Chapter 1044

〈 Chapter 1044 〉 1044. Spirit Level

“Mr. Yoojin, I have a favor to ask.”

Kang Jiwoo said to me.

“A favor? What kind of favor?”

“Experience the teachings of Gwangwon and follow its rules during your stay.”

“That’s… obviously the right thing to do. You can treat me as just another follower.”

“Thank you, Mr. Yoojin. But I cannot simply treat you like an ordinary follower. You are a special person, after all.”

“Haha, you’re making me blush here.”

I wasn’t actually blushing at all. In fact, I felt even better receiving this special treatment.

She led me into the office. All the clerks were wearing training uniforms while working. They greeted Kang Jiwoo as she entered and resumed their tasks.

Kang Jiwoo retrieved something from the storage room at the back of the office.

“It’s a training uniform. I’ll guide you to your quarters where you can change.”

I accepted the uniform without hesitation. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, after all. No need to cause trouble over such trivial matters.

“But this seems different from what others are wearing.”

The design was similarly rustic, but it had various patterns added. The details were slightly different.

“That training uniform is for honored guests.”

“Honored guest?”

“Yes. Honored guest (貴人). Since you are a special person, Mr. Yoojin.”

“I see.”

Well, I guess I am somewhat special.

I was guided to my assigned quarters. It was about the size of a regular studio apartment, neatly organized. There was no fridge or kitchen, but it wasn’t bad.

“I’ll wait outside the door. Please change comfortably and come out when ready.”

I changed into the training uniform. My precious smartphone also found its way into the pants pocket of the training uniform. For a cult, they seemed surprisingly lenient.

“You’ve come out. It suits you well, Mr. Yoojin.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s head to the dining hall first and have lunch. Today’s menu is seaweed soup. Do you dislike it?”

“Not really. I don’t know many people who hate seaweed soup.”

“Good to hear.”

We entered the dining hall.

Many people were already eating inside. And just as we entered, I came face-to-face with Park Soho, who was sticking close to his girlfriend.

“Brother, we meet again.”

“Lunch is a must.”

I took a bowl of food and sat down.

Before eating, Jiwoo, Park Soho, and the other followers closed their eyes and clasped their hands together in prayer. I watched them with wide-open eyes. After quietly finishing their prayers, they began eating.

I scooped a spoonful of seaweed soup into my mouth. Though I’m not particularly fond of clam seaweed soup, the broth tasted amazing.

‘Hmm, everyone seems to be looking at me.’

Ever since entering, people around me kept glancing. At first, I thought they were looking at Jiwoo, but upon closer inspection, they were staring at me. There was no hostility, just curiosity—it must be because of this “honored guest” training uniform.

‘What’s going on?’

Even for me, it was getting a bit uncomfortable.

“Brother, why so suddenly?”

“…Ah, it’s just that there’s no water in my cup.”

The water station was self-service. As I was about to get up to fetch some water, a man sitting at the next table abruptly stood up and shouted.

“The honored guest needs water!”

“I happen to be sitting near the water dispenser! Allow me to serve the honored guest!”

“Oh! What great fortune for a follower!”

The disciple, holding the water cup with both hands, bowed deeply as if it was only natural.

‘Damn, what is this?’

Caught off guard, I ended up accepting the water cup…


Something felt off. They were being way too attentive to me, almost excessively so. Since a while ago, they’ve been staring at me with shining eyes… like they’re trying to help me or something.

“Sir. If you had said you needed water, I would’ve given you mine…”

“Are you crazy? Why would I eat something you’ve already eaten?”

“I haven’t even taken a sip of it yet! If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll do my best to assist you.”

“Hey. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? If I said I needed a girlfriend, would you just hand one over too?”

“Do you need a girlfriend? I can introduce you to some girls. Oh… if it’s *my* girlfriend you want… well, it’s a bit awkward, but since you’re an Honored One, I guess there’s no helping it. I’ll give her to you. Chunhee will understand.”

