Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 600

◈ 600. Mr. Woo-shil, Long Time No See

How long did Shin Jo-woon wait in front of the dungeon after hearing, ‘I’ll come to pick you up, so stay there?’

Just as I was about to start nagging him for being late, Jang Tae-ri arrived as well.

“Why are you both so late?” I asked.

So, when I fairly nagged both of them, Jang Tae-ri and Shin Jo-woon started blaming each other in a confusing jumble of words.

Afterward, the three of them piled into one car and left the area.

They hadn’t gone far when, after driving on a winding road for a while, Jang Tae-ri spoke up, “I’m going to say this right now.”

“I hope you two fight it out and don’t drag me into it.”

“But we met as a love triangle from the beginning, Tae-ri.”

“The world doesn’t see this as a love triangle.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s called a shrimp getting its back broken in a whale fight.”

“Tae-ri, are you calling yourself a shrimp?”

Isn’t that a strange conclusion?

Jang Tae-ri looked at Rembrary, bewildered, and sighed when Shin Jo-woon chuckled.

Still, as the atmosphere seemed to soften a bit while exchanging a few words, Jang Tae-ri asked Shin Jo-woon and Rembrary.

“Rembrary, you’re trying to go alone because you’re worried about others getting hurt, and Jo-woon, you’re trying to go with Rembrary because you’re worried about him getting hurt. You both have the same motive, so don’t fight and try to resolve it through conversation.”

* * *

Rembrary was eating *naengmyeon* [cold buckwheat noodles] made by Ardor when he felt a strong gaze and looked up.

Ardor was staring intently at Rembrary with a burdensome look.

Then, when their eyes met, his eyes shone even brighter.

With an attitude that didn’t even attempt to initiate a conversation, Rembrary hesitated for a moment before calling out.

“Ardor.”

“Yes, High Priest.”

“Would you be upset if I left you behind?”

“How dare I—”

“Briefly.”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Ardor’s lips twitched as if he had more to say.

Then, when Rembrary sighed, resting his chin on his hand, Ardor swallowed his words and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“An anchovy seems to want to follow me around. I must have treated him too well, and now he has separation anxiety.”

Ardor’s teeth were bared.

“That frivolous—”

“Briefly.”

“I hate anchovies.”

When Rembrary looked at Ardor, Ardor stopped growling and made a flower 받침 [flower 받침 is a Korean gesture where someone cups their chin with their hands, creating a flower-like shape] under his chin, making the most docile expression he could muster.

After staring blankly at that expression, Rembrary came up with a brilliant idea that only a clever High Priest could conceive.

“Okay. That’ll work. I just had a good idea.”

“What is it?”

“A way for you and the anchovy, who are sad to be left alone, not to be lonely, and for me not to worry about taking you weaklings around.”

“?”

* * *

The next day, Shin Jo-woon received a text from Rembrary saying, “Bring Hwasa자 [Hwasa (화사) is a Korean word that can refer to a person’s flamboyant or showy nature, or a task that involves a lot of effort and attention to detail] to the entrance of 4-2.”

Although puzzled, Shin Jo-woon took Hwasa자 and went.

But when he arrived at the door, Ardor was standing there in a white suit.

*Why is that eyesore here?* Shin Jo-woon frowned and stared.

Ardor also raised his head and frowned as well.

Not only that, but Ardor asked Shin Jo-woon, as if protesting.

“What? Why are you here?”

Shin Jo-woon replied expressionlessly.

“I should be the one saying that. I’m here because the pig called me.”

“I’m here because the High Priest called me.”

Hwasa자 didn’t know what was going on, but wondered why he was called to this group, and blankly watched Ardor and Shin Jo-woon fight.

At that time, Hwasa자’s phone rang. It was a call from Rembrary.

Since he was the one who gathered this group, Hwasa자 quickly answered, saying loudly, ‘Oh, Rembrary,’ and then asked.

