By Zephyria 
“Speaking of IDs, it occurred to me that I don’t know how to prove my identity. …Since the records are gone, my resident registration probably doesn’t exist anymore, right?”
“Many people ended up as unidentified persons because the government computer centers were destroyed during the Great Cataclysm. Even now, bodies are occasionally found in magical beast habitats carrying IDs that can’t be recovered. I think we can just gloss over it by saying you’re in a similar situation.”
“But I haven’t aged at all.”
“Just say you have a baby face.”
Kim Si-baek wondered if a ‘baby face’ was enough to cover it, but Tae-un remained nonchalant. Moreover, proving his identity wasn’t the only problem; Biyendwe was also an issue.
‘To recover divine power, spreading the faith of Lord Biyendwe is the most efficient way…’
To do that, he contemplated whether he should reveal the fact that he was a returner. Though the probability of being treated as a crazy person was likely higher.
“Oh, come to think of it, my abilities seem out of place here. I treated Section Chief Gwak’s injured hand, and he was genuinely shocked.”
“…Treatment? Is it possible for you to heal others?”
“It’s not a very efficient treatment because it doesn’t mesh well with the god I serve, but still. Are there any Awakened who can heal?”
“Well… there are cases like Ga-eun, who has an ability that only promotes her own recovery, but…”
Tae-un stroked his chin with a look of great surprise.
[Death and Beauty points out that the ability to heal is not an awakening of power, but a bestowal of divinity. He further explains that awakened abilities and divine power belong to separate realms.]
“Ah, that would certainly be the case.”
Kim Si-baek relayed Biyendwe’s words to Tae-un, who was looking at him inquisitively.
“Now that I think about it, all the healers in mak slecht were priests. It was so obvious that I hadn’t thought about it until now. Since I’m the only believer here, I lack divine power, so I can’t use it indiscriminately.”
“Then I’ll become Earth’s first believer.”
Tae-un immediately raised a hand, but Biyendwe, staring intently into his eyes, shook his head.
[Death and Beauty sighs, saying that sincere faith is not such a simple thing.]
[Death and Beauty perceives that although it is not clearly visible, faith already resides within that person’s heart. However, he adds that he cannot be certain since the divinity of mak slecht and the divinity of Earth are not the same.]
“…That’s what he says. Did you start attending a cathedral?”
Tae-un’s lips parted and closed thinly a couple of times. He cast his gaze downward, drank the remaining water in his glass, and licked the moisture from his lips before giving a delayed answer. His voice was calm.
“Hmm, no. Until I heard that you became an apostle, I was an atheist. Just because I found out doesn’t mean I suddenly developed a religion.”
“Then where did this sudden faith come from?”
“Maybe it’s because of you, Hyung?”
“Huh?”
“Faith is like a belief in an absolute being, right? If so, the object of my belief is naturally you. If you told me you were making meju out of red beans, I’d go as far as boiling soybean paste stew with it.”
As he said this, he even made the sign of the cross and pretended to pray toward him, making Kim Si-baek burst into laughter.
“Don’t do that in front of other people. They’ll think it’s a cult.”
“Sibaek-ism sounds great.”
“Anyway, you might not be aware of it, so don’t worry too much. I can replenish divine power through other means.”
“Let’s think about what to do next slowly together. It hasn’t even been a week since you returned.”
By the time the conversation was winding down, the bowls of jajangmyeon and tangsuyuk had been cleaned out.
“Since we’re already out, do you want to go on a date with me?”
“Where to?”
“You don’t have an ID yet, but I think it would be good to buy you a phone in advance.”
‘Is there a reason to buy a phone so urgently?’
The thought crossed his mind, but since Tae-un’s voice was full of anticipation at the mention of a date, he simply agreed.
“Ah, wait a second.”
Just as they were about to get out of the car in the parking lot near the phone store, Tae-un called out. Wondering what was wrong, Kim Si-baek looked back to see Tae-un taking off the glasses he had worn while driving, putting them away, and stepping out of the car first. Then, he quickly walked around the hood and opened the passenger door for him.
“Watch your step.”
“….”
Kim Si-baek stepped out of the car, wondering if he should start using a cane to match his age if he wanted to keep up with that pace.
“By the way, Un-ah.”
