Yun Baek Hi 

 

My mom, my big sister and I were at our commercial studio. It was a very welcoming place with wooden floors, hardwood furniture, numerous indie decorations and a touch of nature with a variety of flowers placed in strategic locations. 

Mom personally chose the interior decor, under the direction of grandma, to make it appear less like an office and more like a cosy studio, so the clients would not feel intimidated or nervous. It might be quite hard to believe, but my family is in its 6th generation of mediums. Every single one of them was successful in their own way and known all over South Korea; we weren’t the number one and I never wished for us to be, but lots of people still trusted our predictions and advice. We did not perform crazy exorcisms, we just offered a hint of what might happen as a consequence of people’s actions, the only one that could predict grandiose things, was me, unfortunately. Not something like seeing a clear cut image or event, but just from the colour radiating from their body, like the flame of a candle, I could see its beginning and its end.

Why does she look anxious all the damn time? I stared at my mom through the blindfold as she fixed my clothes for the third time for the next clients. "Mom.." I complained exasperated. 

“Yeah, I know.” She quickly replied back. “There was a bit of dust on your shoulders, that's all.” She mumbled and got back to her seat next to me, my big sister remained silent behind us, as this was my moment and her powers were required only if a demon was involved, for that reason most of our clients preferred to consult me over her.

But if you had the chance to see your future, would you actually want to know it? For real? Would you really have the balls to face it? I would be scared less. That is why I never ask any of my relatives, I wanted to decide things without external influences. Maybe something small like “Will I win the lottery ticket?” Which only 1% of the entire population had the chance to win anyway. So there’s that.

All my tentative attempts to convince my two older brothers to replace me fired back when I discovered that only the female daughters had this special gift, therefore my destiny has been written even before I came into this world. . Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, but after our dad left us in debt, it looked like everything was about the debts; for example, if our school organised a school trip somewhere, I couldn’t go because “What about the debts honey?” If I wanted to treat my friends at a party “You know we can’t afford it honey, think about the debts?” And travelling overseas with a paid ticket flight from my well off friend? hell will break loose and “Are you trying to put us into more debts? Are you crazy?” The thing is it’s been two years since dad left home and my mother, but this debt seems to not have a limit. 

Despite the weight, dad put on everybody’s back, nothing has really changed. Yes, we still had 100 hundred grand to pay back, and believe me I know that’s a large amount of money, but literally stop doing anything was not life. Each day I was fed up with her bringing up the debt as a weapon to guilt-trip me and say I was selfish. Why in the world the Korean law was so ed up that we had to pay for someone else's debts?

“Yah! Snap out of it, our next client is coming.” Her scolding voice snatched me from my thoughts. I nodded and straightened my back while sitting on the chair. You know what I mean now? What was the point in asking for my future when it was playing in front of me anyway? 

So like every working day, I greeted the clients, let them choose a card from the seventh card on the table between us and grabbed onto their hands with my mom’s help because I had a mask and a blindfold on, it was to prevent anybody, teenagers aside, from recognising me and stopping me on the streets, cuz I was still a minor. It was usually quite easy to see their future, the hard part was comforting when receiving sad news or containing their anger, like imagine telling somebody that they will lose their home because of bills or somebody in their family will take their money and run away. Yeah...so I left that part to the adults and stepped back slightly behind my sister when that happened, or simply left the room.

I didn’t realise how deeply manipulative my mother was until… I held the hand of a familiar person, I couldn’t see because I was blindfolded so the only way I could tell a person from another was by holding their hands. The section went smoothly for the first part, but the troubles began when one of the clients, a lady with her teenage kid, asked for me. 

Her tone irritated me that I couldn’t hold back mine either. “I give advice only at high risk like events, ma’am,” I replied in the most polite way possible yet it seemed somehow to be an offence for my mom.

