7 chapter
7 chapter
After completing the third day, Yoo Seong-Woon confirmed that the portrait had closed its eyes.
"..."
At 9 AM, he went to find the guild master.
"It's dangerous."
"What's dangerous?"
"That portrait is dangerous."
He reported calmly.
"The portrait's goodwill towards us humans is irrelevant. While it's true that some monsters occasionally show goodwill towards humans, it's also true that their goodwill has turned into a great poison for humans."
"Are you saying that Gio's portrait is like those monsters?"
"No, it's more dangerous than that."
Yoo Seong-Woon reported what he had observed.
"That portrait knows exactly what it is doing, how it appears, and the impact of its actions. It's entirely different from the monsters that have recklessly smothered people with goodwill in the past."
More importantly.
"It perceives itself as a human."
Thus, it would likely try to interact with humans. It didn't seem to have an aversion to conversation.
"But at the same time, it does not perceive us as humans."
"Then?"
"Gio judges us as paintings. That's how it views us."
Yoo Seong-Woon felt Gio's powerful soul. It was something that any sentient being could feel without fancy analytical equipment or skills.
It wasn't just about the dignified gait, the heavy atmosphere, or the noble appearance. Yoo Seong-Woon could not forget the profoundness he felt when he looked into Gio's black eyes.
The appearance of something immensely vast pretending to be merely human.
"Yet it still claims to be human. Whether it truly believes that or is trying to, it seemed genuinely sincere. There was no falsehood."
In such cases, while usually safe, once something happens, it can escalate beyond imagination.
It's because it is fully aware of what it's doing.
"Moreover, it is ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) sensitive to good and evil. Yet its standards are unknown to us. Even if we judge something as normal, if 'Gio' concludes it's evil... I can't even imagine what might happen."
"Can't you really imagine?"
"Yes, this time... perhaps not."
Yoo Seong-Woon sighed.
"There's no precedent to compare it to, and no data to refer to. A talking portrait is a first for me too."
Weapons with self-awareness are treated as rarities and are loved by many hunters. But a self-aware portrait, whose identity is unclear whether it's a ghost, monster, or human.
Even for him, with his extensive unique experiences, this case was troublesome.
"Are you thinking of sending it to the Hunter's Association as research material?"
"Would you?"
"I suppose so. I thought you might."
Yoo Seong-Woon covered his mouth as if to stifle a sigh, then composed himself before continuing.
"Then I will report back periodically. It's difficult to ascertain its true nature in just a day or two."
"Please do. I plan to try talking to it again soon, and it would be troublesome if it ignores me again. Please find out what Gio likes."
"Though it's a very personal request, I understand. It's part of my job, isn't it?"
"I wonder why all our employees are so chic."
"Maybe it's because you've gathered such people."
That's why Yoo Seong-Woon had started coming to work at 4:30 AM.
"Aren't you lonely?"
At Yoo Seong-Woon's question, the portrait blinked twice.
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"I am not lonely."
The reply was still blunt.
Yoo Seong-Woon chuckled softly.
"I apologize if it was an inappropriate question. But this place doesn't get many visitors apart from the staff who come to maintain the artworks."
"..."
"I guessed... maybe coming out of the portrait to look around was part of feeling that emotion."
"I prefer places without people. So, it's fine."
"Do you find it uncomfortable to converse?"
"That's not it. But..."
The portrait continued.
"I've said too much already, always imagining a future where I don't need to speak."
"..."
"I've always wanted a quiet place where I don't need to talk much, don't need to be too involved, and don't need to care too much. This place suits my wishes."
Yoo Seong-Woon asked,
"…Were you once a human?"
"I am still human."
"Ah, right. I mean... were you a normal human who wasn't in a painting? Normal people aren't usually framed."
"Yes, I was."
"I see."
Human-like monsters can be divided into two types.
Those who were born as monsters but evolved to take on human forms, and those who were originally humans but at some point became part of the 'origin' and turned into monsters.
'In this case, it's the latter.'
Monsters with memories of being human usually experience a lot of negative emotions.
'This one seems... rather peaceful.'
But it wasn't a pleasant kind of peace.
"..."
It felt like a funeral.
'Gio's portrait' looked exactly like someone's death.
"Well, then... aren't you bored?"
"Sometimes I am bored."
"How do you alleviate that boredom? Do you have a way?"
"I usually eat."
"..."
Ah, that was surprising.
"...Eat?"
"Yes."
The portrait answered with its characteristic blunt voice.
"I enjoy eating."
"..."
