episode_0185

(4) – One Mind Salvation Church Paradise

Tomorrow for reorganization.

It was a fairly leisurely noon compared to Seong Ga-eul’s warning that tomorrow would be extremely busy.

Of course, after lunch I would be stuck in meeting hell again, but that wasn’t that important.

“Oh my! What are you going to do if our branch leader’s pretty hands get burned?”

“… … .”

The most important time for me right now is lunch with Ha Chae-kyung.

I made exaggerated gestures with my hands as I watched Ha Chae-kyung bring a fairly hot bowl of soup.

Ha Chae-kyung sat down and placed the bowl of soup on the table with an awkward expression.

“I feel strange hearing such words from Guwon.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s still awkward, and it seems like my boss is joking… … .”

“Oh, as expected, Branch Manager Minguk! You have a unique sense of humor!”

“… … Right? I knew so.”

Phew – She sighed heavily and calmly nodded.

“Good. Make fun of everything you can make fun of now-”

As she continued speaking slowly, her eyes focused on the table she had set.

“For aspiring cooks, please leave a warm tasting review.”

I also followed her gaze and looked around today’s table.

Dishes with a completely different composition from yesterday.

Beef radish soup, stir-fried chicken, grilled ham and soybean paste.

To me, this was quite a sumptuous meal.

“It’s not bad at all, but why is your voice tone a notch lower than yesterday?”

“… … Because I’m not confident?”

“How much?”

“Hmm… … .”

Ha Chae-kyung tapped her chin with a thin finger and spoke again.

“Enough to know that yesterday’s dishes were human victories achieved through repeated practice?”

“… … Oh.”

After hearing the expression in more detail than I expected, I didn’t have anything to say right away.

With an exclamation that was too short to be considered a sentence, I looked around the table again.

… … There’s nothing strange about the color and smell at all.

“But you will improve faster than if you cook and taste alone, right?”

Ha Chae-kyung trailed off and made eye contact with me.

“Now that a brave taster has arrived.”

“… … ”

Another exclamation escaped my lips.

However, Ha Chae-kyung quietly pushed the plates of food towards me as if she hadn’t heard my exclamation.

“Please, once again, please give a warm tasting review to the aspiring cook.”

“… … Yes. Of course.”

I moved the spoon toward the beef radish soup with a nonchalant expression.

“When it comes to warm words, there are not many people who are more experts than me.”

For me, who eats meals together with a purpose, this level of difficulty was not even a challenge.

Let’s just say it’s absolutely delicious.

While taking care of my facial expressions.

“Uh-uh- Just in case, please take a small amount of the national road.”

… … It’s going to turn.

However, despite Ha Chae-kyung’s concerns, I did not return the soup on the spoon to the soup bowl as I showed her.

Ha Chae-kyung nodded with a solemn expression as she smiled, indicating that she would eat everything just as it was the first time.

“… … .”

Thanks to this, the corners of my mouth and my spoon trembled slightly, but like an awakened person, I took care of it and put the spoon filled with beef radish soup into my mouth.

There is no need to do this, but my taste buds, which are intensely activated due to untimely tension, engulf the soup as if they have been waiting for it.

The unique taste of beef radish soup, which is strangely sweet yet refreshing and clear.

It tasted just like the standard, with nothing unpleasant at all.

“… … Huh?”

… … Is it delicious?

“Pushup—!”

The sound of her laughter immediately responded to my words that came out of embarrassment.

“Ahahaha― Do you know how stupid Mr. Guwon’s expression is right now?”

“… … .”

“You were deceived, right? Right? Right? Isn’t this enough to pay back Guwon for teasing me since yesterday?”

“… … Huh.”

Only then was he able to understand the situation, but his dumbfounded expression did not immediately recover.

Ha Chae-kyung admired my expression and continued to smile innocently.

“… … I got hit with an unexpectedly big blow.”

“So be careful. I’m the type of person who saves a lot and returns it all at once.”

“I guess so. I never thought Chaekyung would even lie… … .”

Did Ha Chae-kyung tease me so much that she even acted to tease me?

