Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 518

◈ 518. I Don’t Know Who’s Who

This time, it was also an unfamiliar face.

And perhaps because he didn’t particularly like strangers, he glanced at Rembrary and Min-soo before deliberately sitting far away, three spaces from the entrance.

Unlike Min-soo, who at least offered a simple greeting, he made no gesture or word of greeting.

As Rembrary glanced at him, Min-soo suggested to Rembrary.

“Why don’t you talk to him?”

“Why?”

“You give yourself away with your *mal-tu* [manner of speaking or unique speech pattern].”

Rembrary stared at Min-soo, who was making the demand so confidently, and retorted.

“I think I know who you are too, though.”

“Who am I?”

“You bleep.”

“Bleep bleep?”

“You bleep.”

“Bleep bleep bleep?”

Then, hearing the sound of a chair scraping, Rembrary stopped talking to Min-soo and looked to the side.

The newcomer was moving one space further away from the entrance.

As he glanced back and forth between Rembrary and Min-soo, he looked like he was thinking, ‘Are those guys crazy?’

Rembrary felt wronged. What Rembrary asked was, ‘Aren’t you Yeon-woo *hyung* [older brother or respected older male]?’ It was an expression that avoided using Woo Sung-woo’s name, in its own way.

Next, he said, ‘You’re from Nakru, right?’ This was also an indirect way of asking, but everything was bleeped out.

Rembrary couldn’t understand what the other person was saying at all, but since they were talking about either their own personal information or Rembrary’s, everything must have been bleeped out like that.

Rembrary sighed.

In the meantime, the newcomer, not satisfied with moving one space away, was moving another space to the side.

Watching him, Min-soo demanded again to Rembrary.

“I’m telling you to talk to him!”

Rembrary reluctantly turned his upper body towards the newcomer.

The newcomer had gone far away, but he was still wary of Rembrary and Min-soo.

Then, when he met Rembrary’s eyes, he frowned and asked.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“I was looking because I wanted to tell you the information we worked hard to find out.”

Unexpectedly, the person who had been frowning all along paused at those words. Then, suddenly raising his eyebrows, he opened his mouth.

“You? Bleep?”

Then, experiencing his own words being bleeped out for the first time, he closed his mouth in surprise and touched his neck.

Rembrary smiled gently and informed him.

“Don’t worry too much. There’s nothing wrong with your neck.”

“…….”

“It seems that whether you express information about yourself directly or indirectly, it gets bleeped out. Whether it’s someone else’s personal information or my own. Do you understand?”

The newcomer kept touching his neck, as if he didn’t like the bleeping method.

Rembrary continued his explanation for now.

“My name, too, is actually Young-soo, but it sounds like Young-soo to the ear. And when I looked at my face in the mirror, it was just my face, but it seems to appear as a different face to other people.”

When the explanation was over, the newcomer smiled with one corner of his mouth raised.

“I guess you can’t do anything about your *mal-tu* [manner of speaking]. I can tell who you are right away.”

And the moment the newcomer said those words. Rembrary and Min-soo said at the same time.

“I know who you are too.”

“Oh, are you bleep?”

To bleep out even the nickname! Rembrary was dumbfounded, as he was about to say, ‘Are you a *myeolchi* [멸치, anchovy]?’

In any case, Rembrary was sure that the other person was Shin Jo-woon. At the same time, Min-soo was sure that he was Woo Sung-woo.

If he was about 60% sure about Min-soo’s identity earlier, now he was 90% sure.

The person presumed to be Shin Jo-woon looked back and forth between Rembrary and Min-soo, then fixed his gaze on Min-soo and said.

“Yes. I think I know who you are too.”

It was a kind tone, but Min-soo frowned.

Rembrary looked back and forth between the two of them, then smiled and clapped his hands once.

“To meet all three of us right away like this. How nice. Ah, bleep. The name used here is Young-soo. That person is Min-soo. What is yours?”

