Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 79

< 79. Gamjae Saja >

“This is Gamjae Saja. I’ve confirmed the scene. Shall I arrest them as flagrant offenders? …Yes. Yes. …Yes. Understood.”

After ending the call, Saja Gamjae checked the remaining battery on his phone and cursed under his breath.

‘Calling this side drains the battery too quickly. Is there no solution? Or do they not intend to fix it?’

“I’m calling 119!”

A worried voice came from nearby.

Saja Gamjae put his phone in his pocket and walked towards the sound.

***

In the direction Saja Gamjae was heading, Jungseo was taking out her phone and pressing the 119 button [South Korean emergency services number].

However, Im Yoohan stopped Jungseo firmly, saying, “Don’t.”

“Are you okay?”

Jungseo, who thought Im Yoohan had fainted, called out to her in surprise.

“I’m okay. And thank you both. But don’t call 119. I don’t want any strange misunderstandings…”

Im Yoohan waved her hand and patted Rembrary’s shoulder.

“Yeonwoo, you can put me down now. I’m fine.”

At Im Yoohan’s words that she was fine, Jungseo reflexively looked up at the 6th-floor terrace. She fell from there, but she’s fine?

She looked fine, but there was no way she could be fine. Even if her body was okay, her mind couldn’t be in a good state.

However, Rembrary put her down as soon as he heard Im Yoohan’s words.

‘He’s really putting her down?’ Jungseo was momentarily flustered and looked at Rembrary, but soon she remembered Rembrary’s strange abilities and understood. He seemed to have healing abilities, so he must have healed her instantly.

Im Yoohan, standing on her own two feet, shook her head from side to side and then patted her shoulders with her fists, as if trying to shake off something unpleasant. Then, she turned to Jungseo and Rembrary.

“Shall we go somewhere nearby for a drink… well, drinking would be difficult, so how about some meat? I’ll treat.”

Jungseo was surprised again. The person who had just fallen from the 6th floor wanted to eat meat? Was it even okay to eat anything in this situation? As she hesitated, Im Yoohan muttered in a voice filled with exhaustion.

“It’s okay. I just don’t want to go up there right now.”

“Did you fall by accident?”

“Ah… uh, yes. I slipped.”

‘Could you slip and fall from a waist-high railing?’ Jungseo was suspicious of Im Yoohan’s explanation, but she kept silent because she didn’t seem to want to say more.

Im Yoohan also thought her excuse was absurd but remained silent.

There was no other way. She wasn’t trying to commit suicide, nor was she attacked by someone.

However, if they called 119, they would assume she had attempted suicide by falling from the terrace with the railing, and if they called 112 [South Korean police emergency number], the police would determine it was Im Yoohan’s fabrication after confirming there were no signs of forced entry.

What would happen if she told the truth? They would say she was crazy.

Either way, the reporters would eagerly write it down, and people would spread all sorts of rumors. Of course, she couldn’t call either 119 or 112.

Meanwhile, Rembrary was only half-listening to Jungseo and Im Yoohan’s conversation because he was looking at the upper floor.

Im Yoohan made up an excuse that she slipped and fell, but Rembrary knew that wasn’t the case. He must have sensed something bad and sent a signal for help. Asking for help and then jumping? That didn’t make sense.

Besides, that two-legged beast that was looking down right after Im Yoohan fell, what was its identity? Judging from the circumstances, it seemed like that beast pushed Im Yoohan…

“Sunbae [term of respect for a senior colleague or mentor], can I go into your house for a moment?”

Rembrary thought about it carefully and asked Im Yoohan for permission first. Going in person seemed like the fastest way to find out.

“Now?”

Im Yoohan asked back in surprise.

She answered Jungseo that she had slipped, but Im Yoohan knew she had been pushed. The sensation of that large hand slamming down on her back was still vivid in her memory.

However, she didn’t see who pushed her. The beast couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, only on the TV screen. She didn’t even know if that beast was still inside the house or wandering around.

But Rembrary was saying he would go inside. Why would she suddenly offer to buy meat? She was grateful, but she was worried about that strange beast, so she suggested going to a meat restaurant instead of inviting him in.

“Let’s just go eat meat.”

“It’ll only take a moment. Or you can go eat with Jungseo first.”

Jungseo saw Im Yoohan’s fingertips trembling. Her lips had no color and were pale, and although she seemed calm on the outside, she seemed very shocked. It didn’t seem like she was trying to commit suicide, so what on earth had happened?

Either way, it seemed like they needed to calm Im Yoohan down right now.

After thinking for a moment, Jungseo suggested something different from both Rembrary and Im Yoohan.

“Wouldn’t it be better to call your manager? We can go to the meat restaurant later. Anyway, we’re on a diet right now.”

In any case, Jungseo thought it would be better for Im Yoohan to be with someone she was comfortable with right now. At Jungseo’s question, Im Yoohan nodded and said she would call her manager, but then frowned and said, “Ah.”

“My phone.”

“Did you leave it behind?”

“Yes. On the sofa. But I can’t remember my manager’s phone number.”

Rembrary, who had been listening quietly, quickly stepped forward.

“Then I’ll go up and get it.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely not! Don’t go!”

“?”

When Rembrary didn’t listen, Im Yoohan finally spoke honestly.

“There’s something strange up there. Don’t go. It’s dangerous.”

She thought that Rembrary, who had sent her a strange text message, would believe her words.

“I know. I saw it.”

As expected, Rembrary calmly believed her.

Im Yoohan’s eyes widened at his tone, which didn’t find it strange at all.

However, instead of listening to Im Yoohan, Rembrary gestured to Jungseo, pointing to the security guards, and asked for a favor.

“Jungseo, take Sunbae to those people over there. I’ll just quickly grab the phone and come down.”

