New Employee Notice

Bi Sa-beol sat before the monitor, fretting for a long while.

"What am I supposed to write."

"…Might as well make it fun."

His fingers soon began to move.

"Ji-oh."

As always, Yu Seong-un called to Ji-oh inside the portrait.

"You awake?"

"Yes, I am awake."

"Then I've got a proposal for you."

Even as he tried to look casual, Yu Seong-un watched his counterpart with care. He was, at this very moment, making a proposal to a being of the Source. He needed to understand the weight of that.

And I understand it very well.

By nature, the things that lived inside the Source did not speak the same language as humans. A sneeze from far away could be a hideous insult; a laugh mid-conversation could plunge the other party into sorrow.

Beings of the Source had rules of their own. Those rules looked irrational and erratic to human eyes, and you could never approach them from a human standpoint.

"Would you like to come outside at all? Only if you want to, of course…"

Constant observation and analysis were the only path to survival.

"You don't seem to know much about the situation out there. The business with the seed last time is a good example."

"You're right, Mr. Yu Seong-un. I do not know very much."

"So I was wondering if you'd be interested in a little sightseeing. I'll cover everything you need — supplies, expenses — and of course I'll stay at your side and guide you."

"You would guide me."

"Right. All you'd have to do is show up."

Smuggling an unidentified Source being out into the open world. Even with Bi Sa-beol's blessing, this was a bold gamble for a man like Yu Seong-un, who was already known for swinging for the fences.

…Still, no need to borrow trouble. If it comes to it, I'll just pass him off as a new hunter from outside the city.

As long as Ji-oh kept that gentlemanly manner of his, nothing major should go wrong.

Of course, without knowing Ji-oh's true nature, there was always the chance he might interact with something in reality in ways neither of them intended — but that didn't matter either. If it was going to happen anyway, it was wiser to learn about it in advance.

Even if there's a little damage along the way.

As Yu Seong-un waited for an answer, the portrait's gloomy, refined face finally opened its mouth.

"Sightseeing."

He had thought he was used to it by now, but the chill still ran up his spine. The portrait's tone remained unnervingly flat.

"Very well."

"…Really?"

"When would be good?"

A remarkably quick reply.

I half expected him to attack me for trying to drag him out of the frame.

Ji-oh was a portrait. The idea of pulling a painting into reality might have felt like an insult from his perspective.

Fortunately, Ji-oh didn't seem to care about that part at all.

Maybe because he's already come out on his own a few times… In that case, it's a good thing I already set things up so he can move freely.

Yu Seong-un stopped thinking and answered.

"Let's do Tuesday morning, two days from now."

"Could you call for me then? Time here and time outside seem to flow a little differently. I will need the help."

"Easy enough. I'll come get you in two days, so take your time getting ready and step out then…"

After a brief pause, Yu Seong-un produced a small timer.

"I'll leave this on the floor. You can check it like this. I'll set it to ring three times at eight in the morning, two days from now. That should make it easier if you want to keep track of the time yourself."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing."

Yu Seong-un swallowed a quiet sigh of relief.

…He's accepting the proposal itself without any fuss. Compared to other Source beings, Ji-oh really can communicate. Sure, he goes off-script sometimes because he isn't human… but for the most part, he should be safe.

Apparently deciding the business was finished, the portrait closed its eyes.

"……"

Yu Seong-un didn't press him any further.

They would be stuck together all day in two days anyway; no point wearing each other out already. Besides, Yu Seong-un had plenty of preparations of his own for the sightseeing schedule with Ji-oh.

I'll need to book one of the tamer-specialized hotels. Not that I plan to treat Ji-oh like a contracted beast, but places like that are better equipped for emergencies.

Given how dangerous this outing was, he needed careful, thorough preparation — short of anything that would offend Ji-oh.

"…But then, when has it ever been otherwise."

Bi Sa-beol's position had been firm.

Even if some damage occurred, so long as it didn't rise to a massacre of fifty or more people, he would smooth it over. Observe how "Ji-oh's Portrait" reacted among ordinary humans.

A wise call.

Ji-oh could step out of the portrait whenever he liked, with no restraints and no conditions. If something was going to happen anyway, it was better that Yu Seong-un — curator and Gardener — be right there watching.

"……"

That didn't mean he never grew sick of a world where human lives were treated like insects.

…These aren't even people from outside the city. They're people inside it, and Guildmaster Bi Sa-beol still said he could handle it. Damage under fifty is fine, and even if it happens, it's fine as long as it doesn't hit the press.

Of course, finishing the tour with no one dead would be far better.

"For that part, I can only hope for Ji-oh's gentlemanly conduct."