“The psycho and the eyesore you called are about to fight. Where are you?”

Ardor and Shin Jo-woon, who heard the names, stopped fighting for now and looked over.

Even if Hwasa자 didn’t relay the message, Rembrary’s bright voice could be heard from the phone with the volume turned up to the maximum.

[Well, Hwasa자. I’ve calculated it. Hwasa자, you’ve cleared Dungeon 4, too.]

“Huh?”

[And Ardor and anchovy don’t want to be alone because they’re lonely.]

“Uh?”

[So I came to a conclusion. You three should go together.]

As soon as he finished speaking, Shin Jo-woon immediately turned around.

“Uh… Shin Jo-woon is just leaving.”

But as soon as Shin Jo-woon took a step, Ardor immediately grabbed Shin Jo-woon.

Then, when Shin Jo-woon looked at him coldly, he gritted his teeth with an expression like he was making a noble sacrifice.

“I don’t want to go with the likes of you either. But if that’s the High Priest’s order…!”

The moment Shin Jo-woon’s face turned pale, Ardor opened the door with one hand and pulled Shin Jo-woon in.

Shin Jo-woon grabbed Hwasa자, and Hwasa자 froze in trauma, remembering what had happened once before.

When he came to his senses, he was already inside the dungeon.

“Aaaaaaagh! XX, not again!”

* * *

*Now both the anchovy and Ardor will be satisfied.*

Rembrary, who hung up the phone, smiled contentedly and rolled around on the bed leisurely.

He was so relaxed that he didn’t even want to answer the phone call from Woo Yeon-woo.

But when the phone kept ringing annoyingly, Rembrary reluctantly answered the phone in speaker mode.

“Why are you calling?”

But what Yeon-woo said was completely unexpected.

“Hey, you know Woo-shil *sunbae* [senior/elder in school or workplace], right?”

“You mean Photoshop *sunbae*?”

“Are you crazy? If he did photoshop, he would have done it secretly. Would he ask us for help? He’s the best at it, right?”

“So you also think Woo-shil *sunbae* does a lot of photoshopping.”

“That’s what the whole nation… no, never mind, don’t talk nonsense! It seems like strange people are coming to find him.”

Woo Yeon-woo’s voice didn’t sound like he was just going out for a casual outing.

*I was going to go straight to Dungeon 2-6 after resting.*

Rembrary checked the time and forced himself to get up.

“Where do I need to go?”

* * *

Sun-woo-shil paced anxiously around the room, wondering who those people he saw in his precognition were.

He definitely saw them arriving. But he couldn’t recall anything about what happened afterward, so he felt frustrated.

Anyway, those guys initially rang the doorbell, but when Sun-woo-shil didn’t let them in, they later broke down the door and came in.

They asked Sun-woo-shil something, and the him in the precognition was very embarrassed when he heard the question.

The scene that the precognition showed was only that, but Sun-woo-shil had a bad feeling.

*Still, that Woo Yeon-woo. He said he’d come. How nice.*

The reason Sun-woo-shil called Woo Yeon-woo was because Woo Yeon-woo was the strongest hunter he knew. Probably.

*He’s kind of a national hero, so he must be strong, right?*

Then, Sun-woo-shil, who was pacing anxiously around the large living room, realized something and looked at the refrigerator.

*Ah. He likes to eat. Should I get some food? Should I order delivery?*

He had to make a good impression since he was the one asking for a favor.

At that time, before Sun-woo-shil went to the kitchen, there was a ‘squeak, bang’ sound from outside the window.

An intruder!

Sun-woo-shil, greatly alarmed, quickly ran to the veranda, thinking that the intruder had already arrived, and leaned out.

A car had stopped after smashing head-on into his beloved car.

The squeak and bang sounds must have been the sounds of that car sliding and hitting Sun-woo-shil’s car.

Sun-woo-shil was momentarily stunned. *What… what did I just see?* He rubbed his eyes.

