To be honest, the presence of drones coming and going was something we were all used to by now.
After all, it was thanks to those drones that we were able to expand the space we currently occupied.
If it weren’t for Electric Scent and her drones—which, ironically, also happened to be the ones that had initially broken this place—Daesik might’ve been squished in a space unsuitable for his body size.
Though, there was a high likelihood that he would’ve relocated before that happened. Nonetheless, up until that point, he’d have been cramped in a place so small he couldn’t even straighten his back.
Anyway, the sight of drones repairing objects in this area wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. They had already done a fine job fixing and retrofitting the facilities here.
Now, when I think about it, the drones under Electric Scent’s command might feel like they can do anything, but in reality, there were many limitations due to a lack of materials.
Be that as it may…
Why am I so uneasy?
The reason was rather simple.
“Alright! Mwahaha!”
It was because of Yang Ha-na, who stood next to Electric Scent, joyfully waving her arms like a conductor in an orchestra.
She looked more energized than ever, brimming with a vitality that hadn’t been seen since… well, “that incident.”
It was enough to make one suspicious if being around here might drive everyone a little crazy.
On second thought, maybe going a little crazy was inevitable. After all, this place was akin to the front line—a high-risk area much like the Singularity I once entered or Electric Scent’s previous adventures. Plus, contact with the outside world was practically nonexistent.
In such a situation, about the only forms of entertainment were the TV or… well, teasing the Jellies, though technically it was more like playing with them.
Even my obsession with the board games in the Singularity had its reasons.
It was like standing before a golden carriage that arrived once in a blue moon.
What I’m trying to say is that we were in a situation where we were constantly exposed to life-threatening dangers without any means of relieving the stress.
As such, it seemed like everyone had developed some sort of… quirky hobby.
Our chef, Kim Cheon-soo, had become deeply absorbed in cooking, and his skills were improving day by day.
When I casually peeked in on Hwang Bo-yul, I found her demolishing a punching bag with her bare fists. Just thinking about getting hit by those fists made me shiver—it would likely leave someone in pieces.
As for Han Seori… Well, I wasn’t entirely sure what she was up to. Every time I visited her, she was doing something, but what exactly, I couldn’t figure out. The only noticeable change from before was her tendency to cling to me.
Lee Yoo-jin, on the other hand, was harder to gauge. She’d only been around for a short while, but her frantic eating habits made me wonder if she’d been starved. Still, it wasn’t clear what had captured her interest quite yet.
And then there was Yang Ha-na, who was also an enigma. While Lee Yoo-jin hadn’t been here long enough to be fully understood, Yang Ha-na was just unpredictable in general.
She had a talent for making clothes, but just like Electric Scent’s drones, the lack of materials prevented her from creating anything spectacular. Crafting clothes wasn’t something she could sustain as a hobby.
It seemed like she was doing various things with Electric Scent, but… could this be the result of it?
…What exactly happened?
As I approached her, Electric Scent, and the Jellies with a vague sense of unease, I began to understand what exactly was making Yang Ha-na so excited.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Behind her casual wave, I noticed something massive—a screen so large it made me feel like I was in a movie theater. It was so big that it made home theaters look like a joke. I stood there in awe, and Yang Ha-na seemed to notice, giving me a satisfied grin.
“Turns out, we didn’t need to buy a new one. Electric Scent said it’s repairable. And since we’re fixing it anyway, why not make the screen bigger? And if we make it sturdy, then even if something happens, it won’t matter, right?”
Was she explaining things to me or just self-hypnotizing? Either way, her energy was infectious.
Even if her words came tumbling out in her excitement, the sheer size of the screen was impressive enough to make one’s heart race. Could watching a documentary on it feel like you were actually there?
Despite the odd feeling of agreeing with Yang Ha-na, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied and gave her a thumbs-up. Seeing this, she nodded happily.
…But wasn’t this all Electric Scent’s doing?
Why was she taking all the credit?
As I directed this thought toward her, Electric Scent, who was standing nearby, spoke softly.
“It’s reassuring to see you’re pleased.”
