CS Chapter 7
by astherielle“So, the child has awakened? How is her body?”
Cha Jinwoong, upon receiving Joo Chanyeol’s call, rushed over, beaming.
He’d heard the whole story: how a woman in white suddenly jumped in front of Minjun’s car on their way to headquarters, and how she fainted on the spot. Jinwoong couldn’t help but slap his knee in amazement. The Cheonsin Bosal’s words had come true precisely.
One might be a little suspicious of the situation fitting together so perfectly like puzzle pieces, but Jinwoong, with a look of pure admiration, only muttered, “Is the child alright?”
“You keep saying ‘child.’ Have you even met her before?”
Minjun said in a disgruntled voice. However, Jinwoong easily ignored his impertinent grandson and stepped into the hospital room where the woman was.
The woman hadn’t regained consciousness for two whole days. The attending physician added that while she had bruises all over her body, the most serious issue was malnutrition. Although there were occasional cases of young women suffering from malnutrition due to dieting, the woman’s case was severe. It was as if she had been forcibly placed in a situation where she couldn’t eat at all.
“……!”
As the hospital room door opened and several men in suits entered, the woman trembled as if cornered.
“Child. Are you feeling a bit better now?”
“W-Who… are you?”
“Allow me to explain. This is Chairman Cha Jinwoong of Daehan Group.”
A man wearing glasses among them pointed to each person, introducing them one by one. Despite relying on a cane, the elderly man, emit an air of authority, smiled warmly at Seowoo.
“And this is CEO Cha Minjun of Daehan Motors.”
Seowoo’s gaze naturally shifted to the man. He was so tall that she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes.
A straight neckline, neatly styled hair, a suit that enveloped him like armor, a broad back. Above all, his cool and beautiful features stood out.
As soon as Seowoo saw his face, she remembered that this was the man she had briefly spoken to through the car window.
“What is your name, child?”
“I am… Ji Seowoo.”
Jinwoong asked, but Seowoo, glancing at the younger man, stated her name. A faint smile played at the corner of the man’s lips. An oddly overwhelming feeling made her palms sweat.
When she first regained consciousness, everything felt like a dream. She had jumped from a window without knowing how many floors up and felt a shock as if her limbs were shattering. Despite that, she jumped up and ran to the roadside.
Towering buildings scraping the sky, cars whizzing by, hundreds, maybe thousands of people. It was a world of difference from the small villa neighborhood she lived in, making her even more bewildered. Just then, she heard a sharp voice calling her from behind. She couldn’t tell if it was an elder, her mother, or maybe Junseo.
Seowoo ran for her life without looking back. She felt like she would be caught again if she did. Passersby stared at her as if she were a ghost. Some of them seemed to be reporting her to the police.
Even then, she felt she had to avoid going to the police station at all costs. She calculated that if her mother and Junseo teamed up, it would be easy for them to make her out to be mentally ill.
Her vision gradually whitened. With a do-or-die heart, she ran in front of an oncoming car. She begged the man she barely faced to please save her. That was Seowoo’s last memory.
“Yes, yes. Seowoo, what a pretty name. Child, when is your birthday? Do you know the time you were born?”
“That’s enough.”
Minjun stopped Jinwoong with a low voice.
“She just regained consciousness.”
“Hmm, yes. I was hasty. I’m sorry, child. For now, rest comfortably without any worries. I’ll come again next time.”
Jinwoong looked at Seowoo with an affectionate gaze, as if looking at his granddaughter, and then turned around. Seowoo couldn’t understand why the old man was treating her so kindly, but she didn’t ask anything. After all, she was the one who had run to him, begging to be saved.
Now only Seowoo, Minjun, and Joo Chanyeol remained in the hospital room. Chanyeol told Seowoo to focus on recovering her health, saying he would ask about the details later.
“Thank you…”
The woman, bowing her head, looked very anxious. As if she were being chased by someone, she kept looking out the door or flinching at the slightest sound.
“Let’s go, too.”
Just as Minjun turned around, extending his long legs, a faint voice came from behind.
“…Excuse me, mister.”
‘The word “mister” again. Annoying.’
He turned around and looked down at the woman with an icy gaze.
“If… by any chance… my family looks for me… about me staying here… C-Could you just say you don’t know?”
When Minjun simply stared at her without a word, Seowoo, thinking he meant to refuse, continued speaking even more desperately.
“Mister. Please… help me. I absolutely cannot go home…. The reason is… there are some circumstances…”
“Not ‘Mister.’”
“Yes…?”
“Call me something else.”
The woman rolled her eyes back and forth, and after much deliberation, she uttered,
“…Uncle?”
“Pfft!”
Upon hearing this, Joo Chanyeol couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Minjun, seemingly annoyed, rubbed his forehead with his fingers.
***
“See, I told you so. Didn’t I tell you I saw it clearly? My godmother showed me that scene. The scene where a woman dressed in white runs and embraces the eldest grandson of the Daehan Group. It’s unbelievable, truly.”
The Cheonsin Bosal’s voice was filled with conviction. Having generously shared a bottle of makgeolli (a korean rice wine) with Taerim, her face was flushed.
“Your prophecies are always spot on, Teacher.”
Taerim smiled softly, flattering her mentor as she refilled her glass.
“Here you go.”
The shaman, Cheonsin Bosal (literally “Heavenly God Bodhisattva”), tossed a golden turtle toward Taerim.
“Chairman Cha gave me a boatload of these when he came to get the wedding date.”
“You didn’t have to give me this. You taught me not to be attached to worldly possessions, Teacher?”
“You rascal. Who would consider a golden turtle a mere worldly possession? Keep it.
“Since it’s a gift from you, Teacher, I’ll treasure it.”
Taerim received the golden turtle with a respectful demeanor and bowed deeply to the shaman.
This morning, Cha Jinwoong, accompanied by a large group of his subordinates, visited the shaman’s shrine. As always, the subordinates’ hands were full of heavy boxes. He came to express his gratitude, confirming that the prophecy about a bride in white appearing before Minjun had come true.
The impatient Jinwoong immediately handed over a piece of paper with the woman’s name, birth date, and time of birth written on it.
Her name was Ji Seowoo, a youthful twenty-three years old, born in the spring at the time when the rooster crows at dawn. As Cheonsin Bosal examined the compatibility of Seowoo and Cha Minjun’s birth charts, she nodded repeatedly.
“Chairman, look at this. This young lady’s chart has four wood elements1. Such a chart is rare, and it harmonizes exceptionally well with your grandson’s.”
“So, that means…”
“Set the date immediately. This child will firmly hold onto your grandson’s lifeline.”
“Thank you, I’m so grateful!”
Jinwoong beamed at this news. He looked as though the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders, now that the well-being of his only grandson was finally assured.