NOVEL WEB Chapter : 21. Acquaintances by Chance (1)
21. Acquaintances by Chance (1)
Minjun reads omens with a hwa-to deck when he has free time.
Every time Cash sees him, she gets scared and tells him to stop, saying he looks like an old man, but he prefers using the cards since it's more familiar to him.
In truth, the symbols on the cards didn't matter much. He used magic to mark them, making them resonate with each other. Spinning the cards in this state was almost like a ritual. Before coming to Earth, he had learned this magic in another world when he was assigned to guard a prince from a certain race. He learned it to pass the time.
However, Minjun was not a prophet, and the accuracy of his predictions was not very high. Based on his experience, it was about 33%.
Even so, Minjun continued to practice this divination magic. He knew it helped develop his sixth sense. That strange sense of intuition that often proved eerily accurate during crucial moments.
'Hmm.'
The cards interacted with each other like the North and South poles of a magnet, forming shapes. He read their meaning.
With this method, three predictions were drawn at once.
Today's Weather: Dry weather with no rain continues. The temperature is expected to be moderate, but caution is advised for localized radiation storms and uranium fallout.
Today's Health: It is better to avoid laying eggs. If unavoidable, head toward the swampy area of a floating island.
Today's Fate: There is a possibility of reuniting with someone you haven't seen in a long time.
"······."
The problem with this magic is that it was made by the inhabitants of another world, so there are sometimes mismatches in interpretation. For instance, results that differ from Earth's environment or the biological characteristics of humans, like the current reading.
He glanced at the clock. Knowing it was the right time, he turned on the TV.
Morning News.
The International Alchemists' Association agreed in yesterday's regular conference to increase the production of gold by 100 tons per day from May to June. As a result, the price of gold on the New York Commodity Exchange dropped 7% by the close of trading...
Listening to the irrelevant news, he waited. A few minutes later, he was able to compare the information with the divination.
"Next, we'll hear from forecaster Lee Eun-ha with the weather and natural disaster updates."
"Hello, this is weather forecaster Lee Eun-ha. Looking at the weather in Seoul, from 2:33 PM onwards, light rain will start falling in Gwangjin-gu and spread to other areas. Make sure to bring an umbrella."
"Moving on to the disaster prediction. At 6:25:31 PM today, a 2.6 magnitude earthquake will hit near Jeongmok 1-dong in Yecheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Most people will not feel the tremors, but for those sensitive to it, it's best to set an alarm in advance to avoid panic..."
Naturally, there was no mention of radiation storms or fallout. And as for the dry weather? Well, it's supposed to rain.
Minjun's divination had clearly been wrong.
Also, he obviously couldn't lay eggs, nor did he have any plans to, so the second prediction was also wrong.
That left the third one...
'Reuniting with someone I haven't seen in a long time?'
He couldn't quite gauge how long it would take for someone to be described as 'long time no see.'
He was lost in thought when suddenly...
Vroom!
The sound of a sports car engine echoed from outside. Cash had come to pick him up. Minjun quickly tidied up the table with the hwa-to cards and got ready to go out.
Only then did the pieces of the puzzle—name, face, the place they had met, and the conversations shared—fall into place in his mind.
"Ah, that lawyer!"
A few days ago, when he went to review Jang Tae-jun's will, the lawyer who helped draft the document was also called to the scene. It was a necessary part of the legal procedure.
The troll lawyer, who had appeared in a neat suit, clueless about the situation, had his eyes widen when he heard that Jang Tae-jun was dead, and when told that he was an alien, his legs seemed to give way. As a result, those present were treated to the rare sight of a stumbling troll.
The mental shock seemed great, but Jeon Nam-gyu carried out the task he was requested to do professionally. He testified that there were no forgeries or alterations to the will's contents.
"Ah, I was so flustered back then that I didn't even give you my business card."
"No, you did give it to me."
"Oh, really?"
It seemed he wasn't entirely compos mentis at that time. He awkwardly smiled, but his expression soon changed.
"By the way, Agent… might I ask…"
He hesitated.
"Ah! This isn't something I should be saying in the bathroom…"
"Then let's step outside."
As soon as they stepped outside, Jeon Nam-gyu asked with a desperate look on his face.
"Agent, you're with the immigration bureau, right?"
"That's correct."
