Chapter 32
Gio had inhaled the food at the night market.
“……”
“Do you have a question?”
“No. You eat well.”
“Yes, I do.”
Gio was a hearty eater.
“Aren’t you full?”
“I normally eat a great deal, so I am fine.”
“It’s impressive enough to be astonishing.”
“If it had not been delicious, I would have shown restraint. But everything tasted wonderful.”
“People wouldn’t come if the food weren’t good.”
It was a sound argument, but if every restaurant and every dish were delicious, no establishment would ever fail.
‘In any case, tourist attractions have become remarkably substantial over thirty-one years. When I visited with my class, wasn’t it practically just Walking into History? It took considerable effort to soothe the bored children.’
Having roughly lifted his neoul, Gio chewed a rice cake grilled over charcoal and coated in grain syrup. This was Korean tanghulu.
‘Gyeongbokgung used to be a typical cultural heritage site… It had that old-fashioned feeling.’
He had many memories of the place, but the students who wore hanbok and wandered in search of their identities had created more of those memories than Gyeongbokgung itself.
‘I wonder what happened to the aspiring idol who claimed he must have been a king of Joseon in his previous life because the palace made him cry for no reason. I wonder if they are all living well.’
Had his students not been high-schoolers faithful to the art of talking nonsense—as expected of people incapable of living entirely sane—Gio would not have enjoyed Gyeongbokgung nearly as much.
Hanok were beautiful and traditional, but more than a few students had protested whenever they had to visit in summer.
‘But the present Gyeongbokgung has substance. There is certainly much more to enjoy.’
People in hanbok each enjoyed playing a role, and occasionally exchanged the varieties of lanterns they had purchased with others. Everyone looked happy.
“……”
There was one thing he wondered about.
‘What is that?’
Something resembling a transparent shadow was walking around in a hanbok, waving its limbs.
‘I saw similar things wandering around the fan shop and the alleys of the Hanok Village…’
There might have been exceptions, but every one Gio had seen wore a mask.
One group resembled a troupe of itinerant performers and swayed along a rope strung with lanterns. Another consisted of children wearing daenggi, weaving through people and hopping about. Yet another was formed of civil officials walking to and fro within restricted areas of the palace…
“…Yoo Seongwoon.”
“Hm?”
“What are those called?”
“What are—ah.”
Yoo Seongwoon spoke as though he naturally expected Gio to know.
“They’re Fairy Tales—living stories. This is your first time seeing them in a place like this, isn’t it?”
“……”
“They ordinarily prefer places without people, so it’s rare to see them in such a noisy tourist attraction. Even so, they are proper members of the Children of the Source.”
Gio had heard of this.
“You told me something similar before.”
“About what? The Children of the Source?”
“Yes. Could you explain them in greater detail?”
“…Ah, I see.”
Scratching the back of his neck, Yoo Seongwoon continued.
“I believe I mentioned them roughly while explaining Gardeners last time… but I skimmed over the subject then. It’s difficult to summarize simply, but I’ll explain.”
“……”
“There is a transcendent being humans have defined as the ‘Source.’ You might call it the god of gods. It is a kind of System that maintains balance across every universe and dimension and creates various rules.”
“A System.”
“And the Source ordinarily creates other children. We call them ‘Children of the Source.’ They are beings that can be classified as individual aspects of nature, like waves, wind, beasts, and humans.”
“……”
“These Children of the Source are also divided into several categories…”
Yoo Seongwoon pointed to the figure of a civil official moving inside the palace. A large official’s hat and neoul concealed its face, while its sleeves were so unnaturally long that no part of its body could be seen.
They moved in groups with such precision that they drew the eye like a synchronized dance, but that only made them seem less alive. It was as though shadows had donned clothing and were imitating people.
“Creatures like those are called ‘Fairy Tales.’”
“What sort of beings are they?”
“Like most Children of the Source, they have no interest in humans and cause us no harm. Fairy Tales are living stories and, at the same time, beings whose forms closely resemble humans.”
