After school, Haenul had to go to the park as Seok had requested. Haenul arrived first and saw a note left on the swing he used to sit on.

"If you arrive and don't see me, just wait a bit."

Seeing this, Haenul sat down on the swing and waited for Seok. After a while, Seok came out from a nearby café and stood in front of Haenul.

"Have you been waiting long? I brought you something to drink," Seok smiled and handed Haenul a cup of drink.

"Thank you. What did you call me here for?" Haenul asked.

"Nothing much, just... don't treat me like I'm invisible anymore."

As soon as Seok said this, memories flooded Haenul's mind. He realized that every time he did something at school, Seok's figure was always there, but his own mind had ignored that face.

"R-really?" Haenul replied, confused.

"Are you free this weekend?" Seok asked.

"Yes! But... is there something you need?" Haenul asked.

"Then, let's go see a movie together." Seok looked at Haenul with anticipation.

"I'll think about it..." Haenul replied, knowing that if he refused, something bad might happen.

"That's good! Next time you wait for me, come to where I work and wait there," Seok waved and then went back into the café to continue his shift.

Haenul held the drink that Seok had given him. When he looked down, he realized it was his favorite drink, a Frozen Cookie. After finishing the drink, he decided to take a walk through the busy streets. The view around him was of tall buildings. He glanced around and noticed a Tarot shop. Curious, he decided to give it a try, despite not having much money left. He lived off the little allowance he got. He entered the Tarot shop, which was dim and mysterious. The walls were covered with strange, somewhat eerie paintings. After waiting for a while, it was his turn. He entered the room, where a woman wearing a scarf was waiting for him.

"Sit down, kid."

Haenul immediately sat down in front of her.

"Have you already looked at the Tarot packages outside?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. I want to try the regular package about life," Haenul replied.

"Hmm, it's been a while since someone chose this package. Usually, people go for the premium ones about love or study. Place both your hands on the table," the woman instructed.

Haenul placed his hands on the table, waiting for what was about to happen.

The woman sprinkled some white powder on his hands and then pulled out a deck of cards.

"I bet you can tell what I'm holding, huh? No need to explain. Pick a card."

After saying that, the woman shuffled the cards and spread them out. Haenul closed his eyes, picked a card, and handed it to her.

"Open your eyes. The card you drew is 'Salvation.' This is the first time I've seen someone pick this card. You must be quite lucky, but unfortunately, your life isn't as fortunate. This card is related to love. That love will pull you out of the abyss."

"R-really?" Haenul asked, surprised.

"Yes, really. This card also signifies some luck in the person who draws it," the woman said, then took a bracelet and placed it on Haenul's wrist.

"This is a life force bracelet. Wearing it will make you feel much more at ease, and the bad luck that’s been following you will likely stop. That’s the end of your regular package."

Haenul stood up, bowed to thank her, and then left the room. He stepped back into the street, where it was now nearly evening. Because of everything that happened, Haenul hadn’t prepared anything to eat. The little money left after the Tarot reading was just enough for a pack of candy or, at most, a pack of noodles. He quickly found a convenience store to buy the cheapest noodles. While he was paying, a hand touched his. It was Seok, smiling at Haenul.

"It's already late, and you're just eating noodles? How are you going to grow up like this?" Seok said, placing a bunch of food into Haenul’s basket. "I'll pay for everything, so don't worry."

Haenul was completely confused, not knowing how to thank him.

"Thank you so much! I’ll definitely repay you!" Haenul bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.

Seok patted Haenul’s head.

"Make sure you repay me." Seok paid for the items and then left.

On the way home, Haenul carried the heavy bag of food. He began to relax his guard and started to see Seok in a new light. Maybe not everyone was as bad as he thought?

Finally, when he got home, Haenul neatly put away the groceries, started making dinner, and ate. Because there had been so much to do today, he only had time to jot down notes in his Salvation book and was too lazy to use the Tarot deck. He climbed into bed and soon fell asleep.

"Wake up, Haenul-ah!"

Haenul opened his eyes and saw that he had turned into a child. At that moment, he was holding hands with his childhood friend, playing together. They were kicking a ball happily and accidentally kicked it into a deep forest. Haenul crawled through thorny bushes to get it. The ball was floating on a pool of blood-red water. The sky slowly turned blood-red, the moon seemed to be covered in blood, and the stars were gone. A monster, twice as large as Haenul, approached him. Haenul tried to run, but his body wouldn’t move. The ground began to disappear into nothingness. Haenul fell straight into the black void beneath him. The monster then transformed into a human. When Haenul looked closely, he saw that it was Seok!!

END CHAPTER 5

"SALVATION"
The Card Mentioned