S119

Society Protocol 19

Polar opposites

As Min-hyuk left the agency building, he called Mi-hee with trembling hands.

His heart kept pounding because, just a few hours ago this morning, he never imagined that something like this would happen to him.

It might have been because of the green cocktail he had received and drunk from Ji Seo-hoon. Mi-hee's phone was turned off.

[What's wrong? Is she asleep?]

It was still too early to fall asleep. She might have been angry because he was late in contacting her.

However, turning off her phone and acting as if she wanted him to understand her feelings didn't suit Mi-hee.

She might raise her voice in anger, but she doesn't avoid him.

[She must just be out of battery.]

Min-hyuk returned home. He stared at the ceiling of his room all alone.

He didn't know if the agency president was writing a screenplay to make a movie.

Or perhaps the excessive workload had caused him to develop mental issues.

He had heard that when a brain tumor develops, people sometimes believe nonsensical stories without even realizing it.

However, the details were too specific to simply dismiss it.

And the print quality of that contract didn't look like mere printed paper.

He had no idea what would happen to him in the future.

Yet, Min-hyuk had never once wanted to live a life where the future was predictable.

He simply wanted to talk to Mi-hee.

He knew he couldn't tell her the whole truth, but if he had at least been able to tell her that he had signed a contract with the agency,

he wouldn't feel this frustrated.

He wanted to brag to someone. It was still difficult to tell his parents.

After all, nothing had actually progressed yet.

Min-hyuk looked up photos of his favorite actors on his smartphone.

It felt as though the day he would stand in that very spot was not far off.

It was a week later that he reconnected with Mi-hee. She called.

“What happened?”

As soon as he saw Mi-hee’s name pop up in his contacts, he turned on his smartphone and asked.

“Have you been doing well?”

“Do you mean doing well? How have you been? Did something happen?”

“I went to a church prayer retreat with Mom. Can’t we talk about the details when we meet?”

“Okay, I’ll come right now.”

“No, I’m still at the prayer retreat. I think I’ll be heading back up this evening. I’ll call you back tomorrow. I should hang up now. See you tomorrow.”

Mi-hee just hung up the phone like that. She felt like tears would flow if she said anything more. Right now, the only person he needed was Min-hyuk. It was not a situation he could handle alone.

Yesterday, on the sixth day of their stay at the prayer retreat, Pastor Kang and Pastor Hwang returned from the United States.

They then explained in detail to the believers what they had heard and what would unfold in the future.

They did not mention what would happen once the one million mark was reached.

For now, they instructed that the information be conveyed to the essential people among everyone around them whom they could trust and rely on.

They emphasized that this should no longer be a form of information kept secret or kept exclusive to themselves, but rather something that everyone must share and be given the opportunity to make their own choices.

“ This is just like when God revealed the existence of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to make them realize reality, and warned them not to eat from it.

God created this world.

However, He could have implemented various measures to prevent the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil from reaching human hands.

He could have suspended it in the air where it was unreachable, placed it on a cliff, or had mountains and wild beasts guard its surroundings.

But He did not do so.

He trusted in human choice. And He gave them the opportunity to choose.

We were not supposed to pick and eat that fruit. It is the same thing.

We must make known about such an existence and allow people to make their own choices.

However, the problem is whether this society will accept our appeal.

Or, on the contrary, won't there be people who try to harm us?

I am talking about these kinds of problems. But we must overcome them.

Our brothers and sisters must protect one another.

In doing so, [something] that can be accepted Those who are with us will be with us, and all those who are not will be separated from us.”

After finishing his explanation, Pastor Hwang strongly urged them to convey this story to everyone around them whom they wished to protect.

He added that if any of their friends, relatives, or family members decided not to believe or follow their words, they should respect their choice.

The only people Mi-hee could think of were her older brother living in Canada and Min-hyuk.

However, since it hadn't been that long since she met Min-hyuk, she wasn't sure if he would believe what she had gone through.

Nevertheless, the matter was too important to pretend not to know and keep it hidden.

Mom would contact her brother directly.

She couldn't tell her father either, as she didn't even know where he was or if he existed.

Mi-hee's parents separated around the time she entered high school.

However, child support payments continued to come in steadily.

She thought about other friends, but none of them were close enough to talk to about this.

She wouldn't tell them this directly.

It was Min-hyuk who was the only one. But Mi-hee was afraid.

She didn't know if Min-hyuk would continue to love her even if she told him about this absurd situation.

She had faith that if it weren't for this, he would jump into a fire, but

she didn't know what would happen if she brought up such a religious topic.

Moreover, Min-hyuk was in a position to meet many other women besides her.

And if he continued to appear in TV shows or movies, he would inevitably drift further away from her.

However, she mustered the courage to call him. Hearing Min-hyuk's voice made her feel like she was about to cry.

It was a problem whether what she heard was true or not.

She didn't have the confidence to solve this problem alone.

