4
# Chapter 4
They say a person’s first impression begins with the way they treat the person in front of them.
“So you’re the person who supposedly knows a lot about feng shui?”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Ji Doan.”
“Yes, I’m Gong Ga-yeon.”
Unlike Doan, who politely bowed in greeting, the woman had neatly cut hair and oval-shaped glasses.
Her skin was pale, and even the way she sat was perfectly upright. She had the stereotypical appearance of a strict
disciplinarian, and even her nose bridge looked rather prominent.
[She didn’t even look at you while you were greeting her. I suppose you really do look easy to push around.]
That’s exactly what I’m saying.
She made it blatantly obvious that she considered him someone beneath her, not even bothering to move her head.
She was the sort of person who gave him only a brief glance before immediately looking away, with not a trace of manners
to be found.
“I was introduced to you through an acquaintance of my husband. I’ll get straight to the point. There’s something I’d
like you to take care of.”
“Ah…… yes.”
“Why? If you don’t have the confidence to do it properly, we can stop here. I’m a very busy person myself.”
Just as Jin-baek had said, she was extremely particular, and it was painfully obvious that as long as she felt
comfortable, she did not care about anyone else.
Normally, someone introduced through her husband’s acquaintance would at least show some degree of courtesy.
But since they only knew each other through another person, she did not seem to feel any need to be careful.
“No. It’s fine.”
It’s simply because you have terrible manners.
Unable to say that aloud, Doan merely laughed awkwardly and listened to the details of her request.
Apparently, the problem was that Ga-yeon’s son’s grades had noticeably dropped.
“I brought in one of the most renowned private tutors in the country and arranged one-on-one lessons, but just when his
grades were improving, they started dropping again for some reason……”
“Couldn’t it be because your son isn’t concentrating on his tutoring?”
“That’s impossible. Do you know how much money I spend on my son’s education? Ten million won a month.”
“Ten……”
Her husband, who spared no expense when it came to taking care of their son, was the CEO of a construction company
called Jinyang Construction.
Thanks to that, they had more than enough money to invest in their son’s education without worrying about the cost.
“I’ve tried every kind of ritual and everything else I could think of, but his grades just kept falling. I even changed
his private tutor, thinking that might help……”
“So that’s why you came to me?”
“Yes. I heard that an acquaintance of my husband managed to completely turn his situation around using nothing but feng
shui.”
So I’d like you to take a look at my son’s study room. That’s all right, isn’t it?
She lifted her coffee cup, apparently deciding that he would obviously agree, and made it clear that she had no
intention of continuing the conversation.
As expected of a wealthy lady, her attitude clearly said that someone as inexperienced in society as him would hardly
dare refuse her.
Of course, earning money was a good thing, and if there was a feng shui problem with her son’s room, he would be willing
to help.
But still—
How can someone disregard another person this completely?
He was annoyed, and because of that, Doan had no intention of simply doing whatever she wanted.
“What should I do? My schedule is completely packed.”
“……Hmm. Well, if you can’t do it today, when would you be available? Tomorrow?”
“Maybe about a year from now.”
“……What did you say?”
She was apparently a relatively well-mannered person because she did not raise her voice, but her eyes had become rather
frightening.
Her expression practically screamed, What kind of nonsense are you spouting right now?
But the initiative belonged to Doan in this situation.
“As you heard, I have quite a few clients in this field. I simply don’t have any room in my schedule.”
“But you met me today.”
“That’s because I made some time before visiting another client. I have to show some consideration for Mr. Im’s
reputation, don’t I? I do, at least.”
In other words, I didn’t come here to see you. You only got to meet me because of Mr. Im.
The moment he made that fact clear, Ga-yeon’s eyes, which had been blatantly dismissive of him because of his age, shook
violently.
Of course they did.
There was no reason for him to feel disappointed even if he refused this request.
[That seat is already the position of the loser.]
The seat reflected in the Taoist’s eyes, floating in the air of the café, was also positioned in Doan’s favor.
