Saturday Morning
A gentle breeze carried the faint scent of flowers, brushing against the bridge of my nose. The sunlight was pleasantly warm, and the sky stretched out endlessly blue without a single cloud. The nice weather seemed to lift my spirits too.
“You’re here.”
Gu Jun-hyeok greeted me when I arrived at the meeting spot. Jeong In-ah was nowhere to be seen, oddly enough.
“Where’s In-ah?”
“Bathroom. Oh, there she comes.”
Gu Jun-hyeok nodded toward the station area with his eyes. Far off at the station entrance, Jeong In-ah was hurrying toward us with quick steps. I was used to seeing her in her school uniform, so her casual clothes felt refreshingly different. Light blue jeans, a white tee, and a pink cardigan on top. The whole vibe was bright and fresh. Suits her well, I thought idly.
Soon, she reached us and flapped the long sleeves of her cardigan as she spoke.
“What? When’d you get here?”
“Just now.”
“You’re five minutes late. You know that, right?”
“Sorry. I took the wrong train.”
In truth, I’d overslept.
“Let’s go eat already. I’m starving.”
“Where to?”
“I picked a place yesterday! Follow me!”
Jeong In-ah took the lead. Her light steps made the cardigan sleeves flutter in the air. A smile never left her lips, and her cheeks were faintly flushed. She looked in high spirits.
Gu Jun-hyeok and I followed behind her. The way to the restaurant was chaotic. It was a bustling commercial district teeming with people. Conversations buzzed everywhere, and the occasional honk pierced my eardrums. Passersby kept glancing our way—not at us, exactly, but at Gu Jun-hyeok. The reason wasn’t far to seek.
It was his outfit today.
“Why’s all your clothes... so black?”
Gu Jun-hyeok was head-to-toe black. Black shoes, black slacks, black polo shirt, and a black leather jacket. It wasn’t unflattering—actually, it suited him pretty well. But his sharp features didn’t exactly scream “friendly.” Paired with the dark clothes, he gave off... what? A somewhat sinister vibe.
I found myself checking the back of his neck. Not that I suspected him, but seeing him decked out entirely in black made me want to double-check. Fortunately, no goat tattoos or anything like that. Of course not, I told myself.
“What? Something on me?”
Gu Jun-hyeok rubbed the back of his neck and asked.
“Nah. Just... the clothes suit you.”
I changed the subject to dodge the question.
“Ah~ Yeah? Black always looks good on me, right?”
He grinned, clearly pleased by the compliment. And honestly, it did suit him. The dark aura just happened to draw stares.
Before long, we arrived at the restaurant following Jeong In-ah. It was a fusion spot serving Western and Korean dishes.
“Whoa. Wow. Eek. This looks so good.”
As soon as the food arrived, Jeong In-ah let out a stream of exclamations while snapping photos. Gu Jun-hyeok’s fork hovered aimlessly in the air. We’d ordered things like “minari rose pasta” and “cuttlefish pizza”—odd combos, but surprisingly tasty. We devoured it all without a second thought.
“Wow. Holy crap. So pretty.”
Next up was a café. Again, as soon as the food came out, Jeong In-ah went photo-crazy. Gu Jun-hyeok’s spoon wandered lost in the air. Déjà vu hit me.
“We’re here to hang out, right? Why does it feel like we’re just eating nonstop?”
Gu Jun-hyeok set down his spoon with a clink. I’d heard recently that he didn’t like sweets much. He only had them occasionally when he remembered.
“Huh? Isn’t that the same thing?”
Jeong In-ah shoveled custard pudding into her mouth as she replied. She loved sweets—lost her mind over them, apparently. It struck me again how opposite she and Gu Jun-hyeok were.
We had lunch, dessert at the café, and waffles after. Just like he said, it was all eating. Hard to tell if we were out for fun or food crawling. Our stomachs were so full we couldn’t eat another bite before we finally stopped.
At Gu Jun-hyeok’s suggestion, we decided to walk it off in a nearby park. Checking the time on my phone, it was just past 4—over two hours until 6. Plenty of time.
“Ughhh~ So full. Can’t even walk.”
Jeong In-ah stretched her arms high, her cardigan sleeves flapping over her head.
“No kidding. How do you eat that much?”
Gu Jun-hyeok scowled at her. He’d barely touched his lunch, just poked at the pudding occasionally at the café, and skipped the rest. With his massive build—like he could chew through iron—his appetite was surprisingly light. Unexpected.
While Gu Jun-hyeok sighed and grumbled, trying to suppress his disgust, Jeong In-ah skipped ahead through the park with light steps. Her smile was radiant.
“She’s super hyped.”
Gu Jun-hyeok muttered softly, watching her. His expression was a mix of joy and sorrow.
Jeong In-ah wore her emotions openly, easy to read. Gu Jun-hyeok’s face was always ambiguous, hard to gauge.
“She’s got a simple personality. Trusts people easily.”
His tone was unusually quiet and calm. The shift from his usual vibe felt off.
“Why the sudden deep talk?”
I teased to lighten the mood.
He straightened up for a second, face hardening scarily. But soon, his usual playful smirk returned.
“Just popped into my head. Wonder how we even got close. She wasn’t that violent back then...”
He chuckled, rubbing his shin.
“Speaking of, how long have you two been friends?”
I kept the conversation going naturally.
“Dunno. Second year middle school? Two years ago, maybe. Hard to say. Just kinda happened.”
“That’s not long.”
I’d assumed they were childhood friends, they got along so well.
