By Zephyria 
“How can there be such a taste in the world?”
“It’s truly an enchanting taste. Don’t you think?”
“To eat something so precious. I have no regrets, even if I die now.”
“Hey! Don’t say such things. In front of God……”
“Ah! It’s so delicious, I didn’t even realize……. I’m sorry, God.”
The girl, clutching a small chocolate bar in both hands, bowed deeply before the statue of Jesus hanging in the center of the church. Then, she giggled again and began to eat the chocolate. Another girl asked Ho-eun.
“Young Master, what did you say the name of this delicious thing was?”
“Chocolate. It’s chocolate.”
Ho-eun, who was sitting on the long pew typical of churches, replied.
“That’s right, it was chocolate.”
The girl repeated the word “chocolate” several times, as if determined to remember it this time. Ho-eun smiled faintly at that. They had been starving for two whole days, so he had emptied all the chocolate from his pockets for them, and their delight in eating it was both endearing and heartbreaking.
Ho-eun, who had been quietly watching them, turned his head. Seong-im, kneeling on the floor, was changing the bandage wrapped around Jeong-woo’s calf. Although they had to cut up Jeong-i’s underskirt to make the bandage, it would still be better than the rain-soaked one.
“I, is our Jeong-woo alright?”
Jeong-i, who had only just discovered Jeong-woo’s injury, was still sobbing. Seong-im nodded and skillfully tied the bandage. Even the knot resembled Gil-sang’s, and Ho-eun had to laugh secretly.
Jeong-woo, bandaged, fell asleep with his head on Jeong-i’s lap. Only then did Jeong-i eat her chocolate. It wasn’t given to her by Ho-eun. Jeong-woo had kept it deep in his pocket all along, intending to give it to Jeong-i.
Around that time, Seong-im sat down next to Ho-eun. On the black pew. Ho-eun, his eyes fixed on Jeong-i, said in a small voice.
“We saved Jeong-woo, and now Jeong-i has saved us. Isn’t it amazing how things work in this world?”
Seong-im nodded.
“……”
“……”
After that, the two of them stared at the girls without saying much. Then, Ho-eun clenched his hands tightly. His cold fingertips were numb.
The inside of the church was as chilly as the outside. No, it felt even colder than outside. The damp stones exuded a biting cold. It was as if they were inside a building made of ice. On top of that, their bodies were soaked with rain, making their teeth chatter.
Ho-eun picked up the candle and got to his feet. It seemed better to move around a little. And to look around the church while he was at it.
Bang! Thump! Crash!
The Devouring Ghoul was still pounding on the fence. He thought it would leave after a while if its prey disappeared from sight, but it kept ramming into the fence endlessly.
The girls seemed to have adapted to the continuous noise, but Ho-eun felt uneasy for some reason. He had seen the fence bending. Maybe the Devouring Ghoul would even break into the church.
So, he had to find an escape route. Or find a way to defeat the Devouring Ghoul.
Ho-eun searched for something, shining the candle here and there. He kept searching, even though he didn’t know what he was looking for.
But the church was too monotonous. It was just a square, giant box made of stone. There was no special way out, no weapons, and not even a back door. It seemed they had only made one door as both an entrance and an exit.
There were a few windows, but they were high up, near the ceiling, to prevent the Devouring Ghoul from entering. Seong-im alone, with her agility, might be able to manage, but it seemed impossible for him and the girls to get out that way unless wings suddenly sprouted from their backs.
“……”
Ho-eun bit his lip and walked around the church again and again. He shone the candle into every corner, bending down and standing on tiptoe to examine everything carefully. As he did so, Seong-im came and stood behind him. She was holding her sword tightly in one hand.
“There’s nowhere to hide. What if the Devouring Ghoul comes in?”
Ho-eun asked, running his hand over the Bible, which was currently just a bundle of paper.
“……”
Seong-im furrowed her brow slightly. She seemed to be thinking hard about something, then shrugged, showing him her scabbard. It was the look of, I’ll just kill it.
Ho-eun, forgetting the situation, couldn’t help but chuckle at her unexpectedly playful face. It was strange to see Seong-im joking, and it made him feel bitter to think about how bad the situation must be for her to act like that.
