Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 646

◈ 646. Domino Effect

Song Seo-ho stared at Rembrary in astonishment. Wasn’t he supposed to upload treatment videos on social media to refresh his image? But now he’s charging for treatments?

There was no way people would accept that. Not that their disapproval would change much, but this would only lead to resentment even as they came for treatment.

Song Seo-ho frantically considered whether he should turn off the camera.

Meanwhile, Rembrary continued to speak.

“Or you could become a Redrin believer.”

‘I really need to stop him…’

Song Seo-ho’s pupils rapidly trembled.

“There’s another way. Some are blaming me for this incident. Wage a holy war against those heretics and bring back three victories.”

‘No, I really need to stop him.’

Song Seo-ho’s finger hovered around the stop button.

But pressing the stop button here wouldn’t erase the words he had already spoken.

Would it be better to clarify? Song Seo-ho mouthed to Rembrary, ‘Try to soften your words a bit.’

Did he get the message?

Rembrary glanced at Song Seo-ho’s lips and added,

“To put it more gently, you can become a believer, get treated, and then renounce your faith. You can always go back.”

‘That’s even harsher! Where’s the softness in that!’

Song Seo-ho gaped and twisted his body. As a result, the screen wobbled.

Rembrary gestured for him to hold it steady and insisted on adding unnecessary words.

“Money, faith, or will. You only need one of the three. Easy, right?”

Song Seo-ho couldn’t bear it any longer and turned off his phone. The more he spoke, the faster the situation was flying into the realm of impossibility.

“Why turn off the phone while I’m talking?”

Rembrary, unaware of the situation, needlessly chided him.

Song Seo-ho handed the phone to Rembrary and asked,

“Are you crazy?”

“Doesn’t it seem like a good idea?”

“Just showing the treatment was fine. Everything after that just seemed crazy. By any chance… those words about the treatment fee earlier. Were they just said in a fit of anger?”

“I wasn’t angry.”

It was hard to argue with the truly peaceful expression on Rembrary’s face.

Rembrary smiled gently, put the phone in his pocket, and said,

“I’ve been treating people too easily, and it seems they’re not giving it any thought. So, I’m setting up a speed bump.”

“A speed bump…?”

“A speed bump to make them stop and think about me before getting treatment.”

“Why not just treat a select few instead? Just allies?”

“Even the lives of those who dislike me have value.”

“!”

“They might be at the very end of the priority list, though.”

Song Seo-ho stood there, caught between two conflicting emotions, feeling a strange mix of feelings.

He gazed intently at Rembrary, who was truly like a ‘saint from another world,’ then placed his hand on his chest and sighed.

“That’s chilling.”

“What is?”

“I guess you can’t figure this out by studying blood.”

“What are you talking about?”

Song Seo-ho shook his head and pointed to the other patients with his eyes.

“Let’s treat the people here first.”

“Alright. I should just treat them for now.”

“…But what do you mean by holy war?”

“It means if the other side leaves a hundred bad comments, you leave three hundred and win.”

“How can you encourage that!”

Song Seo-ho exclaimed in disbelief, then rubbed his forehead.

* * *

After treating everyone over the course of an hour.

Rembrary, who had given a speech to the patients about thanking him and the Redrin, demanded food from Song Seo-ho, saying he was hungry.

“Does the energy output increase with how much you eat?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your healing ability. Does it get more powerful if you eat a lot of delicious food?”

“Of course not.”

Song Seo-ho brought Rembrary some white rice cakes and orange juice.

They could have eaten in the cafeteria, but it would have been full of researchers.

Song Seo-ho wanted to talk to Rembrary alone. Mainly about his abilities and divine power.

“Rembrary, you’re not an Awakened, but you use those abilities, right? How can one gain divine power? Can ordinary people gain divine power?”

But Rembrary was sparing with his answers and not sparing with the food, so he eventually stopped bombarding him with questions.

Rembrary didn’t leave a single rice cake uneaten and stood up with a satisfied smile.

“That was good. And thank you for your help today.”

“I’ll contact you if I find out anything about Resident Hunter or the original demon.”

Rembrary nodded, waved his hand, and walked out of the lab.

Song Seo-ho hesitated, then reluctantly waved back.

“He’s a really strange person.”

A researcher who happened to pass by and saw this scene came up to him and added,

“But you shouldn’t post on social media. I heard you uploaded a weird video earlier?”

“You saw it? Already?”

“I bet 90% of the researchers have seen it. The background is our lab, after all.”

The researcher clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Did the director film that for you? I think I heard the director’s voice in it.”

Song Seo-ho scratched his forehead and asked,

“What’s the reaction like?”

* * *

“More people are cursing, and more people are defending him too.”

PD [Production Director] Gu Joo-il stared blankly at the monitor before turning his head.

PD Shim, a colleague, approached, yawning, and sat down next to him.

“What’s up?”

“Rembrary’s bombshell statement. Aren’t you watching that video? The screen looks exactly like that.”

“Ah…….”

Gu Joo-il answered blankly and sank deep into his chair.

“Right.”

PD Shim blew on the Job’s tears tea he had 뽑아 [pulled out/dispensed] from the vending machine to cool it down and chuckled.

