Lookism: Unchained Fate

The atmosphere inside the container grew more tense. However, outside, Yohan and Zin were talking.

Zin looked furious. He vented all his emotions on Yohan, while Yohan remained silent, accepting all the anger without resistance.

But in the middle of their conversation, Zin's eyes suddenly caught something.

In the middle of the empty field, a cross stood tall.

Something was hanging there.

Zin squinted. His eyes widened.

"Yohan... that..."

Without a second thought, he grabbed Yohan and pulled him toward the cross.

They walked slowly, their breaths heavy.

And when they finally reached the cross, their bodies froze.

What was hanging there was not an object...

It was a human.

Before them, a man was tied to the cross.

His body slumped, lifeless.

His skin was covered in deep wounds. Dried blood stained almost his entire body.

His face was swollen. One of his eyes was shut due to bruising, while the other stared blankly.

His lips were cracked. Fresh blood still dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Around him, large stones were scattered. Some were still covered in blood, showing that the man had been repeatedly stoned.

Zin swallowed hard, his hands trembling.

"I-Is he already dead...?" His voice was hoarse.

Yohan didn't answer. They could only stare in horror.

Suddenly—

"Uncle!!! Uncle!!!" Zin called out to him.

At that moment—

"Uu... uuh..."

A faint voice came from the man's mouth.

"Uwah!!" They jolted in shock.

With the last bit of strength he had left, the man weakly murmured.

"M-must... g-get out... of this place..."

Inside the container, Mijin was still surrounded by the cult followers. They kept trying to force her to eat insects. However, Joon-hyuk's presence prevented them.

Suddenly—

BANG!!

The container door was slammed open. Zin and Yohan stood there, panting heavily.

"Mijin, Joon-hyuk, let's get out of here!! This place isn't a church!!" Zin shouted, gasping for air from running.

"Mijin, Joon-hyuk! These people are followers of a heretic cult!! The Cult of the Poongsan Dog God!!" Yohan added.

Mijin froze, her eyes widening.

"...What? The Poongsan Dog... God?" she murmured in confusion.

The situation shifted too quickly.

But before they could react further—

'Tang, tang, tang...'

The sound of a large bell echoed throughout the place.

Joon-hyuk and his friends turned toward the source of the sound.

When they glanced at the high school students Joon-hyuk had fought earlier, they were stunned.

The students bowed their heads to the ground, kneeling, and began knocking their foreheads against the floor.

"Dog God Poongsan..."

They chanted the words repeatedly like a mantra.

Not just them.

Even the young children started doing the same.

Joon-hyuk was in shock.

"What the hell is this?!"

Seeing the situation grow crazier, Yohan looked at everyone with a serious expression.

"Guys, we need to get out of here to save Mom and the Pastor. Our chance is when the bell rings."

Inside the largest container house, a worship ritual was taking place.

On the stage, a large dog sat.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people knelt below, knocking their foreheads against the floor.

Among them—

Yohan's mother.

She kept bowing her head, her eyes shut tightly.

From her lips, faint prayers could be heard.

"God... bless Yohan... restore my sight... make my family prosperous..."

At the back of the room, the Pastor stood.

His eyes took in the horrific scene before him.

His expression showed disbelief.

"How could... humans do this...?"

But before he could think further—

SMACK!

A small rock hit the back of his neck.

The Pastor flinched. He turned around.

Outside the window, Zin was climbing up, looking at him seriously.

In a low voice, Zin said:

"Uncle, it's time. Hurry, let's get out of here."

Joon-hyuk and his friends tried to escape.

As they ran, the Pastor spoke:

"They worship a dog. This is the devil's wicked scheme to deceive humans."

However, in the middle of their escape, the Pastor suddenly turned to Yohan with a serious look.

"I'm sorry, but right now, we can't take your mother with us. We'll save her after we escape."

Yohan lowered his head.

"..... It's okay." he finally replied, forcing a smile.

But deep down, he blamed his mother for everything that had happened.

The Pastor continued, "But... is this real? Do we have proof?! Will anyone believe us?"

Zin immediately answered with certainty, "Yes, we do. And that person surely knows... how to escape from here."

He recalled the man they had found on the cross.

It turned out that the man was a journalist. He had infiltrated the cult to gather information about the Cult of the Poongsan Dog God. He said he had proof on his phone, which was kept inside his bag.

When the bell rang, he would retrieve the bag and meet them at the designated place.

Now, they had hope.

But—

could they really escape this place?

A few moments later, they arrived at the agreed location.

There, a middle-aged man was already waiting.

They quickly ran toward him.

"Uncle!" Zin called out.

However, the man only looked at them in shock, his mouth gaping before he suddenly pointed at the Pastor with a trembling hand.

