Chapter 134

Safety ★★☆☆☆

Would you like to check the history?

[Yes/No]

Name: An Ju-hyeon

Age: 36 years old

State: Panic

He wanted to contribute to the world to prevent the repetition of the tragedy he experienced, but all his blood, sweat, and tears of effort and affection were betrayed, and he himself was isolated.

He knew it was not an easy goal, but misfortune beyond measure befell him.

He is alone.

An Ju-hyeon is wary and suspicious of you but is by no means aggressive.

He is a polite and cunning human.

Even if he harbors hostility, he will be obedient, and if he harbors goodwill, he will be reverent.

As a civilian, he is weaker than an F-Class Hunter. He cannot disobey you.

You can drop him into the clutches of Sankalut to gain awareness as an evil god, or you can watch over the pitiful man and appreciate him moving towards his goal once again.

You may choose or not choose.

An Ju-hyeon may harbor impure thoughts but cannot cause harm.

He is a safe human for you.

***

Jio had struck up a conversation with Ju-hyeon so suddenly thanks to confirming the history above.

“He seems like a good person.”

“Kurururu.”

“He’s safe for me.”

It was the best.

“The way the system says it is quite infuriating, but I can clearly tell that this person named An Ju-hyeon is kind. And nothing is more important than that.”

In this world, there were unexpectedly few harmless humans who could have a normal conversation with ‘The Black Cape’.

That was a very big problem for Jio, who knew nothing but eating and sleeping.

“Finally, I can make a pen pal friend too.”

“Arrrr….”

“Dana-ya, your dad needs to have friends too. And I’m human too.”

Jio picked up Dana, who was scratching at the door of the room where Ju-hyeon was sleeping, as if about to break it down.

As she grew bigger, Dana actively expressed her rejection of humans.

Her body was practically flashing.

“I heard from Mr. Yu Seong-un that a normal Anticat is just busy avoiding people, but why on earth is my child’s confidence piercing the sky? It’s a truly interesting part.”

She clearly took after her father.

“Father.”

“Kkuu?”

“I think we need to soothe Dana a little.”

“Kkukukuku….”

“Could you let me know when the guest wakes up?”

“Kku.”

“Thank you.”

Jio took the tray of food he had brought, thinking ‘maybe he’s awake,’ and went back down with it.

Dana, who had grown quite a bit, shrewdly moved from her dad’s arms to his shoulder.

The shoulder felt cozy and heavy.

“A cool gem-furred bundle….”

Wasn’t this quite a cute cool mat?

He wondered if he should take Dana instead of Honey when summer came to Earth.

“Honey, let’s go.”

“Kuru.”

“You can eat this.”

“Kururururururu.”

“I have to eat too.”

It was a porridge cooked until the shape of the rice grains was gone, with various vegetables and a little minced meat added.

The Baibamunil and Mangdung Fruit pickles he had made before were also set out as side dishes, giving off a delicious aroma.

And Honey swallowed it all by herself.

“……”

“Kkuk.”

“Pig.”

“Kkungkungkungkungkungkung…!!”

“Cute.”

He hadn’t expected her to eat it all by herself, but anyway, she got bonus points for the fact that he didn't have to throw away the leftover food the guest didn't eat.

Jio pulled Dana, who had been drooping on his shoulder, and sat her on his lap.

“How can our Dana be so full of confidence?”

“Ae?”

“Do you perhaps think the world revolves around you?”

“?”

“I see, indeed. The confidence befitting a child of my house.”

Still, it would be a problem if she went around biting the head of every person she met.

“Honey used to be like that in the past, too.”

“Mmmng?”

“Did you learn from your older brother?”

“?.”

“It seems not. Then it must be instinct.”

“Gyarurururu.”

“Adorable.”

Jio gently stroked the belly of Dana, who was lying on her back acting cute.

Unlike other cats who were sensitive about their bellies being touched, Dana was stretched out as if she was just happy.

Since she was a long-haired cat, it felt like a heavy carpet was laid out.

“Your older brother also used to bite people as he pleased at first. It was only a one-time thing, but when I found out, my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach.”

