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Chapter 04
River gave off a dominant presence, and the pressure he placed on the other man was intense.
The man, overwhelmed by River’s tall figure looking down at him, stood up without another word.
After he left, Bada sighed in relief.
“Whew, thanks for helping.”
Only then did River slowly remove his arm from her shoulders and wink.
“No problem, ‘darling.’”
Bada shook her head at his shamelessness, but the corners of her lips lifted on their own.
“Though honestly, it looked like you could’ve handled him just fine without me.”
He sat down beside her and examined her with his blue eyes.
Whether it was his deep gaze or the scent coming from him, Bada’s heart began to race.
‘…He really came.’
River had neatly swept back his long black hair. He was wearing a white linen shirt and beige chinos.
He looked luxurious and elegant.
A little different from the slightly wild impression she had of him at first.
‘Is it my imagination, or did he dress up on purpose?’
His eyes fell on the glass in her hand, and suddenly he took it from her.
“Hey!”
He calmly took a sip of her drink and frowned slightly.
“Long Island Iced Tea? What are you, a college student on spring break in Miami?”
“What’s wrong with Long Island Iced Tea? It’s sweet and tasty.”
As she pouted and tried to grab it back, he lifted the glass higher.
“This is a terrible mix of cheap vodka, rum, and tequila. People drink it when their only goal is to get drunk fast.”
“…Is that so?”
“Be careful. If you order this, pests gather.”
“Oh really? Then what are you drinking?”
She nodded toward the crystal glass in his other hand.
“Single malt whiskey.”
She could tell it was an expensive one. Balvenie? No—the strong medicinal smell suggested Laphroaig.
“Ducati and amber whiskey. You’re practically a prince.”
He looked at her silently for a moment, then shrugged.
“Let’s just say I have taste. Unlike someone.”
“Excuse me…?”
Ignoring her glare, he called the waitress.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Two glasses of water, please.”
She blinked. She thought he would order alcohol.
“I want a cocktail.”
“Then one water and one non-alcoholic cocktail. Piña Colada. Sound good?”
At the word non-alcoholic, she stared at him in disbelief.
“A non-alcoholic cocktail is just juice.”
He leaned close and whispered seriously into her ear.
“What makes you think you can drink with me? Do you even know what kind of person I am?”
His cool expression made her heartbeat quicken.
Was that a subtle warning?
“…Why are you being like this? I can control my drinking.”
“I know. I believe you. But tonight, I want to get to know you slowly.”
She let out a low laugh.
He was different from the pushy guys who tried to buy her drinks out of nowhere.
“And by the time we leave here, we might be holding hands. I’d prefer you to be sober. I don’t want you trying to kiss me because you’re drunk.”
“You’re very confident.”
Shaking her head, she asked,
“So what do you do?”
He rested his chin on his hand and smiled.
“Well. Why don’t you guess?”
“Hmm, you do look familiar…”
She studied him carefully.
A breeze from the terrace blew through his hair.
With that unreal face, he could easily be an actor—but she didn’t remember seeing him on screen.
‘He could be cast as Superman tomorrow. But the scar on his neck makes him look like he’s done something dangerous.’
Yet his refined tone and presence felt almost aristocratic.
His eyes sparkled as if he found this amusing.
Bada narrowed her eyes. Every time she met his sharp gaze, her mind went blank from tension.
“Maybe…”
“……”
“An athlete? Hockey?”
“Wrong.”
“Then a luxury brand model? Or a cover model for a romance novel?”
After all, English romance novels often featured male models on their covers.
His looks definitely stirred that kind of fantasy.
But River frowned slightly.
“…That’s not exactly an insult, but why does it feel strange?”
“Then you guess about me.”
River crossed his arms and looked at her steadily.
“Judging by your accent, you studied in the U.S., probably the East Coast. Considering you look young because you’re Asian, mid to late twenties. Maybe you got tired of working and came to Bali.”
“…What? That’s too accurate. Did you investigate me?”
“I just have good observation skills.”
“What are you, Sherlock Holmes?”
She joked, half serious, goosebumps rising at how precise he was.
Just then, the waitress returned with their drinks and asked,
“Here are your drinks. By the way, would you like to participate in our special tarot card reading event?”
Bada’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
“Tarot reading? Here?”
“Yes. A famous tarot reader from Ubud is visiting our club. You draw cards, receive a reading, and then order a food item that matches your card.”
It sounded like marketing to make people order expensive food.
Still, it was interesting.
As if reading her thoughts, River nodded.
“Let’s try it.”
Soon, a woman dressed like a hippie appeared and introduced herself as Esmeralda.
She spread a purple cloth over the table and shuffled the deck.
“You two look wonderful together. Are you here in Bali for your honeymoon?”
“Oh, we’re not like that.”
River sighed dramatically, resting his chin on his hand.
“You called me ‘honey’ earlier. How cruel. So you just want the fun part without responsibility?”
Bada’s eyes widened at his sudden teasing, and she smacked his shoulder.
“What nonsense! Haha, he’s just joking.”
“Fine. I’m hurt.”
“I told you to stop joking. Now I look weird.”
Esmeralda laughed at them fondly and spread the cards in a fan shape.
“Who will go first?”
“Ladies first?”
“Yes, I’ll go.”
“Focus and pick nine cards.”
Bada selected the cards seriously, and River chuckled softly as if she were cute.
Esmeralda flipped over the cards and began reading.
“In the past position, you have the Ten of Wands. Recently, you’ve gone through something very exhausting, physically or mentally. Or you’ve been carrying everything alone and became overwhelmed.”
“Oh, that’s right. I recently quit the company I worked at for years. And my younger brother got into debt, so I had to use all my severance pay to cover it…”
She suddenly closed her mouth, surprised at herself for sharing so much.
There was no need to talk about her financial situation in front of someone she had just met.
“In your present position, you drew The Lovers card. Have you recently met someone who feels like destiny? Perhaps the person sitting next to you.”
At that question, their eyes met in midair.
Under his piercing gaze, Bada’s ears turned pink.
“N-No?”
River mouthed silently, ‘Liar.’
Pretending not to see, she quickly looked back at the cards.
“Really? That’s strange. According to this combination, there is a long karmic connection. It seems to represent the person beside you.”
