Please Stop The Pope

Episode 28

The Ministry of Ability Management was the first to take action.

As soon as Minister Yoo Seon-ho heard the news that I had succeeded in purifying some areas, he immediately deployed the team that had been on standby.

The first thing they secured was the arrest of Yoo Se-hyuk and the criminals who had received requests from the National Guild Alliance.

Most of them were wanted vicious criminals, so it might be a rather good ending.

Moreover, it was said that not only Yoo Se-hyuk, whom I personally dealt with, but the rest of the guys would also be unable to lead normal lives.

It could be called the result of Leo’s vicious human origami show.

Anyway, that was within the realm of what I had expected, but the situation that unfolded afterward was quite bewildering for me.

No matter how much I had completed the purification of some areas,

“I feel like one of my few wishes has been fulfilled. I am truly grateful.”

I never even dreamed that Minister Yoo Seon-ho, who is not even a player, would suddenly enter Ground Zero like this.

He is a truly remarkable old man.

Of course, this is a result that reflects Limen’s thoughtfulness.

For the believers who had difficulty entering Ground Zero, Limen created a path from the entrance of Ground Zero to the sacred ground.

A path she personally purified by bestowing divine power.

She would have given it a name, but she said she hoped it would simply be called a pilgrimage route.

Minister Yoo Seon-ho arrived through the pilgrimage route that Limen had created.

“What is this small monument?”

Minister Yoo Seon-ho, who seemed to be lost in various thoughts while looking around, asked me.

The monument located in front of Minister Yoo Seon-ho.

On the monument, Korean letters in a very elegant and soft handwriting were engraved, saying “A place where dreams rest for a while.”

With my gaze fixed on that monument, I said,

“I was told it is a consolation for the people who are asleep here.”

“Who would do such a thing…”

“It is one of the things done by the one who created this place. It is a monument left with the meaning of overcoming sorrow but not forgetting it.”

A monument situated on a lush garden. And the temple visible beyond that monument.

That scenery was something that anyone who came to see it would have to say was beautiful.

Even the ruins of Ground Zero that could be seen in the distance added to the beauty through a stark contrast.

Minister Yoo Seon-ho seemed to be silently appreciating that scenery for a long time.

How much time had passed like that?

Finally, Minister Yoo Seon-ho turned to me and opened his mouth.

“As I promised before, everything you have obtained here is yours, Shi Yu. Whether it is land or anything else. Please consider it a humble token of our appreciation.”

“Are there no issues with property rights or anything like that?”

“You don’t need to worry about that part. When compensating the citizens who suffered damage in Ground Zero, there was a clause stating that the property rights to this place would be vested in the government. For the government, it was a nominal right, but I am very pleased to see it used like this. Hoho.”

His hearty laughter didn’t sound bad to hear.

To put it simply, it also meant that I didn’t have to mind other people’s eyes.

For example, the original owner of this land or the building owner.

As expected of his experience, Minister Yoo Seon-ho immediately scratched the itch I had.

I nodded with satisfaction. Then, pointing to Min-soo’s filming crew busily preparing something in the distance, I said,

“I’m thinking of doing a live broadcast on MyTube.”

“It seems there is something we can help you with.”

“I’m thinking of having reporters participate in the live broadcast as well. What do you think?”

At my suggestion, Minister Yoo Seon-ho frowned slightly and fell into thought for a moment.

However, his contemplation did not last long, and he soon answered in his still rough voice,

“You plan to replace the press conference with that.”

“Is there a need to do the same thing multiple times?”

“You’re right. I had already contacted the reporters before coming here. I’ll arrange for them to arrive within 30 minutes.”

Minister Yoo Seon-ho lightly gestured to his secretary behind him, who nodded and called someone.

His execution is really quick.

It was a level of drive that made it hard to believe he was an old man over 70.

Should I say that the phrase “old but strong” fits him better than anyone else?

Having swiftly resolved all my concerns, Minister Yoo Seon-ho said to me in a more relaxed tone,

“It seems we have roughly handled the urgent matters, so we can slowly move on to the main topic.”

Wait a minute.

“…The main topic?”

“How you will establish your relationship with the National Guild Alliance in the future, how you will operate the church, when you can purify the entire Ground Zero, and so on. There are still many things to discuss.”

