Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 655

◈ 655. Party at Rembrary’s House

Gu Ju-il almost cursed.

Two enemies. Even two benefactors would be burdensome, but two enemies? However, he held it in.

‘Let’s stay calm. I came to find out Shin Jo-un’s weakness, not to take revenge right away.’

Even if there are two Shin Jo-uns, they are just two Shin Jo-uns. In the end, Shin Jo-un is Shin Jo-un…

‘No, it doesn’t make sense for a person to split up like that!’

Confused, Gu Ju-il failed to convince himself and staggered.

Then, he found someone he could rely on here, not as much as Rembrary, but the most reliable person. It was Woo Yeon-woo.

Gu Ju-il hurriedly approached him. Coincidentally, Woo Yeon-woo was also the main character of today’s party, so he had enough reason to talk to him.

“Mr. Woo Yeon-woo, I heard you woke up. Congratulations.”

Moving his position, Gu Ju-il spoke as if he was very happy that Woo Yeon-woo had woken up.

“Yes? Who are you?”

However, Woo Yeon-woo did not recognize Gu Ju-il right away.

Judging by the fact that he was asking who he was, it seemed that Woo Yeon-woo was not present when Rembrary introduced Gu Ju-il earlier.

‘Then, the person in the first-floor bathroom was Woo Yeon-woo.’

Gu Ju-il handed over the cake he had bought on the way, making unnecessary inferences.

“This is a gift.”

“Who are you to give me a gift?”

He introduced himself with an affable smile.

“I am Gu Ju-il.”

“Gu Ju-il?”

Perhaps he had already heard the notoriety as he was close to Rembrary, Woo Yeon-woo’s lips immediately turned downwards.

“Ah, you are Gu PD [Production Director].”

He was adding the honorific ‘nim,’ but he didn’t seem very happy.

Still, it was better than those who immediately pointed guns or forks at him, so Gu Ju-il still sat next to Woo Yeon-woo without erasing his friendly smile.

He deliberately mentioned Rembrary’s name.

“Rembrary said that Woo Yeon-woo woke up and suggested we go celebrate together. But it’s a smaller gathering than I thought, so I feel awkward. I feel like I’m intruding on a gathering of friends without any tact. Haha.”

“If you know, you should leave tactfully……”

Gu Ju-il pretended not to hear Woo Yeon-woo’s muttering and continued to smile awkwardly.

But deep down, he sincerely regretted coming to this kind of house.

He should have found out information about Shin Jo-un through other people.

Gu Ju-il blankly thought once more as he watched Ardor carry the cake box he had given to Woo Yeon-woo as if it were trash. Ah, I really shouldn’t have come.

Fortunately, before he could suffer any more, Rembrary, who had disappeared somewhere, appeared.

“You two have become very close.”

As soon as he came in, Rembrary took care of him, and Gu Ju-il was once again moved by Rembrary’s consideration.

He didn’t know who Rembrary thought he had become close with in this group.

“Where did you go?”

Still, Rembrary was the only one to hold onto here, so Gu Ju-il suppressed his dissatisfaction and asked politely.

Rembrary answered with a nonchalant smile.

“I was watching you.”

“!”

Gu Ju-il almost cried at that moment.

Tears really welled up in his eyes. He would have cried if Rembrary hadn’t changed his words in a gentle voice, saying, “Just kidding.”

But even after hearing that it was a joke, Gu Ju-il was not relieved.

What if it wasn’t a joke? What if Rembrary was happily watching his subordinates torment him?

What Rembrary said was really a joke, and Rembrary had gone to the garden to talk to Joo Kyung, who was playing with friends under the protection of the hunter, but Gu Ju-il had no way of knowing this.

Gu Ju-il sighed heavily and looked at the delicious dishes that Nin-ling was carrying.

* * *

The atmosphere throughout the meal was like a new semester classroom where the class had just changed.

Shin Jo-un exchanged meaningless words with Shin Jo-un, and Woo Yeon-woo kept looking at his cell phone.

Ardor sat next to Gu Ju-il and threw out eerie words.

