Chapter 35: Answer my prayer.

Whether to counsel on worries or to make a confession,
It was decided that it would be done according to what the praying person wished.

For reference, the number of people who wanted to pray to me was much higher than expected.
More precisely, it was everyone in the church.
Honestly, I couldn’t understand it at all.

‘Aren’t they embarrassed…?’
To confide one’s personal worries or wrongs to others….
How on earth could they do such a thing…?
Just thinking about it made my body squirm and my face flush, a shameful act.
If I were in their shoes,
I definitely would have tried my best to avoid it somehow.
This wasn’t because I had worries too embarrassing to tell others.
In the first place, with my memories being blurry, that was naturally impossible.
Just solely on the topic of my own story.
Moreover, having to talk face-to-face in a one-on-one setting, the atmosphere itself seemed too difficult.
Of course, this was just my own thought.
These people, on the contrary, were very much wishing for such a situation.

Therefore, the method of selecting 10 people was ultimately decided by fair lottery.
Finally, the first turn.
A young woman with round glasses carefully walked out and very naturally knelt down.

“…Uh, you don’t have to kneel down so far…?”
Slightly flustered by her appearance, I fidgeted with my small hands.
The woman pushed up her glasses and replied.

“No! I can’t breathe fresher air than the Angel, being higher up than her!”
“……?”
“What? Oh… is that so?”
“Then, normally…?”

‘No, in the first place, just until a moment ago… Ah, no, no….’
The thoughts that kept bubbling up unconsciously made me quickly hit the brakes.
For people of the ‘Lee Hyejin type’, non-attachment was best.
The more I thought about it, the more it became a structure where only I lost out.

‘…Still, her knees might hurt….’
Nevertheless, it was unavoidable to feel bothered when watching her.
I let out a small sigh inwardly and finally asked her about the main point.

“…But, are we really doing it here…?”
“What? Yes, it doesn’t matter.”
“Is that so…?”

At her unhesitating nod, I was slightly impressed inwardly this time.
You see, where we were was usually on a platform, like where a pastor preaches.
For that reason, everyone in the church was sitting in chairs, watching this place.

‘How can she talk in this situation…?’
It was a situation I had expected to proceed in a private space, just the two of us, at the very least.
Since she herself insisted on it, I had nothing more to say and asked.

“Hmm… then, shall we start?”
“Ah, yes! I will begin! I will make my confession!”
The woman with glasses raised one hand high and answered solemnly.
It was an act that felt very unfitting for prayer.
She soon placed her hands on both knees, composed herself, then bowed her head deeply and began to seriously murmur.

“I only truly came to know about the Angel…. It’s really, really embarrassing, but it’s only been a week.”
“I vaguely knew that there was an Angel in Korea, but I didn’t have much interest….”
However, what I heard was a very out-of-the-blue statement.

“…Huh? Just a moment.”
“This is a time to talk about your wrongs, you know?”
“Why on earth is my story coming up?”
It was a quite bewildering flow.
It was impossible to interrupt a prayer that had just begun.
For now, I listened silently….

“But on that very day a week ago. After meeting that person, I truly opened my eyes to the Angel.”
“…That person?”
“Yes, that person is Pastor Hwang Gilsu.”
“Oh… is that so….”

For a moment, curiosity about who it might be crept in.
Upon hearing the name, I unconsciously reacted cynically.
Anyway, the story continued.

“The reason we met was truly coincidental. Pastor Gilsu spoke to me as I was walking down the street.”
“……?”
“Huh…? Is that, a coincidence…?”
“Somehow, it seems a bit different from what I thought…?”

“At first, I was a little flustered. But Pastor Gilsu began to tell me many things about the Angel.”

‘……Th-that, of course, would be flustering….’
‘That’s just being proselytized….’

“But in the end, I was moved by Pastor Gilsu’s passion. And that’s how I received the Angel’s figurine.”
“…What? What?”
“Oh, for your reference, the figurine is this.”
The woman with glasses suddenly rummaged through her pocket.
She took out a small figurine that looked exactly like me.
Inadvertently staring blankly at it, I thought.

‘Huh…? Did I just doze off for a moment…?’
‘This, surely… wasn’t this kind of story….’

“…….”
For a moment, I felt so flustered that my mind went blank.
Because of that, I stared intently at the figurine the woman with glasses handed me for a long time.
Then, belatedly coming to my senses, I asked.