I don’t know when they prepared it, but Minister Yoo Seon-ho’s aides set up a makeshift table and chairs in front of us, and Minister Yoo Seon-ho offered me a chair and concluded,

“There’s quite a bit of time left until the reporters arrive, so let’s have a candid conversation. Wouldn’t it be better for you to handle it all at once, Shi Yu?”

I could understand why the employees of the Ministry of Ability Management were afraid of this old man.

The 30 minutes with Minister Yoo Seon-ho were truly thrilling.

Should I say it was an opportunity to see how he managed to control the Ministry of Ability Management without being a player?

“You look very tired. Are you alright, Your Holiness?”

“Do you want to give me a massage?”

“If you want.”

“…No thanks. I feel like I’ll be folded, too.”

Seeing Leo’s muscles hidden under his priest’s robe reminded me of the vicious criminals who were folded in half earlier.

I lightly waved my hand, then said to Min-soo, who was standing next to Leo,

“The reporters have arrived as well. How is it? Does the MyTube reaction seem good?”

I had left a notice on Min-soo’s channel that we would be doing a live broadcast from Ground Zero.

I’m curious about how it turned out, but actually, just looking at Min-soo’s awkward expression, I could roughly guess.

“Did it pull aggro moderately?”

“It seems unavoidable due to the image of the place called Ground Zero. I apologize, Your Holiness.”

“What does Brother Min-soo have to apologize for? It’s the fault of this society where distrust is rampant. Don’t worry too much. It will naturally be resolved once the live broadcast starts.”

Famous media, terrestrial TV reporters, foreign media, and so on.

Dozens of reporters have already taken positions in front of the temple after receiving a call from the Ministry of Ability Management.

As soon as I start the live broadcast, they will pour out articles about what happened here, not only nationwide but also worldwide.

In that situation, will the viewers not believe it and turn their backs?

I patted Min-soo’s back a few times as he looked slightly dejected, then lightly stretched and said,

“Preparations are all done, so let’s start work. It’s been 10 years since I did an internet broadcast, so I’m a bit nervous.”

In Earth’s time, it would have been around 5 years ago.

The time when I came back from the military and was working frantically to somehow feed my younger siblings.

I wanted to confide in someone, but there was no suitable person to talk to, so I had started an internet broadcast.

I turned it on whenever I felt down, so there were barely one or two viewers.

Suddenly, that time comes to mind, but the situation is incomparably different from then.

“There’s a lot to do today, so let’s quickly finish the broadcast as well.”

I said in a good mood, then slowly led them out of the temple’s entrance.

The moment we passed the marble pillars and stepped outside,

Click-click-click!

Reporters waiting in various places began to competitively press their camera shutters.

To be honest, I felt a bit burdened at the last press conference, but it seems there is definitely something called getting used to it.

“Nice to meet you, Hyungs. I would appreciate it if you could take nice photos of me.”

Now I can joke around with the reporters to some extent.

I waved cheerfully at them, then headed to where Min-soo’s filming crew was waiting.

A small garden located in front of the temple.

In that fairy tale-like garden filled with Limen’s favorite Lycian flowers, filming preparations were already completed.

A chair of appropriate height and a tablet PC set up on a table where I could directly check the viewers’ reactions.

On top of that, even professional filming equipment like lighting.

As I felt in the Yeoju dungeon last time, internet broadcasting was not at a level to be underestimated.

“Please have a seat here.”

Following Min-soo’s guidance, I sat in the chair.

The format of today’s broadcast is easy to think of as an interview. Min-soo asks, and I answer.

There was a question sheet prepared in advance by the writers of Min-soo’s company, but at this point, they weren’t that important.

“Then, as we discussed earlier, we will proceed mainly with the viewers’ questions.”

“Let’s do that. Let’s start right away.”

“Understood.”

At my words, Min-soo lightly nodded, then soon signaled to the filming crew.

After a while,

As our appearance and the chat screen appeared on the tablet PC, the actual broadcast began.

-LOL They said they would broadcast from Ground Zero, but it seems they rented a filming set somewhere.

-Player-K hyung; No matter how desperate you are for money, if you’re going to manipulate, you should at least show sincerity.

-Tsk tsk LOL I knew this would happen.

-He wasn’t someone who manipulated well in the first place…

-After the pseudo-religion controversy, he lost his original intention.

-Unsubscribing, bye.

The chat window scrolled up so fast that it was hard to follow with my eyes, and at a glance, it was quite spicy.

Indeed, this is the K-chat window.

“Today, we have come to you with a special broadcast from Ground Zero. I think it is an honor to be able to show you the appearance of Ground Zero for the first time in the world.”

