202 – EP.9 The Truman Show-5
***
When the time came, Nikolai, the village leader, came to his room.
In-ho headed to the restaurant under the guidance of the friendly man.
When the door to the restaurant opened, his eyes caught the sight of people gathered around a long table.
In-ho, who was expecting a simple dinner, was a little taken aback by the number of attendees, which was larger than expected.
“Light is with you.”
Five or six men gave him religious greetings.
“This is it….”
I looked at the village representative to see what was going on, but Nikolai just smiled broadly and guided him to the head table.
Inho, who was sitting at the head of the table, looked around at the faces of the people sitting around the table.
A wrinkle-free look and flawless attire. Inho remembered the time he had a meal with nobles at the church headquarters.
“Hello.”
Inho greeted them, hiding his embarrassment with a smile.
I wondered if there were so many nobles living in the village.
“They came from far away to see the saint.”
As if answering his question, Nikolai sat down next to him and said.
“You are not from Madini village.”
Inho said as he placed his hand on the cup placed on the table.
“Yes, everyone heard the news that the saint was coming…”
When Nikolai spoke with a friendly smile, Inho responded by raising the corners of his mouth.
“Then you came all the way here to see me.”
When In-ho spoke as if to confirm, the handsome man smiled and said.
“If it’s to see the saint, this is nothing.”
hahahahaha!
The men sitting around the restaurant burst into laughter.
“The saint must be hungry, so I’ll bring you some food first.”
Nikolai winked, and the maids started bringing food one by one.
Steam rises and shiny food is placed in front of people.
“…….”
Everyone who came to see In-ho started holding forks and knives in their hands.
And then I saw Inho’s face.
Inho made eye contact with them for a while, then put his hands together and closed his eyes.
They looked puzzled by his actions.
“Thank you for the well-prepared food.”
As Inho began to pray, people gasped and put down the things they were holding.
After the prayer, dinner began.
The meal started in a calm atmosphere and began to liven up little by little as the maids brought wine.
It would be correct to describe it as noisy rather than lively.
In-ho frowned slightly at the sound of them drinking and chatting among themselves.
“Saint! You, saint, have a drink too.”
At some point, a person with a red face looked at Inho and shouted.
Some people around him tried to stop him, saying, ‘Why are you doing this?’, But they only pretended to want In-ho to participate in the war.
When one person pointed a finger at the maid, the maid poured alcohol into Inho’s glass.
Inho recently saw alcohol that he had not touched.
His own face was reflected on the surface of his purple drink.
He took a deep breath and exhaled.
A kind smile appeared again on his face, which had been filled with boredom and irritation.
“It’s been a long time, so I guess I’ll have a drink. Now, everyone, fill your glasses.”
In-ho raised his glass, recalling the images of the poor reaching for hard bread and soup.
Soft bread and grilled meat. A tart wine that enhances their flavor.
It is a meal worthy of serving a saint.
But why do I feel so uncomfortable?
Is it the alcohol or my heart that is bitter?…
Even if Inho asked himself, he could not get a clear answer.
He poured another glass of wine and soothed his stomach.
***
What Mary, who brought the news of Albainin, encountered was the sight of a saint who was heavily intoxicated with her wine.
Although he was drunk, Inho still had the character of a saint, sitting calmly in a chair and dozing off, nodding his head like a chicken.
Those who participated in the meal were also quite drunk, and they were laughing, drinking, and smoking among themselves.
Maria grimaced as the cigarette smoke filled the restaurant to the point where it looked hazy.
“It’s Maria.”
The saint muttered, as if muttering in a dream.
Mary, seeing her saint’s condition, walked into her dining room with great strides.
Nikolai, who was quick to notice her, stood up and tried to tell her what to say, but at her sharp glance, he shut her mouth and sat down again.
“This is such an indecent act at a meal attended by a saint.”
As Maria spoke in disbelief, the others who had been struggling under her drunkenness gradually began to come to their senses.
Maria’s fierceness gradually drove away their drunkenness.
“Ah… It’s not like that.”
Nikolai opened his mouth again, but Maria made a bitter sound and covered his mouth again.
“Of course, since the saint also tolerated this, I, as an attendant, cannot be held responsible.”
Mary supported her saint. In-ho still couldn’t get over his drunkenness, and his legs felt limp like sagging laundry.
“The saint seems to be tired, so I will leave now. Please take care of your appearance so that tomorrow you can stand in front of the saint with a reverent appearance.”
Maria left the restaurant with a warning rather than a recommendation.
Boom! The restaurant door closed with a sound, and the people who had been unable to breathe due to the pressure radiating from the Inquisitor finally gasped.
***
Feeling the weight of the saint who was completely leaning on her, unable to keep his balance on his feet, Maria led him into the room.
“Uh… Uh….”
The saint, who still could not get out of his drinking, muttered something unintelligible, and as soon as he saw his bed, he almost collapsed and climbed on top of it.
“Saint. You need to change your clothes…”
This was her first time seeing the saint so disheveled, so Mary just fidgeted with her hands, not knowing what to do.
“I’ll just… Sleep.”
The saint spoke intelligible words for the first time.
“Those clothes are uncomfortable. You should change into more comfortable clothes.”
Mary tried to talk to the saint who was speechless.
Moreover, Mary did not feel comfortable putting the saint to sleep with sauce splattered from his meal or clothes with traces of wine on them.
“It’s annoying.”
At her saint’s words, Mary glanced around the room where only she and her saint were present.
“Well… Saint. Then, even if I change your clothes…”
Maria, who was halfway through her words, closed her mouth.
He was a saint who always changed his clothes himself. She couldn’t come now and give her permission to-
“Okay. Maria will change my clothes.”
In-ho spoke indifferently with her twisted tongue.
“Are you really okay?”
Mary opened her eyes wide and asked the saint, but the saint fell asleep on her bed.
The saint’s attendants swallowed their saliva and tried to understand the situation.
“The saint is drunk right now, so he just spoke randomly. Do I dare to look at his body? But the saint gave me permission?”
Maria gave a monologue alone in the center of her room.
“What should I do? What should I do? I really just need to change my clothes, right?”
Wriggling her hands, Mary looked back and forth between the saint and her visitation.
Do I leave like this, or do I change into the clothes of a saint?
It is only her choice.
“Uhm….”
After thinking for a while, the voice of a saint reached her ears.
Before he knew it, he had turned over and was stretching his neck with his fingers, as if his neck was uncomfortable.
In that action, several of his buttons came undone, exposing his pure white skin and collarbone.
Gulp. Maria swallowed her saliva without realizing it.
“Yeah, right? It’s uncomfortable, right?”
Maria smiled awkwardly. Maria slowly moved her feet towards the saint.
Mary’s heart was pounding so hard that it hurt at the sight of the saint lying defenseless on her bed.
“So, did the saint give permission?”
Passing the buck, Maria slowly placed her hands on her shirt.
She then begins to unbutton her buttons one by one.
Tick tick tick
As the button is undone, the white and solid upper body of the saint is revealed.
Maria continued her work, unconsciously biting her lower lip.
“Huh… Ha….”
Eventually, her shirt came off, and Maria’s gaze went down.
What was left were pants.
Mary slowly and very carefully removed the saint’s pants.
Then the scent of a man wafted out.
“Oh, my God.”
Maria’s exclamation continued.