Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 544

◈ 544. They Actually Knew Each Other

The Rembrary group followed the <5 Billion Project> participants as they entered, staying at the very back.

“This way. This way.”

“Your tone. Your tone.”

“Come on. Come on.”

Even after entering, Rembrary, Maeng Wooshin, and Ardord remained in the back, deliberately avoiding the front.

This was because the five YouTubers who organized the project and their five cameramen were at the front.

All five seemed to be broadcasting live on their respective channels, and Rembrary, Maeng Wooshin, and Ardord tried to avoid being on camera as much as possible.

However, while they were waiting at the entrance, viewers with sharp eyes spotted the Rembrary group and were already discussing them in the chat rooms.

Aside from that, the main topics were how many of the five organizers would actually win the prize money, the famous hunter participants, the seemingly weak participants, and the desolate environment inside the dungeon.

Jo Jiho, one of the five organizers who led this project, checked the chat room atmosphere to see the viewers’ reactions and called the other four organizers.

“Hey, hey. Look at this. There are three celebrities mixed in here.”

“Celebrities?”

Mun-eo Gamja (Octopus Potato) showed curiosity and immediately approached.

Paekchup wondered if he could smoke in the dungeon and said,

“Ah, I saw them. There were three people who hid their faces and joined late. Are they the ones?”

Longchacha checked her chat room on her phone and clicked her tongue.

“Seriously. But they’re only talking about them. It’s annoying.”

Seon Hari chuckled and nudged Longchacha’s side.

“Why be annoyed? It’s good if word gets out and more people watch.”

Still, Longchacha looked displeased.

“It’s annoying. They didn’t even try to hide their identities properly. It’s obvious they’re celebrities.”

The organizers then told the cameramen to film the other participants and began to whisper among themselves.

“Should we check who they are? Should we secretly reveal them only to the viewers? I think people would like that more?”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Don’t do that.”

“Why? People would want to know, right?”

“What if they turn out to be unknown celebrities?”

“Or maybe they’re just ordinary people who don’t want to reveal their faces.”

“Wow, that would be a huge twist. How many people would be fooled?”

Everyone seemed just curious.

Jo Jiho looked at his colleagues, who were joking and laughing, with a pathetic gaze and instructed,

“Stop it. Anyway, leave those celebrities alone. No, we should try to keep those bastards until the end.”

“Why?”

“We haven’t even fought yet, and you’re already calling them bastards. Your mouth is so dirty.”

“Why else? We need to reveal their faces later, when they cause trouble, to make it more exciting. What’s the point of revealing them now? They’ll just be careful about their image.”

Seon Hari cursed at Jo Jiho’s words.

“You evil bastard. Your mind is more rotten than your mouth.”

She cursed, but she seemed to think it was a pretty good idea, as she was smiling.

The others also chuckled.

From the start, they weren’t people who spread good influence.

They were the kind of people who pursued sensational things, enough to carry out a project that risked people’s lives.

Mun-eo Gamja was the only one who thought, ‘Do we really have to go that far? Why not just let them wander around while hiding their identities?’ but he didn’t want to upset his close colleagues, so he just laughed along.

Some of the participants who were walking nearby heard their conversation, but they didn’t bother to join in.

After all, those five were the ones who organized this project. It wouldn’t be good to be on their bad side.

* * *

However, Rembrary, Maeng Wooshin, and Ardord were following at the very back, so they couldn’t know that the five organizers who created the <5 Billion Project> were targeting their faces.

Rather, Rembrary and Maeng Wooshin were busy making plans among themselves.

“But you know, I don’t understand. What exactly is our goal this time? Is it to make all those people who are blinded by money give up halfway, or is it to support them from behind so that no one dies?”

“It’s both, but I think our goal is just the 5 billion [Korean Won, roughly $3.7 million USD].”

“Huh? What is this greed? Hey, are you saying you came to save people and you’re aiming for the prize money?”

“I didn’t come in aiming for the prize money. It’s just that after we save people, we’ll be the winners.”

“Oh? Is that so? …I guess so?”