“Then are their minds not similar to those of humans?”
“They do not truly think like humans. They merely imitate traces. Children of the Source are skilled at fashioning their outward appearances. It is not something they learn later; it seems to be a trait of their very essence.”
Yoo Seongwoon took a sip of persimmon juice before continuing.
“Whatever their variety, every Fairy Tale wears a mask. There is no face behind it. They do not possess human bodies or any equivalent capacity for thought. They merely copy the outward appearance.”
“……”
“Drawing a person does not make the picture an actual human. Ah, naturally, I don’t know how that applies in your case… But ordinarily, dimensions have limits.”
“I understand.”
Portraits like Gio could not be common in this world. When he agreed, Yoo Seongwoon continued.
“They each possess stories of their own, and when those stories end, they disappear. Gyeongbokgung is crowded, yet strangely enough, quite a few Fairy Tales inhabit it.”
Watching the people, Gio asked,
“Can humans not see Children of the Source like those?”
“Few can.”
Yoo Seongwoon nodded.
“Ordinary humans cannot perceive the frequencies used by dolphins or bats. It is similar. Children of the Source exist in the world, but very few people can perceive them. That remains true even though the creatures aren’t hiding.”
“Ghosts?”
“Uh… You could regard them as similar, but perhaps their complete inability to understand humans makes them different. No matter how closely they fashion themselves after humans, they are empty inside. Their very roots are different.”
As though remembering something, he said,
“Ah, right. Apparently, no one could see Children of the Source in the past. Then the Earth came heavily under the Source’s influence and dungeons appeared… Awakeners were born… and the ecology itself changed enough for people to see them.”
It was a mysterious story, like a fairy tale.
“As you can see, I am one of the few talented people capable of perceiving the Source.”
“Then I must be as well.”
“Hmm. I suppose so.”
He tried to hide it, but Yoo Seongwoon’s expression was slightly awkward. It was probably because he considered Gio something other than human.
‘In any case, Yoo Seongwoon knows I am harmless enough that I could not kill a single ant, whether I am human or not. It does not matter.’
Gio did not bother correcting him, fearing he would be dragged outside the portrait, and returned to taking in the view of Gyeongbokgung.
‘The Earth and humanity have grown strong.’
Gio had undoubtedly been left behind. Capable of nothing but eating, sleeping, and painting, he no longer felt confident that he could survive in this harsh world.
“How many people can see beings of the Source?”
“Are you asking for the proportion among all humanity? Hmm, not many.”
“I see.”
Anything that stood out was bound to be stabbed. Gio once again vowed to devote his entire life to the portrait.
“……”
As Gio sat blankly on a bench, he soon noticed a minor commotion.
“I hear people fighting.”
“That is unusual at a tourist attraction like this.”
Yoo Seongwoon, who had been leaning back on the bench, bent his upper body forward.
“The guards will apprehend them soon…”
Sure enough, guards in thick hanbok grabbed hold of a shouting man. The middle-aged man was causing an uproar as he tried to lunge at a fairly handsome young man in scholar’s robes.
The scholar adjusted his upper garment, apparently after having his collar grabbed, and wore a troubled expression.
“……”
He certainly appeared to be a kind young man, but…
Create a frame and determine the safety level (0/1)
Reward: Seal
Gio had a feeling.
“Gio?”
“……”
A frame.
Gio raised both hands and brought them before his eyes in the shape of a camera.
Danger ★★★★★
Five stars.
‘He is extremely dangerous.’
It seemed the guards had seized the wrong person.
Would you like to view the history?
[Yes/No]
Must I really?
“……”
The young man in the scholar’s robes met Gio’s eyes.
‘Was I staring too openly?’
Yoo Seongwoon seemed to find Gio’s sudden gesture strange, but he did not comment.
The scholar swept his gaze over Gio from head to toe as if assessing him, then gave a small bow and walked past. His expression suggested that he believed Gio had tried to provoke him.
