Chapter 166
“Where have you been?”
To Cheon Gwanghangja’s question asking where he had gone without saying anything, Mugeuk spoke with a face pale as a sheet, gasping for breath.
“One by one, o-one by one…, huff, if we don’t bring Eunseong-nim back, one per day, gasp, haa, hak.”
“Catch your breath and speak calmly. Where exactly have you been?”
“They say we kidnapped Eunseong-nim, and if we don’t bring Eunseong-nim back, one per day! They’ll eliminate the executors, the main church executors!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Yoo Siwoon! Yoo Siwoon said if we don’t bring Eunseong-nim back, he’ll execute one executor per day! He’s going to kill us!”
“…What did you say? Yoo Siwoon? You’re saying Yoo Siwoon is currently holding our executors captive and threatening us?”
The executors gathered one by one, startled by Mugeuk’s commotion. Taeho’s complexion also quickly turned pale.
“One person each day that passes!”
“Why? We merely followed The Great Crevice’s orders. Why eliminate our executors, why!”
“Because they say we kidnapped Eunseong-nim!”
At Mugeuk’s scream-like cry, everyone turned pale and stared at each other’s faces in confusion.
“Not only that, but the captured breeders, all of them, both of them…, all.”
“Both what? Both why? What did they do?”
Stop trembling and speak properly, Cheon Gwanghangja uncharacteristically grabbed Mugeuk’s shoulders and shook him violently. As if finally coming to his senses, Mugeuk shook his head vigorously and shouted:
“He killed both of them without trial!”
“…What?”
“Sob, Okjin-nim said to come back quickly, to return immediately, that the main church is in chaos now and some have even fled. They say Yoo Siwoon is trying to eliminate everyone. He’s trying to kill everyone. He’s gone mad. Completely insane. Isn’t he trying to eliminate all of us!”
“What does that mean? Why would he eliminate us? How would he eliminate us?”
“Didn’t I say I was suspicious!”
Taeho shouted roughly, saying he knew this would happen according to his suspicions, and struck the wall with his fist.
He had noticed it from when they were randomly discarding the Jeokdan. He had found it strange when they incited the Dohyeonja to deal with the apostle without going through careful procedures. It wasn’t something that could be handled so simply at their own discretion.
“We were all deceived. This means Yoo Siwoon was actually a non-believer! Have you forgotten the forces that tried to eliminate our Yongse Pacheon Church before? Yoo Siwoon is in league with them! He’s been deceiving us all this time! He caused the apostle’s death and has been holding The Great Crevice hostage!”
It wasn’t as if there hadn’t been such non-believers in their long history. After it was later revealed that the prophetic records they thought were in a dead language were similar to uncial script and they could interpret the scriptures, they learned that the identity of the god in the prophecy was the pale horse rider mentioned in Revelation.
The non-believers were a group that literally interpreted the rider on the pale horse as a demon. They opposed sacrificial rituals and didn’t believe in The Great Crevice prophecy. They said the god should not appear in this world, interfered to prevent finding The Great Crevice, tried to cut off the bloodline of breeders, and constantly caused disturbances by branding faithful believers as heretics who worship demons.
Who would have thought Yoo Siwoon’s true identity was one of those non-believers.
“We have The Great Crevice.”
Cheon Gwanghangja, who had barely grasped the situation that had befallen them, managed to calm his trembling voice and said.
“That’s right. The Great Crevice is with us! We must never hand him over to Yoo Siwoon.”
They all looked up in unison as if gazing at Eunseong who was in their hands.
“Fortunately, since The Great Crevice is still young…, we can wait for other breeders to mature. He will be able to fulfill his purpose as a vessel. Let’s leave this place for now. We need to find people to help us. We must inform everyone that Yoo Siwoon is a non-believer.”
“You mean we should abandon the main church? He threatened that if we don’t appear, he’ll eliminate the executors one by one each day! He eliminated the breeders too, and to Yoo Siwoon, executors would be more trivial than a fly’s life, and someone will die tomorrow!”
“I heard there are young breeder candidates. Let’s contact them and inform them what Yoo Siwoon is trying to do. We must keep Eunseong-nim with us until he can safely breed.”
