---

K-ree-s-mas!

It’s like a disgusting Christmas figure!

No matter when I see it, it’s repulsive and horrific—so revolting it makes me want to vomit.

The misshapen Santa and Rudolph look like they were drawn with a foot, and the word “Christmas,” which is ridiculously large on the sleigh, has been so poorly scaled that it’s all crumpled. Plus, whoever made that clearly lacks any sense of aesthetics, because that font is barely legible, and the scaling is so messed up that it half-obscures Santa and Rudolph’s bodies.

It’s just more disgusting.

Even though Santa and Rudolph look repulsive and horrific at first glance, it feels like those lifeless eyes lurking behind that sign are glaring at me, making me wonder what could possibly feel good about that!

So, when I start shouting about how disgusting it is and that it should be taken down, that revolting hypocrite says:

— Oh, William. That figure was a gift from a very special person. Despite suffering from dementia, he comes to church every week with unwavering love for God—a brother with unwavering faith. If you knew what kind of heart and effort it took for him to create that with the little rationality he has each day, you wouldn’t think it’s ugly.

Hypo-crite.

You’re the hypocrite.

Damn praying fool.

You mean to say that isn’t disgusting?

You’re not scared of that monstrous sight?

To say you’re not repulsed by it, which looks like something a primitive tribe in uncivilized Africa would sacrifice to worship, is just hypocrisy!

I know your true intentions!

Those who see that figure will say:

— Oh, what is that thing?

Curiosity will inevitably strike, given that such a disgusting object is unworthy of the church!

It should be at the very bottom of a garbage heap or sinking at the bottom of the Thames, so why is that horrific figure here!?

Then, with a smile dripping in hypocrisy, you would say:

— Oh, that object was a gift from a parishioner suffering from dementia. It embodies his noble heart and effort. Though believers often send precious things, that gift feels the most valuable to me in the world.

Then, hearing your hypocritical words, the adults would respond as if they had caught that very hypocrisy.

— Ah! How touching to hear such a story. I can’t just stand by after hearing this; can I make a donation?

A disgusting hypocrite, selling the story for money while twisting hearts with sinister tricks instead of sharing the words from the Bible.

Ah, if only I could foresee this church being burnt down!

Watching this revolting hypocrite burn alive and see his head get cut off at the end would be delightful!

If I could witness such a prediction, at least half of the annoyance I get from this disgusting hypocrite would be alleviated!

I hate everything.

That hypocrite.

The old coot who dragged me out of my home where I wanted to play and put me face-to-face with that hypocrite.

And that nauseating Christmas, oh. Nauseating Christmas!

That horrific idol suspended above me is watching.

That dreadful shape is laughing at the innocent kids playing, completely unaware.

That twisted Rudolph seems to be grinning ear to ear, and that Santa is looking at me with a sinister smile.

— Hey, are you curious about that? Wondering what’s behind the Christmas sign, huh?

I’m not curious, you little brat.

Don’t act like we’re friends!

— I thought it was a sign at first. But the back sticks out, and a lot of kids are eager to see what’s behind Christmas. But it’s too high up, and we can’t get there, so we have no way of checking it out.

I didn’t ask you.

Shut your mouth!

— So, what’s behind this Christmas? Is there a present in Santa’s sack like the kids say? Or is it a hiding spot for church donations?

You think embezzled donations could be back there?

It’s possible.

I like the sound of that.

— Though some kids like to scare others, they say behind that Christmas is Santa’s sack, and it’s filled with naughty kids who didn’t behave. Do you think that too?

You’re saying things I don’t want to hear.

You’re so shameless.

I don’t want to talk to you anymore.

— But I’m really curious! What’s behind that Christmas? What if, like they say, there are kids or corpses trapped back there? Aren’t you curious too?

Not curious.

Don’t talk to me.

Who the hell do you think you are to entice me into your conversation?

— Did you catch on?

Of course, I know about that.

You’re just a brat who got lost while being more curious about Christmas!

Get lost.

I have no intention of seeing what’s behind that Christmas.

I’m not curious about the nightmares that lie behind it.

— Really?

If you’re dead, then scram.

Get the hell out of my dreams!

— I want to see it with you.

Can’t you hear me saying to get lost?

— I… wanted to see you.

…Damn it.

Damn brat.

* * *

The dream came to an end.

“Trauma.”

As William woke up from his dream, Jinseong muttered the moment he got up.

