Chapter 59

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons — Episode 59

At Gio’s words, Yoo Sungwoon asked back.

“What do you mean?”

On the way back after finishing the first day of the initiation ceremony, having also parted with the Cha family.

At Gio’s sudden muttering, Yoo Sungwoon tilted his head.

He didn’t understand what, exactly, Gio was asking.

“A foreigner, you say.”

“That blond priest we saw during the initiation-ceremony briefing earlier, and...”

“Ah, I was wondering what you were talking about.”

Gio was stubborn in strange ways.

He had old-fashioned common sense like a grandpa’s, and it looked like he was worried that, without realizing it, he might have been racially discriminatory.

Even though he was polite and gentlemanly in everything.

What a strange thing to worry about.

“He was Korean too.

You got confused because he looks a little different from the traditional Korean appearance, right?”

“So he was Korean.

With blond hair and blue eyes, and his bone structure was also a little different from the Koreans I know, so I wondered if he was a Western foreigner.

Was that an impolite thought?”

“It is a little old-fashioned.”

“I will be careful.”

“You’ve been stuck inside a frame, so it can’t be helped that you don’t know.”

Besides, from the standpoint of an existence of the Origin, distinguishing even human nationalities would be a little difficult.

Like how a human with no specialized knowledge finds it hard to distinguish every single type of ant.

‘More than anything, existences of the Origin tend to believe the human rules they’ve learned exactly as they are...’

Existences of the Origin don’t understand human exceptions well.

There are ones who can’t understand not eating three meals a day without fail, and ones who can’t understand why someone lacks hair that “ought” to exist.

‘Saying, shouldn’t humans obviously be like this?’

In fact, you could say Gio was impressive for having distinguished him as a “Western foreigner” at all.

In this case, it seems rather like half-baked knowledge became poison, but...

“Of course, the traditional Korean appearance is generally black hair with black or brown eyes.

And the bone structure is a little different.

But in this day and age, distinguishing nationality by hair color or bone structure is a little... difficult.”

To make an existence of the Origin understand humans, it’s best to explain the flow that arose from its origins.

Yoo Sungwoon began telling an old story again.

“You seem to know about the Great Catastrophe too, but anyway, during the Great Catastrophe, Earth got flipped once, right?

It wasn’t my generation, so I don’t know exactly what it felt like, but it must have been far more chaotic than now.

It must have had a truly apocalyptic atmosphere, right?”

“...”

“...Do you even know what ‘apocalypse’ means...?”

“I do.”

“Oh, impressive.”

It was probably one of the memories the human persona called ‘Seo Gio’ had known.

“Anyway, back then, the concept of borders was faint.

Or rather, it became faint.

People started migrating everywhere to flee the disasters in their own countries, and as they did, the entire Earth began to mix various races together like a huge salad bowl.”

Because of that, a “pure-blooded Korean” became rare to see.

“If you mean a pure-blood Korean, in our country, you could only find it very rarely in provincial regions with very little exchange with other areas, I bet?

Among some stubborn elders, there are also cases where they feel extreme aversion to their children’s blood mixing with foreigners...”

“Those people exist everywhere.”

“There are always people who hate change, right?

So it’s hard to figure out someone’s nationality just by appearance.

Still, since that blond priest is hosting even an event like this, I think he’s probably Korean too.”

“Do they not entrust an event to a foreign priest?”

“No, rather than that... if he’s hosting an event this big, he must hold a fairly high position even within the Sun Church in Seoul.

Then he’d be living in Korea, so wouldn’t it be even harder to think someone like that is a foreigner?”

“Ah-ha.”

He understood.

‘So, in practice, the distinction of race has disappeared.’

No matter where the blood came from, no matter what you look like—if you have Korean nationality, you’re Korean.

Even before the Great Catastrophe, that was an obvious fact, but the mood then and the mood now were a little different.

‘Nationality is being treated like a light certificate, like a driver’s license.’

Yoo Sungwoon said that because the priest would be commuting to and from here, he would be Korean.

