Chapter 17
The Stolen Bowl Case (1)
For several days now, the bowls had kept disappearing and reappearing.
And on top of that…
‘I’m not in my right mind anymore…’
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.
My skin looked pale and lifeless, and dark circles hung heavily beneath my eyes. Looking at my miserable appearance, I couldn’t help letting out a long sigh.
“This isn’t just my imagination.”
At first, I thought I was simply exhausted. I’d been working so hard that it seemed like a reasonable explanation.
But the pattern was too consistent.
It was almost as if someone was deliberately entering the shop just to mess with me.
‘But why only the bowls?’
There was another thing every returned bowl had in common.
A faint pattern appeared on its surface, almost like a mark someone had intentionally left behind.
It felt perfectly smooth when I rubbed it with my fingertips, but when light hit it, the design quietly revealed itself.
“…M-Mr. Owner! Hello! Today… um… what was I going to say? I forgot because I ran here….”
Judging from the slow way she spoke, Hera had arrived.
She thought for a moment before asking,
“Umm… d-do you have soy-braised beef…?”
I took my eyes off the upper cabinet drawer and nodded.
“Hera, did you run all the way here just to buy soy-braised beef?”
“…Y-Yes. I came yesterday too, but….”
“Ah, we had already sold out, right?”
“Y-Yes…!”
While taking a container of soy-braised beef from the refrigerator, Hera looked over the other side dishes as if she were shopping.
“I wish my stomach were bigger…. Whenever I watch eating shows, I get so jealous.”
“I know, right? If it were, you’d probably be responsible for half of my shop’s sales.”
“Hehe… that’s true.”
In the end, she only placed the soy-braised beef on the counter.
“You’ve been buying only soy-braised beef lately.”
“Um… I’ve become obsessed with soy-braised beef bibimbap…. A-And the meat you make is always the softest and most tender!”
After ringing up her purchase, I placed it into a paper bag and handed it to her.
“When I become obsessed with a food… I only eat that…. A-And…”
Hera gripped the paper bag tightly and looked away.
“And?”
“It tastes… even better… because you made it.”
Her voice became so quiet that it was almost a whisper.
“Really? Then I’ll keep working hard making side dishes. I’ll just have to make more time.”
“If you ever need help, I’ll come! Th-Then… I’ll be going now!”
She hurried out of the shop.
Watching her leave, I couldn’t help smiling.
Around the time the morning business slowed down, I checked the display refrigerator.
“There’s one side dish missing…”
“Hm?”
I noticed an empty plastic container inside the display.
“Why is there no food?”
I immediately opened the refrigerator door and picked up the empty container.
As the light hit it, a faint mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) petal pattern appeared on the plastic surface.
‘Now I’m really starting to get annoyed.’
So now they were even messing with my side dishes.
There had to be a limit to how much someone could toy with another person.
If I ignored this any longer, I’d only become angrier.
“This won’t do.”
You’ve crossed the line.
I walked into the kitchen and reached toward the upper cabinet.
But just as before, the ordinary bowl I tried to grab quietly disappeared into thin air right in front of my eyes.
‘Fine. Let’s see if you can touch this one too. If this disappears as well, I’ll call the number on the business card they gave me when we signed the contract.’
Determined, I reached deep into the cabinet and carefully took out a porcelain bowl.
It was the bowl my grandmother had treasured more than anything.
“Huh…?”
Even before the light touched it…
The pattern was already visible.
Five mugunghwa flower petals spread across the white glaze.
‘This… isn’t an ordinary pattern.’
The atmosphere inside the shop suddenly became heavy.
Jingle… Jingle…
Even though the front door never opened, the bell above it rang by itself.
Then…
One flower petal…
Then another…
Softly floated upward from the bowl.
Within the drifting petals, the blurry outline of a person slowly appeared.
He wore his hair in a traditional topknot and was dressed in an old-fashioned hanbok covered by a silk overcoat.
His broad shoulders and sharp eyes carried a dignity that seemed untouched by time.
“Hm?”
His gaze swept across the shop before settling on the bowl in my hands.
“Oh?”
He leaned closer until his face was only inches away.
His deep voice echoed quietly in my ears.
“It’s been a long time.
Hyangsuk?
…No.
Her grandson?”
“Y-You know me?”
The scholar closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.
A faint mugunghwa pattern glowed within his pupils.
“I am the God of Feng Shui.”
“The… God of Feng Shui?”
I instinctively took a small step backward.
“The bowl you’re holding…”
“…is the bowl your grandmother once used to treat me to a wonderful meal.”
“You… ate here?”
“What? Is there some rule saying gods aren’t allowed to eat with humans?”
“N-No, it’s just….”
The scholar gently lifted the bowl from my hands.
“Something happened recently, didn’t it?”
“Huh? A lot has happened.”
“Did you perform the shop-opening ritual?”
The words shop-opening ritual made my mind race.
“No.”
“I was so busy preparing for the grand opening that I never did.”
Just then—
“Why is the God of Feng Shui here, nya?”
Haetae yawned as he walked into the kitchen.
“The bowl merely guided me here.”
“What nonsense, nya.”
“Hahaha!”
“Your insults are always entertaining, Haetae.”
Listening to the two of them, I quickly raised my hand.
“Um… Mr. God of Feng Shui.”
“Why did you say I needed to perform the shop-opening ritual?”
“If you don’t…”
“The gods will keep playing tricks on you.”
“Like this.”
He lightly snapped his fingers.
Bang! Bang!
Every refrigerator door suddenly flew open before slamming shut with loud crashes.
The side-dish containers rattled against one another.
Bottle caps popped off by themselves.
Startled, I hugged Haetae tightly while staring at the God of Feng Shui.
“…Like this?”
“Why are they doing this?!”
