He Said It Wasn't a Sudden Death
He said it wasn't a sudden death. Do Myeong-jun's father had been in poor health for quite some time, and lately, he'd even been coughing up blood—his condition was that bad. He'd already braced himself for it, or so Do Myeong-jun said with a smile.
Do Myeong-jun had always smiled a lot. He'd smile out of joy when something good happened, smile to smooth over awkward situations, and even flash a bitter grin instead of crying when he was sad. Seong Yu-da and Lee Se-hwa knew his personality well. They understood what that smile meant when he announced his father's death.
The two planned to attend Do Myeong-jun's father's funeral. But Do Myeong-jun blocked them from coming.
"It'd be hard for you to adjust. Fitting into the atmosphere would be tough too."
That was the reason he kept them away. Voodoo Cult funerals were long. News of the first Voodoo Cult leader's death spread through various media to many people. Seong Yu-da and Lee Se-hwa watched Do Myeong-jun conducting the funeral from afar, through screens. But they could never see him in person. They couldn't even offer the most clichéd words of comfort directly.
"Still no word from Myeong-jun sunbae?"
"Yeah."
Do Myeong-jun, Seong Yu-da, and Lee Se-hwa had always met as a trio, but after the funeral, it was just the two of them. There was no way to contact Do Myeong-jun anymore. After the funeral, he'd changed his phone number.
Reporters who had covered the death of the first Voodoo Cult leader now reported on the ascension of the second leader. And that second leader was none other than Do Myeong-jun.
On screen, Do Myeong-jun addressing throngs of followers looked utterly alien to Seong Yu-da. The innocent, mischief-loving Do Myeong-jun was nowhere to be seen. He had become a proper Voodoo Cult leader.
"...We Romanica Church folks probably can't meet him anymore now that he's the leader."
Seong Yu-da tried to recall why he'd become friends with Do Myeong-jun. He couldn't remember. He thought back to when they'd grown close. Probably from some distant childhood memory he could barely grasp. They'd been best friends for an countless stretch of time since then. Yet becoming distant strangers had happened in the blink of an eye.
After losing contact with Do Myeong-jun, Seong Yu-da started meeting Lee Se-hwa alone more often. Whenever they met, they talked about their career paths. Seong Yu-da had already become a key figure in the Central Knight Order and dreamed of promotion to heretic inquisitor. Lee Se-hwa aimed to transfer from a regional priest order to the Central Priest Order.
"Once I get to Central, we'll collaborate sometimes, right, sunbae? The Central Priest Order and Central Knight Order work together a lot."
"Hurry up and come. I'll be waiting."
Deep down, Seong Yu-da was glad for the increased chances to talk with Lee Se-hwa alone. After drifting apart from Do Myeong-jun, his Purification Clan family had started pressuring him to marry. Even amid that, his feelings for Lee Se-hwa remained unchanged. No—because it was a love that could never be, his heart only grew stronger.
"It would've been even better if Myeong-jun sunbae were here."
The only thing that irked him was how Lee Se-hwa still couldn't forget Do Myeong-jun and mentioned him now and then. Even when alone with Seong Yu-da, she'd bring him up—how it would be nicer with him there, how great it would be if the three could meet like old times. Watching her say such things stirred an inexplicable emotion in Seong Yu-da. Anger, anxiety, a touch of sadness. He couldn't tell if the sadness was Do Myeong-jun's fault or Lee Se-hwa's.
"That guy's forgotten us."
Seong Yu-da said. Lee Se-hwa didn't reply, just turned and stared at his face. Clear sorrow shone in her eyes. She was unmistakably grieving over Do Myeong-jun. Seong Yu-da gritted his teeth.
"Do Myeong-jun's different from us."
Seong Yu-da said, gazing out the window. Outside the café, crowds bustled by. Some walked in close-knit groups, others alone. Among them were surely Romanica believers and Voodoo followers. But Seong Yu-da was certain no one from different faiths walked together like that.
"Just as we can't understand him, he can't understand us."
Seong Yu-da stood. Lee Se-hwa looked up at him blankly. He ignored her gaze as best he could.
Do Myeong-jun had been the next Voodoo Cult leader from the start. They could be close for a while, but not forever. Their births set them apart. In that way, Seong Yu-da—who'd had to give up on Lee Se-hwa countless times because of his Purification Clan blood—was the same.
Around the first snowfall, Lee Se-hwa went to take the Central Priest Order entrance exam. Seong Yu-da had failed multiple times in his own exams and interviews for heretic inquisitor, ending in despair. That's when Do Myeong-jun suddenly appeared.
"Long time no see."
"......"
That was Do Myeong-jun's opening line. Seeing him show up unannounced and greet him so brazenly made Seong Yu-da's blood boil. At first, he was furious. He had so much to say. Why had he cut off contact so abruptly and vanished? But Seong Yu-da couldn't ask anything. Because Do Myeong-jun smiled at him—the same smile he'd worn when his father died.
"......What've you been up to all this time?"