“There’s no need to refuse the prize money that comes out. Let’s divide it 1/3 each, Maeng senior.”

“You little… smart aleck. Let’s do that. But what are you going to do with that money? Become independent?”

“I want to build a large temple.”

“That money won’t be enough, but why a temple? Are you going to dedicate it to Redrin?”

“I’m going to live there.”

“What about Redrin?”

“He’ll be watching me from afar.”

“?”

“Redrin will be happy if I live comfortably there.”

The corners of Maeng Wooshin’s lips turned down. It was an expression that came out because he was thinking, ‘What is this guy?’, but fortunately, the expression was hidden by the mask.

Ardord wanted to join the conversation, but he couldn’t open his mouth easily because he had made a promise.

Of course, the specific content of the promise was ‘Don’t open your mouth in front of people,’ so he could speak now, but he was afraid that his voice would get louder if he got excited while talking, so he just kept his mouth shut.

But while they were talking about the happy prize money, they heard a commotion from the front.

Wondering what it was, they stopped talking and looked up. The five project organizers were coming towards them with the cameramen.

Why are they coming? They were puzzled, but since the group was already at the very back, there was no place to avoid them.

So they stood still and watched the organizers approach, and one of them came close and greeted them cheerfully.

“Hello. I came because you guys kept staying in the back.”

Ardord was silent, Rembrary nodded, and Maeng Wooshin answered casually, “Yes.”

It was an action to hide their identities, but it was a rather arrogant attitude to the organizers, who had been upset since the viewers started paying attention only to the three of them.

Especially to Jo Jiho, who hated being ignored by others, it seemed even more so.

Jo Jiho changed his plan to just say hello and leave, because the three of them didn’t even return the greeting and answered arrogantly, and deliberately provoked them in a cheerful voice.

“We have to overcome life-and-death situations together while passing through this dungeon. It would be nice to get along. As a 기념 [commemoration], please tell us your passion or determination.”

At those words, the five cameramen simultaneously pointed their cameras at Maeng Wooshin, and Maeng Wooshin frowned, thinking they were crazy.

It’s not like they’re going to a training camp, and they suddenly come and ask him to talk about his passion?

But Jo Jiho’s intention was to make him say something wrong by making him feel embarrassed. That way, when he revealed his identity later, he would have something to hold against him.

Jo Jiho seemed to think that Maeng Wooshin was the most agitated of the three celebrities, so he deliberately approached him and urged him again.

“Don’t you have any determination? Or shout something.”

As he said that, Jo Jiho chuckled and playfully bumped Ardord’s shoulder hard.

At that moment, surprisingly, Maeng Wooshin’s anger towards Jo Jiho disappeared completely.

Instead, his expression froze.

Ardord, who seemed to have no patience at all, looked like he was about to shout ‘Did you hit me?’ and take out his gun right away.

But Jo Jiho, not knowing what was going on and being quick-witted, noticed Maeng Wooshin’s reaction and deliberately hit Ardord’s shoulder once more.

No, why is he already doing this when we’re supposed to reveal his identity in the second half? The other four organizers who came with him exchanged glances in embarrassment, but Jo Jiho seemed to be enjoying provoking Maeng Wooshin.

At that time.

“Oh.”

Rembrary, who had not reacted at all even in this situation, suddenly pointed at Jo Jiho with his finger and said,

“We’ve met before.”

Jo Jiho was happy that the person he suspected of being a celebrity knew him, so he asked.

“Haha, I guess I’m a celebrity too. Where did you see me? Ah, except for seeing me on YouTube.”

Rembrary thought for about a second and answered honestly.

“I don’t know where I saw you. You weren’t that impressive.”

He was just telling the truth, but it was an unpleasant thing to say.

Jo Jiho, who had felt a little better for a moment, stopped provoking Ardord and Maeng Wooshin at those words and became angry.

He almost blurted out a curse, but Paekchup next to him stopped him by tapping him.

“Hey. Hey, hey.”

