When will peace come to our era, or rather, to my era?
Now that I’ve become the manager of the jellies, I’m incredibly busy, so I couldn’t understand why I had to go on an outing. Aren’t we supposed to be dealing with singularities instead of isolating them? Didn’t Han Seori arrange some kind of deal behind the scenes?
…Alright, let’s assume that going is a given.
But why a military base? All of a sudden my previously fine head started to ache. Please… let’s not go in any further…
“…Ugh, who would’ve thought I’d end up back at a military base at my age?”
Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking.
The barbed wire fences seemed similar to ones I’d seen recently, but the atmosphere here was much different. Despite being identical fences, why… does it feel so different?
When I passed the guard post, I resolved never to urinate again, but here I was, back at a military base.
On the other hand, seeing Kim Cheon-soo have some kind of seizure gave me a weird sense of camaraderie.
“That defense system looks pretty meaningless, doesn’t it?”
“Hah, Haha… Um, like… if someone brought a cutter, it would all just get cut away… right?”
At Ki Hyang’s assessment, Kim Cheon-soo shot her a glance as if to say “What obstacle could possibly affect you?” before grabbing the steering wheel again. Two men in uniforms approached, examined something Kim Cheon-soo handed them, and waved us through with a free pass.
It was as if a division commander had arrived—everything happened so quickly.
Though I don’t know the exact reason, thinking that I was being treated like some important person made it tolerable, even with this uneasy feeling in my stomach.
But even so, I felt some kind of anxiety. I’m not suddenly here to fight individually or to be thrown into the barracks, so why do I keep feeling this way? It’s so frustrating not knowing.
During this time, as we passed a checkpoint guarded more strictly than before, I wondered what it was. The checkpoint was presumed to be such a place.
Passing through the checkpoint, I could see a lush forest in the distance. It seemed like some primeval forest, or something. Despite disliking military bases, seeing that forest did spark some interest.
But… seeing that forest could also mean this area was mined, right?
My thoughts seemed correct, as Kim Cheon-soo was clearly sweating bullets. Well, if a mine explodes here, he’s the only one who would die, so it’s only natural.
I had to admit, he was braver than he looked. Probably why he ended up doing these kinds of things…
At this point, I suddenly became curious about Kim Cheon-soo’s backstory. How did he end up involved in this kind of work? Would he think it odd if I asked? Han Seori’s background seemed obvious—she was clearly a mad scientist obsessed with research—but Kim Cheon-soo… well, I don’t know.
Why is he so good at making pudding? And not just pudding—his general cooking skills are impeccable. Why… is he doing such dangerous work? It can’t be just because he thinks dangerous men are cool, right?
While pondering Kim Cheon-soo’s background, the vehicle stopped very cautiously. Relieved that we’d arrived safely, he sighed deeply before speaking, pointing at something with his fingers.
“Lime, do you see that pile of scrap metal ahead? There should be a hole behind it where you went through before.”
The word “hole” made me feel a bit funny, but I guess it’s just me.
As Kim Cheon-soo talked on about various things, he eventually turned to Ki Hyang and said quietly,
“Once you and Lime have finished your investigation, please let the laboratory know.”
Ki Hyang simply nodded slightly without a word.
Is Ki Hyang just really tired, or am I imagining it? Isn’t she a robot? Can robots even feel fatigue? Well, computers get sluggish after a while, so maybe it’s not so strange that she’d feel tired too.
But…
Why does Kim Cheon-soo sound like he’s planning to not stay here? Isn’t he supposed to wait for us to come back?
You’re not seriously planning to leave already, are you?
Ah, no… Now that I think about it, why did this person who’s always so busy making pudding come with us anyway? He’s leaving? Really? Now I’m just going to escape?
Frustrated with Kim Cheon-soo sucking his honey—
“Then… we’ll catch up later, Lime. I’ll make a lot of pudding while you’re gone, so don’t feel sad.”
…Fine. It doesn’t sound easy to make so much pudding, does it? Hurry back, Chef.
