Chapter 148

Yu Seongun knew Bi Sabeol's tastes very well.

'He likes dry, selfish people.'

People who were extremely individualistic, yet fundamentally diligent and capable.

People who, even if someone died right in front of them, could think, "Ah, that is pitiful, but thank goodness I'm not that person."

People who still tried to keep hold of the bare minimum of goodness and conscience.

That was Bi Sabeol's standard for collecting people.

'In that sense, a person like Ju-hyeon is far from Bi Sabeol's tastes.'

In truth, Yu Seongun only knew, "So the Guild Master likes this kind of person."

He did not know very well what kinds of people he disliked or how he reacted to them.

If they did not suit his tastes, he did not collect them in the first place, so that was only natural.

And now.

"..."

"..."

At the silence that seemed to have risen from hell, Yu Seongun tightened his interlaced hands.

'Somebody say something.'

Yu Seongun was drying up, caught between Bi Sabeol and Ju-hyeon.

'I thought he wouldn't be to his taste, since he does tend to be so sarcastic, but...'

Bi Sabeol really, sincerely seemed to dislike Ju-hyeon.

He was smiling, but his lips were twisted.

Unlike his usual sly-snake self, who never lost his smile, his eyes were cold, and the gaze he fixed on the other man was arrogant and extremely uncooperative.

Yu Seongun had never seen Bi Sabeol like that before.

'And this side too...'

It was not as though Ju-hyeon was exactly fine either.

This man was not even smiling at all.

Yu Seongun had had a strong impression of him as a genuinely affable and diligent person, but for some reason, in front of Bi Sabeol, he was not even pretending to be sociable.

Those narrowed eyes were clearly despising Bi Sabeol.

'Why on earth?'

You two are meeting for the first time right now.

'And you haven't exchanged a single word.'

Until he had taken Ju-hyeon over from Jio and brought him here, Yu Seongun had never imagined this atmosphere.

That was because Ju-hyeon, whom he had spoken with on the way to the interview room, had been an extremely gentle and easygoing person.

"..."

"..."

"... Excuse me."

And in the end, Yu Seongun did not hold back.

"Would either of you please say something?"

And stop making even innocent me uncomfortable.

Whether they sensed Yu Seongun's feelings, or whether they had also been about ready to wrap this up, the two changed their faces in an instant and returned to their ordinary appearances.

"Ah, dear me. My apologies. The impression you gave was even better than what I had heard, Mr. Ju-hyeon, so I found my gaze stolen without realizing it. Would you please forgive my rudeness?"

"Forgive you? Whatever do you mean, Guild Master Bi Sabeol? I also seem to have been so nervous at meeting the famous Collector that I was rude. I truly apologize."

At that conversation between two sly old foxes, Yu Seongun smacked his lips inwardly.

'I want to go home.'

Of course, it was too early to go home.

"Guild Master."

"Yes, Yu Seongun."

"Should I excuse myself now?"

"Don't do that. Please have a seat."

Bi Sabeol offered him a seat with his characteristic thin smile.

"We are going to discuss 'Mr. Seo Jio,' so should his handler, Curator Yu Seongun, not be present as well?"

"If that is your wish, Guild Master, then I understand. Thank you for your consideration."

If there had been no outsider present, he would have said, "Please stop tormenting me," but for the sake of the guild's image, Yu Seongun had no choice but to yield.

He obediently sat in the place Bi Sabeol indicated.

At last, a proper conversation began.

"Allow me to introduce myself formally, Mr. Ju-hyeon. I am Bi Sabeol, Guild Master of Collector."

Bi Sabeol smiled lightly, his face looking fairly normal.

"I have also heard of your circumstances, Mr. Ju-hyeon. It was extremely rude of me, but I learned of them through Yu Seongun. I understand that you have heard the basic details from our Curator..."

