Chapter 181: End of Mass
The sight of the man collapsing registered in Yu Daon’s eyes.
"...Huh?"
She couldn't understand how things had unfolded like this.
Or rather, she understood, but she couldn't accept it.
She hurriedly ran toward the man and placed her fingers under his nose.
A faint breath could be felt.
He was alive.
What had he said to her earlier?
He’d told her to stay put.
"..."
But could she really do that?
Thud… thud…
The Priest was walking toward her, and she stepped forward as if to shield the man’s body.
Even if she didn’t understand anything else, she couldn’t let this person get close to him.
Even if Yu Daon had to die a hundred times over.
"..."
"..."
The Priest and Yu Daon’s gazes met, and a voice sounded in Yu Daon’s head.
‘He will resolve all your worries and anxieties.’
Worries, anxieties.
What were her worries? What were her anxieties?
She was so incredibly happy right now.
An illusion flashed through Yu Daon’s mind.
Herself, laughing happily with her family. Herself, living an ordinary life. Most of all, herself, free from pain.
The her in the imagination was smiling so blissfully.
With a bright, innocent face that knew nothing.
The image of her living such a life and meeting her end surrounded by everyone’s love unfolded in her mind.
A bitter smile naturally formed on her face.
Immortality is an ability that’s harder to notice than one might think.
How often do people in this day and age experience unexpected death in their lifetimes?
So, she’d probably only realize her ability after dying.
How terrifying would that be? Thinking you’re dead, only to wake up perfectly fine after what should have been a natural death.
That kind of life didn’t suit her.
Was it because Yu Daon thought that? A memory from the past passed through her mind.
Her parents leaving her at the hospital, and because of her own wish—
No. That’s not it.
She shook her head vigorously.
"..."
Yu Daon turned her head to look at the man lying beside her.
There was no need to grit her teeth and turn away.
She didn’t believe that the man sleeping before her now could perfectly resolve all her worries and anxieties.
No one could do that.
Of course, people who met him might escape slightly more miserable lives.
Those who never met him would simply feel regret.
Crunch!
Thinking this, Yu Daon bit down hard on her own tongue.
The sharp pain made the illusion vanish.
She believed in the man.
He wasn’t a god, nor an omnipotent being.
But what did that matter?
When blades pierced her body, she had screamed for god, begging to be saved over and over, but no god descended to help her.
When her body was broken beyond repair, unable to even walk, and she crawled on the floor begging to be killed, god did not grant her wish.
He was different.
In his human body, shedding blood, he had rushed to the hospital to save her, and even after that, he hadn’t hesitated to fight the Director for her sake.
She had received so much from him.
Unlike a god that demanded faith but did nothing when she cried out, he was different.
She had decided to trust the warm hand extended directly to her more than a salvation with no promise.
"Ouch."
Unlike usual, blood was flowing incessantly from her tongue.
Ah, right. Her body hadn’t returned to normal yet.
When the man had looked at her earlier, her tongue had been fine, so she could pretend not to know, but now he wasn’t here.
Ptooey! She spat out the blood.
The Priest’s gaze met hers, and at the same time, the Priest tilted its head, making an expression as if it couldn’t understand.
"..."
Still shielding the fallen man, Yu Daon continued her train of thought.
Would this Priest leave the man alone?
What if it tried to take him away?
Then she would have to stop it, even if her body was ground to dust.
Yu Daon spread her arms wide.
Whoosh!
And then, white hair fluttered in front of her.
Jang Chae-yeon was standing before her, arms similarly spread wide.
The Priest looked at her,
"Bite your tongue."
"..."
"And, no matter how much Ms. Chae-yeon cried, god did nothing for her."
At Yu Daon’s quiet words, Jang Chae-yeon also opened her mouth wide and bit her own tongue.
With a Crunch! sound, her expression contorted,
and blood trickled from the corner of Jang Chae-yeon’s mouth.
"We need to buy time."
"How?"
"With our bodies, of course."
"...Okay."
The Priest slowly approached the two women,
and Jang Chae-yeon clenched her fist.
As if ready to swing at any moment, Jang Chae-yeon gripped her fist tightly.
"Uwaaaah...!"
Someone came running with a pitiful cry.
Thwack!
Someone from afar, holding a wooden plank, ran over and struck the Priest’s head.
Black hair mixed with pink streaks fluttered in the air.
"Uh, unnies? Are you okay?"
Park Ye-eun looked at the two women with a flustered expression.
The Priest raised its arm.
"Eeek!" Park Ye-eun cried out, raising both arms to defend herself.
"...Phew..."
Someone sighed,
and Park Ye-eun’s body was pulled backward as if controlled by strings.
"Uh, uh?"
"...Stay still."
An irritated voice filled the chapel.
Purple hair shining, as if she had a headache, Song A-rin rose from her seat, one hand clutching her head.
"...Can you use your ability?"
"Maybe they just cut the connection. How should I know?"
Still clutching her head, Song A-rin waved her hand.
"Uh, uhhh!"
"No, Father!"
The people who had been sitting stood up and began to rush the Priest.
"Why do you look so upset?"
"...It’s nothing."
At Yu Daon’s question, Song A-rin turned her head with an expression as if she’d been stung.
"Anyway, I’ll buy the time... You guys should just—"
Before Song A-rin could even finish speaking, new flesh began to grow inside Yu Daon’s mouth.
The wound she had made earlier with her fingernail had also returned to its original state as if nothing had happened.
