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Chapter 05
At his words, Bada looked confused.
“…Uh, no. We haven’t known each other for that long.”
At Bada’s response, Esmeralda shrugged.
“Well, you might meet a wonderful romantic partner soon. Bali is an island full of love.”
Esmeralda’s tarot reading was surprisingly accurate.
She analyzed Bada’s past state and current feelings, giving her various pieces of advice.
As she wrapped up the reading, Esmeralda pointed to one last card.
“By the way, the final card you drew, The Moon, is quite meaningful. It represents deception and illusion. It’s a warning that someone around you may be deceiving you.”
River coughed at that.
Bada, on the other hand, fell into thought with a serious expression.
Deception? Don’t tell me Yoo Kangsan is causing trouble behind my back again.
Bada had a younger brother, two years younger than her, who had a special talent for business.
A talent for jumping into trends right when they were about to fail.
Kangsan had invested in a tanghulu business just as the trend was dying—and failed miserably.
Mom cried so much that I paid off his debt once. But there won’t be a second time.
While Bada was lost in thought, Esmeralda began reading River’s cards.
“Do you perhaps hold a high position? Or carry a very heavy responsibility?”
“I knew it. You drive a Ducati, you pronounce words like a BBC anchor. And even now, look at you—sitting like you’re posing for an etiquette handbook.”
At Bada’s teasing, River simply crossed his arms and gave a strange smile.
“However, I’m a little concerned about the Death card in your spread. Have you recently witnessed the death of someone close to you?”
The smile disappeared from River’s face instantly.
The cold expression that replaced it seemed to freeze the air around them.
His blue eyes stared quietly at Esmeralda, making her nervous.
“O-Or if not that, perhaps you experienced a major change—something close to death?”
Judging by the atmosphere, it felt as if she had insulted him.
Seeing his frightening expression, goosebumps rose along the back of Bada’s neck.
What went wrong?
The tense silence stretched on until Bada carefully spoke.
“Um… River?”
Only then did River slowly open his mouth.
“That’s impossible….”
One corner of his lips twisted. His eyes were not smiling at all.
“There’s no such thing.”
“O-Oh, I see. I’m sorry. I may have asked something serious too lightly.”
Flustered by his reaction, Esmeralda stumbled over her words as she continued.
“Then let’s move on to the next—”
Just as she was about to flip the remaining cards, River pressed one down with his index finger to stop her.
Esmeralda flinched.
He smiled at her as if to say she shouldn’t be nervous.
But to Bada, that smile felt even scarier.
“I’m not very interested in the past. Anyone can dig up someone’s past if they try. But seeing the future—that’s different.”
“……”
“Let’s check, Esmeralda. Whether you are truly a capable fortune teller.”
Sweat had formed on Esmeralda’s forehead.
She carefully turned over the card.
It showed a tower struck by lightning, burning in flames.
It looked ominous.
After clearing her throat, she spoke cautiously.
“Y-You drew The Tower card. It represents sudden change and the collapse of an existing order. It can mean a great upheaval in your life. But change is not always bad. Sometimes, it marks the beginning of a new chapter.”
River simply stared at her, as if telling her to continue.
“The Tower and the Judgment card appeared together. Perhaps after everything collapses, you will have to make one choice. Whether that choice becomes judgment upon the past—or salvation…”
She steadied her trembling breath and finished firmly,
“Only you would know.”
River lowered his lashes, deep in thought.
The heavy silence lingered for a long time.
Before they knew it, the table was filled with the food they had ordered.
Chicken satay, steak, and a salad sprinkled with Balinese seasoning. Everything looked delicious.
Unsure what to eat first, Bada stabbed an arancini with her fork and asked,
“What did you think about the tarot reading earlier?”
River, who had been sitting with his arms crossed in thought, met her eyes.
“Do you believe it?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if you believe in that kind of superstition.”
“Well, I don’t believe it one hundred percent. But it’s fun to listen to.”
“But you said you worked in investment banking. Don’t people like that analyze everything with numbers and data?”
“That’s true, but actually, some of my colleagues believed in superstitions and rituals. Even deals that were ninety-nine percent certain based on data could collapse because of that one uncontrollable variable.”
Investment banking was like a battlefield where a single mistake could cost billions.
The workload was so extreme that many people quit within two years despite earning huge salaries.
In such a harsh environment, some relied on superstitions or strange routines just to endure.
“So you need self-suggestion?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
River, who had been watching her quietly, suddenly held out his hand.
“Let me read your palm.”
“You know how to read palms?”
“Yeah.”
He quickly grabbed her hand and began examining it.
“Why are your hands so thin and soft?”
“……”
He rubbed her palm with his thumb as if giving her a massage.
With his index finger, he gently traced the bone of her wrist.
A ticklish, electric sensation ran down Bada’s spine.
Startled, she asked,
“…You really know how to read palms, right?”
“Of course.”
By now, they were so close their breaths almost mixed.
Her bare legs under her skirt brushed against his firm thigh.
She quickly looked away—only to notice the thick veins on his strong forearm.
The scent from his solid body was overwhelmingly stimulating.
What would it feel like to be with someone this handsome and built like this?
Heat rushed to the back of her neck as an inappropriate fantasy flashed through her mind.
Under the sticky tropical climate, tangled up with him.
Bada swallowed hard.
Have I lost my mind?
She wasn’t someone who usually indulged in these thoughts. Why now?
Maybe there was some invisible magic in Bali’s air.
Eyes meet, sparks fly, and people easily end up in each other’s arms.
The languid tropical heat.
The freedom of being somewhere no one knows you.
All those elements made it easier to open one’s heart.
And if the man sitting next to you was exceptionally attractive, Bali’s magic only intensified.
You’re probably thinking the same thing.
He lightly brushed her palm with his fingertip like a paintbrush.
She had to hold back a sound from slipping out between her lips.
On the outside he looked neat and gentlemanly, but in the end, didn’t he want to sleep with her too?
After getting what he wanted, he might not even remember her name.
One day she would just be, “that girl from Bali.”
“You’re quite sensitive.”
His voice snapped her back to reality. She answered awkwardly, as if being interrogated.
“…What do you mean?”
“I mean your senses are sharp. Touch, warmth on your skin, sounds….”
As he held her gaze, her pulse beat faster at her wrist.
“Those things stimulate you more than most people.”
Nervous that he might feel her racing heartbeat, she tried to pull her hand away.
But he tightened his grip.
“…Does that show up in palm lines? I don’t see anything.”
“Liar. Your body is telling me everything.”
“……”
His eyes shone intensely like a predator’s.
Did he notice her thoughts?
Her heart pounded as if she had drunk four shots of espresso at once.
“It’s written in your palm.”
“What is?”
“This faint line under your heart line, see? It means you have many words you never say out loud.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“This is your fate line. But if you look closely, this vertical line crosses it.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that at this point, something big will happen that changes the axis of your destiny. How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
He studied her carefully.
“Boyfriend?”
“Of course not.”
“Thinking about marriage?”
“…Shouldn’t I get a boyfriend first?”
The moment she realized she had given him exactly the information he wanted, he pretended to count something in his head.
“Then it’s this year. The turning point where your destiny shifts.”
She looked at him seriously.
“…Really? Well, I did quit my job. I guess I am at a turning point.”
He let out a small laugh, amused.
“Anyway, what should I do when I go back to Korea? I don’t want to work at a company again.”
“When that happens, it’s good to try something new.”
“Something new?”
Resting his chin on his hand, he looked at her.
“Yes. For example—”
“Going on a date with me.”
