Epilogue 15

Epilogue 15

An alleyway in Apgujeong Rodeo.

Andre furrowed his brow, squinting at the sign attached to the second floor of a convenience store.

“…Saju Gonggam. Saju?”

He arched an eyebrow as if the word were entirely foreign to him.

“How should I explain this? Um, Saju is… well, it’s predicting your future destiny based on your birth date and time. There’s a master named Yeondam at that Saju cafe, and they’re a very gifted fortuneteller.”

Upon hearing her explanation, Andre looked down at her with a slightly unimpressed expression.

It wasn’t as if the West lacked similar traditions.

While walking through the secluded alleys of Manhattan, he’d often spotted signs for ‘Psychic Reading.’ He had also passed street fairs where women dressed as gypsies, draped in cheap bracelets, told fortunes using crude crystal balls or worn-out Tarot cards.

Andre simply couldn’t fathom the psyche of people who believed in things like horoscopes or prophecies.

To him, the future wasn’t determined by a birth date or a deck of illustrated cards; it was an extension of one’s current choices and actions. Therefore, the only person who decided the future was himself.

“Miran. Only swindlers charge money to predict the future. You shouldn’t believe in things like that.”

Andre advised her gently, but Miran ignored him and pulled on his hand.

“Don’t be like that, just follow me. I didn’t believe in this stuff before either, but I’m telling you, there’s a reason people go.”

Letting out a sigh, he shrugged his shoulders as he was reluctantly dragged along.

Since they had time to kill before dinner anyway, he figured watching the spectacle once for entertainment would be harmless enough.

—

The small bell chimed at the entrance, a telephone sat atop the table, and the savory scent of coffee beans mingled with the acrid smell of cigarette smoke. The Saju cafe looked exactly the same as it had two years ago.

Miran and Andre took a seat by the window and waited for their turn over coffee.

After about thirty minutes, Master Yeondam approached their table and pulled up a spare stool. Dressed in a yellow-ochre checkered short-sleeved shirt with an ’88’ brand cigarette tucked behind his ear, he still reeked of stale tobacco.

Placing a black file stuffed with Saju reading sheets on the table, Yeondam took a pair of rimless reading glasses from his shirt pocket and perched them on the bridge of his nose. He looked at the pair with curious eyes before recognizing Miran.

“You’re back.”

Her eyes widened.

“I only came here once, two years ago—you actually remember me!”

Fingering the cigarette behind his ear, he motioned toward his own face with his palm.

“Your mask. You have the kind of face that sticks in the mind once I’ve seen it. Back then, didn’t you say you were an aspiring celebrity? When I told you that you’d connect with a foreigner and live abroad, you stormed out in a huff.”

Miran’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t expected him to remember even that level of detail.

“I… I didn’t know any better back then. I’m sorry.”

As she apologized with a reddened face, Yeondam glanced at Andre and pulled out two Saju reading sheets.

“I take it you’re here for a compatibility reading.”

“Yes, that’s right! The reading you gave me back then was so accurate. This gentleman doesn’t believe in this sort of thing, so I practically dragged him here.”

“He’s a foreigner, so it’s only natural he doesn’t know what Saju is. Now, does this man speak any Korean?”

“I do.”

Andre answered the question directed at Miran in a cold, clipped voice. His gaze was frosty, his face practically a canvas of disbelief.

Miran laughed awkwardly and quickly provided their names and the dates and times of their births. With a black felt-tip pen, Yeondam began to write down the Saju-palja (the Eight Pillars of Destiny) without a moment’s hesitation.

“Good grief. Why even bother with a compatibility reading? There’s no need to look at it.”

“Really?”

Miran blinked and asked back.

“It’s a perfect match. Your fates were entwined the year before last, and last year you had the fortune to move in together. So, did you end up going abroad?”

Miran nodded her head vigorously.

“Yes, yes! I went to New York for language studies last year. Oh, and I quit acting and got a job as a flight attendant.”

“Good move. Ms. Kang Miran, your chart shows a strong Jeongjae-gyeok (Fixed Wealth) with a heavy influence of Pyeonin (Indirect Resource), and you’ve got Yeokmasal—the wanderlust star—woven into your destiny. Being a flight attendant isn’t bad, but you won’t do it forever. Yours is a fate where life gets tangled if you stay in your hometown, but truly blossoms the moment you leave.”

For a split second, Miran and Andre’s eyes met. He looked slightly taken aback before quickly masking his expression and crossing his arms.

Yeondam picked up the sheet for Andre’s reading.

