Something utterly shocking happened.
Unable to process the reality, I clung to Han Seori, pressing Daesik’s body that she had pushed earlier while she, with a similarly dazed look on her face, stayed silent.
[“I’m hungry.”]
Somehow, a voice flowed out. Why did pressing his stomach make him speak, like some kind of talking doll? I quickly reflected on whether Alice had that kind of function, but no such feature existed.
“Is this real? I don’t know what this is, but it’s not just a recorded voice, is it?”
I couldn’t comprehend how Daesik could mutter words while I couldn’t speak. In my struggle to process the situation, I repeatedly pressed Jelly to confirm whether this was real or simply a recorded phrase.
[“I’m hungry.”]
[“I’m hungry.”]
[“I’m starving…”]
Ah, this is bizarre! How does this change? Since I didn’t know the reason behind Daesik’s sudden growth in size, I became very confused.
“Could you please, stop pressing?”
Electric Scent’s words were hardly audible. Unbelieving, I poked Daesik as she quietly observed with interest.
“Even words that Lime can’t say… and Daesik can?”
No, if you say it that way, what does that make me?
The initial joy transformed into a subtle and sorrowful emotion rather quickly. Just like how, after leave from military service, the world and home seemed normal again after feeling different at first.
Not that I disliked Han Seori now—it was more of a feeling of disappointment. Did Han Seori understand the shift in my heart?
“Some kind of mechanism, right? Are you pressing Daesik because you’re curious too? Still, the words he can say seem limited… but it’s quite—”
Ah, this person was the original like this.
I thought they had changed when they teared up upon seeing me just a while ago, but it seems not.
In any case.
I set aside the mixed feelings of frustration and surprise for the moment. After all, Daesik hadn’t eaten anything back there, which was true. Actually, Daesik couldn’t eat anything while pretending to be a doll, yet somehow it was helpful, so it seemed inappropriate to nag at him now that he said he was hungry. The right thing to do was to give him food.
And once Daesik’s stomach was a little full, maybe we’ll find out if he can say other things, right?
…Please, let it just be that he knows how to say he’s hungry.
In any case.
Kim Cheon-soo, bring him here!!!
“Wow, he’s really huge.”
Yang Ha-na opened her mouth wide as she gazed at the giant doll sitting as if about to burst through the ceiling. Recognizing Daesik, whose size aside was exactly like someone she had seen before, she realized it was the person who went into the Singularity with Lime.
What in the world happened inside there to turn him into… this giant? Was he hiding his power?
Yang Ha-na couldn’t help but smile as she imagined Daesik shrinking, whispering that he was originally a super-sized doll.
But as she laughed, it seemed like something like that really could happen.
[“This tastes good.”]
When she pressed his stomach, a bright voice echoed, though it was unclear how Daesik, who was eating (somehow), managed to produce it.
As Yang Ha-na’s thoughts made Daesik’s presence stranger and stranger, Han Seori, standing beside her, muttered while observing Daesik:
“He can say other things too, it seems. Still, you still need to press his stomach though.”
“It seems he’s bound in the form of a doll, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Han Seori’s comment was answered by Hwang Bo-yul. It seemed like the role Kim Cheon-soo usually took, but he was busy.
Still hard at work in the kitchen preparing food for Daesik and Lime, he didn’t have the time. By this point, he must’ve been shedding tears of joy while waving cooking utensils at the stove.
As the two exchanged words about Daesik, they noticed Lime entering.
Lime was also eating alongside Daesik but continuously pressed his stomach throughout the meal.
[“Hee, Hee.”]
It was a scene that looked like a kid who was gifted a talking toy.
How astonishing must it feel to keep pressing it and checking?
The two sent her a lukewarm glance.
Lime, lost in despair pressing Daesik’s stomach, was unaware. I can’t speak, but why can you… she sorrowfully thought.
After this touching scene, the two couldn’t help but think of the woman who emerged from the Singularity with Lime and Daesik.
Judging by how tightly Lime held her, she likely wasn’t an enemy.
Even though Lime liked humans, considering how she’d attacked hostile Singularities, the chances of her being kind to someone who was cruel to her—or at least holding them tightly—were extremely low.
