[No Title Provided]
Yeah, I must be out of my mind, but Astasia's night sky really was stunning. No words could fully capture its beauty for someone who hasn't seen it firsthand. Our days were endless battles, leaving no real time for vacation, but those occasional moments sitting there, staring blankly at the sky, brought solace to our weary hearts.
A vast plain with not a single high-rise to block the view. Even though I was stuck on the uncomfortable bare ground with nowhere proper to sit, tearing my eyes away from that sky was no easy feat. It was the perfect embodiment of "embroidered with starlight." Back on Earth, living a truly happy life, there are still times I crave to see that canopy of tens of thousands of stars twinkling in their own lights once more.
That's probably why even we—who'd dismissed Yuna unnie's words as a joke—could nod along in understanding.
"...You guys get it too, right? Astasia's night sky is no joke."
"Yeah..."
"The number of stars visible compared to Korea—no, Seoul's sky... My mana just plummeted when I got back. I borrow power from the starlight, after all."
From our occasional chats, Yuna unnie's magic differed fundamentally from the standard methods Seol-ah or I used. Simply put, it felt like wishing upon a star. She didn't rely solely on her own mana; she always needed to commune with the stars first, or so I'd heard. What exactly "communing" meant was probably her secret alone.
That must be how she could cast spells all the way to our battlefield, far from the front lines. No matter the distance, the starlight always reached us.
"Don't you miss it?"
"Honestly, I've got more than enough for casual spells even now. No one's picking fights anyway."
Fair point. Seol-ah only used magic for changing clothes or heating bathwater. Her "reduced mana" was relative to their standards—going all out, she could still raze a small city to the ground.
"...So, the tarot—is it purely just reading the cards?"
In Astasia, Yuna unnie was a true astrologer, divining fate through the stars. Regular astrology might be pseudoscience, but hers defied scientific explanation. It was natural to think her budding tarot cafe's fame stemmed from that reputation.
But Yuna unnie nodded.
"Yeah. Tarot's the real deal—no astrology involved. I do tweak the cards a bit myself... but I always say it's just for fun."
"I've heard it hits scarily accurate sometimes? And the cafe food's delicious, making it super popular..."
"Cards are mostly standard, but interpretations vary by reader. Astasia has something tarot-like, so I draw from that—my reads differ a ton from others."
She really was into divination. Astasia had amplified that quirky side: black bob haircut with a soft voice, a subculture-loving office worker turned tarot cafe owner.
Curiosity struck, so I tossed out a question.
"So, you started the tarot cafe after quitting the company?"
"Ah, yeah."
A shadow flickered across Yuna unnie's face, but she recovered quickly and dove into her story. Probably reminiscing about her office days. She seemed to harbor some hidden darkness.
"You mentioned working before...? But it just didn't fit once I was in."
"Where'd you work?"
"Uil Bio."
"...Unnie, you're no joke."
Korea's undisputed top corp, especially the bio division—every job seeker's dream. I'd been shocked by their new grad salaries.
"Ahaha... But the work was boring, so I was itching to quit anyway. Coming back from there sealed it. Time to do what I want."
"...Same. That mindset hits hard after returning to Earth."
"Right? Saved up over three years at the company, scraped together what I could, and opened this place."
After all that unspoken hardship, a "screw it" attitude was inevitable.
"Unnie, did you go to Korea University by any chance?"
The company clued me in naturally.
"Yeah, Business, class of '16. You two?"
"Clothing Design for me, Nursing for her."
"Whoa, juniors... Sion must be great with needles. Kinda suits you."
Seol-ah and I smiled in unison. Nursing majors jabbed needles at each other daily, with warnings never to fight classmates.
"Oh, that stargazing club at Korea U? I founded it."
"For real? It do okay?"
"I still chat with those kids sometimes... Early days were rough."
"...Why?"
Her face darkened again. What happened this time? Her emotions shifted as visibly as Seol-ah's.
"...They ignored the stars and just came to hook up. Couples'd sneak off holding hands midway..."
"Ah..."
Stars shine at night, and nighttime closeness sparks romance easily. Plenty join such clubs chasing that from the start.
"Sorry, dumb vent. Anyway, you're here for tarot, right?"
"Ah, yeah. How much?"
"Normally I'd charge standard rates, but not from you two. On the house."
"...Thanks."
