Chapter 302

Ji-oh wasn’t the only one who came to see Cha Eun-hyuk.

"I’m here as well, Eun-hyuk."

"...Please, speak comfortably."

"Shall I, then?"

Ji-oh’s assigned Curator, Yoo Sung-woon, was with him.

Cha Ara, the second child of the Cha family, was out earning money. Thanks to the Collector getting permission before visiting, he wasn’t too surprised, but that didn’t lessen Eun-hyuk’s psychological burden.

"So, what exactly brings you here?"

The other party had said they would go into detail after visiting. They mentioned the story would be too long for a phone call. They also said it wasn’t a light topic. So, he had no idea why exactly they were here.

At that, Ji-oh, who was standing by the door, asked.

"May we come inside?"

"..."

Eun-hyuk silently looked back at Sung-woon as if asking, ’Is this right?’ and Sung-woon nodded with a smile.

"He won’t bite."

"Please reassure me a bit more convincingly than that."

"Our Hunter Seo Ji-oh might have a scary impression, but as you well know, he isn’t someone who would harm a good citizen. Allowing him inside won’t result in you being cursed or possessed by an evil spirit."

"Thank you for the reassurance..."

His energy felt completely drained, but regardless, Eun-hyuk had to admit it.

’He’s a Divinity who treats Sol well, too... Come to think of it, when that guy summoned him before, everything ended without any major issues.’

Technically, he was like a teacher his younger brother was indebted to. Looking at it a bit more broadly—no, a lot more broadly—he held a position similar to Priest Kang Seo-dam. He had received a lot of help from him, so being on guard now would be ridiculous.

"..."

Of course, brainwashing himself like that didn’t make him any less scared.

"...Yes, please come in. I don’t really have anything proper to serve you, though..."

"Thank you for the consideration, but as we mentioned on the phone earlier, we don’t need anything like that. Just allowing us to visit like this is kindness enough."

"Thank you for saying so, Hunter Seo Ji-oh."

It was an overwhelming situation. After all, wasn’t this a visit from a 1st Class Citizen and a Divinity? Though he wondered if it was right to put a ’1st Class Citizen’ and a ’Divinity’ on the same level, anyway...

Eun-hyuk guided the guests to the living room. He brought out cups of roasted barley tea for them. He felt he needed to observe at least the minimum level of formality. The three of them gathered around the modest table.

"Then, could you finally tell me the real reason for your visit?"

"Ah, I think it would be best if I spoke first."

Sung-woon, who was sipping his barley tea, offered the same placid smile he always wore.

"You have options, Eun-hyuk."

"The word ’options’ is already coming out. I’ll listen for now."

"A straightforward question, or a roundabout one."

"Uh... wouldn’t it be easier for both of us if you just asked directly?"

"Then, to ask straightforwardly."

Sung-woon looked straight into Eun-hyuk’s eyes and asked.

"Do you see weird things?"

"..."

Eun-hyuk, who had been dazed for a moment, was suddenly startled.

"Ah, excuse me? What?"

"I guess you do see them."

"What exactly are you talking about..."

"Something that looks like a monster, but also doesn’t quite seem like one."

"...It seems you can see them too, Hunter Yoo Sung-woon?"

"I’m somewhat of a veteran in this area."

"I didn’t know this was divided into a specialized profession."

"Your reaction is duller than I thought."

"I’m plenty... surprised..."

For Eun-hyuk, who rarely ever raised his voice, this level of reaction meant he truly was surprised.

"It’s because there hasn’t been anyone else who sees the same things I do."

"No, not that kind of dullness."

"That word doesn’t really resonate with me in the first place, but... then what kind of feeling were you referring to?"

"Usually, people in your situation get treated like crazy lunatics."

"Ah, I understand what you’re saying now."

Eun-hyuk nodded with a bewildered expression, as if he still couldn’t believe it.

"Even I thought I’d be called crazy."

The things he saw were visible only to his eyes.

"Not only am I the only one who can see them, but they rarely affect other people or living things. Even if they do, the people who can’t see them somehow... make up unlikely excuses to justify it."

"In that case, only the person telling the truth ends up looking like a psychopath."

"Yes, isn’t it obvious I’d be treated that way? So, to avoid being ostracized like that, I’ve just pretended not to know from the very beginning. My younger siblings don’t know that I can see them either."

"You must have hidden it perfectly. That’s impressive."

Ji-oh, who was listening to the conversation, tilted his head.

"You hid it well."

"Hmm, exactly. It’s not an easy thing to do."

Most talents with the ’aptitude’ couldn’t do this. How could they possibly hide what they could personally see and feel from other people?

"If they see a one-eyed puppy, most children would be fascinated or grossed out. And they would tell their parents, other family members, or friends about it. At that age, they lack the cognitive ability to think, ’Ah, even if I say this, the other person won’t understand.’"

