Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 664

664. Redrin-nim, Please Don’t Be Sick.

“Where is Gu Ju-il right now?”

Shin Jo-woon called the hunter he had assigned to Gu Ju-il, and a flustered voice answered.

[Gu Ju-il is here, safe and sound, sir.]

“His phone? Did you give it back?”

[No. He doesn’t have his phone, and no one has come to visit. We’re keeping a close watch to make sure he can’t contact anyone. The drugs haven’t worn off yet.]

“Okay. Keep a close watch in case he pretends the drugs have worn off.”

[Yes.]

Shin Jo-woon hung up and paced around the office. His mind was coldly sinking with agitation.

He had definitely caught Gu Ju-il. Mors and the Hunter Management Agency had raided Mirage and confiscated and destroyed Part 1 of the documentary. There was no way to know how the documentary had been leaked.

‘No. That’s not right. What they destroyed was the file Gu Ju-il had given to Mirage. Gu Ju-il’s side might have had a Part 1 file left. Was that leaked?’

Then, Shin Jo-woon stopped abruptly. He remembered someone telling him about Gu Ju-il’s change.

—Gu PD [Production Director] seems to have eaten something strange? After eating something, he suddenly went crazy, cursing the president and running out!

‘That person!’

Shin Jo-woon called Gu Ju-il PD’s colleague who had called him before.

[Yes, hello……]

The colleague answered the phone in a subdued voice, as if he knew why Shin Jo-woon was calling.

He seemed to know that the documentary he had produced had been leaked.

“I’m calling to ask you something.”

[Um, this wasn’t me—]

“I know. I’m still grateful you told me back then.”

[Ah… yes. What do you want to know……]

“You said Gu PD acted strange after eating something, right?”

[Yes. Yes!]

“Did someone give it to him? Or did he bring it himself and eat it?”

The ticking clock of answers stopped for a moment.

Over the phone, Lee PD was flustered and gripped his phone.

In fact, when Lee PD had called Shin Jo-woon before to report Gu Ju-il’s strange behavior, Lee PD had deliberately not mentioned the junior PD.

He knew that the junior PD’s condition had become strange in a different way from Gu Ju-il. He knew, but he was still a colleague he had worked with.

Especially since that junior was the youngest. He was afraid of what would happen if he said it was like being possessed by something demonic, so he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

He had been keeping his distance from that junior ever since, but he was still afraid to say his name.

Shin Jo-woon quickly interpreted the silence.

“Someone else must have given it to him. Are they on the same team?”

[That’s… I’m sorry.]

“I see. Thanks for letting me know. And could you send me Part 2 of the documentary that Gu Ju-il PD was making before he went crazy?”

[Yes. That’s possible. I’ll send it right away.]

Lee PD clicked his tongue inwardly as Shin Jo-woon hung up the phone calmly, without the slightest tremor in his voice.

‘Even in this situation, he has such a voice. He’s definitely calm.’ An exclamation of admiration came out of him.

On the other hand, the secretary who came into Shin Jo-woon’s office recognized at a glance that he was not calm at all.

The door was hard to open, and when she finally forced it open, all the walls except the door were frozen.

“President……”

The ice immediately subsided as the secretary called out in surprise.

Shin Jo-woon, who quickly regained his composure, put his cell phone in his pocket and turned to the secretary.

His eyes were no different than before, but the secretary immediately realized that the president was not in a good mood.

Shin Jo-woon immediately gave instructions in a monotone voice.

“The location of the house where Rembrandt is staying is secret, but since his family doesn’t just stay at home, some of the neighbors must have noticed.”

“Yes.”

“Send people to disguise themselves and live there.”

“Yes.”

As the secretary left, Shin Jo-woon walked to his desk and checked the internet.

Only three or four hours had passed since the documentary was released. In the meantime, the number of comments had already exceeded fifty thousand.

Shin Jo-woon called another secretary and gave another instruction.

