Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 446



Only Noblemtl

446 177. Worship (3)

After the battle with the Nemesis type, I have retired from all my positions and am currently in a state of temporary closure, but that doesn’t mean I am just wasting my time doing nothing.

Now all my attention is focused on Kang Min.

I tried to get information about Kang Han-min, a man I knew well but also did not know, through trustworthy channels and trustworthy people.

Na Hye-in is the person who has watched Kang Han-min most closely since he became Awaken.

But, unlike what it looked like from the outside, the distance between the two was a gap that would never be narrowed.

Na Hye-in knew even less about Kang Han-min than I did about him.

But she was also observing the changes around her, the changes in the environment that had occurred during her time in Jeju.

Such statements were more like internet videos where I had to input search terms into her head before she could recall the memories, rather than showing her memories in advance, like a movie.

It can’t be helped.

Na Hye-in may look fine on the outside, but as we saw during her time in Jeju, she is deeply broken inside.

She is extremely passive.

“I’ve been in contact with Kang Han-min before. What should I say? I feel like people are deifying him.”

So when I talk to her, I have to prepare the topic or story I want to ask about first.

“Deification?”

Na Hye-in stared blankly into space, as if the meaning of the word I had spoken was unfamiliar to her. Then she quickly remembered the meaning of the word and slowly nodded her head, as if the flowers she was growing were swaying in the wind.

“Yeah, at some point he was deified.”

This topic seemed to resonate with her usual thoughts.

Even when I prepared a different topic, she would often answer with something like, “I don’t remember well,” or “I don’t know.”

“I don’t know the details. After he opened his eyes to the power of Awaken, he completely changed. It’s not that he became arrogant or cocky. It’s just that when I suddenly saw him one day, it felt like someone else was standing there instead of the person I knew.”

Na Hye-in added, shrugging her shoulders.

“I feel sick. Just imagining it.”

But unlike Na Hye-in, Kang Han-min has many admirers around him.

I know the general reason.

“······The story that you won’t be dragged away by the crack’s call if you stay by Kang Han-min’s side played a big role. Even the kids who just got away and those who’ve been in the Big Hole multiple times have been talking about the same thing.”

Na Hye-in looked straight at me.

“In fact, Kang Han-min himself has never said anything like that. He has never made any similar statements. But such rumors spread throughout Jeju, and an atmosphere of competition was created to get around Kang Han-min.”

That was all she knew.

How large is Kang Han-min’s organization, and what specific authority does it have and what does it intend to do?

She didn’t know anything.

The cracks sapped her passion and energy.

I saw Na Hye-in before leaving the room.

She saw me off with a faint, tired smile.

“······.”

Perhaps Na Hye-in’s appearance like that contributed to Woo Min-hee’s fear.

Fortunately, another Over 10 level Awaken exhibitionist was still of sound mind.

“Hey. Captain Park Gyu. I don’t know if you know, but there are a lot of people who don’t like the two of us meeting outside. Well, what can they do about it if they know?”

Meeting Jeon Si-hun required much more effort than meeting Na Hye-in.

If Na Hye-in was left in the back room like a toothless tiger like me, Jeon Si-hoon is still a powerful Awaken who forms one axis of the Kang Han-min system.

But he too bore the marks of a crack.

“Can I be honest with you?”

The Jeon Si-hun I knew was a fanboy of Kang Han-min.

He refused the king’s offer to hand over one city and one kingdom, and headed to Jeju Island out of admiration for Kang Han-min.

Ironically, after going to Jeju, he completely lost respect for Kang Han-min.

What took that empty spot?

“That guy. The more I get to know him, the more I hate him. Seriously. I really hate him. If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed in Sejong and lived like a king, eating all the delicious food and meeting all the pretty women I wanted. I got fooled by that guy who doesn’t even seem human, and what the hell am I doing······.”

It is a common story for a boy who admires a hero to become disillusioned with that hero, but in Jeon Si-hun’s case, his feelings went a step further than disillusionment; he felt contempt.

“What is it that makes you so unhappy?”

Jeon Si-hun answered my question without a second of hesitation.

“Everything.”

It may seem like he is too emotionally shaken to see clearly, but if you listen to the statement that follows, you will see that the reason Jeon Si-hoon felt disappointment in Kang Han-min is because of his always vague and hazy attitude.

“No one knows what he’s thinking. He doesn’t talk to anyone or have conversations. He either spends his days in that strange room, surrounded by people who worship him like their god, or he’s in a rift. If you talk to him, he doesn’t respond.”