“There are a lot of people saying he’s crazy. But there are also some neutrals. They say he’s trying hard in his own way, but he keeps getting bashed with rumors, so that’s why he’s acting like that. It’s not exactly defending him, but some people are showing some understanding.”

“Isn’t that defending him?”

As PD Shim was about to say something to Gu Joo-il’s listless question, PD Kim, who was passing by, stormed in.

“No, Rembrary is right. If you curse him, that person is even weirder. They’re planning to curse him and still get treatment. That’s the most selfish thing ever! If you have the conviction to curse him and not get treatment! Why would you be angry here?”

He seemed to be a fan of Rembrary, his face red with anger from his neck to his ears.

“Wow, you’re too biased.”

PD Shim teased PD Kim, and Gu Joo-il watched the angry PD Kim protest with a somewhat detached feeling.

“So, PD Shim, do you think it’s wrong for Rembrary to charge for treatment?”

“Oh, I didn’t say that. I don’t know if it’s a good thing, though.”

“That’s the same thing!”

“No, it’s not. And if you ask me if I like him or not, I like him? I don’t know about other things. He’s sweeping up all the buzz, and the mentality he has to withstand it is truly the best. The best.”

After watching their conversation meaninglessly for a while.

Gu Joo-il felt a vibration on his phone and straightened up in his chair.

The screen of the phone on his desk showed ‘Vice President.’ It was a call from Vice President Shin Gi-ru.

Gu Joo-il hesitated, then picked up the phone and went out into the hallway.

“Hello?”

He went to a place where no one was around and answered the phone. A heavy voice immediately got to the point.

—We’re making a decision today.

“!”

There was no other explanation. He was resolute. Gu Joo-il knew that the vice president had also seen the video Rembrary had uploaded.

And he clearly interpreted this video as a bad sign. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly called and said something like this.

“You said you’d give me time to think.”

—I did. But that time has to be shorter than the time Rembrary acts. Haven’t you made a decision yet?

The vice president asked, not hiding his reproachful tone.

Gu Joo-il sat down on a small bench that someone had brought.

The conversation between PD Kim and PD Shim echoed in his head like the buzzing of bees.

“Actually, I’m still thinking.”

—If you haven’t made a decision even after thinking this much, isn’t the answer already out? If you can’t act even when you have the chance to get revenge right in front of you, then you’re just that kind of person.

Gu Joo-il frowned, pressing his temples.

“It’s not that easy.”

—It’s just doing what you were doing. The information is almost complete. It doesn’t seem difficult either.

“The person I want revenge on is Shin Jo-un.”

—……

“But the person you want to attack is Rembrary. Narrowing that gap alone is difficult.”

—Then don’t do it. I’m not telling you to do it by force.

Gu Joo-il hit the back of his head against the wall a couple of times.

—You probably saw it already. Rembrary put a bombshell statement on his social media.

“The people who were cursing are still cursing. No, they’re cursing even more violently. It hasn’t decreased.”

—The people who are cursing haven’t decreased. The people who are defending him have increased. That’s why we’re doing it now. Because the public opinion is clashing, everyone is paying attention to this matter.

“Hoo.”

Gu Joo-il cursed inwardly. He felt that he, as well as Rembrary, had been caught by a very persistent person.

—If you can’t do it, tell me now. I’ll find someone and settle it within a week.

Gu Joo-il bit his lip and glared at the wall across from him. It was as if he could hear the sound of a clock that wasn’t there.

He barely opened his mouth.

“Then… just one phone call. I’ll make a decision after just one phone call.”

—I’ll wait 10 minutes.

The call ended as soon as he finished speaking.

Gu Joo-il hesitated, then opened his notepad. Among the many memos, he saw Shin Jo-un’s phone number that he had saved.

Gu Joo-il hesitated, then pressed the phone number and the call button.

After waiting for a few seconds in that state, the other party answered the phone.

—Yes.

The voice coming from beyond the phone was cold and clean.

It was completely different from his inner self, which was tangled with revenge, worry, and guilt.

Gu Joo-il’s throat was blocked when he heard Shin Jo-un’s voice.

Because of that, he couldn’t say anything, and Shin Jo-un asked from beyond the phone, as if wondering.

—Hello?

Gu Joo-il opened his mouth as if possessed.

“Do you know about the missing PD Gu Joo-ho?”

How do I bring this up, how do I bring this up, I was worried. But once I asked, it was easy.

Gu Joo-il clenched his fist and asked.

“Do you have anything to say to that person?”

He thought that Shin Jo-un might get angry or be wary of who he was. Should he tell him honestly then? Or should he make something up?

—Who is that?

But the words that came from beyond the phone were so dry that they were futile.

The other party didn’t even know who PD Gu Joo-ho was.

Maybe he knows but is pretending not to know. But would there be a difference?

—Hello?

Gu Joo-il hung up the phone and called Vice President Shin Gi-ru of Shin Gi-ru and answered.

“I’ll do it. That documentary. I’ll finish it.”

Gu Joo-il, who hung up the phone, sat there for a while, holding the phone, and muttered as if Rembrary was in front of him.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have any personal animosity towards you.”