Ch.5Chapter 5 – Encounter

Sunday morning.

The evergreen trees reflect the morning sunlight, proudly displaying their verdant splendor as if radiating the vibrant energy of midsummer far and wide. The trees looked like layers of handkerchiefs stacked upon one another—the upper layers basking directly in sunlight, flaunting their lively light green hues, while the lower layers served as a quiet dark green backdrop beneath the shadows, like backup dancers highlighting the main performer on stage.

When even the slightest breeze stirred, the leaves would wriggle left and right, up and down, as if desperately seeking any gap where sunlight might penetrate. The pale yellow upper leaves swayed back and forth like dancers responding to their partner’s movements, and viewing the tree as a whole, the different colors appeared to mix together like splashing water.

Shin Jaehyuk stared blankly at this harmony of light with his mouth agape in admiration.

“Wow- shit, the graphics are fucking amazing… It looks more real than my TV at home.”

A couple passing by snickered at his foolish remark. Jaehyuk, who had been exclaiming in wonder, suddenly realized from their laughter that the tree was not a polygon mass made of zeros and ones but an actual tree.

‘Ah fuck, of course it’s real. You game-addicted bastard…’

Being more accustomed to the computer world than reality, he had momentarily mistaken the real world for a game screen. Embarrassed by his own stupidity, his face turned red as he quickened his pace to leave the spot.

As his movement accelerated, the fruit gift boxes in both hands swung back and forth, feeling even heavier.

“Huff, huff… Maybe I should exercise. This is exhausting.”

Panting from his lack of stamina, Shin Jaehyuk realized he had arrived at his destination. A small orphanage building stood next to a large cathedral. It was the Catholic orphanage where he had grown up.

Through the gate bars, he could see an elderly nun sweeping the yard. Her face was deeply wrinkled, as if she had weathered the storms of time.

Hearing the creaking sound of the gate opening, the nun stopped sweeping and turned toward the entrance. A faint look of pleasure spread across her wrinkled face before quickly returning to a neutral expression.

“Hello, Sister Grace.”

“Shalom! It’s been a while. You should come by more often. The children like you too.”

Jaehyuk’s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly at the praise to God. Even after more than 20 years since his reincarnation, hearing worship of a pagan god to his face still felt awkward.

“Haha, I’ve been busy with work…”

“Yes, is everything alright at your job? By the way, the money you sent last time went toward repairing the orphanage building. Thank you.”

Sister Grace. Having run the orphanage for over 20 years, she was like a mother to Jaehyuk in this life. He occasionally sends money earned from his jobs to help with the orphanage’s operations.

Of course, Sister Grace doesn’t know that the money comes from handling illegal matters. She believes that Jaehyuk got a job at Mr. Berdo’s (Mr. B’s alias) information security company when he was in middle school and has been saving up his salary to send to her.

“Haha, yes. Oh, here’s some fruit. A gift for you.”

“Ah, thank you. You didn’t have to… Put it in the orphanage refrigerator. Meet the children and say hello. I’ll finish sweeping the yard and come in, then we can talk.”

Jaehyuk nodded slightly and entered the old orphanage building he had known for over ten years. Behind the closing door, he could hear the sound of the broom brushing against the ground. As he stepped inside, some children spotted him and came running.

“Waaaa!!! It’s Loser Brother!!!” “It’s really him!!!! Loser Oppa!!!!” “Brother, give me a present!!!!!!” “Did you bring something tasty again???”

Children who looked like elementary school students rushed out of the playroom and pounced on him. Loser Brother, or Loser Oppa. That was his nickname among the orphanage kids, because he was known for having no friends during his middle and high school years.

Still, he was as popular as celebrities among the orphanage children because he occasionally gave them toys or pocket money as gifts when he visited.

“You little rascals. What’s with calling someone ‘Loser Brother,’ huh? Here, fruit gifts that you all like.”

“Ohhh….!!” “Is it bananas!” “Oranges are better than bananas!” “Is there any mint chocolate?”

The children exclaimed at the fruit boxes in his hands. He pushed through the children surrounding him and entered the dining hall. After briefly greeting some familiar ladies, he organized the fruit he had brought in the refrigerator.

When he returned to the playroom to entertain the children, Sister Grace, who had finished her morning cleaning, brought warm green tea. The two sat across from each other at a reception room table and chatted.

“So. What brings you here today?”

“Well, just wanted to see your face after a long time and check in… And I have something I wanted to ask.”

“Something to ask?”

Jaehyuk took a sip of tea. The taste of cheap green tea lingered on the tip of his tongue. He set the teacup down on the wooden table.

