Kim Seonghee
Lee Jak had suggested using Kim Seonghee, but Jiwon hesitated. To Jiwon, Kim Seonghee was a terrifying figure. He wanted to live quietly without provoking such a man. But at the same time, he desperately wanted to settle his debts and escape this place.
According to Lee Jak, there were several religions, but <Mother’s Land> was overwhelmingly the largest, followed by <Land of Happiness>. The man who designed and operated all of this was Kim Seonghee. Jiwon wondered if pillow talk would even work on someone like him.
“This will help.” Lee Jak handed Jiwon a tablet.
Lee Jak pulled up a list of videos. Jiwon flinched but was relieved to see his own face wasn’t in them.
“This will help you understand Kim Seonghee. There are a few more videos, so take a look. I’ll step out for a bit, but call me if you need anything.”
Jiwon took the phone he had forgotten in his distraction. He nodded, and Lee Jak left the bedroom. Jiwon began watching the videos intently.
The videos Lee Jak had found were documentaries about Kim Seonghee. This looks like a real cult… Jiwon muttered to himself.
The introduction began with childhood photos of Kim Seonghee. Judging by his birth year, he was thirty-eight this year—eleven years older than Jiwon, who was twenty-seven. Jiwon had assumed he was much older, but the age gap wasn’t as large as he’d thought. He was surprised the childhood photos were in color, not black and white.
Kim Seonghee was born on Children’s Day, May 5th, weighing 4.8 kg. He grew quickly, already over 170 cm tall by the age of thirteen. His sexual curiosity led him to have his first sexual experience before entering middle school. Jiwon thought this was unnecessary information, but now that he knew, he couldn’t unknow it. It was agonizing.
After that, he enjoyed sex with both men and women but was careful with contraception, so he had no official children or spouse.
The most shocking fact was that Kim Seonghee was born into a devout family. His parents were faithful believers, and he himself graduated from a prestigious university with a degree in theology. What the hell? Jiwon was dumbfounded. The documentary kept revealing things about Kim Seonghee that he didn’t want to know.
His current height was 188 cm. He maintained his physique with daily morning workouts. His hobbies were reading, and his specialty was sex. Jiwon doubted the reading part, but the documentary shamelessly showed Kim Seonghee wearing glasses and reading a book titled 101 Positions for Ecstatic Sex in his study. Of course. Jiwon clicked his tongue.
This was less a documentary about the leader of a religion and more a promotional piece for Kim Seonghee’s charms. He frequently took off his shirt to show off his muscular body, even including a scene of him shaving after a shower. It was absurd.
The ten-minute video ended, and the screen displayed: <To be continued in Part 2.> Jiwon didn’t want to watch the next part, but autoplay started it anyway.
Part 2 covered how Kim Seonghee founded <Mother’s Land> and expanded the religious market. Jiwon already knew most of this from Lee Jak.
After graduating from university, Kim Seonghee worked at a regular company for six months before quitting to start his own religion. Initially, he rented a small office, but complaints poured in due to the cult-like nature of his activities. Eventually, he built a facility in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
Most cults were born from distorting the doctrines of existing religions, but <Mother’s Land> was different. Kim Seonghee didn’t promise heaven; he promised pleasure. And he delivered on that promise, bending the law to fulfill the desires of his followers—drugs, sex, violence—all justified under the word “consent.”
As <Mother’s Land> grew and faced scrutiny, Kim Seonghee began categorizing types of pleasure. <Land of Happiness> specialized in the pleasure derived from male-male sexual acts.
Jiwon’s head spun. It was hard to believe this was the product of a rational mind. He realized how reckless he had been to accept the role of cult leader without proper investigation.
Fortunately, the documentary on Kim Seonghee’s life was only two parts. When it ended, Jiwon closed the video and sat in thought.
Was he supposed to use pillow talk on someone like this? Lee Jak seemed out of his mind. This was impossible. Kim Seonghee was beyond him. But hadn’t Kim Seonghee and Lee Jak both told him he had talent?
That single word—talent—was Jiwon’s only hope. The question was how to make the most of it.
“Talent…”
Unfortunately, Jiwon had rarely heard that word in his life. He had always been mediocre, never standing out. The idea that he might actually have talent made him waver. If he truly had it, and if it could help him pay off his debts… His emotions churned like seaweed in the water.
Jiwon decided to muster his courage, despite his embarrassment. He opened the <Land of Happiness> website and replayed the video: <Introducing Our New Leader.> He watched the thirty-second clip over and over. He still didn’t understand why his humiliating appearance aroused men so much.
But the reaction was undeniably explosive. Lee Jak was right. The video had over 30,000 likes, and the Q&A board was flooded with new posts. A notice even apologized for the delay in responses due to the overwhelming number of inquiries.
The Q&A posts were only visible to administrators, but some titles caught his eye:
“Please show the full version of the promo video. Is there a Part 2? Can you remove the mosaic from his face…? I’m so fucking turned on…”
Jiwon was bewildered. The world seemed upside down. His mind was a mess, and he finally set the tablet aside, wrapping himself in the blanket. “This is weird…”
Everyone was crazy. It seemed there were more abnormal people in the world than normal ones. Jiwon realized how vast the world he didn’t know was. The world he had lived in now felt abnormal.
He fumbled for his phone and called Lee Jak. The call connected quickly.
“Lee Jak-ssi.”
—Yes, go ahead.
“I watched all the documentaries…”
—I see. Did you watch anything else?
“No, just the ones about Kim Seonghee.”
—Then why not try contacting him?
“Huh?”
—Seeing is believing. Kim Seonghee isn’t very busy right now. Give him a call.
Jiwon checked the time. It was 5 PM, an awkward hour. “Okay, I’ll try.”
The call ended. Jiwon took a deep breath. Now it was time to call Kim Seonghee. What should he say? His thoughts stalled.
Kim Seonghee and he were from completely different worlds. They had no common ground, and Kim Seonghee would probably hate wasting time finding one. What could he say? How could he win Kim Seonghee’s favor? It was too difficult.
But overthinking wouldn’t help. Jiwon dialed Kim Seonghee’s number. The call connected with a normal ringtone. Jiwon’s hands grew clammy with nerves.
—What.
The rough voice answered without even asking who it was. Jiwon panicked and stammered.
“It’s, it’s Seong Jiwon.”
—I know. What do you want?
“Ah…”
He couldn’t think of anything to say. Jiwon squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Did you see the promo video?”
—Promo video?
Oh no, was this a mistake? Jiwon’s face paled. He fumbled for words, but nothing came.
“I was just… curious what you thought. I mean, did it look too cheap?”
—Wait. Did you call to show me the <Land of Happiness> promo video?
Kim Seonghee spoke to someone else, and the call abruptly ended. Jiwon knelt, phone in hand, waiting anxiously. Had he done something stupid? He should have thought this through.
A moment later, Kim Seonghee called back. Jiwon jumped and answered.
—Did you call just to show me this? Hahaha.
Kim Seonghee was laughing loudly. Jiwon wanted to hide from embarrassment. Why had he thought of this video? He wished he hadn’t brought it up.
“Was it… not good?”
—No, it was great. You did well.
Kim Seonghee was still laughing.
“Did I… do well?”
—I told you. You’re doing great. Lee Jak can be annoying sometimes, but he’s damn good at his job. The puppy concept suits you perfectly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