To my half-joking remark, an unexpected reply came back. Surprised, I looked at Park Sooho. His expression was dead serious—he genuinely intended to offer me his girlfriend.

“Hey. Are you insane? Why would I take your girlfriend? She’d cry!”

“No, no! If it’s necessary for me… then I will become the Honored One’s girlfriend!”

Moai spoke up. I clenched my teeth to keep from throwing up and gulped down the water in one go.

“What the heck! This isn’t cold water!”

The lukewarm water irritated me. What I really needed was ice-cold water to cool me down inside.

“Yikes! I’m sorry! That was my mistake! I thought lukewarm water would be better than too cold or too hot, but I failed to realize you wanted cold water! Let me fetch another immediately! Honored One, please forgive me!”

“Tch. Seriously… Do Koreans not know what cold water is? Tsk tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and chugged down the newly brought cold water. Finally, my insides felt refreshed.

“Hey, Park Sooho. What exactly is this ‘Honored One’ thing? In your Guangwon Sect, it seems like the Honored One is… kinda special.”

I handed the cup back to the disciple who’d brought me water, signaling for another round. This time, they seemed to catch on and quickly refilled it with cold water.

“Ah, let me explain that.”

“I’ll explain,” interjected Kang Jiwoo, who hadn’t uttered a single word during dinner. Her plate was spotless, every last bit of food gone.

“If Jiwoo wants to, then that’s great.”

“In our Guangwon Sect, the ‘Honored One’ refers to a person chosen by Guangshen.”

“Guangshen…?”

“Yes. The character Guang (光) means light, so Guangshen is the God of Light—just like in Guangyuanjiao (光源敎).”

“Oh. I almost misunderstood that. But if the Honored One is someone chosen by the deity… does that mean Guangshen chose me?”

“Yes. In fact, the day before you arrived, Guangshen appeared in my dream and instructed me to treat you well. You were personally selected by Guangshen.”

“That was just a dream though.”

“No, it wasn’t. It was a divine revelation from Guangshen.”

Kang Jiwoo said this with utmost seriousness. Looking at her face, I could tell she wouldn’t listen to any counterarguments—she truly believed it was a divine message.

“Also, the Honored One is mentioned in our doctrine. On the day the chosen Honored One appears, Guangshen will ascend to their rightful place.”

“…What exactly is this ‘rightful place’?”

“It refers to the throne of the gods—a distant position where Guangshen rightfully belongs. We interpret it as: after the Honored One arrives, Guangshen will soon descend and save the world!”

Kang Jiwoo grew excited as she spoke. Every time she mentioned Guangshen, her eyes glowed with fanaticism. The same went for the other disciples around her. They had all dropped to their knees and begun praying.

“Ohhh… Guangshen! Have mercy on us!”

“Send a ray of light into this dark world!”

“Guangshen! Save the world!”

Among the kneeling disciples was Park Sooho.

‘Did they brainwash him? Signs of brainwashing… hmm, hard to tell.’

From what I’ve seen, Park Sooho seems normal outside of anything related to the Guangwon Sect.

“Anyway, I guess that makes me quite an important figure. Now I understand why Jiwoo has been treating me so kindly.”

It was a bit unusual from the start when she personally came to pick me up at the bus station. Normally, lower-ranking disciples handle such tasks.

“Yes. Since you are the Honored One, Mr. Yoojin, please don’t hesitate to ask if there’s anything you desire.”

“…Hmm. It’s kind of awkward, but… alright. If it makes things easier for everyone, then sure.”

Sitting beside me…


The disciple was beckoned with a finger. Rising abruptly from their seat, the disciple approached me.

“Lord Gaon! Do you require assistance?”

“……”

I tightly shut my mouth and nodded toward the dishes in front of me with my chin. It is customary not to converse with those of lowly standing.

“I shall clear them for you, Lord Gaon!”

