Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 42

42. Treated a Friend’s Mother

By the time I finished my tasks and returned to the company, the staff had already seen the apology from the rumor creator.

“I knew you could do it.”

“That kid’s really sharp.”

“Are you okay? Did that bastard threaten you or anything?”

Jungseo repeatedly told the swarming staff that he hadn’t done it, and then took Rembrary to CEO Im.

CEO Im, who had checked the situation even before the staff, was so happy to see Jungseo that he almost hugged him.

Jungseo shook his head and nudged Rembrary forward.

“I just sat still; Yeonwoo persuaded him.”

“Huh?”

CEO Im looked back and forth between Rembrary and Jungseo, looking dubious. He didn’t believe it at all.

“Ah… really?”

He pretended to agree but still looked unconvinced.

“It’s true. And I sent the recording file to Jongwoo *hyung’s* [older brother or male friend] email. I also gave the small recorder to Jongwoo *hyung*.”

‘Is it true?’ CEO Im looked at Rembrary with dubious eyes.

Rembrary just smiled silently, as it didn’t matter whether he took credit or not.

And that expression made CEO Im even more suspicious.

But since Jungseo didn’t seem like he would lie about something like this, CEO Im was trapped in his own confusion and blinked for a moment.

In the end, CEO Im decided to believe Jungseo and apologized to Rembrary.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t believe you when you first said you would go.”

“I’m not petty, so it’s okay.”

“Are you saying I’m petty?”

“Hmm.”

Rembrary cleared his throat without a word, and CEO Im reflexively frowned before quickly tapping his temples.

‘This wasn’t the time to worry about his *mal-tu* [tone/way of speaking]. He had solved a troublesome problem, hadn’t he? He didn’t know how he did it yet, though.’

That’s what he’d find out when he listened to the recording. CEO Im thought so and asked Rembrary.

“Is there anything you want? Anything you want to eat? Or should I give you more parts in the next song? You solved it, so I have to do something for you.”

Rembrary shook his head and subtly nudged Jungseo’s side.

He was telling Jungseo to speak up, as he didn’t want to be misunderstood later if he said it himself.

Since they had already talked about it, Jungseo quickly stepped forward and said.

“Yeonwoo must have had a hard time preparing for the competition while he was still suffering from memory loss. How about giving him a few days to rest?”

“Let him rest?”

“Yes. Once we start preparing for the album, he’ll be busy with the competition, so I think it would be good to let him rest a bit before that…”

CEO Im readily agreed with Jungseo’s words.

“That’s right. You’re right. Then… let’s see.”

He muttered to himself and went to his desk, checking the calendar he had made ‘exclusively for Wild Animal.’ CEO Im’s desk was always lined with calendars of his affiliated celebrities in that way.

“Hyegyeol must have been stressed a lot too. Okay. Then let’s have all the members rest until this Sunday.”

‘Finally, I can treat my mother!’ Jungseo clenched his fist without realizing it.

* * *

The next day was officially a holiday given by LLL Entertainment.

The members were happy to have five days of rest for the first time in a while, and they packed their bags and scattered.

If the break was only for one day, they would wander around downtown or rest by sleeping all day, but since the holiday was long, they seemed to want to see their families.

Rembrary also stayed with Jungseo until the very end, and then he disguised himself with sunglasses and a mask and left the house late.

After that, the two took a taxi to near the hospital and decided to go in separately.

Rembrary lingered outside the hospital for about 30 minutes even after Jungseo went in first before entering.

“It’s here.”

When he went to the front of the ward, Jungseo, who was waiting with the door slightly open, called Rembrary.

Rembrary went inside.

“She’s sleeping.”

Jungseo said in a trembling voice and closed the door when Rembrary came in.

Rembrary went into the ward and took off his sunglasses and mask.

Jungseo watched Rembrary with a nervous face.

On the outside, Rembrary seemed to be thinking nothing.

“Will it take long?”

Jungseo asked, and Rembrary shook his head.

“No.”

“Should I go out? In case it’s distracting or…”

“It’s okay.”

At Rembrary’s cool answer, Jungseo swallowed hard with half anticipation and half nervousness.

Rembrary approached the lying patient and put his hand on her forehead, as if taking her temperature.

Then, with his eyes half-closed, he muttered something incomprehensible.

It was a language Jungseo had never heard before.

‘What is he saying?’ As she was wondering, Rembrary’s muttering turned into a hum.

Jungseo held back from asking what he was doing and watched Rembrary’s actions.

She had seen Rembrary’s abilities several times, so she trusted him.

“…”

Finally, Rembrary took his hand off her forehead.

Jungseo couldn’t even ask if it was done and fidgeted.

“Jungseo.”

Rembrary called out to Jungseo first.

“Can I go?”

“Come here.”

As soon as permission was granted, Jungseo rushed over and gasped in surprise when she saw her mother.

The skin that had been diseased had changed so surprisingly cleanly that her legs almost gave way.

She thought it would be okay if she only got better enough to live her daily life. Her mother looked more refreshed than she had expected.

There wasn’t even a scar left on her skin.

Jungseo bit her lip and stood there, pressing her chin with her fist.

Her mother, who couldn’t even open her eyes properly due to her serious illness, was lying there as she had been before she got sick.

