Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 672

◈ 672. The World Has Changed a Lot

They seemed to recognize Rembrary’s face instantly.

‘Even after two years, his fame hasn’t faded. The Redrin incident is still a matter of public interest, I guess.’

Rembrary offered a gentle smile and waved.

“Yes, it’s me, Rembrary.”

* * *

Mr. Kim, who worked at the Gyeongju branch of Redrin, wasn’t exactly a fervent believer.

Mr. Kim’s mindset was, ‘There’s definitely a god, so it’s better to believe than not. What’s to lose by believing?’ Accordingly, he dabbled in most religions.

The reason Mr. Kim became the head of the Gyeongju branch of Redrin was largely due to the changing times.

The world had changed so much since he was in school that it was impossible to find a job related to his major.

Those lucky enough to awaken obtained Hunter licenses and went into related occupations, but Mr. Kim wasn’t an Awakened, so that wasn’t an option.

One day, while seriously considering changing his major and going back to school, the ‘Rembrary Documentary Incident’ occurred.

A booming Hunter company was instantly treated as an enemy of the Earth and cornered.

Those who had flocked to become believers to receive Rembrary’s treatment initially held on, but when Rembrary disappeared, they couldn’t withstand the criticism and scattered.

Seeing the Redrin Hunter Company cornered, Mr. Kim saw an opportunity.

A crisis is an opportunity. Mr. Kim acted in reverse when others left the Redrin Hunter Company. He walked right in.

Not only that, but he also acted like a fervent believer, spending critical times with them and steadily building trust.

Thanks to that, by the time the Redrin Hunter Company regained its footing, he was able to secure a position at headquarters.

As Redrin began to revive due to various incidents, Mr. Kim’s gamble paid off handsomely.

However, as Rembrary’s worshipers increased with Redrin’s revival, a slight crisis arose for Mr. Kim.

Mr. Kim’s weak faith began to subtly show.

Mr. Kim was a believer in Redrin, but he inevitably lacked passion.

So, Mr. Kim changed his plan again, gave up headquarters, and came down to the branch.

His calculation was that there would be few ‘truly zealous believers’ here who would doubt his faith, so he would be comfortable.

That’s how Mr. Kim found peace and stability.

Although the burly building manager who visited periodically was annoying, he was bearable because he was all talk and didn’t cause trouble.

For Mr. Kim, it was natural to assume that he would never meet Rembrary at the Gyeongju branch. He thought he would never see his face in his life.

But here he was. Even after disappearing!

Mr. Kim was flustered and could only wave his hands.

At that moment.

“Oh, High Priest! Hooray!”

The building manager knelt down abruptly and suddenly shouted cheers.

Mr. Kim’s eyes almost popped out. What’s wrong with that guy?

The building manager was someone who hated not only the Otherworlders but also the Earthling Redrin believers.

He had witnessed him cursing them as ‘damn Otherworlders’ countless times.

But ‘High Priest,’ not even ‘Rembrary-nim’ [an honorific suffix]? And what’s with the cheers?

“I get to see your face like this! Hooray! Hooray!”

The building manager even treated the High Priest like royalty.

Mr. Kim stared at the spectacle in disbelief, and when Rembrary stared at him, he ended up shouting cheers along with him.

“Hooray!”

He belatedly realized that as the head of the Gyeongju branch, he shouldn’t be less welcoming to Rembrary than the heretical building manager.

As they repeatedly shouted cheers as if competing, Rembrary, who was looking at them with a ‘what are they doing?’ expression, smiled and said.

“Rise.”

Watching the building manager get up with a hearty shout, Mr. Kim suppressed the urge to tell Rembrary, ‘That guy isn’t one of our believers.’

But perhaps unaware of Mr. Kim’s unfair feelings, Rembrary smiled warmly and even patted the building manager on the shoulder.

Mr. Kim wore a tearful expression. He wanted to ask Rembrary, ‘Didn’t you hear that guy call the Redrin Hunter Company a pseudo-religious group earlier?’

* * *

However, unlike Mr. Kim’s unfair feelings, Rembrary naturally knew that the burly man wasn’t a Redrin believer.

He remembered everything the burly man had said earlier, such as ‘Redrin or whatever,’ ‘pseudo-religious group,’ and ‘If I knew Otherworlders would use this place, I wouldn’t have rented it out.’

However, Rembrary simply had a generous heart and was willing to accept when the other party changed his attitude in the face of power or strength. It’s always good to have more allies.

Besides, what Rembrary needed now was a little kindness and a phone to tell him how the world had changed without rejecting him.

Also, the burly man’s change in behavior gave Rembrary some information.

‘That guy was initially cursing Otherworlders, saying he hated them. But as soon as he saw me, he changed his attitude like this. Is the situation not as bad as I thought?’

Rembrary assessed the current situation and called out to the employee.

“Hey, you with the messy hair.”

“I, I am the head of the Gyeongju branch, High Priest.”

“You are?”

“……You don’t like it, do you? But I am the branch manager.”

“I see.”

“……You’re not even denying it.”

To the branch manager who was muttering gloomily, Rembrary handed over his cell phone and asked.

“Please charge this. It won’t turn on.”

“Yes.”

“And please lend me a cell phone.”

“Yes!”

It was the burly man who shouted ‘Yes!’ Before the branch manager could react, the burly man held out his cell phone, and the branch manager’s eyebrows shot up.

That sly bastard. While the branch manager was cursing inwardly, Rembrary took the burly man’s cell phone.