I asked myself, and took another sip of the soup.

“… … Didn’t you?”

At that moment, a vague question flowed from her.

“Yes?”

When I looked at her while asking that question, Ha Chae-kyung shook her head and answered.

“I have never lied to Guwon.”

In response to her answer, I swung the table again.

‘Do you know that yesterday’s dishes were a human victory achieved through repeated practice?’

I joked, but I didn’t lie.

The more I thought about her words, the more I couldn’t help but smile.

I just quietly took a sip of the soup and changed the topic.

“Anyway, do you have any complaints that you couldn’t mention at the morning meeting?”

“Do you have any complaints? It wasn’t a unilateral notification, it was something we agreed on together.”

“Then I’m glad.”

As soon as I received permission, Seong Ga-eul began reorganizing the rapidly oversized organization.

Among them, the first organization to be reorganized was Ha Chae-kyung and Minguk, right in front of my eyes.

Although Ha Chae-kyung and I proposed the Harmonization Act and advocated for a community of shared destiny, it is an absurd greed to hope that the organization will become harmonized in an instant with just that.

It is not that it is not, but the core personnel who maintained the brothers Yoon Kang and Yoon Hyeon and Minguk were very likely to still think of their identity as Minguk rather than Salvation Church.

In that sense, the appropriate consensus we have reached is to further systematize the somewhat disorganized organization called the ‘National Branch’.

Strictly speaking, the Republic of Korea branch was a branch established to control the Republic of Korea.

Naturally, the members of the Republic of Korea branch had no choice but to be passionate and core believers of the Salvation Church.

It was planned to replace all members of the Republic of Korea branch with the core personnel of the past Republic of Korea.

It was good for the Republic of Korea because it could have its own autonomy recognized –

It was good that our Church of Salvation brought the core workforce of the Republic of Korea into the fold of the Church of Salvation without resistance.

Of course, behind it all, there was also the suggestion of a relatively moderate alternative to those among the newly rescued citizens who felt extreme resistance to religion.

A ‘puppet government’ is needed to gather together and manage those who reject religion, and indirectly exert influence to eventually subjugate even those who reject religion to the Church of Salvation.

Min-guk was appointed as the puppet government, but there was no need to tell Ha Chae-kyung everything.

Regardless of whether it is a revealed or hidden meaning, there is only one point that the Salvation Church and the Republic of Korea agreed upon.

I, Han Gu-won, will transfer the position of head of the Minguk branch of One Mind Salvation Church to Ha Chae-kyung.

Now, the name given to Ha Chae-kyung is not Minguk’s mother, but the head of the Minguk branch of One Mind Salvation Church.

“Then, I understand that our Minguk Branch Manager likes the event we have prepared.”

“Our leader repays everything at once, so you start saving again.”

“Oops, sorry. I will be very careful about my words and actions, Branch Manager Minguk.”

“You accumulated 2 stacks with this.”

She narrowed her eyes and pointed two fingers at me.

We all looked at each other with playful faces and started eating at the same time.

As I lightly ate a bowl of rice for my hearty lunch, Ha Chae-kyung, who had finished eating at the same time as me, asked me.

“After you finish eating, would you like the same coffee as yesterday?”

“No. No matter how much I think about it, this isn’t right.”

Ha Chae-kyung, who was standing up to clear the table, sat down again at my unexpected answer.

I continued speaking as I swung the table around, which gave me a pleasant feeling of fullness.

“You must have worked hard all morning just because you were practicing, but it wouldn’t be right for it to end like this.”

“So, Guwon is acting as a brave taster.”

“No. That’s nothing compared to Chaekyung’s hardships.”

The spoons and dishes on the table float along as I lightly swing my hand across the table.

And then they started moving to the sink in an orderly manner.

I put both hands on the table that was quickly emptied.

“Catch it.”

“… … Yes?”

Ha Chae-kyung’s face and question that she doesn’t understand.

I held out both hands to her again with a calm expression.

She tilted her head at my silent urging and put both hands out on the table.

I overlapped her hand with mine and continued speaking in a calm voice.

