Chapter 25
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Night Deepens
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After loading the delinquent teens into our van, Zoomie, we headed back to Seoul.
The cathedral the nun had mentioned was tucked away in Jongno. We followed a narrow alley to its location and found a weathered old building that looked like it had stood there for ages.
Unlike typical cathedrals, its position in such an out-of-the-way spot made me think it had been deliberately hidden in this rundown neighborhood.
"Zoomie refuses to go any farther. Looks like we'll have to get out here."
No matter how hard I floored the accelerator, Zoomie wouldn't approach the cathedral.
In the end, we got out and dragged the bound students the rest of the way on foot.
"Well now, we have visitors. Come on in, everyone."
As we approached the cathedral, an elderly priest wearing thick glasses greeted us.
He seemed to have been guarding this place for as long as the building itself.
The priest's information popped up next to his face.
No other presences besides Father Han Kyung-muk meant the cathedral was empty.
As Sister Shin Seo-hyeon had said, everyone else was probably over by the West Sea, leaving the cathedral keeper, Father Han Kyung-muk, to watch over it alone.
"You're the fixer who came with the sister, right?"
"That's me. Lee Do-hyun, fixer. Nice to meet you, Father."
"Yes, nice to meet you. I'm Han Kyung-muk, the humble cathedral keeper here at Jongno Cathedral."
The priest extended his hand, and as I shook it, I felt surprising strength.
His body might have aged with time, but he was undeniably a noble priest.
"Heh heh. Just as I heard—quite the strong one."
Father Han Kyung-muk nodded in satisfaction as he released my hand.
Since I'd left Sowol back at the office, he didn't seem to sense anything else.
Or was he pretending not to notice?
With "Concealment" in his status, he might have picked up on something but chosen to play dumb.
What was he hiding? No malicious intent, but he gave off the vibe of someone hard to read.
"By the way, Sister Joanna, who are these kids? Don't tell me... you brought more runaway teens?"
"Uh, well. You see..."
"I've told you time and again, this isn't a foster home for runaways. And runaways aren't stray kittens, Sister. I can't keep handling them every time you drag them here."
"I'm sorry, Father... I just didn't have anywhere else to take them..."
"Heh heh. That's exactly the problem—bringing them here..."
Father Han Kyung-muk gave the nun a light scolding before staring intently at the two trembling kids and taking them from us.
They'd been throwing tantrums at the factory entrance, begging to be freed, but now they were utterly terrified, shaking uncontrollably.
They'd been out of it since riding in Zoomie, and now, gripped by the priest's hand, tears streamed down their faces.
📊 Status:Fear, Relief, Regret
Both kids' statuses were filled with fear and regret.
Regret was hitting them now, but what was with the relief?
"So, what crimes did these kids commit?"
"They took money to harm someone."
"Dear me. That's serious. No one got hurt, I hope?"
The priest's question made the nun glance at me, her face unsure how to respond.
I'd taken some hard hits, sure, but hurt? Not really.
"No major injuries. But if it'd been anyone else, they could've died."
"I see. Attempted murder, then. Are you sure it's okay to leave them with me? For something this grave, legal punishment might be better."
"Well, since I wasn't really hurt. Even if we turned them over to the police, it'd probably just end in a warning."
If they got off with just a slap on the wrist, they'd dive right back into crime.
I figured this was a chance to set them straight for good.
"Hmm. I get what you mean, Fixer. They need proper reform, right?"
"Exactly. Something to ensure they never do this again."
"Understood. Leave them here. I'll see to their reformation."
With Father Han Kyung-muk's approval, Sister Shin Seo-hyeon bowed deeply in thanks.
"Thank you, Father. You always come through for me..."
"No need. You're the one doing the hard work, Sister Joanna. Tracking them down can't be easy. Heh heh. So, take good care of our sister, Fixer. She's more of an airhead than she looks—wrecking cars and all. Heh heh."
The priest's last remark turned the nun's face bright red.
She usually kept a straight face, but not around him.
"I'll do my best."
"Good. I appreciate it. Oh, and Fixer."
"Yes?"
"That tail. Bringing it back intact from the scene was a wise choice. Destroying or burning it would've led to trouble. Most clergy would dispose of something so vile on sight."
"Ah..."
Father Han Kyung-muk directly mentioned the "severed tail" I'd neither described nor shown.
How much had he seen through?
Moon Sun-woo the Taoist, and now Father Han Kyung-muk.
The strong ones in this world all seemed to have eyes like hawks.
"It might be a clue, but also a trap. Not every lead points to good outcomes. What you're up against is cunning. Stay vigilant."
True enough. Against this foe, even clues could be traps.
If the nun had found the tail alone, she'd have burned it for sure.
Then, as Father Han Kyung-muk said, who knows what would've happened.
Leaving the severed tail tangled among the rats was a trap in itself, bait to screw over any clergy who found it.
We could've been hit from an unexpected angle. Good thing we'd come to the cathedral.
"I understand. We'll be careful."
"Heh heh. Good. With you helping, Sister Joanna will handle this fine. I'm relieved. No worries for this old man with someone so sturdy on her side."
Father Han Kyung-muk smiled kindly as he led the kids inside. The nun and I headed back down to Zoomie and climbed in.
"You bring kids here often, huh?"
"Ah, well... yes. I can't just leave them be..."
"Does Father Han Kyung-muk handle the reformation himself?"
"Yes. He talks with them, writes recommendation letters for those who need help or want to attend seminary. Strangely, all the ones I bring end up becoming clergy."
All the kids she brought ended up as clergy?
This cathedral was a dream factory for lost kids... Scary.
As I started Zoomie to escape the cathedral quickly, the nun, buckling her seatbelt, spoke up hesitantly.
"Um, Fixer. It's getting late. How about we resume the search tomorrow?"
"Not sure we can stop until this is solved, Sister."
"P-Pardon...?"
She looked up at me in shock at my refusal.
"You heard the father about the tail, right?"
"Ah, yes. The one that might be a trap...?"
"Doesn't that strike you as odd? Why prepare it only when you came alone, without the other priests? And the enemy used local delinquents to kill an intruder at the factory. Get what I'm saying?"
Would the enemy, already aware of me, try to kill me with mere delinquents?
No. I'm the guy who shrugs off a chest-piercing from a monster.
Using punks against someone traveling with a disaster-class White-Faced Bride? Doesn't add up.
So, the enemy didn't know about me being with Sister Shin Seo-hyeon.
"Without you, I'd have taken a blow to the head and been left in the factory. Or worse, burned the tail first and suffered for it..."
The realization finally dawned on the nun's face.
Every incident today targeted not me, but "the nun."
"All that malice aimed at me... was blocked by you, Fixer."
"Exactly. So you see what I mean?"
"Yes. I get it now. You've been my shield, Fixer."
A trap set to kill a cleric.
Finding the severed tail meant we couldn't go home now.
More precisely, I couldn't leave the nun alone.
The enemy didn't know about me yet today. But they might now.
The moment I left her side, the nun would...
'The instant we're apart, it'll try to kill her. No, it definitely will.'
If I couldn't protect her, Sister Shin Seo-hyeon would die by the demon's hand.
This job wasn't just a missing persons search.
Hunt the demon—and protect the client from evil.
That was the true goal.
"Looks like a long night ahead, Sister. Coffee?"
"I'll buy. And... thank you, Fixer."
The nun thanked me again.
But it was too early for that.
We hadn't caught the demon yet.