I couldn’t lift my head. The sour smell spread instantly, and warm liquid erupted from my mouth. Every time I bent over and vomited the contents of my stomach, my upper abdomen contracted. The bitter liquid that gushed out like reflux made my nose sting. But since I had barely eaten, only clear water came out.
“Sorry—, ugh…!”
My head spun, but I held on, supporting my body. Perhaps because of the stomach acid, my throat and entire oral cavity felt sore and numb. My esophagus narrowed and then relaxed, and thick saliva seeped out. At that moment, suddenly a warm hand approached and wiped my mouth. Lee Wooshin, with a stern expression, patted my back as I vomited. He supported my chin with his palm, then continuously wiped the vomit around my lips with his thumb. The priest, who had only been blinking blankly, finally offered his hand. But—slap! Lee Wooshin immediately brushed it away roughly, as if he had been waiting for that moment.
“Don’t touch carelessly.”
His tone of warning was sharp. The expression disappeared from Kiya’s face.
“……”
“……”
An incomprehensible tension flowed between the two men. Lee Wooshin even stood in front of Seoryeong, as if wanting to block Kiya’s view. His shoulders moved tensely. As the atmosphere grew more rigid, Jin Hoje offered a handkerchief to the priest. Kiya, who hadn’t even glanced at him before, suddenly began to stare intently at Jin Hoje. Blood from his torn temple seeped down to his eyelids, but his gaze did not waver.
“Similar.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t like, that face.”
“Why suddenly…”
“Ugly.”
Jin Hoje widened his eyes, looking displeased.
“Even the imitation is annoying.”
Kiya wiped the blood around his eyes with his shoulder while grumbling. The streak of blood extending from the corner of his eye resembled exaggerated makeup.
“Where are the children we need to watch over?”
A cold voice interrupted. Seoryeong, who was repeating Kiya’s words in her mind, immediately flinched as if she had just been hit on the head. Wait, so the priest is their client? So they beat up the company’s client like that? No, he deserved to be beaten up though… but still… her thoughts were in disarray.
“You can finish the task slowly.”
“This is paid work. No need for such kindness. I refuse.”
The two stared at each other in silence again, as if having a silent power struggle. Suddenly, Lee Wooshin snatched the handkerchief offered by Jin Hoje and immediately wiped the vomit that was stuck on the priest’s hand.
“――!”
Kiya flinched, pulling his hand away. But every time he dodged, their hands touched again. A small, meaningless struggle continued. With a tense face, Lee Wooshin kicked the priest’s knee. In the end, Kiya, whose fingers were twisted as if they would break, could only grimace in pain. The priest turned back to Seoryeong with teary eyes, but she only stood stiff as a stone. I want to rinse my mouth quickly…. Seoryeong endured the bitter taste while holding her empty stomach.
Lee Wooshin spat on the vomit that was stuck on his fingers and then wiped it off roughly. In addition, he gave a warning.
“Don’t touch other people’s belongings carelessly.”
Kiya’s face immediately wrinkled like a sulking child. Somehow, it seemed their schedule in Sakhalin would not be easy. The path between the large trees was filled with sunlight piercing through like beams of light. On the brick roof, white snow had settled thinly. The scenery was so peaceful, it felt out of place with the label of a heretical group’s headquarters. The exterior walls were clean and simple, with a pointed tower at the top. The tower rose straight into the sky, looking both sacred and magnificent. The building did look old, but it didn’t give the impression of being dilapidated at all. The members followed the priest into the monastery one by one.
“We live according to chastity, poverty, and obedience.”
Seoryeong almost laughed. That was nonsense. What chastity? That man licked my cheek, brutally pulled my hair, and even had sex in the women’s toilet. And now he’s talking about chastity? Of all the things I’ve heard lately, this is the funniest.
“We wake up at five in the morning for meditation. After completing personal tasks, we have midday prayers. Then lunch, followed by communal prayer. After that, we return to personal tasks. After dinner, there is spiritual reading. And before sleep, there are evening prayers. After reflection, the lights are turned off and we sleep.”
Wow, their prayer schedule is very strict… Jin Hoje whispered from behind. As they passed through the grassy courtyard, a unicycle, a small swing, and a rocking horse were visible. Seoryeong couldn’t take her eyes off the children’s toys. Suddenly, her hand was grasped. A cold hand slipped between her fingers. Lee Wooshin, who saw the same scene, held her hand tightly. For some reason, his hand was trembling slightly.
“By the way, what are these personal tasks?”
Jin Hoje asked curiously, and Kiya replied curtly.
“Housework, cleaning the chapel, tending to the flowers, taking care of health, that kind of thing. Don’t come near.”
“And what are the priest’s own tasks?”
Kiya was silent for a moment upon hearing Jin Hoje’s question. A cold wind blew sharply. Kiya, who had been walking without speaking, took a deep breath as if enjoying the wind that was freezing his cheeks.
