…I’m tired.
The Jelly Girl, who thought this, was limply hanging off Han Seori with her soft body. The Jelly Girl clinging to her felt just like a small girl of her age.
The Jelly Girl heading somewhere while hanging off Han Seori had no qualms about being attached to her.
Perhaps she was so worn out that it didn’t even bother her.
The Jelly Girl had to endure many things, aside from the experience of her body splitting in half.
Even though she refrained from overly strenuous actions after her body split and reconnected, the act of accepting other people’s hands inside her… well, to be honest, it was somewhat exhausting.
If we were to express the Jelly Girl’s situation using a human metaphor, it would be like people constantly sticking their fingers into someone’s mouth… it’s no wonder she felt tired.
If that person had been her lover, it might have passed off as a playful and suggestive jest, but with the behavior of random people, it was only natural to feel unpleasant.
So… in short, the Jelly Girl was mentally exhausted.
Though her jelly-like body, made entirely of jelly, gleamed thanks to the food she had consumed in bits and pieces, the spirit that moved her jelly was fatigued.
Thinking about all the things she endured, the Jelly Girl felt like an animal in the zoo, specifically one placed in an interactive corner.
She understood why, back in an earlier era when the awareness of animal protection was still faint, certain animals failed to live out their lives properly and died one after another in zoos.
Jellies don’t like this kind of attention.
No, it would be nice if people showed a little less.
Of course, she wasn’t against the admiration and attention directed at her.
By nature, the Jelly Girl was a social creature and craved attention.
She didn’t feel any lack of it when she had people like Han Seori and others around. This seemed to correlate with why she often fixated on the news.
It wasn’t unusual for the Jelly Girl to crave attention, especially since when she was still a part of society, she had subtle tendencies toward such desires.
The reason the Jelly Girl enjoyed ‘exploration’ at that time wasn’t only because she liked and enjoyed it herself, but also because of the attention she received after sharing and organizing those experiences.
It could be viewed as a desire for acknowledgment, but in the end, it still boiled down to people showing her interest.
Han Seori’s request was also one of the reasons the Jelly Girl readily agreed without hesitation.
If it was an opportunity to show that she was harmless, and also gain acknowledgment and attention?
There was no reason to refuse.
…But just like how good medicine can be abused when taken in excess…
Excessive attention ultimately drained the Jelly Girl’s spirit.
“…This is something I’ve never seen before.”
In Han Seori’s warm embrace, the Jelly Girl heard her strange voice resonate through the jelly.
In her tone, one could faintly detect a mix of pride, wistfulness, and affection.
Hmm.
Yes, I worked hard today, right? Look, Han Seori even acknowledges it by hugging me!
That means it’s okay to act like this.
It’s because I’m tired, not because I want to cuddle like a child.
It’s not whining… yeah, it’s transportation.
The Jelly Girl rationalized this while clinging to Han Seori’s body. Han Seori, meanwhile, gently stroked the Jelly Girl’s wiggling blob as she took strides forward.
Behind Han Seori as she walked down the corridor were Hwang Bo-yul with a slightly weary expression, and Kim Cheon-soo, shaking his head in exasperation.
Hwang Bo-yul had also had reason to feel tired since she had faced numerous questions after coming back from the dead.
To begin with, thanks to her, people started sticking their faces into the Jelly Girl’s body—a little too odd for normal circumstances, so it was natural.
And timidly following behind was Kim Cheon-soo, who was left unsettled by the near-maniacal energy displayed on stage.
By nature, he didn’t pry into things he didn’t need to know, so the fervent curiosity of those eager to understand everything was foreign to him.
In fact, some were even overly aggressive, which would make anyone’s conscience prick if they tried to fault Kim Cheon-soo.
But his trials were not yet over.
Clunk! Clunk!
As Kim Cheon-soo realized the suitcase he had been dragging was shaking, he sighed and spoke.
“…It seems like this fellow is very upset.”
“He’s an entity that usually drifts around daily; perhaps he’s feeling restless. We’re lucky not to have opened him today. Considering the tension during the move, he might have gone overboard.”
When did you get so sharp?
Kim Cheon-soo felt a slight chill run down his spine as he nodded slightly.
Actually, the remaining jellies were initially scheduled for introduction today, but due to the overwhelming interest in the Jelly Girl, any inquiries about the other entities had to be postponed until tomorrow.
