Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 375

375. Temperature Difference

Shin Jo-woon, after extinguishing his cigarette against the wall, slowly walked towards Rembrary.

The Grim Reapers, upon seeing Shin Jo-woon, were furious and tried to attack even from within the ice, but the one-person ice prisons Shin Jo-woon had created held firm.

Approaching, Shin Jo-woon looked down at Rembrary and muttered with a wry smile, “It would have been better if we’d never known each other existed.”

Just then, a phone began to ring from behind Rembrary. In the quiet, dark atmosphere, the monotonous ringing felt eerie.

Shin Jo-woon gestured behind Rembrary with his eyes and smirked. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

Instead of answering, Rembrary slowly raised his hand towards Shin Jo-woon.

As Shin Jo-woon watched, wondering what he was doing, Rembrary’s hand touched Shin Jo-woon’s stomach near his lungs.

“?”

Following that, as the comfortable and refreshing sensation that appeared when Rembrary used his power spread through his stomach, Shin Jo-woon frowned and looked at Rembrary, puzzled.

Rembrary nonchalantly removed his hand, answering Shin Jo-woon’s unspoken question. “Your lungs are hurting, you idiot.”

“Idiot?”

When Shin Jo-woon pointed at himself, Rembrary sighed, patted his shoulder, and tugged at his sleeve, motioning him to come closer.

Still wondering what he was up to, Shin Jo-woon followed as Rembrary went to the swing where ‘Dog’ was sitting and started tapping him, telling him to move. “Please move. Please move.”

In a daze, Dog got off the swing, and Rembrary took a seat on the long swing chair and patted the seat next to him, inviting Shin Jo-woon to sit there too.

“……”

Watching to see what he was doing, Shin Jo-woon sat down next to him, and Rembrary started pushing the swing with his legs, the chains creaking. He then opened his mouth. “Anchovy [a small, insignificant fish, used here as a nickname]. Listen to me.”

Having ended up on the swing, Shin Jo-woon remained still as his body swayed, then leaned back against the back of the chair and smiled. “Go ahead.”

At those words, Rembrary’s expression became more serious than before, and he asked gravely, “You seem to have captured the Grim Reapers like that to save me. Anchovy, how are you going to handle the aftermath?”

“……”

“I have returned safely, so release the Grim Reapers. You belong here, so there’s no good in making enemies with them.”

Shin Jo-woon stared intently at Rembrary, then raised his hand and slowly pushed his forehead.

Caught off guard, Rembrary returned his head to its original position and protested. “What are you doing?”

To that, Shin Jo-woon asked, “Is that all you have to say?” Rembrary frowned and retorted.

“Is there something you want to hear from me?”

Shin Jo-woon nodded and looked at him as if testing him, and Rembrary tilted his head and suddenly burst into laughter. Then, he put his arm on the back of the chair and arrogantly raised his chin. “I know what to call someone like you.”

“What is it?”

“They call you a fixed-answer attention seeker.”

“!”

“If there’s something you want to hear, don’t beat around the bush and just say it. Say what kind of words you want to hear.”

Waiting to see what he would say, Shin Jo-woon frowned and asked curtly, “If I’m a fixed-answer person, what do they call someone like you?”

“They call me a quick-witted and clever smart aleck.”

“No. Do you know what they call someone like you? When expressed in those strange internet words you like.”

“What is it?”

“A clueless person.”

“……”

As Rembrary stared with his eyes wide, Shin Jo-woon started laughing, his shoulders shaking. Then, he shook his head and got up from the swing chair. “Still, it’s a relief you’re back. Even if you get kidnapped, it has to be somewhere I can go to find you.”

“Anchovy. Taeri was worried about you.”

“I didn’t say anything because I thought she’d worry.”

“Contact Taeri and tell her you were holed up at home.”

Because Shin Jo-woon stared at him again, Rembrary pushed the swing slightly on his own and asked, “Why?”

“Do you really have nothing to say to me?”

“You shouldn’t kill people and summon Grim Reapers.”

“Is that it?”

“You want a lot, don’t you.”

“……”

Shin Jo-woon eventually pointed at ‘Dog’ with his eyes and asked. “That?”

“Why did you put bandages on it?”

“!”

People predict to some extent what the other person will say next, based on what they have seen and experienced.

Shin Jo-woon was the same. He had been anticipating and preparing for Rembrary’s reaction based on the average reactions shown by those who noticed his secret, while bracing himself that it wouldn’t be a normal reaction since his personality was unique.

However, from the beginning until now, Rembrary was completely defying his expectations. No, it felt like he was not only missing them but hitting the top of his head with a hairbrush.

Saying why did you bandage it after seeing ‘Dog’?

But whether Shin Jo-woon was dumbfounded or not, Rembrary was busy finishing his business. “Quickly release the Grim Reapers.”

Feeling somehow displeased with his attitude, Shin Jo-woon resisted releasing the Grim Reapers, so Rembrary touched the ice that had frozen them once and quickly removed his hand, adding, “If you keep doing this, something really bad might happen.”

“If I release them? If I release them and those guys try to take you again?”

“It’s okay because that won’t happen anymore.”

“Why? Did you at least get a promise that they won’t kidnap you anymore?”

“I was caught off guard before. Now, even if I see signs of kidnapping, I can handle it on my own.”

Rembrary learned through his conversation with Yeomra [the King of Hell in Korean mythology] that ‘divine dignity’ does not work on gods.

However, this conversely meant that ‘divine dignity’ worked on everyone except for gods like Yeomra, Redrin, Lumena, and the Demon King.