“Now that I think about it, the number of participants was supposed to be four, right?”
“That’s what my memory tells me.”
“Hmm… So that means, at least one or two others were inside with them.”
Actually, this could have easily been clarified by just asking Lime, who was eating, but neither wanted to interrupt her while eating. After all, not even dogs are disturbed during meals—who knows how the Singularity might react?
Sure, that was one reason, but perhaps the most significant was that Ki-hyang, who had been trapped in Daesik’s fist for a long while, didn’t seem to have a great mood.
Though the two denied it, thinking of Ki-hyang’s scrunched-up eyebrows made them chuckle. Because her face resembled Lime’s so closely, it almost looked like Lime was sulking too.
“…Now that you mention it, doesn’t Lime’s expression resemble Ki-hyang’s?”
“Hmm… Is there a reason for it?”
“Well, theoretically not…”
“Maybe it’s just because we’re far, right?”
To be fair, Lime shouldn’t have any reason to frown. After all, she managed to get into the Singularity as she wished, and while we didn’t hear about her experiences inside, her safe return meant she likely achieved what she sought.
If there’s any reason for her to frown, it must be because the food doesn’t taste good.
…No way, Cheon-soo’s cooking is delicious.
After pondering for a moment, the two exchanged glances and smiled.
When did anyone ever understand Lime’s thoughts? She often acted in ways that were hard to decipher, so this was probably similar.
Rather than that, the more pressing concerns were what happened to the others inside and how to deal with the woman who seemed to be in poor condition.
Han Seori, recalling the woman’s face, scratched her head. The face of the woman lying there was blurry in her memory, but it felt like someone she had seen somewhere before.
[“I’m full.”]
The bright voice interrupted her thoughts. Han Seori noticed that it was Lime pressing Daesik’s stomach. Judging by how the food on Lime’s plate had vanished, she must’ve been lost in thought for some time.
Seeing Kim Cheon-soo, who returned, panting, and lying sprawled out on the floor made it clear how much time had passed.
“Um… thank you for all your hard work, Mr. Cheon-soo.”
“I… I had to… do my job… right?”
“…You should rest in your room today.”
“Hah… Hah… Hah… Thank you.”
Han Seori half-heartedly dismissed the drained Kim Cheon-soo and approached Lime.
On closer inspection, she definitely seemed sad. This confused her.
Why was Lime so sad?
As Han Seori embraced her, she addressed Yang Ha-na, who was standing with her mouth wide open.
“Ms. Han.”
“Yes!”
“If you keep your mouth open like that, flies might fly in. Anyway, could you fetch Ki-hyang? Bring her to the injured person’s room.”
“Ah… Yes! I’ll try.”
Yang Ha-na clenched her fists determinedly and marched off to find Ki-hyang. Watching her serious and tense back, Han Seori sighed softly.
…Ms. Han sounds really upset when she talks like that.
It felt kind of strange.
The change in Ki-hyang wasn’t necessarily bad. Lately, however, she’d exhibited behavior that resembled Lime’s influence—once so cool and unemotional, she now looked similar to Lime, who had her face replicated.
…Was it because of her connection with Lime or because of some kind of transformation?
In any case, it appeared that all these changes happened because of Lime, so Han Seori wondered if Lime was the root cause of everyone’s problems.
Quietly sighing, Han Seori moved alongside Lime. Behind her, Hwang Bo-yul followed, and soon after, with a heavy thud, Daesik also began to move.
At the sound, Han Seori turned around and realized Daesik was trying to follow her, precisely aiming for Lime.
Feeling pity, she spoke softly.
“Daesik, I’m sorry, but could you please wait here?”
With her words, Daesik froze. His giant frame collapsed on the ground, and he fixed his gaze on Lime nested in Han Seori’s embrace.
Ah, what a touching scene. Han Seori tilted her head in thought as she looked at Lime, who appeared to smile contentedly.
…It must be my imagination.
As she felt a slight dizziness, Han Seori moved toward the injured woman’s room.
Now that Lime’s meal was over, it was time to figure out the full story of what happened.
Only then could they decide how to handle the woman.
