Chapter 68
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Butterfly Effect (2)
‘Wait, what’s the Rapture?’
The saved shall come to the Church of Heavenly Flowers!
I was taken aback by Yang Ha-yoon’s sudden declaration, but first, I searched to figure out exactly what she meant by the Rapture.
[Rapture: An apocalyptic belief that when the world ends, God will personally take the chosen ones to heaven. This concept originated in Christianity but has been adopted by nearly all religions since the appearance of Gates.]
So, what she’s saying is that the world is about to end, so if you come to the Church of Heavenly Flowers, you’ll be saved and go to heaven?
“Why the hell is she flipping out all of a sudden?”
The Yang Ha-yoon I knew was a rational person.
Sure, she’d founded the Church of Heavenly Flowers for the absurd reason of getting a boyfriend, but she was a genius with high intelligence and outstanding business acumen.
‘She’s not the type to pull something like this.’
If it were any other cult leader, I’d think it was for money or to draw attention and promote the church. But not her.
She’d already achieved her ultimate goal of finding a boyfriend who truly loved her, and afterward, due to my hypnosis, she’d come to believe in God and was simply leading the Church of Heavenly Flowers to live a good life.
[Haha, I have received a revelation.]
Fortunately, she explained the reason herself in the interview.
[Novellia appeared to me in a dream. She told me there are so many sick people in the world and that she wants to embrace them all. She said she would take everyone to heaven and commanded me to build an ark and put the followers on it. If that’s not the Rapture, what is it?]
No, damn it!
She caused all this chaos over a mere dream!
But from her perspective, it wasn’t just any dream.
‘She believes Novellia actually exists.’
And thanks to my hypnosis, she’d seen illusions as real as reality.
Plus, the words of that god had come true, so she had no choice but to believe, even if she didn’t want to. Anyone who didn’t believe would be the fool.
“Ugh…… What do I do about this?”
Part of me wanted to just let it be.
The apocalypse wasn’t going to happen anyway, so it’d end as a minor incident.
But thinking about her future, I couldn’t do that.
“If this fails, she might turn into a villain.”
Once it’s revealed the Rapture is fake, the faith people have built in Yang Ha-yoon will shatter, and the followers will leave.
She might even snap from her broken faith in God and break up with her boyfriend.
‘And then resent the world and become a villain.’
It might sound exaggerated, but a single small event can easily change a person’s life.
The news interview ended, so I got up from the sofa and headed to the computer.
After nearly getting kidnapped by No-Face before, I’d researched villains, so I looked up that info again.
‘Lim Hye-ryeong, former S-Rank Villain.’
A promising talent who awakened young and gained telekinesis, but bullied due to jealousy, lost faith in society, and turned villain.
Right before execution, her interview said the bullying and disdain from others were fine, but she happened to overhear her childhood friend badmouthing her, and that’s when she decided to become a villain.
‘Seo Hyun-jin, former A-Rank Villain.’
Awakened from a factory background and got the rare gravity manipulation skill, but in an era of heavy discrimination against factory folk, she decided to live quietly in seclusion.
But the owner of her regular shop found out, told her never to come back, and even sprinkled salt. Enraged, she turned villain to upend the world.
Killed after a fierce battle with heroes following the National Assembly attack.
‘Hwang Hui-yeon, former S-Rank Villain.’
Living normally as a bank teller until villains attacked the bank, leaving her with PTSD.
She requested sick leave, but her promotion-hungry boss ignored it, saying mental illness would hurt her performance reviews.
Originally ordinary, her PTSD paranoia worsened until she awakened with a special trait skill.
Info on her unique, dangerous skill was deleted, but it involved making things explode.
After becoming a villain, she killed everyone from bank clerks to the chairman. Over a thousand casualties, fled overseas, but when cornered by the International Hero Association, she took her own life.
Like this, plenty of ordinary people turned villains over a single incident.
In a word, the butterfly effect.
Like a butterfly’s wing flap calling a typhoon, one small event can turn someone into a villain.
To me, this Rapture incident felt like the butterfly’s wing flap that could make Yang Ha-yoon a villain.
‘Better to nip the possibility in the bud before she becomes one and I have to take her down.’
More importantly, why did I let her off for trying to drug me?
Because she was making people happy.
What’s the point if a mere dream ruins the happiness of countless Church of Heavenly Flowers members?
“Sigh, this is……”
I can’t actually bring about the apocalypse.
So, only one option left.
“Next week, huh.”
Next Friday was the Rapture date she mentioned.
That day, I’d be busy as hell.
＊＊＊
“Ooh, everyone’s gathered!”
Yang Ha-yoon smiled happily, looking at the massive crowd in the Church of Heavenly Flowers’ front yard.
It was just a weird dream, so no exact date, but she figured the ark’s completion would be the day, so she’d called people for the projected finish.
“Everyone’s gathering so diligently.”
She wished more had come.
But what could she do? She’d announced it on broadcasts, but couldn’t force those who didn’t believe.
Determined to save at least those present, something caught her eye.
‘A stranger. An outsider?’
A short figure in a deep hood and mask wandered through the crowd.
Staring intently at faces, like a lost kid searching for someone, or looking for companions.
‘Hmm, I want to help, but……’
Too busy as leader, she prayed he’d find what he sought.
