Lucas suddenly appeared and disappeared in an instant.
As if he had come just to check on the progress and results of a task left in his care.
He simply confirmed and headed off somewhere, leaving someone else to deliver the items requested by Jinseong. The courteous service of placing the items in front of the elevator on Jinseong’s floor was a bonus.
‘Not very American-like.’
A storm-like arrival and departure.
Not a trace of leisure—one could almost see a Korean obsessed with the idea of “quickly, quickly.”
It felt more Korean than American.
‘Hmm.’
Jinseong pondered for a moment about Lucas’s demeanor.
Was he acting this way because what he entrusted to Jinseong was truly urgent, or was it due to some mental issue or obsession, or was it simply a characteristic briskness of Wall Street investors?
What could be the reason behind Lucas’s behavior?
If he traced back to that reason, wouldn’t he discover something?
Jinseong briefly lost himself in thought before brushing it aside.
There was still a severe lack of information.
Time would resolve everything.
What mattered was belief and trust.
‘Huh, it’s not a difficult task.’
And indeed, it wasn’t that hard.
Jinseong had three tasks to fulfill.
And the commonality among those tasks was that they didn’t demand a “clearly verifiable result.”
One was to create a protective charm.
Another was to make a statue that would enhance money luck.
And the last one was to ensure that no one dies in this building.
They said the building was unlucky, that it felt cursed, so he performed a ritual related to that, explained it in detail, and instilled belief, almost completing the first ritual. The feelings of bad luck, misfortune, and a sense of curse were all subjective.
It could improve simply due to the placebo effect.
By conducting a ritual with real effects and providing reassurance…
Now, only two tasks remained.
Creating the statue and ensuring no one dies.
‘The statue, huh.’
The statue.
What Lucas requested was an “Icon,” not an “Idol.”
They might be similar, but there’s a difference…
Did Lucas genuinely know the meaning and used it correctly?
‘Whichever way, it doesn’t matter much.’
Well, it wasn’t a bad thing for Jinseong.
Icons are significant in symbolism and association.
It’s often easier to establish something ambiguous rather than something clear.
Even if it’s vague, if understood, it becomes clear.
And abstract concepts also solidify upon understanding, right?
There are countless icons related to money luck.
One could use symbols or totems.
You can carve the shape of an animal or a plant or create a sculpture.
You can hang a painting or place something related to angels.
It was indeed an easy task.
*
Jinseong leisurely executed the second request.
It was the exact opposite of the urgency with which he had tackled the first task almost as soon as he arrived.
Leisurely.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Jinseong took his time to create something with the materials he asked Lucas for.
Though he could have moved faster, he deliberately chose to move slowly.
This was to buy time and to gather information about Lucas.
If Lucas got impatient and came looking for him, it would provide opportunities for information; conversing with Lucas when he came around would yield further insights, and even if he didn’t come, it would still be information on its own.
Moreover, by moving slowly, he increased his chances of gathering information, making it quite a good decision.
Thus, Jinseong meticulously crafted the divine object beyond necessity, concealing his intent to observe Lucas.
First, he laid out a large cloth made of camel skin on a spacious area and began to make a tablet from pure white lead. When he needed fire, he used Samādhi True Fire and showed great care to ensure the surface was flat.
He also covered the windows meticulously to prevent exposure to the sun and stars, repeatedly confirming that the tablet made of white lead was a perfect square.
He began to engrave letters and symbols onto the finished tablet using high-purity silver. After engraving some, he melted the silver and reformed it repeatedly to maintain its purity.
By the time this process concluded, quite a bit of time had passed, and Lucas visited three times.
The first was when he started laying out the camel skin.
The second was when he covered the windows.
The third was during the third repetition of melting and solidifying the silver engraving.
Lucas’s attitude provided clues for Jinseong.
Valuable hints to discern Lucas’s tendencies and thoughts.
‘He’s susceptible to superstition, obsessed with his safety, and has a strong fixation on his wealth.’
