Chapter 279

Chapter 279

Hearing that the first news after the portrait resumed its activities in a long time was “a gift of raw meat dripping with bloody water,” Yoo Seongun immediately went to find Gio.

“Gio.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Do you perhaps have any bad feelings about our company policy or something?”

“Not at all. And you arrived at just the right time. Mr. Yoo Seongun, I will give you a gift. If you receive it, you will be very pleased.”

“Now you just gloss over things like it’s breathing? Did I do something wrong? What kind of warning is this? No, before that, did my words even reach your ears?”

“I have become stronger.”

“You look it.”

It was ‘Gio’s portrait’ that had oddly adapted well to human society. Yoo Seongun hurriedly stopped the portrait, which moved as if lifting something up.

“Whoa, wait a second. Before you lift more meat, let’s talk first.”

Yoo Seongun turned pale. He had no idea what he had done wrong, or where things had gone off the rails. If possible, he had to resolve the situation through conversation.

And fortunately, Gio was a portrait capable of gentle interaction. If things went well, he might even be persuaded. Yoo Seongun desperately tried a roundabout refusal.

“I don’t have talent for cooking like you, so I can’t do anything with meat that hasn’t been drained. More than that, I didn’t give you anything—if you give me a gift like this, how am I supposed to repay you...”

“Mr. Yoo Seongun, are you my friend?”

“...I am, aren’t I?”

“You have already paid every price required here through that.”

“I’m really sorry, but did I sign some kind of slave contract without knowing? Or a body-forfeiture pledge? What exactly did I offer up that I can just accept a gift like this?”

A huge terror surged in.

“Gio, I always tell you. If you want to make contracts with people, please announce something beforehand. Can’t I even die as a human? Am I going to live forever? Am I going to be immortal? Or that thing you said—‘we’ll be friends in the next life too’—was that not a joke?”

Gio cleanly ignored him.

“Fortunately, Mr. Yoo Seongun, this time you have a choice. Choose one of the two: lamb or chicken.”

“...Chicken?”

“To choose obediently—what a good adult. I will give you these two as compensation.”

“Please don’t do this.”

Even so, Yoo Seongun ended up cradling chunks of meat in both arms.

“...I have a question. You definitely said lamb and chicken, but why are both of them so heavy? Leaving size aside, why is everything so red? Isn’t one of them supposed to be chicken? Why is bloody water dripping? More than that, why didn’t you drain the blood when you butchered them? Are you really not angry? I’m seriously terrified.”

“That is your misunderstanding. This has excellent bloody water, so I only tidied it up to a minimum. If you grill it, the density of the flesh increases, and if you boil it, the savory flavor deepens. You may separate the blood and drink it separately, but rather than doing that, cooking it in this state is best, so I gifted it like this.”

It meant that, unlike what Yoo Seongun feared, there was a reasonable reason.

“As for the size and color of this gift, you can find the answer within my portrait. May I invite you, Mr. Yoo Seongun?”

“Unfortunately, I came straight from working overtime. There are many areas I have to check right now, but I dropped everything and came to see your face, because I thought this might be one of your ways of protesting.”

The portrait was always one that gifted humans high-quality ingredients and food. To suddenly go around gifting raw meat with the bloody water not even drained—there was no way it wouldn’t chill his spine.

After all, works that gave difficult warnings in ways like this were not rare.

Only then did the portrait seem to realize the humans’ fear. There, Yoo Seongun could recall that his work had made a similar mistake even in the early days, when it was first displayed.

Though the portrait still carried a gloomy, taciturn atmosphere, he tried to reassure Yoo Seongun with his own kind of kindness.

“...You and all the employees of this company have been truly kind to me. I had no complaints, nor did I intend to protest. I apologize for the insufficient gift wrapping. I wrapped it in paper so it could absorb the minimum amount of bloody water, but I did not expect you to be this startled.”

“I’m not sure it’s only a wrapping problem, but...”

“In the future, I will strive to behave more moderately from your standpoint. If the other party fears me, I should also explain the gift.”

