Dream Breaker

Chapter 83

The Swimming Emperor(27)

'I need to become stronger.'

After experiencing the sudden event of being sucked into a dream, I seriously felt the need for strength.

Is it because of my meddling nature?

It's just one of the reasons, but there's still a possibility of being sucked into a dream in the future, even if I ignore people in trouble.

"Are you really okay? You look gloomy."

"I'm fine. Probably."

"Look me in the eye and say that."

Song Seon-young's serious eyes stared straight into mine.

"Ahem! I'm fine."

I don't know how much weaker I've become after this death, but there's no doubt that it has affected my grand plan.

Swimming, track and field, taekwondo.

I will have no problem getting into all three Olympic events, but the possibility of winning a medal has decreased.

"I took time out of my schedule to help you, and this is what happens."

"Sorry about that."

"I still have a lot of time left, so let's make a bet."

"Are you kidding... Swimming? Now?"

"Why? If you think you'll lose, we can postpone it."

"Ha! Let's go!"

I responded proudly to Song Seon-young's provocation.

* * *

"After that, I lost proudly and bought her dinner."

I complained while getting a regular check-up at Elmorangs Hospital.

A shocking defeat.

Although her aptitude was 'swimmer', I couldn't imagine that I would lose to an ordinary person who hadn't practiced, even though I was an active athlete.

After listening to my whole story, Manager Seo Hye-joo praised me.

"Good job."

"What do you mean?"

"Ultimately, you swam and had dinner with your pretty girlfriend, right?"

"Well... Anyway, I've become so weak that I lost to Seon-young."

If I die in vain once more, wouldn't my participation in the Olympics be in jeopardy?

To be honest, I felt a little wronged.

"You were totally unprepared and faced an unexpected dream. The starting place was also very bad, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, until the conditions for the occurrence of La Nouvelle are clarified, you have no choice but to be prepared."

"La Nouvelle?"

"Ah! I forgot to tell you. We named this incurable disease that makes people fall into dreams 'La Nouvelle'."

"Why La Nouvelle?"

La Nouvelle.

It sounded like a proper noun, but with my shallow knowledge, I couldn't figure out its origin.

"It's the name of a goddess who is said to take the maladjusted people of the Earth to another world."

"Aha!"

The goddess La Nouvelle, who leads Earth's social misfits to another world.

It seemed like a good name.

"It's not entirely clear, but it's estimated that there are about 130 La Nouvelle patients worldwide."

"Is 130 a lot?"

"It's on the smaller side. Considering you're the only one who can cure La Nouvelle, and the treatment takes a long time, it's actually a lot."

"Hmm..."

130.

It was a number that made me doubt my careless life plan to participate in the Olympics for a pension.

"Don't worry about it."

"But..."

"You're not a savior. Just deal with patients who pay reasonable treatment fees, like doctors do."

"......."

Reasonable treatment fees.

It meant to treat those who paid more money first.

"I haven't given a detailed business explanation yet because the treatment is uncertain."

"Is it a business?"

"It's a business. A business involving people's lives."

Manager Seo Hye-joo's sarcastic tone didn't sound like a doctor.

"What do you mean by uncertain?"

"Nam Hae-soo."

"Ah..."

"Since he was already quite old at the time of his death and left a will, no one had a problem with it, but if the only treatment has a high mortality rate, there's no commercial value."

"I see."

I thought that treating the rich would bring in a lot of money, but it didn't seem easy after hearing Manager Seo Hye-joo's explanation.

So, what about this patient?

"If you fail, the patient plans to give up cleanly and opt for euthanasia. There's no burden at all."

"Aha!"

"However, if you die during the treatment, you won't even break even."

"Well... I'll have to do my best. Have the investigation results come out?"

"Do you want to go to the detective agency I commissioned together since we're talking about it?"

"Yes."

There's no need to hurry. Although I died unintentionally in a dream, I'm still alive.

There's still a chance for redemption.

'Revenge, too!'

The handsome face of the man who suddenly appeared and grabbed my waist.

I will definitely become stronger and trample him down.

* * *

"Manager, how is this place a detective agency?"

The detective agency Manager Seo Hye-joo commissioned was in the mountains.

Pine trees, plum blossoms, bamboo, fragrant trees...

There was a small lake in the middle of a beautifully decorated garden, and a large palace in the middle of it...

It seemed more appropriate to call it a tourist attraction rather than a detective agency.

"It's a famous shrine."

"I can see that."

I could see tourists taking pictures diligently, and families traveling everywhere.

"Take a good look. This is a place run by your senior."

"A shaman?"

"Even though their aptitude is not a prophet, they're famous for accurately predicting the future."

"Is that possible?"

"They're famous as a shaman because it's possible."

"Aha!"

A prophet can only predict a future that cannot be changed.

But the 'self-proclaimed shaman' has no such constraints, and they half-jokingly predict with a terrible accuracy rate...

There was an endless line waiting to enter the shrine.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

"It takes about 15 hours just to make a reservation to have your fortune told here."

"Gasp!"

"But I have some connections, so I don't have to wait. And I know some trade secrets that should never be disclosed to the outside."

"......"

I felt like I had followed her for no reason.

"Let's go in."

"Okay."

The gatekeeper supervising the waiting line greeted her warmly as soon as he saw her.

"Welcome, Doctor. The master is waiting for you. Is the person next to you a companion?"

"Yes. I didn't get permission from the master separately, though."

"No problem. Please come in."

"Thank you."

We received excellent treatment and entered.

"Who are they?"

"They're getting special treatment."

People who were tired of waiting in the long line looked at us with displeasure. I would have done the same if I were them.

"Is this okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm the benefactor who saved the master's life. Although I received a reasonable treatment fee for it."

"The master?"

