Chapter 6
After Eom Seok-hwan left, I spent a long time staring at the photographs.
He has no family left, yet he gave me a photo of his niece...
Was the purpose really a memorial, just as Eom Seok-hwan had suggested?
If the niece in these photographs was already dead, then there was a good chance they showed her at the age she had been when she died.
Come to think of it, a niece was the child of one's sibling.
As far as I knew, Shin Ha-gyeon was already in his late fifties, nearly sixty.
Unless his sibling had been born extremely late, and that sibling had also had a child very late in life, his niece should have been around my age, somewhere in her mid-to-late twenties.
However, no matter how generously I estimated her age, the girl in the photograph looked like she'd only just entered middle school.
There was a strong possibility that she'd died a very long time ago.
If this really is meant as a memorial, why is he only having a sculpture made now?
Then a thought suddenly struck me.
Did he notice Chaeri? Is it just that S-Class Hunters have sharp senses, or is Shin Ha-gyeon particularly observant...?
That made me feel even more uneasy about this commission.
Still...
Other than Chaeri being discovered earlier than I planned, nothing has actually changed yet.
I'd hidden Chaeri in the first place because I didn't want troublesome things to happen.
And even then, I was mainly worried about complications involving item-production commissions.
This was supposed to be a sculpture commission.
Shin Ha-gyeon probably couldn't be certain that Chaeri possessed a consciousness of her own, either.
Unless he intended to completely ruin our relationship, he wasn't going to suddenly demand that I use my skill on the sculpture, regardless of what he was thinking.
The real problem would be if every time Shin Ha-gyeon looked at the sculpture, he started clinging to some uncertain hope that he could bring his family back to life.
If that happened, the sculpture might become a source of pain instead.
And no matter how many friendly gestures we exchanged, that could eventually damage the trust between us.
My thoughts grew complicated.
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again and forced the worries out of my head.
I still don't know anything for sure. Let's not jump to conclusions.
After all, Shin Ha-gyeon had only sent me the photographs.
He hadn't actually said anything that directly suggested what he wanted.
"When are you going to play with me?"
At that moment, Chaeri flew over and hopped around on my lap.
Apparently, she'd calmed down after getting startled and flying around earlier.
Feeling a little guilty, I gathered her between both hands and gently squished her while pointing at the marble with my chin.
"Sorry, sorry. Here. Why don't you and Dad look at that marble together and tell me what you see?"
Chaeri peeked between my fingers at the marble.
Then she sharply turned her head away.
"That's boring!"
"Why? That thing's really expensive."
"...More expensive than cherry wood?"
"Of course. Way more expen—"
"Waaah!"
"Huh?"
Apparently, I'd hurt her pride.
She couldn't even bring herself to fly far away.
Instead, she flew onto the Carrara marble and buried her face in one wing as though she were depressed.
Seeing that made me feel bad about what I'd said, so I quickly changed the subject.
"Um, Chaeri. If you're really that bored, want to run an errand for Dad?"
"That... sounds good!"
As though she'd never been upset in the first place, Chaeri immediately brightened and flew back over.
She tilted her head this way and that in curiosity.
I summoned her status window.
The only difference from before was that the word Do Hwa-in now appeared in the Owner field.
But what caught my attention wasn't my name.
It was the ability listed beneath it.
I need to test the inventory function sooner or later...
Could Chaeri only store objects I personally designated?
Or could she make her own judgments and store things herself?
I was also curious about her level of intelligence.
Chaeri and I hadn't known each other very long, so we still had a lot to learn about one another.
And she's even a growth-type item.
The way she wanted to stay with her guardian and constantly asked me to play with her...
She really was like a little child.
That made the words growth-type stand out even more.
I'd never even raised a plant before, but since she'd been born from my own hands, surely I'd be able to raise her properly.
If she took after me, then she was definitely a genius.
"Go to our house and bring back a phone charger that looks like this. Also bring the tracksuit set Dad wears all the time. Then look around and choose two more things from the house that you want to bring."
"Hmm. Things Chaeri can play with here?"
"That works. You can bring food you want to eat too. Or something you think might help Dad. Anything you want."
"Okay!"
I listened to her cheerful little chirping laugh, then added something.