“...Well, fine. If you have no complaints, that’s enough. I thought you might be angry because you couldn’t build a Temple of Rage.”

“A Temple of Rage is not necessary. Don’t you think so as well?”

“My opinion isn’t that important, so...”

Yoo Seongun let out a sigh that might have been relief—or going insane.

‘...Since there was no separate hint from the guild master or the 5th-floor head, I thought it couldn’t be that serious, but... there really was no problem at all, beyond imagination.’

He wrapped the raw meat—neatly packaged, though stained a bit with blood—once more in a zipper bag. Then he wiped the blood off the outside with a handkerchief.

Putting the meat into his work bag, Yoo Seongun returned to his usual placid smile.

“Anyway, I’ll eat this well.”

“You have become very thin. Are you not taking proper meals?”

“I always say it, Gio. If hunters become pigs, they have to die. If you didn’t gain weight for a good reason, it’s basically the same as being unqualified as a hunter.”

“But Mr. Yoo Seongun, you are thinner than average.”

“I’m average, you know? I eat twice a day, so don’t worry.”

“Twice?”

“...”

Yoo Seongun dealt with it like a professional.

“It’s going to be four times from now on.”

“Good.”

The portrait nodded.

“If it is not merely my imagination, you seem to have been especially busy lately.”

“Ah, how should I put it. The Earth has been pretty chaotic lately.”

“Is it because of what I did?”

“It has had some influence, sure, but... Earth was already creaking badly. It’s literally a castle built on sand. In that situation, mystery made a huge touch—so of course the gardens would become noisy.”

“Ah-ha.”

‘Gio’s portrait’ spoke as if it understood.

“There have been many small disturbances recently. I saw big and small friends wandering through the city. I recall that Mr. Yoo Seongun referred to them as children of the origin.”

“Children—what a cute way to put it.”

To Gio, who was the eye of the origin, they would truly feel like children.

“That’s right. Thanks to the organs and blood vessels of mystery wrapping the Earth stirring. Perhaps because of that, the snowfield I serve these days isn’t quiet either. Do you remember the Jungyoungwon healer you met last time? That side also went into complete seclusion, they say... it’s one of the events you inevitably experience if you live on Earth.”

Yoo Seongun smiled placidly.

“That doesn’t mean it’s your fault.”

“I have caused inconvenience.”

“It’s a natural phenomenon, so you don’t need to feel responsible. This is how Earth’s self-purification works. By causing these big and small disturbances, it finds its way back to its original place.”

“Sometimes I am curious about Mr. Yoo Seongun’s garden.”

“...Yeah?”

It was a somewhat happy thing to hear, so Yoo Seongun’s eyes curved into a smile.

“But unfortunately, I don’t have the authority to invite others to the garden like you do. If you personally stepped in, it might be a different story, but for now, I don’t.”

It would be strange if a mere gardener had the authority to handle the garden as he pleased.

“Want to at least see snow?”

“Are you recommending Mr. Yoo Seongun’s snow?”

“The part where the garden shows most clearly is the eyes, after all.”

“The eyes...”

“...”

Though it would be hidden by black paint, he could feel the gaze.

“...”

Still scary.

‘...It’s been a while since I felt chills.’

There was a coolness, as though his heart, his brain, and even his marrow were touching the air.

If the portrait’s gaze had not been covered by that paint, Yoo Seongun would not have been able to endure it. Rather, because he was a gardener, there were many things he could feel even more nakedly.

Soon after, the portrait finished appreciating the garden.

“It is cold.”

It was a plain evaluation.

“I will knit you a scarf soon.”

“Oh... I’d be grateful if you did, but I’m not really going to get stuffed somewhere because of that, right?”

“Since Mr. Yoo Seongun acknowledged me as a friend, such a price is not necessary.”

“So in the end, my opinion mattered?”

“Isn’t becoming friends always about both sides’ thoughts mattering?”

“Sometimes, it feels like you really like friends. Right?”

“I do.”

The portrait affirmed.