“In modern terms…”
“The shop-opening ritual is simply a tasting event for the gods.”
Although he smiled playfully, his eyes suddenly became sharp.
“If you don’t perform the opening ritual and the gods continue playing around…”
“…the spiritual energy protecting the shop will become disturbed.”
“And then…”
“…the owner won’t be able to rest peacefully.”
“…and customers won’t stay for long.”
“The customers won’t stay…?”
“That’s right.”
“You could even lose your regular customers.”
The God of Feng Shui raised one finger with a grin.
“No!”
“No, that’s absolutely not okay!”
I shook my head frantically.
“Didn’t anyone tell you that you had to perform the opening ritual?”
I slowly looked down at Haetae, who was still in my arms.
“…I forgot too, nya.”
The God of Feng Shui laughed.
“So even divine beasts grow old?”
“You’re not calling me old, are you, old man, nya?”
“Old man?”
“I’m still in the prime of my youth.”
The God of Feng Shui protested playfully.
“Then… I’ll contact someone.”
“Who are you contacting?”
“Mr. Lee Yeo-ui.”
“That company?”
I searched through the counter drawer until I found the business card I’d received before.
Lee Yeo-ui
444 ? 010 ? 1111
‘This is exactly the kind of thing you ask an expert about.’
I immediately took out my phone and dialed the number.
Riiing…
The phone hadn’t even rung twice when—
“W-Wait…!”
Someone suddenly stuck his head out from the bottom compartment of the shop’s refrigerator.
It was Lee Jutaek, breathing heavily.
His face was bright red, and tiny frost crystals clung to his hair.
“What happened to you, nya?”
“It’s been a while, Lord Haetae!”
“…It has, nya. But what happened to you?”
“I-I rushed here.”
Lee Jutaek climbed completely out of the refrigerator compartment and brushed pieces of ice off his thick jacket.
“Our team leader was busy, so I came instead! What did you need?”
“The God of Feng Shui appeared.”
“The God of Feng Shui… Huh?”
The moment Lee Jutaek saw him, his eyes grew wide.
“Hello! It’s been a long time, God of Feng Shui!”
“Oh, Jutaek! Long time no see.”
The two warmly shook hands.
A faint spark of energy flashed between their fingertips.
“You’re still exactly the same!”
“And you haven’t changed either.”
Apparently, they already knew each other.
“So why did you come here, God of Feng Shui?”
“Hyangsuk has already passed on.”
“I simply came to meet the new owner of the bowl.”
“Ah! I see!”
The God of Feng Shui looked at the bowl in my hands.
“This bowl isn’t just ordinary tableware.”
“It is proof that a god and a human once shared a meal together.”
“And it serves as the link to that promise.”
“So why wasn’t the opening ritual performed?”
Lee Jutaek scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“We were busy.”
“I understand being busy.”
“But…”
The God of Feng Shui frowned.
“Even if you’re busy, shouldn’t you still remember the important things?”
“There are mountains all over Korea… and countless mountain gods.”
“We’re called out every single day….”
Grinding his teeth, Lee Jutaek added,
“And we have a mountain of work too.”
The God of Feng Shui chuckled.
“Isn’t that why your company exists?”
“If you continue doing good deeds, your chances of becoming gods increase too.”
“So don’t blame the gods.”
‘Are they about to start fighting?’
I whispered into Haetae’s ear.
“Shouldn’t we stop them?”
“Just watch, nya.”
Haetae calmly blinked once.
Bang!
A display cabinet door slammed shut by itself.
Inside the display refrigerator, one empty plastic container slowly slid across the shelf on its own.
It looked ready to fall at any moment.
“See?”
“If you don’t perform the ritual, this is exactly how the gods play around.”
“How relaxed are these gods if they have time to come to the human world just to play tricks?”
The God of Feng Shui folded his arms and shrugged.
Feeling like their conversation would never end, I quickly interrupted.
“Ah! Mr. Lee Jutaek!”
“So… how exactly do I perform the opening ritual?”
“The opening ritual is simple!”
Lee Jutaek pulled a crumpled notebook from his pocket.
Several talismans and dried mugwort leaves fell out between the pages.
“First, we cleanse the spiritual energy surrounding the shop.”
“We’ll unroll a special scroll that removes lingering energy.”
“A ceremonial table will appear.”
“Second… second was…”
He scratched his head, unable to remember.
The God of Feng Shui answered for him.
“Place the side dishes you’ve made on the ceremonial table.”
Lee Jutaek smiled knowingly.
“That’s right!”
“Third…”
“You simply wait until the food placed on the table disappears.”
“The ritual doesn’t have to be solemn.”
That was a relief.
Lee Jutaek slipped his hand inside his jacket, ready to begin.
“Now then…”
Seeing him move, I hurriedly stopped him.
“Wait a minute, Mr. Lee Jutaek!”
He blinked.
“Yes? Is something wrong?”
Forcing a smile, I replied,
“Haha…”
“We’re still open for business.”
“Let’s wait until all the customers leave.”
Lee Jutaek thought about it before slowly pulling his hand back out.
“Ah! You’re right!”
“Actually, that’s even better.”
“It’s best to perform the ritual at night.”
“It’s quieter…”
“…and the gods can enjoy themselves more comfortably.”
The God of Feng Shui nodded with his arms crossed.
“That’s true.”
“The doorway opens much wider after dark.”
“…Huh?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Hearing those words only made me feel that doing it during the daytime might actually be safer.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Actually…”
“Should we just do it now?”
“It’s lunchtime anyway, so there aren’t many customers—”
“No.”
“We shouldn’t interfere with your business.”
This time, it was the God of Feng Shui who firmly stopped the idea.
‘…Nothing strange is going to happen tonight… right?’
Daytime was one thing.
But nighttime?
Night was terrifying.