“Yes?”
As tall people often do, Tae-un naturally leaned his waist down toward the direction of the voice. In the past, their positions had been exactly the opposite, but seeing how much he had grown in the time they were apart made him feel proud, while simultaneously feeling a strange sensation at being caught up to in height by his younger brother.
Kim Si-baek silently traced with his eyes the face that had been wearing glasses until a moment ago and the left side of his neck. There were two things he was curious about regarding Tae-un’s current state, but he hesitated to bring them up. After contemplating, he eventually swallowed his words. There would be an opportunity to ask carefully later.
“Nothing, let’s go.”
The store was not far. As they entered, the eyes of the employee, who had been greeting them mechanically, widened. It seemed they recognized Tae-un.
Kim Si-baek gave him a slight nudge in the ribs and whispered in his ear.
“Is that someone you know?”
“Not exactly, but since I run a guild, there are very occasional people who recognize my face.”
“…You didn’t make it into the social news, did you?”
How many people would know the face of a private company CEO, as opposed to a conglomerate? He worried that Tae-un might have been involved in a major incident while he was gone, but Tae-un only gave a smiling look with his eyes.
“I told you, I haven’t done anything that would make me a brother you’d be ashamed of.”
‘Still, that thing on his neck…’
As Kim Si-baek began to worry about the left side of the neck again, Tae-un lightly pushed his shoulder and walked forward.
The employee, looking slightly nervous while glancing at Tae-un, showed them the latest phone models. For Kim Si-baek, whose last remembered phone was a folder phone that fit snugly in the palm of his hand, the change was staggering.
‘Where did the folders go, and why did phones get so big? Isn’t it a hassle to carry around?’
[Death and Beauty evaluates that Earth’s civilization is reasonably usable.]
After listening to the employee’s explanation, he understood the size and specifications of the phones, but he wasn’t particularly keen on them. They seemed to have unnecessary functions for him.
Tae-un, keenly noticing the vibe, suggested:
“There are still folder phones released as ‘filial piety phones’ for elderly people who aren’t used to smartphones. But smartphones are better. These days, there are even senior apps that are easy to use.”
The employee, who had been tense, was puzzled. The young man accompanying him looked very young, but since Tae-un called him ‘Hyung,’ he was likely in his late 30s. But are there still people in their 30s these days who are unfamiliar with smartphones? Even the elderly use them.
“As long as the call quality is good, a phone is a phone. I’ll get used to the apps eventually, but don’t you think there are too many unnecessary uses?”
“Hyung, Hyung. You can take photos with a smartphone that are as clear as a digital camera.”
“Hmm?”
He wondered if photos were that important, but Tae-un struck a cute pose, resting his chin on his hand like a flower petal, and snapped a selfie to show him.
“…!”
“The quality and resolution are great, so photos taken with a phone are very clear and pretty, right? Since we’re at it, wouldn’t it be great to have a high-quality photo of me as your wallpaper? Don’t you think so?”
“I suppose…”
“Since we’re talking about it, let’s snap a photo together.”
As if not wanting to miss the opportunity, Tae-un quickly leaned over to take a selfie with Kim Si-baek and set it as the wallpaper.
“You’re going to buy a smartphone and set my photo as the wallpaper, right? I hope you’ll think of Un every time you look at your phone and lock eyes with my photo.”
As Tae-un pleaded in a coquettish voice while fiddling with his own fingers, there was no method in Kim Si-baek’s world to coldly reject him.
The employee, who had unintentionally witnessed the scene from right beside them, fell into extreme confusion. Is that the mad dog… I’ve only seen him scowling fiercely or with an expressionless face in photos or videos, so what on earth is this? The eyewitness accounts were all similar. Did a magical beast that spreads hallucinations appear?
Kim Si-baek, completely unaware of the employee’s confusion, remembered the problem he had forgotten only after picking out a phone.
“But phones are expensive, right? I feel bad about staying at your place too, so what should I do?”
“You can pay me back with something other than money.”
“Like what?”
Suddenly, a backlight fell across Kim Si-baek’s face. Tae-un, leaning in deep, slid a gloved finger under the sleeve of the arm Kim Si-baek had rested on the display stand. The whisper that flowed into his ear was secretive.
“With your body?”