ACJY C36

Kwon Yongjun now sat close to the man, whispering in his ear. Even though most of the congregation were elderly and conversing in loud voices, he leaned into the man as if he had something very important to say.

The child sitting next to them looked thoroughly sulky. It was unclear whether it was because his father and Kwon Yongjun were talking without him, or because Kwon Yongjun was coming between him and his father.

The tedious conversation with the president of the youth group ended with the pastor’s appearance.

The pastor was a small, thin, and passionate man. He recited the Bible and preached in a loud voice, explaining its hidden meanings, and every time he did, everyone shouted “Amen, Amen!” The man, as usual, kept his mouth firmly shut, and the child was only lively when singing hymns.

As for Taeheun, he had to struggle to suppress his yawns. Having stayed up all night, and with his body aching all over, sitting on the hard chair was torture. He sang along whenever a familiar hymn came up, just to keep himself from dozing off.

Church was a familiar place for Taeheun. He had accompanied VIPs to all kinds of religious facilities. Churches were the most common, followed by Buddhist temples. Most were normal, but some were cults. Cults were a headache. Once you got involved, it wasn’t easy to get out, so he avoided them as much as possible.

Anyway, thanks to his frequent church visits, he knew the Bible verses favored by pastors and most of the CCMs. Every time Taeheun opened his mouth to sing along, he could feel the man flinch in surprise. The child craned his neck forward and stared at Taeheun with a curious face. When Taeheun winked, the child twitched his lips and quickly turned his head away.

Towards the end of the pastor’s long sermon, noticing the new attendee, the pastor asked Taeheun to stand up.

“Brother, you seem to be new to our church. Am I right?”

“Yes, Pastor.”

“You have a wonderful voice. What is your name?”

“Kim Taeheun.”

“Ah, a wonderful name as well. Perhaps your handsome face makes your name and voice sound even better.”

The congregation laughed at the pastor’s joke.

Taeheun was a noticeable person. He attracted attention wherever he went. People he met would often say that he would have been very successful if he had become a celebrity. Even now, there were people who left him their business cards, offering to make him debut. Maybe he should have become a celebrity. Then he would have been buried alive by scandals. Amidst these thoughts, he laughed, imagining himself running away from countless reporters and cameras.

The pastor asked the congregation to applaud Taeheun. He then gave a blessing, saying it was fate that they had met. 

“Let’s see each other often. Young people don’t come back often after their first visit,” he said, adding jokingly, “Maybe it’s because I’m not as handsome as Brother Taeheun.” 

He was quite a cheerful man. Taeheun understood why he had so many followers.

It was time for the offering. The pastor’s wife, holding the offering plate, started collecting from the front row. Some put in envelopes, others just put in bills. Some put in coins. Each time someone put in coins, the pastor’s wife stared intently at their face, as if memorizing who had given such a small amount.

The man and the child put white envelopes into the offering plate. Taeheun put in three 10,000 won bills. Kwon Yongjun didn’t contribute at all, and the president of the youth group took out two crumpled 1,000 won bills from his pocket. The pastor’s wife’s expression hardened each time she received a small amount. She really couldn’t manage her expressions. Taeheun clicked his tongue.

“Brothers and sisters, let’s all go to the annex for lunch!” the pastor exclaimed energetically after the service. The church quickly became noisy. The elderly called out to each other, looking for anyone who hadn’t joined them.

Including Taeheun and the man, there were six people who could be considered young adults, and the youth group consisted of four: the child, the pastor’s son, a boy who looked about the child’s age, and a girl who looked like a middle school student. Sojin, the older sister the child liked, didn’t seem to attend church.

“Mister, let’s go,” the child called to Taeheun. The man walked ahead with Kwon Yongjun and the president of the youth group.

“How much did you put in?” Taeheun asked the child abruptly.

“What?” The child looked up at Taeheun.

“The offering.”

“Ah, 5,000 won.”

“Are you crazy?” Taeheun scolded.

“Why?”

The child’s eyes showed he didn’t understand why he was being scolded.

“What money do you have to put 5,000 won in the offering?”

“My father said it was for the tutoring.”

“What’s the big deal about tutoring?”

“It’s not just tutoring. She gives me dinner too. So many side dishes!” the child said innocently.

“How much does your father put in?”

“50,000 won.”

“Every week?”

“Yes.”

“Shit,” Taeheun cursed under his breath.