"I’m going."
Yu Daon immediately sprang to her feet, and Jang Chae-yeon also stretched out her hand.
They couldn’t just stand still.
*
"...Ouch."
Pressing my throbbing temples, I sink into thought.
I assess the situation before my eyes.
Yu Daon, smiling at me.
Jang Chae-yeon, slamming the Priest against the wall like a madwoman.
And even Song A-rin, making the people restrain the Priest.
"Didn’t I tell you not to fight?"
"The Priest was coming for you."
"That’s right! How were we supposed to know what it would do!"
Jang Chae-yeon and Yu Daon answered triumphantly.
When they put it like that, what could I do?
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders, and the two women laughed softly.
"Still, I’m glad you’re okay."
"Indeed."
I raised my head and looked at the Priest.
"..."
"..."
My eyes met the Priest’s.
[Name: Priest]
[Age: X]
[Specialty: Confession]
[Talent: Rumination]
[Background: Confront your sins bravely. If that is impossible, kneel and pray to your god.]
[Weakness: Believe fervently in something else. Enough to sacrifice yourself. Or, become an exception.]
A semi-transparent window appeared.
[Critical: 0 -> 2]
Was it because I passed the trial?
My eyes had returned, too.
I pulled the gun from my holster.
"Let’s finish this."
No sooner had I spoken than the Priest, who had met my gaze.
"..."
Smiled a brilliantly wide smile, so wide it seemed to split the corners of its mouth.
It spread its arms wide.
The feminine face, with its abnormally torn mouth corners, was looking at me.
Smiling, it opened its mouth.
"It is accomplished."
And then,
Crunch!
It struck its own head with its fist, and its head burst.
"Kyaaaah!"
"Uwaaah! Father!"
People screamed.
But no blood spurted out.
A red liquid soaked the wall, and a fragrant grape scent stung my nose.
"...Communion wine."
Song A-rin muttered.
Thud!
The headless body wandered aimlessly before collapsing to the floor.
The people who had been praying in the chapel scattered in panic and ran out.
"No! We’ve lost the chapel!"
"God, please save us...!"
Countless people ran outside.
Some dragged their legs as they fled,
some ran with their eyes closed, incessantly reciting prayers,
and someone grabbed me and started praying.
"Ah, O Prophet, please save us— Ack!"
Jang Chae-yeon peeled all such people off me.
What in the world were they so afraid of?
I looked at a woman sitting with her eyes closed, praying desperately.
The woman who had given me the cross earlier.
She looked at me with a terrified expression.
"Prophet, please—"
Before she could even finish her sentence,
the people exploded.
Pop!
The woman who was looking at me burst.
Pop!
A man fleeing in the distance burst.
Pop!
The woman who had been thrown by Jang Chae-yeon burst.
The sour scent of grapes stung my nose.
My clothes, other people’s clothes, were splattered with communion wine.
"Uh, uh? Uh?"
Park Ye-eun muttered with an unreadable expression.
"..."
Jang Chae-yeon stared wide-eyed, looking around.
"...No."
Song A-rin clutched her head as if thinking something else.
"Wow. It’s going to be so hard to wash all this!"
Yu Daon.
Only the five of us remained standing firmly in our places.
The communion wine filling the room soaked our shoes,
and the cross hanging on the altar swayed.
As my gaze turned toward it,
[Name: I am the Bread of Life.]
[Age: Whoever comes to me will never hunger]
[Specialty: Whoever believes in me will never thirst]
[Talent: This cup is the new covenant in my blood]
[Background: Which is shed for you.]
In the usual enigmatic response, a sizzling sound accompanied the revelation of its weakness.
[Weakness: Only those without faith can deny its existence.]
"You there! Are you unharmed!"
Hearing the familiar voice of an old man running from behind, the Gangdong Branch incident was temporarily concluded.
*
"Hey."
"Yes."
"Do I look like a fool to you?"
"No, sir."
"Then why are you like this again?"
"No, sir."
"What do you mean 'no'? Is this the era of the 1994 Farmers' Movement? Is it okay to grill someone like this?"
"No, sir."
A white-haired old man with snow-white hair was relentlessly berating a brown-haired woman who stood at attention.
The brown-haired woman had her eyes closed.
It was our Branch Chief.
And I,
"Um, really, the Branch Chief didn’t do anything separately..."
"Mr. Kim Jae-heon. It’s alright. I know everything."
The old man looked at me and gave a benevolent smile.
I looked above the old man’s head.
[Name: - ]
[Age: - ]
[Specialty: - ]
[Talent: - ]
[Background: Have I been failing to properly nurture successors all this time? He is feeling deeply doubtful of himself.]
[Weakness: - ]
"No, really..."
"How much have you suffered? Working under a crazy superior who’s old enough to know better, but sends his subordinate out on cases out of jealousy and envy..."
"No, really..."
"It’s fine."
He wasn’t listening to me.
"At ease."
"Yes, sir!"
The Branch Chief stood at ease.
"Attention."
The Branch Chief straightened her body.
"At ease, attention, at ease, attention, at ease, attention."
Following the old man’s commands, the Branch Chief continued to move.
"Ha, since you’re physically fit, this kind of thing is meaningless."
"I apologize!"
"Head down!"
"Understood!"
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!"
I hurriedly stopped the Branch Chief, who was about to bow her head, and looked at the two of them.
Please, how did things end up like this?