I opened my eyes. It was an unfamiliar ceiling. Had I finally died and come to another world?
"You're awake."
"Ah. I didn't die after all."
"What are you suddenly talking about? Did you hit your head?"
Uncle Lee Jin-seong was sitting on a chair beside the bed. Thanks to him talking to me, I was able to regain the sense of reality I had lost.
I seemed to have fortunately not died, and this place I was in seemed to be a hospital. There was the acrid smell of disinfectant. Nurses were busily moving around here and there.
"How long was I lying down?"
At my question, Uncle Lee Jin-seong hung his head as if troubled and frowned.
"Three years."
"What?"
[Bullshit. Only two days have passed.]
Thanks to Legba telling me the truth, I was finally able to let out a sigh of relief. Uncle Lee Jin-seong was looking at me while holding back laughter.
To think of teasing me even in this situation. He must be lacking in empathy.
"You were honestly fooled, weren't you? How was it? Has my acting improved?"
"Yeah, it's gotten much better."
"Hahahaha."
Uncle Lee Jin-seong laughed carelessly. The laughter soon disappeared.
Uncle became serious and opened his mouth.
"Well anyway, it's only been two days since you collapsed. The school has issued a closure order."
"Closure? Until when?"
"Well, I don't remember exactly, but probably a week."
A week.
The fact that Florence, famous for being stingy with closures, had issued a week-long closure order meant that this incident was that big. Well, even I had sustained serious injuries severe enough to lose consciousness for two days.
But for having sustained serious injuries, my body was surprisingly intact. I only felt occasional headaches, but other than that, there was no pain at all.
Even when I moved my arms and legs this way and that, it didn't hurt.
"Are you still in pain anywhere?"
"No? I think I'm all better. Why am I so fine?"
"Several people came by. Also, they said you originally have good recovery ability."
Uncle Lee Jin-seong explained what had happened over the past two days.
The hospital I was admitted to was dBP Hospital. Thanks to uncle's request to Bae Jeong-hwan, several famous healing priests had visited. The reason I was so fine now was because the healing priests had used advanced healing and recovery enhancement blessings on me.
Normally it would have cost astronomical amounts, but thanks to Bae Jeong-hwan, the treatment costs were waived.
He also told me that Gu Jun-hyeok had briefly visited during my hospitalization.
"So they say you can be discharged now. Well, after spending that much money, it would be strange if you didn't get better. This is why money is good. Money has no ups and downs."
Uncle Lee Jin-seong's money-grubbing tendencies seemed to have gotten even worse. Uncle went on praising money for a while.
I just listened without answering. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with what he said.
"Oh right, Bae Jeong-hwan wants to meet once today?"
"Suddenly? Why?"
"There was that content in the contract last time. Holy item sponsorship."
When we treated Bae Jeong-hwan's wife's illness. If the wife's illness was successfully treated, Bae Jeong-hwan was to sponsor holy items to the Voodoo sect. It seemed he requested a meeting to discuss matters related to that.
I had planned to just rest today, but since there wasn't anywhere that particularly hurt, it seemed better to just meet today.
Since it was during the closure period, there was no need to go to school either.
"Then let's meet. When did we agree to meet?"
"Bae Jeong-hwan is also at dBP Hospital right now. His son got a bit hurt. Well anyway, it seems like it would be okay to meet right now?"
Uncle Lee Jin-seong said while skimming through his text conversation with Bae Jeong-hwan.
* * *
Strike while the iron is hot, so I immediately completed discharge procedures, left the hospital, and went to the place where I had arranged to meet Bae Jeong-hwan.
It was a very luxurious and extravagant restaurant that took about 10 minutes by car from dBP Hospital. Uncle Lee Jin-seong drove.
"Ah, you've arrived."
Upon arrival, Bae Jeong-hwan politely bowed his head to greet us. There was no one in the restaurant except us. This was thanks to Bae Jeong-hwan renting out the entire restaurant to meet with us.
