Episode 03.
The sedan, heavy yet smooth, glided down the road.
The air conditioner was turned up higher than usual, leaving the cabin almost chilly.
Her body, drenched from climbing mountain-like roads earlier, cooled rapidly.
Assistant Manager Jeon, who kept stealing glances at Jin-hyuk through the rearview mirror, finally asked:
“How was it?”
Jin-hyuk remained expressionless.
“She said the exact same thing my grandfather heard.”
His grandfather, Do Ju-myung, was the chairman of Haenam Construction.
He was a devout believer in fortune-telling.
Not long ago, he had received a bizarre prophecy from a spiritual master named Myung-woon:
If Jin-hyuk didn’t marry this year, Ju-myung—and by extension, Jin-hyuk himself—would die.
Since then, his once-free life had been filled with endless blind-date arrangements.
“Pick anyone. Or do you really want to kill this old man?”
The absurd memory made Jin-hyuk smirk faintly.
Jeon asked cautiously:
“Shall I take you to today’s arranged meeting, then?”
Instead of answering, Jin-hyuk gazed out the window at the towering skyscrapers competing to pierce the sky.
Many bore the logo of Belle HaNam, a luxury brand he himself had launched for Haenam Construction.
They were on the verge of reaching peak recognition—
until his grandfather’s ridiculous prophecy pulled the brakes.
“Skip it.”
Jeon blinked, startled.
“Sir… what?”
“The baby shaman said my match is a woman with strong Water energy. Someone named Esther doesn’t sound like she has any. And her birthday doesn’t match either.”
Jin-hyuk’s expression was almost playful.
Jeon looked like he might cry.
At the Office
Back at the company, Jin-hyuk buried himself in work,
only to be interrupted when the door to the executive office slammed open.
“Do Jin-hyuk, you brat! You skipped another meeting today?!”
It was Chairman Do, fuming with anger.
Jin-hyuk calmly motioned for Jeon to leave.
Then, as he sank onto the sofa, he said:
“I was busy.”
But sitting just then made him appear leisurely, stoking Ju-myung’s fury further.
“What’s wrong with you, boy?!”
“You must be in quite a hurry, Grandfather, to come chasing into my office at lunchtime.”
His calm tone only fueled the fire.
“If you want to live long, you should eat properly, you know.”
Ju-myung’s face turned scarlet.
“How can I eat when you’re holding my lifespan hostage?!”
Jin-hyuk slid a crumpled piece of paper across the table.
“Here. This is Grandfather’s lifespan.”
Ju-myung scowled at the childish handwriting.
Jin-hyuk added:
“I went to see the famous Baby Shaman today—hoping there might be another way to extend your life.”
The old man, who had heard rumors of the shaman’s accuracy, leaned closer despite himself.
“And what did… she say?”
“Exactly what’s written there. If I don’t marry a woman with strong Water energy—born in December, no less—the family will be cursed with misfortune.”
The color drained from Ju-myung’s face.
He left, clearly unsettled, without further protest.
Alone, Jin-hyuk leaned back,
but instead of feeling relief, an image surfaced in his mind:
A woman with clear skin, big eyes widened in surprise, and an oddly calm demeanor despite her disguise.
Why does her face keep lingering like this?
Maybe because she didn’t look like a shaman at all.