But at that moment. Whoosh—the candle went out. It had been flickering near the bottom, and it seemed the wick had finally run out and died. Jeong-i had said it was the last remaining candle…….
Ho-eun stared at the smoke rising like a heat haze with empty eyes. It was just a small flame, but it felt like the church had become darker with the loss of that one light. It also felt strangely colder.
Ho-eun slowly turned his head and looked at the girls huddled in the corner of the church. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder, seriously discussing the taste of the chocolate, then laughing brightly, and folding the silver foil that had wrapped the chocolate into origami cranes. It was a lovely sight. At the same time, it was depressing.
Ho-eun knew. That they weren’t laughing because they were naive.
They were laughing because they couldn’t cry.
He was just as weak as them, so he understood their feelings well.
That’s why he wanted them to live even more. If they didn’t, it would clearly be because of him. It wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t made the church their destination.
Thump, thump, thump!
The Devouring Ghoul continued to ram into the fence. Sometimes, it sounded like metal clashing against metal, clang!, as if it was hitting with its hard Helmet Bone. The noise was getting louder and more intense, but he couldn’t tell if it really was or if it just felt that way.
“We should pile up chairs in front of the door.”
Ho-eun put down the candlestick, which was caked with wax, and headed for the door. Seong-im naturally tried to follow, but he held up his palm.
“Seong-im, just stay here. If the Devouring Ghoul comes in…… you’re the only one who can fight…….”
“……”
At those words, Seong-im stopped. Ho-eun gave her a gentle smile and approached the iron door, groping for the lock. The hard, cold lock had a strong metallic smell, was thick, and heavy. It didn’t seem like the Devouring Ghoul could break it easily, but you never knew.
Ho-eun began to push the nearest chair toward the door. The chair, which could seat four people, was thick and heavy, making it difficult to push, but that made him feel more secure. He thought that if it was this heavy, the Devouring Ghoul wouldn’t be able to break through.
Ho-eun groaned as he pushed the chair. His wrists and ankles, which had long reached their limit, trembled, but he pushed on tenaciously. As he did so, the chair suddenly became lighter. He looked up and saw Seong-im pushing from the other side.
Ho-eun was about to tell her to rest, but he just smiled faintly. He knew that Seong-im was stubborn.
The two of them pushed the chairs one by one in front of the iron door. It was when four chairs were lined up in front of the iron door.
“We’ll help too.”
“Do we just have to push?”
The girls ran over and began to push the chairs together. They were pushing with their small, soft hands, but even that little bit of strength helped, and the chairs began to pile up faster.
“……”
Ho-eun felt an indescribable emotion as he watched them. He didn’t know why, but he felt a reckless hope that they could overcome this adversity, that they could stop the Devouring Ghoul beyond the fence.
Ho-eun, a subtle smile on his lips, moved the chair with all his might. It was the first time in his life that he had worked so hard. The only thing he had ever worked hard at was suffering.
As Ho-eun was having such trivial thoughts, he suddenly felt something strange. He turned his gaze to the black iron door.
“Uh…….”
He couldn’t hear the sound……
The sound of the Devouring Ghoul hitting the fence had disappeared. He didn’t know when it had disappeared, but he couldn’t hear it now.
Ho-eun leaned against the backs of the chairs lined up, lifted his heels slightly, and listened to the door. Sure enough, there was no sound. The only thing he could hear was the heavy rain.
Did it leave?
Did it give up and leave?
Or had it finally forgotten about their existence?
The intelligence of Devouring Ghouls varied greatly, so maybe it wasn’t that smart?
Whatever the reason, it was a relief. After all, the girls, and he, had survived a near-death experience. Ho-eun turned around with a bright face.
“It seems the Devouring Ghoul is gone.”
At those words, the girls gasped with joy. They smiled at each other, making eye contact. Seong-im, who had been leaning on the chairs, straightened up. It was the moment Ho-eun smiled at her.
Clang!
The iron door shook violently. Ho-eun, who had been leaning against the chairs, fell backward with a thud. The entire church vibrated with the roar, and the lock on the door twisted with a creak!
“……”
“……”
“……”
Everyone stopped moving. They stopped breathing. And they slowly looked at the door. As if responding to their gaze, another bang! rang out. The door rattled, and the chairs that had been pushed against it convulsed in unison.