Chapter 245 – #56_Fortune Telling (3)
#243
1.
Fine dust: Very good.
Ultra-fine dust: Very good.
It was a clear moonlit night, with not a single cloud in the middle of Seoul, more precious than wild ginseng.
Shiwoo, having changed into his swimsuit first, was drinking and enjoying the dizzying view from above.
The room he was guided to by Periwinkle.
He was a little scared to see the swimsuit lying there on the bed.
He considered it fortunate that she hadn’t barged into his room to help him change or, conversely, ask for his help.
Was she meticulous? Or was she the type to push forward recklessly with her plans?
Looking back, he felt like he was being dragged around on a leash.
He couldn’t help but think that if he didn’t keep his wits about him, he’d be shaken out like a well-filleted fish, and the alcohol wasn’t taking effect.
“Did I make you wait too long?”
The large glass door slid open, and Periwinkle walked in.
Shiwoo’s eyes widened involuntarily.
A white monokini, with the fabric on the sides connecting the top and bottom… but it was very unconventional.
Looking at the top, it barely covered half of her breasts, and it seemed like her areolas would be visible if she moved even slightly. Looking at the bottom, the fabric was so narrow that her pubic hair would be visible if she hadn’t groomed her bikini line.
A sparkling belly piercing was embedded in her exposed, healthy-looking navel.
Her confident stride despite the increased exposure.
Periwinkle’s figure, showing off her body in the urban lighting, was reminiscent of a model walking the runway.
Of course, she was actually more impressive than any ordinary model.
“Oh, you’re in good shape? You must have been working out hard?”
Periwinkle closed the distance without formality and stuck close to him.
Perhaps it was due to her relaxed atmosphere or simply her proportions, but she seemed taller than Shiwoo from afar, but when she came closer, she was a head shorter than him.
“It’s not like that. I’ve been working hard lately, though.”
“Are you going to keep acting like a tax auditor? I remember asking you to make me happy today. Relax a little. Ready, one, two, three!”
“……..”
“Can’t do it? You’ve had quite a bit to drink.”
Whether it was a method to avoid death or something else…
He wanted to run away as soon as he found out, but she was asking him to lighten the mood, which was impossible.
Moreover, she even put a cushion under his feet, making it even harder.
Periwinkle chuckled as if she was losing her energy and walked towards the pool first.
Her tone was subtly reproachful.
“Do I have to give you some weed or something?”
“I, I’m sorry. I’m not a very cheerful person.”
“So you’re just going to keep standing there like that? Are you trying to be a lighthouse?”
“I’ll go in too.”
Shiwoo followed Periwinkle and splashed into the waist-high pool.
He was worried that it might be cold since the night dew was starting to get chilly.
But his worries were unfounded; the water temperature was warm.
There was no way they had brought hot spring water to the middle of Seoul, and he thought it was such a waste of hot water, but he just kept his mouth shut.
Well, if they were spending hundreds on a single drink, what was the cost of hot water?
And so, the two of them were in the water together.
When Periwinkle snapped her fingers, a gentle melody that would fit a romance movie began to play.
“The atmosphere is nice, isn’t it?”
“It seems as nice as the inside. Thank you for showing me such a nice place.”
“It’s my first time coming in here too. It’s not bad.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
A very brief conversation followed by an awkward silence.
But what were they supposed to do in the pool like this?
He really had no idea.
Without swim caps or goggles, it didn’t seem like they were going to have a 50-meter freestyle race.
As he stood there awkwardly, Periwinkle’s voice rang out.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but it felt rough like sandpaper.
“Is that all?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you have anything else to say? Really?”
“What could I possibly have to say… Pfft!”
Periwinkle suddenly scooped up water from the pool and splashed it on Shiwoo’s face.
“You’re really boring.”
Her cold voice pierced his ears sharply.
It didn’t feel like she was angry, but rather subtly mocking and ignoring him.
“I give you a ride~ I feed you good alcohol~ I bring you to a nice hotel~ I kiss you~ I even come into the pool with you, and you’re still so indifferent. I thought you were interesting and handsome, so I thought I’d play with you a little. But you can’t do anything right?”
“…..Ugh…”
Her sharp nails poked at Shiwoo’s bare chest.
Periwinkle had suddenly changed.
Had Shiwoo’s lukewarm reaction reached the limit of her patience?
Maybe it was a mistake to think she was a not-so-demanding witch.
“I’m sorry.”
Although it hadn’t happened recently, putting on a forced smile and giving up his liver and gall in front of an angry person was one of Shiwoo’s specialties.
Hadn’t he endured all sorts of atrocities for nearly five years during his slave days?
Shiwoo put on a manufactured smile and faced Periwinkle.
Whether Periwinkle’s words were empty or not, he wanted to confirm and eliminate any future problems. He was the one who was in a position of disadvantage.
“Does ‘sorry’ cut it?”
Each time she said the word “sorry,” her nails left more marks on his chest.
