---

Jinseong quietly quieted Iarin down before adjusting his posture.

He slowly turned his head to stare at Lee Yang-hoon, who was seated at the table talking with his wives. He examined their foreheads, faces, postures, clothing, and the aura they exuded.

As he gazed, he felt something and turned his eyes back to Iarin, slowly inspecting her from top to bottom.

As if he were scanning her meticulously.

“Huh? Brother, why all of a sudden…?”

The bold gaze made Iarin, who was already flustered by Jinseong’s earlier silence, even more flustered.

However, Jinseong didn’t respond to her bewildered question and continued to fixate on Iserin.

Jinseong’s eyes, which seemed to be dimly drifting in fire, also caught some vague form behind Iserin, and after quietly observing the two, he nodded slowly as if realizing something.

He gradually stood up and stepped outside the stone structure.

The hem of his pajamas brushed against the stone floor, making a noise as he walked toward them, wearing slippers placed beneath the stone with an odd expression on his face.

Jinseong confidently squeezed between Lee Yang-hoon and his wives, dragging an empty chair to sit directly in front of Lee Yang-hoon.

Lee Yang-hoon blinked in surprise as Jinseong suddenly plopped down right in front of him.

But before Yang-hoon could seek to clarify his curiosity, Jinseong abruptly reached out his hand, amplifying his intrigue.

Without saying a word.

Without any signal.

He simply extended his hand flatly as if inviting something to be placed upon it.

Lee Yang-hoon was taken aback, wondering what was going on, and when he saw Jinseong’s piercing stare and his implicitly demanding empty palm, he let out a hollow laugh.

It seemed Jinseong was up to his usual strange antics again.

‘What would he want this time?’

Jinseong was known for indulging in bizarre behavior when they were in the mansion, including acts that appeared utterly grotesque or entirely incomprehensible… genuinely eccentric behavior.

While they accepted Anastasia’s wacky antics without a second thought and even found them somewhat normal, Jinseong regularly carried out similarly peculiar shenanigans that seemed just as odd.

And so, seeing Jinseong suddenly act that way, they merely thought, ‘Here he goes again,’ without sensing anything suspicious.

“Well, it seems like you want something… What should I place upon it?” Lee Yang-hoon asked Jinseong.

Wondering what to set upon the empty palm.

But Jinseong kept his lips tightly shut.

As if he had no intention of speaking.

While Yang-hoon was taken aback, pondering what had gotten into him, he thought, ‘He must have some justification we can’t comprehend,’ rummaging through his pockets.

He was searching for something to place in Jinseong’s outstretched hand.

Then, suddenly recalling his wallet, he thought.

His wallet usually only contained a small amount of cash for emergencies and a couple of cards.

Since anywhere in the Republic of Korea accepts card payments, it had become routine to use cards rather than cash due to frequent large expenses. Plus, it was more convenient to hand a card to the secretary for errands.

However, not long ago, he had received a considerable amount of cash.

He’d taken a trip with his wife to an auction to refine their artistic sensibilities under the guise of a date. Normally, he would buy whatever caught his eye to decorate the mansion, but after being reprimanded by the Great Witch and deciding to revamp the garden, he thought it was more important to hone his eye first rather than recklessly buy everything.

Therefore, he intended to simply look around.

But while perusing, he laid eyes on a necklace made by an unknown jeweler from the 16th century.

It featured a beautiful gemstone decoration handcrafted with Peridot and Aquamarine. Depending on the angle, it resembled a cat’s eye or seemed to capture the light of the sky and forest.

Moreover, its shimmering brilliance filled with countless colors was breathtaking!

Lee Yang-hoon had no choice but to bid on it, almost entranced, and intending to gift the won necklace to his wife.

However… regrettably, the necklace never made it into Lee Yang-hoon’s hands.

It was stolen before it could reach him.

He heard that it had simply vanished from the warehouse as if it had evaporated.

The auction house repeatedly apologized, citing their poor management and pleading him not to disclose this incident. They claimed if the security issue became public knowledge, it could ruin them.

Lee Yang-hoon was indeed angry about not securing the necklace, but seeing the auction house’s attitude, he decided to let it slide. Besides, there was a little strategic mindset in wanting to create good relations with the auction house.

In response to Lee Yang-hoon’s decision, the auction house expressed their gratitude and refunded him in cash, alongside handing over several other necklaces of considerable value to his wives.

In the end, he’d gained a lot.

A decent amount of cash he could use as slush funds, valuable gemstone necklaces, and connections with the auction house.

He had nothing to lose.

If there was any regret, it was the gemstone necklace… but what could he do? There was no way to recreate something stolen.

Thus, his outing came to an end, and as a result, his wallet grew plump.

