Chapter : 1. The Top Actress Who Sees Ghosts
“Unni Sia, your skin is unbelievably hydrated today.”
Ji-hyun, the makeup artist responsible for Sia’s makeup, couldn’t stop admiring her.
Sia’s skin looked so dewy that it seemed as though water would drip out if someone merely touched it. Because of that, Ji-hyun’s hands became even more careful as she worked on her face.
“You’re probably the only person who can stay up all night for over a week and still have skin like this.”
“I’ve spent enough money at that skincare clinic. If they couldn’t even maintain my skin this well, I’d have to sue them.”
“Unni, honestly!”
Ji-hyun laughed softly.
Every time she complained that the skincare clinic was far too expensive and insisted she didn’t want to go, she’d end up grumbling about it again anyway.
Although she was one of the highest-paid celebrities in Korea, Sia never particularly enjoyed spending money.
“By the way, Ji-hyun.”
“Yes?”
“You once told me you were raised by your grandmother when you were little, right?”
“…? That’s right.”
Ji-hyun tilted her head in confusion at the sudden question. It had only been something she’d casually mentioned while drinking together once. Why was Sia bringing it up now?
“My parents were always busy, so I lived with my grandmother until I entered middle school.”
“When was the last time you contacted her?”
“Hmm… I think about two months ago.”
“Two months?”
“Yes. We’ve been incredibly busy filming lately. Now that I think about it, I really haven’t called her in a long time.”
Even as she answered, Ji-hyun still looked puzzled.
It was extremely rare for Sia to show interest in someone else’s family affairs. No matter how long she’d known someone, she never crossed certain personal boundaries.
The fact that Sia even remembered she’d been raised by her grandmother honestly surprised Ji-hyun.
“Where’s your phone?”
“My phone? Yours is over there—”
“Not mine. Yours.”
“Mine? Ah…”
Hurriedly patting herself down, Ji-hyun let out a small sigh.
“I think I left it in the car.”
“Go get it.”
“Huh?”
“I said, go get your phone.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“But filming is about to start…”
“That’s fine.”
“I don’t need it immediately or anything. It’s okay. I can get it later.”
“Go now.”
“Huh? I’m not even done with your makeup yet…”
“I’ll finish it myself.”
“But—”
“Hurry.”
Startled by Sia’s unusually firm tone, Ji-hyun eventually gave in and ran toward the parking lot.
“Hyun-seok oppa.”
“Hm?”
Sia quietly called her manager, who was staring at her with a look just as full of curiosity as Ji-hyun’s had been.
“Find someone who can cover Ji-hyun’s position for a few days.”
“You’re firing Ji-hyun?”
His eyes widened in shock.
“Temporarily.”
“Temporarily?”
“I don’t think she’ll be able to come to work for a few days.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Instead of answering, Sia looked toward Ji-hyun, who was already disappearing into the distance.
Or, more accurately…
She looked at the elderly woman silently following behind Ji-hyun.
The old woman who had been standing behind her all this time, watching her with sorrowful eyes.
Watching her gently stroke Ji-hyun’s hair…
Watching her smile warmly whenever Ji-hyun smiled…
Sia had recognized her identity immediately.
‘Would a week be enough?‘
Or should I give her a little more time to recover emotionally?
“Prepare a funeral wreath too.”
“A wreath? What kind of wreath?”
“A funeral wreath.”
“What?”
Leaving behind her stunned manager, Sia calmly finished applying her own makeup with practiced skill.
* * *
“Grandma, you saw the expensive funeral wreath I sent, right?”
There was an old saying in the entertainment industry:
The fate of a celebrity and the fate of a shaman aren’t that different.
After returning home from a two-week location shoot in the countryside, Sia let out a quiet sigh.
She opened the refrigerator to grab a can of beer, planning to enjoy a drink and unwind.
The moment she did…
She found Ji-hyun’s grandmother standing behind the refrigerator door.
“Your funeral was properly held, and you were buried in a good place.”
