Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 395

395. Who Was That?

The area in front of the research center was a hive of activity. Reporters, microphones in hand, pointed towards the center, broadcasting live updates, while camera operators with bulky equipment moved around them in hurried steps.

Adding to the chaos, fans of Woo Yeon-woo and Rembrary anxiously watched the research center from behind makeshift barriers, their numbers dwarfed by those who had simply gathered out of curiosity.

The sheer volume of voices created a deafening noise, making it difficult to hear the person standing right next to you.

“Hey! Look over there!”

Someone’s shout cut through the din, drawing the attention of those nearby towards the research center.

“What is it? What’s going on?” people asked, craning their necks to see.

Soon, a collective gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd. An incredible transformation was unfolding in real-time at the research center.

The thick iron chains were slowly retracting downwards, disappearing into the ground, and the dense foliage that had engulfed the building was rapidly withering, the leaves falling like autumn rain.

“Woo Yeon-woo must have saved Rembrary!”

Someone exclaimed to a friend, their voice filled with excitement, and others echoed the sentiment.

The sight of the research center reverting to its normal, pristine state was a clear indication of success, and a wave of relief washed over the crowd, their faces brightening with hope.

* * *

However, the atmosphere inside was a stark contrast to the jubilant scene outside. The air within the research center, once filled with the sweet scent of roses, was now heavy and oppressive, as if filled with stone and chilled with ice water.

The very air felt toxic, capable of turning even the strongest stomach.

The first thing Woo Yeon-woo saw upon regaining consciousness was his brother, impaled by a spear, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a terrifying madness.

“Hyung! Hyung! Hyung! Hyung! Hyung! Hyung!” [Hyung is a Korean term for older brother, used by males.]

He frantically called out to Woo Seong-woo as he rushed forward, but Woo Seong-woo was encased in solid ice, preventing him from even touching him, let alone removing the spear.

“Hyung! Hyung! Hyung!”

Even repeated, forceful blows failed to create a single crack in the ice.

Woo Yeon-woo, tears streaming down his face, continued to strike the ice, then abruptly turned his head towards Shin Jo-woon.

His eyes burned with an intense hatred and fury.

“Shin Jo-woon!”

Woo Yeon-woo screamed his name, his eyes bloodshot, teeth bared, as he lunged towards him.

Shin Jo-woon watched his approach without a flicker of emotion.

But just before Woo Yeon-woo could reach Shin Jo-woon, the Lion Lord materialized behind him and struck him on the back of the neck, rendering him unconscious.

As Woo Yeon-woo slumped, the Lion Lord caught him before he hit the ground and glanced at Shin Jo-woon.

Shin Jo-woon’s expression clearly conveyed, ‘That was unnecessary.’

The Lion Lord casually slung Woo Yeon-woo over his shoulder like a coat and stroked the fake beard attached to his mask, offering an explanation.

“He looked like he was going to hit you once and then demand ten times the payback.”

“Good intuition.”

“I’m a bit of a…”

“Wouldn’t it be better to use that intuition to protect yourself?”

No sooner had he spoken than the Lion Lord unceremoniously dropped Woo Yeon-woo, who landed on the ground with a painful thud.

The director of the research center, witnessing the entire scene, swallowed hard, wondering, ‘Who is the stronger one here?’

But even after mentally running through the calculations, there were too many unknown factors to arrive at a definitive answer. Feeling compelled to do something, the director muttered under his breath.

“When you attacked Shin… that person earlier, you didn’t seem like yourself, Woo Yeon-woo. What was that? A split personality?”

Receiving no response, the director awkwardly picked up Woo Yeon-woo from the floor.

“Ah, Rembrary!”

Then, belatedly remembering Rembrary, the root cause of all this chaos, the director quickly turned his head towards where Rembrary was standing, a sense of urgency washing over him.

From Woo Yeon-woo’s sudden attack on the god from behind, the situation had escalated too quickly, and they had momentarily forgotten, as the short-lived allies were hitting, fighting, and stabbing each other.

Almost simultaneously, Shin Jo-woon, as if remembering Rembrary, also turned his head in that direction, and the Lion Lord followed suit, his gaze fixed on Rembrary.

Rembrary stood there, seemingly lost in thought. But it was far from a fortunate situation, as his condition was clearly abnormal.

“Pig?”

As Shin Jo-woon cautiously began to approach, the Lion Lord instinctively grabbed his arm to stop him.

Shin Jo-woon frowned and turned around, but the Lion Lord didn’t release his grip, his eyes glued to Rembrary.

Shin Jo-woon shook off the Lion Lord’s hand, but he didn’t seem angry. He seemed to understand the reason for the Lion Lord’s sudden intervention.

Rembrary, who had been standing motionless, was in a drastically different state than usual. The gentle smile he always wore was absent. He wasn’t crying with red eyes like Woo Yeon-woo.

But his eyes… One eye was normal, but the other was distinctly different. The beautiful red pupil remained, but the white of the eye, the sclera, had turned black.

“Rembrary.”

As Shin Jo-woon called his name and attempted to approach, Rembrary, still standing blankly, extended his hand towards the frozen Woo Seong-woo.

As they watched, unsure of what he would do, Rembrary simply commanded.

“Ice. Melt it.”

Rembrary often spoke informally, but it was merely a quirk of his speech, like a king’s casual address, and it never felt like he was truly giving orders or disregarding etiquette.

But now, his words carried the weight of a royal decree, and Shin Jo-woon was momentarily taken aback rather than offended.

“He says to melt it.”

The Lion Lord nudged Shin Jo-woon, and Shin Jo-woon complied with Rembrary’s request.

