Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Friend (4)
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“Dinner with your friend's family? Oh, of course I'm all for it. Heh heh heh. Honey, what do you think, honey?”
“I don't mind. But what do this Hwayoung girl's parents do for a living?”
The reaction to the dinner invitation was positive. Dad let out a hearty laugh while neatly grooming his impressive mustache with his fingers, and Mom asked what kind of people Hwayoung's parents were. But I didn't know exactly what Hwayoung's parents did either, so I just tilted my head.
I had seen the chauffeur holding a business card that said he was with the Godless Faith, but I couldn't tell if that just meant he believed in the religion or if he held some important position in it, so I glossed over it vaguely.
“I don't know what Hwayoung's parents do either. Something about being in business, I think?”
“Oh my, businesspeople, huh? Business. Honey, what should we do? Should we dress up fancy to get the upper hand? Or go casual to match the vibe?”
Mom patted Dad's back dramatically as she spoke, and Dad shook his body this way and that from her prodding but still chuckled heartily.
“Heh heh heh. Don't worry too much, honey. We're not going on a business trip or anything. It's just the parents of friends getting to know each other, right? We can dress like we do for our usual trade shows or gatherings. But what do her parents like? It feels awkward going empty-handed, so we should bring some kind of gift. Since they're from overseas, maybe some traditional snacks?”
“They've been here for three years, she said. I'll just ask her.”
While we prepared gifts and the parents enjoyed their cheerful chit-chat among themselves, I'd gossip with Hwayoung at home.
I didn't have anything planned for the weekend anyway, so this kind of get-together felt like a fresh thrill.
This weekend was shaping up to be truly fulfilling.
While the Iwamoto Serika family looked forward to the meeting, Na Hwayoung's family was also busy with their daily routines. As Hwayoung went about her usual day, the two devotees posing as her parents debated how much religious flair to show without overdoing it.
The dad devotee spoke about the massive portrait of the First Leader hanging prominently in the dining room.
“Park devotee, I get your love for the Leader's portrait, but hanging something this huge in the dining room might make them think we're a fanatic cult. So, we should take it down for this dinner.”
The portrait he pointed to was a monstrous two-meter-tall vertical piece. It was usually kept in a separate shrine, but the mom devotee had brought it out to liven up the dining room atmosphere.
A gold-embroidered frame and ornate golden robes reminiscent of Klimt's The Kiss. The portrait created a bizarre dissonance with the old-fashioned face of the elderly man that clashed against the flashy colors.
Unlike the dad devotee, the mom devotee replied with a firm expression.
“No, Na devotee. You're wrong this time. The key is to make an appeal. An appeal. We need to plant a strong first impression so they get interested in the Godless Faith. Look at that portrait. What do you think when you see it, Na devotee?”
The dad devotee glanced at the portrait briefly, then looked back at the mom devotee and said,
“Honestly, it feels really tacky and overwhelming for a dining room.”
The mom devotee jumped up at his words and shouted.
“What?! How can you say that? That's blasphemy! Blasphemy! As a devotee of the Godless Faith, you think this portrait is overwhelming? With those majestic eyes and splendid robes! How can you say that when just looking at it makes dignity pour out like a torrent?!”
The dad devotee remained unfazed by her intense reaction. Shaking his head, he said,
“The Leader is someone worthy of respect, sure, but who puts a portrait like that in a dining room? Let's ask others. Miss Hwayoung!”
Hwayoung, who had been doing homework, came scampering out at their call, only to flinch at the sight of the portrait in the dining room. The dad devotee didn't miss her startled step back and turned to the mom devotee.
“See? Miss Hwayoung finds it overwhelming too! If even we devotees feel burdened by it hanging there, what do you think guests would feel coming to eat?”
The mom devotee didn't bat an eye and replied,
“Oh, who is this magnificent portrait of? Dignity overflows just from looking at it! That's what they'd say!”
“...”
The dad devotee silently looked at Hwayoung. Hwayoung shook her head vigorously while staring at the mom devotee. Under the pressure of their gazes, the mom devotee's lips quivered as she stood there, then she scratched her head and let out a sigh.
“...Fine, I get it! Just take it down! Take it down! Honestly, with such weak faith! How will you ascend later? You'll all end up in hell!”
Screaming at the staff sneaking over to remove the frame and the dad devotee, the mom devotee then smiled at Hwayoung and added,
“Except you, Miss Hwayoung.”
As the frame was dragged back to the shrine, the dad devotee pointed to the table and said,
“Now the table looks too plain, doesn't it? The portrait was too much, so let's skip that and add something more moderate.”
“How about using mugs with the Leader's picture for some flair?”
The mom devotee pulled out a cup from the kitchen that read We Believe in Ascension. The Leader's face was printed right in the center. The dad devotee shook his head at the sight.
“Na devotee, I told you. Showing something too overtly religious and burdensome right away could cause backlash.”
The mom devotee frowned at his words and said,
“You're just shooting down everything I suggest. If you don't like mine, then come up with something yourself. You keep saying no, so you must have a good idea, right?”
“I came prepared for this. I've got something I sourced domestically.”
The dad devotee opened a drawer and placed a hefty item on the table.
“Oh my...!”
The mom devotee's eyes widened, and Hwayoung grimaced.
In the center of the table sat a gleaming golden statue of the Leader. The upper-body nude statue bearing the First Leader's face took center stage, smiling in a way that was unmistakably burdensome no matter how you looked at it.
The dad devotee declared proudly,
“Japan's a Buddhist country, right? So, this merch symbolizes our Leader as a Buddha-like figure to build familiarity. It makes the Leader seem more approachable and could spark interest in the Godless Faith.”
The mom devotee nodded enthusiastically and cheered.
“Why didn't I think of that? I can't keep up with you, Park devotee! I've learned another lesson.”
Hwayoung, who had been watching quietly, cautiously stood up and picked up the statue from the table. The dad devotee's eyes bulged, and the mom devotee cut off her cheer to stare.
Hwayoung glanced between the statue and the window, then opened the window as if to hurl it out.
“Wh-whoa whoa whoa!”
“Miss! Miss! Don't throw that! It'll be a disaster!”
Hwayoung apparently wasn't serious about throwing it, handing it back to the dad devotee instead.
With a frown, Hwayoung said,
“Don't put this out. We're only showing our first impression today. Make it so they don't even suspect we're religious.”
“But still... it's a rare chance...”
“Do as I say this time.”
When Hwayoung put her foot down seriously, even the mom and dad devotees backed off.
They knew the gravity of this project well, so Hwayoung only deferred to them usually, but in terms of status within the Godless Faith, she outranked them both. If she pushed her opinion deliberately on such details, the two devotees tasked with supporting her had no grounds to overrule her.
Following Hwayoung's orders, various religious items gradually vanished from the table. Both the mom and dad devotees smacked their lips regretfully as the table grew plainer with each item removed, but they didn't defy Hwayoung.
Once Hwayoung finished tidying, the table was spotless. The inherently luxurious furniture exuded elegance even without any decorations.
The dad devotee said,
“...You're right. Approaching with this atmosphere first is better. Good call, miss.”
“Yeah. Building goodwill is key at the start.”
As the two yielded easily, Hwayoung caught her breath out of their sight.
Na Hwayoung.
She had narrowly escaped a lifetime crisis of broken friendship.