This time, I deliberately made my voice serious.
"And promise me you won't talk in front of anyone other than Dad or Dad's friends."
"Why?"
"Because our Chaeri is a very special little girl. I'm worried dangerous people might try to take you away. You can promise me, right?"
"Okay!"
I went all the way down to the first floor to see Chaeri off.
Then I returned to the workshop.
"She'll be okay, right...?"
Was this how a father felt when sending his child out on her first errand?
"Phew..."
Perhaps because of Chaeri, my complicated thoughts had settled down considerably.
I quickly straightened my posture.
Even if Shin Ha-gyeon commissioned this sculpture with the intention of asking me to use my skill later, all I need to do is confront that intention with my artwork.
Speaking through art instead of words.
For someone like me, who had spent years shut away in a tiny room doing nothing but sculpting, this was a much more familiar way of communicating.
I looked seriously at the marble.
I'd stared at the photographs for so long that the appearance of Shin Ha-gyeon's niece had already been firmly engraved in my mind.
Carefully, I began imagining the girl within the stone.
The words death and young child created a strangely contradictory inspiration.
As my concentration deepened, I felt as though I could almost grasp the life stirring inside the marble.
Before long, a scene formed over its surface.
A wide meadow.
A gentle breeze.
Strong, lively grass growing together without any petty distinction between one plant and another.
I suddenly jumped to my feet and grabbed a sharpened pencil someone had left nearby.
My hand steadied as I reached toward the marble.
The pencil brushed across the slightly rough stone surface.
In an instant, a field of flowers bloomed across the marble.
Scattered among them were toys that reflected a child's interests.
A toy sword.
A small set of dishes.
Around them were several flattened patches of flowers and grass.
The child must have stepped on them while running around.
However, the seemingly fragile plants hadn't been crushed or snapped.
They were merely bent over gently.
As though, given enough time, they would lift their green heads again.
On one side of the flower field, I drew a large frog.
Its blank expression resembled one of the girl's favorite plush toys, though its overall shape was closer to that of a real frog.
And resting with her head against the frog's plump side was the girl.
"I don't know exactly how he feels, but..."
I'd lived a life far removed from family and children.
I couldn't claim to understand everything perfectly.
But I felt like I understood how I might offer comfort to both the dead child and the uncle who had lost her.
Tap, roll...
The pencil slipped from my fingers and rolled across the floor.
"...Good."
I liked the sketch.
I had a feeling this sculpture would turn out well.
I turned around and began putting on the safety equipment neatly arranged along one side of the room.
Headphones to block the noise.
Goggles to protect my eyes.
A mask to keep out the dust.
Whoever had prepared this workshop had clearly researched sculpting beforehand.
Every brand was expensive, too.
I smiled with satisfaction as I put everything on.
Once I was completely equipped, I stood in front of the marble with a grinder in one hand.
It was time to remove the unnecessary sections, beginning with the largest pieces.
Vrrrrrrrrrrr!
I carefully cut away large chunks while making sure not to get too close to the sketch.
White dust scattered in every direction.
Once I'd removed a fair amount from the top and sides, I shut off the grinder instead of getting greedy.
I didn't remove my safety equipment.
The next tools I picked up were a chisel roughly three fingers wide and a hammer.
I intended to remove the smaller sections that had still been too large and awkward for the grinder.
These days, most people used easier and faster equipment like electric chisels.
But I didn't want to.
I'd realized that preference immediately during my university practical classes.
Placing a chisel exactly where I wanted it.
Carefully bringing down the hammer.
I liked the thought and sincerity that went into the process.
It felt like I was putting my heart into the stone.
Let's start with just a little strength...
Clang! KLANG!
I gradually adjusted the force depending on the result.
My body really was more stable after awakening.
The hand holding the chisel stayed firm.
The arm swinging the hammer felt steady.
Clang! Klang...!
For a while, Training Room Nine was filled with the sound of stone breaking apart.
The vice guild master arrived after I'd switched from the three-finger-wide chisel to one about two fingers wide.
I'd also already redrawn the portions of the sketch that had disappeared along with the stone I'd removed.
"Excuse me."
To be honest, I didn't hear his voice because of the headphones.
But the enormous presence that suddenly appeared behind me was impossible to miss.
