The Unwanted Hotline

Park Su-hwan lost his words at the sight of Bari Gongju's statue.

He already couldn't set foot in Mansindang because of a certain someone, and never in his wildest dreams had he imagined the culprit would materialize right in front of him.

That benevolent smile of hers, in particular, set his teeth on edge. Because of it, the statue modeled after her face was all the more unbearable to look at.

"Why'd she have to send this of all things."

Of every god under the heavens, no less. If it had been any other deity, he would have accepted it without a second thought—but Bari Gongju was the problem.

"Um... do they call her the Young Lady? I was right in the middle of loading the truck when Hana unnie came by and told me to take this along too."

"...What?"

He'd simply figured the old man was being petty because he hadn't shown his face lately. He never imagined Bari Gongju was the one behind it.

"Tell me everything."

"She said the Young Lady wants you to please accept it as an apology for the rudeness last time. What happened? Everyone told me to ask you, hyung."

Lee Han-gyeol added, fishing through his memory. Come to think of it, it wasn't like him. For something handed over free of charge, the condition looked far too good.

He had guessed she would make some kind of move after saying she would keep an eye on him.

But he never expected her to announce her presence at a moment so completely out of left field.

And with the thoroughly fake pretext of apologizing for what had happened before, at that.

"Tsk. I don't really know either."

Park Su-hwan turned to the middle-aged man who was pushing the waterproof tarp aside.

"Could you move everything except this one?"

"Okay. Han-gyeol, let's take this first."

"Yes."

The two men in work gloves began slowly, very carefully carrying Grandmother Daeshin's statue inside first.

Park Su-hwan glanced at them once, then returned his gaze to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Bari Gongju's statue. She definitely had not sent it with good intentions. Honestly, didn't it look suspicious and strange at a single glance?

"Ah."

That was when the meaning of a spirit statue clicked into place.

In shamanism, a spirit statue was no mere ornament. It was as good as an invitation declaring that this place was a dedicated seat for the deity, so please drop by whenever it suited you.

In short, a hotline exclusive to the spirit—a high-pass expressway, even.

He had nearly installed a dedicated home cam for Bari Gongju.

That was a close call. Geez, Old Man...

But Park Su-hwan knew better than anyone that Choi Young-gam and Choi Hana had not done this on purpose.

Choi Hana especially—she was in a position where she had to jump the moment Bari Gongju spoke. To a shaman, a deity's word was law.

And if it was the sharp-eyed Choi Young-gam, he would already have guessed that something had gone down between Park Su-hwan and Bari Gongju.

In that situation, when Bari Gongju said she was apologizing, he would have nodded and sent the statue right over. That way Park Su-hwan would come back to Mansindang.

But that was as far as it went. If the old man had known Su-hwan's hidden circumstances, he would certainly have acted with far more caution.

If he had known that Su-hwan had stolen the ledger and was up to something, and that because of it Bari Gongju had him firmly in her sights.

But of course he couldn't know. Sigh...

Because both parties to the incident—Park Su-hwan and Bari Gongju—were keeping their mouths shut about it.

Ha.

Park Su-hwan let out a hollow laugh.

So she really had been watching me.

Given that she knew he went wild for freebies and had a taste for expensive things. Even so, Park Su-hwan was no fool.

Not enough of one to snap up bait that looked this fishy at a glance, anyway.

"Even so, there's no way I'd take this..."

Wait. A thought flashed through his mind.

If Bari Gongju was watching him, peeking into his house wouldn't be that difficult either.

Normally a shaman's shrine would be shielded by their guardian deity—but Park Su-hwan, who had never received a deity, did not fall under that protection.

So why a statue of all things? Going so far as to tell a lie she didn't even mean, when she could just peep. Then the answer was simple. Because she couldn't.

Right? She can't see inside the house.

Park Su-hwan murmured low, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

He didn't know the reason—but that much, at least, was certain.

"Whoa..."

Once he enshrined Okhwang Sangje, followed by Grandmother Daeshin and the General on the altar, a weighty atmosphere distinctly different from before settled over the place.

Even without flowers, candles, or generous offerings to dress the surroundings.

That's right.

This was exactly the shrine atmosphere Park Su-hwan had wanted. A space where guests would feel their spirits automatically shrink the moment they set foot inside.

"Thanks for all your hard work, both of you. Here."

He handed the two of them cold apple juice. Still sweating, they drained it in a single gulp.

"Hwah. That's refreshing."

"Want another?"

"Mmm. I'm good. But you're really not taking the one outside?"

