Of course, Jeong Hae-Woon hadn’t co just to steal a lunchbox.
“Man, but this is really good.”
“That was a gift from Teacher, you gangster bastard. Don’t you think this is a little steep, even for a tribute?”
“Happiness doubles when shared.”
“Then where the hell did my happiness go...?”
It was absurd to Seo Seo-Hee, but it wasn’t like she couldn’t give up a single lunchbox. Last ti, when Hunter Sergio had visited, he’d left behind more than a few of them.
With subspace storage, there was no worry of them spoiling, so she’d planned to take her ti and enjoy them slowly. The als that Hunter Sergio made always held sothing warm and comforting.
And now, a thug had snatched one away.
“You’re making such a fuss over losing one.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your eyes did.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Letting out a sigh, Seo Seo-Hee asked,
“...You’re okay, right?”
“Can’t you tell from this mukbang?”
“Clearly, the heavens and the earth know how healthy you are. Foolish question on my part.”
“Better late than never.”
“Not that I thought it’d harm you or anything...”
The gifts from Black Cloak were usually food. As long as they weren’t taken through force or coercion, Black Cloak didn’t forbid the sharing of his food.
It seed Jeong Hae-Woon had just wanted to confirm whether this sort of playful “robbery” was within bounds.
“......”
But still, making it his wasn’t quite right. In truth, it was more irritating than anything. That loudmouthed bastard had taken away one of the few joys Seo Seo-Hee had recently.
...Did Teacher give multiple lunchboxes because he predicted this might happen?
No, Gio just had a habit of making too much. But with no mories of “Teacher,” Seo Seo-Hee’s imagination could wander freely. It did so right up until Jeong Hae-Woon finished devouring the entire thing and turned to her.
“Hey, did anything change after eating this?”
“Hmm... I feel a bit more energized? What about you?”
“Nothing major for either. Though I did feel a flicker of happiness from one of the Gardens I’m contracted to. Not sure, though. We’re not exactly close.”
“That’s strange.”
“It really is.”
It was surprising.
“For sothing that vast to manage its power so delicately... Usually, if a being of that level made you a al, it wouldn’t be weird for your soul to get dragged into their spiritual realm right then and there.”
“You...”
The fact that this was even coming up again gave Seo Seo-Hee a slightly odd expression.
“Didn’t you already confirm that during the Collector’s parade?”
Back then, Jeong Hae-Woon had been visibly rattled by the finesse shown in “Gio’s portrait.” It was strange that he’d return to the sa suspicions now.
“Black Cloak’s been gifting snacks for a while, and you already acknowledged they were harmless.”
“Yeah. I even pledged allegiance to the rciful Eye of Origin recently.”
“So your idea of ‘allegiance’ and mine must be pretty different?”
“Let’s call it a habit. I won’t deny I’ve developed a deep fondness for that being. But let’s not pretend he’s so ordinary fellow. The fact that he can even appear humanlike makes him an incredibly unpredictable mystery.”
“You don’t think I already know that, right? So this is just an excuse?”
“Well... yeah, kinda. But the ‘habit’ part isn’t a lie. You know how many poor bastards I’ve seen whose lives went totally off the rails just from eating the wrong thing? It’s like a survival instinct. A conditioned reflex.”
“You pathetic bastard...”
“If you look at it that way, none of us are really doing well. You know it too—liking soone and trusting them are two separate things. I guess my paranoia’s acting up again. Like nobles carrying silver spoons to check for poison, right?”
“Ah, here cos the food-taster excuse again.”
Seo Seo-Hee let out a helpless laugh. She could see he was trying his best to explain himself, so she played along.
“So, this is different? You’re saying there’s a clear difference between Teacher’s lunchboxes and other mystical food?”
“Well... since it’s your current obsession, I figured, sure. You didn’t say anything bad about it, so I didn’t question it. Like I said—it was just for confirmation.”
Jeong Hae-Woon’s face took on a strange look.
“...Honestly, I just wanted to know what it felt like.”
“......”
Was there sothing he hadn’t been able to confirm from the last cube steak?
“You didn’t even leave a single grain of rice. That doesn’t seem like just a test.”
“Well, if I left so, who’d eat the rest later? What if it only works when we share it together? Although... I doubt a being that ticulous would make a mistake like that...”
“So?”
Seo Seo-Hee shrugged.
“Did you really co here just for that?”
“I’ve been way too busy lately to co out just for sothing like this.”
“I heard you visited the Collector.”
“Damn it, my private life... Why are there so many damn rats around here?”
Jeong Hae-Woon grimaced. The Collector’s Guild was known for its airtight information control. Which ant one of two things: either they’d intentionally leaked it, or soone else had eyes and ears there.
The Collector likely had no reason to ddle in their petty affairs. So, it was probably the latter. Jeong Hae-Woon accepted that. They all knew already—everyone just pretended otherwise.
