Chapter 59

“Was he a foreigner?”

“Huh?”

Yu Seong-un asked back at Jio's words.

“What do you mean by that?”

On the way back after finishing the first initiation ceremony and parting with the Cha family.

Yu Seong-un tilted his head at Jio's sudden mumble.

He didn't understand what exactly Jio was asking.

“A foreigner, you say.”

“That blond priest I saw at the initiation briefing earlier….”

“Ah, I see what you’re talking about.”

Jio was rigid in strange ways.

He had old-fashioned common sense, just like a grandfather, and seemed worried that he might have been racially discriminatory without realizing it.

Even though he was polite and gentlemanly in all matters.

He really worries about the strangest things.

“He’s probably Korean, too. You were just confused because he looks a little different from the traditional Korean appearance, right?”

“So he was Korean. With blond hair and blue eyes, and a bone structure slightly different from the Koreans I know, I thought he might be a Western foreigner. Was that a rude thought to have?”

“It is a bit of an old-fashioned mindset.”

“I will be more careful.”

“You’ve been stuck in a picture frame all this time, so it can’t be helped that you don’t know.”

Besides, from the perspective of a Source being, it must have been difficult to distinguish between human nationalities.

Just as it's hard for a human without expert knowledge to distinguish between all the numerous types of ants.

‘Above all, Source beings have a tendency to believe the human rules they learn at face value….’

Source beings don't understand human exceptions well.

There were some who couldn't understand not eating three meals a day, and others who couldn't understand why someone would be missing hair that should obviously be there.

‘Saying things like, aren't humans supposed to be this way.’

If anything, it was impressive that Jio distinguished them enough to categorize them as 'Western foreigners'.

Though in this case, it seemed that a little knowledge was a dangerous thing….

“Of course, traditional Koreans generally have black hair and black or brown eyes. The bone structure is a bit different too. But these days, it’s a bit… difficult to determine nationality just by hair color or bone structure.”

To make a Source being understood by humans, it was best to explain the flow originating from its history. Yu Seong-un began to tell a story again.

“You seem to know about the Great Catastrophe, and the world was turned upside down during that time. It wasn't my generation, so I don't know exactly what it was like, but it must have been much more chaotic than now. It must have had a real apocalyptic atmosphere, right?”

“…….”

“…Do you know what apocalypse means…?”

“I do.”

“Oh, impressive.”

It was probably one of the memories that the human persona of 'Seo Jio' possessed.

“Anyway, back then, the concept of national borders was faint. To be precise, it faded. People started migrating here and there to escape the disasters in their own countries, and as they did, the entire planet began to mix with various races, like a giant salad bowl.”

Because of that, the existence of a 'traditional Korean' had become rare.

“If we’re talking about a pure-blooded Korean, in our country, you could probably only find one very rarely in rural areas with very little exchange with other regions. There are some rather rigid elders who feel an extreme aversion to their children’s blood mixing with that of a foreigner….”

“There are people like that everywhere, I see.”

“There are always people who hate change. So it’s hard to figure out someone’s nationality just by their appearance. Still, considering that the blond priest you mentioned is in charge of an event like this, I think he’s probably Korean.”

“Don't they entrust events to foreign priests?”

“No, it’s more like… if he’s in a position to oversee such a big event, he must hold a pretty high rank in the Seoul Solar Cult. And he would be living in Korea, so wouldn’t it be harder to think of such a person as a foreigner?”

“Aha.”

I understood.

‘So, in effect, the distinction of race has disappeared.’

Regardless of where their blood originated from or what they looked like, as long as they had Korean nationality, they were Korean.

This was an obvious fact even before the Great Catastrophe, but the atmosphere then and now was a little different.

‘It’s as if nationality is being treated like a light certificate, like a driver’s license.’

Yu Seong-un said the priest was likely Korean simply because he would be commuting here.

It wasn't about where or as whom he was born, but simply that he was registered as a Korean, and therefore judged to be Korean.