The middle-aged man asked about Bari Gongju's ornate statue still loaded on the truck.

"No. Just return that one to the old man, please."

"Wow. Living long enough to see you turn down a freebie."

"Does hyung like free stuff that much?"

Lee Han-gyeol asked, eyes wide.

"Don't even get me started. Back in the day, what he used to do day in and day out hanging onto the boss was beg for some shaman tools."

"...I paid for all of that with labor, you know?"

"How many hours did you even work? And your leg was bad back then too."

The man's words weren't wrong in the slightest. Back then Park Su-hwan had mainly picked only the jobs he could do sitting down, and even those had barely lasted a few hours.

"Is working hard a crime? I was scrambling just so I wouldn't have to go to Samdocheon. Come on. Using a guy's sad past like that..."

The middle-aged man shook his head as if he'd grown thoroughly used to this kind of routine. He'd been fooled at first, but after knowing him for years, he now knew that black heart of his inside and out.

"Han-gyeol, don't learn from that kind of thing."

"But hyung has... had it hard, right?"

"He has, sure. The problem is whenever something disadvantageous to him comes up, he always tries to wriggle out of it like that. Don't get fooled."

"Really? But hyung lent me money and has been helping me in all sorts of ways..."

"What?!"

The middle-aged man's voice rose with an expression of pure disbelief.

"This guy?"

"Yes. Really."

"Park Su-hwan actually? Wow. The sun must be rising in the west. No way this tightwad would lend anyone money."

Park Su-hwan crossed his arms tightly and retorted gruffly. He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had no idea what this man took him for.

Wasn't it normal for a person to do a little good once in a while as they lived?

"What. What is it. The General ordered me to help, so I had no choice but to help."

"I heard from the boss that you'd really gotten spiritual power, but man, you've completely changed as a person."

"Yeah, yeah. You're busy, right? How about everyone hurry along now?"

Then he grabbed both their shoulders and steered them toward the shrine door. The pressure of the hand on their shoulders wordlessly demanded they leave already.

Decorating the shrine had only just begun. If he was going to receive clients again starting tomorrow, he needed to diligently dress the altar once more.

So there was no time to dilly-dally like this now.

Park Su-hwan lay sprawled out completely at ease, playing on his phone. As usual, he was resting while waiting for divination appointments.

"Whoa... Semiconductors or whatever went up that much?"

"Gaining attention as a next-generation future industry..."

The whole time he read the article, one thought circled his mind. If he'd started stocks earlier and poured money into something like semiconductors, he might have been sitting on a money cushion by now.

Park Su-hwan didn't know the first thing about stocks—but he knew this one fact well. Once a positive catalyst hit the news like this, it was already too late.

Ugh. I'm so jealous I could die.

He briefly considered starting stocks even now, but soon dropped the idea.

The moment the stock price dipped even a little, he'd spend the whole day trembling and worrying about nothing else—that much was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠obvious.

One of Park Su-hwan's few strengths was that he was good at objective self-assessment.

No luck with money whatsoever. Tsk.

He heaved a deep sigh and was scanning other articles when one seized his attention—a photo of a horrific traffic accident scene paired with a headline that locked his eyes in place.

"Huh?"

It was the same brand as the black foreign car he'd run into with Lee Han-gyeol on the way back from church. Moreover, in the photo, on the passenger seat of the wrecked vehicle, sat the frog doll he had seen that day.

That's the same guy.

He immediately clicked the article and examined the details. Then his gaze stopped on one passage.

In fact, aside from the driver, the other victims miraculously escaped with only moderate to minor injuries.

Analysis followed that if the driver had cranked the wheel the opposite way, an irreversible catastrophe would have unfolded.

Huh...

So that was why that bastard had said to turn the wheel left so innocent people wouldn't get hurt.

Park Su-hwan got goosebumps. There had been a few times when his mouth had suddenly opened of its own accord and changed people's futures. But this was the first time he had intervened in the fates of so many.

If that man had left after hearing even the final words, the outcome would have been different.

Park Su-hwan sensed it instinctively. This too must have been intended by the god who moved his mouth as he pleased.

"Truly amazing."

So You knew he would ignore the warning not to drink, huh.

— Brrrriiing!!

"Ack! You scared me."

Suddenly someone called. It wasn't an unknown number.

"This person is...?"

Park Su-hwan carefully answered the phone. A polite yet low voice flowed out.

"Of course. It's been a while. Everything's been well in the meantime?"

Cha Hyun-seok, who had wanted to stay at the company. The news now was that he would leave of his own accord.