To be honest, the public sentiment in the chat window was really at rock bottom.

Personal attacks and various derogatory remarks appear here and there, and even trolls take advantage of the chaos.

As befits a MyTuber with 5.4 million subscribers, the number of viewers quickly surpassed 10,000, and the chat window was also overheating intensely.

Seeing that, the saying that fans turning into antis happens in an instant really hits home.

It was a situation where one’s mentality could easily be shaken, but…

“The person here with me is someone you all know well. He is the first irregular of South Korea and the leader of the Limen Church, Mr. Kim Shi Yu. May I ask you to greet everyone?”

There was no problem with Min-soo’s mentality at all.

The 5.4 million MyTuber, no, now the 5 million MyTuber who had been firmly trained through broadcasting, didn’t seem to be greatly affected.

Although the number of subscribers had dropped sharply due to the testimony video uploaded last time, his experience didn’t diminish.

I briefly admired Min-soo’s brazen hosting, then looked at the camera and said,

“Hello, everyone. I am Kim Shi Yu from the Church of Limen. I am deeply moved to be able to show you our church’s historic first temple.”

As I greeted like that, something popped up on the tablet PC screen with a loud sound effect.

-‘Mr. Quokka’ has donated 1,000 won!

[Who is the person behind you? They’re not thugs, are they? Player-K hyung… If you’ve been kidnapped by a pseudo-religion group and are being forced to film a video, please be sure to wave a carrot.]

“Ahem.”

I almost laughed.

If they’re talking about thugs, they seem to be referring to Leo and to be honest, I somewhat agree.

His appearance is definitely a bit strange for a priest’s visual.

I quickly regained my composure and continued,

“Thanks to your active participation, we were able to build our first temple here in Ground Zero like this. I am truly grateful.”

As soon as I made various comments like that, the chat window flared up again.

If I were to pick out a few noticeable chats, they would be as follows:

-This bastard, isn’t he an irregular recognized by the country? Is it okay for an irregular to come out on a broadcast like this and deceive viewers? LOL

-Just reverse it, don’t make a pathetic risky move.

-But where is this set? It’s pretty.

-I’m an expert. Ground Zero is an area where life cannot grow due to mana contamination. However, there are flowers and grass here. Therefore, I will bet my remaining hair that this is not Ground Zero.

It’s not very surprising since I roughly expected these reactions.

Countless viewers who start to unleash their lewd desires in the chat window, thinking this is the moment.

It doesn’t seem like good words will come out if we drag out the time in this situation.

After briefly appreciating that spiciness representative of Koreans, I smiled slightly and continued,

“I’m sure you don’t want to hear various explanations either, so I’ll just summarize the key points.”

Although it was a live broadcast combined with a press conference, these things just come across as uncool if you explain them in detail.

Therefore, you just need to convey the core content.

Simply and clearly.

“From this moment, anyone can enter Seoul’s Ground Zero through an application. Detailed information will be announced later through the Ministry of Ability Management’s website and our MyTube channel.”

As soon as I spoke, the camera’s perspective changed.

The cameras that had been filming us until just now slowly moved and began to capture the surrounding scenery.

Reporters competitively taking photos without distinction.

The marble temple harmoniously blending in with the garden.

And the ruins of Ground Zero and the barrier, the Ark, that had sealed Ground Zero, vaguely visible beyond the boundary of the sacred ground.

-?

-Isn’t that over there Gyeongbokgung Palace??????

-That’s the Ground Zero barrier, right?

-What’s going on?

-Guys. KBC is also doing a live broadcast of this right now.

-Breaking news – Minister Yoo Seon-ho of the Ministry of Ability Management officially announces that the awakener Kim Shi Yu has succeeded in being the first in the world to purify a part of Seoul’s Ground Zero.

-Is this real????

-?

-?

-No;;; Is this really Ground Zero? Does that make sense?

While fans turning into antis happens in an instant, it seems antis turning into fans also happens in an instant.

The chat window that had been filled with various criticism posts just a few minutes ago…

-I’m here for a holy pilgrimage.

-To go on a real holy pilgrimage, do I need to apply for Ground Zero?

-Please let me do well on the college entrance exam, please.

-Please let me get a girlfriend!

-Please let me pass the Hunter Academy exam! Please let me pass the Hunter Academy exam!

-Please let me do well in the job interview!

…started to burn for a completely different reason than before.