Welcome to Fantasy Jelly Country.
It wasn’t really advertised with such slogans.
To begin with, since the project was initiated due to lack of funds, it was difficult to launch a grand venture immediately.
That said, if no promotion took place, people might not even know it existed. Therefore, the best form of promotion was to send a PR officer to deal with subtle “singularities,” like Lime.
Then, who among them was entrusted with the crucial task of the promotional officer?
Kim Cheon-soo couldn’t be away from his post for long, so he was out. Hwang Bo-yul was too distant from the world of promotion, so she was also out. Han Seori was excluded as well. And Yoo Jin, who had just returned, had to handle ‘that organization’ related duties, so he was also out.
One might ask if that leaves only one person, and well, that was essentially correct.
With Super-sized Alice repairs being sluggish at the moment, Yang Ha-na was practically the only one who could take the job.
If questioned whether it was an ill-fitted assignment, the answer would have to be, no—or close to it.
“Are you not at all interested in a nature and singularity-themed holiday, along with jellies?”
“Uh… Me?”
“It’s full of super soft jellies like Lime!”
“It doesn’t seem safe… there.”
“Are you saying that while looking at that?”
Yang Ha-na smiled faintly as she pointed somewhere with her palm.
There, a vending machine was visible.
Naturally, it wasn’t an ordinary vending machine. It was an enigmatic device that dispensed unidentified drinks.
At first, no one felt any unease at the perfectly normal-looking setup, but things started going awry when someone purchased a drink and consumed it.
The beverage, which seemed perfectly fine, was promptly guzzled down, but soon after, the man was rushed to the hospital like someone afflicted by a strange illness.
Had that been the end of it, it might have been written off as a case of bad luck and spoiled drinks, but the story didn’t conclude there.
Somehow cured, the man returned to the vending machine.
“Managers just shouldn’t be handling things like this.”
It was only natural for him to want to contact the manager and claim some compensation for his troubles. At the very least, an apology could soothe his anger.
But he couldn’t.
“What? Why isn’t there a manager’s contact number?”
A crucial feature that was glaringly absent from the vending machine.
Even though the goods were distributed without issue…
The police showed they were powerless, so the infuriated man thought smashing the vending machine would either draw the manager out or force it to malfunction, making the management reflect.
Thus, in a fit of rage, the man kicked the vending machine with a loud ‘Bang!’
However, the vending machine only rocked back and forth with a ‘Clunk!’, showing no signs of breaking.
Out from the drink chute emerged a black hand, which firmly grabbed onto the man’s leg.
“Eh? Uh…?”
The man’s misfortune had only just begun.
Shortly after, the vending machine seemed to try pulling the man into the chute like it was swallowing a chunk of meat.
“Help! Somebody help!”
Fortunately, there were quite a few people around, so the man was spared from becoming trapped and mangled inside.
But that was as far as the luck went.
The man ended up face down on the ground with his foot still stuck in the vending machine, sniffling pathetically.
Worry not. In those days, it was common knowledge that “singularities” existed.
“…Is this that thing called a ‘singularity’?”
“I thought they were supposed to be all soft… but I guess not.”
“Didn’t they give us a number to report these? Let’s call it in to help this guy out.”
Finally, a call was made to the nearby foundation, and an agent was dispatched.
The agent decided that physically extracting the man would be impossible, so they requested backup. Coincidentally, Han Seori’s radar caught this situation and Lime was sent.
As a result, this is the scene to which Yang Ha-na gestured with her hand.
Lime, dressed in their cute uniform and helmet, held their soft hand against the man’s waist while inserting the other hand into the vending machine chute.
“Uh…Uh…”
To calm the terrified man, Lime patted his back and smiled gently.
‘…Is Lime mocking me?’
As Yang Ha-na thought this, Lime began swishing around the jelly inside the vending machine chute.
At this, the vending machine, which had remained impervious to a grown man’s kicks, started shaking violently, as if screaming in pain.
“Y-yaah!”
Soon enough, the vending machine released the man’s foot and fell silent.
Yang Ha-na, once again exuding confidence, promoted the safety of Lime and the “hotel(?),” before walking off together with Lime and Electric Scent, who had been watching quietly.
Thus, Lime, Yang Ha-na, and Electric Scent diligently wandered around, doing their work.
Thanks to their efforts, the story of Lime and the cheerful woman often seen by Lime spread far and wide, which could be deemed a success.
A couple with children also came upon hearing the circulating rumors and news.
To be honest, they had booked and arrived because of the relentless pestering from their kids, but it was impossible to shake off their unease.
While watching his children happily jump around ahead, the man couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
After all, he knew all about the incident that had recently taken place here. Moreover, he had heard that the giant tree before him wasn’t always supposed to be like this.
Adding to the unease were reports from overseas that seemed to amplify the tension.
It seemed that these “singularities” were akin to natural disasters.
