Black Swan Chapter 28

“If I say I’m closing it, would you believe me? Fine, I closed it. You can rest easy now. It couldn’t be helped. I awakened this ability at a very young age, so I understand human psychology far too well. To trust a person to the very end, you must thoroughly doubt them at first. Will you acknowledge it now? I am a pretty useful fellow to you.”

Gwanchang agreed. Shouldn’t he acknowledge what needed to be acknowledged? Lee Hwa, who glimpses the future, and Lee Hwanmae, who eavesdrops on minds. It was truly perfection itself. To this extent, it was entirely worth enduring an eccentric personality.

Damn it, you’re amazing. Just your ability alone is outrageously top-notch, Lee Hwanmae!

“Praise God. You understand too, right? The formidable greatness of God. God foresaw Hopi’s and my abilities and recruited us early on. She truly is someone who recognizes talent. Moreover, she thoroughly enjoys challenges and games, and she always wins. She is worthy of being called a great divinity without the slightest inadequacy.”

“I see.”

Gwanchang replied, suppressing his excitement. Until now, he had prided himself on having exceptional insight, but as of today, he unhesitatingly threw that pride away into the trash. Compared to Lee Hwa, he fell far short. He could only feel pathetic for being blinded by Lee Hwanmae’s minor flaws and missing out on such a tremendous asset.

Ah, his desires swelled once more. He desperately wanted to see it—the face of that wise old woman. Should he pester Lee Hwanmae one more time?

“How does Lee Hwa obtain foresight? Have you ever seen the process of receiving foresight?”

Gwanchang asked, stepping closer to Lee Hwanmae’s side. Suddenly, Lee Hwanmae came to a halt and gazed blankly up at the sky.

“…I’ve seen it, that startling sight. It was hair-raisingly astonishing. She closed her eyes, and in exactly three seconds, she rattled off the prophecies one after another.”

“In three seconds?”

Gwanchang widened his eyes in surprise.

“Yes. In exactly three seconds.”

Lee Hwanmae nodded solemnly. Gwanchang let out an admiring exclamation of awe.

“As expected, a prophet whose fame reaches overseas is different. It’s on a totally different level from ajhummas and grandmothers dreaming prophetic dreams at night and thumbing through dream interpretation books. Well, prophetic dreams lack form. Above all, they have terrible efficiency.”

“Extremely efficient, right? That’s why she is God. She said she awakened her prophetic power at the age of five. She began her hobby of changing the future from age twelve. I’m glad you sincerely acknowledge God since my younger brothers dare to disbelieve God and hold curse rituals. Shall I teach you more classified information while we’re at it? This is truly shocking.”

“What is it?”

Gwanchang asked, growing tense. Lee Hwanmae grinned with a chilling look in his eyes.

“I’m telling only you. God can choose and view any future she is curious about. That’s why she’s different from ordinary fortune-tellers. Let’s take Mukso as an example. First, she calms her mind and focuses on the target, and then futures concerning Mukso pour out one after another. God reached that level at age thirty-one. If she had awakened a bit earlier, this standoff would have ended sooner, too. Before that, the future would simply appear unilaterally before her eyes, and she couldn’t gather it herself, or so she said. Such a genius prophet exists only in God in this world. What do you think, isn’t it amazing?”

“Incredible! That is truly genius!”

Gwanchang could not hide his admiration. Lee Hwanmae looked extremely pleased.

“Of course it’s genius. Furthermore, her mind is exceptionally sharp, so she utilizes foresight strategically. Actually, that is her true ability.”

“That’s right, too. Even if you read hundreds of books, it’s useless if you don’t understand them.”

“You catch on quickly, as expected. Anyway.”

Abruptly, Lee Hwanmae glared straight at Gwanchang.

“I give you a clear warning. I will never tune into your frequency ever again from now on. It’s because I’ve confirmed the fact that you believe in and respect God. Follow my orders unconditionally. And you must respect me in your heart as well. At least don’t think thoughts like that toward me. Seriously, it’s absurd… What on earth are you doing?”

Gwanchang was not flustered. It was a protest he had anticipated he would inevitably receive one day the moment he realized Lee Hwanmae’s superpower.

“Understood.”

Gwanchang said calmly.

“At least I won’t plunge you into the brothel inside my head. I promise.”