Mulu didn’t say anything, but alternately spun a fork and knife in his hand, and Nin-ling kept asking difficult questions in a kind voice.

Before long, Gu Ju-il’s mind was tattered.

He had to find Shin Jo-un’s weakness. He didn’t have the mental capacity to focus on him.

Only after one Shin Jo-un left his seat and Ardor went to get new food was Gu Ju-il barely able to ask Woo Yeon-woo.

“Why are there two people who look like President Shin? I’ve never heard that he has a twin.”

Woo Yeon-woo had a sulky expression, but he answered.

“It just happened.”

It wasn’t a proper answer, though.

“I see.”

At this point, Gu Ju-il was also slowly getting angry.

Of course, he had done something wrong to Rembrary, but he had done everything he could to atone for it, and he was still doing it now. To ignore him so openly was too much, wasn’t it?

But Gu Ju-il was not foolish enough to get angry in enemy territory. Gu Ju-il forced a smile and grabbed his chopsticks.

However, he couldn’t stand it for even 30 more minutes, and he left, saying that he had something urgent to do.

“Why, aren’t you staying longer?”

Rembrary saw him off and warmly urged him, but Gu Ju-il had already had enough and didn’t want to.

“I don’t want to come to Rembrary’s house again. I think everyone wants that.”

Returning to the dining room, Rembrary clicked his tongue as he watched Nin-ling humming, Mulu finally starting to eat properly, and the two Shin Jo-uns stopping their conversation.

‘Everyone is doing this on purpose because I brought Gu PD.’

Besides, no one even mentioned the departed Gu Ju-il.

“Oh? Rembrary, where did that meritorious deed, no, Gu PD go?”

Only Ardor, surprisingly, came out of the kitchen with a piece of cake and asked.

“He went home.”

“Already? Then I can’t feed him this.”

Watching Ardor take the piece of cake back to the kitchen, Rembrary agreed with Gu Ju-il.

‘I shouldn’t have brought Gu Ju-il here.’

* * *

The atmosphere, which had gradually brightened as Gu Ju-il left, became completely abundant as Hwasaja, Sagamjae, Jang Tae-ri, Daeju arrived, and finally, Woo Sung-woo arrived.

“Hyung [Older brother/male friend]!”

Woo Yeon-woo, who had been fiddling with his cell phone, ran excitedly to the front door.

“Why are you here now? Shin Jae-soo came much earlier!”

Shin Jo-un, who had gone to the high-end hunter meeting together, had returned last night, but Woo Sung-woo had only conveyed that he could go to the party and hadn’t shown up the whole time, so he ran to him more happily than usual.

His feelings were even greater because he hadn’t properly met Woo Sung-woo since he was trapped in the demons’ dungeon.

“Were you worried?”

Woo Sung-woo asked nonchalantly, but Woo Yeon-woo was too shy to say that he was doing well or that he was worried.

Woo Yeon-woo just snatched the bag that Woo Sung-woo was carrying and turned around.

“Come quickly.”

Rembrary watched the scene with a pleased expression, and Woo Yeon-woo’s face turned red as he protested.

“Why are you looking at me like you’re watching your grandson!”

“You’re very shy, Yeon-woo. You can just say, ‘I was worried, hyung. I’m glad you came back safely. I’ll give you a hug as a sign of welcome.’”

“Ew! That’s creepy!”

“Affection must be expressed.”

“You do it as much as you want!”

“Are you asking me to hug you?”

“Ack!”

Woo Yeon-woo, who screamed, didn’t even want to deal with Rembrary and went to a corner seat.

Rembrary shrugged and stretched out his arms to Woo Sung-woo.

“Then I’ll hug you instead, Woo Sung-woo.”

“Ah… I’m fine too.”

Woo Sung-woo smiled awkwardly and went to Woo Yeon-woo’s side, and Rembrary lowered his arms with a sullen expression.

“Everyone is so heartless.”

“I, I’ll hug you, High Priest!”

Ardor hurriedly ran out of the kitchen, but Rembrary had already run out of energy and refused.

“Go make some bread.”

