The Birth of the False Apostle
[I... lack the strength... to awaken...]
"Hngh."
[Anyone? Is there someone trying to awaken me?]
Behind the man, massive and grotesque factory materials moved ceaselessly. Among the machines, the hydraulic press before him spewed hot steam like a life nearing its end, burning away its final moments.
"Heh heh heup."
[Good. Very good. To end your life so pathetically at its close. I'm satisfied.]
Crying and laughing at the same time, his face twisted into something grotesque. Propping himself up with one hand while clutching his blood-soaked upper body, he laughed as if screaming in agony. Around him, the massive factory press had ground to a halt. Between its plates, red blood and something white were splattered everywhere, evidence of the horrific incident.
The blood-drenched man, a chilling, bizarre smile playing on his lips that sent shivers down the spine, stood rooted to the spot as if savoring the scene.
Not only decisively ending a life, but stealing the life of the human who offered it up as tribute. Utterly satisfying.
"That damn bastard. Kekeke. Acted all high and mighty, and look at him now."
Whoop whoop. Hearing the distant ambulance siren, he waved his hand as if yearning for the freedom of shedding all the chains that had bound him until now.
You are now a false apostle. Your eloquence will deceive everyone, and you yourself will believe your words to be truth. You shall take human form, but as an apostle spreading lies.
"Kekeke. Now no one can ignore me anymore..."
While receiving treatment at the hospital after the ambulance arrived, he heard from his mother that the factory owner had come and gone. He calmed his pounding heart.
"The factory owner isn't a bad guy after all. He said he'd cover all the medical bills since it was a work accident."
At his mother's words calling a lucky bastard like the factory owner a good person, the man shot back in a rough voice.
"Medical bills? What about compensation? Can't you see my arm's fucked up?"
The woman who seemed to be his mother teared up, gazing painfully at his left arm, fixed in place for treatment. Disgusted by her look, he turned away and said he planned to use the compensation money he'd get after discharge as capital to start his own thing.
Perfect. Everything's going according to plan. That idiot's death got written off as an accident. Now I just need to squeeze out some sweet compensation.
Claiming the broken bones in his arm hadn't healed properly, the man hunkered down in the hospital, prolonging his stay. It was a ploy to corner the factory owner, who could no longer afford the bills, and wring out compensation.
When the factory owner finally came to deliver an ultimatum—that he really couldn't take it anymore—the man waved the judicial exam pass certificate he'd been waiting for right in the owner's face and started talking.
"Boss, I'm about to become a lawyer. You wanna beef with a lawyer over this?"
The factory owner couldn't hide his shock at the certificate waved before his eyes.
"A lawyer? What the—"
"I studied my ass off and passed the judicial exam on the first try. But if we settle this shitty way, how's that gonna look? Sure, I don't have the pedigree for judge or prosecutor, but my classmates in training will be..."
"No... but I covered all your medical bills... and compensation..."
"Just give me Deokgu's compensation too?"
"Well..."
"Anyone from Deokgu's family come around since he died? I was the closest to him at the factory, so leave it to me."
"Ahem... Fine, I'll have you sign a receipt saying you've received both yours and Deokgu's compensation. Gotta have something to show if his family shows up, right?"
Overwhelmed by the man's ferocious momentum, the owner shook his head in defeat and spoke. Once the receipt confirming full receipt of compensation was issued, the owner fled the room like his life depended on it. The man spat curses at his back in his mind.
Deokgu, thanks to you, I'm set for life. Kekeke.
Grinning with joy at the thought of opening his own law office with the money, the hospital room door opened and his family entered.
Not faces I particularly missed.
Avoiding his brother's gaze among them, he took a bite of an apple his mother had peeled and said,
"Long time no see, bro."
"How's the body? What accident did you pull this time?"
"What do you mean I pulled?"
"You're the reason our house is never peaceful, and you say that?"