Not wanting to leave cash just lying around at home for ornamental purposes, he stuffed his wallet with bills. While he didn’t foresee using it much, he figured it didn’t hurt to carry it around rather than letting the bills collect dust at home.

‘Right. There’s cash on hand…’

Lee Yang-hoon took out his wallet and opened it.

He then removed most of the fifty-thousand-won notes, placing them on his palm.

“Is this enough?”

Upon seeing a mountain of fifty-thousand-won notes on his hand, Jinseong nodded slightly and folded the bills, tucking them into his robe. He then grinned and slowly opened his mouth.

“Alright. Having received the payment for services, I shall appropriately share the tale.”

Payment for services?

Lee Yang-hoon glanced at Jinseong, bemused by what he had meant by that.

“Payment for services is the price for wanting to buy the intangible, the item on the opposite end of the balance. Since the payment is more than sufficient, I have no hesitation in mentioning the fortune. How could this not be a blessed event?”

Jinseong slowly scanned Lee Yang-hoon and his wives before speaking again.

“Let’s see. When footsteps are heard, they are short and crisp, like a horse’s hooves. It suggests that someone is wandering around. Although there is a mansion, the body carries little scent of home; thus, it hints at the notion of wandering around multiple places. Additionally, with a salty scent lingering, it suggests crossing the sea, yet it flows salty without any dampness or moisture. It indicates that you will use the sky route rather than the sea route, meaning you intend to board a plane. Am I correct?”

“That being said…?”

Lee Yang-hoon was unable to hide his astonishment at the words flowing from Jinseong’s mouth.

Because they indeed planned to fly.

“Let’s see. The oak overlaps to form the shape of a horse; there are many going, and without a widow, this suggests the couple will not be parting. However, there are neither children nor sprouts above or below, meaning children will be left behind, implying that the couple plans to fly abroad. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s correct. Well, indeed.”

Lee Yang-hoon felt admiration rising within as he listened to Jinseong effortlessly narrate.

The business schedule had been suddenly arranged, leaving both Iserin and Iarin in the dark, yet Jinseong spoke as if he had witnessed it happening right next to him.

It was enough to astonish anyone.

“Let’s see. The designated location the horse is heading towards shows no joy upon its face, burdened with loads, indicating that this is related to work, rather than journeying for leisure. Furthermore, with no harsh weather to be found, it seems they won’t be hindered by a natural disaster or suffer any harm.”

As Jinseong spoke, he clenched his hand in the air.

Clunk.

At that moment, the refrigerator he had casually fashioned for storing elixirs popped open, and several seemingly unremarkable items slowly soared through the air toward him.

Jinseong paired the odds and ends, tearing a piece from his pajama’s hem to wrap around the assorted junk. He then approached Lee Yang-hoon and his wives in silence, plucking a few strands of hair from them, weaving them into a long thread.

Jinseong meticulously wrapped the top of the clothing piece, wriggling the thread like a snake to tie it off.

He aimed to create a shape resembling a talisman pouch.

“There, it is complete.”

“What is this…?”

“It seems there may be some negative energy attaching, so I created a talisman for protection. You must carry this with you until you leave for abroad.”

Jinseong distributed one talisman pouch to each of them.

“Negative energy? Does that mean something bad will happen? Should we cancel our plans…?”

“Canceling would yield little benefit. It may be better than just going, but it won’t eliminate potential harm. Thus, I made these talismans for you. As long as you possess this, you should be able to navigate through anything without any misfortunes.”

He assured both Lee Yang-hoon and his wives that as long as they had the talisman he had made, they would encounter no issues. This reassurance extended to Iserin and Iarin, who had similarly adopted worried expressions.

Jinseong’s confidence seemed to have a significant effect; the large worries that had clouded their faces dissipated. Even if there was a thread of anxiety lingering, thanks to Jinseong’s words, they only felt mildly anxious, easily manageable.

“Hmmm.”

After concluding the reading, Jinseong slowly turned to gaze outside.

The outside held the light characteristic of the evening hour.

It was growing dim as if suggesting the darkness would soon descend upon them, with a mix of blue and red hues painting the world to mark the time.

Seeing this, Jinseong slowly spoke.

“It would be best to take your leave now.”

“Um?”

Iarin, who was seated before him, tilted her head at his words.

A clear dismissal.

A transparent dismissal it was.

“Why? Don’t you want us here?”

With a somewhat pouting tone, she spoke.

As if she wanted to linger a bit longer, protesting against being chased away after a rare reunion.

But Jinseong’s heart remained unmoved by Iarin’s protests.

He simply shook his head slowly from side to side.

“I do not recommend staying here at night.”

The words he spoke sounded eerily foreboding.

 

---