“Advice, you say? Alright, you’ve brought it up well.”
Viktor asked after listening to Jinseong’s words. “What can you do for me? I’m not sure how great this advice is. Ah, I have no doubts about your skills as a shaman. But really, does a few words change anything fundamentally?”
There was a hint of expectation in that question, along with a touch of discomfort.
Jinseong noticed that the discomfort originated from the conflict between ‘himself as a soldier’ and ‘his desire to become president’, alongside the common desire for power held by all power holders—an urge to stand tall by his own strength.
So, Jinseong replied.
“Advice? It’s not that big of a deal. Don’t you ask a friend when you’re torn between two paths? Like, what should I eat for lunch today? Or which car should I buy from the two options?”
“Those are trivial questions?”
“Indeed. Divination isn’t anything grand. Since fate isn’t immutable and has a variable nature, the further you look, the less accurate it becomes, and the closer you get, the more accurate it gets. So they say the true skills of a diviner lie in accurately seeing what’s far away. You understand that much, right?”
“Hmm.”
Viktor nodded. But there was an air of discomfort on his face; it seemed this wasn’t something he originally knew.
“We call someone who sees far accurately a prophet. It may be changeable, but if one doesn’t try to change it, that future will inevitably come, making observation turn into reality. Yet, it’s also true that what has been observed can be changed, so we humans have avoided countless crises of destruction!”
Jinseong spoke with exaggerated gestures.
“Then what, pray tell, is the difference between divination and prophecy? If accuracy is the issue, how has prophecy altered what was observed? The moment you change what has been observed, hasn’t the prophecy changed too, and hence, does accuracy hold meaning? Even if divination witnesses something from afar, what if it arrives in a changed form? What’s the difference from a prophecy that intervenes and brings about a different future?”
“That’s tough.”
“Indeed. It is tough. This is one of the dilemmas that diviners grapple with. They live in constant struggle amidst countless contradictions and dilemmas, unable to speak definitively. However, one thing is certain: divination is close to people, while prophecy is far from them.”
Jinseong looked at Viktor.
“This means that divination is familiar and embedded in our lives. Thus, the advice you seek from me doesn’t really matter what it is!”
“It doesn’t matter at all?”
“Advice from someone with knowledge is likely to be ambiguous, and it may not be wiser than someone with wisdom. However, at least it can vaguely guide you with its direction and benefits. That is my advice and can help you build your gains.”
Viktor chuckled at Jinseong’s words.
“Who would’ve thought a shaman would make things hard to grasp at once?”
Thud!
He slammed his arm on the table and looked at Jinseong with a fierce grin.
“I like it simple, certain, effective, and efficient, like a magic gun, an AK!”
“Is that so?”
“So I’ll go my own way.”
Viktor took out a bundle of cash from his pocket and tossed it toward Jinseong.
The money, surprisingly, was Korean currency.
“As I’ve paid the fee in advance, I’ll ask my question.”
He pointed with his finger to the floor.
“Hey, Jinseong. Was it wise of me to rent this restaurant today to meet you?”
“Indeed. This place is a fancy restaurant, though not the best, so for someone of your stature, it wouldn’t be strange to enjoy it as a luxury. Besides, considering the recent incidents you’ve been involved in… Hmm. Well, concerning the work you’re doing, there might be problems, so renting out this restaurant isn’t a bad judgment. It could be evaluated as a wise decision from the higher-ups. Furthermore, the taste isn’t bad either, so that’s excellent too.”
Jinseong wasn’t flustered by Viktor’s sudden question. Instead, he answered as if he had been waiting for it.
“Alright, good. Next question: I’m thinking of buying a ton of vodka on the way back, what do you think?”
“You’d do best not to. The place you’re trying to go closed for today, and the other places you’re considering will have terrible quality goods masquerading as legit. You’ll end up furious after consuming that.”
Jinseong’s response was effortless. It felt as if he was directly transcribing what he saw in the future. Or perhaps he prepared the answers after looking ahead and reciting them fluently.
Yet, the content was trivial.
That’s why Viktor couldn’t help but laugh heartily.
“Yeah, I get the vibe from what you said. Ha, seriously. Isn’t it hard to wrap something so simple in such ambiguity?”
He chuckled softly.
“Certainly, it would be convenient if it were there. But paying the fee is also necessary. It doesn’t seem that significantly different from manipulating subordinates, though there could surely be upsides to it… Well, that’s the deal.”
Viktor had ‘friends’ everywhere.
Friends who handled information, friends related to personnel, friends who ran companies and amassed wealth, friends who operated in the shadows and fed him all sorts of information and money, and so on.
If he were to receive spontaneous help from such ‘friends’, he could hear something very similar to the response Jinseong just provided. In great detail, too.
Why the owner of the shop he planned to visit today was taking a day off, what kind of human relationships he had and what his personality was like, who the higher-ups were that meticulously noted Viktor’s visit to the restaurant, what words and actions they took, and what thoughts they might be harboring.
He’d know it all.
But that doesn’t mean Jinseong’s ‘advice’ held no value.
It was quicker since there was no need to go through various people, and it gave him a pleasant sensation of carving out the future with his own strength because it merely pointed him in a direction. Moreover, while contacting friends might necessitate reaching out to many, with Jinseong he just had to meet with that one person to chatter away, making it quite convenient.
“Good. And besides advice, what else can you do?”
“I can do something. But I have no intention of doing it.”
“What can you do that you refuse to do?”
