knight in shiny armor (of sorts) / with @gswjuhwan
tw: religious and cult mentions
it should not be surprising to jisu that he would be stopped by a group of unsurprising cult members. they are dressed in casual clothing like the religious groups in myeongdong or cult members who offers you the korean praying traditions and seeking your ancestors, only to scam you by making you pay after you’ve put on the hanbok. this situation is no different from those, except it had been the first time jisu finds himself in this hiccup.
“if you pray for the almighty sibipaldaewang, you will be blessed with the fortunes of the sea and reap treasures that will surface from underwater,” says one of the cult member.
now. perhaps, jisu is intrigued. fortunes of the sea and treasures from underwater..? he debates for a bit while the three cult members before him waits for his answer.
“hm, well what is this sibido—” “sibipaldaewang,” one of the man cuts his mispronunciation. “say the almighty sibipaldaewang’s name wrong and you’ll be cursed for generations.
"ah… sibipal… daewang.” jisu speaks slowly while the trio before him looks cautiously as if saying this unknown being name wrongly would have all four of them, jisu included, cursed for eternity. “well,” he continues, “what is this…..” god? being? whatever it may be, the raven haired dared not mischaracterise him.
“sibipaldaewang is the almighty twelve-armed colossal squid. he’s been rumoured to live in the water around this island,” one of them explains, arms stretched as he sways it around as an indication of the island. “he’s also responsible of holding this island afloat and that is why, we lay our life and serve the almighty sibipaldaewang”
jisu isn’t convinced the slightest. a big squid holding this island..? if you ask him, it sounded like a hoax but who is he to judge others and what their beliefs are. “so like, hypothetically if i do support and follow the ways of this…… sibi— squid. what do i get in return..?”
the three cult members exchanged looks, possibly because they probably never expect someone to ask what benefits following a ‘god’ would be. jisu isn’t a believer of any faith — he strictly believes that every thing is in his hands and fate is destined only if he works hard for it.
“well—” one of them stutters. “you get to be… uh, well you get to be rich!” he laughs though jisu sense coming more from nervousness than anything.
“hm, well i don’t really need any money. i got plenty of jobs that pay, and some settlement money,” he confesses absentmindedly.
one of the cult member that stands shorter than the other two nudges them both upon hearing 'settlement money’ but gets a rough nudge back from the one to his left. while the two nudging cult members had a nudging battle, the one on the right speaks.
“if you offer the sibipaldaewang money and your prayers every end of the month, he will grant you what you most desire.”
what jisu most… desired? he longed to be on the stage again of course; desired to feel the heat from his body after performances. how he missed the blinding light from the stage spotlight when he used to complained how it burned his eyes and how it made him teary. he also desires to find his sister and answers to why she disappeared. of course, im jisu has desires.
before the ex idol gets a chance to say 'yes’ out of curiosity and why the hell not, he’s interrupted by an authorative figure. if jisu had look any closer before he’s being 'protected’ by the other man, he would have catch the glares that shot towards the cult members.
much like the seamen of the island, these charlatans were also a staple of the island’s economy it appeared. while the former captured live fish, the latter baited unsuspected visitors with elaborate tales and ridiculous promises. ridiculous not because they lacked basis. he’d never be so arrogant to assume all folklore was based in fiction, no shred of reality to be found. but the stories this trio recounted were a hodgepodge of various myths of the island, spun together into the most compelling scheme. outfits would never suggest trickery and authentic acting convinced even the cleverest of individuals. these hoodlums were harmless, mere copycats of those rumored to be far more dangerous. or at least he’d like to believe they were wannabes and nothing more. for whether the cult existed and whether its members took a similar form as these men, he couldn’t say.
stories whispered about people disappearing warped into accusations. how much merit the conspiracies had, who was to know. yet the concept certainly concerned him ( scared him even, if he were being completely honest ). among them roamed monsters. among them were those whose desires may eventually push them to become monsters. but he deliberately chose to regard these men as mere conmen parading as cultists. the narrative was more palatable to his more superstitious side. latest target acquired, juhwan’s attention returned to the amusing back and forth. laughter suppressed at the confused glances exchanged between the three, he waited to see if he’d need to interject. from the mispronunciation to the question regarding benefits, the young man held his own. the trio attempting to lure him into their fold scrambled for answers, forced to go off script. an entertaining spectacle indeed.
yet it was short lived as they named the most enticing benefit of all. unsurprisingly, the young man’s resolve faltered. the culprits and eavesdropper both aware of what would happen next. a tired warning nipped any hopes in the bud. “i believe i told you guys you needed permission to canvas here.” while a flagrant violation of their rights, it would go unchallenged. their words were not innocent, nor were his stated rules accurate. both parties bluffed, claiming ignorance and sincerity as their shields. without bothering to fight him much further, the three dispersed. he’d likely find them elsewhere, searching for another victim sooner rather than later. attention turned to the younger, amusement coloring his features. “and here I was rooting for you thinking you’d be the first one to actually turn them down. everyone else gets conned pretty quickly. or rather, converted.” the significance of the final word was veiled in humor.