“An elementary school student who went missing 10 years ago in our neighborhood suddenly returned, and I heard they were kidnapped by some unknown criminal organization. So I was worried if anything like that had happened at the orphanage.”

Jaehyuk revealed the reason for his visit to the orphanage after so long. It was a case that Cha Eunkyung had asked him to investigate.

Jaehyuk reasoned that if the kidnappers were targeting young children, they would likely go after children without parents, as it would be easier both during the abduction and afterward compared to kidnapping children protected by parents.

“After 10 years! What a blessing. This is truly the Lord’s grace…”

The Sister widened her eyes in surprise. It was rare for her to show such emotional change, her mind having become as calm as a lake after decades of life as a nun.

“Fortunately, as far as I know, nothing like that has happened in our neighborhood… But just to be safe, I’ll warn the children to be careful for a while. Thank you for letting me know.”

Jaehyuk felt relieved that there were no victims. But then a question followed.

Why target a child with parents rather than an orphan? Did that mean the criminal organization needed that specific boy, not just any child for labor?

Deciding to think about it in more detail later, he focused on the person in front of him for now. Jaehyuk engaged in small talk with the nun. It was mostly Sister Grace asking questions and Jaehyuk answering.

Why are you so thin, are you eating well, do you exercise, how is your job, is your boss a good person, are you playing games in moderation, have you made friends, are you still reading the Bible these days, why aren’t you reading it. The questions and answers were like those between a parent and child.

Jaehyuk was sweating as he had to hide his real job by concealing lies within truths. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Looking out the window, he saw people coming out of the cathedral. Morning service seemed to have ended. Watching the scene, Sister Grace remembered something.

“Oh, Sungha is here, why don’t you go see her before you leave. The morning service at the main hall has ended, so she should be in the confessional now.”

‘Sungha.’

Of course, this wasn’t referring to the Pope of the Vatican. Yoo Sungha was his sister from the orphanage days. On a night when a particularly bright shooting star fell, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes was crying in front of the orphanage door. Sister Grace, who was a novice nun at the time, first discovered her crying in the cold and gave her the name Sungha (星下), meaning “under the stars.”

From a young age, she followed Sister Grace well and showed interest in biblical teachings. With Jaehyuk’s support, she entered a four-year theological school and became a sister. He had heard that after graduating, she was receiving training at some large cathedral, and coincidentally, it seemed she had been assigned to this one. Perhaps it was her own request.

***

Two people were already in line in front of the confessional, waiting for their turn. A woman with reddened eyes had just left the confessional, and the next person went in. Now only one person remained in front of Jaehyuk.

Jaehyuk waited for his turn. Judging by the fact that no more people were coming, he seemed to be the last one. Another person came out, and another went in. After some time, even the last person came out. It was Jaehyuk’s turn.

He entered the confessional silently, intending to surprise Yoo Sungha.

The confessional was narrow yet cozy. A subtle woody scent wafted through the air, calming the confessor and encouraging emotional honesty. On the front wall of the chair was a small wooden lattice window, which both separated and connected the counselor and the confessor. When Jaehyuk entered the confessional, the window was open.

In the room across the window, a nun whom Jaehyuk knew well was praying with her eyes closed and hands clasped. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair. Far from hiding her beauty, the plain nun’s habit seemed to give her an aura of holiness. The Sunday morning sunlight filtering through the narrow window illuminated her, enhancing her sacred presence.

Jaehyuk quietly sat in the chair and stared at her, expecting her to be surprised when she opened her eyes and saw him sitting there. But the nun spoke first.

“How long are you going to sit there like that, Jaehyuk?”

“Huh.”

What? How did she know I was here? Jaehyuk’s chair moved slightly, scraping the floor. Looking more carefully at her eyes, he noticed that her eyebrows were slightly parted. The corners of her eyes curved playfully.

‘Ah right. Noona had slitted eyes…’

“It’s been a while, Jaehyuk.”

“What? So you were just pretending to pray. I was trying to surprise you, but I got surprised instead.”

“Hehe… I’m above your head. How could I not know what you’re thinking?”

She put her hands on her waist and shrugged her shoulders, showing off her sense of victory. Her glossy long hair swayed with the movement. A playful, innocent, and above all beautiful smile spread across her lips. Looking at that pure smile like a shooting star, Jaehyuk’s face reddened slightly as he cleared his throat and turned away.

“It’s been two years, hasn’t it? Since your theological school graduation?”

“Yes. I heard you were going to the central diocese for training, but I didn’t know you’d be assigned here.”

“Well, it’s where I grew up. I wanted to help Sister Grace, and there were many faces I wanted to see… For example, yours?”

Jaehyuk’s face reddened again. He struggled to control his facial muscles to maintain his expression. He felt like he might break into a silly grin at any moment from the emerging smile.

