2
# Chapter 2
Although her way of speaking was rather sharp, the grandmother’s expression brightened at the mention of being shown the way.
“Goodness~ There really are kind students like you these days. Though you’re as skinny as dried radish?”
Of course, her habit of saying whatever came to mind had not changed.
Thinking that he should simply show her the way and return home, Doan glanced at the piece of paper she had handed him.
Wow…… terrible handwriting.
The address was written so illegibly that he could hardly make out anything.
The only things he could decipher were the word Seoul and a few parts of the address, making him wonder how she had managed to find her way this far.
Just as he was wondering how on earth he was supposed to find the place, the pendulum attached to the bracelet began spinning on its own before pointing in one direction.
“Over there……?”
“Hm? What did you say?”
“Ah, nothing. Let’s go. This way.”
Carrying the grandmother’s bundle on his back, Doan continued straight in the direction indicated by the pendulum.
From behind him, he heard her muttering.
“Kids these days are really smart. They figure out directions so quickly and even help old folks like me.”
“Haha…… It’s nothing.”
“My son, you know. People have always said he was really clever…… Sigh…… I suppose work has been difficult for him lately.”
The grandmother’s monologue gradually turned into a story about her son.
Her son was currently running a small business, but at some point, things seemed to have stopped going well.
He came home less and less often, his calls became infrequent, and whenever he did contact her, she could hear how dejected his voice sounded.
“I suppose he doesn’t want to make me worry about him…… but how could I not know? I’m his mother…….”
No matter how old he gets, he’s still the child I gave birth to. How could I pretend not to know……?
In the end, she had packed up all the foods her son liked and come all the way up to Seoul.
Whether Doan walking ahead responded to her or not, the grandmother kept changing the subject and muttering to herself.
But perhaps because every one of her stories was related to her son—
She really loves her child dearly.
That thought came to him naturally, and his heart felt strangely moved.
If his own parents knew about the situation he was in right now, they would undoubtedly put everything aside and come running to him.
“You must feel reassured having such a dependable son.”
“Of course! Our son is very dependable! Hohoho!”
Doan ended up laughing happily along with the grandmother.
As they continued talking, the pendulum that had been pointing stiffly at a diagonal angle gradually descended under the pull of gravity.
It stopped in front of a house and then began dangling back and forth as though nothing had happened.
“I think…… this is the place.”
“Here? Goodness, so this is where he moved to!”
Thinking about seeing her son, the grandmother hurriedly pressed the doorbell.
Doan stood quietly behind her, staring intently at the house.
What on earth is that?
Unlike the surrounding houses, this house was filled with thick, black, viscous-looking smoke.
At first, he wondered if something was burning, but instinctively he knew it was not smoke from a fire.
[It seems the contract is being properly fulfilled again. You can see things like that now.]
“What exactly is that?”
[Etch this into your mind. That is what happens when the energy of the land becomes corrupted.]
The energy of the land…… becomes corrupted?
At that moment, someone irritated by the doorbell ringing in broad daylight opened the door.
“Damn it, who the hell has been ringing the bell since ear…… huh?”
“Oh my! Son!”
“M-Mother? No, how did you even get all the way here……?”
“How do you think I came? You gave me your address! I followed it here! This young man helped me~!”
“I…… gave you the address?”
The bewildered son looked back and forth between me and his mother who had followed behind.
He looked utterly confused.
Still, he could not leave his mother standing outside for long, so he hurriedly ushered her inside.
“Anyway, it’s cold, so come inside quickly, Mother.”
“Oh, come on. Goodness, young man. I’m grateful, so come in and have a bite before you go.”
“What? Ah, no, I……”
[You should never refuse something given to you by an elder.]
Are you seriously saying that right now?
Can’t you see the homeowner’s face? He’s practically overflowing with suspicion!
The Taoist was being rather shameless since it was someone else’s business, but Doan could not ignore the grandmother’s kindness either.
In the end, Doan stepped into the house, where black smoke was still billowing everywhere.
“Excuse…… me.”
The surly homeowner did not respond to Doan’s greeting.
Or rather, perhaps he was too bewildered to respond.
“The address…… I gave Mother should have been a different house…… How did you even…….”
Hearing him mutter that, Doan could not help thinking that he himself was even more puzzled about how he had managed to guide them all the way here.
***
The man’s house looked exactly like something that could have appeared in a drama from the 2000s, complete with cherry-colored molding.
There was very little furniture, and everything was somewhat disorganized, giving off the strong impression that he had moved in simply because he had no other choice rather than because he liked the place.
“Goodness, what happened to this house? Where did Hyunwoo’s mother go? Huh? Look at this household…….”
“She went to her parents’ place for a few days because she had something to take care of.”
“……Did you two have a fight?”
“No…… More importantly, Mother, why did you come all the way here?”
“Ah, well, you seemed to have no energy lately, so I brought some side dishes you like……”
“Haah…… Fine. Just leave them here.”
The grandmother could not say anything more.
She was an old woman who had no trouble saying whatever she wanted, even calling a complete stranger a dried radish.
