Chapter 69 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Deadly Feng Shui Interior (1)
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Feng Shui interior design.
It's a term not unfamiliar to anyone in our country.
A concept that incorporates feng shui principles into interior decorating—some dismiss it as mere superstition, while others swear by it.
Around noon, inside Bokbok Interiors.
Jang Chaewon sat at the reception table, looking troubled as she gazed at the woman in her thirties seated across from her.
"Feng shui interior design?"
She pointed to a sheet of paper on the table.
It was covered in online tidbits and diagrams about feng shui interior design.
"Well, I don't really believe in that sort of thing."
"As I thought…"
The woman gave a feeble smile at Jang Chaewon's response.
"I had to ask, just in case. Your shop has that hanok vibe, so I figured you might know your stuff about feng shui interiors."
Was something bad going on? Despite the smile on her lips, the woman's face was etched with worry.
"Sorry. I don't know anything about that…"
Jang Chaewon shook her head.
"Feng shui."
From the corner of the shop, where he was sorting tiles, the Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes.
"That's my specialty."
"Pardon?"
The woman felt an inexplicable trust toward the Heavenly Demon, dressed in his stylish hanbok-inspired outfit.
"You know feng shui well?"
"Heh heh heh."
The Heavenly Demon crossed his arms with a confident grin as he eyed the eager woman.
"If it's me, I've grasped the will of the heavens above and the principles of the earth below. Ask me anything."
"Oh, hold on a sec."
Jang Chaewon flashed a bright smile and hurried over to whisper in the Heavenly Demon's ear.
"You're joking, right? I said I don't do that stuff."
"No worries. I'll handle it."
"Handle what? You're gonna do interior design with that superstitious nonsense?"
"It's not superstition."
The Heavenly Demon smirked.
"Not only am I versed in the Supreme Spirit Subduing Ritual of the Demonic Sect, but also in Zi Wei Dou Shu and Mysterious Gates Escapism."
"What? What's that?"
"No need to know."
The longer he spent in the shop, the more the Heavenly Demon eyed not just the construction work, but the customer consultations as well.
"The boss should just sit back and eat the rice cakes from the shaman ritual."
"What? What did you say?"
While a flustered Jang Chaewon hesitated, the Heavenly Demon had already taken a seat across from the woman and spoke confidently.
"Feng shui interior design. Truth be told, no need to go as far as Mysterious Gates Escapism. It's surprisingly simple to apply."
"S-simple?"
"Allow me one question. What color is gold?"
Caught off guard by the out-of-context query, the woman nonetheless answered as if entranced.
"Yellow."
"Correct. Since ancient times, money has been called gold coin. In other words, yellow—the yellowish hue—draws in wealth and fortune."
The Heavenly Demon then pointed to a can of paint in one corner of the shop.
"Thus, my proposal is a gold-gilded interior."
"Gold-gilded interior?"
"Indeed. Coat the interior finishes and appliances in shiny gold. Wealth will overflow."
"Hey, does that even make sense? Who paints their whole house yellow?"
Jang Chaewon scolded him, but the Heavenly Demon shook his head.
"Your knowledge is lacking. Haven't you seen interior magazines or TV? Tycoons drowning in money often gild their homes in gold. Even their toilets are solid gold."
"What, Middle Eastern oil baron?"
"What does it matter? The point is, they're all filthy rich beyond imagination."
Piling sophistry on sophistry, he left Jang Chaewon grinding her teeth as she whispered.
"Anyway, we're not doing that."
She was about to snap, 'Quit yapping and sort the warehouse!' when the woman suddenly said something unexpected.
"Apart from wealth, is there interior design for love luck?"
"Love?"
This time, the Heavenly Demon was the one thrown off. He knew nothing of romance between men and women.
Dodging the woman's desperate gaze, he intoned gravely.
"Since ancient times, it's said, 'One may comprehend the patterns of the heavens above and the principles of the earth below, but peering into human affairs is beyond reach.' In short, while heavenly portents and earthly principles can be divined, human matters…"
"So you don't know about love."
As the woman's face fell, the Heavenly Demon's tone softened slightly.
"It's not that I don't know—it's just an old saying."
In that instant, he caught Jang Chaewon smirking quietly.
Her expression seemed to say, 'See? You can't handle this either.'
"Of course, I know all about it."
"What?"
Jang Chaewon's jaw dropped, and the Heavenly Demon put on a solemn face. To protect his pride as the supreme martial artist of all ages, his tearful consultation began.
"Tell me the details."
* * *
Ding.
The front door slid open with a mechanical chime.
Kim Sang-jae, carefully slipping off his shoes as he entered, spotted his wife, Shim Jin-kyeong, sitting on the sofa in the dim glow of a single indirect light.
"You're still up?"
"Yeah. Dinner?"
"Of course I ate. It's past midnight."
"I see."
Shim Jin-kyeong rose mechanically from the sofa and cleared the food she'd set on the dining table.
Watching her, Kim Sang-jae couldn't hide his mix of guilt and irritation.
"I told you I had a company dinner. Why'd you prepare dinner?"
"You always say you're hungry after drinking, looking for a late-night snack."
Silenced like a fool with honey in his mouth, Kim Sang-jae spun on his heel and headed to the bedroom.
"Whatever. I'm showering and sleeping."