Yu Seong-un muttered under his breath as he left the guild. Even if Ji-oh was a being who responded in ways remarkably similar to a human, he could not afford to relax.

Even humans could play normal one day and throw a screaming fit over lunch the next. There was no guarantee a Source being lacked that same duality.

Confirm a hotel in that category for sure… and maybe set the tour route somewhere I can clean up if things go wrong. Gyeongbokgung is nearby, so it won't be completely short on sights.

Given that he was deliberately using the name "Seo Ji-oh," showing him something Korean didn't seem like a bad idea.

The night market at Gyeongbokgung usually opens after six. It's a tourist area in Jongno, so there should be plenty of hunters around. If something blows up, I can borrow Guildmaster Bi Sa-beol's name and call for help.

Whether it was the constant overtime or simply worrying too hard, his head felt faintly foggy.

I'll have to think about how to introduce Ji-oh when the time comes…

If an incident did break out, volunteering a report to the Association would probably be best. Given how hard the Association President had been after it, they wouldn't be completely ignorant of "Ji-oh's Portrait."

"…Haa…"

Outside, Yu Seong-un let out a deep breath.

"What a headache."

No white mist came from his lips.

"……"

Yu Seong-un muttered idly to himself.

"…Man. This is why big corporations are great."

He scratched the back of his head and started walking again. Overtime was a given, but he still had stamina to spare.

I'd better get the preparations done fast.

He could only hope it would all go smoothly.

After finishing his conversation with Yu Seong-un, Ji-oh returned to his bedroom.

"……"

Yes. Ji-oh.

Fortunately, he had come back from being "Giovanni" and reclaimed his original personality.

"Hmm…"

The "Giovanni" state hadn't lasted that long. He had only been flustered by a change he was experiencing for the first time; once he had the knack of it, he could return to his usual self.

"It's not hard."

Put a little pressure on the brain, and he could become Ji-oh again.

"Like blowing your nose."

That was how he came to understand this new rule.

"So I meet a Compatible, get their consent, and run quests while traveling that world."

And one more thing — Fairytale.

That part wasn't especially difficult either.

"Progress is a lot faster when I'm wearing Giovanni's personality, but even without fully aligning with the persona, the synchronization rate itself keeps climbing slowly."

Every so often he became Giovanni without meaning to, but separate from that…

"Once synchronization starts, you can't shut it off, I guess."

He had never experienced anything like it, but it was a little like recalling a past life he'd forgotten. He had said they were different people, and yet he no longer felt as if he and this man called Giovanni were entirely separate individuals.

That was how, over the span of a few days, Ji-oh sorted his thoughts.

"I don't think I'll ever have an experience this wild again for as long as I live."

"Kkureuk?"

"It's rare to feel like your left brain and right brain are off doing their own things."

He could now be "Ji-oh" and "Giovanni" at the same time, and shifting his personality to suit the situation or his mood wasn't difficult either.

He felt Giovanni's emotions.

Though the memories aren't complete.

Perhaps because the synchronization rate was still low, Ji-oh couldn't recall all of Giovanni's memories. It felt like following a Giovanni who had lost every scrap of his past to amnesia — and even that was enough to tell him what kind of person the man had been.

Giovanni was deeply compassionate and gentle, yet possessed a soft charisma that could soothe people and hold them. A man with ambition for peace, who still valued ordinary days with those around him more.

That was "Bartlan Giovanni."

"……"

After two slow blinks, Ji-oh murmured in a small voice.

"Is it really all right like this."

Yu Seong-un had proposed a tour.

"He was afraid of me."

Ji-oh might not have thought about it much, but he wasn't completely dense.

There's no way people are scared of me just because a dark-looking guy is scary.

Yu Seong-un seemed to be explaining things in circles so as not to shock him, but Ji-oh already knew. As he was now, he was clearly a little too terrifying for ordinary people.

I guess wandering the world in a portrait's body causes resolution issues.

Or maybe this was the true power of a haunted portrait — the ability to make even the harmless look harmful, a presence that turned the entire genre into a horror-thriller just by existing.

"People outside seemed scared of me."

"Kkung."

"It's awkward, but not so unpleasant that you need to worry."

He hadn't meant anything by it, but it was a bit like running a scare-cam prank. He felt bad, but if he was honest, the absurdity of it was funnier than it was offensive.

Still, there had to be limits.

"It would be a problem if it interfered with the tour."

This wasn't a trip he was taking alone. It was sightseeing he would enjoy entirely on someone else's money and under someone else's guidance. Looking that needlessly harmful would only be a nuisance to Mr. Yu Seong-un, who was coming along.

"This is a tour with a reliable guide like Mr. Yu Seong-un. Experiences like this, on someone else's dime, don't come often."