I flinched violently and spun around.
A familiar face stood there.
The moment our eyes met, the overwhelming presence suddenly faded.
Almost as though he'd briefly revealed it only to get my attention.
"Oh! Mr. Kim Sang-hyeon! That's right, isn't it?"
I raised my voice in reflexive excitement while secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate that Chaeri hadn't returned from her errand yet.
At the same time, something about the experience sent a chill down my spine.
So this is what the presence of S-Class mana feels like?
Kim Sang-hyeon was almost as famous as Shin Ha-gyeon.
He was well known as Yeonwoo Guild's vice guild master.
He was also famous for earning an S-Class Hunter license at remarkable speed despite possessing only an A-Class skill.
Thinking back on Shin Ha-gyeon, Kim Sang-hyeon in front of me, and even Eom Seok-hwan, who was considered nearly S-Class, I finally understood something.
All of them had been taking my low stats into consideration.
No, Shin Ha-gyeon had still given off some pressure.
Kim Sang-hyeon, on the other hand, felt almost like an ordinary person now.
That meant he had to be controlling his power to an extreme degree.
If he's being this considerate, I guess the rumors about him being a gentleman are true.
Trusting that consideration, I casually closed the distance between us.
Kim Sang-hyeon was also famous online as the normal person in Yeonwoo Guild, usually in comparison to Shin Ha-gyeon.
"Yes, that's right. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kim Sang-hyeon, vice guild master of Yeonwoo Guild."
"Ahaha, nice to meet you. I'm sculptor Do Hwa-in. Sorry, I got excited even though this is our first meeting."
"It's all right. That happens fairly often when I meet civilians. More importantly..."
His calm response only made me more embarrassed about my lack of manners.
He still looked like he was in his thirties, but in reality, he was an adult who had lived at least thirty years longer than me.
However, Kim Sang-hyeon seemed genuinely accustomed to reactions like mine.
He only glanced at me briefly before turning his attention toward the marble behind me.
"...Is that the sculpture the guild master commissioned?"
"Yes."
"Did the guild master ask for it in that form?"
"No. He told me to decide the form myself, so I did."
"..."
Kim Sang-hyeon fell silent for a long moment.
Then he finally looked me in the eyes.
"Have you heard anything about the guild master's family circumstances?"
"I only heard that he's alone. ...Is there a problem?"
"Ah. No. That much is common knowledge."
Still feeling uneasy, I looked up at Kim Sang-hyeon.
"Why do you ask?"
Kim Sang-hyeon stared at the sculpture with an expression almost completely stripped of emotion.
Then he opened his mouth.
"I was surprised because it looks so convincing."
"Excuse me?"
"That was a compliment. You truly are an artist. Even without knowing the guild master's circumstances, you've managed to create such a fitting scene..."
"I'm sorry, but could you explain what you mean a little more clearly?"
Only then did his gaze return to me.
"This concerns someone's private life, so I can't go into too much detail. But the guild master took in his niece when she had nowhere else to go and raised her himself. Then there was a Gate accident near their home... Unfortunately, the guild master was inside a B-Class Gate in another region at the time."
"..."
"It's not even finished yet. Still... it's a beautiful scene."
"Did you ever meet his niece?"
"A few times."
I turned and looked at the sculpture I'd been working on.
The girl's face and shoulders had already begun to emerge from the still-rough stone.
I was far from adding the final textures or fine details, but the overall shape was developing exactly as I'd intended.
Kim Sang-hyeon spoke again.
"Did you... deliberately choose this pose?"
His eyes seemed to contain several questions at once.
The corner of my mouth lifted slightly.
"I don't know much about what happened, but he asked me to sculpt a young family member he lost far too early."
"Ah. I see. Yes... I think this is probably the kind of scene Ha-gyeon would have wanted to see."
I was slightly surprised to hear him casually call the guild master by name.
Then I remembered that Shin Ha-gyeon and Kim Sang-hyeon were the same age.
I nodded vaguely and told him he was welcome to take a closer look.
For some reason, it seemed to me that Kim Sang-hyeon also wanted to keep this scene in his eyes for as long as possible.
He didn't refuse.
For quite a while, he stood there staring at the girl's partially carved face.