“…….”

A truly unified Earth.

‘…It seems good.’

This seemed rather desirable.

‘Although it’s a bit unfamiliar.’

Jio was still feeling like a stranger in his own hometown.

Now he worried he wouldn't even be able to order food at a hamburger joint.

For Seo Jio, a living ancestor, this world was moving way too fast.

“So problems like racial discrimination won’t occur.”

“That’s the kind of conflict you’d only see in textbooks.”

Yu Seong-un shrugged his shoulders.

“Having said that, I can’t say there’s no racial discrimination at all.”

“Didn’t you say there was no distinction of nationality?”

“No, it’s not that kind of problem….”

He looked around, and after confirming no one was listening, he continued.

“There’s class discrimination.”

“Ah.”

“It might sound like an excuse… but I don’t really think that way. Still, 1st and 2nd-class citizens seem to be particularly arrogant. Especially 1st-class Hunters, who find the very act of interacting with citizens of 3rd-class or below unpleasant….”

“…….”

I had a bad feeling ever since I heard they classify citizens by grade, and now it seems the class system has really been revived.

“…Is that the difference between nobles and commoners?”

“Ah, would that be easier for you to understand? It’s certainly a similar perspective.”

“I was surprised that the classification and treatment seem clearer than I thought.”

“Well, anyway.”

Yu Seong-un chuckled softly.

“So be careful, because if you judge someone’s race by their appearance, people will call you a crazy old man. I understand your situation, but if other people heard you, it would sound like absurd discrimination.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“I wonder if there are any pure-blooded Koreans left these days. Even though I'm not a native, for that matter….”

The nuance was a bit strange, but I let it pass and asked another question I was curious about.

“Is the reason for all the different hair and eye colors also due to the mixing of races? Of course, I know that there are no pure genes that produce blue hair, but just in case….”

“Ah, in my case, it’s just the effect of awakening.”

If he meant awakening, it was probably related to being a 'Hunter'.

“Does your color change when you awaken?”

“Not everyone, but if you have a particularly strong affinity with an attribute, your color can change accordingly. Something like the blue hair you mentioned isn’t a naturally occurring color, so it’s probably the effect of awakening.”

“I see.”

“An attribute isn’t something the System clearly displays like grade or job; you generally define it yourself as you get to know your own abilities. To add to that, the attribute I have is ‘Ice’.”

Only then did I notice Yu Seong-un's snow-white hair and glacier-chilling blue eyes. It was a color similar to 'Giovanni's', but unlike his, it definitely had a cold feel to it.

“I used to have brown hair and brown eyes, but it became like this after I awakened.”

“…I see….”

I thought dyeing hair was just a trend these days.

‘Was I too unbiased?’

To be honest, even after becoming a haunted portrait and seeing all the unusually standout hair and eye colors, I hadn't paid much attention to it.

That's because Jio was an unbiased person who respected human diversity.

‘I figured, the world got turned upside down and fashion became bizarre, so why not hair dye….’

Or perhaps I just thought of it as a form of evolution and casually overlooked it.

Even to myself, I was quite an indifferent person.

“I can change my color, too.”

“Huh? So suddenly? You’re originally black. Wasn’t that your identity?”

“The idea that color can be a person’s identity sounds very interesting, but I am not black. I just added that because you said your color had changed, Mr. Yu Seong-un.”

“No… in the first place, your black color is a bit… uh… to be that of a native Korean.”

Isn’t it too jet-black.

‘Like an abyss or obsidian.’

Jio's color was difficult to describe as a simple color.

That black, as if embodying death or silence, often made one's mind grow distant.

‘Even now, having lowered his status to that of a human, it’s still a bit burdensome to make direct eye contact.’

As if finding Yu Seong-un’s reaction strange, Jio asked back.

“Isn’t it a normal black color?”

“…If that’s what you think, then fine.”

