The moment I detected something off was when Kim Cheon-soo—or rather, one of the others—left the cave to confirm if someone had come to fetch me.
To be honest, since it had sort of become routine, the moment I felt something different from the usual, it stood out immediately.
A massive shadow I’d never seen before.
At first, I thought it might be some unfortunate whale that had drifted close to the shore, but on closer inspection, it wasn’t a whale—it was a ship. A normal ship, complete with a violently spinning screw.
The whale was strange enough, but the ship was equally unusual.
Based on everything I’d observed so far, there was no port around here. This was just an ordinary beach. In other words, there was no reason for a ship like that to be here. If they were planning to fish, they’d have headed to the open sea, and if they were planning to dock, they would’ve gone to an actual port instead of this place.
Even with my limited knowledge, I knew that ports weren’t built just anywhere.
So, it was clear that the large ship had come here for some other purpose. As if to confirm that, smaller silhouettes began raining down around the massive shadow.
These turned out to be humans in pitch-black wetsuits. Their faces were obscured, but I was sure they weren’t people I knew. Instead of heading back into the cave, I hid myself in a nearby pile of seaweed. The bluish-green seaweed did a great job of concealing me.
After a while, the group split into two.
One group headed toward the octopus’s bald head and the hole where the train once was, while the other approached the cave where I had been staying.
From their overly obvious moves, I quickly surmised that these were the people we often referred to as “The Foundation.”
I pressed myself deeper into the seaweed.
Their motives seemed nonsensical.
Something just felt ominous, which is why I stayed hidden. Since turning into jelly, my instincts had been spot on, so I was confident as I observed what they were up to.
The group heading toward the cave was probably there to destroy whatever strange thing I had brought with me, so that made sense.
But watching the other group move toward the octopus and the train wreckage… there was definitely a sense of madness. They seemed completely reckless with how they were risking their lives.
What were they planning to do if a tentacle with suckers suddenly sprang out from inside that place?
In the middle of feeling uneasy about their bizarre behavior, something unnatural caught my eye.
Given the scale of things, I thought there would be more people at the octopus side rather than the cave, but now it seemed that very few were assigned to the octopus while the majority were near the cave.
…What could this mean?
As the ominous feeling grew stronger, I pressed my body closer to the ground, ensuring I stayed concealed.
I am seaweed. I am kelp. My flawless acting seemed to have completely fooled them—they couldn’t find me.
Actually, there was a brief moment of hesitation.
Even though our worlds were different, we were dealing with essentially the same kind of people. Wouldn’t surrendering to them allow me to return home? That was my slightly optimistic thought.
I didn’t think it was an entirely bad idea.
Since I’d already become jelly, I no longer harbored any negative feelings either.
Let me be honest.
I just missed modern comforts a lot. They say there’s nothing more cruel than giving and then taking away.
I had already lost it once, and now I was losing it again—it felt like I was going insane.
Things like my bed, TV, and pudding…
I thought lying on a bed or a rock wouldn’t feel any different in my jelly body, but it wasn’t true.
While hiding among the seaweed and feeling its slippery texture, I had this urge to approach them multiple times a day.
But I resisted. The ominous feeling never went away.
When were the right people going to show up?
Even if they did, would it be possible to sneak me away without those people noticing?
Maybe I was missing the chance to return home because of this strange foreboding.
Ultimately, this became a matter of willpower rather than ability. The frustrating part was that the divers were equally determined. It seemed endurance was indeed eternal.
…Did they spread honey on me or something?
What kind of honey did they smear to make me feel so… obsessed with them like they described ‘menhera’ characters?
I didn’t like clingy characters, though. They seemed attractive in fiction, but in reality, it was really uncomfortable. Fiction and reality truly differed.
I didn’t want to learn this lesson in such a way.
How long had it been since I started hiding in the cave and burying myself in the seaweed? I stopped counting days because it was too much of a hassle.
