Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 412

412. You Really Don’t Look Good

Sagamjae stood blankly in the middle of the street, checking his ledger.

He was right in the middle of a pedestrian road with no bus stop around. Suddenly, two young men, who looked like college students, came to Sagamjae’s side and began whispering to each other.

“Did you hear? There’s a new singer who just debuted.”

“Who? There are tons of people debuting.”

“You know, the one with the weird hair color and is super handsome. The one whose song became a huge hit as soon as he debuted.”

“Ah. Lapsus?”

The distance was so close that Sagamjae heard the conversation whether he wanted to or not.

“Yeah, that’s the name.”

“What about him?”

Lapsus was already a hot topic in the underworld, so Sagamjae took his eyes off the ledger and listened to their conversation.

“They say that listening to his song makes the pain go away.”

“Is he an Awakened [a person with supernatural abilities]? Does he have abilities like Rembrary?”

“I haven’t heard anything like that. Maybe he’s an Awakened.”

“If that’s true, that’s amazing. Is he also a Saivin [a being with divine powers]?”

“Someone who analyzed the music video said that there are symbols and hidden meanings all over the video.”

Sagamjae frowned and closed the ledger after listening to them talk about similar topics.

‘Has the addiction become so strong that humans can recognize it?’

He had faintly heard this song playing at a large hospital he had visited before.

Popular music in a large hospital? That would never happen normally.

Sagamjae often went to funeral homes attached to various large hospitals, so he knew that this was very rare.

‘Rembrary’s songs also make you want to keep listening once you hear them. But that’s a voluntary psychology of wanting to keep seeing and hearing good things. Nothing happens if you can’t listen to it.’

However, Lapsus’s song was different. Lapsus’s song was not only good to listen to, but it also had a clear addictive quality, so anyone who heard it once would search for it and listen to it again.

It seemed that listening to Rembrary’s song could temporarily treat the addiction symptoms, but the problem was that if you listened to Lapsus’s song again afterward, it would all be for naught.

Besides…….

“What about Rembrary? Lapsus was so wary of him, but he ended up in second place.”

“Lapsus’s fans say they never listen to Rembrary’s songs. They say the two are on bad terms.”

That was also a problem, with the two young men chattering beside him.

Rembrary’s fans like Rembrary but keep listening to Lapsus’s songs because of the addiction.

On the other hand, Lapsus’s fans consciously tried not to listen to Rembrary’s songs.

If they didn’t listen to Rembrary’s songs, the addiction symptoms would get worse and worse, and that’s when a true vicious cycle would begin.

‘Rembrary needs to step up. What on earth is he doing?’

* * *

“I heard that Lapsus’s song has the power to make people feel good, so they play it in nursing homes and such.”

The family fell silent at the same time when Rembrary brought up the topic during the meal.

Those who knew that Lapsus was a person of the Demon King fell silent because they felt the seriousness of the situation, and those who did not know that Lapsus was a person of the Demon King also fell silent because they knew that Rembrary and Lapsus were on bad terms.

Rembrary was eating steamed eggs when he looked around at his family, puzzled by the sudden silence.

“Why is everyone so quiet?”

His voice and expression were surprisingly calm, so Believer No. 305 carefully responded.

“Some lords even play the song through loudspeakers in the destroyed cities.”

Rembrary nodded and silently continued to eat the steamed eggs.

A method of addicting people through Lapsus. It was a completely different method from when the Demon King invaded Rembrary’s original world, but it was steadily taking hold.

‘The fact that he’s moving forward so quickly and unhindered means he’s put more preparation into it than I thought.’

It certainly wasn’t like this when he was in Woo Yeon-woo’s body with the Demon King. Well, at that time, Rembrary had control of Woo Yeon-woo’s body, so there was nothing he could do.

‘He must have been proceeding with everything while I was away. The method of bewitching people through the entertainment industry must also be something he has already seen and heard. He must have seen me working for Redrin in Woo Yeon-woo’s body.’

As Rembrary was lost in thought and only eating steamed eggs, Ardor anxiously looked back and forth between the refrigerator and the steamed eggs. He was ready to get up and make new steamed eggs if Rembrary allowed him to.

On the other hand, Mullu was worried that Rembrary’s stomach would hurt because he kept eating salty food, so she carefully moved the water cup to keep it within Rembrary’s sight.

After about five minutes of doing so, Rembrary finally put down his spoon after the steamed eggs were completely empty and opened his mouth again.

“I’ve decided.”

Following Rembrary, Mullu, Nin-ling, and Ardor put down their spoons together, and even the children put down their spoons without knowing what they had decided.

Believer No. 305 hesitated and reluctantly put down his spoon, but the Lion Lord continued his meal without caring.

In the silence, Mullu asked as the representative.

“What is it that you have decided?”

* * *

―You’re going to hold a free concert?

Shin Jo-woon was taken aback and asked back when Rembrary, who had suddenly contacted him, blurted out something out of the blue.

