Chapter 305

"What is there not to understand?"

Bisabeol said with a bright smile.

"Ultimately, it means you want to set up a diner in the Garden for the sake of the Gardeners’ welfare."

"To be exact, it will likely take the form of a food stall."

"Hmm, from a management perspective, there certainly is no business as convenient as that."

"I also thought it would be easier for the Gardeners to visit than a regular shop."

"Because of its highly open structure? I suppose that could be it."

Watching the two chatting amiably, Joo-hyun silently organized his pad.

"..."

"Joo-hyun, have you given up?"

"I’ve just come to terms with reality."

At Yoo Sung-woon’s question, Joo-hyun looked back at him and smiled.

"It’s also true that the Gardeners’ situation is unfortunate."

"...You think similarly to Ji-oh."

"Actually, Ji-oh is right. Gardeners are humans too; they need to eat and get some rest. I just learned that such things are truly difficult to do in the Garden."

"Isn’t that an inconvenience experienced by any Hunter entering a dungeon...?"

"Yes, it did seem to be in a similar vein. However, looking at the intensity of the work, the Gardeners undeniably have it much harder. I’m not sure if it’s right to use the expression ’have it harder’ in this context, though."

"...Hmm..."

Since a Garden could essentially be called a strictly superior version of a dungeon, Joo-hyun’s thoughts were correct. Unlike dungeons, where one simply had to face and clear monsters according to the rules, Gardens were extremely finicky about letting visitors achieve their goals.

Inside, a Gardener was fundamentally restricted in everything—sleep, consumption, and breathing. In other words, their biological traits as a human could not be respected. Having heard about Yoo Sung-woon’s work from Ji-oh, Joo-hyun looked at Sung-woon with concern.

"I heard that even maintaining body heat isn’t tolerated in there."

"...That’s true, because that is the rule of the snowfield."

"In other words, the countless things humans are born with are being suppressed, aren’t they?"

"I wouldn’t go so far as to call it suppression. I’m doing this job because I want to, right? I know it sounds weird to say this, but... I love my snowfield."

"I have no intention of insulting your snowfield, but I can’t help feeling sorry for you."

"That’s exactly why those thoughts of yours are unique."

Normally, people wouldn’t think that far.

"But I am somewhat glad to hear it."

"Right, you said Gardeners are always so cold and hungry. I don’t know what you’re talking about now after whining like that yourself."

Joo-hyun stared at Yoo Sung-woon.

"I’m worried about what Ji-oh will do going forward, but... I thought it would be a good thing if you could eat something during that process."

"Have you been infected by Ji-oh too, Joo-hyun? Why are you all so eager to turn me into a pig?"

"Even if you’re dealing with a Garden, shouldn’t you at least be treated like a human before a pig...?"

"Uh, well... Are you trying to start a revolution against the Gardens or something...?"

It was scary because if it were Joo-hyun, he truly seemed capable of doing it. He was such a rational person that he wouldn’t normally do such a thing, but that was only "normally."

Anyway.

"...It’s just that my feelings are complicated too."

He had lived his whole life engraving the mindset and attitude of a Gardener into his mind and body. Though he lacked any noble sense of duty, he knew he was following the path of a greater cause. He knew it was a thorny path, but he still just liked it.

That "liking" was closer to everyday life. Something that melted into his life more deeply than faith. That was why it was so close and inescapable. Even though there was no reason to do so, Yoo Sung-woon ultimately left Ji-oh’s "changes" unchecked.

"I guess I’m disqualified as a Gardener."

"If that’s enough to disqualify you as a Gardener, then Earth is doomed to perish."

"Ah, we’re going that far? You say some surprisingly radical things, don’t you?"

"That’s because you’re talking nonsense."

Joo-hyun glared at Yoo Sung-woon as if it were absurd.

"I don’t really like things like that. Did you truly wish to become a tool, Yoo Sung-woon?"

"Perhaps I did."

"It would certainly be more comfortable. It’s not like I don’t understand that feeling."

"But as a human, I shouldn’t be like that, right?"

"Rather than such a grand reason, it’s just... isn’t that too difficult?"

"...So it’s from that perspective after all?"

"It’s even better to be treated like a human while doing good deeds."

"I do feel like I’m committing a hugely profane act."

"Profane, well? Not being a Gardener myself, I wouldn’t know."

He chuckled softly.

"Looking at it from the perspective of a secular human, a Garden is nothing more than a workplace. In today’s world, it’s common for people not to receive their salaries properly and to live without being treated like human beings... but at least the Collector isn’t like that, is it?"

Yoo Sung-woon laughed hollowly.

"Hah, now you’re bringing the Collector into this? You’ve gotten much bolder, Joo-hyun."

"Even in a world where humans are used as resources, if you can be treated like a human being, it’s better to do so. It’s a very simple logic. That anything better is good."

"...It’s just too simple, that’s why. It’s something I already discussed with Ji-oh in the snowfield, but I said it feels like eating late-night snacks past midnight or dropping snack crumbs on the blanket."

