31 October 2020

Seoul

The visions had started occurring more and more frequently. I decided to go for a reading on a monthly basis, starting on the most hallowed evening of them all. Everyone wore costumes tonight and I would not seem out of place, with a mask concealing my entire face. Hiding my beauty from the world was the price I paid for absolute privacy.

"Queen of Cups, reversed: because you feel insecure concerning the future battle, you have resolved to martyrdom. King of Swords, reversed: I am a weakness to be manipulated. Eight of Pentacles, reversed: you are unsure of how to proceed. Ten of Wands shows that this is a heavy burden to accomplish and the Hermit reveals that you will search for the truth and contemplate this matter."

I crossed her palm with a love letter written on pastel craft paper instead of the usual colourful notes of currency. Junghyunnie cast her eyes over them after reading the tarot cards. I was mesmerised by the way her eyes lit up, her lips twitched into a smile, and her cheeks tinged with a roseate hue.

"So, next year, I will be filming for my cinematic debut," she informed me shyly. "I'll play Sora, an idol trainee in Dieter Fighter. I'm the main female character and my love interest is a wrestler. As you guessed from the title, the setting will be a gym. This will be my first role with a romantic interest."

"It's about time," I enjoyed seeing her content. Viewers had only seen her as a side character whose only memorable traits were being a best friend and being a popular girl eaten by zombies.

"If you're not busy in May next year, let's meet at BIFAN," the actress held out her pinky finger and I promised her that I would.

You don't bring a knife to a gunfight: the furthest that the blade can be thrown is 9 metres. I decided on using the bow and arrow as a sword wasn't suited to long-range combat. Taking advantage of the weather, I bundled up quivers of arrows underneath the layers of coats. I hid these in key points of the metropolis: the rooftops of skyscrapers.

In the event that the nameless deity struck in winter, I would be blinded by snow. My idea was to use the precipitation to my advantage by observing the sound of boots crunching on the ground. I hid the carbon-fibre projectiles in nooks that could be closed and opened. The quivers were disguised to look like boxes of fireworks, so they wouldn't be reported or looted by adults.

In effect, I was creating loot boxes as if I were the character of a video game. From my time on ISAC a couple of years ago, I knew that my aim was good and how the modern counterparts were to be handled. I thought of how Seventeen was banned because of Best Leader S Coups fighting for the safety of his members and I vowed not to make my gege sad because of injury.

In order to fight at 100%, the college student would have to relinquish control of the bat she kept by her side. This would endanger her, even though we had so far managed to keep our relationship a secret. I had to come up with a backup plan for her safety as it was all too easy to take her hostage. Xiyeon knew how to find me but prevention is better than cure.

Crossing the threshold of the parish, I was surprised that I wasn't held up by one of the priests. I made my way to the confessional box and squeezed myself in. "Would I be granted an audience with Brother Kwak Minyoung?" I whispered into the jet blackness, contrasting with the weak sunlight streaming outside.

"For what purpose?" the priest rasped, no doubt sensing that I was no normal human being.

"I intend on exorcising a false deity," I tried to remain cool in what was starting to feel like a wooden cage. "All I have are information and the means to stop him in his tracks. What I require from him is the proper method of disposal. I know that you don't trust me with a distinguished member of the Research Division, however, we both owe our current success to Pledis."

Ever since the takeover by HYBE, Nu'est's activities had withered to nothing- no Love knew when the next comeback would be. The gege of the group had more free time on his hands to dedicate to his archiving project. Aron sometimes appeared on Korean Cowboy as well as lives to assure his fans that he was still alive and well.

"I will send the paperwork to the Holy See, informing them of your intentions," the priest stepped out of the constricting box and I followed him down three flights of stairs. His project must require a lot of concentration if he was this far below where the parishioners congregated, I mused as I stood in front of his door.

"I heard of your request," I looked at the scruffy researcher before me. Being an idol meant that you had to be clean-shaven and sharply-dressed, should you venture outside. Aron gege had his glasses on, as opposed to the contact lenses we used on stages, and his unstyled hair flopped messily. I could see why Raina jiejie thought he was boyfriend material, in his hoody and track pants.

"Do the walls have ears?" I asked humorously before taking a closer look at them. Inscribed on each brick were various verses from the Bible. Once he confirmed it, I continued. "This deity is the youngest of all religions out there so it should be easy to take down, hence the adage 'Lead the lambs to slaughter'."

"No, he has more fight in him due to his youth and newfound glory," the rapper shook his head. "So, I'll have to increase the potency of the Godkiller." What a cute name, I grinned sardonically. I had no idea that such a thing existed. "As more cults of personality appeared before we were born, the Holy See devised this method."

He walked to the wall on the right-hand side and I noticed a plant. It grew by virtue of a desk lamp shining on it. "This is hyssop," Aron snapped off a branch and stood at the marble counter next to the herb. He opened the cupboard underneath, removing a mortar and pestle. The pungent fragrance suffused the small room.

The researcher withdrew two test tubes, one looking like rays of the sun and the other like moonbeams. "Holy oil and holy water," I watched him decant the contents of both beakers into a larger one. "We usually use the ratio of 5 parts liquid to 1 part of the herb but due to my earlier explanation, we'll increase the proportions to 2: 1."

The idol stirred the ground-up hyssop into the mixture of liquids that would never combine. Appearances truly were deceiving, I pondered as I beheld the end product. It looked like something you would dress a salad with but this would save millions of lives. "This will be perfect for coating your arrows with."

"How do you know my strategy?" I watched him insert a cork into the neck of the bottle. He placed it in the cushioned interior of a metal box, strapping it in with those clips you found on backpacks: a veritable fortress considering the rapid movements I made could break the delicate glass, spilling the liquid gold and silver.

"It's what I would have done if I had your skills, facing the same opponent," he handed the compact briefcase to me. "When I watched you during ISAC, I noticed how you didn't achieve perfect scores even though it was a piece of cake for you. Expending that much willpower makes me believe that you are more than capable of ending that false deity."

I thanked Aron for his confidence in me but he shrugged it off. "As soon as you know, text me the details of your encounter. I want the element of surprise so I'll get a gallon of fresh lamb's blood for sealing him away. You've already done enough and the Vatican is working on sealing the successive deities that may arise."