Chapter 4….
After leaving the executive office, Do Ju-myeong went straight to see the fortune-teller Myungun.
No matter how skilled the so-called Baby Oracle might be, there was no way she could surpass Myungun in power.
Whenever there was something big and important in the family or company, Do Ju-myeong always sought Myungun’s guidance before making a decision.
It was no exaggeration to say that all the ups and downs of the Do family were determined by Myungun’s hand.
Haenam Construction had already risen to the top of the domestic construction industry and was now winning massive contracts overseas, stepping into the ranks of a global enterprise.
Do Ju-myeong firmly believed this was all thanks to Myungun.
“Chairman, for you to show up without notice like this… I can see your worries must be heavy.”
Myungun welcomed him warmly when Do Ju-myeong suddenly appeared at the shrine without an appointment.
The money Ju-myeong paid Myungun was astronomical.
To Myungun, Ju-myeong was nothing less than a goose that laid golden eggs.
“When I named that boy Jinhyuk, you said you’d harmonize all five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. And now you’re telling me some woman with strong water energy? Isn’t that complete incompatibility?”
Ju-myeong’s face was clouded with concern as he vented.
Do Jinhyuk (都振赫).
Jinhyuk’s name had been commissioned from a famous namer.
The family name Do contained the energy of earth. The middle character Jin carried the energy of wood. The last character Hyuk embodied the energy of fire.
A name where wood, fire, and earth were balanced was said to raise a household to prosperity and abundance.
Though he had heard of the Baby Oracle’s reputation until his ears rang, he had never met her in person. He couldn’t bring himself to believe Jinhyuk’s fortune as told by her without verifying it.
That was why he had come to confirm the fortune again with Myungun.
“That is precisely the problem. The way his name was crafted.”
After shaking his bell for a long while, Myungun finally spoke heavily.
“What do you mean?”
Ju-myeong’s eyes widened.
“Wood fuels fire, and fire creates earth. So he’s burning far too brightly. That fate will bring ill fortune to your family. Only a woman with strong water energy can suppress it.”
At Myungun’s grave tone, Ju-myeong let out a gasp.
“So Jinhyuk was right, after all?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“…”
Ju-myeong bit his lips shut, unable to demand why Myungun hadn’t told him this earlier.
But his displeasure was plain on his face.
“If you give me the birth details of his marriage candidate, I will examine her fate for you.”
Sensing his mood, Myungun offered the suggestion as if he were being generous. Of course, it wouldn’t be for free.
Returning to the office in despair, Ju-myeong slumped into his chair.
He had no intention of going back to the Baby Oracle again.
The fortune was the same anyway.
A woman with strong water energy, huh…
It was already June.
Finding that woman and arranging a marriage before the end of the year seemed utterly impossible.
The next day, Yeonsu went to visit Suryun at the hospital.
“You must have gone through a lot. How are you feeling?”
Suryun had undergone emergency surgery the previous day and was now in a ward.
It might have been a common operation, but still—it was an organ removal.
Looking at her friend, weighed down by blood bags, a catheter, and IV lines, Yeonsu’s face twisted with sympathy.
“Yeah, they said it almost burst.”
Suryun answered with a weak smile.
Yeonsu sat down beside her and held her hand tightly.
They had become close in their first year of high school because their names were similar, and since then they had been inseparable.
If not for her sudden illness, they would have gone through college life together too. That thought always left Yeonsu feeling sorry for Suryun.
“Noona, you’re here?”
A man stepped into the ward and greeted Yeonsu warmly.
“Who are you?”
Yeonsu blinked in confusion.
“It’s me, Kyunghoon.”
Her eyes widened at that.
Kyunghoon was six years younger than her. The last time she had seen him was at their high school graduation ceremony, when he had been just a sixth grader.
“It’s been a long time since you two last saw each other, right?”
Out of her estranged family, Suryun kept in touch only with Kyunghoon.
He had even stayed by her side during this surgery.
“Kyunghoon, could you get me a banana milk?”
Suryun asked her younger brother.
“You should have asked me. I’ll go get it.”
Yeonsu quickly grabbed her wallet, but Suryun stopped her and winked.
