Orphans Are Good at Fortune-Telling (4): The Orphan's Goodwill
The uncles around us started drifting over, their faces lit up with approval.
"Wow. This young friend sure knows how to drink!"
"I've lived a long life, but this is the first time I've seen someone knock back whiskey that boldly."
"It's on me! I'm opening this one!!"
"Ooh...!! Valentine! We can't back down from that!"
The uncles cracked open the expensive bottles they'd been saving and poured generous measures for me.
Thanks to that, Hong Si-yeon, who had gotten quite drunk on my behalf, could only sit there looking apologetic.
The uncles, on the other hand, simply laughed with the easy cheer of men who knew how to enjoy life and kept drinking.
"So what's the story with you two? Lovers?"
"You look good together, you know?"
"Ahahaha..."
"Date her! Date her!"
"Kiss! Kiss!"
Unbelievable. The people who frequented this upscale bar were no different from the kids back at the orphanage.
I wondered if it was really okay to be this rowdy in a place like this, but the bartender was smiling and the other patrons were chuckling along, so it seemed we were fine.
While the thoroughly drunk uncles kept laughing, Hong Si-yeon let out a small sigh.
"You all seem pretty far gone, so let's call it a night here."
"Ah. Before we go, just a moment."
Since I'd drunk for free, it was only right to give something back. I borrowed two sheets of paper and a pen from the bartender.
"Uncles. Want to flip these over for me?"
"Huh? What's this?"
"Cards? Hehe. I'm pretty damn good at poker."
I held out the deck of playing cards I'd brought just in case. After shuffling them thoroughly and laying them out, the uncles began turning them over.
"Hmm..."
"Are you telling fortunes?"
"Yes."
In truth, I'd already seen everything the moment I took the cards out. The slightly balding man—Mr. Lee Hyung-seok—would get into a traffic accident three days from now. I needed to help him avoid it. And Mr. Kim Hong-san here would tumble down some stairs in a week and break his leg.
I wrote down the futures awaiting them, folded the notes neatly, and slipped them into their pockets.
"Uncles. When you wake up tomorrow, make sure to read these. And if possible, don't ignore what they say."
"What is it?"
"Some kind of lucky charm?"
"Haha. You could look at it that way."
Lucky charm, huh? Sure, why not.
Hong Si-yeon stared at Kang Noah. Questions kept bubbling up about what she'd just witnessed.
This man's fortune-telling was the real thing. Everyone wanted to know their future. It was only natural—humans had no control over that part of life. Yet Kang Noah uncovered it all with nothing more than the simple ritual of reading cards.
"Mr. Kang Noah."
"Yes?"
"Why did you do that earlier?"
Some people would show up carrying a fortune in gold, begging for help. But back there, he'd peered into those men's futures and steered them away from disaster for nothing more than a few glasses of liquor.
"I assumed your part-time fortune-telling at the hotel was just a way to build your reputation."
"Haha. It was."
"But that wasn't what happened tonight."
Those men were complete strangers he'd met by chance at a bar. There was no need to use his power for them.
At her question, Kang Noah let out a soft chuckle.
"I'm an orphan."
"Yes? I... I know that already."
"But I don't have to live like one."
Gazing out the window, he spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"When you grow up in an orphanage, too many people look at you through colored glasses just because you're an orphan."
"Well... I suppose that's true."
"I hated it. In this world, plenty of people live as if they never had parents, right?"
"...They do."
The person who had betrayed her came to mind immediately. Hong Si-yeon, who understood that statement better than anyone, nodded in agreement. Kang Noah chuckled again.
"Fate made me an orphan, but that doesn't mean I have to live like one."
I don't want to hear that I'm trash because I have no parents. He continued in that relaxed tone.
"If someone helps you, you pay them back. Isn't that what it means to not live like an orphan?"
"...Ahaha."
A laugh slipped out of her. In that case, would he have helped her the same way?
