Who threatened Cheonma Hara with a knife - Chapter 5



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Who threatened to call me Cheonmahara with a knife? Episode 5

Test takers (2)

The theory of responsibility is a tactic that only works on people who are literally responsible. No, at least, it only works on people who are not responsible but who are “people who don’t want to get fired from the company” or “people who want to get promoted to a higher position.”

It was useless for people who had already decided to give up or for people who had long ago given up on promotion.

That’s just how the world works. Those who are impatient tend to get dragged around.

Even in university group projects, the ones who are in a hurry to get grades end up doing it alone. People who gave up on grades in the first place are more likely to end up free-riding.

Of course, it wasn’t her but me who was really in a hurry.

Wasn’t it my life? And my life was the most important thing in the world to me.

On the other hand, Jin Ha-yeon was a crazy fanatic who would throw away his life for the sake of Cheonma and his religion.

However, there were two main reasons why I was able to take such a bold gamble.

One was that she was a hardcore fanatic who valued the ‘Heavenly Demon’s reputation’ more than her own life. In other words, my passing the Magic Academy was more important to her than her own life.

And the second thing was that I was a disciple of Cheonma.

‘He threatened to kill me, but that means he can’t touch me until I fail the Magic Academy examination.’

Of course, the second reason was just a guess. It wasn’t certain.

If not, there was a risk that she would immediately torture me and force me to do something.

A cold sweat ran down my back at the ominous thoughts that came to mind, but I never showed that tension on my face.

No matter what anyone says, this is a matter of life and death for me.

I absolutely could not accept leaving my life and affairs in the hands of a crazy fanatic.

For a moment, he barely managed to control his expression and had a staring contest with Jin Ha-yeon.

“Whew. I will proceed with the training according to Confucius’ schedule.”

Eventually, she raised the white flag.

In return, I felt like her gaze and tone of voice had become even colder.

I spoke to her as if I was doing her a favor, as if I was trying to appease her.

“Don’t worry. It’s not like we’ll keep doing this routine until the exam. I plan to make changes once a month. For example, if you’re not ready for the interview, I’ll adjust your external training time. On the other hand, if you’re not ready for the non-interview, I’ll adjust your study time. If both of you are not ready, then I’ll reduce the other time.”

I offered her a deal as if it were a negotiation, but that was the plan from the beginning.

That’s the thing about exam preparation. Nothing goes as planned. Even if you just study, there are subjects where you progress faster than you expected, and there are subjects where you progress slower than you expected.

That’s why it was necessary to adjust it little by little to match the progress.

And Jin Ha-yeon accepted my proposal because she seemed to like my negotiation proposal.

“Okay, then. If you do, I would appreciate it if you could ‘negotiate’ with me and revise the schedule after a month.”

She was the one who particularly emphasized the word ‘negotiation’.

* * *

After finishing the bloody negotiation with Jin Ha-yeon, I finally went to rest according to the Master’s orders.

It was a strange thing to rest while being attended to by a fanatic who threatened to kill me a year later.

The ‘body’ was comfortable.

“I will prepare a meal for you.”

“Isn’t it too hot?”

From preparing meals to even fanning them.

Because she was the one who took care of everything. However, from my perspective as the one being cared for, it was hard work.

I was concerned about her every move, whether it was the way she presented the prepared meal or the way she fanned herself. I had an ominous feeling that she might be doing something strange.

“Before going to bed, how about taking a bath first?”

“I will do so.”

“If you do, I will prepare some warm water.”

After saying that, she came back to me a little while later.

“The bath water is ready, Your Majesty.”

I followed her to the bathroom.

A bathroom with warm smoke rising.

‘Whew. I’m tired, so I’m glad the water is warm.’

Because I had been so tense, all my muscles were tense. I was about to take off my clothes, thinking that going in there would loosen up my muscles a bit, when I realized something strange.

“What are you doing there?”

For some reason, she was just standing there blankly staring at me.

“I am waiting to serve you a bath.”

“!!!”

My eyes widened at the unexpected turn of events, and I followed her instructions in a half-conscious state.

“Please take off your clothes and go into the bathroom. I will apply soap to you.”

Immediately after I took off my clothes, leaving only my underwear, and entered the bath, maintaining a minimum of rationality.

She carefully rubbed the stone on my body and soaped it up.

Starting from both arms, the feel of the stone and the touch of her fingers as she carefully touches it.

And even the flesh color that is slightly visible through the wet clothes that were washed while I was washing.

It was a situation where I felt like my blood was rushing somewhere without me knowing, but in reality, that wasn’t the case at all.

“Gulp.”

Before I know it, I am swallowing saliva.

But it wasn’t because of a blasphemous imagination. It was a spit that passed because of tension.

The assassin who had declared that he would kill me a year later was looking at my bare body with indifferent eyes.

Every time she put plaster on my body.

‘If you stab here, your arm will become paralyzed.’

‘If you stab me here, you will die instantly, but I can’t kill you that easily.’

For some reason, the image of her saying those words kept coming to my mind.

Of course, I knew that wouldn’t happen until I failed the entrance exam for the Magic Hall.

‘At least relax your expression… .’

She was examining my body and applying plaster with a cold face, as if she were a graduate student doing anatomy practice.

