This is tough.
The idea of customizing the Sphere’s face was actually quite good.
It does feel a bit strange to keep it looking like Han Seori and Hwang Bo-yul, doesn’t it?
We didn’t get their permission, and what if it somehow affects their future marriage prospects?
Well… to be honest, I don’t think these two will ever get married, but you never know with hypotheticals.
There’s also Jin, the self-proclaimed suitor… but who knows if anything will happen between them… someday?
Honestly, I’m not sure.
While they do seem a little closer lately, if you ask me if their relationship has made any real progress, the answer would have to be no.
Looking back, I’ve always been terrible at these kinds of things, so while I’m not sure if anything’s really going on, that’s how it looks from my perspective.
Come to think of it, wouldn’t it make more sense for Yang Ha-na and Kim Cheon-soo to be paired instead of Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo?
…Though to be fair, I’m not really sure about that either.
When Yang Ha-na first arrived, she was following Kim Cheon-soo around like a duckling following its mother, but she doesn’t do that anymore.
It’s like how two hands must clap to make a sound – both parties need to have that intention, right?
Hm…
Maybe Kim Cheon-soo will end up living his whole life as a bachelor!
I’d like to offer some encouragement, but since he can’t even speak, I’m not sure how much help I can be.
…But in truth, there’s no real guarantee that he’ll end up that way either.
Isn’t that how human hearts work?
The “wobbly bridge effect” seems like a pretty fitting example. When you’re in a dangerous situation and your heart races, you might mistakenly think you’re experiencing a romantic attraction.
Of course, that would only be useful if both parties are willing to seize the opportunity.
But wait… how did I end up thinking about this?
After shaking my knowledge pouch from side to side to clear my thoughts, I turned my attention back to the Sphere.
The root of my current troubles.
The idea of inputting information into the Sphere via TV was clever.
I was congratulating myself on my cleverness as I turned the channels, even while the Jellies gave me disapproving looks.
But then came the problem.
It didn’t take long to realize that I hadn’t even started correctly.
“Is this correct?”
No, that’s not it… more like a puppy-like expression.
“Like this?”
No! I don’t mean literally turning it into a dog – it’s a metaphor!
“I see.”
When I shouted and made a gesture, the Sphere tilted its head, mimicking a dog face it had seen on TV – it looked just like the eerie human-faced dog from a horror comic, making the Jellies shiver.
Even Daesik, who was watching from the side, flinched, proving that I wasn’t imagining things.
I sighed, composed myself, and tried again.
Let’s go back to before. By ‘puppy-like,’ I mean the general vibe, not the raw appearance of an animal’s face.
“Vague requests are difficult to implement.”
Is it really? Isn’t depicting a cute puppy face a concrete request?
As I grumbled, the Sphere countered with logic:
“Observing various breeds of dogs, I noticed they all look very different. It seems impossible to encapsulate all that into one impression.”
…Is that so?
Upon reflection, he’s right. Just comparing a Golden Retriever and a Doberman makes that clear.
Hm… If I specify a breed…
This confirms that ‘puppy-like’ is indeed a vague term.
This is why I was struggling to customize the Sphere’s face. My descriptions of human faces tend to be mostly abstract impressions and feelings, so even after feeding it tons of information, it’s not making much use of it.
It would probably be easier if I could just tweak sliders and mold the face like clay.
Eventually, feeling exhausted, I threw out a thought.
What about trying to mimic my face?
“That’s clear.”
Even as I gave the instruction, I started to wonder how it would turn out.
My face, fundamentally made of jelly, is pretty when I look in the mirror, but it feels more alien than human – translucent and bluish. It lacks vitality.
But what if it were transformed into a human face?
Would it be genuinely beautiful?
Yes, the ideal was closer than I thought. They say the light beneath the lamp is always dim – and there’s truth in that old saying.
I guess I’d simply forgotten how pretty my own face is after seeing it every day.
…It feels a little strange now.
As I felt flustered, the Sphere quickly adjusted its form.
Soon, the static cleared, and the face I always see in the mirror appeared above me.
It was a human face, with milky white skin.
Although it may be somewhat ambiguous to call it my ‘original’ face, since there seems to be no way back, I’ll claim it as mine.
