If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 30

As day broke, a breakfast set on a tray was delivered to the front of the hotel room. The morning menu was exceptionally fine, but Yirok, who had spent the night with his eyes open, couldn’t stomach anything.

Perhaps the light hotel bedding wasn’t to his liking. In the end, he had woken up at 5 AM and ended up receiving the breakfast tray himself at 7 AM. The only thing that entered his rough mouth was some sweet pumpkin porridge.

Moreover, after he finished the porridge, an uninvited guest came to his hotel room. Shinwoo, with a face that looked like he too had had a poor night’s sleep, was standing at the door. His mood soured from the morning, Yirok stood holding the door at a slant.

“You’re dressed? That’s a relief. I didn’t want to wake you if you were sleeping in.”

“Should I head out?”

“In 15 minutes. Come down to the lobby.”

The two, being of the same mind, exchanged only the necessary words and parted ways. Yirok, after closing the door, packed a few things and meticulously checked the buttons on his light blue shirt. Looking at the young man reflected in the bathroom mirror, Yirok suddenly pulled out a memory from long ago.

“They say Maengmusa and Jeongmusa are as different as heaven and earth, but. I’m not so sure. In the end, they summon Yogwi, use them, and get what they want.”

Sarira, due to her illness, spent 360 out of 365 days cooped up in her quarters, but occasionally she would come to observe Yirok’s training. Because of this, rumors had spread that Sarira, who had no children of her own, was planning to make him the heir to the Bansi family.

But in Yirok’s view, what Sarira wanted was not the young Yirok’s training. It was merely to see how the seed she had planted would grow and ruin the child named Yirok, and to gauge how usefully he could be exploited.

Sarira’s ambition, said to be unrivaled in the realm of curses, seemed to have been realized to some extent. Yirok, in a high-class hotel bed whose price per night he didn’t even know, couldn’t sleep. He had become accustomed to eating only plain porridge with soy sauce, so eating too much made his stomach feel bloated. Thus, even looking at a 12-dish banquet, he felt nausea before anticipation. He didn’t know how to win favor, but he was an expert at earning contempt. Therefore, Sarira’s plan to break him down so that he had nowhere to lean on or look forward to could be called a great success.

Closing his eyes to the events at the Bansi family mansion, Yirok leisurely left the hotel room. Shinwoo had said to come down in 15 minutes, but he left a full 10 minutes early because he didn’t want to ride the same elevator. The elevator arrived shortly after he pressed the button. It was just as he got on, thinking of sitting on the lobby couch and reading a book.

The hand that caught the just-closing elevator doors was dainty. The elevator doors, recognizing a passenger, opened automatically, and Chaehwa appeared.

“Hi?”

Meeting the energetic Chaehwa in the morning, Yirok leaned his back weakly against the glass wall. If Shinwoo was an awkward person to run into, Chaehwa was a difficult one. Awkward things can be dealt with, but difficult things are just difficult. Yirok pretended not to see her and looked at the side of the glass window that was rapidly descending to the first floor.

“Hmm…. You’re out early. I thought I told you to come down in 15 minutes.”

If he ignored her completely, there was no telling where Chaehwa might dart off to. Yirok casually waved the book he was holding. His eyes were fixed on the window. Through that transparent glass, Chaehwa’s braided hair was visible. In reality, whether he was looking outside or at Chaehwa, Yirok decided not to distinguish, following his survival instincts.

“By the way, Yirok. Do you know what Strawberry Jewelry Pang Pang is?”

As he stood still, Chaehwa’s steps increasingly encroached upon the space next to him. Yirok unconsciously gripped his book tighter and looked at Chaehwa.

“Stop coming closer. Any further and you’ll go through the glass.”

“Why would I go through the glass when you’re right next to me? And even if I did, you’d go first, Yirok, you would. You’d land safely and catch me as I fall.”

“When I’m with you, it’s best to keep my mouth shut… wise, forget it. Let’s just stop.”

“Hey, hey, hey.”

Just as they were nearing the first floor, Chaehwa’s elbow gently poked him. Yirok let out an incredulous laugh and pushed Chaehwa’s shoulder with two fingers. Nevertheless, Chaehwa kept poking his side as if practicing a battle cry.

“You’re the one who brought the Strawberry Jewelry yesterday, right?”

“Stop, sticking to me. And I can’t understand half of what you’re saying.”

“Hmm, no matter how I look at it, it’s you.”

“Would the stairs have been better?”

“It’s you. It’s definitely you. The one who put everything in a black bag and gave it to me, it’s you.”

“Fineee… it was me. Let’s say it was.”

Yirok, replying blandly, banged his head against the glass window with a thud. Only then did Chaehwa stop poking his side, and they heard the sound of arriving at the first floor.

“I feel sorry for you, but… a man who lies isn’t very cute.”

As the elevator doors opened, she said with a fresh smile. Yirok, pressing the open button, secretly bit his lip. Last night, he had just been experimenting since he had nowhere to use the emergency money. He saw some unfamiliar drinks left in the vending machine. After all, he had never used a vending machine in Chukjangji. It was purely for experimental purposes.

“But you know what.”