It was basic feng shui knowledge that the seat with its back against a wall was considered the superior position.
Ga-yeon had naturally chosen the inner sofa, assuming it was the best seat.
What she had not anticipated was that both sides were blocked by partitions.
[Of course, a seat against the wall is normally the position of a leader who surveys the entire terrain and commands
everything. But if it is blocked by partitions…….]
Then isn’t it the configuration of a prison, where one cannot see their surroundings and has no choice but to focus
solely on the person in front of them?
The Taoist smiled as he looked down at Doan, saying that her choice of seat had been wrong from the very beginning.
[Whether you intended it or not, you’re suppressing her qi quite well. How dare she think of making a fool of my
successor?]
“I was originally planning to make as much time as possible out of consideration for Mr. Im, but you don’t seem like
someone who needs that consideration.”
“What do you mean?!”
“You probably have plenty of other acquaintances if you’re someone who doesn’t even have time to spare for someone like
me.”
You should contact one of them and see if they can solve your problem.
Doan smiled and stood up without hesitation.
As expected, Ga-yeon could not even endure a full minute before grabbing him.
“W-Wait a moment!”
“Why?”
“……Sir, please. My child really needs to get good grades on his next exam and go to medical school.”
The sight of her desperately pleading somehow reminded him of his own mother.
Apparently, no matter what anyone said, a parent’s greatest weakness was always their child.
Part of him wanted to tease her a little longer and make her desperate.
But—
“……Haah…… All right. Then for today, I’ll just take a look at the room.”
If he continued provoking her any further, he would be disgracing the signboard of the etiquette academy in
Cheonghak-dong that he had visited on a school field trip as a child.
So he decided to step back and accept the request.
Only then did Ga-yeon’s expression brighten.
She quickly composed herself and sat arrogantly again as though nothing had happened.
“Then…… you’ll accept the request?”
“Yes. Since you’re asking this desperately, it would be rather discourteous of me to refuse.”
With Ga-yeon’s face turning red at his words, Doan finally took a sip of the chocolate frappuccino he had ordered
earlier.
It was an exceptionally sweet and satisfying taste.
***
The place Doan followed the supposedly extremely busy Ga-yeon to was indeed a mansion where spending tens of millions of
won on her son’s education would probably seem insignificant.
It was a townhouse complex of the kind Doan had seen in YouTube videos about the homes favored by wealthy people.
“Our son’s study room is on the second floor.”
“Does he use it together with his bedroom?”
“No. The study room is separate, and his bedroom is right next to it.”
Everything had been decorated in white tones with marble throughout, which made the interior look even larger.
It was so spacious that two white doors at the far end of the hallway were barely visible.
“My son should still be at school at this time, so no one is here. Come in.”
She turned the gold handle, and the moment the door opened, it was immediately obvious how serious she was about her
son’s education.
The study room was incredibly luxurious.
“What do you think? Isn’t it good from a feng shui perspective as well?”
“What do you mean, ‘what do I think’…….”
My semi-basement room, please close your eyes for a moment.
Why are you trying to crush the morale of me and my room?!
The room had a huge window that flooded the place with sunlight, a sturdy wooden desk, and even a massive television
mounted on an arm, presumably for online lectures.
It was so quiet that Doan genuinely thought it was an ideal study room.
“We even had soundproofing installed perfectly, so all outside noise is completely blocked.”
“You really put a lot of thought into this.”
“Of course. Absolutely.”
At least he understood that Ga-yeon was completely devoted to her son’s education.
From a feng shui perspective, there was nothing obviously wrong with the clean white wallpaper or the immaculate
surroundings.
It really was an ideal room.
There was not even a trace of the black smoke he had seen elsewhere.
But……
Why does this feel strangely suffocating?
It was frighteningly clean, to the point that it almost felt unnatural.
On top of that, the arrangement of the furniture was strange.
Everything was clustered together in the center with empty space surrounding it.
“I can tell you put a tremendous amount of effort into this, but how many hours does your son…… study in here?”
“He stays in this room constantly after coming home from school.”
