< Episode 7 >
"Save me......"
"If you believe in Jesus, you can live. I heard that all patients with incurable and intractable diseases say they believe in Jesus. If they survive, it's a miracle, and even if they die, they go to heaven."
"I'm sorry, please forgive me just this once... Gack!"
Hey. Is Jesus your friend? Is it okay to make Jesus wait like this? Just believe and your fucking life is guaranteed. All your worries and concerns will disappear, and even after death, you'll get a free ticket to heaven, they say?
"I trust you! I trust you!"
"Then sit there."
I sat a hoodlum down in front of me and opened the Bible I had brought from Father Seong.
I may not know a thing about that damn exorcism or baptism, or confession, but isn't this how everyone who believes in Jesus starts—by opening the Bible?
"Or carry the cross."
Thinking that it would be enough to just put on a show, I placed my hand on the head of the one sitting crouched, sniffling.
"Confess your sins before you believe in Jesus."
"...Huh?"
"Tell me the sins you've committed so far, you idiot."
"So... that means... I stole money from my parents' wallet!"
I still see the black aura flickering around you. Those who do not truly confess their sins before the Lord shall justly receive their punishment.
And again, aaaaaaaaah!
Jesus does not even consider a child stealing candy a sin. What you did, taking money from your parents' wallet, is on a similar level. I say it again. Confess your sin.
"I got it! I got it, so stop it......!"
Do you think this is the worst pain you'll ever taste? If you don't believe in Jesus, you might suffer even worse. Your whole life will fall into utter ruin. Everything you do will go wrong, and you'll be plagued by illness until you collapse and die, only to be greeted at the gates of hell by horned skull brothers who will politely escort you in. And today, the fires of hell are said to be quite warm, so they'll be giving you the full course, spinning you around in circles.
"I... I bullied my friend!"
Thud!
I still couldn't seem to snap out of it, so I slapped the face of the fool who confessed only a part of his sins before Jesus.
"How did you torment her?"
"Gruff...Kuh! Hit, take the money, stomp with cigarette butts, and take off your pants in front of the girls!"
"The most important thing is left."
The black aura I feel from you isn't something that can be accumulated with just that much sin. I can see it with my own eyes.
Because I've been a target of persecution since childhood, I know better than anyone the gravity of sin.
"He filmed her naked and spread it on the internet... Aaaaaah!"
"The most important thing is missing."
My fist struck the hoodlum's face once more, and his nasal bone twisted properly, splattering blood like a fountain.
"That wasn't really our intention either... Ugh!"
You have to be completely honest when confessing your sins before Jesus. Otherwise, He won't forgive you. If you can't receive forgiveness, no matter how good you live, you're still going to hell, you know?
Confess your sins in detail. And repent. In the end, receive forgiveness.
So, whether you're a fucking bastard or a motherless asshole, Jesus will embrace you with mercy and love, okay?
The victim's 'feelings' won't matter at all, will they?
"He... made him commit suicide! Ughhhh...!"
"Alright, alright, well done. Even after killing someone, if you can't get your head straight and wander the streets at night with these worthless bastards, you might as well cause some trouble for others. After all, if you truly repent and seek forgiveness, Jesus won't send you to hell."
I gently stroked his head as if to say, "When have I ever cried like this?" and closed the Bible with a thud.
"Although I do not consider myself a religious person who claims to be an agent or servant of Jesus, I acknowledge that as someone akin to a subcontractor, I have accepted your confession. And I swear here and now to be a witness who guarantees your journey to heaven. Even if you ruin your life in a despicable manner, if you believe in and follow Jesus, you will be able to boldly kick open the gates of heaven. You have the right to confidently approach Jesus and say, 'I may have ruined the lives of my friends and their families, but in the end, I have returned to Your embrace.' Amen."
Ah, amen...
"Now you are the son of the living Jesus, and you must live your life in prayer and sincerity for Him alone. I have sworn as your witness, will you also swear to live such a life?"
"I swear..."
"Well done. Now let me instill in you an unwavering faith."
I thoroughly extracted all personal information from the wallet and smartphone I had snatched from the hoodlum.
"On the day you break the oath you made before Jesus today, I will come for you."
When I handed back his wallet and smartphone, he shuddered and took a deep breath.
My vow, your vow, the faithful devotion Jesus desires. Surely there can be no betrayal of all that?
"Yes, that's right!"
"Okay. Let's recite a magic spell to remember this moment forever. Follow closely."
Ahem! Clearing my throat, I spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
"Suri Suri Nugeummasuri."
"...Suri Suri Nugemma Suri."
"Let this spell never be broken. For life. And every time you eat, pray to Jesus diligently, and even if you don't go to church on weekends, send your tithes and offerings to the pastor's account."
"......"
I passed by the hooligans sprawled on the ground and emerged from the dark alley.
It felt fresh, like sending a lost lamb, experiencing the confusion of life for the first time, to Jesus via cash on delivery.
I should say I felt a sense of fulfillment, as if my hands and feet were perfectly aligned, as if I was born to do this.
Most subcontracting company employees would probably see themselves as mere appendages of large and medium-sized corporations, viewing their lives pessimistically, but I realized that subcontracting companies have their own path to follow.