Well, aside from that, it… wasn’t completely bad that Kim Cheon-soo was leaving us here with Ki Hyang.
It’s not because of the pudding. It means that Han Seori and the others trust me this much, right? If they thought I’d run away, they wouldn’t have done this.
Still… does it feel a little off? It might just be the lingering human part of me crying out from inside my jelly. It’s small and hard to hear, but maybe as a human I feel resistant to leaving singularities outside like this?
But thanks to that human aspect (?), I strangely felt excited when Kim Cheon-soo drove off. It was like signing a lease and moving out for the first time.
…Only for that excitement to fade quickly when I realized the future in front of me wasn’t going to be pleasant. That made me feel strange again.
I don’t know… The fact that a tank emerged from underground was intriguing enough, so I decided not to think about it too deeply.
Clinging tightly to Ki Hyang’s cold body, I thought we should hurry inside. Ki Hyang seemed to understand immediately, shifting her stiff movements. She, who previously moved so smoothly, now resembled a robot running low on lubricant.
…Is she really tired? Or is her lifespan running out?
“It’s nothing serious. I’ve just had a lot of computational work lately. I also overused this temporary body…”
It sounded like the complaint of an aging machine, which was kind of sad. Still, machines do have lifespans, after all.
No, wait… How grueling must the excavation work above be if it’s affecting her this much? I was a bit startled. Are we abusing the singularities too much? That applies to me too, of course. Hmph, maybe I’ll start a strike when I get back…
Hmph, still. It’s not too late to think about it after we deal with the current situation.
As Ki Hyang stood in front of the tunnel entrance, the shape of the tank, presumed to have burst out of the tunnel, became clearer. It somehow felt like it should smell, yet no unusual odors came from it aside from the metallic scent from the scrap metal.
I wanted to get inside and take a look, but besides noticing its decrepit state, I wasn’t sure what specific kind of tank it was. Without any experience with armored divisions, I’d never encountered tanks before. It just felt oddly familiar yet foreign. It seemed very old, at least.
There’s no need to go inside if it’s just a normal tank, aside from its age.
Thinking that, Ki Hyang leapt lightly into the tunnel with no hesitation. It didn’t shimmer like a game dungeon; instead, a gently sloping passage roughly the size of a tank stretched forward.
Without hesitation, Ki Hyang stepped inside the passage. I considered staying perched on her but felt awkward, so I finally stepped onto the ground.
I could feel the plain mud beneath my feet, lacking any sense of artificiality—almost invigorating.
Swallowing the joke that humans must be bad, I walked with Ki Hyang following the gentle slope. Judging from the tank tracks, it seemed clear that a tank had entered through this tunnel.
The worn-out tank could perhaps plausibly move through the tunnel. But if that tank was the lead… it was strange, as it didn’t appear equipped with any digging mechanisms.
Nor were there any other marks or traces to clarify how it happened.
Just as I was musing about this, the external light disappeared entirely, leaving a darkness darker than nightfall.
This is annoying… I thought for a moment before the light emanating from Ki Hyang’s eyes began to illuminate our surroundings.
…Must her eyes be the only source of light?
What are you doing with that grown-up face?
If you have complaints, say them aloud instead of expressing yourself this way, really.
…Am I genuinely dissatisfied?
Embarrassed by the thought, I assumed the light-emitting parts of Ki Hyang’s body were limited to her eyes and continued moving silently.
This made me worry if Ki Hyang was secretly conspiring with the jellies to form a labor union.
But watching her heat up a pot of jelly and laugh made me realize she was exploiting the jellies at the “power plant” too, so it’d be tough for her to ally with them.
Saying this makes me feel like some cruel capitalist, but I’m just a laborer barely getting by while making pudding.
Maybe it’s the jellies—and not me—who need to rise up in protest.
Just then…
The gentle slope finally ended, revealing a flat passage. The tank tracks leading inward were still visible.
Should we just follow those?
I wonder what could be waiting at the end of this passage?
…Really, some sort of northern wild boar isn’t going to pop out, is it?
I was inexplicably uneasy.
