Para para Bam~!
For some reason, it felt like that kind of music should be playing.
…Why exactly that music, you ask?
It’s just that the only ‘award ceremony’ music I know is that.
Though, it might be more accurate to call it an entry tune rather than an award ceremony.
Now that I think about it, there was no music playing when an actual award was given.
…Is that right? Honestly, I don’t remember clearly anymore.
I’ve even forgotten the names of the songs, so it’s strange that military life, which wasn’t a particularly good memory, is now so vivid.
I distinctly remember how frustrating it was to go out for these kinds of events.
…Come to think of it, my current life feels similar.
So remote it makes words like ‘outpost’ sound gentle.
A somewhat ‘regular’ life.
Living in a group.
There’s something like a superior rank.
I have juniors(?), under me.
…This life seems like it’ll never end. Maybe the army would have been better?
No, this current life suits me, so I’ll think of it as having a lifelong job.
Seriously.
What people strive for—this must be what ‘doing what you love as work’ means.
Though I said it’s a regular life, I get to sleep when I want and am woken by Kim Cheon-soo or Yang Ha-na when it’s roughly mealtime–not my mom.
The meals are homely, with satisfying variety that changes every time.
Once in a while, I go on peculiar missions that satisfy my curiosity and sense of adventure, and there’s always a reward when I come back.
Though there’s no fixed salary, having free room and board and decent benefits make it worthwhile.
Honestly, given that I lack ‘clothing’ anyway, everything else is quite satisfactory.
…Though, I suppose this is by human standards. Considering what I’ve become, it might be excessive treatment.
Actually, I don’t know. I rarely see how other Singularities are treated.
Most of the ones I’ve met… well, they were inside me.
If I say they were inside me, it might sound off-putting since they were digested.
What made me most uncomfortable about the way Singularities are treated was definitely the Whale.
The incident that led to the birth of Jung-sik.
Our first meeting wasn’t pleasant either, but the feelings I experienced when I consumed what I guess is called its Core are still vivid.
Even though I don’t feel them now, revisiting those emotions still makes Jelly ripple.
…But hold on, that wasn’t Han Seori’s fault. It was the weirdly named people on TV who orchestrated it.
Probably the same ones who caused trouble when Han Seori and I weren’t around.
I haven’t directly encountered them, but even thinking about meeting them makes me uneasy. Not that we’d kill each other, but I doubt any good feelings will arise.
Honestly, no matter what they say, I don’t think I would be swayed.
I got the first button entirely wrong. This isn’t like having the buttons slightly misaligned. This is like putting the first button at the very bottom before going out.
…Although the kindness that others, including Han Seori, shower upon me might also play a part.
At first, they chased me so much I was scared, but now I realize it was a natural reaction.
While silently apologizing to those people who once chased me,
“Okay, so this isn’t supposed to rust, right?”
Han Seori approached like a commander, and affixed an ornamental pin on Sosik’s chest.
…By ornamental pin, I mean a regular brooch.
The sharp needle pierced Sosik’s clothing and body with a soft prick and then popped out on the other side.
While I empathized as though my own flesh was pierced, Sosik just seemed indifferent.
…Well, if it had hurt, Sosik wouldn’t have allowed it in the first place.
Thus, a cute name tag reading ‘Sosik’ was now pinned on Sosik.
As I snapped out of my thoughts and looked around, Daesik and Jung-sik also had their name tags on.
This is why I called it an award ceremony earlier.
The name tag presentation ceremony…
Saying it this way made it sound grander than it was. In reality, it was just official recognition of the names I had been using privately.
Still, it made me feel proud.
Considering they were referred to before as something made only of numbers, it felt like progress.
…Now that it’s done, I wonder if I should have chosen better names.
But it’s too late now. It feels weird to call them anything else.
Besides, if they didn’t like their names, they should have said so.
…Though, I suspect Sosik, Daesik, and Jung-sik just found out their names are ‘Small, Medium, and Large Siki’ today.
If they had any complaints, they should have voiced them then—wouldn’t that have made me consider other options?
Ahem.
Nonetheless, I started to feel a bit uneasy.
