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Join the ServerAt her words, Jung Seunghee chuckled.
“A pub? What era are you living in?”
“Huh?”
“They don’t sell alcohol at festivals these days. It’s been years since they stopped, citing violations of liquor sales laws.”
“—! But they sold alcohol in dramas!”
“That must have been an old drama.”
“It was a bit old, I guess…”
‘Wasn’t getting drunk and passing out the romance of college life?’
While Korea University might not have had that kind of atmosphere, and Eunhae, despite her constitution, wouldn’t pass out no matter how much she drank, she still felt a pang of disappointment.
‘I wanted to at least see it.’
“If you want to see people passed out from drinking, there are plenty in front of the main gate. You can go there.”
“That’s just a regular bar, so of course, there are.”
“What’s the difference?”
“It’s about the romance, the romance of it all.”
Though Eunhae couldn’t experience the scene she had hoped for, she still eagerly awaited the festival day.
“S-so many people.”
“Other school festivals have even more. Ours is only one day, which is why it’s a bit more crowded.”
Jung Seunghee had to attend an evening lecture. His professor had scheduled a make-up class for the festival evening.
Students grumbled, but when had a professor ever listened to their complaints?
“The lecture ends at eight. Let’s meet in front of the library. There won’t be many people there.”
“Okay.”
It was half-past five now. The timing was tight, but it seemed like they could just barely make it.
Since Jung Seunghee said there wouldn’t be many people in front of the library, Eunhae figured she could just pull down her hat and wait.
“Then I’ll get going. Have fun.”
“You too!”
As five o’clock passed, students who had finished their classes began their sales in earnest.
Some stalls sold simple snacks or handmade crafts, while clubs showcased their activities from the previous year.
Hearing that a dance club was performing near the main athletic field, Eunhae decided to go watch.
On her way, she spotted a peculiar tent.
“I’ll tell your fortune?”
The word ‘fortune’ made Eunhae cringe, and she tried to leave. However, a student standing outside the tent pursued her.
“I’ll read your tarot cards! It’s really accurate, I swear! Five thousand won! Just five thousand won!”
“N-no, thank you.”
“Then three thousand won! I’m being generous!”
Despite Eunhae’s continued attempts to evade, the student clung to her.
“One thousand won! No less than that. They say if you don’t take a fortune-telling fee, something terrible will happen. So I’ll do it for just one thousand won. First customer!”
“I d-don’t have change.”
Regrettably, Eunhae had two five-hundred-won coins, which she carried for coffee from vending machines.
Left with no choice, Eunhae was ushered into the tent by the student.
The student reading the tarot cards looked at her with a kind face.
“My friend is a bit pushy, isn’t she? It’s because you’re our first customer today.”
“Your friend is very kind…”
“What would you like to know? Academics? Romance?”
Her academic future would simply reflect the effort she put in, and as for romance, Jung Seunghee was already overwhelming enough.
‘I don’t know what to ask about.’
“If you don’t know what to ask, I can tell your overall fortune.”
“Oh, you can do that?”
“Yes. I just need to interpret the questions well.”
The fortune teller spread the overturned cards across a velvet cloth.
“Please choose thirteen cards from here. Don’t flip them over.”
Eunhae picked the cards at random.
Her heart wasn’t really in it.
She possessed a spiritual sensitivity that allowed her to see fate, which was precisely why she didn’t believe in most shamanism or occult practices.
Eunhae could discern truth from falsehood.
This ability was a lineage passed down from her maternal great-grandmother, who was called a ‘mansin’ in the northern regions. Even Eunhae’s mother had served as a shaman her entire life.
Although her parents’ divorce meant she had little contact with her mother, Eunhae knew that spirit possession or precognition was no easy feat.
Her mother had often said that seeing such things at any given moment, as Eunhae did, was a terrifying and frightening burden.
“Hmm… This interpretation isn’t easy.”
The student fortune teller arranged the cards Eunhae had chosen and stared at them for a long time.
“Something is changing, but it’s not precisely clear what. However, it seems this event will be incredibly difficult and challenging.”
“…I see.”
Considering how long she had examined them, the answer was rather anticlimactic.
