Chapter 1044 – 1044. Divine Authority
“Yujin, I have a favor to ask.”
Kang Jiwoo said to me.
“A favor? What kind of favor?”
“While you’re experiencing Gwangwon Church and staying here, please follow the rules of Gwangwon Church.”
“Well, that’s… only natural. You can treat me as one of your followers.”
“Thank you, Yujin. But I can’t simply treat you as just another follower. You’re a special person.”
“Haha. You’re making me feel embarrassed.”
I wasn’t embarrassed at all. Rather, I felt even better getting special treatment.
I followed her to the office. All the staff members were wearing training uniforms while working. They greeted Kang Jiwoo as she entered and then went back to their work.
Kang Jiwoo took something out of the storage room behind the office.
“It’s a training uniform. I’ll guide you to your accommodation. Please change there.”
I readily accepted the training uniform. There’s a saying, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ I had no intention of causing trouble over something like this.
“But this training uniform is a bit different from the ones others are wearing.”
The design was similarly old-fashioned. But there were patterns all over it. The detailed design was slightly different.
“That training uniform is for a VIP.”
“A VIP?”
“Yes. A VIP. Because you’re a special person, Yujin.”
“I see.”
Well, I guess I am a bit of a VIP.
I entered the accommodation I was guided to. It was the size of a normal studio apartment. It was neatly organized. There was no refrigerator or kitchen, but it wasn’t bad.
“I’ll wait in front of the door. Please change comfortably and come out.”
I changed my clothes. I also put my most important item, my smartphone, in the pocket of the training uniform pants. It seemed quite liberal for a cult.
“You’re out. It suits you well, Yujin.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s go to the cafeteria for lunch first. Today’s lunch menu is seaweed soup. Do you happen to dislike it?”
“No. I haven’t seen many people who dislike seaweed soup.”
“That’s a relief.”
I entered the cafeteria.
Many people were already inside, eating. And then, I happened to run into Park Suho, who was entering the cafeteria. Park Suho was glued to his girlfriend.
“Hyung. We meet again.”
“I have to eat lunch.”
I received a bowl of food and sat down.
Kang Jiwoo, Park Suho, and the other followers closed their eyes and put their hands together before eating. They were praying to someone. I watched them with my eyes wide open. They quietly finished their prayers and began to eat.
I took a spoonful of seaweed soup and put it in my mouth. I’m not particularly fond of oyster seaweed soup, but the broth was amazing.
‘By the way, I’m getting a lot of attention.’
People around me had been glancing at me since earlier. At first, I thought they were looking at Kang Jiwoo, but when I looked closely, they were looking at me. It wasn’t hostile. They were looking at me as if I were a curiosity. It seemed to be because of this VIP training uniform.
‘Why are they like this?’
Even for me, it was a bit overwhelming.
“Hyung. Why are you suddenly like that?”
“…No. I just don’t have any water in my cup.”
Water was self-service. I was about to get up to get some water when a man sitting at the next table jumped up and shouted.
“The VIP needs water!”
“I happen to be sitting next to the water purifier! I will get the water and serve it to him!”
“Oh! The follower is truly fortunate!”
The follower, holding the water cup with both hands, bowed his head as if it were the most natural thing to do.
‘What the hell is this?’
I received the water cup in a daze, but I felt something was off. They were being excessively devoted to me. They had been staring at me with shining eyes since earlier… it seemed like they were trying to help me.
“Hyung. If you had said you needed water, I would have given you mine…”
“Are you crazy? Why would I drink what you were drinking?”
“I haven’t even taken a sip of my water yet. If you need anything, please tell me. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Hey. Why are you suddenly like this? If I said I needed a girlfriend, would you even give me your girlfriend?”
“You need a girlfriend? I’ll look for some women. Ah… if you want my girlfriend… well, it’s a bit… but you’re a VIP, so it can’t be helped. I’ll give you my girlfriend. Chunhee will understand.”
An unexpected answer came back to my casual remark. I was so surprised that I stared at Park Suho. Park Suho had a more serious expression than ever before. He was genuinely trying to give me his girlfriend.
“Hey. Are you crazy? Why would you give me your girlfriend? Your girlfriend will cry.”
“No. If you need me… I’ll become the VIP’s girlfriend.”
Moai said. I suppressed the urge to throw up and gulped down the water.
“What is this! It’s not cold water!”
The water was lukewarm, which annoyed me. What I needed right now was cold water that would cool me down to my core.
“Eek! I’m sorry! It’s my fault! I thought cold water might be too cold, and hot water might be too hot, so I brought lukewarm water, but I was too stupid to realize I should have brought cold water! I’ll bring it right away! VIP! Please wait!”
“Seriously…. Do Koreans not even know what cold water is? Tsk tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and gulped down the cold water that was brought back. Now I finally felt refreshed.
“Hey, Park Suho. What exactly is a VIP? In Gwangwon Church, it seems like a VIP is special, like, really special.”
I handed the water cup back to the follower who had brought the water. It was a signal for him to bring another cup. This time, he seemed to have caught on and immediately brought cold water.
“Ah, that’s…”
“I’ll explain.”
Kang Jiwoo, who had been silent during the meal, interrupted. The bowl in front of her was clean, with not a single piece of food left.
“Jiwoo will? Then I’m all for it.”
“In our Gwangwon Church, a VIP refers to a human chosen by the Light God.”
“Light God…?”
“Yes. Using the character for light (光), he is the God of Light. Just as the ‘Gwang’ in Gwangwon Church (光源敎) means light, the Light God is the God of Light.”
“Ah. I almost misunderstood. But if a VIP is a human chosen by God… does that mean the Light God chose me?”