"A one-eyed puppy would be cute."

At those words, Eun-hyuk widened his eyes and blinked.

"...Is that something people normally see, too?"

"The so-called ’One-eyed Jindo’ is a kind of guardian deity that often lingers around Korean children. They mostly take the form of a Jindo dog, but rarely, they appear as other breeds of dogs or even other animals. I guess what you saw when you were young took the form of a dog?"

"Yes, that’s right. A black... Jindo? It was probably that. The one they talked about on the news being successfully restored. That guy was always sitting in our yard, constantly looking outside."

"In a world where Mysteries have become visible, there’s no protective shield as reliable as that friend. If a sinister or aggressive Mystery visits a child’s home, they bark and chase it away. The problem is that in the case of a homeless child, they won’t help like that unless specifically tamed..."

"So, um, they helped me because I had a home?"

"Right. So it’s no exaggeration to say it’s the very first ’thing’ that talents with a family encounter. Of course, once the child passes a certain age, they leave that house and move to another... or they simply vanish. I think the longest recorded case of one staying was until the child was thirteen."

Sung-woon asked, looking intrigued.

"You didn’t tell your other family members about that either?"

"It was only visible to me, so how could I tell them..."

"I’m telling you, that’s normally when people open their mouths. You have good self-control."

And quick-witted, too.

"It means you were already aware of societal judgment at that age."

Most talents couldn’t do that. They failed to understand how others couldn’t perceive what was entirely obvious to them. Naturally, conflicts arise over the senses they do not share, and they drift apart.

"Well, after getting burned a few times, everyone ends up living while pretending not to notice like that."

"I feel a bit less embarrassed knowing it’s not just me."

Eun-hyuk asked with a slightly reluctant expression.

"...But how exactly did you know...? Like I just said, I’ve never told my family that I see ’those things.’ Is there... a separate way to identify a ’talent’?"

"No, there isn’t."

"Pardon?"

"There isn’t."

Sung-woon smiled bitterly.

"If there was something like that, Gardeners wouldn’t be working overtime like crazy."

"...Gardeners?"

"It refers to the people among us who can see ’those things’ and who have come to serve something called a Garden. Well, I’ll explain that gradually too. But first, I should answer what you asked, right?"

"Ah, yes, I’d appreciate it if you did."

"Like I said earlier, there’s no method to finding ’talents’. They don’t have some special aura that only belongs to them. It’s mostly just going about my life and observing people where I think, ’Huh? Does this guy see them?’ and luckily turning out to be right."

"Then... wouldn’t it be hard to find even a single person in a lifetime?"

"Exactly. You seem to have noticed it too, but these ’talents’ usually try not to reveal themselves. In your case, it seems you figured out that what you see is real, but there are countless talents who die after spending their whole lives thinking they suffer from delusions."

Sung-woon offered his signature placid smile and pointed at Ji-oh as if revering him.

"But this time, our Hunter Seo Ji-oh gave us a hand."

"Aha... Don’t mention it. I was just lucky this time."

As if responding to the introduction, ’Hunter Seo Ji-oh’ naturally pulled down his hood, and his hair soon became dyed a pale pink.

"Because I found a good ’friend’."

Above his round, smiling lips.

"Well, I am usually pretty lucky, though?"

Those curving eyes were shining colorfully like opals.

Yoo Sung-woon’s Snowfield.

In that beautiful world, Ji-oh wanted to draw even more Gardens.

List of Suitable Candidates

Garden of Pleasure_Jeorge

Synchronization Rate 1%

He decided to do just that.

Fwip.

"Oops."

Sung-woon pulled Ji-oh’s hood back over his head.

"..."

"..."

"...Uh..."

Sung-woon smiled broadly at Eun-hyuk, who was trying to say something.

"Did something happen?"

"Is that okay to do?"

"It’s fine, he won’t die. So, you were saying something happened?"

"No, nothing happened, and I didn’t see anything."

"An excellent display of adult diplomacy."

Sung-woon made a whining sound at Ji-oh.

"...Ji-oh, please, let’s end this peacefully. Hmm? Peacefully..."

"I think it was peaceful enough."

"Have some consideration for the tiny, cute heart of a weak working adult."

"I will be considerate."

Ji-oh obediently adjusted his hood. There was absolutely no trace of the ’something’ he had shown just moments ago; he was truly his usual ’Black Cloak’ self.

He asked, matching Yoo Sung-woon’s earlier question.

"Did something happen just now?"

"...As I told Hunter Yoo Sung-woon, no, I don’t think anything happened."

"Good, I like that."

"..."

And then, the ’something’ returned once again.

Eun-hyuk’s gaze met the eyes of the ’something’ inside the hood that was completely filled with shadows.

Just like seeing a wild beast in the mountains during the dark night, only those eyes were visible. That gaze and those pupils were incredibly clear. Only those eyes were visible. Nothing but that mesmerizing sight.

