Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Cult Religion (5)
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Cults each have their own jaw-dropping brainwashing techniques.
This place, [Garden of the Lord], was no different.
The cult leader Park Geum-deok, who had majored in psychology in college, poured all her knowledge into brainwashing her followers. Especially the textbook course on brainwashing known as the [B.I.T.E. model].
“Rise at dawn and head straight to the chapel. Being late weakens your faith, so there will be corporal punishment.”
B. Behavior control.
For Hina Princess, kidnapped and brought to the [Garden of the Lord], the first thing forced upon her was absolute obedience to strict rules.
Rules so meticulously detailed they’d dry out your mouth just hearing them.
“Hina Princess—no, Hina believer—you were slow to awaken, so your sleep will be reduced for more prayer.”
“Then, how much sleep am I allowed…?”
“Four hours. Any more is the temptation of the dream demon, so beware of Satan’s whispers on your own.”
Hina Princess’s mental state began to fray under the suffocating rules and sleep deprivation.
The next stage of brainwashing was I (Information control). Information control.
“Make absolutely sure Hina believer can’t contact the outside world.”
“Yes, Maria believer. Don’t worry. Her cellphone’s already been smashed to powder.”
“To make her accept the faith faster, we need to empty her mind. From now on, mix a little hallucinogen into her meals too.”
From that point, Hina Princess’s resistance dropped off sharply.
She’d tried escaping over the fence and calling for help from a nearby payphone, so the chains binding her grew heavier and tighter.
T (Thought control). Thought control techniques were applied without respite.
“Hina believer. Hina believer!”
Maria called out to Hina Princess, stricter than usual.
“Maria? What’s wrong?”
“You must call me Maria believer. And you still haven’t learned mutual respect between believers!”
Hina Princess felt intimidated by the riding crop in the zealot’s hand.
At the beatings that came with even the slightest rule-breaking, she lowered her head, averted her eyes, and replied in a shrinking voice.
“Maria… believer. What is it…?”
“Prophet Mother has bestowed a heavenly name for you from paradise. Cherish it with joy.”
The cult trying to strip away even her identity by changing her name.
Unable to control her trembling pupils, she was dragged to the front of the chapel, mumbling her baptismal name over and over while staring at the ground.
“Helena…”
“From now on, you will be called Helena believer. Helena believer, recipient of holy grace! Let us pray together here. Come forward!”
And finally, the brainwashing method that turns a person’s inner world upside down. E (Emotional control), emotional control.
“The Lord’s lamb embraced in His bosom—let us welcome our Helena believer with thunderous applause, everyone!”
With a clear, ringing voice that pierced every ear, cult leader Park Geum-deok called Hina Princess forward.
Placing a hand on her head and personally draping a white veil over her like fresh snow, she began igniting the spark of fanaticism before the crowd.
“Though Helena believer joined us late, she has found a new life through devout faith. Isn’t that right, everyone!”
“Amen! Amen! Amen!”
“However!”
Her eyes had been warm, like a merciful mother. But like an actor in a masked play, Park Geum-deok’s gaze flipped to the polar opposite as she stared at Hina Princess.
“Lack of faith. Lack of faith in the belief that the Lord will return in Prophet Mother’s flesh to save the world!”
Cold and terrifying, like a snake eyeing its prey.
“Helena believer still hasn’t shed her wicked sinner’s guise. You, sinful woman Helena! Are you truly capable of repentance!”
“Repent! Repent! Sinner Helena, repent!”
Was it prearranged?
Objects flew toward the podium.
PET bottles filled with water hitting Hina Princess’s body, scraps of cloth, and hateful verbal abuse aimed at her.
Her mind shattered beyond endurance, mouth agape with tears streaming, Hina Princess blurted out words of anguish she hadn’t meant to say.
“Ugh… I’ve done everything right so far. I did everything you told me, just like you said, so why…!”
“Shut your mouth. Unless you want a taste of worse hell.”
Park Geum-deok’s reply was chillingly frigid.
Their voices never reached the zealots below the podium.
Maria seized the mic and bellowed.
“Now, Prophet Mother shall purify your hidden sins! Helena, kiss the holy leader’s feet and repent! Gain a new life!”
“Waaaaah! Hallelujah!”
The hazy peach-colored hallucinogen stung her nose, and with the mob of zealots’ cries, the fragile thread of her reason snapped.
Now seemingly resigned to everything, she couldn’t stem her tears as she bent down into a posture of submission.
“I come before the sacred Prophet Mother. Please… allow me to kiss your feet.”
Only then did Park Geum-deok smile in satisfaction.
“My daughter. I love you.”
She enveloped Hina Princess in a voice as soft as clouds.
Clutching her tightly as if she’d never let her go, Park Geum-deok cried out to the frenzied believers.
