After confirming that Jelly Girl and Hwang Bo-yul were unharmed, Han Seori first extended some consideration to ensure that one person and one Singularity could rest.
After all, now that it was confirmed Hwang Bo-yul was alive, there was no need to feel rushed.
Thus, allowing the two who had likely endured unpleasant experiences to rest seemed like the better option.
Just by looking at the injuries on Hwang Bo-yul’s face, Han Seori could already imagine what hardships they had gone through.
…In comparison, Jelly Girl seemed remarkably fine, but that was probably because Jelly Girl herself was a Singularity.
Anyway.
Upon hearing Han Seori’s suggestion to rest, Hwang Bo-yul and Jelly Girl reacted differently.
First, Hwang Bo-yul slightly shook her head and said, “I presumed you might need my help, but shouldn’t we address the most pressing issues first?”
“…Would that still be okay?”
“Yes. I’m not entirely sure of the situation, but it must involve 7496 – KR, right?”
In response to Hwang Bo-yul’s relatively accurate question, Han Seori glanced at the squirming Jelly Girl beside her and then nodded slightly.
Seeming satisfied with the response, Hwang Bo-yul leaned back into a chair left in the control room.
Han Seori looked at her with a peculiar expression.
Frankly, this reaction was unexpected.
Before leaving, Hwang Bo-yul, though not rejecting Jelly Girl outright, maintained a somewhat neutral stance. Even as they watched Jelly Girl’s antics together, she would observe them with a strict gaze. The change in Hwang Bo-yul’s attitude came as a bit of a surprise even to Han Seori.
She had always seemed so meticulous.
…How exactly did 7496 – KR manage to “boil” her like this?
Han Seori could at least understand that Hwang Bo-yul and Jelly Girl had endured additional hardship, but it was questionable how such experiences could soften her attitude so much.
As someone who found human relations exhausting and threw herself into her research, Han Seori struggled to grasp the situation. With this in mind, she decided it was time to hear their story.
Strangely, she also felt a sense of satisfaction.
Upon concluding that Jelly Girl had overcome something truly difficult, Han Seori felt an odd sense of pride.
…At any rate.
Next was Jelly Girl, who initially looked flustered but nodded slightly when Han Seori suggested again that she rest.
After this, Jelly Girl left the control room with an expression that seemed clueless about everything.
Hwang Bo-yul then began recounting their experiences in meticulous detail, starting from the moment they left and continuing until their return, leaving hardly a detail unmentioned.
…The only vaguely described parts were the incidents where she had unknowingly hugged Jelly Girl during sleep and when they bathed together, otherwise the story seemed complete.
After hearing Hwang Bo-yul’s account, Han Seori sighed and slammed her hand on the table.
The table barely moved—it only shook a pen—but it was enough to indicate how angry she was.
Yang Ha-na, who earlier left the control room with Jelly Girl, aside, the two individuals were somewhat startled by the intensity of Han Seori’s anger.
Being someone who rarely exhibited behavior like this made it even more surprising.
After all, when someone who usually doesn’t get angry finally does, it’s naturally frightening.
As they froze in place, Han Seori removed her hand from the table and muttered quietly,
“I can’t understand this at all. It’s not like 7496 – KR is some kid or… if anything, kids might act much more uncooperative if treated this way. Even lacking any real control methods, I don’t understand how they managed to pull this off.”
Han Seori spat these words out as if a machine gun.
Then, something that hadn’t crossed her mind in a long time surfaced—Call of Twilight. The group with such a cringe-worthy name.
Could they be somehow involved in this?
…Come to think of it, my former lab also had operatives like them, so what would make things any different elsewhere?
Although efforts were made to weed out spies in the past, such efforts were likely meaningless if they held high positions.
It made sense to assume their lackeys existed elsewhere too.
…But if not them, who?
With her limited understanding, Han Seori couldn’t fully grasp their motives.
This decision was as absurd as it got—an irrational choice if ever there was one.
Of course, Han Seori couldn’t deny that Jelly Girl was an exceptionally tempting Singularity.
Though when Han Seori herself had proclaimed the value of properly utilizing Jelly Girl and been ignored, she felt no resentment now. In fact, when thinking conservatively, she agreed this outcome was justified.
Yet, the attempt to intercept Jelly Girl and Hwang Bo-yul upon their return was completely unacceptable and made her feel terrible.
What exactly is their complaint?
Are they upset they couldn’t keep Jelly Girl under their control?
Lost in thought, Han Seori sighed and shook her head to clear it, somehow feeling somewhat better.
