Chapter 62

He had not expected this situation.

"This is Eunha! My partner."

"They said priests basically work in pairs, and you already have a partner."

"Now Eunha and I are a team!"

Watching Cha Yi-sol show off his partner to his family, Jio blinked beneath his hood.

'Seeing him like this, he really does look like him.'

The way he skillfully smiled even though he must have been flustered because Cha Yi-sol had suddenly dragged him over. There was certainly a difference in that poise, but that blue hair with its oddly greenish tint stirred Giovanni's memories.

'I think Iser's name also meant Milky Way.'

Because a dream was only a dream, he had forgotten much of it after waking and did not know for certain, but the fact that the child had long blue hair reminded him of Iser, the mermaid from the dream.

"..."

"Um, these people are..."

Perhaps because of Jio's gaze, Eunha began to speak, looking as if he wanted Cha Yi-sol to introduce them.

Cha Yi-sol looked as if he had just remembered, then quickly smiled brightly and explained.

"You can tell at a glance who my hyung and noona are, right? And he's not family, but this is Jio hyung, the one I told you about before!"

Cha Yi-sol urged him to answer.

"He's super handsome, right!"

"Huh? Uh, yeah..."

At that boldness, Jio also found himself at a loss. How could he know whether Jio was handsome when he was covered by a hood?

'I doubt that boy has a clairvoyance skill.'

Embarrassed by being openly complimented on his looks by a child, Jio could not bear the awkwardness and greeted him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Seo Jio."

"... I'm Eunha."

For some reason, the child called Eunha wore a mature smile that felt unfamiliar, and he added briefly.

"Yes, nice to meet you."

Hmm.

Jio thought without meaning to.

'So it really was my imagination.'

It might have been a hasty judgment, but the Iser that Giovanni remembered had been a student who, apart from trying to be polite and courteous, was somehow a little airheaded and fun to tease.

'Maybe because he was clumsy in all kinds of ways, his way of speaking was much stiffer too.'

First of all, he was a friend who could be said to be quite far from words like "mature" or "experienced." Compared to that young student, who had been like fresh sunlight, the child before him seemed to have a somewhat cold air about him.

'Still, meeting a child who resembles Iser this much not long after I started synchronizing as Giovanni could be called an incredible connection in its own right.'

Besides, the last image of Iser he recalled was also of someone in his late teens to early twenties, so it felt even more as if this was not the same person.

"Since it must be fate that we've all gathered like this, how about we have a meal together?"

At Jio's suggestion, Yu Seongun nodded.

"Oh, that's a good idea. I don't know about Eunha, but the Cha family isn't going to feel shy around us at this point. Right?"

"B-But then it feels like we'd be imposing too much..."

"Cha Yi-sol won't be able to come outside for a while once he enters the dormitory anyway, right? Rather than two gloomy grown men like me and Jio having a cozy meal by ourselves, the atmosphere will be much better if it's a little more lively."

As expected of you, hyung.

'I should learn from that poise.'

His tact in naturally drawing the other person in the direction he wanted, as smoothly as flowing water, without being rude, was truly admirable. Was he not the very model of an adult who was good at social life?

Of course, if Yu Seongun had known what Jio was thinking, he would have been so creeped out he might have died.

"Is there anything you can't eat, Eunha?"

"I don't really eat meat."

"Ah, a vegetarian? Come to think of it, when I look around, there are especially a lot of vegans among priests."

"As long as it isn't land meat, I don't mind."

"Then you're not the type who fusses over every little thing, are you? In that case, seafood would be good."

Even as he said that, Yu Seongun unobtrusively studied the child named Eunha.

'... For some reason, something feels a little off.'

Behind his easygoing expression, Yu Seongun hid a faint suspicion.

Yu Seongun, who often encountered Root's children, was especially sensitive to the aura of things that were not human. If that sense of foreignness was what he was feeling now, he could safely judge that there was a problem.