“Pack your things first. Leaving this place is the priority.”
Eunseong was startled by the loud knocking. He only looked up in surprise without giving any response, but the door burst open. It was Cheon Gwanghangja with a pale complexion.
“You must go. We’re leaving this place. Pack your things and come out.”
“Suddenly? Where to?”
“We’re going somewhere else.”
“…Is something wrong?”
“It seems Yoo Siwoon discovered our location due to our carelessness.”
“Ahjussi… found out where I am?”
Seeing Eunseong’s fear, Cheon Gwanghangja’s distrust and anger toward Yoo Siwoon grew even greater. Even The Great Crevice was rejecting him. He was afraid of him.
Since all the remaining breeders had been killed by Yoo Siwoon, they needed to find breeder candidates who hadn’t yet reached secondary sexual characteristics and their forces to prepare for their god to come to this earth in the future. Above all, it was urgent to inform the believers that Yoo Siwoon was a non-believer committing atrocities.
“So you must leave quickly. Please hurry.”
Eunseong hastily packed his things. What he called belongings were only a charger, the burner phone Lee Joon-seung had given him, his parents’ photo, and the clothes he was wearing.
“Could you give me this?”
“What? The phone? Why? Ahjussi doesn’t even know I have this phone. Director Nam doesn’t know either.”
“Still, just in case, I think it would be better if I kept it.”
This was after hearing that Eunseong had made a phone call to someone. Whoever it was, Eunseong had to be under their complete control until the time came when breeding could be safely carried out.
Ignoring Eunseong’s refusal, Cheon Gwanghangja forcibly took the phone from his hands.
“I’ll keep it safe. Just until the situation settles down.”
The one who had roughly snatched the phone explained to Eunseong, who was looking at him with surprised eyes, even though he hadn’t asked. Cheon Gwanghangja urged Eunseong while unconsciously grabbing and pulling his forearm painfully.
They had always treated him with utmost care, but this was the first time they had forced him like this. Cheon Gwanghangja grabbed Eunseong’s arm and dragged him out, and immediately after, Taeho grabbed his other arm. It was as if they were blocking him from escaping anywhere.
Eunseong noticed something was wrong. These weren’t the people who had unconditionally obeyed his words and bowed their heads.
Eunseong obediently moved as they wanted for now. He didn’t know why they were acting this way, but one thing was certain: they couldn’t harm his life carelessly. Without Eunseong, they couldn’t create the god they had been waiting for so long. All of that was only possible if Eunseong was alive.
Taeho opened the car’s back door and forced the hesitating Eunseong inside. Before Eunseong could ask where they were going, executors got in on both sides of him. As soon as the door slammed shut, the car started moving.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going somewhere Yoo Siwoon doesn’t know about.”
“So where exactly is that?”
“We cannot tell you.”
“…You won’t answer my questions?”
Eunseong turned to look at Cheon Gwanghangja and asked. When their eyes met, he hastily looked down, but didn’t answer Eunseong’s question.
“Please tell me where we’re going.”
“I’m sorry, but we cannot tell you.”
“……”
Communication was impossible. They were deliberately avoiding Eunseong.
The tension flowing among the executors made Eunseong anxious as well.
It didn’t seem like being discovered by Yoo Siwoon was the reason. Something Eunseong didn’t know about must have happened.
Eunseong pretended to comply with what they wanted and quietly kept his mouth shut. He didn’t know what was going on, but Eunseong’s safety was as important to them as their own lives. Although they had taken his phone and were holding him so he couldn’t move, his life wasn’t in danger. Eunseong once again confirmed the location of the phone that Cheon Gwanghangja had put in his pocket and obediently turned his gaze forward.
Led by the executors, he had been driven in the car for over four hours on the road. From the traffic signs passing by the car window, he could tell this was somewhere around Mokpo.
The place they newly arrived at was a resort that thoroughly protected privacy with individual units spaced apart.
Taeho and Mugeuk guided Eunseong inside the house. When Eunseong entered the bedroom, they locked the door from outside.
Eunseong shook the door handle, thinking “surely not.” The door was locked and couldn’t be opened from inside. It was confinement.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
