DESIRE ME IF YOU CAN [EN] - Chapter 1

Notice: The stories, institutions, and characters in this novel are fictional. The fire department ranking system has been altered for the sake of the story.

Prologue

He first heard the rumor at a charity party hosted by an acquaintance.

"What? A shaman?"

Killing time with idle chatter, Grayson frowned. The man who spoke first sipped wine laced heavily with drugs, giggling playfully.

"Yeah, a fortune teller invited to Hayden's party. It was pretty entertaining. Got a lot of things right, too. Everyone was amazed."

"Sure."

Grayson drank his wine, looking unimpressed. Believing in superstitions like fortune telling was foolish.

...Or so he implied. In truth, he had visited countless fortune tellers and shamans. Easily ten times more than an average person would meet in a lifetime. He always asked them one thing: Where is my fated mate?

He had heard many words and paid a steep price, yet this was the result. Fated mate? Every time he thought he found them, he was wrong. Having gone through this repeatedly, Grayson no longer blindly trusted their words. Even hearing about a new fortune teller now, he remained unmoved, listening carefully but maintaining a lukewarm attitude.

Embarrassed by Grayson's indifference, the man laughed. "It's just for fun. Though Keith got incredibly pissed off after hearing a ridiculous prophecy."

"Keith? What prophecy?"

Surprised by the unexpected name, Grayson asked. The man answered casually.

"That he'd face a massive hardship soon. Said if he wasn't careful, he'd regret it for the rest of his life."

"Is he going to ruin his business or something?"

Another man giggled. The rest of the group laughed in disbelief. Keith going bankrupt? The world would probably end first. The man who started the topic spoke again.

"Who knows? Said he'd lose something more important than money, but I don't know what. Keith stormed off before hearing the rest."

"He's way too impatient."

"I would've left too if I heard that."

"Yeah, bad prophecies just ruin the mood."

Voices of agreement chimed in before the conversation drifted to other topics. Sipping his wine, Grayson pondered.

Keith, once a scoundrel just like him, had settled down years ago, choosing the ridiculous institution of marriage. Despite everyone's disbelief, he hadn't strayed once. If something made Keith that angry, it had to involve Yeonwoo. Or perhaps his lovely children.

A fraud.

No doubt about it. Yeonwoo leaving Keith was nonsense. Not to mention those useless, squealing children.

He had found the other half of his soul. Long before Grayson, who craved it so desperately. God must be incredibly biased. Keith used to mock Grayson's longing, yet he was the one who found a mate. That bastard never even visited a fortune teller once.

Giving Keith such an ominous prophecy, it was a miracle the fortune teller left in one piece. They must have used up a lifetime of luck right then.

Since Hayden brought them, they must have been vetted. Then again, spotting a con artist isn't easy.

That was his final thought on the matter. Grayson joined the idle chatter, almost forgetting the fortune teller existed.

One month later, however, Grayson’s attitude shifted. He called Hayden frantically, demanding the fortune teller's number.

The fortune teller's warning regarding Keith had come true. He was now in a terrible situation.

***

"Hmm..."

Grayson watched the middle-aged woman staring at the cards on the table, his brow furrowed.

Time passed, yet she remained silent. Why is this taking so long? Is it bad news? Or does she not know how to read them?

Just as distrust filled his eyes, the fortune teller straightened her back, looking resolved.

"It's very difficult."

Hearing those significant opening words, Grayson crossed his arms, piercing her with his gaze. Whether avoiding his sharp eyes or ignoring them, she kept her focus on the cards, speaking slowly.

"Your fated mate... difficult. Very difficult..."

"So? Are you saying there isn't one?"

Losing patience, Grayson pressed her. Blinking in surprise, the fortune teller cleared her throat.

"I didn't say there isn't one. But I can't say there is, either..."

"Do you think I came here for wordplay?"

Grayson asked the stalling woman, a smile plastered on his face. Despite the smile, the fortune teller felt his twisted mood. He was oozing angry pheromones from his entire body.

"Of course not."

Relying on years of experience, she quickly smiled to diffuse the tension.

"You've tried very hard to meet them. But you couldn't. It just wasn't the right time..."

"So?"

Refusing to waste more time, Grayson pressed her again.

"When is that time coming? Is it still far off? How much longer do I have to wait? Don't tell me it's a mortician? Are they coming to clean my corpse after I die? Is that it?"

"Now, now, calm down."

Raising a hand as if restraining a fighting dog, she paused before speaking.

"It won't be long. You will meet soon. You may have already passed each other."

"They were right in front of me and I didn't recognize them?"

Just as suspicion began to rise, the fortune teller added more.

"It might not have been a direct meeting. Many encounters pass us by in this world. In Buddhism, they say even brushing sleeves is destiny..."

Grayson frowned, staring at her. Leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, he looked like a man running out of patience.

"So?"

Speaking slowly despite his urgency, he asked, "How can I meet my fated mate?"

The fortune teller lifted a stack of cards, pulling one out. As Grayson watched the card land on the table, she spoke.

"Fire."

"Fire?"

When he asked with a frown, she nodded, adding an explanation.

"I see helping others. And fire."

"A firefighter?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

After speaking so confidently, she took a step back again.

"It could mean your fated mate appears while you are helping others. Either way, the keyword is fire."

Grayson watched her, brows still furrowed, debating how much to trust her.

"Anything else?"

At his demand for more information, she drew another card.

"Could be a woman, could be a man."

"Of course."

Being mercilessly sarcastic, Grayson paused for a moment before narrowing his eyes.

"What about tits?"

"Excuse me?"

The unexpected question made her blink. Grayson repeated himself.

"Big, small, flat? You can see that, right? So, how's the rack?"

"Uh... um... Big."

After flipping a card, she gave her answer. Grayson came to a clear conclusion.

"It's a woman."

The fortune teller was startled by his trick to figure out the gender, but then she felt puzzled. If that's the case, why didn't the cards reveal the gender clearly before?