Chapter 76

“So, here’s the thing.”

Leaning against the gallery wall, Yu Seong-un asked Jio.

“Is turning people into paint also because you’re a painter?”

“…….”

“You don’t have to answer if it’s a difficult question.”

As a former research team leader at the Association, Yu Seong-un had deep ties to the Hunter Association.

He could find out a lot of information and the recent rumors about Jio being witnessed in the ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’ were no exception.

“It’s just that you’ve never called yourself a painter, so I got a little curious.”

Witnesses said that ‘The Black Cape’ was a portrait and a painter.

“It’s also fascinating that you made a living creature into paint.”

“That was not as great an act as you think.”

Jio replied in his usual machine-like, subdued voice.

“To answer your earlier question, I am an ordinary person whose hobby is painting. I am not worthy of being called a painter.”

“In the end, a painter is just someone who paints, as you said. Well, more accurately, it’s someone whose profession is painting… but isn’t it a similar context?”

“If so, you are welcome to think that way.”

Unlike when he was out of the ‘Jio’s Portrait’ frame and imitating a human, the voice of Jio inside the portrait was dissonantly business-like. With an inorganic voice devoid of any emotion, Jio continued.

“The reason I turned those people into paint was simply that I could draw them from beyond the frame. However, I judged that painting an already existing life form with ordinary paint would be closer to creation than transportation, so I had no choice but to make them into paint.”

“…Right, that’s….”

Yu Seong-un recalled a previous conversation he had with ‘Jio’s Portrait’.

“From your perspective, the painting is us, not you, right?”

“I have not forgotten that you all are living beings with egos, not ordinary paintings or paint, but while wondering if there was a way I could help them, I ended up choosing this method. Was it helpful?”

“Thanks to you, the survival rate did increase.”

With the frame between them, Jio in his world and humans in their world see each other as paintings.

Therefore, it seemed that Jio, being both a portrait and a painter, could exert an arbitrary influence through his paintings.

“It’s just, what should I say….”

Yu Seong-un hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“Everyone is just scared, that’s all.”

“Are they scared?”

“You don’t exactly have a friendly appearance.”

“That is correct.”

“And becoming paint while still alive isn’t a common occurrence either.”

It was not just on the level of ‘uncommon’; it was something most would never experience in their lifetime.

The Hunters were grateful for ‘The Black Cape’s’ inexplicable kindness, yet they feared him.

“Anyway, as long as you’re not treating us as mere paint, then it’s fine.”

“I have not thought of it in that way.”

“Right, you just wanted to help in this particular way.”

Though that was precisely what made him not seem human.

‘From a human’s perspective, the kindness bestowed by a being of the Source doesn’t necessarily feel like kindness.’

It was a pure way of thinking, if one could call it that.

It was similar to a young child, not understanding a dog’s physiology, feeding chocolate to a cute puppy.

The child may have intended to share a sweet snack, but for the puppy, it was akin to ingesting a deadly poison.

‘Perhaps because he himself is a portrait, he has no qualms about turning people into paint. The fortunate thing is that people at least recognized it as an act of kindness….’

Perhaps because of that, it seemed some Hunters were even beginning to hold him in awe.

“…Uh….”

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

“Are you still going to the ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’ these days?”

“I have visited in the hopes of meeting Iseur, but I am only encountering humans, not merfolk.”

“Oh dear.”

It seemed that Iseur, that cunning merman, was avoiding Jio.

Whether he needed time to sort out his thoughts or was plotting something else, it was hard to say.

“Anyway… thank you for helping people.”

“No, there is no need for thanks. Rather, I wish to apologize as I seem to have startled them. Was my action rude?”

“It wasn’t rude or anything, just that a lot of people found it scary.”

In truth, it was probably beyond ‘a lot’, but the fact remained that Jio had saved people out of mercy.

The Hunters seemed to know it was an act of kindness, so this much was not a problem.