As the ice supporting him dissolved, Woo Seong-woo, still impaled, slid further down the spear.

The area around the wound, which had been instantly frozen, preventing blood loss, was gradually stained crimson.

It was a gruesome sight, but instead of bending down to check on Woo Seong-woo’s condition, Rembrary placed his foot on his shoulder.

The Lion Lord looked at Rembrary in surprise, but Rembrary had already removed his foot.

The Lion Lord opened and closed his mouth, then looked at Woo Seong-woo. The bleeding had stopped.

The director of the research center quietly lowered his head. He cautiously lifted Woo Seong-woo’s clothes, which had been torn when he was impaled, and saw that the wound had completely disappeared.

Even in his dazed state, Rembrary had healed him while stepping on him.

The director was speechless, his lips moving silently as he looked at Shin Jo-woon.

Shin Jo-woon’s expression was grim. He clearly didn’t approve of Rembrary healing Woo Seong-woo.

On the other hand, Rembrary’s expression was unreadable, offering no clue as to his thoughts.

When Woo Yeon-woo was not himself earlier, he clearly stabbed Rembrary in the forehead. Could that be the reason for this? Maybe Woo Yeon-woo is a curse-type ability user…

“Rembrary-ssi?” [Ssi is a Korean honorific, similar to Mr. or Ms.]

As the director frantically turned his head, Rembrary, who had been standing motionless, collapsed forward like a puppet with its strings cut.

* * *

The crowd outside was buzzing with speculation about what had transpired inside the research center.

Some of the braver onlookers ventured closer to the door, repeatedly reaching out and pulling back their hands, hesitant to touch it.

How long had it been? Finally, with a loud creak, the research center door swung open, and those who had approached it quickly retreated.

In contrast, the reporters and onlookers, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, surged forward. However, they stopped short of the immediate entrance, creating a large semicircle around the exit.

The first person to emerge was Shin Jo-woon.

“It’s Shin Jo-woon.”

But Shin Jo-woon wasn’t alone. He was carrying someone on his back.

“It’s Rembrary!”

“Is he unconscious?”

“He looks unconscious.”

The cameramen and people with cell phones were momentarily stunned, then quickly began snapping pictures, flashes erupting everywhere.

Those who weren’t taking pictures or videos applauded Rembrary, who had emerged unconscious but seemingly unharmed.

However, when Shin Jo-woon’s expression remained unchanged, the onlookers paused, wondering what was happening.

Shin Jo-woon, while not always serious, still joked and laughed on television. He wasn’t the type to maintain such a stern expression in front of a crowd. Why was he acting like this after rescuing a healer? Was the healer’s condition worse than it appeared?

As they pondered this, the director of the research center emerged behind Shin Jo-woon, carrying Woo Seong-woo on his back.

At this point, even those who had been cheering mindlessly fell silent.

Woo Seong-woo was a hunter as powerful as Shin Jo-woon, so it was strange to see him being carried.

When the Lion Lord appeared, carrying Woo Yeon-woo, the murmuring, which had been subdued, exploded in volume, and flashes filled the air once more.

Five people went in, but six came out, and three of them were unconscious. The crowd was desperate for answers.

“Director, what happened inside?”

“Why is Woo Yeon-woo unconscious?”

“You said it was safe, but why are three people unconscious?”

The reporters swarmed the Lion Lord, who, among Shin Jo-woon, the Lion Lord, and the director, was the closest to being a public official.

The Lion Lord was reluctant to give an interview, but when the word ‘safe’ was mentioned, he smiled and explained calmly.

“All three are safe. They’re not injured.”

“There’s blood on Woo Seong-woo’s clothes?”

“He’s not injured. Rembrary helped Woo Seong-woo. And now, stability comes first.”

As the director finished speaking, he hurried ahead, and Woo Yeon-woo’s fans screamed from afar, “Yeon-woo! Woo Yeon-woo!”

As the three men moved through the crowd’s gaze towards the main gate, Shin Jo-woon’s secretary, who had been waiting, quickly opened the car door.

But it was difficult for six people to fit in one car, so the Lion Lord placed Woo Yeon-woo, who he had been carrying, in the back seat and said to Shin Jo-woon.

“If you give me Rembrary, I’ll carry him.”

* * *

What woke Woo Seong-woo, who had been unconscious, were cold lumps of ice.

Woo Seong-woo was startled and quickly sat up. He was lying on a sofa, and small pieces of ice were piled up on the spot where he had been lying.

Woo Seong-woo’s eyes focused on Woo Yeon-woo lying on the floor. And…

“Shin Jo-woon.”

Shin Jo-woon and the Lion Lord were standing by his head.

The moment Woo Seong-woo called his name in a low voice and prepared to use his power.

“Rembrary saved you.”

Shin Jo-woon said without looking away from Woo Yeon-woo.

“What?”

Woo Seong-woo frowned as he got up from the ice sofa.

Shin Jo-woon turned his gaze to him.

“I’ll spare you today. I don’t want to kill someone I bothered to save.”

“!”

Shin Jo-woon’s words were a clear provocation.

But Woo Seong-woo didn’t take the bait. He hated Shin Jo-woon, but there was a more pressing matter than his hatred.

A question he couldn’t ask when the incident happened because he had to protect his brother.

“Hey.”

As Woo Seong-woo got up and spoke, Shin Jo-woon kept his hands in his pockets and merely glanced at him.

Woo Seong-woo licked his dry lips and gestured towards Woo Yeon-woo with his eyes.

“Who was that…? That wasn’t my brother.”