The Shaman's Secret
Even at the Chairman's question, the old man could not answer immediately. His pupils trembled with anxiety. He was shivering, trembling all over as if he were a man paralyzed by terror. Only after a long while did he steady his breathing and speak.
"...I may have seen it wrong, but."
"You?" The Chairman's eyes narrowed. "I never imagined that a Baksu who has served a powerful General God for decades in this business would be so frightened."
The old man's lips quivered. "I, I had no choice."
"Tell me, too. What did you see?"
The old man could not open his mouth right away. It was not an ordinary Momju. It was not merely a spirit attached to a person. The moment he saw it, he felt as if everything was being laid bare. It was certain that if he dared to interfere, he would only invite disaster. The old man spoke in a firm tone.
"You must not look any further. You must not even speak of it."
The Chairman's gaze deepened. "Is it so terrifying that you cannot even speak its name?"
The old man nodded slowly. He had already sealed his lips shut. The reception room fell silent in an instant. The Chairman watched the old man for a moment before asking in a calm voice.
"So. Will it bring harm to my third son?"
The old man shook his head and said, "...That is not the case."
The Chairman's eyes flickered slightly. The old man struggled to continue.
"I did not see everything, but... if anything, it will be a blessing. It does not seem to be the kind of thing that would bring harm to the young master."
A short silence followed. Only then did the Chairman loosen the tension in his fingertips. However, his expression remained rigid. Unable to hold back, he asked again.
"Can you not satisfy my curiosity?"
The old man's lips trembled violently. "You cannot, Chairman. You must not touch that person recklessly!"
The Chairman watched the old man for a long time before finally opening his mouth. "Hoo, I suppose I have no choice. Very well. Thank you for your precious time. You may go now."
The old man bowed silently and left the room with hurried steps. He did not say another word to the end. Once the door closed and the Chairman was left alone in the reception room, he fell into deep thought. The streamer who had changed his third son. And the Baksu who had turned pale as a sheet just from catching a glimpse of that person. The Chairman's eyes grew cold.
'Just what did he see...?'
Park Jihun was listening to his client when his gaze suddenly stopped. A new ID that had just entered the chat room caught his eye. It was a nickname he had never seen before. Yet, strangely, the energy it carried was extraordinary. But the moment Park Jihun narrowed his eyes, the ID exited the chat room without a hint of hesitation.
'Who could it be?'
It was an energy that made the back of his neck feel cold. Curiosity stirred. In that split second, a vision flashed by. A wide reception room. The suffocating, heavy air. An old man in shamanic robes, his face drained of all color. And sitting across from him, a man watching him in silence. In the large frame behind him, he saw a family photo of a familiar man. It was Nathan.
Just as he was about to look closer, the old man, who appeared to be a shaman, hurriedly turned off the broadcast with trembling hands. The vision ended there. Park Jihun then smiled faintly.
'Is it the Nathan family again this time?'
Then the man in the photo must be the father. Was he already curious? Park Jihun decided not to think about it anymore. Knowing was enough. If they were curious, they would be the ones to move first anyway. He turned his gaze away as if nothing had happened.
"So, what were you saying earlier?"
The client said with a flustered face, "That... whether I should sign the contract or not..."
"Don't do it."
"Ah, yes, yes!"
"You're not asking for the reason?"
"Because if the Perpetual Job Seeker says not to do it, then I shouldn't."
At this point, it was almost blind faith. Park Jihun let out a dry laugh.
"I'm telling you not to do it because it's a doomed position. Is that enough now?"
"Yes, thank you!"
It was just as the consultation ended and he was about to take the next turn. A new ID appeared at the bottom of the chat room. At least, it appeared that way to others. But to Park Jihun, it was a name he was all too familiar with. Park Jihun's lips twisted slightly.
"Well, well. Why are you here instead of doing your own broadcast?"
The chat room immediately became restless.
When the other party didn't answer, Park Jihun frowned. "Hey, Kim Usik. Are you not going to answer? Did you think I wouldn't know just because you changed your ID?"
Kim Usik was doing his usual story-telling broadcast today. "To continue from what I was saying earlier, he was so drunk that..."
However, the chat room was being flooded with a different topic.
Usik frowned. "No, I'm telling you, we're friends."
"Hey, is it right to disturb someone else's broadcast? You shouldn't do that."