In any case…
The color in my face definitely made it beautiful.
A commonly described “naughty demon” type of adorable face.
To put it plainly, a face that’s both pretty and mischievous.
A face better suited to the term ‘girl’ than ‘woman.’
And because of that, there was a small issue.
It’s not a big deal.
Since the Sphere’s body was built to resemble an adult woman, my youthful face didn’t match it at all.
It was like forcibly attaching a teenage face onto an adult woman’s body.
…This makes me feel a little uneasy, but it’s probably just me.
Somehow, this reminds me of something…
Thinking it over, I told the Sphere to adjust the face to an older version.
Thus, the Sphere began to age little by little.
It might sound odd to say that a machine is “getting old,” but nonetheless, it was certainly progressing.
It was an incredibly mysterious sight.
It reminded me of a robot at a science museum I visited as a child that predicted your future appearance.
As I watched my face age bit by bit, I wondered what age would be the right stopping point.
Then, almost as if it were responding to my concerns,
The Sphere stopped at an age similar to Yang Ha-na’s.
I blinked in surprise as the Sphere expressed something rare: its intention.
“This looks good.”
“…What?”
It’s good, right?
The Sphere stated it nonchalantly, but to me, it was clear why it chose that particular age.
Was it trying to resemble Yang Ha-na’s age group?
Does it want to be her friend?
I’ve become immune to being surprised by the Sphere’s strange developments.
Good is good, I suppose.
Once the Sphere resembled Yang Ha-na’s age, the previously uninterested Jellies suddenly swarmed around it, inspecting its face.
Daesik, standing nearby, got excited and flailed his arms and legs.
Sosik stared blankly at the Sphere, while Jungsik circled it, spraying jelly.
…This chaos was ridiculous.
Watching the Jellies react to the Sphere’s face that resembled mine stirred up strange emotions.
What is this feeling?
In the middle of this, Yang Ha-na and Kim Cheon-soo entered carrying a tray.
Huh?
Startled, I turned to them, only for Yang Ha-na to brighten up.
“It’s breakfast time, kids! Oh…”
Is it really that time already?
Apparently, while experimenting with the Sphere’s face and watching TV, the day must have changed.
So the sleepiness I feel isn’t real after all?
…But thinking about it, I actually feel a little sleepy now.
While I was idly poking the Jelly, Yang Ha-na approached with a curious expression and exclaimed.
“Oh, could it be…?”
“What? What’s going on…?”
Hearing Yang Ha-na’s exclamation, Kim Cheon-soo turned to look at the Sphere and gaped.
…Heh.
I guess I’m pretty.
In a way, the Sphere is showing the possibilities I can’t demonstrate as Jelly.
Since it’s essentially my face, I feel a sense of pride.
Leaning my hands on my waist and puffing out my chest, I struck a confident pose, and both Kim Cheon-soo and Yang Ha-na alternated between looking at the Sphere and me before murmuring.
“So, comparing like this… you two look like sisters…”
“Huh, so that’s how you grow? Or… do you even grow?”
Their statements seemed a little mixed, but they felt like compliments.
While Kim Cheon-soo’s slightly blushing face was a little annoying, overall I did feel accomplished.
…Now that I think about it, was inputting all that data from the TV really necessary?
I justified it by thinking that the Sphere might not have understood the concept of “aging” without it.
Isn’t that likely?
While I was musing on this,
The Sphere unexpectedly addressed Yang Ha-na.
“What do you think? Do I look alright?”
“You do! Incredibly pretty. Hehe, it feels like I’ve gained a friend…”
“Friend… is that?”
“I’m, um, sorry if it made you uncomfortable…”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“…Really?”
“That’s right. I don’t lie like humans do.”
…It’s lying.
While I wanted this heartwarming scene to last, I couldn’t help but think sarcastic thoughts.
Ah.
Now that it’s human-like, it means it intends to lie like humans do?
Guess there’s nothing I can say to that.
Even though my complaints remained silent within my Jelly core, the room’s atmosphere had never felt so warm.
In that warm ambiance, as I ate the food they brought:
I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten and began to ponder.
The world.
I had forgotten about this!
