Chapter 155

"What do you think?"

At Bi Sabeol's question, Yu Seongun shrugged.

"It is exactly as you expected."

"As if you know what I expected and how."

"I trust your eye, Guild Master."

At Yu Seongun's trust, Bi Sabeol let out his distinctive laugh.

"I suppose you don't trust me as a person?"

"I already knew you had no conscience."

"How cold of you."

"Please. I'm tired."

"Then I should finish this quickly."

Bi Sabeol lightly tapped the desk with his ringed hand.

"I knew he was not someone who would easily fall to temptation."

They were talking about Ju-hyeon.

"Even if there is an easy path, if he thinks it is an unfair gain, he won't touch it."

"He did seem a little foolish that way. It seems he has convictions of his own."

"In that respect, should I say he has something of a scholar from the old Joseon era?"

"... May I take that as you complimenting Mr. Ju-hyeon?"

"That would be up to him. I meant he has a stiff personality."

"Well, it must have been that bamboo-straight nature of his that Jio liked."

Yu Seongun nodded.

"He did not think of using Jio to claim a share for himself."

"He is not the sort to let himself grow dull to such petty greed."

"I do not particularly think greed is petty."

That was what human desire was like.

This thing called shame was something created through conscious effort, not something one was born with by instinct. If an immense mystery, no other word for it, declared that it would become one's "friend," it was normal to want something from it.

Unlike shame, greed was instinct.

"Jio stands in the position of the strong in many ways. At the very least, even 'Mr. Seo Jio' has more power than Mr. Ju-hyeon and occupies a higher position. Jio is... well, extravagant enough to use rare medicinal elixirs that would make humans' eyes turn bloodshot with envy merely to prepare a meal."

If so, one could think this way.

"Mr. Ju-hyeon could have hoped for it. Something so precious to me is as common as roadside grass to that mystery, so I want to have it without making any effort. Taking a tiny pebble scattered in someone else's yard is no burden to either side."

Ju-hyeon was not even particularly wealthy. Even if he had been born without much desire for money, when the body was weary and life was harsh, the minimum greed born of necessity was bound to arise in the end.

"He worked for the Association's research lab for a long time, but whether it was because of the label of being from Gita Orphanage, or because something else happened, he remained at the assistant manager rank. His promotion was delayed quite a bit."

"And what little he had, he used to sponsor the orphanage or donated."

"But judging by his reaction, he has almost no greed for money to begin with. He sees it as a useful means, but it does not become an object of greed. He is a rare, upright person."

Yu Seongun crossed his arms.

"Both Jio and you described Mr. Ju-hyeon as a hero. Considering that, I can understand why he has almost no instinctive greed for money."

A hero's nature was something one was born with, alongside instinct.

"But even so."

What Ju-hyeon wanted, what he earnestly desired, definitely existed.

"He merely has no greed for wealth. As he is human, he does have desires. From what I hear, he has a remarkably firm goal of making the world peaceful."

"That alone could make him quite a greedy person. His desire simply does not flow toward his own safety; from an objective viewpoint, Mr. Ju-hyeon's desire flows in an altruistic direction."

"Yes, altruistic desire is exactly right. If wanting to change things other than myself as I please is called selfishness, then it may be a selfish desire too."

"That is why I do not particularly like Mr. Ju-hyeon. Right now, they are newly made, awkward friends, so he is keeping up appearances, but once they grow closer, how much will Mr. Ju-hyeon work Mr. Seo Jio to serve his own desires?"

"As if Jio would be taken advantage of so easily. It would be more accurate to say that Jio bestows mercy and goodwill upon a mere human. That, too, will be something Jio likes... To be honest, I am not worried about that part."

Yu Seongun shrugged.

"To begin with, Jio is not such an insignificant being that humans can worry over him, is he?"

"Ahh, my work..."

"Before he is a work, he is a Root entity, Guild Master. Please let go a little."

Collectors and their obsessions, honestly.

"Mr. Ju-hyeon will not exploit Jio for his own gain. It is impossible, and there is almost nothing Mr. Ju-hyeon could expect from Jio in the first place."

Yu Seongun wore his characteristic smile.

