I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 8

What’s the most important thing in starting a business?

Industry? Location? Sales strategy?

Of course, to become a successful entrepreneur, all of that is important.

“After all, the most important thing is capital.”

With money, you can choose a good industry, secure a great location, and devise effective strategies, right?

But here I am, Namgoong Min, broke as can be, with not even enough cash to buy myself dinner.

So what do I need right now? Naturally, a kindhearted person willing to generously hand out cash!

“So, could you spare some money?”

“…Huh?”

In other words, “Give it.”

Hand over the money.

“……Namgoong Min, I think I misjudged you.”

“Oh really? What kind of misjudgment?”

“You asked for money so casually, I thought you were expecting me to lend you some.”

Namgoong Min barging in with a demand for cash left the good-natured Liu Yan dumbfounded.

Inside Romance Academy, in the prearranged office, Liu Yan was faced with an unexpected guest.

How did he even find this place? With a beaming smile, Namgoong Min naturally requested money from her as if he was fetching something he had left behind.

Liu Yan was so taken aback it almost made her want to leave.

“Ask for money? From me?”

“Of course.”

“…Ha, ha.”

Perhaps it was due to his cheerful demeanor that Liu Yan smiled back, flipping her long hair over her shoulder as she spoke.

“Name: Namgoong Min, age: 20. Birthday: July 17. Born in a middle-class family in the capital of the Unified Daehan Empire, Seoul. Occupation: ‘Fortuneteller.’ However, after my father’s business failure, my family fell apart, and by the age of 12, my parents committed suicide. I was placed in a facility and grew up until I turned 18, then took the GED at 19, and enrolled in <Romance Academy> this year.”

“………….”

“Anything else to add?”

Smirk.

Having finished her statement, Liu Yan flashed a malicious smile. Well, it must feel refreshing to unveil the background of a suspicious character after doing some digging.

Though her suspicions weren’t entirely resolved, at least she knew I wasn’t a hidden instructor of the Academy or some minion with ill intentions.

Um, well, if I had to find something to say after hearing that…

“Umm, you’re quite quick, aren’t you?”

“………What did you say?”

But that might be a bit troublesome.

Liu Yan’s excessive suspicion is a problem, but the fact that it’s dwindling presents an even bigger issue.

The only people she suspects are those who could cause her ‘harm,’ so if my doubts lessen, I’m highly likely to be dismissed as just a ‘useful idiot’ who can do fortune-telling.

‘I thought about this multiple times in the game… it really is bothersome.’

Despite her beautiful appearance, she’s truly a hassle. She just jumps to conclusions and suspects without questions, only to treat me like an idiot when proven harmless. If there’s something off, her suspicion intensifies?

The fundamental reason lies in her need to strictly categorize people as either idiots or suspicious ones… and there’s no middle ground.

Even Lucas Arthur, my childhood friend, isn’t exempt from suspicion, albeit to a lesser extent.

Honestly, I’m just amazed that there’s a character event to correct her paranoia.

But thankfully, reviving her suspicion isn’t that difficult.

“Then I guess you know I’m an only child, huh?”

“Ha! Of course.”

“Great, that’s settled.”

“………….”

I just have to pretend like I know something worthwhile.

Liu did the background check and spilled it in front of me, and I’m standing there shrugging it off like it’s nothing?

Her suspicion engine would have to rev up once more. She’s probably considering the possibility that my investigation was incorrect or false information or hidden details, and so on.

‘Honestly, I didn’t expect her to investigate so quickly.’

In the game, once her ‘suspicion gauge’ reaches a certain level, an event triggering Liu to investigate the player is initiated.

But this is reality, and we’ve only known each other for less than two hours before she looks into my whole life? It’s no wonder I’m shaking in my boots.

Especially when my life resembles the reality we share, which only adds to the confusion.

‘No mention of that cultist jerk, though.’

Liu only mentioned my parents’ business failure leading to their suicides, with no word about the scummy fortuneteller who manipulated them.

Given that my job is ‘Fortuneteller,’ if she realized another fortuneteller was behind my parents’ suicides, there’s no doubt she’d use that as a provocation.

But the fact she didn’t mention it implies she doesn’t know either.

‘If the rich tycoon Liu Yan investigated and didn’t find out? That probably means no one approached me in this world either.’

So, even if she dug into my past, she’d only find out about my life that mirrors my own.

I wasn’t even aware of my past, so perhaps I should be grateful that she’s breaking it down so kindly.

‘And to top it off, I’m an only child?’

I may be dirt poor and complain a lot, but at least I have a blood-related younger sister, Namgoong Jisoo.

If she had a sister here too, I’d be a bit nervous, but then again, considering she’s the game developer, there’s no way she’s here.

‘There’s really nothing to be scared of with my past.’

In fact, let her investigate all she wants. There’s nothing left to uncover.

The more she digs, the deeper her suspicion would grow.

“By the way, could you please lend me some cash?”

“……You keep going on about money. Why on earth should I give you any?”

“Well, you did get a fortune from me, didn’t you?”

“But so what?”

“Then that means you owe me a fee.”

Liu stared at me, still smiling, as I gestured taking money.

To be honest, seeing her up close, she was truly pretty. The issue is that her paranoia overshadows that charm.

“Fee?”

“Of course. You should know as a Chinese person, right?”

The ‘fee’ (卜債). The money given to a fortune teller after getting a reading.

In the East, the origin of fortune-telling generally traces back to China. Essentially, Eastern divination stems from theories like Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, and Heavenly Stems, all originating in China.

