Exactly midnight.

“What kind of place was the rainforest you called your hometown?”

Though Yu Seongun was too busy to attend, the hallway meeting began as usual.

“You seemed happy whenever you talked about it.”

“I certainly am happy.”

The Jio of the day, adorned in splendid leather and jewelry as he draped out of the frame, was naturally Arjio.

“Is that not what a hometown is?”

“It certainly is a word that can make you feel many things.”

Ju-hyeon smiled awkwardly.

“More importantly, seeing you like that...”

“What?”

“You’re scarier than usual.”

“...”

Jio, who had been half-hanging out of the portrait and lying across the table, slowly rose.

“... Am I scary?”

“You look like a typical ghost.”

“What kind of ghost is as handsome as I am?”

“That is true.”

But the presence radiating from Jio’s Portrait crushed even his outward beauty.

The fact that most of the Collector’s guild members felt fear before they even realized that “Mr. Seo Jio” was handsome was proof of that.

Still, Ju-hyeon felt a little sorry saying that part, so he glossed over it.

“It’s just... that’s how it is.”

“Are the Collector employees still afraid of me?”

“I was going to try to hold back, but that question was so shameless it made me speak up.”

“Very well, let us hear you be honest.”

“Isn’t it asking too much to hope people won’t be afraid when you don’t even bother pretending to be human properly, Arjio?”

The “Jios,” who could be called his human selves, preferred that other people not fear him if possible.

Ju-hyeon had been holding his tongue because it was pitiful to see him care about that, but then he went and said something utterly absurd.

“If you care that people are afraid, please treat them a little more kindly.”

“Where in the world would you find a ghost-possessed portrait as kind as I am, for you to say something so cruel?”

“I acknowledge that, but separate from that, I’m saying you’re hoping for a result far too large compared to your investment.”

“If I invest any more than this, I would simply be a sucker.”

“... I can’t exactly refute that either.”

Ju-hyeon did not want Jio to be taken for a sucker anywhere.

“To be honest, you are already showing a little too much goodwill as it is.”

“But if I do not even do this, would I not merely become a terrifying portrait?”

“To begin with, isn’t your identity simply a terrifying portrait, Mr. Jio? Perhaps you’re dreaming too big.”

“At this rate, I may go on strike.”

“Please hold back on that. How can you go on strike when you were the one who accepted the work?”

“Of course, I am not so irresponsible a fellow. Do not worry, my friend.”

Jio waved his hand and draped himself over the table again.

‘A giant tiger.’

Beasts belonging to the cat family were exactly like that.

When they were full, they liked to sprawl out beneath warm sunlight and sleep...

“So, are you willing to answer?”

“About what, my hometown?”

“Yes. I think you stopped halfway through.”

“Was that not entirely because you scolded me, Mr. Ju-hyeon?”

“Rather than scolding you, I was informing you of reality.”

“That is what scolding is...”

His long braided red hair shifted and fell loose along with Jio’s languid movements.

The various gold and silver treasures adorning his hair clattered as they struck the wooden table.

He rubbed his forehead against the table and grumbled.

“...”

Seeing that, Ju-hyeon acquired another piece of information about Jio’s Portrait.

‘... Arjio must be the outfit he wears when he is angry or irritated.’

This portrait took Giovanni’s form when bestowing mercy and patience, and Arjio’s form when venting excitement and rage.

In daily life, when no great interaction was required, he took Seo Jio’s form.

‘They do mix little by little sometimes, but it seems each has its own use after all.’

Then would the number of “Jios” used to express other emotions gradually increase as well?

“... You said Mr. Arjio was twenty-four, right?”

“I did, probably.”

“Probably?”

“There was no one to count my age for me separately.”

“Is this the timing where I should feel sorry?”

“I merely stated a fact, so why would you?”

Arjio propped his chin on the table.

“I lived a life closer to that of a beast than a human, and around me were only family members who had been born beasts.”

