During my second trip to South Korea, I had the chance to visit a fortune teller that many people say is so accurate it’s almost scary.
To be honest, fortune telling has never been something I’m particularly interested in.
So why did I decide to spend part of my trip doing it?
The reason goes back to someone I met during my first visit to Korea.
She was a Japanese woman from Fukuoka who was studying abroad in South Korea.
We met while walking around Hongdae at night and quickly became friends.
Since she had already been studying at a Korean university for several years, she had many Korean friends and knew Seoul incredibly well.
In fact, I’d say she knew more about Korea than most Japanese people who simply enjoy traveling there.
When I decided to visit Korea for the second time, she was the first person I contacted.
I asked her,
“I’m going back to Korea soon. Do you have any recommendations? Preferably somewhere interesting!”
Without hesitation, she replied,
“There’s a fortune-telling place in Seoul that you absolutely have to visit. It’s unbelievably accurate.”
She then introduced me to one of Seoul’s most famous fortune-telling shops.
According to her,
“I went there with my Korean friends, and the reading was so accurate that I actually cried. Seriously… it was scary how much they knew!”
Hearing that immediately caught my attention.
Even someone like me, who normally has little interest in fortune telling, couldn’t help becoming curious.
The fortune-telling shop she recommended was called Chaeminan Chogakka (Hongdae Branch).
Finding the Shop Was Harder Than Expected
Once we arrived, we quickly realized finding the shop wasn’t as easy as we expected.
At night, there weren’t many signs that clearly showed where it was.
We ended up walking around the area for more than fifteen minutes before finally finding the entrance.
The actual fortune-telling rooms were located on the second floor.
When we went upstairs, the staff greeted us politely.
However, there was one problem.
None of them could speak Japanese.
In fact, they only spoke Korean.
That wasn’t entirely surprising.
The friend who had recommended this place had warned me beforehand.
She had told me,
“They might not be able to read your fortune unless you speak Korean. When I went, everything was done in Korean.”
I already knew this before arriving.
Still, my curiosity was stronger than my common sense.
I figured it was worth trying anyway.
After talking with the staff for a while, they finally said,
“We can’t do your fortune reading here because you’re Japanese. But if you’d still like a reading, follow us. We’ll take you somewhere else.”
So we decided to follow them.
Just by visiting the original shop, it was easy to understand why it had become so famous.
The walls were covered with photographs and autographs of celebrities, making it clear that many well-known people had visited over the years.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to have our fortune read here, but while we were discussing our situation with the staff, they kindly allowed us to take a look inside.
As we walked up the stairs, we saw countless signed photos and names of people who had visited the shop.
To be honest, I hardly know any Korean celebrities, so I couldn’t recognize most of them.
However, I was able to tell that several K-pop idols had visited the shop as well.
A Very Different Fortune-Telling Room
The staff led us to another building just a short walk away.
Inside was a simple room with plain white walls and only a small amount of furniture.
Sitting quietly inside were a man and a woman, both probably in their fifties, looking like they had absolutely nothing to do.
It honestly made me laugh.
The staff pointed at the man and told us,
“Please sit here. He’ll read your fortune.”
Apparently, he was the only fortune teller who could speak even a little Japanese.
Although his Japanese wasn’t fluent, it was enough for us to communicate.
One of the funniest parts of the experience had nothing to do with the fortune telling itself.
The woman sitting next to him spent almost the entire session sleeping.
She leaned back in her chair, stretched her legs onto another chair, closed her eyes, opened her mouth slightly…
…and slept right beside us while we were having our fortune read.
I wanted to take a photo because it was hilarious, but obviously that would’ve been rude.
Even now, it’s one of the funniest memories I have from that trip.
Imagine someone dressed almost like a hostess at a luxury nightclub—with flashy clothes and lots of accessories—completely asleep during business hours while customers were sitting right next to her.
In Japan, I honestly can’t imagine seeing something like that.
At the time, I found it so funny that I had to stop myself from laughing out loud.
Anyway, back to the fortune teller.
Before starting, the man gave us a brief explanation.
He told us:
- He practiced Four Pillars of Destiny (Saju), a traditional form of East Asian fortune telling.
- The reading cost around ¥5,000 (if I remember correctly).
- He also proudly mentioned that he had appeared in a movie as a fortune teller.
Later, I looked up the movie out of curiosity.
It turned out to be a fairly obscure film that I’d never heard of before.
Finally, it was time for the reading.
Rather than asking for something specific like a love fortune, we chose the complete Saju reading, which covers many different aspects of life.
The results were… very interesting.
The fortune teller sat across from us and conducted the reading face-to-face.
He first checked the results on his computer, then carefully copied the information by hand onto a sheet of paper and showed it to us as he explained the reading.
My Honest Thoughts
Before I begin, it’s worth mentioning that I’ve only been to a fortune teller twice in my entire life—including this one.
(The first time was a palm reading in Tokyo.)
So I’m definitely not an expert on fortune telling.
All I can do is share my honest impressions of the experience.
Was It Really Accurate?