“I like friends I can get along with, promises that are not broken lightly, and punishments that are necessary depending on the time.”

“...”

Yoo Seongun opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it.

“...I see?”

It seemed better not to stir it up.

“Do you have anything you’re curious about regarding how I’ve been? Or the recent state of society. Since you’ve been staying only inside the portrait lately, I thought you might want to hear these kinds of stories.”

“I am curious whether the employees of Collection are all right.”

“If it’s about you, uh, a new notice did go up recently. It says to be careful because lately you’ve been giving meat gifts that drip with bloody water. We didn’t know exactly what it meant.”

“Indeed, the wrapping of the gift I gave was insufficient. I offer my apologies.”

“You don’t have to be that sorry.”

Yoo Seongun laughed refreshingly.

“Everyone’s used to things like this.”

Like a pitch-black portrait giving a lump of unidentified meat.

It was Gio’s first time, but as Yoo Seongun had thought even while coming, works that tried to warn something in such bizarre ways were not rare.

If you were a Collection employee, it was precisely in times like that that you kept your wits sharp.

Usually, those were expressions of displeasure, or ominous curses, warnings, phenomena closer to prophecy. Curators judged even that as a kind of “work fragment.” It wasn’t for nothing that Yoo Seongun had come running to find Gio.

“As for other awareness, people are a little surprised that you were recognized as official divinity? That’s probably it. It’s a world overflowing with divinity, but there aren’t many religions the state recognizes.”

“That likely means there are many who play pranks.”

“Right. If you recognize divinity too readily, that mystery’s power becomes enormous. And too great a power becomes disaster to humans. Unless the divinity itself has considerable restraint, it won’t be recognized as a religion.”

“But they recognized me.”

“You’re... well... you... so... yeah...”

Yoo Seongun had nothing else he could say.

“Do you know what your followers have been doing lately?”

“They are not followers. They are enthusiasts who like my painting.”

“Sure, enthusiasts. Do you know what those people have been doing?”

“Recently, they have been visiting people in need and providing appropriate help.”

“That’s exactly it. Look at how positively people who don’t even have proper doctrine, temples, or even uniforms are affecting society. The Association and the government made the right judgment.”

“O Heaven and Earth’s Divine Spirits.”

“What happens if you call them...”

Those divine spirits had no power to help Gio.

“If they’re Collection people, you don’t need to worry. They’re all people desperate because they can’t make you comfortable. Right now, Collection employees fall into one of three types.”

“I am listening.”

“People who like you, people who respect you, people who fear you.”

“I will choose the second.”

“Unfortunately, you have to choose all three. Even if you demolish the house in this Collection, it’ll be the same. The Collection guild members’ thoughts about you are, how should I put it... yeah.”

Yoo Seongun reached a conclusion.

“It’s a natural phenomenon.”

“A natural phenomenon.”

“Like fog that forms on a lake sometimes.”

“Fog.”

“Fog that can converse and interact.”

That tendency had always been strong, but after they became certain the Black Cloak was something beyond divinity, it grew stronger. It wasn’t a normal reaction, but it couldn’t be helped—this was a gathering place of not-normal collectibles.

The portrait asked about that point.

“Everyone is calm.”

“Because everyone knows that’s wise.”

Yoo Seongun knew very well what his colleagues were thinking.

“We’re collectibles, Gio. Maintaining the status quo is essential. The guild master never forced that, but only the people who want to do that have remained here. If employees in such an excellent service profession get swept up in emotions at all hours, what work could they do?”

So they had to be polite.

“The same goes for how they treat you.”

Whether the emotion toward him was awe, respect, or fear, that didn’t matter. They only had to follow the manual. Appreciation was theirs alone. The gears of society shouldn’t show it.

“So don’t worry. Our thoughts and feelings don’t matter. All employees of Collection exist to serve you. They’ll just avert their eyes from whatever they carry inside. Because they know that if they don’t, they’ll become very, truly exhausted.”

“I understand that this is your way.”