‘It would be another problem if the existence of the Black Cape becomes too familiar to the Hunters, but for now, it’s not a situation where a major incident is likely to erupt.’

If possible, he wanted to keep the kind and friendly Hunter ‘Seo Jio’ and the mysterious urban legend ‘The Black Cape’ strictly separate, but Jio himself seemed to have no intention of doing so, which was a bit troublesome from a greedy human’s perspective.

Did Jio wish to interact intimately with others even while being ‘The Black Cape’?

“I’m saying this beforehand just in case you misunderstand, but I wasn’t telling you not to help people. They’d probably prefer being a little startled over dying, right? I just came because I was concerned about how much you knew, so don’t be too upset.”

“I am not upset.”

“That’s a relief. But….”

Yu Seong-un’s words trailed off.

“I have a question.”

His reason for visiting the gallery today was not merely to relay the aftermath of ‘The Black Cape’ legend.

“May I ask?”

“If it is a question I can answer, I will try to provide a response.”

“Well then, on what basis are you able to adjust your stature?”

It was a question born from the eyewitness accounts heard here and there, and from the testimonies of a few witnesses like Yu Seong-un and the Cha family.

The difference in stature between the ‘Black Cape’ of the rumors and the ‘Jio’ in his human form was so immense that they were not considered to be the same being.

The portrait, painted over with black paint, its eyes unseen, asked back.

“What does that mean?”

“Uh….”

Right, Jio did not know how high his own stature was.

‘He thinks of himself as an ordinary human, so bringing up the word stature was definitely my mistake. This is the guy who explained people’s fear of him as just a resolution issue….’

After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Yu Seong-un finally opened his mouth.

“…Of course, the urban legend of the Black Cape and the person named Jio are the same individual, but even as the same being, you sometimes show different judgments or ways of speaking. When you’re active as ‘Seo Jio’… I don’t think you would have even had the idea of turning a person into paint.”

This was the problem.

“You should be the same Jio, yet it seems your way of thinking also changes depending on your stature.”

“…….”

“Or perhaps I’m mistaken. I apologize if my judgment was rude.”

After a moment, the portrait replied.

“I believe what you are saying is correct, Mr. Yu Seong-un. I do often vary my thoughts and tone.”

“Ah.”

“I try my best to live correctly and politely, but to borrow your words, when I am ‘The Black Cape’, I make arrogant and rude judgments.”

It seemed the portrait, too, was aware of this.

“However, I have no intention of harming people. I will not cause any harm to you all, so you do not need to worry about that part.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Yu Seong-un nodded.

‘Indeed, the thinking of a human and the thinking of a Source cannot be the same.’

Even if they were the same being, there could be differences in their thought processes depending on their stature.

‘Jio called it an arrogant and rude judgment, but in truth, for him, that must have been a natural action. Considering the stature held by the being known as Jio’s Portrait, it’s not strange at all.’

It was natural for a human to look down on an ant.

‘The very fact that he’s trying to bend down and meet our eye level like this is astonishing in itself. Is it only possible because Jio has a considerably high understanding of humans?’

Of course, just because Jio ‘tried’ didn’t mean he could become completely like a human, but the fact that he was admonishing himself by calling it an ‘arrogant and rude judgment’ seemed to hold significance.

“…….”

A chill ran down his spine.

“Is there anything else you wish to ask?”

“Huh? No, it’s just….”

He just gets the creeps whenever he feels that Jio is not human.

“…I was just thinking how amazing you are.”

Yu Seong-un still did not know ‘what’ Jio was.

Only that it was this, a portrait.

***

“Suuuck….”

“Myalk.”

“Suuuuuck….”

“Meu-eung.”

Honey tilted its head at the sight of Jio inhaling Dana’s belly.

“Kuruk?”

“I feel alive.”

“Kkuk?”

“I’m healed.”

Indeed, there was no hobby that improved the quality of life as much as sucking on a cat’s belly.

“Of course, Dana is neither soft nor warm….”

“Krrrr.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re a cat. Thank you for stepping on me, master.”