‘Why am I reacting like a teenage boy! Me, a Master Paladin! Counting my past life, I’m well over 60…’

Or perhaps spending 30 years solely in battle against demons had allowed him to maintain his youthful sensibilities? As Jaehyuk was confused, Yoo Sungha’s words broke through his thoughts.

“By the way, you’re not still looking for strange things like demons, are you? Like frantically searching through the Bible.”

“… Of course not. You know I shudder at the mere mention of the Bible.”

“Hehe, that’s right.”

Once, while reading a fantasy novel, Jaehyuk discovered by chance that terms from Eden like elves, dwarves, and circle magic existed on Earth as well. From then on, he frantically searched through the internet, history books, and old newspaper articles to find traces of Eden on Earth. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he couldn’t find any clues about Eden.

Among the materials he researched were Christian and Protestant Bibles, as there were many similarities between Eloah’s scripture and Earth’s Bible. Or were there? Given that nothing particularly stands out in his memory now, he probably didn’t find any special clues.

Reading a pagan scripture thoroughly once was enough, so he never looked at the Bible again afterward. Because of this, he often received nagging from Sister Grace.

‘Hmm, that’s right. Why did I…? How come? No. Let’s stop. I shouldn’t…’

In fact, in his past life, even a single act of apostasy would have immediately resulted in the dispatch of an inquisitor and a religious trial. Eden had many traitors to humanity, like Mains who sold their souls to demons to save their lives, or black magicians.

‘Iscariot, that bastard…’

Reflexively recalling the name of a black magician, Jaehyuk gritted his teeth. Then, suddenly coming to his senses, he shook his head.

Anyway, Jaehyuk no longer expects to find traces of Eden on Earth. He had hypothesized that Earth might be a world created long after Eden’s destruction, but that possibility was dismissed since mana doesn’t exist on Earth.

Noticing that Jaehyuk was lost in thought, Yoo Sungha took his hand and led him. Jaehyuk didn’t resist her gentle touch and followed her lead.

The two went outside the cathedral to a small garden behind the orphanage building. The fresh scent of grass tickled their noses. Green blades of grass blended together like a calm lake. Various colored anemone flowers floated on this green surface, harmoniously brightening the garden. Red, purple, white, pink, blue… Perhaps because it was late June, just entering midsummer, most of the anemones that bloom in May had withered, with only a few scattered blooms remaining.

In the center of the garden stood a cherry tree with all its petals fallen. It was the cherry tree in Jaehyuk’s memory. Under the shade of its fresh green leaves stood an old wooden bench. The two sat on that bench. Yoo Sungha’s soft left palm gently covered Jaehyuk’s right hand resting on the bench.

“This brings back memories…”

“When I’d let you use my lap as a pillow here whenever you had nightmares?”

It was an embarrassing memory for Jaehyuk. From a young age, Yoo Sungha had been strangely mature. That maturity was enough for her to notice that Jaehyuk couldn’t sleep at night due to nightmares. Suffering from insomnia, Jaehyuk was always sleep-deprived in the mornings, and whenever he was struggling, Yoo Sungha would lay him on her lap on the garden bench and quietly stroke his head. Feeling that comforting touch and whispering voice, his mind would go blank and hazy, and before he knew it, he would drift off to dreamland…

To receive comfort from a child at his age through a lap pillow. Of course, to others, it would have looked like a heartwarming scene of an older sister taking care of her younger brother, but for Jaehyuk, who had memories of his past life, it was somewhat embarrassing. Yet he couldn’t refuse her kindness because he found himself comforted and reassured by young Yoo Sungha’s touch.

The two talked with their hands overlapped. It was a comfortable and reassuring time. Looking at Yoo Sungha made his mind go blank and brought a sense of ease… The smile on her lips reminded him of someone from his past life. His lover, an elf with a vibrant, lovable smile…

“Still, it’s good to see your face after so long. Come visit often.”

“Ah, yes…”

Jaehyuk’s face softened and relaxed. He briefly wondered if his response had sounded a bit foolish. Then he wondered if he was being too concerned about her reaction.

Fortunately, Yoo Sungha didn’t seem to mind his response much. Sadly, the bell from the cathedral rang, signaling the end of their happy time.

“Already?”

“Ah, it’s already this late.”

Having spent quite some time waiting for the confessions to end, their reunion couldn’t last long. As both had subsequent schedules, Jaehyuk and Yoo Sungha said their goodbyes and parted. Yoo Sungha needed to eat lunch in the cafeteria and help with the afternoon service.

Jaehyuk also had a schedule afterward. He planned to visit Mrs. Jung Malsook’s pork soup restaurant to congratulate her on her son’s return and investigate the case.