"……"

"You think money grows on trees? I guarantee prices have only gone up. Daddy has no money."

Ah. Wait. Would sniffling to your kid about being broke mess with their development? Ji-oh hastily added,

"Of course, this daddy can buy Honey anything he asks for."

"Kkung?"

"You shouldn't waste it, but if you buy something and enjoy it properly, there's nothing to regret."

Besides, in here it almost seemed like money really might come out of the ground. If drawing a picture could produce roasted sweet potatoes, why wouldn't digging up money work?

"Anyway, outside the frame is different. Listen carefully, Honey. When someone offers to buy you something delicious, you run over and take it. That's what makes a true pig."

Personally, he hoped Honey would get that plump.

"……"

"……"

Plump…

"…Kkung… kkureureuk… keureuk…"

"You don't have to get that angry about it, do you?"

"Keureureureureureu…"

Apparently he objected.

Shame.

A plump bird was the very symbol of cuteness, but this self-disciplined water bird seemed to have no such ambitions.

I thought that gem-draped look was a little much — this picky child.

At any rate, what Ji-oh was fretting over was this: he needed a more harmless impression.

"I'd like to look harmless enough to pass for an ordinary pedestrian, but I'm already about as harmless as a talking potato. I have no idea what more I'm supposed to do. I'm pretty sure my harmlessness had already hit its ceiling."

In life — well, he had never actually died, but anyway — back when he worked as a teacher, people had sometimes said he looked scary, but never to the point of tears and snot.

"Well, aside from the talent for growing healthily no matter where you put me, I'm basically a corpse."

But the current Ji-oh was being treated like some urban legend on the level of a red mask. No one said it to his face, but the way every person he met nearly jumped out of their skin gave him a pretty clear sense of it.

"The way everyone struggles just to register me, it seems like… a resolution problem, first of all."

"Kkureureu."

"There's probably all kinds of glitches that come with going from a painting into reality, but I'm no engineer…"

And Ji-oh had already received a solution for that from the System in advance.

"This has to mean the Compatible."

Was "Giovanni," currently mid-synchronization, still being treated as a human rather than a portrait?

In fact, when he ran Giovanni's personality, he felt his body grow a little heavier. Unlike before, he needed the bathroom, he got hungry, and he required regular sleep.

"So if I go outside as Giovanni, people won't be afraid of me."

"……"

Feeling Honey's lukewarm stare, Ji-oh nodded.

"Call it dual personality."

First he had to become harmless.

"……"

"……"

Under Honey's unblinking gaze, Ji-oh conceded his own excess.

"…Yeah. Even I think dual personality was a stretch."

"Kkureuk."

"In my defense, I wasn't seriously planning to pass it off that way."

This was a tour Yu Seong-un had kindly proposed. A trip he would enjoy with the man's help, walking around openly at his side — he had no desire to cause unnecessary discomfort.

"Even if I don't act fully as 'Giovanni,' as long as the synchronization is running, there's room to work with it. I should be able to behave as usual without people being that scared."

"Kkureu?"

"Of course I'll still have to pay attention. If I leave it completely unattended, the resolution problem seems to come back even mid-sync. But this alone is a major gain."

That was a fact he had confirmed with the help of the guild's dawn-patrol security.

"I'm working on this and that, so Mr. Yu Seong-un shouldn't end up in that much trouble."

For example, a situation where his companion suddenly turned dual-personalitied mid-tour.

"…Well. Anyway…"

Ji-oh, who had been sprawled across the bed, pushed himself up.

"…Then it's time to feed our elders. Honey, let's go."

"Kkureureureureu!"

Honey nodded with fierce enthusiasm. The tiny bird fluttered up and settled on Ji-oh's shoulder.

From the kitchen, Ji-oh gathered the seventy-seven colorful sandwiches he had prepared in advance and headed for the studio. His steps stopped right in front of the landscape of the sea — the Breathing Sea.

Now he had to open this tightly shut door.

"Do you want to build a snow…"

"Kkuk."

"Right."

Copyright was precious, after all.

Recalling his heart's home, the kingdom of Fr○zen, and the childhood it once held, Ji-oh composed himself. There was always the chance that the Republic of Korea, after he had slept through thirty-one years, had become a nation of lawsuits.

Clearing his throat of nonsense, Ji-oh prepared to dine with his family.

"……"

"……"

A brief silence.

Pitch-black hair slowly lightened.

Water-colored eyes blinked twice.

"……"

And in that place stood Giovanni.

"…May I come in?"

The door opened.

"Thank you."

"…"

"Yes. This priest is quite late, isn't he."

"…"

"Please understand."

A world submerged in the sea.

"The weather was so fine, my body simply grew lazy."

The sun was barely breathing.

(Continued in the next episode)