At first it had been pure curiosity—the person who had so easily changed her sister's heart when she herself could not. But he had helped her. He had pulled her out of misfortune. Even though she had given him compensation, Kang Noah had been the one to reach out first.
If she didn't find someone like that interesting, who would she ever find interesting?
"You're a fascinating person."
"Actually, I'm pretty damn fascinating."
When he puffed out his chest and claimed he'd been popular back at the orphanage too, Hong Si-yeon spoke with a face slightly flushed—whether from the alcohol or something else, she wasn't sure.
"I'd like to see you often from now on."
As she said those words, a faint heat lingered in her expression.
I moved house. The place was seriously nice. They called it a 27-pyeong officetel, but was 27 pyeong even allowed to be this spacious? The furniture and appliances were all second-hand, yet selling just one piece would cover the entire monthly rent of my old place.
"Internet's hooked up too..."
Then shall we joyfully crush some Dungeon & Saga today?
-Ding!
"Whoa! Did I actually win?"
I checked the email and discovered, to my surprise, that the Dungeon & Saga event I'd applied for right around the time I left the orphanage had come through.
The 7th anniversary was coming up soon, and they were calling in the old veterans, handing out prizes, and even getting guest singers to sign autographs. These were the kind of rewards you couldn't buy with money. I had to go.
"Nice... Next up..."
A new class had been released to celebrate the anniversary. The ability users would have figured out how to use it by now. Since nearly half my life had been spent on Deonsa, looking up strategies was mandatory. Let's search before the update drops so I can run some simulations.
One of the usual crazies who argued about whether game characters were virgins or not had taken over the board again. That son of a bitch was spamming...
"...Hmm?"
What the? Something that had never been visible before was now clearly in sight. Even though it was just a regular post, I could suddenly see who had written it and what their past and future looked like.
"Whoa."
Had my ability been strengthened? Why?
When I thought about it, an answer came to mind. Maybe it was because the futures of the people I'd seen had changed. I wasn't sure. It was just a guess. But there was only one thing I could do right now.
Replies immediately popped up under my comment. But that single post was enough to stop the spam. One well-aimed comment that struck at the heart had restored peace to the gallery, even though countless people had been cursing him out. If that wasn't justice in action, I didn't know what was.
Maybe my ability had been strengthened precisely to protect the gallery's peace...?
Well then, time to look up some info and log in—
"Huh?"
Just by chasing away one of the gallery's resident ghosts, the head mod had marked me in blue. Damn it, this wasn't what I wanted at all...!!
I logged out immediately and started browsing the gallery instead.
"Oh."
One of the new posts caught my eye.
PuniHani was a game VTuber I occasionally watched. As tended to happen with female VTubers, she was overly sexualized, and the gallery had seen some intense fights over her.
Plenty of idiots today too. Let's just finish the search I was doing.
The gallery was overflowing with trash and shitposts, but there was still plenty of useful information. After checking the guide on the new female class that would be added in the update, I ran a dungeon, killed the boss, and hauled in enough rare items to fill three cauldrons.
Another fulfilling day.
I lay down in bed, thinking it was about time to sleep, and started watching YouTube on my phone.
"Oh..."
The official Maple Saga broadcast was starting. The guest singer this time was... NC.A?
A female idol famous for her outstanding vocal talent and stunning beauty. With all that money, she could at least throw some at her avatar... Anyway, she was one of the invited performers.
Wow. She must be raking it in. They even invited NC.A...
....Huh?
"...Wow."
The woman dancing with a seductive smile on stage and the same woman trembling in terror formed a truly jarring contrast. The problem was that this woman would die soon. Killed by a stalker. By the bastard who had disguised himself as both her manager and bodyguard.
"Hmm..."
What should I do? Telling her wouldn't be difficult. But would she believe me?
I thought for a moment, then stood up from my seat. Still, having seen something like this, I couldn't just ignore it. If I turned a blind eye, I'd be worse than any orphan bastard.