Chapter 21

“Jio.”

4:29 AM.

Yu Seong-un called the portrait.

“Jio, are you awake?”

“I am awake.”

“Good.”

Though he had called knowing that he usually woke up around this time.

‘There are days he skips, but the time communication is possible is usually around 4 to 5 AM…. I’ll have to watch the situation more, but it would be best to think of this as a rule too.’

This ‘Jio’s Portrait’ was favorable toward humans, but no existence of the Source showed mercy to a human who broke their rules.

He had to be cautious, even if it was a gentlemanly entity that looked almost human.

“I wanted to have a chat.”

“What business do you have with me?”

“I heard you’ve been wandering around the company building lately. The rumors are quite something?”

“I am curious as to what kind of rumors.”

“I don’t know if you’ll like it… but they’re calling you the ‘Black Cape’.”

Yu Seong-un continued, wearing his characteristic easygoing smile.

“It seems a rumor has started that ‘the Black Cape gives presents to good people’.”

These were guild members that the discerning Bisabeol had gathered one by one himself.

Apart from their combat strength, their ability to use their heads wasn’t bad.

They had figured out the ‘Black Cape’s’ rules in their own way.

“I guess you gave gifts to other people this time too?”

“I did not give them to everyone.”

“I know, you gave them to people who were particularly polite or kind, right?”

Those who had received gifts from Jio had something in common.

‘Either too weak, or too strong.’

He could guess to some extent.

The very weak ones trembled in fear upon seeing him, so he must have given them gifts as a form of apology and the strong ones communicated relatively fine even before Jio’s presence, so Jio must have judged them as ‘being polite’.

An apology, or a gift of gratitude. It was a result that fit the 1:1 rule in its own way.

‘On the contrary, those who were neither this nor that did not receive gifts.’

The employees were moderately strong enough not to burst into tears and snot, but not resolute enough to communicate properly in front of a great presence. Such people did not receive gifts.

“Hmm….”

He felt that an explanation was needed on this part to prevent any potential accidents.

‘As much as he’s imitating a human, Jio isn’t a rough fellow to the point of being impossible to communicate with.’

Well, it’s not like one could define the existence of the Source as gentlemanly.

‘This much should be fine.’

Yu Seong-un prepared himself in his own way and then opened his mouth.

“If some of our employees don’t answer you properly, or run away altogether, or avoid answering… that doesn’t make them bad people. They’re just friends who are a little timid.”

“……”

“Anyone would be scared of a large, unidentified person in a black cape who suddenly appears at dawn when no one should be around, right?”

Yu Seong-un purposely described Jio as if he were an ordinary person.

Since Jio thought of himself as an ordinary human, it didn’t seem like anything good would come from exposing his spiritual presence or his true nature.

“Of course, it might feel rude to you. But I’m saying that it’s not that they were trying to be intentionally rude to you, but that it might have been a bit overwhelming from their timid perspective.”

Soon, a calm voice was heard.

“I understand what you mean.”

“You do? Then I’m thankful.”

As a Curator and a Gardener, Yu Seong-un couldn’t help but be worried.

‘It’s natural for a rabbit to shrink before a wolf, but if he judges that as a rude and evil act, things will get quite troublesome. One wrong move and innocent people could end up dead.’

To an existence of the Source, human standards are meaningless.

‘Jio’s Portrait’ in particular was an existence sensitive to good, evil, and etiquette, and the problem was that his standards could be distinctly different from a human’s.

Even if someone was not particularly at fault or was a good person from a human’s standpoint, they could be a terrible villain from the standpoint of Jio, an existence of the Source.

Thinking of Jio, who had repeatedly made statements about disliking the rude and evil, it was a chilling matter.

‘When I found out there were people who didn’t receive a gift at all, it really sent a chill down my spine.’

Didn’t that mean Jio had ‘distinguished’ between humans?

“You, yes. You said that Guild Master Bisabeol was not a bad person, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Every employee in this company was personally chosen by him. They weren’t picked through a large-scale interview after posting a notice, but are guild members he scouted one by one with great care.”

“It must have taken a lot of time and effort, that is surprising.”

“I wanted to say that while I can’t say our guild’s employees are nice, they are competent and good people.”

In a world like this, who could have lived without committing a single crime, but those personally chosen by Bisabeol were at least not the kind of people to be called villains.

“Even if they don’t have outstanding personalities, they’re just ordinary people.”

“Yes.”

“…Would it be too rude of me to wish that you wouldn’t see them as bad people?”

