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Woochan’s been to many tarot card readers in his life—perhaps as a fun pass time, perhaps as a coping mechanism to gauge if fate could be relied on.
(It couldn’t).
He was in middle school the first time he went with the friends he can barely remember the names of. Fresh off of Show Me The Money, his classmates jabbed and jested in good fun if Woochan would one day become famous enough for his autograph to make a good buck.
He had laughed it off back then, braggadocio his only ally in the face of nerves.
His second, third, and hundredth date with the cards had all been accompanied by either the reassuring hand of his ‘momager’, or his sister, Yeojin, who, despite continuously making fun of his lyricism, still brags to all her friends about how her big brothers gonna make it one day—be a legend.
But the most memorable reading Woochan’s ever been to was the one accompanied by the trainees—the brothers—he thought he would end up coming out with.
At the time, the experience was painted by the raw excitement of debut. Personas are a part of the industry, so when the reader stated that Woochan would have a ‘motherly figure’ in the future, he could only laugh in amusement, the vivid image of Leo playing the doting role of mother hen igniting his confidence. He laughed harder when JJ declared that Sangwon would probably be the ‘dad’.
The lucky draw of cards, the optimistic attitude, and talent and hunger getting ready to burst, Woochan really thought that this was the time.
Goes to show what he knew.
So yeah, sometimes the cards are false positives, sometimes they manifest the negatives. It was whatever—Woochan had learned from his experience to become undaunted by his draw no matter how much the bad luck dogged him.
After all, reaching success was not a matter of destiny, it was a matter of reaction, grit, and survival.
It’s why the cards in front of him right now don’t deter him.
Eight of Swords, Knight of Pentacles, and The Lovers.
Yongjin-ssi seems frozen in contemplation, “This is exactly what celebrities need to be careful about. I’ll be blunt here. Don’t lose yourself in pleasure. And don’t fall into a depression. And don’t chase after money.”
Easier said than done.
Tarzzan, who is usually unhelpful, gives him grace by staying uncharacteristically quiet, observing carefully ‘cause he knows it’s not the right time to add fuel to the fire.
Woochan, on the other hand, can only show a tight, nervous laugh, not really knowing what to make of his draw. But what he does know is that he didn’t come this far by settling for less—Woochan’s always wanted more than what the world was willing to give him.
After all, he wasn’t quite raised by his parents as much as he was raised by industry legends. Normal teens are taught moral virtues. Woochan was taught by every artist he ever worshiped that the only virtue that mattered in this industry was ambition—narcissistic grit.
So yeah, a bad set of cards, made even worse when he finally draws The Devil—that’s what sets off Tarzzan’s howling.
But fate and bad luck wasn’t enough to stop Woochan’s drive back then, wasn’t enough to stop him from hurdling towards what he deserves.
He’s always wanted more than what the world was willing to give him.
This virtue hasn’t led him astray.
Not yet.