Providence: Raising a Cleric (1)

Kim Dae-hoon stood in a corner, staring blankly at the first-ever worship service of the Providence Church.

Several hundred people had packed themselves into a cramped, shabby little hall, hanging on the every word of a young man standing at the podium.

To anyone looking in from the outside, it was a cult. A pyramid scheme, plain and simple.

And yet, to Kim Dae-hoon — who had come here of his own accord — this very space felt impossibly beautiful and peaceful. Almost unnervingly so.

Wheeeeeeng

BOOM. Bang. BOOM.

AAAAAAGH!!

The whine of drone motors, the thunder of explosions, the raw shrieks of dying men — all the phantoms that haunted him grew faint, if only for these few moments.

For a man suffering from severe PTSD, Lee Seop's sermon was more effective than any therapy he'd ever tried.

To think I've lived this long only to end up tangled in a cult.

Kim Dae-hoon let out a hollow smile at the sheer absurdity of it.

I could never understand why people fell into things like this. Now... I'm starting to get it.

Years ago, he had been abandoned mid-mission on the far side of the country.

Confirm the North Korean troops deployed to the Ruu conflict disguised as volunteer militias — then recruit them. That had been the assignment. But midway through, martial law erupted back home and the regime collapsed overnight, and his very existence was erased from the books.

By a series of miracles he'd barely scraped his way back to the country — only to find that no one, not a single soul, would acknowledge a black agent who officially didn't exist.

All that remained to Kim Dae-hoon was a thin wad of cash, a body that happened to still be in one piece, and a mind wrecked by PTSD.

Like a piece of flotsam drifting on the tide, he had washed up in Yeonok-dong.

And the reason it was Yeonok-dong, specifically, was that an old man he'd once owed his life to lived here.

"So, Dae-hoon? What do you think? Not bad, right?"

The old man who had brought him to this chapel asked the question. He was something of a fixture in the neighborhood — yet when they'd reunited after years apart, Kim Dae-hoon had found him deep in the throes of some strange cult.

"Yes, sir... It's something. Genuinely strange."

The problem was that Kim Dae-hoon's own heart was starting to waver toward this same cult. The word strange that he'd answered with was no polite deflection.

"And with that, today's sermon is concluded."

Lee Seop's sermon drew to a close before he knew it.

Ah...

For the first time in his life, Kim Dae-hoon felt genuine disappointment that a sermon had ended.

"We will now begin the baptisms."

The service moved into its latter half, and the baptism ceremony got underway.

"But first — anyone here learning of me and of the Providence Church for the very first time today, please raise your hand."

Before the baptisms began, the leader of Providence, Lee Seop, started sorting the assembled crowd. He was apparently dividing those who already knew the church from those attending for the first time.

"I've got to head over there. See you in a bit."

"Yes, sir."

"If you find Providence agrees with you, commit to the faith properly."

"Hahaha..."

At the old man's urging, Kim Dae-hoon answered with nothing but an awkward laugh.

"Eh? Still hesitating? You've already felt it, haven't you? That Lee Seop is no ordinary man. You'd be joining at his side, in the founding days. That's no ordinary opportunity."

"I'll keep attending the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠services for now. My mind does feel... settled here."

"There you go! Smart choice! Just keep coming, and you can get baptized down the line. I'll go first and tell you all about it."

Old Hong Dong-soo, the man who had brought Kim Dae-hoon here, moved seats with his excitement written plainly across his face.

And into the spot the old man had vacated walked a young man.

"Hello there."

"Ah... yes. Hello."

"What did you think of my sermon? Was it worth listening to?"

"I— Yes! Absolutely! Hahaha!"

"I'm glad it brought you some peace. That's the whole point."

Seeing the cult leader Lee Seop up close, rather than from a distance, left the non-believers — Kim Dae-hoon included — utterly at a loss.

"Then I'm glad it was worth your while."