“Kkuruk.”
“Goodness, you startled me.”
Yoo Seongwoon jumped at Honey’s sudden appearance.
“…Hm? A waterfowl? Wait, Gio, this is the creature you showed me last time…”
“His name is Honey.”
“You can bring him out with you?”
“I have never attempted it with the other birds, so I do not know.”
“Hmm. Yes, uh… I see.”
Yoo Seongwoon looked as though he had attained enlightenment.
“I suppose it is about time for the Earth to end.”
“It appears to be holding up well, so I do not know why you suddenly said something so absurd.”
“It was certainly a sandcastle that would collapse at a touch…”
Yoo Seongwoon smiled in resignation, then returned to his usual expression and asked,
“So, why were you looking at that man? Did something bother you?”
“He looked dangerous.”
“…Did he?”
“I do not think he liked me.”
What a frightening person.
“I did not mean to provoke him.”
Gio had briefly forgotten the rule that maintaining eye contact for more than three seconds led to one of two conclusions: “Does that bastard like me?” or “Is that bastard trying to fight me?”
‘I should have addressed him politely and kindly before three seconds passed, but his history was so spectacular that I missed my chance to pretend we were friendly. Seo Gio’s instincts, once praised as those of a twenty-first-century Po○mon Trainer, must have died completely.’
In other words, when eyes met, a battle began—for good or ill.
‘That man seems to have interpreted it in the bad sense.’
What was Gio supposed to do if he provoked a five-star-danger gentleman in this robust age when businessmen in suits beat Monsters to death?
‘No, shouldn’t an ordinary passerby have a lower danger level than that?’
Resenting this lunatic hellish Korea, Gio spoke with complete sincerity.
“I am afraid.”
“It is difficult to take you seriously when you say you’re afraid… Are you being sarcastic?”
“It would be best to return to the hotel.”
“If that’s what you want.”
Gio gently tucked Honey, who was trying to poke out from between his scarf, back inside in a gentlemanly manner, then left Gyeongbokgung. Apparently fond of the glittering fish lantern, Honey had already placed it inside his stomach.
Then, after collapsing onto the hotel bed and waking at 3:32 a.m….
“……”
Gio discovered that Honey was gone.
“Please.”
Can you not leave me in peace for even one moment?
I might cry.
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A dark, deserted alley in the slums.
“……”
“…So what in the world was that bastard earlier?”
The man, no longer wearing his scholar’s robes, raked a hand roughly through his hair.
‘Something felt strange.’
It had been a man dressed in pitch-black hanbok. He had wrapped himself in so many layers that his face was invisible.
He seemed to have been around one hundred ninety centimeters tall, but identifying someone from only gender and height was difficult.
“This feels wrong.”
Ordinarily, he would have dismissed him as some bizarre bastard trying to start a fight and moved on.
But…
“That gesture he made…”
The hand movement had seemed to imitate a frame.
It had lasted only a moment, yet he had felt as though his personal details were being completely exposed.
“……”
The man scratched his head vigorously.
“…No, damn it, it was definitely strange. That bastard must have been an Awakener, right?”
The person beside him had been Hunter Yoo Seongwoon. Since Bisabeol’s Curator had remained at his side and personally guided him, the man was probably the recently Awakened young master of a wealthy family.
‘Those damned manners were ingrained into his body.’
But that was troublesome.
‘If what I’m planning becomes known…’
His punishment would not end with a simple demotion to fifth-class citizen.
Far more Awakeners than people imagined possessed skills that let them freely inspect another person’s thoughts or memories, or glimpse that person’s past. They merely kept quiet because they feared being stabbed somewhere. Such skills were not especially rare.
Therefore, the black-clad man at Gyeongbokgung’s night market might have used such a skill to peer into his thoughts. Considering the sudden hand gesture, it was an extremely reasonable conclusion.
“……”
Phew…
A sigh escaped him.
