Chapter 21: There Is a Harvest

Dung-gi-deok-kung-deo-re-re-re.

The sound of a janggu echoed through the mountains.

The rhythm, which should have been joyful, only felt out of place.

Despite it being midsummer, the location was somehow chilling.

“Is it over there?”

Where the Demon God pointed, a rare thatched-roof house stood.

“Yes, that’s right. But there are so many people today.”

As if a rite was being performed, people in white hanboks were visible in the courtyard. More than a dozen people in ordinary clothes were also standing there.

“A fight.”

The Demon God’s eyes quickly identified the conflict.

In front of the house’s gate, people in civilian clothes were arguing. Their voices reached all the way to the party’s vehicle.

– Why are you stopping us from entering?

– I’m telling you, our kid is possessed by this ‘Great Sage General’ or whatever and won’t come home! I’ve come to take him back!

While there were those shouting that they would take someone back.

– Quiet! I told you, no! Are you insulting the General right now?

– Why take people by force who came here voluntarily! You’ll receive divine punishment for this, divine punishment!

There were those blocking them, insisting they could not take anyone.

“I’ll take them,” versus “You can’t.” It was a clash between two groups.

“Very good.”

In places where madness dwells, evil spirits are likely to appear.

Wondering if there might be a delicious evil spirit, the excited Demon God stepped out of the car.

The party followed behind him toward the gate of the thatched house.

– Oh, more people came?

– There are five men.

Those blocking the entrance grew tense. Still, they seemed prepared to stand their ground firmly.

However, their opponent was the Demon God.

Standing before those blocking the way, the Demon God’s eyes glowed.

A literal glow.

An ominous and terrifying red light.

“U-uh…”

Those blocking the path couldn’t even squeeze out a word.

Merely faltering and backing away, they suddenly turned around at the same moment as if by agreement.

And with screams.

– A-aaaaah!

– Aah! Aah!

They all rushed into the courtyard of the house.

“Let’s go.”

The Demon God’s footsteps crossed the entrance.

Behind him, not only his party but also the people who had been trying to enter followed in a swarm.

Dung-gi-deok-kung-deo-re-re-re.

The janggu echoed, and screams echoed.

And the Demon God laughed, finding it delightful.

“Splendid. Now, let us search.”

For Ji-ho,

And for the evil spirit that would be a delicious meal.

The Demon God walked toward the house without hesitation.

But in the next moment.

“Who is the one who dares disturb the shrine of this General!”

With a command that shook the mountainside, a man of grand stature appeared.

He wore a vibrantly colored hanbok and a traditional hat used by high-ranking officials in historical dramas.

To anyone’s eyes, he was the Great Sage General.

At the unexpected dignity, the people following the Demon God flinched.

But only one.

Only the Demon God was knitting his brows.

“Is there nothing?”

***

The Demon God scrutinized the Great Sage General.

There was nothing.

No evil spirit.

“He is merely a commoner after all.”

He had expected to obtain spiritual power, but this man was a simple fraud.

“A commoner! How dare you be so insolent to this General!”

On the surface, he was quite impactful.

His eyes were exceptionally fierce and his voice was loud, so it was clear why he called himself a General.

However, the Demon God knew how to distinguish between bluffing and true dignity.

“Instead of shouting from afar, why don’t you come closer?”

“……”

The Great Sage General shouted loudly but kept a suitable distance from the Demon God. It was a distance from which he could turn around and flee at any moment.

“Hmph.”

The Demon God gave a playful smile at the Great Sage General’s appearance and deliberately lowered his gaze.

‘Shall I enjoy this for a moment?’

He also had to make the man confess Ji-ho’s location.

The ominous red light vanished from the Demon God’s eyes, and he returned to looking like an ordinary idol.

“Y-you, who on earth are you?”

No, he wasn’t ordinary.

The Demon God stood tall as if commanding the chaos. Moreover, his appearance was extraordinary, dripping with coldness.

The Great Sage General ignored everyone else and looked only at the Demon God.

“Hmph.”