Yet why did people like this become so small and timid when they stood in front of their own children?
“R-Really……? I guess Mom came without realizing how busy you were…… Oh, dear, I’m sorry…… All right. Make sure you eat the side dishes properly…… okay?”
Seeing her hesitate and struggle to get the words out to the point that it was painful to watch, it seemed that the grandmother had been somewhat hurt by her son’s cold attitude.
Whether he knew how his mother felt or not, the son, whose expression was irritated in every way, soon turned his gaze toward Doan.
“Thank you for bringing my mother here, but you should leave now.”
His gaze clearly treated Doan like an unwelcome guest.
Behind him, however, came the Taoist’s chuckling laughter.
[A man who claims to be running a business has no eye for recognizing a benefactor like that…… Then again, I suppose that’s to be expected from someone who moved into a place without even properly understanding its terrain.]
The Taoist laughed as though he had already seen through everything.
Then he wiped the amusement from his face and placed a hand on Doan’s shoulder.
His low whispering voice said—
[Looks like he thinks you’re an unreliable little brat. How about putting him in his place?]
Why would I put him in his place? He’s not exactly wrong.
[Oh dear, our successor is this weak-willed…… What a disappointment. You still have no intention of taking this seriously, do you?]
Suddenly, the hand resting on his shoulder felt as heavy as a stone.
The overwhelming pressure was so immense that Doan felt as though a ghost, no, a demon had attached itself to him.
The low voice whispering into his ear gradually became more authoritarian.
[I hate humans who say one thing and then another. If you don’t want to do this, then give up your life. Otherwise, properly commit yourself and accept me—]
Now—will you accept me, or will you let me withdraw the blessing I have bestowed upon your family?
He was being threatened with such deliberate intensity that, unfortunately, twenty-seven-year-old Doan did not have the nerve to politely refuse.
Especially with the overwhelming energy coming from behind him making his entire body tremble.
He barely managed to nod and say he would do it.
Only then did the oppressive energy gradually subside as though it were being gathered away.
[You should have done that from the beginning. Now, I shall open your eyes first.]
My eyes?
[Look—the world that your eyes can see—]
In an instant, the Taoist covered both of Doan’s eyes with his hands, and an unfamiliar world unfolded before him.
Instead of the yellow flooring that should have been visible, he saw patterns in the ground that looked as though waves were flowing across it.
Black energy could be seen throughout every corner of the house, while some forms of energy seemed unable to enter through the front door.
“Since I’ve already intruded this far, let me say a few things. Your business is having a hard time right now, isn’t it?”
“……What are you talking about?”
“From the looks of it, you hurriedly moved out of your previous place and found this house.”
[Without a doubt—]
This is an inauspicious site that blocks all the harmful energy from leaving while preventing good energy from entering.
The grandmother blinked, clearly wondering what Doan was talking about.
Her son, already irritated, twitched his eyebrows and glared down at Doan with a menacing expression.
“You brat…… What does someone as young as you know about anything to act so arrogantly……?”
He was considerably larger than Doan, easily around 185 centimeters tall, with a heavily built body that reminded him of a bear.
His fierce-looking face only added to the impression.
If he was running a business, Doan might have guessed it involved loan sharks.
However, what Doan could see throughout the house were blueprints and various tools.
“You’re an electrical contractor, aren’t you?”
“…….”
Perhaps he had hit the mark.
The man glanced subtly at his mother, apparently wondering if she had told Doan about him.
But unfortunately, the grandmother merely stared blankly at Doan as she listened.
“You probably had a good start. You must have met a very good benefactor.”
“……How do you…… Who are you? Are you some kind of shaman?”
“No.”
He had simply deduced it from the things scattered around him.
Despite having moved in hurriedly, the objects had been arranged relatively normally.
The most noticeable thing was the framed photograph sitting on top of the living room cabinet.
[Normally, a photograph placed in the most visible location represents someone whom a person respects or cherishes above all else.]
A married man who had hurriedly moved into a new house had a photograph on display showing him standing beside another man of similar build.
[It means that person is someone he deeply respects and considers a benefactor who has had the greatest influence on his life.]
However, judging by his personality, which was cold enough to drive even his own mother away, it was obvious that he could not bring himself to contact that person even during difficult times.
The photograph was clearly meant only as a symbol of his emotional support.
[However, the fact that you placed it somewhere low, such as the living room cabinet, suggests that the risks surrounding your business have become much greater.]
“Besides, the tools scattered around have clearly been used extensively. I can tell you’ve been working in this field for a long time.”
The blueprints also showed numerous electrical wires, which made it possible to figure out what kind of work he did.
But his business must have been doing well only until a few years ago, and recently it had probably begun to decline.
“You’ve blocked all the qi flowing through this house, so someone living in a house like this needs to be especially careful about the earth veins……”
“……A-Are you someone who studies feng shui?”
It was somewhat vague, but since he was technically bound by a contract now, there was no harm in considering himself one.