“I see…… Then the room beside it is his bedroom?”
“Yes. We paid just as much attention to the bedroom.”
As expected, it also had bright-colored walls and a large window.
The only furniture was a wardrobe, a bed, and a small chest of drawers.
“……I think I should meet your son.”
“Is there a problem with the room?”
“I can’t tell you right now.”
I think I need to meet your son first.
At Doan’s words, Ga-yeon looked somewhat displeased.
She had wanted him to give her a clear answer, either yes or no, yet why was he being so vague?
“He’ll be home soon, so let’s go downstairs and wait.”
Doan followed Ga-yeon’s cold attitude downstairs, where a servant immediately brought tea and refreshments.
Even the housekeeper who bowed politely seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
Yes. There’s something uncomfortable about this house.
He became increasingly convinced that he absolutely needed to meet the son and talk to him.
And for some reason, a strange anxiety was boiling up from deep within his stomach.
“……I guess I really am just a country bumpkin. This grand mansion doesn’t seem to suit me at all.”
[Fool.]
The Taoist quietly appeared behind him.
He slowly closed his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
[How does this house look to you?]
“……Well, it’s a perfect house…… right?”
[Perfect, perfect…… Is that how it appears to you?]
Do you truly not understand that the more perfect something is, the more fleeting it becomes?
Doan was about to ask what exactly the Taoist meant by that when the sound of the front door opening came from the
distance, followed by footsteps echoing throughout the mansion.
“Son, you’re home?”
“……Yeees…….”
“Yes, sir? This is my son, Min Seong-hyeon.”
“……Who…… are you?”
“Hello. My name is Ji Doan. I work in feng shui.”
“Feng shui?”
The word did not seem familiar to him, and he asked awkwardly.
Doan was about to explain further when—
“That’s enough. You said there was something you wanted to tell us after seeing our son.”
“……That’s right.”
His complexion was so pale that he almost looked bloodless, and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes.
The light reflected from the white interior seemed to make Seong-hyeon look even paler.
His small frame and hunched back, combined with his visibly anxious appearance, made it difficult to believe he was the
child of a wealthy family.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I think you’ll have to completely redo both the study room and the bedroom.”
“Oh my goodness! So there really was a feng shui problem?! That’s why Seong-hyeon’s grades kept dropping, right?!”
Seong-hyeon flinched at Ga-yeon’s excited reaction.
Whatever had been triggered inside him, his breathing became rapid and his complexion turned even paler, yet Ga-yeon did
not seem to notice.
Seeing this, Doan became even more convinced that he needed to explain exactly what he had seen in the feng shui of the
house.
“No. There is absolutely no feng shui problem. If anything, it’s too ideal.”
“……What do you mean? Then why are you saying we need to redo everything? That doesn’t make any sense……”
“Ma’am, feng shui refers to the flow of wind and water. It is a theory created for the sake of people living on the
land.”
As his explanation continued, Ga-yeon crossed her arms and raised her chin.
Her expression clearly asked what kind of nonsense he was talking about, as though she could not believe he was actually
trying to teach her something.
It seemed Ga-yeon did not understand how serious the situation was.
“Ma’am, perfect feng shui cannot exist in this world.”
“……What?”
No matter how perfectly a house or object was designed according to someone’s preferences, there would inevitably be one
or two uncomfortable aspects.
From the moment Doan entered the mansion, there had been only one thing he noticed.
“This house is perfectly clean. So clean that I can’t feel the energy of the earth veins or water veins at all.”
“What does that even mean? Explain it so I can understand!”
Remembering what the Taoist had said moments earlier, Doan answered the frustrated Ga-yeon.
[Do you truly not understand that the more perfect something is, the more fleeting it becomes?]
“The more perfect something is, the more fleeting it becomes…… A perfect place cannot support life, and neither good
energy nor bad energy can arise there.”
“What does that…….”
“If everything is already perfectly arranged, why would good energy have any reason to enter?”
The more completely everything was provided, the less there was left to fill.
