193 – Nymph and the Ugly Chick #3
Myths abound in this world.
I, too, considered fortune-telling and horoscopes as part of those myths.
Though it’s embarrassing to admit, I was the type to easily believe in various superstitions. For instance, the belief that you shouldn’t sleep with your head near a chair—stories like that.
They say if you sleep with your head near a chair, ghosts will sit on it all night, staring at your face.
Some might find such tales laughable, but once you hear them, they can linger in your mind, making you uneasy.
If you wake up from a nightmare, you might start wondering if it was because your head was near a chair.
Anyway,
I was inclined to believe and enjoy such legends and superstitions.
So naturally, when someone asked me if I wanted to have my matrimonial horoscope read, I became curious.
The red thread of Athena.
To find out about my future spouse through that…
Fortune in wealth.
Fortune in love.
Aren’t these two topics universally cherished across time and cultures, regardless of gender or age? Even if one doesn’t entirely believe in them, trying it out for fun isn’t a bad idea.
Soon, Inoi said,
“Inoi has seen many priests of the goddess Athena, and it’s clear that this one is genuinely skilled…! They’ll surely give an accurate divination…!”
If Inoi praised her, it meant we could expect some quality work.
Lady Jo_moreong chuckled.
“Needless to say, famous celebrities and politicians have also visited. But due to confidentiality, I can’t divulge their identities.”
Indeed.
I remembered hearing stories of politicians visiting skilled shamans or monks during election seasons to have their fortunes told.
That’s why Lady Jo_moreong wore expensive designer clothes.
“Normally, having one’s horoscope read costs around 50 million won. But because you’ve helped me in many ways and I want to ask for more favors, I’ll do it for free this time.”
“Whew! Fifty…!”
50 million won!
A jaw-dropping amount of money that could make your chicken sizzle!
Even though I’ve been earning more these days, my wallet wasn’t deep enough to spend such a large sum on love fortune.
How many chickens could that buy?
Before I could finish calculating, Inoi quickly figured it out.
“With that amount, you could buy 1600 chickens priced at 30,000 won each…! If you ate chicken every Friday, it’d last you 30 years…!”
What an astonishing number.
It struck me how enormous 50 million won was, and also surprisingly revealed how chicken now costs 30,000 won per serving.
It’s true—perhaps due to the fifth industrial revolution, prices are skyrocketing every day!
“Hold out your hand, please.”
With a swish,
Following Lady Jo_moreong’s words, I extended my palm.
Is she going to read my palm?
“Your palm lines and fingerprints are quite worn.”
“Yeah, that’s happened naturally. Mostly because I… swing a sword.”
Most physical awakening individuals like me end up with worn-out fingerprints and palm lines.
Lady Moreong observed my hand for a while then clicked her tongue.
“It’s hard to tell from this. Show me your pinky finger. I’ll tie this thread around it and you should clear your mind and close your eyes.”
The thread, thick and soft like wool, was wrapped around my pinky.
The sensation felt oddly familiar.
“Hey, this is….”
“This is spider silk from wolf spiders…! Lady Athena’s specialty was knitting using silk spun by wolf spiders…!”
Indeed.
It reminded me of the spider silk nets that Bang Bang sometimes played with. My intuition wasn’t off the mark then.
No, I shouldn’t be distracted.
Focus.
I closed my eyes and focused.
Before me, a woman cloaked in red silk appeared… black… black… it was all just pitch darkness…
There was no one.
Just an endless abyss, sheer darkness.
Hm?
Does this mean I’m fated to live alone?
“The reaction is unusual. Can you see no one? It happens sometimes, but looking at you, it doesn’t seem like you’re not destined to marry. Maybe this reading failed again…”
When I opened my eyes, Lady Jo_moreong was shaking her head, disapprovingly clicking her tongue. It appeared the divination was unsuccessful.
I wondered how this happened when Lady Jo_moreong started speaking.
“My spiritual powers are almost depleted. I can’t even read simple divinations now. It’s time to pass my duty on to Ari. It would also be better for Ari’s health and safety…”
“Health or safety?”
“Do you know Nietzsche’s words? When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. This phrase truly captures the essence.”
I had heard this before.
Though I don’t fully comprehend its meaning.
Lady Jo_moreong briefly explained.
“Ari can look into the abyss. Meaning, those in the abyss can also see Ari. A shaman is like a sword and the deity served like the wielder.”
Ari is a shaman without a deity to serve.