Usik let out a sigh. But from the listeners' perspective, it was understandable. He had been bragging about being friends with Park Jihun all the time, but he had never once received a reading from him. "Ah, okay. I'll ask him as soon as the broadcast ends. Happy?"
The chat room then heated up even more, as if they had been waiting for it.
"Hey, why would you do something like that?" Usik shook his head, but the viewers were persistent.
"I'm not scared!" Irritated, Usik grabbed his mouse. "Fine, I'll go. I'll go. But he'll definitely guess it's me. Watch closely."
After logging in with a sub-account, Usik entered the main Ocean homepage. The moment he saw the Perpetual Job Seeker's broadcast at the very top, he froze.
[Viewer Count: 8,453]
Usik let out a dry laugh. "What the, when did he get this big?"
He went into the broadcast, and it felt even more real. The chat was moving frantically, and donation alerts were non-stop. This wasn't just "doing well" anymore. Just a few weeks ago, the difference hadn't been this large. It was then, while Usik was staring at the screen with a dazed face, that Park Jihun's voice came through.
"Hey, Kim Usik. Are you not going to answer? Did you think I wouldn't know just because you changed your ID?"
Usik's fingers stopped. It was a completely different tone from the Jihun he usually knew. Many in the chat room were also startled.
Then Park Jihun added one more thing. "Good timing. Since you're here, get a reading too."
Usik stared at the monitor, his mouth wide open. "Wait, hold on. Hey. You're guessing it like this?"
The chat room became noisy as if they had been waiting for it.
Park Jihun said, "What are you doing? Hurry up and get on Discord."
Usik had no choice but to join the Discord. "Uh, you here?"
"Perpetual Job Seeker~ It's Kim Usik. If I'd known he was this gifted, I would've asked about Bitcoin first, but he's never given me a reading once."
"Ugh, stop being a nuisance and get in here."
Park Jihun frowned. "Shut up. I told you that stuff brings bad luck."
Usik, watching that scene, tilted his head. Usually, streamers were wary of their viewers, but this broadcast was the exact opposite. 'How is that even possible?' His confusion was short-lived, as Park Jihun began in earnest.
"You're going to have a hard time after you get married."
Usik's eyes widened. "What?"
Park Jihun smirked. "You'll need to change your car to a bigger one first."
"...Why?"
"Why? You have three kids, do you think what you're driving now will work?"
Usik was speechless for a moment. "Wait, hold on. You really mean three?"
"Yeah." Park Jihun added nonchalantly, "I thought you'd have one and be done with it, but you'll have twins added to that."
"That's insane..." Usik held his forehead. The chat room was already losing its mind.
Then a donation exploded.
◈ Can you see the gender too?
Park Jihun answered briefly. "They're all sons."
Usik froze. "...What?"
Park Jihun said in a voice trying to suppress laughter, "Good for you. Your house will never have a quiet day."
"Hey! That's not good at all!" Usik shouted, but the chat room was even more excited.
Usik scratched the back of his neck. His head was spinning. Three sons. But Park Jihun's words weren't over yet.
"And one last thing."
"Ah, what now. This should be enough." Usik looked exhausted, but Park Jihun didn't care.
"Don't you hold the economic power."
Usik blinked. "Why?"
"Why? You ask why?" Park Jihun scoffed. "You can't save money if you hold it. It leaks out as soon as it comes in."
"Hey, I'm not that bad!"
"Yes, you are that bad." Park Jihun said firmly, "You were bragging to me just a few days ago about spending money on FIFA Online."
"Hey! How can you say that!"
The chat room exploded as if they had been waiting.
Usik muttered with a resentful face, "I'm spending it to create content for the broadcast."
"Hey! You guys, be quiet!" Usik gnashed his teeth, but it was no use. Park Jihun smirked and added one last thing.
"Lastly, Usik is indeed my best friend. You guys take it easy on him too."
The chat room stirred once more.
Then Usik asked Jihun, "Oh, right. I have one thing I'm curious about, can I ask?"
"What is it?"
Usik hesitated for a moment before asking. "They say a shaman can't see their own fortune. Is that true?"
At that moment, Jihun's gaze grew cold. He watched Usik for a moment, then asked back with only the corner of his lips raised.
"What do you think?"