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Jinseong held back his words about the other two.

They hadn’t even appeared yet, and there was no certainty that they would make an appearance in the already changing future.

And even if he spoke of them now, it would hold no significance.

So, he left the two as playful elements to amplify their curiosity and instead took out a bundle of cards from his pocket.

If you received payment for services, you had to provide divination.

It was time to read their fortunes.

“Now, let’s wrap up the story here… and proceed with the divination.”

Jinseong smiled and placed the bundle of cards on the table.

Then, arranging the cards that were initially fanned out in a semicircle, he stacked them again in a similar fan shape, ensuring they overlapped. Once he confirmed the cards were stacked neatly, he slowly brought his hands above the fan.

Swooosh.

And then, he began to shuffle the cards.

The order of the fan-shaped cards transformed into chaos as they scattered in all directions, spreading without any semblance of order.

When the table became a mess, Jinseong finally removed his hands and crossed his arms.

“The preparation is complete. Now, Frau Laich, you may go first.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Agnes looked at Jinseong with a silent expression, questioning why she had to go first.

“The reason is simple: Frau Laich is standing right in front of me.”

“Oh.”

But the reason wasn’t grand at all.

It was simply because she was the closest.

If the order didn’t matter, wouldn’t it be better to start with the person closest?

Realizing there was no elaborate reason, Agnes shyly fiddled with her hair.

“So, what should I do?”

“The method is simple. Just reach your hand out to the table. You can use your dominant hand.”

“Over the bundle of cards?”

“No. Please stop at a suitable distance so your hand doesn’t touch the cards. Yes, just reach out into the air, leaning a bit closer to the table. Naturally, feel as if the table’s gravity is gently guiding your hand down… Yes, that’s it. Now close your eyes. Relax your body and focus on your arm. Though your body is relaxed, your mind should be directed toward your arm….”

Jinseong slowly guided Agnes, speaking in a manner that almost felt hypnotic.

“Imagine your arm as a tree. Its roots are entangled around your shoulder in a rounded shape. The trunk extends outwards, and at the end are your fingers. Picture invisible fruits blooming at the tips of your fingers. The fruit may appear hazy, but it clearly exists, feeling oddly different in temperature as if it tickles the fingertips… This fruit starts to blend together until it fits snugly in your palm.”

“Yes….”

“Carefully grasp that fruit. Hold it so lightly that it feels as if it will burst if you grasp too tightly. Slowly, gently move your fingers. They should curl, and you’ll start to feel the texture in your palm. And at this peculiar sensation, right now… yes. Stop at this moment.”

“….”

“Now, you are holding the fruit in your hand. It’s a plump, ripe fruit that seems ready to fall to the ground. As the fruit ripens, the branch begins to droop. Guided by the force of gravity, the branch slowly starts to bend. The fruit is precariously hanging, about to drop. You’re holding onto it, trying to prevent it from falling, but it’s so soft that it seems it will burst if you apply the right amount of pressure. Thus, you pour all your nerves into keeping that fruit from falling…. And then, the branch starts to shake.”

“….”

“The branch begins to sway slightly. A breeze too weak to damage a grown tree is enough to make your fingers tremble. The fruit starts slipping from your fingertips. You apply pressure, but the fruit slips away. Did your fingers dig into the soft skin? The fruit half-bursts and falls to the ground. Drawn by gravity, it heads for the floor. You move the branch to catch it. The fruit hangs at a perilous distance, as if it could be grabbed at any moment. The fruit continues to drop, and finally… it hits the ground.”

As Jinseong continued speaking, he slowly brought his hands to the sides of Agnes’s ears.

Then, after enough distance, he clapped loudly.

Snap—!

Agnes was pulled from the trance as Jinseong made a sound that almost broke her eardrums.

“Ahhh!”

Clatter!

Agnes jolted, nearly toppling over in her chair.

If she hadn’t had good coordination, she might have actually fallen backward.

“Y-you startled me….”

