Chapter 328

Jin-Seo took a half-day off. She had never taken a day off, let alone a half-day off before. She commuted to the Northern Crusader Order every day and went out for weekend training sessions when she was off work. Despite never showing exhaustion, she surprised everyone at the Northern Crusader Order by taking a half-day off.

"Is she okay?"

"She says she feels like she has a fever and was going to the hospital or something..."

"Figures. She's been working like this for years. No wonder she’s sick."

However, while they were surprised, they also understood. Jin-Seo had managed to train and work every single day. If it were anyone else, their body would have been broken beyond repair. Some even said that it was fortunate that she had only caught a fever.

"..."

Upon hearing that Jin-Seo was sick, Simon immediately called her. Since Jin-Seo only had a fever, there wasn't much to worry about. Simon just wanted an excuse to call her.

But Jin-Seo didn't answer. Disappointed, Simon decided to put the incident behind him and focus on the training session. Of course, the training session didn't go well.

Simon had consistently shown interest in Jin-Seo, but she never glanced in his direction. Simon seemed to be putting too much effort into a fight he could not win, which frustrated him and hurt his pride.

Just as he was thinking this, Jin-Seo arrived.

"Ah, Deputy Director!"

Simon put down the sword he was swinging and stared blankly at Jin-Seo. Her sharp gaze and cold expression made it seem like she had no interest in anything in the world. Her eyes once again stirred Simon's heart.

Simon approached Jin-Seo. "Deputy Director, I called but you didn't answer. I was disappointed.”

In Simon's eyes, she looked a bit more tired than usual, with a muscle relief patch on her neck[1].

"Oh, are you okay? Why the patch..."

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed," she said, returning to her seat.

Her tone was icy. But Simon felt glad because it seemed she wasn’t in as much pain as he had feared.

***

"Cult Leader."

Ji-Ah went to meet Sun-Woo. He was reading a book in a small cabin on the mountain where Noah's Ark was located. Ji-Ah had no idea what book it was. The book he was reading was written in a strange language that Ji-Ah had never seen before.

Sun-Woo saw Ji-Ah entering the cabin and closed the book. He got up and approached her. After a few years, he had grown bigger and taller. Ji-Ah had to tilt her head up to see Sun-Woo's face.

"Long time no see, nuna.”

"Yes, it's been a while."

The words ‘long time no see’ felt awkward to Ji-Ah. They had abandoned the old underground chapel because there was a risk of being exposed, so they moved headquarters. Sun-Woo had relocated the headquarters to the Gangwon Branch underground chapel.

Thanks to the spell from the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun, the Romanican Church could never set foot in the chapel. In addition, the Voodoo Cult had ownership of the Gyeongsang Province, the area where Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary unit operated, and the land where Noah's Ark was located.

Sun-Woo built several more buildings with Gangwon Branch Executive Yun Chang-Su. They erected the buildings at miraculous rates using the power of the Loa, and coupled it with the expertise of the former carpenter Yun Chang-Su.

Yun Chang-Su finished building the structures and died shortly after that. He had passed not from an accident or illness, but from natural causes. He had served the Voodoo Cult from the first to the third generation of Cult Leaders, and he had died dedicating himself to the Voodoo Cult until the very end.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

To honor him, Sun-Woo had raised a monument on the site where the original Gangwon Branch underground chapel was located. It became a refuge and sanctuary for the Voodoo Cult members.

"How is it at the Gangwon Branch? What is the atmosphere like there?"

However, Sun-Woo was not there. He was preparing for battle. He trained with Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps in Noah's Ark, and when he wasn't conducting training sessions, he worked on his tasks in the cabin. This was because the intentions of Cult Leader Sun-Woo and some Voodoo Cult members differed.

"It seems that Master Jin-Sung still has some complaints." Among the members of the Voodoo Cult who had different intentions, Jin-Sung was the one who clashed with Sun-Woo the most.

Sun-Woo believed that war was necessary when needed and had attacked the underground prison to retrieve his mother's remains and issued a warning to the Romanican Church. His warning showed that the Voodoo Cult would not remain silent if the Romanicans continued this threatening attitude toward them.

However, Jin-Sung maintained his stance that there should not be a war. Although they could help him with other things, there was no way they would help him prepare for battle. And so, the two parted ways.

"I had a feeling that’d be the case," Sun-Woo said indifferently.

He dragged a chair from the cabin and handed it to Ji-Ah. The two sat down and resumed their conversation.

"What about you?"

"What are you talking about..."

"I mean, what do you think about the current situation?"