“Do I have to make up a name? Myself?”

“No. Just say your name out loud. Then there will be a name that comes out automatically.”

At those words, the person presumed to be Shin Jo-woon paused for a moment before muttering.

“Geum-soo?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Min-soo covered his mouth and burst out laughing.

Rembrary and Geum-soo stared at the sudden laughter, but Min-soo continued to laugh and muttered.

“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s a very fitting alias.”

At those words, Geum-soo tilted his head slightly and gave a subtle smile, and only then did Min-soo stop laughing, but he was still biting his lip.

Rembrary crossed his arms and recited what he had learned.

“It seems that all the names have the same *dolimja* [generational character]. There doesn’t seem to be any particular rule between the real name and the alias.”

In the meantime. Several other people came in one by one, listened to Rembrary’s group’s explanation together, and started talking to each other, saying their names.

Later, there were too many people for Rembrary to talk to each one of them, so Rembrary decided to have Sajae come to them instead of him talking to them.

“Anyway, it’s a relief that at least one of us is easy to distinguish.”

As if he had a similar thought, Geum-soo looked at Rembrary and smiled.

“Bleep will come on his own after hearing your *mal-tu* [manner of speaking].”

Min-soo also nodded.

“I agree.”

At that moment, people in chef’s uniforms began to enter in a line from the archway connected to the kitchen, pulling food wagons.

Everyone fell silent as the staff appeared.

As they watched quietly, the people in chef’s uniforms set the food on the wagons in front of each person, one plate at a time.

Among them was the person who gave Rembrary an apple, and when that person met Rembrary’s eyes, he said with barely moving lips.

“If you want more, you can ask for more.”

Rembrary wanted to rescue that person and take him out with him. But… how?

‘If I knock down the pillars, can the trapped people get out too? It seems like the people here and the people living inside the maze are in different locations.’

* * *

While eating slowly, Rembrary continued to talk with Min-soo and Geum-soo.

It was because he hoped that Sajae, who had not yet joined the group, would notice Rembrary’s *mal-tu* [manner of speaking] and come on his own.

Fortunately, it seemed to have worked, as someone approached him during the conversation and said.

“It was difficult. I’m glad I could find out this way.”

But there was something unexpected.

Rembrary was bewildered because he thought Sajae would come, and he looked at that person.

What is it? Doesn’t Sajae use *jondaetmal* [honorifics]? Of course, he sometimes uses *banmal* [informal speech] when he’s in a hurry or angry… but he’s not in a hurry or angry right now?

While he was wondering, surprisingly, another person approached and said.

“I don’t know why they made it so complicated. It’s a relief that at least the *mal-tu* [manner of speaking] is maintained.”

This time, he spoke quite like Sajae, so he was thinking, ‘Is this person Sajae?’ At that moment. One more person approached.

Then, after looking back and forth between Person 1 and Person 2, who had come to Rembrary’s group before him, he asked Rembrary.

“Young-soo. What is this.”

Young-soo, Min-soo, and Geum-soo all froze at the unexpected situation.

“There are… two more people.”

Rembrary muttered, looking back and forth between Person 1, Person 2, and Person 3.

There are four people in the group who came here. Now that we’ve gathered, there are six. Where did the other two come from?

Of course, they could be Nakru team members who recognized Rembrary’s *mal-tu* [manner of speaking] and came, or just Rembrary’s personal fans, or even if they’re not fans, they could be people who know Rembrary’s *mal-tu* [manner of speaking].

But even though Rembrary’s *mal-tu* [manner of speaking] is unique, it was rare for someone to come up to him and say ‘Are you Rembrary?’ just because he used that *mal-tu* [manner of speaking], even though his face was completely different. The same goes for fans.

It didn’t seem like they were from Nakru either, because the people who had gathered now were embarrassed by the fact that there were six people.

They know that there should be four people.

As Rembrary looked at the newcomers, Person 1 narrowed his eyes and said.