“What are you saying?” She commented irritatedly and changed the annoyed expression into that of a pleasant flying attendant the next second. Yikes “You must forgive her, she’s going through puberty. Of course, she can offer you her services.” Wow, I can’t believe my ears. I had to bite the inside of my mouth to control my expression. Count to ten Baek-ha. Count to ten. I finished counting right on time to change places with my big sis. She rolled her eyes while giving her back to mom; she patted lightly my right shoulder while giving me space to sit. I asked for the girl to give me her hand and held it tight enough to receive her full attention.

“It’s fine, our Soyeon is going through it too.” She faked a smile. What a snake. “I believe they attend the same high school, am I wrong?” I didn’t like the way she phrased the question, as if it was unbelievable for her precious nerd child to go to the same school as someone poor and in debt like me. Wait…how could she know if we go to the same high school TF? and Soyeon? Where have I heard this name?

“I’m not sure about that ma'am” my mom replied, still faking her smile. “We prefer that nobody knows of her identity since she’s a minor.”

“Yeah but still..” The lady grinned foxily “You never know..”

“Well, we prefer that part of life to be as normal as possible if you concur ma'am” mom replied through her teeth. Hmm..

“Fair but-” she was adding when…

A snobbier voice came from the person in front of me.  “What's happening? Is she malfunctioning?” I couldn't see a thing but in less than a sec, I knew who that was the FREAKING TEACHER'S PET!!!AAAaah wtf she's doing here???

I felt my mom squeeze my right arm without calling my name and so I held back the urge to rip off the blindfold and ask the idiot in front of me what she was doing here. This was still working time so...back to work. Still, I didn't want her to recognize me and so after seeing her future, I let go of her hand and picked up a couple of cards off the table. One with Socrates on it, one with a chained burning sun on the ground and one with a moon colour beige shading to black. I handed them to my mom and let her take the floor. "What do the cards say?" Her mother wanted to know.

“There is fairly good news but to be more precise, I'll let my daughter explain better.” My dear mother proposed. fxck me 

“Is she up to it?” Replied the other lady implying that I was some sort of beginner. Like mother like daughter, snobbish duo…great.

“Yes, she has helped me and the whole family since she was 6 ma'am.” My mom rapidly stated. Free child labour practically. “And she never fails or complains.” Oh, the lies...

“Very well then. We're all ears dear.” Rebuked unimpressed. “And if you could tell me how my finances will go next month as I’m planning on investing in a particular real estate property in-” she just kept ongoing. God help me...not hit this b..

“Okay mom, she got it. But can we focus on MY future first?!” Soyeon miraculously found her voice to stop her mom from babbling about money, for the first time since she stepped into the room. Looked like we had something in common after all, Helicopter moms.

Her mom was slightly surprised by her response. “As you wish dear.” She said and giggled looking towards my mom “kids.” she whispered, shaking her head arrogant and my mom nodded like it was a normal thing to say. Ugh.

I took a deep breath and tried to get on with this section already. “As my mother told you…” I spoke directly to Soyeon’s mom. “There won’t be any major events in your family…or finances this year.”

“I know, but what I want to know is if I should prepare myself for any bad or good event, not this year but the next one.” She replied swiftly. “I just want to be ready, I don’t like surprises.” Bet ya she ruins birthday parties every year.

“If you are one hundred percent willing to know the-” I tried to warn her.

“Yes, I am.” Damn, let me finish my sentence, you old granny.

“Very well.” Let’s get this over with. “Please place your left hand on the table.” She did as I said.

 

“Like this?”

 

“No, with your palm towards the sky.” She obeyed. “Soyeon you do the same but with your palm above hers. Yes, like that.”

 

This position was to observe the connection between the two and their future. First I couldn’t feel anything because the two wouldn’t even clasp their hands together, and when I told them to do it they literally took them 6 solid seconds to do it. A thing that required not even one second looked so difficult for them, that it took me even less to see. Hm anyway… After they joined hands I performed my rituals and “look into the future” as she would interpret but it was mainly intensely visualising their aura and surroundings. The colours around were pretty much reflective of their identities and feelings for each other, every person has a bit of every colour of the rainbow all over their bodies but of course, some colours were more intense than others. 