The portrait’s reply was, as always, curt and plain.

“I respect it.”

“Yeah? You’re not offended?”

Yoo Seongun gave an embarrassed laugh and rubbed the corner of his mouth.

“You’re, um, a person...? You know. I wondered if treating an existence that considers itself human like this might feel like something you shouldn’t do. It’s a late question, but I wondered if you’re truly all right.”

“I know that this is one of the ways you view me. I affirm all of those ways. My own thoughts about myself are not important to you.”

“Like us?”

“And like me.”

The portrait summarized simply.

“We respect each other.”

“That’s cool.”

“I also like it.”

“Right, that’s how it was. It was...”

He could understand what it meant.

Humans interpret this existence as a “portrait.” And this existence likewise interprets the humans beyond the frame as “paintings.” Since each is a work to the other, there was no reason not to respect them.

Suddenly, chills ran down his spine.

“...A thought just occurred to me. You seem to change, but you don’t change at all.”

How was that possible?

‘...You became the son of the sun, and also became the divinity of rage. One day you become human, and one day you become a dragon. And then you come back at the very end and become a painting that claims it is human.’

This existence could interact. And interaction meant mixing. If you poured paint into a river, it was only natural for it to blur, but it remained in place. It truly was like a stuffed, preserved painting.

It was unbelievably fascinating.

“Um...”

But if he showed too much of it, it might be offended. ‘Gio’s portrait’ still thought of itself as human, so it was better to match that rhythm as much as possible.

Yoo Seongun spoke as if he had just remembered someone.

“Right, it looks like I’ll have time soon.”

“Is it a vacation?”

“I rolled around diligently in front of the guild master. I tried cleaning the floor with my whole body.”

“He does not seem like he would be flustered.”

“He enjoyed watching and gave me vacation. That’s how I live, Gio.”

It was worth enduring the humiliation and doing a little act.

“I have the whole day off this Friday. If you include the weekend, it feels like we could go somewhere. If you’re okay with it, should we even go on a decent overseas trip? Overall it’s a mess, but the U.S. seems relatively organized, so it might be okay.”

“I can help you move.”

“Ugh, right. Yeah. Anyway, pass word to Ms. Juhyeon too. I’ll be so busy I won’t have time to breathe until Friday, so ask her to bear with it. And if you want to go before then, bring Ms. Juhyeon along, don’t forget.”

“Ms. Juhyeon and I are one body.”

“When you say that, it doesn’t sound like a metaphor.”

“Separated while being like one body.”

After a brief moment of thought, the portrait replied.

“I will wait.”

“Wait—hold on. I just got a feeling. You’re not going to stay still while you wait. What are you going to do while waiting?”

“First, I must farm.”

“I don’t know what it is, but I’ll look forward to it.”

“Please look forward to it.”

* * *

And so Friday came.

“So this is the popcorn Mr. Gio fried.”

“For today, I selected corn that would pop successfully.”

“Oh, my...”

In all his life, he had never seen popcorn the size of a baseball. Fluffy and soft, it was like a slightly firm marshmallow.

Juhyeon held a popcorn container neatly folded from paper material. Then she sat beside Gio. Beside Gio, Yoo Seongun sat wrapped in a blanket made from golden-step sheep leather.

There were Dana and Honey, the teddy bear, the wisteria water dragons, and an unidentified flowerpot there as well.

“...?”

Hesitating, Juhyeon asked, with a huge TV before them.

“Then why are we sitting on the floor instead of using that big sofa?”

“Ah.”

“Ah...”

Yoo Seongun offered a plausible answer.

“Because sitting cross-legged is comfortable?”

Gio added a word as well.

“On the floor, it is fine even if food is dropped.”

Juhyeon nodded.

“I can tell none of you have any deep meaning, so let’s just put on a movie.”

And so, on Friday evening, they turned on a horror movie and held a discussion time where they deeply analyzed the occult phenomena that made up its contents.

In particular, Yoo Seongun was satisfied, saying he “learned a lot.”

(To be continued in the next chapter)