The Unbelievers

Chapter 23

Eunseong’s expression hardened in an instant. The warm feeling that had been swelling in his chest seemed to turn into a cold stone, dropping with a thud. Eunseong stepped back a couple of paces with a stiff face. Yoo Siwoon, who had entered the space without Eunseong and checked the northern side through the lens, took his eye off it and spoke after stepping back for a while.

“That’s right. You found it well. It’s not easy to find it in one go.”

“…”

“Now, what’s up there is the finder. Do you see the small lens? If you look inside, there’s a crosshair.”

“That’s enough.”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t have time for this. I need to study. And I have to eat dinner too.”

“…”

One moment his eyes were sparkling with curiosity, and the next, Eunseong suddenly lost all interest, wearing a disinterested face. He got up from the blanket, gathered his books and pencil case spread out on Yoo Siwoon’s desk, and left the study.

Yoo Siwoon could only stare blankly at Eunseong’s retreating figure as he stomped out.

At the dinner table they shared, an awkward silence prevailed. Only the sounds of chewing, swallowing, and occasional clanking of utensils could be heard.

“Don’t you think you need to take medication at that level?”

Eunseong asked abruptly. Yoo Siwoon looked at Eunseong, who was sitting grumpily across from him, with a questioning gaze.

“Your mysophobia. Don’t you think it’s at a level where you need to take medication?”

Yoo Siwoon finally realized why Eunseong was grumbling like someone whose feelings were hurt. He seemed to be upset about Yoo Siwoon’s attempt to maintain an awkward distance while teaching him how to use the telescope in the study.

“I should take medication.”

“You really need to take medication. I think you have a mental problem.”

“I intend to.”

“…”

Eunseong, who had been showing his sulkiness by rudely saying things like “mental illness” and “take medication,” felt his angry feelings deflate into disappointment at Yoo Siwoon’s casual acceptance of those words without showing any sign of being offended.

Just before, when Yoo Siwoon was explaining how to use the telescope, calmly instructing him step by step, Eunseong had felt so good his heart fluttered. After all, it was true that he was being nice to him. It was also true that he didn’t get angry even when Eunseong entered his room carelessly, he never raised his voice no matter what Eunseong did, and he didn’t get irritated or say unpleasant things swayed by emotions. He was a completely different person from his father.

“I’m not saying you should take medication right away.”

“Okay.”

“…I just said that earlier because I was a bit upset. Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright.”

There was no particular reaction to Eunseong’s apology.

His cousin’s uncle was not a talkative person. At first, being in the same place with him felt uncomfortable and nerve-wracking, but Eunseong gradually got used to it and didn’t feel awkward even when he remained silent for a long time.

“I think I’ll need a tutor for math after all. It’s too difficult to do on my own.”

“I’ll talk to the director about it.”

“Can’t you do math, ahjussi? Isn’t Cornell an Ivy League school?”

He subtly asked if it wasn’t a university that only people who are good at studying could enter. Realizing what Eunseong meant, Yoo Siwoon replied.

“I’m not good at teaching others.”

“Why don’t you try this time? Who knows? You might be good at it.”

“Well…”

“Ah, is it because of your mysophobia… You’d be uncomfortable with me being close by, right?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Then can’t you teach me?”

“Time… Sorry. I don’t think I’ll have the time.”

“…I guess it can’t be helped.”

It was a polite refusal. Although Eunseong had expected to be rejected anyway, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. His lips quickly protruded in a sulky pout.

“I’ll get you a good teacher.”

“Never mind. I suddenly lost interest. I don’t want to study anymore.”

“…”

What’s the use of just speaking kindly if in the end, he won’t even let me get close?

Shoveling the remaining rice into his mouth with his spoon, Eunseong was the first to get up from the table. He bowed slightly to Yoo Siwoon, who was sitting far away on the opposite side, and left the dining room.

Yoo Siwoon, who had adjusted his schedule to come home early because Eunseong said he had something to show him, now had to eat an indigestible dinner alone. Eunseong, who had gone to his room, was quiet, doing who knows what.

Having come home early for no reason and with nothing to do, Yoo Siwoon finished his shower and then idly organized the bookshelves in his study. Then he took out the scripture hidden in the most secret part of the study. It was a copy of the scripture written in a dead language that those without special education couldn’t even read, with the original kept by the Council of Elders in a temple. The original scripture, over two thousand years old, was priceless. It was older than the Dead Sea Scrolls (the oldest Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament found in the Qumran Caves near the Dead Sea), and was mentioned in the Codex Vaticanus (a Greek manuscript containing the entire New Testament and parts of the Old Testament).