* * *

As planned, I went to bed at 10 p.m. (亥時 半, 22:00). I woke up at 5:00 a.m. (卯時, 05:00-07:00), stretched briefly, and made up my bed.

Since I hadn’t learned martial arts yet, I didn’t really need to do any exercise.

So, after washing up properly and eating the breakfast Jin Ha-yeon prepared for me, I went straight to my morning studies.

‘It may be a bit less efficient, but it’s better than playing.’

Waking up from sleep does not mean that the human brain is fully awake. Usually, it takes about 2 to 3 hours for the brain to become fully active after waking up.

That is why, for test takers, even if the test is at 10 AM, instead of getting up and sleeping until 8 or 9 AM and going to the test site, I advise them to wake up around 7 AM, prepare slowly, and kill time by doing a quick review right before the test.

In the first place, would it be very effective to review the amount that would take three years to study in about thirty minutes on the morning of the exam? The essential meaning was that it was a ‘process of activating the brain.’

When I was lightly moving my body around to wake up my brain that wasn’t fully awake yet.

Jin Ha-yeon opened her mouth as she brought a book and placed it on the table.

“Now, I will explain the doctrine of our Cheonmasin Church.”

Finally, the first religious study session of my life came. I almost swallowed my saliva without realizing it.

‘You need to come to your senses.’

There is a saying that even if you are dragged into a tiger’s den, you will survive as long as you keep your wits about you.

However, this place is actually the home of a cult religion.

When I think about modern cults, I can see how dangerous it is to study faith in a cult.

If I let my guard down or let my mind wander just a little, I risk becoming just like the woman who was teaching me.

Maybe it was because of the tension, but my head, which had been a little hazy, felt like it was waking up with a sharp feeling.

She nodded once, perhaps taking my tense appearance for a respectful attitude, and opened her mouth, handing me the scriptures.

“Haven’t you ever wondered, Confucius? Why does our religion insist on using the name Cheonma Shingyo?”

“Certainly, the word ‘demon’ in it gives off an ominous feeling.”

“There is a reason for everything here.”

I nodded.

Where can there be a pseudo-religion without a reason? The problem is that it is all sophistry.

She continued her explanation, perhaps taking my nodding attitude as an affirmation.

“All humans are inherently evil. The ancient Confucian scholar Xun Zi once said so. And in fact, countless corrupt officials persecute poor civilians. This is not someone’s fault, but the natural order of things.”

Oh my. Even Sunja is coming out?

“In order to protect the people from the persecution of such people, force is ultimately necessary. In order to save sentient beings in the future, a force that destroys the existing order is necessary, and those who established the existing order will call this a devil. Confucius, have you heard of Maitreya?”

“exactly.”

“The Maitreya we are talking about here is the Heavenly Horse of our new religion. However, Buddhist monks are deluding and deceiving living beings. How can we convert people who are born evil just by preaching the Dharma?”

Wow. Now there’s Maitreya in Buddhism?

‘As expected, a fake is a fake.’

It is said that most modern pseudo-religious groups spread their doctrines based on the Christian Bible.

They just interpret the contents of the Bible as they please, create absurd rules, and deceive the believers.

“That is why we need a Heavenly Horse. A horse sent from heaven. We need someone who can destroy the existing order and keep an eye on the evil within humans so that it cannot run wild. Yes. The Heavenly Horse is a devil because he alone can handle the evil inherent in all of us humans.”

Wow. Now even Christian doctrine?

As I listened, the story of Jesus dying on behalf of all mankind with the original sin on his body came to mind.

I felt like I was going to lose my mind if I just kept listening, so I quickly opened my mouth.

“So, does that mean that the doctrine of Cheonma Shingyo is that Cheonma will drive out the existing order, that is, evil people like corrupt officials, and give salvation to all living beings?”

“You understood correctly. Our Cheonmasingyo started from the idea that all humans are equal.”

She seemed to be moved when I understood it all at once, and her previously emotionless eyes lit up as she answered.

But my instincts were ringing the alarm bell.

This was no different from a group that was not simply a pseudo-religion but was plotting treason.

At the same time, something occurred to me.

‘What’s this…? It feels similar to Donghak (東學)?’

It felt similar to the ideology of Donghak, when it was called the Donghak Peasant Movement or Donghak Peasant Revolution.

This does not mean that Donghak was a cult.

Similar to their representative ideology, Innaecheon (人乃天), they advocated for human equality, and the founder, Choi Je-u, also came forward to say that he would save the foolish people.

In addition, it goes without saying that instead of preaching to save sentient beings, he tried to kill corrupt officials.

“If so, did the imperial family not drive out our Cheonmasingyo as traitors, claiming that they were deceiving the world and the people?”

“… It’s been over two hundred years already, how did you know that?”

“… .”

Oh, um. Because I memorized Korean history while preparing for the civil service exam?

But that wasn’t what mattered right now.

‘I had no idea, but it’s already been pushed back.’

The Cheonmasingyo was not simply a cult, but a group of cults that had been accused of being traitors.

And I became the disciple of the leader of those weightlifters.

‘… If someone testifies that he threatened me with a knife, will they even consider it leniency?’

It didn’t seem like there was any particular possibility.