"This is a family that has carried on the shaman bloodline for generations. So the whole family are shamans."

"Shaman blood..."

There are quite a few aptitudes influenced by genes, like Song Seon-young, whose aptitude was 'swimming athlete' following her mother Jang Seon-young, a former national swimming athlete.

If one of the parents is a basketball player, the child is a basketball player.

If one of the parents is a physicist, the child is a physicist.

It's not absolute, but it's significant enough that people consider aptitude when choosing a spouse.

'As for shamans... well.'

My parents were not shamans. They weren't even in a similar business.

What about my maternal and paternal families?

They were just as ordinary.

"By the way, the talisman Choi Kang-hoon bought for you was a handmade product made by the master himself."

"Ah, that talisman."

I brought it as a souvenir since it was expensive.

"Right. I didn't ask about it. Was the talisman helpful?"

"Not at all."

According to Choi Kang-hoon's explanation, a guardian spirit sprang from the amulet to protect me.

But the result?

In my dream, I only saw a sword and a vague alien creature.

"Well, it makes sense. This family is more famous for their fortune-telling than their talismans."

"Yes."

Inside the shrine, consultations and reservations for guests were taking place.

When I listened carefully...

"I wonder when my husband will quit stocks."

"Is that your only question?"

"I'm also curious if my son can get into a good university."

"That makes two questions. There are different fees ranging from grade 1 where the master personally reads your fortune to grade 9 where inexperienced apprentices practice."

"...Grade 4."

"Grade 4. Confirmed. Please fill out your legal name, date of birth, and contact information accurately."

"Yes."

I only caught a glimpse, but I could feel the professionalism and business acumen.

'What about the results?'

On the opposite side of the consultation area, there were customers who had received a call and came to hear the results of their fortune.

"Is there any hope?"

"It seems like she already has a man in mind."

"I know that too."

"Until you quit smoking and get a stable job, she won't even look your way."

"Is there no other way? I can't survive a day without cigarettes."

"The fortune-telling is over."

"Darn...!"

"That's the limit of grade 8. If you have other questions, additional fees will be incurred, and it will take more time for the results to come out."

"Tsk!"

The atmosphere felt more like life counseling than fortune-telling.

Love, investment, health, compatibility, lifespan...

The requests from customers who had waited for as long as 15 hours were very diverse.

'So this is how they make money.'

It was fascinating.

Creak-

The door that had been tightly closed inside the shrine slowly opened.

"Doctor, please come in."

The old man sitting in the highest seat like a king greeted us with a gentle smile.

"I am very happy to see you healthy, Master."

"Hello."

I followed Manager Seo Hye-joo's lead and greeted him discreetly.

'Is that old man the master?'

"I can see that."

There were two elderly women of similar age sitting on either side of him, and the appearances got younger as they went down the line.

At the entrance, farthest from the master, there was a child about kindergarten age sitting quietly on a cushion...

It was a little disappointing to see a child of that age unable to play freely.

'It's suffocating.'

There was no doubt that it wasn't a place to stay comfortably for a long time.

"Doctor, is the young man next to you perhaps?"

"Yes, he's the shaman I mentioned briefly when I asked for your help."

"Indeed!"

The old man looked me up and down with a very satisfied expression.

Why, though?

"......"

Since I just followed along, I decided to stay quiet.

"A raw gem born in nature without any connection!"

"......"

"Kang Moon-soo, my junior."

"Yes."

"Would you like to become this old man's disciple - no, successor?"

"......"

I was taken aback by the unexpected proposal.

"Master?!"

"Father?!"

The attendants, more surprised than the person involved, looked at the master.

At this, the master looked around with an expression of utter disdain and said,

"I don't seem to remember giving a chance to speak to those who can't even make a simple talisman. How strange."

"......"

"......"

Everyone closed their mouths tightly and bowed their heads.

"Junior."

"Yes."

"You don't need to think too hard. I'm proposing this because I'm afraid that the 700-year-old family tradition will be broken during my generation."

"......"

I glanced over at Manager Seo Hye-joo.

Shivering.

It definitely wasn't a scenario she had planned with the master beforehand.

"Of course, it's not for free."

"How much is it?"

The 700-year-old family tradition!

It was a hard offer to refuse for me, who was starving for power to take revenge on the handsome man who cut my waist.

"Your blood, junior."

"How much should I give?"

"Hehe! The more, the better. The lady will provide as much as she wants."

"......"

I realized that the 'blood' the old man was talking about was my genes.

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry, but I think it's still too early for me to think about marriage."

Once again, I felt like I had followed the wrong path.

"...Hehe! It seems this old man was too impatient."

Instead of feeling annoyed by the rejection of his proposal, he spoke with amusement.

I bowed my head once more.

"I apologize."

"No, there's no need to apologize. I respect your opinion, and you deserve that respect."

"......"

Did I manage to get through it?

"Ji-eun, come forward."

"Yes, Master."

The woman who was called by the master got up and walked to the center.

"Do you like her?"

"......"

"I'm asking the junior."

"Yes?"

"What do you think of my great-granddaughter?"

"......"

"If you don't like her, I can lend you another woman. Or would you like to choose one yourself?"

"This is a bit..."

I was feeling dizzy from the conversation that went beyond my understanding and common sense.

Did she notice that?

Manager Seo Hye-joo stepped in.

"Master, if you lose your composure, your illness could relapse."

"...It seems I was impatient because I don't have much time left. I'll entrust the personal information you requested to my great-granddaughter, so take her with you."

The great-granddaughter turned her body and politely greeted us as if to ask for our care.

"Understood."

"Manager?"

Manager Seo Hye-joo accepted the master's proposal without even asking for my opinion.

"It's free."

"Then I guess we have no choice."

I really hate this personality that can't refuse anything free.

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