Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Friends (2)
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Na Hwayoung's driver was a high-ranking member of the Martial God Order, just as her parents were devotees of the same faith.
Hwayoung's biological parents were no longer in this world. They had both perished in an accident when she was very young, and the Order had taken her in from the orphanage after noticing her abilities.
The people now playing the roles of her parents were merely fervent believers in the Martial God Order, with whom Hwayoung had never shared even a single moment of human connection before coming here.
They had crossed the border with her on a mission to spread the Order's influence to other countries as well, fully aware of the gravity of their responsibility.
"Miss Hwayoung, shall we pray for the daily bread bestowed upon us by the Divine Leader and the spirits today?"
It had been three years since they arrived in this country. They had wandered from place to place, trying various methods of proselytizing, adjusting their strategies, and changing their identities until they reached this point.
Parents who were Martial God devotees.
A driver who was a Martial God devotee.
The brightly lit house always carried a somber, solemn atmosphere. Buddhist-style paintings adorned various spots throughout the home, and a portrait of the Divine Leader hung in the living room. The calendar was one distributed to Martial God followers, covered on all sides with traces of the Divine Leader.
This month's calendar featured a photo of the second Divine Leader of the Martial God Order on his wedding day with his wife. His radiant smile in traditional Korean wedding attire felt eerily out of place amid the house's cold air.
"Through the grace of the spirits of Jirisan Mountain and the Divine Leader, we give thanks that we can spend such joyful and fulfilling days even on this distant foreign soil. Just as the Divine Leader ascended to heaven, we believe in the cycle of noble and base souls. There are no gods below the heavens protecting us other than the spirits of Jirisan Mountain, nor any above watching over us other than the Divine Leader. We reaffirm our vow to spread the grace of the Martial God Order to all things."
While the prayer echoed through the room, Hwayoung rolled her eyes. Everywhere she looked was saturated with religious fervor. Even the decorative items in the corners bore the names of the Martial God Order, and the toys holding her memories had the Order's name inscribed on them.
The family photo was tucked away tiny in a corner, merely for show, while photos from her activities with the Order were displayed much larger. A picture of her first using her powers in shaman garb. Photos of ecstatic crowds and the beaming branch leader.
A photo of the branch leader, the Divine Leader, and Hwayoung together.
And the family photo.
Hwayoung stared piercingly at the family photo. The stand-in mother and father beaming brightly. And sandwiched between them, Hwayoung sat with a deeply uncomfortable expression. Just like now, she couldn't hide her unease.
It was a strangely familiar feeling.
She used to think that devoting herself to the Martial God Order was her only source of joy, but at some point, she had begun to wonder if this life was somehow wrong.
It was incomprehensible.
"Miss, you need to focus on the prayer."
The devotee playing her mother said with a smile. Hwayoung turned her head back and murmured shortly.
"We believe in the cycle of noble and base souls."
"Yes, well done. Shall we eat now?"
Meals were always simple. It wasn't due to religious doctrine. The two devotees preferred devoting themselves to the Order over eating, and Hwayoung herself wasn't one to eat much anyway.
A single soup and a few side dishes.
The meals were so lackluster that "picking at it" was the perfect description. Sometimes while eating, Hwayoung imagined the families from dramas or movies, dining alone in her mind.
Gathering together at mealtime, chatting happily about each other's days. Dad smiling as he asks, "How was school today?" The child excitedly chattering about school events. Sharing thoughts on playing with friends that day, and the parents nodding warmly.
"Sounds like you had a great time."
Then shrugging and digging back into the food.
"Brother Park devotee, the higher-ups have issued a decree this time."
But the devotee playing her father talked business even while eating. His roughly filled rice bowl was already more than half empty. The mother devotee nodded and said.
"About Iwamoto Industry, right?"
Iwamoto Industry. The company run by the parents of her friend, Iwamoto Serika.
The father devotee smiled at the mother devotee's question.
"They told us to strengthen ties with Iwamoto Industry. Our Miss Hwayoung has truly brought home a big fish. Shall we give her a round of applause? Applause for our girl."
Clap clap clap clap
The mother devotee clapped. In the dry air of the dining room, only the cold sound of applause echoed. Hwayoung offered no response to the sound, simply staring at the father devotee.
This dramatic atmosphere, the father devotee's smile—none of it sat right with her. This wasn't the dining vibe she wanted. The father devotee looked at Hwayoung and asked.
"Miss Hwayoung, you've done wonderfully. If we can just draw Miss Serika into our Martial God Order like this, expanding our influence in this community will be a piece of cake."
"...I don't want to."
Hwayoung replied curtly. At her timid words muttered with head turned away, the mother devotee's expression suddenly hardened. She glared at Hwayoung and said.
"Miss Hwayoung, you can't forget your duty. We didn't come here to play around. We came with a mission to spread the name of the Martial God Order in this community. You need to remember what we've done for you. The clothes you're wearing, the food you're eating, living in this nice house—it's all thanks to the Divine Leader's grace, isn't it?"
"...That's true."
Hwayoung nodded. The father devotee nodded along in agreement.
"Besides, when you first befriended Miss Iwamoto Serika, you bragged to us about making such a great friend, remember? You boasted about achieving even better results than what we asked for."
At those words, Hwayoung bowed her head even lower.
The two devotees weren't wrong.
When she first talked to Serika, such thoughts had crossed her mind. Serika's clothes looked expensive, and she attended a good school, so building connections seemed smart.
The Order had fed and sheltered her from the orphanage, so she felt a sense of obligation. But after mustering her communication skills and actually talking, Serika turned out to be more fun than expected, and Hwayoung had pushed away the other kids interested in her powers.
She had some silly sides and got dragged into all sorts of troubles due to her naivety, requiring a lot of hand-holding, but she was still a good kid.
Now that things had progressed this far, Hwayoung could view her actions objectively. She could justify her work for the Order as loyalty and duty, but was it right to drag an innocent Serika into this religious scheme?
Hwayoung had never had a proper friend before.
So she couldn't help agonizing over the lines of friendship, and she kept wrestling with her feelings toward Serika and Yumi.
If they stayed close, her naive friends would inevitably be used for the Order's expansion efforts.
But she didn't want to suddenly cut ties either. To Hwayoung, both Serika and Yumi were kind, good friends.
Could she betray the Martial God Order? It was thanks to them that the orphanage girl could live so comfortably now.
Reality left Hwayoung unable to choose either path.
The mother devotee said.
"Don't worry, Miss Hwayoung. We know not to push the religion all at once in situations like this. Yes, the higher-ups said it would be good to get closer to Iwamoto Industry. How about we arrange a simple family dinner together?"
So today, too, Hwayoung was postponing her decision.
Just a little longer, until the inescapable moment—she wanted to savor this present for now.
The mother devotee looked at Hwayoung and said.
"And they said to learn whatever you can from Miss Serika. Keep that in mind. The higher-ups even called Miss Iwamoto Serika an exemplary leader."
At the mother devotee's words, Hwayoung tilted her head in confusion.
"Eeeek! Aaaah!"
"Miss Serika, what are you doing?"
"Huh? I made a bet with Yumi. Whether I can touch my elbow with my tongue."
"...But why are you rolling your eyes back like that?"
"I searched online, and it said rolling your eyes back improves flexibility and makes it easier!"
"...."
"....?"
Hwayoung wondered if the mother and father devotees had gotten something wrong.