At some random hour of a random date, when it got dark and they withdrew, I emerged from the water and checked the surroundings.
The massive ship that had cast a shadow was nowhere to be seen, and the divers who had scoured the sea were all gone as well, not a single ant in sight.
At last, my tense mind began to ease as I lay flat near the shore and idly wobbled as a jellyfish.
Suddenly, an oddly familiar scent wafted by and made my body quiver.
The jelly reacted as though it had caught a whiff of perfume and started shaking furiously, urging me to move toward the source of the scent.
This is bad… if I can’t control my impulses, we might never return home.
I couldn’t hold back.
If I could have resisted it, would they have resisted dancing?
When I came to my senses, my body had already blended into the environment and was stealthily moving toward the scent.
How long had I been chasing the scent?
…I couldn’t help but smirk.
“Will this work…?”
“I don’t know. For now, it’s all we’ve got. If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to try something else.”
At the source of the scent, I saw familiar silhouettes accompanied by familiar voices. And those silhouettes were…
Holding pudding. The pudding I had yearned for while eating raw fish.
The moment I recognized them, I relaxed and hurried toward them.
“Wait… he’s really here?”
“See?”
Kim Cheon-soo, looking more flabbergasted than confused, and Hwang Bo-yul, who looked like she expected this, were waiting for me. From their expressions, my jelly body heated up, but ultimately, everything seemed to have worked out well.
If I had not come, they would’ve had to take greater risks and gamble.
Yeah, that’s how it is.
“What’s with this guy who was so stubborn earlier is suddenly coming over like this?”
While reflecting on this and nodding to myself mentally, Cheon-soo moved his head left and right. Judging from his bandaged appearance, it seemed like he would collapse any moment.
Regardless,
It seemed like our Kim Cheon-soo didn’t fully understand the true value of pudding.
Even the octopus might have responded if given pudding.
Right.
I eventually came before them, attracted by the irresistible smell of pudding.
Don’t ask how pudding could smell this far; my jellyfish body had evolved to sense it due to hunger.
It’s only natural to react sensitively to pudding after being exposed only to fishy smells.
Anyway,
“…You sure eat well.”
Sobbing, the pudding I hadn’t eaten in so long tasted incredibly delicious.
After devouring the pudding without a second thought, I clung tightly to Hwang Bo-yul, following her words.
“Let’s head back. Dr. Han is probably waiting.”
“Let’s go back. I really want a break when we get back this time.”
“Maybe,” she said uncertainly.
Both of them had a slightly foreboding conversation.
How was SimCity doing? Was So-sik rescued?
I had a mountain of things I wanted to ask, but since there was no Ki Hyang nearby to relay my messages, I decided to save it for later.
Instead, it felt so good to finally feel the warmth of people I could trust after all this.
A warmth I could never feel from those who repeatedly dived in search of me.
After all that, the news that awaited me when I returned home was…
…The shocking news that So-sik still hadn’t returned home.
There was no news of So-sik’s return.
All jokes aside, my jelly lost its springy bounce, and I could feel unease taking hold.
What could this kid be doing somewhere?
Though I gritted my teeth, my jelly body trembled, feeling anxious.
…Is he getting roughed up somewhere?
Surely, he hasn’t met some unfortunate end?
It seemed my trials were not yet over, even though I returned home.
—
“Ooooh… Lord of Sacrifice.”
The man, visibly moved, placed a laden tray of food down and bowed deeply.
Before the bowed man sat So-sik, looking rather bored.
Even with sleepy eyes, So-sik reached out and began eating from the tray.
“Ooooh!”
The observers watching So-sik let out exclamations of awe.
Why were they so surprised?
So-sik had no idea why they reacted like that, but the food was indeed delicious.
But in So-sik’s mind, Kim Cheon-soo’s pudding kept flashing.
…I need to go back.
In contrast to Lime’s worries, So-sik appeared unharmed.
For now.
