case of the new religion

The Bracelet Club
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A/N I'm so nervous of this chapter because I think it kind of took a U-TURN and I don't know if you will understand it the same way I do. But aye. let's just see how it goes. I'm going to try to whip out thy visual and also if you haven't-- the events are what leads to Haechan's story in the N-CITY series. 
DO NOT EXPECT MUCH. A lot of research but very little brainstorming between Sora and I.

We're playing with the theories of Christianity. Judas was always considered the betrayer and the 12th disciple and after quite a lot of research, we decided to use it for the story. As Catholics, we know the history of the bible and we're not trying to disrespect it. We love jesus. #jesusforeverinourheart #welovethepope That's why we didn't use Pope Francis in this. #Amen #gotochurchkids #christianinabuddhistcountry 

#crying 


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                           

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign

                        

Songs if you ever need to immerse yourself into Judas' point of view. 

 

The Vatican people must have been busy because I don’t even know how many days had passed since Peniel had warned Kyungsoo to look out for an invitation. How it would come was a wonder but I found myself quickly forgetting about it, being dragged into domestic problems like Chanyeol and Baekhyun bickering to the point they began to avoid each other.

“He moves on the bed and it shakes,” Baekhyun snapped irritably at me, turning away from Chanyeol as Chanyeol shoved food into his mouth. “And I wake up! I can’t even have my eight hours of sleep!”

“Don’t lie! You get more than eight hours of sleep!” Chanyeol said to Baekhyun and Matthew sighed, hands on his hips like he was watching his two sons’ bicker. “I can’t stay with him, I can’t!”

They were introverts, both of them. A majority of us were, except maybe Sehun who enjoyed the company of others. Chanyeol enjoyed his quiet nights alone, Baekhyun liked to watch his cartoons on his own and because Kyungsoo came from time to time, the living room was basically his place.

There was no way for us to solve it unless one of them left. Best friends can turn into enemies, Matthew told me on one occasion while I was cooking. If we don’t do something, they would destroy each other. As teenagers, it would be easier. But as adults? When they had their own preferences?

“What do you want to do?” I asked, a hand going to wrap around Matthew’s neck to hug him as he rocked me back and forth. Baekhyun was sleeping in my room and Chanyeol, the guest room. The sun was still high in the sky, Matthew pressing his lips against my cheek. “The kids—”

“Mhm, the kids.” He hummed, his lips traveling to mine and right when we were about to kiss, Matthew’s breath fanning my face—Suho arrived with a hello and we pushed each other away so fast, I had toppled backwards.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t see that,” Suho said simply and we raised an eyebrow at him, clearing our throats. “Just here to tell you that I’ll be rather nonexistent… More than I already am. My sister is getting married and I want to be there. Not like I can stay often, anyway. Baekhyun’s here.”

Baekhyun’s addition to our living arrangement had served as a hassle to Suho, the male always having to sneak around and there was one time when he asked Matthew something and Matthew answered. Baekhyun heard him but Matthew was quick to cover it up.

He then left, leaving us in silence. The lack of privacy was slowly frustrating me and the moment Suho left, I had reached out to Matthew once again, the grim reaper stepping closer to me when the door opened and we were back on opposite ends of the kitchen.

“Ugh, you guys are disgusting. Keep your hands off my sister!” Baekhyun grumbled, grabbing a glass of water and sleepily walking back into his bedroom as I flushed red. He slammed the door shut. He had been moody due to his life transition and I sighed. He wasn’t as lively and optimistic as he once was.

Crushed dreams did that to you, Matthew had told me.

“Do we even get to kiss like normal people?” I finally asked, Chanyeol letting out a grunt. He had come out to grab another piece of toast, the male walking around Matthew and I. There was a scuffle and Chanyeol eyed Baekhyun’s door warily before heading back to the guest room.

“We can try—”

Matthew’s screen dinged and he gave me an apologetic glance when he saw that he had gotten a task.

“I have to collect letters from the graveyard,” He told me and I frowned, squinting at the task that was on screen. “This is how souls get your letters. I’ll be back in a bit.”