Ji-Ah paused at Sun-Woo's question. She couldn't meet his eyes. She bowed her head in contemplation.

While staring at the floor, she answered, "I... I don't know why we have to go this far."

“...”

Sun-Woo listened to her in silence.

"I just... liked the times at the underground chapel... where we ate together, talked, had parties on special occasions... I enjoyed those times."

Ji-Ah shared the same sentiment as Jin-Sung. She had even gotten along with Soo-Yeong and moved past their strained relationship. Jin-Sung, Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna, and Sun-Woo were all people Ji-Ah didn't want to lose. But a war might take them from her. She didn't like that.

"I hope you can stop and come back. It’s not too late."

Above all, Ji-Ah opposed the war because of Sun-Woo. He had changed suddenly five years ago, and no one but Sun-Woo knew why. Perhaps even Sun-Woo didn't know what prompted the shift. Regardless, Ji-Ah felt that Sun-Woo had changed.

Was it because he had faced his mother's death? Or was it because he had killed his friend, Jun-Hyuk the Satanist, with his own hands? If not, was it because his previous daily life had collapsed after his identity as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult had been exposed?

Over time, Sun-Woo gradually seemed to get better. It seemed like he was becoming more accustomed to his mother's and friend's deaths, his collapsed daily life, and everything else. However, even after months, years, a specific flaw seemed to remain in Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo had lost something. He hadn’t recovered what he had lost but was getting used to living with it.

Ji-Ah thought this war was just Sun-Woo's struggle to forget that loss, a coping mechanism to release his suppressed emotions. She thought it was something similar to self-harm.

"Do you mean you liked it when you were trapped?" Sun-Woo said with a wry smile.

Ji-Ah's face stiffened. She tried to say something, but her mouth wouldn't move, and she couldn't say anything. Sun-Woo didn't wait for her to speak.

He said with a somewhat angry expression, "It's already too late. Ever since I killed the inquisitor and displayed his body... Or maybe since I raided the underground prison. Or even before that... It was already too late to turn back."

His face was frozen. He blankly stared somewhere, and it was impossible to make out where he was looking. Ji-Ah found his appearance eerie and frightening.

She remembered when they celebrated his birthday party in the underground chapel. His bright smile was still vivid in her mind. Ji-Ah was quietly saddened by the memories.

"I just don't want to be late anymore."

Sun-Woo reached out with his hand. His right arm, which barely moved, stretched forward. His sickly, thin right arm trembled. During the battle with Jun-Hyuk, he had sacrificed his arm to Kalfu, the Loa of the Moon and the Crossroads. Even after five years, his injury had not healed.

"This is our only opportunity to resist," Sun-Woo said.

Ji-Ah quietly listened to him.

"The only reason for the war is because of certain factors that are in our favor. There won’t be a next chance if we miss this window. Then, it won't be a war, but a wipeout of the Voodoo Cult by the Romanican Church."

There was nothing to say. Ji-Ah knew what Sun-Woo meant. The situation was in their favor at the moment. Thanks to Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary corps playing the role of a militia in some parts of Gyeongsang, they were able to convert the residents of that area into Voodoo Cultists.

After Sun-Woo had defeated Jun-Hyuk, the demonic beasts and demons had almost disappeared from the face of the earth. As a result, groups were arguing for absolution for the Voodoo Cult. Some groups even tried to merge with the Voodoo Cult, claiming that it was better than the Romanican Church.

In addition, there were Voodoo Cultists in various regions, all thanks to the activities of executives like Yeom Man-Gun and Ha Pan-Seok. This was the only time for resistance. Missing this opportunity wouldn’t lead to a war, but rather a one-sided massacre by the Romanican Church.

”If we're all going to die anyway, I'd rather..." Sun-Woo muttered.

Ji-Ah watched him sadly. Thanks to seeing Sun-Woo for a few years, Ji-Ah had gotten to know him better. Therefore, she could roughly guess what Sun-Woo was thinking, which made her even more upset.

"Anyway, please tell Uncle that. Also, tell him to take care of his health."

"I understand."

"Take care of yourself, too, nuna. Stay healthy."

His words sounded like those of someone prepared for death. Instead of replying, Ji-Ah bowed her head toward Sun-Woo. Then she left the cabin. Sun-Woo did not see her off. Ji-Ah looked back several times, but Sun-Woo never came out of the cabin.

1. It’s common in Korea for people to use muscle relief patches that help with knotted muscles. The patch makes the area feel hot or cool and helps with recovery. ☜