“Seems like it was one of them, huh.”
“Yes. Since they wouldn’t talk through normal means, it took some time.”
“Well, there really wasn’t anyone else besides them, to be honest.”
“That’s true.”
As Lee Yoo-jin was reporting to Han Seori on the screen, she nodded her head in agreement.
At this point and timing, the ones likely to cause problems really couldn’t be anyone other than them.
And Yoo-jin felt a sense of satisfaction that they had made such a decision.
Thinking that their forced move was because we made the first move, she felt an indirect sense of revenge, which made her feel good.
…Though it wasn’t something she herself had done.
“Hmm? Is there something good going on…?”
“No, nothing. Anyway, that concludes my report.”
Without noticing, Yoo-jin had let out a sly smile, but after a light cough, she quickly regained her composure.
Han Seori looked at her with a somewhat peculiar expression but then smiled and continued.
“Understood. Thank you for your hard work. Is there anything else you’d like to add? Oh, how was working with the government people?”
“Hmm… It felt kind of strange. But aside from asking questions due to their lack of knowledge, I didn’t feel much difference between them and the Foundation.”
“I see.”
It was true that just being a government person didn’t necessarily mean they were special. Ultimately, it came down to whether or not they recognized the existence of the Singularity. Higher-ups who were already aware of it would have been no different.
‘…I bet it felt like being a monkey in a zoo.’
In the end, since most of the field workers were unaware, that was likely how it felt.
Han Seori gave Yoo-jin a slightly sympathetic look, but Yoo-jin didn’t seem particularly bothered by it.
‘She seems fine.’
After a moment, Han Seori turned her head and spoke to Hwang Bo-yul on another screen.
“So… you mentioned that the number of visitors is exceeding expectations?”
“Yes. It seems word is spreading that Lime is here.”
“Well, since we didn’t exactly try to stop it.”
“Yes… but even so, there are far too many.”
As Hwang Bo-yul said, the number of people coming to see Lime was growing exponentially.
Even the temporarily but earnestly constructed village by Electric Scent couldn’t handle this many visitors.
It had now reached the point where people had to draw numbers and line up, similar to waiting in line for a popular restaurant.
Perhaps soon they would have to implement an online ticketing system.
Han Seori had expected this to happen eventually.
It was only natural that those who had continuously dreamt of Lime would start coming. After all, the Foundation was the one preventing them from doing so.
Once these barriers were lifted, it was inevitable that they would come in droves. This was now a responsibility they had to bear after Lime’s revelation.
…But.
‘Even that picky person says it’s too much.’
There might be a problem. If something wasn’t addressed soon, it would become unmanageable. It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Though Lime seemed fine with people coming to see her, gatherings like these often led to issues.
Particularly so…
Even though there seemed to be a filtering process happening now, if too many people flooded in, the likelihood increased that ‘that group,’ who had already failed once spectacularly, might attempt something.
And with such a crowd, it would be hard to control like a press conference, which meant the chances of problems skyrocketed this time.
Especially since they had already sent someone directly this time, now that the existence of the Singularity had surfaced, it was hard to predict what they might do next.
They might even try to mess with her planned mission by just sending a Singularity, or they could hide among the crowds and cause trouble.
…For now, they were filtering people who ‘worship’ Lime, but this method also had its limits.
‘In the end, maintaining the current approach seems impossible.’
“Understood for now. Let’s see if we can find a solution.”
After checking on the external situation like this, the next topic Han Seori faced was:
‘…A neighboring country also requested Lime’s deployment.’
The large continent, as well as an island nation, was requesting that Lime be dispatched.
They were confused about why the Korean Foundation had unilaterally revealed the existence of the Singularity and were now asking for Lime’s deployment as a form of compensation.
They argued that they should help each other and questioned the intent behind the decision, but…
…to be honest.
It was all noise.
It was laughable how suddenly they had grown so close, when they hadn’t been before.
It’s not like the Foundation hadn’t informed them either.
…Though it was a bit rushed because of ‘them,’ there were reasons behind the actions.
Han Seori calmly dismissed the deployment request.
Given the current situation, they were already struggling to manage their immediate issues.
And amidst her thoughts, Lime came to mind.
‘Now that I think of it… that helmet.’
…No, the chance that it might cause discomfort was too high.
Our smart Lime had handled it very well.
Han Seori pushed that ‘subliminal’ suggestion ability of Lime’s far away.
…It’s becoming a bit scary.
