It’s a familiar darkness.
Honestly, even when I got hit by the stone, I didn’t really think much of it.
I thought I could endure it. In fact, the only reason I ran away with Lee Yoo-jin was because I thought she was in danger, so I ran with her—that’s all.
If I had only been thinking about myself, there would have been no need to do it. But for some reason, I couldn’t leave her behind.
Perhaps it’s because she accepted my actions so openly. Maybe seeing her reminded me of other people out there.
…Maybe.
In the past, when I found myself in similar situations, I didn’t have anyone specific to think about.
So… when exactly was it? Ah, it must have been when the crocodile that kept resurrecting appeared in the sewers, and I threw myself into the place where the water drained away.
What did I think about as I sank into the darkness?
Probably, I was just feeling overwhelmed by a sense of injustice.
And… I wondered how I should live going forward, why my body had turned into this, and where I was headed.
It seemed that my mind was filled with anxious thoughts that only made me more uneasy.
But this time was different. To be honest, the situation might be much worse now than back then. At that time, I jumped in with the reckless thought that I had nothing to lose, but at least I had a vague hope that I’d end up somewhere.
But this time, I don’t have that vague hope. I just couldn’t bear to see Lee Yoo-jin flattened by the stone.
Reflecting on it now, I regret not extending my tentacles more carefully, or figuring out a better way to handle it.
At least, there’s something I can excuse myself with. I thought the stone would only crush me into thin pieces or something and hold me against the wall for a while—I thought my image might get a little damaged, but I wasn’t planning on sacrificing myself to save her.
However, the rolling stone generated an unexpected force that shattered the wall and eventually dragged me into this darkness.
…Since the creator probably anticipated this, it would be more accurate to say that its force exceeded my expectations.
I think whoever that creator is, they must be a real j*rk.
They placed a crossroads without any treasure boxes, and now it feels like I’ve arrived somewhere without knowing if this is the destination.
And then I realized—this is the Singularity.
That means what I saw from the outside was its true form…
It’s truly extraordinary that such a vast world exists within such a small object. On the other hand, if it can hold this much, maybe it could just swallow me whole from the outside.
…What if it just swallows me as soon as I step out?
But I guess I can think about that after I get out.
Anyway…
Still, given that I have some awareness left, it seems I’m not dead yet. When the stone shattered the wall and I fell, I really thought I was about to d*e.
As I said before, metaphorically speaking, it’s like I’ve ended up inside the belly of the Singularity.
In a VR world, the joke is that dying here means you d*e in reality too, and in a place where that joke doesn’t seem like a joke, it’s understandable.
No, is that really true?
Actually, since I haven’t seen anyone d*e here, I’m not sure.
You might only know for sure by testing it, right?
If you don’t really d*e here, perhaps it could be used as some kind of theme park… While I was idly falling and thinking these things…
BOOM!
I don’t know how far I fell, but I felt the shock of something shattering.
I almost dropped Daesik, who was trembling in my grip.
Carefully emerging from the debris, I looked around. In my wildest dreams, I imagined finding a hidden secret ruin or a futuristic underground base—but the dim landscape I saw was far from that.
It looks like I just fell off a cliff. On the other hand, maybe this is the start of the real adventure.
Hmm…
Is this where my new adventure begins?
…Anyone here who knows about the Singularity?
Of course, since no voice came out, there was no response. Not that anyone would have replied anyway.
Feeling a bit awkward, I fidgeted with the jelly, and then I checked Daesik’s condition.
And… Daesik, no, more accurately, Alice, didn’t seem to be in very good shape.
Now that I think about it, it’s almost miraculous that Alice held up this long. Maybe it was only possible because of Daesik’s strength. She was kept safe somewhere and managed to last this long, which wasn’t easy.
Her clothes were torn in places, and the cotton stuffing was falling out. Here and there, bits of blue jelly were visible. She looked terrible.
I may have to say goodbye to Alice this time.
…You really liked Alice, didn’t you?
For some reason, I started feeling melancholic. It was just some random relationship at the beginning, where I gave her a name out of necessity, but now she feels more like family.