The two cotton-paws pushing against his face were just so adorable.

The teddy bear sun god watching the scene looked a bit disturbed, but it had no effect on Jio, Honey, or Dana.

With the whole family gathered cozily, Jio asked seriously.

“So what must I do to see Iseur’s face?”

The topic was Iseur’s delinquency.

“For some reason, he isn’t coming to see me. He should know that I’ve come, so what could be the matter.”

“Kuuu….”

The teddy bear narrowed its eyes as if to say, ‘You don’t know?’, and Jio nodded.

“I know, too. I suppose it’s similar to how a puppy that has caused trouble avoids its owner’s eyes. Humans have a bad instinct to first evade when they’ve done something wrong and think they’re going to be scolded.”

“Ku….”

The sun god pondered whether it was right to call the merman Iseur a human, and also whether it was comparable to the avoidance of a puppy or a small child.

In the first place, it did not seem like Iseur was avoiding Jio out of fear of being scolded.

The form was clearly ‘Giovanni’, but the strange sense of disharmony felt from within and the unknowably lofty stature, coupled with the detestable divinity of the sun, had turned him into a being that was difficult for the merfolk to face in many ways.

But Jio was a young man of conviction. He was steadfast.

“When I was young, if I drew a map on my blanket, I would watch my grandmother’s mood and secretly hand-wash it all night. Even though I knew it was a natural physiological phenomenon for a child, I didn’t tell her out of guilt and shame.”

“Ku…?”

“But I was eventually caught. How well could a child do hand-washing on his own? Soaked in water, it wouldn’t even dry overnight. Therefore, no matter how much Iseur avoids me, that child will not be able to escape me.”

“Kuuu…?”

The teddy bear expressed its doubt, as if asking, ‘Is that really the right analogy right now?’, to which Jio let out a small sigh.

“It’s true that Iseur chose a path too cruel for such a simple analogy….”

“Kuku, ku.”

“In my memory, Iseur was just a young student. It’s a fact that it doesn’t feel real to hear he’s a terrorist or what have you now.”

He couldn’t help but feel daunted by the fact that he himself was implicated in that terror incident, but more than that, Giovanni remembered his young disciple. It didn’t feel real.

Even if someone suddenly told him, ‘Your small and precious student has been terrorizing religious facilities after you died,’ the only response that came out was, ‘What? Oh? Is that so?’

“But that is all the more reason why we must capture Iseur… no, meet him.”

“Kuruk?”

Honey sent a suspicious gaze, as if to say, ‘Didn’t you just say capture?’. Naturally, Jio ignored it, and Dana yawned languidly.

“What must I do to make Iseur come to meet me. I could not help but ponder.”

“Ku….”

“The ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’ is not a large supermarket. I can’t make a missing child announcement, and Iseur, a grown adult, can’t be called a missing child. This adorable merman, who knows where the exit is but refuses to come….”

Jio blinked a couple of times at his disciple, who seemed to have become a coward, refusing to even show his face. He continued shortly after.

“To tell you in advance, it’s not that I have no plan at all.”

“Kkung?”

“If I cause a grand incident in the ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’, which can be called their home, they will surely show their faces.”

“Kururuk?”

“If it goes well, I think I can definitely gain the upper hand. Yes, so the plan is….”

The bird, upon hearing Jio’s story, tilted its head as if asking if that would work, the cat, as if uninterested, flopped onto its back, and the teddy bear wore a peculiar expression as if asking, ‘Are you really sure about that?’

At that sight, Jio looked at the sun god.

“Is something wrong?”

“…Ku….”

The teddy bear, seeing Jio’s composed demeanor, nodded its head as if thinking, ‘Is that so?’.

It wasn’t that it had made a peculiar face out of any deep understanding itself, but rather the thought, ‘If Jio is fine with it, then it must be so,’ had occurred to it.

“Kuu, kukuku.”

“Thank you for your support.”

It was truly a heartwarming family meeting.

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