The preacher called Lee Seop was, up close, even more mysterious and radiant than he'd appeared from afar.

"If any of you are interested in the Providence Church and would like to take part more actively, might I ask you to install this app on your phones?"

"An app? What kind of...?"

"You can find it by searching 'Providence: Raising a Clergy' in the app store. It's an app I created after receiving a revelation."

Before baptizing his faithful, Lee Seop made one small request of the ordinary folk who had come for the first time that day.

"Of course, it is entirely voluntary. If you feel at all uneasy, you are free to decline. I stake my name and my very soul on it — there will be no disadvantage to you whatsoever."

Voluntary in word, perhaps — but the atmosphere carried a faint, unmistakable pressure. Any third-party observer would have found the whole thing flagrantly uncomfortable.

"Hmm... well, I suppose I'll give it a try?"

"That Lee Seop fellow doesn't seem like a bad person, honestly."

"It's on my backup phone anyway, and I've got small payments blocked at the source, so no harm either way."

And yet the crowd's reaction was surprisingly unsuspicious. Perhaps it was the divine power woven into Lee Seop's voice, but the wariness in the room had softened considerably.

"It's a little fishy, sure, but it's an official listing on the store, so it should be fine."

"It's not even coming from a link, so I'll just grab it."

As if ensnared by a hypnosis app, every last one of them installed it without complaint.

"Lee Seop, sir! Should we install it too?"

As the non-believers began downloading, the existing believers hurried to pull out their phones and follow suit. At this, Lee Seop shook his head.

"No. For those already gathered into the Mother's embrace, awaiting baptism, something else awaits. That app is, after all, nothing more than a temporary lantern for those still wandering in search of the path."

Listening to Lee Seop's explanation, Kim Dae-hoon installed 'Providence: Raising a Clergy' on his phone.

Huh. It's actually a completely clean app?

Drawing on his black-agent days, he ran a quick security check — and it was not a dangerous app. At the very least, he'd expected it to harvest personal data or location tracking. Nothing of the sort.

"If the app troubles you in any way, you may delete it at any time."

Lee Seop continued, brimming with confidence and conviction.

"Now, once you've finished installing, you're free to go. Feel free to try the app now, or look it over at home."

This was, without question, an odd cult. A normal cult would have contrived some way to keep them physically close, woven into the group.

Lee Seop's Providence Church was filled to the brim with quiet, absolute confidence.

"And if you'd like to stay a while longer, you're welcome to do that too. The baptisms will begin shortly. They should be quite a sight."

The certainty radiating off him was palpable: as if any of you could turn us away.

"Hmm... I think I'll stick around a bit."

"Me too. It's not like I've got anything waiting for me at home."

"Ahem! Might as well stay longer, eh? There's something about this place that puts you in a good mood."

"Oh dear, I've got to get dinner on the table for my kids... I'll have to bring them next time."

In the end, most of those around him chose to stay. Only the handful who truly had no choice slipped quietly out of the hall.

Kim Dae-hoon decided to wait, on account of Hong, the old acquaintance who had brought him here.

The preacher Lee Seop had, at some point, made his way back to the podium.

"Please come forward one at a time to receive your baptism."

The baptism began.

"When you receive your baptism, wondrous miracles will greet you. But one thing — you must never speak of it carelessly. It is a sacred secret, to be shared between you and me alone."

"As Providence wills."

"As Providence wills."

Even as the baptisms commenced, Lee Seop issued this pointed, meaningful caution.

"The first baptism — Elder Heo Jae-su."

The first to step forward was the old man Heo, a close friend of Hong Dong-soo — the very man who had brought Kim Dae-hoon to this place.

"The Mother of All Things cradles you. The Weaver of Providence loves you. I, who stand in Her stead, am merely a reflection of the Mother Weaver's will. And what of you?"

"I love the Mother of All Things. I offer my body and my spirit to the Weaver of Providence. Lee Seop, Firstborn Son of the Mother and Her representative on Earth — grant me Her grace."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"As Providence wills."