The student fortune teller said awkwardly, “It’s rare for readings to be this scattered… I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. It was interesting. It’s my first time having tarot cards read…”
“Come back later with your significant other. I’ll read your cards for free then.”
“It even shows if I have a significant other?”
“It’s obvious at a glance.”
That made her trust it even less. ‘Wasn’t that just a guess?’
Reconsidering the earlier statement, it was merely a generalization.
Eunhae exited the tent, half-believing, half-doubting.
‘One thousand won isn’t a huge sum… I’ll just consider it a life experience.’
When she arrived near the main athletic field, the dance club was already deep into their performance.
Lost in admiration of their skill, she completely forgot the fortune teller’s words.
After watching the performance for a while, she checked her watch and realized it was almost eight o’clock.
“The library!”
However, escaping the area immediately seemed difficult. When Eunhae had first settled in, there had been a moderate crowd, but now it was impossible to move without pushing through people.
“Excuse me. Just a moment, please. Excuse me!”
She finally managed to squeeze out.
Already exhausted, Eunhae shook her head and walked towards the library.
“It’s even harder when it’s crowded and dark.”
Even when she had been in crowded places before, it had always been during the day, so this was a new experience.
The streets, lined with stalls from each department, were dramatically different from an hour or two ago. After just a short walk, she kept bumping into people and piles of boxes scattered everywhere.
“The library is too far.”
Eunhae grumbled, pushing her way through the throng.
‘If this is considered ‘not many people,’ how many must be at other school festivals?’
She was already feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of people she had to navigate.
Shaking her head to regain her composure, she bumped into someone.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
“Oh, isn’t that Eunhae?”
She instinctively looked up, her eyes meeting those of a senior from her university.
The next moment, Eunhae found herself standing within his future.
‘It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen something this clearly.’
It appeared to be an examination hall. The senior sat at a designated desk, diligently writing something.
Everyone around him was also engrossed in their exam papers, writing furiously.
The examination hall looked like a middle school classroom, with a timetable and class activities posted together.
A clock, seemingly prepared by the supervisor and placed in front of the black chalkboard, indicated 11:10.
Eunhae turned around and looked at a calendar.
It showed a date two years in the future.
While she scanned her surroundings, the senior continued to groan and fill out his answer sheet.
The instant Eunhae’s gaze fell to the answers he had written, she was yanked back to reality.
“H-huff, huff, huff…”
“Eunhae? Are you okay?”
Eunhae instinctively covered her mouth. If she were to blurt out something like, ‘You’ll fail the exam again two years from now,’ she would surely be pressed for an explanation.
“Eunhae? Park Eunhae? Park Eunhae!”
Eunhae’s retreating figure quickly vanished into the crowd, as if fleeing.
A new bride, smiling while holding a child.
A chief mourner, weeping sadly at a funeral.
A woman walking her dog.
A man entering a hospital, carrying a carrier with a cat inside.
A middle-aged woman tumbling down the stairs.
A middle-aged man sighing while holding a child who appeared to be his grandchild.
All sorts of futures, belonging to all sorts of people, flooded into her.
She even saw a future where someone stepped in dog poop and got angry.
These were futures she hadn’t seen in far too long. To be exposed so defenselessly was a first since she had come of age.
Eunhae only regained her composure after hiding in a bathroom in one of the buildings.
With trembling hands, she locked the stall door.
Bzzzz.
The vibration of her cell phone startled her. By the time she dug out her phone from deep within her bag, the vibration had stopped.
It was Jung Seunghee calling.
“Seven missed calls…”
It was well past nine o’clock. They were supposed to meet at 8:30, and since she hadn’t shown up, Jung Seunghee must have been terribly worried.
Eunhae wiped her clammy hands and turned on her phone.
“S-Seunghee.”
—Noona! Where are you? Why didn’t you answer?
“I-I’m in the bathroom…”
—…Are you feeling unwell again?
“Y-yeah.”
—I’ll come to you. Do you know which building you’re in?
“I don’t know. I just rushed in without thinking…”
—Noona, I know it’s hard, but could you possibly step outside and check the building name? Or if you can open a map app, do that.
“Okay, one moment.”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, The Moon Reflected In The Water is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : The Moon Reflected In The Water
