I was once again captured by a woman whose name I didn’t even know, and brought back to the same stark white, obsessive-compulsive-inducing room as last time.
It was so similar to the place where the canned goods had been that it gave me a peculiar feeling.
Still, if it meant that the place where the canned goods had been was originally involved in similar activities to this place…
It had been heavily damaged… Was there some kind of accident here?
I didn’t know.
I didn’t really want to know. Thinking about that place brought back the voice I had heard at the end, and it left me in a foul mood.
There was something incredibly unpleasant about the feeling of something incomprehensible suddenly becoming understandable.
Maybe I could now somewhat relate to those stories from famous works where people go mad from just reading an inscription.
…But perhaps it was only because I had this body that I could make just enough sense of it to stop there.
As much as I tried not to, the thought, once it stuck in my head, refused to leave.
The thoughts about the canned goods that had been disturbing me eventually led me to the question of why I had suddenly been able to understand them, and I was able to make a pretty accurate guess as to why. It wasn’t certain, but I was almost sure of the reason.
“It must be because I ate that bizarre chunk of meat.”
There was no other explanation. When I was just messing around by the canned goods, I still couldn’t understand them.
The point at which the language they used began to make a vague sense coincided with the point at which I had digested most of that chunk of meat.
…What did that mean, exactly?
Wait a second.
If I, who have tasted the retort pack, can understand this, does that mean it’s being distributed outside?
Is this… really okay?
While pondering this over the jelly, I soon gave up on the thought since there wasn’t much I could do about it. After all, deep down, I was just a small jelly betrayed and captured.
…Well, the betrayal was merely from my perspective, but isn’t humanity inherently selfish?
Even though I am not in a human state now, I am human, so these feelings were natural for me.
Still, should I be grateful they didn’t keep me locked up in a box but let me run around freely?
How long had I been sitting in the corner, my thoughts bubbling like the jelly?
In that space where the passage of time was imperceptible, I was lost in absent-mindedness when suddenly, the tightly shut door opened, and a man I had never seen before entered the room.
The man, who had a very uneasy look on his face, was carrying a tray. And from it, wafted a very familiar aroma.
The jelly bubbled in pursuit of that scent, but I remained crouched, pretending to be indifferent while feeling a little down.
The man also looked extremely cautious and reluctant, which put me in a bit of a sour mood.
Well, if you’re just here to drop something, then drop it and go already.
As if obeying my thoughts, the man set the tray down and hurriedly left the room.
Damn, what the hell did I do to make him so scared?
But more troubling was how, despite being a stranger, he felt somewhat familiar.
As much as I racked my brains, I couldn’t place his face, so I turned my attention away from the fleeing man and moved toward the tray on the floor.
On it lay the L company hamburger I had enjoyed so much last time, along with generous helpings of fries and a drink that hadn’t been there before.
Yeah, people can betray others sometimes.
Judging from the fact that I had eaten that chunk of meat and enough time had passed, the hamburger set my jelly bubbling.
Or maybe it was because I just had a good appetite.
Anyway,
I picked up the hamburger from the tray and swallowed it into my belly. Its taste was as satisfying as ever, and the fries were also delicious.
The texture of the fries made no difference to me; they were all just fries, whether soggy or crispy.
But washing everything down with the soda made me feel like a party was happening inside my body.
The fizzy, bubble-filled sensation was somehow fresher than when I swallowed soda through my throat.
I was enjoying it so much that all my vague worries about the future disappeared.
Though I had betrayed, the hamburger set was divine.
And so…
I failed to notice the changes happening within my body.
“Are you not scared anymore?”
“…If you tried wearing a slime suit, you’d understand, Dr.”
“Hmm… Really, that serious?”
Han Seori stroked her chin, saying this, and Kim Cheon-soo sighed deeply before turning his body.
“I’ll leave now.”
“Hold on… Is a man scared of such a little thing…?”
“It’s not that. But still, when will you honor your promise?”
Remembering all too well.
Avoiding Kim Cheon-soo’s gaze, Han Seori twirled her hair with her pen and said quietly,
“Looks like we need to wait a bit longer. After moving that girl to the lab, it will be better.”
“…You promised.”
“Yes, I did.”
As Han Seori grinned with a knowing smile, Kim Cheon-soo scratched his head vigorously and left the room by opening the door.