“In return, I will solve Chaekyung’s concerns.”

“… … Suddenly?”

“Yes. Suddenly.”

“Uh… … I’m a little embarrassed, Mr. Guwon.”

“Still, this is all I can think of. This is what I’m best at these days.”

Solve the concerns of believers.

Ha Chae-kyung looked at me with a small smile on my face.

“Now, I’m also the head of the Republic of Korea branch of Salvation Church, right?”

“Of course. Pray, Salvation Church is open to everyone.”

“Mmm~ I like it.”

She smiled lightly and expressed positivity, then closed her eyes for a moment and thought about her worries.

“Hmm~ I’m already worried about how many calories the lunch I just ate had.”

“Love your own body as you love your neighbor.”

“Puhup― What is that?!”

Ha Chae-kyung, who was bursting out in bewildered laughter, very calmly gave a glance telling her to do more.

“Hmm~ Then, I think Hyeon and Kang are a little upset that they can’t eat lunch together with anyone these days. What should I do?”

“You ate lunch with me, so please eat dinner with me.”

“… … I want to skip a meeting that I have to attend later, what should I do?”

“Our hearts are connected again, but I can’t die alone, so you will go with me.”

“… … Mr. Guwon.”

Pick – Ha Chae-kyung calls my name with a sigh that seems to be leaking.

She narrowed her eyes again and spoke in a low voice.

“You built up 5 stacks in an instant with this.”

“It feels a little unfair to say that. It wasn’t a joke, I was really solving it.”

“… … Yes?”

“This is how I solve the concerns of believers.”

Listening, not talking.

“… … .”

Ha Chae-kyung’s dumbfounded expression, unable to figure out where the conversation was going.

I smiled and continued speaking in a whisper.

“Chaekyung, didn’t you get curious sometimes? The reason why religion remained strong no matter how much science developed and atheists raised their voices.”

Do you know why?

In response to my question, she quietly shook her head.

I moved closer to her and whispered, as if telling her a secret.

“In fact, people pretend not to be… … I like talking more than listening.”

“… … .”

“This is especially true if it is a secret or concern that cannot be easily shared. They want to share their secrets and worries with someone.”

Even if the target is a god who does not answer one’s prayers.

“People gain strength to live tomorrow just by being with someone.”

“Ah… … .”

Ha Chae-kyung’s eyes flicker complexly as if she is thinking of someone in my whisper.

After looking into the distance for a moment, she quietly lowered her head.

I just did what I had been doing up until now, prepared to listen to her.

“… … I’m so worried about San.”

“I’m sure something happened to the sea, but the sea didn’t say a word to me.”

“The sea must be difficult too. I understand. But San-i is definitely not the type of child to leave us without saying anything… … Even you would never do that… … .”

“You probably left with San E to protect him. Jin-heon, whom we trusted, betrayed us and San-i also went through such a terrible thing, so he must have been more noticeable than us who were in a safe place.”

still… … .

“But you could say your final goodbyes and leave. … … no. In fact, everything I’m saying right now is an excuse. just… … It’s so painful that I didn’t know anything when San, who was so kind, made the decision to leave us.”

Jinheon, the sea, and the mountains.

“I feel so sorry because it shows my incompetence that the family that endured hardships together ended up like that.”

… … Maybe, no definitely.

“If I had done a little better, there wouldn’t have been such a painful breakup, right? That thought never leaves my head every day.”

Rather, rather… … .

“It would have been different if it had been Guwon who founded Minguk… … ?”

“… … .”

I didn’t say anything.

Ha Chae-kyung, who had quietly lowered her head for such a long time, took a deep breath.

Her moist eyes as she gently raises her head.

The glaring eyes were full of bloodshot marks.

“Whoa! As Mr. Guwon said, I really think I understand why religion was so popular!”

“Was this helpful?”

“Very much. Thank you so, so much, Guwon.”

Her sincerity shines brightly in her eyes filled with gratitude.

I made eye contact with that sparkling light and smiled softly.

“You’re welcome.”

I kept stroking her hand that was in my grasp with my thumb.