Chapter 6

A pure white gallery.

Pure white lights.

"..."

Among the works glittering under the light stood a lone man in pitch black.

'... He's appeared.'

At the request of the HR employee, Yu Seongun had been lying in wait in the gallery, and he stared at the "ghost" while hiding his presence.

Whether it was good luck or bad.

On the very day he received the request, Yu Seongun was able to confirm the subject of the rumor.

Sure enough, just as he had been told in advance, it was a tall man with a pitch-black cloak wrapped around his entire body.

'I can't hear... any footsteps, either.'

The rumored "ghost" was barefoot.

'Even if he's barefoot, it's strange for him to be this quiet.'

But it was not as though there was no sound at all.

'The Curators so far must not have been able to hear it because they didn't have hearing enhancement skills, but...'

Yu Seongun closed his eyes.

"..."

RUSTLE, RUSTLE.

FAINT RUSTLE...

"..."

Very.

Very faint noise.

'... This is...'

He opened his eyes again.

'... It sounds like plants brushing against each other.'

It was a strange comparison, but that was the conclusion he reached.

It sounded as though a light vine or dry flower petal weighing less than a single gram had been puffed into a round shape and rolled along.

That faint, excessively hollow sound was not a noise suited to a tall man of 188 centimeters.

"..."

Yu Seongun hid between a work and a pillar and continued observing.

'... He's looking at them.'

The "ghost" wandered through the empty gallery and occasionally stopped in front of works protected behind glass walls.

He spent an especially long time in front of sculptures and paintings.

What was surprising was the fact that he really was only "looking."

'There are so many dangerous objects here that touching even one would cause an uproar, but thankfully he isn't doing that. He must be a highly intelligent type of monster, but this is still unusual.'

That did not mean he ignored other forms of art.

'Is he interested in art, is he doing that to kill time... or is he looking for an item he can use?'

With his hands clasped behind his back like an aloof noble or a trained soldier, the "ghost" walking through the gallery had a certain weight and discipline to his movements.

It was enough to make one think he was the owner of this place, and for no reason at all, Yu Seongun thought of the story of a vampire in an old castle.

'A vampire count... Is that a little childish?'

Considering his corpse-pale skin and his inhuman presence, it seemed to suit him fairly well.

After circling the gallery for quite some time, the black-cloaked figure...

"... Ah."

Looked straight at the hidden Yu Seongun.

"..."

Their eyes.

Met.

"..."

Black eyes.

In that instant, Yu Seongun felt his mind go distant.

'... What is...'

What was that?

'It's black.'

Too black.

And yet bright.

It seemed warm, yet cold; hollow, yet heavy.

They were clearly far apart, and yet he could not tear his gaze away, enough that he could see even the veins in those eyes.

No, perhaps they were not veins.

The thin, elegant branches made of gold and silver were as vast as a forest.

The black center, where the pupils could not be distinguished, was dark enough to frighten him deep down.

It was too enormous.

So enormous that it was deep beyond human perception.

He felt as though his breath had caught in his throat.

Without any basis, he felt anger and awe.

There was power in those eyes that stopped his breathing on its own, though it did not choke him.

It did not hide, did not show off, simply there in that place...

It existed.

"..."

Two blinks.

"..."

RUSTLE...

With a faint noise, the cloak moved.

"..."

A little farther away.

Then farther from there.

The presence that stopped at a place farther still soon disappeared.

"..."

Yu Seongun moved his feet.

The place where the presence had cut off was none other than in front of the "Portrait of Jio."

"..."

... Was it playing innocent?

It had closed those distant eyes as if nothing had happened.

"This is driving me insane."

Day 1, complete.

* * *

Even in a world with superpowers, not everything about "ghosts" could be explained.

That much was clear from the fact that shamans still existed as a profession.

So it was difficult to explain a moving portrait, too.

"..."

4:29 a.m.

The portrait opened its eyes.

"... Ah."

Yu Seongun let out an exclamation without realizing it.

The gloomy-looking man watching him, "Jio," opened his mouth.

"Hello."

"..."

"Good morning."

"Morning..."

At those words, Yu Seongun looked at the background of the portrait.

"..."

Ah, sure enough.

It was a sunlit forest.

"... It's dawn on this side, though."

"I see."

Having said that, "Jio's" eyes took in Bi Sabeol's gallery.

"It is always lit with white lights, so I did not know it was dawn."

His voice, which felt somehow off, was more blunt than Yu Seongun had imagined.

