Chapter 54
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: No, Why Does the Villain Keep Showing Up? (1)
After the shocking incident with Yu-ra noona.
I was a bit surprised and disappointed, but it didn't create any distance between us.
-Home yet?
"Yeah, almost there."
If anything, we actually got closer.
Every day at quitting time, she'd call me first, and we'd have even more conversations and texts than before.
"Whew, just got in. There were so many customers today, it was exhausting."
-Good work. I wish I could help out...
"Nah, it's fine. If it gets too tough, I'll just hire more part-timers. I was planning to anyway."
She was probably shocked about my premature issue and was being extra proactive now.
Since she couldn't satisfy me sexually right away, she'd switched strategies to showering me with affection.
-Gonna shower now?
"Yeah, I feel kinda sticky."
-Okay. Showering... Haah... Hnng...
"Noona? What was that sound?"
I swear I just heard something weird.
Like a sultry moan...
-Uh, yeah! I was just stretching. Sounded a bit off?
"Nah, probably just bad connection."
I'd taken the smartphone away from my face to take off my coat in the chilly weather, so I must've misheard.
'No way, it couldn't be.'
Any lewd interpretation of a stretching sound was just my dirty mind playing tricks, born from regret over not properly being with her that night.
Otherwise, it'd mean she was doing something naughty while talking to me—and sure, Seo-yeon might, but Yu-ra noona?
'Masturbating while on the phone with your boyfriend? That's top-tier pervert stuff.'
I finished my call with noona and took a shower. Thinking of her brought back the image of her smooth body that night, and it felt like the hypnosis might wear off.
"No helping it. Gotta handle it solo again tonight."
My libido felt stronger by the day.
Naturally, after that night, Yu-ra noona hadn't asked for bed again, and as a guy with past-life memories, I deeply empathized with her feelings, so I wasn't pushing.
"Two girlfriends and I'm still jerking off."
Of course, aside from Yu-ra noona, there was Seo-yeon, so I could spend nights with her.
But that was even worse.
"Hellooo...
Yeah, just like this.
The shock had worn off a bit, so she showed up at the cafe every three days or so, but she still reeked like before.
"Seo-yeon, why'd you spray so much perfume?"
"Hehe, well... just in case I smell, you know."
Not a stench, but an overpowering fragrance.
Perfume was supposed to be pleasant, but she'd doused herself so much it gave me a headache.
'I can't say anything here! Can't repeat the same mistake twice!'
This was all my fault.
Knowing her mentality was fragile, I'd gone straight for the shock therapy with blunt words.
To avoid bothering other customers, I guided her to a nice terrace seat with a view, then pondered solutions while making her coffee.
'How can I fix this?'
Hypnosis would be easy, but if I could cure it without, I'd rather do it by hand.
As the saying goes, a needle thief becomes a cow thief—overusing skills on small things might lead to abusing them on everything later.
Plus, the trauma from our first time still lingered for her, so I didn't want to use hypnosis on her anymore.
'Hmm, wasn't Seo-yeon's birthday the week after next?'
October 17th, I remembered.
Maybe on her birthday, a boyfriend event could erase the trauma?
'What kind of event would make the smell trauma go away?'
Sadly, even after she left, I puzzled over it all day with no answers.
'Take it slow. Plenty of time left.'
Things had been peaceful lately, aside from Yu-ra noona and Seo-yeon.
When I first got Hypnosis, I'd nearly been devoured by the final boss.
Then I'd been kidnapped by Seo-yeon, who was Go Jin-yo, and almost killed by one of her classmates—what was her name again?
And nearly kidnapped again by that No-Face bastard villain.
'When I think about it, this peace is sweet.'
On top of that, I'd finally gotten one of the cafe routines I'd dreamed of.
"The aroma and flavor are perfect as always, not a single flaw. The cafe owner's coffee really is the best."
"Thanks for the praise. I'll keep working hard."
It was the cafe owner casually chatting with customers.
Today, too, with closing time 30 minutes away, an office worker who'd been slaving away all day smiled warmly at me.
"I'm the one who's grateful. My job guarantees overtime every day—if not for your coffee, it'd be hell. Homemade beats chains any day, and it was tough without one nearby."
Her name was Park Man-soon.
A developer at a mobile game company near the cafe, just as pitiful as the online stories said, slaving away in overtime hell daily.
She was so buried in work that sometimes she'd pass by on her way home after closing time.
'Even works six days a week.'
It was a horrific environment with no work-life balance, but she always smiled and said she loved her job.
