The Mad Priest of the Slums

Olivia, who had been summoned into Baek Jin-hyuk’s dream, regained her composure surprisingly quickly, like a seasoned professional.

After all, she suddenly remembered that after starting her work as a prostitute on the bed yesterday, she had shown every unkempt and vulnerable side of herself—things she had never shown to any other client before.

‘…Good thing I only put on light makeup.’

When she regained consciousness and sat in front of the mirror to remove her makeup, she was shocked to see herself: tear streaks dried on her cheeks and smudged makeup around her eyes.

Recalling yesterday’s events made her feel a rush of heat rising from her chest to her neck, and Olivia quickly stood up.

“P-priest?!”

“This is my first time too, so if you move too much, I might accidentally stab deeper.”

“Wait, wait, wait?! W-where’s Olivia?! I swear, I—!”

‘…?’

Olivia turned her head toward the frantic voice of a man and the calm tone of Baek Jin-hyuk.

“Pwah! Cough! Pft—!”

“You seemed too full of energy, so let’s calm you down a bit.”

On the bed, a man with shackles on his wrists and ankles was being doused with water by Baek Jin-hyuk.

‘Is… now a good time to interrupt?’

After brief contemplation, Olivia decided now was as good a time as any and cautiously approached Baek Jin-hyuk.

“Priest?”

“Are you calmer now?”

Nodding, Olivia couldn’t help glancing at the bound and sputtering man on the bed.

“So, what should I do now?”

“As you read in the contract, Olivia, you don’t really have any tasks left. You can leave now that you’ve shown your face, or just sit and watch if you’d like.”

“Watch…?”

Olivia’s eyes went back to the man gasping for air on the bed.

‘That face…?’

Though disheveled with a scruffy beard and a starved, worn-out look, a familiar face overlapped with his as she stared.

“Deung Yoon?”

“Do you know him?”

“Not really. I had him as a client once.”

Deung Yoon was someone well-known in the district, a man most people around here would recognize.

“He doesn’t seem like he was a good client.”

“Exactly. He wouldn’t shut up about how Mad Dog was supporting him and how he’d soon be the youngest executive. He made all sorts of ridiculous demands but didn’t leave a single tip.”

Olivia glared at the struggling Deung Yoon and gave a small, sarcastic snort.

“Well, he’s big, but he finished quickly, so it wasn’t too tiring.”

“Gurgle!! Bluh! H-how dare you—!”

Deung Yoon, clearly struggling to salvage his pride, was cut off by another dousing of saltwater from Baek Jin-hyuk.

“Priest, you said I could watch, right?”

“Yes. Although I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“It’s fine. You probably don’t know, but living here, you see all sorts of things.”

Corpses littering alleyways, constant gunfights and stabbings—Olivia had seen it all.

“Whatever you plan to do, Priest, I doubt it’ll be shocking enough to faze me.”

“Well, if you insist.”

Baek Jin-hyuk tilted the water bottle upright and added, “If you ever want today’s memories erased, feel free to contact me. I’ll erase it for free as a courtesy.”

“Fufu, I doubt that’ll be necessary.”

Baek Jin-hyuk shrugged as he grasped a slim awl in his hand, and Olivia finally understood why he had made that offer.

**

Tick. Tock.

The dim, musty underground was lit only by a small lantern’s flickering flame.

Since Baek Jin-hyuk had fallen asleep leaning comfortably against his chair, his secretary had spent the entire time staring at her pocket watch, occasionally glancing beyond the iron bars.

“Urgh…?”

Deung Yoon, who had been slumped on the floor motionless, groaned and sat up.

Click.

The secretary snapped the pocket watch shut and hung it back at her waist.

“W-where is this…? Gah?!”

Still clutching his head in confusion, Deung Yoon suddenly crawled to the bars, gripping them as he shouted.

“W-what happened?!”

“Wait quietly until the priest wakes up.”

There was no physical evidence, but all the circumstances pointed to Deung Yoon as a traitor. However, depending on the priest’s verdict, she might have to accept this man back into the organization, so she held back her emotions.

“Ahh… haaa…”

Deung Yoon looked around, disoriented, while Baek Jin-hyuk calmly stretched before opening his eyes.

The moment the faint lantern light illuminated Baek Jin-hyuk’s face—

“W-wha…?”

Deung Yoon, still gripping the bars, froze with wide eyes and fell back.

His hands shook uncontrollably as if he were suffering withdrawal symptoms, and soon an acrid stench filled the air. The secretary realized Deung Yoon had wet himself.

“Interesting.”

“H-huh…?”

Though she didn’t know what he found interesting, the secretary noticed Deung Yoon’s trembling intensified when Baek Jin-hyuk, seated and stroking his chin, began to speak.

Deung Yoon himself looked bewildered, as if he couldn’t understand why he was reacting this way.

“We’re done here. Let’s leave.”

“Yes.”

Baek Jin-hyuk stood, and the secretary hefted his chair onto her shoulder. This time, Baek Jin-hyuk led the way out of the underground.

The secretary stopped at the entrance and turned back.

Deung Yoon, still staring blankly, made no move to speak—even though he had been desperate to hear the outcome earlier.

“Sigh.”

She extinguished the lantern and followed Baek Jin-hyuk out.

“Would you like something sparkling and refreshing to drink?”

“If it’s alcoholic, lemon champagne will do.”

“Right away.”

The secretary rang a small bell from her pocket, summoning a maid from the first floor.

“One lemon champagne.”

The maid returned shortly with a glass filled with clear, bubbly champagne and handed it over.

“Here it is.”

“Thank you.”

The secretary watched quietly as Baek Jin-hyuk downed the glass in one go.

“Phew, very refreshing.”

“Glad to hear it.”

As Baek Jin-hyuk placed the empty glass on the table, the secretary finally broached the subject.

“You didn’t order Deung Yoon’s release, so the outcome is—”

“I don’t know either.”

Ting.

Baek Jin-hyuk lightly flicked the empty glass, and the sound echoed in the dining room.

“All I can say is two things: Deung Yoon surrendered, and everything in his mind has been recorded as books in my dream.”

“…Are you telling me to find it myself?”

“The information is sorted by date, so it won’t be hard to find.”

The secretary hesitated briefly before turning her statement into a question.

“Wouldn’t it be more efficient to hear it directly?”

“For someone like Mr. Benjamin, maybe.”

Baek Jin-hyuk turned to her, cutting off her words.

“I think some things are useful to know, while others only bring headaches.”

“I understand.”

“Your face doesn’t seem to agree.”

She almost raised a hand to touch her mouth at his comment.

“I could offer a memory wipe or a non-disclosure contract, but I’d rather not go through the trouble.”

She thought to herself: This priest knows his value and the district’s dynamics better than anyone.

Those in the know were aware—the priest’s mouth was looser than expected.

Contracts? Useless. The priest could find and exploit loopholes better than anyone.

“From a merchant’s standpoint, you’d go bankrupt fast.”

“If I ever need money, I may change my ways. But as long as I have no competition, I doubt that’ll happen.”

The secretary nodded.

“What’s next on the agenda?”

Baek Jin-hyuk flicked the glass again and replied, “I’m thinking of touring the district until Mr. Benjamin returns.”

They had enough time to visit two more areas.

The secretary opened the door and stepped aside, offering a slight bow.

“Allow me to escort you.”