Even the esteemed Confucius studied a form of fortune-telling known as the I Ching (周易), forming the basis for the famous Four Pillars of Destiny (四柱八字).

Thus, as the birthplace of Eastern fortune-telling, China has developed such practices and is well-acquainted with the concept of fees.

Of course, in modern Korea… no, the Unified Daehan Empire, whether tarot or face reading, it’s standard to pay a fee after a reading. But what I’m discussing now is slightly different.

“Are you really not planning to give any?”

At its essence, divination is a Q&A session. The client asks, and the fortune teller answers.

If it stopped there, the client gains answers, but the fortune teller ends up with nothing.

That’s why fortune tellers tell their clients, “If you don’t pay a fair price, your blessings will be taken from you.”

In the East, fortune tellers are almost viewed as agents of supernatural beings like gods or ancestors, thus leveraging that authority to receive compensation.

‘So, not paying means you’re saying it’s fine if misfortune comes my way, right?’

While the West has somewhat different connotations… ultimately, Liu Yan, being Chinese, can’t escape that mindset.

What if she decides to dismiss everything? If she believes in her ancestors and gods, and doesn’t owe me anything since I’m not genuinely fortune-telling, my plans might completely derail.

But I wasn’t too worried.

“……No, I won’t.”

“Thank you.”

Given Liu Yan’s severe paranoia, she would likely reach the conclusion that it’s best to just pay the fee.

If she pays the fee, it’s a natural transaction between a client and fortuneteller, but not paying would leave uncertainty about what I might do next, fueling her suspicion.

Liu Yan wasn’t foolish enough to choose the option that would only compound her worries.

“Well then, how much do you need? 10,000 yuan? 20,000 yuan?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not much.”

Is this what it means to be a rich tycoon? Watching 10,000 yuan (about 1,800,000 KRW) or 20,000 yuan (around 3,600,000 KRW) flow so easily from her pocket is astounding.

Of course, it’s neither 10,000 nor 20,000 yuan, but the fee for the reading is already determined.

“Well, just how much do I have to stuff my face before I’m satisfied—”

“One million yuan.”

“───What?”

“Neither more nor less, just one million yuan will do.”

I answered casually while shrugging.

One million yuan equals approximately 180 million KRW?

That’s the reasonable amount I felt Liu should pay for the reading. It is indeed a lot of money, but not overly burdensome for her either.

So if I receive the cash, I can head straight to the marketplace…

“Are you out of your mind?”

“……Um? I’m not following you.”

However, contrary to what Namgoong Min anticipated—that Liu would flip her wallet and throw out 180 million KRW—her face flushed with rage as she glared at him.

Uh-oh, she’s coming off as quite cheeky?

“Only for guessing what’s inside a box? One million yuan?!”

“If it ended there, one million would be a joke; even 100 yuan would be enough.”

“Well then, that settles it.”

“But it didn’t end there, did it? You used me, didn’t you?”

“……….”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

…Did she really think I could be so clueless? If so, I’d be kind of let down.

I turned my gaze to Liu, whose face showed disappointment and shock, focusing on her left hand.

Missing from her ring finger was her ring.

“You originally showed me the ring you wore on that finger… and I mentioned there were several small jewels inside.”

“……….”

“You took out all the jewels and sold them, didn’t you? Not to mention the enchanted box with an unknown value, and the broken pendant you couldn’t open—you showed them to assess their worth and sold them, didn’t you?”

“…….”

“That should add up to three million yuan. I was being reasonable, only asking for one million yuan, but you’re deceiving me.”

Based on my (not real) reading, if she made around three million yuan, shouldn’t she at least give me something in return, right?

Still, considering I swindled her based on my game knowledge, I thought it was fair to only ask for one-third.

“You’re being a bit miserly for a tycoon, aren’t you?”

Crackle. Snap.

“Now, let me ask again.”

Click. Snap.

Though I felt slightly disappointed by her stinginess… everyone deserves a chance for redemption, right?

I smiled as innocently as possible at the Liu, who was making strange sounds from her teeth.

“Could you lend me some cash?”

Snap. Crack.

Crack. Snap.

Snap.

*

“……Come here.”

As the sun set, only the faint moonlight crept into the office.

In the midst of the disheveled and trashed office, Liu Yan, with bloodshot eyes, whispered under her breath.

Click.

Right after she spoke, the tightly shut door to the side room swung open.

“……You called?”

“Come here.”

“…Yes?”

“That fortuneteller jerk, Namgoong Min. Find out everything about him.”

“……So you want me to investigate again?”

“No.”

Liu Yan turned her head towards the door. Her bloodshot eyes gleamed in the dim office.

Filled with malice, insanity, and suspicion, her gaze overflowed.

“Get closer to him. Whether it be by chance, friendship, romance, or whatever, just get close. Find out everything—his past, character, mannerisms, background, job, habits, etc.”

“……….”

While it’s fairly normal to inquire about habits and background, a request to find out his past, job, and character when she already learned them through investigation? Why?

But the person beyond the door made a wise decision not to question it and remained silent.

“If you accomplish that, I’ll erase all debts. And you’re a student of Romance Academy, so you can manage, right?”

“…Understood.”

Clack.

The reply was brief; the door to the side room closed, leaving only an eerie silence in the office.

With only the softly shining moonlight and silence beside her, Liu focused her red eyes solely on one place.

The profile of Namgoong Min that she received by bribing an Academy insider and the information gathered from his investigation.

She fixated her gaze on the photo of him embedded among those details, staring intensely.

“………….”

Liu Yan began, as usual.

To suspect, and to suspect again.