The sensation of seeping into the giant tree was an indescribable sense of déjà vu.
Even though it was a situation I had never experienced before, it felt oddly familiar, as if it had happened in the past.
What could this be?
No matter how much I thought about it, no memory came to mind. Still, the familiar sensation remained vivid.
Perhaps that’s why.
Though it seemed like a somewhat dangerous situation at first glance, my heart felt calm.
In fact, it was rather peaceful.
The feeling of drowsiness gave me the sense that I could get a good night’s sleep, so I simply… fell asleep.
In short.
When I came to, I found myself in what appeared to be a room made of wood, where I had slept until waking.
In other words, I hadn’t done much.
I was merely wrapped in something cozy like a cradle and had a pleasant sleep before waking up.
Stretching refreshingly, I nudged the jelly, and out of view came what seemed to be a window.
Approaching it and leaning out slightly, I noticed a familiar scene.
Familiar, that is—but everything was so small it looked like ants standing below, making the jelly shrink back slightly.
This must be the first time I’ve seen such a height, except for when I went to eat canned food.
Moreover, it had been the scorching midday sun before entering the tree, but now the moonlight softly illuminated the ground.
I don’t know if the date has changed, but it appears that quite a bit of time has passed.
…And I didn’t even have a chance to say anything to Seori because of how sudden it all was.
Uh, um…
She’ll be alright.
After all, this isn’t the first time I’ve gone missing for a while.
She’ll worry, but she knows everything I’ve accomplished so far, so I believe she’ll wait patiently.
Miss Han, our doctor, trust me!
So, for now, I decided to wait for the dawn. It’s the middle of the night with the moon shining brightly, so she’s probably asleep, right?
With that excuse, while gazing at the soft moonlight, I felt a forgotten sense of romance.
Since I entered the tree before sunset, it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen the moon at this height.
Perhaps because it’s high up and the air is clear, the surface of the moon seemed visible.
Looking absent-mindedly at the moon brought back memories of a childhood fairytale that said a rabbit lived on the moon.
After growing up, I understood it as spots on the moon’s surface resembling a rabbit.
But now that I’m jelly…
…Could it be that rabbits really do live on the moon?
It wouldn’t be surprising if they did.
Maybe… on the other side of the moon, there’s an octopus secret base? Hmm, this last one is probably unlikely, right?
What other moon-related conspiracy theories or urban legends are there? There was one about never looking at the moon directly.
Do I care? I’m going to look my fill.
While quietly giggling to myself as the jelly bubbled, I felt a strange sensation.
Before becoming jelly, I used to go out a lot. I wasn’t particularly wild but traveled around to uncover the truth behind various urban legends.
But now, sitting alone by the window frame…
I started to think that my obsession with these things might have been simply because I didn’t like being home alone.
Though I didn’t particularly enjoy mingling with people… was I just avoiding the cold and empty feeling of being alone in my studio apartment?
Well, to be honest, I can’t say for sure. The travels genuinely made me happy, and the first thing that came to mind while wandering the sewers was my studio apartment.
It just feels strange… having this time by myself now.
From the sewers to the apartment.
After that journey, which ended with tasteless rotten meat, muddy water, rainwater, and crispy instant noodles, there was always someone around me.
Even if they weren’t right next to me, I had the awareness that they were always watching out for me, so the feeling of being alone was very faint.
And after Daesik showed up, and Sosik and Jung-sik came along, there was hardly ever a moment when I was truly alone. And now, there are even the jellies.
Hmm.
I’m not trying to make a grand story here.
Just that sometimes it’s nice to spend time alone. That’s all.
Saying this feels like I’m someone tired from raising kids.
Hmm… is it similar?
Daesik, Sosik, Jung-sik are all newborns, and so are the jellies.
The lack of pleasure but presence of responsibility is truly frightening.
Then all of a sudden.
Out of a crack in the somewhat empty-feeling room (?), something started oozing out bit by bit.
Curious, I focused my gaze and saw a silhouetted figure resembling a human made of a viscous substance emerge from the crack.
It was… strange.
It seemed to be made of a material similar to me and the other jellies, but the color was different.
It had a honey-like sweetness, a lustrous gold.
Compared to the other jellies, the silhouette looked especially welcoming.
It seemed somewhat familiar to me, but if pressed, perhaps Electric Scent.
In other words, its face reminded me of my grown-up face.
The golden figure hung suspended in the air, as though it couldn’t break free of the crack.
Surprisingly, as I stared, it stretched its body like a pancake and carefully approached me.
It reminded me of a dripping nose?
Anyway, it didn’t feel dangerous or hostile. As I looked on, the plump golden jelly warmly embraced me.
Uh, um…
Surely, it was just a differently-colored jelly, so why did it feel so much softer?
Isn’t this just a slightly puffed-up jelly?
I got a nostalgic feeling and hugged back for a while, but then a little irritation caused me to push it away.
The thing that got pushed away smiled and willingly stepped back.
Hmm…
What is this?
From the way it stretched like cheese out of the crack, it probably has some connection to the giant tree.
Perhaps this enormous tree isn’t just an ordinary tree.
By the way.
This situation doesn’t feel unfamiliar.
It’s similar to when Daesik, Sosik, and Jung-sik appeared.
Hmm.
Did I bring upon another responsibility without any pleasure?
At first glance, it looks similar to Daesik, Sosik, and Jung-sik.