A wink and then he vanished.

With Matthew being gone, I decided to take parenting in my own hands. I called Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s name and they must have heard my tone, both of them peeking out from behind the door of their respective bedrooms.

“Out. Now.”

This is how they ended up on the couch, their hands above their heads as I berated them for their immaturity. Best friends! They have been best friends for years! How dare they turn on each other now!

Twenty minutes after, Matthew came back to the scene of Baekhyun sniffling to Chanyeol’s apology because he wanted to be the bigger person. He froze and I passed him a smile, winking at him when he chuckled.

“All good now?” He asked, patting Baekhyun and Chanyeol on the shoulder before casually falling back onto the couch. In his hand, he held a bunch of letters and I watched him shuffle them. “Tiring day at work.”

“You were gone for twenty minutes.”

“Yup. Tiring day at work,” Matthew’s phone dinged and he began texting. I took out my laptop, thinking of how I should get a head start on my work. Matthew frowned and I asked him if everything was alright. “Mark is sad and he’s leaving today. He said he fought with Muffin and he got yelled at by her for embarrassing him.”

Baekhyun blinked, asking if there was a third party thrown in the mix of Mark’s hidden love.

“Yes. Nakamoto Yuta,” Matthew replied, making a face. “Look, Mark is a good kid. He’s so innocent and too polite. But he kind of yelled at Muffin, too. Now, he’s getting ready to leave.”

Matthew had a look on his face that made me ask a follow up question.

“He’s leaving for Canada? What are you going to do about it?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at the Grim Reaper. He waved a hand, as if to say there was nothing to do. To let nature take its toll but I knew that it was close to impossible when it came to Mark’s problems. “So… You’re not going to do anything about it?”

“No! Definitely not!” He shook his head but like all the other times, his mind was quick to be changed and I witnessed him leap off the couch, taking Baekhyun and Chanyeol by surprise before he disappeared.

“And he’s gone,” Chanyeol stated, Baekhyun chuckling to himself. “I bet you 20,000 won that he’ll come back with an elaborate plan to save Mark’s love life.”

“Doesn’t work when I think the same thing,” Baekhyun answered.

True to Chanyeol’s word, Matthew came back after fifteen minutes with a dead set expression of determination. He had a plan, he told us. I sighed, shaking my head when he told us that Mark deserved a happy ending. Upon asking him what he did, he said that he had approached Haechan with a disguise (since he was a master of disguise) and asked him if there was a way to make Muffin know of Mark’s feelings.

“He writes letters, Bora. Like me!” Matthew exclaimed, pacing back and forth around the living room. “So, this is what I told him to do. I told him to make it into a romantic gesture, balloons and blah blah blah… Make Muffin read the letter and maybe, just maybe! She’ll realize how much she likes Mark too!”

“And why did Haechan tell you everything?”

“I was in disguise but I did say I was Mark’s cousin. So, it really wasn’t actually a disguise,” Matthew waved a nonchalant hand. “And then I told Haechan to drive her to the airport.”

“You’re such a romantic, Hyung…” Baekhyun chuckled, Matthew frowning. “But what if… What if she goes to the airport and she doesn’t catch him?”

“That is where we come in.”

“I’m sorry. ‘We’?” I asked, my fingers freezing over the keyboard. While they were talking, I began to start my work. “There is no ‘We’. There is a you.”

“And I… am you,” Matthew pointed straight at me. “That was a Rush Hour quote.”

And with that, he conjured up an image on his screen that came from a movie.

“But we have no time. We gotta go, chop-chop!”

“What makes you think Haechan is going to follow what you ask of him?”

“Because I actually saw him buy balloons. I pretended to be a balloon man. Master of disguise,” Matthew puffed out his chest, bounding over to me to grab my hand. “C’mon, you’re my girl. You have to be there with me!”

He said it so casually but I caught the look on Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s face. That would be the start of his confirmation on what he and I was, a conversation for another day.