It wasn’t important where you were born or as who—he was judging that since the person was registered as Korean, they were Korean.

“...”

A truly unified Earth.

‘...That seems good.’

This seemed desirable.

‘It’s a bit unfamiliar, though.’

Gio was still feeling out his hometown.

He wondered if he might now be unable even to order food at a hamburger shop.

For Seo Gio, a living ancestor, this world’s progress was too fast.

“Then there won’t be problems like racial discrimination.”

“That’s the kind of conflict that feels like it only belongs in textbooks, that one.”

Yoo Sungwoon shrugged.

“Even though I’m saying this, I can’t say there’s no racial discrimination.”

“Didn’t you say there’s no distinction of nationality?”

“No, not that kind of issue...”

He looked around, and after confirming there was no one listening, he continued.

“There’s discrimination by grade, you know.”

“Ah.”

“It sounds like an excuse, but... I’m not really the type to have strong thoughts, but I do think Grade 1 and Grade 2 citizens have especially high noses.

In particular, Grade 1 hunters find even interacting with citizens below Grade 3 unpleasant...”

“...”

He’d had a bad feeling from the moment he heard that citizens were classified by grades—so the class system really had returned.

“...Is that the difference between nobles and commoners?”

“Ah, would that be easier to understand?

You could certainly say it’s a similar viewpoint.”

“I’m surprised the classification and treatment are clearer than I thought.”

“Well, anyway.”

Yoo Sungwoon chuckled softly.

“So be careful, because if you try to distinguish race by appearance, people will say you’re a crazy grandpa.

I understand what situation you’re in, but if other people heard, it would feel like ridiculous discrimination.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“I wonder if there are any pure-blood Koreans left in this day and age.

Even I’m not native stock...”

The nuance was odd, but he let it slide, and Gio asked what he’d been curious about.

“Is hair color and eye color varying as well because of mixed races?

Of course, I know that among pure genes there is no case that produces blue hair, but just in case...”

“Ah, in my case, it’s just the effect of awakening.”

By awakening, he likely meant that thing related to “hunters.”

“Does awakening change your color?”

“Not everyone, but if you have an especially compatible attribute, your color changes according to it.

A color like blue hair can’t come out naturally, so it’s probably the effect of awakening.”

“I see.”

“Attributes aren’t something the system clearly displays like rank or profession; you generally define them yourself as you come to understand your own abilities.

And to add, my attribute is ‘Freezing.’”

Only then did Yoo Sungwoon’s snow-white hair like white fur and his icy blue eyes enter Gio’s view.

It was similar to ‘Giovanni’s’ colors, but unlike his, it was a tone that felt cold.

“I used to have brown hair and brown eyes, but after I awakened, I became like this.”

“...I see...”

I thought it was just that dyeing was trendy these days.

‘Was I too unbiased?’

To be honest, even after becoming a haunted portrait and seeing striking hair and eye colors, he hadn’t cared much.

Because Gio was an unprejudiced person who respected human diversity.

‘The world got flipped once and fashion became difficult too, so I thought there’s no reason it couldn’t be dye...’

If not that, he probably just thought it was a kind of evolution and glossed over it thoughtlessly.

Even thinking about it himself, he was a very indifferent person.

“I can change color too.”

“Huh?

All of a sudden?

You’re black to begin with.

Wasn’t that your identity?”

“It’s very interesting to hear that color can become a person’s identity, but I am not black.

Since you said your color changed, I added that mine can change too.”

“No... in the first place, your black isn’t exactly... that... for native Korean...”

Isn’t it too pitch-black.

‘Like an abyss or obsidian.’

Gio’s color was hard to call a simple color.

That black, as if embodying death or silence, sometimes made a person’s mind go distant.

‘Even now, with his rank lowered to human level, meeting his eyes directly is a little burdensome.’

Perhaps finding Yoo Sungwoon’s reaction strange, Gio asked back.

“Isn’t it ordinary black?”

“...If you think so, that’s fine.”