And an environment that was so artificial that living creatures could not exist in it could not be properly lived in by
humans either.
Especially children who were still growing……
“Seong-hyeon isn’t suffering because of his studies. He’s under tremendous mental pressure right now. He needs to take
some time off……”
“Then I shouldn’t have called you. I’m sorry, but please leave.”
“Ma’am, this house is putting enormous pressure on Seong-hyeon. You can’t just ignore this……”
“I thought someone who practiced feng shui might actually be able to help, but perhaps our child was simply born with
such terrible luck……”
There are pests everywhere around him, constantly interfering with him!
Her words had become agitated and aggressive enough that Doan might have taken offense.
But what caught his attention instead was Seong-hyeon, whose body was beginning to tremble more and more violently.
Ga-yeon, however, had completely closed her ears and radiated intense hostility, making it clear she had no intention of
having anything to do with him again.
“If I may offer some unsolicited advice, feng shui that makes a person feel as though they are being watched from all
sides will damage not only the child but the mental state of everyone living here.”
“You certainly know what it means to be presumptuous. And where exactly do you claim we’re being watched from?!”
“You think I’m going to fall for something this obvious?”
Whether it was the study room or the bedroom, the furniture was different in each room, yet everything was positioned
together in the center.
It was clearly arranged in a way designed for surveillance.
“There are cameras, aren’t there?”
At that moment, Ga-yeon flinched and her shoulders trembled.
In contrast, Seong-hyeon’s trembling body went completely rigid.
An overbearing parent who spared no expense on their child’s education.
And the fact that all the furniture was clustered in one place while white had been used to an extreme degree throughout
the interior—
“Everything was probably arranged to make it easy to distinguish any movement by creating shadows. But do you know
something?”
The influence of white in feng shui was not entirely positive.
White represented yang and black represented yin, and both were necessary in human life.
Yang was bright energy that filled people with vitality, while yin provided comfort to an exhausted person’s heart.
“In a house filled entirely with yang energy, your son isn’t the only one who can’t feel at ease. No one could.”
It created the feeling of being watched from every direction and the fear that even the smallest flaw would immediately
be noticed.
But Ga-yeon did not seem to understand what Doan was saying.
“You call yourself a feng shui master, but you’re nothing more than a fraud who only knows how to run his mouth! I have
no reason to ask someone like you for help, so get out!”
“Haah…….”
Realizing that there was no point trying to reason with her, Doan began preparing to leave.
Then it happened.
Seong-hyeon, who had been standing silently until then, suddenly screamed and threw his schoolbag across the room.
“Aaaaaaaah—!!!!!”
“S-Seong-hyeon! What’s wrong?! Are you hurt?!”
Everyone in the house was startled and confused.
Before anyone could understand what was happening, Seong-hyeon rushed upstairs.
His face, visible between the stair railings, had turned an intense red.
[……That boy is about to do something.]
The moment the Taoist said those words, Doan finally understood the source of the uneasiness that had been lingering in
one corner of his mind.
Oh no……! Why did I forget?!
This was a child who had spent a long time in a place where no person could properly live and had been subjected to
constant pressure.
And he was a high school student whose sense of identity had not yet fully developed.
It would not be strange if all the negative, suppressed energy that had accumulated inside him finally burst out.
“Seong-hyeon!!!”
Doan hurried after him.
Perhaps Ga-yeon had finally sensed something was wrong as well, because she followed close behind.
Meanwhile, the sound of something breaking came from the study room.
“Ahhh!”
The servants screamed.
What they saw was Seong-hyeon throwing every object in the room out through the window.
He looked like a wild animal that had broken free from its restraints.
“Seong-hyeon!!”
“……A-Aaaaaaaah!!!!”
The moment Seong-hyeon saw his mother, he threw himself out of the window in terror.
There was no time to catch him.
A heavy thud rang out from the yard below, followed by silence……
“S-Se-Seong-hyeon…… Seong-hyeon!!!!”
They had finally reached the most dangerous situation that Doan had desperately wanted to prevent.