Chapter 53

Meanwhile, Collection employees who received the same official notice as Cha Ara were very perplexed.

“……?”

“What is this?”

“ls the guild leader playing some kind of joke…?”

“He's not the type to joke around with official notices, though.”

While it is true that Bi Sa-beol often plays pranks, he is surprisingly someone who draws a clear line between public and private matters. Unless it involves issues related to his obsessive collecting habits, Bi Sa-beol-who always maintains a gentlemanly demeanour-would never joke around with an official notice.

““Isthis some kind of ghost story?”

“This is about the Black Cloak story, right?”

The employees were thrown into confusion.

“So is this 'Gio' supposed to be a person or a ghost…?”

1. The name of the man in the black cloak is Gio.

2. Gio is an employee of the early morning shift. Do not inquire about his identity.

3. If Gio wishes to exchange names, please provide your name. There will be no issues.

4. Regardless of what kind of conversation Gio initiates, respond kindly and politely. If the conversation is successful, you will receive a gift from Gio.

5. Rule 4 is exaggerated, so it does not necessarily need to be strictly followed.

6. Ignore rule 5. Let us always be employees who are polite to both guests and colleagues.

7. You may give a gift to Gio. In this case, be sure to receive a return gift from Gio.

8. If an unfamiliar frame is hanging inside the building, please ignore it. It is an experimental installation by the early morning shift and will be removed before daylight. Do not touch or damage the artwork.

9. Bad people cannot go in front of the portrait on the 5th basement floor. Particularly, be cautious not to visit in front of the portrait at dawn.

The official notice states to treat it as a person, but judging from the nuance, it carried the meaning of, 'This guy is definitely not human, but don't let that show-everyone should act accordingly and handle it wisely.'

“……”

“……”

The employees sensed a tiring future ahead. They exchanged glances with each other.

“How should we interpret this?”

“…For now, let's gather within our respective teams and try to assess the situation.”

“Seriously, guild leader….”

As befitting the Collection Guild, composed solely of cynical individuals, they no longer lingered unnecessarily and coolly gathered among themselves to discuss. It was because they knew that simply remaining in a state of confusion would accomplish nothing.

“The very first thing is to discuss whether this is a joke or something serious. Anyone with an opinion, please feel free to speak without reservation.”

“First of all, I believe that this is not a joke. Our guild leader is someone who knows very well how much he can influence employees with just one official notice. While he sometimes gets carried away with artwork and art, he usually maintains a neat and composed attitude.”

“I think the same. However, I believe that rules 4 and 5 must be jokes. It seems as though someone has tampered with the rules that the guild leader organized….”

An employee said in response:

“Could it really be that someone else tampered with the rules organized by the guild leader? The most likely suspect would be the 'Gio' mentioned in these rules, in other words-the 'Black Cloak.' I'm talking about that ghost, which is presumed to be a humanoid monster.”

“Ah… That's what I meant by the joke too. This official notice isn't being shared in real time, and it could have been sufficiently revised, yet it was sent out like this. It seems the guild leader is enjoying this kind of ghost story-like atmosphere.”

“That is a reasonable statement.”

Whether Bi Sa-beol organized the rules in this format of two consciousnesses checking and balancing each other, or whether 'Gio' messed with Bi Sa-beol's organized rules, the fact that it was distributed without being revised meant either way was a joke.

“However, in that case-it can be determined that these rules are sufficiently worth familiarizing with.”

“Upon examination, the official notice was sent to all employees except for non-regular workers employed for less than six months. Judging by the measures taken to prevent the official notice from leaking outside the guild, it can be understood that this incident is quite important.”

“Then, the conclusion for the first discussion will be 'It's serious.'”

“I agree.”

“Agreed.”

Secondly, the employees reviewed the contents of the rules.

“Certainly, these rules are indeed targeting the 'Black Cloak' we were familiar with. The name being Gio was also tacitly known thanks to several eyewitness accounts. However, the fact that its identity is introduced in the first sentence seems to be intended to inform us of its existence.”

“lt says that it is an early morning employee but instructs us not to inquire about its identity. This is clearly because the Black Cloak dislikes being asked about its identity. I'm not sure about the reason, though…”

A certain employee asked:

““Isthe Black Cloak a human or a monster in the first place? Shouldn't we clarify that before moving on?”

“But even the official notice was sent in this ambiguous ghost story format. It seems like the guild leader indirectly conveyed that he has no intention of revealing Black Cloak's exact identity.”

“Still, we can make guesses, can't we?”

“No, think about it again.”

The employee shook his head.