“Mister! You can’t curse in church!” the child said seriously.

“Sorry. Let’s go.”

He didn’t know the man’s income, but judging by his living situation, he didn’t seem to earn much. The supermarket grandmother’s testimony also supported this.

Yet, the man was giving a whopping 200,000 won to the church every month. It was by no means a small amount.

The pastor’s wife tutoring the child was a way to gather more church members. The same went for providing meals after the service. Most churches did this. Eating together, having refreshments, volunteering, caring for children, the elderly, and the disabled – these were all essential steps to attract members. The man, unaware of this, must have been overextending himself out of gratitude for the pastor’s wife tutoring and caring for his child.

It was no wonder the pastor’s wife, whose expression and attitude changed depending on the amount of the offering, was especially kind to the man and child. Unlike the VIPs, the man probably didn’t know how to donate a large sum and get something in return. The thought of it made Taeheun’s stomach churn.

“They’re no different from thieves.”

Taeheun muttered to himself again, and the child pinched his hand.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” he apologized immediately.

“Jihye, can I ask you something?”

“You already asked yesterday.”

“Just one more.”

“Go ahead.”

The child looked up at Taeheun, as if saying, 

“Let’s hear it.”

“Do you like church? Do you like attending service?”

The child again seemed disappointed with the question, but he hesitated to answer. Taeheun pointed to the large cross and threatened, “You have to be honest. God is watching.”

After a long pause, the child answered, “My father likes it.”

“You don’t, do you?”

“…No.”

“Me neither. Let’s go.”

Taeheun squeezed the child’s hand and swung it back and forth. The child grinned.

“Is the pastor’s wife nice to you?”

“Yes, she’s very nice.”

“Is studying okay?”

“So-so.”

“You don’t like studying, do you?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but I like exercising more.”

As if waiting for Taeheun’s question, the child started boasting about his athletic abilities. He said he always won first place in running at sports days and that he was the best at Taekwondo. Excitedly, he told Taeheun about going to the Kukkiwon in Seoul with his Taekwondo instructor and classmates for his promotion test.

The man, who had been walking ahead, was now waiting for them alone. He watched intently as the child held Taeheun’s hand. If his gaze had been cold, Taeheun would have let go, but it was warm. The man always looked at the child with that kind of gaze. It was enviously affectionate.

“Were you waiting for me?” 

Taeheun asked. It was a joke, but the man flinched, embarrassed by the question.

“No I wasn’t. He was waiting for me.”

The child let go of Taeheun’s hand and ran to the man. The man took the child’s hand.

“No, you weren’t. He was waiting for me. Tell him, Mr. Gibeom. Who were you waiting for?”

Taeheun teased, and the man blushed immediately.

“Let’s go. The food will get cold.”

“No, you have to answer the question.”

The man wasn’t going to answer, and the answer was obvious anyway.

“What’s the main dish?” Taeheun chuckled and quickly changed the subject.

“There’s everything.”

“Meat too?”

“Yes, bulgogi.”

“Not bad. Worth the offering.”

At Taeheun’s words, the man looked back.

“You put in 30,000 won earlier, that’s too much. From next time, just put in 5,000 won,” the man advised in a low voice, as if he had been waiting for Taeheun to bring up the offering. It was ridiculous, who was worrying about whom.

“What about you, Mr. Gibeom?”

Standing next to the man, the child looked up at Taeheun and put his index finger to his lips.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go. We have to hurry if we want to eat 30,000 won worth of bulgogi.”

The annex was a temporary structure right next to the church, consisting only of a frame and a roof. It looked like it would collapse in a strong wind, but because it was open, it didn’t feel stuffy even with so many people gathered.

People were crammed into the folding tables and chairs. Kwon Yongjun called the man and child over, saying he had found a spot.

The village head, whom Taeheun hadn’t seen during the service, was also sitting at the remaining seats of the eight-person table. The head was already eating, his tray piled high with food, along with the president of the youth group.

The child quickly ran to where the food was and picked up a tray. The man called after him, “Slow down. You’ll fall.” It was a quiet admonition that the child couldn’t have heard.

More than half of the bulgogi was already gone. Taeheun smiled as he watched the child fill his tray with meat. The man took just enough of everything. Besides bulgogi, there was a variety of fresh leafy vegetables for wrapping. They were all fresh, probably brought by the church members.