“Matthew, it’s the 21st century. Can’t you just make them confess their love for each other through the camera?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” He asked, frowning at me. After ten minutes of begging, intense threats and a lot of annoying prodding, I finally agreed. “Apartment sit, boys. We’ll be right back in a jiffy.”

He puckered his lips at Baekhyun, my brother pushing him away when I grabbed my purse and headed to the airport. I had no idea why I was doing this but seeing Matthew light up, his hands gripping mine excitedly, I realized that I was doing it for him.

“What was his flight again?” I asked Matthew, the male answering me like he had remembered it all.

“FlightCA57.” He sighed, frowning. “How fast do gates close?”

“Around thirty minutes before,” I answered. “What if he’s already inside/”

We would get to learn later on that Mark was already inside, ready to go through immigration but Matthew—our very own Grim had decided to portal to where Mark was at and snatch his passport from his hand. How Mark did not realize it till the last moment until the gates were closing was a mystery but that was why he had come out to look for his passport.

“You took his passport?!” I hissed at Matthew, both of us watching them from afar. “Matthew, I know you like to play cupid but—”

“Shh, look!” He pointed, both of us ducking behind a charging pillar just to see Mark stand there as Muffin rushed into his arms to hug him. “Look at that, Bora. Look how he looks at her.”

It was true.

My irritation melted away and I unconsciously reached out to slip my hand into Matthew’s, my eyes strained on Mark and Muffin as they hugged each other. Their lips connected and I momentarily looked away as if to give them privacy. I saw Haechan’s face darken, stepping back with Muffin’s brother and his sober companion.

“Love makes people bloom.” Matthew beamed, straightening himself up to turn to me before planting a small kiss on my cheek. “And you’re my flower.”

“Cheesy,” I replied but I couldn’t help but smile, my eyes crinkling up when Matthew kissed my eyes that fluttered close. “Alright, but what did you do with Mark’s passport?”

“Lost and Found,” he answered and I punched his arm softly. “Come back here, we don’t ever get to do anything in the apartment—”

“What do you mean do anything?” I flushed red at his words, side stepping away from him. Matthew winked at me two times and I shook my head rapidly, Matthew telling me that I know what he was talking about.

“What? Are we never going to take it to the next step?” he asked so bluntly my face heated up almost immediately, Matthew looking like he knew what he was talking about when I saw a flash of black behind him and a presence tried to make himself known.

Do Kyungsoo, our handler blinking at us.

“What are you doing to my medium?” he demanded, Matthew yelping in surprise. “Hi, Bora.”

“Hi, Kyungsoo,” I greeted. “What are you doing here?”

Airports were for people who had to leave, but Kyungsoo looked domesticated. In his hand, he held a baby bottle and had a bib in his other hand. Both Matthew and I stared at the items, Kyungsoo noticing our curiosity.

“Sending baby to a different orphanage,” Kyungsoo told us. “Shipping her off.”

“You mean, sending her off,” I corrected, Kyungsoo shaking his head.

“Shipping,” he said deadpan. “Demon baby. China will be able to handle her better.”

“Oh.” Matthew and I didn’t know what to say to that, Kyungsoo looking around with his hands behind his back and we both stood there in silence, waiting for him to leave when he brought his gaze back at us.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Then Do Kyungsoo walked away.

I guess he would be coming with us.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If Matthew and I thought that we’d be able to get some privacy, we were wrong. The moment we pushed open our apartment door, Do Kyungsoo trailing behind us, we were greeted by the remaining members of The Bracelet Club—minus Harin.

Kai sat there with his legs crossed over one another and he still had his detective badge. He was in the area, he told us, and he saw my light was on so he came to say hi. We found out later that it wasn’t the case.

“And Sehun?” I asked, watching Sehun pout at me. He was in his work clothes and it seemed like he didn’t even go home—his blazer hung up on one of the kitchen chairs. “Where is Harin?”

“She kicked Sehun out,” Chanyeol answered for his friend and I frowned at him. “She caught Sehun drinking.”

“And I was the one who picked him up because Sehun hates cabs and Harin locked the garage door,” Minseok added. They would explain why, he too, was also in his work clothes.

