Call of Abyss

Chapter 2

It was a sunny day.

The sky was clear without a single cloud, and perhaps because it had rained briefly the night before, the air felt refreshing.

The morning traffic update was being broadcast on TV, and water was boiling hot in the coffee pot.

Sungmin brushed his teeth while patting his chest and abdomen.

The intense pain he had suddenly felt while sleeping had completely disappeared.

He had almost lost the chance to enjoy this peaceful daily life again.

He hadn't eaten anything bad, nor did he recall being injured anywhere, so he couldn't figure out why such severe pain had suddenly erupted in his chest and abdomen.

After washing his face and drinking coffee, Sungmin briefly contemplated whether he should tell his fellow teacher that he might need to take a day off from school due to feeling unwell.

But after reconsidering, his body now felt perfectly fine, as if he had never been sick, and with the students' final exams only a week away, he felt he had to go to work, even if it meant forcing himself.

Sungmin quickly packed teaching materials and his laptop into his briefcase with practiced movements.

It had been over five years since he became a Korean language teacher, but as the years went by, the weight of the briefcase seemed to grow heavier.

When he first became a teacher, he only felt joy at achieving a long-held dream, but now the thought of bearing the responsibility of guiding students through the most important period of their lives often weighed on his mind.

"What's this? The scar is gone. How did this happen?"

As he finished packing his teaching materials and closed his briefcase, Sungmin suddenly noticed that the old scar on his right hand had disappeared.

The scar, which he had gotten as a child after a severe fight with his twin brother and had remained until now as an adult, had vanished that very morning.

It was such a noticeable and large scar that it had always been Sungmin's only complex, so he knew it couldn't have disappeared without him noticing earlier.

In fact, just last night, he had gone to bed grumbling to himself about how that scar on his right hand had even prevented him from dating properly.

Although he was extremely curious about why the scar on his right hand had suddenly vanished, Sungmin hurriedly slung his briefcase over his shoulder and left the house, as he needed to get to school quickly.

"It's amazing how a scar like this could disappear so easily."

Even on his way to the bus stop, Sungmin kept touching his now flawless right hand.

Although it was something he had always wanted, the suddenness of it left him feeling more bewildered than happy.

Because of the scar on his right hand, Sungmin's relationship with his twin brother, Jongmin, had always been awkward.

But now that the scar, which had been a major obstacle between the brothers, had disappeared overnight, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness.

At that moment, Sungmin's phone, which was in his pocket, started ringing.

When he took out his phone and checked the caller ID, he saw it was a call from the principal.

"Yes, Principal. This is Park Sungmin."

"Teacher Park Sungmin, where are you right now?"

"I'm on my way to work and still near my house."

"Some people have come looking for Teacher Park Sungmin, and they barged into my office.

They said they won't leave the principal's office until they meet you. This is quite troubling."

"What? Me? I can't think of anyone who'd come looking for me... I'm sorry, Principal.

Could I speak to them directly on the phone?"

"I told them to talk to you directly over the phone, but they said it's not necessary.

They just asked me to tell you to come to school quickly."

"Understood, Principal. I'll hurry to school."

"Yes, come quickly and take these people somewhere to talk.

I can't call the police since the students are arriving, and I don't want to alarm them."

"Yes, I apologize, Principal."

As soon as he hung up, Sungmin flagged down an empty taxi instead of waiting for the bus.

Judging by the annoyed tone of the principal's voice, he felt that if he delayed any longer, he'd be scolded harshly once those mysterious visitors left.

Though he regretted spending money on a taxi, he decided to tolerate it since it would only take about 20 minutes.

Looking out the taxi window at the quiet and peaceful scenery of the early morning, Sungmin felt a strange sensation, as if he had somehow been separated from the world since that morning.

The terrible pain he had endured last night, the scar on his right hand that had vanished in a single day, and the mysterious visitors who had suddenly shown up at the principal's office...

Sungmin felt as though these separate events were somehow connected and had completely detached him from his ordinary daily life.

The school where Sungmin worked as a teacher was a prestigious private girls' high school with a 50-year history, well-known in the region.