She realized that trying to understand incomprehensible things was itself bizarre, especially when dealing with the irrational Singularity.
There was no need to understand the thinking of such fools.
The three of them—Han Seori, Hwang Bo-yul, and Kim Cheon-soo—felt no qualms in conspiring together.
Perhaps the mere survival of Hwang Bo-yul suggested that there had been some mistake and might allow them to gloss over the situation.
But knowing she and the research lab team were the only ones currently aware of Hwang Bo-yul’s survival, Han Seori had no intention of letting it go.
“Hn.”
“…”
“…”
A mischievous smile crept across Han Seori’s face as if a good plan had come to her mind.
From the side, both Hwang Bo-yul and Kim Cheon-soo noticed her demeanor and thought the same thing.
…It was the kind of laughter one would expect from a villain.
Though it signaled dangerous intentions, both were ready to aid Han Seori’s plans regardless of what they entailed.
Hwang Bo-yul was the direct party involved in the incident, while Kim Cheon-soo was moved to anger after hearing the story.
Thus, the three now stood united and exchanged glances with similar expressions.
The atmosphere felt strange.
As I departed from the control room, everyone had appeared unusually serious, so I quickly left.
Frankly…
I did feel a bit awkward.
It was like I was the only one leaving to rest while everyone else was still dealing with a problem.
Similar to how it feels when, as a new employee, you pack up and leave five minutes before quitting time while everyone else is still working.
But I wasn’t a new employee, so I decided to just ignore that feeling.
Han Seori told me to rest, so why stay and complicate things?
Though it was unfortunate that Hwang Bo-yul stayed behind…
If she wanted to stay, what could I do about it?
If someone must overwork, then there needs to be someone else who leaves on time.
…Though Hwang Bo-yul wasn’t technically my senior, still, thank you, senior.
It wouldn’t help if I stayed around and couldn’t contribute anything, would it?
With that, I almost summoned a mount but then erased the thought from my memory.
…This is something unknown.
I know nothing about the existence of a translation machine.
…Dangerous.
Perhaps it’s better that the translation function doesn’t exist, especially if I want to conceal my true identity.
Even though Sphere improved, it’s lucky it hasn’t been too cooperative with humans yet.
If it liked humans as much as I do, it might be revealing everything about my thoughts by now.
Thinking about this made me feel a bit… trashy, but I guess it’s okay because Sphere is still Sphere.
Anyway.
And so, while heading toward the room where our fellow Jellies lived…
…Yang Ha-na, who had caught up with me, blinked curiously and asked: “Is it true? Could you also stick to me?”
…Ah, no. Why?
When did you see that?
You truly are a curious friend… No, not a friend, but a comrade.
Still, uhh… it’s not ideal…
I’m doing this because you’re asking me to, not because I want to. And if we’re discovered, you should plead for leniency?
Mumbling these unspoken thoughts inwardly, I allowed myself to cling to Yang Ha-na.
Though it might sound strange, this act wasn’t particularly unusual.
There were no tentacles or anything grotesque—just like wearing another layer of clothing.
Once attached to Yang Ha-na, however, I became acutely aware of her body and the scent of moisture on her skin.
…Though this wasn’t an overtly strange situation, it certainly felt different.
With me clinging to her, Yang Ha-na bounced around and chirped happily.
“Wow, it’s really amazing. It feels like I’m just wearing another layer of clothes.”
Hmm… that’s your opinion.
Different from Hwang Bo-yul.
“Alright, let’s head back to the room?”
…Do you know I can’t answer?
Does she actually know or has she just forgotten?
Still, it seemed that Yang Ha-na wasn’t seeking any particular response as she began humming a tune and moved forward.
“You know what? When you’re not here, the other girls seem kind of down. I didn’t ask them, but that’s how it felt!”
…Is that true?
I couldn’t tell if she was trying to comfort me or just wanted to chat.
Since I couldn’t see her face, it was difficult to discern her intent.
Still, whether false or not, it was nice of her.
Even I recalled thinking about them before crossing over.
Upon reaching the room…
The Jellies were gathered around, watching TV.
…Yang Ha-na…
Were you lying to me?
From what I see, they don’t look low on energy at all, do they?
Feeling a surge of annoyance, I extended a tentacle and snatched the remote control.
These brats just watch TV when I return!
Pay attention to me!
With the remote in hand, I swiftly switched to the news channel.
When the Jellies turned their attention to me, I swayed proudly, satisfied with the response.