He was clearly speaking, and Yu Seongun was listening, yet for some reason, Yu Seongun could not shake the thought that it was "quiet."

What should he call this sense of strangeness?

He could not describe it as mechanical.

Rather, it was a little more...

"I apologize."

"... You don't need to apologize for that."

"Thank you for your consideration."

A steady tone, as if he knew what he was supposed to say next.

His clear voice, as though it had fixed input phrases, reached the ear strangely well.

"However, I am surprised."

"By what?"

"It is rare for someone to see a talking portrait and not be afraid."

"..."

No emotion showed in the calm voice or blunt face.

For someone who said he was surprised, it was not much of a reaction.

'He's poor at lying.'

Or perhaps he simply did not feel the need to lie skillfully.

Then again, it did not seem likely that that gloomy, rigid face could act with any flexibility.

While Yu Seongun was thinking that, the portrait asked again.

"What is your name?"

"I am..."

Even if Yu Seongun was an insignificant human, the power held by a True Name was dangerous anywhere.

'They say the most important thing in all contracts in the world that bind souls is each other's names.'

So this portrait, the "Portrait of Jio," might hear Yu Seongun's name and make some bizarre contract.

To strange beings across every kind of culture, a name was that important a concept.

But he answered obediently.

"I am Yu Seongun."

None of the seventeen employees had ever suffered any disadvantage from telling this portrait their names.

For it to do something bad to Yu Seongun alone at this point would not fit the pattern it had shown so far, so he could tell it this much.

Even after hearing his name, the portrait's face remained blunt.

Though the portrait was the one leading this conversation, it did not seem to feel much emotion.

Would it be strange to think that was arrogance?

"I see, Mr. Yu Seongun."

"..."

"You have the face of someone with questions for me."

"I do."

"Will you speak with me?"

He had been invited to converse.

'The same course as the previous seventeen.'

Yu Seongun felt a strange weight.

'The weight of rules, no doubt.'

It was dense enough that even floundering in it felt difficult, yet at the same time, it was not heavy enough to make his feet sink deep into mud.

This air and this sensation felt as though an enormous whale were controlling the waves out of consideration for a mere human floating in the sea.

"..."

Yes.

This was "consideration."

"... Then I'd like to ask a question."

Having come this far, it would be awkward to back down, so Yu Seongun decided to have a conversation, just as the portrait had suggested.

"Can you come out of that portrait?"

"Yes, I can go out."

"..."

Monsters hated humans.

Since he was asking about the portrait's own information, Yu Seongun had expected it to hesitate at least a little, but the answer came unexpectedly fast.

Had his surprise at that shown on his face?

Without blinking even once, "Jio" stared at Yu Seongun and pointed it out.

"You look startled."

"I didn't think you would... tell me so readily."

"There was no reason I could not tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because you asked."

"What if I asked with impure motives?"

"That is a lie."

The portrait spoke in a low and quiet, yet clear and firm voice.

"Mr. Yu Seongun is a kind and polite person."

"... I am?"

"That is why I spoke to you."

"..."

"Was that a sufficient answer?"

Yu Seongun decided to be careful.

'This portrait is sensitive to good and evil.'

And though he did not know what criteria it used, it also had the ability to distinguish the good and evil in others.

It could classify someone it had met for the first time without even exchanging a single conversation.

'In that case, if someone this portrait judged to be evil spoke to it... would it simply ignore them?'

Or would it attack?

"..."

"Do you have a question?"

"Ah... right."

Yu Seongun recalled the recent "ghost commotion" and asked.

"The black cloak I witnessed yesterday was you, 'Jio,' correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Then it seems you are the 'ghost' in the pitch-black cloak who has supposedly been wandering this gallery lately and handing out tasty gifts... Am I right about that, too?"

"..."

What was he thinking?

"Jio" blinked twice, then murmured.

"A ghost."

"... I'm sorry if that offended you."

"No, a talking portrait certainly deserves to be called haunted."

The portrait continued in its characteristic blunt voice.

"However, I have never died."

"..."

"Even so, I believe the 'ghost' Mr. Yu Seongun referred to is indeed me."

"... Is there a reason you wandered the gallery?"

"I was curious about where I am now."

His voice was very peaceful and low.

It was a voice that made it difficult to imagine he felt interest in anything.

"Rare works are on display here, so they drew my interest."

"..."

"I was curious about what sort of place this gallery was, what sort of people worked here, what lives they lived, and what names and tastes they had."