Because of this, those who were supposed to leave after the afternoon’s presentation stayed overnight at the laboratory instead.
The group accompanying Han Seori was the same, as were the other entities.
Though Yang Ha-na had been left behind at the lab and was on everyone’s mind due to the delays, with the group’s focus elsewhere, they had little time to spare worrying about her.
As there hadn’t been any contact from Yang Ha-na, they could only hope that no news was good news.
In the end, only the lab staff managing the gathering had their workload double, though no one cared much about it.
This was what they meant when they spoke about the sorrows of underlings.
Of course, with fabricated reports, the higher-ups were no doubt busy as well—but wasn’t it always the ones doing the physical work who bore the brunt?
Anyway.
Han Seori’s group dragged their feet as they trudged into their assigned rooms.
Though their rooms were separate, they were connected.
The fact that they left the Jelly Girl in their room was a clue to how they regarded her.
Thus, the now-free jellies… inevitably crowded into Han Seori’s room.
As if saying, “I like the dark!” while asleep, the two jellies, apart from the unconscious Sosik, showed a somewhat agitated reaction, as they disliked being confined in darkness.
It was natural for Jung-sik, who inherently struggled with jelly anger management, but even Daesik’s reaction was unusually strong this time.
After bursting free from the suitcase, Daesik wildly swung his doll arm before timidly rushing over to the Jelly Girl cradled in Han Seori’s arms, flailing around.
As Han Seori lowered her posture, Daesik clung to the Jelly Girl’s back, acting like a spoiled child upset at being confined in the dark.
Maybe it reminded him of escaping from Jangseung.
However, since Daesik neither spoke nor used text, only he himself knew the precise reason for clinging to the Jelly Girl like that.
Thereafter, the jellies who had escaped the suitcase loosened up inside Han Seori’s room.
Among them, only Jung-sik floated around, though essentially that was that.
Han Seori was also quite tired. She lay on the bed, dazed and listless with the jellies, wondering if dinner would be served soon.
And then—
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on her door.
Startled, Han Seori remained lying down without replying, considering the situation.
If it was someone from her group, they would call out.
If not…
Did I lock the door…?
I don’t remember.
As Han Seori’s odd sense of survival waned while she tried to recall, the person who had knocked did not knock again, as if they weren’t necessarily there to see her face.
Instead,
A small piece of paper slipped through the crack beneath the door, quietly appealing for her attention.
“Ugh…”
Yang Ha-na leaned on the sink and heaved dry retches.
Now that her stomach was empty, only bile came up.
Should I be grateful for that?
Under normal circumstances, she would have joked and laughed about it, but staring at her reflection in the mirror attached to the sink, she showed no sign of considering such humor.
In a short time, she had become gaunt from illness, and with her slightly bony hand, covered her face.
She had witnessed a death right before her eyes, quite a grisly one at that.
Initially, she trembled uncontrollably at the shock of seeing someone die but eventually began blaming herself.
If only I hadn’t said I would check in person… perhaps that person wouldn’t have died?
Yang Ha-na understood that the deceased wasn’t a good person. After all, he was the one who had first shot at the sphere next to her, directly at the head, no less.
If the sphere had been a human instead…
“Ugh…”
Yang Ha-na opened her mouth to throw up, but nothing came out anymore.
The puddings Kim Cheon-soo had made had long since turned into earth’s nutrients.
She understood.
The man had intended harm toward her and the sphere, and his demise was his own doing.
But despite her brain’s comprehension, Yang Ha-na’s heart, being just that of an ordinary human being, couldn’t fully accept it.
The image of the man falling with a hole in his head, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, kept haunting her.
The blurred whiteness and redness before her eyes remained as indelible stains on her retina.
Perhaps if someone had consoled her gently, patted her on the back and reassured her, she wouldn’t have become so gaunt.
If someone had whispered and comforted her…
But,
“…Mom… Dad…”
Yang Ha-na murmured weakly.
Had someone, anyone, been there beside her who could even slightly embrace her…
Had someone been there now who could comfort her…
“Nutritional deficiency is a recognized condition. Your state seems to fit that well. I recommend ingesting something nutritious.”
“…I want to, but…”
There was only the sphere.
Although the sphere was still retaining its human appearance through repairs…
…It seemed devoid of any ability to console.
*
