chapter 154

Chapter 154

Visabel wanted the three of them to become housemates.

“Three?”

“Yes, three.”

“Me, Hunter Yoo Seong-woon, and surely not...”

“That surely not is correct.”

Yoo Seong-woon nodded.

“Gio too.”

“...”

At that, Juhyeon, who had been organizing his luggage, visibly pressed his lips tight. Yoo Seong-woon was certain the words he swallowed were either, ‘Are you sane,’ or, ‘He’s definitely crazy.’

Even so, there was no way a powerless slave of capitalism could talk back to his boss. Rather than a promise that he’d pull him out of this lunacy, Yoo Seong-woon offered an apologetic line that urged resignation.

“I’m sorry to drag you into my guildmaster’s greed.”

“No, I’m sure there must be some greater intent I don’t understand.”

Contrary to what he really felt, Juhyeon asked with a pleasant smile.

“May I at least hear why he made that choice?”

“To put it simply, it’s because he wants ‘Gio’s Portrait’ to be stained by humans’ lives more quickly.”

“He wants Gio to be stained by humans’ lives?”

Rustle.

As Juhyeon opened a paper box containing his moving things, his smile became subtle.

“...It’s not my place to doubt, but... is that possible?”

“Since Gio himself has a strong will, it’s not completely impossible.”

“He really is outstanding at imitating humans, but...”

“He also keeps insisting he’s human.”

“So he wasn’t only insisting to me.”

Juhyeon laughed hollowly.

“He said he’s a human with the traits of a portrait.”

“That’s one of Gio’s frequent claims.”

Yoo Seong-woon understood Juhyeon’s absurdity as well.

“He says, human diversity is this wide—why wouldn’t it include one portrait?”

He had no intention of refuting Gio’s claim to begin with, and even if he did, Gio wouldn’t listen.

“No matter how great his rank, no matter how enormous the power he holds, no matter how much his body and personality change, Gio treats it all as nothing more than a single trait.”

“That’s what it seemed like.”

“I’m glad you understand well. But because of that, Gio will all the more try to blend in among humans, and we judged that our Collector’s won’t be able to stop that.”

Yoo Seong-woon wore his characteristic unbothered smile.

“Does it look like negligence?”

“...Honestly, a little.”

Juhyeon’s eyes curved softly.

“At the Association institute, things were far more thorough.”

“If you think of Earth and humanity’s peace, that level of thorough defenses are necessary.”

“But the Collector’s motto is ‘Love the works,’ isn’t it?”

“Yes, and because of that, there’s no security system at the level you expect, Mr. Juhyeon.”

“Even so, I understand you won’t be letting go completely. That would be the Collector’s way.”

“As you said, the Collector’s focuses more on response after an incident occurs. It’s a different method from the Association, which pulls up the sprouts of risk that could cause an incident in the first place.”

At Yoo Seong-woon’s words, Juhyeon nodded.

“I’ll do my best to adapt.”

Even though he hadn’t been hired as an employee of the Collector’s, since Gio is treated as a member of the Collector’s, Juhyeon had to be seen as half-connected there as well. He should adapt as quickly as possible.

“So is that why... you thought of housemates or something? Because you can’t stop ‘Gio’s Portrait’ from living in human society anyway?”

“That is one of the guildmaster’s intentions. Like I told you before, Gio still doesn’t know many things about human society, and if he’s to be active as ‘Mr. Seo Gio,’ he needs even more adaptation.”

“So he’s trying to have him live with other humans and gather his rank more naturally, and learn basic human common sense. Yes, I understand.”

As Juhyeon continued speaking calmly, his smile became awkward in an instant.

“...But you just said it was one of the intentions?”

“The greatest goal is to appreciate the 모습 of ‘Gio’s Portrait’ living with humans.”

“Guildmaster Visabel?”

“Surprisingly, this is reality. That’s the collector.”

“I already knew he’s extraordinary, but he really is bold.”

“Thank you for putting it nicely.”

Yoo Seong-woon nodded, full of sympathy and pity. He was moved that even in this situation, Juhyeon was still trying to do social life properly.

“Since he isn’t trying to attempt it immediately, you ended up assigned next door to me. He likely also wants you to build a closer relationship with me, as the curator in charge of ‘Gio’s Portrait.’”