People are flooding in; it seems my popularity has really reached a nationwide level.
At first, I enjoyed their attention.
Without realizing how much of a spotlight-loving person I could be, I gleefully went along with it.
I was steadily building up the groundwork to get my hands on a smartphone.
What I mean is… until now, I pretended not to care about smartphones because I thought I lived in an old village.
In reality, I desperately wanted to grab one and use it immediately.
Besides, people in my house (?) rarely used smartphones anyway.
But seeing the people who came to see me using smartphones gave me a sudden realization.
I had a plan to get my hands on a smartphone or computer someday, but upon reflection, it was unlikely that I could directly ask for one right away.
To them, I’m not someone who transitioned from being human to a Singularity but rather just a sudden appearance of a Singularity.
They would undoubtedly find it suspicious.
…Even now, it doesn’t seem like revealing my true identity would cause a major disaster, but reflecting on my previous actions…
It has now become a matter of personal dignity.
So, to acquire a smartphone or computer, I need some buildup.
Alright, alright. I’m smart.
Taking advantage of this moderate attention,
I started to silently gaze at someone filming me with their smartphone.
Initially, the person took pictures, thinking I was cute (hmm), but after I continued to stare silently, they seemed to sense I wanted something.
“Hmm, it’s not money, right? Ah, maybe… food?”
No, give me the smartphone.
Unable to bear the frustration, I stretched out my hand, but it fell short due to the height difference.
So, I subtly extended my tentacle.
I refrained from using it earlier for fear of startling them, but they seemed pleased instead of scared, perhaps because they’d seen me at a press conference.
“Ah, so this is what you wanted… Hmm… But this… I haven’t had it for more than a month…”
For heaven’s sake.
I don’t want to buy it—I just want to ‘borrow’ it. I just need it temporarily as part of my buildup to play with it like a toy.
The person who ‘lent’ me their smartphone looked anxious, alternating their gaze between me and Bo-yul.
Bo-yul, standing behind me, watched me silently for a moment before apparently deciding it was okay and said nothing.
Perfect. Implicit permission granted.
Eager to enjoy the long-awaited smartphone, I was about to start…
…only to find it locked.
What should I do to get the lock opened when I’m pretending not to know how to use a smartphone?
Hmm… Hmm?
I don’t know…?
No, it’s not that I’m stupid! It’s simply that pretending not to know is the dilemma here. I’m a civilization-savvy person who knows everything about smartphones, but how can I pretend not to understand while naturally using one as if it’s second nature?
After pondering for a moment, I pretended not to know and firmly held the smartphone, then subtly lifted my helmet slightly, careful not to let Bo-yul notice.
And hoping this person would be affected by my ‘subliminal suggestion.’
I sent the suggestion to unlock it.
Fortunately, it worked, and the person mumbled, “Oh,” before unlocking the phone for me.
Bo-yul’s expression remained unchanged.
Now that I think about it, she didn’t really say anything the last time either.
…Does she suspect nothing?
Anyway.
With the temporary transfer of the smartphone’s ownership, I pretended to press buttons and enjoyed it thoroughly.
It’s so nice to see the familiar green search bar again after so long.
[Does the ‘Singularity’ wearing a helmet want military rule?]
What is this nonsense?
While I reflexively clicked the news link, I hesitated. Clicking this would increase their views.
I, the intelligent Jelly, wouldn’t fall for such poor clickbait. These view-thirsty monsters.
…But, to be honest, I was a bit curious. Too curious to resist, actually, about the long, nonsensical text they might’ve written.
Still, I stopped myself from increasing the views.
Afterward, I slyly logged into XTube, watching various videos (though the owner complained about my ‘algorithm’ but I ignored it), and thoroughly pretended to enjoy the smartphone like a novice.
Still, I gave the person who lent me the phone a hug, so it was a profitable deal, wasn’t it?
After borrowing ownership a few times, Bo-yul asked:
“…Is that something you’d like to keep?”
Of course.
At the question I’d been waiting for, I nodded my head frantically, and Bo-yul hesitated slightly before saying she’d discuss it with Han Seori.
How well things were turning out.
I’m lucky.
With that thought, a few days later…
I had to face an endless queue of people.
Honestly…
It was enough that I just wanted to quietly slip off the helmet and let Jelly take control.
Too many people make Jelly nervous…
As I internally worried about Jelly bubbling up,
The surroundings suddenly became chaotic.
…