“Of course, I clean too.”
“Clean what?”
“If there’s something that needs cleaning… I clean everything.”
Jin Hoje only nodded lightly and then stepped back. Suddenly, Seoryeong murmured.
“…It seems he speaks Korean fluently too, so why is he using rude language…”
Somehow, Kiya immediately retorted as if he had heard clearly.
“No, I can’t speak Korean.”
“……”
“Seriously, I can’t…! Now I’m going to change into my priest’s robes and go see the children, okay?”
“――!”
That was when it happened. All the team members, including Seoryeong, immediately clutched their ears and grimaced in pain. They suppressed groans and hurriedly removed the communication earphones that were plugged into their ears. Their ears were red, and their faces hardened. It felt like an eardrum being pierced by the tip of a knife. The sound interfered with the signal and caused distortion—a classic signal jam. This meant, there was an illegal transmitter in this place. Suddenly, hot breath touched her earlobe. Lee Wooshin opened Seoryeong’s ear and checked it left and right. With a hardened jaw, he glared sharply at the priest.
“In that case, all earphones must be removed.”
Only Kiya remained standing upright with a wide smile.
“Welcome to my monastery.”
After rinsing her mouth, she lightly washed her face. Seoryeong stood in front of the small sink, staring at her pale face. Her pale face was faintly reflected in the blurry mirror. Even though the real work hadn’t even started, her energy was already drained. She took a long breath and collapsed onto the single bed, then began to change her clothes. Why did I have to throw up there…? An unanswered sigh escaped her lips again. Because of her condition, was Lee Wooshin not even scolding her anymore? The instructor who used to always throw harsh words to make her come to her senses, was he gone? Now he was only protecting her as if she were glass that could break at any moment— for some reason, her chest felt tight. As she spread out the priest’s robe with drooping shoulders, something fell to the floor. A piece of paper folded in half. As soon as she picked it up and opened it, her eyebrows immediately furrowed. What is this? маска. Ma… masuka… She tried to pronounce the Cyrillic letters with awkward pronunciation, but the door suddenly swung open and Lee Wooshin entered. Seoryeong quickly crumpled the paper in her hand and raised her head as if nothing had happened. However, her mind was busy thinking about the contents of the paper. Who put it there? Was it a code? Or a joke? Or… could it be that priest again?
“Don’t you know how to knock, Instructor?”
“Wait, give me your hand.”
“Why?”
Seoryeong clutched the paper tighter. For some reason, her mouth felt dry.
“Your hands were as cold as ice earlier. But why is your face so pale?”
“I just washed my face.”
“And your clothes. Why is your chest so exposed but the door isn’t locked?”
“――!”
“Who are you trying to show yourself to dressed like that?”
Lee Wooshin scolded Seoryeong, who was only wearing a bra, with a sharp gaze. The man roughly rubbed his neck, as if the priest’s robe that covered up to his neck felt annoying. His pale face suited the black priest’s robe very well. If I’m ‘showing off’ my chest, how bad can it be? As she was about to defend herself while standing on tiptoes, the man roughly turned his face away. The fat around her chest that bulged out from under her bra jiggled slightly. Lee Wooshin immediately took the priest’s robe from the bed and draped it over Seoryeong’s head, letting out a heavy sigh. Her vision suddenly went dark for a moment.
“Are you uncomfortable? Do you have a headache?”
“I don’t know, but the air here feels fresher than I thought.”
Seoryeong pulled her head out and then put her arms into the sleeves. As Lee Wooshin was about to hold her arm, she quickly offered her other empty hand. The man squeezed her entire palm, then pressed the center gently but firmly. The warmth slowly spread.
“But Instructor…”
“We’ll go down to eat soon. Just hold on a little longer.”
“That’s not what I meant. This really is a monastery, right? Not a rehabilitation center or something like that, right?”
“What?”
“I mean… the priest is very strange.”
“……”
He only responded with a stare.
“The priest that I supposedly met at the event, it was that person. The one who, you know, supposedly licked my cheek. But after meeting him again, honestly, he seems a bit off. Like someone who likes to ramble. He said he called my husband here too.”
The hand that was massaging her stopped instantly.
“It seems he has indeed investigated us, but his eyes alone look wrong. Is he really a priest? I can’t just believe it. If he only mentioned my husband to threaten me, I won’t stay silent. So I need to make sure first―”
“Don’t do it.”
A heavy, deep voice covered Seoryeong’s thoughts.
“Don’t do anything here, Seoryeong.”
“……!”
“If you end up throwing up in front of the client, even if you leave for health reasons, the company can’t protest. You’ve already shown your face here. That’s enough. At the very least, CEO Kang Taegon has also maintained his honor. So you, step back from here.”
Those words became the final point of all the burden in Seoryeong’s chest.