Perhaps the last words he said and his attitude of not answering when he spoke to him were the decisive factors that increased Jeon Si-hoon’s hostility.

Longing often turns into fierce hostility.

“Are you saying you don’t talk to anyone?”

“Oh, I guess I still ask for what I need from a girl like my lover.”

“lover?”

“There was a kid who was half and half before that.”

The woman’s name is Yoo Yang-seo.

“······He’s acting like a cult leader. He believes in a god named Kang Han-min.”

Likewise, the belief in the savior Kang Han-min had degenerated into religion.

Kang Han-min became a god to some people and an object of blind worship.

The problem is that the number of believers in Kanghanmin is growing.

At first, it was a spontaneous gathering of Awakens to avoid the sudden disappearance of the Crack’s Call – Awaken, but after he came from Jeju to Seoul, it is said that those who believe in him now extend beyond Awaken to the general public as well.

Even when he was in Jeju, Kang Han-min’s power was so great that even the Jeju Committee could not ignore him, but now that he has moved his base to Seoul, he has grown to the point where even the Committee has to watch out for him.

“There was only one Over 10 Level Awaken named Jeong Dae-gyeong who was in a position to be the only opponent who could stand up to Kang Min-soo, and the committee also supported him, but he also went missing when the rift collapsed. Everyone says it was an accident, but I wonder. Is it really an accident that an Over 10 Level Awaken disappeared without being able to do anything?”

I have not seen the rise of the pseudo-religion that we call fanatics, called Manryuguijonggyo, but perhaps I am witnessing the birth of a new era of pseudo-religion.

I met Yoo Yang-seo, the leader of a new religion that worships strong people.

“hello?”

It all started as a small project of mine that was motivated by my personal desire to create webtoons.

Rather, I think it turned out well.

In this way, increasing contact with people like Kang Han-min might help you understand Kang Han-min, a friend who seems so tangible yet so impossible to understand.

“Let me get straight to the point. The webtoon you mentioned seems difficult. It’s definitely a good subject matter and a good story, but I think it’s inappropriate to bet on right now for a number of reasons.”

What I saw before was correct.

This woman’s soul was mortgaged to Kang Min.

I don’t know what made her a fanatic of Kang Han-min, but the way she looked at the same place but seemed to be strangely looking in different directions, the excitement she easily displayed when she was associated with Kang Han-min, the lack of logic, and above all, the ominous elation that flowed throughout, all told me that this woman was a close relative of the fanatic that Defender hated.

“Negative in what sense?”

You can’t communicate with fanatics.

No logic can be applied and no agreement can be reached.

Because these fanatics have already made up their minds and are just trying to find the answer they want or just trying to notify others.

The only reason I’m engaging in conversation is because I’m mildly interested in getting a little more insight into this woman’s mind.

“What should I say?”

Yoo Yang-seo seemed lost in thought for a moment as if choosing words. He looked at me with his clear, veinless eyes and spoke cheerfully.

“Skeleton.”

“······.”

“Isn’t there a guy named Skeleton who’s become a hot topic on the Internet?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Don’t you know? It seems like you used to be really diligent on the Internet.”

“I did it for about an hour a day, and now I mostly read or exercise.”

“I understand you haven’t requested any books?”

“I have a lot of e-books on my computer. I recently read Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jereme Diamond and really enjoyed it, and I’m currently reading The Origin of the Apple by Dr. Amyris.”

Yoo Yang-seo took a deep breath as if he was frustrated and controlled his facial expression before opening his mouth again.

“Haha, you read a lot.”

“······.”

“Anyway, it is a clear fact that Captain Park Gyu is very popular these days, and especially on the internet, he is as popular as idols of the past.”

“Is that true?”

“Oh. You really don’t use the internet these days. Everyone’s like, ‘Skeleton, Skeleton.’ There are some weird memes, too.”

“Meme?”

“Skeleton, are you the best at everything you do?”

“?”

“There is such a thing. Even if you just watch little kids playing, it’s a reality that they’re all skeletons, skeletons.”

Yoo Yang-seo got up from his seat.

A certain determination is visible on his face.

“It’s good that Mr. Skeleton is famous, but Mr. Skeleton is just an ordinary person, right? So, he’s not an Awaken like us.”

“yes.”

“He’s currently famous and an icon of hope for people? If something happens to Mr. Skeleton, people might lose the hope they’ve barely found.”

