The narrow hallway was entirely white. He’d only walked this hallway a few times—he could count them on one hand.
Jiwon considered talking to the follower, but he seemed tense, so he decided against it. After descending and ascending several flights of stairs, a large door finally appeared. The follower stopped and explained.
“When you open this door, you’ll see the venue right away. Spend your time there, and when you’re ready to leave, contact Lee Jak-nim, and I’ll come escort you back.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Then I’ll see you later.”
The follower seemed polite. He bowed deeply before disappearing. Jiwon felt awkward.
As he opened the door, an overwhelming flood of light and noise poured in. Jiwon frowned for a moment. The venue was the same auditorium where he’d had his first introduction. Small stalls lined the space, and countless people milled about. Jiwon closed the door behind him and stepped inside.
Apart from the plastic coins used as currency, it felt like an ordinary market. But the goods being sold were different.
“…….”
Most of them were adult toys. Jiwon was at a loss for words. Even if it was a religion, shouldn’t they at least pretend to sell something more decent? The blatant display was almost embarrassing. Plus, everyone was wearing masks, making the atmosphere even stranger.
Jiwon began to wander, looking at the items. There were dildos of various shapes, harnesses, and underwear. At first, he was excited to browse, but his enthusiasm quickly faded. In the end, he used the plastic coins Lee Jak had given him to buy some takoyaki.
He sat on a makeshift chair in the corner and ate the takoyaki. Suddenly, a middle-aged man plopped down in the empty seat next to him. Ouch, it’s hot. As Jiwon struggled with the heat in his mouth, the man handed him a clear bottle of water.
“Drink.”
“Th-thank you.”
He took the bottle and gulped it down. He’d thought it was water, but it had a faint fruity flavor. It was lukewarm, but it soothed him a little. Jiwon bowed his head and reached for his coin purse.
“How much is it? I’ll pay you.”
“You don’t have to. I brought it for myself.”
“Ah, no, I didn’t finish it. Here, at least…”
“Just drink it all.”
“O-okay…”
At the man’s words, Jiwon finished the bottle. The man was also wearing a mask, so his face wasn’t visible, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. The man started talking to Jiwon.
“Young guys like you are rare around here.”
“Huh?”
“Young ones are common in Mother’s Land, but not so much in the Land of Happiness.”
“Ah… yes, I suppose so.”
Kim Seonghee seemed to appeal to a wide age range. Jiwon, unsure how to respond, just nodded vaguely.
“So when did you start coming here?”
“Uh… since the new cult leader arrived.”
“Ah, right? Me too. A friend introduced me, so I went to the first introduction.”
The man excitedly launched into his story. Jiwon started to feel a little overwhelmed, but since the man had given him water and struck up a conversation, he didn’t want to be rude. He still hadn’t finished his takoyaki. Jiwon broke off a piece and nodded as he ate.
“The new cult leader is something else.”
“Y-yeah…”
“So pale and soft, I bet he feels amazing.”
“Ah…”
The man lowered his voice and leaned in closer.
“Kim Seonghee-nim fucks him so good, he screams in pleasure. I came twice just listening to that.”
“Did you…?”
“Haven’t felt like that in a long time. How many times did you come?”
“I… once…?”
Jiwon answered vaguely. He didn’t really want to talk about this, but the man seemed even more excited by his response.
“You’re pretty open. Yeah, everyone here is like that. Not many sane people around.”
“Yeah…”
Jiwon silently picked at his takoyaki. He poked at the corn and fake octopus pieces. He just wanted this conversation to end.
“…….”
“Hmm?”
“I think I’ll get up now. I want to look around more.”
“Already?”
Jiwon’s attempt to leave seemed to disappoint the man.
“We haven’t finished talking. Stay a little longer.”
“I haven’t seen everything yet.”
“Right. So, how’s your body?”
“Huh?”
Jiwon didn’t understand why the man was suddenly asking about his body.
“I’m fine.”
“That can’t be right.”
“Huh?”
“The water you drank. It’s a drug that knocks anyone out in ten minutes.”
The man smiled faintly. Something was wrong. Jiwon tried to stand up and leave, but his legs gave out. He couldn’t get up—his body wouldn’t respond.
“Ah…”
Jiwon slowly turned his head to look at the man. Through his blurring vision, he saw the man smiling.
“See?”
What should he do? He needed to call Lee Jak. He needed help. Jiwon reached into his pocket for his phone, but his fingers, devoid of strength, couldn’t grip it.
Thud.
Jiwon collapsed onto the venue floor. He tried to keep his eyes open, but they slowly closed. It was maddening.
His body was paralyzed, but his senses were still alive. He could feel everything—the sounds, the touches. He was sprawled on the floor, and he could tell this place was cold and damp. It was almost miserable.
***
“This time, you brought a good one.”
“Last time wasn’t so great.”
Jiwon heard the voices of the men surrounding him. They all sounded hoarse and rough, like older men. He tried to force his eyes open, but they only cracked slightly. Through that narrow slit, he could barely see.
“Eyes open?”
The man who had given him the water appeared in front of him. His face was close. He caressed Jiwon’s soft cheek with his palm, pressing and rubbing it roughly.
“Ugh…”
He needed to say something. He didn’t know what, but he wanted to tell them to stop. But his tongue wouldn’t move, and speech was nearly impossible. The only sound that came out was incoherent. At least his eyeballs could move, so Jiwon looked around at his situation.
Including the man who had given him the water, there were four middle-aged men. They were in the mountains. The ground was overgrown with unkempt weeds, and dense thickets surrounded them, blocking the view. The lush foliage blocked the sunlight, making it dark even though it was daytime.
It was cold. Jiwon was lying on the damp grass, completely naked, not even wearing underwear. The mask he’d had on his face was gone. It was spring, but still close to winter. Jiwon had lost his sense of the weather after being indoors for so long.
“That’s what happens when you’re not careful.”
“Good for us, though.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