After thinking for a moment, Doan gave an ambiguous nod and followed everything he could see with his eyes.
Once he became aware of the energy flowing through the land, known as the earth veins, information that Doan himself had never heard before began naturally pouring from his mouth.
“The energy is completely blocked. It’s as if someone poured sediment into a flowing river and blocked its current.”
“T-Then is there anything we can do……?!”
The suspicion that had filled the man’s eyes only moments ago suddenly disappeared, replaced by a desperate gleam.
Who would have thought that he would so easily believe the words of a stranger merely because that stranger was saying things he seemed to know about?
[…Oh dear. It seems things really have been difficult for him.]
Even the Taoist felt sorry for him.
The man seemed so desperate that, without caring whether his mother was watching, he grabbed the hand of someone younger than himself.
The desperation in his eyes was practically screaming that he would even drink lye if it meant someone could do something to help him.
“For now…… let’s start by opening up the flow of energy.”
Seeing how desperately he was looking at him, Doan’s sense of responsibility began growing at the same time, despite having only agreed to do this somewhat reluctantly.
The first place that needed to be fixed was none other than the entrance.
[In feng shui, the entrance can be considered one of the most important meridians.]
“If we compare it to a person, you could say this is the mouth.”
“……The mouth?”
“The mouth……?”
By now, even the grandmother had come closer and was listening carefully to Doan’s explanation.
The entrance had always been the place where good energy entered and bad energy departed.
“If we compare it to air circulation, it’s the place where clean air enters and leaves, right?”
Seeing the large businessman nod instead of answering, Doan nearly burst out laughing.
Barely managing to regain his composure, Doan pointed out the entrance floor and the shoe cabinet as the problem areas.
“Are you saying the shoe cabinet is the problem?”
“The entire area is a problem.”
In feng shui, the entrance is a space through which qi flows.
In this house, the shoe cabinet facing the front door had a mirror attached to it.
“Normally, a mirror facing the door sends the energy entering the house right back out.”
“That’s right! People have always said you shouldn’t put a mirror in the entrance!”
The grandmother seemed to have heard that before as well and eagerly agreed with Doan.
At the same time, leaving muddy shoes inside the shoe cabinet would also damage the energy that was meant to remain in the house.
“Human feet absorb more energy than you might think and transfer it directly into the body.”
In terms of land, it was like covering contaminated soil with clean soil.
No matter how clean the layer on top was, it would eventually become dirty as well.
On top of that, the floor of the entrance was filthy.
“Think about it. If people who have come to do something good see a dirty entrance, would they want to come inside?”
Good energy could be compared to benefactors, while harmful energy was no different from beggars.
Beggars might rush inside without a second thought, but would clean and respectable benefactors willingly set foot in a filthy place?
“Ah…… Aah, I see.”
“You rascal! Didn’t I tell you to keep the entrance clean?”
Under his grandmother’s triumphant scolding, the son finally nodded awkwardly.
There were plenty of other things that needed fixing as well.
“Overall, stop leaving random things scattered across the floors of the house.”
Especially in a detached house, the space absorbed the energy of the earth veins more deeply.
Furthermore, since everyone gathered in the living room, it served as the heart of the house, connecting all the different spaces.
“If you clutter up the blood vessels flowing through a heart like this with all kinds of random objects, do you think blood will still circulate properly?”
“Th-That’s…… so?”
“What do you mean, ‘Is that so?’ Of course it is. If I pin a clothespin onto your blood vessel, do you think you’d stay alive very well?”
Doan felt rather satisfied after getting one back at the man who had spoken so nastily to him earlier.
However, the Taoist looked at Doan with a strangely meaningful expression.
[How on earth did he come up with that analogy?]
The ability the Taoist had given him was the Eye of the Geomancer, which allowed him to see the earth veins and determine problematic feng shui.
All he had done was show Doan how to identify feng shui problems and provide him with a little knowledge about them.
[What a talent.]
The ability to explain and use easy-to-understand analogies.
In a way, was that not the most frightening talent of all when it came to eloquence?
Doan felt the Taoist’s previously shabby cane grow slightly larger.
[……Oh…… To think he would show this much growth from nothing more than the ability to identify feng shui.]
Indeed, it made sense that Doan’s predecessor, the feng shui master Ji Chun-jae, would have handed his symbolic bracelet to a mere five-year-old child.
Still, Doan had believed that feng shui could ultimately be solved through something as simple as rearranging furniture……
[Let’s see if he can deal with the final problem as well…….]
“Finally, the biggest problem with this house is the yard.”
“The yard?”
“What’s wrong with the yard……?”
The mother and son both turned their gazes toward the yard.
It was supposed to be nothing more than an empty, bare lawn.
“Let’s go outside for a—!!”
The moment Doan opened the living room window, a foul stench rushed toward him, making him flinch and step backward.
It was a strange energy completely different from the flow of the earth veins inside the house.
[Yes. Let’s say humans can handle the furniture inside the house.]
But do you think you can control nature however you please?
The Taoist’s eyes darkened and flashed as he looked at the bewildered Doan.