"Of course, I do not mean there is nothing at all."

"He is probably inwardly hoping that mercy will be shown to the dead souls."

"More than that, he has merely recognized the possibility."

"Authority over life and death is a domain any god can involve themselves in."

"For Mr. Ju-hyeon, who recently lost family and friends, it is something he cannot help but think about."

Though he had introduced himself as an evil god, Jio looked like a being merciful enough, and when one said god, it naturally came with authority to handle dead souls.

While receiving the portrait's goodwill inside the frame, Ju-hyeon must surely have thought it. How wonderful it would be if such merciful divinity could soothe my poor family and friends.

"Moreover, since he believes that tragedy happened because of him, Mr. Ju-hyeon's sense of debt toward the victims must be great as well."

"He must want to atone somehow and repay that debt, but it seemed Mr. Ju-hyeon chose not to use Jio, the easiest path to doing so."

"He seemed to think that since it was something he had done, he had to take full responsibility himself. No matter how great a strong one Jio is, no matter how immense the authority he possesses..."

"He must have thought he should not receive help from Mr. Seo Jio, who is even his newly made friend."

Bi Sabeol sneered.

"But how can a mere human repay a debt to the dead by doing that? The only thing the living can do for friends who are already dead is to constantly remember and dwell on their deaths and his own sins."

"Isn't it a mindset of trying to do even that?"

"Perhaps he vaguely believes he can repay his debt through that kind of atonement and anguish alone. Of course, perhaps one could repay a debt owed to dead family in such a way, but why insist on such a thorny path?"

His lips twisted as if he had seen something extremely stupid and displeasing.

"That is all because Mr. Ju-hyeon's field of vision is so narrow."

"For someone with a narrow field of vision, he seemed to hold a rather great cause."

"He lacks humanity."

"I suppose one could put it that way, but..."

"He is a fool who does not know how to rely on others."

"No, come on."

Yu Seongun soothed his Guild Master.

"Still, isn't he Jio's new friend? Please try to see him in a better light."

"The only thing that increases with age is stubbornness."

Bi Sabeol smiled sulkily and continued.

"He is not slow-witted. It is not that he does not know the usefulness of connections, and, well, it would be more correct to say he is actually rather shrewd. Though he can make all the calculations there are to make, he castrates his worldly desires as if he were becoming an ascetic monk and chases only his great cause."

"Is that not a good direction for humanity?"

"As I always say, I have no interest in humanity's tendencies or interests. What matters is the effect it will have on me and my collection. That human Ju-hyeon is the sort of good-for-nothing who would ruin my work without a second thought if only his convictions were firm enough."

Bi Sabeol grumbled.

"It is true that the world becomes a little more peaceful when that kind of human exists, but... that would be far too boring."

"How can you say something like an evil of humanity so casually?"

"Mr. Ju-hyeon is not a person who does not know greed. When he puts the great cause he holds into practice, he is greedier than anyone. Ravenous, even. Even if others criticize him, no matter how they see him, he does not care about any of that in the slightest and is busy moving forward."

Bi Sabeol twisted his lips.

"When people like this cause trouble, they cause it quite grandly."

"That part is certainly worrying, but Jio stopped him, did he not?"

"In any case, I acknowledge that he is not a person who is likely to harm our Mr. Seo Jio under most circumstances."

Bi Sabeol let out a sigh that, unusually for him, carried irritation.

"He merely harms my mood."

"You truly dislike him."

"I really do like our guild members best."

"Yes, well..."

Yu Seongun smiled awkwardly. Since he did genuinely revere his superior, it was not exactly a fabricated smile.

"We like you too, Guild Master."

"This affection you show once in a blue moon is so lovable."

"Ugh, seriously."

Even the slight trace of a smile that had awkwardly been there vanished as Yu Seongun looked appalled.

"This is exactly why we cannot say nice, pretty things to you."

"I even like that insolence... Be more brazen with me. Ah, how thrilling."

"Ugh."

"At any rate, I am glad it is not greatly different from what I expected."

Bi Sabeol wore a neat smile.

"And immense mysteries like such impoverished heroes."

"Impoverished heroes..."

"They recklessly mass-produce stories close to providence, you see."

