Ch.48048 – Monday Worship 3

# 048 – Monday Service # 3

Kang Bada and Yang Juhui were waiting for me in front of my house.

But their behavior was a bit strange.

“What are you doing?”

It was quite peculiar to see Yu Dahui kneeling on the asphalt.

What kind of odd behavior was this now?

Dahui said:

“Cat.”

“Cat?”

I bent down to look and indeed, there was a pitch-black cat crouched under a car. It was a cat I often saw around the neighborhood.

Our neighborhood had a lady who would wrap cat food in plastic bags and feed the cats, so these felines were absolutely everywhere.

Those cats would tear open garbage bags and meow all night, making an incredibly annoying racket.

“Meow, meow. Come here.”

*Swish swish swish-*

Yu Dahui reached her hand toward the cat.

A first-year high school girl imitating a cat.

While I was storing this rare sight in my internal memory bank, Yang Juhui, who had been looking somewhat indifferent, stomped her foot.

“Waaah!”

*Pitter-patter-patter-patter!*

The black cat fled at Yang Juhui’s loud shout.

“Ah. It ran away…”

“Oh, shit.”

It seemed Yang Juhui wasn’t very fond of cats. I had thought high school girls generally liked cute things and enjoyed taking pictures, but my knowledge must have been narrow-minded.

Yang Juhui said:

“Our dinner appointment is at 6. Hurry up and change your clothes. Don’t dawdle.”

Right. I had come home to change clothes and unpack my things for our 6 o’clock appointment.

I went up to my place, changed clothes, and came back out.

Then we all headed to the meeting place.

“Hey guys, hello! Wow!”

Senior Ju Chanmi had her hair tied back and was wearing jeans with a white shirt.

She was twenty-five years old. She had graduated from university this year and was about to start a job.

Though her face was bare of makeup, she was reasonably pretty, and her extremely friendly personality made her the type of woman who ignited the hearts of many church men.

She was also someone I had a crush on for about a day.

“Oh my, you’re such babies. Just look at those uniforms.”

Senior Ju Chanmi was greatly admiring and enjoying the sight of Yang Juhui and Yu Dahui in their Yeongji High School uniforms.

Perhaps it reminded her of her own high school days?

Every woman was once a high school girl.

Senior Chanmi must have been a high school girl too. It was fun to imagine what type she might have been. Perhaps the… energetic type like Jeong Sojin?

Somehow comparing her to Jeong Sojin felt like an insult, but to people who didn’t know better, Sojin was just an honor student with a bright personality, so… whatever. Anyway!

We each ordered a pasta dish.

13,000 won per plate.

I wasn’t sure if that was cheap or expensive, but Senior Chanmi said she was treating.

“I’m paying for this.”

# # #

To be honest, the only pasta I’d ever eaten was 3-minute spaghetti or the tomato spaghetti served in school lunches. I had no idea what I was getting into, eating pasta with women in a place like this.

And contrary to my expectation that each person would get their own plate, we ordered different types of pasta, placed them in the center, and shared everything!

This was a very unfamiliar way of eating for someone who had attended an all-boys middle school, and I found it quite uncomfortable.

Is this how women normally eat? When guys order jajangmyeon, each person gets their own bowl in front of them.

Above all, I wasn’t used to using a fork.

But the women seemed to twirl their forks and eat pasta skillfully, as if they’d known how to do it since birth.

Actually, looking closely, not everyone was skilled.

“…Ah, damn. This is frustrating.”

Yang Juhui tried hard to twirl pasta with her fork but failed and ended up eating quite messily, which made me feel an inner connection with her since we were at about the same skill level.

I guess Yang Juhui hasn’t had much pasta either.

Indeed, for dirt spoons like us, cup noodles suit us better than pasta.

Meanwhile, Yu Dahui ate very elegantly.

She used her utensils so quietly you couldn’t even hear them.

Rich kids really are different.

“Your name is Dahui, right?”

As the meal was progressing smoothly, Senior Chanmi showed interest in Yu Dahui.

