Chapter 650

As Taeo came down the hill, he looked at the children running around the chapel yard and at the pastor. Seen through the trees, the place truly looked like Eden, just as its name suggested.

“Oppa!”

When Lia spotted Taeo and shouted loudly, all the children turned to look at him at once.

“Hurry up!”

“Where were you?”

“Oppa! They said we can all have a snack party together!”

His brothers and sisters waved at him with bright smiles. And so did the pastor.

Taeo smiled and waved back. Then he slipped the cross necklace he was holding into his pants pocket.

For some reason, he felt like he couldn’t let anyone find out about it.

* * *

Before bedtime. Just as always, the pastor sprinkled holy water on each child and kissed them on the forehead.

The lights went out.

After making sure the children were asleep, Taeo whispered only to Lia.

“You know. The warehouse....”

“Yeah, the warehouse?”

“I think... there’s something in there.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. But... I heard a strange sound.”

At that, Lia blinked.

“Could it be a ghost?”

“Hmm....”

“Maybe it’s Satan or a demon.”

“....”

Taeo didn’t agree with Lia’s guess. He seemed to be thinking of something else.

-Fuuuuuck TT_TT they’re so innocent it’s killing me

-How the hell are these kids supposed to imagine Sion is locked up in the basement warehouse

-They really are so young, it hurts

-Please... save them

?They’re adults later, so at least they do survive

?Fuck, that’s true T_T

“Ah! I know.”

Lia, who had been serious just moments ago, smiled innocently.

“It must be a rat. I’m sure of it.”

“A rat?”

“I heard the ladies screaming last time because there was a rat.”

“Really...? I see....”

Taeo smiled with her.

“That’s a relief.”

“Right. Yeah.”

Lia giggled, closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep. Taeo remained lying alone, staring at the ceiling, and murmured,

“For some reason... I thought there might be a person in there.”

The eerie leaves danced in the wind beyond the window. Then the camera moved as though passing straight through the window.

Alone on the fourth floor of the orphanage, the pastor closed a book whose title was embossed in gold. Then he reached into the very bottom drawer of his desk.

Slide.

Inside were spare cross necklaces.

The desk clock came into view.

It read 3:13.

The camera raced swiftly upward along the dark road.

Beneath a night sky with a crescent moon, the warehouse building came into view. And the pastor could be seen walking there alone, a cross necklace hanging around his neck.

But his footsteps were not headed toward the basement.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Up the stairs to the fourth floor.

Upon reaching the very top, he placed his hand on the lock. He inserted the tip of the cross necklace around his neck into the keyhole.

Click.

The fourth-floor door opened. A rattling sound came from inside.

Bang.

The door closed.

* * *

“Did you sleep well, my angels? Come on, wake up now-.”

Lia and Taeo sat up, rubbing their sleepy eyes. The children who had gotten up first went to wash their faces one by one, while a few troublemakers stubbornly insisted on sleeping longer.

After obediently washing his face, changing his clothes, and eating, Taeo became conscious of the cross necklace in his pocket.

But when he looked at the pastor, for some reason all he could do was move his lips without speaking.

The finely crafted tip of the cross dug uncomfortably into Taeo’s thigh.

“Oppa, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Even while the fussy children complained about the side dishes, the pastor placed food onto their spoons before looking at Taeo.

“Taeo. You remember that today is the day you go out with Father, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Let’s have fun, shall we?”

Dressed in hunting clothes, the pastor and Taeo headed into the mountains carrying rifles.

Caw- Caw-

The cries of crows came from far away. A flock of black birds flew across the clear sky.

Bang!

Taking his stance, the pastor fired a bullet at his target. A feral dog that had been baring its sharp teeth and growling let out a yelp.

“Taeo! Hurry!”

At the pastor’s shout, Taeo aimed the barrel with trembling hands. The dog staggered away. Because of its limping gait, he had to keep readjusting his aim.

“Hurry!”

Urged on by him, Taeo pulled the trigger. The sharp bullet struck the feral dog’s hind leg. The fleeing dog collapsed onto the grass.

Still alive, the dog looked up at the two of them with wary eyes.

Unlike the pastor, who smiled in satisfaction at Taeo’s marksmanship, Taeo’s eyes were filled with pity and concern.

Knowing that, the pastor gently stroked Taeo’s head.

“Taeo. Do you know what a necessary evil is?”

“Yes. Something that is harmful or ideally shouldn’t exist... but has to be done because there’s no other choice.”

“Exactly. What we are doing is precisely that necessary evil. Ultimately, it is the path by which we transform the world toward goodness for God the Father.”

The pastor knelt beside the dying dog and prayed. Taeo knelt beside him as well.

“May this poor soul going to the Lord suffer no pain, and may it close its eyes with a peaceful heart.”

“...Amen....”