“And Kai?” I motioned over to the detective, Kai flushing red.

“I was the one who brought him drinking.”

“Kim Kai!” I exclaimed, Baekhyun telling me that Kai was stressed out and he needed a friend. “I know that, but you’re going to ruin his marriage!”

“I know, I know. I should have invited Kyungsoo instead.”

“Kim Kai, you die,” Kyungsoo quipped from the couch when he reached out to put on the TV. “Club gathering, very nice.”

National TV came on, Matthew sitting with the boys and slowly catching up with them. It seemed to be Matthew Therapy time because it didn’t take long for Sehun to reach for his phone to text Harin that he was sorry. While the apartment became collectively louder, Kyungsoo gave out a loud “Shhh!” and we looked at him, wondering what he was watching.

I grabbed a bowl to feed the mongrels that were in my apartment.

“Look,” he began. “I was about to tell you guys about this.”

On the TV was a child. It looked around nine to ten years old, he had big eyes and brown hair. Words were plastered across the screen and we couldn’t help but stare at them, reading them out loud.

“Miles, Miracle Baby.”

The news caster began to speak.

“Just a few days ago, a few people had gone to an orphanage in America, chanting. They demanded the world to know of Miles.”

My brain wasn’t processing it while I tried to cook and I frowned, nudging Baekhyun who was beside me. My brother then began to explain it to me.

“So, a bunch of crazy people went to this orphanage and began to chant in front of the orphanage, right? And they were like; “Miles! Miles! He’s a miracle baby!’” Baekhyun narrated, keeping his eyes on the screen. “And by miracle baby, they mean that his mother got pregnant suddenly. Something like baby Jesus.”

“Mhm.” Kyungsoo must have heard Baekhyun explaining it to me. “Except they are saying that Miles is not a product of God. He is a product of Judas, Judas’ child.”

“Wasn’t Judas’ Gospel just recently found?” I asked. “You told me, right? That Judas was the one who betrayed Jesus for silver or something.”

Kyungsoo gave a grunt.

“And that he’s the embodiment of betrayal,” I continued. “He also killed himself after that.”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo sounded bothered. “but that’s the thing, the gospel says that Judas was doing what Jesus told him to do. Now, if Judas did not betray Jesus, Jesus would have never ascended to heaven. Judas would be fulfilling what he was supposed to do, asked by God’s messenger and yet people hated him for it.”

“That is kind of true, though,” Sehun pointed out and I looked up from what I was doing to see him frowning. “What if Judas did not betray Jesus? They would not have crucified him on the cross the way they did. Only because Jesus asked him to, Judas did it.”

“And what does this have to do with a Miracle Baby?” I asked, still not getting it.

“The Miracle Baby is Miles—” Kyungsoo pointed. “A bunch of people are saying that he is the new Jesus. Modern-day Jesus, per se. teenage mom that suddenly gets pregnant years ago? That is a rerun of what happened to Mary.”

“What happened to Mary?” Kai asked, frowning.

“Mary got pregnant while a .” Kyungsoo blinked, looking at Kai like he was stupid. “That’s why she’s called Mary.”

“There are a lot of skepticism surrounding miles but the BBC team had conducted an investigation. Tammy Pennington was a sixteen-year-old girl who was under foster care. It was believed that she had never had any ual activity—”

“Impossible. How does that happen? It’s the 21st century!” Kai exclaimed, “Someone is lying.”

“Witnesses say that her baby bump grew with immense speed in a matter of three months. We have found remnants of her diary.”

A page was brought up on screen and I focused on it. Handwriting of a teenager was scrawled across the pages, “Judas, Judas, Judas”. There were drawings of a man in a cloak and paragraphs written about how Judas visited her in her dreams.

As much as I had my attention on it, I couldn’t help but see Kyungsoo frown. His eyebrows knitted and his head tilted to the side as if he was trying to understand something. Matthew must have noticed it too, asking Kyungsoo what was wrong.