It actually stung quite a bit.
“…I’ll correct myself.”
“If I knew you were going to be this boring, I would have just left you alone. I don’t know if there was a need to save you using magic.”
“……..”
“It seems like you’re not motivated, so I’ll change my words a bit. The price for saving you last time? That doesn’t matter. If you want my help with my fortune, make me happy.”
“In what way?”
He thought she was a pretty decent witch.
He had been too careless from the start.
He must have been too comfortable living next to a kind and gentle witch all this time.
Well, this was his fate.
Shiwoo sighed inwardly while awkwardly smiling on the outside.
“Let me ask you something. It seems like you don’t have the ability to lead a conversation or lighten the mood, so I’m going to be a bit reckless? That will increase the chances of making me happy. Is that okay?”
“Yes, it’s okay.”
The pool water, which had felt warm, suddenly felt cold.
Periwinkle smiled like a poisonous flower as she scrutinized Shiwoo.
“You’ve done it with a witch before, haven’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb. You were living with that Evergreen next to you. She was glaring at me like she was going to eat me alive.”
Shiwoo almost forgot to manage his expression and frowned at the sudden personal question.
If she was just playing with Shiwoo, it would be one thing, but if she was planning to drag Sharon into it and mock her, he was worried about whether he could get through this.
“……..”
“Did I ask a difficult question? Or are you short on alcohol? Or are you acting out because you think you’re cheating on someone?”
Periwinkle was relentlessly pressuring him, like placing a tightly woven barbed wire fence.
There was something called a pressure interview in the shitty interview methods, and he felt like this was what it would be like to experience one.
“How delicious is she that you’re acting so stiff? Ah! I see. Judging by the looks of it, she’s a strong-willed girl, and you’re completely under her thumb, aren’t you?”
“Periwinkle-nim, if there’s something you don’t like, please tell me. I’ll correct it immediately.”
Shiwoo bowed his head and spoke politely but firmly.
Even though Shiwoo was far behind Periwinkle in terms of social status and magical abilities, it wasn’t as vast a gap as it was during his slave days.
He was a witch with citizenship in Gehenna.
Moreover, touching Shiwoo, who was favored by both Duke Tiferet and Count Geminai, was a burden unless it was a deliberate act of rebellion.
In other words, Shiwoo’s current behavior was a very, very, very roundabout way of saying, “Keep it in check.”
Whatever her attitude, she was his savior, and she had promised to help him.
In fact, whether it was humiliation or being picky, these kinds of tantrums could only be thrown when one was alive.
He comforted himself and continued to bow and lower himself.
At that moment, a person flashed through his mind.
It seemed like a similar situation, and a bitter thought crossed his heart.
It was ridiculous to think about it now.
He had left a note and ran away, and it was probably a thief’s mentality to think that Amelia would contact him first.
If he visited Gehenna to see the twins this time, should he go see her?
He had made a huge fuss at the end, so she might have completely turned her back on him, but he would have to meet her to know for sure.
Well, she hadn’t said she would meet him either.
Was it a kind of psychological escape mechanism?
All sorts of thoughts came to mind.
Anyway, he was back to the unpleasant reality.
Thanks to the brief distraction, the anger that had flared up like a fire had subsided a little.
“……..”
“……..”
What kind of gaze was pouring down on the back of his head?
Shiwoo was inwardly anxious but quietly waited for Periwinkle’s reaction.
“Chuckles… Ahahaha!”
Suddenly, laughter erupted.
Periwinkle patted Shiwoo’s shoulder and laughed before helping him up.
“Why are you being so serious? I just wanted to test how kind you were since you seemed like a nice person. Did you feel bad?”
Shiwoo looked at Periwinkle with wary eyes, wondering what kind of trick this was.
She was like a coin.
Her actions were unpredictable, like tossing a coin in the air, and if it landed on heads, she would act one way, and if it landed on tails, she would act another way.
“I’m asking if you felt bad? I won’t blame you, so answer honestly.”
“Not really.”
Shiwoo answered in a lukewarm voice.
The perception that she was a free-spirited my-pace person, but not a bad person, had long since disappeared, but either way, they were in a relationship where he owed her his life, right?
“So you do have some pride? I almost thought you were a pathetic guy who was being controlled by a witch and was disappointed.”
But he had to say this.
“I don’t mind being criticized, but I don’t like it when you mention Sharon. If there’s anything you want, I’ll do my best to meet your needs, so please tell me.”
“So you’re looking out for your woman?”
Periwinkle, who had shown an unreasonable attitude, came out of the pool and went back into the room.
He repeatedly told himself, “There’s a 50/50 chance of dying a violent death,” and “I could die if I’m not careful,” and tried to hold onto his sanity.
Was she acting like this because he hadn’t contacted her after receiving her business card? Or was it really because his reaction was bad? Did he say something wrong during the conversation?
He pondered and pondered as he followed Periwinkle into the bedroom.