'He doesn't seem to be a child of the Root, so in that case, he's closer to a monster. Is he dangerous after all?'

But since he was a prospective priest, Yu Seongun might have mistaken the foreignness of a god for something else.

'... It's not as if that never happens. Especially if someone receives a great deal of a god's gaze or love, they can give off enough of an uncanny feeling even when the issue isn't with them.'

Because the other's young appearance made him especially cautious, Yu Seongun decided to swallow down his wariness as it was. He might simply be suspecting an innocent child.

'If worst comes to worst, it would be nice if I could at least take Jio and get out. But he's a work whose behavior patterns and rules haven't been identified yet... If possible, I don't want to give him a major stimulus.'

As long as it did not harm the work in his charge, he could ignore whether the child before him was a monster or anything else. After all, this was a world where monsters killing humans and people killing people were both common occurrences.

Humans here were part of the props. A mere thirty or so deaths would not even make the news.

'Still, I hope nothing happens. If things get noisy, I'll just end up working more overtime.'

As if he had not been thinking about anything else for even a moment, Yu Seongun continued calmly.

"Anyone here dislike seafood?"

"... I don't really know because I've never tried it..."

"Then you can try it this time."

Cha A-ra reacted reluctantly, but Yu Seongun, who had already expected it, lightly let it slide. It was because it was not something said out of inferiority or jealousy, but simply a reaction of, "I don't know shit, so why are you asking me?"

"I know a decent cutlassfish place."

"Sorry? A cutlassfish place?"

"Even with a lot of people, the rooms themselves are big, so they can accommodate us. How about we go there? I'll vouch for the taste."

"That's not the problem. Um, if it's a cutlassfish place, isn't it somewhere really expensive..."

When Cha A-ra looked strangely anxious, her older brother Cha Eun-hyuk showed a similar reaction.

"Is it all right for Grade 3 citizens like us to go to a restaurant like that?"

"...?"

Jio, who had been listening without thinking, quietly panicked.

'... What did I just hear?'

Grade 3 citizens are not allowed to eat cutlassfish?

'No matter how much the status system has revived, discriminating over the food people eat is so petty. How terrifying.'

Jio, who was serious about food, became very sad. He felt deeply bitter that his homeland had become distorted.

'Then if I hadn't become a portrait, would I, as a citizen of Gangwon Province, have been a Grade 3 citizen too? If I'd been living on Earth paying monthly rent, I wouldn't have been able to eat even a single piece of cutlassfish.'

Jio, who was used to a democratic society, was inwardly horrified, but in this era, a city cutlassfish restaurant was a highly prestigious establishment. In other words, it was exactly the kind of place where Grade 3 citizens, who faced subtle discrimination in the city, would receive dirty looks.

"I know what you're worried about..."

Yu Seongun, who understood how they felt, shrugged.

"They're all private rooms anyway, and at this time of day, there probably won't be many people. If it bothers you, we can look for somewhere else, but if we're spending money anyway, let's all eat something good together."

Yu Seongun looked back at Eunha.

"Are you all right with cutlassfish, Eunha?"

"If someone is buying for me, I'm grateful for anything."

"Thanks for saying that."

With even Eunha, who was presumed to be a carnation child, agreeing, Cha A-ra and Cha Eun-hyuk also ended up agreeing in confusion.

"Is this really okay...?"

"A cutlassfish place..."

For some reason, the Cha family followed behind Yu Seongun with expressions as if they had been tricked.

Jio, who had been about to move with the close siblings, noticed Eunha standing strangely apart from them.

"..."

"..."

If he acts like that, I can't help but be concerned.

"Student Eunha."

Apart from the fact that the child resembled his old student Iser, Jio, as someone who had once been a teacher in his own way, did not like seeing a child keep his distance as if this was not his place.

Fortunately, Iser, who had been wearing a dry expression, came alive at Jio's call and answered. He also seemed a little flustered.

"Ah, yes."

"Shall we go together?"