“S-so… what is your wrong?”
“What? Oh! My wrong?”
The woman with glasses’ reaction was as if she had just remembered something she had forgotten.

‘…….’
Feeling somewhat dumbfounded, I stared silently at her face.
She let out a deep sigh and murmured softly.

“My wrong is knowing the Angel too late…. Phew, why have I lived like a fool like this….”
“I regret so much not being able to watch the Angel’s folk village trip live.”
A statement that, even to my ears, was full of sincerity.
Even her voice was tearful, conveying a strong sense of appeal.
Although the content was so preposterous that I couldn’t sympathize.

But was it just me, or the audience… no.
The other believers actually clapped and comforted her.

“Me too! I understand that feeling well! Sob… Of all days, my vacation request was rejected that day….”
“Exactly! When you came to know doesn’t matter! What’s more important is how sincerely you serve!”
“Sell that figurine to me!”

“……What are you all doing?”
“Why are you comforting and even cheering for this…?”
The woman with glasses, moved, wiped away her tears.
Believers sincerely cheering and applauding.

I instantly became like a bag of barley left out in the middle of it all.
I watched it blankly, unable to feel any empathy whatsoever.
And then, suddenly, a regret came to mind.

‘I should’ve said only one person….’
‘No… should I have just said I was busy…?’
‘Me… why did I unnecessarily become so enthusiastic….’

Around the time such thoughts filled my head.
The woman with glasses asked me.

“Angel, can someone like me… be forgiven…?”
“What…? Oh, yes.”
“Yes, of course.”
“I don’t know what I need to forgive, but I will forgive you.”
Wanting to finish this prayer quickly, I hurriedly nodded my head several times.
Then the woman with glasses smiled brightly, stood up from her seat, bowed, and descended from the platform.

The next young man who came up went beyond kneeling; he prostrated himself flat on the floor.

“Hey… even so, that’s a bit much….”
“No! I cannot hold my head higher than the Angel!”
“…….”

‘……Yes, do as you please….’
In the end, I decided to give up on understanding these people.

“Then, I’ll ask for that.”
“Ah, yes! Of course! I’ll take responsibility and change it!”
At Lee Hyejin’s words, Hwang Gilsu patted his chest and replied.
The two then exited from inside the Angel’s statue and stood up.

“…Huh?”
Then, the countless gazes of people immediately became visible.

‘…Is something wrong?’
Lee Hyejin, bewildered by them, looked around and then belatedly realized.

“Gasp! A-Angel!”
The fact that the small, cute, and precious Angel had disappeared.
Startled, she grabbed anyone standing nearby and asked.

“By any chance! By any chance! Have you seen the Angel!?”
“Uh… sh-she went into the church…?”
As soon as she heard the answer, she didn’t look back and hurriedly ran into the church.

Well, in fact, there probably wouldn’t be any big problem in this short time.
Still, she was a care provider by name; didn’t she have professional pride?

Thud-thud-thud!
She ran at full speed down the dark corridor and quickly met the woman sitting at the counter.
She breathed out the breath she had gained from climbing the stairs and immediately asked.

“Gasp… Angel! Where did the Angel go!?”
“A-Angel? That way, to the right…”
“Thank you!”

Thud-thud-thud!
Even the time to hear an answer was a luxury now.
Lee Hyejin quickly entered the path to the right that the woman had indicated.

‘What is this place…? Heaven…?’
Her mouth fell open at the numerous photos of the Angel hanging on the wall.
She began to stare blankly at the photos, even forgetting that she had been in a hurry.

“Ah, there was this too. Hehehe….”
She slowly walked, with a satisfied smile.

How much time had passed like that.
Thanks to Hwang Gilsu, who followed belatedly, she was adorned with Angel merchandise all over her body.
And finally reached the curtain leading to the true interior of the church.

Slide-
As she passed through it….

“Huh…?”
She saw someone, completely out of the blue, doing a somersault and moving towards the platform where the Angel was.
Although it was an act clearly unfitting for a solemn place like a church,
Strangely, cheers and applause continued from the surroundings.

Thanks to that, Lee Hyejin, slightly flustered, asked Hwang Gilsu.

“Is there… some kind of festival today?”
“What? Oh, no…?”
But Hwang Gilsu was just as flustered.