episode_0080

… … … … …

Sister Ayoung guided me into the church with a kind smile. Her gentle hands gently pushed my back.

“Come here, brother. I’ll show you our church.”

The interior, unlike the exterior, had a warm and cozy atmosphere. The stained glass windows along the walls poured colorful light into the interior, and the light made the statue of the goddess in the center look even more mysterious.

“Brother, do you remember? About the doctrine of our church. I told you last time, right?”

“Ah, yes. A sacred desire… … .”

“That’s right. As intelligent beings, we cannot help but have desires. It’s our nature.

But many religions… … deny this and try to suppress it.”

She took a moment to catch her breath and then continued her explanation.

“Our church is different. We acknowledge and accept the desires that all human beings cannot help but have, and we strive to sublimate them.

Of course, as long as it doesn’t harm others or yourself.”

I looked at her with curious eyes and listened to her explanation. It was quite different from the ‘normal’ religions I knew, but it still seemed to make sense.

“For example, from basic desires like appetite or sexual desire to complex desires like career or fame. It’s not about denying all of these, but rather pursuing them in a healthy way.”

Sister Ayoung’s eyes sparkled as she explained the doctrine. I could feel her passion.

“We see the very act of striving to achieve these desires as sacred, because in the process we grow and become better beings.”

I nodded and pondered her words. This was a perspective I had never heard before, but it was certainly strangely persuasive.

“What do you think, brother?”

To the nun’s question, I decided to answer honestly and without embellishment.

“Yeah, I don’t know… …but it’s interesting. I’d like to know more.”

Sister Ayoung smiled brightly and nodded.

“Okay. Then how about experiencing it for yourself through worship?”

Following the nun’s guidance, I sat down on a chair. Unlike the chairs in a typical church, the chairs were soft and comfortable. They were like easy chairs.

Soon after, worship began, and a unique ritual unfolded. The worship was markedly different from the mainstream religions of the Earth.

The nuns moved as if dancing, humming a soft melody, and Sister Ayoung also recited a prayer in front of the statue of the goddess.

“Divine desire, guide us… … .”

I watched their worship with curious eyes. The scent of incense tickled my nose. It was a mixture of vanilla, lavender, and an unknown scent, similar to the scent of the nuns’ bodies.

As the ceremony progressed, I felt increasingly drowsy. In the thickening fragrance, the nuns’ singing sounded like a lullaby.

My eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. I tried to stay awake, as it was impolite to sleep during a service, but I couldn’t stop my consciousness from becoming clouded.

Just close your eyes for a little while. I’m sorry to the nun, but just sleep for five minutes and you’ll be fine when you wake up.

The moment I closed my eyes with that thought, almost immediately, Sumah came over me. The last thing I heard was Sister Ayoung’s soft voice.

“Rest in peace, brother. May I cleanse you of the bad energy that has settled in you… … .”

… … … … …

I slowly regained consciousness amidst the drowsy feeling. When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar space. In a room with soft light spreading softly, I was lying on a comfortable bed.

“You’re awake, brother.”

I heard Sister Ayoung’s voice. I turned my head and saw her sitting next to me.

“Where is this…?”

“This is a room for rituals only. It is a place to purify the evil energy that has taken hold of you, brother.”

Her words pierced my ears, but I couldn’t really understand their meaning. My head was hazy.

“Brother, I want to suggest a special ritual. It is a purification ritual. Through this, we can drive out the evil energy that is in you… … and make your body and soul pure.”

I just agreed with her words without fully understanding them.

“Thank you, brother. Rest easy.”

Listening to her soft voice, I fell into a hazy dream again. The shining goddess statue seemed to dance, and an unknown fragrance enveloped me. And somewhere… … I felt a warm, soft, slightly moist sensation all over my body.

At the border between dream and reality, I faintly heard Sister Ayoung’s heightened breathing, nasal sounds, and prayers.

“Pure… …Brother… …Only I… … ”

With that voice, I fell deeper into the world of dreams.