I hope the ingredients aren't human.
'...It doesn't seem like a face that would enjoy eating.'
If you consider it as a normal human, well, it doesn't look like someone obsessed with food.
'...Rather, it seems like it wouldn't feel anything at all. Almost like a cold indifference.'
He was a flamboyantly handsome man. His physique wasn't skinny but it wasn't thick either.
Pale skin, dark eye sockets, a face as immobile as a marble statue—it didn't seem like he'd find joy in eating.
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But there was more to be surprised about.
"It might be rude to ask, but..."
"I can eat."
"Yes, sorry. I asked the obvious."
A painting that eats.
"May I ask how you eat?"
At Yoo Seong-Woon's question, 'Gio' answered as if it wasn't anything special.
"I cook. I think of what food I want, gather the ingredients that fit, prepare them, and put a pan on the stove or in the oven... that's how I cook."
"..."
"Because I'm a normal human."
That explanation felt unnaturally human.
Yoo Seong-Woon didn't respond, and the portrait explained another case.
"There's also a way I can enjoy because I'm inside a portrait."
"Ah, how is that...?"
"I need a little help, but Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon can also give me pleasure."
"...What kind of pleasure are you talking about?"
The possibility of monsters' misbehavior crossed his mind, but the portrait didn't demand living sacrifices or warm blood.
Just like black paint on paper, it looked at Yoo Seong-Woon with emotionless eyes.
"Do you paint well?"
"...If it's about depicting an object, I can paint it. Sometimes I have to draw unfamiliar objects or plants in reports...."
"Then please draw an apple."
"..."
"It's not hard, right?"
Yoo Seong-Woon looked slightly surprised as he asked.
"...On the portrait... do you mean?"
"That's right."
"...Understood."
'Gio's portrait' was a being with clear rules. Yoo Seong-Woon was not foolish enough to ignore what such an unfathomable being requested.
He took out paints and brushes from the hard case he always carried. Seeing this, the portrait asked.
"Do you always carry art supplies?"
"I try to carry a variety of items. You never know what might happen in this gallery, and it's better for my own safety to be prepared in various ways."
"I see."
"..."
The portrait's response was still calm, but Yoo Seong-Woon felt secretly creepy.
'What would have happened if I didn't have painting tools....'
So far, the 'Gio' he had conversed with had shown some flexibility, but who knows, such an alien being always showed unpredictable aspects.
Yoo Seong-Woon quietly took a deep breath and placed the brush on the portrait. He felt a sense of sacrilege, as if he were defiling a noble artwork.
"I'm not very good at painting."
"That's fine."
"Umm..."
He soon painted a bright red apple.
"...It's not a very pretty apple."
Yoo Seong-Woon smiled awkwardly.
"Here's the apple you wanted."
"That's right."
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"Can you eat it?"
"...Yes."
With that, 'Gio' reached out to the apple drawn in a corner of the portrait.
"Thank you."
It moved.
A white, thick hand picked up Yoo Seong-Woon's apple.
"..."
"..."
The yellow flesh inside the red apple was visible.
The portrait, which looked like a model, took a bite out of the apple.
"..."
"..."
"It's delicious."
"...Ah..."
"It's well-ripened and smells good. Although it's a bit small, it's suitable as a snack."
"That..."
This was a first for him.
"..."
"Is it fascinating?"
Yes, it was fascinating.
Exciting enough to make his heart flutter a bit.
"...It's amazing."
Yoo Seong-Woon had been a person who observed and managed such alien beings. He had been doing such work since he was at the previous job, the Hunter's Association.
When dungeons appeared and monsters roamed, unusual phenomena and beings at the heart of them had always been his role to explore and research.
There was certainly pride and satisfaction in that. He was here because he loved that work.
"Honestly, yes, I was surprised... I've never
seen anything like this before."
"I understand."
"So, did you just eat the apple inside the painting?"
'Gio' nodded.
"I'm a normal human, but I'm inside a painting. So, I can say I'm also a painting. In the same vein, I can do a lot of things inside the painting."
"..."
"On days I don't want to cook, I draw finished dishes like this. It's convenient."
"...I see."
"So, I can repay your kindness."
The portrait blinked twice.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"I'm not ready yet."
"...Understood."
"Thank you."
Day 4, completed.
As soon as the portrait opened its eyes again, Yoo Seong-Woon saw a paintbrush in its hand.
'Gio' started to paint.
"..."
"..."
The color was as red as the apple Yoo Seong-Woon had drawn the day before.