“The event will begin before long. What terrible timing.”
Considering the potential consequences, he could not let the matter pass. His present work was extraordinarily dangerous and amounted to a betrayal of humanity.
He had never felt anything resembling guilt, but he could not avoid difficulties if he was caught.
No matter how he considered it…
“I’ll have to kill him.”
How much time and effort had he spent securing a position in the Temple of the Sun? He could not leave a dangerous variable alone now merely because dealing with it left a bad taste in his mouth.
He had made up his mind and was about to track the traces of the man he had seen at Gyeongbokgung.
“……”
“……”
“…What is that?”
A strangely squishy bird was sitting atop a pipe.
The fish lantern sold as a tourist product swam inside it and made it quite bright. So bright that the man wondered how he had failed to notice it until now in this dark alley.
“……”
Something was strange.
‘…I’ve never seen a form like that among the city’s Monsters.’
Furthermore, bird-shaped Monsters—especially ones this small—generally traveled in flocks. Animals or Monsters that wandered alone could do so only because they possessed the power to defend themselves.
Then what were the odds that this single, insignificant-looking bird was an ordinary Monster?
“…Damn it. Don’t tell me…”
Was it a surveillance Monster placed by the bastard from Gyeongbokgung?
‘Was he a Tamer?’
The man had not expected him to be a Hunter with a profession. No wonder that sly bastard Yoo Seongwoon had treated him so graciously. Apparently, he was an Awakener worthy of such attention.
The man tightened his grip on his staff.
“…Well, perhaps this is fortunate.”
The bird’s owner seemed to be a novice. The owner’s scent was plainly evident on the bird. Apparently, the novice had not imagined that sending a spy might expose him in return.
The man forced himself to smile.
“If you noticed something strange, you should have informed Yoo Seongwoon immediately.”
He sensed no threat from the bird, which merely stared blankly at him. It truly seemed to be nothing but a surveillance camera, which would actually make it easier to track in reverse.
‘Was he not certain enough to inform Yoo Seongwoon?’
Failing to report one’s suspicions to a superior in advance was a common mistake among novice Hunters.
‘Idiot.’
Whatever this bird was, he needed to eliminate it now.
With that thought, the man reached out and grasped the bird, which was small enough to swallow in one bite…
—Crunch.
“……”
“……”
“Huh?”
His hand…
Was gone.
“……”
His hand was visible inside the bird’s transparent body. The languid fish lantern wrapped itself around the severed limb.
Then both slowly melted away.
“…Ah.”
“Kkuk.”
“Fuck.”
The man was not incompetent.
“Kkureuk?”
“You… You goddamned…”
“Kkururururuk?”
“…Impossible.”
“Kkukkureuk.”
As a priest of the Sun with a rank that could never be taken lightly, he occupied a position where arrogance was permissible.
It was simply that all of these events—impossible according to common sense—had piled atop one another more like disasters than miracles. It was not an ordeal any single person could overcome.
The tiny bird’s body began to swell grotesquely.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Kkureuk?”
Feathers glimmering with a light that could have belonged to either moon or sun.
Hard, hooklike talons and long legs.
And a massive beak.
“No…!”
Slosh—
The sound of flowing water.
“Urk, mmph…!”
Then the sound of something churning.
“…! …!!!”
“……”
“……!!”
“……”
“……”
At last…
Silence flowed through the alley.
“……”
The man was nowhere to be seen.
“Kkureuk.”
Only one tiny bird flew leisurely away.
“Honey.”
Gio liked small, harmless things.
But Children of the Source were skilled at fashioning appearances.
“Where did you go?”
“Kkuru.”
“You are cute, so it does not matter.”
Then…
What might their true essence be?
“There is a bungeoppang stand over there.”
“Kkuk!!”
“You truly are my son.”
“Kkurureung?”
“You love anything delicious.”
Perhaps even the Children of the Source themselves did not know.
(To be continued)