"As Providence wills."

Lee Seop and the old man Heo traced the cross in the manner of the Providence Church. Then the index finger of Lee Seop's right hand touched the old man's forehead.

"??"

In that instant, Kim Dae-hoon felt something faint and warm ripple through the air — a sense of spreading light.

It's stage lighting. Has to be.

He forced himself to deny the divine power — but his heart, heedless of his head, kept pounding.

"AAAAAH! I can see it! I can see the Mother's miracle!"

At the touch of Lee Seop's finger, the old man Heo trembled like a fanatical zealot — and then stared, eyes wide with awe, at something somewhere in the empty air.

"Shh."

Lee Seop gently hushed him.

"Next — Heo Yu-na."

"Yes! Lee Seop, sir!"

The baptisms continued. A high-school-aged girl who appeared to be the old man's granddaughter knelt before Lee Seop with a face full of reverence.

"The Mother of All Things cradles you. The Weaver of Providence loves you. I, who stand in Her stead, am merely a reflection of the Mother Weaver's will. And what of you?"

"I love the Mother of All Things. I offer my body and my spirit to the Weaver of Providence. Lee Seop, Firstborn Son of the Mother and Her representative on Earth — grant me Her grace."

"As Providence wills."

"As Providence wills."

The same baptismal rite was performed once more.

"Ah...!"

The moment Lee Seop's fingertip touched the girl's forehead, Heo Yu-na too reacted as though she were seeing something in the empty air. Her eyes brimmed over with shock, awe, and overwhelming emotion.

"Next — Elder Hong Dong-su."

"Yes, sir!"

After that, believer after believer received their baptism in an endless procession.

"Oh my God! I can see it!"

"It was all true!"

"As Providence wills! Ahhh! As Providence wills! I am a servant of the Mother and of Her proxy!"

One and all, they gazed blankly into the empty air, murmuring words no one could understand, their faces drowned in gratitude and astonishment.

What is that? Seriously, what is it?

Watching them, Kim Dae-hoon felt an aimless curiosity stir in him.

"Is something actually happening over there?"

"So we don't get to do the baptism?"

"From what I hear, you can once you become a full member."

"Do they all actually believe that stuff? Isn't it all a staged act?"

"You're saying all of that is acting?"

"Could that many people really act that well? Half of them are old folks who look like they've never been near a stage in their lives?"

The newcomers lingering in the hall, watching the whole procession unfold, were deeply confused. Conversations swinging between suspicion and curiosity, denial and belief, drifted all around Kim Dae-hoon.

Become a regular believer, and I'd get the baptism myself, was it?

Kim Dae-hoon picked up his phone and opened the app he'd downloaded earlier.

According to Lee Seop's explanation, there were two paths to becoming a regular believer of the Providence Church. The first was attending church events diligently. The second — if time or circumstances didn't allow — was building your faith through the 'Providence: Raising a Clergy' app. Do both, naturally, and you'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get there even faster.

The brief loading screen passed, and the Providence app opened. A 2D illustration greeted him.

Two figures were drawn in it. In front stood a man who was, unmistakably, Lee Seop rendered in anime style — and hovering behind his shoulders like a constellation was a half-transparent woman who called to mind a benevolent mother.

At the center of the illustration, text appeared at an easy pace and faded away, line by line.

"..."

Kim Dae-hoon stared blankly at the phone screen.

Once the text finished, the main screen appeared. Kim Dae-hoon's status window occupied the upper half of the screen, and beneath it sat a row of smaller menus — Doctrine, Canon Law, Counseling, Missions, Quests, Diary.

Feels like an RPG game, doesn't it?

The first thing he tapped was Quests.

As if in a trance, Dae-hoon backed out of the quest window and tapped the Missions tab.

If there's so much as a word about donation amounts in here, I'm deleting this thing on the spot.

And here is what the missions screen held: