Confessions in the Wasteland
There was a container box in the corner of the wasteland, probably left there as a shelter for laborers. Yeom Man-geun and I settled down inside it to talk. It smelled a bit of dirt, but it was cozy enough. Above all, the fact that no one was watching us put me at ease.
"Well, 'tween you and me, Cult Leader, ain't nothin' to hide or cover up, so I'll just spit it out. This here land is..."
Yeom Man-geun was buzzing with excitement the whole time we sat there, going on and on about the land. He kept stressing over and over how amazingly good the plot he'd bought was and what a miracle it was that it still had no owner. I nodded along appropriately or chimed in with agreement as I listened.
"Now, the big question is how we're gonna use this land..."
Yeom Man-geun finally got to the main point. He was running a soju factory right now, but engraving Intoxication Spells on mass-produced soju and selling it just wouldn't fetch a good price. So he was thinking of building a new factory on this freshly bought land—not for mass production, but for premium soju made the traditional distillation way. In other words, he wanted to go high-end and diversify the business. On the surface, it didn't sound like a bad idea at all.
But one thing worried me.
"Isn't the risk of failure too high? Especially at the start, when profits won't cover the investment costs. Unless it's exceptionally good stuff."
"Don't you fret 'bout that. I'm gonna brew booze so damn tasty, even them high-and-mighty clerics turn into suckers who can't tell their own mamas from their papas."
"Oh... Sounds like you're confident in the quality."
"You bet! Been in the booze game since pickin' up scraps and sellin' 'em, and that's over ten years of liquor know-how..."
To sum up Yeom Man-geun's pitch: He'd been in the booze business long enough to be a master brewer, so quality was no issue. Plus, if this venture took off, he could even ensnare high-ranking clerics in the web of spells. He was dead certain about his business idea. The expansion plan had some rough edges, sure, but it wasn't pie-in-the-sky nonsense. And with Yeom Man-geun's knack for making things work, the business would succeed somehow.
As long as luck was on his side.
"True enough, Executive Yeom Man-geun's got real savvy. I trust you'll pull it off. Having you around really puts my mind at ease."
"......"
Yeom Man-geun stared at me silently, blinking like he'd been deeply moved. His gaze made me uncomfortable, so I stood up quickly.
"Mind if I take a quick look around? Being cooped up in this container's making it hard to breathe."
"Sure thing, sure thing. Take your time, even a thousand times over."
I stepped out of the container. In the middle of the wasteland, my uncle and Ha Pan-seok were deep in conversation, with Ha Su-yeong fidgeting restlessly and rolling her eyes between them. They were unexpected faces hovering around Yeom Man-geun when I'd first arrived here. I had no idea why the Chungcheong Order's Ha Pan-seok and Ha Su-yeong had shown up, but I headed their way anyway.
"So why the hell are you and Yeom Man-geun together again? Wasn't that the same crew plotting rebellion last time?"
"Jeez, you suspectin' me just 'cause we're hangin' out? Can't I be friends with Yeom Man-geun? The Chungcheong and Jeolla Orders are way closer geographically than anywhere else—makes sense we'd mingle more!"
"That's exactly why I'm suspicious—you two plotted rebellion before. Past record means I gotta watch you. If you had no history, would I even care? Am I wrong?"
Up close, I could tell my uncle and Ha Pan-seok were arguing. My uncle had probably started it, something like Why are you two together? Plotting rebellion again? They stopped only when I wedged myself between them. But the hostility in their glaring eyes was still sharp as ever. Ha Su-yeong, stomping her feet in the middle, looked like a shrimp caught between whales.
"Why are you fighting again?"
Ha Pan-seok jumped in immediately, raising his voice like he'd been waiting.
"It's not right, Cult Leader! Executive Lee Jin-seong comes at me out of nowhere, accusin' me of plottin' rebellion!"
"Rebellion..."
"Sure, I did think 'bout somethin' disrespectful before. But at the last executive meeting, didn't I swear loyalty to you right there? And he ignores that, comin' at me all wild—how'm I s'posed to hold back my temper?"
Ha Pan-seok thumped his chest in frustration, venting his grievances. I studied his expression slowly, nodding languidly.
"I actually had something to say about the rebellion matter anyway."
"Pardon? What..."
"How about we step behind that container?"
This wasn't a talk for Ha Su-yeong's ears. Back when I'd asked why they hadn't sent tribute last month, if Ha Pan-seok tried to brush it off or looked panicked, I'd peg him as prepping rebellion and deal with him accordingly.
Ha Su-yeong shot me a terrified glance, but I ignored it and led Ha Pan-seok to a secluded spot. Without delay, I got straight to it.
"You didn't send last month's tribute."
"Ah..."
"I'm not sayin' you're plotting rebellion or anything. But no word, no call—it leaves me confused, so I'm asking."
Ha Pan-seok's face openly twisted in dismay. If it was a misunderstanding, he could've just said so flat-out. But he didn't even muster that much of a defense.
So he was planning to betray me after all... Too bad, but no choice now.
As I moved to unleash Voodoo magic, Ha Pan-seok hesitated and finally spoke.
