Chapter 25: Chapter 25

In response to Jina’s bluffing, Arum said, “I’m going to show you the best of geomancy this time. You can confirm it through me. How about that? Don’t you like my concept?”

“Don’t do crazy things!”

“Well, I still have something to do with Konsu.”

Arum was glad that she could use the word ‘still’ as far as Konsu was concerned.

She felt like she didn’t split with him in a proper manner. Though she called off her marriage, she didn’t break up in a final way.

There was still a lot for both of them to do. For example, home furnishings to divide between them. Both have to agree to sell them at a used market or send them off to a recycling center.

“I think you had better ask Minwoo about Konsu’s whereabouts,” said Jina, taking out her cell phone.

Arum took it away and put it back into her handbag.

“No way. Don’t call Minwoo. Konsu is my destiny. I will meet him again through geomancy love.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Be patient, Jina. If I can show you I can make it, you’re next.”

“Nope, I don’t want it.”

“Like you, I’m preparing an article related to geomancy, so I need to experience it first. I doubt if Konsu can come back to me. If he can, I think there will be no people in the world who will be separated from their lovers, or divorced from their spouses.”

“You bet! You already know it.”

Arum knew it, or pretended to know it. As she made up her mind to believe in geomancy this time, she was determined to try it by herself.

Arum clicked ‘Today’s Shopping List’ on her smartphone.

“What are you going to buy?” asked Jina, looking askance at Arum.

“First of all, a pair of crystal mandarian ducks!”

“Made in crystal? I guess it’s expensive.”

Both women moved to a crystal goods shop.

They found the crystal pair in a shop selling small items after passing by several accessory shops.

“Beautiful!”

Arum lost her heart to the bright crystal color. One crystal mandrian duck was smaller than a woman’s fist. She picked a pair.

“What kind of effect does it have?” asked Jina.

“I hear that crystal improves our love horoscope because its clear and transparent spirit clears away the lonely and dark spirit. You know the use of this mandarian duck item, right?”

“Not at all.”

“They use it in traditional Korean weddings.”

“Isn’t it a wild goose item?”

“Oh, I think you’re right. I mean, something like a blanket with lovebirds printed on it. You can make a devoted couple with the mandrian duck item in your house.”

“Is a lovebird different from a mandrian duck?” asked Jina, continuously showing skepticism over geomancy love.

“Oh, let’s buy this vase here!”

Arum looked around various vases.

Jina pointed at a pretty vase with beautiful waves.

“How about this?”

“Nope. Hojoon asked me to buy a pottery vase.”

“Don’t you think it’s too dingy?”

Arum skipped vases made of glass, wood, iron and plastic, and then decided to buy a pottery vase in a streamlined shape.

“This is the one you want,” said Jina.

“Not bad. But I like this one better,” Arum said, showing the vase of her choice to Jina once more. And then Arum continued, “There is a reason why I should choose a pottery vase. Its material is earth.”

Arum could understand as far as that, but she couldn’t explain any more. She checked back to Hojoon’s email on it and read it to Jina.

“‘Earth has a strong vitality of toh. To maximize the vitality of mok, which is compatible with toh, one must put flowers in a pottery vase. This improves not only luck for a prosperous family, but also on luck for marriage.'”

“That provokes deep thinking!”

“I’m just trying it now.”

She left the shop after paying for the vase.

“Oh my. It’s really hard for you to make your ex-boyfriend come back. Do you think he can really come back?” asked Jina.

Arum couldn’t answer that.

“Well, Hojoon reminded me that my love might not be necessarily Konsu,” said Arum.

“Oh, you mean a different guy?”

“Who knows? I have no idea.”

“Okay, Arum. What else should you buy?”

“A bell and a clam.”

“What the heck is this combination of a bell and a shell?” asked Jina.

Walking Jina off by force, who was grumbling all along, Arum moved to an interior decorations shop.

***

Arum parted with Jina after dinner. Back home, she found that her legs had swollen up. She felt good, though, as she bought all the items she had to.

First of all, she hung a bell on the front door. According to Hojoon, a good sound would bring about good news. And it had the effect of livening the atmosphere because the sound of a bell crushed unpleasant energies

Come to think of it, there were bells in temples, churches and cathedrals. One would feel relaxed when one could hear the sound of a bell.

Arum felt more relaxed now.

Hojoon said all she had to do for this kind of effect was to hang a small bell or wind-bell on the front door. He also said a clear bell ring could help her make a good relationship with someone.

After hanging it on the front door, she was embarrassed while holding a clam in hand.

According to Hojoon’s email, she was asked to buy a clam with shells attached to it.

As the calm shut its mouth, it was so tight that nobody could open it. Likewise, a clam played the role of holding the lovers tightly, he said.

‘Where should I put this anyway?”

Arum sent Hojoon a text message. She was too tired to call.

<Where should I put this clam?>

Waiting for his reply, she laid herself down on the floor.

A little later, his text message arrived.

<Hide it below your bed. It’s traditionally said that you could hold your man tight if you put it there.>

<Thanks.>

She raised herself and went to her bed. She lowered her body to hide it below the bed.

“Oh! So much dust here.”

There was so much dirt collected below her bed that she had to clean it first. There were a lot of dust bunnies here and there.

She felt bad when she thought of how she had been sleeping with so much dust below her bed.

Pulling out a vacuum cleaner, she cleaned the dust right away and then pushed the clam under the bed.

Though she was physically exhausted, she felt good. She felt as if Konsu was coming closer to her.

While she was walking back to the living room, another text message from Hojoon arrived.

<F=Gmm/r^2>

It was a password that looked like an equation.

As she hated math the most, Arum couldn’t understand it at all. No matter how hard she thought, she had never seen it in her math class.

“What the heck is this? Is this the law of geomancy?”

Granted it was a great law, she was still too exhausted today to think about it.

***

Two days later, Arum was supposed to have a meeting with Hojoon because she really had to start the geomancy project seriously.

“Do you want me to come to Kwanghwamoon?” she asked.

She tilted her head a bit because of that unexpected meeting place.

“Well, that’s where the roads run in all directions. In other words, that’s a place with a good gi (energy).”

“I know, but…”

“In fact, I’m supposed to meet you at 1 PM, but ft our meeting lasts longer than expected, I feel I can’t move by 2PM,” said Hojoon.

“Got it. See you then.”

At 2 PM, the coffee shop she was supposed to see Hojoon was crowded, full of vigor.

She went upstairs.

She saw a guy reading a book he just bought, a woman waiting for someone, someone studying English alone, and others in a business meeting there.

She felt good as she could enjoy the luxury of spending time at a coffee shop in the afternoon after a long time.

“How pleasant it is to be outside the office like this!”

But the place was too crowded. She couldn’t find a seat.

At that moment, a couple sitting beside the window stood up to leave. Though the table was small, she couldn’t find any other one.

She took a seat and opened his text message again.

<F=Gmm^r2>

She still couldn’t get it. She had no time to ask anybody.

She was so busy writing about new books and movie reviews on Monday and Tuesday. It was after she was done with the reviews that she could make that appointment with Hojoon.

Pausing for breath, she looked out the window. It was already 15 minutes past the appointed time.

When she checked her smartphone, she found a text message from him.

<Sorry. I’ll be there by 2:30PM>

How could he be late?

While complaining about it, she went downstairs to order coffee.

The deep fragrance of sweet caramel macchiato tickled the tip of her nose.

Konsu was there!