Today, I asked Jelly something. Or maybe it was yesterday.
No, it couldn’t have been yesterday since I just asked now.
Sosik was building a small hill with warm sand when I heard Kim Cheon-soo’s voice from behind.
“…What exactly are you doing?”
Doing? I don’t have anything to do, so I’m just playing around. Though, shouldn’t you be the one to answer that since you’ve been lying around under that parasol snoring? Why are you looking at me like that? Mr. Kim, don’t you have a conscience?
Ah, are you upset because I didn’t offer you a sand steam bath?
Could be…possible!
I looked over at the guy who now had a rather uncomfortable expression on his face.
“Hmm?”
The guy, realizing I was staring, suddenly acted as if nothing was wrong. Since Electric Scent wasn’t around, I silently pointed at Sosik lying nearby with my finger. His face then turned into an expression that was impossible to describe.
“No, hey! It’s not like that… who’s treating anyone like a kid…?”
He waved his hands around, saying it wasn’t like that. However, his eyes were unmistakably focused on the dug-out sand next to Sosik.
He’s not being honest.
Thinking about it, I don’t remember ever seeing Kim Cheon-soo playing around.
He was always busy going back and forth between the kitchen and the management room at home. And even outside of the management room, he always seemed to have something to do.
Well, one could argue how I would know if he never rests since I’m usually just stuck inside. It’s possible he only works when I’m around, but…
However, looking at him resting under that parasol just now, it felt like he was genuinely trying to relax, even though it seemed more forced than real.
At this moment, it’s unclear to me, but for him, this is definitely work time. Considering how he used to stick to that, how badly must he have wanted to rest?
Perhaps this trip wasn’t just an excuse for him to join me but Han Seori’s thoughtful way of letting Kim Cheon-soo take a break?
Vacation without needing to use leave days… quite the sophisticated welfare policy, if you ask me!
Thinking about it now, I do have a question. Does Kim Cheon-soo even have weekends…? I mean, everyone eats regardless of weekends, and there’s never a day without work, either.
But if we consider managing the Singularity as work, then since most Singularities in the House don’t need much care (some don’t even exist), he probably has more leeway than we think.
Still, his hard work remains undeniable. Watching him pretend not to want a sand steam bath while secretly craving it, I decided to give it to him.
They say it’s incredibly good for fatigue recovery. Proof being Sosik, who is so relaxed, he won’t even open his eyes. You saying he’s just giving up and sleeping? He wouldn’t be able to if it were uncomfortable, would he?
Anyway,
I decided to strip down one layer before starting the sand steam bath for him. Though there’s nothing to strip off, of course.
First, I started digging near Sosik. The moment I did, his face changed and he began waving his arms.
“No, I said I don’t want it!”
Yes, but you need it.
As I pondered how to lay him down on the sand, a simple solution hit me. Instead of using girl-like gestures, I could just use my tentacles to push him down.
Sosik said he’d definitely enjoy it, didn’t he?
“Wha, wha, hey?!”
The tentacles shot out and tightly gripped Kim Cheon-soo’s limbs. Despite his wriggling like a child refusing to cooperate, there was no escaping it.
Unless he’s somehow a Singularity himself, breaking free is impossible.
“No, no, I, I don’t want thi… aah!”
Once I laid him down in the sand pit, I began covering him with sand.
“This is a live burial!”
Don’t worry about your face being buried. It’s not like I don’t carefully consider how to avoid that.
Before long, the sand piled high enough to reach his knees. Finally giving up, he stops resisting, lets out a sigh, and closes his eyes.
The warm sun soothing his face looked genuinely peaceful.
See? I told you it’d feel good. If you’d done this from the start, you could’ve been enjoying it by now!
With that, I created two small mounds on the beach. I grabbed a bucket under the parasol to bring some seawater.
It wasn’t to splash Kim Cheon-soo’s face, but to add a bit more detailing to the mounds which felt a bit too plain. I started with Sosik since I buried him first.
Someone as fair as I am is hard to find. Though it might be tiring to care so much, no one besides me would thinkfully look after him—or the Singularity, for that matter.