"That's correct. Thanks to him, I also heard about 'Jio's Portrait.' I was truly very shocked to hear that the true identity of the famous Black Cloak was one of Guild Master Bi Sabeol's collectibles."

"I feel sorry that this old Collector seems to have startled an innocent young man. So, since you have come here through Collector, does that mean you are willing to take care of Mr. Seo Jio?"

In a natural, smooth tone, Bi Sabeol added.

"Ah, of course, if it feels burdensome, you may refuse."

"I do think it is a role far beyond me, but I have no intention of refusing."

The sentences Ju-hyeon uttered were also extremely smooth.

"I have received a great deal of help from 'Mr. Seo Jio' all this time. Since you are giving me a chance to repay that, it is a tremendous honor for me."

At that moment, Yu Seongun heard Bi Sabeol's voice, sarcastic as a whisper, saying, "So you do know that."

His lips had not moved, so it was ventriloquism, and it was a kind of signal to let Yu Seongun know, "I'm feeling spiteful."

It was at a level that Ju-hyeon, an ordinary person, could not hear.

But...

'So what am I supposed to do about that?'

To be honest, Yu Seongun wanted to side with Ju-hyeon more than Bi Sabeol.

Of course, it did not feel very good that Ju-hyeon had openly glared at his superior, but for now, the one who had picked a fight with his expression first was Bi Sabeol.

'I really wish he would act his age.'

Regardless of Yu Seongun's thoughts, the conversation continued.

"'Jio's Portrait,' known to the world as 'Black Cloak,' is currently registered as an A-class Hunter affiliated with Collector. In fact, that is the identity he uses when he moves around the human world."

"And the role I will take on is that of the manager for this 'Hunter Seo Jio.'"

"Since Mr. Seo Jio is officially affiliated with Collector, it would be fair to view you as his secretary. You would simply need to help 'Jio's Portrait' adapt among humans without any sense of incongruity and live as a Hunter."

Bi Sabeol showed the public-facing smile the world knew so well.

It carried a faint trace of the arrogance unique to S-class Hunters, who were said to be closer to monsters than humans, yet it was also a smile that gave trust and stability.

"As I understand it, Mr. Seo Jio introduced himself to you as an evil god. Is that correct?"

"That is correct. By the name of Arjio..."

Ju-hyeon, having said that, gave a gentle smile.

"Considering that, I was startled by how exceptionally kind and merciful he is."

"That is exactly the charm 'Jio's Portrait' shows. He is extremely varied and has tens of thousands of forms, but at his core, he is favorable toward humans and extremely gentlemanly."

For a moment, Bi Sabeol's smile as he described Jio became sincere.

He loved works of art, and he loved his own collectibles even more.

He truly wished for the comfort and happiness of 'Jio's Portrait.'

"I understand that, since you first encountered him as an evil god, you would be wary. But if you show him goodwill, Mr. Ju-hyeon, 'Jio's Portrait' will also show goodwill."

"... There was a rumor that Black Cloak gave gifts to good people."

"It is true. He genuinely likes humans who are good and polite. And he detests humans who are evil and rude. Enough to isolate them from other humans, that is."

Bi Sabeol's eyes curved thinly.

"Is that not a quality you would like, Mr. Ju-hyeon?"

"... Haha..."

Ju-hyeon returned that smile exactly as it was.

"How could I dare judge whether I like it or not?"

"Ah, how truly modest of you. Unlike the nerve you have."

"I was born with nothing, and I am an unimpressive and cowardly person."

"Such excessive humility does not suit you, Mr. Ju-hyeon."

Bi Sabeol's smile twisted.

"What suits you is ravenous greed, is it not?"

"..."

Ju-hyeon's smile deepened further.

"... I did not expect to hear that I was greedy from that Collector."

"We simply differ in field, but we are both quite greedy people."

Immediately afterward, Bi Sabeol returned to his usual public-facing expression.

"Though you may not admit it, Mr. Ju-hyeon. Yu Seongun will tell you the exact details of your work."

