KTC | Chapter 47

The silence of the gentle peace was shattered when Choi Seonwoo sighed deeply and Seo Jihan’s eyes snapped open. Choi Seonwoo closed his notebook and, pushing Seo Jihan’s head away, took out his phone.

The moment he saw the name displayed on the screen, Choi Seonwoo looked puzzled. It was unusual for Natasha, who normally communicated only through emails or prepaid phone messages, to call.

“Natasha? What’s going on?”

As Seo Jihan stretched with a yawn, he looked at Choi Seonwoo with fresh curiosity at the unexpected English.

[Priest, please check your email right now.]

“Right now?”

[Yes, it’s urgent.]

The voice sounded shaky, as if being chased, naturally giving a bad feeling.

Without ending the call, Choi Seonwoo quickly ran upstairs. He locked the door, entered the room, and opened his laptop. When he clicked on the email from Natasha, it contained several enlarged photos of a child’s face. Without even looking closely, it was clear what kind of crime it was.

While hesitating to click further, Natasha urged him, “Hurry, Priest.” Reluctantly, Choi Seonwoo opened the file.

The photos sent by Natasha were extracted from a video. No matter how much Choi Seonwoo was helping her with the investigation from the shadows, child exploitation videos should not have left the confines of the law enforcement agencies. Merely possessing them for a moment was punishable.

[I’m really sorry to show you this, Priest. But we need to catch these guys as soon as possible, it’s really urgent]

Natasha was mumbling incoherently, shocked. Understandably so. Even Choi Seonwoo, who usually didn’t blink at crime scene photos, felt his flesh crawl and was overwhelmed by a surge of intense anger, his vision turning red.

[These insane bastards… What do we do, Priest? It seems there’s more than one child who has died or been sold.]

Eventually, Natasha’s voice sounded like she was about to cry.

Choi Seonwoo sighed shortly and lifted his head. The crucifix necklace left by Seo Jihan was reflecting the dim natural light coming in.

Taking a moment to cool his head, Choi Seonwoo once again focused his eyes on the photos, scraping for any clue that could be useful. His eye pressure felt like it would burst his blood vessels.

But such photos alone were hardly sufficient to provide any satisfying clues. Although some blurred silhouettes became somewhat clearer and features began to form, the lower faces were hidden by masks, leaving them with little to work with.

“The child isn’t in any state to recognize anything. There’s not much to see.”

[Ah… What can we do.]

Natasha lamented with a voice mixed with anger, sadness, and disappointment.

“Have you found the child’s body?”

[No…]

If they could see the body, maybe more could be made out, but he had not held much hope. Choi Seonwoo blinked hard to refresh his tired eyes.

“Hang up and wait a moment, Natasha. I’ll try to focus as much as I can and maybe even attempt a montage.”

[A montage? Really? Is that possible?]

“No, don’t get your hopes up. I’ll try my best, but it’s more likely it won’t work. I’ll call you back soon.”

After ending the call unilaterally, Choi Seonwoo quickly searched for a notepad and pencil. However, his hands were shaking so much that he couldn’t even draw a straight line. Clasping his trembling hands together, he banged his forehead against them.

Oh God. Where were You when these poor children were dying such miserable deaths again?

Blasphemous anger dyed his heart into a blackened pile of ash.

December in the church is incredibly busy due to Advent and Christmas Reconciliation services, filling the church’s schedule board unusually full.

On the first day of this busy December, the catechism room was bustling for once. Today, people from all over, including the faithful of Sido and Modo where the sanctuary was located, gathered at Shindo Catholic Church. They were here to prepare kimchi for low-income families living in blind spots of social welfare.

Right after lunch, the volunteers at the church began making kimchi.

“Why isn’t the priest here?”

Lee Jeongae, who was leading the kimjang event, asked as Seo Jihan furrowed his brow while preparing radishes.

“I don’t know. He said he had an urgent consultation and has holed up in his room.”

They had knocked on his door right after everyone gathered, but couldn’t even see his face. From behind the firmly locked door, only the reply “It’s an important consultation, so I’ll handle this first and then come” came back. The voice was too subdued, either from crying or anger, and it kept nagging at him.

“Ah, this old lady’s back is going to give out. Young men, can you move this for me!”

While Seo Jihan was slightly socialized during his time at the church, his bodyguards were also roped into physical labor, though they didn’t seem to mind. Some even found it amusing, reminiscent of their childhood.

“Like a scared partridge, the guy who used to run away right after Mass has really improved.”

A middle-aged woman from the choir tapped Seo Jihan on the shoulder and said with a laugh, but he didn’t smile and just snorted.

“I’m doing this because the priest told me to. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come.”

Of course, a little socialization didn’t mean a sudden growth of manners. Seo Jihan was still shy and doing his best to maintain a semblance of politeness.

“Hahah! Look at him, his eyes are tearing up!”

A middle-aged man mixing radishes into the seasoning pointed out jovially.

“Hey, the smoke hurts his eyes; that’s why I told him to go to the priory.”

Seo Jihan also turned his head and ended up laughing incredulously. Angela, who was stubbornly sticking by despite her eyes and nose stinging from the chili powder, had tears brimming in her eyes.

Because Choi Seonwoo had locked even the windows, Angela had chosen the next best spot. Even when they tried to push her to move elsewhere, she would just swipe angrily with her front paws.

“Stubborn as ever.”

Seo Jihan shook his head and went back to making radish kimchi. It wasn’t exactly what he had bulked up for, but having increased his strength somehow helped in daily life.

With the help of Seo Jihan and his bodyguards, the preparation of the kimchi seasoning quickly finished. It was now time to rub it on the brined cabbages.

“Like this, apply it to this thickness!”

As Lee Jeongae demonstrated, the volunteers watched and then dispersed to start applying the kimchi seasoning. Naturally, Seo Jihan stuck close to Choi Seonwoo with his bodyguards.

“What was the consultation that left you looking like you’ve been to a funeral?”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Seo Jihan scooted closer and asked, but Choi Seonwoo just gave a smile devoid of substance. His expression drained the energy from onlookers, causing Seo Jihan to look at him with a chilly gaze and press further.

“Am I still in the dark about something?”

“Why would you jump to that conclusion?”

The conversation was strangely circular, only questions returned.

“Ah. Still secretive as ever, just pisses me off.”

“Why are you upset? I’m not telling you because it’s something I can’t talk about.”

Choi Seonwoo tried to soothe him. Though he was still keeping a distance, he had changed a bit from the initial standoffishness, now even paying attention to Seo Jihan’s feelings.

Seo Jihan silently continued to rub seasoning on the cabbage without replying. He wasn’t really sulking. Of course, he was a bit angry, but more than that, he needed time to think about how to further build their relationship.

‘I want to have a deeper relationship with the priest.’

His own voice flitted through his mind, a day when the color ghost Kim Hoseok had thrown into his thoughts.

‘I want to see everything hidden under his priestly robe every day, and do that like a married couple.’