"It's tough now, but game dev is like that. Not released yet, so we grind upfront—that way, when it launches, no bugs, and players love it."
What keeps me going is imagining people enjoying the game I made—she truly loved her job; game dev was her calling.
'Yeah, this is the cafe life.'
Just brewing coffee? No.
Building rapport through chats with customers—that's the real cafe I'd wanted.
Daytime was too busy for relaxed talks, but evenings let me chat sporadically with regulars like this.
"By the way, you seem extra happy lately?"
"Hehe, that obvious?"
Man-soon looked brighter than usual today.
When I pointed it out, she laughed and pulled a necklace from under her shirt.
"Bought a Power Stone recently."
It was a round, flat jade bead, like something from a jade display, crudely carved with what might be a dragon or snake.
Quality like cheap stationery store junk—not matching the "Power Stone" name.
"That's the Power Stone?"
"Yeah. Only for Celestial Harmony Church members—you can't get it without joining. I just got promoted from probationary to full member."
...Celestial Harmony Church, but their member symbol is a Power Stone?
What is this kimchi-pizza-sweet-and-sour-pork mashup?
"Congrats! As a celebration, dessert's on the house."
"Really? Wow! Thank you!"
Using the freebie as cover, I ducked to the counter and quickly searched Celestial Harmony Church on my smartphone.
No hits—either super underground or too small.
'Might find something with a deeper search.'
For now, serve dessert and hear about it straight from her.
I handed over a slice of cheesecake, hovered nearby showing interest, and as a fervent believer, she eagerly spilled all the details.
"The Celestial Harmony Church channels heaven's energy to humans—positive yang energy and negative yin energy. They extract just the luck-bringing yang energy, seal it in Power Stones, and distribute to members to drive out dark vibes and attract only good fortune..."
She's speaking Korean, but why is it so hard to follow?
Up to here, it sounded culty, but the rest made it seem not.
"Especially the leader claims to be the Buddha reincarnated. And his build matches—that Japanese fortune-bringing Buddha vibe? Plus, he embodies agape love, embracing the world, treating members like family, helping with everything material and spiritual."
Buddha reincarnate mentioning Jesus's agape?
How mixed is this cocktail?
Still, helping members made it seem good, but as a newbie, she probably only knew the surface, so I couldn't judge.
"If you're interested, there's a service this Saturday—wanna come?"
"Can a non-member even join?"
"Yes! Our church welcomes anyone to services."
Only one way, then.
I'd go myself and check if it's a cult!
'One of my regulars falling into a cult and suffering? No way I let that slide!'
No cult news in this life, but past life was full of it.
'Lose money, family, health—that's cults.'
Kids dying because parents skipped hospital for "prayers."
Breadwinners dumping family and fortune on the leader.
Even "blessings" as sexual exploitation.
'Check it out first—if not cult, fine. If it is...'
I'd sworn not to overuse Hypnosis, but for educating cult villains? No hesitation.
Saturday came, and I met Man-soon at the spot.
"Over here."
The place she led me to was in a notoriously pricey area.
Even more expensive than my cafe's spot—hard to believe for a search-invisible cult.
'Getting fishier by the minute.'
A clean, massive building.
Red carpet greeted us inside.
"Phew, made it on time."
The huge first-floor chapel welcomed me next, and the sight of the gathered members shocked me.
'No way, this many people?'
Few relative to the building size, but at least a hundred proved it wasn't some tiny cult.
"New convert?"
"A guy? Leader'll love it."
"Heavenly luck, heavenly luck. A man showing up."
Whispers reached me. Women weren't the only members—men too—but why the excitement over me being male?
'Not fishy anymore—this is straight-up suspicious.'
Thankfully, whispers stopped.
Thanks to the rotund figure appearing on the stage far ahead.
"Delighted to see you all! How was your week?"
...Wait, not a man—a woman?
Rolls of fat, huge height, but a woman's voice totally mismatched her build, and members roared back.
"Yes!!!"
Their thunderous voices shook the chapel.
Man-soon beside me yelled like a fresh recruit; my eardrums nearly burst.
And it hit me.
"Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years! Heaven and earth for ten thousand years!"
This wasn't just any cult.
Something I'd seen so much in my past life it was boring, no thrills or感動 left.
In this era, 100 years later, extinct like mint choco memes—I'd sworn never to invoke it.
This place.
Celestial Harmony Church wasn't kimchi-pizza-sweet-and-sour-pork.
"Hail the Heavenly Demon!"
It was kimchi-'pineapple'-pizza-sweet-and-sour-pork level nightmare mashup.