He didn’t know how Jio distinguished between the good and evil of humans.

‘But just as humans have Appraisal Skills… it’s certain that Jio also has a standard of judgment. Otherwise, there’s no way he would have concluded that Guild Master Bisabeol, whom he hadn’t even spoken to, wasn't a bad person.’

Contrary to Yu Seong-un’s thoughts, as long as he was not inside the portrait, Jio still had no way of grasping the ‘safety level’ of the person beyond the frame.

The reason there were people who received gifts this time and those who didn’t was because Jio had gifted them as a form of reward whenever he thought ‘Ah, I’m grateful’ or ‘Ah, I’m sorry’.

There was no particular value judgment involved.

However, Yu Seong-un, who did not know of such circumstances, couldn’t help but suspect Jio’s Appraisal Skill.

‘I hope the skill’s standards aren’t too harsh.’

Bisabeol said this ghost story commotion was a type of vaccination.

That it was giving an opportunity for ‘Jio’s Portrait,’ a natural disaster that could never be dealt with or controlled, to adapt to this world and respect its members, and for the humans of this world to understand and be considerate of him.

Therefore, Yu Seong-un had no choice but to try various methods.

“What do you think?”

“……”

Fortunately, or perhaps naturally, Jio answered with his usual blunt face.

“I did not think of them as bad people.”

“You didn’t?”

“The only reason I did not give them gifts was because I judged that they would not need them, and also because some people ran away before I could do anything. I did not think they were evil.”

“……”

“I simply thought there was no need to give a gift.”

That was a truly fortunate story.

‘So at least he didn’t judge them as rude and evil people. There was a reason there were no injuries despite the increase in witness accounts.’

Just as he was feeling relieved, Jio continued.

“I do have a bit of resentment for the people who ignored my questions or ran away.”

“Ah.”

“But I understand. As you said, a mysterious man in a black cape who suddenly appears in a deserted hallway can certainly be an object of fear. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t displeased, but I have no intention of getting angry.”

Jio added an explanation after saying so.

“But since I am also human, I cannot help but feel negative emotions.”

“Uh, right.”

“I tried to converse politely, but it hurts my heart when things like this keep happening. I hope the employees here will not ignore or avoid the ‘Black Cape’ in this manner.”

“I’ll talk to the Guild Master about that.”

Yu Seong-un tried to swallow his bewilderment.

‘…So he was angry after all.’

It seemed to be just at the level of ‘not a bad person’, not that ‘they weren’t rude’.

Even an ordinary person would get angry if those around them rejected them and Jio in particular was an existence of the Source who thought of himself as a human.

Even if he was mistaken about being human, there was no way he wouldn’t be angry at humans who went against the clear rules he held.

‘No matter what… I won’t be able to completely quell the fear from the ghost story. His spiritual presence is so high that it’s only natural for humans standing before him to be intimidated. In that case, should I create a new rule within the company building to at least regulate the employees’ behavior?’

After pondering for a moment, Yu Seong-un nodded.

“…We have a tight-knit relationship centered around the Guild Master. Since the Guild Master brought each and every person in himself, the employees have a strong attachment to him.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll speak to the Guild Master so that the discomfort you felt doesn’t continue and we can improve things as much as possible. If the Guild Master insists strongly, I think the other employees will also be convinced.”

“I would be grateful if you could do that.”

As he said that, Jio was suddenly holding a glass jar he had never seen before.

“……”

No, that’s not it. Wait a minute.

‘A pot?’

It wasn’t a jar, but a pot.

It was so big that it had to be held in one’s arm, not lifted with one hand.

“…What’s that?”

“I shall call it a gift of gratitude for listening to my complaints and requests.”

“I still haven’t finished the cookies you gave me last time?”

“Why is that?”

“Ah….”

“I am not angry. I was asking because I was curious why there is still some left when it was not a large amount. Would you please answer.”

If he were an ordinary human, he might have wondered, ‘Is he being sarcastic and angry?’, but Jio was clearly an existence of the Source.

It seemed like a pure question, so Yu Seong-un answered with an apologetic face.

“Sorry, the effect is so good when I eat them when I’m tired that I was saving them and eating them little by little. It’s not that I left them because your gift was uncomfortable or didn’t suit my taste.”

“You have no reason to be sorry to me. I gave you a gift, and it is now yours, Mr. Yu Seong-un. There is no need to make excuses to me. However, it is joyful news that it gives you strength when you are fatigued.”

“Saying it like that makes me feel rather humbled….”

