The Betrayed Mothers
The community built by Sang-gu, Yeondu’s lover, had grown far beyond its origins. What began as a small gathering around Sang-gu alone now housed more than seventy permanent residents. A high wall encircled the entire village and the surrounding mountain slopes, while a massive iron-barred gate blocked the only entrance. Lately, rough-looking, muscular men who called themselves Sang-gu’s followers had been coming and going from his building. Most residents paid them little attention. The people who lived here had brought their entire fortunes with them; their faith in Sang-gu ran deep. Those who lacked such conviction had already left the community early on, just like Min-hui’s husband, Yeon-seong.
Yet a few still harbored quiet disappointment in Sang-gu.
Among the residents were quite a few newlyweds. The most beautiful of the young brides were Saem-mul and Eun-gyeong. Both had given birth around the same time and had become especially close, like real sisters. Saem-mul was twenty-seven and Eun-gyeong twenty-six; their similar ages only drew them closer. Though they should have been enjoying the happiest days of their marriages, Saem-mul’s household was now facing a crisis.
“That bastard Sang-gu is a fucking dog. We can’t raise a child in a place like this!”
Saem-mul’s husband wanted to leave, but Saem-mul fiercely refused. In the end, just like Yeon-seong, her husband abandoned the community. He fought hard for custody of their child. Saem-mul wanted to battle him, but when the cult leader Sang-gu declared that divorced people were sinners and that noisy behavior must be avoided, she ultimately yielded and gave up custody.
Left alone, Saem-mul sank into deep depression. Eun-gyeong comforted her with warm words.
“I feel so guilty… like I abandoned my own child…”
“Unnie, please don’t be so sad. Brother-in-law will raise the baby well. He’s a good man.”
“He really was a good person… but everything changed once he started doubting and criticizing Teacher Sang-gu.”
Tears spilled from Saem-mul’s eyes. Eun-gyeong’s heart grew even heavier.
“Saem-mul unnie… actually, my husband wants to leave the community too.”
“What are you saying, Eun-gyeong? Your brother-in-law always followed Teacher Sang-gu so well.”
“It seems he and my husband have been talking constantly. He keeps saying we shouldn’t live here anymore…”
“What? I’m so sorry, Eun-gyeong. Even though we’re divorced, it looks like my ex-husband has influenced your husband too. I’m truly sorry.”
“No, it’s not like that. Actually… my husband started bad-mouthing Teacher Sang-gu a lot since last year…”
The two women clasped hands tightly and embraced. Their full, heavy breasts pressed together, squishing softly, and breast milk soaked through their T-shirts.
“Oh dear… it never stops, does it?”
“Same here… hehe…”
Both Saem-mul and Eun-gyeong forced smiles as they wiped away the milk.
Not long after, Eun-gyeong too was divorced by her husband and lost custody of her child. As the divorces continued, Sang-gu no longer hid his displeasure. His authority within the community was absolute, and public opinion turned coldly against the broken families. Sang-gu ordered Saem-mul and Eun-gyeong to live together under the pretense of comforting each other. Though the words sounded kind, both women were effectively evicted from their original homes and forced into a new shared house.
Even so, Saem-mul and Eun-gyeong continued to respect and follow Sang-gu. In fact, after their divorces, their devotion to him only grew stronger. They wanted to entrust their entire selves to him and seek comfort for both body and soul.
During his sermons, Sang-gu openly criticized Saem-mul and Eun-gyeong, sending them pointed warnings. This was because Yeong-ju’s husband—the same age as Eun-gyeong and father to a child born around the same time—had also divorced her, taken their baby, and left the mountain villa community entirely.
The young husbands, acting on male instinct, had sensed that Sang-gu was becoming dangerous and abandoned the community. They knew their wives could never be persuaded otherwise. And it did not end with their departure. The three ex-husbands began publicly denouncing both the community and Sang-gu wherever they went.
The twisted rage growing inside Sang-gu was finally beginning to surface.
The grand auditorium, built with enormous funds, was extravagantly luxurious. A massive emerald chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the interior was finished with the finest marble. The seats were premium leather, and even the speaker’s podium was clad in high-grade marble. Roughly sixty residents and related personnel had gathered. What was once voluntary attendance had recently become mandatory. Already, about ten people had left the community.
When Sang-gu entered with a confident stride, every villager rose from their seat.
“Sit down!”
His angry tone made the residents scramble back into their chairs.