“Kyungha… my sister, had a diary like that, too,” he answered, his eyes glued onto the screen. “She wrote about Judas too, but then it’s because she’s such a pure soul. She never believed that Judas should be hated. She used to pray to him because she thought that he deserved it.”

His words made Matthew blink and for a moment, I could have sworn I saw a knowing look flash through Matthew’s features. The screen began to show images of an ultrasound, doctors coming up on screen to tell them that they did see her baby bump grow unbelievably fast.

“Abnormal development. Within three months, the baby was fully grown. What can be seen as symbolism is that Miles was born on April 1st. April Fools Day.”

“April Fool’s day was a day put up after Judas. Betrayal, lies, jokes, pranks.” Kyungsoo chewed on his bottom lip. Images of Tammy Pennington, Miles’ mother was brought up on screen and it was from a VCR. “But it’s funny how people even used VCR’s. You can’t edit dates on VCR’s, makes me think if something was planned.”

“Tammy Pennington tried to kill herself on April 1st, hung herself from her orphanage bathroom. She was found in time. Miles was born on that day, Tammy Pennington pronounced dead after delivering her baby.”

“A woman said to be blessed with a Miracle Baby from Judas kills herself the same way he did back then? If this isn’t symbolism, I don’t know what is,” Minseok murmured.

“My dad visits me in my dreams.” Miles’ video came up on the screen. “He says he is coming back.”

Scientists are confirming it and are quick to accept it. In the 21st century, pseudo science—

I saw Kyungsoo shift uncomfortably, Matthew not dragging his eyes away from Kyungsoo as if he knew something when I found myself asking him if he was alright.

“Nothing,” Kyungsoo answered, his eyebrows knitting together tightly. “Just… Too much of a coincidence.”

“Mhm, well. It might die down,” Matthew said quickly clasping his hand onto Kyungsoo’s shoulder and giving it a small shake. “Right now, the possessions are rising quickly so we may have to focus on that… Right, Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah, heard the possessions are spreading like a virus. What are the Grim Reapers doing?” Kyungsoo asked, Matthew shrugging and saying that they are going through a hard time.

“I’m an intern but apparently Peniel and the rest are bamboozled.” Matthew pressed down on his wrist, a screen coming up. True as he said, the dots on the screen had multiplied. “It’s spreading like a virus and people are crowding on possession points! It’s as if they are drawn to something there.”

“Didn’t you see like a cult gathering?” Minseok asked, raising an eyebrow. “You told me that through text when I asked, remember?”

Matthew froze when suddenly tilted his head.

“I went with Peniel, to the Philippines. But yes, they were praying to Judas.” Matthew leaned forward, deep in thought when he looked at Kyungsoo.

I too, remembered that Kyungsoo was taken off the case and replaced with his father because one of the possession points in Korea was Kyungsoo’s hometown. I chewed on my lip, a heavy feeling settling, like something was slowly coming.

“It’s… impossible for it to be related to each other, right?” Matthew was asking, rubbing his eyes. “I mean…”

“Why do I feel like it’s more than what it seems?” Baekhyun whispered, all of us trying to connect the dots. “But are we really going to think about that now that Matthew Hyung just came back? Let the Grim Reapers and the other people handle it!”

“That is true.” Sehun nodded. “We’re here to celebrate Matthew Hyung being back—”

“Didn’t we just celebrate like… a few times?”

“No reason to have another party!” Baekhyun exclaimed, hands in the air like he don’t care. “Bring it all out, the soju! The alcohol!”

“Baekhyun—”

“I agree,” Sehun quickly agreed, standing up. “What are we waiting for?”

It was obvious that we had all become alcoholics, getting drunk to numb the pain of adulthood. Matthew had a dad-look on his face as the boys loaded alcohol on the kitchen table—everyone sitting around in a circle. Kyungsoo had helped himself with a bottle of wine, telling us that soju wasn’t good for him.

“I’m classy, you are trashy,” he said, pointing at all of us before eh got attacked by a very aggressive Kai. As we sat down, we talked about our life. Kai had given us an update on his cases.

