon at work several times before, so she steadied her nerves.
If she was going to do this, she would do it right. She decided to fully embrace the role of Baby Bodhisattva.
The moment the man sat down, she imitated Su-ryeon’s shamanic tone.
“Speak, child.”
Su-ryeon’s way of speaking was to tilt her chin up solemnly and toss out curt, commanding words.
But the man’s brow furrowed at once.
Just moments ago she had politely asked him to sit, and now she suddenly changed her tone. It was only natural he’d find it absurd.
“Why should I? You’re the one who’s supposed to tell me, aren’t you?”
The man’s words were a strange mix of informal and formal speech.
That faintly mocking tone made Yeon-su’s confidence shrink smaller and smaller.
When Su-ryeon used that brusque tone, clients usually lowered their heads in reverence, but this man was far too different.
‘To hell with it.’
Resigned, Yeon-su blurted out the words Su-ryeon had told her to say.
“Your marriage fortune has arrived. Seize it while you can.”
The man let out a derisive chuckle.
“And if I don’t?”
Now he dropped all pretense of politeness. His words were blunt and short.
“Then your family will be struck with mourning.”
Even at the ominous prediction, the man remained calm.
“Who’s supposed to die, then?”
At his question, cold sweat ran down Yeon-su’s back.
No matter how hard she tried to recall, Su-ryeon had never told her exactly who would die.
But she couldn’t admit ignorance in front of a client who meant money.
“Who else? The eldest in the family, of course.”
She improvised, and the man let out a dry laugh through his teeth.
His reaction left Yeon-su’s mouth snapping shut in embarrassment.
As she shifted her eyes around, trying to read the situation, the man suddenly stopped laughing and asked again.
“So, can you see who the marriage partner is?”
A flicker of interest showed on his face.
It was far better than his constant mocking from earlier.
Yeon-su’s confidence, which had shriveled, began to return.
Like she had seen Su-ryeon do, she scattered grains of rice across the small table in front of her.
“Her energy is strong with Water. She’s a woman born in December.”
Then, as if declaring a revelation, she spoke boldly.
“And if I marry someone else?”
“Then your entire family will fall into mourning.”
Caught up in her role, Yeon-su kept tossing the rice dramatically.
“And this woman… how old is she?”
Yeon-su’s mouth froze shut.
It was far too specific a question to make something up on the spot.
“So you’re not prepared to tell me that much?”
The man clucked his tongue openly and shook his head.
‘Of course. So much for being some mystical fortune teller.’
Even words unspoken, Yeon-su felt like she could hear them loud and clear.
She couldn’t let herself be written off as a fraud so easily.
“Ah! The devotion was lacking, yes, lacking.”
“So what, you need more money to reveal her age? Fine, I’ll double the payment.”
The man said it without hesitation.
“It’s not about money. The prayers were lacking.”
Yeon-su raised her voice and shook her head.
“I’ll perform more prayers. Once it’s ready, I’ll send word for you to return.”
Her plan was to stall until Su-ryeon got out of the hospital.
The real Baby Bodhisattva could no doubt see age, maybe even the woman’s face.
And when the man came back, he’d probably bring more money with him.
That would be good for both Su-ryeon and the client.
“And how exactly are you planning to contact me?”
Instead of relenting, the man sneered outright.
“Watch your words. Our baby spirit reveals all. Do not harbor disrespect.”
Yeon-su snapped, raising her voice in reprimand.
The man, who had been retorting at every turn, fell silent and stared at her.
Those dark, unreadable eyes weren’t on her, but on the mask she wore.
‘Did he notice I’m not really the Baby Bodhisattva?’
Yeon-su’s heart dropped.
Even her lips, which had been confidently spouting lines moments earlier, trembled and pressed shut.
A heavy silence blanketed the cramped shrine room.
Then, breaking the stillness, the man spoke again.
“I’ll add ten million won. Write down the fortune for me. Oh, and include the mighty Baby Bodhisattva’s signature too.”
The demand was so unexpected that Yeon-su froze.
‘What do I even write…?’
The man tore a page from his planner and laid it on the table, tapping insistently with one finger as if telling her to hurry.
‘Ten million won for this…’
Her hesitation was brief.
Yeon-su picked up a ballpoint pen rolling on the table and scribbled down exactly what she had just said.
[If you do not marry a woman with strong Water energy, born in December, death will strike your family one after another.]
Her handwriting was neat and round.
Written down, it looked nothing like a divine revelation. More like a child’s play.
Still, relieved it was finally over, Yeon-su handed the paper to the man.
“Don’t forget the signature.”
Instead of taking the paper, he gave the order.
Yeon-su stiffened again.
In an age when you didn’t even sign for small card payments, of course she had never seen Su-ryeon’s signature.
But really, what was a signature compared to ten million won?
She scrawled Baby Bodhisattva across the bottom of the page in a quick, careless hand.
The man stood up as he finally took the paper.
“Wait, hold on. The money.”
The man glanced at her once, then turned away.
“Chief Jeon, let’s go.”
He called for the aide waiting outside and reached for the sliding door.
Startled, Yeon-su scrambled to her feet.
But in her haste, her body refused to cooperate.
Her feet tangled in the long hem of the oversized hanbok.
She stumbled forward, a startled gasp escaping her lips.
Reflexively, the man turned back, and Yeon-su crashed straight into him, clutching his shoulder. Her face landed squarely against his chest.
Thump, thump.
Through the thin shirt, she could hear the steady beat of his heart in her ear.
A faint mix of sweat and woody cologne lingered at her nose.
Her own heart began pounding wildly, betraying her will.
“What are you doing?”
His face hovered above hers, filled with incredulity.
Even his voice was cold as ice.
Yeon-su wanted nothing more than to crawl into a mouse hole and never come out.
Still, she forced herself to lift her head from his chest and say what needed to be said.
“You can’t leave without paying.”
Their eyes met.
His expression was peculiar, almost unreadable.
“The money will be deposited to the account, just as promised.”
It was Chief Jeon who answered, sliding the door open at the commotion.
Fortunately, Yeon-su’s small frame and the man’s large build meant the aide hadn’t witnessed the embarrassing accident.
Flustered, Yeon-su quickly straightened herself.
She cleared her throat awkwardly and turned away.
The man brushed off his suit collar where her hand had touched and walked out.
Only then did Yeon-su finally breathe in relief.
‘That was too close.’
But at least she had carried out Su-ryeon’s request and secured the money.
Yeon-su slapped her cheeks lightly with both palms to loosen the stiffness from her nerves.
She let her face relax into a smile of triumph, only for it to freeze instantly.
The mask.
The baby-faced mask that had been covering her face was gone.
Panicked, she glanced around. There it was, lying by the door.
It must have fallen off during that accident.
“I’m doomed. Completely doomed.”
Yeon-su muttered in despair.
To be continued
Brought to you by Gourmet Scans
Translator: Maize
Editor: Maize
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