His bright yellow eyes curved thinly.

"Jio will probably cherish Mr. Ju-hyeon in that way as well."

"If he follows the rules, he will give him a gift before long. Should I prepare in advance?"

"Since it is a gift from Mr. Seo Jio, it may become a little noisy. He is not someone who does not know how he will appear to the world."

"Since there is nothing holding him back, it is about time for Jio to begin savoring the human world in earnest. I will tip off the press in advance."

"Mr. Yu Seongun, prepare to move around personally as well. Mr. Seo Jio will probably not cause a disaster out of consideration for both their reputations."

"A mystery's goodwill sometimes looks like a disaster... What sort of affection do you expect Jio to show, exactly?"

"That is obvious."

Bi Sabeol smiled as if he were watching his grandchild's antics.

"He will make humans human."

"... Is that the end, or the beginning?"

"I think it will be both."

"Jio has always liked humans."

His goodwill was fair to all humans.

"Well, sometimes there were humans he did not like, but it seems he classified those as 'not human'..."

Yu Seongun rubbed his neck.

"To Jio, death is nothing more than one state a human can take on. Correct?"

"Curator Yu Seongun is right."

"Then Jio, who shows goodwill fairly to all humans, will always maintain the same attitude."

"You are thinking it through well."

"In the end, Jio will treat living humans and dead humans..."

Yu Seongun's hand, which had been rubbing his neck, lowered. His fingertips twitched with an unknowable emotion.

"Like gentlemen."

For Jio to give a gift to a human was one of his rules.

"I understand what I have to do."

"I look forward to Curator Yu Seongun's response."

"Please enjoy the viewing."

Goodwill too immense often plunged humans into fear.

And dragging the fear caused by a Root entity down into everyday life was exactly what a Gardener had to do.

"I wish to give you a gift."

"Pardon?"

"Would that be a rude thought?"

"Uh..."

Ju-hyeon blinked at the portrait that had suddenly appeared in the orphanage.

"..."

Calm down.

'I can do this.'

Ju-hyeon smiled gently.

"... I see! What gift, exactly, are you talking about?"

"I apologize. It seems I got ahead of myself."

"Ah, no. It is true I was a little surprised, but I was not offended."

He had merely felt a fear close to a threat to his life.

'I suppose he has no awareness of how frightening he looks.'

A late hour close to midnight. The site of a fire in a deserted, gloomy area. An abandoned building in acrid air, full of soot and traces of the dead. Ju-hyeon was searching for the belongings left in the orphanage.

The portrait had appeared while he was looking around the dark orphanage with only a single flashlight to rely on. It appeared among the charming children's drawings and spoke to him with a face obscured by black paint.

'He wants to give me a gift.'

Ju-hyeon considered it admirable that he had not screamed. At this point, it was an achievement worthy of praising himself.

"I am asking again, but... what do you mean by a gift?"

He did not ask the stupid question of how on earth he had found his location. Would it be difficult for a great mystery on the level of Black Cloak to figure out a mere human's location? Instead, Ju-hyeon requested an interpretation of the current situation.

"As far as I know, Black Cloak only returns something if he has received something."

"If I have received something, it is only natural to return it."

"I do know that he sometimes appears and gives gifts to passersby as well."

"Those were simply repayment for interacting with me."

At the portrait's words, Ju-hyeon nodded without realizing it.

'It would be a big enough matter to require repayment.'

Usually, Black Cloak was known to appear in sparsely populated places and give gifts to people who had done good deeds. They had done a good deed and then encountered a humanoid monster, so how great must the shock have been?

If it was compensation to soothe those humans, then such gifts made sense. In the end, it also meant this was a one-to-one rule shown by Jio's Portrait.

"...?"

Ju-hyeon tilted his head.

"But I have not given you anything, Mr. Jio."

"It is my thanks for becoming my friend."

"I see."

Perhaps it was a kind of urge to collect.

Had he wanted this thing called a "human friend" so much? Just as Ju-hyeon was thinking that the way mysteries thought truly was difficult to understand, the portrait, whose eyes could not be seen because they were covered in paint, continued.

"Above all, I wished to give a gift to a good person like you, Mr. Ju-hyeon."