When I woke up from that dream and opened my eyes, I felt extremely tired. My whole body was drenched in sweat, and my muscles were sore. It was like after a vigorous workout.

Where have I felt this sensation before… … Like when I got a massage from Teacher Wol-hee, or when I woke up at Noona Seo-yeon’s house, or Mr. Haneul’s house, or when I slept with Yoo-ryung and Seo-ah last time… … .

“Brother, are you okay?”

Sister Ayoung’s voice broke my thoughts. When I turned my head toward the voice, she was looking at me with a worried expression.

Her face was slightly flushed, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

“Yes, yes… … I’m okay. But I’m so tired… … .”

“I see. Brother, I think this ceremony was a little too emphasized. Please eat this.”

As I barely managed to answer, Sister Ayoung handed me a drink that seemed to have been prepared in advance. Judging from the way she moved her hands, she seemed accustomed to such things.

“This is a special drink to drink after the ritual. Since you sweated a lot, it will replenish your energy and moisture.”

I gratefully accepted the drink and drank it. It was very cool and sweet yet refreshing, and the taste spread in my mouth.

“Wow, this is delicious. There’s a drink like this too.”

“Yes, it was specially developed by our church. It is absolutely necessary after the ceremony.”

I nodded to her words. As I finished my drink, I felt my energy slowly returning.

“I think it’s really getting better. Thank you, Sister.”

After I finished the cup of drink she handed me, I decided to ask her some questions I had been curious about.

“Sister, what kind of ritual did you just perform? And what was the result?”

“Ah, brother… … .”

Sister Ayoung’s expression suddenly darkened when she heard my question. She sighed and said,

“I was able to temporarily purify your body, but it was not enough for me to completely drive out the evil energy that was in you, brother.”

“Oh, I see… … .”

I didn’t know how to react to her words, because I didn’t really believe her ‘bad vibe’ stories.

“That’s okay, Sister. You even did a special ritual for me. Success or failure doesn’t matter to me.”

Sister Ayoung’s expression became more serious at my words. She held my hand tightly and said.

“Brother, this is a very important issue. It is not something that can be simply overlooked.”

To be honest, I was quite taken aback by her seriousness, but I decided to think of it as just some kind of religious belief.

“Sister, thank you very much, but it’s okay. I have so many people around me who help me. I won’t be affected even if bad things happen because of bad energy.”

Sister Ayoung looked at me silently. Her eyes were filled with serious concern, along with some other inexplicable emotion. After a moment of silence, she spoke again in a soft tone.

“Brother, you don’t believe what I’m saying. But I understand. It’s hard to believe in something you can’t see.”

She took a deep breath.

“I want to share my vision with you, brother. Then you will understand. If it is okay with you.”

“Yes, that’s okay. What should I do?”

Sharing a view? What on earth could she possibly mean? While I was thinking about her words, the nun gently took my hand, closed her eyes, moved her lips slightly, and muttered something.

The moment I saw that sight and thought it was beautiful, a strange sight suddenly unfolded before my eyes.

There were six different colored energies swirling around me. Blue, pink, purple, brown, black, and gold. Each color was vivid and intense.

At first, the energies looked beautiful, but then they suddenly began to change. Each color twisted and distorted, transforming into an indescribable form of horror.

The blue energy turned into an endless swamp, and a giant maw wriggled in the water as if trying to swallow me.

The pink aura turned into a blood-soaked lump of flesh that throbbed and approached me.

The purple aura transformed into a giant eye that stared at me continuously.

The brown aura became a tree of suffering that endlessly sowed seeds, extending its branches full of thorns toward me.

The black aura enveloped me, becoming absolute darkness that absorbed all light.

The golden aura attempted to sweep me away in a blinding burst of light.

I felt extreme fear at the sight of this whole thing. My reasoning collapsed, and my whole body trembled like an aspen tree. I tried to scream, but not even a sound came out.