“Yes. In fact, the day before you arrived, the Light God appeared in my dream and told me to take good care of you. The Light God chose you.”
“That’s just a dream.”
“No. It’s a divine revelation from the Light God.”
Kang Jiwoo said with a serious face. Looking at that face, I knew she wouldn’t listen to anything I said. Kang Jiwoo truly believed it was a divine revelation.
“And the VIP is also written in our doctrine. On the day the VIP chosen by him appears, he will ascend to his divine authority.”
“…What is divine authority?”
“It refers to the position of God. The place where the Light God, who is far away, should rightfully sit. We interpret it this way: the Light God will descend a few days after the VIP appears and save this world!”
Kang Jiwoo said excitedly. Every time she mentioned the Light God, her eyes filled with madness. The followers around her were the same. They had all knelt on the floor and were praying.
“Oh…! Light God! Have mercy on us!”
“Send a ray of light into this dark world!”
“Light God! Save the world!”
Park Suho was also among the followers kneeling and praying.
‘Did they really brainwash him? The signs of brainwashing are… I don’t know.’
Park Suho, whom I had met in person, seemed fine in areas unrelated to Gwangwon Church.
“Anyway, that means I’m that important. There was a reason why Kang Jiwoo was so nice to me.”
She was a bit unusual from the moment she personally took the bus to pick me up. Usually, those kinds of tasks are done by lower-ranking followers.
“Yes. Because you’re a VIP. Yujin, if there’s anything you want, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“…Well. It’s a bit overwhelming, but… I understand. That will be easier for you all too.”
I flicked my finger at a follower sitting next to me. The follower jumped up from his seat and approached me.
“VIP! Do you need help?”
“……”
I kept my mouth shut and pointed with my chin at the dishes in front of me. It’s not my place to mix words with the lowly.
“I will clear them away, VIP!”
Fortunately, the follower seemed to have caught on and immediately cleared my dishes.
‘It’s overwhelming, but what can I do? This is Gwangwon Church, so I have to follow the teachings of Gwangwon Church.’
“My mouth feels a bit dry. I want to eat some cool and sweet fruit.”
“I will bring it!”
The followers rushed to the kitchen. In less than five minutes, cut watermelon appeared in front of me. Judging by the looks of it, they had cut at least three watermelons.
“It’s not as tasty as I thought. It seems like I bought the wrong watermelon.”
“I will go to the city and buy some sweet watermelon!”
“Ah. Is that so? Then the watermelons here… throw them in the forest. The forest should also taste watermelon. Just in case, I’m saying this, but you shouldn’t eat them. If I, a VIP, eat the same food as you, wouldn’t the Light God be displeased?”
“Of course, VIP. The VIP’s words are a hundred times correct. We will throw all the remaining watermelons in the forest.”
I nodded.
I was about to get up from my chair when a woman caught my eye. She wasn’t as beautiful as Kang Jiwoo, but she was still a woman of considerable beauty.
“You, the female follower over there.”
“Yes, VIP! How can I help you!”
“It’s boring here without a TV. Why don’t you do the Zero Two dance for me?”
“The Zero Two dance…? What, what is that?”
“Haa. You don’t even know that? Search it up on the internet.”
The female follower took out her smartphone and searched for the Zero Two dance.
“Ah! This kind of dance! I understand! I will dance to relieve the VIP’s boredom!”
The sound of an exciting beat came from her smartphone, and the female follower began to dance the Zero Two dance. I watched her with satisfaction and then turned my head to the side.
“Jiwoo, why don’t you try dancing too?”
“…Are you talking about me?”
“Yes. I really want to see you dance the Zero Two dance.”
“Since the VIP is asking, I have no choice.”
Kang Jiwoo stood up and danced along with the female follower. As expected of someone from an idol group. Her hip-shaking skills were extraordinary.
“You female follower over there! You dance too! Quickly!”
I was about 70% convinced that I wanted to join the salvation church.
•••
After lunch, Kang Jiwoo gave me a tour of the area.
“This isn’t a rented place, it’s a building owned by Gwangwon Church.”
“Even though it’s far from the city center, it must be quite expensive…. Gwangwon Church seems to have a lot of money.”
“The followers generously donate, so there are no financial problems. Ah, but we didn’t buy this building. A generous follower donated it.”
“The follower’s faith is amazing.”
They’re sucking the followers dry to the bone.
I need to be careful. I don’t want to give a single penny to a cult.
I followed Kang Jiwoo around the building. Overall, it was well-maintained. It was clean. However, the patterns on the walls and ceilings were a bit strange. There were many patterns that didn’t match the interior. Especially from a distance, there were strange patterns that made my eyes tired.
“This is…”
I entered the auditorium and saw a large painting on the wall. It was right in front of the entrance, so I couldn’t help but see it.
It was a gruesome painting.
Numerous people were dead, the ground was soaked in blood, and black monsters were flying in the red sky. And at the center of it all was a single light.
“It’s a painting depicting the future that is to come. It’s a future full of fear… but look at the center. You see the light, right? The Light God is not abandoning us and is saving us.”
Seeing that the light was at the center of the monsters and corpses, it didn’t seem like salvation at all, but I nodded without picking a fight.
“Then it’s… time for the prayer meeting.”
She said, looking at her watch. It was ten minutes before 1 PM.
The doors of the auditorium opened, and the followers entered.
“Is the prayer meeting held in the auditorium?”
“Yes. This is the largest space. Oh, and you can’t bring your smartphone to the prayer meeting. Can you give me your smartphone?”
I swallowed hard and handed her my smartphone.
Finally, the naked prayer meeting is about to begin!
