“Ahh… I want to rest.”
Han Seori stretched lazily while muttering to herself.
Even though the damages were fewer than expected, the aftermath was no easy task, leaving her utterly exhausted in many ways.
…Especially after the section chief contacted her with a very regretful expression, which only doubled her fatigue.
‘As if being busy is bull; it seems like everything’s fallen apart.’
She wanted nothing more than to quickly take care of matters and send everything far, far away, but there wasn’t enough substantial evidence considering the section chief’s title wasn’t just slapped on carelessly.
There was no trace left behind to indicate whether the suspicious individual had perished amid the chaos or managed to escape.
‘It seems that Commissioner Yoo Gang-jik also finds this situation suspicious…’
But even he wasn’t faring any better than Han Seori.
On the contrary, having been assigned to this location not long ago, Yoo Gang-jik knew even less than Han Seori.
Thus, the chances of him asking anything substantial seemed incredibly low.
But she couldn’t help but worry that leaving this unchecked might lead to real trouble.
She wasn’t sure whether the section chief was involved in this event. And if they weren’t involved, that was troubling in its own way.
With a low sigh, Han Seori, lost in thought, manipulated the panel to bring up the surveillance feed of the Jelly Girl’s isolation chamber.
With her worries multiplying, she wanted nothing more than a bit of relaxation.
Soon, the familiar image of the Jelly Girl began to appear on the fairly large monitor.
Looking as though lost in thought, she amusingly moved the jelly-like extensions atop her head around.
‘Now that I think about it…’
The remnants of 5077 – KR seemed to be conspicuously insufficient.
Reflecting on this, Han Seori wondered if 7496 – KR had devoured it.
Recalling how the Jelly Girl had consumed the Horned Wolf, resulting in the growth of those jelly-like extensions, Han Seori enlarged the screen until the Jelly Girl dominated the view.
Watching the Jelly Girl’s jelly-like movements, Han Seori’s lips curved slightly before she shook her head and double-checked for any changes.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any external transformation…’
If there was a change, it was that the round, gelatinous entity which had previously been separate now seemed to coexist within a doll.
‘It comes out when it eats though…’
It seemed as though the small gelatinous object now served as a refuge during crises.
This suggested that even that little blob of jelly wasn’t merely something the Jelly Girl had created for convenience, but perhaps more akin to… a family member?
‘If that’s the case, does that make 7496 – KR the mother?’
That thought made Han Seori shiver. Something felt off, so she discarded the idea.
‘Mother or not… maybe it’s more of a sibling relationship?’
Anyway.
Since there didn’t appear to be significant changes, Han Seori minimized the screen and checked the surrounding areas of Jelly Girl’s isolation chamber.
There, she noticed a clean, empty tray.
It reminded her of the group that had arrived earlier for authorized access.
She remembered how she laughed seeing them rush in to serve meals in her stead.
It seemed like rumors about Jelly Girl’s exploits had spread and were taking effect.
What was once a threatening singularity, was now perceived as a rather friendly one.
…Which meant it was getting vulnerable again.
Currently, the place was in complete disarray. With new personnel being added, it was unlikely that strangers coming and going would raise suspicion.
And that thought led her to consider… if anyone might target the Jelly Girl, who looked too enticing to pass up.
Previously, it would’ve been impossible to extract Jelly Girl, now marked as high priority. But given the current situation, it seemed quite feasible to extract her now.
‘Whether the section chief is involved with the Call of Twilight or not…’
Both the section chief and the Call of Twilight had reasons to covet the Jelly Girl. The Call of Twilight because they are infatuated with human-friendly, intelligent singularities, and the section chief for personal gain.
Perhaps without her intervention, the Jelly Girl might have already disappeared due to an inside accomplice.
Though disconcerting, this seemed like an opportunity to exploit. It could expose an accomplice of Call of Twilight or serve as evidence of the section chief’s wrongdoing.
This was almost too good to pass up.