‘There are exceptions like Clotte, though.’

Was it because the Demon King emitted such energy so often that he couldn’t feel the dignity but could endure it?

‘Annoying. Then there must be many such people among the Demon King’s subordinates. ……Let’s think about this alone later.’

Rembrary started urging Shin Jo-woon to release the Grim Reapers again.

Shin Jo-woon had a very displeased expression but eventually reluctantly waved his hand in the air.

Then, the ice that had trapped the Grim Reapers began to melt in the blink of an eye.

However, even after coming out of the ice, the Grim Reapers, with their clothes all wet, could not take their eyes off Shin Jo-woon, wary of him, and could not move.

“Go. Hurry up and go.”

Seeing this, Rembrary, unable to watch any longer, felt frustrated and banged on the table next to him, and only then did the Grim Reapers line up, open the basement door, and climb the stairs.

“I don’t know why they don’t just disappear and go up like that.”

Looking at that orderly but not Grim Reaper-like appearance, Rembrary muttered softly and glanced at Shin Jo-woon’s profile.

Shin Jo-woon was looking at the basement entrance with his lips tightly shut and his eyes full of dissatisfaction.

‘There was an ice chain that seemed to have electricity flowing around the house. Is that why the Grim Reapers are walking out of here?’

* * *

As the incident was roughly settled, Rembrary and Shin Jo-woon also went outside.

Rembrary thought that Sajamjae would be waiting for him, but he was nowhere to be seen, having returned with the Grim Reapers.

Wondering where he had gone, he checked his phone and saw Sajamjae’s name on the missed calls. The person who had called earlier was Sajamjae.

It seemed that he had to leave for some reason and contacted Rembrary, but when Rembrary did not answer the phone, he had left.

Just in case, he checked the text messages and, as expected, it said, ‘I had an urgent call and left first. Call me again if you have no way to return.’

“How did you get here?”

“I came by car.”

“Where is the car?”

“Around Sacheon Pass.”

“The butler told you.”

“Shin Jo-woon, take me.”

Anyway, it seemed that there was no need to call Sajamjae back, so Rembrary asked Shin Jo-woon.

Shin Jo-woon took the car out of the garage without saying a word and sat in the driver’s seat, and Rembrary sat in the passenger seat and found a snack of sugar mangoes.

“Can I eat this?”

“Do as you please.”

Shin Jo-woon didn’t say much, and Rembrary focused on eating, so for a while, no sound was heard in the car.

After driving for about 30 minutes, and thinking that they had come quite far, as the car stopped for a moment at a traffic light, Shin Jo-woon tapped the steering wheel anxiously and suddenly urged, “Don’t tell Taeri.”

“Are you talking about the Grim Reaper story?”

“The severed head story.”

Rembrary looked at Shin Jo-woon’s fingers, which couldn’t stay still, took out a piece of mango, and clicked his tongue. “That’s why you shouldn’t do things you can’t talk about.”

“Don’t I usually do this?”

“Of course not. Why would I usually do that?”

“Is that so?” As Rembrary was understanding, Shin Jo-woon took a piece of mango from the snack bag Rembrary was holding, put it in his mouth, and started driving again.

Then, not long after, he stopped again at a traffic light and urged once more. “Don’t talk about Dog either.”

“Dog?”

“The one with the bandages.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not someone who spreads other people’s… eccentricities. More than that, Anchovy, you’re really……”

The car suddenly stopped with a screech as Shin Jo-woon suddenly slammed on the brakes. Rembrary’s head was thrown forward and then back, hitting the headrest of the chair with a thud.

Rembrary was dazed and looked ahead, then protested to Shin Jo-woon. “No, can you even drive?”

As Rembrary rebuked, Shin Jo-woon said in a low voice, emphasizing each word, “It’s not.”

“If you’re not, why are you braking like this?”

“That’s not it. Dog. The person with the bandages. I have nothing to do with that kind of thing.”

As he spoke, Shin Jo-woon’s expression became fierce, as if he was angry, and he lowered the window.

“I was wondering why you weren’t saying anything. What on earth are you thinking in your head?”

“Why are you lowering the window?”

“Because I’m frustrated, frustrated.”

“What’s frustrating is your driving skills.”

Shin Jo-woon opened his mouth and looked at Rembrary, but soon shook his head and started the car again.

Fortunately, without dragging it out any longer, the two arrived in front of Rembrary’s house in a good school district.

“Thanks for the ride. And thanks for trying to find me, even though the method was strange.”

Rembrary, who had said his greetings, got out of the car, but Shin Jo-woon didn’t know what to say.

However, after quickly going outside the car, Rembrary did not go inside the house and awkwardly walked back and forth in front of the car.

Then, he suddenly approached Shin Jo-woon’s driver’s side and tapped on the window.

Wondering what it was, Shin Jo-woon lowered the window, and Rembrary opened his mouth with difficulty for some reason. “I don’t know if I should say this, but I feel like I have to.”

An attitude that was clearly different from when he was in the car. Was he deliberately pretending to be calm and acting as usual earlier? Shin Jo-woon was a little nervous and asked, “What?”

Still, as Rembrary hesitated, Shin Jo-woon smiled calmly and said kindly, “It’s okay. Tell me. I’ll even take it into consideration if you say you’ll never see me again in your life.”

“Um…… then I’ll say it.”

Rembrary hesitated, then slipped his hand through the window and checked if the car was properly locked.

“?”

Watching that, wondering what he was doing, Rembrary took his hand back and whispered with an apologetic smile. “I broke your car a little.”

“!”