Yu Seong-un returned to the previous topic.

“So, you can change your color too?”

“I can change it if I pay a little attention. At this rate, could I be considered a modern person?”

“What’s a 29-year-old young man saying things like an old man who can’t keep up with the times…. No, could it be? Platinum blond hair and blue eyes?”

“So you knew.”

“You changed to that color at Cheonggyecheon and when you were on the water taxi.”

“Unlike others, have I perhaps evolved into a chameleon?”

“Rather than that….”

I think it was a change in personality.

“…….”

“What were you trying to say?”

“…Just that it’s strange.”

By this point, Yu Seong-un was starting to get a feel for Jio.

‘Jio… likely has numerous personalities.’

Centered around the personality named 'Jio's Portrait' by the Source, various other personalities spread out from it like branches.

Usually, he acted with the 'Jio' personality, but it seemed that when certain situations arose, a corresponding personality would react.

‘He’s a difficult one to deal with. The Guild Master and I hastily pushed him out into society out of our own greed… but if a personality hostile to humans were to emerge, it would become quite troublesome.’

Even if that happened, Bisabeol would probably preach his hard-to-sympathize-with taste, saying, 'Dying while appreciating a work of art is part of art,' but for ordinary people, unlike the man with an irrational obsession for collecting or a Gardener like Yu Seong-un, it would be nothing short of a disaster.

‘Even I am aware of that much.’

His conscience had already been smoothed out after going through this and that, but he still had a bottom line.

After pondering how to deal with Jio for a moment, Yu Seong-un opened his mouth.

“By any chance, that….”

“Yes.”

“…….”

Is this not the place to have this conversation?

“Can you tell me about yourself? Not here, but when we get back to the hotel.”

“I thought I have told you a lot about myself so far.”

“I want to know about something deeper. I’ll listen when we get back to the hotel, and if you're not uncomfortable, please answer. It’s also my job as a Curator.”

“I will do so.”

“Thank you very much for that.”

Perhaps thinking this topic wouldn't come up again until they reached the hotel, Jio brought up something out of the blue.

“I’m worried about the cat I left at home.”

“…A cat? You got a cat at home?”

“It’s an Anticat, I met it for the first time in the Water Vein of Jewels.”

“…….”

“But the teddy bear is watching over it, so it should be fine.”

“…I haven’t known how to react for a while now….”

Yu Seong-un asked with a peculiar expression.

“An Anticat, well, that’s you, so I’ll let that slide.”

“I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“What do you mean the teddy bear is watching the Anticat?”

“Literally, the teddy bear is watching over Dana.”

“Did you make it?”

“An elder has entered the doll that was abandoned in the sea.”

“Who is this elder, and why did they enter a teddy bear of all things?”

“It is the sun god I serve.”

“…….”

After a brief silence, Yu Seong-un decided not to ask any more questions.

“Mm, I see.”

He was already confused enough.

***

A soft, blunt hand.

The hand of a doll with fur of a color similar to Giovanni’s slowly stroked the back of the kitten that had burrowed into its embrace.

As if the embrace was comfortable, the jewel cat’s body was languidly stretched out.

“…….”

The teddy bear ceaselessly stroked the small jewel filled with dead spirits.

Patting, stroking down, and sometimes covering it to share its warmth.

Although it had become a sun of mere traces, with not even divinity left, it could still perform a miracle enough to warm this cold body.

After all, it was just them holding each other tightly.

“…….”

With its stuffed smile, the teddy bear looked into the picture frame depicting a blue sea.

It exuded a calm life force, as if a single personality had been drawn.

Its child called this the ‘Breathing Sea’.

“…….”

And this was surely connected to the world of the mermaids.

“…….”

Jio will meet a mermaid.

The teddy bear hoped that Giovanni would embrace the mermaid princess once again.

“…….”

It wouldn't regret giving up its divinity for that.

Even without something so grand, this place was… sufficiently bright, and warm.

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