The Meaning of Family (3)

Sang-Ho smiled slightly, as if in embarrassment, and started his sermon.

“As I’m still lacking in terms of enlightenment, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fully convey the holy truth.”

Chief Kim, Ji-Hye, Sang-Beom, and I exchanged glances as we tried to hide our distress. Now everyone should be fully aware of what was going on. That this was an island taken over by a cult.

“Many religions preach their own version of the truth. Buddhism, Cristanity, Islam… they’re not wrong persay. They’re just slightly misguided. There is only one truth, but there are many branches of that truth. Yet in our ignorance, we shouldn’t try to pursue all these paths to the truth.”

Although these words sounded convincing, their beliefs could be summed up in one phrase.

‘A stew made from mixing together the three religions.’

They believed in past lives and reincarnation, as well as the fact that we were all brothers and sisters in one family under God. Their doctrine emphasized the fact that once a bond has been formed, it was so strong that it could not be broken even by death.

“Although it may be difficult to believe, the apocalypse is nigh. As such, we are living on this island with the goal of becoming fully self-sufficient. Thus even if the world ends, Sakgui Village will be able to survive.”

However, no matter how devoted they were, complete self-sufficiency was impossible. Only their leader, ‘that bastard’, and other high-ranking members of the cult were allowed to leave by boat in order to retrieve their daily necessities and other required food supplies. Even though their faith was unquestionable, the needs of survival were also similarly unquestionable.

Unable to believe his ears, Sang-Beom called out to Sang-Ho, “Hy-hyung.”

The boy’s face was filled with fear. He looked like he was in shock at seeing this unfamiliar side of his beloved brother.

“Sang Beom-ah. Just keep listening. We grew up with absolute pieces of trash for parents. However, that was all a lie. Our real father is in heaven, and the moment we realize that, we can all become brothers and sisters under him.”

Chief Kim’s whole body was shivering. It looked like he had almost lost his senses upon encountering such an unsettling display of devotion for the first time in his life. With an inward sigh, I jabbed him in the side with my elbow in order to get his attention. A second away from bursting into tears, he turned to stare at me.

It felt like I could hear his voice saying, ‘That’s why I said we should turn the boat around!’

As the mood of the room grew awkward, Sang-Ho smiled and scratched his head.

“I’m very sorry. It seems that I still haven’t studied enough. Even though it’s such an important message, I haven’t been able to properly convey its meaning.”

“N-n-not at all,” Chief Kim eventually managed to squeeze out a reply.

With another glance at my watch, I stood up.

“It’s almost time for the boat we booked to arrive. Looks like we have to get going now.”

“Oh? Okay then. Let me see you down to the beach. Sang-Beom-ah. I hope that you’re not too shocked by what I’ve done. Everything was for your sake.”

From the strange and unfamiliar hyung back to the caring and friendly hyung. Sang-Beom seemed confused by this sudden shift in personalities as he tightly hugged his brother goodbye.

As soon as we left the house, we saw the locals gathered to meet us. They stared at us as if we were novelties from another country.

“Are you leaving already?”

“But if you’re Sang-Ho’s younger brother, that means you’re family…’

“At least have something to eat before you go!”

On the surface, they looked just like a group of kind and friendly villagers. Most of the villagers had been abandoned by their families in their old age or had lived their entire lives alone and without family. That was probably why it had been easier for them to be deceived. Leaving them behind, we headed to the docks.

However-

‘We’re screwed.’

-when we arrived, Love-ho was leaving the pier as a crowd watched it go. The bright red outfit worn by one of the watchers stood out from the rest.

When he noticed us, he hurried over to greet us, “So I’ve heard that you all are Sang-Ho’s friends?”

The man had on some strange makeup, and gold leaf covered almost every inch of his rustling robes. It accentuated his charisma and gave him an overbearing aura.

“I’ve sent the boat back without you. After you’ve eaten and gotten some rest, we’ll take you back to the main island on our boat when the time comes for you to leave.”

The man’s name was Jeom Mal-Seok. Instead of his tacky real name, here he was called something else.

Sang-Ho greeted him with a bow, “Godfather-nim!”

This was the man who claimed to have been assigned by God to oversee Sakgui Village.

While panicking, Ji-Hye and Chief Kim turned to look at me.

‘What should we do now?’

Haaah. What else could we do?

We had no choice but to listen to him preaching the meaning of life while having dinner with this cult leader. After all, even though he was someone who relies on his tongue for a living, it wasn’t like it was my first time facing off with this type of guy?

I greeted him with a smile.