It was the moment he straightened up from his leaning position, not wanting to be left behind in the elevator. Chaehwa, who had started to walk away, spun around and giggled.

“You’re cute, Yirok. So I’ll let it slide because you’re cute. Thanks to you, I was a little happy yesterday.”

His advancing body stuck back to the glass window as if tied to it. Yirok quickly bowed his head to hide his wavering gaze. He scraped the floor with his innocent sneakers as if something was stuck to his foot. Hahaha, at the sound of laughter that seemed to mock him, Yirok’s gaze became completely fixed on the ground.

Because of Yirok, who couldn’t even think of getting off, the elevator doors closed in vain. Only after being left alone did Yirok lift his head and see himself reflected in the glass window. A face that must never be seen was in it.

His gaze, avoiding even the glass window, looked to see what floor the elevator was indicating. Inside the elevator, which was going back up to the 15th floor, Yirok repeatedly banged the back of his head against the glass, thud, thud.

Good job. Day by day, he was steadily digging his own grave.

In some ways, wasn’t he brilliantly carrying out Sarira’s orders? He was entering a state of emotion beyond just getting along. With the damn young lady of Nanjubeol.

🌹₊ ⊹

One limousine and two vans left the hotel early in the morning. The assignment, initiated under Secretary Yoon’s direction, led the three vehicles to a neighborhood ranked among the top three in Korea.

The Haenangs who got out of the cars seemed daunted by the high walls built along the long hill. Some others, unimpressed, were comparing it to the old houses in Chukjangji, saying they were better.

The client had requested that the matter be handled quietly from entry to exit to avoid rumors. But once they entered the mansion, which was easily over 500 pyeong in size, the story changed. The client’s entire three-generation family was sitting in the living room, waiting for Chaehwa and the Haenangs.

Furthermore, the only chairs provided were for Secretary Yoon and Chaehwa. The rest of the Haenangs were forced to stand in a line behind Chaehwa and be gawked at. Some of the family members sat on the stairs leading to the second floor or hung from the railing to watch them. In this chaotic marketplace with all the nieces, grandsons, and granddaughters gathered, only Chaehwa remained transcendent.

“We’ve had our share of shamans, you know. By now, these kids are half-shamans themselves from all they’ve overheard.”

The client, who had rented out the entire 15th floor of the hotel, was the head of a corporation. He was a white-haired old man, but the brilliance of his youth was still alive. The client, Chairman Baek, personally knew quite a few shamans and had heard that he donated to three different temples every year. Like many of the wealthy, he was not someone with a shallow knowledge of folk shamanism.

“Hah…. My youngest daughter went a little crazy after her engagement was broken off. That pretty, bright child has become a completely different person. The saying ‘possessed by a ghost’ would be a perfect fit.”

Chairman Baek let out a bitter smile and put down his coffee cup. His wife, two sons, and two daughters-in-law, all sitting huddled to his left, wore the same expression. They didn’t seem to be able to stomach even coffee. Chaehwa, with the eyes of a hawk, observed their reactions and slowly dissolved the five sugar cubes in her coffee.

“By the way, I didn’t expect such a young lady. Has she graduated from school?”

The expression that was so full of negativity when talking about his youngest daughter instantly changed to one of suspicion. Secretary Yoon, who was in charge of the introduction, bristled and hugged her pile of documents.

“Our young miss is on a different level from the shamans the chairman has met so far….”

“That’s enough, Secretary Yoon. What are you trying to explain?”

Despite the dozens of sharp, scrutinizing gazes, Chaehwa smiled leisurely and put down her coffee cup. After patting the fuming Secretary Yoon’s back with her eyes, she looked at the Haenangs guarding her back. Shinwoo, Chaho, Yeonseo, Haeju, Miyoung, Jangsi… and Yirok. Her gaze lingered on Yirok for quite a long time, but in real time, it was only a few seconds. Chaehwa put down the crying emotion in her chest and stared coldly at Chairman Baek.

“If her age is a problem, and if you have other reservations, you can cancel the ritual. But there is one thing I can promise you….”

“A promise?”

“If this reservation is cancelled, the waiting time for the next one is at least a year. It is already stated in the contract that we are not responsible if something happens to your daughter in the meantime.”

“…Look here.”

“Sometimes, people don’t listen, cancel, and then complain that the waiting period to rebook is too long. I’m just informing you as a guide, so there’s no need to be upset.”

Chaehwa politely unclasped her hands and erased her smile. The rumors of her being skilled were rampant among the wealthy families. Chairman Baek, who had been looking down on her as if she were a young student, changed his posture.

Chaehwa dominated the atmosphere with silence before slowly opening her mouth.

“And since this is a dangerous ritual, it can be cancelled even now if you fail to meet our requirements. For example… chairs for our staff to sit on. Didn’t I tell you to show them proper respect? Secretary Yoon.”

“…I didn’t expect so many to come. Well, I’ll do my best to accommodate most things. I apologize if I have offended you in any way.”

His overbearing attitude remained, but a stir went through the eyes of the Baek family members. Chaehwa, with a faint smile at the familiar scene, made eye contact with Chairman Baek.

This tedious introduction time, the same power struggle, this predictable beginning- Chaehwa let out a long sigh inwardly.