They say, “What you sow is what you reap.”
Originally, it meant you harvest what you plant, but for Lime, who mingled with suspicious individuals, the saying felt a little different.
Until now, the reason I’ve acted differently from before… Wasn’t it because people treated me as if I were a part of the Singularity?
To the extent of having such thoughts, Lime was currently feeling quite satisfied.
There was no other reason; the middle-aged man in front of Lime, who introduced himself as Park Jin-soo, seemed to truly believe that Lime had transformed into a “human” and treated Lime as such.
“Come on, let’s fill our stomachs a bit before we set off.”
Upon saying this, Park Jin-soo turned with a friendly face toward the man behind him, who seemed to joke around then rummaged in the bonfire and pulled out a cooking foil.
The man who retrieved it silently glanced at the woman standing motionless nearby. The woman, apparently unconcerned, shrugged her shoulders.
It seemed whatever was left in the bonfire was supposed to be hers.
But now it had a new owner.
The man, already wearing gloves, tore open the cooking foil, peeled the skin off the sweet potato inside, which was still steaming, and handed it to Lime.
At this, Park Jin-soo spoke up with an awkward voice, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“There’s nothing left now but this. Still, we’re lucky. You arrived before we ran out of food.”
With a sense of relief in his voice, Lime inadvertently accepted the sweet potato.
The warm temperature and the sweet aroma rising from it filled the air.
Lime stared blankly at the sweet potato, now covered in Jelly.
It seemed to be the last remaining ration they had—a military-issue sweet potato.
Thinking it might be the last, Lime felt a pang of guilt.
Hmm… Is it okay for me to eat this?
There must be some trick since they seem to know this place better than me.
Though I don’t need to eat right now, isn’t this an important source of energy for them?
Glancing at their supplies, it seemed they might still have some combat rations left, but…
It seemed they were waiting for the next stage or something like that.
Would the people who’ve been inactive start moving once we pass?
Would we then be able to get more food?
After pondering for a moment, Lime decided to eat the military sweet potato. If they hadn’t handed it to Lime, it might have been different. However, since it was already in his hands, there was no choice but to eat it.
It absolutely wasn’t because Lime was reluctant to return it for fear it would be soaked in Jelly.
They all had their thoughts and must have given it to Lime for a reason.
After concluding this, Lime was about to habitually stuff the sweet potato into his stomach but stopped mid-action.
There were still three pairs of eyes watching him.
…Come to think of it, these people think I’m human, right?
In that case, I guess I should act accordingly. Besides, I originally was a human, so it shouldn’t be hard, right?
Doing what I’ve always done should be fine.
Lime brought the sweet potato to his face and opened his mouth wide. It looked more like the Jelly split, but thanks to the sweet potato blocking the view, it roughly mimicked the act of eating.
However, he hadn’t completely gotten rid of his new habits, so after stuffing the sweet potato into his mouth, Lime let go with his hands.
He realized his mistake only after moving his hands around but, perhaps not noticing the incongruity, the people standing in front of Lime didn’t seem to give him an odd look.
With a sense of relief, Lime enjoyed the taste of the sweet potato, wiggling his Jelly.
Ah.
It’s delicious.
Most sweets were usually Pudding, so this was a truly rare natural sweetness.
Just as Lime was enjoying the sweet potato,
The man who handed him the sweet potato said with a pleasant voice,
“I guess we should introduce ourselves. I’m Lee Sang-yong.”
Saying this, Lee Sang-yong extended his hand toward Lime.
Seeing the hand signal, which seemed to request a handshake, Lime blankly stared at it for a moment before hastily reaching out.
Lee Sang-yong took Lime’s soft hand, shook it up and down, and then continued with a slight smile.
“Come to think of it, you seem unable to speak… Should I assume you’re a female?”
Upon hearing this, Lime’s Jelly trembled slightly.
…I’m a man.
Thoughtlessly considering this, Lime recalled his current appearance and reluctantly nodded with a slightly dissatisfied expression rather than shaking his head, fearing he might hear something he didn’t want to.
“That’s right. I look forward to working with you.”
For some reason, this man didn’t sit well with Lime.
Was it his gaze? It felt somewhat burdensome.
It wasn’t exactly hostile, but it carried an eerie familiarity that made Lime’s eyes instinctively narrow.
When Lee Sang-yong noticed Lime’s narrowed eyes, he let go of his hand and joked around.
“Ah, I held your hand for too long, ma’am. Alright… You two ladies should introduce yourselves too.”
…I’m not.
Lime couldn’t help but think of Kim Cheon-soo outside upon seeing Lee Sang-yong. For some reason, Kim Cheon-soo kept flashing in his mind whenever he looked at him.
He gave me some Pudding…
…Why can’t I remember anything else?
Anyway.
Perhaps Lime had grown more accustomed to women due to Han Seori and Yang Ha-na.
After completely stuffing the military sweet potato into his mouth, Lime approached the silent woman.
