Chapter 46.2
The Meaning of Family (2)
“Welcome to our village. For now, why don’t you come on in. Since you’re family members, we can’t just leave you standing outside like this.”
With bright smiles, the people led us into their village. My companions shot me a look before moving to follow, and I trailed along behind them as unobtrusively as I could. At first glance it might seem like the villagers were just being hospitable, but the truth was…
“This is…”
The moment we entered the village, we were struck by the view. The houses were built in a rough semi-circle surrounding a wide open space, and within this clearing, a giant tree grew from the centre with an altar built in front of it. Besides the altar, a majestic looking cross superimposed with a circle had been erected. The giant tree and the houses were connected by a web of colorful ropes.
Ji-Hye froze and turned to look at me. I could only bite my bottom lip as a sign that she should keep silent.
Known as the ‘Past Life Church’, this was the site of a Korean cult that had become as famous in my previous life as the Japanese Aleph Cult. Unlike other such cults, it had become particularly problematic because of its pursuit of ‘isolation’. As it was situated on an island, it was able to rely on its natural features to block access to the outside world, allowing the damage to escalate beyond imagination. From the outside, it simply appeared to be a rather unusual village, but the ugly truth behind it was… quite a surprise.
“This is my house.”
Paint was peeling off the walls of the house and the roof was slated with blue tiles. Though compared to its time-worn external appearance, the inside of the house looked neat and well-organized.