Shim Jin-kyeong's eyes blurred as she watched her husband's cold retreating back.
She knew.
That he was cheating with a coworker. That he'd even had dinner at her place tonight before coming home.
But pity outweighed resentment.
"…"
She stared at the small laptop on the table in front of the sofa, then stood.
Creak.
Opening the master bedroom door revealed her husband removing his shirt.
His hair, after a full day's work, carried a faint shampoo scent.
"Honey."
Shim Jin-kyeong cautiously called out to her husband, who was heading into the bathroom.
"The wallpaper's worn out… and the furnishings are old. Can we change them up a bit?"
"Do whatever."
Without so much as a glance, he entered the bathroom. Her eyes grew even dimmer.
"Okay."
In her hand, the small laptop displayed an article titled 'Feng Shui Interiors to Strengthen Marital Bonds.'
"Ahh."
Having heard the full story, Jang Chaewon looked troubled. There was nothing one should never meddle in quite like a man-woman romance.
And 'feng shui interiors to strengthen marital bonds'? Wasn't that as absurd as turning to a cult?
"I-I know. It sounds ridiculous."
Shim Jin-kyeong, head bowed, spoke in a dejected tone.
"But I've tried everything I could. Makeup at home, new lingerie… This seems like my last resort."
It was indeed a gut-wrenching issue, even for an outsider.
Clenching her fists against the rising anger, Jang Chaewon glanced at the Heavenly Demon.
'Does this guy even understand man-woman problems?'
His only emotions seemed to be arrogance and pride. He carried a worldview utterly alien to this one—dark and barren.
Would this man, ruthlessly indifferent to others' affairs, even grasp marital love?
'Whatever. This isn't our shop's business.'
Jang Chaewon shook her head.
This called for counseling, not feng shui interiors.
Eying Shim Jin-kyeong carefully, she ventured gently.
"Um, for something like this, maybe a professional counseling center rather than an interior shop…"
But then the Heavenly Demon nodded.
"A problem solvable with feng shui interiors."
"What?"
Jang Chaewon's eyes widened. What nonsense was this?
"Solvable with interiors? Heavenly Demon, are you insane?"
She whispered, but he extended a hand firmly.
"I said feng shui interiors, not just interiors."
"R-really?" Shim Jin-kyeong beamed, and the Heavenly Demon nodded.
"Indeed."
"Oh, thank goodness."
Seeing her wipe away a tear, Jang Chaewon's unease surged.
The Heavenly Demon, nodding readily, posed a surprisingly sharp question.
"So, what exactly do you want from feng shui interiors?"
"Huh?"
"Is your goal ruthless revenge and punishment on the husband who's given his heart to another woman? Or simply to stop him from cheating?"
"O-of course… I want my husband back to how he used to be."
"How he used to be."
At the Heavenly Demon's probe, Shim Jin-kyeong lowered her head.
"Back to being a good couple… like before."
"That won't do. Even I, master of heavenly patterns and earthly principles, can't change or control a person's heart."
He spouted what sounded like nonsense, yet rang somewhat true.
'Yeah, right. How do you control someone's heart?'
Jang Chaewon was nodding inwardly in agreement when…
"Then… what can you do?"
Arms crossed in thought, the Heavenly Demon bared his fangs.
"I can make it so he doesn't cheat."
'Does that make sense?'
Jang Chaewon eyed him suspiciously.
'There's a limit to the bullshit. Who'd believe that?'
She expected the woman to laugh incredulously and leave. But things unfolded entirely differently.
"My husband…"
Meeting the Heavenly Demon's crimson eyes, burning with an eerie intensity that would normally make one look away, Shim Jin-kyeong's face lit up like she'd found her savior.
"You can stop him from cheating?"
If so, she'd do anything.
"Really…? You can really make him stop cheating?"
"I speak no falsehoods."
"Good. Then please do it. Cost… whatever it takes."
"Whatever it takes? Don't say such things lightly."
The Heavenly Demon's face grew solemn.
"I owe the boss one hundred million won. But I can't charge that for this job."
"It's fine. If it works, even one hundred million."
"Very well. Then the fee shall be one hundred million…"
Nodding, the Heavenly Demon trailed off.
Jang Chaewon's ashen face was right in his.
"You're charging one hundred million for this? What are you, a cult leader?"
"The client's offering."
"Quiet. What exactly are you planning? How much for materials and labor?"
Dodging her glare, the Heavenly Demon cleared his throat.
"No real materials needed. Just cinnabar ink, a brush, and yellow talisman paper."
"What's that?"
"Simply put, red dye and yellowish paper."
"What?"
A foreboding chill flashed through Jang Chaewon's mind as she pondered.
Red dye and yellow paper—what else could you do with those but shamanic rituals?
"You're gonna play shaman in an interior shop?"
"No worries. I don't believe in superstition."
"What you're about to do is superstition."
"Didn't I say? I'm versed in Supreme Spirit Subduing Ritual and Mysterious Gates Escapism…"
While the Heavenly Demon and Jang Chaewon bickered, Shim Jin-kyeong spoke firmly.
"I don't care. Please do it."
"Huh?"
"Superstition or whatever. Feng shui interiors were my last resort anyway."
"Good. With that resolve, it's doable."
The Heavenly Demon nodded briskly.
"I'll proceed with the work. Payment we'll discuss with the boss after it's done."
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