A Web of Traps

The donation queue was already backed up by about five minutes. Water Droplets were still bursting across the chat window. Park Jihun wore a dubious expression. He hadn't expected this many people to clamor for a shamanic reading. Still, he couldn't break his own rules.

"Today, we're going with FrogKing, HaraScent, dldlgar2, AreYouCrying, and Neyton. Just these five."

At his words, the already chaotic chat exploded.

Jihun spoke as he watched the chat scroll by. "We're going exactly as announced."

Jihun didn't say anything more. It was time to get to his actual work. As he scanned the reservation list, a chilly energy seeped into his entire body. He opened his mouth.

"Alright, FrogKing. You first."

A moment later, FrogKing's voice came through the mic. He tried not to sound nervous, but his voice was trembling uncontrollably.

"H-hello. I'm in."

"No need to be nervous. What are you curious about?"

"Uh, first of all, my l-love life!"

Jihun stared quietly at the monitor before tossing out a blunt reply. "None for the foreseeable future."

Laughter immediately erupted in the chat.

FrogKing let out a hollow chuckle and asked hurriedly, "When you say 'not for the foreseeable future,' that means there might be a chance later, right?"

"It's not that you'll be alone forever," Jihun replied calmly. "But you're currently in no position to date anyone."

"...Excuse me?"

At that moment, Jihun's vision blurred. He saw rows of exercise equipment lined up under fluorescent lights, and a discount flyer pasted on the wall: [Annual Membership Discount –50%]. A vision of FrogKing walking on a treadmill with an excited expression flashed by. But soon, it was overlaid with images of empty lockers and a tightly shut metal shutter.

Jihun spoke. "You were planning to sign up for a one-year gym membership, weren't you?"

"...Huh? The local gym was having a sale, so I was about to register. How did you know that?"

Without shifting his gaze, Jihun said, "It's half-price."

"Y-yes, that's right."

The chat began to stir.

Jihun spoke. "Don't sign up."

"Huh? Why?"

"That place won't last more than a few months."

FrogKing blinked. "What?"

Jihun cut him off bluntly. "It's going out of business."

Instantly, the chat buzzed with excitement.

FrogKing sounded bewildered. "But there are so many members there, and the facilities are perfectly fine?"

"It only looks fine on the outside. You won't even get a proper refund."

FrogKing swallowed hard. "T-then... I guess it's better if I just don't sign up."

"Yeah." Jihun continued calmly. "You asked about your love life, right?"

"Ah, yes."

"If your money gets tied up in a place like that and your life gets messy, dating will only drift further out of reach."

"..."

Jihun delivered his final, sharp blow. "If you want to date, start by cutting down on snacks. You need to lose weight."

"I've already stopped eating late-night snacks and I'm managing my diet!"

"Then what's that bag of chips sitting right in front of your desk?"

"...*Gasp*."

Jihun cut him off ruthlessly. "Next."

"Could you look at my financial luck?" The second caller, HaraScent, was a young man who still sounded quite youthful.

"You haven't been at your job very long."

"That's right. I'm only in my first year. But I really can't seem to save any money. What should I do?"

Jihun replied briefly, "There's no fortune of big money coming your way."

HaraScent expressed his disappointment. "So you're saying there's no sudden windfall like winning the lottery?"

"Yeah."

"Ah, well, nothing I can do about that. What about other things?"

Just then, Jihun's vision blurred. The tactile sensation of a window seat in an unfamiliar cafe brushed his fingertips. Looking up, he saw a woman's face smiling warmly as she walked in. She was a senior from college whom HaraScent had secretly liked. After exchanging greetings and catching up over coffee, she pulled a tablet out of her bag. On the screen was a contract with a dense list of insurance coverage details and monthly premium payments.

"Your salary is going to leak away every month on something useless."

"Pardon?" HaraScent asked in surprise. "But I'm saving diligently?"

"It'll happen soon."

The chat reacted.

HaraScent asked cautiously, "Leaking monthly?"

"Soon, you'll get a call from a female senior you liked in college."

"What?"