“There were only those who never thought to count such things as age, and those who did not know how to count, so how would I have known properly?”

“Did you never think to count it separately?”

“It was only later that I became curious about how old I was.”

“I am not the sort to endure wanting something, so I went outside and observed the situation.”

“So before I died, I thought, ah, I am dying at twenty-four.”

Before Ju-hyeon could say anything more, Jio beat him to it.

“Above all, the Black Forest is not a suitable place to count dates.”

“Morning, evening, and night were all dark there, so it was impossible to measure time.”

“A child who had thrown away every scrap of human dignity and lived like a beast did not have the presence of mind to count days.”

At that, Ju-hyeon asked.

“Was it a forest that was dark all the time?”

“Yes, it was a place where one could not feel the passage of time.”

“If an ordinary person entered, they would probably go mad before long.”

“Before that, they would be killed by the sinister beasts and terrible poison.”

Perhaps intrigued, Jio’s distinctive sly little smile appeared on his face.

“You said you were curious about my hometown?”

“And that hometown was, hmm. It seems to have been called the Black Forest.”

“Precisely. You understand well. I grew up in the Black Forest.”

It was a place that suited Arjio’s temperament quite well.

“For one thing, I have told you it was a place without sun or moon.”

“What exactly does that mean? By what principle could you not distinguish day and night?”

“The trees of the Black Forest are extremely thick and tall.”

“Their leaves are dense, and so the sky cannot be seen.”

“Were there any other changes in climate?”

“Well, the most common instance was rain.”

“I suppose so, since you called it a rainforest.”

After saying that, Ju-hyeon tilted his head as if something puzzled him.

“... Are you saying rain could fall in a forest where not only was the sky invisible, but even the flow of time could not be felt?”

“At that point, the sky and the forest would be almost completely separated, wouldn’t they?”

Arjio smiled as if satisfied.

“You thought of that well, my friend.”

“In a rainforest that dense, no matter how grand a downpour came pouring down, a few drops would be all that made it through.”

“However, the Black Forest collected that rainwater.”

“Collected the rainwater...?”

“And then, from time to time, it would let that rainwater flow down little by little.”

“The reasons varied.”

“A great beast stamped its foot, some tree took an impact and tilted, or beasts sat on the leaves...”

“All of those seem like problems related to beasts.”

“That rain was ultimately rain created by the beasts of the Black Forest.”

“While the rainwater sat pooled, it could not withstand the assaults of all manner of flora and fauna, and took on a thick toxicity.”

“If one lacked immunity, flesh rotted and bones crumbled.”

“It seems no different from a dungeon.”

As if affirming Ju-hyeon’s words, Jio nodded.

“Also, when the forest temperature rose too high, fog would settle in.”

“The fog, originating from all sorts of toxic substances secreted by the plants and animals of the Black Forest and from dreadful swamps, was black as shadow, and if you were trapped in it, even breathing was difficult.”

“...”

“And because your vision went dark, you would not know even if you encountered a dangerous beast on the path, nor would you know what traps had been set on either side.”

“You could not even tell whether the ground beneath your steps was earth or swamp.”

That was the kind of place the Black Forest was.

“A place where even small animals, lowly insects, and plants that could not speak could not survive unless they were vicious.”

“Because it was such a place, in the end, only those vicious monsters remained to form an ecosystem.”

Jio gave a soft snort of laughter.

“It had good reason to be the source of all kinds of ghost stories.”

“... Ghost stories...”

“How afraid must people have been of a two-legged beast alive and well in such a place?”

“... Is that why you ended up with your infamy?”

“I believe it had some influence.”

“How on earth did you survive, Mr. Arjio?”

Ju-hyeon asked with a face that revealed no particular emotion.

“You said you were... left there when you were very young.”

“Yes, I was abandoned in the Black Forest.”

To Arjio, that had been a turning point in his life, but it was not such a greatly remarkable thing.