With that, I began shaping Sosik’s sand mound while spraying it with seawater. To prevent it from collapsing, I carefully molded it for quite some time. Soon, a female silhouette with decent curves emerged below his neck.
It’s the kind of image I imagined based on the thought that Sosik, like Big-Eater Daesik, might secretly wish for a nice body.
Anyway, he remained sound asleep through all of this.
Looking at it closely, the proportions seem a bit off. The body and the face don’t quite match.
But I liked that gap, so I turned to Kim Cheon-soo next. Naturally, it was his turn after attending to Sosik.
What kind of body should I create for him to ensure this effort gets good feedback?
This is a pointless question since there’s no one around to spread rumors, but I took it somewhat seriously.
Since Sosik had a curvy, muscular form, creating a similarly well-built body for Kim Cheon-soo would seem reasonable—or what people might call a ‘well-fitting suit’ kind of style.
But that’s too boring. The proportions might be balanced, but where’s the fun in that?
An idea struck me, and I sprayed seawater on the sand where Kim Cheon-soo was buried. Then I started forming a long pillar by gathering the sand.
Whatever it was, it felt like the right thing to do.
No, not that I made detailed depictions. It was more of… a sturdy round pillar emerging where his lower half should be.
I’ve heard that kids do this kind of thing with their friends by the beach. I’ve never played with friends before, but I saw this online.
Maybe I’m getting somewhat excited myself. Compared to the last time I visited the beach, this feels like I have more freedom to enjoy.
It struck me—am I really allowed to do this?
Just because I’m a Singularity now doesn’t mean it’s okay to let my guard down so much. I could’ve buried Kim Cheon-soo in the sand and run away, right?
If any other Singularity were in my place, they probably would’ve.
It warms my heart to think he trusts me so much.
…Though that feeling of warmth cooled a bit when I remembered the method of raising an elephant. But I’m not a baby elephant since I’ve already stayed by his side and I’m capable enough.
Probably?
Lost in these thoughts, the pillar grew taller than my height before I realized it.
When did it get this high?
Maybe it’s no longer about Kim Cheon-soo’s dignity but my own. Should I challenge the Guinness World Record for building the tallest sand pillar like this? I wonder if such a record even exists.
“Wh-what are you doing with that… uhhh, what is this?! Hey, get it off! What will people think if they see this?”
Hmm.
Do I really need to care about that? It’s just you, me, and Sosik out here.
His face, all red, started shouting loudly.
Then does he think no one will come by? Or is he actually proud of showing off his sturdy pillar?
Come to think of it, I did make it quite well?
Since I’m now considering a Guinness challenge, it’s understandable.
“For what noble life am I suffering like this… oh…”
While he covered his face with his hands, I returned to the parasol. Though I hadn’t done much, I suddenly felt hungry.
I opened the icebox, cracked open a drink, and started eating the sandwiches I assumed Kim Cheon-soo had prepared.
At this point, Sosik, who had somehow escaped his sandy tomb approached, demanding food.
Dear me. Since you’ve been in the sand, you should wash up first. Eating with those sandy tentacles is no good for your health.
For a while, I fought with Sosik over the food.
Through this, I heard Kim Cheon-soo’s voice still trapped in the sandy tomb.
“Hey, Lime?”
Huh?
Since my voice wouldn’t come out, I tilted my head and moved closer to him.
I thought he might be trying to get out, but…
It appeared he wasn’t trying to escape the sand bath out of boredom.
Apparently, it was because…
The tide that only reached his ankles earlier had now risen to his waist.
“Hey, can you help me get out?”
…Huh?
Isn’t that strange?
Why is the water reaching here? I thought this was the highest it would go…
“Hey! At least help me out now!”
Oh, right.
Is he unable to get out by himself? Sosik managed just fine.
Anyway, seeing the pillar standing all alone while Kim Cheon-soo remained buried underwater, I extended my tentacles to dig up the sand around him.
The hardened sand took some time to break through, and I didn’t want to injure him while digging carelessly.
“Eh, eh…!”
What?
Suddenly, I noticed a dark wave heading our way.
It was an enormous wave.
…It’s too high to ride.
Is this really safe?
“Hey!”
Oh no.