At that, Yu Seongun, who had been quiet the entire time, nodded.

"I will explain them to you separately later."

"Ah, thank you. I was worried about what I should do..."

"It will not be difficult, so you do not need to worry."

At Yu Seongun's words, Bi Sabeol looked at Ju-hyeon once more.

"Do you wish to become affiliated with Collector?"

Ju-hyeon gave a neat smile.

"No?"

"Haha! I thought as much."

"I do not think I am the sort of talent suited to Collector."

"Regrettably, that is true."

Only Bi Sabeol's "collectibles" could occupy positions at Collector.

In other words, it was a complete mess of a company where you could not even join unless you became a work that pleased Bi Sabeol.

In that sense, anyone could see that Bi Sabeol was avoiding Ju-hyeon.

Even Yu Seongun, who was confident he was fairly favored by Bi Sabeol, had never seen such a reaction from his superior before, so that said everything.

"Mr. Ju-hyeon, you will be a secretary personally hired by Hunter Seo Jio, so you do not need to worry about obeying my orders. Only think about obeying Mr. Seo Jio's orders."

"I will do that."

"I understand that matters with the Association have not yet been fully settled, so I will pull a few strings in that regard. I will help you leave cleanly and without any trouble, but are there any belongings you left at your workplace? Anything you need to retrieve."

"No, there are not."

"Then only the relationship needs to be sorted out. Fortunately, for us at Collector, that part is not difficult. We will help you ensure that everything is settled without any friction."

Soon, Bi Sabeol asked with a smile.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Rather than me, it seems you are the one who has something you wish to say, Guild Master."

"Oh, dear. You read that very accurately."

The smile vanished from Bi Sabeol's face.

"I do not particularly like people like you, Mr. Ju-hyeon."

He added, "You probably feel something similar."

"Humans like you chase illusions far too earnestly."

"Chasing such illusions is precisely what could be called the right of foolish humans."

"Is there any need to do something when you know it is foolish?"

"People whose eyes are not very good, like you, Guild Master, have to grope their way forward."

"... As expected, I truly do not care for people like you..."

He toyed with the rings on his hands.

"..."

Yu Seongun realized that it was a habit Bi Sabeol showed when he recognized someone as an enemy, and quietly gazed at Ju-hyeon.

It was not a flow he could understand, but it was worth paying attention to.

What aspect of this person made his respected superior guard against him and despise him?

'Judging by the circumstances... Does he seem like a human who will harm the artwork?'

Since Bi Sabeol had not sent him any separate signal, it did not seem to be a situation where even Yu Seongun had to recognize him as an enemy, but inwardly, he set himself on guard against this civilian researcher.

He trusted Bi Sabeol's eyes.

'Certainly, a civilian who does not lose his nerve even with an S-class Hunter and an A-class Hunter before him...'

He was just thinking that there was something suspicious about him, when it happened.

"—Hey."

A long arm stretched out from behind Bi Sabeol's back.

"..."

"The air is heavy."

It made a jingling sound as it flaunted all kinds of ornaments, and soon fingers adorned with splendid jewels lightly clasped Bi Sabeol's shoulder as though in play.

Yu Seongun looked at the owner of that arm.

Pale skin that seemed never to have seen sunlight, a vivid smile, and dark red hair.

"You must not play tricks on a hero."

"..."

"Instead of treating a precious talent with courtesy..."

It was a portrait.

"Is that not so, Guild Master Bi Sabeol?"

A portrait that had appeared not on a wall, but in midair.

"..."

"..."

"Those eyes."

The gazes of the two monsters met.

"They belong to a dragon, do they not?"

Bi Sabeol's pupils split into long slits.

"It is good to meet you, Jio's Portrait."

"I am pleased to accept your invitation."

"Well, now..."

Filled with rapture and greed, Bi Sabeol smiled.

"... It is an honor."

It was the first meeting between the Collector and the portrait.