But even after rubbing his eyes and looking again, his beloved car was crumpled.

His stomach was churning. Sun-woo-shil almost shouted, ‘Hey, you bastard, who are you!’ to the distance without realizing it.

But he was a celebrity, and his image was important.

Sun-woo-shil, who couldn’t even curse because people might hear him, decided to take a video of the scene with his phone first. He had to report it.

But as soon as he pressed the video recording button, the car door opened, and a familiar face came out from the passenger seat.

“What?”

It was none other than Woo Yeon-woo.

“Woo Yeon-woo?”

*Why is he coming out from there?* Sun-woo-shil, flustered, put down his phone and leaned out a little more.

Looking closely, Woo Yeon-woo, who got out of the car, was shouting at the car.

“You bastard, you said you were good at driving! You said you were a driving veteran! You’re only good at driving to hell!”

He seemed to be angry at the driver who drove like that.

It was enough to be angry. As Sun-woo-shil nodded in agreement, the driver’s seat door soon opened, and a model-like person stretched out his long legs and came out.

Then, while sweeping back his unusually shiny blonde hair, he said something in response, but the voice wasn’t heard here because the other person was speaking softly.

But as soon as he saw his appearance, Sun-woo-shil recognized him.

“What? That’s him. Rembrary.”

Sun-woo-shil opened his mouth in absurdity. *Did those two get along now?*

He had also met Rembrary once before.

It was when he went to warn Rembrary that he was in a dangerous situation.

Although the other person didn’t pay much attention.

Afterward, he heard news that he had disappeared, so he thought, *He died after all.*

That human who had safely returned one day. That human who was similar to crazy mode Woo Yeon-woo.

“Why is that human here?”

Sun-woo-shil, who was muttering blankly, belatedly looked at his crushed car again and screamed silently.

*That bastard wrecked my car! He repays help with enmity!*

* * *

As Sun-woo-shil waited, grinding his teeth, the doorbell finally rang.

Sun-woo-shil was already waiting in front of the front door, so he immediately threw the door open.

As soon as the door opened, the culprit who wrecked his car was standing in front of him, waving his hand gently and greeting him.

“Mr. Woo-shil. Long time no see.”

Sun-woo-shil got goosebumps at the greeting and shouted.

“Don’t call me so familiarly!”

Still, the culprit didn’t seem upset.

“You’re still very shy.”

When Sun-woo-shil saw the crumpled car overlapping with that face, he got even more angry and asked Woo Yeon-woo, puffing and panting.

“Hey, why did you bring this human?”

But before Woo Yeon-woo could answer, Rembrary smiled first and spoke again.

“Why are you suddenly treating me coldly? We used to be on good terms.”

“When! This is the second time I’ve seen you in my life!”

Sun-woo-shil raised his voice, and then, unable to bear it, asked Woo Yeon-woo again.

“Is this human your brother? Why is he the same as you in your crazy days?!”

Woo Yeon-woo avoided his gaze.

He couldn’t say that the ‘crazy days’ Woo Yeon-woo was talking about was Rembrary himself. Instead, Woo Yeon-woo quickly changed the subject.

“You said you needed help.”

“I asked for help, not to have my car wrecked.”

“Ah, is that *sunbae’s* car? That’s a relief.”

When Rembrary was relieved at this, Sun-woo-shil went off on a tangent again and shouted.

“What’s a relief! Pay me back!”

“If Woo-shil *sunbae* gets crumpled like that car later, I’ll fix him first. For free.”

But when Rembrary gently offered a deal, Sun-woo-shil was about to get angry but closed his mouth.

*When I think about it, isn’t it a good condition? Cars can be bought or repaired again, but Rembrary’s healing ability can’t be bought.*

“Okay.”

Sun-woo-shil forcibly calmed his anger and gestured for them to come inside.

“Come in.”

Woo Yeon-woo was relieved and went inside, asking.

“But what did you call us for?”