The only thing on her mind now was… asking for Jelly Girl’s opinion before proceeding.
She thought this was meaningless but reflecting on the fact that Jelly Girl had saved her made her feel conflicted.
Still, it was undoubtedly a great opportunity.
With a troubled gaze, Han Seori stared at the monitor. Watching the Jelly Girl lounge around with her doll, she found herself torn between how adorable it was and questioning if she should really go through with it.
She sighed and watched the Jelly Girl fidget on the monitor, lost deep in thought.
*
This whole thing was becoming tiring.
Ever since a group of people came by and left me with chicken, others started visiting frequently. While I didn’t know their names, they showed goodwill by offering me snacks, so there was no reason to refuse.
…Even if I said no, they’d likely come anyway, rendering it somewhat meaningless.
Because of this, my room (?) gradually filled up with various items left behind.
They’d approach me, trembling slightly, touch my jelly gently, then leave with a satisfied smile, leaving behind their offerings.
One might call them tributes, given their fascination with my appearance.
Though the word “tribute” was a bit strange, no better word came to mind. “Offering” was a bit too formal, and “gift” didn’t quite fit. Still, “tribute” felt right.
Anyway.
Since I didn’t yet understand the changes brought about by eating Jangseung, these visits were quite welcome.
Even Daesik, or Big Eater, who previously only consumed wrappers, found happiness in the abundance of treats.
He seemed truly happy, so there was no reason to question that.
I missed Han Seori’s visits though. I knew she was busy as a high-ranking official, but…
Until recently, I’d practically been living the life of Bill Gates. But something about the jelly felt bittersweet.
Then, at a time when the hallway was unusually quiet with fewer footsteps—likely in the dead of the night—I was bored and decided to examine the items people had left behind.
While idly poking the objects, my knowledge reservoir began to twitch strangely. I blinked my jelly in surprise, but no changes happened right away.
Suddenly, a toy I was holding emitted a sudden cloud of white smoke.
…Initially, I figured I’d pressed something wrong, but on second thought, this toy had no reason to emit smoke—it wasn’t a car or anything with a chimney.
In an instant, the room was filled with thick smoke.
Deciding it wasn’t worth worrying about, I tossed it into a corner. But something felt off when Daesik, or Alice, started clinging to my leg, frightened after the Jangseung incident.
Holding him close, I waited for the smoke to clear. Soon enough, the silhouette of someone approaching could be seen.
Apparently, someone had come to resolve this situation.
The lack of proper ventilation in this place was clearly the cause of such a nuisance.
As the figure neared, they spotted me and rushed over.
Thinking they were friendly, I moved closer, but then noticed something oddly familiar in the shadowy figure’s hand.
Before I could react…
I found myself trapped once again, just like the first time I came here.
…This time, Daesik was trapped with me.
Staring at the person who had done this, I tried to make out their figure through the thick smoke, but nothing was visible.
What’s going on?
Were they planning to move me to another room until the smoke cleared?
But even to me, this smoke seemed strange.
Expanding my perception, I noticed the smoke flooding out of my room… yet it showed no sign of dissipating.
It dawned on me.
If they wanted to relocate me and address this situation… shouldn’t they have left this place before the smoke spread?
Instead, the person holding me seemed patiently waiting for the smoke to spread further.
Shaken by this realization, I wiggled my jelly, feeling the pressure increase on the nervous Daesik in my arms.
Abruptly, my vision went dark—not from the smoke—but because I was enclosed in something.
I could feel the wobbly jelly moving with the rhythm of footsteps.
‘…It seems I’ve been kidnapped again.’
Analyzing the situation, I came to this conclusion.
What is happening?
Whoever has me… if they take me away, they’re in for a big surprise. I share the same room as an important person, and I’ve even received snacks from them!
Trying to wiggle free, I jiggled my jelly but found it hard because of the limited space.
If I hadn’t been so trusting, this might not have happened.
Wobble, wobble.
As I felt myself being moved, I couldn’t help wishing Han Seori was here.