The Demon God smiled slightly. Appearing ordinary was not an easy task either.

But that smile must have grated on the Great Sage General, as he suddenly lowered his voice and warned.

“This body can see through all your past transgressions. Act so arrogantly, and you shall pay the price.”

“Oh? See through transgressions?”

The Demon God’s smile grew wider. To see through transgressions—it couldn’t be real. What trick was he planning to use?

“Then, what do you think I shall do from now on?”

The Demon God took a slight step toward the Great Sage General.

With just that, the Great Sage General turned serious and shouted.

“Everyone, wake up! What are you afraid of! Stop this man!”

Of course, his subordinates couldn’t properly regain their senses even at the General’s command.

It was because the aftereffects of meeting the Demon God’s gaze were so strong.

“The underlings cannot keep their wits about them.”

The Demon God mocked him and took a second step.

‘Will he try to run now?’ he wondered. At that moment.

The Great Sage General suddenly shouted something unexpected.

“Summon the Disciples!”

“?”

Summoning magic?

In this world, that should be impossible.

The Demon God, feeling slightly interested, waited.

– Uwaaaaaah!

The identity of the ‘disciples’ were the young men who had been sitting on mats in a corner of the courtyard until now.

Since they hadn’t looked into the Demon God’s eyes, they were still fine; they simply got up and rushed over.

“Hah.”

The Demon God was so dumbfounded that he stared blankly at the Great Sage General.

“……”

The General himself averted his gaze. It seemed that while he was fine in front of these youths, he felt quite embarrassed in front of a total stranger.

However, since the youths surrounded the Demon God in that interval, the Great Sage General’s summoning was a success in its own way.

“You who calls yourself a General, come over here.”

“I refuse!”

But the surroundings became even more crowded.

It was because the people who had been arguing at the entrance also flocked toward the disciples.

– Jin-su, what are you doing!

– Ho-young, you, why are you acting like this here!

Clearly, they were the relatives of the disciples. They tried to pull away the blindly obedient youths.

– Begone!

– Begone! Begone!

The disciples held their ground.

Even a fraud has techniques for fraud. The disciples were working hard to push the Demon God away while obeying the Great Sage General’s orders.

Of course, the Demon God’s powerful body did not budge.

However.

– Begone, you lowly ghost!

“Lowly ghost?”

One of them made the Demon God flare up. A lowly ghost? To call him such a trivial existence?

The Demon God raised his hand high.

“Sun-woo, you can’t hit them!”

‘Ah, right.’

He almost killed them.

Thanks to Tae-young’s shout, the Demon God lowered his hand.

“Ji-ho hyung isn’t among the disciples either!”

“He’s not in the courtyard either!”

Yoon-seo and Ha-gyeom’s voices followed.

“Is that so?”

The Demon God grabbed the shoulder of one of the surrounding disciples firmly.

“U-ugh?”

“Where is Ji-ho?”

The disciple whose shoulder was grabbed, while obeying the General’s words, ended up opening his mouth under the Demon God’s pressure.

“Ji-ho? Who was that? Maybe the Plum Disciple? He’s inside the house.”

Plum, was it?

The Demon God turned to his party.

“Does Ji-ho resemble a plum?”

“W-well? Not really?”

At that moment, the Great Sage General, having regained his momentum thanks to the disciples, sneered.

“Worship me as well. Since your skin is so white and your hair so black, I shall appoint you as the Pat-bingsu Disciple.”

“What nonsense! You are just naming them after things you want to eat!”

The Demon God decided to wrap things up here. To solve this without hitting the disciples.

“You who calls yourself a General. Did you say earlier that you see through past transgressions?”

“Indeed. This General can know the transgressions of anyone I meet eye-to-eye. It is what the god I serve tells me.”

The Demon God gave a smirk.

“Does the god you serve say anything about me, by any chance?”

“He says to punish you immediately, you pale fellow.”

It was a fake.

The god and everything else were lies.

If the god he served actually existed, there was no way he would stay silent upon seeing the Demon God. Even a god would run away, wouldn’t they?