“Take your time. Get some fresh air while you’re out.”
At her insistence, Kyunghoon left the ward.
“He’s changed a lot.”
Yeonsu watched his retreating back.
In her mind, he had always been just a little kid, but now his adult frame was quite solid.
“Right? He’s all grown up now.”
Once Kyunghoon’s footsteps faded away, Suryun finally got to the point.
“Did the VVIP client leave satisfied yesterday?”
“Satisfied? I don’t know. I might have ruined everything.”
Yeonsu answered nervously, and Suryun lightly smacked her arm.
“No, Yeonsu. You really have talent.”
The face that had seemed so lifeless earlier was now glowing with energy.
“Talent? In what?”
“The payment deposited into my account was more than what was promised.”
All thanks to that slip of paper Yeonsu had scribbled down with Suryun’s seal.
“That’s… good then.”
But Yeonsu’s face still looked dark.
Noticing her expression, Suryun asked,
“Something happened, didn’t it?”
Yeonsu ended up recounting the whole incident in detail.
“What’s there to worry about? You’ll never run into that man again anyway.”
Suryun brushed it off as nothing.
But Yeonsu couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
“Men don’t have the best memories, you know. He probably won’t even remember your face properly. At most he’ll just think, ‘The Baby Oracle was pretty.’ That’s it.”
Her confident reassurance made Yeonsu perk up a little.
“Really?”
“More importantly, I got a good fortune for you.”
That made Yeonsu’s eyes round again.
“You’re going to get a job. At Haenam Construction.”
“Aaaahhh!”
Yeonsu forgot she was in a hospital and let out a scream of joy.
She was twenty-seven.
Because of family circumstances, she had had to take breaks from school and return repeatedly, graduating later than others. She had then entered the job market late, only to face repeated rejection.
With nothing special in her age or résumé, it was only natural.
After being turned away at the document stage all through the first half of the year, the one company that had actually invited her for an interview was Haenam Construction.
It was only a contract position, but for Yeonsu, it was her dream job.
“You’re that happy?”
Suryun asked, smiling at her.
“Yes, I’m so happy.”
Suryun’s fortunes were always spot-on.
Hearing it this time made Yeonsu’s eyes well up with tears of joy.
A few days later, Yeonsu received the acceptance call from Haenam Construction.
Finally, her first day at work arrived.
She had been so excited the night before that she hadn’t slept properly, and dark circles hung under her eyes.
Tying her hair neatly into a ponytail, she tapped makeup onto her under-eyes until the shadows faded completely.
Just like those circles, it felt like only good things would happen from now on.
“Let’s do well, Ha Yeonsu.”
She encouraged herself like a mantra.
When she got off the bus, a towering building came into view.
Haenam Construction headquarters.
Designed by a famous French architect, it wasn’t a typical square building.
The graceful curves of the façade inspired awe.
Two twin towers were joined in the middle by a transparent skybridge.
Looking down from up there, one would surely feel like they owned the world.
A smile spread across Yeonsu’s lips as she gazed up at it.
Inside, she made her way to the small auditorium where the orientation for new hires was being held.
“May I have your name?”
A staff member from HR asked.
“I’m Ha Yeonsu, assigned to the Marketing Team starting today.”
“Welcome. We’ll begin with a company video here, and then everyone will move to their respective departments. Please head inside and wait.”
A little later, once all the new employees were seated, the lights went out and a video played on the giant screen.
It covered Haenam Construction’s philosophy, achievements to date, and vision for the future. Yeonsu’s heart pounded faster with growing excitement.
It was only a one-year contract, but if she performed well, there was a chance to become a full-time employee.
When the company rules video finished, the lights came back on.
On the previously empty stage to the left, someone was standing.
A tall man with strikingly handsome features.
His proportions were so good he could have been a model. Instantly, all eyes of the new employees fixed on him.
“This is Executive Director Do Jinhyuk of Haenam Construction.”
The host introduced him.
The new hires welcomed him with loud applause.
But Yeonsu couldn’t bring herself to clap.
Because the man on that podium—the VVIP client of the Baby Oracle, the one to whom she had hastily delivered a fake fortune—was none other than him.
I’m doomed. Completely doomed.