 

In Soyeon's case orange was the prominent colour as it represented basically confidence and courage, while the mother had purple which bottom line meant she was a stuck up, I mean, she was a really ambitious person. Yeah... This latter cleared as to hurry me. Sigh as if there is anything interesting to actually tell her in the first place. Well, I guess the “worrying” part of their relationship might have caused a scene, but nothing major really so I just spit it out. 

 

“What the cards tell me and from what I have perceived when holding your daughter's hand…” I started off excusing myself first for my raspy voice using the old cold excuse. “..is that she is very intelligent, intuitive,” I said pointing at the first card. “But she is only following one path, one path you have forced her to walk on for the rest of her life and this as you know is never a good decision.”

 

“I have never forced her to-” she tried to argue but I cut her off, I couldn't stand helicopter parents. 

 

“Yes, you did!” I said back unnerved. “She likes her path, she likes what she's doing not only because she excels in it but for the reason that she genuinely has big aspirations for herself in the future.” I softened my voice.

“Then how am I forcing her on it? What's there to force?” She pushed back nonetheless. 

“Because she's burning inside with passion! Passion to discover, passion to meet different types of people, passion to plant however and whatever she wants on the side of that road but you're not allowing her to experience her puberty to the fullest.” I didn't think it would take a genius to understand the meaning of the cards really. 

“You're shutting down her complaints, needs and outbursts at every chance. Is not mentally sound and this attitude has severe consequences in the future, which will either end in resentment, detachment or worse... as It happens in this country.” I ended and let my mom handle the rest. 

It was always tiring arguing with adults about their kids when the answer was so clear, but the level of stubbornness was so beyond my reach, I always took a step back. Because if I didn't I knew I'd end up in jail. Anyway, my mom advised the lady how to handle the situation because she was a mother too so I let her do her thing. 

The next day at school, while eating lunch with my best friend Eun Ji Ah, outside in the courtyard when she lifted her head to look at someone behind me, I followed her eyes and saw Soyeon, also known as the teacher’s pet, staring down at us with her hands on her hips. “What?” I

I blurred out unimpressed.

 

She didn’t reply back and sat down next to Eun Ji instead as if it was a regular thing, my girl and I looked at each other with our eyebrows reaching the sky. “Ehm excuse me??” I asked, stunned. “Did we say you could sit down?”

 

“This is a free democratic country.” She refuted. “Unless you’re the principal's daughter you have no right to tell me where to sit or not.” She stared through me and I glared right back.

 

“I don’t give two s whether this is a democratic country or not.” I commented trying not to yell at her and attract unwanted attention. “This table and the people sitting in it are in a dictatorship and I’m the supreme leader and she’s my second in command, so you better leave while we’re being nice!”

 

She snorted…this . “You better be nice to me or I’ll tell everybody who you really are.” She threatened while crossing her arms confident that she had the upper hand.

 

“What?” The thing is I was actually lost. “The you mean?”

 

“I know who you work for?” She insisted.

 

“Who does she work for..?” Eun Ji and I wanted to know…  cuz we still lost.

 

She looked at us back and forth a bit surprised. “Y-you are …a medium.” She replied, annoyed. “Don’t with me acting all sur-” As soon as the M-word our eyes grew big.

 

“How?” I was mouthing when Eun Ji literally clasped her hand on Soyeon’s mouth, forced her to stand up on her feet and motioned me with her head to head to the corner hidden near the bicycle parking. I followed suit.

 

“Fast, fast or they’ll see us!” I warned her and as soon as we had her cornered I made sure to ask the right questions. “What do you want? Free service? It's what you want isn’t it?”

 

She brushed off Eun Ji’s hand from , irritated. “No!”

 

“Then what is it?” Eun Ji said in a hurry.

 

She took a deep breath to calm herself down and looked at me, just me. “I remember what you said to my mom yesterday and…” she trailed off, losing some of her previous cool.

 

“...and?” I motion with my right hand to keep talking.