“The more we know, the higher the chances we'll end up taking on troublesome tasks.”

“You are wise. In that case, it would be best to consider the Black Cloak as a sort of Schrfdinger's human for now. Until the truth was directly revealed, everyone should regard the Black Cloak as an early morning shift employee secretly brought in by the guild leader.”

“Exactly, even the official notice carries the nuance of treating 'Gio' as a human, doesn't it? If the guild leader instructed us to do so, then following that is the virtue of a good subordinate.”

The virtuous employees who had no intention of taking on additional tasks all nodded in unison. It truly could be seen that the guild was operating precariously.

However, whether it was an urban legend, a human, or a ghost, not a single employee wanted to delve into the details of the incident that Bi Sa-beol was so gleefully and attentively involved with.

“The more we know, the more work he'll just pile on us.”

“Still, at least they pay us extra for it.”

“l won't work without extra pay. I need to go home and take our Choco for a walk.”

“T rue…”

They were truly serious about work-life balance.

“Anyway, doesn't the instruction to not ask about his identity mean that this employee named Gio dislikes being questioned about his background?”

“The more we discuss this, the more it seems like they're not even human but just straight-up a m o n ste r- …. - ”

“Hey now, unless you don't want to be assigned additional work, stay quiet. Still, since it said that there are no issues with exchanging names, at the very least, it shouldn't be an entity playing tricks with contracts.”

“Team Leader, you're also treating it as a monster right now.”

“l told you to be quiet, didn't I7”

Unless it was a very special situation, Bi Sa-beol would never do anything to harm the employees, who are also one of his collections. Therefore, it seemed true that there would be no downsides in exchanging names.

“But the fact that the word 'exchange names' appeared in the official notice, doesn't that mean the Black Cloak attempts to exchange names that often?”

“Everyone exchanges introductions, don't they?”

“Still, for it to even appear in an official notice, it means the Black Cloak conducts name exchanges in a rather unnatural manner. No matter how you look at it, this really seems like a monster imitating humans…”

“Silence.”

“Apologies, it was just so absurd.”

The analysis continued.

“Regardless of what kind of conversation it initiates, it is said to be kind and polite…”

“Later, it is also written, 'Let us always be employees who are polite to both guests and colleagues..'”

“Seeing how it is emphasized twice, it seems the Black Cloak dislikes rude people.”

“And bad people as well.”

An employee pointed out Rule 9.

“'Bad people cannot go in front of the portrait on the 5th basement floor. Particularly, be cautious not to visit in front of the portrait at dawn'.”

“……”

“This part seems to indicate that the Black Cloak imposes a greater penalty for 'evilness' than for 'rudeness,' as it completely blocks access to this area. It might be best to prevent hunters with criminal records from entering as much as possible.”

-A66IA-N0, seriously.”

The young employee, who had been grumbling earlier, rubbed his face with his hands in frustration.

“Damn it, even when I try to treat it as human, the way this guild leader talks is just…”

“Calm down, even though he may not seem like it, he is the guild leader and has always been that kind of person. You probably signed the contract without knowing, but everyone knows by now anyway.”

“You're absolutely right.”

“But one thing that's certain now is that the Black Cloak is deeply connected to the portrait on the 5th basement floor of the underground gallery. From what I've heard, there's a man's portrait that the guild leader recently purchased at an auction displayed in the 5th-floor gallery, hmm, I see.”

“……”

“Let's stop here.”

No matter how much they tried to figure out its identity, the truth was useless to the employees who extremely despised additional work. While analyzing the official notice to avoid making mistakes, they clenched their teeth and deliberately ignored 'Gio's' identity.

“Let's go back to Rule 4. Not only does it simply emphasize politeness, but it also states at the end, 'If the conversation is successful, you will receive a gift from Gio.'”

“ln that case, if one had a conversation that failed to satisfy Gio and did not receive a gift, would there be any separate punishment? Like feeling sick all day that day, perhaps…?”

“Seeing how the guild leader is just leaving the Black Cloak be, it doesn't seem like there would be problems serious enough to greatly impact life or daily activities. But since the Black Cloak seems to hate rude individuals, thus an 'unsatisfactory conversation' could also be judged as a form of rudeness.”

“lf that's the case, it's not just about not receiving a gift at that particular moment, but if such 'rudeness' accumulates little by little, it could provoke the hostility of the Black Cloak. That part could indeed become dangerous, so we must be careful to ensure that a situation where gifts are not received more than three times does not occur.”

“I'm not sure if the Black Cloak's patience would even last for three times… but for now, understood.”

The employees exchanged glances upon seeing rule 5.