…Or maybe not?
Can you even call a columbarium a “good sunny place”?
Either way, the funeral had been completed, the cremation was over, and yet this elderly woman had suddenly appeared before her.
Why exactly are you here?
Suppressing another sigh, Sia raised the opened beer can to her lips.
“If you don’t have any business with me, could you please leave? I’m exhausted.”
Normally, she’d simply ignore ghosts.
But this was the grandmother of someone she’d worked with for over four years.
Throwing her out without a word felt…
‘Only the tiniest bit…’
…guilty.
Still, maybe pretending not to see her would’ve been better.
Dealing with ghosts while exhausted was truly…
Trying to shake away her complicated feelings, Sia vigorously shook her head.
[Please continue taking good care… of our Ji-hyun.]
Only then did the old woman finally speak.
Her wrinkled hands and deeply lined face made it obvious that life had never been easy for her.
“…”
Are all grandmothers like this?
Looking at the elderly woman politely bowing to someone far younger than herself with the gentlest smile imaginable, Sia silently took another sip of beer.
Suddenly, something her manager Hyun-seok had said a few days ago came to mind.
“Ji-hyun was the only one crying at the funeral.”
According to him…
Ji-hyun’s parents and relatives had caused an ugly scene, fighting over the inheritance.
The amount wasn’t even significant.
They argued over the small savings account, the house, and the farmland—over who deserved the larger share.
The atmosphere became so unpleasant that many guests quietly left the funeral.
‘What a waste of money.‘
If I’d known people like them would end up benefiting from my condolence money, I wouldn’t have given any.
[May I ask one small favor?]
Still grumbling inwardly, Sia looked back up as the grandmother continued.
Lee Sia.
A twenty-five-year-old top actress famous not only throughout Korea but across Asia.
She began acting at fourteen.
No matter the genre, every project she chose became a massive success, firmly establishing her position at the top.
I’d love to confidently say it’s simply because I’m beautiful and an incredible actress…
…but…
‘I can’t honestly say I haven’t benefited from them at all.‘
The information they brought her was simply too useful.
Lee Sia.
The top actress representing South Korea.
She had one unusual secret.
‘That’s right…‘
I can see ghosts.
* * *
“Ji-hyun.”
“Yes, Unni.“
Sia started a video call with Ji-hyun.
It looked as though Ji-hyun had suffered greatly after her grandmother’s death.
In just a few days, she’d lost noticeable weight.
Seeing her gaunt face, Sia clicked her tongue inwardly.
“Have I ever mentioned that I’m interested in fortune-telling and fate readings?”
“Yes. You were even the first person to predict my grandmother’s death. When you kept insisting that I go get my phone that day, I was so confused. But then… this happened…“
“Your fortune just wasn’t very good that day.”
Of course, that was a complete lie.
She knew absolutely nothing about fortune-telling or destiny.
She only pretended to be interested in those things because it was easier for people to accept information that had actually come from ghosts.
“Sia, don’t you go to church?”
Hyun-seok, who had been standing nearby, interrupted the conversation.
“I do.”
…No.
“I used to.”
“I’m a baptized Christian.”
There had been a time when she’d desperately tried to get rid of her ability to see ghosts.
She attended church faithfully.
She was even baptized.
‘The day I was baptized…‘
Ghosts had lined up around her, clapping and congratulating her.
She quietly stopped going after that.
Later, she’d tried Catholic churches and Buddhist temples as well.
None of them made any difference.
“What’s fortune-telling got to do with church?”
“Still, that’s not—”
“Enough.”
As if warning him not to dig any deeper, Sia quickly cut Hyun-seok off before turning back to her phone.
“Are you still at your grandmother’s house?”
Unlike the rest of the family—who had left immediately after the funeral procession, prompting Hyun-seok to sneer, “Well, they probably wanted to sell the house and land as quickly as possible to get their share.”—Ji-hyun had remained alone in the now-empty house, sorting through her grandmother’s belongings.
