Geomancy couple - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Chapter 41

“Yeah, your legs got injured, and I felt sorry that I couldn’t come to see you. Do you want us to remain standing like this?”

“Oops, please come in. You too, Hojoon.”

Taking off her shoes, she looked at her milky-white face.

“Your face looks good. Do you put on makeup when you’re at home?”

“Well, I did because I feel under the weather. You know, since I’m sick, my face looks drab, so I applied some makeup for a change.”

“Sure,” said Jina, who started to look around as if she smelled a rat. “How come you cleaned up the house, Arum? I know you’re a free spirit by nature,” Jina added.

“Well, I clean like this everyday. Shall we go outside? I was going to go out for fresh air,” Arum said.

“It was raining outside. Didn’t you know that?”

Come to think of it, there were raindrops on the big windows of the veranda.

“Let’s stay inside,” said Jina, sitting on the sofa. Hojoon placed a fruit basket on the dining table.

“You would have been in big trouble without Hojoon. I didn’t know your condition was this serious. Hojoon, please come here instead of sitting at the table.”

“No, I’m more comfortable here.”

He also felt strange about the house.

When he came at dawn last time, the bedspread in her bedroom was different.

“Are you dating someone?” asked Jina, staring at her bluntly. “Who is it? Is he supposed to come here?”

“Nope. Let’s go out. How about we get some coffee on a rainy day?”

“You want to walk out when your legs are in pain?”

“I’m okay now. The doctor told me that I would recover more quickly by doing more workout. Rehab exercise is important.”

At that moment, she heard Konsu approaching her house.

‘Oh, no!’

She wished that it was not Konsu.

‘Please pass by quickly!’

But she saw Konsu’s face through the gap of the front door.

“Hey, Arum!”

Obviously, it was Konsu’s voice.

She felt dizzy at the moment.

She couldn’t run away or hide.

Strangely enough, it was Hojoon, not Konsu who bothered her at the moment.

Did the ex-convict feel the same way?

When she was at the supermarket, she pretended not to know when she talked with Hojoon over the phone. Now, she couldn’t lie anymore since she was caught red-handed.

Konsu was as embarrassed, arriving at her house while imagining a secret date with her. He was surprised to see a strange guy inside Arum’s house.

Even Jina, who stopped by to comfort Arum, was as dumbfounded at the crazy scene before her eyes.

“How come you, Konsu, came here…”

“Hey, Jina! It’s been a while,” said Konsu with a smile.

“I don’t think we’re close enough to smile at each other,” said Jina.

Jina was on edge. After he cancelled off the marriage with Arum, Jina took it personally and bore a grudge against him.

Jina remembered shouting at Arum back then, “Hey, Arum, tell him I’m going to kill him when I see him!”

How Arum felt so secure to have Jina on her side! Jina’s statement was enough to convince everyone that it was Konsu, not Arum, who did wrong.

But what about today?

Arum tried her best to soothe Jina, who was seething with anger.

“I met him by chance,” said Arum.

“Then, why did he appear here? Konsu! Go on your own way, man. Don’t stand in her way. Because of you, Arum was in such a…”

“Stop it, Jina.”

“What are you talking about? Did you clean up the house and put on makeup because of Konsu?”

Jina and Arum quarreled, raising their voices.

Right at that moment, Konsu was only interested in Hojoon.

Konsu asked him, “Are you Arum’s boyfriend by any chance?”

Hearing that, Arum hung her head with shame, murmuring, “Oh, silly guy!”

“Not at all,” answered Hojoon lightly.

“I was startled. I thought she was dating another man. Nice to meet you. My name is Konsu Han, Arum’s boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, too.”

Jina raised her eyebrows as high as she could, but Arum poked her in the ribs gently, signaling with her eyes: ‘Please don’t do anything now.’

Reading her mind, Jina didn’t speak in a loud voice anymore.

“Jina is my college friend, too,” said Konsu.

Hojoon carefully looked at Konsu, who laughed heartily.

He had a dim recollection of Konsu’s face when he met Arum at Kwanghwamoon. At that time, he couldn’t see Konsu clearly, of course.