"...Truth is, our finances are in bad shape. Not just runnin' the Order—barely scraping by for daily life."
He hung his head, as if those words had been agonizingly hard and shameful to admit. I halted the spell and peered at his downcast face. Didn't seem like a lie.
"Didn't I divvy up some funds at the executive meeting? That was no small sum."
"Well... too many places needin' money..."
"Places like where, exactly?"
"My daughter threw a fit 'bout goin' to academy. Sigh..."
Academy? As I puzzled over it, Ha Pan-seok sighed deeply and continued.
"These days, academies ain't just studyin'—they're for makin' friends too, she says. Feels left out at school... But damn, those tuition fees ain't cheap."
"Ah. But the money I gave should've covered it and more."
"Yeah, you're right. Truth be told, I'm preppin' to remarry, and that ate up some cash."
Shocking news, but Ha Pan-seok's face was surprisingly calm. Voodoo didn't forbid remarriage, but it was still a surprise. I blurted out,
"Remarriage? What?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I ain't forgotten my late wife. But life happens—you never know what might come..."
"Does Su-yeong know?"
"Told her, but we fought over it. Aigoo, what a mess..."
Ha Pan-seok glanced nervously at Ha Su-yeong chatting with my uncle in the distance. So he'd been prepping remarriage, fought with Ha Su-yeong over it, come to grab a drink with Yeom Man-geun out of frustration—and Ha Su-yeong had tailed him, thinking her dad was secretly seeing some girlfriend.
Ha Pan-seok's fiancée was a fairly successful businesswoman. He'd successfully recruited her into Voodoo, but her upscale tastes meant he'd spent accordingly.
"That's pretty interesting."
Knowing he hadn't meant to betray me eased my mind. Romance talk wasn't my thing, but it turned out intriguing.
Ha Pan-seok sighed heavily.
"Ain't funny to me..."
"Haha... Got it. So you weren't planning to betray me."
"Of course not. My son—dragged to prison, but he's alive, no doubt. Tough kid won't die in some cell. 'Til I see his face again, I won't betray you, Cult Leader."
"And after you see him?"
"Then no regrets in death—I'll lay down this life for you."
Ha Pan-seok's loyalty had forged even stronger in the time I hadn't seen him. Probably swearing fealty for his imprisoned son's sake. Come to think of it, he'd been the most devoted to my father, the Second Cult Leader. Once he decided to follow, he never wavered.
"If you can't send tribute, at least drop a short note. Honestly, skipping tribute isn't a big deal."
"Will do. Been so hectic lately, it slipped my mind."
Truth was, tribute or no, it wasn't my problem. If Yun Chang-su or Yuk Eun-hyeong skipped, I'd shrug it off as "busy times." And while dipping into funds for personal use wasn't ideal, aiming for a bigger picture via remarriage made it forgivable.
The issue was that it was Ha Pan-seok who'd skipped. With his history of plotting rebellion, suspicion was inevitable.
But now, no need to doubt him anymore. Same for Yeom Man-geun. They'd plotted rebellion—and even tried to kill me—not long ago. Yet now they acknowledged me as Cult Leader and showed respect.
It was small, but I felt like I was truly gaining ground in Voodoo, bit by bit.
I had my uncle pass some headquarters funds to Ha Pan-seok. A pittance compared to the executive meeting handout, but he was overjoyed, thanking me profusely.
"Tch... Seein' that bastard grin sours my mood."
My uncle made no secret of his displeasure.
Even though it was a tiny sum compared to the last one.
*
"Sleep?"
"Yeah, drivin' now means crash for sure. Catch thirty minutes here. Container's handy."
Business done, we were set to head back, but Uncle was too exhausted to drive. Stuck staying longer. With my phone battery dying, nothing to do but wander.
This land was as good as Yeom Man-geun said. No nearby houses, but a decent river close by for industrial water. Tough for living, perfect for a factory.
And ideal for testing Loa powers.
I'd been wanting to try a few things with Loa powers anyway. First, Loa prayers. Second, using vèvè, the Loa symbols.
Perfect timing—I'd offered sacrifices just before coming. But their power was no joke; couldn't half-ass it. Might as well do it right, so I took off my shirt.
The girl stealthily tailing me finally made her presence known.
"Kyaa, kyaak—!"
Ha Su-yeong screamed, hand over her mouth. Her lost eyes darted side to side.
I draped my shed clothes over my arm and approached. She backed away unsteadily.
"D-don't come closer, you psycho!"
"What 'don't come'? You're the one following."
"Hey, aaak! Psycho, put on clothes first if you're comin' over...!"
Ha Su-yeong's panicked gaze froze on one spot.
The hole in my stomach. Or rather, the scar where it had been.
She halted, blinked curiously, and approached, peering at the scar like analyzing a pattern.
"What the... Why's there a hole in your gut? Burn? Burn scar?"
"Stabbed with a knife."
"What? Why? Wait, wh-when? How old's this scar?"
"Not long. About two months ago?"
"Two months?"
Ha Su-yeong furrowed her brows, repeating it like she couldn't process. Then her eyes widened in realization.
(To be continued in the next episode)