As long as he could make a call, it didn’t matter whose cell phone it was.

As Rembrary seemed about to call someone, the building manager and the branch manager glanced at each other but focused on Rembrary’s hand with interest.

The person this famous figure, who had suddenly appeared after disappearing for two years, was calling must be someone they only saw on the news. They were curious about the target.

“…….”

However, Rembrary was just holding the cell phone and staring blankly. He didn’t call anyone.

“High Priest?”

When the branch manager, unable to watch any longer, called cautiously, Rembrary finally looked at the branch manager and the burly man with a look of realization.

“Do you happen to know Shin Jo-woon’s phone number?”

“No.”

“I don’t know either.”

The two, who naturally wouldn’t know, answered immediately.

Rembrary rolled the cell phone in his hand in embarrassment.

“What should I do? I don’t remember the number. I used to save it on my cell phone and use it.”

He could only remember a couple of digits, either the last or the first, of the phone numbers of Mullu, Woo Yeon-woo, Jang Tae-ri, and Shin Jo-woon.

In the end, the branch manager, unable to watch any longer, cautiously suggested.

“There’s a direct line to headquarters. Shall I call headquarters with that? I don’t know the Great Lord’s phone number, but if I explain the situation, they’ll connect you.”

* * *

“Someone like Rembrary has appeared?”

At that moment, the Great Lord was receiving a call from Ki Sung-hyun about Rembrary.

“Are you sure this time?”

However, the Great Lord couldn’t just be happy and asked suspiciously.

He was grateful for the information, but he was cautious because this wasn’t the first time this had happened.

[It’s almost certain this time. Not only the way he speaks but also the fact that he used shoes to kill monsters.]

“If that’s the case, that would be great……. Thank you for letting me know.”

He thanked Ki Sung-hyun for his sincerity, but the Great Lord sighed after hanging up.

At that time, the phone connected to the secretary’s office began to ring.

“Yes.”

The Great Lord pressed the button without much thought. After all, the reports were always the same, so there was no need to rush.

—Great Lord. We have received a call from the Gyeongju branch that the High Priest has appeared.

It was a slightly different report than usual, but even after hearing it, the Great Lord wasn’t greatly swayed.

“I already received a call from Hunter Ki. He was sighted near Gyeongju.”

—Yes? No, no, Great Lord.

“No?”

But that report was completely different from the calls the Great Lord had received in the past two years.

—The High Priest has visited the Gyeongju branch. He can’t make a call because his cell phone battery is dead…….”

The Great Lord finally jumped up and urgently demanded.

“Connect me right away.”

—Yes.

After a while, a clicking sound was heard, and an unfamiliar voice flowed from the phone.

—Great Lord! Hello, this is Kim Wol-ri, the head of the Gyeongju branch. It’s just that about… 15 minutes ago, the High Priest visited our branch.

The Great Lord repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist.

During the two years that Rembrary disappeared, the Great Lord would sometimes talk with Jang Tae-ri or Woo Sung-woo about how they would meet the High Priest again.

This type of reunion wasn’t one of them. To suddenly appear out of nowhere like this.

“Will you switch me over?”

—Yes. Just a moment.

While holding the receiver, the Great Lord wondered what would happen if he switched the call and the voice on the other end wasn’t Rembrary’s.

Or if the voice was ambiguous and he couldn’t confirm whether it was Rembrary or not?

—Great Lord.

But all these worries disappeared at once when a familiar voice was heard from the receiver.

“High Priest!”

The Great Lord shouted without realizing it.

“Where on earth are you!”

—At the Gyeongju branch.

“Where on earth have you been!”

—Having tea with Lumena.”

“Tea?”

The Great Lord, who had been shouting in excitement, felt strangely wronged at the peaceful answer, and after moving his lips, he barely reacted.

“……You’ve been at peace.”

He knew he couldn’t blame him because it was after Rembrary had sacrificed himself for them and disappeared.

But hearing that the person in question had been drinking tea with Lumena while they had gone through all sorts of things for two years made him feel inexplicably frustrated.

—My cell phone battery is dead, Great Lord.

“Please charge it there.”

—Great Lord? Why does your voice suddenly sound like an anchovy? [A Korean expression for being weak or pathetic]

“No. It’s just…… No. It’s not something to resent the High Priest for. I’m sorry.”

—Great Lord, I want to eat pork cutlet.

“Please eat it there.”

—Great Lord?

The Great Lord sighed, calmed his increasingly petty heart, and glanced out the window.

Like the day Rembrary left, it was snowing again on the day he returned.

“It snowed when you left. It’s snowing when you come back. High Priest…… you are a truly romantic and cruel person.”

—It’s not snowing here.

“!”

The Great Lord opened his mouth and then pressed his temple and sighed.

“Shall I bring the pork cutlet?”

It seemed that this was the most appropriate thing to say to the High Priest.

—No, the branch manager here says he’ll order the pork cutlet. Bring that when you come. That. Meringue cookies.”

“Meringue cookies. Understood. Please wait there a little longer. I’ll go right away.”

—Are the others coming with you?

“That’s…… I’ll tell you when we meet later. First of all, bringing the High Priest is the priority.”

—I see.

“High Priest.”

—Huh?

“Don’t follow anyone even if they say they’ll give you something.”

When Rembrary didn’t answer, perhaps offended by being treated like a child, the Great Lord quickly added.

“The world has changed a lot. There are many who are after the High Priest for various reasons. That’s why I said that, so you must stay there.”