Trauma.

A word derived from Latin, meaning “heavy wound,” and a term familiar to modern medicine.

It refers to physical and mental injuries and is often used in conjunction with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

The dream William had brutally exposed the trauma he endured in his childhood.

William’s twisted psychological state since childhood.

The stress he experienced from interacting with a priest he deemed hypocritical.

The existence of ‘The Christmas’ figure, which instilled terror in him during that stress.

And even a hint about the shocking incident that created that horrific fear of the figure.

‘Hmm.’

Jinseong recalled the image of the girl who appeared in William’s dream.

The girl was very small, with blonde hair.

Had she not undergone a transformation, she would surely have become a beauty—cute and adorable, she would have been dearly loved by peers and adults alike.

Yes.

If she had grown well.

The girl was full of “conditions to be loved,” but she was not lovable.

Because she looked like a corpse.

Her neck was broken, and her head was lolling about; perhaps having been submerged in water, her skin was tinged a sickly green. Furthermore, it seemed that gases had not been released, as her body was bloated like a balloon with every word she spoke, reeking of decay.

Additionally, water continually leaked from the gap of her broken neck, and her children’s clothing, which must have been expensive and fine, was now so unrecognizable it was almost unidentifiable.

Her appearance was closer to that of a water ghost than a living human, more akin to a body recently pulled from the water.

‘Dreams tend to rely heavily on information.’

William likely had a high chance of actually witnessing that girl’s appearance.

No, he must have definitely seen her.

Though it’s one thing to see, it’s another to vividly recall the smell, indicating that he had to have encountered that sight in reality.

‘Hmm. Did my failure to save that girl in childhood trigger this twisted development? He was gruff and fierce, yet in his tone, there was definitely a hint of concern and familiarity.’

Jinseong conjured up the image of William’s past based on what he had glimpsed in his dream.

‘He hated the church and despised the priest. But with a personality like that, he probably struggled to fit in with the other children, so church time must have been a real torment. During that time, that girl must have approached and befriended him…’

The words from the dream were curt and lacked manners.

Thus, it must have been like wielding a verbal sword, inflicting wounds on the other children without hesitation, and of course, they’d want to keep their distance rather than trying to befriend William. That said, they weren’t about to bully him given his fierce temperament and notable background, and he even looked like he came from a wealthy family…

So, it was only natural he spent time in church like an invisible man.

And it was around then that an angelic girl must have approached him.

A girl with a heart like an angel would feel pity for the lonely boy spending time all alone.

That girl would have treated William kindly and tried to find common ground for conversation with him.

That common topic…

‘The Christmas.’

That was what William called that ‘disgusting and horrific figure’ in his dream.

She must have begun talking about ‘The Christmas’ to start a conversation with William. With the feelings and impressions that other children would typically harbor while looking at that figure, and the ‘stories’ they would make up in their imaginations around that object.

And from there, she must have sought to engage with William; he probably didn’t completely dislike that girl showing him interest, despite his loneliness.

However, that girl’s visits were abruptly cut off.

‘The girl who vanished after daringly stating she would look behind Christmas…’

The only one who showed interest in him was gone.

And she left with the challenging proclamation that she’d go check behind Christmas.

Yet William was a child born with the gift of prophecy since childhood, and it probably didn’t occur to him that the girl’s death would be prophetic, leaving him to optimistically think she would be safe.

And in the end…

‘Clearly a fatal slip or drowning.’

In the dead of night, a child sneaking in to see that figure.

Naturally, she would have used the darker routes instead of taking the well-lit ones.

She most likely walked along the riverbank for her illicit adventure.

And while sneaking around, she likely lost her footing and, due to a wrong posture from such a height, her neck snapped immediately. She would have plummeted into the river, where she was probably found only days later.

Moreover, tragically, William must have witnessed that girl’s corpse firsthand.

No, he might have even discovered it.

And the consequence was none other than trauma.

The girl’s death and ‘The Christmas’ figure lodged themselves deeply with wounds in his heart.

Such a tragic event.

Especially for a boy like William who bore the burden of being a prophet.

Jinseong couldn’t shake the thought that the death of that girl might have played a monumental role in William growing up to be the reckless person he is now.

The dying of the close friend.

And the prophet, who had naively lived on without even foreseeing the girl’s death, optimistically believing nothing out of the ordinary would occur.

It was undoubtedly a monumental incident capable of flipping over his values.

 

---