When Giovanni held out one hand, Eunha hesitated for a moment, then took it.

'... He's colder than I expected.'

That small hand was quite cool for a child, whose heat was said to rise just from breathing.

"Your body temperature is low."

"It must be because my anemia is severe."

The child smiled skillfully. It was a soft, benevolent smile that naturally came to mind when one thought of the word priest.

It might have been a little strange to use the word "benevolent" for a child like this, but for some reason, Jio thought that smile was familiar.

'It doesn't suit this student.'

Where had he seen this smile before?

As Jio quietly searched his memories, the child seemed uneasy because he had not answered and spoke to him while feigning composure.

"Do my cold hands bother you?"

Would it be strange to say that it sounded like a question expecting something? Jio answered without much thought.

"They're pleasantly cool."

"It's winter, and you say that?"

"I run hot."

"..."

For some reason, Eunha was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Your hands are cold too, Jio."

"Ah, that's right."

"Why..."

"I forgot for a moment."

"What did you forget?"

"I forgot the fact that I had become cold."

Perhaps because he had been having consecutive dreams called "Giovanni's Life Theater" these days and his head was in such chaos, if he was being truly honest, he had completely forgotten.

Even his own body temperature.

'When I'm Giovanni, perhaps because he's a priest of the sun, his body runs hot.'

Seo Jio and the portrait alike were not particularly high in body temperature.

'Did that sound strange?'

Perhaps because his Assimilation Rate had been rising rapidly lately, his words had slipped out wrong.

As he wondered how to continue and looked back at the child...

"..."

"...?"

He saw the small face had gone rigid.

"Student Eunha?"

"I was cold for a moment... and my mind wandered."

"Then would you like to let go of my hand?"

"No."

Eunha murmured.

"... If I keep holding it, it might get warmer."

"That is also true."

"..."

"I'm glad you don't dislike it."

For some reason, the atmosphere was cold, but from what Jio felt, the child's nature itself was good and kind.

'Children like this need to be fed until they're nice and plump.'

Seo Jio, who had inherited the firm belief of his grandmother, who had been the generous host of the village, thought.

'Become a pig, abracadabra...'

Seo Jio was the type whose satisfaction with life increased only when he fattened up skinny men and women, young and old alike.

* * *

They had had a conversation like that.

"Iser, your hands are cold."

"Perhaps... it is because I am a mermaid."

"Our races are different, so it is only natural that even our body temperatures differ."

"Do my cold hands make you uncomfortable?"

Humans despised mermaids' cold hands, calling them the hands of monsters from the water.

Giovanni, too, was human, and Iser was a mermaid. Above all, Giovanni, who was always warm under the Sun's blessing, might feel repulsed by Iser's damp and cool hands.

But Giovanni laughed as if that was absurd. He easily dismissed Iser's worry.

"On the contrary, they are pleasantly cool."

"... It is winter right now."

"I run hot, so it does not matter."

"..."

"Yes, this is nice."

Even if he ran hot, what human would like becoming cold in winter?

No matter how he thought about it, it was a lie meant to be considerate of a young mermaid, but still...

"... Teacher, your hands are warm."

For no particular reason, he would try holding those hands full of warmth.

"Is this high body temperature also because of the Sun God's blessing?"

"Perhaps. I was born on a summer day, when the Sun's blessing was at its fullest."

"Your hands must not become cold because of me, Teacher."

He held them greedily, but he always felt sorry, as if he were stealing that warmth away.

"... I..."

Sometimes, Iser was seized by the feeling that he was taking what belonged to Giovanni.

If I, a mermaid, had not insisted on this connection, Giovanni would not have needed to deal with people with his heart in his throat like this, and with those excellent skills of his, he would not have needed to be trapped in such a small village.

"..."

And so whenever he felt sorry even for taking that single bit of warmth, Jio would say.

"For me, Iser, there will always be enough warmth to give you."

"... Is that not too harsh a thing to say for you, a creation of the sun?"