Watching his retreating figure, Han Seori’s face softened with a hint of wistfulness before she looked away.
Through the glass pane, she saw the Jelly Girl fidgeting.
When she had brought her back from the Restricted Zone, the Jelly Girl was sulking in the corner, reminding her of a scolded child.
Now, with her bouncing around the room again, it seemed her anger had subsided.
Still, despite her adorable appearance, the implications were not light.
It was proof that the Jelly Girl possessed an intellect far beyond expectations, paired with advanced cognitive abilities.
In fact, her intelligence likely surpassed even Han Seori’s expectations.
The sight of her landing perfectly on the floor after dangling from the hook suggested she had already understood the mechanism.
“…Maybe I should have gone with Agent Cheon-soo.”
What if only I dislike her?
…No, that’s not it.
Was it because of the strange attachment I’ve developed that my thoughts keep straying in odd directions?
Though it wasn’t necessarily a good sign, watching the tiny Jelly Girl made Han Seori’s heart soften involuntarily.
Still, the fortunate thing was that they had managed to bring the Jelly Girl to the Laboratory safely.
As a special monitored subject, one that even the Director couldn’t tamper with easily.
Han Seori felt a sense of accomplishment, knowing her efforts hadn’t been wasted.
The reason she was able to designate the Jelly Girl as a Special Monitored Subject was not only because it was rare to find someone with both high intelligence and goodwill.
But also due to the Jelly Girl experiencing mysterious changes.
Han Seori observed the Jelly Girl through the glass, focusing on the small blob of slime trailing behind her.
It looked like one of those ‘slimes’ straight out of a game.
After re-isolating her, for a few days, they had only provided food, and one day, small clusters of slime began to form at the Jelly Girl’s back.
At first, it seemed like she was excreting some kind of slime, but upon observation, it turned out they were moving.
Interestingly, the Jelly Girl herself seemed startled when she saw these moving blobs, as if they appeared without her notice.
“…Perhaps.”
Could this not have been an ability she originally possessed? Otherwise, there wouldn’t really be a reason for her to be surprised, right?
Among all the things the Jelly Girl had consumed, the only suspicious item was the ‘endlessly proliferating chunk of meat.’
Using this as a key point, Han Seori successfully got the Jelly Girl listed as a Special Monitored Subject.
Even when the Director showed up with a distorted face, yelling furiously, it seemed like a routine to her.
However,
The incident made the situation with the Jelly Girl escalate instead of just her being taken away by the Director.
The fact that the Jelly Girl had developed unknown abilities after eating the ‘endlessly proliferating chunk of meat’ led to a conclusion.
…There might be effects they hadn’t yet identified within the meat distributed in those cans.
Thus, they decided not to ship the cans while still continuing with their production.
Since dealing with the endlessly proliferating meat was the very purpose, stopping the factory wasn’t an option.
Although the finance team expressed strong discontent at the growing inventory, Han Seori thought it was a case of misplaced priorities.
But she couldn’t say much about it, knowing that part of her allotted research funds originated from that production.
After all, bringing the Jelly Girl here was her decision, and getting involved too deeply would end up hurting her.
During the ensuing meeting, the majority opinion leaned towards the possibility that the Jelly Girl had absorbed the meat’s ‘proliferation’ ability, so resuming distribution didn’t seem far off.
Han Seori thought it was somewhat reckless and risky, but she wasn’t strong enough to counter such a dominant opinion.
Not only did she not want the attention on her, but she also felt it wouldn’t make any difference anyway.
She thought it would be better to use her energy researching the Jelly Girl instead.
Therefore, she was content with the initial plan of having the Jelly Girl assigned to her.
Lost in her thoughts, Han Seori once again glanced at the Jelly Girl through the glass.
She saw the Jelly Girl lift the round blob that had been following her into her hands.
Holding the small blobs in both palms and staring at them, it looked incredibly cute.
Like a small child caring for her little sibling, one might say.
At that moment,
Han Seori noticed the Jelly Girl swallowing the small blob.
She blinked in surprise.
Cancelling her prior impression,
The singularity truly was… a singularity.
With her heart that had soften slightly now stiffened, Han Seori started preparing to move the Jelly Girl to the lab.
