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Episode 6
A pure white gallery.
Pure white lighting.
“… … .”
A man in black alone among the works that sparkle in the light.
‘… came out.’
Yoo Seong-woon, who was hiding in the gallery at the request of the HR staff, stared at the ‘ghost’ while hiding his presence.
Whether it was luck or bad luck, on the very day he received the request, Yoo Seong-un was able to confirm the identity of the person rumored. As he had heard before, it was a tall man wearing a pitch-black cloak covering his entire body.
‘I can’t even hear footsteps.’
The rumored ‘ghost’ was barefoot.
‘Even though I’m barefoot, it’s strange that it’s this quiet.’
But it wasn’t like there was no sound at all.
‘It seems that the curators up until now didn’t have hearing enhancement skills so they couldn’t hear it… .’
Yoo Seong-un closed his eyes.
“… … .”
Fall, fall.
Pass… .
“… … .”
very.
It’s a very light noise.
‘… This is… .’
He opened his eyes again.
‘…It sounds like plants hitting each other.’
It’s a strange metaphor, but that’s how it was decided.
It was like a light vine or a dry flower petal that weighed less than 1g being puffed up and rolled around. That faint and hollow sound was not a noise suitable for a man who was 188cm tall.
“… … .”
Yoo Seong-un continued to observe, hiding between the artwork and the pillar.
‘…I am appreciating it.’
The ‘ghost’ wandered around the empty gallery, occasionally stopping in front of works protected by glass walls. He spent a particularly long time in front of sculptures and paintings.
What was surprising was that he was really just ‘watching’.
‘Since there are so many dangerous items, if you touch just one, there will be chaos, but thankfully that doesn’t happen. It seems to be a highly intelligent type of monster, but it is indeed a special case.’
That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate other forms of art.
‘Are they interested in art, or are they just doing it to kill time… or are they just looking for a usable item?’
The ‘ghost’s’ behavior as he walked through the gallery with his back to his chest like a nobleman or an educated soldier was somehow weighty and restrained.
It was almost as if he was the owner of this place, but out of nowhere, Yoo Seong-un remembered a story about a vampire from a certain castle.
‘Vampire Count… a bit childish.’
Considering the pale skin like a corpse and the inhuman presence, it seemed like a pretty good match.
The black cloak that had been wandering around the gallery for a while… .
“…ah.”
I stared straight at the hidden meteor cloud.
“… … .”
The gaze.
We ran into each other.
“… … .”
“… … .”
black eye.
At that moment, Yoo Seong-un felt dizzy.
‘… That’s… .’
What is that?
‘It’s black.’
It was too dark.
But it was bright.
It seemed warm but was cold, it seemed empty but was heavy.
Even though it was clearly a long distance away, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it enough to see the blood vessels in its eyes.
No, it might not have been blood vessels. The thin, elegant branches made of gold and silver were vast, like a forest. The black center, where the pupils were not distinct, was dark enough to make one fear.
It was so huge. So huge that it was too deep for human perception to handle. It took my breath away. I felt anger and awe without any basis.
There was a power in it that made one stop breathing without even trying to choke on one’s breath. Without hiding, without showing off, just standing there… .
existed.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Two blinks.
“… … .”
Parsley… .
With a faint noise, the cloak moved.
“… … .”
A little bit away.
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Further away from there.
Any sign of it stopping further away soon disappears.
“… … .”
Yoo Seong-un moved his feet.
The place where the sound disappeared was none other than in front of ‘Geo’s Portrait’.
“… … .”
… Are you trying to act coy?
It had its eyes closed as if nothing had happened.
“This is driving me crazy.”
Day 1, complete.
* * *
Even in a world with supernatural powers, not everything about ‘ghosts’ is explained. This can be seen from the fact that the profession of shaman still exists.
So it was difficult to explain the moving portrait.
“… … .”
“… … .”
4:29 a.m.
The portrait opened its eyes.
“…ah.”
Yoo Seong-un let out an exclamation without realizing it.
The gloomy looking man, ‘Geo’, opened his mouth.
“hello.”
“… … .”
“good morning.”
“It’s morning….”
At those words, Yoo Seong-un looked at the background of the portrait.
“… … .”
Oh, indeed.
It was a forest with bright sunlight.
“… It’s dawn here, though.”
“okay.”
The eyes of ‘Geo’ who said that contained the gallery of Bisabal.
“I didn’t know it was dawn because it was always lit by white lights.”
