“Wow! There’s a place like this here!”
“…Uh, since voices are echoing, could you please quiet down a little?”
“A, yes!”
Yang Ha-na, whose mouth was covered by Kim Cheon-soo, let out a silent sigh.
‘Not even the least bit wary?’
He wasn’t satisfied with the way Yang Ha-na followed him so willingly.
No matter what, even though he had saved her from peril, she should at least show a hint of caution being led into such a secluded place, shouldn’t she?
But she didn’t.
Even as Kim Cheon-soo guided her into darker spaces, she showed no signs of anxiety. Instead, she looked around and exclaimed in amazement.
Thinking about it, her overly sunny disposition felt too good to be true.
What was her plan if he were to harm her after leading her there?
Was it because she trusted people easily, or was it simply… that she had no thoughts whatsoever?
Is this really alright?
At this point, another possibility sprang into Kim Cheon-soo’s mind. Perhaps lying there in the snow had just been an act, and maybe she had been deceiving both him and Han Seori with some hidden motive.
Could her overly calm and complacent demeanor be an act because she already knew everything?
“Eh, Mom!”
While Kim Cheon-soo was deep in thought, Yang Ha-na stumbled and fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Kim Cheon-soo sighed, pressing his forehead, as he approached her.
“Ahaha… I’m sorry. This place is new to me…”
“Take my hand.”
He hesitated for a moment as Yang Ha-na grasped his hand to stand, wondering if this act was genuine and whether he was doing the right thing.
What if she was just playing along?
Was it truly correct to bring her along to this desolate snowy field?
Deep in contemplation, Kim Cheon-soo eventually shook his head upon seeing Yang Ha-na’s bright smile after she brushed herself off.
“Of course, I didn’t just bring you here on my whim. Dr. Han told me to.”
Dr. Han would surely figure something out.
Still, his uneasiness lingered.
The task Han Seori had assigned Kim Cheon-soo was…
…To help this pitiful job seeker who had drifted this far without any success.
Where was she to be employed?
Naturally, it was the place where Kim Cheon-soo and Han Seori worked.
It was impossible to simply send her back as there were hints of her connection to KR-7496.
And due to the lack of “samples”, she was indeed valuable.
Still…
This implied that she was becoming a colleague who would live and work alongside them in the days to come.
An ominous feeling arose that this path ahead wouldn’t be smooth.
Though her unwaveringly positive energy might aid in enduring the challenges ahead…
He considered all other aspects to be unsatisfactory.
…If any problems were to arise…
It was clear that the majority of the responsibility would fall onto his shoulders.
“…Unless there are no other Singularities, then maybe there won’t be any major issues.”
Was this truly alright?
As he wrestled with this uncertainty…
The entrance to the laboratory came into view ahead.
“Woah… uh, what exactly is that?”
With a voice mixed with curiosity and bewilderment, Kim Cheon-soo chuckled inwardly.
So, she wasn’t fazed by being led to a dark place but gets startled by this?
…She truly was a strange one.
Shaking his head, Kim Cheon-soo spoke softly to Yang Ha-na.
“Let’s go inside and finish the discussion.”
“Eh… uh… Yes?”
Now, there was a wary expression in her eyes, which made Kim Cheon-soo feel a bit irritable.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed these feelings and followed Yang Ha-na into the lab.
—
“Huh… I’ll do it!”
“Hm… You can take a little more time to think about it?”
“Nope! My motto is to seize opportunities when they come! This is a must!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
Han Seori watched as Yang Ha-na confidently responded, a mysterious smile on her lips.
Meanwhile, Kim Cheon-soo, standing nearby, felt an indescribable chill.
…Suggesting an offer one couldn’t refuse and then advising her to ‘consider’ the option more… how could the bright and seemingly clueless Yang Ha-na not accept?
Unless of course, this was her intended destination.
Kim Cheon-soo’s mind was conflicted as he observed the two women smiling.
Just one thing, though…
If Yang Ha-na were genuinely a hardworking job seeker…
The opportunity to secure a job with decent pay, good benefits…
…and a regular severance package when the time came…
…to someone in such a predicament, this might appear to be a dream job.
Even then, it seemed peculiar to him that Yang Ha-na hadn’t even asked for the company’s name.
At this point, wouldn’t it be natural for her to feel suspicious and even a little anxious?
He didn’t understand it.
Kim Cheon-soo gave up trying to comprehend and merely gazed silently at Yang Ha-na, only for her to suddenly turn to him with a face full of deep gratitude.
Her eyes sparkled as though she saw him as a savior, someone who had given her a lifeline and a job.
This intense gaze made Kim Cheon-soo subtly avert his eyes, while Han Seori let out a quiet chuckle.
Unlike Kim Cheon-soo’s concern, Han Seori appeared to be enjoying the situation immensely.