But I still fall far short.
When I recall the exorcism performed on me by Father Seong and Deacon John, I still feel that the path I must walk is long.
They truly dedicated their lives to eradicating evil for the great Lord Jesus, our Father in heaven, and were faithful believers who believed in salvation at the end, even if it meant being presented with a choice that felt almost forced.
I may never understand people like them, even in death, but on the other hand, I couldn't help but acknowledge their skills and faith.
What I need is professional knowledge and skills, and experience.
Just as the exorcist wasn't always an exorcist, I wasn't always an orphan, even though I became one at just eight years old.
I acquired basic knowledge about religion and history at the library, but to deeply immerse myself in this field, I need to go through advanced courses.
The process of deepening it is, first of all, to give it a try.
I entered a nearby PC room, canceled my subscription, and sat down in a corner seat, diving into the vast ocean of information that humanity prides itself on.
From ghost spots where spirits are said to appear, to absurd cases of people supposedly possessed, to various mysterious incidents suspected to be the work of demons.
Exorcism, talisman, exorcism tools, amulet, sorcery, curse (black rice), necromancy, shamanism, the language of spirits and demons, matching spiritual frequencies, distinguishing possession from mental illness, hypnotherapy, energy healing, self-hypnosis, dream interpretation, divination, out-of-body experience.
Sites that were inaccessible due to domestic censorship were searched for relentlessly, even if it meant circumventing them through a proxy server.
Sitting at the desk and working on the PC had become so familiar that it was almost tiresome, and the information gathering continued endlessly. The night shift at the PC room had somehow turned into a day shift, and then back to a night shift again.
The night shift worker who had skipped a day came over to where I was to clean and abruptly asked if I was okay.
It's only natural to worry if the person you saw the day before is still sitting in the same spot, in the same posture, a day later, not playing any games but just staring at the internet window.
Suddenly, I realized that I hadn't eaten or drunk anything for over two days.
Even after a big fight with the delinquent gang, sitting in the PC room in a state of complete exhaustion, the night shift staff would have been more concerned than worried.
'Smelly, looking like he's about to die any moment, and on top of that, spending all day in the corner of an internet cafe—a strange customer. If it were me, I'd want to kick him out right away.'
Since a virtuous person who faithfully fulfills their duties should rightly go to heaven, I finished calculating the overdue sperm bank fees and said goodbye to the part-timer.
"Believe in Jesus and go to heaven, or disbelieve and go to hell. Be sure to believe in Jesus and go to heaven."
"...Ah, yes."
After swimming through the sea of information for over dozens of hours, exploring all sorts of rumors and harmful information, and perhaps even some facts mixed in, I finally managed to decide on my path.
After stopping by a convenience store near the hospital to buy a set of incense, I went to Daiso and bought a pot and ladle that were just right for stirring.
Finally, I stopped by the night market to buy red beans and coarse salt.
Heading towards the redevelopment area, he hailed a taxi and placed the items he had purchased in a small sack.
The redevelopment was decided upon, but due to the fantastic trouble between the businesses, the political sphere, and the civic groups, the redevelopment itself was left in a limbo, becoming a desolate ruin.
The taxi driver repeatedly asked if it was really okay to drop me off here, but I silently paid the fare and got out.
The chilly autumn night wind lightly brushed past my body, like the night of September 9th at 9:09.
Even if armed with theory, if practical skills are lacking, it is no different from an empty cart making a lot of noise.
He boldly walked into the ruins, where a gloomy aura enveloped, and stood before a building where a construction company and a civic group had once been sharply opposed.
The construction company, having received permission from the government and the city, announced they would demolish the building. Meanwhile, the so-called 'activists' masquerading as wholesome civic groups, under the guise of environmental concerns, vehemently argued that the building must absolutely not be demolished.
After delving deep into the internet, sifting through all sorts of rumors to uncover the truth, I was able to find out the purpose for which this building was constructed.
"They were using some of the outskirts, far removed from the bustling city with its population of over ten million, as a burial ground."
Just as humans need a cemetery to bury their remains when they die, I've heard there is a place where spiritually useless or harmful beings in human society are gathered and buried like trash.
The place where holy monks, eminent monks, and shamans carry things they can't handle and just toss them here is called the Maeryeongji.
Incidentally, the most frequently used maeryeong in Korea are Jirisan or remote islands.
I cannot endure the long-term asceticism of those devout religious people who have lived their entire lives for the Lord Jesus, sacrificing their efforts and restricting their human desires.
So to at least stand on the same starting line as them, one must undergo an equivalent ordeal in a short period of time.
Jesus in Heaven, unbelievers in Hell.
I walked in, sprinkling red beans and coarse salt indiscriminately from the front of the building, and banging the large pot with a ladle like a gong.
And the entire building was filled with the scent of incense, wafting through the air, leaving it scattered everywhere.
Since I did something I absolutely shouldn't have done in a place like this, I guess I'll soon get a bite.
Wooddudduk.
My arm, which had been casting off the last fragrance, was twisted at a grotesque angle as if caught by something in midair.