“kkyu?”

“For my sake, I hope you won’t bite or hurt other people as you please. To put it in terms of your loss as a monster, every time you inflict such an injury, I have to go far away to clean up or pay money.”

“……!”

“Dad can draw jewels and gold, but it seems bartering is not yet very popular in South Korea. In short, it means I’m a beggar, so it would be nice if Dana could think of her dad a little, as I could be branded a debtor and publicly shamed.”

“Aeae?”

“Pretty, so pretty.”

Dana, having learned of her father’s poor wallet situation, apologized.

Rebuilding trust with his dependable daughter who promised not to cause trouble, Jio sat Honey, who was poking at the empty tray for no reason, on his hand.

“Honey, come here.”

“Kurureuk.”

“The tray will wear out soon.”

He didn't know who she took after to grow into such a splendid pig.

Of course, he knew very well that she took after Jio himself.

“The guest must have been quite tired, seeing as he’s been sleeping for nearly 5 days.”

Jio really liked this guest.

He was a 36-year-old adult male, older than Jio, and he didn’t get scared or attack even when faced with The Black Cape.

He was even a polite and harmless human certified by the system.

“And he’s skinny.”

He had to be fattened up immediately.

It had been quite a while since he had met someone who seemed so rewarding to fatten up.

An Ju-hyeon was as good as qualified to be Jio’s friend.

“I even prepared lamb skewers to eat together….”

“Kurururureuk.”

“Alright, if he doesn’t wake up, let’s eat it together in the evening.”

“Aeae?”

“If he wakes up, we’ll all eat together.”

Once we eat, we’ll become Anne of Green Gables and her friend Diana.

In this harsh world, Jio finished preparing for the hunt to make a new friend.

***

It was early dawn when Ju-hyeon woke up.

“……”

He got out of the soft bed in a daze.

The dawn of a world where spring had fully settled was cool, and a gentle breeze carrying the scent of flowers and the forest was blowing kindly.

Ju-hyeon turned his head in the direction it touched his cheek. Through the wide-open terrace, he could see a world sparkling with dew.

“…Wow….”

It’s beautiful.

And it was peaceful.

“…Where is this, now….”

His mind was hazy, and he frowned.

As he fumbled around with his propped-up upper body, his hand caught on a soft blanket that seemed to be filled with only feathers.

The feel of the sun-dried fabric, soft and rustling, brought back the feeling of touching moss as a child.

Ju-hyeon was at a loss for words for a moment at the sensation, then soon looked at the world beyond the terrace again.

It was an instinctive gaze.

“…Was I in The Black Cape’s picture frame?”

It was a world that resembled a fairy tale more than he had imagined.

‘The sun is just rising.’

The dark dawn clouds were an indigo color reminiscent of a spring cold snap, but the warmth and starlight lingering by the just-rising sun were gentle colors resembling forsythia or cherry blossoms.

If one were to take a bite of that, it seemed it would be as sweet as honey from a flower.

“……”

Trudge.

Ju-hyeon went out onto the terrace without realizing it.

“…Stars.”

There were stars in the sky, and there was a moon, and with them, there was the sun.

The stars, which did not fade even in the bright, soft light, showed a clarity that made them seem as if they would fall at any moment.

They were still twinkling.

“The Milky Way….”

At the dreamlike sight, the tips of his fingers suddenly tingled, and his tightly closed lungs ached.

It was a sight he had never seen before, yet Ju-hyeon felt a strange sense of longing along with a heavy air.

“……”

In the place where the morning shadow still lingered, a forest with no visible end and a sparkling lake could be seen.

Ju-hyeon’s eyes were momentarily captivated by the lake.

A deep richness was felt from it, which sparkled with a rapturous golden light.

It was cold, and warm.

“…This feels strange.”

Muttering to himself for no reason, Ju-hyeon flinched and stepped back.

“…This place is, um, right. That’s right….”

He tried to come to his senses.

“Is it a kind of dungeon, I wonder.”

It didn’t work out well.

He had been in this state for a while recently.