Just like the healthy days she thought she could only see in photos.

Tears burst out uncontrollably and flowed haphazardly.

Jungseo muffled her sobs but eventually couldn’t hold back and sat down, burying her head next to the bed.

Rembrary stared down at the sight and gave her some space.

* * *

‘Singing is fun, but I still want to continue being a high priest,’ Rembrary thought as he put on his mask and sunglasses and went to find a vending machine.

There are many people who sing well, dance well, and are lovely people who make others feel good.

But the number of people who can become a miracle in the moment when hope disappears is extremely small.

Rembrary wanted to lift people out of despair with his power.

‘I have to go back.’

Rembrary took out an ion drink from the vending machine and drank it, reaffirming his determination.

He didn’t know what the original world would look like now, but he had to go back and save the remaining people.

* * *

After finishing his drink, Rembrary went down to the first floor.

‘There was a cafe around here somewhere?’

He had trouble finding the location because he got off at the opposite elevator.

Finally, Rembrary found the cafe he had passed by when he came in.

But as he walked towards it, he couldn’t help but notice a spooky couple standing there with serious faces.

Both of them were wearing black suits, and their faces were so beautiful that the people around them were glancing at them.

Even Rembrary, who had been impressed by seeing celebrities and thinking, ‘There are so many handsome and pretty people in this world,’ was impressed again.

But Rembrary examined them not just because of their appearance.

‘Something’s strange.’

It’s because of the strange atmosphere he felt from them.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, they also looked at Rembrary at the same time.

The gazes of the three people passed by each other within a few steps.

“?”

He thought it was strange, but Rembrary eventually just went into the cafe and ordered two tomato juices, which Jungseo seemed to like.

As he paid with the card he received from Jungseo, he could see that the two people from before were not there.

Instead, he could see that the place where they were standing was a passage leading to the hospital’s funeral hall.

‘It’s making me uneasy for no reason.’

While tilting his head, Rembrary quickly returned to the ward.

When he arrived at the ward, Jungseo’s mother was sitting up in bed, and Jungseo was brushing her mother’s hair next to her.

Jungseo’s mother looked surprised when she saw Rembrary.

“This is my friend.”

Jungseo quickly said, and Jungseo’s mother covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filled with tears.

When Jungseo asked if he could tell his mother, Rembrary said it was okay as long as she kept it a secret.

Because of this, it seemed that she had told him everything while Rembrary was out.

After that, a sea of tears started again for almost 30 minutes.

The effect of giving them space was almost non-existent.

Rembrary alternated between Jungseo and Jungseo’s mother, trying to stop them in a flustered manner, but when he realized it wouldn’t work, he said directly to Jungseo.

“Jungseo. Didn’t the doctor say he was coming for rounds?”

“Ah. That’s right. Rounds.”

Jungseo, who belatedly came to his senses, checked the time and hurriedly handed over his mask and sunglasses.

“Wait at the cafe in front.”

This was already agreed upon.

“Don’t be long.”

Rembrary nodded, greeted Jungseo’s mother, and left the ward.

Afterwards, he went to a cafe across the street from the hospital, sat down, and took a seat.

As he was drinking coffee with a straw and looking at his phone, text messages started to arrive from Jungseo.

[The doctor came for rounds.] 3:40 PM

[It’s a mess.] 3:56 PM

[She’s going for tests now.] 4:10 PM

[Still waiting] 4:25 PM

No more texts after that.

Rembrary turned on the internet and spent time searching for various information.

As he was doing that, he suddenly remembered the members occasionally typing his name here and there.

‘I wonder if Yeonwoo’s name is there too?’

It would be there. That’s why he was ranked number one in real-time search terms.

Rembrary nodded and typed Yeonwoo’s name in the largest portal search bar.

And after clicking around here and there for about 5 minutes, his face flushed, and he turned off his phone again.

It wasn’t because of the reactions that said his personality was trash or that he couldn’t dance, or anything like that.

It was because of the praise that was like putting sugar, honey, jam, and syrup on top of it.

“Heumm.”

Rembrary covered his phone while clearing his throat for no reason.

Fortunately, the phone vibrated not long after.

When he turned it over to check, Jungseo said he was coming this way.

* * *

Rembrary and Jungseo moved once more and went to a Chinese restaurant nearby.

It was a space with partitions where they could eat and talk while avoiding people’s attention.

After ordering food, Jungseo handed Rembrary a paper bag.

“There’s nothing special in it.”

“Thank you. More importantly, was everything okay at the hospital?”

“My mother is denying that she knows what happened, and I’m also claiming that she was already in this state when I arrived. The doctor doesn’t seem to believe me, though.”

“Is that so?”

“But well, it can’t be helped if he doesn’t believe me. She’s just getting discharged after being completely healed.”

“She’s getting discharged?”

“Yeah.”

Jungseo smiled awkwardly and scratched his forehead, feeling good for no reason.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

“Of course.”

Rembrary acknowledged and quickly scanned the notes Jungseo handed him.

However, unlike the effort put into it, the harvest was not very good.

He said there was nothing special, but there really wasn’t anything special. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had been so picky with just this.

Rembrary sighed without realizing it and closed the notebook.

Jungseo was also smiling sheepishly, feeling sorry.