Death card

Standing by the small stall, Kim Eun-Jung felt the chill of autumn penetrate her skin, the trench-coat she wore not aiding much to shield her against the cold. Seoul has always been a cold city, considered by most as the heart of South Korea.

It was the capital of South Korea and the center of economy and culture. Many locals embraced the need to self-employ, so it was not a surprise that Kim Eun-Jung found herself in front of the small stall.

The stand was decorated with different trinkets, a crystal ball on its front with a couple of cards besides it. The lighting was a mixture of different shades of purple and blue that resonated its hue from the bulbs.

Kim Eun-Jung was not a person who believed in mythical and supernatural events. She has always been a rational person who thought of every way through before taking a step. This being so, it was quite difficult for her to comprehend why she was drawn to the stall opposite her, especially the woman that stood behind it.

The woman, dressed not too shabby nor exceptionally fancy, seemed normal to the eye except for her eyes. A mixture of black and brown, a blending color that dissipates into distinct layers at the end.

On the counter before her, the cards were displayed. Kim Eun-Jung took her time gazing at the different cards, contemplating while looking at the diverse symbols on each card. The woman had earlier announced that she should pick a card from the display. She was indecisive but still gave herself courage.

She took a card, slipping it in her hand. Kim Eun-Jung stared at it bewildered. In it, she saw a tall skeleton covered in dark robes holding a scythe. The image was not pleasant even for a non-believer. She knew nothing about tarot cards or psychisme. None of them had ever piqued her interest. If not, she thought it was fraud, a way to cheat people out of their money by making them believe in mystical things that were untrue.

Kim Eun-Jung has always been a rational person. Skipping three grades, she was considered a prodigy and just at twenty-five she had contributed to most of South Korea's economy and technology in science and medicine. She was about making money and focusing on her studies.

"Death Card."

Those two words from the person in front cut off her train of thoughts.

"You picked the death card girl," her raspy voice echoed in Kim Eun-Jung's ears.

A death card. What was a death card?

As if listening to her thoughts, the woman uttered, "A death card represents the end and also symbolizes life. It's a contrasting card not easy to decipher by most." She explained, not detailing more.

The twenty-five-year-old stared at the card, an unknown feeling creeping its way into her. Involuntarily, she held the strand of her backpack, seeking comfort as she put more pressure on it. She was getting uncomfortable by each second.

Turning on her heels about to make an escape, she wanted to flee. Run from the bizarre night. She was exhausted from staying in the research lab the whole day. The only thing she wanted and yearned for was rest, a break from her ever busy life. A step ahead, she halted after a monotone voice echoed in her ears, filling the silence.

"Take it,'' the fortune-teller spoke.

Kim Eun-Jung stopped in her tracks and turned to the senior. She stared a bit at her, taking a moment, then shifted her gaze away to the card on the hand of the woman's that was drawn towards her.

Turmoil cornered her. She did not trust or believe in metaphysics. This was a branch that Kim Eun-Jung had never dared to dwell in. The reason was it majored more in illogical phenomenons, whereas she specialized in logical science and discovery.

Seeing her hesitancy, the fortune-teller added, "You never know, your fate might as well change."

With her words spoken, the elder lady offered an encouraging smile to the female opposite her. In her lifetime, she has seen many with different complicated fates. However, she has never seen one with a twist in their fate. A double destiny, to be exact.

Kim Eun-Jung shook off the creepy feeling in her and took the card from the woman. She gave a slight bow to the fortune-teller and walked away. Her steps took her to the vehicle she had packed after her decision to wander off towards the streets and take a walk. This was to ease her mind, but she had never thought that her site-seeing would lead her to a fortune-teller's stall.

Getting in the vehicle, she placed her backpack on the passenger seat. The prodigy leaned against her seat, calming herself before preparing to journey to her home. About to turn on the engine, she heard her phone vibrate from her bag. Kim Eun-Jung pulled out the phone from the bag to look at it.

On the screen was a notification from her writing agency. It was an agency where they worked with authors to publish books. They had requested a meet up with her. Looking at the message, she recalled her book that she hadn't exactly completed. Kim Eun-Jung didn't know how to end the book. She had not yet thought of the ending of her novel.

Digging through her bag, she took her laptop and opened the draft she had written. Scrutinizing the words, she edited some parts about the antagonist. The novel she was updating was about a female protagonist, daughter of a rich family who spent her whole life in an orphanage while the adopted heiress who was the antagonist lived her life. The two were swapped at birth, except the protagonist didn't get a family and was forced to live in an orphanage.

With good grades, she managed to get to her family. The antagonist had poor grades and constantly picked fights with the female protagonist. Their battle is mainly on the male lead. Competing for his love and affection. Except for the fact that the male protagonist only doted on the female lead and despised the female antagonist.

Kim Eun-Jung stared at the antagonist's name. The name was too basic so she thought of changing her name. She worked on the laptop and replaced the antagonist's name with her own.

A small smile plastered on her lips, she closed the device and started the vehicle. Writing was her only comfort.

Seoul streets were always busy from day to night. This being so, Kim Eun-Jung had decided to buy a house in the upper part of Seoul where noise was irrelevant, where she could get her solitude. She passed the busy streets heading out where she only started to see thick dense trees covering the areas.

Unaware how, Kim Eun-Jung felt the sudden drop in temperature in the car. This was strange. She thought. Checking the car's AC, she found no problem with it.

Progressing with her journey, she saw the card fall from her backpack down to the car floor. It was even stranger because in no way could it just fall on its own. Staring at the card, she brushed off the earlier encounter with the fortune-teller but still decided to pick the card.

In the darkness of the car, the card seemed to flash with different lights. The peculiar scene caught her attention.

Staring at the object for a while longer to confirm her theory. Instead, the card retained its dull and gloomy color. Though she could have sworn the card was luminescent some seconds ago. She turned her focus to the road to see bright orbs passing across the sky at the speed of light. They were meteors. A meteor shower.

Why was there suddenly a meteor shower? They hadn't predicted such an incident yet.

Disoriented, Kim Eun-Jung stared at the many meteors passing by. Unbeknownst to her, she hadn't noticed the large truck coming her way. As she drew her eyes from the sky and back to the road, she knew she couldn't escape her tragic end and once again she saw the card brightly light before she had a loud deafening bang that consumed her existence and took her away from consciousness.

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