Entering the Whale's Belly
Ha Ye-jin was discharged quickly. Kim Bok-dong was too. They'd only lost consciousness due to black magic, without sustaining any actual injuries. But Kim Jin-seo and the child with her had suffered severe wounds, meaning they'd be hospitalized for days at the shortest, or weeks at the longest.
Right after Ha Ye-jin and Kim Bok-dong were released, Florence Academy called a staff meeting. The two attended as supervisors of the practical exam and as witnesses to the incident that had unfolded during it. Mun Yo-seop also joined as a practical exam supervisor, participating in discussions about evaluation criteria.
"For a so-called meeting, there sure aren't many people here. Is it always like this?"
Once the meeting ended, Mun Yo-seop asked Ha Ye-jin as they left the conference room at Florence.
Ha Ye-jin lowered her eyes with a resigned expression. "It's not always like this, but it happens sometimes. Especially when something involving the Satan Cult blows up..."
"Yeah, it's the kind of thing you have to be careful about. One wrong move, and heads start rolling."
Florence had always been a hotbed of frequent incidents. It was that way back when Mun Yo-seop had been a student there, and even before. The difference now was that accidents used to stem mostly from students themselves, whereas these days, they were caused by outsiders like the Satan Cult.
Internal Florence matters were easy enough to handle. But when outsiders—especially the Satan Cult—were involved, cleanup got messy. It was commonplace for mishandling such cases to lead to dismissal.
"Still, the vice principal's attitude was a bit off. Name's slipping my mind, but the one with the short hair..."
Mun Yo-seop muttered to himself, habitually piecing together deductions, then abruptly stopped and shut his mouth. A man had stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
Mun Yo-seop looked up at the man with clear irritation. He was tall himself, but this guy towered over him by a wide margin. His build was so massive he felt less like a person and more like a wall. 'Huge' didn't even cover it; 'colossal' was the word.
Was he looking for a fight? But in the next moment, the man bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, greeting Mun Yo-seop politely.
"Inquisitor Mun Yo-seop, sir. I'm Han Dae-ho. Don't you remember me?"
"Han Dae-ho? Han Dae-ho... Ah, Han Dae-ho! Of course I remember. How could I forget!"
Mun Yo-seop's face lit up in recognition. Ha Ye-jin stood awkwardly watching their exchange. She knew Han Dae-ho was Kim Bok-dong's friend, but they weren't close enough to chat casually.
Mun Yo-seop shook his hand warmly and continued. "So, what brings you to Florence? Were you a practical exam supervisor too? How'd we not run into each other even once?"
"No, not the exam. I came for some coordination on other business."
"Makes sense—Florence falls under the Eastern Paladin Order's jurisdiction... You've gotta be swamped these days. Come to think of it, you look rougher than before. Like you've aged ten years."
"Haha... You're too kind, sir. It's not that bad."
They exchanged updates, traded jokes now and then, and parted on warm terms when Han Dae-ho's phone rang.
Even after seeing him off, a faint smile lingered on Mun Yo-seop's lips. "It's been a while since I saw that guy—made it extra nice. I helped him out a bit when he became Eastern Paladin captain. We've been close ever since."
"Ah..."
"By the way, aren't you around the same age as Han Dae-ho, Miss Ha?"
"...Actually, we were Florence classmates."
"Oh, really? Why didn't you say hi, then?"
"We're not that close."
"I see."
Mun Yo-seop replied indifferently and started walking. Ha Ye-jin fell into step beside him, glancing his way.
During the meeting, discussion had turned to how to handle Kim Jin-seo and the child's scores. No one stepped forward rashly. Granting them special treatment would spark fairness debates given the circumstances, but ignoring the situation they were in felt impossible. Above all, Kim Jin-seo was the chairman's daughter.
Or really, they just didn't want the responsibility. Afraid of the fallout their words might cause, they kept silent, cowardly waiting for someone else to speak first.
"Wouldn't it be better to just give them clear special consideration for this?"
Mun Yo-seop was the one who spoke up. As the eldest and highest-ranking in the church there, he continued smoothly. "We say they drove off the demon species that appeared in the exam hall, that Florence is raising students like that, that we don't just protect them but teach them to protect themselves... Spin it right, and no one's complaining about fairness. It's a fact they repelled the demon, after all."
"..."