Jang Tae-ri watched the scene, peeled a tangerine, and burst into laughter.

It was a peaceful and warm moment that had come after a long time.

“Okay, the food is all done.”

Fifteen minutes later, Ardor placed a large bread made in an otherworld style in the center of the table, and Jang Tae-ri pulled the cork from the champagne she had brought.

The Emperor was curious and tried to touch the cork, but he was surprised by the pop and burst into laughter, and Shin Jo-un looked at the scene with displeasure.

Rembrary was not interested in champagne, so he focused only on the bread, pondered something, and asked Ardor worriedly.

“Isn’t the bread too small for the number of people, Ardor?”

“It takes a long time to make. It takes longer to make it bigger. But it’s okay. You can eat as much as you want, Rembrary, and feed the leftovers to the scraps.”

“Don’t call other people scraps, Ardor.”

“Oh, I misspoke. I was going to tell the remaining people to eat the scraps, High Priest.”

“Then that’s fine.”

“What do you mean that’s fine! There’s no difference! Are you telling us to eat scraps?”

Woo Yeon-woo, who was listening to the conversation, got angry and shouted, but Ardor did not respond to Woo Yeon-woo’s protest.

Not only that, but he even raised his chin proudly and made a face that said, ‘Eat whatever you’re given,’ so Woo Yeon-woo looked at Woo Sung-woo, feeling wronged.

“Hyung, did you hear what that guy said?”

Woo Sung-woo soothed his brother with an embarrassed smile and sent a request for rescue to Jang Tae-ri.

Jang Tae-ri nodded, shook the champagne, and shouted.

“Let’s have a toast!”

* * *

What changed the excited atmosphere after eating delicious food and drinking sweet drinks was one topic that Rembrary spat out when eating snacks after the meal was over.

“Since everyone is here, I can ask.”

Woo Yeon-woo asked while peeling a tangerine.

“Ask what?”

“About the fifth pillar.”

Rembrary said that and took out a small glass bottle containing golden liquid from his pocket and shook it.

Woo Yeon-woo, who was present when Rembrary received the glass bottle, had a dark complexion and started peeling tangerines again.

Rembrary placed the glass bottle in the middle of the table and explained the liquid inside.

“King Myeolchi says this is the fifth pillar. But this is also a liquid made with the ability of ‘Binak,’ a close aide to the Demon King. If you drink this, the demon’s territory itself will collapse and the Demon King will be sealed there, and the people inside will be sealed together.”

“!”

“And as everyone knows, if you drink this, my feelings for the Demon King will probably become huge in a good way. The reason Moros suddenly criticized me publicly was because he was deceived by the demons and ate this kind of liquid.”

Woo Yeon-woo, who was peeling tangerines with a sulky expression because he thought it was a story everyone knew, was surprised and asked.

“What? Really?”

“Really. Besides, what Moros ate was a fairly diluted liquid. This will be twice as effective.”

Everyone who was laughing and talking became quiet. Rembrary tapped the glass bottle and asked.

“What do you want me to do with this?”

Woo Yeon-woo muttered sulkily.

“My opinion is the same as before.”

Woo Sung-woo said in a serious voice.

“You must not drink it. The prophecy that the third chaos will come if you eat it―”

Sagamjae cut off Woo Sung-woo’s words as if snatching them away.

“We must seal the Demon King, of course.”

Hwasaja shook a piece of tissue.

“Abstention.”

Daeju asked as if it were natural.

“What does Redrin say?”

“I haven’t asked yet. I think she’ll tell me not to drink it.”

Daeju asked back with a bitter expression.

“Then shouldn’t you not drink it……?”

It was a natural question for Daeju, but Rembrary, who had seen the past of the Demon King and Redrin, shook his head.

Redrin had some anxiety about the Demon King’s problem.

She was speaking very confidently in the Demon King’s memory, but she was definitely anxious when she called Rembrary and made him sleep for several days.

So Redrin will tell him not to drink it. But in Rembrary’s opinion, that was not good for Redrin in the long run.

Rembrary ignored Daeju’s question and looked at Shin Jo-un.

“Myeolchi, what about you?”