“If the wish of a mountain man is contained in the shaman’s ritual, it will face a backlash. If that happens, you, too, won’t live as you wish. Even for me, who has used the power of the gods recklessly, divine punishment will come.”
“It doesn’t matter! I’ve dedicated my life to seek revenge for my daughter, so there’s no reason to be reluctant.”
Beyond the window frame, the sound of talking could be heard.
Seeing that they didn’t bother to lower their voices, it seemed like they couldn’t even imagine that someone was eavesdropping.
‘I somewhat expected it, but Mrs. Do is really Won Hyerim’s mother…!’
The determination to seek revenge for her daughter, persistently staying by Juwon’s side for ten years, struck Hyewon deeply.
With the recorder pressed closer to the window frame, Hyewon listened attentively.
“Give me your daughter’s hair.”
Hair…? Was that hair?
The black characters engraved on Juwon’s underwear flashed through Hyewon’s mind. Unable to even imagine that it could be a dead person’s hair, Hyewon shuddered.
‘Oh my God…’
She had heard of the superstition that keeping the belongings of the deceased nearby is not good. Even if it’s for the purpose of commemorating the deceased, it was said to be better to burn the belongings.
But it wasn’t just anything; it was a part of the deceased person’s body, engraved on the skin in the closest place possible!
Being close to such a ominous object might drive even a sane person mad.
Juwon seemed to have lost his mind.
“Here it is. What should I do now?”
“Mix your hair with your daughter’s. When the grudge between two people is mixed in shamanic magic, even the strongest person won’t be able to withstand it. Even someone walking fine on the street could become insane.”
“Is that really possible?”
“Haven’t you seen and not believed it until now? The reason we haven’t used that method until now was to keep you from harm! But now there’s no time to waste, so we have no choice but to use the last resort!”
Hyewon’s hand trembled.
She had never seen or believed in writing charms and performing shamanic rituals, except in movies or dramas.
She didn’t disbelieve in the existence of shamans, but she thought it was only to foresee the future and ward off bad luck to some extent. She never thought such things were actually possible.
‘Is it really possible to curse someone using shamanic magic?’
It might be possible, and it might be happening to Juwon.
Extreme anxiety overwhelmed her.
‘I don’t know what they’re up to, but I absolutely can’t just leave it like this!’
With trembling hands, Hyewon left a message for Philip. It was a message to wait in the driver’s seat because they might need to leave in a hurry.
Then she quietly pressed her ear against the window frame.
The voices that had been audible a moment ago had now turned into a dense silence.
‘What are they doing?’
Without hearing any sound, it felt suffocating and maddening. She pressed her ear closer to the window frame, but all that came back was silence.
A few seconds felt like an eternity. In the restless moment of staring at the clock and biting her lips, Hyewon was considering whether to make a hole in the window frame.
“Huh…?”
A faint wisp of smoke seeped out through the gap in the door.
A slightly pungent smell that could be felt at the tip of the nose.
‘They’re burning something!’
Hyewon instinctively sensed that they were burning hair. If all of it burned, it would mean the success of their plan.
There was no need for a second thought.
Bang!
Hyewon pushed the door with her shoulder and barged in.
As the door opened wide on both sides, the surprised faces of the heavily made-up shaman and Mrs. Do came into view.
“Who is it!”
Without responding at all, Hyewon immediately found the source of the smell. There was a small jar on a wooden stool.
‘That’s it!’
The billowing black smoke rising up was distinctly different from ordinary smoke. Unlike the smoke that quickly dispersed into the air, it felt dense, and the smell was nauseating. It was a solid mass filled with determination, to the extent that one might believe there was someone’s soul trapped inside.
Hyewon rushed in without a second thought and grabbed the jar. The jar, burning fiercely with the mingling of hair and charm, was hot enough to melt the handle. However, there was no time to hesitate.
Hyewon ran out of the room with the jar in her hands.
“No!”
“Catch that woman!”
The shaman shouted sharply. Mrs. Do sprung up like a rebound and chased after Hyewon.
‘She can’t be caught here!’
Hyewon gritted her teeth and ran. The flames roared fiercely, making a crackling sound as they shot up. Holes were burnt into her blouse.
The wind blew, and the flames intensified. It seemed like the flames would catch onto her body at any moment, but there was no way to stop.
“Stop right there! Who the hell are you!”
If she looks like an old lady, should I stop because she told me to?
Hyewon ignored her and ran recklessly towards where the car was parked.
Fortunately, Mrs. Do’s running skills were terrible. Hyewon, who always ended up being the last in relay races, easily outpaced her.
The distance gradually increased. As Mrs. Do’s evil voice faded away, Hyewon threw the jar towards a wooden pillar.
Crash!
The jar shattered instantly. Pieces of charm and a few strands of hair danced in the air. The sparks embroidered the air like flames.
“Heuk, heuk…”
Gasping for breath, Hyewon stamped out the flames on the charm with her foot. Then she scooped up a handful of soil from the ground and stuffed it into her pocket.
‘There should be at least a strand of hair in here.’
No matter what, evidence is necessary. If there had been a little more time, she would have examined the ground closely. However, Mrs. Do’s footsteps were getting closer.
“Sis! What’s going on?”
Startled by the sound of the jar breaking, Philip opened the car window and stuck his head out. Hyewon shouted with her face covered in ash and dirt.
“Do you know how to drive?”
“I only have a wardrobe license…!”
“If you have a license, that’s enough!”
Desperately, Hyewon climbed into the passenger seat, and just as she did, Mrs. Do appeared from behind a tree.
“What the hell are you doing, woman! Stop right there!”
Her eyes, completely gone mad, were no longer human. Shocked by her intense momentum, Hyewon screamed.
“Run her over!”
In a clumsy manner, Philip stepped on the accelerator.
Wobbling.
As the car shot out like a bullet, Hyewon’s body shook violently.
“Stand there!”
Da-da-da-da!
The sound of pursuit from behind was heard.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