“Thanks to that, I’m only grateful to have received an excessive lodging.”

“As I said before, the lodging will be in your name, Mr. Juhyeon, but all costs for it will be handled by the Collector’s. So please don’t feel too burdened, and for now, I would appreciate it if you’d set the goal of adapting to the current situation.”

“I’m also worried about how I should manage ‘Mr. Seo Gio’...”

“For manager training, you can receive it from our Collector’s secretary office. That doesn’t mean you’ll belong to the Collector’s, so you don’t need to worry. Since this is your first time with this kind of work, they’ll teach you from the basics step by step.”

After listing the necessary points, Yoo Seong-woon let out a light laugh.

“Well, and since we’ve become neighbors, it would be even better if you gradually become more comfortable.”

“I’ll try to work on adapting to that too...”

“If you keep running into each other here and there over issues related to Gio, you’ll probably become close naturally.”

“That would be all I could ask.”

“Ah, and if I can offer you a bit of advice.”

Yoo Seong-woon asked.

“You said you became Gio’s pen-pal friend, right?”

“For now, yes...”

“Then, on rare occasions, you’ll receive a letter from Gio.”

“So he really meant pen-pal friend.”

“Don’t be too startled when it appears without warning.”

Pointing at himself, he said,

“I’m pen-pal friend number one, so I know that part well. A pitch-black letter that quietly appears in an empty house will send a chill down your spine. And even if you check the letter, there won’t be any characters you can read.”

“Then is there any meaning in sending the letter?”

“I’m treating it as a kind of beeper. I believe the frame that wraps ‘Gio’s Portrait’ acts as a kind of filtering process, and the letters are corrupted in that process. Since it’s delivered to fit a human’s rank, it can’t be helped.”

“If it were delivered raw, most humans would take a major hit.”

“Even the letter itself makes your heart drop, perhaps because traces of that rank remain. As for the problem that you can’t read the contents, Gio is continuously worrying about it. I think it’s something that will be resolved someday if his human imitation improves further.”

After saying that, Yoo Seong-woon looked at Juhyeon as if he felt sorry for him.

“Mr. Juhyeon isn’t awakened, so I’m especially worried.”

“...Is it really that scary of a letter? To the point safety depends on whether you’re awakened or not?”

“Of course, since you worked at the Association institute, you’ll adapt quickly.”

Yoo Seong-woon wore his usual unbothered smile again.

“Unreal tragedies happen there often too.”

“So Gio’s letter is something that needs that much vigilance?”

“To put it simply, I’d say think of it as a ghost story.”

“Ah, a ghost story...”

“That’s also the identity of the ‘Black Cloak.’”

“I have heard similar things now and then.”

You could call it a kind of urban legend. People said that if you are lucky—or unlucky—you might meet the Black Cloak, a real ghost story.

“Is there anything else I need to know?”

“For the rest, you can learn it as you bump into Gio.”

Yoo Seong-woon continued.

“Do you know about gardeners, by any chance?”

“...I don’t think you mean a garden with flowers and trees.”

“There’s knowledge that only a portion of people know, even within the Association.”

“Is it okay for me to know that?”

“Rather, you’ll have to know, even if you don’t want to, now.”

“It seems that knowledge has a large connection to ‘Gio’s Portrait.’”

“I will tell you about that part later.”

Yoo Seong-woon grinned.

“I’ll send you materials in advance, so I’d appreciate it if you read them slowly.”

“I’m fairly confident in studying theory. I’ll do my best to produce results as you expect.”

“I shouldn’t say it like this, but now we’re in the same boat called Gio.”

As if offering a toast, he said,

“Let’s hope we remain human.”

“...”

Juhyeon’s eyes curved in a smile.

“...Yes.”

What a chilling thing to say, he thought.

* * *

Under the Collector’s care, Juhyeon successfully finished moving.

“The house is too big.”

Juhyeon muttered.

“Why is this even a house.”

He wanted to use only one-tenth of it.

Juhyeon knew well what kind of place this apartment was. It was one of the prestigious apartments in Seoul where, among first-grade citizens, A-rank hunters or famous celebrities primarily lived.