“Anyway, I do have a reason for coming.”
“Then what could it be, my dear vice-guildmaster, who even left your nest to co speak in person?”
“No matter how much I searched, you’re the only one I could ask.”
“...That sounds ominous. Wait.”
“I’ve been to the abandoned school.”
“I said wait—damn it. Why ?”
Seo Seo-Hee smacked herself in the chest out of frustration. Jeong Hae-Woon was the one doing the mukbang, so why was she the one getting indigestion? It was wildly unfair—but she understood. She understood her own irritation.
Still, she maintained her usual peaceful expression.
“If a busy bastard like you ca all this way just to eat, then there’s no point denying it, is there?”
“Like I said—I had no one else to ask. ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) If my mories were erased, that ans even Dan Haera’s mories are gone. And it’s not like I can ask Eun-Hye, right?”
“Don’t ss with her. She’s exhausted enough already.”
“Even so, I heard our dear Madam President recently visited that abandoned school. And naturally, I must’ve looked into it myself—but there’s no mory of that either.”
“Would’ve been better if you’d just never known...”
“Ah.”
Jeong Hae-Woon nodded like it all made sense.
“Did I tell you not to ntion it?”
“And it only just dawned on you now? That’s more surprising. What the hell happened to you at the Collector’s to make you drop everything and co running?”
“Old man Bisa Beul said sothing.”
Jeong Hae-Woon recited chanically.
“My son will love everything forever. Love, rcy, affection, sacrifice, tenderness. He is made of all those similar words. Guildmaster Jeong Hae-Woon, didn’t you ask for his destination and starting point...?”
His words trailed off.
“And then he asked, ‘Didn’t you see it too?’”
“...So you’re wondering if it’s limited to just you?”
“I thought it might be. That made rember the abandoned school. I’m certain—I realized sothing about Hunter Sergio back then. And then I judged it had to be forgotten.”
“Then let it stay forgotten.”
Seo Seo-Hee shrugged.
“It nags at , too, but the risk’s too great to go digging up the past. You know what we staked on that promise.”
“Yeah. I know. Honestly, I’m not even sure what I’m after. Maybe because I’ve been sleeping better lately, and work’s cald down—I’ve got space in my head now. Random thoughts keep surfacing.”
“You should try floating in the middle like . You’re going to get yourself in trouble again.”
“I decided not to rember, and ran off to find Dan Haera. You know . I run when I think I can’t handle it. That’s what I did back then.”
Even if he couldn’t rember.
“I’m not trying to rember. I just want to know. Why is this ‘Teacher’ figure so kind to us?”
“You could just build a new relationship over it...”
“You better think carefully—this might not last forever. I’ve accepted that he’s rciful, gentlemanly, and kind toward humans. But beyond that, no.”
“I’d say you’ve accepted a lot already.”
“No—what I an is... what happens when his interest runs out? We need to be independent. We made a system to drive out Earth’s harmful deities and limit their interference. We have to do that again.”
“I get it.”
Seo Seo-Hee nodded.
“So that’s the ‘destination’ and ‘starting point’ you ntioned. You want to see where this love begins and where it ends—or at least asure it.”
“Black Cloak holds divinity, but he’s not bound by the system. He’s an exception.”
A tireso exception.
“That can’t be explained just because he’s the Eye of Origin. And the fact that ‘Gio’ overlays the Origin—that too. I’m grateful, but he’s still a bundle of variables. I just can’t understand the direction of his kindness.”
Why?
“He doesn’t have to... so why does he?”
“Maybe because Hunter Sergio has a teacher. That’s why he acts kindly toward humans. You saw it—it was a human ego.”
“So how is that even possible? That doesn’t make any damn sense. I view him as Origin, and I’m sure he doesn’t deny it.”
He was that kind of being.
“Maybe I’ve numbed myself from saying ‘Origin’ too often, but that’s what he is. A being possibly vaster than the universe. We don’t even know what he looks like, what he wants, whether he has a self. Even now, the ‘Portrait’ shows completely different identities with the sa face. How does a being like that turn kind just by gaining a few personalities?”
And it wasn’t just kindness.
“It’s love. The Origin is loving. That’s insane. For that to work, it ans Sergio holds the reins. Not the Origin—the human. That’s what I’m saying.”
“You think he might not have been human from the beginning?”
“It's a very real possibility. Not a human who fused with mystery after dying, but a mystery that was born in human form from the start. And when it was ti to die, it was simply collected. Of course, I don’t know. I don’t know the exact sequence. Even the idea of a personality being layered over Origin is absurd...”
Jeong Hae-Woon shrugged.
“Not like knowing it would change anything.”
Still, it was important. He needed to understand the structure of the being he called teacher. Even if it ant risking divine punishnt—well, that was a problem for future Jeong Hae-Woon to deal with.
“I need to know.”
“To find the destination and starting point?”