“You who calls yourself a General. If you can see through me, I shall acknowledge you.”

“Hmm?”

“And I shall withdraw from here peacefully.”

In that moment, everyone around them looked at the Demon God.

Not only Pantheon but also the people who had entered with them. Because anyone could see that Sun-woo was leading this situation, and if he said he would withdraw, it felt like they would have to leave as well.

“Um, what are you planning to do?”

A young woman among the disciples’ families even found the courage to ask.

“Do not worry.”

The Demon God spoke to her and then looked at the Great Sage General.

“If you truly serve a god, and if that god has such a power, then he should be able to see through my transgressions. If you are not a fake, step forward yourself.”

And he waited.

The Great Sage General couldn’t back down. Maintaining the center of a group is quite difficult.

His underlings were already suppressed and the Demon God had come this far; if the center of the blind faith, the Great Sage General, hesitated to show his power?

The end would be obvious.

“Fine!”

Because the Great Sage General knew this, he stepped forward.

***

Kim Hwang-sik.

The Great Sage General wore a triumphant smile.

The core of his fraud was his fierce, wide eyes.

When he stared intently with these eyes and told someone to confess their transgressions, surprisingly, people would start talking about themselves. Everyone was bound to have something weighing on their conscience.

In his youth, he was caught by a shop owner while stealing things with a friend.

While they were blaming each other, Kim Hwang-sik looked his friend straight in the eye and told him to confess his wrongdoings; suddenly, the friend confessed his crime. Thanks to that, Kim Hwang-sik escaped.

Later, when he tested it in various ways to see why that happened, it turned out that Kim Hwang-sik’s eyes were fierce but slightly downturned at the ends, making his eye shape look like it just drew stories out of people.

Of course, he didn’t become the Great Sage General immediately after that. It was only possible after receiving some consulting. The fee was expensive, but it was truly beneficial consulting.

However, once he became the Great Sage General, nothing stood in Kim Hwang-sik’s way.

If he just made eye contact and scolded them to repent for their sins, people confessed their crimes on their own.

Of course, he wasn’t very bright, so he couldn’t operate in one region for long, but he could just move to another region then.

The young fellow in front of him was the same. He was full of momentum now, but he would soon be on his knees.

Didn’t he just use his power on an idol member a few days ago and make him cry? He said he had caused trouble for the team?

That fellow would also be shamed in front of all these people soon.

“Now! Look into my eyes!”

The Great Sage General opened his large eyes wide.

And in the next moment.

“Gyaaaaaaaaak!!!!”

He met the Demon God’s red eyes and let out a blood-curdling scream.

***

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“General?”

The followers all stopped at the sight of the Great Sage General collapsing to the floor with a scream.

But it didn’t end there.

Ssssssssss—

In the quiet courtyard, the sound of something leaking was heard.

The followers, fearing the worst, examined the Great Sage General.

“He pissed himself.”

Ssssss—

He was still going.

The Great Sage General’s pink hanbok pants were soaking wet.

“Ugh. Filthy.”

The Demon God knitted his brows. Turning his head slightly, he commanded the Great Sage General.

“Commoner. Confess your lies.”

A young man was telling the Great Sage General to confess his transgressions. The disciples and followers were confused about what was happening.

“It—it was all a scam. Everything was a scam.”

“!!!!”

Words confessing his fraud flowed from the Great Sage General’s mouth.

“The thing is… if I stared and intimidated them, people would just spout their transgressions on their own.”

“Why?”

“Because my eyes look like that. They’re fierce, but since the ends are downturned, people feel like they have to talk.”

It was for such a reason?

The followers looked back at themselves. Come to think of it, it felt like they were the ones who confessed first.

“How could this be—.”

Some of the followers groaned with faces full of despair.

“What? A scam? Do you know how much money I gave you!”

After a moment, some who regained their senses burst out in anger.

“What about me? What do I do then?”

Some were ultimately confused. Since they would have abandoned their lives while staying here, it was only natural.