‘At least, it means there’s nothing to worry about in terms of security issues...’

Even so, as a second-grade citizen with nothing much to look at, he couldn’t help feeling extremely uncomfortable.

He never asked for lodging like this that didn’t fit his station. One cozy room, one kitchen, one bathroom would be enough.

‘Is this also something I have to adapt to.’

It was awkward.

“...Mm...”

Juhyeon looked around.

Perhaps because the Collector’s had shown all sorts of consideration, beyond essential supplies, even decorations like frames and pottery had been set up with sophistication, but it still only felt like he’d come to someone else’s house.

‘I’d rather the cabin at Mr. Gio’s was more comfortable.’

The moment Juhyeon thought that, he felt a chill.

“...”

Am I crazy?

‘I should be careful not to think strange thoughts.’

Friend or not, there were unwritten rules when dealing with gods. Even if a god bestows mercy and grace, you must not regard it as a natural benefit, nor should you expect to receive it again.

‘Have I been exhausting myself too much worrying about my family’s graves lately.’

Juhyeon’s thoughts returned to a realistic topic.

“...First, I should try to find some keepsakes...”

He intended to make graves for the family and friends who died because of him.

‘There should still be some things left at the orphanage.’

Even though it was in Seoul, his orphanage was in a rather secluded area. Since it was a gloomy place with no other use, only the bodies—at risk of producing monsters—had been cleared away, and the building itself remained as it was.

‘I was too out of it to think of looking around, but the government probably didn’t clean up that thoroughly, so there should be plenty of things I can use as keepsakes. Should I start by gathering those.’

Even so, it was bitter.

“...”

There won’t even be bodies at the graves I make.

“...Haaa...”

If I’d come a little earlier, I might have been able to bring them before the bodies were processed.

‘I was too late.’

He didn’t want to spend emotion on useless self-blame, but he couldn’t help the guilt that it was his fault. A gravestone with no owner was just that painful to Juhyeon.

It was while he was sitting on the bed with his head lowered for a long time.

“Meow.”

“...”

“Meow.”

“...?”

A cat’s cry.

“Meow.”

But.

“Meow.”

“...”

Do cats usually cry like that?

‘...Too typical of a meow...’

His insides churned.

Rubbing his neck, which had grown a little cold, Juhyeon stood up.

His lodging was on the 46th floor. With a higher floor height per unit than an ordinary apartment, it was a structure where no stray cat could ever get in. The security was excellent enough that not even a single monster could enter.

“...”

Even so, Juhyeon moved without hesitation.

“Meow.”

“...Ah...”

“Meow.”

“Just as I thought.”

Looking beyond the balcony window, Juhyeon said,

“It was you.”

The jeweled cat, hiding in the darkness with a black letter in its mouth, had changed color to match the night sky, unlike when he saw it at the cabin.

Was it a kind of camouflage, or was there another reason? Before that trivial thought could even pass, he saw the letter in its mouth.

“You brought a letter?”

“Meow.”

“We did happen to talk about that today.”

Gio’s anti-cat, Dana, drew closer to the window, her body faintly glowing like a cluster of stars.

“...Do you want to come in?”

When Juhyeon opened the window, Dana trotted into the room. Dana, as big as a Maine Coon, sat in front of Juhyeon and held out the letter in her mouth as if telling him to take it.

When he took the letter, Dana blinked. This child resembled the night sky holding the Milky Way.

“...”

“...”

Inside the shadowy darkness that seemed to swallow even the surrounding light, the jeweled cat circled Juhyeon once for some reason, then went back out to the balcony. And soon it disappeared into the night.

After staring at the wide-open balcony window, Juhyeon soon opened the letter.

“...As expected, I can’t understand what it says.”

Yet the weight so light it seemed like nothing, the rustle of dry grass, the scent of the forest—felt as though they were telling him who the owner of this letter was.

After staring blankly at the distorted characters, Juhyeon let out a weak exclamation.

“Ah.”

Come to think of it.

“It had the letter in its mouth—how did it make a meow sound?”

It was a fact he hadn’t thought of when Dana was in front of him.

Suddenly, Juhyeon thought it felt like a piece of a ghost story.

(To be continued in the next episode)