“As if?”

Lee Hwanmae snorted.

“You’re going to keep plunging me into a brothel from now on, aren’t you? I told you, didn’t I? Because I awakened this ability from a very early age, I pierce through human psychology far too well. I merely shut the circuit because I didn’t want to eavesdrop on your dirty imaginations, so don’t think I trust you. I don’t trust a single living soul called a human. Aside from God, I trust no one.”

At those words, a chilling sensation enveloped Gwanchang’s entire body.

“Take it to heart. I don’t trust you.”

Repeating the exact same words, Lee Hwanmae resumed walking.

“You, the more I see of you, the more something you are? Daring to have such filthy thoughts targeting me? I’ve seen countless guys going crazy wanting to get fucked by me, but you’re the first of your kind. Well, I’ll chalk it up to a kind of grit, I suppose. A guy who imagines raping his father and brothers—couldn’t he have filthy thoughts targeting me? Heh, anyway, people are truly different on the outside and the inside. Who would’ve thought peeking and eavesdropping could be so different? I deeply hated my biological father, too, but I’ve never even once imagined raping him, you filthy bastard.”

“Filthy? What can’t you do with just thoughts? At least I haven’t gang-raped field-grade officers like you have. Is a rape wrapped in strategy not a rape? Whatever goes on in my head, I didn’t execute it, but you did. Why don’t you look in a mirror before criticizing me?”

“…”

Lee Hwanmae walked in silence for a while, parting only the reed field with the sword in his hand. Gwanchang tilted his head. Given Lee Hwanmae’s personality observed so far, it was only fitting that he batter this side with that venomous tongue of his, but to suddenly fall silent was a bit strange.

Suddenly, Lee Hwanmae stopped walking and looked down at the sword in his hand.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

With a small chuckle, Lee Hwanmae walked again.

“Even if you wrap it in strategy, rape is just rape. I got hit hard with this one. Alright, do whatever you want from now on—plunge me into the brothel in your head or not. As long as you don’t eavesdrop, it’s fine.”

“I appreciate that much. Anyway, since I made a promise, I’ll keep it.”

Saying just that, Gwanchang swiftly executed a test. He plunged Lee Hwanmae into the brothel inside his head and gang-raped him. He plunged him into a cesspool to wash him, and punished him to his heart’s content in hell. There was no reaction whatsoever from the back of Lee Hwanmae walking ahead. Gwanchang nodded approvingly. Alright, wiretapping worries are now over. My mind is free.

At any rate, it was quite interesting. He hadn’t even thought about the hardships someone who overhears minds would have to endure, but seeing it like this, it was quite hair-raising. It felt like catching a glimpse of the origin from which Lee Hwanmae’s unique extreme cruelty was born. That was none other than a profound distrust of humanity. That distrust was vividly revealed right from Lee Hwanmae’s stubbornly repeated words, “Trust me.” Wasn’t that because Lee Hwanmae didn’t trust others at all?

Even if the other person offers genuine trust, Lee Hwanmae would distrust them and push them away. As the saying goes, to a thief, everyone is a thief; the world reflected in Lee Hwanmae’s eyes was filled with distrust and betrayal. That world of distrust and betrayal was unhesitatingly despised by Lee Hwanmae. Because he despised it unhesitatingly, he could become unhesitatingly cruel. Ironically, the slaughterer was an extreme idealist.

You know only one and not two, Gwanchang sneered inwardly.

It was a tragedy experienced only by those who overhear minds. Having a brief bad thought doesn’t strip away trust. Cursing doesn’t strip away trust. A couple that spends a lifetime growing old together while hurling all sorts of curses at each other is a great example. Trust is not a pure white handkerchief, but rather closer to a green leaf that constantly has dust-like curses and curses clinging to it. Does a green leaf turn into a red leaf just because a little dust got on it? Lee Hwanmae certainly needed to chew over the meaning of the phrase “inner thoughts.” Because hidden within a person’s inner heart is yet another heart.

Imagining Lee Hwanmae’s past days of repeatedly raging and getting hurt over brief curses and maledictions, Gwanchang couldn’t help but laugh. Lee Hwanmae, if you want to receive genuine trust, never eavesdrop. That is the only path through which you can truly gain genuine trust.

What the hell do you know about human psychology, nonsense.