Yu Seong-un looked at the glass pot inside the portrait.

“So, what is that?”

At that, Jio took his hands off the pot he was holding and showed it to him.

“It is fruit cheong.”

“…That is?”

“Anyone can see it is fruit cheong.”

“Ah, right….”

Anyone can see it’s not fruit cheong.

‘…That’s fruit cheong?’

Although fruit or sugar were expensive ingredients, making it a food that was hard to come by, Yu Seong-un was a competent hunter.

There was no way that he, who earned a considerable amount of money, would not have tried a fruit cheong that even a second-class citizen could buy.

‘But it’s somehow… very different from the fruit cheong I know.’

It had the color of twilight. Should he call it a vermilion close to orange.

The transparent and clear liquid shone like the surface of a gem and within it, reminiscent of an evening glow, a strikingly deep color lay dormant.

‘There is something similar to fruit sunk at the bottom, but…’

The color was so mesmerizing that he didn’t think he could bring himself to eat it.

“This is ice that is good to put in and eat together.”

“…It looks just like a pearl.”

“Its name is Ice Pearl. It seems you have the insight to guess the name in one go, Mr. Yu Seong-un.”

“Oh, right. Insight….”

“It is ice that does not melt unless it is hot, so if you wish to consume it, I recommend you melt it in hot tea.”

“……”

Wow.

I can feel it.

‘I don’t think I can handle this.’

The cookies he received as payment for the seeds after first receiving tea leaves from Jio and asking him to ‘please restrain himself a bit’.

They too were not ordinary.

The current situation was that he hadn’t been able to eat them all at once due to their tremendous fatigue recovery effect and had left them.

‘But this time, the quantity is also large.’

He said he enjoys cooking, and it seems he is quite generous.

This existence of the Source probably didn’t know how small a human’s stomach was.

“Please accept it.”

“…Isn’t it too much?”

“Please eat a lot. It is good for you to gain more weight than you have now, Mr. Yu Seong-un.”

“I’m on the sturdy side as I am.”

Although he had never seen his body directly, judging by the outline of the cape, Yu Seong-un had more muscle mass than Jio.

But to tell him to gain more weight from here? It was hard for Yu Seong-un to understand.

‘…No wait, by weight, could he possibly mean fat?’

Was Jio a cannibalistic monster?

“I don’t taste good.”

“That is an interesting joke.”

“I was being serious.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he had the mentality of a witch from a candy house trying to fatten up a human before eating them.

‘It’s not for a human to judge what kind of aesthetic tastes an existence of the Source has, anyway.’

Jio probably preferred more plump humans aesthetically.

It was a little strange that he himself had such a perfectly balanced body, yet he liked people who looked fat.

He had no idea just what kind of backstory this existence of the Source had.

‘…Come to think of it, he said all his gifts are usually food, and that what he does when he’s bored is cooking or eating. He seems to really like food in many ways. The fact that he likes to see people with more flesh… that he’s strangely generous… that he likes giving gifts….’

Is this guy a grandmother?

“……”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

“I see.”

Fortunately, Jio did not probe any further.

“This is a gift for your kindness, so I do not need a return gift. More than anything, the fruit cheong I newly concocted seems to have ripened deliciously, so I wanted to share it with you all.”

“Hmm… I see.”

While nodding nonchalantly, Yu Seong-un thought to himself.

‘…Does he know that he himself is bound by a rule?’

Jio’s words just now seemed to have the premise of ‘I must receive something in order to give you guys a gift’. Perhaps the one-to-one rule wasn’t something Jio made himself.

‘Or he made it himself and forgot.’

If only the memories of a 29-year-old man existed within that immense presence, it was a plausible hypothesis.

“…Since you’re giving it to me, I’ll take it….”

Yu Seong-un used his Appraisal Skill while looking at the fruit cheong.

[Honey of the Water Vein]

[Grade: - ]

A fruit cheong made with Mangdung Fruit that grows wild in the water veins of fate and a Drought Pot.

It has a vermilion hue and is characterized by a sweet and sour flavor with a deep umami taste.

Personally processed by Jio, the master of the forest, so that a human body can also accept it.

When diluted in water and consumed, it restores a human’s physical abilities to their limit.

It is especially excellent for malnutrition.

Adding Ice Pearls that grow wild in the glacier under Jio’s cabin exhibits an excellent effect in restoring physical and mental functions.

“……”

“Doesn’t it have a good scent?”

“You’re a really good cook.”

I think it would be okay if you were a little less good.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.