What can I do?
Just as people eventually return to the earth, toys have their lifespans too, and I expected this would happen someday.
It was just that Yang Ha-na kept extending her lifespan through repairs.
…Then why am I so down? It’s not like Daesik died, or a person died. It’s just a doll that’s broken… or about to break.
I don’t know.
Am I turning into sentimental jelly, or is it that everything inside my fence, whether human or object, becomes precious?
The darkness makes me think too much.
While I was lost in these thoughts, Daesik seemed unwilling to give up on Alice, moving his creaky doll body as if protesting.
He tried to make his dangling arm cling to his body and used pieces of fabric scattered around to try to fix it with some jelly.
Watching this made me want to help, but I was too preoccupied with my own struggles to do much.
When I was murmuring these thoughts, a faint sound from above made me curious.
“Eep, AHAA!”
It’s a familiar voice.
The same voice that was holding me just moments ago—it would be strange if I didn’t recognize it.
But… huh?
I didn’t wish for a person to fall, even though I wanted something to come down.
Cold sweat trickled down my back. I quickly strapped Daesik to my back and rushed to the place where Lee Yoo-jin was about to fall.
I was fine, but if she fell like this, she might end up in such a terrible condition that living itself could be a misfortune.
She might not even be able to feel that misfortune.
Anyway, predicting where she would land, I managed to reach the right spot and prepared to catch Lee Yoo-jin as she came down like a model tower trainee.
While extending my tentacles to form a net-like shape, I noticed something troubling.
…They, no, she still thinks I’m a normal girl who somehow transformed.
Still, it’s better than dying, so I made the jelly net even tighter.
Maybe I could just say, “Since my body turned into this, I suddenly gained this ability”?
It wasn’t really a lie, so I thought there was no reason to hesitate, but since I couldn’t make a sound anyway, it wasn’t a meaningful worry.
By the time my tight jelly net was ready, Lee Yoo-jin, shrieking “AAH!”, safely landed in it.
Cold sweat rolled down my jelly, despite my careful attention to ensure she wasn’t hurt. Still, the resilience of my jelly managed to catch her safely without harm.
“Uh, Aahh… Ee…?”
It seemed Lee Yoo-jin was slightly disoriented after landing in the jelly net.
I mean, I could stay calm because I was this jelly form, but she’s human, right?
Still, it could be a stroke of luck that she’s unhurt. Daesik is all torn up.
She began to twitch uncontrollably, so I first took her out of the net. With nothing immediately available, I gently placed her head on my jelly thigh.
As her skull shape pressed into the jelly, I waited patiently until she stabilized.
Since I had no medical knowledge, I didn’t know what to do right away, but I thought she needed to be comfortable.
How long had I waited for Lee Yoo-jin to recover?
As her body twitched convulsively, she finally came to her senses, groaned, and spoke in a low, raspy voice.
“This sensation… What is it? This doesn’t feel like the ground… Am I… still alive… Huh?”
Lee Yoo-jin, with a dazed expression, started to tear up unexpectedly.
Confused and uncertain what to do, I let her continue talking.
“My, my head… the sensation… I, I’m alive! Y-yeah… my theory was right! Yeah… definitely… I didn’t d*e… yeah.”
Her rambling held suspicious nuances, but I decided to let her keep going.
Then, realizing her flailing hands couldn’t see anything because of the darkness, I placed my face into her hand.
She touched my face with her hand and let out a sigh of relief.
“You could hear me. That’s a relief. You’re alive too… Hmm… by any chance, wasn’t it you who saved me not just once but twice?”
She smiled faintly and continued to cry as she spoke.
…It’d be easier if she either laughed or cried, not both, but human emotions are complicated like that, right?
Since she still seemed mentally scattered and needed time, I kept my body available for her to rely on.
After wiping her tears and regaining some composure, she grabbed me with her hand and said in a trembling voice.
“I have something I want to tell you.”
After all the crying and thankfulness were over…
It was an unexpected confession.