―Why a sudden free concert at this time?

“It’s not about holding a large-scale concert in a concert hall. I’m just going to go around and let people listen to my songs.”

Rembrary had also received a text message from Woo Yeon-woo about when his ’30 minutes of freedom from the Demon King’ was, and he had also been told to make an appointment at any time.

However, even if Woo Yeon-woo was ready, it was useless without Redrin. He needed Redrin to get in touch with Lumena or anything else.

He couldn’t go looking for Redrin either. So, Rembrary was trying to prevent people from becoming too addicted to Lapsus’s songs by continuing to try to contact Redrin.

In any case, pouring divine power on the spot would be more effective than listening to it on audio.

“Is it difficult?”

―There’s nothing difficult for me.

“There isn’t?”

―You said you can’t cure the addiction to Lapsus, no matter what else you can do.

“It seems that my song is effective for people who are addicted to Lapsus’s song by listening to it on audio or on the radio. It would be more effective if they listened to it on the spot.”

Shin Jo-woon suppressed the urge to say, ‘You’ve already damaged your image a lot, so let’s be more careful,’ from the perspective of an entertainment agency president. Rembrary didn’t release an album to work as a celebrity.

“I heard a story that a college student who was drunk on Lapsus’s song fell into a fantasy and strangled his roommate while playing the song loudly. It’s just a rumor, but…….”

―Even if it’s a rumor now, it’s possible in the future?

Rembrary nodded, though Shin Jo-woon wouldn’t be able to see it.

* * *

At first, Rembrary was going to sing here and there in places where many people passed by, like busking.

However, Shin Jo-woon somehow managed to rent several outdoor stages with empty schedules within a few hours.

It would be difficult for others, but Rembrary was excellent in terms of popularity and recognition, and above all, he was the only healer in the world.

Most of the staff immediately allowed him to use the stage just by telling them that Rembrary wanted to sing three or four songs for free, and Rembrary went around to more than ten places a day, spreading songs infused with divine power to the people.

The effect was also excellent, and people rushed over as soon as they heard the news that Rembrary was singing through the internet or acquaintances.

Even people who hadn’t heard that Rembrary was singing there came over as if possessed when they heard the song.

Even those who were addicted to Lapsus’s song walked over like zombies, and after listening to Rembrary’s song, their expressions became much brighter and they returned.

‘Kkokko Song is heard through audio, but my song can be heard live on the spot. If I repeat this, I might be able to prevent the Demon King from increasing his power as he is now. The most important thing is to find Redrin and turn Lapsus’s heart around…….’

* * *

That day, Rembrary went up on an empty stage as usual.

It was a small stage in the middle of downtown, and the manager there had spread the news of Rembrary’s surprise appearance, so before Rembrary even went on stage, people were already gathered there with their cell phones.

“Wow, it’s Rembrary.”

“Rembrary’s here!”

“Wow. This is crazy. His face is a miracle, not his song.”

As Rembrary stood in the middle of the stage, the gathered people reflexively burst into exclamations.

Rembrary smiled at them familiarly and picked up the microphone.

But it was just as the prelude began to play.

He was estimating with his eyes which of the gathered people looked like they were in bad condition when he heard a commotion from somewhere. It cut through the loud prelude.

Rembrary turned his head towards the source of the noise. His eyebrows went up.

He saw an unexpected person there. Lapsus. Surrounded by demons disguised as bodyguards, he was walking straight towards this way.

The people who had gathered to get as close to the stage as possible unknowingly stepped aside to make way as Lapsus passed by.

Lapsus easily approached the stage.

He stopped only when he came right in front of the stage, then smiled faintly and greeted him.

“Is this what you do when you can’t have a head-on confrontation?”

Rembrary lowered the microphone.

Lapsus stared intently at Rembrary’s face, then looked behind him.

The people were watching the confrontation between Lapsus and Rembrary with interest. There were also many people holding out their cell phones to take pictures.

“It’s Lapsus.”

“Wow. This is crazy. Crazy.”

“Are they fighting publicly? Are they fighting? Ah, damn it. I can’t see.”

The sound of people whispering could be heard from here and there.

In particular, the ‘people in bad condition’ that Rembrary had been paying attention to had changed almost as if they had drunk a bowl of alcohol since Lapsus appeared, and their eyes and faces were flushed red.

Because they were pushing around in all directions in order to get to Lapsus by any means, curses and shouts continued to be exchanged around them.

Lapsus looked at all this with satisfaction, then smiled at Rembrary again.

“You’ve become very pathetic. The prince who always reigned from a high place, receiving the love of the gods.”

Rembrary looked down at him quietly, then raised his finger worriedly.

“Are you okay? Your face is too pale. You look sick.”

Lapsus immediately frowned.

“Don’t pretend to be nice with your third finger up.”

Rembrary shook his head.

“No, it’s true that I’m trying to curse you, but you really don’t look good. Like someone who’s about to die.”