Yoo Sungwoon returned to the previous topic.

“So, you can change color too?”

“If I pay a little attention, I can change it.

Would that be enough to count me as a modern person?”

“A twenty-nine-year-old young man is talking like an old man who can’t keep up with the times...

No, is it that?

Platinum blond hair and blue eyes?”

“So you knew.”

“At Cheonggyecheon, and when you rode the water taxi too, you changed into that color.”

“Have I evolved into a chameleon unlike others?”

“Rather than that...”

More like a change in persona, perhaps.

“...”

“What were you trying to say?”

“...Just, it’s fascinating.”

By this point, Yoo Sungwoon also had a sense for Gio.

‘For Gio... there’s a high possibility he has numerous personas.’

Centered on the persona the Origin named ‘Gio’s Portrait,’ and branching out from that, various personas spread like branches.

Usually he acted with the persona of ‘Gio,’ but when a specific situation came, the corresponding persona seemed to react.

‘He’s really hard to deal with.

Me and the guildmaster’s greed hastily pushed him into society, but... if a persona that’s hostile to humans comes out, it’ll become quite troublesome.’

Even if that happens, Bisabeol would preach a taste hard to empathize with, saying, “Dying while appreciating a work is part of art,” but to ordinary people who aren’t someone like him with an irrational collecting obsession, or someone like Yoo Sungwoon, a gardener, it would truly be a disaster.

‘I’m aware of that too.’

His conscience had already been rounded off a lot through all sorts of things, but he still had a minimum line.

After briefly thinking about how to handle Gio, Yoo Sungwoon opened his mouth.

“By any chance, that...”

“Yes.”

“...”

Maybe this isn’t something to talk about here.

“Could you tell me about yourself?

Not here—when we get back to the hotel.”

“I thought I had told you a lot about myself so far.”

“I want to know something deeper.

When we get back to the hotel, I want to hear it once, and if you aren’t uncomfortable, answer.

It’s also something I have to do as a curator.”

“I will do so.”

“That really helps.”

Thinking this topic wouldn’t come up again until they arrived at the hotel, Gio suddenly brought up something else.

“I’m worried about the cat I left at home.”

“...A cat?

You brought a cat into your home?”

“It’s an Anti-cat, I met for the first time this time at the jewel ley lines.”

“...”

“But since the teddy bear is watching over it, it should be fine, right?”

“...I don’t know how I’m supposed to react anymore...”

Yoo Sungwoon asked with a subtle face.

“Anti-cat, well, since it’s you, fine.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“But what do you mean, a teddy bear is watching over Anti-cat?”

“Literally, the teddy bear is watching over Dana.”

“Did you make it?”

“It was a doll abandoned in the sea, and the elder entered it.”

“Who is this elder, and why did he go into a teddy bear of all things?”

“The sun god I serve.”

“...”

After a short silence, Yoo Sungwoon decided not to ask anymore.

“Mm, I see.”

He was already confused enough.

* * *

A soft, blunt hand.

A doll with fur a similar color to Giovanni’s slowly stroked the back of the kitten that had burrowed roundly into its arms.

Perhaps it was comfortable, because the jewel cat’s body was languidly spread out.

“...”

The teddy bear ceaselessly stroked that small jewel filled with dead spirits.

Patting, smoothing down, and sometimes covering it as-is to share warmth.

Though it had now become a sun that held not even divinity anymore and only traces remained, it could still perform a miracle enough to warm this cold body.

Because all it was doing was holding each other tightly.

“...”

With a stuffed smile, the teddy bear looked into the frame painted with a blue sea.

It felt like a gentle vitality, as if it had drawn a single persona.

My child called this ‘Breathing Sea.’

“...”

And this will surely be connected to the world of mermaids.

“...”

Gio will meet the mermaid.

The teddy bear dearly hoped Giovanni would, once again, hold the mermaid princess in his arms.

“...”

For that, even its own divinity was not too precious to spend.

Even without something so grand, this place was... bright enough, and warm enough.

Fantasy, modern,