Coincidence or Fate?
Most people who get their tarot read say the same thing. At first, they go just for fun, but then they end up way too invested. Since I had never gotten a tarot reading before, I always wondered why people got so obsessed. Today, that question finally got answered.
When the cards hit that perfectly on the nose, there was no way I could brush it off lightly.
“Is there a new connection in your life?”
“Uh… I’ve been in touch again with a friend from elementary school.”
“When you say ‘again,’ does that mean you weren’t in contact before?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then maybe now is the perfect time to try something new.”
If Chae-yeon really was that new connection, what exactly would I want to start over with? I started thinking hard as I listened to the tarot reader.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Could you maybe read the cards for me and that girl too?”
“Normally I only do one spread, but I’ll make an exception. Just draw two cards from here.”
I carefully pulled two cards from the spread deck. Looking at them, nothing seemed particularly ominous.
“Hmm… If it were me, I’d think carefully about whether to get close to that friend again.”
“What?! Why?”
“Because the process of getting close could lead to some gossip or trouble.”
“Gossip? Hey, what’s gossip?”
“Dude, you’re a writer? How do you not know what ‘gossip’ means?”
Hey, it’s possible not to know. Why are you all staring at me like that?
I had suffered from dyslexia my whole life, so I’d always stayed away from books. Then, at Yong-ju’s recommendation, I started writing a novel without knowing anything, just thinking I’d give it a shot. That’s why everyone calls me a talent zombie.
“To put it simply, you can think of it as some minor trouble.”
“Trouble, huh…”
“Since you’re reconnecting, there will be things that have changed during that gap in time.”
“So you’re saying our personalities might clash?”
“Yes, that’s what I mean.”
Honestly, I had hoped the reading for me and Chae-yeon would come out positive. Of course, even if it wasn’t all sunshine, it was a perfectly normal thing, so I didn’t take it too seriously. I’d just keep it in mind. Even though I tried to think of it lightly, the words kept spinning around in my head.
Was it just a coincidence, or…
“Thank you. That was fun.”
“You’re welcome. Thank you for coming.”
After finishing everything, I stepped out of the cafe and the sky had already grown dark. I thought about heading home, but since I was already out, I wanted to enjoy myself a little more.
“Wanna hit the PC bang?”
“Sure.”
“After that, let’s go to coin karaoke. Clean and simple.”
“Sounds good. Since we’re out, we might as well play.”
My digestion is worse in the evening than at lunch, so I usually try not to go out at night. The night sky dotted with stars and the cool evening breeze. I used to think every time of day felt the same, but once I actually stepped out at night, I realized something.
It’s completely different.
There’s a slight sense of freedom compared to going out in the afternoon, like it makes you want to walk down the road ahead of you.
At the PC bang I hadn’t visited in a while…
“Dude, that guy’s got an archer. We can’t go in now.”
“Why are you telling me that now?!”
“We’re screwed. I said it too late. Sorry.”
And at the coin karaoke we go to often…
“Oh, what’s this? Are you planning to sing this song for that person?”
“Did you catch Kim Su-ho’s disease? Why are you being such a troll too?”
“It’s fun watching Su-ho do it from the side.”
“And who sings a song like this for someone?”
“You could, you know.”
“It’s just a song I’m really into lately. That’s why I’m singing it.”
After finishing our rounds from the PC bang to coin karaoke, my mom called. Come to think of it, I hadn’t told her I was going out.
“Yeah, Mom.”
Where are you, son?
“I’m downtown right now. About to head back.”
If you’re going somewhere, you should tell me. Then I could pick you up after school and we could go home together.
“Ah, right. I didn’t think of that.”
Honestly, you never think about what would be more efficient when you do something.
“I’m heading back now. I haven’t eaten dinner yet. I’m gonna have rice with that stir-fried squid you made.”
Pfft. Got it. Hurry home.
“Okay, Mom.”
I said that partly to stop Mom from nagging, but I really did want to eat rice with the stir-fried squid. I had spotted the squid she’d made and left behind right before I went out, so I couldn’t help it. I was going to cancel if Yong-ju hadn’t left the house yet, but he said he was already on his way.
“I’m going. See you next time.”
“Yeah, take care getting home.”
“Mom! I’m home!!”
“You’re back? Come eat quickly.”
“What are you making at this hour?”
“Eggplant kimchi. I saw on YouTube that it’s supposed to be really good.”
“You make kimchi with eggplant? Never heard of that before.”
“Your dad worked himself to death the second he got home because of that.”
“Dad really suffered, huh.”
“If you eat now, are you going to stay up late?”
“Probably. I really wanted that stir-fried squid.”
Even though it was late, I piled my bowl high with rice and dug into the stir-fried squid in front of me. I’m not even crazy about stir-fried squid. The reason I was giving up sleep to eat it right now was…
You know how it is sometimes. Even if it’s not your absolute favorite food, there are moments when you suddenly crave it like crazy. This was one of those times. Since I usually don’t have much of an appetite, on days when I actually feel hungry, I have to eat exactly what I want.
“Ah, that was delicious. Totally worth losing sleep over.”
“It’s nice to see you eating so well. Tomorrow you can have the leftover spicy chicken stir-fry.”
“Got it. Having you around means there’s always so much food at home.”
“When you’re alone, don’t you just eat with one or two side dishes? Because it’s too much trouble?”
“One or two? I just throw all the ingredients in and stir-fry everything.”
“That’s something to brag about.”
Eating rice at this hour meant I’d be visiting the bathroom a lot late into the night, which was basically the same as giving up on sleep.
Giving up sleep for stir-fried squid. Looks like I’ll be going to bed at 2 a.m. today.
Before starting work, I sent Chae-yeon a message first to tell her what happened today. She replied right away.
“Downtown. The government was doing some youth event and they rented out a cafe for it.”
“They said a new connection would appear in my life. And that when that connection appears, it’ll be a good time to start something new.”
I wanted to know exactly what kind of connection it was too. It could be a friend, a lover, an acquaintance—there were so many possibilities. If that connection was Chae-yeon, what kind of relationship did I actually want with her?
“Hmm. What should we do?”
“If you’re the new connection, I think it’d be better if we started something new together.”
“Well… there’s no rule saying it can’t, right?”
While texting with Chae-yeon, work naturally got pushed to the back burner. Since I had already written two chapters before going out, I didn’t feel any pressure about it.
“They said there might be some trouble while we’re getting closer.”
“Since we haven’t been in touch for so long, I think it’s because our personalities have changed since elementary school.”
“Right now it feels like we’re new friends.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do.”
If it wasn’t just normal trouble but something that could actually drive us apart, I really hoped nothing like that would happen. Since we’d started talking again, I wanted us to get close again. Smoothly, without any trouble at all.
“For real. But before we know it, the new semester will be here again.”
“It’s definitely going to start, but it feels like a curse. Weird.”
“Even a med student says stuff like that?”
“Hmm, sounds like personal experience.”
“Alright, sleep well.”
Since it was vacation and we had plenty of time, I thought it would be good to make plans with Chae-yeon. What should we do when we meet next time?
By the way, when am I supposed to sleep? This is a serious problem.