"Shape the narrative well, grant the special scores, and student morale will soar. We could even promote Kim Jin-seo as Florence's poster child. Might be a good chance to flip the atmosphere entirely."
Mun Yo-seop spoke fluidly. Most seemed to agree, though opposition arose as expected. But he dismantled each counterargument simply—with logic, not authority.
In the end, they adopted his proposal wholesale: Kim Jin-seo and the child would receive scores equivalent to first place.
Ha Ye-jin came to respect him a little. His personality seemed odd, but he had common sense as a cleric.
"Sorry about this. You probably want to rest after discharge, but here I am working you hard."
"Pardon? No, I'm doing this because I want to."
Ha Ye-jin shook her head with a small smile. Truth be told, she'd been flustered when Mun Yo-seop suddenly asked for her cooperation. She wanted rest, but more than that, she distrusted him. She figured she'd just be used for the investigation and discarded without real gain. She'd experienced that countless times as a priest before becoming a teacher.
But seeing him at the meeting, she decided to give him a chance. Besides, it was time to think about what came after retirement. She'd already resolved to quit. The dream induced by black magic had revealed her twisted desires, making it impossible to stay in teaching.
"We're here."
Their silent steps halted. Mun Yo-seop, hands clasped behind his back, stared wordlessly at the cross hanging on the roof of a dilapidated, half-collapsed building. Ha Ye-jin looked back and forth between him and the cross in confusion.
"Didn't you say we'd start the full investigation today...?"
"Come in first. There's something to do before the real investigating begins."
With a queasy feeling, Ha Ye-jin followed him into the rundown building—which was little more than a ruin. It must have been a small cathedral once; the long pews where congregants should have sat were shattered beyond repair. The statues lining the hall's edges had their heads smashed, giving off an eerie vibe. Bloodstains marred the cross and walls, like a horror movie set. None of the uplifting thrill or sanctity of a church remained. Just gloom and desolation.
Ha Ye-jin glanced around, then shivered at a sudden chill.
"Don't be scared. It used to be a decent cathedral... And it's my home now, too."
"..."
"Hard to believe, I know, but you get used to it. Sleep's tricky, though."
She truly couldn't believe it. Ha Ye-jin couldn't last a single day in a place like this. Forget days—even a few nights would drive her mad.
"Your family..."
She almost blurted it out, then clamped her mouth shut, realizing it wasn't something to say to near-strangers like Mun Yo-seop. She stole a glance at him. Despite how intrusive it could be, he just smiled nonchalantly.
"No family. You think a guy like me could have one?"
"..."
Ha Ye-jin fell silent at the self-deprecating joke. With no response, Mun Yo-seop gave a wry half-smile of mild disappointment.
After the brief exchange, they moved to a corner of the crumbling cathedral. A door there led to a corridor, ending in another door. Mun Yo-seop inserted a key into the lock.
Creeeak...
The door opened with a sound as unpleasant as the cathedral—or worse.
Beyond lay pitch darkness. Mun Yo-seop plunged in casually, but Ha Ye-jin hesitated at the threshold. It wasn't the dark that scared her. It was the foul stench wafting from inside: demon flesh, beast saliva, human blood, miscellaneous chemicals... A complex, horrific odor even she couldn't fully parse.
Click.
Mun Yo-seop flicked on the light. Surprise flooded Ha Ye-jin's guarded face.
"This is..."
"To see the whale, you first have to crawl out of its belly."
Ha Ye-jin surveyed the room. It was astonishing everywhere she looked—enough to erase the creepy cathedral and corridor from her mind.
First came the walls crammed with photos. Hundreds at a glance: humans, beasts, demons... Some so mangled they were unrecognizable as corpses. Arrows webbed between them like spider silk.
Next, the desk piled with weapons. Mostly blunt instruments like iron maces and hammers, plus knuckles and crossbow-like pistols. All lethally menacing.
"..."
But Ha Ye-jin's gaze fixed not on photos or weapons, but the bookshelves. No bibliomaniac herself, she still fancied herself a serious collector—especially in her field, where claiming she'd read every book wasn't hyperbole.
Yet these were all unfamiliar to her. Instinct told her every volume filling the massive shelves was a forbidden book.
"Here, you'll crawl out of the whale's belly. Seeing the whale itself comes after."
Mun Yo-seop pulled a book from the shelves and handed it to her. Its cover was stitched from human skin, repulsive in form.
(To be continued next chapter)