Things that ordinary humans had no control over. Beings you could only pray would quietly pass by if you ever encounter one on a normal day.
It was possible that they and their family were currently walking toward something that was beyond the power of humans to manage.
“Maybe we should turn back anyway.”
The man gave a slight nod to his wife’s suggestion that this might be one of the safest places in the world, but he still couldn’t shake off the feeling of anxiety.
However, he couldn’t bring himself to suggest they leave when his children were so obviously thrilled.
It was nice to see his kids, who normally only ever had eyes for their smartphones, happily engaging with what might have been considered “natural elements.”
While hesitating and wavering, the man eventually stepped into the Woodland Hotel, permeated with the refreshing scent of pine.
As he snapped out of it, his eyes fell upon a bloated golden jelly and a woman with a stern expression.
“Whoa…”
“Dear?”
“Ah, um.”
The man unintentionally let out an exclamation that earned a narrow-eyed glance from his wife, to which he nervously cleared his throat before moving closer to their children.
However, his eyes kept darting towards the golden jelly.
The golden jelly, wearing something akin to an apron, featured a significantly inflated area, which evoked a peculiar sensation upon prolonged observation.
Yet, instead of something risqué, they felt a peculiar sense of warmth, and the man began reminiscing about his parents living in the countryside or even the neighbor from next door—cough, cough.
As his psychological barriers gradually lowered, the man entrusted the check-in process to the stern-faced woman.
When she motioned, the golden jelly summoned other jellies from a nearby small hole.
“Wow!”
“Whoa! Where are they coming from?!”
As many jellies appeared as there were children, bouncing around with cheerful grins on their faces before taking the children’s hands and gently leading them forward.
The children giggled and fiddled with the jelly’s squishy fingers as they happily followed along, and their parents joined the group as well.
The parents walked along, smiling with pleasure at their happy children, and then pulled out their smartphones to film the scene.
“It’s really no signal here. Strange, isn’t it?”
“Indeed?”
While still feeling somewhat uneasy, they were at least hopeful they could disconnect a little from their smartphones.
“Mom! Dad! Hurry up!”
“Hm.”
Immersed in thought, the man snapped back to reality at the sound of his children’s calls and turned his head toward the source of the voices.
There, he saw his kids and the jellies sitting on what appeared to be a basket-like contraption made of interwoven wooden branches.
“…What is that?”
Could this be some kind of elevator…?
The man felt an even stronger sense of unease toward this basket than anything else.
Having always trusted the sturdy, modern elevators he was used to, it was only natural.
“Hurry! Hurry!”
As his children urged him, hopping around in excitement, the jellies seemed to share their enthusiasm and began bouncing as well.
Despite this, the basket appeared sturdy enough, and thus, despite his lingering doubts, the man had no choice but to take a step toward it.
After all, his children were already on it, and he couldn’t let them go alone.
“Hurry up now.”
“Sorry…”
With people already starting to wait behind him, he felt they needed to move quickly.
Once aboard, the jiggling jellies started to play with the basket until they closed its entrance.
As the basket slowly ascended, the man wondered how the system worked.
“Is it pulled by ropes tied to the top…?”
Then who, or what mechanism, was pulling them? It probably must be mechanical.
Is this even possible?
The man’s mind churned with questions, but there was no one around to answer them.
The jellies, who had been restless earlier, now adopted more serious expressions. They didn’t speak but instead engaged with the children, behaving like playful companions.
It felt refreshing to see the kids showing so much energy, faces once glued to their smartphones now animated and happy.
It might be worth it just for this.
And, with the world gradually becoming more entwined with “singularities,” it didn’t seem too bad to learn how to embrace this new normal.
Perhaps it was a form of early education, similar to sending one’s child to an English kindergarten.
Lost in thought, the basket came to a stop. The jellies opened the entryway and let the group out.
They then resumed leading them onward.
Soon, the designated lake appeared, and the jellies looked expectantly toward the man.
Without realizing it, he smiled warmly as he passed something he had received at the counter earlier into his children’s little hands.
“Here, will you give these to the little ones? They were told to give these out once we get to the room.”
“Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
Overjoyed, the children handed the items to the jellies, who, in turn, bounced about excitedly before slipping the items into their bellies.
The sweet aroma that accompanied their bubbling bodies suggested it was some sort of treat.
Apparently, the snacks completed their task, for the jellies bid the children goodbye, waving their hands before slipping into a small hole in the wall.
Somewhere, a gentle sliding sound suggested there might be a slide inside.
“Ah… they’re gone.”
“Ashamed…”
“Don’t worry, we’ll meet them again.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Comforting their disappointed children, the couple entered their room and, upon noticing the natural scents wafting through the interior, stood by the window in amazement.
“Wow.”
The tree, which had once been known to attack humans, was quickly forgotten amidst the overwhelming splendor the scenery presented.
The man felt the premonition of good times ahead.