Meanwhile, the feral dog stopped breathing. The pastor put the dog into a sack and hoisted it over his shoulder. As they descended the mountain trail, the two chatted amiably like a close father and son.

“You see, feral dogs keep coming down into the village and hurting people.”

“Yes....”

“Lia and the other children nearly got seriously hurt last time, too. It was fortunate you protected them.”

The scene changed. The image unfolded in black and white.

There had been a day when a feral dog came down to the orphanage. The children screamed in surprise, and the dog chased after them as they fled, baring its sharp teeth.

Lia fell and burst into tears. And that was when Taeo, hearing Lia crying from afar, came running and threw a rock at the dog.

“Oppa!”

Taeo didn’t hesitate as he ran toward Lia, whose wrist was bleeding. His desire to protect Lia was greater than his fear of the dog.

Taeo hid the children behind himself and faced the feral dog. It was a display of courage almost impossible to believe from such a young child.

“Are you okay? Oppa’s here now, so stop crying.”

The adults came running after hearing the children’s screams and drove the feral dog away, but Taeo was ultimately bitten on the arm. Blood poured from the wound.

But instead of tending to his own arm first, Taeo examined Lia’s wrist. Watching Taeo firmly press down on the wound to stop the bleeding, the pastor smiled brightly.

“Taeo. You’re of a different stock.”

“Stock?”

“Yes. I can see it. A human being like you is the kind of stock that will become the light of the world and lead everyone forward. You are excellent both inside and out. Others before your own fear, others before your own pain. Genes like these are blessed and precious. If Noah had seen you, he would have put you aboard the Ark before anyone else. For a very, very long time... descendants who resemble you must protect this land.”

The pastor gripped Taeo’s shoulders with both hands.

“That’s only natural. I’m the oldest and the tallest.”

“No. No one else would have done what you did.”

“They’re all weaker than me. And Lia is frail. She had major surgery, too....”

“You are truly whole. The completion of creation, spiritual fullness, rest and holiness, victory over Satan and evil, wisdom and understanding! Counsel and knowledge! Courage and piety! And reverence. It is my mission to sow seed like yours and bless this land.”

-Fuck, what the hell is wrong with this bastard

-His eyes are fucking insane TT__TT

-Ah fuck, this is creepy as hell

The Daily Media reporters watching Episode 1 of <Code Name: Time Seven> together let out quiet exclamations.

“He’s a fucking cultist....”

“I knew there was something fucking weird about him from the moment he came out singing hymns.”

“What the hell is that man planning to do with Taeo?”

And then, the senior reporter who had an uncanny knack for predicting Episode 1 ratings spoke up.

“That book the pastor was reading earlier. I unconsciously assumed it was the Bible.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“Now that I think about it, the Bible usually doesn’t have an author’s name printed on it like that.”

He furrowed his brow.

“And I kept thinking I’d heard the author’s name somewhere before....”

[Man, the Unknown]

Alexis Carrel

“That man was a eugenicist. He headed a foundation for the study of human problems during the Nazi era.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment after hearing the senior reporter’s words.

Now it all made sense.

“I have something to confess.”

Taeo spoke honestly to the pastor.

“I secretly went to the warehouse, and I heard a strange sound coming from the basement.”

“Did you? You must have been very frightened.”

“Pastor, do you know what that sound was?”

Taeo trusted the pastor,

“It was a pheasant the adults had hunted. We kept it in there before dressing it.”

“Ah....”

“You children would have been frightened if you’d seen it, wouldn’t you?”

and was far too young to suspect another person.

The wind blew.

Individual blades of wild grass swayed.

* * *

The dinner table that evening was unusually abundant. Taeo’s mind was at ease now that his curiosity had been satisfied.

But he couldn’t eat properly.

“Oppa, what’s wrong?”

“Mmm. Nothing.”

Because he kept remembering the eyes of the feral dog staring at him earlier.

In the end, Taeo went to the bathroom alone and vomited everything he had eaten.

“Then sleep well, all of you. My angels.”

The pastor sprinkled holy water over them, kissed them, and left the room.

Taeo kept tossing and turning. Judging by the way he patted his chest with his little hand, he seemed to have a serious case of indigestion.

“Um, Lia.”

Taeo shook Lia.

“Oppa’s going to get some water. Come with me... Lia.”

But Lia didn’t wake up.

“...David? Samuel! Hannah. Wake up.”

But not a single sleeping child woke. Flustered, Taeo shook all of them, but nothing changed.

And then.

Rustle, rustle-.

The wind blew.

Long leaves swayed beyond the window as though beckoning Taeo. Come here, come here...

Taeo quietly approached the window.

The chapel lights were on.

* * *

The pastor in a black robe and the village congregation in red ceremonial robes were all gathered in a circle. Candles burned precariously inside the dim chapel, while the stained glass glowed with a sacred light.