“Check the CCTV around the building where Gu Ju-il was working. Find out who left after Gu Ju-il ran out of the building.”

“Yes.”

As that secretary also left, Shin Jo-woon turned off the monitor and called Rembrandt again.

But as had been the case since the incident, Rembrandt was still unreachable.

Listening to the message that the other party was not answering the phone, Shin Jo-woon pressed the end call button.

‘Where did he go?’

He had already called the other family members. But today, no one was with Rembrandt.

Some of them had even gone to Jang Tae-ri and other territories.

Shin Jo-woon pressed his temples and, just in case, went to Rembrandt’s SNS [Social Networking Service] page. Rembrandt sometimes posted his destination on SNS.

But Rembrandt’s location did not appear. All that was visible were piles of angry comments.

Rembrandt’s fans, who were worth a hundred, were swept away by the crowds and could not be seen.

Shin Jo-woon felt a headache as if a small lightning bolt was running through his brain and closed his eyes.

The feeling he had as a child, when he was holding a chrysanthemum at the funeral, was trying to creep up again.

‘No. Not this time……’

At that moment. The phone rang.

Shin Jo-woon opened his eyes and immediately checked the screen. It was Rembrandt.

Shin Jo-woon immediately pressed the call button.

“Where are you?”

* * *

Rembrandt was standing in front of the glass window of the Redrin headquarters, looking down at the protesters, who had more than doubled in size compared to usual.

A few days ago, the protesters seemed less angry at Rembrandt and more intent on preventing Rembrandt from destroying the areas where their relatives were.

On the other hand, the newly added protesters were full of anger.

It was clear from a distance that they were people who had lost someone or suffered great damage due to the upheaval.

[Rembrandt. Answer me. Where are you?]

“I am here at Redrin headquarters.”

[Why didn’t you answer the phone?]

Rembrandt laughed as he heard the anxious voice over the phone.

“Hunter Ju Min-gi appeared. I went to help catch him.”

[Who are you helping right now?]

Rembrandt recalled the gazes of the reporters when he got out of the car.

It seemed like that was when the video had just been released. The reporters would have received that information sooner.

[Are you laughing?]

“Why should I be bound by other people’s anger? It’s not my emotion.”

[Come here. No, stay there. I’ll go to you.]

“Are you coming here?”

[I told Tae-ri to take the four of your family members who are with you right now to Aegis for protection.]

Rembrandt had been informed of this by Mullu and had even instructed them to follow Jang Tae-ri first, but he pretended to have just heard it and praised him.

“Wow. You’re fast.”

[I sent people to your house to disguise themselves as you. They’ll act like they’ve been living there all along.]

“Do you have to do that?”

[We can’t have people flocking there. If things go well, we have to think about going back.]

Rembrandt smiled at the word ‘go back’.

“Wow. You’re smart, Anchovy. You’re a whale after all.”

Shin Jo-woon said again, as if this was not the time for this.

[Stay there. I’m coming.]

Rembrandt refused firmly.

“Don’t come.”

As soon as he said that, the door opened behind him and Dae-ju informed him.

“Great High Priest. We’re ready.”

Shin Jo-woon immediately asked, as if he had heard the voice over the phone.

[Ready? What are you talking about?]

“Don’t come.”

Instead of explaining, Rembrandt said again and hung up the phone.

* * *

“Rembrandt!”

By the time Shin Jo-woon shouted, the call time was already displayed.

“That pig, really……!”

Shin Jo-woon was angry and put his cell phone in his pocket and opened the door. He had no intention of not going just because he was told not to.

But what he saw in front of him as he opened the door was not a wide hallway, but a weeping Hwasa.

And next to him was Ardor, holding a gun.

As their eyes met, Ardor expressionlessly pointed the gun at Shin Jo-woon’s forehead and said.

“Great High Priest’s orders. Stay put here, you X bastard.”