Seol-ah accepted kindness at face value. Yuna unnie beamed with an ehehe giggle. No wonder tsundere Seol-ah and I chatted so easily with her—she always checked on us.
'Don't get hurt. It'll break Ruwen's heart.' Those words stuck with me. Undeniably kind.
"So, love fortune? You two are dating, right?"
Seol-ah, hyped from teasing her peer-level punching bag, froze red-faced. Did we scream "couple" now?
"...More like... than dating..."
Yuna unnie blinked at Seol-ah's hesitation.
"...Huh, no...? You two stargazing screamed 'destined' to me... even without you saying before."
...Did it? Yuna unnie looked baffled, so Seol-ah mumbled softer.
"...N-No, more like we, um, already got m-married..."
"Huh?!"
Told ya. In Astasia, sure—but Yuna unnie was safe to tell. Still, Seol-ah's stubborn on this.
Dating's simpler for outsiders. To clarify Yuna unnie's confusion, I added,
"Not here yet."
"...Oh, gotcha...?"
"...Tch."
I'd just stated facts, but a tongue-click came from beside me. Glancing over, Seol-ah met my eyes, dissatisfied.
"Hah, who proposed first...?"
"Still, people worry."
Twenty-year-old marriage? Worry's the default. Our stares clashed midair, unyielding. Yuna unnie smiled softly at us.
"You two get along great. That's what matters."
...This looks "getting along" to adults? Her mature vibe silenced us. Adults hit different—even if it stings.
"We'll chat more between. Love fortune first?"
"...Yeah."
A little spat, but she wanted it. Yuna unnie smirked, opening a drawer. The table was prepped with a tarot cloth.
"Couples flock here—love reads are like 80%."
Perfect date spot: tarot plus gossip fuel.
"Trust me and leave it to me? Or ask specifics."
"Yeah, I trust you, unnie."
Her blind shuffling screamed pro—no worries. She'd handled tons of couples.
"First, affection levels. Pick three each, whatever draws you."
Affection? Tension rose. We deep-breathed in sync, picking carefully.
"...Ah."
On the third, our hands converged. Seol-ah pulled back for another, but Yuna unnie stopped her.
"Must be your first instinct. Overlaps matter for couples."
Rules are rules.
"Simplest spread: first picked leftmost. Shared one center-right. No reversals."
Direction irrelevant. We flipped and arranged as instructed.
"Seol-ah first? Second card's key for affection; first's the big spark."
Seol-ah's first: a bandaged figure. Not positive-looking.
"First cards vary most: usually guilt or salvation."
Seol-ah froze—not shy, but rigid. Keywords screamed one thing: my major injury. Only our quartet knew.
...Even "for fun," Yuna unnie's tarot was eerie.
"...Ah."
Sensing my gaze, Seol-ah patted her face, relaxing. Past heart-shift helped; back to normal quick.
"Speak if you want—or not. Second card... whoa."
Now Yuna unnie gawked. Partial solar eclipse: moon half-hiding sun. Tricky solo, but with third...
Third: blazing sun. Our shared pick.
Sun and eclipse.
"Sun's passionate love or bright future like marriage. In the 'some' stage? Becoming lovers. Couples? Wedded bliss."
"...R-Really?"
Seol-ah flushed, lips twitching up. Pleased.
But Yuna unnie continued, eyeing us alternately.
"Eclipse shifts both: light you can't hide, no matter what. Top-tier for couples—no higher. Lovers card's usually peak affection; this dwarfs it."
"...Huh...?"
"Odds of both pulling it? Absurd."
Seol-ah blinked dazed. Before she recovered, Yuna unnie turned to me.
"Means Seol-ah's hiding tons of affection. True feelings dwarf the surface by dozens-fold."
"Uwagh, no unnie!... That's legit interpretation...? You're making it up...?"
Elementary-school Seol-ah emerged. As if a big-corp quitter fakes tarot...
I'd never bought tarot—till now. How'd she nail tsundere so spot-on?
"Third amps up too: normally marriage, but here? Kids. Like, really wants kids..."
"Waaah!"
Seol-ah crumbled, hands over face, ears scarlet. Better than the first card's heaviness.
I half-joked,
"...Well, prepping soonish..."
"Y-You're insane for real!"
Now pounding my thigh, near tears. Yuna unnie chuckled at her.
Teasing's the fastest bond-builder, huh.