Deviant — Epilogue 15.1

An alleyway in Apgujeong Rodeo.

Andre furrowed his brow, squinting at the sign attached to the second floor of a convenience store.

“…Saju Gonggam. Saju?”

He arched an eyebrow as if the word were entirely foreign to him.

“How should I explain this? Um, Saju is… well, it’s predicting your future destiny based on your birth date and time. There’s a master named Yeondam at that Saju cafe, and they’re a very gifted fortuneteller.”

Upon hearing her explanation, Andre looked down at her with a slightly unimpressed expression.

It wasn’t as if the West lacked similar traditions.

While walking through the secluded alleys of Manhattan, he’d often spotted signs for ‘Psychic Reading.’ He had also passed street fairs where women dressed as gypsies, draped in cheap bracelets, told fortunes using crude crystal balls or worn-out Tarot cards.

Andre simply couldn’t fathom the psyche of people who believed in things like horoscopes or prophecies.

To him, the future wasn’t determined by a birth date or a deck of illustrated cards; it was an extension of one’s current choices and actions. Therefore, the only person who decided the future was himself.

“Miran. Only swindlers charge money to predict the future. You shouldn’t believe in things like that.”

Andre advised her gently, but Miran ignored him and pulled on his hand.

“Don’t be like that, just follow me. I didn’t believe in this stuff before either, but I’m telling you, there’s a reason people go.”

Letting out a sigh, he shrugged his shoulders as he was reluctantly dragged along.

Since they had time to kill before dinner anyway, he figured watching the spectacle once for entertainment would be harmless enough.

—

The small bell chimed at the entrance, a telephone sat atop the table, and the savory scent of coffee beans mingled with the acrid smell of cigarette smoke. The Saju cafe looked exactly the same as it had two years ago.

Miran and Andre took a seat by the window and waited for their turn over coffee.

After about thirty minutes, Master Yeondam approached their table and pulled up a spare stool. Dressed in a yellow-ochre checkered short-sleeved shirt with an ’88’ brand cigarette tucked behind his ear, he still reeked of stale tobacco.

Placing a black file stuffed with Saju reading sheets on the table, Yeondam took a pair of rimless reading glasses from his shirt pocket and perched them on the bridge of his nose. He looked at the pair with curious eyes before recognizing Miran.

“You’re back.”

Her eyes widened.

“I only came here once, two years ago—you actually remember me!”

Fingering the cigarette behind his ear, he motioned toward his own face with his palm.

“Your mask. You have the kind of face that sticks in the mind once I’ve seen it. Back then, didn’t you say you were an aspiring celebrity? When I told you that you’d connect with a foreigner and live abroad, you stormed out in a huff.”

Miran’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t expected him to remember even that level of detail.

“I… I didn’t know any better back then. I’m sorry.”

As she apologized with a reddened face, Yeondam glanced at Andre and pulled out two Saju reading sheets.

“I take it you’re here for a compatibility reading.”

“Yes, that’s right! The reading you gave me back then was so accurate. This gentleman doesn’t believe in this sort of thing, so I practically dragged him here.”

“He’s a foreigner, so it’s only natural he doesn’t know what Saju is. Now, does this man speak any Korean?”

“I do.”

Andre answered the question directed at Miran in a cold, clipped voice. His gaze was frosty, his face practically a canvas of disbelief.

Miran laughed awkwardly and quickly provided their names and the dates and times of their births. With a black felt-tip pen, Yeondam began to write down the Saju-palja (the Eight Pillars of Destiny) without a moment’s hesitation.

“Good grief. Why even bother with a compatibility reading? There’s no need to look at it.”

“Really?”

Miran blinked and asked back.

“It’s a perfect match. Your fates were entwined the year before last, and last year you had the fortune to move in together. So, did you end up going abroad?”

Miran nodded her head vigorously.

“Yes, yes! I went to New York for language studies last year. Oh, and I quit acting and got a job as a flight attendant.”

“Good move. Ms. Kang Miran, your chart shows a strong Jeongjae-gyeok (Fixed Wealth) with a heavy influence of Pyeonin (Indirect Resource), and you’ve got Yeokmasal—the wanderlust star—woven into your destiny. Being a flight attendant isn’t bad, but you won’t do it forever. Yours is a fate where life gets tangled if you stay in your hometown, but truly blossoms the moment you leave.”

For a split second, Miran and Andre’s eyes met. He looked slightly taken aback before quickly masking his expression and crossing his arms.

Yeondam picked up the sheet for Andre’s reading.

