Chapter 1: The Fortune Teller

Finally safe at home.

After a long day at work, her head finally feels the softness of her pillow, and her back, the firmness of her small mattress. In the near darkness of her room, which is only illuminated by the shine of the moon through the window, Min stretches her limbs letting her body relax to the rhythm of her joints cracking. Her heart is still pounding from the previous rush of her journey home.

With a deep sigh and a vacant gaze at the worn ceiling of the room, Min wonders again what her life would have been like if things had turned out differently. Almost five years have passed since that fateful night and her wounds still feel fresh. Dozens of "What ifs" dance in her mind as if performing a ritual.

What if that day she had not returned home to visit her parents?

What if she had accepted Taejun's proposal?

What if she had closed the door in time?

What if she hadn’t defended herself? What if she just kept quiet? What if she just let everything run its course?

What if…? What if…? What if…?

It has been a long time, but tonight, like all the others, the cycle of conditionals repeats itself over and over again in her mind, making different scenarios from the one she now has to live.

«Why didn't I keep quiet? If I hadn't been there that day, would they be alive now? Maybe not. Maybe it was better this way»

Min closes her eyes, vivid images of a hand around her neck and the sharp edge of glass against her skin make her shiver. She carefully slides the edges of her fingers over her belly, the marks of that terrifying experience still aching, body and soul.

She knows that torturing herself with assumptions is of little use, nothing can change things as they are now, but that mental torture has become part of her daily routine in the last six months, much to her regret. It is exhausting.

Putting a momentary end to her daily psychological ordeal, she bolts upright and reaches her right hand toward the bag she had left by the side of the bed when she entered her room. She has been paid today, so she has somes calculations to do. A part of the money for the expenses of the month, the other to send to her parents and what is left is for savings. It is not much what she can save but if she continues to do so diligently, she figures that by the end of the year she will have enough to be able to buy her ticket back home and try to rebuild her life.

Home.

For a second, her mind travels to a few months ago when she left home to come to the city to take care of her “imoni”, as she sweetly called her great-aunt. Now that she was gone, there was no point in staying in this city for too long, just enough to get some extra money.

Putting her attention back on her bag, Min picks up the envelope lying still at the bottom of it and looks in surprise at her contents. Smiling and visibly moved, she sees that there is more money than her usual salary. Her bosses were wonderful people.

«This will definitely help with savings this month.»

Sighing one more time, she flops back to her bed, spreading her body like a starfish on her rumpled sheets.

Is this the beginning of her luck? Perhaps it was all true after all.

Perhaps.

This time, an ironic smile appears on her lips at that distant -and frankly insane- possibility of it, remembering a particular episode from that same day while making her way back to the house through the dark streets of the dangerous city.

----

There weren't many customers that day. Min worked in a restaurant, much like a 1950s American diner; colorful, with a long lunch counter, various portraits adorning the walls and other details typical of establishments of that particular style. The owners were a married couple who lived on the second floor of the building and who could only be described as the epitome of kindness. Loving, kind and extremely compassionate. They were angels. The two kindest people and to whom she owed the greatest gratitude for not hesitating to extend a helping hand to her when she needed it most. She would do anything for them.

"Min," Mrs. Jung's sweet voice echoed. "Here's your payment.”

"Oh?" But, it's not the end of the month yet... —she questioned with surprise.

“I put forward the date. I hope it helps,” she concluded with a soft wink.

Min took the envelope and smiled gratefully at the friendly face handing her the money. Mrs. Jung must have eavesdropped on Min's conversation with her mother about paying the bank debt installment that was soon due.

“Thank you, Mrs. Jung. I know I've told you this many times before, but thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to work here. Seriously, I really needed the job.

“And I tell you all the time too; You do not have to thank me. We are grateful to have you with us —she smiled —you do your job very well. Now go home, I'll close for today. There's no one left but the usuals, and you know these probably won't leave until dawn.”

Min nodded and looked around to the corner of the room, to the only place that was a different color from all the others; a black dot among a sea of red tables and chairs. That black table, with a large u-shaped chair of the same color, was exclusive property of the owners' son, Hoseok, and his group of friends. In the three months that Min had worked there, she hadn't seen the group miss a single Friday night from their regular meeting. They would come one after another, and between shoulder clashes and dramatic hugs as if they hadn't seen each other for an eternity, they asked for alcohol and food to then drink and talk until dawn or until one of them could no longer stand.

She didn't know Hoseok's friends on a personal level, she didn't even know their names, and if she had exchanged a few words with any of them she was saying too much, but she could tell them apart by appearance.

And wow, what an appearance...

