The Meeting (1)
A man wearing a pure white hood spoke in a low voice.
“Lady, urgent intelligence has arrived from the Association.”
But the woman addressed as Lady offered no reply. She seemed lost in deep thought. Watching her, the man pondered to himself.
What could possibly trouble the Lady this much? It must be the allocation of personnel for the next operation. Though the goal was to reveal the existence of the Gujae Church to the world, it was only natural for her to hesitate when it meant sending her own flesh and blood into danger.
Then again, perhaps it simply meant she valued them that much. As expected, the Lady who had inherited the seat of the Father was truly different…!
Just as the man was silently admiring her silence, the woman seated upon the massive throne uncrossed her legs and finally spoke.
“…Bring me the list of surveillance targets.”
The surveillance target list. It was a compiled record of individuals flagged by the Church’s teachers embedded throughout global institutions—people who might one day obstruct the Gujae Church’s future.
The man was briefly startled by the unexpected order, but quickly assumed she must have her reasons and hurried to obey.
A short while later, the Lady scanned the document he returned with and found a particular name.
Yu Jihwan (17)
Academy Student …
She checked the name with the pen in her hand, then handed the list back to the man.
“I will be personally overseeing the one I marked—Yu Jihwan. Remove him from the list.”
“…This student, my lady?”
The man looked puzzled. No one had ever been removed from the surveillance list before. Not even the believers who had been converted through doctrine and fully embraced the Church. People had been erased after dying, of course, but a living person being taken off the list was unprecedented.
Then the woman added one more sentence.
“He is going to become my family.”
The man let out a soft gasp of understanding.
“Ah…!”
As one of the Lady’s most loyal servants, he instantly grasped her meaning. When she spoke of family, she did not mean the ordinary “family” of those within the sect. She meant the Father—the son of God—and the forty-four apostles who carried his blood. Her own true kin.
In other words, Yu Jihwan was an important figure destined to inherit the will of God.
Having finally understood her intention, the man bowed deeply, declared his obedience, and left the pope’s chamber.
Once he was gone, Gong Yeji, now alone in the vast room, quietly reflected. She sipped the cake so sweet it made her tongue ache and the bitter black tea, remembering the night she had stayed up talking with her younger sister, Gong Haeseon. And the cold, chilling desire that pure and innocent sister had revealed.
*
Early morning in the classroom.
“…”
My eyes met Gong Haeseon’s. A subtly awkward atmosphere hung between us. Feeling embarrassed, I tried to look away—only for her to smile faintly and wave at me.
…Huh?
I was a little surprised by her action. From her perspective, I was nothing more than trash who had toyed with her feelings and then dumped her. Yet here she was, greeting me first. She was stronger-hearted than I had given her credit for.
I quietly returned the greeting and headed toward the back of the classroom.
Time passed, and soon it was afternoon. Combat training class had arrived.
I was lightly warming up, preparing to practice mana control with Min Soyeon, when she suddenly spoke while stretching.
“…Do you know my mom?”
“…Huh?”
I let out a dumb sound at the sudden question.
“…You don’t?”
“Ah, no, I do…”
Know her? I was practically an expert on Ju Yeonhee. But why was she bringing this up all of a sudden?
Min Soyeon rolled her eyes around as if unsure how to phrase it, then finally spoke.
“…We’re supposed to have dinner together soon.”
“…I see…”
It seemed my wife had contacted Soyeon first. Since she suggested dinner, she must have also told her she was coming up to Seoul. It was a shame we wouldn’t be living together, but the time we could spend as a family would naturally increase.
My wife’s return would be a tremendous help to Soyeon’s growth going forward.
However…
Even though it was clearly a good thing, I couldn’t help feeling a little bitter.
My beloved wife and daughter were finally coming together in one place, yet I couldn’t be with them. Because I wasn’t Min Sungjae anymore—I was Yu Jihwan. Because I wasn’t family. I was an outsider.
Of course, since my wife already knew my true identity, meeting her was fine. But I couldn’t reveal myself to Soyeon. If I inserted myself into the situation, it would become incredibly strange.
So I had no choice but to stay one step back and—
“…Want to come with me?”
“…Uh, what?”
Thinking I hadn’t understood, Min Soyeon repeated her suggestion.
“…When I go to meet Mom, let’s go together.”
Oh my god…
“Uh… me, together…?”
When I asked again, thinking I must have misheard, she slowly nodded in confirmation.
She was going to bring me along? I couldn’t fathom how she had reached that conclusion.
“…You don’t want to?”
Of course I wanted to. No—I desperately wanted to. But…
“It’s a meeting with your mother. Is it really okay for me to tag along?”
There were far too many things to consider before I could just happily accept. No matter how much I acted as Soyeon’s guardian, I couldn’t just barge into a family gathering.
Min Soyeon seemed to realize the same thing. She pressed her lips together tightly and began thinking hard.