Only then did Jo Jiho realize that he was about to be drawn into the other person’s game, and he quickly managed his expression and said,

“Haha, then I hope you win the prize money. Tell me later if you remember where you saw me.”

Jo Jiho finished the atmosphere appropriately and went to the front row, and Mun-eo Gamja waved his hand at the cameramen to go somewhere else and blamed Jo Jiho.

“I told you to go to say hello. Why are you getting angry?”

Jo Jiho bared his teeth in anger.

“Why am I getting angry? Did you hear what that bastard was saying? He’s talking so annoyingly!”

Seon Hari clicked her tongue.

“You were the one who was being annoying first. Do you want to be filmed provoking him?”

“No, I was provoking him first, right?”

Jo Jiho said, feeling wronged, but to the other four organizers, it only seemed that Jo Jiho was provoking him first, and the brown-haired guy stepped in to fix the situation.

Jo Jiho, who had talked to the brown-haired guy directly, became frustrated because he couldn’t explain in words the annoyance he felt when talking to him.

But Jo Jiho didn’t realize that the brown-haired guy was Woo Yeonwoo, whom he hated so much in .

* * *

Maeng Wooshin watched those organizers from afar and warned Rembrary and Ardord.

“Hey. We should be careful too. They’re deliberately trying to pick a fight with us. If we fight them here, it’ll only damage Redrin’s image.”

Maeng Wooshin looked at Ardord and urged him once more.

“Especially you.”

Rembrary hardly ever gets angry, so that’s fine. He was worried about Ardord.

He managed to hold back this time. He was worried that if they came and provoked him again, Ardord would kill people, not the devil.

But unexpectedly, Ardord was not upset and confidently affirmed.

“I become infinitely generous in front of the High Priest. You don’t have to worry.”

He sounded generous, but Maeng Wooshin flinched.

“Hey. There’s no soul in your voice.”

Ardord’s soul seemed to have already taken a gun and chased after those who provoked him.

“Snap out of it. Don’t pay attention to them, and detect the danger that might come from anywhere—”

At the moment he was about to say to detect it. Screams were heard simultaneously from several places.

“What?”

Maeng Wooshin stopped talking and looked towards the sound.

“Oh, what is this!”

Surprisingly, people were being sucked down one by one.

People screamed and scattered as those next to them were dragged into the ground.

“Damn it, why are you scattering! Hey! Don’t go!”

Maeng Wooshin shouted as he watched them, but some had already run far away.

At that moment, someone grabbed Maeng Wooshin’s ankle with tremendous force.

“!”

Before he could even scream, Maeng Wooshin slid down.

Just when he thought he was going to die in vain, Maeng Wooshin was grabbed by someone once, and then he tripped on the ground and stopped there.

Maeng Wooshin gasped for breath, buried up to his waist in the ground in an instant.

When he looked up, Rembrary was holding his arm.

“Be careful of your feet, senior.”

“This isn’t something I can be careful about! No, I shouldn’t be angry at you. What is this? What is this?”

Maeng Wooshin looked around, clinging to Rembrary’s arm.

A few lucky ones were caught by someone like him and tripped on the ground, but most of those who were grabbed by the ankles were dragged into the ground and disappeared completely.

People were still screaming and running around.

Rembrary and Ardord grabbed Maeng Wooshin and pulled him out of the ground.

Maeng Wooshin was nervous and looked around. Half of the participants disappeared in an instant. He couldn’t believe it even after almost being caught himself.

Maeng Wooshin cursed.

“Damn it. I came here after being asked to protect people, but what is this.”

He didn’t even have time to protect them, and he didn’t expect them to be dragged in from the floor.

The problem is whether there is a way to respond even if the enemies come like that again.

Maeng Wooshin bit his lip in frustration, and then his eyes widened when he saw Rembrary.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Rembrary was putting his head into the hole that Maeng Wooshin had just escaped from.

“I’m asking them to return the people they dragged away.”

“What? To whom?”

The cameramen who were filming the chaos all grabbed Rembrary at once.

“No, is that guy really crazy?”

Jo Jiho, who saw this from afar, muttered in disbelief.