“Lately, parasites who betray the spirit of our community and leech off it have been running rampant. This is truly shameful and pathetic.”
“Saem-mul! Eun-gyeong! Yeong-ju! Come forward.”
Sang-gu pointed at them with his finger. The three women walked forward with their heads bowed, then stood side by side, eyes fixed on the floor.
“It has been confirmed that their ex-husbands were systematically siphoning funds from our community.”
The three women turned their heads toward Sang-gu, eyes wide with disbelief. He continued without pause.
“Could a wife truly have known nothing about her husband’s actions? But the financial damage is not the biggest issue. They have shaken the very values and peace we have built here.”
“That’s right!”
Dae-man, seated directly below the stage, shouted loudly in agreement.
“These three women, who have inflicted such enormous damage on our community, are still living comfortably in the houses we provided for them, enjoying every luxury! I have no intention of showing them any further mercy.”
“Exactly!”
“We can’t just let this go!”
Voices of agreement erupted from the residents seated in the theater-style chairs.
“It’s… it’s a misunderstanding, Chairman… My ex-husband would never… never do something like that…”
Saem-mul appealed to Sang-gu in a trembling voice. He simply stared at her coldly.
“Hah! How can anyone believe the words of a woman who abandoned her own child? She’s probably still trying to scam us even now!”
When one middle-aged woman hurled the insult, voices condemning the three women burst out from every corner of the hall.
“She’s right! They’re frauds! Those three who left only hung out with each other and were suspiciously close!”
“They might still have more to steal and are just waiting to see what they can get, Chairman!”
Overwhelmed by the furious shouts of the residents, the three women could not even protest. They simply sobbed, shoulders shaking. Being branded as traitors by Sang-gu—the man they had loved and revered more than anyone else—was an utterly devastating blow.
“Starting today, all shares still registered under these three women’s names will be transferred to community ownership. We will provide only the bare minimum support!”
The moment Sang-gu disappeared behind the stage, a storm of curses rained down on the three women from every direction.
“You three, follow me!”
Dae-man barked the order. Flanked by Dae-man and two burly men wearing sunglasses, the women were led toward Sang-gu’s building. Inside the elevator, only heavy breathing filled the silence.
When they reached the penthouse chairman’s office on the fifth floor, Sang-gu was relaxing intimately with Yeondu. They were enjoying tea and watching a movie together.
“These sinners show no sign of remorse at all. Kneel, you filthy fraud bitches.”
They had known he had changed, but hearing such vulgar curses spill from the lips of the once pure and noble Sang-gu made all three women burst into tears as they dropped to their knees.
“It’s not true, Chairman! We knew nothing about any of this. It’s the truth!!”
Saem-mul cried out desperately.
“You bitches not only gathered together and disturbed the peace of our community, you even insulted us!”
“That’s not true… Every time we met, we always engraved your words deeply in our hearts and shared them with each other.”
As the eldest of the three, Saem-mul lifted her head, met Sang-gu’s eyes, and continued pleading her innocence.
“Even now, we are thinking only of how we can be of help to the community and to you, Chairman. Please clear up this misunderstanding.”
Despite her tearful appeal, Sang-gu paid her no attention. He continued caressing Yeondu as if the women were not even there.
“What help could fraud bitches possibly offer… Let’s test whether you truly engraved my words in your hearts or not!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Dae-man placed a document in front of each of the three women. Dae-man was a man in his late forties with an intimidating, terrifying face. It felt utterly alien to see such a man obeying the orders of the once-kind-looking Sang-gu.
Livestock? Slave contract! No… how could Chairman Sang-gu…
The hand holding the paper trembled violently.
“If you refuse to sign, I will expel you from the village immediately! Everything in your houses already belongs to the community!”
The brutal threat left them dizzy. They could have submitted to Teacher Sang-gu in any other way. With shaking hands, they picked up the ballpoint pens from the floor and signed. It took less than three seconds. Eun-gyeong and Yeong-ju wailed and agonized over it, but they were swept along by Saem-mul’s action and finished signing as well.
“Since you bitches have betrayed my grace, from now on I will demand only absolute obedience. No more mercy.”
“Why aren’t you answering?!”
His roar shook the entire living room. The three women quickly adjusted their kneeling posture and repeatedly shouted that they would obey. They longed to look into Sang-gu’s once-brilliant eyes one more time, but he never even glanced their way. The three women were quietly dragged away by Dae-man and taken down to the basement of the building.