The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 109



Only Noblemtl

Episode 109

“Who are you?”

yes?

“…What should we do?”

“… … .”

What?

Geo thought.

‘What did I do wrong?’

I couldn’t understand what the heck was going on.

‘Weren’t we just talking about how the world is going?’

I was feeling burdened by myself for becoming famous without my permission, and then this suddenly happened.

Geo, who was suddenly asked the philosophical question of ‘Who am I?’, fell into an unexpected self-reflection. Even though he lived a thoughtless life, Geo knew that the question just now was quite serious.

‘But that makes me even more incomprehensible.’

It was as if parents were sitting across from their children, lamenting, “Son, how should we treat you?” And Yoo Seong-woon was not Geo’s parent. Geo was a grown man who had a job and then lost it.

‘Why? Why me? Suddenly career counseling?’

I couldn’t figure out at what point Yu Seong-un became serious.

“… … .”

“… … .”

As the silence grew longer, Geo’s confusion and anxiety grew.

‘… Since you asked me seriously and with all your might, I should answer with all your might and with all your seriousness. That’s the right thing to do as a human being, but since I don’t know anything, I have nothing to say. To think that I, Sergio, who is synonymous with the evils of spoon-fed education during my school days, have come to know that my crisis management skills are lacking.’

Wouldn’t it be possible to give an answer only if you understand the situation?

‘Who am I…?’

Is that so?

‘If we really have to be specific, is it a portrait possessed by a ghost…?’

It would be the word that could most clearly express Geo’s identity at the moment.

Geo, who felt hesitant to call himself a ‘ghost’ even though he wasn’t even dead, answered after a moment of thought.

“I am a portrait.”

“…a portrait.”

“I know what you are worried about, Mr. Yoo Seong-un.”

“… … .”

“But I can’t understand.”

I was sincere.

‘Where can you find a haunted portrait as harmless as mine?’

Recently, Geo has been doing some image management because of a sense of crisis that ‘if he looks easy, he’ll be taken to the lab.’

Geo didn’t think that he had ever achieved anything great enough to pose a threat to Yoo Seong-un.

‘But looking at Yoo Seong-un’s reaction now, he is clearly afraid of me.’

To be exact, it seemed that he was not afraid of Geo himself, but rather worried about the accident he might cause someday.

It was embarrassing for Geo, who only knew how to stay home, draw, and eat. He revealed his own idle nature.

“I am just an ordinary person who likes to draw, cook for myself and enjoy meals with my family, and sleep in a bed filled with the spring breeze.”

Do you know Pokemon?

‘I’m going to sleep. Just sleep.’

It is a lazy, healthy, and harmless beast that repeats the cycle of eating, sleeping, and pooping.

“That is a fact that does not change even if I am a portrait.”

“…okay?”

“I think Mr. Yoo Seong-un knows that well.”

How could my brother, of all people, have such a misunderstanding?

‘You know that no matter how the world knows me, I’m just a talking portrait, bro. Trust me in my insignificance.’

It was Yoo Seong-un who had been with him since the beginning, but it seemed that he had momentarily confused Geo’s level of danger due to the noise of the world. It meant that his image management had been successful, but he was not happy about this situation.

By the way, his risk level converged to 0. It was a figure that was even worse than that of fire ants. If you compare fire ants that can cause blindness with Geo who can’t even bite for fear of his teeth, let alone the acid, he was clearly defeated.

“I understand why you might be concerned.”

Geo thought that this problem was caused by a lack of communication.

“We didn’t have enough time to understand each other.”

If Yoo Seong-un had known how much of a loafer he was at home, exchanging fake messages with Geo himself, he would not have had such ridiculous worries, like a tiger worrying about a rabbit’s violence.

“Like many people who struggle and explore their own identity, I am one of them. I also do not know exactly what I am.”

“… … .”

“So why don’t you check it out for yourself?”

Geo said it with pure intentions, really wanting to clear up the misunderstanding.

‘Mr. Yoo Seong-woon ran barefoot and found an emptiness that was somewhere in Seoul. He even worked on Christmas to save a person named Park Eun-gyeom, who I didn’t even know existed. This means that he is a truly pitiful and capable office worker.’

And such people had to be fed to their fullest until they were fat. Originally, a well-fed person did not think nonsense or talk nonsense. These were all the evils brought about by a society that was exhausted.

so.

“I would like to invite Mr. Yoo Seong-un.”

There was no reason for Geo not to feed Yoo Seong-un his fill.

* * *

A meteor cloud was drawn in ‘Portrait of Geo’.

* * *

“… … .”

The first thing I felt was.

‘ah.’

It’s warm.

It was a gentle spring breeze.

“… … .”

A meteor raised its head and looked at the sky.

“… It’s blue.”

It was a clear sky, a rare sight these days.

Above that sky, large, hanging clouds floated as if they were sleeping, and above them was a transparent atmosphere that looked as if dew might fall at any moment.

Here was a sky that was both calm and peaceful.

“It’s a sight you don’t see on Earth.”

“The air in Seoul was definitely pungent.”

“… Even if it’s not exactly Seoul, well… .”

Yoo Seong-un found himself staring blankly at the sky.

“Where can you see a sky this blue?”

It is said that a long, long time ago, the Earth had such a transparent sky. This was quite unfamiliar information to Yoo Seong-un, who was born just before the great disaster. It was strange that the Earth had ever been like that, even if it was a dungeon.

‘If you look closely, this place is also a dungeon.’

Yoo Seong-un tilted his head.

‘…Why doesn’t it feel familiar?’

