Chapter 60
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60
"I’ve been wondering about this for a while," Yoo Seong-un asked after they arrived at the hotel. "Do you have multiple personalities?"
"Multiple personalities?"
"Yeah, like… a split personality, I guess."
"..."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Gio tilted his head in thought.
"I do not know."
"...Really?"
"But I do know that I change from time to time."
Gio pulled back the black hood that had completely obscured his face. Once again, Honey, who had been hiding inside, tumbled out with a soft thud and rolled onto the bed. Gio scooped the creature back up into his hands.
Soon after, Gio’s 'color' began to change.
"..."
"..."
His hair shifted to a platinum blonde bordering on silver, and his eyes became a deep emerald, reminiscent of the sea at a famous resort.
"Uh..."
Life breathed into his expression, which had previously been nothing but gloomy and placid. He now looked like a very gentle, mature person. The grin he flashed held a hint of sophisticated playfulness.
"...So, did your personality change?"
"I do not think of this as a change in personality."
Gio’s tone was still formal. However, unlike the apathy of before, which sounded like a machine spitting out programmed words, his voice now had a calm, natural cadence.
"Because even now, I am still 'Gio'."
Even so, what the man in the black cloak had said was true.
"..."
Yoo Seong-un asked, "...How many of these 'Gios' are there?"
"From what I know, there are three for now."
"I see."
He could be certain of one thing.
At the center is Gio’s Portrait, and within it, numerous personalities coexist.
He would have to hear more to understand how such a thing was even possible.
"The current you… can I just call you Gio?"
"It does not matter. I was called that before as well."
"If you say you were 'called that before,' does that mean you have a different real name?"
"It is not quite on the level of an alias or a true name."
Gio, now washed in soft, faded colors, looked like a polite and noble aristocrat, yet the faint smile on his lips carried a lighthearted cheerfulness. It was a completely different impression from 'Seo Gio', whose presence felt heavier than a thousand-pound weight.
"At one time, in this form, I went by the name 'Giovanni'."
He seemed like a kind, gentle, and cheerful young man—the type who would be adored by elders wherever he went and would easily make plenty of friends.
"People calling me 'Gio' was merely a nickname. So, it is not strange for you to call me Gio, Mr. Yoo Seong-un."
"...Is that person different from 'Seo Gio'?"
"We are very similar, yet entirely different people. We are just one now, but we used to be separate."
"...I see."
If so, the probability that a person named 'Seo Gio' actually existed on Earth increased.
I should talk to the Guild Master about this. He seemed to be investigating something, so he might have some information.
Thinking back on the Guild Master, who had a tendency to get gloomy and secretive, Yoo Seong-un soon formed a hypothesis.
What if Gio’s Portrait… is repeatedly dying and resurrecting?
With the existence of Dungeons and the Origin, it had already been proven that dimensions other than Earth existed. If so, the 'Giovanni' standing before him might have been a version of 'Gio’s Portrait' that lived in another dimension.
...If that’s the case, it explains why the personality of the portrait named Gio is at the center. After finishing one lifetime, he returns to the state of a portrait and is slowly reconstructing his past personalities…
Gio had clearly said, "From what I know, there are three for now." This meant more personalities could exist, and Gio himself was aware of that possibility.
If Yoo Seong-un’s hypothesis was correct, then how long would this portrait’s personality reconstruction continue? Would it ever end? What if he reconstructed a personality that harbored hostility toward humans?
"..."
No, it was still just wild speculation.
...But I now know that there is a core called Gio’s Portrait, and around it exist numerous personalities named Gio. That’s reason enough to be prepared.
Yoo Seong-un’s eyes darted around.
If those personalities are like past lives to this portrait, it also explains how he can define himself simply as 'Gio' despite having so many different identities.
Having organized his thoughts, Yoo Seong-un asked, "...Then is there anything I should watch out for? For example, even if Seo Gio likes sweet potatoes, Giovanni might hate them. I’d appreciate it if you could give me a heads-up on things like that."