“You who have kissed my feet—may you attain true salvation! May you lie in the Garden of the Lord and hum paradise’s lullaby! Hallelujah!”
* * * *
“How faithful do you think Hina Princess—no, Helena believer—has become?”
After the fervent group prayer ended, Park Geum-deok blew cigarette smoke behind a peach tree.
Her cousin the evangelist pondered briefly before answering.
“I’d say her mind’s half-broken by now. Not fully brainwashed, but… swept up in the atmosphere, she can be half-forced into control.”
“Ripping out a sacrifice’s heart while it’s still beating is way harder than kissing feet.”
Killing a person.
And then… immediately forcing a brutal ritual afterward. That was Park Geum-deok’s plan.
For the Second Coming ceremony to be perfect, she needed Hina Princess’s cooperation—not reluctant compliance, but full-blown fanaticism.
“We’ll get her used to the smell of blood. And during the Second Coming anyway, we’ll up the hallucinogen dosage… so minor slip-ups won’t matter.”
“Even if the livestock head off to proselytize in Japan, they must never bolt outside the fence. We need to burn it deep into their minds.”
“We’ll do everything to prevent any accidents.”
Hearing an eerie owl hoot, Park Geum-deok ground out her cigarette under her shoe.
She tossed the butt carelessly into the brush, then spoke to the evangelist with resolve.
“Then let’s finalize the schedule. Relay it to the senior believers right away.”
“When should it be?”
“This Sunday. Start the Second Coming right after fervent prayer. Don’t forget to build the heavy atmosphere beforehand.”
“No worries. I’ll make sure it’s prepared perfectly.”
Park Geum-deok nodded, facing the humid summer breeze under the peach tree.
Everything was going smoothly. Just days ago, five more idiots had joined from Seoul.
“Kim Won-cheol, was it? That new fool who donated 300 million won?”
“Ah, yes. Heard he even sold his house.”
“Good. Very good. Soon, that kind of livestock will number in the hundreds of thousands, millions.”
She smirked. Vivid visions danced before Park Geum-deok’s eyes.
If she gathered huge numbers of believers in Japan like this, the wealth rivaling any chaebol would fall into her hands.
Of course, that vision existed only in her mind, nowhere in reality.
* * * *
“Looking much sharper, Won-cheol monk. On your way, would you prefer soju over rice offerings as alms?”
Kim Won-cheol’s freshly shaved head.
It resembled a recruit about to re-enlist. Though the youth and freshness from 30 years ago were long gone.
“Whew, never thought I’d live to do all this crap. I’m a monk—I don’t touch soju. Now, a pretty 30-year-old in that display case? That’s another story.”
Here, in an officetel near Ammunition Group HQ.
Eyes brimming with grievance, Kim Won-cheol openly demanded alms, pointing to the whiskey in the display case.
It was the whiskey I’d gotten from Prince Bin Salman before—worth more than a mid-size car, supposedly. To that guy, though, it was probably like a can of cola.
*Pop!* The whiskey opened with a crisp sound. I wet my throat with the golden liquid and began reviewing the plan from the start.
“Kkh, let’s go over the operation again.”
“Okebari.”
“Top priority: secure Hina Princess. Secondary: safety of those two Israelis.”
“The first is doable. Our intel team’s got veterans, after all. But the second? No clue.”
Kim Won-cheol scratched the back of his head habitually, sounding troubled.
With only five assigned pros, rescuing even the Jews locked in the basement seemed tough.
“Those guys might already be dead, turned into some decorative props.”
“They’ll keep them alive until that Second Coming ceremony. And that ceremony’s the key point of this op.”
Second Coming ceremony.
I recalled what the cleaning lady from Ammunition Auto’s Naju lab had said that day.
-Why didn’t I think to report it? Well, it’s awkward to say. This ain’t somethin’ you talk about.
Hesitant when asked if she’d considered reporting to investigators after coming to Seoul.
-They force believers to inhale stuff like drugs. So even folks who escape can’t do shit.
The [Garden of the Lord] controlled followers with hallucinogens.
If it was widespread enough for regular prayers… they’d surely use it big-time for a major event like the Second Coming.
“That timing when they’re all high on hallucinogens. When the mob mentality plus drugs has them weakened—that’s our moment to strike.”
“Just one shot, that chance.”
Grab decisive evidence, rescue Hina Princess. Bonus if we save the two Jews too.
The rest would be handled by investigators dispatched by Prosecutor Park Eun-ji’s side.
Framed as an on-site report, not the official route.
“I’ve scheduled a business trip to Ammunition Auto’s Naju lab this week. For constant contact. Alright, then.”
I downed the last of the golden whiskey.
Grinning at Kim Won-cheol, I stood and declared with conviction.
“Let’s go show these crazy fanatics what real hell looks like.”