 

She sighed. “And the only way I can get ahead of her is to befriend the very person that told her about the future of our family.”

 

“befriend? The hell does that mean?” I asked sceptic.

 

“It means to become friends with somebody, “US” in this case.” Eun Ji clarified for me.

 

I nodded uninterested. “But why? So you can get free service?” I insisted, looking at Soyeon because there was no way anyone wouldn’t have taken advantage of a power this big.

 

“NO! Damn it!” She almost yelled.

 

“Hush! Do you want us to get detention or what?!” Eun Ji whispered worriedly and looked behind the corner that no teacher was listening in.

Soyeon rolled her eyes as she couldn’t care less. “I don’t give a damn about you “alleged powers” girl.” She made it clear with her eyes wide open. “All I want to do is not let my mom choose my friends for me, understand?!” It was a rhetorical question.

 

“Sorry but I don’t get why this is my problem?” I commented on scratching my neck. “It’s not like you’re doing this because you actually want to either right?” I didn’t let her fool me with a sad drama backstory.

 

“Friendship is not a conditional type of relationship like the one you have with your mom.” Eun Ji sharpened the tone of voice when saying that. “It takes a long time to bond with somebody and consequently establish a long-lasting AND trusting friendship with the person in question. You can’t just wake up one day and decide that you are friends with a random person.” There were a couple of complex words I didn’t understand but I like that she summarised the whole thing in the last sentence.

 

Soyeon looked a little defeated but still tried to convince us. “My parents, especially my mom, is a super narcissistic piece of work that always puts me under intense pressure and scrutiny, and constantly makes me feel that I had to measure up or risk losing her approval” Since the threat did not work she tried with guilt-tripping us with more details for her sob story.

 

“Oh boohoo, welcome to the abusive parents' kids club!” Eun Ji mocked her attempt.

 

“But she makes me feel guilty about having relationships not strictly connected to her business partners or people with high IQs.” She revealed. “She also makes me feel guilty for other things that have nothing to do with me, just to have the satisfaction to get a reaction out of me.”

 

“Tell me something new.” My big brain friend replied.

 

In need of validation, she looked at me instead. “When you told her about my puberty issue getting bigger than anticipated guess what she did or is planning on doing?” She didn’t wait for us to ask and just told us. “I heard through the wiretap I put in her room that she ordered a bunch of pills meant to “cool down” my uncontrollable emotions.

 

“Okay… that’s wild and..crazy. Yep!” Eun Ji Agreed in disbelief, I did the same.

 

“I admit that’s even tougher than my situation.” I acknowledge. “Still I don’t see what’s in it for us.” I let out because there was literally no positive side, for us to become friends with the most annoying know-it-all in the class, without the real bullies going after us too.

 

I could tell She didn’t have any more strong shots to fire back and stayed quiet…for barely 5 seconds before talking back. “I..I will do anything you want.” She stated, desperate. Yikes, here comes the beginning.

 

“Pass.” I uttered simply.

 

“Don’t need or want a slave.” Eun Ji added.

 

“I will help you with your homework, I will tell you all the answers for the next tests” Soyeon insisted, grabbing onto my arm.

 

I tried to free my arm but her grip was hella strong. “Eunji already helps already with that.”

 

“But you could reach the 100 mark with my help, don’t you want that?!” She was more agitated now. “You get the opportunity to get into the college of your dreams and I get my controlling mom out of the way. Come on, it sounds fair to me.” Her voice cracked and her eyes started to swell up.

 

“To you maybe yes but not us!” Eunji replied and pulled my arm towards herself to separate me from Soyeon. “ing let go already damn!”

 

I, myself, should have done something about it, pushed soyeon away, bit her hand or just pulled away but I just couldn’t…I was paralysed as I fell into her eyes and unintentionally saw her future the second she said “Please! I just don’t want to end that ing river like you predicted.”

