Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 306

306. It’s You, Isn’t It?

At Rembrary’s earnest question, Jungseo reflexively started to answer, “Then,” but stopped when their eyes met. Rembrary’s eyes were too serious.

The expression Rembrary was showing now was too intense to simply reply with something like, ‘I believe you, so I believe what you believe.’

If it were just believing in some strange god alone, not joining a systematic cult, I could easily go along with it, but if a group gets involved, then that’s…

Jungseo’s mind conjured up images of cults from movies, where people hand over their bankbooks and house deeds, gather in secret underground bases, and dance and sing strangely together.

“Jungseo. Answer me.”

As Rembrary quietly asked, Jungseo moved his lips a few times before holding out a hand and saying, “Just a moment.”

“Why do you ask for time?”

Fortunately, Rembrary stopped pressing and waited for an answer. Jungseo tried not to give the impression that he was being too suspicious and calmly asked,

“What’s your religion? You have to tell me that first.”

Yes, that’s the most important thing. It’s a bit unsettling that he calls himself a high priest, but if it’s a minor sect of a well-known religion or something… I could handle that much…

“I believe in Redrin.”

‘This is a real cult.’

Jungseo swallowed hard.

Redrin.

A religion unheard of before the Cataclysm [a major, world-altering event]. I’ve heard of it after the Cataclysm. As a cult.

Jungseo swallowed again. I knew my friend had cult-like tendencies, but I didn’t know he was such a perfect fit for one.

“Jungseo?”

As Rembrary tilted his head, Jungseo forced a smile and patted Rembrary’s shoulder a few times.

“Just a moment. I’m a bit confused.”

“What is it?”

Is it true friendship to pull a friend out of a cult, or is it true friendship to go along with a friend who sincerely believes in a cult?

“Jungseo?”

If he were just a follower, I could somehow pull him out, but he’s the high priest himself. Just hearing that title makes him sound high-ranking.

Then he’s probably beyond saving. Can I tell him to quit the strange religion…?

“Jungseo.”

Rembrary waved his hand in front of his eyes, and Jungseo startled and stopped thinking.

“Answer.”

“I…”

* * *

-Give me some time to think.

‘He said I was his follower, so what time does he need?’

After Jungseo returned to his lodging. Rembrary was left alone in the room, grumbling to himself.

But to make someone a follower of a strange god, you can’t rush things. The power of God comes from true faith, so you can’t force someone to believe in the same god.

‘Still, Jungseo is kind.’

But even if Jungseo remains a heretic, Rembrary’s thought that Jungseo is kind hasn’t changed. To show unwavering friendship even after knowing everything. That’s not an easy thing to do.

How long was he alone like that? Knock knock. Someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

Too lazy to open the door, Rembrary just raised his voice to ask, and Shin Joowoon answered from beyond the door.

“It’s me.”

“Come in.”

Rembrary, thinking there was no need to stand on ceremony with Shin Joowoon, just raised his voice to allow entry. The doorknob turned, and Shin Joowoon came inside.

“You’re really lazy.”

Shin Joowoon started nagging as soon as he came in, but when Rembrary, sprawled on the bed, muttered, “Is that so?” he muttered something alone with a serious expression.

‘Looking at him like that, he really looks like a sloth.’

But the sound was so small that Rembrary couldn’t hear it, so Rembrary assumed that Shin Joowoon would just mutter to himself again and leave, and closed his eyes in that state.

However, today Shin Joowoon had no intention of just giving Rembrary a one-sided nagging and leaving.

Shin Joowoon had come to question Rembrary about the conversation Han Jungseo had in that video he had taken from the cameraman and checked earlier. To do that, Rembrary had to participate in the conversation today.

“Trainee Rembrary. I saw a strange video.”

“…”

But this was just Shin Joowoon’s feeling. Not knowing this, Rembrary lay face down on the bed, staring blankly at the air, and didn’t easily participate in Shin Joowoon’s conversation.

“Trainee Rembrary.”

Shin Joowoon asked again, unable to watch any longer, but what came back was also a strange question.

“It’s almost time to get hungry. Why aren’t I hungry?”

“?”

“Does this mean that my stomach has shrunk because I’ve been starving too much before?”

“What are you talking about.”

“In other words, I don’t feel hungry, but am I actually starving?”

After finishing speaking, Rembrary slowly raised his upper body and put his hand on his stomach. Shin Joowoon pressed his temple.

“He’s beating around the bush to say he wants to eat. What are you looking at? Just say it. As if you ever cared about appearances.”

“I’m hungry. Pizza… Grill me some meat.”

Rembrary hurriedly changed the words he was about to say, ‘Pizza, please,’ but Shin Joowoon didn’t think that the ‘Pi’ in pizza was blood [referencing a previous event] and flatly refused.

“You have to answer my question first.”

“I want seasoned beef.”

“I’m not asking what to grill.”

“I know. Ask away.”

As Rembrary answered sullenly, Shin Joowoon brought a chair and sat across from the bed, opening his mouth.

“I saw a strange video.”

“What video?”

“A video of you imitating a sloth.”

Rembrary recalled when he had imitated a sloth in Woo Yeonwoo’s body. Is that what he’s talking about?

But even after that, he had imitated a sloth a few times, but he had never imitated it in his original body. But he saw a video of me imitating a sloth?

Rembrary straightened his upper body a bit more and became wary of Shin Joowoon. What did he see to be acting like this? Is he indirectly asking if I’m a sloth right now? Did he see me talking to Jungseo?