"I do not think there is much you need to watch out for."
"But, you know, if we set up some kind of rules, I can be more polite… Let’s do it so we can both feel at ease."
"Hmm..."
Fortunately, Yoo Seong-un’s words got through, as if Gio’s sensitivity to manners and morality remained intact despite the shift in personality. After a brief moment of thought, the pale but warmly colored young man replied.
"I find it difficult to ignore a patient when I see one."
"...Oh?"
Come to think of it, he had previously checked on Cha Eun-hyeok, who had supposedly been bitten by Honey.
"Were you a doctor? Or a priest?"
"Both are correct. As a priest, I also performed the duties of a doctor. I went even further, building hospitals in rural villages and traveling around to treat people."
"That’s amazing."
"To be honest, even if you ask me for rules right now, nothing else comes to mind."
The young man smiled sheepishly and continued.
"Perhaps… just that I would prefer it if you did not insult the Sun God in front of me?"
"Badmouthing anyone is rude. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen."
"Thank you. And..."
"And?"
"..."
As if recalling something, Giovanni said, "I might be a bit sensitive when it comes to mermaids."
"...Mermaids?"
Come to think of it, even during Gio’s first sightseeing trip, he had rarely brought up the topic of 'mermaids'. Based on a reasonable deduction, Yoo Seong-un asked, "Did you live with mermaids when you were Giovanni?"
"Yes. It was a world where the two races, humans and mermaids, coexisted."
"In what sense are you sensitive?"
"In many ways..."
Gio shrugged.
"I was eaten by a mermaid."
Just as Yoo Seong-un was thinking that it was indeed a topic to be sensitive about, Gio continued in his still-composed voice.
"But it was not because that child wanted to."
"..."
"At that time, humans and mermaids were in a major conflict. My students and I were captured and subjected to an absurd punishment simply for the crime of forming bonds with them."
"...So that mermaid child ate you?"
"She must have been hungry."
He added a polite, practiced smile.
"And I was already dying anyway."
"...I didn’t mean to make you talk about your death like this."
"Was it too sudden?"
"A little bit, yeah."
"I do not remember it well either."
As soon as he said those words, his color drained away in an instant, and Gio returned to a shadow-like black. He was once again the person Yoo Seong-un knew well—'Gio’s Portrait' and 'Seo Gio'.
With a cold, sunken expression devoid of even a trace of a smile, Gio continued.
"Because I am still in the process of remembering."
"So you’re gradually recalling the memories of your past selves over time?"
"Sometimes it gets confusing. Whether I liked the sea, or hated swimming. Such trivial details occasionally clash between the different 'Gios'."
"That sounds like a real headache. Are you okay?"
"It is not as confusing a process as you might think."
Gio’s voice was heavy and calm.
"It is closer to recalling forgotten childhood memories."
"Well, that’s a relief then."
Suddenly, Yoo Seong-un felt like he understood where the heavy silence emanating from Gio originated.
...This portrait was forged from countless deaths beyond my imagination.
That was why he was so heavy and quiet.
Because that was what death was.
* * *
"..."
Consciousness floated to the surface.
"...Ah..."
He saw the sun.
"..."
"Excuse me, are you alright?"
A youthful voice reached him.
"Can you breathe?"
"...Cough, wheeze."
"Thank goodness, you’re awake."
"..."
Opening his eyes, he saw pure white pupils. Those mysterious eyes, carrying the color of pearls, were unique to mermaids.
"...A mermaid?"
"Don’t worry, I have no intention of hurting you."
"Why am I here...?"
Only then did his mind clear.
"Ah."
He had gone out to sea, only to be grabbed by a mermaid and dragged into the water.
"Did you save me?"
"Ah, yes."
The mermaid, who appeared to be male, spoke with an apology written all over his youthful face.
"I’m sorry. My older sister was the one who dragged you into the sea."
"I’ve never heard of a mermaid eating a human… Wasn’t that just a myth?"
"It is a myth. She didn’t drag you away to eat you. It’s just that my sister is very curious about humans, so I think she pulled you in to observe and analyze you more closely."