 

I could see her lifeless body being carried away by the current of the Han river, me standing on the bridge looking straight into her void eyes, just when the river rescue team arrived to pick up her body. The most horrifying thing was that in the vision, she was in her PJ with no jacket or bag, yet she had two personalised keychains similar to the one Eunji made for herself and me. Only two existed but it seemed like Soyeon had made one herself and linked the three together to represent a non-existent friendship between the three of us and so the whole thing was so spine chilling I had to close my eyes for a couple of seconds.

 

I heard Eunji sighing deeply next to me. “Look, we’re all going to end up in the same river sooner or later.” She stated, exhausted.

 

“No..Stop..” I found myself whispering so low I don’t think she heard me and kept going.

 

“Everyone is ending up in that ing river because of this ing society, so OFF already!” She yelled for real this time.

 

My legs couldn’t keep it up anymore and gave up on me. I dropped to my knees and shut my ears with both my hands. “No, don’t say that!” I begged. “Stop!”

 

Eunji's reaction came late but she crouched next to me right away and asked what was wrong. “Did you have a vision? Was it because of her?” She said and glared at Soyeon.

 

The latter did not know what to make of what was happening but tried her best to reassure the school staff and other curious students from coming closer to us. “She’s having a brain freeze, not a big deal.” She made up.

 

As the people started to disperse, I took a couple of deep breaths to calm my heartbeat. “Eunji-ah?” I asked for her.

 

“Yes, I’m here.” She replied fast.

 

“I just saw her body float on the Han river.” I said in a hurry because I didn’t want the person of interest to hear. “Staring back at me..”

 

She sighed. “Baek-ah...You know-”

 

“I know I can’t save everybody, but she had the same keychain we have.” I added in case she was still unsure.

 

“You mean she stole it?” Her mind seemed to only see things one way.

 

“No, I mean that she really wants to be friends with us.” I said feeling guilty doubting Soyeon's desperate appeal. As I said, the girl crouched down in front of me with a carton of strawberry milk and handed it to me. When in the world did she get it so fast?

 

“Are you sure it is not just a tactic to take advantage of you? Baek-ha you need to be sure.” She worried for me. “Too many people play the victim in this country to scam other people for money. You gotta act safely.”

 

She had a point but… “The last time I doubted myself a student died because I was too cautious.” I still had nightmares once a month from that time. “I don’t want her, you, me and anyone else in this school to end up in that ing river. I ing hate it with passion at this point. I swear!”

 

She sighed loudly this time. “Okay, but if she is to join us we need a couple of assurances.” She didn’t let go. “Then I’ll be okay.”

 

“Like what?” Soyeon asked hopeful and also slightly tired, physically because it’s been a minute since we crouched.

 

“Number 1: help us with the tests. Number two: take us with her on international travel and pay for our flying tickets and number three wear the “I’m stupid” for a week.” Eunji listed with one breath.

 

“What..in the world-” Soyeon started to complain but I interjected.

 

“But before all of that…” I said and stood up. They did the same. “You have to should out of the top of your lungs “ you Han River” right here, right now.”

 

She blinked multiple times and was speechless. “ Why that phrase in particular?... I mean of all things to say or do? I don’t get it.” She said, confused.

 

“Because we ing hate it for taking so many people away,” Eunji replied, quick.

 

“But it didn’t really do-” I couldn’t believe she always had to say something.

 

“Not everything has to make sense, you know.” I commented on getting back to my normal self.

 

“Yeah so just do it while we’re being nice!” Eunji Echoed me.

 

I saw a flash of regret on her face for a sec, before taking a sharp breath in, waking in front of us and getting ready to just do it. Eunji was ready to record as well while giggling next to me.

 

“ YOU HAN RIVER!! YOU ING STEALING EVERYTHING FROM US! I COULDN’T EVEN SAT NEAR YOU WITHOUT YOU TRYING TO DROWN ME!! I ING HATE YOU!! YOU , BURN IN HELL AISH!!” She didn’t hold back and put her all into it. Eunji and I could already hear the teachers and students have a commotion behind us but Soyeon just did not care. 

 

And kids, that’s how I met my second best friend.