“It was rather enjoyable.”

“Why? Were you not afraid when you went to the Black Forest?”

“Perhaps I instinctively felt that it was where I belonged.”

And.

“It looked quite fun, compared to being among those dogs and pigs.”

“You usually say things like you’ll turn us into pigs...”

“Surely not every time I call something a pig can be a compliment.”

“Then is what you are saying now clearly an insult?”

“It truly only looked that way.”

Those fools who thought that if they dressed themselves up splendidly, they would somehow stop being beasts and become human.

“Though watching those foolish and adorable sights was quite enjoyable too.”

“... Putting aside foolish, adorable? What part was adorable?”

“I suspect that even if I told you, you would not empathize with me.”

“I’m at least trying to understand.”

“I quite like that attitude of yours.”

Arjio spoke as if it were nothing.

“Are puppies and cats still commonly kept as pets even now?”

“Other popular pets include reptiles and insects. There are fish too.”

“Good. Suppose you were walking down the road and saw a bird that plucked a flower by the roadside to adorn itself.”

“Ah, yes. A bird adorning itself with flowers.”

“Or a cat chattering away with incomprehensible words.”

“A cat chattering away with incomprehensible words...”

“Or something like a puppy that comes right up to me to show off its toy.”

“...”

“How is it?”

He asked.

“Is it adorable?”

“... I think it would be adorable.”

Unfortunately, Ju-hyeon understood what Arjio meant.

“Is that how the world looked to you? Even when you were human?”

“I am human even now. It would be very troubling if you discriminated against me for being a portrait.”

“Ah, right. Anyway, even when you were an ordinary human, did you have that perspective?”

“What is wrong with my perspective?”

“Well... that...”

Just in case, Ju-hyeon checked again to see whether he had understood correctly.

“So Mr. Jio, people who dressed themselves up, talked nonsense, or boasted looked to you like such birds, cats, or dogs. Is that right?”

“I am glad you seem to understand, my honorable friend.”

“Considering that you described them rather negatively, I don’t think they showed particularly good intentions or good behavior.”

“Then it sounds like something akin to power-tripping, but that was...”

Ju-hyeon asked.

“Adorable?”

“Is foolishness not adorable?”

“I understand very well that you were quite extraordinary from childhood.”

“I am an exceptionally special person, after all.”

Arjio smiled slyly.

“A puppy that thinks it is human is truly adorable.”

“There would probably be many people who would get angry if you compared them to that...”

“Of course, I am not saying the two are completely the same. I only wished to help you understand.”

“The fact that you placed the two on the same line as an example to help me understand is already a little uncomfortable.”

“... Is that so after all? I admit it is too generous an example for those dogs and pigs...”

Jio rose and naturally went back into the portrait.

When the bright red hair that had been stretched long across the table disappeared, Ju-hyeon even felt a sense of emptiness.

The portrait continued speaking.

“The Black Forest was always full of rare treasures.”

“... Treasures? All of a sudden?”

“Did you not ask about my hometown?”

“I did, yes.”

“That place overflowed with gold, silver, and jewels.”

“...”

“Poison became medicine, and then treasure...”

That smile was heavy.

“Bloomed atop corpses.”

A calm, weighty smile whose mood Ju-hyeon could not tell was unpleasant or pleasant.

“I look forward to visiting the rainforest we are apparently going to this time.”

“... It certainly does seem similar to the dungeon you told me about.”

“This is simply how I feel, but that place will not be my hometown, so do not worry. It is an entirely different dimension.”

“I’m relieved to hear you say that, but on the other hand...”

Ju-hyeon trailed off.

“...”

He soon asked.

“... Do you want to go back?”

“I do want to go visit.”

“Not go back to that time?”

“I do not linger on things that have passed.”

“I see.”

“I loved my family and friends.”

And also.

“I died because of it.”

Ju-hyeon could not interpret the meaning of that smile.