The Strange Intention (2)
The restaurant was still bathed in the faint, lingering glow of the spring breeze that had swept through after the couple departed. Inside, the atmosphere felt as cold and tense as the morning after a violent storm, with an unspoken standoff hanging in the air like a threat you could almost taste. Exactly two older people stared daggers at each other, their eyes burning with barely contained fury, the heavy divine weight of their words barely held back by years of shared history.
"What the hell are you trying to do?"
The husband, who had only a moment ago been striding out the door with his wife, now faced the grandmother across the cheap plastic table. Their faces twisted in mutual disgust. These two old fools knew each other better than anyone—better than any client who walked in for a bowl of jjigae or a quick meal between dates. They knew exactly what the other was capable of, and that knowledge only made the tension sharper.
"Coming into my shop in the middle of the night with that kind of guts, and you can't even say what you want?"
"Hah, like I came here for a good reason or anything. You act so damn bold."
The next second, the scene twisted like a kaleidoscope. The grandfather's wrinkled frame shimmered and reformed into a tall, handsome young man with snow-white hair, his eyes still flashing with that same stubborn fire. Across from him, the grandmother's body changed just as fast—her red skirt and yellow jeogori flowing into the elegant robes of a beautiful woman who looked more like a goddess than a restaurant owner. Even the cheap table beneath them shimmered, transforming into a grand wooden surface worthy of the heavens themselves.
The woman lifted one of the glasses with a hand that trembled slightly from barely contained irritation and slid it toward him, her voice dripping with that familiar mix of superiority and barely-leashed power.
"Here. Now tell me. What brings you here? What exactly did you want to say?"
A steaming cup of ancient-style green tea rose from the table, the fragrant steam curling up like a dragon's breath. The man snatched it up without hesitation, poured the entire contents straight into his mouth, and let out a low, dangerous growl.
"I told you. I said to adjust the times for those two kids."
"Why the hell did you come back with that same bullshit?"
The woman's tone suddenly shifted, the gentle warmth of a moment ago replaced by the sharp, condescending edge of a lady of the house speaking to her underling. The friendly, equal footing they'd shared just seconds earlier vanished completely. Now only one thing was clear: she intended to crush him beneath her heel.
"I clearly told you that the timing can't be delayed as much as you like."
One word from her and the man exploded. He slammed the glass down on the table hard enough to crack it, his voice rising into a furious roar.
"When the hell did we ever handle things by the book? Tsk, I didn't know that! When did our Samshin Halmi ever live by such rigid rules—"
"Quiet."
**-KWAANG!**
The pressure crashed down like a thunderclap, crushing the space itself. The man who had been snarling like a beast only moments before could barely hold his posture, his body trembling under the weight of the divine authority.
"Urk…"
"You're so arrogant, yelling like that."
"Shut… shut… uuuugh…"
"Tsk."
She took her own untouched glass, brought it to her lips, and spoke calmly, her voice carrying the full weight of her status.
"The real problem is that your weaving skills aren't up to snuff. All I ever wanted was to let those children be born at the happiest possible moment."
"You son of a bitch…"
The man let out a low, mocking laugh, his eyes gleaming with something dark and cruel.
"The kids you mentioned earlier—I was ready to settle for a four-year delay at most. But ten years? Five kids after only six years of marriage. That's your doing, isn't it?"
"Why the hell would that be my fault? They're the ones who love each other like they'd rather die than be apart."
"Don't you dare say that. If that girl had been born three years earlier, she would have met that man sooner. She would have been ten times happier with a different fate."
"…"
"I know that too, you know. Even I saw it from the sidelines. You can't possibly not know. Still, what? You can't do anything about it?"
"So what?"
The woman answered with an emotionless expression, her eyes cold as winter steel.
"Life and death cannot be adjusted however you please. If those years hadn't happened, would those children even have become the loving couple they are now? How short-sighted."
"Shut your mouth."
The man ground his teeth, flames of rage flickering in his eyes.
"True, the others are different. I don't care about ordinary kids. The guy in question is a bit of a shame, but at least it's not that bad. But this… this is a completely different story."
He raised one arm with visible effort, snapped his fingers, and the air filled with swirling smoke. The image of Kim Se-hyun rose within the steam like a ghost summoned from the underworld. The woman's body gave the tiniest, almost imperceptible flinch.
"I told you I would use him as my successor."
"…"
"You have no idea how many threads on his body have been torn to pieces, do you? That's all your doing."
"…"
She said nothing, simply watching the smoke rise and the image solidify. The man grew even more furious, his voice climbing higher.