Seong Yu-da asked. Do Myeong-jun just grinned without answering. In the time apart, his face had grown haggard from exhaustion. His already lean frame seemed to have lost even what little flesh it had. Yet the brilliant, profound light in his eyes hadn't dimmed at all. If anything, time had made that glow even brighter.
They started walking. No one suggested it first. They just walked like old times. Do Myeong-jun silently watched the sleet melting on the ground as he walked; Seong Yu-da walked while watching him. It was then that Seong Yu-da noticed the ring on his finger.
"What's with the ring? Got a girlfriend?"
"Nah. Dad's ashes ring."
"......What? Why make a ring out of your fa—your father's ashes?"
"That's how Voodoo does it."
Do Myeong-jun looked up at the sky. Seong Yu-da followed suit. Moonlight shone brilliantly; the wind was cool. A sigh sent white breath billowing from his mouth. Do Myeong-jun stared blankly at the moon, fiddling with the ring on his finger.
"It's keeping death itself as an object."
"So, you see your father's soul inside that ring?"
"No. Dad's soul is traveling the 'unseen world' right now."
"......What're you even saying? I can't understand Voodoo at all. Don't want to either."
"Gotta pass it to my kids later."
"Kids? You getting married?"
"Marriage...... Who knows."
Do Myeong-jun gave a wry smile at the ring on his left pinky. The ash gem embedded in the center sparkled in the moonlight. He stared at it for a long while—specifically, the ash gem. As if someone were beyond it, with deep, lonely eyes.
"It'll work out somehow."
Do Myeong-jun looked up at Seong Yu-da and continued with a childlike, innocent smile.
"How's it going with Se-hwa these days?"
"How's what?"
"You like Se-hwa."
Seong Yu-da flinched at Do Myeong-jun's sudden words. His secret, one he didn't want anyone knowing, was out. He hardened his expression.
"......What nonsense is that?"
"Give it a shot."
"......"
"Se-hwa's got a surprisingly weak mind, like a dog. So you gotta be the one holding her together mentally. You're the toughest mentally out of us."
Seong Yu-da bowed his head, unable to reply. He'd failed the heretic inquisitor exams repeatedly, drowning in despair. Lately, he drank every day without fail—his spirit was far from strong enough to support anyone. Moreover, he was betrothed to someone else, not Lee Se-hwa.
......Maybe you'd be better for her than me.
Seong Yu-da thought. Do Myeong-jun would suit Lee Se-hwa more than he would. But Do Myeong-jun shook his head firmly.
"Nah, not me. I'm Voodoo."
"......"
"Being leader's tougher than I thought. Makes Dad seem amazing. And I didn't even like him that much......"
Do Myeong-jun said darkly. Seong Yu-da just listened without responding. It was the first time Do Myeong-jun had sounded so weak. He'd always been strong. Even when ignored at Florence for lacking divine power, or facing expulsion from demerits, he'd always smiled. Seong Yu-da had thought it was because he was strong, able to smile through hardship. But no. They just lived in different worlds.
The humiliations at Florence weren't humiliations to Do Myeong-jun at all. As a Voodoo follower, he didn't care how much Romanica believers scorned or despised him. He had his own world, and in it, Do Myeong-jun wasn't strong. He was just an ordinary person, no different from Lee Se-hwa or Seong Yu-da.
"Gotta head out. Got a ton of backlog, actually snuck away."
"......"
"Felt bad about leaving without a proper goodbye to you...... Anyway, see ya!"
Do Myeong-jun left after that. Seong Yu-da almost grabbed him. He'd thought he had much to say, but in the end, nothing came. He let Do Myeong-jun go without a proper farewell.
That day, Lee Se-hwa met Seong Yu-da and shared the news of passing the Central Priest Order entrance exam. Seong Yu-da told her about meeting Do Myeong-jun.
"......"
Lee Se-hwa stared at him in shocked silence for a long time. A hint of betrayal flickered in her eyes. Seong Yu-da recalled Do Myeong-jun's words and tried to say more—congratulate her on the exam, confess his feelings. But his mouth wouldn't move. He'd seen her expression harden at the mention of the meeting, seen betrayal toward Do Myeong-jun well up in her eyes. He couldn't say a word.
"Let's go see him."
Lee Se-hwa said, glaring at Seong Yu-da. He shook his head.
"......Can't contact him. How do we even find him?"
"Plenty of ways to track him down even without contact."
"If we just show up suddenly......"
"He showed up suddenly to you. Why can't we do the same?"
It made sense. Do Myeong-jun had appeared out of nowhere. There was no rule saying Seong Yu-da couldn't do the same. No matter how busy as Voodoo leader, sparing a few minutes shouldn't be impossible.
Honestly, he didn't want to go with Lee Se-hwa to see Do Myeong-jun. He didn't want to see her light up with joy at seeing him. But her eyes burned with betrayal, passion, a sense of justice. If Seong Yu-da refused, she'd go alone.
"......Yeah, let's go."
Seong Yu-da nodded, thinking it better to tag along than let them meet alone.
(To be continued next time)