The shape was a rounded triangle. Its structure was definitely three-dimensional, and the clear light made it even more apparent. The light, soft and warm, scattered throughout the structure like it was hitting the sun.
The color resembled a pomegranate. Transparent and red. But redder than that. The stark red color, like freshly spilled blood, was painful to look at for too long.
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It soon came to life.
"..."
The edges became as sharp as a knife.
"..."
And it embraced darkness, eventually casting shadows beneath it.
"..."
"Here."
The portrait spoke.
"This is your reciprocity."
As he pushed the red gem that seemed to contain a heart with his fingers,
Thunk.
"..."
It fell onto Yoo Seong-Woon's hand.
"..."
"..."
"It's yours."
"...What is this gem?"
"I don't know."
"..."
"But it must have been in a place as hot as deep within the earth."
'Gio' continued the story of the gem.
"It might have stayed with the heart of a planet, harboring heat, and only after a very long time when it was discovered by human hands... it took a pretty form."
Whose story might this be?
"...It's an interesting story."
"If it sounded that way, I'm glad."
"Ha ha..."
Yoo Seong-Woon let out a helpless laugh.
"What did you use to draw this gem? Surely your brush wasn't dipped in any paint..."
"..."
"It looks real like a gem."
The portrait did not answer.
Instead, Yoo Seong-Woon asked.
"May I take this?"
"You gave me a gift."
He was talking about that awkward apple drawing.
"This gem is my reciprocity for that."
The portrait's words sounded almost devilish. Unnecessarily so, yet that estrangement and trance made it seem so.
And Yoo Seong-Woon, unable to bear the surrealism any longer, expressed his honest impression.
"You're right."
"..."
"And it sounds exactly like something a devil would say."
He couldn't help but ask. Such is the nature of a researcher.
"Why do you always answer in such a simple language? Gio, you... well. You satisfy other people's wishes in a very simple and precise way."
"..."
"I know it's a rude question. But I had to ask. Is it because you lack human emotions? Or did you choose to be that way?"
The portrait looked at Yoo Seong-Woon without answering.
After a long pause, and after blinking twice, 'Gio' finally responded.
"I don't understand what Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon is saying. I haven't used excessively simple grammar, nor have I provided answers to satisfy human desires or wishes."
"..."
"I've always been this way."
His voice was still blunt and soft, but somehow twisted.
It wasn't peaceful. Like a dead person pulled into the world of the living, still calm yet somehow eerie....
"There's no reason for me to explain so much that I can't even understand it. I do have human emotions."
"..."
"I'm not emotionless, and likewise, it's not my choice either. I've always been this person."
The portrait seemed angry, or perhaps it was making excuses as if hurt, or maybe it was truly confused and frustrated by not understanding the other's words.
Perhaps all of this was just his misinterpretation, and it had no feelings at all.
'I don't know what it's thinking.'
Yoo Seong-Woon said cautiously.
"That's right, I understand. I know you're a normal human."
"..."
"You seem to feel loneliness, joy, and many other emotions. It's just that you use a tone that doesn't show personal desires or emotions. As if you have nothing at all...."
It's just some kind of service.
'...I shouldn't have said that much.'
Yoo Seong-Woon felt curious. At the same time, he admired it. Though he was employed by Beisaval as a curator, his essence was always in 'exploration.'
"..."
"..."
The portrait opened its mouth again.
"I am a normal human."
He continued.
"I wanted an apple, so I asked Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon to draw it for me."
"That's right."
"That was my personal wish. Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon drew an apple for me, so I gave him something in return. We exchanged gifts, and that's the proper etiquette between people."
"That makes sense."
"I just followed etiquette."
"..."
"So I don't understand what you're talking about."
Whether his words were a lie or the truth, it was difficult to read his intentions from his constant tone.
"Did you know your eyes are very black?"
"Many people's eyes are black."
"That's true."
"Black eyes are common. Nothing special."
"..."
"Don't think of me as too special. It would be better if you didn't."
It was like a giant whale explaining to a human that it is small.
Does he deny the contradiction knowing what it is?
'Or does he really not know?'
'Gio's' blunt face hid all the inner truths.
"...I'll be careful."
Day 5, completed.
After that, the portrait did not open its eyes for a while.
"..."
Ah, really.
"I should fix this habit...."
Did I scare it away?
"It's tough to socialize after a long time."
"...Shall I rest?"
Ultimate positive mindset activation.
'Let's rest.'
And so, he returned to his rural life.
"Ta-da."
That was why Gio had been stuck in the portrait for ten days.