“This is definitely…”

“Written by the Black Cloak, right?”

“lt's exaggerated, so don't follow the rules. What could this mean?”

“lt could be waiting for us to let our guard down with rule 4.”

“How eerie.”

There were many such monsters. Monsters that deliberately set up rules for humans to break, and once humans violated those rules-they used that as justification to attack or torment them.

“Then, for now, this means he knows Hangul, right?”

“According to the testimonies of the dawn security personnel, he introduced himself as 'Seo Gio.' It seems to be modelled after Korean customs, so perhaps he is also well-versed in Korean culture.”

“You said to treat him as a Schrfdinger's human, didn't you, Team Leader?”

“Ah, um… yes, even among humans, there are those who are ignorant of other cultures, aren't there?”

The team leader waved his hand as if to gloss over it.

“Rule number 7 isn't hard to understand either. If you want to give something to the Black Cloak, make sure to receive a return gift. This part seems to be the Black Cloak's rule.”

-A66IA-So, this is just a monster…”

“Shh. There are people everywhere in the world who place importance on rules. We don't know how much direct interaction we'll have with the Black Cloak in the future, but if we do ever give something to the Black Cloak, make sure to receive a return gift.”

“Perhaps he's someone who truly loves repaying kindness with kindness.”

“lndeed, he's truly kind.”

They were still gritting their teeth and turning a blind eye to the truth.

“To begin with, isn't Rule No. 9 quite difficult to fulfil? The gallery on the lowest floor, the fifth basement level, can only be entered by a certain number of people. Could this rule be meant for the curators?”

“That's a high possibility, don't you think?”

Having roughly finished their analysis, the employees dispersed on their own.

“Should treat the curators to a meal sometime soon…”

They sympathized with the curators who managed the gallery.

At that moment, numerous curators were holding back their tears.

“Just not me, please.”

“Anyway, 'Gio's Portrait' isn't our responsibility, right?”

“We would have to do it when Yoo Sung-woon got too busy and can't come.”

“Ah…”

The same went for the dawn security guards.

“…They say it's that scary.”

“…Well, we just have to be careful…”

Anyway, as long as the rules are followed, it shouldn't interfere with their life, right?

Then that's fine, the employees calmly accepted that.

***

“…To think the situation has turned out like this again…”

Yoo Sung-woon nodded his head.

“You seem to have chosen your employees very well.”

“Everyone is truly indifferent, aren't they? It is just like our Collection members, who hate additional work more than death.”

“Anyway, it seems like they'll adapt well.”

Bi Sa-beol stated that there was no way to confine 'Gio's Portrait', and he also did not wish for his artworks to be mistreated in such a manner.

With the added input of Yoo Sung-woon the gardener, they devised a plan for the 'Black Cloak' to blend appropriately into the human world.

This could be considered a type of vaccination. Bi Sa-beol laughed, stating that it wasn't a decision that would result in a loss on a pan-human scale. His attitude of 'what does it matter if a few people die' was indeed shameless, befitting of an S-rank.

“And regarding that hunter Cha Ara we saw last time.”

“Oh, is there a problem with that person?”

“Well, that is…”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Yoo Sung-woon scratched his neck.

“Soon, Gio will likely meet with her family.”

“My goodness.”

Bi Sa-beol's face brightened up.

“ls Gio going out again?”

“As I mentioned in the previous report, it seems like Gio will be observing the Sun religion's initiation ceremony.”

“Since it's a portrait that doesn't particularly enjoy noisy events, I thought it might change its mind.”

“l was also concerned regarding that part, so I asked again, but seems like there are still thoughts of going out.”

“The first outing seemed to have gone very smoothly, but it is uncertain whether the second one will be the same.”

“Strictly speaking, isn't this the third outing? Gio has already met hunter Cha Ara at 'Gem's Water Vein.'”

“Strictly speaking, this would be the portrait's official human imitation. It's quite an enjoyable matter.”

“…Enjoyable…”

“Recently, the sea has been turbulent. There seems to be a change in Gio's personality as well…Hmm.”

“……”

Yoo Sung-woon became uneasy.

“…Hearing you speak like this, it seems a bit strange. By any chance, have you seen something? Like the future, perhaps?”

“My skill is appraisal. Please refrain from making strange false statements, curator Yoo Sung-woon.”

Bi Sa-beol laughed.

“But it seems like it would be fun.”

“……”

Yoo Sung-woon gritted his teeth.

For Bi Sa-beol, who was famous for having sharp eyes, to say, 'It seems like it would be fun' truly sound like the shortening of one's lifespan.