His voice, which felt somewhat awkward, was more blunt than I had imagined. He was clearly talking, and Yoo Seong-un was listening, but for some reason, I couldn’t shake the thought that it was ‘quiet.’
What should I call this sense of alienation? I couldn’t say it was like a machine. Rather, it was a bit more… .
“I apologize.”
“… You don’t have to apologize for something like that.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
The steady tone, as if he knew what he was going to say next. The clear voice, as if there was a set input word, was strangely easy on the ears.
“But I was surprised.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It is rare to find someone who does not get scared when they see a talking portrait.”
“… … .”
There was no emotion in his calm voice and blunt face. It wasn’t much of a reaction to say he was surprised.
‘Lies are immature.’
Or maybe he just didn’t feel the need to lie skillfully. But that gloomy, hardened face didn’t seem like it could act flexibly.
While I was thinking like that, the portrait asked me again.
“What is your name?”
“I am….”
Even though Yoo Seong-un is an insignificant human, the power that Jinmyeong possesses is dangerous anywhere.
‘They say that in all contracts in the world that bind souls, the most important thing is each other’s names.’
So this portrait, ‘Portrait of Geo’, could have made a strange contract after hearing the name of Yoo Seong-un. Names were such an important concept to strange beings from all cultures.
But he answered obediently.
“It’s a meteor.”
The 17 employees had never been disadvantaged by telling the portrait their names. Now, since it was against the rules to do something bad to Yoo Seong-un, they could tell him this much.
The portrait still had a blunt face even when he heard his name. Even though he was leading the conversation, the portrait didn’t seem to feel much emotion.
Wouldn’t it be strange if that were considered arrogant?
“I see, Mr. Yoo Seong-un.”
“… … .”
“This is a face that has a question for me.”
“That’s true.”
“Would you like to talk to me?”
I was invited to talk.
‘It’s the same train as the previous 17 people.’
Yoo Seong-un felt a strange weight.
‘It must be the weight of the rules.’
It was so dense that it was difficult to wriggle around in, but at the same time it wasn’t so heavy that your feet would sink into the mud.
This air and this feeling was like a giant whale regulating the waves to take care of a mere human floating in the sea.
“… … .”
okay.
This is ‘consideration’.
“… Then I would like to ask a question.”
Since he had come this far, he could not back down, so Yoo Seong-un decided to have a conversation as the portrait said.
“Can you come out of that portrait?”
“Yes, you can go out.”
“… … .”
Monsters hate humans. I thought he would be a little worried since he was asking about his own information, but his answer was unexpectedly quick.
Perhaps it was obvious that he was flustered at that part. ‘Geo’, who was staring at the meteor cloud without blinking, pointed it out.
“You look embarrassed.”
“I didn’t think you would say something like this… so obediently.”
“There was no reason not to tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because you asked.”
“What if I asked with impure intentions?”
“That’s a lie.”
The portrait spoke in a low, soft, but clear and firm voice.
“Mr. Yoo Seong-un is a kind and polite person.”
“…I?”
“That’s why I spoke up.”
“… … .”
“Is this a sufficient answer to your question?”
Yoo Seong-un decided to be careful.
‘This portrait is sensitive to good and evil.’
And, although I don’t know what the criteria is, I also have the ability to distinguish between good and evil in others. I can categorize people I’ve never talked to before.
‘In this case, if a person judged to be evil speaks to this portrait… will it simply ignore it?’
Or should I attack?
“… … .”
“Do you have any questions?”
“Ah… right.”
Yoo Seong-un asked, recalling the recent ‘ghost incident’.
“The black cloak I saw yesterday was ‘Geo’, is that you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then, the ‘ghost’ wearing a pitch-black cloak and handing out delicious gifts that has been wandering around this gallery these days is you… Is that what I’m thinking?”
“… … .”
What are you thinking about? ‘Geo’ blinked twice and muttered.
“It’s a ghost.”
“…I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“No, the talking portrait is definitely haunted.”
The portraitist continued speaking in his characteristically gruff voice.
“But I have never died.”
“… … .”
“Still, I think I am the ‘ghost’ that Mr. Yoo Seong-un was talking about.”
“… Is there a reason why you were wandering around the gallery?”
“I was wondering where I was now.”
His voice was very calm and soft. It was hard to imagine that he was interested in anything.
“It was interesting because there were rare pieces on display.”
“… … .”
“I was curious about what kind of place this gallery was, what kind of people worked here, what kind of lives they lived, what names they had, and what kind of tastes they had.”
Although the tone was still dry, his answer was truly monster-like in that it was interested in human lifestyles.