To be completely honest, the reading was a mix of things that felt surprisingly accurate and things that didn’t really convince me.
Some parts made me think,
“Wow… that’s actually impressive.”
Other parts felt more like,
“Well… couldn’t that apply to almost anyone?”
So it’s difficult for me to say whether it was truly accurate or not.
One thing I can say with confidence, though, is that the friend who told me,
“It’s so accurate you’ll cry.”
…was definitely exaggerating.
At least, that was my experience!
Of course, everyone may experience it differently.
If You’re Going to Try Fortune Telling, Go While You’re Young
Whether you believe in fortune telling or not is entirely up to you.
But if you’re curious enough to try it, I’d actually recommend going when you’re still young.
Here’s why.
During my reading, the fortune teller suddenly told me,
“You need to find a girlfriend before February 23 next year. If you miss that opportunity, you’ll enter a work-focused phase that lasts until your mid-thirties.”
The problem?
When he told me this, there were only a few months left before that date.
My immediate reaction was:
“Could you have told me a little earlier?!”
He continued,
“Even after February 23, many women will still come into your life. However, most of them will already have boyfriends or someone else they’re interested in, so you’ll face much stronger competition.”
My first thought was…
“Isn’t that already true for attractive women anyway?”
…but I decided to keep that comment to myself.
My Friend’s Reading Was Completely Different
According to the fortune teller, my Saju (Four Pillars of Destiny) chart had no missing elements.
Apparently, that’s considered a good thing.
He explained that people like me tend to:
- Have fewer extreme weaknesses
- Adapt well to changes in life
- Benefit more from good opportunities and luck
- Have many possible career and life paths
Sounds great…
But there was a catch.
He also said,
“Because your chart is so balanced, you’re less likely to become an extraordinary success.”
According to him, many exceptionally successful people have very unbalanced charts with strong strengths and weaknesses.
People like me, with a balanced chart, tend to live stable lives rather than becoming wildly successful.
When I heard that, I couldn’t help thinking,
“Wait… I want to be number one! I don’t want a life where I never truly stand out!”
I almost wanted to argue with the fortune teller.
Overall, though, he gave me a positive reading.
He said something along the lines of,
“You’ll lose money throughout your twenties, but your life will become much better once you reach your early thirties.”
Honestly…
That part actually feels pretty accurate.
Right now I’m constantly broke.
Between student loans, pension payments, and various other expenses, money seems to disappear as soon as I earn it.
The only part that hasn’t come true yet is the part about saving money.
I’m still waiting for that one.
Interestingly, throughout the entire reading, the fortune teller never really said anything negative about me.
Apart from repeatedly telling me,
“Find a girlfriend quickly!”
everything else was surprisingly positive.
So I’ve decided to interpret that as,
“You’re doing fine. Just keep going.”
And just in case…
If any girls happen to be reading this article…
You’re always welcome to send me a message!
(I figured I’d at least try.)
My Friend’s Fortune Was Even Funnier
My friend also received a very positive reading.
The fortune teller told him he’d have a happy family and children in the future.
But then came the funniest prediction of the day.
He said,
“You’ll build a wonderful family…
…but your relationship with your wife will be extremely cold.”
I completely lost it.
It was just so oddly specific that I couldn’t stop laughing.
My friend laughed too and said,
“That’s exactly like my parents!”
Except…
That isn’t true at all.
I’ve met his family before, and they actually get along incredibly well.
If anything, my own family is much colder.
So I honestly don’t think he has anything to worry about.
At least neither of us received any particularly bad predictions.
The Most Interesting Part of the Reading
The thing that surprised me most wasn’t the fortune itself.
It was how confidently the fortune teller recommended specific careers.
Most fortune tellers leave things vague.
This man didn’t.
He clearly told me,
“You should work in finance.”
Then he looked at my friend and said,
“Programming or another technical profession would suit you best.”
Ironically, my friend had already received two job offers before this trip.
One was related to programming.
The other was in real estate.
He eventually chose real estate.
The fortune teller strongly advised against it.
Today, though, he’s doing very well at one of Japan’s largest real estate companies.
So maybe the fortune wasn’t perfect after all.
Still…
If you ask me what I remember most from that day…
It wasn’t the fortune.
It was the woman sitting beside us, sleeping through almost the entire session with her legs stretched across another chair.
She slept for nearly an hour while customers were literally sitting next to her.
That image still makes me laugh every time I think about it.
A Little Update
After returning home, I sent a message to the Japanese woman who had originally recommended this fortune teller.
I told her honestly,
“It wasn’t nearly as accurate as you said.”
Her reply was interesting.
She said,
“Well… that place is supposed to be done entirely in Korean. Next time, go with someone who speaks Korean. I bet you’ll get a different result.”
Honestly…
She has a point.
After all, we weren’t even read by the original fortune teller.
We were taken to a completely different room.
So next time I visit Korea, my plan is simple.
I’m going to bring a Korean friend with me to translate everything properly and try the reading again.
Maybe then I’ll finally find out whether this famous fortune teller really deserves its incredible reputation.
So… stay tuned!