Chapter 28: Chapter 28

In the end, Arum brought a big trash can to dump all the miscellaneous stuff in there. Only then could she think straight and she felt like studying again.

By the time she decided to get back to work, dawn was breaking, to her chagrin.

So, she just remorsed herself.

She didn’t yet solve the worksheet problems certain to be covered in the exam.

Back then, she comforted herself, saying ‘You have to solve the problems by studying hard, not by luck.’

As soon as she was done with the exam, her desk was back in a messy condition.

While listening to Hojoon’s online lectures on geomancy, she came to realize that putting things in order was part of geomancy .

However, she could not figure out where she could find myongdang, no matter how hard she listened for his lectures.

She also didn’t know what items she had to buy as the props of geomancy.

But she was pretty good at throwing things away.

She felt a good cleaning would mean half the success. She liked the phrase in geomancy that throwing away rubbish was also the study of life.

“Every item has its own energy force. Your room and house are no exception. They constantly interact with your spirit. If there are dirty things around someone’s house, it shows the mental state of that person. Only when that person throws them away, he or she can bring in saengi or a good living energy force. Try to receive a good energy force from the sunshine, wind and your guests. You will experience many good things and your life will change,” said Hojoon in his lecture.

That was true.

While she was cleaning her handbag, Konsu’s business card she received a while ago dropped on the floor.

‘This, too, happened thanks to geomancy .’

How could she meet Konsu when she became interested in geomancy only recently?

“Definitely this guy is not a swindler.’

Right after she installed the small items related to the geomancy of love as instructed by Hojoon, she began to experience its effects. That was an undeniable fact.

Never did she expect to bump into Konsu in the heart of Kwanghwamoon streets.

Was there a good energy of roads running in all directions as Hojoon said?

As she was holding his name card, she became more and more curious about Konsu.

Was he still a single or married?

‘Do I go to the trouble of asking him? I’m sure he is single. Otherwise he had no reason to use the business card case that I gave him as a gift.’

She became more confident that he was single, given the way he looked at her.

Arum could feel deep inside that he was still fond of her.

After hesitating for a moment, holding his card, she sent him a text message.

<I was glad to see you. Call me when you have free time. Let’s have a cup of coffee.>

While she was waiting for his reply in excitement, the editor coming back from a business trip called her.

There was a fragrant candle burning in her office.

Definitely the atmosphere of her office was much more comfortable and softer than before.

Arum couldn’t afford to feel it, of course.

She knew she made a big mistake by losing the golden chance to get free geomancy consultation, which she secured by making lots of efforts. Obviously the editor would want collaboration with Sola Electronics.

She didn’t even want to think about how she threw cold water on the geomancy project.

“Editor!”

The sooner she confessed her wrongdoing first, the better, she thought.

“Yes, Arum. By the way, I didn’t know you had a great friend like that with Sola Electronics,” said the editor.

Ugh? She never told her about Jina. How did she know?

“You should have told me about your friend in advance.”

“Oh, she and I are so close.”

“Really?”

The editor looked surprised.

“Was her working for Sola Electronics helpful to you?”

“Absolutely.”

The editor looked at Arum with a strange expression.

“You have to keep her at a distance. And you should also keep your public and private life separate.”

She felt a prick in her heart at that.

She once asked Jina to send her discount coupons issued by her company.

“Though I receive her help sometimes, you don’t have to worry.”

“Yeah, I know you’re smart enough. I like the way you work so much these days. Everything has been going so smoothly since I burnt the candle.”

“Really?”

She really wanted to say, “Don’t you think geomancy was so accurate? I met my ex-boyfriend,” but held back the urge.

“I think I have to host a big dinner for them. Invite Hojoon Lee, too. I hear he is Soran Cho’s friend, isn’t she?”

“Pardon?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re Soran’s friend? Soran told me she proposed this special geomancy project because of you. Didn’t you know that? Unlike the lousy rumor about her, she was frank and nice. How did you know her?”

The editor looked at Arum with an interesting expression.

Arum couldn’t confess to her what had happened the other night. She couldn’t tell her Soran was the ex-girl friend of Hojoon, who happened to be the stranger to Arum until she broke into his house recently under the influence of drink.

‘What a cunning lady Soran is! Obviously you lied to my editor you’re my friend.’

When Hojoon warned her that Soran would go after her, she let it in one ear and out the other. Arum knew that the collaboration between Sola Electronics and <Single Woman> could not be influenced by a rank-and-file employee like her. Accordingly, they could proceed without her.

Given the current situation, however, she couldn’t ask to be excluded from the project.

“Well, I got to know her by luck,” she slurred.

“Did your meeting with Hojoon go well?”

“Of course.”

Arum lied brazenly.

“Just go back to your work then.”

“Yes.”

In the end, she swallowed what she really wanted to say and went out with a heavy heart.

Back to his office, Hojoon felt really bad. When he recalled Arum’s happy look during her meeting with Konsu, he got angry.

“She just doesn’t know anything.”

Hojoon had a special talent. That was his ability to notice the energy force of people. He sharply felt their energy force by mobilizing his five senses. That was different from the spiritual exercise or stomatal respiration exercise. He couldn’t explain with words. That’s why he didn’t tell people about it. If he did, he would most likely be treated as a swindler.

Since he started engaging in geomancy business, his ability to read people’s energy force was highly developed. He knew it was because of his extraordinary capabilities that he became the most famous geomancy consultant within a short period of time.

For example, he exactly found out whether the client’s house was pregnant with an unfortunate energy force, and then presented a solution to solve it.

He could also read the fortune of any person.

Like today, he could feel the joy and sorrow of a certain person even at a distance because the energy force of emotional feelings was pretty strong.

Hojoon felt a bad energy force from a guy named Konsu. He felt bad about it.

When he checked out the way Konsu looked at her, it was obvious that Konsu tried to hide lies. The reason Hojoon could feel it at a distance was that he discerned Konsu’s energy force.

That was visible to Hojoon, but Arum misunderstood. She was just happy because she met him.

‘What should I do about her?’

Hojoon felt bitter against himself as he couldn’t help her out now.

Clearly she said she would be responsible for the outcomes of the feng shui love he prescribed.

‘Let me stop caring about her.’

But Arum’s sobbing, wrapped in his arms on that night, kept coming to Hojoon’s mind.

When she asked him not to leave, mistaken that he was Konsu, Hojoon promised he would not.

‘Dang it! My sense of responsibility which is just needless at all…’

Because of that sense of responsibility, Hojoon sent back Soran Cho that night.

The day he split with Soran, he vowed that he would never take responsibility for anybody.

If he dated a woman, he vowed to himself that he would do it in the most selfish manner in the world.

By nature, however, he had a strong sense of responsibility.

While he was lost in thought like that, Heemang opened the door and came in.

“Your father is here, sir.”

“Dad?”

Paekhoon and Juyoung came in.

“Shouldn’t I come over here? Did you hide your girlfriend in this room?” asked his father jokingly.

“Oh, no, dad. I just was surprised because you didn’t give me any notice.”

Gesturing toward Juyoung, he served his father.

“This is my company, son. Do you want me to get your approval first to come over here?”

“He just stopped by after giving a lecture in Daejon,” said Juyoung in detail.