Upon reflection, for her, this might indeed be natural.
Though it was hectic when they first settled here, things had settled into a calm rhythm, leaving her without much to do.
Or rather, there wasn’t much she wanted to accomplish.
Like… experiments.
She couldn’t conduct proper experiments, so even though her schedule was packed, she hadn’t experienced much joy.
Her recent experimental mishap probably stemmed from that dissatisfaction.
Han Seori, though always composed, was a passionate researcher.
In any case.
Her current pleasures involved observing KR-7496 and the Sphere, as well as watching Kim Cheon-soo stumble through such situations.
And now, they had an intriguing sample walking right into their midst… No reason to turn her away.
Moreover…
“I see, they’re already getting close.”
The sight of Kim Cheon-soo getting flustered amused her.
What was usually annoying about Yang Ha-na’s personality now came across as amusing.
‘This won’t be boring.’
…Of course, in many ways, a bit of monotony would have been safer.
What could she do though?
In a place where the only limit was setting up basic communication networks…
Han Seori quietly sighed and pulled out a mechanical device from her pocket.
It resembled the devices occasionally placed around the necks of the Jelly Girls of KR-7496.
Keeping her expression neutral, Han Seori handed the device to Yang Ha-na, who was looking at Kim Cheon-soo.
“Eh… What is this?”
“It’s something you’ll need as you move around here. During the probation period, you should wear this at all times. It’s waterproof and won’t easily malfunction.”
“Oh…”
With a metallic clicking sound, Han Seori observed Yang Ha-na, who wore the device on her wrist without any suspicion.
How desperate could she have been to agree to work without asking what place she was entering?
It was too haphazard to be a spy.
But for an ordinary person, there was something a little unsettling about her.
But now that she had the device on her wrist, any suspicious actions would be detected immediately.
With a friendly smile, Han Seori clapped her hands softly and spoke.
“Well, let’s leave the rest of the conversation for tomorrow. You must be tired from walking outside; take a short rest, or you can ask Kim Cheon-soo to show you around.”
“Awesome!”
As Yang Ha-na’s eyes sparkled, Kim Cheon-soo, who had been silently watching her, blinked and asked hesitantly.
“Eh… Me?”
“Is there someone here besides Kim Cheon-soo? You’re the senior, so you should look after your junior.”
Han Seori playfully teased him, and beside her, Yang Ha-na suddenly stood up and bowed deeply.
Just like an old-style folder phone, she bowed almost 90 degrees.
“Senior! Please take care of me from now on!!!”
“Urgh… Sure, then… let’s go.”
As Kim Cheon-soo glanced at Yang Ha-na’s bowed head, then nodded silently after a sigh, Yang Ha-na lifted her head with a bright smile and grinned.
“Then, let’s decide the remaining schedule between the two of you… we can meet tomorrow morning for more detailed discussions.”
“I understand…”
“Okay!”
As Yang Ha-na followed Kim Cheon-soo, she suddenly recalled something and approached Han Seori.
“Hmm? Is there something you’d like to say?”
“Uh, it’s just that…”
She acted a bit sheepish, causing Han Seori to tilt her head, while Yang Ha-na blushed slightly and muttered quietly.
“Since I’ll be living here for a while… I should probably inform my parents. They might worry…”
At this last moment?
A crack seemed to form in Han Seori’s expression, and her mouth twitched ever so slightly.
Suppressing her laughter, she cleared her throat before continuing.
“…As you know, we’re in an area where signals don’t reach well. Please give your parents’ number and a text or video message to Kim Cheon-soo, and we’ll send it through him.”
“I’ll do that!”
Yang Ha-na cheerfully nodded, bowed her head slightly, and turned around to rejoin Kim Cheon-soo.
She then ran back to him, grabbed his arm, and disappeared down the hallway beyond the management room.
As Kim Cheon-soo, whose arm Yang Ha-na clung to, kept glancing back at Han Seori, Han Seori didn’t return his gaze, seemingly lost in thought.
When Yang Ha-na and Kim Cheon-soo disappeared into the management room, silence filled the space.
After a while…
“Now you can come out.”
Han Seori whispered, and from beneath the desk she had leaned over, 7496-KR, the blue-colored jelly girl, cautiously revealed her presence.
“Seems like you’re not able to sense her location.”
She lightly tapped 7496-KR’s head, saying “good job.”
However, 7496-KR appeared somewhat bashful, wiggling slightly around her jelly-like body, quieter than usual.
“Hmm… Is it because she’s here?”
Han Seori pulled her close and hugged her tightly, as if to tell her there was nothing to worry about.
Despite this, 7496-KR, the jelly girl, continued wiggling nervously, appearing somewhat shy.
Though it seemed like she felt a bit embarrassed, it didn’t seem like she fully conveyed it to Han Seori.