All the members of that septet of friends were quite attractive, and although at first she did not pay so much attention to such trivialities, the comment of a girl in a small group of teenagers whispering between sighs one night made her take a closer look: “Saying they are beautiful is not enough flattery. Just look at them! Do they not appear to have been delicately carved from marble with the finest tools of an elite master sculptor from the Olympus?.” Amusement by hyperbole aside, Min had to admit that the girl didn't seem to exaggerate that much. In fact, they were very handsome. There was no head that did not turn to see them every time one of them crossed the door of the restaurant, and thanks to them, Friday nights were the busiest days, since dozens of young people, and not so young alike, piled up the other empty tables to steal glances from those seven beauties.

Everything was seemingly perfect in their immaculate appearance, and they also seemed to possess impeccable behavior as they were considered by many to be the epitome of gentleness and politeness. However, Min had not yet had the privilege of witnessing such charisma since from the first day she set foot in the restaurant, they took it upon themselves to show their disdain for her. Their antipathy towards Min was simply irrational. They were uncomfortable with her at all times, every time she came to leave drinks on the table, the conversation suddenly fell silent as if her presence disturbed them. When she asked if they wanted something special to eat, the answers were always dry monosyllabic negatives, as if that were a signal for her to leave soon. They never responded to her greetings and the haughty looks and inconsiderate treatment were not pleasant either. She saw no reason for their impolite and disrespectful behavior. she had spent the entire first month of her stay at the restaurant trying to elicit some different response from them with her warmth and attentiveness, but all to no avail.

«Rude.»

The exception was Hoseok, of course. They weren't close enough to bear the title of friends, but he at least had the decency to say hello and goodbye every time she arrived or left the place, and occasionally engaged in casual conversation so as not to alienate her. Without a doubt he was the son of his bosses. Being an angel was in his blood, looking like one, too. His platinum blonde hair lit up every room he entered, and in addition to having a cute upturned nose on his elven-royal face, his gentle eyes and heart-shaped smile were a powerful magnet that mesmerized. A kind smile or a gesture of gratitude towards the people who entered the restaurant was never lacking on his face. The presence of Hoseok was the warm sunshine on a cold autumn afternoon, a ray of hope in the midst of resignation, the kind of person who radiated comfort and peace.

His friends, on the other hand, were another story. Min did not understand how adult men, who seemed to be in their late 20s, could continue to have immature attitudes typical of high school students, like those popular groups at school that were in charge of making life impossible for anyone who dared to cross their way. Min never had issues with anyone, she always got along with everybody, but for all the reasons mentioned above those guys caused alterations in their blood pressure, especially one of them, who seemed to be in a perpetual state of moodiness and the one who had been the most hostile to her all those months after an embarrassing incident between the two of them the first day she came to work at the restaurant. Min found him totally obnoxious.

«Rude.»

And also, noisy. A couple of them, in particular, seemed to have speakers instead of vocal cords and needed a parental control filter every time they opened their mouths. Min had never heard anyone say so many foul words in one sentence. Couldn't they be less unpleasant? Her head was shaking in disagreement.

"Min?" You're going to be late, child. It can be dangerous out there.

Mrs. Jung's sweet voice snapped her out of her disapproving thoughts. She glanced at the clock and it was almost ten at night. so she rushed to take her purse, strapping it across her shoulders. Min said goodbye to her generous boss and headed to the door. As she was about to open it, she heard her name loud and clear.

"Safe journey home, Min!”

Hoseok's smiling voice echoed softly in the room. Min couldn't help but raise her hand in a farewell gesture and return her smile with equal enthusiasm. However, that smile soon faded from her lips as she saw the disdainful and contemptuous looks that the individuals around him had for her. One of them even dared to look her up and down in what she thought was obvious disgust.

«What's their problem?»

Min decided to ignore such an attitude and hurried out of the restaurant. She had no time for such nonsense. Once outside, she began a quick commute to the house that, until a few months ago, had been her great-aunt's.

Min lived in an apartment building about ten blocks away, and although it was relatively close, the insecurity of the city made those ten blocks the perfect opportunity for any unfortunate experience.

A few blocks from her final destination, the traffic light stopped her. Fortunately, there were some people on the main avenue that made her feel a little safer, accompanied.

Waiting for the light to change, she adjusted the strap of her purse against her chest with one hand, and the edges of her light jacket with the other. Although there were still remnants of the summer heat, the cool wind of late September nights made her shiver, so she rocked her body back and forth to keep warm.

One minute for the traffic light to change.

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling made Min turn her eyes from the traffic light to the person standing some feet behind her. A lanky fellow with a bushy beard, worn out clothes, and a distinctive tattoo on his thumb with the letters IR superimposed in what looked like a diamond shape had his eyes unabashedly on her purse.

A shiver ran down her spine.

The money was in the purse. Min cursed to herself.

If the situation had been any different, she probably would have faced the man right there and told him off. But the money was important to her, so she couldn't let her righteous drive cloud her reason. Past experiences had taught her that there were times when it was better to be cautious and seek a way out rather than a confrontation.

Min looked around quickly, trying to avoid showing any hint of fear as she scrambled for refuge following her instincts that this man was not good news.