While rationally thinking that he had to do this and that to recover, he lacked the motivation to actually put it into practice. It was as if his brain had hardened, refusing to work.

But a cool breeze blew from the terrace and cooled the heat on his forehead.

“……”

At that gentleness, which seemed to tell him not to be impatient, he found himself ridiculous for even having such thoughts, and Ju-hyeon let out a slow sigh.

“…Haaaah….”

Plop.

He sat on the bed.

“…Let’s calm down.”

It was okay.

It wasn’t okay, but it could be.

He could overcome this time as he always had.

‘I feel like my reason is returning a little, maybe because I slept and woke up.’

The terrible lethargy that had been tormenting Ju-hyeon recently had eased considerably.

Yes, he had been lethargic.

An impulse he had never felt in his life had shaken Ju-hyeon violently, and his mind, which had always coolly produced results for his benefit and goals, had become rigid.

‘But now… it’s not like that.’

He felt like he could breathe properly.

“……”

“Kurureuk?”

“…Huh?”

“Kkuk, kkureung.”

“A bird?”

When he came to his senses, a golden bird was sitting on the terrace railing.

“No, water?”

Ju-hyeon soon realized that it was living water in the shape of a bird.

It had an appearance similar to the long-tailed tit, which was said to be extinct, with a much longer tail, and it carried a conspicuous jewel in its body as if it were a treasure chest.

“Why is it here….”

As he stood frozen, not knowing how to react, the bird flew over and landed on Ju-hyeon’s thigh.

It had almost no weight, and although it was water, it was warm like a living creature.

“Kuru.”

“…Hello?”

“Kkukkureureureu.”

As if responding to the greeting, the water bird made a long cry and flapped its wings again to fly up.

It then bit the sleeve of Ju-hyeon’s white pajamas with its beak and pulled.

“…You want me to go out?”

“Kurureuk.”

“…How strange. Are its vocal organs not in its mouth….”

Perhaps because he was still half-asleep, he was more curious about how the bird, made entirely of water, could still make a cry without it being distorted while holding a sleeve in its mouth.

In a strange sense of unreality, Ju-hyeon followed where the bird led.

There, stood a jet-black man.

“Honey.”

At his call, the honey-colored bird landed on the man’s hand. It was a soft landing.

The man gave a short compliment, saying ‘good job,’ and placed the bird on his shoulder, and at his feet was a large cat sparkling with a cold light.

Ju-hyeon realized that it looked quite similar to an Anticat.

As he hesitated, not knowing what to do, the man soon spoke to him.

“Good morning.”

“Ah, yes. Good morning.”

“I was worried because you didn’t wake up for a long time.”

“I didn’t wake up…?”

“You slept for 8 days.”

“……”

Mulling over those words, Ju-hyeon’s dark skin turned deathly pale.

“…8 days?”

“In reality, a total of 3 days have passed.”

“Ah, ahh. Ah… I see. I understand.”

Ju-hyeon let out a sigh of relief.

After being startled once, he felt his mind clear up sharply.

With a clearer sense of reason than before, Ju-hyeon looked at the jet-black man in front of him and thought to himself.

‘…Is this The Black Cape’s true form?’

There were no witnesses who had seen inside The Black Cape, to the point where a hypothesis circulated that the cape or the suit itself was its main body and the true form of The Black Cape that Ju-hyeon confirmed was a man of unimaginable beauty.

‘I think I saw him before I fell asleep, but his impression is completely different from then… What exactly is different?’

As he was contemplating the differences in The Black Cape’s transformations, the other person asked politely with calm, sunken eyes.

“Would you like to have a meal?”

“……”

“You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

Ah, that expression.

‘…His entire personality changes with just one expression.’

The Black Cape, when he asked the question ‘You’re hungry, aren’t you?’ just now, looked incredibly gentle and affectionate despite his color not having changed.

His gaze was unknowingly captivated by the naturally and softly curving corners of his eyes and lips.

Only a beat later could Ju-hyeon answer.

“…Yes, I’m hungry.”

Look at this suffocating peace.

‘There’s no way such peace can exist in the world.’

From that unrealistic tranquility, he realized that he was inside a painting.

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