He felt uncomfortable from the satisfied gaze he felt from behind.
Why is he looking at me like I’m about to drip with honey or something?
Come to think of it, it’s less like honey and more like a swamp.
Well, they were waiting for me, so maybe I appear like a savior or hero in their eyes…
That’s probably why they even gave me the last military sweet potato.
Hum… It’s quite a heavy burden.
With his one arm clutching Daesik even tighter, Lime looked up at the woman.
The woman, as if noticing Lime’s eyes, shifted her gaze downwards.
She wasn’t disinterested, but her expression barely changed.
In contrast to the sticky gaze coming from behind, she gave off an almost hollow feeling.
But when she slightly bowed her head, Lime instinctively returned the gesture.
Taking that as a signal, the woman introduced herself as Lee Yoo-jin.
Since Lime could only nod, the conversation couldn’t go further.
Nevertheless,
After this introduction, the group (?) gathered their things.
Whether out of excitement or anticipation, Park Jin-soo and Lee Sang-yong couldn’t hide their delighted smiles.
Observing these two men, Lime couldn’t help but chuckle internally.
Seeing their excitement, he felt like he was watching his former self before he became like this.
Perhaps, if not for this current form, we might have actually become friends?
…Of course, it seemed there was something complicated going on here, so it might be worth having a genuine conversation.
Unlike these two pleasant men, Lee Yoo-jin’s attitude was somewhat opaque.
She could be seen as simple, but on the other hand, her calmness amidst this situation felt suspicious.
Her occasional probing glances seemed to suggest she had something on her mind.
Doubts began to rise in Lime’s Jelly.
If there was a spy, it might as well be Lee Yoo-jin.
To hide a leaf, you place it within the forest.
To hide a person, you must place them among a crowd, right?
Deciding that Lee Yoo-jin was the most suspicious, Lime resolved to pay closer attention to her actions and walked alongside her.
…She was indeed the most suspicious, but since they were grouped under the same gender, there wasn’t much choice.
What’s more, it might be better this way.
They say the most suspicious person should be kept closest, after all.
Resolved to keep a close eye on Lee Yoo-jin’s movements, Lime followed the two men as they walked ahead.
The group passed through the eerie village that Lime had sensed before and moved along the path.
At some point, Lime couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim in amazement.
Isn’t there supposed to be no path here?
One of the reasons Lime had felt something was off in the village was because there was seemingly nothing noteworthy beyond it.
But it turned out not that there was nothing, but rather that Lime hadn’t found it.
They were walking towards something they clearly already knew, clearing the bushes and leading Lime and Lee Yoo-jin toward it.
“Haha, we’ve endured plenty. I can’t imagine what else awaits ahead.”
Though he said this, there was a clear sense of enjoyment in his voice, which made Lime feel closer to him.
After all, there’s no bad person among those who enjoy adventure and romance, right?
As if to confirm this, the two men kept chatting animatedly about topics that caught Lime’s interest.
Though Lime didn’t interject or respond, merely nodding his head, the stories were intriguing enough to leave him quite satisfied.
Meanwhile, Lee Yoo-jin seemed unengaged, which annoyed Lime somewhat.
Though it wasn’t clear if she was entirely disinterested, her constant glances at him intensified Lime’s suspicion.
Soon, the group arrived at an old, creaky bridge and began to cross it in pairs.
“Creak, creak.”
Below the cliff flowed a rushing river. Despite not being able to drown, a fall would likely crack his head, but the sight made Lime feel like he’d stepped into a movie scene.
Excitedly, Lime watched as the two men crossed first and waved from the other side.
“Come on over! We’re almost there!”
Promptly, Lee Yoo-jin and Lime began to cross too.
Lime carefully navigated the swaying bridge while Lee Yoo-jin, as if having something to say, moved her lips.
Hmm, I was cautious, but perhaps she wasn’t?
Though maybe my face has an uncanny potential, doesn’t it?
But Lee Yoo-jin’s lips never opened. Thus, Lime experienced a strange mix of relief and disappointment as they crossed the bridge.
When they reached the other side, in front of the group stood…
A firmly closed door.
It wasn’t an ordinary door but seemingly the entrance to some ancient relic.
“For this one, it should be open… Let’s give it a try.”
Pulling out a key from his pocket, Park Jin-soo inserted it into the keyhole.
Click.
He turned it.
The massive, firmly shut door began to open with a loud sound.
Creeeeak!
Behind them, the previously stagnant river started to flow with a rushing sound.
At the same time, Park Jin-soo and Lee Sang-yong cried out in ecstasy.
“Seems like we were just short of a person after all!”
“Are we finally leaving this wretched place!?”
Lime, feeling as if he were boarding a bus, awkwardly clapped.
Thus, the journey of three humans and a Jelly was just about to begin.
Cradled in Lime’s arms, Daesik remained motionless, as if suggesting it should stay that way.