Without a second thought, she turned on her feet and ran toward a small shop on the corner of the block. Dodging the fringed curtains at the entrance, she hid behind a screen trying to hide her figure from the undesirable individual. From there she was able to see the bewilderment on the man's face before he reluctantly continued on his way when the traffic light finally changed. That was close. When she felt safe enough, she came out of her hiding place with confidence, not long before a rough and hoarse voice would suddenly make her jump in fright a few seconds later.

"You are late. I have been waiting for you for months.”

"P... pardon?", Min replied, suppressing a small cry of panic at the unexpected voice.

“Take a seat. There are things I must tell you.”

Min was still motionless in a corner of the room, trying to control her heartbeat from the shock of the possible robbery and from the sudden welcome from the old woman in front of her.

"Come on, hurry up. Take a seat and let me tell you what you've come to find out.”

“Excuse me, you must be confusing me with someone else,” Min said, still holding on to the strap of her bag.

"Child, it's after ten at night, and I'm an old lady who wants to go to sleep early. Min is your name, is it not? Please sit down.”

Min realized that sitting down might help her catch her breath, so that, coupled with the authority in the old woman's voice, convinced her to sneak out behind the screen and approach her.

The place was pretty well known in that part of the city, and the old woman, too. Madam Lim, she called herself, although people knew her as "Mad Lim". An old “fortune teller” —or humbug as some believed— about 80 years old, with gray eyes and very wrinkled skin. She always wore a scarf wrapped around her white hair, and her shop gave off a smell of incense and patchouli. Every time Min passed by that place, the image of the old woman frightened her; she looked a little unhinged. Today, however, sitting across from her, she could see a glint of sweetness through those faded eyes. The eyes of a loving grandmother.

"Excuse me, I don't want to be rude, but...how do you know my name?"

“Listen carefully, darling, because I will not repeat this twice.”

Min took a deep breath, hopefully enough oxygen would help calm the anxiety that this fortuitous situation was causing in her.

"The spirits of the universe have brought you to me at this very moment!" The old woman yelled dramatically, throwing her arms up in the air like a possessed shaman, causing Min to immediately relax as she tried to suppress a sneer at the comical scene. “Your arrival at the autumnal equinox heralds good news for this city that has been submerged in oblivion and decadence for years. You have come to magnify the virtues of the people around you. You are the center! The nucleus! The axis of the order of things! You are the Pied Piper of Hamelin! The one that weaves the red thread of soul mates! Do you understand what I am saying?

“Certainly not, ma'am. I have no idea what you are saying.”

“I see wealth and prosperity in your future, and in the future of the people of this place. Do you believe in luck?”

“I don’t know.”

"If I told you that you have the power to change the lives of the people around you, would you believe me?"

Min finally let out the derisive laugh she'd been holding back.

“I don't have the power to even change mine.”

"Oh you do," the old woman continued in a more serious tone. "Your aura reflects some beautiful virtues: hope, justice, prudence, kindness, courage, forgiveness and selflessness, and that gives you the power to give light to those lives that have been overshadowed by various torments, including yours. Here, take this.”

The old woman extended her hand, handing Min a small white cloth bag with something heavy inside. Min took the bag carefully and opened it to find stones of different colors.

"They are quartz. Amulets for good luck, like the one you wear around your neck under that jacket."

Min's eyes widened in surprise when she realized that the necklace with a rose quartz pendant embedded in a metal plate, a gift from her father and that she always wore around her neck, was nowhere to be seen. The necklace was under her high-necked blouse, it was impossible to know that she was wearing it. How did the old lady know about that necklace? The old lady didn't seem so phony now.

“The spirits of the universe have brought you here on a mission, Min: before the winter solstice, you are to give each of these amulets to the chosen ones whose lives have been overshadowed by the most infamous sins in human history. They must receive the amulets from your own hand with a bona fide wish. Once you do, you will have changed your destiny and theirs.”

At this point in the conversation, Min couldn't help but laugh out loud. What was this woman saying? She now did seem quite lunatic.

“And… How am I supposed to know who these “chosen” people are?

"You have the gift of seeing with the eyes of the soul. In due course, you will know.”

Min she didn't look very convinced.

”What are these ‘infamous sins in human history’ you are talking about?”

"Capital sins. Haven't you heard of them before?"

“The seven capital sins? Min cried out laughing. So, what you are telling me is that by giving one of these “magical” stones to some “sinners”, I am going to change their destiny, mine, and suddenly that will give me a lot of fortune? Excuse me, but it sounds pretty ridiculous."

The old woman frowned in disgust at Min's disbelief.

"You have until the winter solstice, do not forget. You can go now."

Confused, Min immediately stood up at the abrupt farewell of the woman, who had already made her way to the back of the store.

Putting the small white bag in her bag, Min headed for the door, and making sure that there was no danger, she started a hasty march towards her house.

What had just happened? Her mind had more questions rather than answers.

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