From beyond the open Partition, Hwang Bo-yul also appeared among those who had emerged.
She had come running hastily, sensing something approaching from beyond the threshold. Blocked by the Partition, she was unable to cross over and was nervously pacing.
Upon receiving news from beyond the Partition, Hwang Bo-yul felt unease.
Somehow, the entity that had triggered the emergency by ascending the stairs seemed not to be the Jelly Girl, but rather something else.
What could this signify?
As Hwang Bo-yul contemplated this, she inadvertently furrowed her brow.
If it wasn’t the Jelly Girl, then it was highly possible that something harmful had climbed up targeting the Jelly Girl.
…And if it had come alone.
It was possible that the Jelly Girl might be dead.
Considering this possibility, Hwang Bo-yul couldn’t help but feel unpleasant. Though she wasn’t able to reach a conclusion either way, she realized her heart leaned towards the Jelly Girl being all right.
No, though it wasn’t certain yet, one thing was clear.
At the very least, she didn’t wish for the Jelly Girl to die.
Whether it was because the Jelly Girl was useful or simply liked, it wasn’t clear, but it was certain that she didn’t wish for its death.
…Well, anyway.
Hwang Bo-yul was also concerned about the nature of what had ascended in the Jelly Girl’s place. And inside, she silently criticized the Laboratory’s policies.
The fact that the Partition was closed even though operatives were still beyond it implied that the higher-ups here were prepared to sacrifice them in order to study the peculiar characteristics of the new Singularity.
Realizing this, Hwang Bo-yul looked around surreptitiously at those nearby and inwardly sighed.
“Each Laboratory is said to have its own policies, but…”
Experiencing it directly made it all the more unpleasant.
In reality, the group in charge of managing Singularities operated more like a loose coalition rather than a centralized organization.
Since they weren’t concentrated in a single location, it was inevitable that rules would vary depending on local circumstances—not to mention that each Laboratory managed its own unique Singularity, making it impossible to apply a uniform set of rules across all of them.
Thinking about the sacrifices made to achieve this understanding, it made sense that each Laboratory had different protocols.
So, some, like Hwang Bo-yul, valued the lives of operatives.
…And others treated them as expendable, like here.
Of course, if those sent out happened to survive, the organization would pivot and reward them as if nothing had happened.
Nonetheless.
That was irrelevant right now. All Hwang Bo-yul was concerned about at the moment was the Jelly Girl.
Her role in this Laboratory, lacking any formal position, was simply to bring the Jelly Girl back safely.
Thus, as soon as the Partition opened, Hwang Bo-yul was the first to cross over.
Upon reaching the accident site, Hwang Bo-yul’s eyes fell upon a scene that involuntarily made her furrow her brows.
First, there were people scattered around.
It was hardly surprising. It was to be expected.
But even so, the sight of people frantically struggling, their pants wet with fear, was… strange no matter how you looked at it.
What level of fear could make someone act like that? Even with that thought in mind, the image of wet pants lingered in her mind.
If the Jelly Girl had been dead, she might have mourned, but since it was alive…
Next, Hwang Bo-yul’s eyes saw what she had hoped to see.
Just not exactly what she had expected.
Following the gazes of those who had fallen and flailed, she saw the Jelly Girl’s face peeking out from a narrow gap.
Relieved to see that the Jelly Girl was intact, she also noticed something odd about its state.
It appeared to be covered with some kind of bodily fluid from the presumed source, which had ascended from the stairs below.
At first glance, the Jelly Girl seemed innocuous, but something floated inside its gelatinous belly—what appeared to be an inner organ torn from the earlier entity. Even more unsettling, it was visibly melting with a bubbling sound…
Despite its harmless appearance, it felt like a highly dangerous organism.
Now she understood why they were reacting this way. If someone hadn’t been watching the Jelly Girl closely, they might have assumed it had eaten something—and was now coming to devour them next.
Even Hwang Bo-yul might have thought the same if she hadn’t seen the Jelly Girl in action.
Exhaling another quiet sigh, Hwang Bo-yul glanced at those who hesitated to approach the Jelly Girl, then stepped toward it herself.
Judging by their lack of resistance, it was clear what they were thinking.
Still, the fact they had opened the Partition at all suggested they might not go to extremes.
Shaking her head internally, Hwang Bo-yul approached the Jelly Girl, extended her hand, and retrieved it from the gap.
As her hand touched the Jelly Girl, she could hear a sharp intake of breath but ignored it.