Sungmin had always considered working there one of the few great achievements of his life, but he couldn't help feeling deeply apologetic for unintentionally causing trouble for the principal.

As soon as the taxi stopped in front of the school gate, Sungmin paid the fare and ran toward the main building.

A few female students who recognized Sungmin greeted him, but he had no time to respond.

Normally, he would have waved back or smiled at them, but now his priority was to get the unfamiliar visitors out of the principal's office.

After running frantically, Sungmin finally arrived at the door of the principal's office. He paused for a moment to catch his breath before knocking.

"Yes, come in."

Hearing the familiar voice of the principal, Sungmin opened the door to the principal's office.

Inside the office were the principal, a man in a black suit, and a high school girl wearing a different school uniform.

"Teacher Park Sungmin, you're here. Please talk to these people."

"Yes, hello, Principal."

Sungmin slowly looked at the two individuals.

A tall man wearing black sunglasses and a teenage girl with short bobbed hair, who appeared to be in her late teens.

As Sungmin looked at them, he tried to recall if he had seen them before, but their faces didn't bring up any memories.

"Excuse me, but I don't think we've met before. Where are you from?"

"Hello, Teacher Park Sungmin. We're here regarding your twin brother."

"Do you mean Jongmin?"

Sungmin had never imagined he would hear news about his estranged brother from strangers he met that morning.

When Sungmin and Jongmin had just entered college, their parents had passed away in a car accident. While Sungmin barely managed to recover emotionally, Jongmin had wandered aimlessly for quite some time.

Eventually, Jongmin got into gambling and even squandered the money Sungmin had earned from tutoring jobs, leading to the brothers cutting ties five years ago.

Through a friend of Jongmin's, Sungmin had heard that Jongmin had cleaned up his act and enlisted in the military as a noncommissioned officer, but he hadn't heard anything since and had no idea how Jongmin was doing recently.

"Yes, this is about Sergeant Park Jongmin.

Could we talk outside for a moment?"

"Right now? I'm sorry, but I have to prepare for my classes, so it's difficult at the moment."

"Sergeant Park Jongmin passed away last night."

"What?"

"It'll only take a moment. Please hear us out, Teacher Park Sungmin."

The man in black sunglasses took off his sunglasses and looked at Sungmin. His sharp and serious gaze showed no sign of deceit.

"Teacher Park Sungmin, this seems to be a grave matter. If you're not in the middle of a class, it might be best to go out and listen to them."

"Understood, Principal."

"I noticed a small coffee shop near the school. Let's head there."

Sungmin excused himself to the principal and followed the two individuals out of the school.

Fortunately, Sungmin's first class wasn't until 10 a.m., so he still had some time.

Normally, Sungmin would have arrived at school early to prepare for the day's classes in the staff room, but with the sudden news of Jongmin's death, he didn't feel he had the luxury to do so.

"I'm Sergeant Shin Ilwoo, a special agent from the Defense Intelligence Command.

And this is my partner, Lee Seoyeon, who is currently assisting me on this mission."

"As you may already know, I'm Park Sungmin, a Korean language teacher at Shinyoung Girls' High School.

Please tell me how my brother passed away."

Upon arriving at the coffee shop, Sungmin and the two individuals sat in a secluded corner and began talking.

"I assume the police will come to inform you about your brother's death later, but the official cause of death they'll provide will likely be drowning.

However, that's not the truth."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Since this information cannot yet be revealed to the public, it will officially be announced as drowning, but your brother was not drowned. He was murdered by fanatics from a cult."

Sungmin felt dizzy. The thought of Jongmin being murdered by a cult was beyond belief.

"I can't even believe my brother is dead, and now you're telling me he was murdered by cult fanatics?

Do you expect me to believe that?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe me just from my words."

Hearing Sungmin's sharp retort, Lee Seoyeon shook her head and looked at Sergeant Shin Ilwoo.

After a moment of hesitation, Sergeant Shin took a photo out of his wallet.

"I completely understand that it's hard for you to believe.

Normally, we don't show this photo, but since you're deeply connected to this case, I'll show you a photo of your brother's corpse."