On the bus ride home, Mi-hee kept practicing in her head how she should bring up the subject with Min-hyuk.

In her imagination, no matter what she said, Min-hyuk would jump up from his seat and walk out.

His retreating figure felt cold.

Mi-hee shed tears.

Pastor Hwang took out the membership roster, designated representatives for each district, and decided to hold a total mobilization worship service where everyone would gather.

He tested a system to broadcast the service live via the internet several times so that elderly people with physical disabilities, the sick, or those unable to attend church due to childcare could watch.

He had no reason to choose anyone.

It was because everyone who attended his church was his people.

It was not without its problems.

He was worried about members of the National Assembly, public officials including the police, reporters, writers, and media personnel,

and professionals such as entertainers and lawyers.

This was because he could not completely rule out the possibility that they might go outside the church to their respective organizations and spread negative information.

“But we had no choice. We had no choice but to believe. And even if it resulted in hindering our efforts, we could not remain silent.”

During the total mobilization service, Pastor Hwang explained the events leading up to that point to his congregation and shared his honest feelings.

The church was packed; young people stood in the aisles and at the back to listen to the service, and temporary chairs were even set up in the aisles.

Students visited homes one by one to create an environment where grandparents, patients, and mothers raising children could watch the broadcast via the internet.

As expected, the lawmakers and public officials explained their situation to Pastor Hwang, stating that they would no longer be able to attend church.

Pastor Hwang said he fully understood their concerns and received a promise that they would at least not let the situation escalate into a negative one.

Because they held respect and affection for Pastor Hwang, they left the church after promising not to discuss internal church matters with those around them.

The media professionals felt that they would not be able to write an article about this content directly.

Although they were unaware of it, the managers known as the "desk" would absolutely not allow it.

However, thinking that the story itself was so interesting and a sensational subject capable of appealing to people,

They visited Pastor Hwang and made a few suggestions.

They assisted with video production and the task of filming Pastor Hwang’s presentations using professional equipment.

Some of the lawyers participated more actively than expected.

They volunteered to review whether the wording used in the church’s announcements defamed specific individuals or contained content that could be legally challenged by society or the state.

Considering that word of mouth was the best approach, the believers explained the stories they had heard to those around them.

Upon learning that such stories were spreading within Pastor Hwang’s church and that Pastor Kang was orchestrating everything,

existing churches were holding meetings among themselves to decide whether to label them as a cult.

“Did they say they received a revelation from God?”

It was clear that they were heretics for misleading people by saying things that even pastors themselves could not speak carelessly.

However, Pastor Kang’s apostasy dealt a significant blow to the established religious order.

Typically, heresies begin as heresies from their very inception.

Evangelists who grew up in heretical churches would become pastors, establish their own heretical churches upon their independence, and so on.

If you trace the roots of the several churches in Korea labeled as heretical, they usually converge into a single entity.

However, it was difficult to find a precedent for a mainstream religious order apostatizing and becoming a heresy.

The structure was not one that allowed for such a change.

Nevertheless, the situation was more serious than expected, and eventually, the established Christian community designated Pastor Kang and Pastor Hwang’s churches as heretical.

With this, the news began to spread, and their names started appearing in the internet media.

However, an unexpected result occurred.

As their name appeared in the media and they faced harsh criticism from the public, they became famous,

and ironically, people began to seek them out after seeing the news of that criticism.

And the former gangster boss, whom everyone expected to leave, followed Pastor Hwang even more closely,

and began gathering the younger men he had previously led into the church.

Since they were summoned by none other than a charismatic former boss, the violent gangs began gathering at Pastor Hwang's church,

and started providing a sort of security service.

When parishioners or pastors from established churches came to criticize and attempted to threaten them, the former gangsters became believers,

and became watchmen protecting their church.

This became even more of a news story.

The image of the church colluding with gangsters spread even more widely.

Now, even the believers who trusted Pastor Hwang had their once good hearts changed, and they began to harbor hostility toward those who criticized them.

And anger began to build up.

When a young daughter of a believer was bullied by a group at her school,

That anger reached the brink of explosion. The situation was deteriorating as it seemed that violence would break out unless Pastor Hwang controlled the situation with his whole body.

Pastor Kang and Pastor Hwang heard that Pastor Jackson in the United States was also experiencing a similar situation.

In the case of the U.S., the situation escalated to the point where firearms were used to actually threaten the congregation.

Although they did not directly attack the believers with guns,

there was an incident where several bullets flew into the church, shattering windows.

At the same time, people from somewhere began to come and gather.

And the number of people harassing them also began to increase.

Now, things began to spiral to extremes. It caused people to hate and fight one another.

There is a story like this in the Bible.

These are words spoken by Jesus.

It is from Luke 12:51.

[Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? I tell you no, but division.]

It is from Matthew 10:34. [Do not think that I came to bring peace to the world. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.]

Believers are now ready to receive the sword of Jesus.