After the trio learned their names, what kind of names would Han Seori and her group come up with for me?
Would it end up being something ridiculous like ‘Jelly-sik’?
Or something even worse like ‘BigMediumSmallSik’?
Clearly, I should have thought this through from the start.
Trembling with regret, I watched as Han Seori approached me.
Despite her smiling face, her expression seemed somewhat bleak for some reason.
It must be my imagination… right?
“Alright, now it’s our star of the show’s turn.”
Her face as she came closer looked somehow worn out.
…Thinking about how much effort she might have put into deciding my name made me feel a bit relieved.
I mean, whoever the doctor was, as long as they have the title, they likely wouldn’t come up with something absurd, right?
No, no.
People with that title often have the worst naming sensibilities.
Please, please let this be an exception.
Han Seori approached gently and lowered herself to match my eye level, smiling warmly. Since I couldn’t see the name tag in her hand, I had no idea what my name would be.
For some reason, I felt I heard a voice from the direction of Daesik, Jung-sik, and Sosik saying, “Accept your fate.”
Damn, what on earth did I do to deserve this?
…Why can’t it just be a draw?
As Jelly trembled, Han Seori pulled out the pin from the brooch with a soft voice.
“Should you raise your hand if it hurts?”
I quickly raised mine.
If it’s going to hurt, wouldn’t it be better to reconsider my name?
“Um… I haven’t stuck it in yet?”
Drat.
Too eager.
“Haha… Must be excited about getting a name. You’re kind of cute in your own way.”
Standing nearby, Kim Cheon-soo chuckled.
How funny. I don’t see him checking his reflection to see how cute he is.
No, that’s beside the point.
While I was busy resenting Kim Cheon-soo, the sharp needle pierced through my jelly flesh. The cold metallic sensation was quite unpleasant.
That said, it would be absurd to think such a tiny prick could hurt me.
Still, I raised my hand.
Anything to delay the final decision on my name.
“Does this mean you want someone to hold your hand? One-se, could you please hold it for them?”
“Yes!”
Come on, I said raise your hand if it hurt!
While I flailed about, the brooch was firmly attached.
Obviously, the promise of cake had been a lie.
While I felt defeated, the cute name tag glimmered on my chest.
I still couldn’t read my name since it was on the exact opposite side of where I could see.
And then, Han Seori finally rose, satisfied, and gently patted my head as she spoke.
“Starting today, your name is Jin Lime. ‘Jin’ is your last name and ‘Lime’ is your first name. The ‘Jin’ comes from the character for ‘Liquid’ and ‘Lime’ comes from the word ‘Slime.’ I figured we didn’t need to be too conventional.”
Han Seori went on at length about how she came up with my name.
And I was more than happy to listen intently—because the name was better than I expected.
Jin Lime.
Is this what they call the harmony of East and West?
For some reason, the name made me crave noodles, but compared to what I imagined—something like ‘Jelly-sik’ or ‘Majelly’—this felt like a goddess’s name.
Jin Lime.
So from now on, will people just call me ‘Lime’? After all, first names are commonly used without the last name.
Thus, I felt a bit disappointed.
Since my body color was closer to blue than lime green, a name like ‘Blue Lime’ could have been somewhat quirky, but not bad.
Thinking about every tiny detail must make name selection difficult.
Anyway.
I was relatively satisfied.
Even though I had no vocal cords to mutter the name, my jelly jiggled in contentment.
As I reveled in my private satisfaction, I noticed Han Seori and the others watching me anxiously, perhaps fearing I wouldn’t like the name.
For once, this level of attention was rather gratifying.
I wanted to bask in it a bit longer, but that might worry them further.
Hmm…
How should I express my gratitude?
I quickly looked around.
Where’s Sphere when I need them? Why are they missing?
Ultimately, I realized I had to express my joy with my own body.
…Typical, the one time I need them, they’re nowhere to be found.
Hmm.
Ugh…
In the end, I decided to jump up and down in place and then rush to throw my arms around Han Seori in a tight hug.
It was the only way I could immediately express my joy.
The brooch embedded in my jelly felt cold.
Because I’m embarrassed.
I want to die.