His interest in magic and its effects indicated a tendency to be easily swayed by superstitions.
While he showed interest in the rituals, it wasn’t a pure interest but rather a fascination with their power, indicating heightened sensitivity regarding safety.
He wasn’t stingy since he readily provided the materials he requested without complaints, but seemed quite concerned about the value of the building declining, suggesting a strong attachment to wealth, particularly to “unintended” losses.
He wanted to act according to his will regarding his possessions, indicating an obsession with control.
His promptness upon seeing the windows covered suggested a dislike for things happening outside of his awareness; this also hinted at a fixation on control.
He was attentive to even trivial matters, indicating meticulousness but also a sensitivity toward things outside his thoughts, reflecting his obsessive need for control.
‘Control.’
Thus, Jinseong discovered the key concept that pierced through Lucas’s character.
It was control.
He wanted things to move according to his will.
He sought certainty over uncertainty.
He wished to build his castle and find peace within it.
‘But it differs from dominion.’
However, Lucas’s notion of “control” was different from “domination.”
Dominion means moving others according to your will.
But Lucas desired to shape his surroundings according to his will.
While they may seem similar, they are distinctly different.
The former relates to power, while Lucas’s desire tied into personal safety.
‘Safety, peace in one’s own domain, self-defense.’
But to claim it was similar to survivalism would be inaccurate.
He sought safety while having a strong attachment to wealth.
He wished to earn money and simultaneously wanted to feel secure.
Could this not be the amplified manifestation of human greed and the obsession with survival?
‘It’s common for power holders to cling to safety…’
Well, nothing particularly unusual there.
The more one possesses, the more one obsesses over safety and security; that’s just the way of the world.
When one has much, one hates to lose it, and with more possessions comes more binding ties.
One could view Lucas as an extension of that.
Yet, the peculiarity lies in…
‘He seems to feel threatened.’
That was precisely the attitude Lucas displayed.
Unlike the vague, ambiguous threats faced by typical power holders or wealthy individuals, Lucas’s perceived danger felt quite specific.
He couldn’t specify the target or form, but he could assert that something was aimed at him… a concrete threat.
A sensation as if a noose was tightened around his neck.
As if someone was brandishing a knife right behind him.
As if a gun was targeting his head from afar.
Lucas clearly felt such threats.
‘The shadow of death, inexpressible, unnameable.’
Death.
The shadow of death.
As that keyword flitted through Jinseong’s mind, he recalled something.
‘Hmm?’
Death.
Death, huh…?
‘Hmm…’
Not long ago.
He had seen death.
He had met a shaman who referred to himself as death and had a conversation with him, witnessing that shaman harvest evil people.
What was the status of those he harvested before the return?
Was he among those harvested by Huele back then?
Was he an evil person harvested during this period?
‘Death, death.’
How had death behaved in the past?
Where had death been, what footprints had he left, and what had his trajectory been?
Had he been in Korea during this period before the return?
Or could it be that he was in another country?
Australia, Europe, the Middle East…
Or perhaps…
In a place like America?
‘Interesting.’
What if Huele had been in America?
He must have continued to roam around harvesting evil as always.
Those evildoers could certainly be deemed ‘people who ought to die.’
But what if Huele didn’t go to America but came to Korea instead?
What if a ‘person who ought to die’ survived in America?
Then what influence would that person wield?
What kind of impact would an evildoer warranting harvest have?
What butterfly effects might arise from that?
No, perhaps it wasn’t America.
Before the return, Huele might have been in a different country, and in that process, he could have been affecting someone destined for America or harvesting someone who could influence America.
Yet one thing was certain.
During this period, Lee Jae-soon was not a person destined to die by Huele’s hands.
That means…
‘Cause and effect are both seeming sparse yet intricate, while remaining certain.’
Jinseong felt as though he had seen a butterfly flapping its wings, albeit very faintly.