Jinseong just smiled at Viktor’s question.
He seemed to find that smile unpleasant, hissing his tongue.
“Those shamans sure like to be cryptic and mysterious…”
Viktor sighed lightly, then paused for a moment in silence.
With a serious expression, he asked him.
“Okay. Then I really want you to answer this. You’ve told me I’m destined to be king and have given me divinations, and now you’re clinging onto me with your advice. I’ve realized you’re trying to grant me a favor, but what do you hope to gain by doing that?”
His face bore a myriad of emotions. Those emotions were buried in an expression seemingly forged from steel, making them hard to discern. Yet Jinseong could clearly read the determination sleeping beneath that expression.
Determination.
If he tried to shake Viktor, he would definitely face punishment, and no matter what aid he rendered, it would be dealt with as one would prepare a meal made from a hunted rabbit.
He wouldn’t forget his benevolence, but if he demanded too much beyond necessity, there was a resolution that he would wield his power.
‘To shake and rattle, you say?’
But Jinseong had no intention of shaking or rattling Viktor.
From the outset, Viktor wasn’t the kind of person who could be swayed.
The Nuclear Shower Viktor.
Why was such an utterly ridiculous moniker as ‘Nuclear Shower’ attached to the lifelong president of Russia?
He was a man who threatened to nuke if attacked with biological weapons.
How many subordinates must have advised him against it, and how many people opposed the devastation of Eastern Europe by nuclear means?
Regardless of that, he fired and fired again, saturating half of Eastern Europe with radiation.
Jinseong knew very well about such a man.
A person who holds power above all and lives for the purpose of being worshiped by many. Someone who relishes the increase of power he wields, and he would never forgive anyone attempting to encroach upon his authority.
What if he tried to move freely as an unofficial power broker?
Then Viktor would seek revenge against Jinseong by any means necessary.
Yes.
Viktor was probing Jinseong while simultaneously issuing a warning.
He knew Jinseong intended to aid him, but he would act as he pleased, so he warned Jinseong not to entertain wasteful thoughts and to recognize his place, taking whatever scraps he offered.
‘A warning, you say.’
However, Jinseong remained unfazed by his warning.
There was nothing to fear.
What he originally wanted was simply to stop that Viktor from obliterating the ruins with nuclear weapons.
He had no interest in what Viktor chose to do.
He could live a debauched life, maintaining luxurious villas in various regions like before the rewind while keeping multiple local partners, birthing illegitimate children and ensuring they received valuable companies to live comfortably—that was none of his concern.
And there was no reason for him to feel contempt or rage over that warning.
How could one feel negative emotions towards a pitiful man who didn’t realize his own life was held by someone else?
No one feels intimidated by their ability to slay someone they could kill anytime.
Hence, Jinseong could respond to Viktor’s warning with utter nonchalance.
“Give me a bunker and a piece of land.”
“What?”
Viktor had a look of incredulity at Jinseong’s words.
But Jinseong seriously repeated, “A bunker, and land.”
“Ha… What a grand request you have?”
Jinseong shook his head at that question.
“There is a luxurious bunker built during the Soviet era near Lake Baikal. It was made for the use of the party officials, and I want that.”
“A luxurious bunker…?”
Viktor stared intently at Jinseong.
“A luxurious hotel, not a bunker?”
“Exactly.”
“Then the land is the land around the bunker, right?”
“Correct.”
“Ha.”
Hahaha!
Viktor burst into laughter.
His incredulity laced in his voice as he said, “You’re not asking for the entirety of Lake Baikal nor for a hotel there, but just an old, dilapidated bunker from Soviet times and the surrounding land? And that’s the payment for your assistance?”
“That’s right.”
“Ha! That’s quite something. I can’t get over how ridiculous these shamans are… What exactly are these folks up to? Ha.”
Viktor gazed at him, a grin still plastered on his face.
“Sure, I’ll give it to you. No, I can do it right now. I could prepay for it. And do you need anything else? Ah, right. You mentioned a luxurious bunker. You’ll need some funds to furnish it too. Hahaha!”
He genuinely laughed as if he found it utterly delightful.
And after that, the meal continued in a pleasant atmosphere.
Viktor engaged in conversation with Jinseong, eager to learn more about him. He even mentioned that once Jinseong comes of age, he should come to him first to learn about drinking. Moreover, he said he’d ensure that Jinseong wouldn’t lack anything to make his stay in Russia pleasant.
After their meal concluded.
“Alright. Very good. Listen up, Jinseong. If you keep that heart unchanged, we could remain very good friends.”
Viktor spoke with sincerity and sprinkled warnings into his words before leaving the restaurant.
Left behind in the restaurant, Jinseong gazed at the pile of cash on the table.
A bundle of money.
A fee.
The price for Viktor’s question.
The cash presented to test his ‘divination’.
He untied the string binding the money and arranged it on the empty tables.
T.
I.
P.
Using the Korean currency paid as a fee, he formed the letters ‘TIP’ and walked out just like that.
This was because he knew such an act would earn him more trust from Viktor.
And also because the food at this restaurant was surprisingly delicious.
Not to mention…
As he hadn’t given a divination, there was no payment due for that either; hence, he wouldn’t need to spend any money.
Sure.
Jinseong had merely answered the questions today, but he did not perform a divination.
However, since he knew the future, was it divination or prophecy?
Or perhaps neither or both at the same time.
Truly, its nature was ambiguous.
Much like a future that could change unpredictably.
