Festival
Jiwon didn’t want to be alone, so he decided to stay by Lee Jak’s side while he worked. Lee Jak allowed it. He removed Jiwon’s tattered cult leader robes and handed him a plain T-shirt and pants. Jiwon felt a little happier. But at the same time, a thought crossed his mind.
The sex he’d had with Kim Seonghee in the auditorium had been filmed and live-streamed on the screen, but it had only been consumed within the auditorium and then forgotten. However, the video he’d filmed with Lee Jak was meant for promotional purposes, so far more people would see it. Jiwon suddenly realized this fact.
His heart pounded at the thought. Even if he paid off all his debt, would he really be able to return to his old life? What if someone recognized him? What if someone he’d met in his life ended up seeing the video? The thought terrified him.
After agonizing over it, Jiwon finally decided to ask Lee Jak. Lee Jak was sitting across from him, working on a tablet. Jiwon hugged his knees and asked timidly,
“Lee Jak-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“About that video…”
“Yes. Go on.”
“How… can people watch it?”
Lee Jak looked puzzled.
“Do you want to watch it yourself?”
“No, not at all! I absolutely don’t want to watch it!”
“Be honest.”
“What if someone I know sees it…?”
“If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t be. Your face will be mosaicked.”
“Ah…”
That was a relief, at least.
“If your face were shown, it would mean there’s no guarantee you could return to your normal life even after paying off your debt.”
“……”
“How would we know what you’d do?”
The words were cold and detached, but strangely, they comforted him. Jiwon let out a sigh of relief. Lee Jak smiled and reassured him.
“You’re doing very well, Cult Leader. Just focus on earning money and returning to your old life.”
“Did I… do well earlier?”
“Of course. You were so cute, feeling it so deeply.”
Jiwon wasn’t sure, but everyone kept telling him the same thing. He was doing well. He just needed to keep doing his best. In this situation, there was no immediate escape, so he might as well do what he could to the best of his ability. Jiwon decided to believe them.
Lee Jak nodded and returned to his work. Jiwon didn’t know what he was doing, but he always seemed busy. He grew curious.
“You’re always so busy, Lee Jak-ssi.”
“Yes. The handover isn’t finished yet.”
“Handover?”
“Yes. I haven’t been handling the Land of Happiness’s affairs for that long either. Right now, I’m in the process of systematizing and delegating tasks, which is giving me a headache.”
“Ah…”
Jiwon didn’t ask any more questions and simply watched Lee Jak, passing the time.
No matter how many times he looked, Lee Jak was handsome. Unlike Kim Seonghee, whose rugged, masculine features appealed to a wide age range, Lee Jak had a delicate, sharp beauty. Even someone like Jiwon, a cult leader, had demand—surely Lee Jak did too. But maybe he didn’t need the money. Then again, who would willingly do this job unless forced?
Speaking of which, Kim Seonghee had given him a new phone. Jiwon decided to bring it up.
“Um, Kim Seonghee-nim gave me a new phone.”
“Yes, I heard.”
“The one I had before…”
“It’s already been confiscated. The new one doesn’t have internet access and can only call saved numbers, so it won’t be much use for entertainment.”
“Ah…”
When had they taken it? Lee Jak was thorough. Jiwon pulled out the new phone and fiddled with it. As Lee Jak said, the internet was blocked, and he could only call the saved contacts—just Kim Seonghee and Lee Jak.
“There are only two contacts…”
“Since I’ll always be by your side, you won’t have much use for it.”
“I see. But I’ll call if I need to.”
“Do that.”
Lee Jak answered without looking at him. Jiwon watched him work for a while, then yawned out of boredom.
Bored? It was unbelievable. Over the past few days, he’d been adapting at an alarming rate to the abnormal events unfolding around him. His lower body, which had been tormented by the vibrating toy earlier, still ached a little, but it was bearable.
He’d never once imagined that the hole down there would be used for such purposes. It was an exit, not an entrance. But ever since he’d come here, he’d experienced all sorts of things, and he was slowly becoming accustomed to unfamiliar pleasures.
It was still embarrassing and strange, but he was starting to understand his role as the cult leader. If he worked hard, maybe he could get out of here sooner than expected. Then he could find his parents and return to his old life. That was his only hope.
“Lee Jak-ssi. You said there’s a Dalant Market this weekend.”
“Yes.”
“Can I go take a look?”
“Hmm. Since it’s indoors, it should be fine. Take a look around. It might help.”
“Thank you.”
Since coming here, Jiwon had rarely left the cult leader’s room. Meals and even the bathroom were all taken care of inside, so there was no need to go out. The followers rarely entered the room directly; most things were delivered through Lee Jak.
As a result, he hardly ever saw people. Jiwon wanted to see others, even if he couldn’t talk or interact with them. He just wanted to watch from a distance. This suspicious religious facility in the quiet mountains—he was trapped here, but he decided to make the best of what he could do.
“I’ll be busy with the event that day, so I won’t be able to stay with you. I’ll give you some Dalant to use, so enjoy the market.”
“Okay.”
Jiwon felt a spark of anticipation. He hoped the weekend would come soon.
***
The weekend Jiwon had been looking forward to finally arrived. Early in the morning, Lee Jak handed him a small coin purse and plastic coins. He was dressed in a plain T-shirt and pants. Finally, Lee Jak gave him a mask that covered half his face.
“What’s this?”
“It’s mandatory. No one wants to show their face.”
“Ah…”
He understood. Everyone here had their own private lives, so it was to prevent any unnecessary embarrassment. Jiwon nodded and put on the mask. It was a white mask that covered up to his cheeks, tied with strings around his ears. His face looked strange with the mask on.
“I’ll be busy today, so another follower will guide you. Have fun.”
“Yes. I’ll be back.”
Jiwon bowed slightly. It had been a long time since he’d left the cult leader’s room. As he opened the door, a masked follower greeted him.
“Thank you for allowing me to meet the Cult Leader.”
“For security reasons, you must not call him ‘Cult Leader’ outside this room. His identity must not be revealed.”
“I understand.”
“Report to me when you arrive at the venue.”
The follower was a man of similar height to Jiwon, but slightly stockier. After bowing to Lee Jak, he silently led the way. Jiwon followed him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