It was not normal to yearn for a sky I had never seen before.

“… What a beautiful sky… .”

“Do you like it?”

“Do the stars appear in the evening?”

“It’s high enough to see the Milky Way.”

“The Milky Way, it’s amazing.”

Now, you can enjoy the Milky Way, which you cannot see on Earth even if you go to the desert, to your heart’s content from this cabin.

The head of the meteor that had been looking up at the sky as if possessed slowly lowered.

“… … .”

His eyes contained a forest of soft colors.

“This is the forest you were talking about.”

“If you go a little deeper, you can meet my friends.”

“You mean forest beasts?”

Just then, a deer with a long neck revealed its face between the bushes.

“oh.”

It was a fairytale-like, beautiful deer with eyes that sparkled like jewels.

When I listened closely, I heard birds chirping. When I turned my gaze, I saw several birds sitting on tree branches, looking down at me.

As we followed the fluttering feathers of the swans, we saw a narrow, shallow waterway flowing gently along the bottom.

When I took a deep breath, it smelled sweet and fragrant, like flowers or nuts.

“… … .”

The stream, bathed in sunlight, rippled like a jewel, and the fish swimming through it occasionally swished their tails, adding to the sound.

The pebbles lying beneath the glass-clear water sparkled like shiny marble.

“… This is really… .”

It’s peaceful.

“I guess I don’t want to come out.”

It was a peace like the tomb of a wise old man.

“I’ve always seen you in portraits, but I never knew you were this great.”

“Are you enjoying the view?”

“It’s really fun. I wonder what’s inside the forest, and what it would be like to take a nap.”

There was a tranquility here that made people lazy.

“It might be dangerous.”

There wasn’t much of a sense of oppression, but the sense of comfort was so strong that the feeling was like a swamp.

If a spineless person were to be brought in, he would forget his own self and wish to become a sculpture in this forest.

‘That doesn’t mean I have any ill will toward Geo.’

This forest, too, had no malice, not even kindness.

‘It just exists like this.’

That was nature.

This was nature, which held a longing that humans could not handle. It was like a banquet of the gods that humans could not handle.

If I enjoyed this peace without being prepared, I would lose everything.

“… … .”

… Cha Ara, a F-class hunter, has managed to endure this place.

‘I guess his love for his family on Earth was so great that he didn’t turn a blind eye.’

With each exhalation, my eyes would tingle with longing and my fingertips would tingle with happiness.

It was a peace that was difficult to endure for those who were foolish, lacked courage, and had a weak ego.

“…What should I find out here?”

“I didn’t invite you here because I wanted you to find out something about this place.”

“Then why did you invite me?”

“I just wanted to have fun together, without any major meaning. As we get to know each other, we won’t be scared.”

As he spoke, Geo had already taken off his cloak. The young man with a strangely expressionless face continued speaking.

“There was no reason not to share what I had with my friends.”

“… As a friend… .”

The portrait called Meteor Cloud his friend.

“…Do I look like a friend to you?”

“…Was it my mistake?”

“No, if it’s okay with you, I wish I had a friend like you.”

I wanted to communicate with the source.

“Because I’m a gardener.”

Here was a source of conversation.

“I am entranced when I see such a beautiful garden.”

“… If you like it that much, it’s difficult.”

“I just meant that I really like places like this.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s good.”

“You live here, right?”

Yoo Seong-un looked at the portrait.

“Did you make this place?”

“I drew it.”

“What happened?”

“What happened?”

“That’s unusual.”

“I think so too.”

“… … .”

Soon, Yoo Seong-un asked.

“You know what? Here, it’s connected to you.”

“Because I am the owner of this place.”

“I know you are the owner of this place.”

But that’s not what Yoo Seong-un was saying.

‘This garden is soon to be Geo’s portrait.’

This frighteningly peaceful world and ‘Portrait of Geo’ are not separate entities.

But that was natural. Geo is a portrait, and this world exists within that portrait. Everything in the portrait centered around Geo’s ego cannot help but be him.

“Can only the things you draw exist here?”

“No, even things that aren’t like that happen spontaneously without me knowing.”

“I see. I knew it. Can you take it out of the frame?”

“Yes, I can take it out of the frame. Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m just… looking into this and that.”

Dalgrak.

“… … .”

Transparent water birds sat on the branches. Among them was Honey, whom Geo called his son.

“…There are a lot of interesting things here.”

Yoo Seong-un couldn’t read their gaze.

It seemed like a warning not to disturb this peace, or a welcoming of the meteor cloud invited by their parents, Geo, or just a camera watching without any emotion.

They had neither ill will nor good will, or perhaps both.

“… … .”

Where does this shameful, crying longing come from?

“… That must be your cabin.”

“That’s right. Student Cha Ara came straight inside, so I couldn’t show her the forest.”

“Can I take a look?”

“Excuse me, I forgot to tell you that you could enjoy it as much as you wanted.”

“Okay, thanks.”

With Geo’s kind permission, Yoo Seong-un swept the cabin’s walls with his hands.

‘… It’s warm.’

And I felt a faint vibration.

It was the sound of a dead tree’s heart beating.

“…Here I am.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“You are breathing.”

This was a living thing.

“I don’t think so.”

It was also inanimate.

“Am I saying something weird?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“Thank you for inviting me though, I really like it.”

“I think you’re saying this because you’ve been very tired lately.”

“If I were to die, I would want to die in a place like this.”

A gardener is buried in his garden.

“What a wonderful garden this is.”

This is the source.

That was a definitive answer to my question.