Scanning those followers, the Demon God said calmly.

“Has the blind faith been shattered along with the commoner’s confession?”

The followers looked at the Demon God as if possessed.

“Do emptiness and anger find their way into the space left by blind faith?”

The Demon God was right.

When blind faith disappears, that space isn’t immediately filled with vitality and vigor. Instead, the negative emotions that had been hidden by blind faith reappear.

“I shall take pity on thee and suggest a solution.”

A sentence full of confidence.

The followers looked on with anticipation, while the members looked on with anxiety. In any case, everyone was watching.

“How about you serve me from now on?”

“????”

In front of the followers, the Demon God pointed to himself.

“Offer me your wealth, follow my commands—”

“No! Sun-woo, no!”

“Sun-woo hyung is trying to recruit actual followers!”

“Are you trying to get us on the social news section?!”

The members rushed in to restrain the Demon God.

“Why? If you serve a fellow like that, why can I not be served?”

“You shouldn’t be served in the first place!”

The Demon God protested, but the members surrounded him firmly. They were even more determined because it seemed like he would actually take the followers if they left him alone.

“Whew….”

One of the followers who saw that scene let out a long sigh.

Sighs were contagious and spread. Their heads hung low.

However, their feet were heading out of the courtyard.

“Young man, thank you. Your joke brought me back to my senses.”

“It is not a joke! Serve me! Offer your wealth! Lick my feet!”

He was truly a young man who brought people back to their senses. The followers moved back toward reality.

***

The General, overcome with fear, would never repeat such a thing again.

He thought things were settled like this.

A woman approached the huffing Demon God.

“Excuse me.”

“Hmm?”

It was the young woman who had asked what he planned to do earlier.

“You’re Sun-woo from Pantheon, right?”

“Eh?”

Not only the Demon God but the members standing with him also froze simultaneously.

‘Uh? What? Someone recognizes Pantheon here?’

‘Is it okay for this situation to be known?’

Various thoughts occurred at once.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret.”

With that, the woman handed over a business card.

[Song Hwi-na / Broadcast Writer]
[Music Trouble]

“Music Trouble?”

At the Demon God’s words, Tae-young took the business card.

“You’re a writer for Music Trouble?”

Song Hwi-na nodded.

“Yes. My youngest brother was here, so I came. He just wouldn’t leave.”

Then Song Hwi-na looked toward her brother. Her other family members were taking care of him.

“I have to go now because of my brother. Please, make sure to contact me!”

Song Hwi-na disappeared quickly.

And the remaining members. They stared blankly down at the business card.

“Unbelievable. It was so hard to break into a single music show because of Izm’s sabotage.”

And to think they made a connection with a music show writer here.

“I knew all along.”

The members looked at the Demon God at his words.

‘He knew all this?’

‘How could that be? How far ahead did he predict?’

But in the next moment, didn’t the corners of the Demon God’s mouth turn up slightly?

“Was that a lie?”

“Sun-woo hyung, really!”

“Ah, I was fooled!”

The Demon God laughed.

“Is this not a joke rather than a lie?”

***

Everything was over.

It was a pity he couldn’t obtain an evil spirit because the Great Sage General was a fake, but because he was a fake, the matter was easily settled.

The Demon God opened the door to the house.

Someone was sitting dazed on the heated floor.

A pale face, lifeless eyes—a look as if the soul had left the body.

““Ji-ho!””

The members rushed in.

“Wake up!”

“What’s wrong with him? He’s lost his soul?”

“Ji-ho hyung! Ji-ho hyung!”

Ji-ho, with an exhausted face, barely regained his senses and looked at the members. The light of recognition returned very slowly to his empty eyes.

He would be fine. He would recover soon.

Because his current dazed state was merely due to that entity.

It was invisible to the other members, but it was clearly visible to the Demon God.

An dark shadow writhing on Ji-ho’s shoulder.

A faint smile spread across the Demon God’s lips.

“There you were.”

On Ji-ho’s shoulder, the evil spirit facing the Demon God was trembling uncontrollably.