Of course, it is different in both size and color compared to those smaller ones, but there was a strange sense of familiarity.
In short, it’s like meeting a new family member.
I had some questions.
What exactly are the conditions for a new jelly to be born?
I’ve come across various Singularities, but they haven’t always led to the creation of new jellies.
Trying to find a connection by searching my memories… but nothing comes to mind directly linking the events.
Suppose there’s a connection through the Singularity. But since it doesn’t always trigger, and it’s merely a classification created by humans, it probably doesn’t hold much significance.
Classifying crocodiles and me in the sewer as the same is just absurd.
As I furrowed my brow pondering this unsolvable problem by myself, the jittery jelly that was shaking slightly enveloped me in a comforting embrace and began to pat my head like an mother soothing her child.
Hmm.
What is this feeling?
Not bad.
The time to act spoiled is long gone, but… now that I’m like this, it’s probably okay.
As I thought about this while feeling the sticky and warm sensation, I pondered one more thing.
First, like Daesik, Sosik, and Jung-sik, it would be good to give it a name.
Since it was born from a persimmon tree (?), shall we call it “Persimmon-sik”…?
Isn’t that kind of…
Thinking about it now, even the names Daesik, Sosik, and Jung-sik were… odd.
Back then, I had nonchalantly giggled and named them without much thought. Now, I realized how casually I named them.
…But people make mistakes, right? And it’s not a legally binding name anyway, so I could change it later if I don’t like it.
And if they had any complaints, they probably wouldn’t show it, right?
They must like it since they haven’t acted otherwise. Right.
So I spent some warm, cozy time in the embrace of the nameless golden jelly.
Meanwhile, as the sun rose, I felt somewhat awkward and pushed it away again. The golden jelly went back into the crack and disappeared.
As I blankly stared at the space where it vanished, the story from what I assumed was its core came to mind.
The tale of a world that collapsed due to the tree.
If that’s the truth, did it originally have such a warm personality but became this way because of humans?
Did humans adapt its nature into something harmful?
I don’t know.
It could have just shown me random images, or perhaps the seemingly comforting jelly is concealing other thoughts.
Huh. Could its plump—no, comforting appearance be a tactic to lower my guard?
If so, this could be a truly terrifying entity.
But with no certainty, it would be better to talk with Seori first.
Now that it’s morning, Seori must have woken up.
Although I wanted to jump out the window, it was too high…
Walking out of the slightly empty room, I saw similar structures like rooms and corridors.
It felt as if this giant tree itself had become something like a house.
Given that the outer branches were visible through the window, the room I stayed in—no, this entire floor, feels like the royal suite.
Hmm… perhaps it’s not a bad jelly?
With that, I wandered for a while…
Then I saw Seori embraced by the golden jelly.
Hmm…
Does our doctor have a taste for this kind of thing?
It could be, right?
After exchanging a meaningful look with Seori, Hwang Bo-yul, Kim Cheon-soo, and Electric Scent crawled through a narrow entrance and entered.
Why is the entrance so narrow, anyway?
The group arrived, fidgeting with something that looked like a smartphone, scratching their heads and said,
“I was saying it’s strange you weren’t answering… There’s no signal in here.”
“Ah, hum. Did you try to reach me?”
“… Didn’t you say you’d go in first?”
“Haha… I did, didn’t I?”
Seori kept glancing at me, her face turning red.
It seems she felt embarrassed about being recently embraced by the golden jelly.
However, she quickly composed herself and continued, as if it was good timing.
“Then, it’s perfect. Since we’re here, we should hear Lime’s explanation about what this place is. Especially since Electric Scent has joined.”
“It might be a good idea.”
“By the way, is Electric Scent… alright?”
“What do you think of me?”
“…Seems fine.”
It seemed they wanted to discuss here, so I glanced at the golden jelly, transmitting my thoughts.
If it’s of the same kind as Daesik, Sosik, and Jung-sik, it might understand me.
When I asked if there was a place where we could talk, the jelly nodded and pointed to a door leading somewhere.
Noticing my interaction, the group looked at me with strange eyes.
Why are they looking at me like that?
It felt unpleasant.
—
Seori exchanged a meaningful look with us as Hwang Bo-yul, Kim Cheon-soo, and Electric Scent entered a narrow opening into the interior.
“…Why is this entrance so narrow?”
The group touched something resembling a smartphone, scratched their heads, and said,
“Something felt off since we weren’t able to reach you… Inside here, there’s no reception.”
“Ah, well… Did you try to contact me?”
“…Didn’t you say you’d go in first?”
“Haha… That’s right.”
Seori kept glancing at me nervously, her face turning red.
It seemed she felt embarrassed about her earlier encounter with the golden jelly.
However, she quickly composed herself and continued confidently,
“So, it’s perfect timing. Let’s understand more about this place… especially since Electric Scent has joined, it’s better to hear Lime’s explanation.”
“It might be appropriate.”
“By the way, is Electric Scent… alright?”
“What do you think of me?”
“Seems fine.”
It seemed we should discuss things here, so I directed my gaze at the golden jelly, projecting my thoughts.
If it was of the same kind as Daesik, Sosik, and Jung-sik, it might understand.
When I asked if there was a proper place to talk, the jelly nodded and pointed to a door leading somewhere.
The group, noticing my silent communication, gave me a peculiar look.
Why are they looking at me like that?
It was making me uncomfortable.