The scripture contained records of the prophecy mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Codex Vaticanus.

《A pale horse shall appear in the thunder clouds with a roaring sound.》

“…A god coming through a byway shall appear like light in the midst of darkness through a great chasm, this is the savior, the one to be worshipped, with lips as sweet as honey, eyes as fair as lilies, with a multitude of serpents in the abyss visible only to those with opened spiritual eyes, the keys of the whole world shall be placed in his hands. Mark the sign of the knight on the forehead and hand.”

Yoo Siwoon’s finger traced down the scripture as he read.

“Lips as sweet as honey… eyes as fair as lilies.”

He seemed to be reminded of someone but shook his head. The Book of Revelation described the knight like this:

《And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:8》

If he could take control of the Council of Elders, he could enter the secret vault where the family treasures were kept. If he could destroy and burn the original scripture, wouldn’t he be able to stop this nonsensical act? Wouldn’t he be able to stop the things they were doing, clinging to this?

He knew it wasn’t a group that would be shaken by just that much, but still, he wanted to at least destroy the original scripture. The more he saw Eunseong, the more he interacted with him, the more he realized that the child was ordinary and lovable, the more Yoo Siwoon felt his desire to destroy them grow.

To call that lovable and ordinary child a ‘great chasm.’

He felt a surge of anger towards those who truly believed this. While before it was just a feeling of disgust towards inhumane people, now it had turned into a perfect form of anger. His determination to protect Eunseong and prevent such a thing from happening was also growing stronger.

After staring at the pale horse in the scripture for a long time, he let out a frustrated sigh and closed the copy. He got up and pushed the copy into a place where Eunseong’s hands couldn’t reach.

He flipped through other books, but the content didn’t register well. Unable to follow the context, he skimmed through them with his eyes before getting up.

Even before Eunseong came to this house, Yoo Siwoon’s space was filled with his hobbies. There was a telescope in the study for observing stars, and high-end equipment was prepared for properly appreciating sound.

Since living with Eunseong, he hadn’t done any of these things. Trying not to run into him, he purposely came home late and left at dawn, making his own space feel unfamiliar, like someone else’s.

As his consciousness drifted to Eunseong again, Yoo Siwoon felt guilty about refusing the request to teach math earlier and went to Eunseong’s room. Even if he couldn’t go over everything, he could at least help with one or two problems that were difficult.

He didn’t want to get too close, but he also didn’t want to refuse to the point of hurting Eunseong’s feelings. Eunseong had already suffered violence from his father, who was his only guardian.

Knock knock, Yoo Siwoon knocked on the door. There was no response from inside. As he knocked again and waited, he felt something was off and opened the door.

“…”

There were only traces of studying scattered on the desk, but no one was in the room. He went inside and checked if there was any sound coming from the bathroom. There was no sign of Eunseong there either.

Yoo Siwoon, who had just passed through the living room, looked around the kitchen and dining room in confusion. After checking every corner of the house and realizing that Eunseong had disappeared, he quickly took out his phone.

“Did anyone go outside just now? Please check if you can see Seo Eunseong on the garden CCTV.”

A light drizzle was falling. Although the lights were on, it was dark outside as it was well past dinner time.

The security staff informed him that Seo Eunseong was out in the garden. Relieved after confirming his location, Yoo Siwoon grabbed an umbrella and went outside.

As the staff had said, he could see Eunseong sitting crouched between the garden trees. Eunseong was wearing a raincoat. His back view looked cute, like a doll wrapped in a cloak.

There was no way such a lovable being could be a ‘great chasm.’ Yoo Siwoon found the very thought of it unpleasant.

Yoo Siwoon approached Eunseong. Hearing the approaching footsteps, Eunseong slightly lifted the hood he was wearing and looked back.

“…”

“What are you doing out here in the rain?”

“I was looking at something.”

“What were you looking at?”

Having searched every corner of the house, turning on all the lights to find Eunseong who had disappeared without a word, his words came out gruffly.

“I told you this morning that I had something to show you.”

“…”

“I was looking at it alone because I didn’t want to show you anymore.”

He bent down between the trees where Eunseong was crouching. Between the bushes that Eunseong was looking at, a small nest was visible. In the palm-sized nest were blue-green bird eggs.

“I looked it up on the internet, and they’re sparrow eggs. They’re tiny, aren’t they?”

“…”

“Remember when I said I heard a bird sound?”