“You’re so pretty. Are you popular in your class? I bet you get a lot of confessions.”

“I think I’m just average.”

What does it mean for popularity to be average?

That’s a realm I can’t understand.

After that, there was small talk that felt like an interrogation—how’s studying going, what are the teachers like, that sort of thing.

The girls would occasionally burst into laughter and form bonds of empathy, while I felt like a deserted island. This situation was truly uncomfortable.

“I need to use the restroom.”

I wanted some fresh air, so I went outside.

With the free moment, I checked my phone and saw that Jeongseok had sent me messages.

“Jungle Jeongseok: What is this?”

“Jungle Jeongseok: It looks like some kind of code. Morse code?”

“Jungle Jeongseok: When translated to Korean, it says ‘beware of sky.'”

Beware of sky?

The phrase “beware of sky” written on the business card of Kang Bada, my mother’s old classmate.

What could it mean?

Sky.

Sky…

“Could it mean beware of Kang Haneul?”

That was the best deduction I could make.

I had finished my business and was about to go back in when I saw Yang Juhui outside.

“What’s up? Going for a smoke?”

“What are you talking about? I quit, you know? Running makes me short of breath. We’re done eating, so we decided to leave. They’re probably paying inside.”

Paying! More importantly, Yang Juhui quit smoking!

Not bullying friends and not smoking—what’s left for the delinquent Yang Juhui? Isn’t her human essence becoming too diluted?

While I was thinking this, Yang Juhui looked around and said to me:

“Hey. Be careful of Senior Chanmi.”

“Be careful? Of what?”

“Didn’t you notice? During the meal, she was only looking at you.”

*Boing-*

It was quite shocking and somehow embarrassing.

Only looking at me.

Maybe she likes me.

It was natural to think that, but Yang Juhui wasn’t finished.

“Do you know what Senior Chanmi’s nickname is at church? The Younger Man Killer.”

“Younger Man Killer?”

“Yeah! All her boyfriends so far have been younger than her, and as far as I know, she’s dated more than seven guys.”

Yang Juhui spoke as if revealing a very secret piece of information, but I wondered if this was really that special.

Isn’t it normal for a 25-year-old woman to have dated seven men?

These days, people start dating in high school, so seven boyfriends by age twenty-five means about one per year. I thought that was pretty normal.

Of course, it was a bit interesting that they were all younger, but everyone has their preferences.

“Hey. This isn’t the time to be talking about that. All the men Senior Chanmi dated were CCs! Church Couples! Now none of those guys respond to messages or come to church anymore.”

“Hmm…”

Dating seven church couples was indeed a bit unusual.

Usually, when couples form at church… if things go well and they get married, that’s fine, but if they break up, it’s absolute hell.

There’s no way they’d break up amicably, so both sides would fight like crazy, and people who were friendly at church would form factions or become awkward with each other because of them…

Eventually, either the man or the woman would stop coming to church, which happens all too often.

That’s why dating within the church isn’t really recommended.

To think she did that seven times.

And she even made all those men cut off contact? That’s impressive in its own way.

# # #

We arrived at Yeong-gwang Church.

Churches with Monday services aren’t very common, mainly because church people, who are busiest on everyone else’s day off—Sunday—tend to rest on Monday like it’s their weekend.

Churches that hold services on Monday are generally considered to be full of “passion.”

When we entered the sanctuary, there were quite a few people.

About twenty.

Everyone was greeting each other with smiles and engaging in conversation.

“Oh my. Students have come?”

“Look at those uniforms.”

In our school uniforms, we definitely stood out.

Women and men who looked like deacons smiled at us with satisfaction, and finally, at 7 PM, a young man who appeared to be the worship leader took the microphone.

“Then we’ll begin our Monday service with praise. First, let’s all stand and offer praise to the Lord with joyful hearts.”

*Boom boom boom boom-*

The hymn began with drums and other instruments.

“By the cross of Christ our Savior—”

Everyone raised their voices and sang without hesitation.

The only ones standing blankly were me, Yang Juhui, and Yu Dahui.