“okay.”

“Besides, if the captain gets all the spotlight by himself, what will happen to the reputation of Kang Han-min, the savior who has worked so hard for us until now?”

Perhaps this seems to be the real intention.

I guess it’s a story about not being better than Kang Han-min.

“The strong savior, Min Kang, is still planning a grand plan to defeat the enemy of humanity that is beyond the Paju Crack, or rather, beyond the Crack. Only those who have not been around him can know how much agony and pain he is in.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Kang Hyeon-min, the Savior, only walks the path of the Savior!”

For a brief moment, the whites of Yoo Yangseo’s eyes dilated excessively.

All that can be read in that blank space is pure fanaticism.

“Then what should I do?”

“I wish I hadn’t made that webtoon.”

“Was this something that Kang Han-min personally instructed?”

“no.”

This is probably the key.

Kang Han-min did nothing.

But even though he does nothing, his worshippers do not stay still.

“Kang Han-min, the savior, doesn’t do such trivial things. His only leisure activity is occasionally surfing the internet on his laptop. But what would he think if he came online and saw that it was all plastered with skeleton characters?”

Something like this.

“Yes, I understand.”

He nodded.

“Let’s do whatever you want.”

Yoo Yang-seo looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.

I guess he never thought I’d give up so easily after causing such a fuss in the office.

“Even though Kang Han-min is now a savior, he was in the same school as me and fought against monsters on the same team. I fully understand his struggles.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m not particularly obsessed with any one webtoon.”

I’m beating around the bush, but they want one thing.

They do not want any idol other than Kang Hwan-min to be established.

No matter what you say, I won’t give up.

Well, there is nothing more foolish than mixing words with fanatics.

I already knew what I wanted to know, and now I know one more thing.

“······.”

Knock knock

SKELTON: Do you like webtoons?

This would have been unimaginable in the past.

The fact that Park Gyu, who didn’t even have a group chat, sent a message through the internet and was the first to do so.

Send a message and wait a moment.

Surprisingly, the waiting time wasn’t that long.

Tiring~

Message from anonymous68: Webtoon?

Kang Han-min was also using the Internet.

He’s not as enthusiastic about it as he used to be, spending his entire days off writing nonsense, but according to Yoo Yang-seo, it’s his only hobby.

SKELTON: There’s a writer I know. What do you think? He said he’d like to create a story with you as the main character.

Message from anonymous68: Me, not you?!

SKELTON: I think you’d be good.

I hope the Internet becomes a medium of communication, not a place of worship.

*

It’s been a while since I’ve used Jeju Intranet, so I’ve missed out on a lot of the latest information there.

Dead23134: That Philcrum bastard. He’s been losing his taste since he came to Jeju two years ago, and now he’s just drawing roughly.

Anonymous2123: Is this really Pilcrum? The drawing style is just so weird.

Dead13212: ???

Anonymous458: Is this the Pilcrum I knew?

Deadman9211: I can see that this kid doesn’t even like comics anymore.

mmmmmmmmm: Does anyone know where the mark next to my nickname went?

Umchang: Hmm······.

Dead3921: You’ve been serializing it for almost 20 years. If there hadn’t been a war, you could have lived comfortably off the money you earned. How hard would it be to resume serializing it and how much would you hate doing it?

…

…

Pilcrum’s aging was one of them.

“I’m sorry. When I was in Jeju, I worked myself to death drawing those weird cartoons. My wrists really hurt. It feels like I’ve been pricked by thousands of needles. But what can I do? This is the only way I can make a living. I have no choice but to grit my teeth and draw.”

Pilcrum’s new film, “The Savior,” started out okay, but its ratings quickly plummeted due to its increasingly slumping animation and incomprehensible plot.

I think it can’t be helped.

“I know a doctor. His name is Heo Jong-cheol. He is said to be the most courageous doctor among the hospital doctors these days. If you tell me your name, I can make an appointment for you.”

It’s a world where everything is in decline.

Body, mind, skills, even passion.

“Oh. Senior.”

Woo Min-hee, whose face had become brighter recently, looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

“You’re a pioneer? I didn’t expect the snowball to roll like this after filtering that pilcrum. It’s pretty good.”

“······It’s more of an experience than a foresight.”

“experience.”

Woo Min-hee repeated the word experience out loud as if savoring my words.

“why?”

I asked because I felt like I had something to say.

“Over there. Senior.”

She looked at me and said.

“Shall we go on a trip?”