"Hm, well... I do not believe I have done any good deeds in front of you, Mr. Jio."

"But it seems there have been many people helped by your actions, Mr. Ju-hyeon."

"Does that become a reason to give me a gift?"

"It is my selfishness, wishing to repay the joy you have given me."

"..."

"That is why I wished to receive your permission."

Only after a little time passed did Ju-hyeon ask back.

"... Joy?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Joy, you say."

Ju-hyeon wore a clumsy smile.

"The things I have done all this time brought you joy."

It was a truly strange feeling.

"I think I felt something similar from you before. It is rather funny, isn't it?"

It might sound absurd, but Black Cloak's words became a fairly warm comfort to Ju-hyeon. He also felt gratitude that a being so immense had acknowledged his efforts.

Because it sounded as though he was saying I had not been wrong, and thank you...

"Ha..."

He began to want a reward.

'What sort of ungrateful thought is this? I do not even know my place, wanting a reward for things I did solely because I wanted to...'

A sigh disguised as a laugh escaped him from a fatigue that, for some reason, only made him want to fall asleep.

He also felt a hard-to-explain sense of exhaustion, so Ju-hyeon pressed firmly against his own forehead to avoid looking foolish.

"Then what gift do you wish to give me? I believe this is already my third time asking."

"Oh dear, it seems I have been rude by speaking at length. I apologize."

The portrait continued in its distinctive emotionless tone.

"I can give you high-quality medicine, Mr. Ju-hyeon. I can treat you to a delicious meal, draw you any jewel you want, and chat with you as well."

Around then, a cat slipped softly into the portrait's arms.

"It seems Dana is very interested in you, Mr. Ju-hyeon."

"... I am honored."

"The things I just mentioned are simply gifts I can give because we are friends."

"I am honored by that as well."

"So could you tell me the gift you want?"

The portrait said.

"So that my gift may be worth its value."

"..."

After a long silence, Ju-hyeon finally opened his mouth.

"... Well."

Unfortunately, he had nothing he wanted. That was probably true. And it had to be true.

If I wanted to remain myself. If I wanted to remain a mere human who knew his place.

"Just having you call me a friend... is already far more than I deserve."

"I know that you are someone born without worldly greed, Mr. Ju-hyeon."

"What I want most right now is atonement toward my family and friends, but..."

"You must think that is something you have to do entirely on your own."

"Shouldn't I?"

"There is no such thing as what is right."

The portrait whispered in a low voice.

"There is only what one believes is right."

It rather resembled the temptation of an evil god.

"... Do you want me to ask for help?"

"I want you to see a new perspective."

"I want to apologize to my family and friends."

He had to do that.

"But I do not want to escape this guilt."

"Because you think you can atone only by remaining bound to that emotion."

"If I overcome even this, I will forget my mistake."

"You will not forget. You are not someone capable of that."

"If I do not reflect on it, what makes me any different from a beast?"

"It depends on the beast."

The portrait's voice split languidly.

"You are not a beast."

"..."

"What do you truly want?"

"... I..."

"Cast aside pretty words like atonement."

"It's just that I..."

Ju-hyeon spoke amid the ashes left after his family had burned.

"I hope they can be at peace, even in death."

That was his honest desire.

"I do not mind carrying their deaths with me for the rest of my life, so I hope they are not in pain."

"Do you want them to lay down their bodies in the happiest, warmest place?"

"That is what I want. They were ordinary people, not perfect, and not people who could be called saints, but..."

"Even so, because they were your family and friends, you wish for their peace."

"I know it is unreasonable. I know it is selfish too."

After hesitating, Ju-hyeon continued.

"But you are an evil god."

"Yes, I am."

"Will you grant my selfishness?"

"Very well done."

The portrait's lips split wide with joy.

"Do you need time to prepare yourself?"

"A little."

"Very well. I will send the gift soon."

"What should I do?"

"It seems you do not understand what a gift means."

A sound like a predator laughing reached him.

"Simply appreciate it, my friend."

He did not know if it was only his imagination.

"..."

Had it always been like that?

The eyes of the jewel cat held in the portrait's arms were especially bright, like the moon.