The War of the Big Spenders
TenTen swallowed hard. "Excuse me?"
"Your package. It went to the floor above."
"The floor above?"
"Yeah. It’s not Room 202."
The Discord call went silent. A moment later, TenTen asked in a trembling voice, "There is a woman who lives alone in 301... could it be her?"
Park Jihun replied, "The first thing she took was clothes."
"That’s right. The very first thing that went missing was a dress."
That was when it happened. Another vision flickered past. The door closed, and the package envelope left on the dining table was sliced open with a utility knife. Inside was a brand-new dress. The woman pulled it out and held it against her body, but her face twisted into a scowl. In that instant, she tore the new dress to shreds.
"She held the clothes up to her body in front of the mirror. But they didn't fit."
TenTen swallowed and asked, "And then?"
"From then on, she only picked packages that looked like they contained clothes."
"What? They didn't even fit her, so why?"
Park Jihun let out a sigh. "Why? To ruin them."
"Is that woman completely insane? Why is she doing that to other people's clothes?" TenTen, unable to contain her anger, steadied her breathing and asked urgently, "What should I do? It’s useless to call the police without evidence."
Park Jihun was silent for a moment. Soon, another scene flickered by. Again, a package left in front of the door. The woman in 301 checked the hallway once before grabbing the envelope. This time, she didn't even bother checking the shipping label. As soon as she got inside, she pulled out a utility knife and slashed the envelope violently. The plastic packaging ripped, and the new clothes inside were shredded along with it.
After the vision ended, Park Jihun said, "Order some fermented salted seafood."
"What?"
"Put the fermented seafood in a package envelope and leave it in front of your door. Make it look like clothes."
"Oh, so she'll take it, and when she cuts it open with a knife, the smell will spread immediately?"
"Exactly."
Park Jihun continued, "Don't go up there and fight her alone."
"Yes?"
"You’ll only end up in trouble."
"Then what should I do?"
"When the package goes missing, call the police then."
"Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you so much."
"Go now."
The Discord call ended, and Park Jihun said briefly, "Next."
The second caller was Nathan. He entered the Discord. "Hello." Judging by his voice, he was a middle-aged man.
Park Jihun said immediately, "You're thinking of donating."
Nathan hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. "Yes, that's right. I received a year-end performance bonus, and I want to use it for a good cause."
Nathan continued, "But I’m curious if the place I’m planning to donate to is legitimate. It’s not a huge amount, but I want to make sure it’s used properly."
Park Jihun closed his eyes. Soon, an unfamiliar scene appeared. An old classroom. Sunlight streaming in through the window at an angle. A notebook spread out on a wooden desk. A dark-skinned child clutching a worn-out pencil. The child was hunched over, writing something in crooked letters. Looking closely, it was a letter. At the top of the letter was Nathan's real name.
"You can donate."
Nathan asked cautiously, "Is it okay?"
"Yeah." Park Jihun added, "Your money won't be used for anything shady."
Only then did Nathan let out a breath. "Phew, that’s a relief. I’ve been hesitating."
"No need to hesitate. It’s a good place."
The chat room was buzzing.
Park Jihun scanned the chat. People were asking for the name of the organization, saying they wanted to do a good deed too. He said briefly, "Next."
That was when a donation alert popped up.
DudyDudy: Thank you so much for yesterday. My father collapsed due to a cerebrovascular issue, but the ambulance arrived in time and we didn't miss the golden hour. They said his life is not in danger.
Park Jihun said briefly, "That’s a relief. Take good care of your father."
The subsequent consultations were wrapped up quickly. After the intermediate free reading, it was finally the last turn. The chat room was restless.
Park Jihun checked the last nickname. [Nathan]
Park Jihun looked at the screen and spoke up. "It hasn't been a week for you yet."
Park Jihun said briefly, "Not today."
Nathan's turn was invalidated. Park Jihun called the next nickname on the waiting list. "AlbinoRhino. Come in."
AlbinoRhino's consultation wasn't long. After a short warning and a few words of confirmation, the Discord connection was cut. Then, as if they had been waiting, a donation alert exploded.
Nathan: Thanks to you, I prevented a major disaster. Thank you so much.
The chat room heated up in an instant.
A moment later, another donation alert went off.
Nathan: Always grateful. I will continue to follow your advice.
That was when it happened. A sudden donation alert made the chat room pause for a second.
TheFirst: Calling him Chairman for a measly 10k?
The chat room exploded.
Park Jihun, with a calm expression, scanned the chat room. TheFirst typed again.
Park Jihun blinked for a moment after reading the chat. The cool energy that had been wrapping around his body slowly faded away. His sunken eyes returned to normal. Only then did Park Jihun check the donation alert and the chat room once more, and said with an awkward expression, "Thank you for the donation."
Park Jihun continued in a calm voice, "However, you can decide the Chairman position amongst yourselves. Just because you become the Chairman doesn't mean you get to skip the line for a reading."
At that, the chat room erupted again.
Then Nathan left a message.
A moment later, someone left a message.
Then, another donation alert went off.
TheFirst: Now I must be ahead.
The chat room froze for a moment before exploding.
Park Jihun checked the donation alert. However, even after seeing the 200,000, his expression didn't change much. He looked at the chat room and said calmly, "TheFirst, thank you for the donation."
He checked the time at the bottom of the screen and added, "That’s all for the readings today."