After a long silence, she asked,
“…If Mom says it’s okay, will you come?”
In the end, she was still asking me to go with her. With her feeling this way, how could I possibly refuse at this point?
“…Ask her first and let me know.”
She looked straight into my eyes and pressed,
“…So you’re saying you’ll go, right?”
I had tried to be vague, but she stubbornly demanded a clear answer.
“…Yeah. I’ll go.”
Only after I gave a firm confirmation did her eyes sparkle with satisfaction.
*
After class ended, I told Min Soyeon that something had come up and I wouldn’t be able to make her dinner.
Her response was immediate.
“…What?”
She began glaring at me with an expression that screamed how displeased she was.
Ugh…
Thinking of my wife, I instinctively shrank back, then hurriedly explained.
“The place where I work part-time called because they’re short on hands…”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. My wife had asked me to come look at furniture for the house, so in a way, it was true.
Min Soyeon bit her lip in clear dissatisfaction and continued staring at me, then suddenly asked,
“…How much are they paying?”
“Huh?”
“…How much money are they offering that you’d run off even on a weekday?”
Money, huh… It was actually a bit awkward to answer. The monthly salary Jeon Nando had promised me was 500 plus extras. But after I officially formed a ‘sponsorship’ contract with my wife, the numbers had changed. Her money was my money. Her assets were my assets. If I had to name something specific I received… it would be the unlimited black card.
How was I supposed to explain that…?
“…Quite a lot?”
Clearly unhappy with my vague answer, she frowned and demanded a specific figure.
Why the hell was she so curious about that…?
After thinking for a moment, I threw out a number I figured would sound like a decent amount.
“About 50 a day?”
Only then did she seem to understand. Without another word, she let me go.
She looked like she hadn’t quite caught on, but… it should be fine, right…?
After parting with Min Soyeon, I stopped by the house to change clothes and headed to the address my wife had given me.
However…
“Student, is this the right place?”
“…Yes. I’ll get off here.”
The place the taxi dropped me off was one of Seoul’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Rows of magnificent houses lined the streets. Even at a glance, the sturdy barriers and high walls were impressive. And among them, my wife’s house looked like it had the highest security of all.
“…”
To think she had found a house like this in just a few days… It showed just how determined she was.
I approached the gate and pressed the doorbell on the side wall. A familiar voice came through the intercom.
[Who… Hmm? Jihwan student?]
It was one of the housekeepers I had worked with before.
“Hello. Madam called for me.”
[Oh my, come in right away!]
Thanks to our previous working relationship, I was able to pass through the gate without issue.
Once inside, I slowly walked across the wide-open courtyard. Unlike the outside, the interior was filled with a very warm atmosphere. It seemed that, in addition to the security barrier, a climate-related barrier had also been installed.
Looking around the garden, I saw a vibrant flowerbed, a small swimming pool perfect for playing in the water, and on one side, elegant antique tables. It was the kind of courtyard where a family could gather on weekends and spend quality time together.
…If only Soyeon lived here too…
It would be good for her emotional health to not be alone, and with reliable housekeepers around, there couldn’t be a better house to live in.
…Maybe I should try putting the idea in her head?
Thinking of Soyeon, I approached the front door—when it suddenly burst open and someone appeared to greet me.
“Welcome home, dear.”
It was my wife.
But…
“Hello… there…”
I was stunned by what my wife was wearing as she greeted me.
…What the hell is this woman wearing…?!
She had said we were going to look at furniture…!
She was wearing a beige dress that barely reached her thighs, so tight that every curve of her body was blatantly exposed. Thanks to Ju Yeonhee’s naturally youthful appearance, she could easily pass for someone in her twenties. If Soyeon grew up, would she look just like this…?
…I absolutely cannot let her wear clothes like that. Form-fitting outfits are banned.
While I was momentarily dazed by her outfit, my wife smiled seductively and beckoned to me.
“Won’t you come in?”
Snapping back to my senses, I quietly followed her inside the house.
*
Why… why is everyone so quiet…?
I was slightly flustered by my suddenly silent “friends.”
After returning home, I had a light dinner and told them that Jihwan was earning about 50 a day. Their reaction was strange. Since I had never earned money myself, I wanted to ask if it was a good amount, but…
…Is the money Jihwan is earning weird? Is it exploitation or something?
They remained completely silent, as if carefully watching one another.
They were still just watching each other.
“Ugh, what the hell is wrong with you guys…”
Today was Thursday. Since Jihwan would start his part-time job on Friday evening, I wouldn’t be able to eat dinner with him until Monday at the earliest. I was already irritated to death, and now even my “friends” were acting like this. It made me feel strangely anxious.
Frustrated, I pulled out my nearly empty pack of cigarettes and put one in my mouth—when a new message popped up.
At that moment, the cigarette I had been holding in my mouth fell to the floor with a soft clack.