In my case, it was because I was observing my surroundings; for Yang Juhui, it seemed to be due to some subtle adolescent rebellion(?); and for Yu Dahui, it seemed she found the atmosphere awkward.

What came after the praise was even more awkward.

*Click, click-*

All the lights illuminating the sanctuary went out.

The interior became so dark you couldn’t see an inch in front of you.

In that darkness, the worship leader spoke:

“Now, we will call out to the Lord three times and pray aloud together.”

Lord—. Lord—. Loooord—.

Everyone called out to the Lord in loud voices, and the prayer began.

“Abba, Father, today again—”

“Areureu-gareuru—”

“Forgive this sinner—!”

“Abaralalaralai, eskaralalaralai!”

Congregational prayer.

All kinds of voices tangled together in a chaotic outcry.

Are there still churches these days that pray so passionately with tongues?

As a pastor’s son, this was fairly familiar to me… but it seemed not everyone felt the same way.

*Swish-*

Someone tugged at my side in the darkness.

“…Yeongwon. I’m scared.”

It was Yu Dahui.

Unfamiliar with church culture, Yu Dahui seemed to hear this fanatical and blind faith congregational prayer as some kind of infernal wailing.

I could understand how the situation of people making inhuman sounds in all kinds of tongues might seem unfamiliar and frightening.

—These idiots are going crazy. Go ahead, put on a show. A show.

That’s when it happened.

Amidst all the hellish wailing of congregational prayer and speaking in tongues, someone’s voice was clearly heard.

And at that moment, the prayer sounds that had been surging through the sanctuary were cut off all at once.

The timing was so public it gave me goosebumps.

*Click-*

The lights in the sanctuary began to turn on.

Somehow, instead of the worship leader, a rather large man was now holding the microphone at the front.

It was Pastor Cheon Aesu, the founding pastor and senior pastor of this Yeong-gwang Church.

“Brothers and sisters. It seems that a devil who holds power in the air has sneaked into this place. In the name of the Lord, I command: enemy devil Satan, stand up from your seat and go outside!”

What… what kind of situation is this? Go where?

This situation was quite unfamiliar and strange even to me.

I looked around in embarrassment, but everyone around was extremely quiet.

*Swish-*

Pastor Cheon Aesu came down from the platform.

“These devils hide among people. They hide among people and make their bodies sick. Make them disobedient. Make them disbelieve—. Make them siiiin!!!”

*Wheeeeee-*

Pastor Cheon Aesu began to whistle.

He whistled at a constant pitch while slowly walking around the sanctuary.

*Wheeeeeeeeee-*

It was quite remarkable lung capacity. How could the whistle continue without breaking?

As I was thinking this, Pastor Cheon Aesu’s steps paused briefly in front of me.

*Wheeeeeeeeee-*

“……”

What is this about?

Just as I was feeling unnecessarily tense…

“You son of a bitch! Jesus or whatever, give me back my money before I burn this church down and kill everyone! Pastor or whatever you are, give me my money! My money! My moneeeey!”

Someone shouted very loudly.

When I turned my head, a shabby-looking man in work clothes was glaring at Pastor Cheon Aesu with bloodshot eyes.

Someone recognized the man.

“Is… isn’t that Chanwoo’s father? Deacon Kwon’s husband!”

“Oh my, it is! It is!”

The man was limping as he approached Pastor Cheon Aesu.

Then, with alcohol on his breath, he snarled like a starving mad dog:

“The insurance money I got when my leg was crippled! The welfare benefits I received for my disability grade! My wife gave it all to this church! I need that money for surgery! Give me my money! Money! My money!!!”

A husband who came to demand the money his wife had donated to the church.

It wasn’t a common occurrence… but it wasn’t unheard of either.

Pastors often receive death threats like this throughout their lives.

The atmosphere felt like it could explode at any moment.

I was wondering if we should call the police when Pastor Cheon Aesu spoke:

“This person is possessed by a devil. From now on, we will drive out the devil that has taken residence in this man. Lock all the doors and put the Gospel of John Chapter 1 on the PPT.”