‘No… I’m not sure, but maybe it’s not a monster.’
In that case, things get more complicated.
“… … .”
“When you’re alone, you tend to look for someone to talk to.”
Geo’s pitch-black eyes landed on Yoo Seong-un, as if he was trying to convey something. It was an artificial movement of gaze, as if he was trying to convey, ‘I am looking at you.’
“Even more so for a polite person like you.”
“I guess you like polite people?”
“At least I figured the staff who run this gallery would be a better conversation partner than the red-faced leader here.”
“If you’re talking about the leader… um, are you talking about the leader of the Bisabal guild?”
“He is a talkative person.”
The portrait’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was a subtle change that was hard to notice, but its meaning was clear.
“You talk so much, it’s hard to respond.”
“… … .”
Ah, guild master.
‘You looked ugly.’
So that person was not able to have a conversation.
All the curators on the fifth basement floor knew that Bisabal was very interested in ‘Portrait of Geo’. He often talked to ‘Portrait of Geo’, saying that it was a really special portrait.
‘But why didn’t that person say anything about this portrait?’
I knew that ‘Geo’s Portrait’ could speak and move, but I had never actually had a conversation with ‘Geo’.
Because ‘Geo’ judged the visa to be rude, he deliberately did not respond to his conversation.
‘You reap what you sow.’
I knew I would suffer losses if I lived like that. Honestly, I think that person deserves to suffer some losses, but anyway.
Yoo Seong-un, who had gathered his thoughts, bowed his head politely.
“sorry.”
“… … .”
“I would like to apologize on behalf of our guild leader.”
His role is to manage the works here.
Among those works, there were many that had an ego, like ‘Portrait of Geo’. In particular, there was no good in going against the rules of ‘Geo’, who was assumed to be a humanoid monster.
‘More than anything, it seems like you’re sensitive to manners.’
Fortunately, the expression in the portrait was still grim. It was neither happy nor angry. It was still gloomy and pale, but it was stiff and did not show any discomfort.
As expected, the portrait spoke in a calm voice.
“it’s okay.”
“Our guild leader is a bit of an odd person.”
“He didn’t seem like a bad person, so I’m okay with it.”
“… … .”
Yoo Seong-un remembered additionally.
‘If they are not evil, I will not be hostile even if they are rude.’
Even as I thought that, I felt breathless. It was because I couldn’t carelessly judge my opponent’s abilities.
‘So the guild leader of the Visabal has the emotional skills to judge good and evil? He’s a monster that’s hard to handle in many ways. It’d be hard to find emotional skills like that anywhere in the world.’
No, to begin with, I wonder if it is even possible to define a being with such ‘eyes’ as a monster… .
“… … .”
“… … .”
After a brief silence, the portrait opened its mouth again.
“Do you have any questions?”
“…your bluntness astonishes me, Geo.”
“I was just being polite.”
“It’s just manners.”
“Shouldn’t a human being be polite?”
That aspect is what makes it seem inhuman.
‘Usually people don’t follow manners that meticulously.’
Rather, it felt like monsters who had only a passing familiarity with human life were awkwardly imitating it, and it felt a bit too thorough.
While Yoo Seong-un was a little tired, the portrait continued talking about a different topic.
“This is my first time seeing Mr. Yoo Seong-un. Is that right?”
“That’s right. The head of the Visabal Guild said he no longer had time to manage your portraits, and the previous curators were assigned to other works. So I took over the job.”
“Thank you for taking the time to organize the portraits so neatly. I wanted to say hello to the previous people, but I wasn’t ready. I’m grateful again for their contributions as well.”
“It’s their job to take care of the work, so don’t be thankful. But I’ll let them know that you were grateful.”
But something just occurred to me.
“… Even when your eyes are closed, can you tell what people outside are doing? Were you constantly observing this side from inside that portrait?”
To his question, ‘Geo’ answered with a blunt face that showed no clue as to what he was thinking.
“You are in the frame, so I can only look.”
“… … .”
“Moving pictures are interesting.”
“…Is that so?”
For some reason.
It was a little creepy.
‘Is the picture not of oneself, but of people outside of oneself?’
Even Yoo Seong-un himself couldn’t figure out exactly what part was creepy.
If the portrait is true, then ‘Geo’ sees everything outside the painting as a painting. Even though to us, the painting is ‘Geo’s portrait’.
In that picture, we are… .
“… … .”
It’s a picture.
“Is this a sufficient answer?”
“…yes.”
As expected, this is a dangerous entity.
“maybe.”
Day 2, complete.