She could have hired someone else to do it.
But she simply couldn’t bring herself to.
Those were precious belongings her grandmother had treasured for years.
She didn’t want strangers throwing them away like garbage.
Remembering Ji-hyun crying as she begged for just a few more days before returning to work made Sia’s heart ache.
“I’m sorry. I know I should return to work soon…“
“That’s right. Hurry back.”
“Don’t let other people keep touching my face.”
“Yes!“
Instead of telling her to rest as long as she needed, Sia told her to come back quickly.
That alone noticeably brightened Ji-hyun’s voice.
“By any chance… is there a persimmon tree on the east side of your grandmother’s house?”
A moment later, Sia finally got to the real reason for calling.
“…!“
Through the speaker came the sound of Ji-hyun gasping.
“There is!“
Of course there is.
“I’m not sure if it’s on the east side, though…“
It is.
“But yes, there is one. How did you know?“
“Your fortune today says you’ll receive great wealth beneath the eastern persimmon tree.”
“W-Wealth?“
“It won’t hurt to check. Try digging under the tree.”
“Dig… the ground?“
“Yes.”
“Ah… O-Okay…“
Her response lacked conviction.
‘I’d think it was ridiculous too.‘
Anyone who believed such a thing without question would be strange.
But that’s human nature.
Even if people think, “No way…”
A tiny part of them still wonders,
“What if…?”
If someone tells you there’s great wealth buried there, what’s the harm in digging a little?
Besides…
Sia had accurately predicted her grandmother’s death.
Ignoring her advice completely wasn’t so easy anymore.
“Take care.”
“Yes, Unni.“
After saying everything she needed to, Sia ended the call.
‘That should do it.‘
The favor Ji-hyun’s grandmother had asked of her the previous night was exactly this.
[Please tell her to dig beneath the persimmon tree.]
Ji-hyun had spent her youth supporting her younger siblings through countless part-time jobs.
Her parents had ignored their responsibilities, spending every bit of money they could get their hands on while chasing failed business ventures.
Seeing that, perhaps her grandmother had always pitied her eldest granddaughter.
‘It sounded like quite a large amount of money.‘
Her grandmother had quietly saved the money she’d earned through farming.
Little by little…
She hid it inside a large earthen jar buried beneath the persimmon tree.
She had set it aside exclusively for her granddaughter years in advance.
The house and farmland would inevitably be fought over by her greedy children after her death.
She’d already expected Ji-hyun to receive nothing.
‘She even wrote a letter beforehand.‘
As though she’d somehow known she’d die suddenly from a heart attack…
The old woman had written Ji-hyun a letter long ago and placed it inside the jar.
“Everything in this jar belongs to you. Don’t feel guilty. Use it only for yourself.”
‘At least they won’t steal that money too.‘
Ji-hyun wasn’t naïve enough to let that happen.
‘Well… that’s no longer my concern.‘
She’d already delivered the grandmother’s message.
Her job was finished.
“So you can even read fortunes like that?”
Hyun-seok, who had been hovering nearby throughout the call, looked at Sia with sparkling anticipation.
“What about me? How’s my luck today?”
“…”
Sia stared at him silently before slowly opening her mouth.
“I don’t know about your fortune, Hyun-seok oppa…”
“But I do know something about Hye-eun unni’s fortune today.”
“Hye-eun?”
Hearing his wife’s name, Hyun-seok looked confused.
“She has good financial luck today.”
“Really?”
Whether he truly believed it or not, hearing that his wife would have good fortune immediately brightened his face.
“Maybe I should tell her to buy a lottery ticket.”
He grinned excitedly.
Seeing him like that, Sia quietly swallowed the rest of what she had been about to say.
‘Because your fortune today is to lose money.‘
Sia had spoken with Hye-eun only a little while earlier.
Remembering Hye-eun laughing as she said she’d discovered the emergency cash her husband had secretly hidden away…
Sia looked at Hyun-seok with just a hint of sympathy.