I thought the spending was excessive. But well, he's a chaebol. Originally you don't worry about chaebols and celebrities.
"Did you rent out an entire restaurant?"
"Yes. I had them turn off all the CCTVs too in case you'd be uncomfortable. This restaurant is practically run by our company anyway. Please sit first."
As we sat down, appetizers came out as if they had been waiting. It was seafood dishes that could be eaten in one bite.
The waiter went on about how the sauce was this and the seafood was that. Honestly I didn't really understand what he was saying, but I nodded and pretended to understand.
"I prepared the best course. Please eat comfortably."
At Bae Jeong-hwan's words, we began eating. The food was really delicious. Indescribably so.
"How is your spouse's condition?"
Uncle asked during the meal.
"Ah, I was just about to talk about that. Well, my wife was lying down for quite a while, wasn't she. Four years, or five years. The world has changed so much in the meantime, she keeps pestering me to go out every day, so I'm really dying of annoyance."
"Hahaha. I'm glad to hear she's recovered. That puts my mind at ease."
Bae Jeong-hwan went on and on about his wife.
While he said it was annoying and difficult, he was smiling throughout. He seemed to have gained a lot of weight compared to when I first saw him.
"I heard your son was hurt, how is his condition?"
Eventually the conversation moved from wife to son.
The food had progressed through appetizers, soup, and fish dishes toward the main course.
"He's almost completely recovered now. They said his ear was torn a bit, but there's no problem with his hearing either."
"That's fortunate. You must have been very distressed though."
"I was a bit surprised at first, but he's originally a kid with good recovery ability, so it's fine now."
At the time of the incident, Bae Seong-hyeon had his ear torn, but he had no other injuries besides that. His injuries were minor compared to other kids anyway. Well, since treatment went well, there probably wasn't any need to worry.
Soon the main course came out. The waiter explained about how the Iberico was this and the grapefruit sauce was that.
Anyway, it meant it was expensive and delicious food.
"Shall we move on to business talk now?"
With the appearance of the main course, the conversation also moved to the main point.
At uncle's words, Bae Jeong-hwan called someone. Along with the phone call, men in black suits walked in through the entrance.
They were carrying suitcases and documents. The men in suits handed us the documents.
We quickly skimmed through the documents we received.
"These are documents organizing the holy items produced and distributed by our company. If you tell us the types and quantities, we'll prepare them according to your situation."
"Ah."
Uncle read the documents with sparkling eyes. The meal was completely forgotten.
It was indeed understandable. The holy items written in the documents were all expensive items worth at least tens of millions of won, with expensive ones worth hundreds of millions.
Among them, what stood out most were definitely 'Baal's Maw' and 'Ark's Gopher Wood.'
"Is there anything that catches your fancy?"
"Whew, um, ahem. There are so many things I like, this is really hard to choose."
Uncle Lee Jin-seong took deep breaths and desperately held back laughter.
With hundreds of millions and tens of millions going back and forth before his eyes, laughter seemed to leak out unconsciously.
"Haha, you can take your time choosing. There's also the 'Crown of Thorns of Judgment' there, isn't there?"
"Crown, crown... Ah, here it is."
"New technology was developed recently, and this is dBP company's masterpiece made with it. It's a bit embarrassing to say with my own mouth."
"Ah, is the newly developed technology perhaps?"
"Yes. It's probably the technology you're thinking of. This was supposed to be kept somewhat confidential, but somehow all the investors seem to know about it."
"Of course we know. dBP's stock price soaring was all thanks to this."
While I ate, uncle and Bae Jeong-hwan had various conversations. Both seemed very happy.
I guess people crazy about money understand each other.
"Oh, we've been talking only among ourselves. Do you have any items you want, Leader? Your opinion is most important after all."
Bae Jeong-hwan, who had been excitedly talking about money, suddenly spoke to me. I put down my fork and knife and briefly looked at the documents. A distant silence fell during that time.
After looking through them, there were exactly two holy items I needed.
"This one, and this one. These two are most to my liking."