Agnes glared at Jinseong, placing a hand on her chest to calm her racing heart.

Perhaps it was her surprise or the thought of making such a fuss that made her cheeks flush slightly, her breathing becoming rapid.

“Haha, I apologize. Since you’re not accustomed to divination and seem to have some doubts about it, I intentionally prescribed an extreme remedy.”

Jinseong chuckled at Agnes’s grumbling complaints.

This wasn’t just a prank; it was part of the divination process.

“As proof… see? The cards have been splendidly chosen, haven’t they?”

He smiled, picking out the cards that Agnes had touched.

From the cards she had placed on the table in a daze to the ones she had touched in surprise.

There were a total of ten cards.

Jinseong moved aside the scattered cards and began to arrange the selected ones into a shape.

He took one card and placed it at the top, then two beneath that, three under those, and four at the bottom.

It formed a pyramid shape from the cards.

“This represents the symbolic diagram of Eden before the fall of man. It was used by the Golden Dawn, symbolizing primitive purity and the happiness of ignorance. It suits you well, being unfamiliar with fortune-telling, Frau Laich.”

“Golden Dawn… I think I’ve heard of it…”

“It’s a famous group that operated in Europe, so it shouldn’t be entirely foreign to you. This diagram was often provided to new members there, tightly woven with mystical symbols connected to Kabbalah.”

Jinseong slowly began to flip over the cards while explaining their layout.

However, instead of flipping them all in order from top to bottom, he started with the cards in the middle, leaving everyone puzzled about his criteria for flipping them.

All the cards were eventually flipped, revealing a peculiar sight.

Or rather, it could be said to appear chaotic.

From playing cards to tarot cards, even bizarre illustrations that seemed to belong nowhere.

All sorts of cards had been flipped over.

And that wasn’t all.

Even the flipped cards weren’t all of the same kind.

Some tarot cards had different illustrations, making it truly look like a complete mess.

Jinseong observed this and nodded, realizing something as he looked at Agnes.

Agnes regarded the chaotic display of cards with a questioning gaze, ‘Is this right?’

Though her disbelief was not great, likely due to her perception that Jinseong was a capable shaman.

“Now, examining the fortune…. Flow. Currently, Frau Laich can be compared to a butterfly resting with its wings folded.”

“A butterfly?”

“Yes. A butterfly.”

Jinseong slowly laid out the fortune, emphasizing the word “butterfly” so it resonated clearly, speaking at a leisurely pace that wasn’t boring.

He aimed to capture Agnes’s attention with his words.

“From the looks of the fortune, it seems you’re quite the traveler, Frau Laich. You appear to have wandered throughout the world, as suggested by the readings. However, just because one travels well doesn’t mean they all share the same essence. Some may enjoy traveling purely for the experience, while others might wander to leave their mark on the world. Some may travel for pilgrimage, others for work, and some may have no choice but to roam aimlessly. There are many diverse reasons for wandering the world.”

“….”

“Thus, travelers can be likened to countless different expressions: pilgrims, wanderers, desert drifters, dandelion seeds, clouds, fish, untied leash dogs, birds, and so on….”

Jinseong paused for a moment, then smiled.

“But among all those metaphors, one stands out. You, Frau Laich, are a butterfly.”

“Why is that?”

“You wander the world without any creed or obsessive goal, so you aren’t a pilgrim; you’re neither aimlessly wandering without purpose, so you’re not a vagabond or drifter. You’re also not searching for desolate places, so you can’t be considered an animal, and you don’t move according to someone else’s will, so you can’t be a dandelion seed or clouds. The surrounding environment isn’t unique enough, so you can’t be a fish, and you don’t soar far away, so you’re not a bird, nor are you tied down, so you’re not livestock.”

“….”

“Thus, you are a butterfly. You can freely flutter through the sky, moving toward the sweet scent of flowers, sipping nectar, exploring beautiful things, and gaining new experiences everywhere you land.”

 

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