"I thought I was going to die. I survived thanks to you. Thank you for your kindness."
The young mermaid seemed to expect him to be angry, but he wasn’t particularly upset. Not only did the mermaid who dragged him into the sea bear no ill will, but he also recalled that she had been very young. Even if humans and mermaids had a poor relationship, he held no ill feelings toward them. Mermaids possessed a different way of thinking and a different emotional system from humans, so it wasn’t strange for one to suddenly drag a person into the sea.
"Hmm..."
Looking around, he realized he was on the same beach where he had been taking a walk.
"You brought me all the way back here."
"Since my sister caused you trouble, it’s only natural that we ensure your safety."
"I know very well how incredibly lucky I am to have met such a kind mermaid."
After all, he could have easily died.
"However, there is a village nearby. You seem quite young, even for a mermaid. If you stay here too long, the villagers might attack you."
"Ah, there’s a village here?"
"Yes. The villagers are highly agitated because three people recently lost their families to mermaids. If they see a young mermaid like you, they might try to torment you out of resentment… While I appreciate your kindness, it would be best for you to return to the sea quickly."
"Thank you for giving me the information I need to keep myself safe."
The young mermaid seemed thrilled, perhaps because this was his first interaction with a human.
"I’m glad the first human I’ve spoken to is such a good person. Do you live in this village?"
"I was looking around, thinking of settling down. I’m a priest who left the temple to set up a clinic, but I suppose mermaids don’t particularly like followers of the Sun God, do they?"
"My sister and I don’t care about things like that."
Mermaids worshipped the Deep Sea God, while humans worshipped the Sun God. Between humans and mermaids, who easily clashed in conflicts big and small due to their completely different ways of thinking and living, such a peaceful conversation was nothing short of a miracle.
Perhaps the young mermaid did not want to let go of this small miracle.
"My name is Iser. May I come visit you from time to time? If it’s alright, I’ll bring my sister along so she can formally apologize to you."
"Iser… That is the sea tongue for the Milky Way. It is a beautiful name."
The weak had to be protected and treated with kindness. Even if the recipient was a mermaid rather than a human, the warmth of the sun could reach anywhere.
"My name is Giovanni."
And so, Giovanni built a bond with the young mermaids.
It was a happy time.
* * *
"..."
Lying on the hotel bed, Giovanni blinked.
"...Ah..."
He was crying.
This, too, must be a lingering attachment from a life long past.
* * *
"..."
"Kkuk."
"..."
"Kkuruk."
"..."
"Kkoong, kkoong, kkoong..."
"Up we go."
Only when he heard his son’s disgruntled whimpering did Gio finally snap out of it.
"My synchronization rate has gone up considerably."
The last time he checked, it was around 31%, but in just a single day, it had jumped to 59%. After checking Giovanni’s synchronization rate, which had nearly doubled, Gio assessed the situation.
"Is it because of the dream?"
No, rather than that…
"The one I saw at the venue back then..."
The child with blue hair.
"..."
"Kkururuk?"
"Daddy’s not sleeping."
"Kkuk."
"Yeah."
Even though it was a dream and the memory was already fading, the child he saw at the venue and the child he saw in his dream looked remarkably similar. Perhaps because their hair colors were similar, it had triggered Giovanni’s memories.
Could it actually be the child from my dream?
Gio thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"No way."
Even by the most generous estimate, that was a story from a completely different dimension, separated by dozens of boundaries. There was no way a child who belonged in Giovanni’s world would be in Seo Gio’s.
"Even if it were true, claiming to know someone when I’m only 33.3% pure Giovanni would be shameless."
It felt disingenuous, like a boss trying to buy an employee’s loyalty with a cheap gift card instead of a real bonus.
"..."
Well, whatever.
Gio decided to just go to sleep.
"Lie down, Honey."
"Kkuk."
"You’re warm."
No matter what past or future came his way, Gio, blessed with nerves of steel, didn’t care.
Though, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to care just a little bit.