Ardor had always been hostile to Shin Jo-woon, but usually his hostility was wrapped in wrapping paper, with curses tied to it like ribbons.

It was surprisingly rare for him to swear so openly, so Shin Jo-woon’s expression immediately turned cold.

Rembrandt had told Shin Jo-woon not to come to where he was.

Ardor had come to harass Shin Jo-woon, whom he hated, on Rembrandt’s orders, and was not in a good mood.

Even combining these two things, he could tell that Rembrandt was planning something bad.

“What is that pig trying to do that he sent you here?”

Ardor’s eyes wavered. Shin Jo-woon, who had become even more ominous, said in a suppressed voice.

“Get out of the way.”

“That’s good. But no.”

“!”

* * *

“Are you really going to be okay?”

As Rembrandt stood in front of the mirror in his priestly robes, Dae-ju asked worriedly from behind.

Rembrandt smiled, looking at Dae-ju through the mirror.

“What else can I do? Gu Ju-il made Part 1 very impressive.”

Rembrandt watched the documentary in the car while Ki Sung-hyun was taking him to Redrin headquarters.

Mors was right to immediately destroy it, saying that it would harm the believers of the god Kamuel.

If you only watched that documentary, it would seem as if the otherworlders were a group that deliberately sold out Earthlings to save themselves.

Even Rembrandt, who knew it was malicious, couldn’t help but sigh, so people who didn’t know the situation would be even more so.

The problem was that even though the documentary portrayed the otherworlders as badly as possible, it could not deny some truths.

‘If the otherworlders hadn’t fled here, Earth would have been fine,’ and things like that.

“Great High Priest.”

“Huh?”

“People may be angry right now, but they will come to their senses over time. There’s nothing we can do about what’s already happened, and they’ll realize that you are the most needed person on Earth. Just endure for a few months at the shortest. Two years at the longest. No, in my opinion, people will have a hard time even for a year without you. The existence of an absolute healer is that precious.”

“I know. I’m sure they will.”

“But do you really have to do this?”

“People will calm down. But it will take time to do so. During that time, the native Earthling believers and the immigrants will have a hard time.”

Rembrandt, who had finished tidying up his clothes, slowly turned around and looked at Dae-ju.

“Besides, if people suppress their anger because of my healing abilities, Dae-ju. Will we all get immunity, or just me?”

“!”

Dae-ju couldn’t refute Rembrandt’s words.

Many people lost their relatives and peaceful lives due to the upheaval.

Like Rembrandt said, the anger of those people will not go away just because they reluctantly accept Rembrandt’s abilities.

Rembrandt patted Dae-ju on the shoulder and smiled.

“So I’ll take it on.”

“Great High Priest……”

“Didn’t Tae-ri and Anchovy fight before? The issue of someone’s sacrifice or something.”

“I remember. You didn’t pay much attention to it.”

“My answer is, I’m sacrificing myself.”

“!”

The moment Rembrandt tapped Dae-ju on the forehead, Dae-ju fainted and fell to the ground.

Rembrandt laid the fallen Dae-ju on the sofa.

He didn’t explain it to Dae-ju in more detail because it was too long, but in fact, Rembrandt was trying to turn the anger of the Earthlings to himself not only to protect the believers and the otherworld immigrants.

That was a big reason, but there were a few other reasons as well.

Another was to prevent the defection of Redrin believers. And another was to protect Redrin.

‘Aquari became a demon king not because people resented Memia. It was because they resented Aquari.’

Rembrandt cleaned Dae-ju’s body, who was always suffering, with divine power, and then walked to the window.

Rembrandt leaned against the window, looked up at the sky, and muttered.

“Redrin-nim [Dear Redrin], please don’t be sick.”

Then, Rembrandt took out the bottle he had received from the Emperor from his pocket and opened the lid.

Rembrandt poured the golden liquid into his mouth at once, savored the taste for a moment, and then smiled.

“It’s still honey.”