The Price of Fate
Click—
The door to Room 312 began to creak open. Noh Jung-hee held her breath, watching the scene unfold. Her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. The gap in the door widened just enough for a finger to slip through, and then, the man inside poked his head out. He was wearing a bathrobe. His hair was damp, his face still flushed with the remnants of alcohol. The moment his eyes landed on Noh Jung-hee standing in the hallway, his pupils dilated in shock.
“...What the?”
“...Why are you coming out of here?”
The man’s face froze solid. Park Jihun, watching the scene through the video call, stared at his monitor in silence. The chat room, however, exploded a beat later.
Noh Jung-hee’s lips trembled. As the door swung open further, the interior of the room was slowly revealed: the rumpled bedsheets, the scattered beer cans on the table, and a pair of women’s heels discarded carelessly on the floor. Then, a strange woman’s voice drifted from inside.
“Honey, what are you doing? Why aren’t you bringing it back yet?”
At those words, the air in the hallway turned icy. Her younger brother, Noh Chan-young, was the first to react. He stepped forward, shielding Noh Jung-hee from the man.
“Wow.”
It was a short utterance, but his voice was already frozen cold. Noh Jung-hee couldn’t say a word. The scene before her was so vivid that her mind felt completely hollowed out.
A woman walked out from the room, dressed in a short dress. She looked back and forth between Noh Jung-hee and Noh Chan-young, then frowned at the man frozen in the doorway. “Honey, who is that woman?”
The man couldn’t open his mouth. No, he couldn’t. At that moment, Noh Jung-hee spoke first.
“I’m his girlfriend.” Her voice shook, but she remained composed. After a very brief silence, she added, “...No. I’m his ex-girlfriend now.”
The chat room went wild.
The expression on the woman inside the room changed in an instant. She glared at the man and asked, disbelieving, “...What?”
Noh Jung-hee looked the man straight in the eye and repeated, “I was his girlfriend. Until just a moment ago.”
The woman looked at the man. The man avoided her gaze. That short silence was answer enough. Slap! A sharp sound echoed through the hallway. The woman had struck the man across the cheek.
“Are you a crazy bastard?”
The man clutched his stinging cheek, unable to say a word. Noh Chan-young let out a cynical laugh. “Wow, you’re really something. You cheated on both of them?”
Noh Jung-hee’s eyes were red, but she didn’t cry. Instead, she took a slow, deep breath and said to the man, “Don’t ever contact me again.”
The moment those words fell, the chat room on the video call spiraled out of control.
Noh Jung-hee didn’t look at the man anymore. She turned on her heel, and Noh Chan-young followed her immediately. Just before they left the hallway, Noh Jung-hee’s hand trembled as she gripped her phone tighter. Park Jihun’s low voice came through the earphones. “That’s enough. Hang up.”
Noh Jung-hee closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them. “...Yes.”
The video call ended.
After the call ended, Park Jihun leaned back in his chair without a word. Perhaps it was because the tension that had been building up until a moment ago had drained away all at once, but his temples throbbed. His ears felt muffled. He took a slow breath and let it out.
“...Hah.”
A short sigh escaped him. But there was no time to rest. One side of his broadcast screen was flashing like crazy. Pop! Pop! The donation alerts for Water Droplets were going off in succession.
[SilentRoom gifted 20 Water Droplets.]
[agei gifted 50 Water Droplets.]
[dwm1199 gifted 100 Water Droplets.]
Park Jihun scanned the chat room with a dazed expression.
The chat room moved without rest. Some sent Water Droplets saying it was fun, while others clamored for their own readings. It seemed that while the video call was ongoing, viewers had flocked in like a snowball rolling downhill. Park Jihun looked at the top right of his screen with a blank face.
[Current Viewers: 2,141]
“...What?”
The voice slipped out. He was genuinely shocked. It had only been two days since he started streaming. Just a while ago, the broadcast had five or six hundred people, but now, over two thousand had gathered. Park Jihun tightened his grip on the mouse. When did they all get here?
Meanwhile, the Water Droplet alerts kept popping. Pop! Pop!
[Shaker gifted 50 Water Droplets.]
[VeryKara gifted 30 Water Droplets.]
Park Jihun shook his head slowly as he watched. The donations were still backed up by nearly thirty seconds. The alerts showed no sign of stopping. Until just a moment ago, he had just been saying whatever came to mind because he could see it. But now, it was different. People were going wild over his words, immersing themselves, and throwing money at him. The broadcast was holding people captive.
“...This.” Park Jihun muttered to himself. Even then, the alerts kept firing. Pop!
[KaEt gifted 100 Water Droplets.]
The corners of Park Jihun’s mouth curled up as he read the donation message. “...This could actually be real money.”
At the same time, the chat room began to spiral again.
Park Jihun watched the pouring chat for a moment before slowly adjusting his posture. The cold sensation hadn’t completely vanished yet. His head was tired, but his mind was becoming clearer. Good. This wasn’t just a talent for reading fortunes. If he played his cards right, it was a job that could make real money. Now that he’d confirmed it was profitable, what he needed was his own set of rules.
I need to set some rules. This couldn’t go on. He couldn’t just read for anyone who came along, but he couldn’t let it go without getting paid, either. Park Jihun slowly rubbed his chin. Shamans get paid a Bokchae. Come to think of it, it wasn’t strange at all. It would be weirder if something this accurate had no price. So, how much should I charge? Looking at the chat, it seemed people would pay even if he asked for a thousand Water Droplets.
Should I make it a thousand?
That was the moment. Wooooong— His temples suddenly throbbed. A headache, like a needle piercing his brain, rushed in. “...Ugh.” Park Jihun furrowed his brow. Is a thousand too much? He shook his head. Then should I do it for free?
Wooooong— His head throbbed again. His vision blurred. Park Jihun gritted his teeth. So free is out, too. He got a hunch. It couldn’t be too much, and it couldn’t be free. A spiritual reading had to have a corresponding price.
Park Jihun fell into deep thought. ...Five hundred?
This time, there was no headache. His throbbing temples calmed down as if by magic. The heavy ringing that had been pressing on his brain disappeared. Park Jihun’s eyes darkened. Five hundred. That was his fee.
Park Jihun chuckled. “Yeah, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
He looked at the chat room again. It was still flooded with people asking for readings. Some were already firing off Water Droplets to promote themselves. Still, wouldn’t it be okay to read for one person for free? Sometimes, there might be someone who catches his eye for no reason. Like the 29-year-old job seeker from before, someone born with a fate that could have seen them die the very next day. Let’s do one free reading every time I turn on the stream. That should be fine, right?
Fortunately, there was no headache. After setting the rule in his heart, he pulled the microphone forward.
“Quiet.”
The chat room paused for a moment. Then, everyone started buzzing.
Park Jihun spoke in a low, heavy voice. “Starting next stream, I’ll be charging a fee. Five hundred Water Droplets. Exactly five hundred.”
The chat room stirred. Some said it was too expensive, others said it was too cheap. But Jihun continued without caring. “And every time I stream, I’ll do one reading for free. But I’ll be the one to decide who it is.”
The chat room became rowdy.
Jihun pondered for a moment before parting his lips. “I’ll take reservations on a first-come, first-served basis.”
That was the moment. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
[SilentRoom gifted 500 Water Droplets.]
[agei gifted 500 Water Droplets.]
[dwm1199 gifted 500 Water Droplets.]
[KaEt gifted 500 Water Droplets.]
[RamenMaster gifted 500 Water Droplets.]
As if they had been waiting, the donation alerts began to fire in rapid succession.