Fortunately, the disciple seemed perceptive and promptly cleared away my dishes.

‘Hmph. Though burdensome, what can be done? Here at the Church of Heaven’s Light, we must follow its doctrines.’

“My mouth feels dry. I desire a sweet and refreshing fruit.”

“I shall fetch it!”

The disciples raced to the kitchen one after another. In less than five minutes, a platter of watermelon appeared before me. Judging by the quantity, they must have cut open at least three melons.

“It tastes worse than expected. Perhaps we purchased an inferior watermelon.”

“I’ll go buy a sweeter one downtown!”

“Ahh… Very well then. As for these watermelons here… discard them in the forest. The woods deserve to taste watermelon too, don’t they? Just in case, do not eat them yourselves. Would Lord Spirit not be displeased if someone as noble as myself were to consume the same food as you commoners?”

“Of course, Great Lord! Your words are absolutely correct. We shall dispose of the remaining watermelons in the forest.”

I gave a slight nod.

As I rose from my chair, a woman caught my eye. Not quite on par with Kang Jiwoo, but she possessed remarkable beauty.

“You there, female disciple.”

“Yes, Lord! How may I assist you?”

“It’s rather dull here without a TV. Could you perhaps perform the Zero Two dance?”

“The Zero Two dance…? Umm, what exactly is that?”

“Hmph. You don’t know? Try looking it up online.”

The female disciple took out her smartphone and searched for the Zero Two dance.

“Ah! This is it! Understood! I shall dance to alleviate your boredom, Lord!”

Her smartphone played a lively beat, and the female disciple began dancing the Zero Two dance. I watched contentedly, then turned my head.

“Ms. Jiwoo, would you care to join in?”

“…Me?”

“Yes. I’d very much like to see Ms. Jiwoo perform the Zero Two dance.”

“Since Lord requests it, I have no choice.”

Standing up, Kang Jiwoo followed the female disciple’s lead in dancing. Truly, her skill in swaying her hips was extraordinary—befitting someone with an idol background.

“You over there, female disciple! Dance along with her! Hurry!”

At this moment, I felt about 70% inclined to join the Church of Salvation.

•••

After lunch, Kang Jiwoo guided me around the vicinity.

“This isn’t a rented place; it belongs to the Church of Heaven’s Light.”

“Even though it’s away from the city center, the price must be exorbitant… So the Church of Heaven’s Light is wealthy, huh?”

“Our devoted disciples contribute generously through tithes, so we face no economic issues. Ah, but we didn’t purchase this building ourselves. It was donated by a particularly generous disciple.”

“What profound faith this disciple possesses.”

Sucking them dry to the bone, huh?

I need to be careful. I don’t want to give even a single cent to a cult.

Following Kang Jiwoo, I wandered around the building. Everything was meticulously maintained—it was spotless. However, the patterns on the walls and ceilings seemed off. Many of them clashed with the interior design. Especially some strange motifs that made my eyes tired when viewed from afar.

“This…”

Upon entering the auditorium, my gaze fell upon a massive painting hanging on the wall right by the entrance.

It was a horrifying depiction.

Countless people lay dead, the ground soaked in blood, while black monsters flew across the crimson sky. And at the center of it all stood a solitary light.

“This represents the future that lies ahead. Though filled with fear, look at the center. Can you see the light? Lord Spirit has not abandoned us but seeks to save us.”

While the light being amidst the monsters and corpses seemed far from salvation, I refrained from nitpicking and simply nodded.

“Well then… it’s time for the prayer meeting.”

She glanced at her watch; it was ten minutes before 1 PM.

The auditorium doors opened, and the disciples entered.

“You hold the prayer meetings here?”

“Yes. This is the largest space available. Oh, by the way, smartphones aren’t allowed during the prayer meeting. Could you please hand yours over to me?”

Swallowing hard, I handed over my smartphone.

Finally, the naked prayer session begins!