"She'll invite you out, saying she wants ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to buy you a meal since it's been a while."

HaraScent's voice shook noticeably. "...R-really?"

The chat stirred.

"Finally, spring is coming for me too..."

Jihun ruthlessly crushed his hope. "She's not calling because she misses you."

HaraScent immediately asked back, "T-then why?"

"She's going to subtly bring up insurance."

Instantly, the chat went wild.

HaraScent spoke in a flustered voice. "Insurance? She's not that kind of person."

Jihun said flatly, "You'll end up signing it anyway."

HaraScent was speechless for a moment before barely managing to squeeze out, "What... what should I do?"

Jihun replied with a calm face, "Whether you meet her or not is up to you. Just don't sign anything."

"...Okay."

"Next."

Before long, the fourth viewer, AreYouCrying, was getting their reading. Leaning back in his chair, Kim Tae-jun stared intently at his monitor. Gym memberships. Seniors selling insurance. Normally, he would have laughed these off. But not today. Because his turn was coming up next.

When AreYouCrying's consultation ended, Jihun spoke briefly. "Next."

The chat boiled over as if they had been waiting for this exact moment.

Jihun opened his mouth. "Neyton."

Kim Tae-jun, who had already joined the Discord channel, turned on his mic. "Yeah, it's me."

The chat stirred once more.

Jihun asked in a cold tone, "What do you want to know?"

"I have to choose between two options."

"Again? What is it?"

"For one of them, everyone is telling me to choose it. They say it's the stable choice."

"And the other?"

"They say it's high-risk. Most people expect it to fail."

The chat began to focus as well.

Kim Tae-jun continued cautiously, "But I keep feeling like the latter will succeed."

Jihun closed his eyes. In that instant, a vision flashed before him. A late-night meeting room in a research building. A middle-aged research director sat before a table cluttered with folders. Opposite him sat someone in an expensive suit and a luxury watch, their back turned. Their face was invisible. After a moment, as the suited figure slowly slid a contract forward, the research director finally nodded. Then, the scene shifted. An unfamiliar press conference hall. Flashing cameras. A deluge of articles.

On the stage stood the research director, the man in the expensive suit from earlier, and a smiling Chairman. If Tae-jun hesitated, that achievement would fall into someone else's hands. Jihun opened his mouth.

"If you hesitate, you'll end up handing it over to someone else."

Kim Tae-jun's eyes twitched. "...Tell me more."

"I'm saying you're about to do all the hard work only for someone else to reap the benefits."

The chat stirred.

Kim Tae-jun asked again, "So what should I do?"

Jihun said coldly, "You've already made up your mind."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"..."

"How long are you going to wait for others to make decisions for you?"

"What?"

"If you've made your choice, trust your gut."

A brief silence fell. Kim Tae-jun was quiet for a while. But when he spoke again, his voice was much firmer than before. "I knew you'd say that. Fine, I'll trust my gut."

He thought it was over, but in the very next instant, another vision flashed. Loud music. Flashing lights. A tangled crowd of people. Shouting. Someone filming with a phone.

Jihun's eyebrows twitched. "You."

"Is there more?"

"Stay away from clubs for the time being."

Kim Tae-jun smirked. "I haven't been to a club in over two weeks."

"You will end up going on that day."

"Ha, fine. I just won't go."

But that wasn't the end. "Wait..." ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Another vision crashed over him. A rain-slicked road. A twisted car chassis. Shattered headlights. Flashing police lights. Kim Tae-jun slumped over the steering wheel. And then, news headlines began to pop up.

Kim Tae-jun was saying something, looking completely wronged. Camera flashes went off relentlessly, and beyond them, the cold, hardened face of the Chairman loomed.

Instead of answering, Jihun quietly stared at the chat window. As his eyes scanned the rapidly scrolling sentences, his gaze turned icy. There was a future that absolutely had to be avoided. But the moment he warned Tae-jun about it, another accident immediately took its place. This was a first. The opponent hadn't just prepared a single move. They had clearly laid multiple layers of traps to ensnare Tae-jun.

"...That's it for today's stream."