Chapter 244 – #56_Fortune Telling (2)
#242
1.
The conversation continued until Periwinkle, who had requested several encores of after-dinner drinks, became pleasantly tipsy.
Even after omitting the more difficult parts and condensing the story, recounting five years of life took quite some time.
Feeling restless from sitting with a full stomach and needing a change of pace, they agreed to take a leisurely stroll through the night streets.
“Interesting.”
After concluding his grand tale with how he had returned to the present world thanks to the favor of Count Jemernai, Periwinkle nodded with a relaxed smile.
She didn’t have the tedious hobby of listening to other people’s life stories, but it was different if the person was very special.
Hearing about Siwoo’s journey, from being caught in a plane crash and enslaved to finally returning to Korea, was a decent amusement.
“You really are special.”
“Everyone says something similar. I don’t really get it, though. I’m just me.”
“That’s because you were special from the moment you were born. I heard you were a math prodigy from the start?”
“Not quite a prodigy…”
“There’s no need to be so modest. It’s unsightly when mediocre people try to elevate themselves, but I also dislike excessive modesty.”
After evaluating the conversation, Periwinkle concluded that Siwoo wasn’t a very interesting man by her standards.
He didn’t have the gift of gab to entertain a woman, and while he was kind, he lacked a certain bad-boy charm.
However, that didn’t change her original purpose.
Just because he was a bit boring didn’t make him ugly, nor did it erase the fact that he possessed self-generating magic and an ethereal body.
They chatted amiably as they walked to the hotel.
Siwoo paused in front of the large five-star hotel with the elegant ‘Periwinkle’ logo.
He had been so engrossed in the conversation that he hadn’t noticed, but he realized that this was the original purpose.
“I feel like I could use a bit more alcohol. Let’s go inside for another drink. Will you escort me?”
Periwinkle’s soft hand slipped into the crook of Siwoo’s arm.
She naturally linked arms with him, looking up at him with curious eyes.
He had already guessed, but he hadn’t expected her to be so direct.
Siwoo resisted the urge to scratch his head.
“I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. Let’s just go inside and talk some more. The high-end liquor is all upstairs.”
Periwinkle didn’t let go of Siwoo, who had stiffened, but instead poked his side with a finger and clung to him.
2.
Periwinkle Seoul.
A 51-story five-star hotel with two large banquet halls, six restaurants, and 320 guest rooms.
The sophisticated interior, which seemed to reinterpret the Belle Époque era of France with a modern touch.
The interior of the rooms, which exuded the dignity of an aristocrat rather than the vanity of a nouveau riche, was famous for attracting tourists so much that there was no off-season throughout the year.
The lobby and various facilities were located from the 1st to the 4th floor.
While guest rooms for general guests were located from the 5th to the 47th floor,
the top floors, 49th, 50th, and 51st, were connected to form a single suite for one person only.
For Kibelre Periwinkle, the CEO and owner of the Periwinkle Hotel.
Siwoo froze as soon as he stepped off the private elevator.
A glass wall spanning three floors from the floor to the high ceiling was open to the front, reflecting the night view of Myeongdong.
Beyond the glass window was a private rooftop pool so large that it could host a swimming competition.
The soft lighting from inside the pool added a shimmer to the night view.
It felt more like he was on the bridge of a space fleet than in a hotel.
“Wow…”
Siwoo, who had become immune to most things flashy after wandering around high-end facilities aimed at witches in Gehenna, couldn’t help but gape.
He thought he had spoken softly, but the large space created an echo.
How much would it cost to stay one night in a place like this?
Three chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling shone brilliantly, adding to the atmosphere.
“Come in, change into slippers.”
Periwinkle watched Siwoo’s reaction with amusement and strode forward.
On the side of the room was a well-furnished modern bar that looked like it could receive guests.
There was no bartender, but there probably was one normally.
Siwoo followed Periwinkle, feeling dazed.
He noticed several suitcases stacked in a corner of the impeccably tidy room.
As if she were about to leave at any moment.
“What do you think?”
“It’s like another world…”
“Right? I designed it from start to finish.”
If you were to move the most luxurious villa in Gehenna to the top of a hotel, it would probably feel something like this.
Periwinkle picked out a few bottles of wine from the wine cellar inside the bar counter and lit a cigarette.
As she sucked on the filter, a spark flew from the tip, and smoke rose.
“If you’re a smoker, you can smoke. I’ve got air purification equipment.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Siwoo didn’t refuse and lit a cigarette.
How many chances would he get to smoke in such an amazing room, especially indoors?
Sitting side by side, enjoying cigarettes and expensive wine that could rival a company worker’s annual salary.
This was the height of luxury.
“I saw some suitcases stacked up earlier. Are you going somewhere?”
It was a question Siwoo threw out to change the atmosphere since nothing had been said.
“Yeah, I’m leaving Korea soon.”
“Where are you going?”
“Anywhere, as long as it’s not here. You know, right? That there are some unusual things happening these days.”
“Yes.”
He had heard from Sua that dangerous things were happening.
The story about the Cowardly Witch plotting a terrible scheme.
“Actually, I had my fortune told a few days ago, and the reading wasn’t very good.”
“What was it?”
“That if I stay in Korea, I’ll die within a month?”
An unexpected answer came.
Unlike Siwoo, who froze while trying to drink his wine, Periwinkle calmly emptied her glass and refilled it.
She had her fortune told.
The fortune that she was talking about probably wasn’t from some old man who set up a stall on the street and talked about couples’ fortunes.
Moreover, the fortune was that Periwinkle, a great witch of the 20th rank, would die.