In the meantime, I took out the breakfast Eom Seok-hwan had left behind and ate it.
Kim Sang-hyeon was still standing in front of the sculpture even after I'd finished the entire sandwich and gone to the bathroom once.
Realizing that Chaeri would probably return soon, I approached him.
Only after I came very close did he step two or three paces back from the sculpture.
"I actually came here to explain that we'll begin implementing the protective measures specified in your contract starting today. But it seems we'll need to station security personnel around this workshop as well, in addition to the original plan."
"...!"
It took me a moment to understand the compliment hidden in his words.
Then I broke into a wide smile.
He was saying that even though the sculpture was far from finished, it already looked valuable enough to deserve its own security detail.
Even after Kim Sang-hyeon left, I didn't immediately resume working.
For a while, I simply stood there staring at the sculpture.
Even after Chaeri returned from her errand, that strange feeling didn't completely disappear.
"For some reason, I can't stop thinking about it."
I'd made the sketch because I believed an artwork needed a theme.
I also wanted to prevent Shin Ha-gyeon from developing some kind of false hope regarding my skill.
But after seeing someone trace their feelings through an unfinished piece of art, I felt strangely unsettled.
"Come to think of it, I've never even held a single exhibition."
All I'd ever done was sculpt alone and upload pictures to my personal SNS account.
This was the first time I'd shown my work directly to a viewer.
And it was also the first time I'd stood beside someone and watched their immediate reaction.
Somehow...
It made me want to do even better.
I was just about to pick up my chisel and hammer again when Chaeri tugged on my hair.
I turned my head.
Chaeri was standing there with all her feathers puffed up.
When I looked at her questioningly, she stretched out one wing and began grooming the feathers beneath it.
"...?"
A moment later, she pulled a tiny bead out from between her feathers.
Tap.
The bead landed on my palm, glowed, and transformed into another object.
It was the phone charger I'd asked her to bring.
Tap, tap, tap.
Chaeri didn't stop there.
She produced several more beads.
One transformed into my tracksuit.
One became an apple.
And the last turned into a towel.
I immediately realized that this was how Chaeri used her inventory.
"The apple's obviously for you to eat... but the towel?"
"You'll need it!"
"Me?"
"You told me to bring something that might help Dad!"
The way she tilted her head was adorable.
And judging by the intelligence in her eyes, her reasoning actually made sense.
True, the temporary workshop already had towels prepared.
But I did need towels while working.
"You little rascal. You little rascal! You adorable little rascal! You're cute and smart!"
I deliberately put extra force into my voice as I praised her.
Then I stroked her much more carefully than usual.
Chaeri's eyes narrowed in pleasure, and she let out a delighted little trill.
"Pii-rororo..."
"All right. Chaeri, you sit there and eat your apple while you play. Dad will wrap himself in the towel you brought and finish his work, okay?"
"Okay!"
Chaeri happily hopped around after seeing that the item she'd chosen was immediately useful.
I smiled warmly.
Then, making sure she could see, I proudly tied the towel around my neck.
That was when I remembered Kim Sang-hyeon's unexpected visit earlier and called Chaeri over again.
"If it looks like anyone other than Dad is about to open that door, hide quietly inside Dad's coat over there."
"Because someone might try to take Chaeri away again?"
"That's right. You're learning fast. Just be patient a little longer."
"Okay!"
I gave her an exaggerated nod, then turned back toward the sculpture.
Clang! KLANG! Crackle...
Once again, the temporary workshop filled with the sound of breaking stone.
After leaving Training Room Nine, Kim Sang-hyeon carried an unusually bitter air around him.
It was an expression that would have been difficult to imagine on someone who normally seemed calm or cold.
Several employees who had been about to greet him noticed his face, flinched, and hurriedly moved away.
Normally, Kim Sang-hyeon would have noticed his own condition almost immediately and controlled his expression.
But this time, he couldn't bring himself to care.
It was all because of the sculpture he'd just seen.
It wasn't even finished.
At most, the child's posture and expression had only vaguely begun to emerge.
But perhaps because the subject of the sculpture had been someone meaningful to him as well...
Even that unfinished work forced countless thoughts through his mind.
For example...
I wish that child had truly been able to fall asleep that peacefully.
