Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Responding jokingly, Juyoung, who was wise and understanding, went back to his desk.

Watching his back, Hojoon felt sorry for him. Joyoung probably found it hard to stop his son who wanted to study abroad. As a child, his son was smart enough to learn how to read Korean and English with books he borrowed from a library. Why couldn’t Hojoon understand Juyoung’s feelings, who wanted to do everything for his son?

But Juyoung could lose everything because of that.

For he could not think of his relationship with his son only. Hojoon found it hard even to imagine Juyoung living separated from his wife. In fact, numerous theories backed up the correlation of the high ratio of divorce with separated fathers like Juyoung.

There was no possibility that Juyoung, who was aware of the basic concept of geomancy , would not know this. Hojoon didn’t say any more.

At that moment, Manager Yun came in.

He didn’t look good.

Hojoon asked, “I hear you’re dating.”

“Who told you so?”

Turning his head, Heemang was enjoying jjajangmyon silently.

“I think you were spurned by the girl.”

Hojoon touched his soft spot.

“That’s why I told you that you should have moved early on. You won’t date a woman as long as you live there. It’s a place that a woman deserts.”

“That’s why I chose that house on purpose, man. So what?”

“What the heck?”

Hojoon was at a loss on how to respond. Furious, Yun justified his decision.

“Is divorce a state crime? You can get divorced after you get married. It’s not a big deal.”

“I don’t care, but don’t get divorced as long as you work for my company. It will affect our sales. Who could ask for our consultation if our staff here get divorced and our business goes bankrupt?”

Hojoon’s point made sense.

“Hey, why don’t you date a woman? You’re such an eloquent speaker on the geomancy of lovers, right?” demanded Yun.

“Well, I’m taking care of myself, man. Anytime when I feel up to that. Anyway, it is so windy in your studio flat. How come a geomancy consultant like you rented such a room? There was no peace in your marriage life, wasn’t it?”

“I rented it on purpose, man. Are you happy? I think I’m going to enjoy my life as a single man.”

As if on cue, Heemang cut in, “Yeah, I don’t understand how a man can live with the same woman all his life.”

“You’re not qualified to say that, dude,” quipped Yun.

But Heemang resisted by continuing, “Don’t you think so? When I was in school, I found it so boring to wait for a month to change my mate in the classroom. But I was thrilled to meet my new mate every week. I wonder if I can be more skillful in choosing a woman if I get married and then divorced.”

Hojoon and Yun marvelled at Heemang’s fresh idea on marriage.

Yun said, teasing Hojoon, “Wow, that’s terrific. Why don’t you post it on your column in your SNS account? As we live in an age when human beings are myondang, isn’t it myondang if you make friends with many people who love you?”

Hojoon was just stunned to hear that.

“That’s enough. If that’s true, our company will disappear in the Korean market, won’t it?”

“I like it, man. Geomancy company specializing in divorce. We can teach those wishing to get divorced how to do so definitely through geomancy .”

“Oh my… You do it!” Hojoon shouted, putting down the empty noodle bowl.

“Are you upset?” Manager Yun looked at his face.

“Nope. I just can’t understand what you’re talking about. I have to attend a meeting.

Are you happy now?”

Then he raced to a restroom, holding a toothbrush.

A little while later, a woman client visited the company.

She was dressed in black, as if she had just returned from a house of mourning.

Recognizing her, Heemang escorted her to a meeting room.

“You have come here to see the president, right?”

She nodded silently.

“He will be here shortly as soon as he prepares the consulting data.”

When Heemang was about to turn back, Hojoon came in.

“How have you been?”

In contrast with his bright voice, she didn’t show any change in her expression.

The woman sitting in front of Hojoon was a professional who came to see him three months ago in connection with her marriage.

“You must get married. By the end of this year.”

She was a client who he felt thankful for as she wired an expensive consultation fee into his account right away. She was a woman entrepreneur who opened business in Silicon Valley after obtaining a PhD in America. She was now the head of the Korea branch of a famous global IT security company. She was a capable professional widely known in the field.

But there was a special terminology reserved for women like her in Korea.

Spinster, gold miss, and the like.

No matter how much she tried to impress others with her colorful background, her beauty or self-improvement, any woman stigmatized as a spinster was treated as ‘used’ in the so-called marriage market.

Though such a woman was a ‘new product,’ it’s like an old home appliance that didn’t sell well.

That professional woman in front of Hojoon said she always had blind dates with the type of men that she didn’t like. Even those remarried men, who were far inferior in terms of the conditions of marriage, allegedly didn’t like her.

In this case, most people would think she was ugly.

It was ridiculous for a single woman who doesn’t look pretty to meet a remarried man. Besides, this woman was pretty enough.

Her problem was the atmosphere or mood surrounding her.

Just like a security expert, she was a workaholic who only focused on her own work while hiding her attraction by all means.

Is this the great side of a career woman?

In fact, she reminded Hojoon of his mother’s sister who always felt tired as she had to report to work again after working three days and nights. This client came back to see Hojoon, though she had a lot of time left on her contract.

As soon as she sat at the conference table, she spoke bluntly, “I would like to request for the refund.”

In a calm voice, she talked lightly as if she came back to a convenience store to change an item that passed an expiration date

Asking for refund?

Hojoon was embarrassed. There was nothing like refund in this business. Did anyone see fortune tellers giving refunds to clients? Even credit cards were not accepted by them.

It was the same as asking for receipts for one’s cash donations to a church.

Of course, Hojoon didn’t want anything like a special bonus that lawyers typically received for successful lawsuits.

He clearly explained to her that he would not give a refund as his consultation was something like service fee. How come a woman so educated and knowledgeable as her was asking for a refund?

Hojoon was kind of embarrassed at her request.

“Of course, there are cases that see the immediate effect of geomancy . But you have to keep watching from 100th day of your consultation up to one year. If you really don’t get the results you want after that period expires, let me give you another geomancy consultation.”

“Nope. Your consultation wasn’t effective, and I have no use for it anymore.”

Did she find a man?

Hojoon couldn’t figure out why she was requesting for a refund.

“If you don’t need my consultation anymore, did you run into another problem?”

“I got promoted. I’m not sure if my promotion was affected by geomancy , but I got busier now. What I really wanted was not promotion but my love horoscope.”

“Congratulations! I believe such good things will take place one by one from now on.

“Maybe. But promotion at my age demands more responsibility on my end. The time has come for me to choose between the two, namely work and love. So, I decided to choose work. I’ve decided to live as a single woman, so I don’t need this geomancy method.”

Though she spoke out without any hesitation, Hojoon could feel the bleak loneliness on her face.

He could also see fear in her face that she would not even try as it was certain she would fail in love.

Actually, that’s common to anybody.

Everybody longed for love whose true nature they could not figure out. But if they did not experience it, love would become the object of fear.

Once they started the ball rolling, however, they would tend to roll on in their courses without anybody’s help, which was love. How could Hojoon load this woman on the roller coaster of love?

“Do you really intend to live as a single woman?”