It could also be seen as a sign that a crisis of that magnitude was approaching.
“Did you… see the fortune yourself?”
“Yeah, so I’m trying to avoid it. I think it’s going to be a mess because of the Cowardly Witch.”
“How accurate is it?”
“It’s rarely wrong when it comes to myself. Why? Do you want me to read yours?”
Periwinkle turned her body and looked at Siwoo intently, resting her chin on her hand.
Without waiting for an answer, Periwinkle snapped her fingers.
As if by magic, a few cards appeared in her hand.
“I can read your fate. It’s fun for a drinking game, isn’t it?”
Even though she knew that a huge disaster was about to strike.
Periwinkle asked as if she were talking about someone else.
“Let’s see…”
She laid out 12 cards face down and flipped them over in order.
They were about the size of playing cards, but what was drawn on them were unidentified magical symbols.
Therefore, Siwoo had no idea what they meant.
“Oh my… this is a big problem?”
“Oh, what’s wrong?”
Periwinkle’s expression, which had always seemed detached from the world, hardened.
Siwoo tensed up as well.
Periwinkle looked at Siwoo without saying anything, then smiled faintly.
“I’ll tell you if you kiss me.”
It was an anticlimactic action considering how serious the atmosphere had been.
Siwoo’s brow furrowed.
There was a time and place for everything, but Periwinkle acted freely as if she wasn’t bound by such things.
It was a personality that could be seen as attractive, but not to Siwoo, who was serious due to the shocking news.
“Is it related to the Cowardly Witch?”
“I don’t know that.”
“What about the hotel? Are you just going to leave it?”
“If a building collapses, you can just rebuild it. If I die, it’s all for nothing. And from now on, no more testing me like that. It’s against the rules.”
“………”
“Decide? Do you want to hear it?”
Siwoo was in a position where he couldn’t refuse Periwinkle’s request anyway.
And it was true that she was attractive enough for him to feel a primal attraction.
But for some reason, Sharon’s face came to mind.
With her lying unconscious, doing this felt like he was having an affair, which made him feel uneasy.
“By the way, it’s better to hear it. For your sake.”
Periwinkle licked her upper lip as if she had caught him looking uncomfortable.
“If it’s hard for you to go first, should I?”
After a moment of hesitation, Siwoo slowly leaned in.
Periwinkle’s face drew closer.
Her red lips glistened with lip gloss.
Before the kiss even started, her lips parted slightly, and a crimson tongue seemed to boast of its sweetness.
“Hmm…”
With a hint of guilt, Siwoo pressed his lips against her soft, plump ones.
At the same time, a soft tongue flooded into his mouth.
Periwinkle had actively engaged her tongue.
Her tongue, slightly chilled from the wine, carried a fragrant grape scent and quickly became as warm as his body temperature.
“Hmm… mwah…”
As they got close enough to share a deep kiss, Periwinkle’s scent deeply penetrated his nose.
At the same time, as if a button had been pressed, his lust exploded.
An urge to pin her down and ravish her, along with a hard erection.
Siwoo barely managed to hold onto his fading reason and pushed Periwinkle away.
Periwinkle’s hand had been slowly slipping inside his thigh, so if he had been a little slower, he probably wouldn’t have been able to control himself.
“Is it over already? I’m not satisfied yet…”
Periwinkle smacked her lips as if she was disappointed.
Siwoo calmed his troubled mind and said firmly.
“Please tell me as promised.”
“That’s a bit disappointing…”
Periwinkle, who had been trailing off, shrugged her shoulders when she realized that Siwoo’s expression was dead serious.
“According to the fortune, you’re going to die. Soon.”
“What…?”
“It says you’ll die with your arm cut off. I’m not sure if it’s the right or left one.”
“You’re not making this up because I didn’t kiss you more, are you?”
“Really, you’re so naive.”
Periwinkle chuckled and got up from her seat.
She didn’t say anything, but it seemed like she wanted him to follow her if he wanted to hear more, so Siwoo also stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
He followed her to the rooftop pool.
He was going to die?
It felt like he had been hit on the head.
What made it even more confusing was that Periwinkle’s tone was so casual, as if it was no big deal.
Would it have been more believable if she had been as serious as a doctor giving a terminal diagnosis?
“Why am I going to die? Why is my arm going to be cut off? What’s the probability?”
“You’ve suddenly become talkative.”
“Well, how can I stay still when I’m about to die?”
Periwinkle waved her hand at Siwoo’s slightly agitated reaction.
“The accuracy isn’t very high unless it’s a fortune about myself, so you don’t have to take it so seriously.”
“What’s the probability, though?”
“Fifty-fifty?”
“Isn’t that extremely high?”
Dying or living was a 50% chance, and she said it wasn’t a high probability.
Siwoo looked disgusted.
“And I have the ability to get you out of danger.”
It was a statement that caught his attention amidst the extreme confusion.
Periwinkle looked at Siwoo with amusement before standing close to him.
“Curious? Should I help you?”
“….Yes.”
Her fingers playfully tapped Siwoo’s chest.
“Okay, if you entertain me today, I’ll help you. You were supposed to play with me for two days anyway, so it’s not a bad deal, right?”
In fact, Siwoo didn’t know if Periwinkle was lying or if she really had the will and ability to help him.
But as she said, Siwoo was originally supposed to be her joy toy today.
If there was nowhere to run, he might as well face it head-on and do what he could.
“Then, shall we go for a swim? I’ll go change into my swimsuit.”
“I don’t have a swimsuit.”
“I’ve prepared one, so just follow me.”
With that, Periwinkle walked away, swaying her hips.