It was very bizarre. Those myriad colors seemed to sparkle like finely crafted jewels, only to blur like smoke. Their flow resembled the flickering of a blazing fire or the beautiful wings of a butterfly.

And, also.

"...Ah..."

Only after a long while did he realize that what it had shown him was an ’eye smile.’

"...S-So..."

Stuttering, Eun-hyuk asked with an absentminded face.

"...Where were we in our conversation?"

"That Ji-oh helped find a hidden talent named Cha Eun-hyuk?"

"I don’t have any more questions about exactly how you found me. I don’t think a detailed explanation is necessary, so if it’s alright with you, can we move on to the next topic? I just realized I asked a useless question."

"If he just Awakened, he’d be the perfect talent for the Collector, it’s such a shame he’s a civilian..."

Sung-woon smacked his lips.

"But it’s fine, civilians can be Gardeners, too."

"Is that the reason you came to see me today? To make me become this so-called Gardener?"

"It’s absolutely not something I can force upon you just because I want to, but roughly speaking, it’s along those lines."

"What do I need to do? How will I receive my salary? Is it in the form of a monthly wage, or a weekly wage? Roughly how much is the annual salary? Do you provide a contract?"

"Were you holding out for something by any chance?"

"I just blurted out whatever came to mind."

Eun-hyuk wiped his face.

"Because obviously, even if you just forced me to do it, I wouldn’t have a single way to resist."

"Like I just said, it’s not something you can accomplish just because I tell you to. If it’s alright, won’t you listen to the story a little more? Even if you reject the offer, it’ll be information that is extremely helpful to you, so it won’t be a loss."

"...I apologize for acting so sensitive."

He let out a small sigh and gathered himself.

"To make an excuse, this situation is too overwhelming for me. No less than the Collector’s Curator bringing his assigned piece over to talk about a secret I’ve kept hidden my entire life... it’s a bit..."

"Even I would be on edge and sensitive, so don’t worry too much about it. Most of all, you must have been even more startled thanks to our Hunter Seo Ji-oh’s sudden action just now. I can hear your heart pounding from all the way over here."

"Even so, that doesn’t erase my rudeness. I apologize once again. I wasn’t raised so poorly by my elders that I have to make excuses for that..."

"Then I’ll accept that apology, but we are indeed the ones who put you in a difficult situation here. So, I really wish you wouldn’t worry about it so much. You understand what I’m saying, right?"

"..."

After a little time passed, Eun-hyuk nodded.

"I understand."

"Great, then let’s slowly move on to the main topic."

"Was everything until now just a warm-up?"

"I suppose you could say we were trying to keep up appearances in our own way."

"For that, the impact was..."

"The impact Hunter Seo Ji-oh gave was something I didn’t expect either."

"Ah, yes, I see."

"You said earlier you prefer things straightforward, right?"

Sung-woon asked.

"Do you have any thoughts of running a food stall following our Ji-oh?"

"I’m sorry, it seems I actually hate straightforward things."

"That happens."

Sung-woon, who nodded, soon laughed.

"From now on, I’ll ask in a roundabout way."

"Please also provide the longest preliminary explanation possible."

"I told you the story would get long, didn’t I? It’ll take some time, is that okay? Do you have any schedule?"

"Thanks to you contacting me in advance about your visit, I don’t really have... any schedule for the rest of today."

"If that’s the case, then shall we explain things slowly as well?"

"Um, then..."

The hesitant Eun-hyuk asked.

"...What exactly are ’those things’ that I see?"

Sung-woon willingly explained.

"In the Gardeners’ professional jargon, they are ’Children of the Source’."

"Children of the Source? If you say children, does that mean the Source is... a parent?"

"It was simply named that way because, thinking within our human concepts, the closest relationship would be that of a parent and child. Strictly speaking, we don’t know if their relationship is truly that of parent and child, a boss and a subordinate, or simply an equal, cooperative partnership."

"Then what do you know?"

"Nothing at all. These entities only started becoming visible on Earth after the Great Cataclysm. It’s only been about 30 years since we became aware of them, so it’s a miracle they’ve even been defined this far. You know it too, don’t you?"

"...Ah, right. It must not be easy for people like us to interact with each other... Listening to you, it doesn’t seem like there’s any specific organization we belong to, either. Is that right?"

"Right, ’Gardener’ can’t be called a profession. But if you verify yourself as a Gardener, the government provides support when you submit a proposal. In terms of economics, and in other areas too."

"...This is a bit difficult."

"Of course, most ’talents’ would be confused upon hearing this kind of story for the first time."

Sung-woon curved his eyes into a smile.

"I’ll explain it to you slowly, so I’d appreciate it if you listened closely."

"...I’ll do that."

Suddenly, Eun-hyuk thought that it looked similar to the ’eye smile’ he had just seen.

He couldn’t figure out why.