An hour passed? Thinking it was time, Yang Ha-yoon stepped before the crowd.
“Everyone! The moment has arrived! Novellia will save us from this harsh world……”
Her lengthy speech followed.
Over 30 minutes, but since most believed in her, they watched with sparkling eyes, fully focused.
‘That person’s still wandering?’
One exception.
The hooded one from before.
Their sneaky weaving through the crowd was annoying, but she couldn’t stop, so she continued until her speech ended—and the hooded figure’s wandering stopped too.
“Then, to let Novellia take us, enter the ark! Maintain order and line up!”
Everyone queued to board.
Some truly believing in leader Yang Ha-yoon.
Some out of curiosity.
‘Whoa, this’ll blow up on WhyTube. The truth of a cult! What’s inside the ark?’
……And some to cyber bully.
As everyone lined up to board.
“Your faith has moved me.”
A deep voice rang in every ear.
The surprised crowd looked around for the source.
“It, it’s there!”
At someone’s shout, all looked to the ark.
And saw it: a mass of light in human form, sunlight haloing it.
“Ooh, God! Please take us to heaven!”
Countless knelt and prayed.
Even skeptics drawn by curiosity knelt from the awe.
‘A, a real god!?),’
The cyber bully kept filming, phone in hand.
As people prayed and the god silently watched.
Soon, the god, Novellia, spoke.
“There is no heaven. I called you all to test your faith.”
“What? No heaven? Th-that means……”
“No heaven! So we just die and that’s it!?”
“N-no way! No heaven!? Then no hell either? Bad guys live evil and it’s the same as good people!?”
The god’s denial of the afterlife shook the devout followers.
Fortunately, Novellia quickly affirmed it.
“No, heaven exists. Hell too. But not the kind I’d take you to this time—it was just to test how much you believe in me.”
“That means……”
“It was a test to give teachings to those who believe in me!”
“Ooh!”
We passed God’s test!
The god’s speech felt a bit clumsy, but the awe and elation drowned it out.
“Now, I give teachings. Love your neighbor. Think of others before me. Excessive greed……”
The god’s teachings were utterly ordinary.
Stuff from any religion, nothing special.
But the god’s voice made it special, hitting deeper than any human sermon. Afraid to miss a word, they focused intently.
“That’s it. The ordinary can be special. Follow these teachings to better the world! Someday, you’ll reach my heaven.”
With that, the god’s form vanished.
“Whew, fuck, finally over.”
Right before it vanished, odd words slipped out, but the crowd’s joyful chatter over seeing God drowned them instantly.
[Mr. Jason White has successfully finished his concert and will return home tomorrow.]
The next day, related news aired.
[Next, the Church of Heavenly Flowers that stirred Seoul with apocalypse talk has declared there is no end times. They built a giant ship claiming to ascend to heaven, but say they met God, received teachings, and will work harder for the world.]
Nothing too controversial.
[On this, Church leader Yang Ha-yoon called it an ‘event to confirm our faith’ and said ‘no regrets, as it let more know of God’s existence.’ She renamed the ark ‘Novellia’ and will push for UNESCO World Heritage status to prove God.]
A smooth wrap-up.
“Ugh, thought my eyes would fall out hypnotizing every single one.”
Watching the news, Yoo Jun-hyuk rubbed his eyelids like a massage, thinking.
The butterfly effect was over.
He’d prevented Yang Ha-yoon from potentially becoming a villain.
But something he hadn’t anticipated began outside his awareness.
[Proof of God’s existence? God is real!?]
The cyber bully from that day, moved, uploaded the footage online.
[No, I definitely filmed it? But it didn’t record. What’s that mean? Not an illusion skill! Illusions from skills record on electronics! So! A real god appeared!]
At the video’s end.
After wrapping up, Yoo Jun-hyuk removing his stuffy mask and hood was caught tiny in the corner.
[They spiked drinks with hallucinogens, right?]
[Lol, Recka’s done. Uploading crap like this ㅋㅋ]
Too small for most to notice.
“……”
But someone saw it and trembled, gripping their smartphone.
In a bright room, someone in a large chair set down the phone at a knock.
“Boss, brought Jason White.”
“……”
No reply. But the knocker opened the door naturally, as if answered, and waited outside.
“You? You called me? Sigh, you look like some chaebol heiress—don’t think I came for the money.”
The platinum blond hunk entering frowned at her.
“Thought I’d tell off someone who thinks money buys everything. Hey, you! I don’t know how you……”
Suddenly, the door shut.
The woman outside didn’t flinch at the sounds, standing rigid.
“……”
An hour later?
The blond hunk emerged, smiling.
“……”
Gone was the dissatisfied face; without guidance, he walked out smiling.
As he left, the waiting woman pulled out her smartphone.
It showed a pic of Yoo Jun-hyuk cosplaying Qube as Seo-ko.
[Insane cosplayer spotted! First time cosplaying? Cosplay genius? Got permission to post pic!]
She scrolled to a WhyTube video.
The one the room’s occupant watched: the Church Rapture event.
She spotted the tiny Yoo Jun-hyuk at the end.
“……Understood.”
No.
The women understood.
“I’ll confirm now.”
The butterfly effect wasn’t over.