Chapter 175
I'd never had a tarot reading done in person before, and I knew that interpretations could vary wildly depending on the reader. But the moment I saw the first card I drew, a strange ache bloomed in my chest.
A stoic man wrapped head to toe in bandages. He looked gravely injured, yet his face showed no sign of pain—that lack of agony pierced straight to my heart. And as Yuna unnie began her simple explanation, that feeling only intensified.
"...The first card has the most varied interpretations, but it usually boils down to two: guilt, or salvation."
Looking back now, our party had been overwhelmingly powerful. We'd only faced true life-or-death danger once, which proved it. Even the final battle with Magnus hadn't brought any real crises. But that one fight had impacted me more than anything else.
By then, I'd grown somewhat accustomed to combat, my aversion to blood fading bit by bit. Yet the sight of Baek Sion—back when he was pierced through the stomach by that enormous, circular hole from Naid's attack, dark red blood gushing out in violent spurts—still haunted me.
My heart felt like it would explode. Regret, despair, guilt—all those negative emotions crashed over me like a tidal wave, leaving my mind blank. In the end, I'd blurted out something pathetic like, "Why'd you take that spear for me?" But even on the verge of collapse, Baek Sion had responded with a light joke.
Once I heard his life wasn't in danger, immense relief washed over me, and with it came a realization. Those explosive emotions weren't just from the fear of losing a comrade.
In the endless stream of battles, I'd been suppressing my feelings without even realizing it. That moment was when I truly became aware of my love for him.
Framed as the "trigger for falling in love," both guilt and salvation pointed straight to that event.
...No wonder rumors about unnie's tarot cafe never stop spreading.
Lost in thought for a moment, my eyes met Baek Sion's.
"...Ah."
His gaze held a faint trace of worry for me. Had my expression frozen up...?
I'd thought I'd overcome it somewhat after our honest talk back then. But trauma doesn't just vanish, does it?
Still, I wanted to show Baek Sion—and Yuna unnie—my bright side, not this negativity. So I slapped my cheeks lightly to snap out of it.
...Alright. Right now, I'm sitting side by side with Baek Sion, peacefully at this tarot cafe. Yuna unnie seemed to read my face but didn't pry at all.
...Unnie really acts like a grown-up sometimes. Is this what a good adult is like?
"The second card is... Haaah."
But unnie's maturity evaporated in an instant with that weird exclamation. Hearing such a sound in her soft voice left even me flustered.
...The Eclipse card? She said this one shows current affection levels...
And the third was a brightly shining Sun card. Why the dramatic reaction?
After hearing the Sun card hinted at marriage, my mood skyrocketed—but it didn't end there. Was it my imagination, or did unnie's lips twitch upward for a split second...?
"In my experience reading couples, nothing tops this combo."
...Huh?
Why was the Eclipse card getting such high praise?
"It means you're extremely good at hiding your affection right now, Seol-ah. Your true feelings are dozens of times deeper than what you show on the surface."
That bolt-from-the-blue statement left me speechless. Was she just teasing me? She was definitely smirking earlier...!
Dozens of times? No way that's true. Even stretching it to "a few times," I might grudgingly accept it... but if I let all my feelings out, it'd feel like I was overwhelming him with obsession. I hold back partly because of that.
His personality makes him shy about that stuff, which is why he doesn't drink much either. If I got too wasted, who knows what I'd say?
While I was still reeling, unnie pointed to the third card.
"...Which means you really want kids..."
"Waaah?!"
Unnie, we're barely acquaintances on Earth—okay, not total strangers—but what the hell?!
I'd planned to at least graduate college before kids, for both our sakes. That interpretation's wrong. Totally wrong...
Of course, imagining a child who looks just like me and Baek Sion—adorable and cute—does make me want one. But kids would mean our lives revolving around them for a while. Right now, I want to focus on just the two of us.
Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Baek Sion glanced at me and spoke in his usual deadpan tone.
"...Well, we could prepare sooner rather than later..."
Is he insane...?
I glared at him and started smacking his thigh. I know it's a joke, but keep it up and I'll actually misunderstand!
His stamina—already insane—is syncing with my mana and getting even stronger lately. We're doing it intensely every day. If I dropped the magic, I'd probably get pregnant that same day. We haven't even used condoms once.
Not that we'd ever do it without consent, but Baek Sion's gotten way too into teasing me lately... And unnie too.
I'd thought he was more of a punching bag than me at first, but maybe not—his soft personality doesn't mean he's immune.
"Shall we do yours next, Sion? ...Hmm, you two are both something else."
"...What is it...?"
I'd figured nothing would top mine, but seeing unnie hesitate again made Baek Sion the flustered one this time.
...Revenge time at last.
He doesn't show it as much as me, but our personalities are similar—he's pretty shy too. Bracing myself to tease him mercilessly once I heard the reading, I stared at unnie expectantly.
"First, the arrow hitting the bullseye. It varies by theme, but as a romance opener, it's one thing: love at first sight."
"......"
...For real?
Biting back a grin, I glanced sideways, but Baek Sion's face stayed neutral. His hands, though—they were different. Rubbing the back of one hand with the other? That's his tell for embarrassment.
He knows my unconscious habits I don't even notice; well, two can play that game.
"Hehe..."
Unable to hold back my laughter anymore, I abandoned all pretense and poked his side.
"...Stop."
His voice had the tiniest edge, like he was gritting his teeth.
...Whoa, I've never seen Baek Sion like this. Now I get why he teases me daily. This satisfaction is no joke.
And it was only the first card. Even with the same Sun as mine for third, the second was still coming.
Brimming with anticipation, I prompted unnie.
"What's the next one?"
First was the trigger for falling in love; second, current affection. Maybe I was beaming too much, because unnie smiled lightly as she explained.
"My custom deck has a few knight variants, but the one showing his back usually means 'I'll protect you with my life.' Someone more precious than his own."
This time, Baek Sion nodded slightly, unlike before.
...I'd been all set to tease him seconds ago, but that mood vanished in a flash, replaced by a lump in my throat.
When we'd first talked openly about that incident, one line from Baek Sion had helped me shed much of my trauma.
'Even if we went back, I'd take it for you again.' Something like that.
Unlike the first card, he'd accepted this one so easily... I fought back the heat in my eyes.
...He'd already shaken me up today, and now tarot hits me with a one-two punch. Emotions all tangled up.
All positive, sure, but crying would ruin our fun date. Tucking away my gratitude, I asked about the next topic.
"What do couples usually ask?"
"I was planning to do it as part of the course anyway—it's actually the most popular."
Can't skip the top request. So far, unnie's readings felt divinely inspired—no mana needed. Expectations were sky-high.
"Sexual compatibility. Adult couples ask about it a ton, and they're always the most satisfied."
"Eek."
...So that's the "secret topic" from all those blogs and posts...?