Gu Jun-hyeok gazed vaguely at Jeong In-ah, who was still hopping around the park.
“Yeah. But In-ah’s got such a great personality. We clicked fast.”
“True.”
She had a knack for chatting up strangers effortlessly. That’s how she and I became friends too—she approached me first.
I nodded in agreement. Then Jeong In-ah strode back toward us, her pink cardigan fluttering like cherry blossoms.
“What’re you two talking about without me?!”
She beamed.
“Talking shit about you.”
Gu Jun-hyeok said matter-of-factly.
Normally, she’d kick his shin, but she was too happy and just grinned.
“Oh yeah? Let’s hear it.”
“Seon-woo said you’re ugly.”
“Huh? Really?”
Her face fell a bit. I shook my head frantically to protest my innocence.
“Didn’t say that. He’s lying.”
“No, you did. You said she looks like a mushy peach earlier.”
“Mushy peach...?”
Jeong In-ah slumped, shoulders drooping.
“No, seriously, that’s not— Dude, stop making shit up—”
“Damn, Seon-woo, you’re creepy good at this. You don’t belong at Florence. Go to Daehangno and act. You’ll be a superstar.”
“What the. No. This is ridiculous.”
He kept pushing. If anyone should act, it was him. Lying without batting an eye—it was so believable and chilling that I was speechless.
Jeong In-ah looked back and forth between us, confused.
“So who’s telling the truth? Wait, are you guys messing with me?”
“Took you long enough?”
Gu Jun-hyeok snickered. She tried to kick his shin in mock anger, but he anticipated it and prepared to dodge. Tension hung pointlessly in the air over nothing.
Bzzz—! Bzzz—!
But disaster was averted. Jeong In-ah’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She halted mid-kick and pulled it out. Unknown number.
“Hello?”
She answered without suspicion. A low, resonant voice leaked from the receiver, but I couldn’t make out the words.
“Ah, yes. That’s me. Oh. Then Monday evening, uh. Yes, yes. Got it. Okay.”
Her face darkened gravely throughout the call. Her breathing grew shallow, her replies trembling faintly. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good news.
The call ended. She stared at us blankly.
“Uh, guys. Me.”
“What happened?”
Gu Jun-hyeok asked coldly.
Jeong In-ah hesitated, glancing around anxiously. Finally, she sighed deeply.
“They... found my sister. Come to Seoul East Knight Command by Monday evening.”
*
With news of her missing sister found, Jeong In-ah hurried home. She had preparations to make, and she wouldn’t enjoy hanging out anyway with her mind on her sister. We saw her off at the station without protest.
That left just Gu Jun-hyeok and me. He suggested a PC bang, but unfortunately, I didn’t know any games. With nothing else to do, we called it a day.
I arrived at the underground chapel at 5:47 p.m. Uncle Lee Jin-seong and Kang Ji-a were already waiting.
“You’re here. Shall we head out?”
At Kang Ji-a’s stiff words, we left the chapel and set off for our destination. We brought the “Mouth of Baal” just in case, and picked up radish and lettuce seeds on the way.
“Why buy that all of a sudden?”
“Just in case.”
“Ah, okay.”
Uncle nodded, seeming to get it.
The car pulled out. Uncle in the driver’s seat, Kang Ji-a shotgun. I sat in the back, gazing vaguely at the world slipping by outside. The sun hung on the horizon, spilling red twilight.
“Uncle. So, how do you know Kang... Ms. Kang Ji-a? Kang Ji-a-ssi?”
“Just call me Kang Ji-a.”
I’d been fumbling for a title when she spoke coolly. She looked young, but she was older—calling her by name alone felt off.
“How’d you two meet?”
I settled on “Kang Ji-a-ssi.”
“You know we ran an orphanage back in the Voodoo days?”
“No clue.”
“Ah, right—you were little then. Anyway, she’s from there. That’s how.”
The explanation was vague; I didn’t quite get the full story. He was busy driving and didn’t seem keen on elaborating. It wasn’t crucial, and I wasn’t dying to know, so I’d ask later.
We arrived at the destination: Lazaro Central Mall. Hard to believe it housed a fake cult’s base—it was too ordinary, even better maintained than others.
“Basement 5th floor. Elevator this way.”
We followed Kang Ji-a into the elevator. As she’d explained before, the fake Voodoo worship hall was on B5. But the buttons only went to B3.
“Wrong place?”
“No.”
She firmly pressed B3 and B2 simultaneously. The elevator skipped past B3 to B4, then B5. Ding. The doors opened.
Two men in bizarre masks greeted us. Tall but not bulky, they looked like scarecrows. Wordlessly, they strode into the darkness, leading us.
We reached a crude, massive door.
“Service starts in 30 minutes. Please sit and pray while you wait. Oh—and wear these masks before entering.”
They handed us three ornate masks, like for a masquerade. We donned them silently and opened the door.
The sight beyond made my jaw drop. The ceiling soared impossibly high. Purple mist swirled in every corner. The vast hall held countless seats, all packed with devotees praying densely. Some clasped hands in quiet devotion; others stood shrieking madly. The air reeked of blind fanaticism—dangerously so.
“Stop gawking. Sit.”
Uncle Lee Jin-seong’s words snapped me back. We found empty seats and mimicked the others in prayer.
Thirty minutes passed.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
From the central platform, dry heel strikes echoed clearly. The ‘Voodoo Reincarnation Church’—the fake cult leader—had arrived.
(Continued next chapter)