"I meant that there is no need to feel sorry over something as small as holding hands. Iser, you sometimes act too timid. You may be more confident."

"But I am a mermaid, Teacher. The more I learn, the more I doubt whether humans and mermaids can become one."

"Even so, are we not talking together in the same place now, just like this?"

He was always warm.

"As long as I have not become a corpse, you may always hold my hand."

"... Am I not allowed to hold a corpse's hand?"

"The dead must be sent on. Only then can I go to the Sun's side as well."

"..."

"That is nature and the proper order."

The foolish mermaid did not know, but those words of yours, which had been so warm, were actually wrong.

Even hands that had been full of warmth became so painfully cold once they had suffocated in seawater. You surely failed to return to the Sun's side even after death.

Otherwise, you could not have been so cold. Your corpse could not possibly have been that cold.

"... I think I am already sad..."

Even so.

In the end, that was what happened.

* * *

'... Why does he make me think of that person this much?'

Iser thought as he looked at Black Cloak sitting beside him.

'And yet, why is the energy of the sun so strong in him?'

Seeing him up close made it even clearer.

This man was not simply a strong human; he held the divinity of the sun itself. A vast qualification that only a god could possess.

'He seems to have a deep understanding of humans, so perhaps he inherited divinity while still human.'

If that was the case, Iser would hate this Black Cloak.

"..."

"Do you have no appetite?"

With that tender name, Jio, and with the same warmth as his teacher... of all things, he was a god of the sun.

'Is this the Sun God's scheme?'

During those long, miserable years, Iser had also learned many things about humans, gods, and the world.

'Perhaps the Sun God of Earth, wary of mermaids and the deep sea, did something like this.'

He had committed the outrage of passing the energy of the sun on to a human who resembled that person terribly.

'... It is still awful.'

Whether gods or humans, the Sun's lot always made him want to vomit.

"... It's just, this is my first time at a restaurant like this..."

"I see."

"..."

"You can eat slowly."

Black Cloak's voice was calm and kind.

'How strange.'

At times, he seemed low and quiet like a silent corpse, but when he turned to look at him, he bestowed that kindness with a gentle cadence.

'I want to know exactly what he is.'

Whether he was a god or a human, he acted unlike those cruel breeds.

"... Thank you."

Even as he thanked him, Iser felt a hypocritical unease. It was a tiny little unease faintly tickling the tips of his toes.

'Noona will soon call the sea here.'

Even that burning sun loses its vitality when it sinks into the sea. Iser had already confirmed that several times, so this man would probably be no exception.

Could this hand grow even colder than it was now?

"..."

That seemed a little sad.

It was an emotion he had not felt in quite a long time.

* * *

When they returned to the temple, Eunha, with his blue hair, stopped Jio.

"Jio."

"Yes, is something the matter?"

"..."

The hesitant child asked.

"... Do you like the sea?"

"I do like water."

"And are you good at swimming?"

"Actually, I am quite bad at it."

"..."

The child, silent as if recalling something or lost in thought, soon opened his mouth.

"I hope it isn't too cold."

"People do say this winter is unusually cold."

"..."

"Thank you for worrying about me."

Jio realized that the one this child was worrying about was not him, but the child himself. Rather than being worried about Jio as a person, he seemed worried that some situation he disliked might occur.

He was a child with thoughts that ran too deep and had become twisted somewhere.

'Life will become exhausting if he's like that. What a pity. Being mature really isn't always a good thing.'

For Jio, who could neatly blow away a month's worth of worries with one roasted sweet potato, it was an ordeal he could not even imagine.

"It seems the main ceremony will begin soon."

"... It does. I'll be going now."

The child added as if saying farewell.

"I had fun."

"Then I am glad."

Jio realized that was a lie.

'... Truly, hellish Korea...'

Even the children were no easy matter.

'It's a hard world for a scrub like me, who only knows how to enjoy a good meal, to survive in.'

Today, too, the haunted portrait was diligently shriveling in fear.