Finally pulling the Jelly Girl out, Hwang Bo-yul cradled it in her arms, much like Han Seori cradling the Jelly Girl.
It had the same squishy texture as always, though the liquid coating it exuded a slightly nauseating smell that wasn’t unbearable.
Behind her, a hesitant voice echoed.
“First, would you mind going to the quarantine room? Room D-13 has a place to clean up, so it seems suitable.”
“Let’s do that.”
Since Hwang Bo-yul had no particular objections, she readily agreed.
In Han Seori’s Laboratory, she had quietly observed without a word, and thus how they treated operatives or Singularities was none of her concern.
…But then.
Why was she feeling this unease?
Hwang Bo-yul moved forward, carrying the Jelly Girl, with a vague but disconcerting sensation.
As her figure disappeared down the corridor, the tense atmosphere lifted slightly.
They began to carry away the scared operatives and examine the remaining traces, clearing up the shattered lock mechanisms.
Given the extensive damage, it seemed the lock would need to be dismantled altogether.
It was going to take some time.
Meanwhile, the Jelly Girl, cradled by Hwang Bo-yul, entered the quarantine room, sensing a growing sense of unease.
This sense stemmed from Hwang Bo-yul inspecting the room and guiding the Jelly Girl toward what resembled a bathroom area.
While the Jelly Girl didn’t mind being cleaned of the black liquid that seemed distasteful to ingest, the problem emerged when…
Swish, swish.
Hwang Bo-yul began to undress.
This was a natural course of action, as the black liquid had soaked her clothes as well, making it necessary to quickly remove and clean them.
Though logically understanding this, the Jelly Girl couldn’t help but bubble nervously.
After all, the Jelly Girl was originally an adult man.
In the presence of such a captivatingly beautiful woman shedding her garments, how could any man not feel flustered?
Though now a Jelly Girl, and incapable of standing tall, those feelings persisted.
It’s fine, right? There’s no going back anyway.
It’s unavoidable. Yes.
What if dodging this makes it seem like I’m hiding something? Right, right.
So this is just to reassure Hwang Bo-yul, absolutely not because I want to see her body. Definitely not.
Silently agreeing with itself, the Jelly Girl fidgeted its small fingers.
It felt rather peculiar, like sneaking into a women’s bath.
While the Jelly Girl was contemplating and flailing its jelly, Hwang Bo-yul had already retrieved what looked like ‘cleaning tools’ from a shelf and approached.
Despite her movements, traces of the black liquid lingered faintly on her body.
Seeing the black liquid reminded the Jelly Girl of its earlier violent act, and it briefly calmed down out of concern for Hwang Bo-yul’s well-being if it accidentally flailed around.
…However, this calm shattered when Hwang Bo-yul began washing it with water and soapy hands, returning again to unease.
The Jelly Girl lamented the unrestricted view it now had.
With nothing to hide, there was no denying what it saw.
…She has a great body.
Very pretty.
As the Jelly Girl contemplated with admiration, it hesitated for a long while about wiping the black liquid off Hwang Bo-yul’s skin with soapy tentacles. Despite its intentions, the gesture seemed improper, and internal conflict deepened.
Before long, Hwang Bo-yul, having finished cleaning herself, wrapped a towel around her and draped one around the Jelly Girl.
“Is this necessary?”
Hwang Bo-yul looked at the Jelly Girl with an uncertain expression as she wrapped the towel around it. Realizing she had spent too much time deliberating, the Jelly Girl absorbed the moisture with its body, suppressing a slight sense of regret.
Without the black liquid, the taste of plain tap water was perceptible.
“It wasn’t necessary.”
Nodding, Hwang Bo-yul used the towel meant for the Jelly Girl to dry her own hair instead.
Exiting the bathroom-like area, the two found clothes and food waiting near the door of the quarantine room.
“Surprisingly, they’re pretty thorough about these things.”
Murmuring in a strange tone, Hwang Bo-yul dried her body and changed into fresh clothes.
The Jelly Girl gazed blankly as its jelly bubbles expressed disapproval for watching too openly.
Even if justified, didn’t it feel a little too obvious?
The Jelly Girl proceeded to conduct self-reflection, but all Hwang Bo-yul could think was why the Jelly Girl was suddenly acting this way.
With that settled, the two cleaned up.
They shared the food that came with the clothes and waited for the people here to summon them.
And that wait…
Surprisingly, took longer than expected—longer than Hwang Bo-yul had anticipated.