“Remember the case where I said the woman couldn’t remember stabbing her husband?” he asked and we nodded, knowing that he had spent countless nights on that case. “Turns out she had a split personality. She can’t remember when her other counterpart takes over.”

“Ouch, what happens then?” I asked. “That’s what I’m curious about, actually. What happens when the person has DID or even schizophrenia and they commit a crime? It’s not like you can implicate another a person because they have the same body.”

“That’s up to the judge but… usually, they go into an asylum. I heard a lot of it is from past trauma.” Kai shrugged, downing a shot. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were playing a mobile game, Kyungsoo in a thumb war with Matthew. Minseok, Sehun, Kai and I were deep in conversation.

“That happened to one of the areas, too.” Minseok began. “Remember the factory I told you about?”

“The area you fought with Kim Doyoung over?” I asked, Minseok making a face. I knew his real estate history always hit a sore spot. “I heard something about that. One of the employee’s stabbing everyone to death. Like mass murder.”

“Yeah, horrifying.” Minseok nodded when he chuckled, pointing at Kyungsoo who had his head on Matthew’s shoulder, the Grim Reaper patting Kyungsoo on the back. “Soo is drunk.”

“Hey, Kyungsoo! You okay, over there?” Kai asked loudly, Kyungsoo grunting.

“Shut up, let me have my moment.”

Matthew narrowed his eyes at Kai, telling him to shut up, Kai laughing softly to himself. Our drinking circle did not continue for long when a woosh sounded and we were greeted by a very stressed out Peniel. The Grim Reaper tipped his hat at us, all of us blinking rapidly at his sudden arrival.

Matthew quicky got on his feet and bowed, Peniel waving a hand at him before rounding up to Kyungsoo.

“The Vatican.”

A single word that made Kyungsoo’s eyes widen, our handler struggling to get up.

“Is it that serious?” he asked, Peniel giving him a nod. “How serious?”

“Not bad, but I’m sure that we have to talk to them. Make sure Bora is included, she’s your medium-clairvoyant. You know the rules, Kyungsoo. Every handler has to have a medium—”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it,” Kyungsoo waved a hand, stumbling backward onto the couch. Peniel gave him a pointed glare.

“Are you drunk?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo answered and I smiled at how blunt he was. Peniel didn’t faze, the Grim reaper telling Kyungsoo to get on to it, o

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mandalee
<3 Thanks for staying! To the final stretch!

Comments

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Rubyredd #1
Excited to read this! I cracked up at the poster with the ghost 😂😂
Lucasfatboy
#2
Chapter 33: *thinks is sequel*
*sees its new fic*
*sees has matthew lee*
yay matthew
asia1993
#3
Chapter 33: Omg I saw the notification and thought you decided to continue TBC but it's a whole new fic now! With MATTHEW!
matokicookies
#4
Chapter 32: Read it again~ i love how it first started like a simple and casual feat story that revolves around activities with friends. Like how episodes with their own stories each week’s broadcast. Then as it went to season 2, the plot thickens and it felt like reading a novel. Love how the characters grown together and i really love Matthew’s character! Glad Bora and Matthew have their happy ending in the end 🌷
Babyjb #5
Chapter 32: Oh My God! I always love reading your stories. I've checked this story and the rise of the mages when I was quarantined. Safe to say that I really enjoyed my time reading your stories. I like how the stories connected to each other. Hope you writers had fun writing them as much as we enjoyed reading your stories.
PuffTedEBear
#6
Chapter 29: Teddy will always be a good choice. Please excuse me now. I feel like crying my eyes out.
ji_hyun
#7
Chapter 17: yipppp love how this connects with haechan's story! :')
fajiha23 #8
Chapter 32: Another amazing story.... Love this so much...
bebexol
#9
Chapter 23: Kyungsoo's blunt personality will forever be my favorite, I loved how he crawled on the floor without understanding the situation fully
bebexol
#10
Chapter 22: Oh my god Chanyeol's reaction was a crack up! And Kyungsoo and Chanyeol calling it their apartment is the best, it's so good to see them comfortable together after so long