“It’s me. Cheol-soo.”

Person 2 was also flustered and looked around at the people except for Rembrary and said.

“I’m In-soo.”

Person 3 was so flustered that he was muttering something quickly to himself,

“Bleep bleep? Bleep bleep bleep? Bleep bleep? Bleep bleep bleep bleep?”

Everything was being bleeped out. The only word that could be understood in the meantime was the alias ‘Kyung-soo’.

Finally, when Kyung-soo gave up muttering to himself and closed his mouth, Rembrary crossed his arms and frowned.

Sajae seems to be either In-soo or Kyung-soo. Then could Cheol-soo be either Woo Sung-woo or Shin Jo-woon?

‘This is difficult.’

* * *

Black Dragon: Ohㅋㅋㅋ As expected, Noir

The sound of letters appearing in the chat window. Warrior looked up from checking his dungeon content.

The Black Dragon, who didn’t even seem to be looking at the chat window, had exclaimed. I guess he was watching.

Cloth: Look, Warrior. You have to use your head like that to be a demon. That’s a demon.

When Cloth appeared in the chat window and started picking a fight, Warrior got angry and replied while checking the dungeon.

Warrior: What the hell are you talking about? If my mom and dad are demons, then I’m a demon too

But soon, Warrior became more curious about something else than Cloth’s provocation. Actually, he had been curious all along.

He couldn’t figure it out on his own, so he couldn’t come forward.

Thinking that he should ask this opportunity, Warrior braced himself for the demon bastards to make fun of him and asked.

Warrior: But which one of them is Noir?

Cloth: I don’t know. Wanna bet? I’ll bet on Geum-soo. The name is similar to Noir.

Black Dragon: What are you going to bet withㅋ

Cloth: Should I bet with Warrior’s head?

Black Dragon: Okayㅋ

Warrior: What the hell, if I win?

Black Dragon: I’ll give you Noir’s headㅋ

Warrior: I don’t need it? What am I going to use that for!

Cloth: Are you only betting your head?

Warrior: Take my head out too! Bet something else!

Black Dragon: Okay. I’ll bet the Demon King. It’s the best card I have.

Cloth: Ewwwwwㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Warrior: Don’t do it! Damn, that’s scary!

Cloth: Demon King, I was keeping my mouth shut. Only Dragon and Warrior said that…

Warrior: I tried to stop him too?

Why do these bastards always use me…! Warrior was seething, but he noticed that the topic had gone strangely wrong again because of the demon bastards, and quickly brought up the original topic.

Warrior: I’ll bet that In-soo is Noir!

Warrior: And even if I win the bet, I won’t give you my head. I don’t need your heads even if I win!

Cloth: Then it’s no fun

Warrior: Then bet your head!

Black Dragon: But let’s say one person is Noirㅋ Who’s the other one?

Cloth: Huh?

Warrior: Huh

Cloth: ???

Warrior: Who is it?

* * *

Some people finished their meals as quickly as possible and left, while others remained discreetly after eating to observe the people.

But since it was the first day of the meal, everyone came and ate.

Because they had to judge the atmosphere and such.

Besides, since they couldn’t eat lunch, they had to fill their stomachs now or they would have to starve until dinner.

Rembrary’s group, with two unknown people added, for a total of six, were among those who stayed until the end of the meal.

“Is the total number of participants twenty?”

Finally, when everyone except their group had left, Min-soo muttered.

“Did you count them all?”

When Rembrary was impressed, Min-soo nodded.

Rembrary sighed and looked around at the group.

Throughout the meal, they tried to figure out who was who and who the two were who had joined them without being part of the group.

But it was difficult to figure out the other person through conversation alone, with personal information, faces, and names all hidden.

Rather, the more they talked, the more confused they became.

“I think we’ll be able to tell them apart after spending a week together.”

Cheol-soo said, as if they were also tired. What he said was right.

But in fact, Rembrary knew a more perfect method.