"Then, you don't accept private or corporate commissions, do you?"
It was a question he occasionally received, but Min-jun's answer remained consistent.
"I'm sorry, but unless it's really a special case, I don't take external commissions."
Though he was technically an exclusive contractor, Min-jun had the right to refuse requests from the immigration bureau, and if he had the time, he could take on work from other clients. It was a loose contract.
That being said, Min-jun wasn't the type to actively seek or easily accept external commissions. Whenever a case involving aliens came up, the immigration bureau would usually assign him directly if it was a major issue. The cases brought by individuals were usually trivial and not very lucrative.
"Ah, I see what you're thinking. Actually, it's not me, but my client is in a bit of a sticky situation…"
He implied that his client had access to much larger sums of money than a lawyer could move. However, Min-jun was still negative. Such cases typically involved a lot of work with little reward.
"I'm sorry."
"Ah…! No, I've said too much. If you ever reconsider… please contact me."
Min-jun avoided giving a definite answer and changed the subject.
"By the way, what brings you to the guild?"
"Oh, I have some business on the third floor."
The Witch Guild also handled magical notarization services. Perhaps sensing that Min-jun wasn't going to change his mind, the troll nodded curtly and disappeared toward the elevator.
As he watched the troll's retreating figure, Min-jun suddenly thought.
'Wait, could the third omen have come true?'
But he had only seen that troll just a few days ago. It was too soon to call it a reunion.
'Nah, that can't be it.'
After parting ways with the troll, Min-jun waited with Cassie in the waiting room and then took the completed item to the first-floor lobby.
Cassie, who had remained silent in the waiting room, suddenly asked as they walked.
"Did you, like, commit some huge crime in the past and had to go through a complete identity change or something?"
Min-jun flinched.
But, maintaining a calm expression, he asked, "Do I look like someone who'd do that?"
"…I kind of had the feeling it might be one or the other. Either you've never committed a crime and are completely innocent, or you've done something so unimaginable that no one would ever guess it. It felt like it had to be one or the other."
She had a pretty good intuition.
However, Min-jun had nothing to say about it.
He briefly glanced at the alien language only visible to him.
Assignment: Earth (Dimension #22-189, Extreme Zone Level 4)
Employment Type: Labor Reeducation Sentencing-Based Indirect Employment
The inmate is currently under limited memory erasure.
Min-jun always thought the term "labor reeducation" was problematic. This system resembled the Buddhist concept of reincarnation in some ways. A person suffers in this life because of sins they cannot even remember committing in a past life.
His life before starting his sentence was completely erased, making it similar to a past life.
But how could reeducation be possible if one doesn't even know their wrongs? Wouldn't they just wriggle in suffering, unaware of the reason? What enlightenment or progress could come from such an existence, caught in accidents without explanation?
Min-jun pushed aside his thoughts and asked, "Why are you so curious today?"
Cassie hesitated before responding, seemingly making a decision.
"Then… can you tell me just one thing?"
It might have seemed too intrusive to ask about his personal life, but as a friend, Min-jun didn't mind this much.
"What is it?"
She asked her hesitating question.
"Could it be… you were a woman in the past or something like that?"
Min-jun snapped, cursing.
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
That was definitely unpleasant.
"No, it's just… you're so thorough about hiding everything…"
"Don't say such ridiculous things."
"Really? It can't be. That's the one thing that can't be true. I could overlook anything else, but if your gender changed… that's really my bottom line."
"You don't need to explain what your bottom line is!"
As the two bickered, the guild's main door opened, and a new guest entered. An elderly man with completely white hair, accompanied by a middle-aged woman supporting him.
While Min-jun had been scolding Cassie, he turned his head and met the elderly man's gaze. Min-jun casually looked away again, but the old man continued to stare at his face intently.
'Do I know him?'
He racked his brain but couldn't recall any names.
The elderly man's face was filled with disbelief and joy. It was the kind of reaction Min-jun sometimes saw from old acquaintances who had lived long, ageless lives. Their reaction was usually something like, "You seem to remember me, but…?"
In the middle of trying to recall, the old man's lips parted first.
"Ho… could it be… Min-jun Ye?"
"Yes, that's right."
At that, the old man's face lit up with joy.
With a bright smile, he called out to Min-jun.
"Unni!"