I pointed with my finger at the holy items I wanted to receive. Seeing that, Bae Jeong-hwan's face hardened unpleasantly.
"Hahaha. You are indeed the Leader. You certainly know how to pick good things."
"I just chose what I need most."
"It's truly frightening."
Bae Jeong-hwan smiled slightly. I had just chosen things I thought might be useful someday, but they turned out to be the most expensive holy items here.
"So, can you give them to us?"
"Of course I should give them to you. I promised to give you anything written there."
Bae Jeong-hwan continued with a bitter smile.
"However, the holy items you chose are very expensive and in short supply, so I'm sorry but you'll be able to receive them in two weeks. Would that be alright?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"Then I'll visit you with staff in two weeks."
Thus the deal was concluded. Bae Jeong-hwan offered me a handshake with a smile on his lips. I accepted the handshake.
By a slight difference, my hand was clearly positioned on top.
From that small unconscious action, a hierarchical relationship had unconsciously formed.
* * *
"Good work. Are you going straight home?"
"No, I'll walk around a bit before going in."
Uncle Lee Jin-seong frowned as if incredulous.
"What kind of walk is someone who just got discharged from the hospital taking?"
"It's like rehabilitation treatment."
"You speak well. Should I come pick you up later?"
"If you call."
Uncle nodded and rolled up the car window. Uncle's car started with a cheerful engine sound.
Looking at the car driving away, when it completely disappeared from view, I began walking.
This was near City Hall Station. Wherever I looked, there were tall buildings lined up. The sounds made by people, cars, buses, and subways filled the downtown area. Perhaps because it was rush hour, it was noisier and more crowded than usual.
I walked around that area while thinking of my father. This was exactly where my father was burned at the stake and died.
In the heart of downtown Seoul, my father had become black ash while receiving mockery and jeers from citizens.
"Seon-woo. Don't even think about revenge. No matter what happens from now on."
A week before being arrested by the Vatican and dying, my father had said that to me.
I think he had been sensing his fate from that time. I, who was a child then, had laughed carelessly without knowing that was my father's last words.
Recalling one by one the many last words my father left me, my heart felt strangely unsettled.
I inwardly resented how he could leave behind only such last words and depart, telling me how to live as the one left behind.
[Still, you learned a lot thanks to that guy, didn't you?]
Through the gap of deep thoughts, Legba's voice leaked in.
"That's right. Thanks to father, I'm at least living like this."
[He was lacking as a father, but he was decent as a teacher.]
My father taught me many things. Rhetoric, how to handle Voodoo magic power, how to handle the powers of Loa, etc. Thanks to that, I'm at least living like a human being.
Without learning even that, I would have starved to death long ago.
I walked for some time while immersed in reminiscence. Buildings with antique designs that modernly reinterpreted Gothic style adorned the city. That kind of design seemed to be in fashion these days.
In such a beautiful and splendid space, my father was burned at the stake and died. It was hard to believe, but that was the fact and truth.
"Huk. Ugh, heuk!"
Then I heard a strange sound from somewhere. It sounded like crying, and also like groaning in pain. They were holding their breath and desperately trying to suppress the sound, but it wasn't going as well as they wanted.
The sound came from a corner of downtown, from a narrow alley.
[Just pass by.]
I was thinking of at least checking the situation, but Legba stopped me with a serious voice.
"Why?"
[It's hard to say right now. Just pass by.]
Being told not to do something made me want to do it more. It was due to my natural rebellious temperament.
I ignored Legba's dissuasion and entered the alley to investigate the source of the sound.
There was a woman crouched down smoking a cigarette. The bandage wrapped around her left hand was red with blood.
She had a very high nose bridge and sharp eyes. I unconsciously thought she was pretty. Among the cigarette smoke filling the narrow alley, her beauty shone even more beautifully and mysteriously.
"Kim Jin-seo?"
It was a familiar face. The holy name of Patience, Kim Jin-seo.
At the name I unconsciously called, she was startled and looked at me.
Smoke was curling from the cigarette in her right hand.