“Yeah. For that, I have to understand what ‘Hunter Sergio’ really is.”
“I get what you’re saying...”
Seo Seo-Hee looked at the empty lunchbox with a bitter expression.
“But why co to with all this?”
“Because you always eat lunch at this ti?”
“You damn pig.”
But—
“In the end, I can’t give you the answer.”
“...I figured as much.”
“You really didn’t look right back then.”
“I know this is dangerous...”
It could all collapse—like a stone tower on a mountain path, toppling at the slightest nudge. So of course Seo Seo-Hee would say this. He knew that.
After a mont’s hesitation, Seo Seo-Hee said,
“Why not go to the source directly?”
“The source?”
“Maybe he’s already doing sothing massive. I an, I’m not sharp enough to catch it, but at the very least, he’d know the safe limits. Even if he pretends not to.”
“...Hmm. You’re right.”
And so, Jeong Hae-Woon visited the Collector.
***
“I promised not to trouble you.”
“You can retract that for , Teacher. Please, by all ans.”
“To think you’d co all this way just to ask that.”
The portrait, painted in black, tilted its head.
“Your friend who’s keeping silent for peace’s sake will be sad.”
“Everyone knows our dear Madam President is having a hard ti. But this isn’t about that. I’m simply asking for permission.”
“Permission... I was never given such authority.”
“Then call it advice. I learned there’s nothing strange or shaful about seeking wisdom from soone wiser than myself, Teacher.”
“My advice isn’t always right. I’m not perfect. I’m not wholly good, nor ideally kind.”
“You don’t think I ca here to debate your qualifications, do you? What I need right now is your counsel. You, as I see you.”
“You may regret it.”
“The prophecy of the Origin, huh... chilling as always. But I trust my friends. Even if you and I ss up badly, they’ll stop us.”
“Before taking on a challenge, shouldn’t one conduct research?”
“If you were soone I could research, I would’ve.”
The way he kept dodging the issue gave Jeong Hae-Woon a bad feeling, but he smiled anyway. Soone had to see this through. That duty belonged to the Gardener.
He asked,
“Teacher, I need your help.”
“......”
“Let believe in you.”
The portrait tended to take its role as “Teacher” seriously. Jeong Hae-Woon used that fact. The portrait looked slightly reluctant—but it understood why he spoke this way.
“How cunning.”
“I’ve honed my skills diligently to beco an adult. What do you think?”
“Very spicy. I like it.”
“...Good to hear.”
Jeong Hae-Woon folded his arms.
“You know sothing? Dan Haera’s way of speaking... it’s like yours.”
“What part, exactly?”
“That line—‘I like it.’”
“Ah. I like that phrase.”
“Why?”
“Because if you don’t say it out loud, it disappears.”
“So very mysterious...”
Why did this conversation feel nostalgic?
He wouldn’t call it sentintality. To Jeong Hae-Woon, this being needed to show evidence that it could be trusted—for at least a thousand years. It was only natural, given how long they would be entangled.
“You’re really not going to give permission? What, is Earth going to blow up? Well, yeah, that would give pause. But if you’re hesitating, then I guess it’s not that extre.”
“Once again—I don’t have that authority. I promised the President I wouldn’t speak recklessly or incite anyone. Do you want to break that promise? I understand what you want, but I don’t know exactly what I can offer.”
“Don’t know, or just pretending not to?”
“But in the end, what you all keep asking for lately is this: new trust. New relationships, built over forgotten pasts. Isn’t that right? Especially you, Gardener Jeong Hae-Woon—you want to understand .”
“That’s true...”
“If you really want that, then I will make you the exception to everything. You are my student. But I’ll say it again—my advice is not perfect.”
The portrait gave a warning.
“If any mishaps occur while building trust—can you accept that?”
“As long as it’s not on the level of Earth’s destruction or mass slaughter, I’ll live.”
“...In that case.”
The portrait stepped outside.
“......”
“Excuse .”
Barefoot.
And...
Gemstone eyes.
“Then let’s spend so ti together, shall we?”
“...Last ti you spent ti beside Seo Seo-Hee.”
“Indeed. That was , too. Under the na Argio, in the honor of the Evil God, we had a truly aningful battle.”
“So this ti, you’re choosing ?”
“I thought this form suited you well, Gardener Jeong Hae-Woon. Without a doubt, I believe we’ll enjoy so delightful mischief together.”
“...Well, I suppose that’s not the worst alternative.”
He nodded.
“So what kind of mischief this ti?”
“Why do people of this world play gas?”
The Garden’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.
“They’re all ga addicts.”
“...Huh?”
“They refuse to look at the world beyond their narrow screens.”
“That’s... kind of sudden and confusing. Is that a complaint from the Garden itself?”
“See however you wish.”
It smiled.
“I’ll do the sa.”
“......”
Tch. This feels dangerous.
...I accounted for everything, but still—this is chilling.
***
Awaiting command
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