Only now could he examine Konsu’s face up close.

‘HIs face is full of pretension.’

Hojoon’s face turned cold.

It seemed to him that Konsu loved Arum enough to say he was her ‘boyfriend.’ Or rather, Konsu seemed to be have been consumed by the instinct to show off to Arum.

“Anybody wants coffee?” Arum asked for a change in the atmosphere.

Three of them were seated face to face at the dining table.

While she was brewing coffee, she realized how uncomfortable she could actually feel even at home with the guests sitting silently.

As they had nothing to do, they began to exchange their business cards.

“My name is Konsu Han, and I work at Global Insurance.”

Hojoon received his business card.

Konsu also gave one to Jina, who was still disgruntled with him.

“You’re selling insurance,” said Jina, looking at it.

“Hey, watch your language. I’m planning insurance items,” said Konsu bluntly.

“Well, it’s the same as selling insurance,” Jina said condescendingly.

Hojoon gave his business card to him.

“My name is Hojoon Lee with the Famed House of Feng Shui.”

Receiving his card, Konsu said playfully, “Great. A salaried man like me is dreaming of starting a business.”

“Don’t you know him,” Jina cut in, adding, “Haven’t you seen him on TV? He also published a book on feng shui.”

“I don’t know.”

“He’s the most popular geomancy consultant in our country these days.”

“Really? I didn’t know you’re famous. How come you got tangled with my dear Arum…” Though Konsu slurred, he was not happy about Hojoon’s presence in Arum’s house.

In other words, his message was, ‘Why did you come to her private house?’ But Arum was more alarmed by Konsu’s selection of the wording ‘my dear Arum.’

While she was pouring coffee into a cup, Arum almost dropped it. She might have been touched by that if he had done it three years ago. But she just felt uncomfortable about everything Konsu said today.

Jina came to the kitchen table to get the coffee.

“How do you feel about your legs?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Look!”

Arum showed her legs and ankles on purpose, but she was focused on the two men.

Holding the coffee tray, Jina walked up to the dining table.

Konsu seemed to be bothered by Jina’s mention of Arum’s injured legs.

“Were your legs injured?” asked Konsu, pretending to be concerned.

Putting down the tray, Jina began to blame him, “As her boyfriend, didn’t you know what happened to her the other day? She had her pocket picked near Hongik Univ on the day she met you at Yaksu. Am I right, Arum?”

Arum looked at him at that moment. He hardened his face.

“I’m alright now,” said Arum, who had to defend Konsu.

But Konsu was agonized because he felt she was injured because of his mistake.

“I’m sorry, Arum. Seriously,” he said in a feeble voice.

With a broad smile, Arum said, “No, it’s not your fault. Don’t worry. I’d like to see you smile, Konsu.”

“Are you kidding? You guys really suck. Get out if you want to pretend to protect each other like that,” said Jina, frowning at them.

Though Jina felt disgruntled with Konsu, she was glad to see him at the same time because Konsu seemed ready to meet her again.

“They used to be like that when they were dating on campus.”

Hojoon just kept drinking coffee silently. He didn’t feel good or bad about them.

Jina now seemed to blame Hojoon when she said, “This all happened because of you.” She continued, “What a great feng shui consultant you are! Originally, I didn’t believe in anything like geomancy , superstition, fortune or tarot. As I went through ups and downs recently, I felt that this could be a good relationship between us, this could be geomancy. Our encounter at the police station was also not by chance.”

And then she began to whisper to Hojoon so as not to be overheard by Konsu, “Who would have predicted Konsu and Arum would meet like this?”

At that moment, both sat at the table.

Konsu sat beside Arum nervously, for fear she would express the pain in her legs

“This leg?”

“No, right here.”

“Did you go to the hospital? Have you taken medicine? Why didn’t you call me?”

Each of what Konsu said seemed considerate, but feigned.

‘Hey, Konsu. The man before you carried me on his back, fed me, and got medicine for me. I’m embarrassed because of your pretension. So, stop it, okay?’

She wanted to say that in front of his face.