“As for Mr. Andre… let’s see. Huh, peculiar. Gwansal-honjap (Mixed Authority). On the outside, he looks strong and flashy, like a life of grand success, but if you actually look inside, he’s destined for a lifetime of loneliness and solitude because he lacks deep connections. That is, until…”

He overlapped the two sheets and gave a subtle smirk.

“If left alone, he was the type to live out his days in isolation, but because Kang Miran acts as his Cheoneul-gwiin (Heavenly Nobleman), his fate has been completely overturned. According to the charts, the two of you are a predestined match. What people call a match made in heaven.”

Miran’s smile stretched from ear to ear.

“So… you’re saying I’m Andre’s ‘Noble Person’?”

Yeondam slapped his knee.

“Noble, indeed. Shall I tell you something even better? From the moment Mr. Andre met you, his Dae-un (Great Luck) opened wide. Promotions, business expansion, even financial fortune. And through him, Ms. Kang Miran’s status rises; your destiny elevates to that of a high-born lady.”

He perched his reading glasses higher on the bridge of his nose and scrutinized Andre with a sharp gaze.

“Kang Miran holds the Saeng-gi (Life Force) of your destiny, Andre. Do you understand what that means? It means she holds your mental and spiritual lifeline. You might look perfectly fine on the outside, but without her, you are bound to collapse. So, you must cherish your Heavenly Nobleman for the rest of your life.”

A brief silence hung over the table.

Andre, who had been listening in silence, blinked with a stiff expression. Across a face that rarely betrayed emotion, disbelief and confusion flickered in turns. He caught Miran’s eye.

“Miran, did you perhaps—”

She shook her head immediately.

“I haven’t been here since I came with Jieun back in ’95. I swear!”

Leaving Andre to shake his head and furrow his brow in disbelief, Miran pressed on with another question.

“What about the wedding? When would be the best time to hold it?”

Yeondam scanned the Saju sheets and pointed to two spots.

“March and October of this year. In March the flowers bloom, and in October the fruit ripens. The harmony of Yin and Yang is balanced, making them auspicious months for marriage. Since March has already passed, October would be best. Somewhere between Hanro and Sanggang. That would be around mid-October on the solar calendar.”

Miran let out a startled gasp.

“We already filed our marriage registration in March!”

“You chose a good time. Congratulations.”

“Thank you! Oh, and one more thing. Um… what about children?”

Yeondam tilted his head as he looked down at the sheets.

“We look at the Siksin and Sanggwan for children, and the energy itself has been flowing in since last year. You ought to be careful.”

Miran bit her lip and bowed her head before looking up again.

“Will it be a girl or a boy?”

“I’m not a fortuneteller; I can’t know that for sure. However, what I can see is—”

She swallowed hard.

Even Andre, who had been sitting with his arms crossed and a skeptical look, held his breath and listened intently.

“Children are rare in this chart. One, maybe two?”

Yeondam pointed to a few characters scribbled on Andre’s sheet.

“Mr. Andre has a strong Pyeongwan and a weak Siksin. If a son has a strong sense of independence, he’ll feel suppressed by his father and rebel, creating a distance that’ll cause some heartache. If it’s a daughter, they’ll get along relatively well.”

“What about me? Who will I get along with?” Miran interjected quickly.

“As for Ms. Kang Miran… whether it’s a son or a daughter, the affection will be deep. Even though they are your children, they’ll follow their mother like a friend. You have the fate of having two devoted children who will gladly step up to repay your kindness later in life.”

Miran’s brown eyes shimmered as she clasped her hands together as if in prayer, a blissful smile on her face.

Yeondam slid the Saju sheets toward the center of the table.

“I see that Ms. Kang Miran has fortune for going abroad again in August, so you’ll be heading back out. Where are you two going to live?”

“New York!” Miran answered instantly.

Yeondam nodded, stood up from his seat, and offered a benevolent smile.

“A good place to go. Live healthily and happily. Once the child is born, come find me again and I’ll read their Saju for you. May you two live happily together until your hair turns white in that far-off land.”

—

Clinging to Andre’s arm as they stepped out of the Saju cafe, Miran giggled.

“That was fun, right? Don’t you think Master Yeondam was incredibly spot-on?”

He looked down at her, tilting his head slightly.

“So, does this mean you’re coming to New York in August and we’re having the wedding in October?”

Miran nodded enthusiastically.

“Yep. Let’s do it!”

Andre let out a soft chuckle.

“Knowing the future… isn’t so bad after all.”