His tone was still dry, but that answer itself was very monster-like in how interested it was in human ways of life.

'No... it's not certain, but he may not be a monster.'

If that were the case, things would become even more complicated.

"..."

"When one is alone, it is only natural to seek someone to talk to."

Whatever he intended by it, "Jio's" pitch-black eyes settled on Yu Seongun.

It was an artificial shift of gaze, as though meant to inform him, "I am looking at you."

"All the more if that person is as polite as you."

"You seem to like polite people."

"At the very least, I judged the employees who manage this gallery to be more suitable conversation partners than this place's bright-red leader."

"By leader... hm, do you mean Guild Master Bi Sabeol?"

"He is a talkative person."

The portrait's eyes narrowed slightly.

It was a change so faint it was difficult to notice, but what it meant was clear.

"He talks so much that it is difficult to respond."

"..."

Ah, Guild Master.

'He got on his bad side.'

So that was why that man had never managed to talk to him.

Every Curator on the fifth basement floor knew that Bi Sabeol was very interested in the "Portrait of Jio."

They also knew he had often spoken to the "Portrait of Jio," calling it a truly special portrait.

'But I wondered why that man never said anything about this portrait...'

Even if he knew the "Portrait of Jio" could talk and move, he had never actually had a conversation with "Jio."

Because "Jio," having judged Bi Sabeol rude, had deliberately refused to respond to him.

'He brought it on himself.'

Yu Seongun had known living like that would cost him someday.

Honestly, he thought that man deserved to lose out a little, but anyway.

After organizing his thoughts, Yu Seongun bowed his head politely.

"I'm sorry."

"..."

"I apologize on behalf of our Guild Master."

His role was to manage the works here.

Among those works were many entities with selves of their own, like the "Portrait of Jio."

In particular, there was nothing to gain by violating the rules of "Jio," who was presumed to be a humanoid monster, and upsetting him.

'More than anything, he seems sensitive to manners.'

Fortunately, the portrait's expression remained blunt.

It did not look pleased, but it did not look angry either.

It was still gloomy and pale, but only stiff; no displeasure showed.

As expected, the portrait spoke in a neat voice.

"It's all right."

"Our Guild Master is a little unusual."

"He did not seem like a bad person. So it is all right."

"..."

Yu Seongun made an additional note.

'If someone is not evil, he does not become hostile even if they lack manners.'

Even as he thought that, he felt suffocated.

Because he could not recklessly measure the other party's abilities.

'Does he have an appraisal skill at a level capable of judging even Guild Master Bi Sabeol's good and evil... ? He is a difficult monster to handle in many ways. An appraisal skill of that level would be hard to find anywhere in the world.'

No, before that, there was the question of whether it was even all right to define a being with those "eyes" as a monster in the first place...

"..."

When silence fell for a moment, the portrait opened its mouth again.

"Do you have a question?"

"... Your bluntness surprises me, Jio."

"I was merely observing proper manners."

"Manners."

"If one is human, should one not observe proper manners?"

That was exactly what made him seem inhuman.

'Ordinary humans don't observe manners that meticulously.'

Rather, there was an undeniable sense that he was overly thorough, like monsters with a clumsy understanding of human life awkwardly imitating it.

While Yu Seongun felt a little put off, the portrait continued on another subject.

"This is the first time I have seen Mr. Yu Seongun. Is that correct?"

"That's correct. Guild Master Bi Sabeol said he no longer has the time to manage your portrait, and the previous Curators were assigned to other works. So I ended up taking over the duty."

"Thank you for keeping the portrait clean. I wished to greet the previous people as well, but I was not ready until now. Including their share, thank you once again."

"Managing works is a duty those people and I naturally ought to perform, so there is no need to thank us. But I will tell them that you were grateful."

However, one question did occur to him.

"... Even when your eyes are closed, can you tell what people outside are doing? Were you continuously observing this side from inside that portrait?"

At his question, "Jio" answered with a blunt face whose intentions could not be read.

"Since you are in the frame, I cannot help but look."

"..."

"Moving pictures are interesting."

"... I see."

For some reason.

It was a little chilling.

'So the picture isn't him, but the humans outside it... is that it?'

Yu Seongun himself could not tell exactly what part of it was chilling.

Only, if the portrait's words were true, then "Jio" saw everything outside the painting as a picture.

Even though to them, the picture was the "Portrait of Jio."

To that painting, we were...