“The problem is Ari being an unparalleled and well-wielded sword. All sorts of malevolent spirits will come after her. If her fortune is bad, her body might even be possessed.”
I had encountered possession not too long ago.
When my younger sister, Haildo, was possessed by a raccoon demon!
“Until now, I’ve been performing rituals every morning, bringing water, and praying to protect Ari. But even I have reached my limit. How long I can hold on…”
“So, to live healthily, Ari has no choice but to undergo a god descent ceremony?”
I asked.
Lady Jo_moreong then said, “Not necessarily…,” but suddenly widened her eyes as if perceiving something.
Clanging bells rang out in the room.
Strands of thread with bells attached jangled loudly all around the house. It seemed as though a fierce wind had rushed inside.
Of course, all doors and windows were closed, making such a wind improbable.
The door Ari was behind, the Lady started pounding on it.
“Ari! Open the door!”
Bang Bang!
But no matter how hard she pushed and twisted the doorknob, the door wouldn’t budge.
She soon turned to me.
“Hurry and open this door! It could be dangerous to delay!”
With the urgency in her voice, I twisted the doorknob with all my strength.
With a creak, the door broke.
Inside, I found Ari lying sound asleep on the futon.
Isn’t she fine? No trouble here?
I thought that but then Inoi suddenly frowned.
“Something’s off…! Let’s give it a good smack…!”
“Nymph Smash!”
Inoi started pounding on Ari repeatedly. Normally, Ari would have woken up screaming “Aaaargh~!”
But Ari didn’t stir despite Inoi’s aggressive pounding.
Growl!
Kkungkkungi growled, bristling at Ari.
Lady Jo_moreong lifted Ari’s eyelids.
Swish-swish-swish.
Beneath the closed eyelids, Ari’s eyeballs were wildly shaking as if there were an earthquake.
Confused and startled by the strange scene, Lady Jo_moreong spoke.
“It might already be too late. It seems several malevolent spirits have already merged within her…! This won’t do…! Spirits inside, do not trouble my granddaughter! Come out…! Come out…!”
Plunk-plunk-plunk!
Lady Jo_moreong continued throwing salt.
But Ari still didn’t wake up.
From Lady Jo_moreong’s urgent tone, I realized this wasn’t some game or act.
“What should we do!? Is there anything I can help with…!?”
She responded,
“The spirits haunting Ari are yin-heavy malevolent spirits! If exposed to strong yang energy, they might be driven away. Mister Ilto… can you hug Ari tightly…?”
Hug tightly?
That’s something even I could manage.
I firmly hugged Ari.
But Ari was still completely unconscious.
# # #
Yu Ara was a young woman with heightened sensitivities.
Since childhood, she could hear whispers and murmurs.
Sometimes, she heard direct conversations.
“Push that girl’s back hard…!”
Mostly, these were negative things.
Ara found it curious that she alone could hear these voices.
She also knew she shouldn’t pay attention to them.
After all, they were “just stories,”
mere voices incapable of causing any harm.
However, recently, it was different.
Her body felt sluggish and recovery was delayed.
She thought it might be due to the injuries sustained from her clash with Seo Ye-rim or perhaps from deliberately invoking the so-called “god of chaos,” Apophis, into her body.
Today, when Haildo visited her home, Ara’s embarrassment surged, pounding her heart.
The feeling of secrets hidden deep inside suddenly exposed to others—
The whispers around Ara grew louder, and eventually, unable to bear it, she stomped her foot and rushed into her room.
I’ll be fine if I block my ears and sleep.
Thinking this way, Ara closed her eyes.
She then felt Haildo embracing her tightly and shouting something.
However, the words were unclear, and she couldn’t respond.
As if pressed by a ghost.
“Ar-ya!”
Then someone shouted loudly.
She felt a sharp sting on her face and warm blood trickling down.
Ara crashing to the floor.
Seo Ye-rim, with her hair tied back, smirked at Ara.
“There’s no place for daydreaming during sparring. This is your mistake. And I’ve won. Yu Ara, you’re really absent-minded, aren’t you? Don’t grab my ankle in an actual fight.”
Seo Ye-rim in her military uniform gave off a familiar vibe.
Soon, Ara wiped the blood streaming from her nose with the back of her hand and looked around.
“…Nonsan Training Center”
This was the Nonsan Training Center.
And on her old military uniform was a brooch with two bars, marking the second week of training.
