Episode 07
The window of the stopped sedan slid down.
It was Jinhyuk who leaned his head out.
“Where are you headed?”
“To the vicinity of Gandeung Pass.”
At Yeonsu’s absentminded reply, Jinhyuk made a suggestion.
“I’m going that way too. I’ll give you a ride. Get in, Ha Yeonsu.”
Only then did Yeonsu’s face show signs of panic.
“No, it’s fine. Really.”
She waved her hands, refusing firmly.
Just then, a bus pulling into the stop honked its horn loudly.
“Come on. Get in, quickly.”
Caught off guard, Yeonsu found herself climbing into the car. She was already late for her meeting with Suryeon, and waiting an hour for the next bus wasn’t feasible. A taxi was too expensive, and canceling the appointment meant leaving Suryeon—still not fully recovered—to spend her birthday alone at the shrine.
“Then… thank you for the ride.”
She fastened her seatbelt politely. Jinhyuk smoothly turned the wheel toward her destination.
A heavy silence filled the car. The woody fragrance lingering inside made Yeonsu glance at him. His profile looked as if it had been drawn with a brush. His long lashes and flawless facial lines struck her as beautiful.
Suddenly, a car swerved recklessly in front of them without signaling. Jinhyuk slammed on the brakes, and Yeonsu lurched forward. At the same moment, Jinhyuk’s right arm shot out, stopping her body.
“Are you all right?”
The brief contact against his chest sent Yeonsu’s heart pounding wildly. Her cheeks flushed before she could stop them.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Unfazed, Jinhyuk steadied the wheel again. Most people would curse in such situations, but he remained calm, which helped Yeonsu’s own heat gradually subside.
Soon, Gandeung Pass came into view. The car had covered the route in no time—what would’ve been a long detour by bus.
She asked casually:
“Do you have business around here, Director?”
The reply made her heart sink.
“There’s a well-known fortune-teller’s house nearby. Ever heard of the Aegi Oracle?”
Yeonsu stiffened instantly.
“No, I haven’t.”
Jinhyuk caught her quick denial with a faint smile.
“Are you headed there now, by chance?”
If so, running into him at Suryeon’s shrine would be a disaster.
“Not today.”
Yeonsu exhaled a silent sigh of relief.
“Still, since we’re in the area, let’s stop by. I’ve been once—it was as impressive as the rumors say.”
“Yes.”
She nodded automatically. But Jinhyuk’s next words widened her eyes.
“They told me I’d get married this year. To a woman born in December, with strong water energy.”
Her heart leapt in alarm.
“When’s your birthday, Ha Yeonsu?”
“…January 18.”
“Ah, so by the lunar calendar, you’re a December-born.”
Yeonsu bit her lip and nodded.
“And earlier, you said your name uses ‘stream’ and ‘water,’ didn’t you? Come to think of it, you fit the prophecy perfectly.”
Her jaw dropped. She had feared he’d recognize her as the Aegi Oracle—yet instead, he was hinting she might be his destined bride.
“What do you think?”
Though spoken lightly, it sounded unsettlingly sincere.
As the car neared Gandeung Pass, Yeonsu finally ventured:
“Director, fortunes are just superstition, aren’t they?”
Jinhyuk’s tone turned cold.
“What exactly do you mean?”
“I just mean… there’s no need to believe in them blindly.”
“So you’re saying the Aegi Oracle swindled me?”
“No, not swindled, just—”
“I paid thirty million won to hear about my marriage. If it’s false, then it’s fraud. I should press charges.”
Yeonsu’s mouth fell open again. Thirty million for one reading—he truly was a VVIP.
“Not just a refund lawsuit. I’d demand full compensation for emotional damages as well.”
The mood had taken a dangerous turn.
“And I’d hire a lawyer with a 100% win record.”
Yeonsu swallowed hard. His smile looked like that of a grim reaper.
After dropping Yeonsu off, Jinhyuk returned to the office. Chief Jeon was waiting and followed him in.
“Director, here’s the report you requested on the Aegi Oracle.”
He laid the file on the desk and began.
“The presumed Aegi Oracle is Min Suryeon, 27 years old. Last school attended: Seodae High.”
Jinhyuk’s sharp eyes scanned the details. After high school, no record of college or employment—only endless hospital visits. A few years back, the hospital records abruptly stopped. Around that time, Min Suryeon rented the house now used as the shrine.
“So this woman is the Aegi Oracle?”
“Not certain, but it seems she may have suffered from spiritual illness, then received initiation and opened a shrine.”
Jinhyuk tapped his fingers on the desk.
“Were her movements on that day confirmed?”
The “day” referred to the one when he himself had visited the Aegi Oracle.
“In the morning, an ambulance was dispatched to that house.”
“What happened?”
“A woman in her twenties was rushed to the hospital with acute appendicitis and underwent emergency surgery.”
Interest flickered across Jinhyuk’s face. That meant Min Suryeon might not have been the one he met. The evidence suggested she was the Oracle, but it wasn’t conclusive.
“Are you sure it was Min Suryeon who had surgery?”
“Yes, positive.”
“Then who was it that I met?”
“I… can’t say.”
Jeon lowered his head in apology. He had thought Jinhyuk met the Oracle, but the Oracle had been in surgery at the time.
“I’ll investigate who impersonated her.”
“No. There’s no need.”
Jinhyuk already knew.
“Keep today’s matter confidential. Especially from the Chairman.”
If Do Joomyung found out, his reaction was predictable.
“Yes, sir.”
When Jeon left, Jinhyuk picked up one of Suryeon’s photos. It was from a high school trip—her arm around a close friend. That friend was someone Jinhyuk knew well.
The image summoned memories of Myungun the Seer. At Chairman Do’s insistence, Jinhyuk had visited him once.
“A great fortune will open for you soon, Director. Until then, heed the Chairman’s words closely.”
After that, Jinhyuk had left without a backward glance. “The Chairman’s words” really meant Myungun’s. And Myungun was the one holding Do Joomyung’s leash.
Do had just barely escaped death, and though his once sharp, solid face still bore traces of illness, he needed something to cling to. That turned out to be Myungun’s grip—a trap Jinhyuk hadn’t realized would last so long.
The bitter memory cracked Jinhyuk’s expression. He combed through Jeon’s report one last time, concluding there was no link between the Aegi Oracle and Myungun.
Only then did relief settle in.
Now, it was time to begin the plan.