Upon seeing the horrifying photo of the corpse that Sergeant Shin handed him, Sungmin couldn't help but burst into tears.

The face of the man in the photo was undoubtedly his brother, Jongmin.

However, Jongmin's body was emaciated, full of holes as if eaten by insects, and blood was oozing out of those holes.

"Is this really my brother, Jongmin?"

Sungmin sobbed as he clutched the photo tightly.

Sergeant Shin silently nodded without saying a word.

Sungmin couldn't believe that the man who had died so horrifyingly was indeed his younger brother, Jongmin.

Although there was a time when he had wandered, it wasn't for long, and fundamentally, he wasn't an evil person.

Moreover, wasn't he the younger brother who, after his brief wandering, became a soldier defending the country with a repentant heart?

There was no reason whatsoever for him to be killed in such a cruel and gruesome manner.

"Who are these bastards? The ones doing such devilish things...."

"The name of the cult that killed your younger brother is called the Medici Family. They are a demonic group that has killed countless people even before your brother."

"Medici Family? As in the Renaissance-era...."

"Of course, it has nothing to do with that. This Medici Family is a cult that originated in Korea."

"It's not entirely unrelated, sir.

Their ultimate goal is to usher in another Renaissance era.

Except, of course, through murder rather than art."

Seoyeon, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Sungmin and Sergeant Shin, interrupted and spoke.

"They're just insane bastards, that's all...."

Sergeant Shin shook his head side to side at Seoyeon's words and replied.

"Why did that Medici Family cult kill my younger brother?"

"Your younger brother was used as a sacrifice in a kind of religious ceremony conducted by the Medici Family.

The Medici Family believes that human blood gives them great power."

"That's absurd.... How can such things happen in modern society.... Is there any way to catch these lunatics?"

"Yes, that's exactly why our special investigation team exists. To stop the madness of the Medici Family."

Sungmin lowered his head, clutching his head with both hands.

He couldn't believe any of this, but at the same time, their words didn't feel like lies.

"Stop them? You couldn't even prevent my brother's death.

If you knew such a crazy group existed, shouldn't the police or the military have stopped them earlier?"

"The thing is.... This cult is such a secretive group that it's not easy to track them down."

"Wait a moment."

Seoyeon suddenly raised her hand, cutting off Sergeant Shin's words.

"What's wrong? What is it?"

"Something big is going to happen within a minute. Something hot, painful, and chilling.... I feel a sensation stronger than ever."

"No way.... Are they coming? How on earth...."

"Anyway, this is no time to be sitting here. We need to get out of here quickly."

Sergeant Shin and Seoyeon visibly panicked as they hurriedly stood up from their seats.

"Mr. Park Sungmin, please come with us. It's dangerous for you to stay here.

We'll explain everything while moving to another location."

"What are you suddenly talking about? I have a class to attend soon."

"Sergeant Shin, it's starting to become clear now. I can see it – many people dying amidst smoke and fire."

"Damn it.... Mr. Park Sungmin, if you don't want to die today, you need to come with us right now."

"No, I can't move a step until you properly explain everything to me."

"Mr. Park Sungmin, you really...."

At that moment, a loud explosion was heard from outside the coffee shop.

Startled by the sound of the explosion, Sungmin ran outside and looked toward the school.

Thick black smoke was rising into the sky.

"Sir.... If you go there, you might die.

This is something we can't handle with our current strength, so let's hurry and escape.

Before they find us."

Seoyeon, who had followed Sungmin, grabbed his shoulder and spoke.

"The students.... There are so many students over there...."

Sungmin shook off Seoyeon's hand and started running toward the school.

Seoyeon looked at Sergeant Shin standing next to her and shook her head.

"Let's give up on recruiting Mr. Park Sungmin.

If he goes there, he won't survive."

"We need Mr. Park Sungmin right now.

He's an irreplaceable key.

Let's go after him."

Sergeant Shin patted Seoyeon on the shoulder and ran after Sungmin.

Seoyeon let out a deep sigh and followed after Sergeant Shin.