"That’s a very intuitive analogy. But with late-night snacks, you just need to digest them well, and for the crumbs dropped on the blanket, you just need to clean them up properly, don’t you?"

"But it’s that feeling... like you’re going to get scolded by your parents for no reason, wouldn’t it be?"

Well, Yoo Sung-woon had never experienced that feeling, so he didn’t really know. But he understood the context.

"Right, at my age, I can eat late-night snacks. I can spill a few crumbs, too. But whether that can truly be considered a good change or development... I just can’t quite grasp it. This definitely isn’t a precise analogy, but..."

Ultimately, it was about altering the Garden to suit one’s personal desires.

"Even if there are no problems, I feel like I’m doing something wrong."

"The flow of every era has developed based on such deviations."

Joo-hyun shrugged lightly.

"Things that were illegal in a certain era sometimes become legal in modern times. Not that I’m so great as to argue the right and wrong of the rules from back then."

"Then?"

"I just know it, that’s all. That the things I thought would never change in my lifetime might change one day. Didn’t you often say this yourself, Yoo Sung-woon?"

He rolled his eyes.

"That it’s only been about 30 years, so it’s not strange that people still don’t know much about Mysteries. Because it’s not a field that can be easily uncovered."

"I did say that."

"I heard you used the universe as an analogy for Cha Eun-hyuk? To borrow that a bit, despite its vastness, people eventually came to discover quite a lot about the universe. How many changes must there have been during that process?"

"..."

"It looks the same to me."

Joo-hyun smiled.

"If you can bring yourself to think that ’the time for change has come’, Yoo Sung-woon."

"...Time for change..."

"We’ve been digging a well for about 30 years, isn’t it about time the water burst forth?"

"...You’re scaring me to death, why are all my friends like this?"

"There’s a saying that if your surroundings are strange, you should check yourself first."

"You really never let anyone have the last word."

Yoo Sung-woon laughed too.

"So are we really doing this?"

"Who have I been talking to all this time? Did you just wake up from sleeping somewhere alone?"

"I think I was awake."

To be honest, he broke into a bit of a cold sweat.

"This current Ji-oh’s driving force is no joke..."

Yoo Sung-woon sensed overtime coming.

"Was the name Jeorge this time? It seems ’Ji-oh’ was a nickname from when he was alive."

"I heard the introduction that he’s a Gardener from another dimension, but I still can’t get a grasp on it. I haven’t heard the exact story either."

"Same here. Listening to him, I wonder if he has a similar vibe to Guild Master Jung Hae-woon, but for some reason, it feels a little different from that..."

"Would I be mistaken to say that this Ji-oh seems quite unique as well?"

"Following a saint and an evil god, I don’t think a Gardener is at a level that stands out too much, but well. I get the strong feeling that he isn’t a common type even among Gardeners."

"Have you ever had a conversation with ’Jeorge’? I’m embarrassed to admit, but I haven’t."

"He hasn’t shown himself to me either."

He knew his rough appearance. Ji-oh had casually shown it to him before they went to see Cha Eun-hyuk.

His pink hair, resembling a sunset, was a bob that fluttered at the nape of his neck. His multicolored jewel-like eyes made it impossible to read his inner thoughts, and his attitude was oddly sly from start to finish.

He possessed an exceptional talent for mesmerizing someone’s gaze and stealing their attention, acting arbitrarily while pretending not to, yet maintaining balance like a ghost. He was truly a ’Garden’ himself.

’...Although he hasn’t told me exactly what happened or what kind of person he is.’

All the previous ’Ji-ohs’ had clear stories. There was no way this Ji-oh would be significantly different, but for some reason, he was pushing off the explanation.

Should he say it’s exceptionally hard to read his inner thoughts even among the ’Ji-ohs’? He could hardly figure out what the man was thinking.

"He didn’t seem like the shy type either..."

"Well, it’s not like we have the right to become close with every ’Ji-oh’."

"You’re right, Joo-hyun, that’s entirely up to Ji-oh."

He was just feeling anxious because he couldn’t clearly grasp what kind of personality he had.

’If we’re going by that, wouldn’t I be disqualified as a Curator too?’

A Gardener who couldn’t gather information and couldn’t even properly maintain distance from Mysteries. He had no idea where someone like that could be of use.

Yoo Sung-woon laughed hollowly as he watched Ji-oh steadily making plans. It was the commonly known appearance of ’Hunter Seo Ji-oh’, but with a blunt expression.

"..."

Whether it would be deterioration or development.

That was still unknown.

—

For reference, Jung Hae-woon also knew about this matter.

"Should I say it’s a huge relief that you didn’t proceed behind my back?"

"Hearing you say that makes it worthwhile to have told you in advance and asked for the list."

"At the time, I was confused if you were seriously picking a fight, but yes. You are correct."

Jung Hae-woon nodded with a smile.

"Actually, even now, I keep thinking if I should just flip the table on this."

"How often do you get that thought?"

"Once every 10 seconds?"