In fact, the factory where the man worked was a job his brother had scouted because the man kept causing trouble around the neighborhood. After hearing the owner paid on time and treated workers decently, his brother had deliberated and found it for him.
"What?"
As the man bolted up from the bed in excitement, ready to lunge at his brother, his mother grabbed him and pleaded,
"Stop it! What are you doing to your brother?"
"Mom's always bro this, bro that."
"That's because if your brother succeeds, the whole family..."
"What, he only cares about himself, not the family?"
It was true his mother had slaved to support his brother's studies, and after becoming an accountant, he'd shouldered the family finances. But the man couldn't care less. No, deep down, he hated his brother for thinking he was all that.
"Such nasty talk again..."
His outburst was filled with jealousy and inferiority toward his brother. But soon, a sly grin curled his lips.
Mom thinks bro's the best... but not anymore.
Thrusting the judicial exam certificate proudly before his mother and brother, he declared,
"I'm heading to the training institute after discharge. So don't worry if you don't see me for a while."
"Training institute?"
His mother looked bewildered at the words, and the man called "brother" seemed shocked too.
"No way... the training institute for the judicial exam...?"
"Yeah. The one you always lamented failing the second stage after passing the first. I passed it in one go."
"That's... impossible..."
"What's impossible? You couldn't, but I did, so it feels unfair?"
As he taunted, his brother furrowed his brow, then composed himself and said,
"No matter where the confidence comes from, if you've succeeded, what's there to complain about? I was just surprised by the sudden news—I never saw you studying..."
"While you were twirling pens at your desk, I was living at the factory, earning money, and studying."
At his brother's puzzled tone, his mother wrapped him protectively, saying in a voice full of belief,
"It was thanks to Deokgu that Ijun finally got his head on straight and started studying."
Yes. The lies are spreading. With falsehood propagating, my full awakening is not far off. Ahahaha!
At his mother's words, his brother asked in surprise,
"Deokgu...?"
"The friend Ijun roomed with at the factory... he was really smart, apparently. But his family was so poor he ended up working there instead."
"I heard the guy in the accident was Deokgu—no way...?"
"He was studying late, got drowsy, made a mistake, and Ijun got hurt helping him."
Ijun's brother thought the circumstances too coincidental but set it aside, feeling proud of his reformed brother who'd studied hard.
"You worked hard... Need any help?"
Irked by his brother's attitude again, the man hardened his expression and said,
"Only saying that now that I'm doing well? If that's how you are, you're a real opportunist."
"What?"
Thinking his brother had turned over a new leaf with diligent study, Ijun's brother didn't sense how his words and actions echoed the old troublemaking days of tormenting the family. Dismissing it as petty jealousy over the exam he himself hadn't passed, he congratulated him and left.
As Ijun's brother went, his mother hurried after, telling Ijun,
"Why say that during good news? How hurt he'll be."
With the hospital door closing between them, the man spat bitterly,
"I've always felt like puking."
Strutting around like family royalty just for studying a bit, then giving up on the judicial exam to become some accountant. I passed—thanks to Deokgu, sure, but kekeke.
Deokgu had been a real dimwit. They say too much kindness makes you a fool, right? Even the factory owner, born with a silver spoon inheriting the place, was dumb as rocks—hand over some work to Deokgu citing pain, and he'd play along without a peep.
'We have to help each other to live'?
If people really had to help each other, how does it make sense that he was scraping by broke as hell?
What bullshit.
Deokgu was a fool. Staying up all night studying in the dorm, no brains for work but diligent as hell at the factory. Obvious why a guy like that couldn't take the judicial exam.
Proxy test, probably.
Even caught proxy cheating, the son of some general got off scot-free while Deokgu was banned from exams for five years. His mom, clinging to Deokgu as the family's hope amid hardship, collapsed, and the idiot ended up at the factory.
Well, I passed thanks to him. Dead men tell no tales, right?
Savoring the perfect situation he'd crafted, the man drifted into deep sleep.
Yes. A false apostle must do at least this much. Hahaha!