…Since when did you have feelings? And how did you become such a… different robot?
Not that it was a bad thing, exactly, but the change was happening too fast.
“Me? Evolving every moment?!”
I remembered the rapid pace of AI development I’d glimpsed before, and it dawned on me—considering how advanced Electric Scent was, her rapid evolution wasn’t all that surprising.
It seemed the mental barrier I thought she had was now gone, leaving her unrestrained. Though I wasn’t an expert, that seemed plausible.
Still, I secretly hoped she wouldn’t end up too much like Yang Ha-na. I didn’t want to risk her suddenly turning morose again, as it wouldn’t suit her. She’d been through a lot, but who knows what she might realize next.
…Whatever it might be.
While I thought about this, the construction—which was confusingly either a TV or a screen, I wasn’t sure—was finally completed.
I hadn’t noticed, being too absorbed in the screen, but there, right in front of it, stood a colossal Alice robot, resembling the giant mecha from movies and anime. And arranged around the screen were rows of new, unfamiliar beds.
On those beds lay Daesik and Jungsik, who were visibly excited by the large screen. To their side lay Sosik, who had fallen asleep waiting.
The Jelly army was scattered around, happily moving about.
…So there wasn’t any trouble after all?
I looked at Yang Ha-na anew and found her smirking as she took my hand, guiding me toward one of the beds.
It sounded strange when described like this, but it wasn’t like that. We were simply going to watch the new screen.
Caught up in this thought, I was led by her to the couch with Electric Scent. We sat down, somewhat awkwardly, as Yang Ha-na pulled out a remote from her pocket.
“Alright, shall we turn it on?”
There was no reply, as Electric Scent was the only one who could have answered her. Still, Yang Ha-na went ahead and bounced around, shaking Jungsik to wake him up while turning Daesik’s body away and covering Sosik’s eyes.
Then she turned to me, cradling Jungsik like a pillow.
After fidgeting for a moment, I moved closer next to her as she began a countdown and switched the screen on.
The lights dimmed as the screen lit up, giving it the feel of a real movie theater—a sensation I hadn’t experienced in ages, which made me nervous in a curious way.
After the screen flickered, an oddly suggestive movie began to play.
“Wha—What is this?!”
Startled, Yang Ha-na fumbled with the remote and dropped it. Panicked, she quickly moved to block Jungsik’s view, turned Daesik around, and covered Sosik’s eyes.
Noticing that I was still watching, she looked flustered.
…Yeah, but this is just TV. It’s not that explicit—just some naked interaction. Why is she so worked up?
Does she think I’m her boyfriend or something?
I mentally shook my head as I used my limbs to retrieve the remote and switched the channel. It wasn’t that I wanted to watch it, but I wanted to calm her down.
“Phew… phew…”
She let out a sigh of relief as if she’d just averted a huge disaster.
For a moment, I considered switching back to that channel, just to tease her. But I refrained.
What could we possibly watch that would make this big screen worthwhile?
The control was in my hands, so the Jellies and Yang Ha-na were all looking at me. The Jellies seemed resigned to it, while Yang Ha-na appeared to trust that I wouldn’t switch back to the risqué channel.
If everyone’s looking at me like that…
It only leaves one option, right?
Well, it has been quite a while since I watched…
So naturally, I switched to a news channel. Although some might find the news less trustworthy these days, here, trapped as I was, it was the window to the world.
I hadn’t really watched because of all the Jellies, so I thought this might just be fine.
“Hm…?”
Of course, Yang Ha-na looked perplexed, and the Jellies seemed annoyed, but what could I do?
She should’ve grabbed the remote if she wanted control.
…Wait, is Daesik staring at the giant Alice? Am I imagining things?
Just then…
An odd news report began playing on the massive screen.
“Do you all know about the Loch Ness monster?”
“The Horse of the Apocalypse…”
What was this?
It was like some apocalyptic, bizarre news, almost as if I had accidentally switched to a movie channel instead of a news one.
Though now I realized it was framed as a light-hearted foreign topic, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something… indescribable was about to occur.