"You’re doing a remarkably good job of not flipping it yet."

"Why would I act so stubbornly and risk being hated by a precious person?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Jung Hae-woon said.

"It is a fact that Gardeners are working in excessively harsh environments."

"My manager was quite displeased, asking if it made sense to work without even being treated like a human being."

"Treated like a human, right. You can find people being treated as beasts or tools anywhere, but... the treatment Gardeners receive is on a level entirely beyond that."

Humans giggling among themselves while perpetuating corrupt practices and nature entirely decreeing it so were completely different. The former caused great displeasure, but it didn’t completely deny the roots of humanity like the latter.

Jung Hae-woon continued with his signature smile.

"Did you know? Gardeners must always smile. The very first thing rookies learn is ’how to make an expression that is the exact opposite of their emotions’. Only then can they adapt to their own contradictions."

"Yoo Sung-woon also mentioned that it’s a workplace where it’s truly difficult to be honest."

"Those who transparently reveal their inner thoughts will also reveal the Mysteries of the Garden. Then the world will fall into chaos, and eventually, the Gardener themselves will be encroached upon by the Mystery they serve, lose their roots, and become just another Mystery."

"I dare say it must be an uncomfortable affair."

"Yes, it’s a pitiful thing."

This was probably also a reason why the number of Gardeners was extremely small.

"Not only can their hard work not be recognized by people, but they can’t even show it at all. Because work in the Garden isn’t real. But is the job easy? No, in the process of managing the Garden, they witness fragments of mysterious deaths countless times."

Becoming ice, becoming flowers, becoming trees, becoming the sky, becoming rain, or turning into dirt and scattering. Born with human roots, they repeatedly assimilate with nature and shatter into pieces. It was a terrifying thing, if one were to call it terrifying.

They were born in nature, but in the end, they were humans.

"I actually think that... it’s a similar kind of miracle to what Hunter Seo Ji-oh showed us. In a deep-sea dungeon some time ago, you turned people into paint. In order to send the endangered Hunters out of the dungeon."

"Did I cause them an inconvenience?"

"Well, I did hear that it was a fairly mild method and treatment compared to the machinations of a Garden. Though it’s only a guess for me, having never experienced it firsthand. In the end, nature is truly cold-hearted to humans."

It hardly ever understands their frailty.

"But it’s also something that can’t be helped. We’ve only known about Mysteries for a little over 30 years, so I also thought it was only natural that there would be many inconveniences in the work and systems for managing Gardens. In terms of human history, isn’t it like we’re just entering the prehistoric era? Well, somewhere around there. I figured it would slowly but steadily develop."

"Yet you accepted my proposal."

"As Earth’s first Gardener, I am wary of you, but for that very reason, I affirm those rules and stories. I wouldn’t dare deny them. Your proposal this time doesn’t deviate much from that context, either."

"So you thought I wasn’t just acting recklessly."

"I just said ’a little over 30 years’, but honestly, if things have been stagnant for 32 years, it’s about time they flow a bit. Frankly speaking, there’s a limit to how much I can drag people by the collar and shake them down by myself. At least prehistoric people would have joined forces to hunt together, but Gardeners can’t even do that."

In other words.

"Right, I’m saying it’s hard for me too."

Shortage of manpower, shortage of resources.

Of course, this was a very dangerous undertaking. It seemed like a crazy thing to do, and it felt like too drastic of a transformation. But as was just said, the Gardeners’ working environment was far too harsh to stop it for those reasons.

"How did that friend named Cha Eun-hyuk react?"

"He pondered for a while, but eventually accepted the proposal."

"Hah, bunggeoppang... How amusing."

Stroking his chin, Jung Hae-woon asked with a smile.

"Once he opens for business, I’ll have to pay a visit too."

"You’re going to tell him to stop his business if there’s cream puff filling inside, though."

"Putting anything other than red bean paste inside bunggeoppang is a wicked act."

"Why do things like this never change."

"..."

Jung Hae-woon soon crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"...Mysteries continue to be added to you."

"Yes, this friend is quite the energetic one."

"Even so, I get the illusion that you aren’t changing."

"Would a haunted portrait be any different?"

"What does it feel like to be taxidermied?"

He asked.

"Are you lonely?"

"I have too many friends to be lonely."

"It’s no way for a human to live."

"...?"

Ji-oh looked at Jung Hae-woon with an expressionless face.

"What exactly is your intention, insulting me to my face in my own front yard?"

Currently, Jung Hae-woon was in ’Ji-oh’s Portrait’. In the yard in front of his cabin, to be exact. He had said he didn’t want to go inside the house, no matter what.

"Anyway, thanks to your cooperation, it seems things will go smoothly."

"It’s all well and good, but I would be very grateful if you could just ensure the Earth doesn’t perish, Hunter Seo Ji-oh."

"I’m not that frivolous."

Ji-oh smiled brightly.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"..."

Jung Hae-woon smiled back.

"Don’t mention it."

As expected, this entity was uncomfortable to deal with.