Im Yoohan and Jungseo tried to stop him again, but later they suggested going up together, but Rembrary insisted on going up to the 6th floor alone.

Since only one household lived on each floor, there was no chance of confusing it with another house.

Rembrary briefly placed his hand on the doorknob, sensed the energy inside, and then entered the room after pressing the password Im Yoohan had told him.

Even when he was examining it from outside the door, he felt it, but as soon as he entered the room, an unpleasant and sticky air wafted out.

Rembrary clicked his tongue and closed the door.

‘It’s a mess.’

Ordinary people would express it as ‘eerie’ or ‘chilling,’ but in Rembrary’s eyes, he could see wriggling larvae in the air.

Ordinary people can’t see the larvae with their eyes, but they can faintly feel them. That’s why they feel uncomfortable in spooky or chilling places.

In Rembrary’s eyes, the larvae seemed to be floating everywhere.

‘I should have brought Taein or Keshi to use as shields.’

Rembrary sighed and took a few steps, but eventually took off his hat and used it to swat at the larvae floating in the air as he walked.

Every time the larvae touched Rembrary’s hat, they briefly swelled up, burst, and disappeared.

‘If these things are floating everywhere, then there must be something big here.’

Rembrary looked around the room to find the black beast, and then found Im Yoohan’s phone under the sofa in the living room and approached it.

‘I should at least give her the phone.’

However, the moment Rembrary’s hand touched the phone.

“!”

A hand covered in black fur popped out from under the sofa and grabbed Rembrary’s wrist. It was a bizarre hand covered in black fur that seemed to be 10cm long.

“So you were here.”

Rembrary muttered, placed his hand over the hand, and yanked it away.

The owner of the hand, which had stuck to the divine power, was lifted up and thrown against the wall.

The one who crashed into the wall with a thud was the two-legged beast he had looked down on earlier.

It had the head of a cow but with sheep’s horns, and its hands were like a human’s but covered in dense black fur.

Rembrary had never seen such a form before.

The two-legged beast shook its head and looked at Rembrary with fearful eyes.

[Who? Who are you? Who are you?]

Then, it mumbled and moved sideways like a crab.

[Who? You first? You first? You first?]

He didn’t know if it was pretending to be stupid or if it was really stupid, but it was clear that it was an evil spirit with an ego.

Rembrary smiled.

The existence of such a being meant that there were demonic creatures here, and the presence of demonic creatures meant that there was a being like the King of Demons, and the existence of the King of Demons meant that there was also a god on the opposite side.

Instead of answering, Rembrary quickly approached the two-legged beast.

“Why don’t you come here? I have something to ask you. A child who combines a cow and a sheep.”

[Child? Me child?]

The two-legged beast was flustered and rolled its big eyes. It was acting like it was seeing a human acting like Rembrary for the first time. Even so, it steadily retreated according to its instincts.

[You not my daddy, imposter. Imposter. I never have daddy like you. My daddy. Moo.]

At that moment.

The two-legged beast suddenly screamed silently and opened its mouth, then went behind the curtain.

The curtain only puffed up once and then quickly flattened. Even though a large beast was hiding, there was no sign of it at all. The two-legged beast had completely disappeared behind the curtain, just like it had completely disappeared under the sofa.

Meanwhile, the curtain fluttered greatly in the wind for a moment. Then it subsided.

Rembrary frowned and looked at the terrace.

When the curtain subsided, he saw men and women in black suits standing on the terrace. They all had pale faces and similar atmospheres, and they were so beautiful that they didn’t seem human.

Among them were the manager, Saja Gamjae, and his colleague, Saja Jikjae.

“The air is stuffy.”

Saja Jikjae took out a spray from his arms and sprayed it, and the larvae floating in the air disappeared with a gurgling sound.

Rembrary looked at them and smiled brightly with joy.

He was going to ask the two-legged beast about God earlier.

He was worried because that beast seemed a bit stupid. But these people would be at least smarter than the two-legged beast! Besides, there were so many of them!

Besides, Saja Gamjae, who always acted suspiciously as if trying to hide his identity, had come here suspiciously like this. He was clearly here to reveal something.

Whatever it was, Rembrary welcomed it.

“Name: Woo Yeonwoo, Occupation: Idol, Crime: Disturbing the peace. Arresting you as a flagrant offender.”

‘What?’

***

“Why isn’t he coming?”

Im Yoohan anxiously checked the time. Jungseo also went outside and kept pacing back and forth.

Worried, Jungseo finally said she would go up and left the security office.

“Let’s go together.”

Im Yoohan quickly followed. Both she and Jungseo regretted not going with Rembrary or stopping him from going, even though he had insisted.

A security guard, unable to watch their expressions any longer, finally went up to the 6th floor with them.

“Your junior came up here?”

“Yes, it’s been 30 minutes and he hasn’t come down. He’s not answering his phone either.”

“Haha, even if the house is big, you can’t get lost here.”

As soon as Im Yoohan got out of the elevator, she quickly pressed the password to the front door and went inside.

“Yeonwoo?”

“Yeonwoo-ssi!”

Jungseo and Im Yoohan called out to Rembrary and searched the room.

However, Rembrary was nowhere to be seen.

The phone that Im Yoohan had left on the sofa had also disappeared.

“Didn’t he go down first?”

The security guard asked indifferently. The items in the room seemed to be in place, there were no signs of a fight, and no one was lying down. It didn’t seem like anything was wrong.

“We came together. There’s no way he would go alone.”

Jungseo said firmly and tried to call Rembrary again.

However, Jongwoo called a step ahead. As soon as she answered the phone, Jongwoo urgently called out.

– Did Yeonwoo save someone? Did Im Yoohan attempt suicide?

< 79. Gamjae Saja > End