“There’s no way there’s such a video.”

“I saw it. For sure.”

“No way.”

Rembrary flatly denied it, even while thinking, ‘Could it be? Could it be?’

Jungseo regarded Rembrary as a benefactor even when Rembrary was in Woo Yeonwoo’s body, and always showed trust while keeping his mouth shut.

On the other hand, Shin Joowoon was closer to him, but they also hid a lot from each other and bickered often.

Moreover, unlike Jungseo, who asked questions with longing eyes, Shin Joowoon’s eyes were like an eagle searching, even though he was just an anchovy [a small and insignificant person], so he became even more wary.

“Didn’t you see it in a dream? You’re having strange dreams. You must have seen a sloth before going to bed, you.”

On the other hand, Shin Joowoon had carefully searched for everything, from the mascot of ‘Woo Yeonwoo who lost his memory’ being a sloth to the members directly interviewing that ‘Jungseo only grinds tomatoes for Yeonwoo,’ even after checking the video taken by the cameraman, so his suspicion that ‘Is he a real pig, not just a pig-like guy?’ had grown considerably.

But Rembrary, who had answered Jungseo right away, was flatly denying it to him, making him feel increasingly bad.

It was as if he was saying that Jungseo was a trustworthy person, so he told him all sorts of things, but he had no trust in him at all, so he could never tell him a secret.

Even if you add up all the money Jungseo ground tomatoes for, it would be much less than the pizza and sweet potato latte he put in that mouth.

No, it’s not just the sweet potato latte.

Since bringing him to World Boom, he’s been paying for everything from clothes to food to lodging, but how can he only open his mouth when he’s eating grilled meat and keep his mouth shut like that otherwise?

How much is this…

“You’re thinking too long, Joowoon.”

As Shin Joowoon stared without moving, Rembrary waved his hand in front of his eyes.

Shin Joowoon briefly moved his eyes along his finger before letting out a short sigh and smiling. A resigned expression.

Is he going to stop probing now and go grill meat, Rembrary thought.

However, Shin Joowoon suddenly collapsed. Not staggering as if pretending to fall, but really collapsing to the side with a thud. Even if he was pretending to fall on purpose, it was clear that he would be seriously injured 100% if he fell with that speed and force.

“Anchovy!”

Rembrary jumped up and grabbed Shin Joowoon’s head. As he supported and lifted his neck and head with his hands, blood leaked from his mouth.

‘Spitting blood? Does he have a disease? There were no signs of it?’

Surprised, Rembrary forced his hand into Shin Joowoon’s mouth and opened it, and oh my god. What did he do? Blood was pouring out of his tongue.

“No, are you crazy?”

Rembrary didn’t know why he was doing this, but he first poured divine power to heal his tongue and his entire body.

Even after that, he put his hand on his neck just in case, and his pulse was beating properly and healthily. Relieved, Rembrary was about to let out a sigh when.

“It’s you, isn’t it.”

Shin Joowoon muttered, opening his eyes perfectly fine.

“Did you do this on purpose?”

As Rembrary asked, a little angry, Shin Joowoon suddenly put his hand on his chest and pretended to be in pain.

Feigning illness. He’s like a shrimp scrap with a brain [insulting someone for being small and cunning]. Seeing that, Rembrary got angry, put Shin Joowoon’s head down, which he had been supporting with one hand, and jumped up.

There was a thud as he hit the back of his head on the floor, but Shin Joowoon still had a smiling face. As their eyes met, he reached out and pointed at Rembrary’s face with his finger and asked.

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

* * *

“Shin Joowoon, that son of a bitch!”

PD Gu stormed into his room, slamming the door. The cameraman followed behind him, genuinely upset, grumbling.

“Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!”

“Hey, are you a parrot? Don’t copy me!”

“I’m not copying you, I’m cursing too!”

The cameraman kicked a perfectly good wall for no reason and threw the bag he was carrying on his shoulder onto the chair.

“I mean, if you’re going to cooperate with the filming, just cooperate. Who does he think he is? Even though Trainee Rembrary is staying here, he’s not affiliated, is he? What is he, that trainee’s dad or brother? He’s not even a relative, not a boss, not a senior, nothing. Why is he deleting videos that other people took without permission? Isn’t this a violation of property rights?”

PD Gu crossed his arms and snorted, glaring at the innocent door with fiery eyes.

“Exactly! Just because he’s a high-ranking hunter? Just because he’s the boss? He’s just doing whatever he wants. We have to show him who’s boss. We have to show him.”

The cameraman agreed, but soon sighed and squatted against the wall.

“But what can we do? Realistically, there’s nothing we can do. Like PD-nim [PD-nim is a Korean honorific title for a Producer], said, he’s the boss and a high-ranking hunter. And he’s super close to CEO Jang Taeri. Actually, that’s everything in this world now. Ah.”

He cursed wildly in a fit of anger, but after spitting out the curses, he realized that he was virtually untouchable in any direction, and he lost his energy.

However, PD Gu shook his head bravely and muttered.

“No. There is a way.”

“What way?”

“Do you think there’s anyone who doesn’t have any dirt if you dig hard enough?”

“Even if there is dirt, most people will just say, ‘Hunters are just naturally mean,’ and end it there, right?”

PD Gu scoffed and raised his chin.

“We have a whole month to confidently dig through the World Boom headquarters. You never know.”