"W-What are you doing?!" he screamed in terror.

Zin gasped for air. "What's wrong, Uncle?"

The man's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his face turning even paler.

"T-The leader of the cult! Y-You brought the cult leader here!!"

"!!!"

Joon-hyuk and the others immediately turned to look at the Pastor.

The man smiled eerily.

"Thank you for bringing me here. So, this is where you've been hiding, huh?" he said, wrapping his hand around Mijin's neck.

"Ukh!! Uhuk!!" Mijin choked, her body trembling.

"Ah!! Uwaaa!!" The journalist screamed in fear. He tried to run, but—

The Pastor grinned, then spoke in a chilling tone.

"You... want to escape... from my paradise?"

Then, he raised his hand, giving an order.

From the shadows, massive Poongsan dogs began to emerge.

Their eyes glowed wildly. Their sharp fangs gleamed.

The atmosphere became even more terrifying. Joon-hyuk and his friends were surrounded. The enormous Poongsan dogs stood around them, their teeth glinting under the dim light.

The Pastor smiled, his hand still gripping Mijin's neck. The girl struggled, but the man's grip was too strong.

"Let her go," Joon-hyuk said coldly, his eyes sharp.

The Pastor only chuckled softly. "My dogs… GET THEM."

Bark! Bark! Bark!

Dozens of dogs charged. Joon-hyuk moved first.

A dog leaped at him, trying to sink its teeth into his face. But with quick reflexes, Joon-hyuk dodged to the side, grabbed the dog's hind leg, and slammed it to the ground.

BAM!

The dog rolled over, whining, but quickly got up with an angry growl.

Two more dogs attacked from behind.

Joon-hyuk turned, lifted his leg high, and kicked the first dog's head. The dog was sent flying backward, crashing into the other two behind it.

But one dog managed to bite his arm.

"Ugh…!"

Sharp teeth sank deep into his skin, blood beginning to drip.

But Joon-hyuk remained calm. He pressed the dog's head with his other hand, using a lock technique to force its jaw open.

The dog released its bite with a pained whimper.

But the threat wasn't over.

DOR!!

A gunshot rang out.

Joon-hyuk felt something pierce his back.

Coldness spread through his body.

"Agh…?"

He turned around—and saw the Pastor holding a tranquilizer gun.

The Pastor smiled in satisfaction. "I don't need to fight. I just need to wait for the right moment."

Joon-hyuk gritted his teeth, trying to stand, but his body weakened.

DOR!

Another shot, this time in his thigh.

Darkness.

"Welcome to my paradise."

Everything went black.

..............

Darkness slowly faded as Joon-hyuk opened his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy, his body weak. His vision was still blurry, but he could feel the cold metal floor beneath him. His head throbbed, pain piercing the back of his neck. 

As his consciousness returned, he realized something horrifying—he was imprisoned. Sturdy iron bars surrounded him, forming a large cage. Some of his friends were also trapped in similar enclosures, their faces filled with fear and despair. 

Suddenly, the voice of the Pastor echoed from a distance. It was weak yet clear enough to send chills down anyone's spine. 

"Tomorrow... those who aided the 'sinner'... will be hanged at the gallows." 

Joon-hyuk felt his hair stand on end. His breath caught in his throat. The gallows? What did that mean? Could it be referring to the crosses in the empty field he had seen before? 

Before he could fully process the words, another sound invaded his ears—barking dogs. At first, only one, then more and more. The sound grew deafening, echoing throughout the place, drowning out the Pastor's words. The barking turned frenzied, like a twisted orchestra heralding destruction. 

............. 

In the dead of night, when everyone had fallen asleep, slow footsteps approached the iron bars where Yohan was confined. The pale moonlight faintly illuminated the figure of a woman standing there—his mother. 

With a trembling voice, she whispered, "Please… Don't punish my son…" 

Half-conscious, Yohan slowly lifted his head. His mother stepped closer, her voice softer now, "Don't worry, my son… Mama will free you. I've already put all their dogs to sleep… I just want to go to heaven with you, my child. I did not come to kill you." 

Her trembling hands reached for the bars, struggling to unlock them. Slowly, she extended her hand, trying to touch her son's face. But due to her near-blindness, she did not realize that the face she was touching was not Yohan's… 

It was the Pastor's. 

The Pastor stood still, allowing the woman to touch him before finally speaking in a cold tone, "The child of a demon… Of course, his mother is a demon as well." 

Yohan's mother's eyes widened in horror as she realized her mistake. But before she could react, the Pastor took a step back and shouted, "All of you will be hanged at the gallows right now!!" 

In the distance, the once-silent barking of dogs returned, louder and more frenzied than before—signaling that hell had just begun.