Chapter Text
Mark didn’t believe in magic.
More specifically, he didn’t believe in Tarot cards. But there was a cute boy in the park almost every day around noon, sitting on the ground with a small folding table, selling tarot readings for cheap.
Mark would do his best to look straight ahead, keep himself from getting distracted, but he couldn’t help looking. The boy’s smile was blinding. He looked like the sun itself, just scruffier. Maybe if the sun was a teenage boy.
Besides, Mark took all of his lunch breaks walking, strolling through the park near his school. It gave him a chance to think and clear his head. He’d walk past the duck pond and sometimes stop to try and sketch the geese, he wasn’t a talented artist but he’d much rather try and capture their silly actions with his own cartoonish style. Other times he’d sit on a bench long enough to rapidly type lyric ideas into the notes on his phone before he forgot them. Something in the cold air made him want to be creative.
Today though, he hung back as a small crowd gathered around the boy with the Tarot cards. He watched over the shoulders of some high school girls he vaguely recognized.
“Now, choose three cards please. Just pull them out a bit so I know which ones you’ve chosen,” The boy behind the table instructed, smoothly laying out the cards like a casino dealer.
The man kneeling in front of him tugged three cards from the deck. He’d taken his time, fingers hovering over different sections as though his choice might hold the secret to his life.
As the man sat back, Mark could more clearly read the small sign taped to the front of the table. In bubbly lettering, it read, ‘Haechan’s tarot reading. 100 Won per card’. Haechan must be the boy he’d been watching.
Haechan removed the cards the man had selected. He gathered the rest of the deck and set it aside, before one at a time, laying out the chosen cards face up.
“One, a four of wands, reversed.”
Haechan turned another card.
“Two, the Death card.”
A few of the girls in front of Mark gasped. He felt a little uneasy. Did this mean the man was going to die?
“Three, King of pentacles.”
With that, Haechan sat back, staring at the man with piercing eyes.
“What do you think of these cards, Sungjae-ssi? How do you feel about them?”
The man called Sungjae shifted in his spot, rubbing his hands against his slacks as though they’d grown sweaty.
Haechen cracked a smile, “Sungjae-ssi, I’ll tell you what they don’t mean. They do not mean you’re going to die.”
He slid the four of wands forward slightly, “This card was upside down, which changes its meaning slightly. My guess is you’ve had some instabilities recently. You could be having trouble finding a permanent residence, or you’ve been changing jobs. Generally, things have been a little chaotic.”
Haechan moved his hand to hover over the dreaded Death card. He picked it up carefully, showing it to Sungjae, and then the crowd.
“This is a happy card in our case. It represents metamorphosis, things are going to change very soon for you.” At last, Sungjae seemed to relax a little. Mark felt confused. Wasn’t death supposed to be bad regardless? Even the little design on it with the skeleton and scythe looked grim.
Haechan nudged forward the final card, the king of pentacles.
“The king of any suit usually means that the result will be strong. This king represents security, stability, and abundance. It’s understandable that he would follow your previous choices. You have experienced unstable circumstances, but those will die out and transform into stability. Sungjae-ssi, it seems the cards are in your favor.”
The young man visibly breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Things have been hard lately, my boss keeps sending me to different stores to manage, I have an interview soon though which would mean I can finally settle down. Are you saying it will be successful?” Sungjae asked incredulously
Haechan leaned forward and grasped the man’s hand.
“What I’m saying is that things seem as if they will change soon, and likely for the better. Keep your eyes open Sungjae-ssi, you are young and possibilities for you are endless. I wish you luck.”
With that, the man finally stood up and brushed off his slacks. The small crowd cheered, clapping and wishing the man well. Mark realised he needed to head back to school and reluctantly walked away.
He knew deep down that the whole thing was totally ridiculous. It was just chance that the man had similar circumstances to what Haechan described. Mark shook his head. It was that poor fool’s choice to take what Haechan said seriously. At least he’d only lost three hundred won.
-
Three days later found Mark back to where he’d been; watching Haechan con the locals in exchange for fortune telling.
He watched skeptically, but it was entertaining to watch the stories Haechan would spin, and the inevitable connections people made between themselves and the cards.
Just as Haechan was finishing a reading for a middle-aged woman, someone pushed to the front of the crowd.
“Haechan-ssi! I’m sorry to interrupt,” It was the man from a few days prior, Sungjae.
The man was breathing hard, but he straightened up and began to speak, “Your cards were right, I have had some changes. I went to the interview for the new position, and I thought it had gone well but my boss gave the job to one of my seniors. I was so furious, I quit on the spot.”
Haechan looked wary at the proclamation, likely waiting for the man to blame him for his own rashness. Instead, the man continued.
“After I realized what I’d done, I started freaking out and realized I needed to find a replacement job immediately. I called all of my best connections, and one of them pulled through. I got a call back today and I’m going to be hired on with a new company! They’re offering this new position with good pay and incredible job security. I’m going to be okay, just like you said I would.” The man finished his story, grinning at Haechan.
Mark’s eyes widened. Had this man really made all these decisions based on a cheap fortune? And it worked? He leaned against a fence he was near. Maybe Haechan had some kind of real magic, other than his impossible charm.
There was only one way to find out.