"If you have a mouth, use it! I said from fifty years ago that I would use him as my successor! I said we should arrange the early connection after he was born with that girl's Hongsil! Do you even understand what kind of chaos you've caused with the threads you tore apart?!"
"Do you really think I don't know?"
"What?"
"I asked if you knew."
She met his gaze with a freezing stare.
"Then I'll ask again. Do you remember every single thread you wove into those children's lives?"
"That's some bullshit question."
"Those other Hongsils tied to that girl's split threads—are you still trying to pretend you don't remember them?"
"That's—"
The man's voice suddenly cut off. The woman closed her eyes, took a slow sip of tea, and spoke softly.
"I was about to tell you what I was going to say, but you had to open that big mouth first. Fine. Then I'll tell you my part. Tell me how those precious threads I carefully arranged for my daughters turned out."
"That… that's…"
"I already know. I know you did it because you wanted to. I'm the one who has been weaving since the beginning of time—unlike you, who only inherited it a few hundred years ago."
She gripped the glass tighter, forcing her emotions under control.
"So you two should understand this much. If you tied such miserable and wretched destinies to the other side of their lives, you should understand this much."
Her trembling hand finally shattered the glass.
**-KWAJAK!**
"Children cast aside like trash, living their whole lives unloved and dying alone! Children who became the breeding stock for men who fell in love with them! Children whose own daughters were raped right before their eyes and drove them mad with grief! You dared to raise your voice at me after weaving all that chaos?!"
"…Fuck."
"…Hah."
The woman took a deep breath, calming herself with visible effort.
"I won't waste your time. This child—you're giving up on him."
"Hah!"
"Instead, I'll personally arrange the next generation's child on time. Exactly as you wanted. Together with his match. So leave this one alone."
"…Really?"
"Unlike you, who has lived through countless generations, I have only ever been myself since the beginning of time. I cannot break my word."
She poured more smoke over the floating image of Se-hyun above the table.
"The tragic fate he must carry is not your fault, nor is it mine. We were all just following the path we were always meant to take. But even so, because of a little compassion, a little leeway should still be allowed."
"…"
"And besides, the more fates you save, the more fates are saved through them. Where would the blessings go to the one who saved that wretched life?"
"..!!"
The man's face changed. The woman smiled gently and continued.
"I enjoy the thrill of the chase myself, but in this case… it's unavoidable. I'm just as grateful and apologetic as he is for the children he has saved."
"Grandmother, that means…"
"I already sent him a gift. After all, it's only natural to feel a little excitement when you meet your original destiny early."
"…Hah."
The man ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply.
"Then my only job is to help him enjoy as many women as he wants."
"That's right. You know that too. You can't reverse his path anymore."
"Why the hell am I suffering like this…"
After pounding his head on the table for a long time, the man finally looked up and answered.
"Fine. But you have to keep your promise. If he fails, the next successor will be arranged properly. No matter how much it burdens you, you have to do it."
"I never break my word."
The conversation ended. The spring breeze returned, whistling through the shop once more. The man who had been sitting across from her vanished without a trace, leaving only the broken pieces of the shattered glass on the cheap table.
The woman transformed back into the grandmother. She gathered the shards and muttered under her breath.
"Sorry, little one…"
The words were delivered flatly, almost bitterly.
***
The auntie who had been boldly sucking her fingers clean just two pistons earlier—actually, two full pistons of ecstasy—now lay with her eyes rolled back in complete bliss, her body still twitching with aftershocks.
"What… what the hell was that…?"
"Wow… you're even worse than me?"
The woman beside her, who had been watching with a disgusted face, shook her head in disbelief. But she wasn't exactly innocent either. She had been moaning and dripping with anticipation while watching her own daughter get fucked.
But she didn't mention it in front of the auntie. She had enough sense for that. Tonight, when the two of them were alone, she would definitely punish her.
"Heh… heh…"
"…More and you'll die."
"Yeah. I know. She's barely breathing. It's only because Master is so huge in the first place."
True. The size was abnormal.
"But you and Su-ah are fine, right?"
"Yeah. We're not in pain. We're sensitive, but not that much. And I did hurt pretty bad at first."
"Considering how bad it was…"
"Wh-what?!"
"No… by the way, what do we do about this…?"
She couldn't do anything about the auntie who was still twitching and dripping. It felt like colliding with an iceberg in the middle of trying to build a relationship. Of all the things to happen—fainting right when things were getting good.
"First, let's go home. We can't do anything like this, and the mood is completely ruined."
Following the woman's advice, the auntie—still wearing only her clothes—had to be carried on the other woman's back as they headed back to the room.