-Fuck, Taeo, don’t go look TT__TT

-Ah, I’m losing my mind

-My heart is fucking pounding, seriously

-No wonder they’re Ja Sokhwan kids;;

Voices spread through the chapel accompanied by the sound of the organ.

Ave verum corpus, natum ex Maria Virgine,

vere passum, immolatum in cruce pro homine.

Cujus latus perforatum vero fluxit sanguine.

Between the congregation’s red robes, white feet could be seen.

Clearly those of a child.

Very small feet.

Esto nobis praegustatum, mortis in examine.

O pie, O dulcis Jesu Fili Mariae.

“Please bless this holy one who shall be reborn through the lives of the superior stock chosen by God. Through sacrifice upon sacrifice, proudly before the Father....”

Clatter.

Everyone’s gaze snapped toward the window.

With red masks covering their mouths, nothing could be seen but the whites of their staring eyes. The pastor, too, quietly gazed toward the window.

Step.

Step.

Step.

The window was flung open, but there was no one beyond it. The pastor took a deep breath and smiled.

“It seems the wind is rather strong tonight.”

Then the camera gradually tilted downward.

Taeo was wedged into the incredibly narrow gap between the window and the building, a space so tight he had to squeeze his entire body into it.

Covering his mouth, Taeo trembled in terror as he desperately tried not to make a sound.

The pastor standing with the candles behind him, bathed in warm orange light, contrasted with Taeo engulfed in blackness and darkness.

Even after the window closed, Taeo spent a long while steadying his breathing before staggering back to the orphanage. Then Taeo went into the bathroom and vomited once again.

“Ugh...!”

Taeo was a clever child. He frantically wiped the dirt from his shoes with toilet paper. Then he meticulously washed the cold sweat from his face and dried it until not a trace of moisture remained.

“....”

Taeo stepped back among his brothers and sisters, who were still sleeping like angels.

Lying on his bed, Taeo listened to the distant sound of hymns and made a vow.

“Oppa will protect you.”

To Lia, sleeping peacefully without knowing anything.

“I’ll protect you no matter what.”

* * *

Taeo used hide-and-seek.

He needed to understand this place while being able to hide himself freely without getting caught.

While the other children took turns being “it” and searched for one another, Taeo explored every corner of the chapel, unlocking padlocks with the cross necklace he had never returned to the pastor.

Bottles of unknown medicine, the place where rifles were hidden, and drums of oil in the orphanage basement that he had never known about before.

-I’m seriously going insane, ah TT_TT

-Please don’t get caught

-My heart’s pounding so hard I can’t watch T_T fuck

-Fuck, this is child abuse

Taeo finished gathering information without arousing suspicion. None of the children could ever find Taeo during hide-and-seek anyway, so once they grew tired of searching and searching, it was easy for him to slip outside.

“Oppa, where do you hide every time?”

“Secret.”

* * *

The pastor received a letter.

His expression darkened as he read it. It was nothing like the endlessly generous and affectionate face everyone knew.

“Foolish unbelievers...!”

[P.S. Leave that place as quickly as possible.]

The camera angle cleverly obscured both the contents of the letter and the sender, but the warning that he had to abandon Eden Orphanage and flee was unmistakable.

The pastor flew into a rage.

“How dare they! This sacred ritual!”

Looking at the calendar on the table, the pastor breathed heavily.

“There isn’t much time left. We’re almost there....”

One day on the calendar was marked in red.

Beyond the pastor’s office, Taeo’s eye could be seen peering through the gap in the window.

His gaze memorized the date.

Yes.

The time had come.

The day to escape from paradise had finally arrived.

During the free time they were given after dinner, Taeo made the children take medicine.

“What’s this?”

“I don’t want to take it...!”

Uncharacteristically, Taeo shouted at them.

“Just take it!”

He did the same even to a tearful Lia.

After being forced to take the medicine, all the children rushed to the bathroom.

“What the hell did you make us take?”

“Ugh...!”

The children vomited up not only everything they had eaten for dinner, but even all the water they had drunk.

“I’m going to tell Pastor everything...!”

“Just try it.”

Taeo’s expression hardened.

“Why are you acting like this, Oppa?”

Gripping Lia’s arm, Taeo said,

“Listen carefully to what I’m saying. Tonight, we’re escaping from this place. We’ll pretend to be asleep, and then all of us are going to run away.”

“Escape?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t want to...! This is our home!”

“If we stay here, we’re all going to die.”

The children found Taeo’s words difficult to accept.

“Has anyone heard from Sion? What about Isaac? What about the other children who left the orphanage before them?”

“....”

“We haven’t seen even a single photograph of any of them.”

“B-But that doesn’t mean they’re dead....”

“Just trust me this once.”

Taeo looked each of the children in the eyes.

“We’re family.”

As he vowed that, no matter what, he would save every last one of them.