The monotony of moving about… showed no signs of ending.
—
The journey to where the canned goods were and from there to our current abode seemed far longer than expected.
—
At first, I enthusiastically slapped Jelly a few times, resolved to memorize the route. However, my determination didn’t last long and soon dissipated.
—
The information load was just too much for little Jelly to handle.
—
It’s unclear if I would have been able to remember my original body, but now it seems unlikely, so perhaps it was a noble passing.
—
Living a life where offerings—no, gifts—kept pouring in, has somewhat dulled my desire to return to my original state.
—
I was even starting to think that this life could be fine when something like this happened again. It left me feeling… strange.
—
Regardless, we’re heading elsewhere with Jelly swaying as we go. I can’t help but wonder if there’s some kind of troublemaker embedded in my fate.
—
Even as a human, I preferred poking around for interesting things rather than staying cooped up at home.
—
Looking back, it seems like there might be something to all this, even though I’ve never seriously believed in things like horoscopes or the like.
—
Even though my body has changed, I feel like myself and enjoy it, but this time, something feels off.
—
Kidnapping by a similar party is something I’ve already experienced, and with Daesik snug in my arms, I’m not as lonely. Yet, it’s not exactly improving the situation.
—
Come to think of it, the foolish tuft of fur that was recently stiff and alert—ah, my knowledge pouch—is now listlessly twitching, dragging limply.
—
Perhaps this has something to do with it.
—
I couldn’t pinpoint the exact change after assimilating Jangseung, but maybe this is the answer?
—
Though, I don’t exactly know what it is.
—
If I were to guess, it might be a threat-detection ability. Seeing it twitch before that suspicious person entered makes this seem like a plausible assumption.
—
Thinking about it, it’s kind of unsettling how detached I feel from humanity now. Still, it’s oddly enjoyable.
—
They say giving up makes life easier. Now that the idea of returning to my human form is growing faint, I’m learning to enjoy this body.
—
Perhaps all these thoughts are just the result of the dark surroundings amplifying my inner musings.
—
Still…
—
Is Daesik okay?
—
Even moving Jelly feels taxing for me, so I can only imagine how it must feel for him, buried within the doll. He seems different somehow, like he’s changed since the last bad experience.
—
I almost wonder if he’s started to merge with the doll’s exterior.
—
Well, given that he’s never seen anything outside of the doll, it’s only natural, I suppose.
—
Unlike me—he would never act like me.
—
Meanwhile, I could feel the air subtly shift, as if we’d just entered a building. Before, we were outside.
—
If you ask how I differentiate, I’d simply answer that I can tell. How do you explain intuitive feelings like this? It’s like trying to explain how a heart beats.
—
Anyhow.
—
I could hear murmurs from close by. Though I couldn’t discern the words, it seems like whoever is here isn’t acting alone.
—
As I pondered this, the cloth above me shifted slightly, and a pair of eyes appeared from the darkness.
—
And when I saw them, Jelly quivered uncontrollably.
—
For the first time in my existence, I encountered eyes smeared with greed. A gaze so foreign that it made me uncomfortable, even though when I was human, I never once experienced such a look.
—
It’s unsettling seeing this kind of desire directed at me. Had they seen me as a fellow human—ah, I’m not human anymore, am I?
—
Even so, isn’t this a bit much?
—
The gaze of those who used to offer me tributes feels almost nostalgic now. If anything, the look of someone seeing something undesirable feels preferable at this point.
—
There was a sense of déjà vu in those eyes that seemed to find satisfaction in my appearance, then vanished as quickly as they appeared when the cloth was drawn back.
—
As the tension in Jelly eased, a thought crossed my mind, albeit one I’m hesitant to say now, given my human origins.
—
Still…
—
Humans may indeed be the most fearsome creatures.
—
As the cloth closed again, the murmurs resumed, and Jelly started to sway, indicating movement had resumed.
—
Though Jelly had relaxed, I could feel my metaphorical heart racing. The effects of the encounter were still evident.
—
As I was hunched over reflecting, an abrupt sensation of the world flipping upside down overtook me, and my body was abruptly dumped out into the open.
—
A solid thud echoed as a female voice reached my ears.
—
“Huh? What’s this doll doing here?”
—
The voice trailed off. Perhaps to check if I was functioning properly, but she quickly gathered me up into some strange contraption again.
—
Though curled up, I was instantly sucked in, while the doll containing Daesik was left behind, leaving me feeling a bit anxious without his presence.
—
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, as the woman alternated her gaze between me and the doll, she smiled faintly and placed it above me—on the container or whatever it was holding me—then calmly exited the area.
—
She seemed to consider my movements—likely the trembling of Jelly—as just a quirk of mine.
—
While slightly embarrassing in retrospect, I took comfort in the fact that she was unaware of Daesik’s existence inside the doll.
—
So far, she seemed unaware of Daesik—Ellice’s hidden presence.
—
With that, I concluded that whatever container covered me was likely gone. Despite Jelly’s trembling, I resolved to investigate cautiously.
—
Ellice’s skirt, where Daesik resided, somewhat obstructed my view, but it wasn’t a significant issue.
—
What I saw next…
—
It was difficult to describe. The place bore some resemblance to where I originally resided, but it was undeniably of poor quality.
—
It lacked the compulsive cleanliness of my previous surroundings, akin to the difference between a high-end hotel and a dingy motel.
—
The basic cleaning was evident, but that was about it.
—
Frankly, I preferred the room I lived in as a human.
—
It also felt somewhat sticky, as though something was off.
—
It became clear that these individuals weren’t of the same caliber as before.
—
Nonetheless…
—
Now, what to do?
—
Based on my surroundings and the earlier greedy gaze directed at me, this location likely belonged to a different group from Han Seori’s, which initially captured me. Given their lack of awareness regarding Daesik inside Ellice, this assumption seemed plausible.
—
If life here wasn’t so bad, I might have considered staying despite everything…
—
But considering the facility and earlier glance, fleeing would be wise.
—
I surveyed my surroundings again.
—
It was curious. Normally, I would expect cameras for surveillance in such situations, but there were none in sight.
—
Not that it mattered to me. It worked in my favor either way.
—
This place also had plenty of escape routes, unlike my previous confinement.
—
After forming my resolution, I tapped the object—presumably the container’s lid—hovering in my vision. This prompted Daesik, who had been sitting idly above, to descend, turning toward me.
—
It almost felt like he was staring directly at me through the button hole.
—
Is it an exaggeration to feel an odd sentiment emerging from that button hole?
—
Nevertheless…
—
With a silent plea for him to let me out, Daesik continued to stare. A bit… too long.
—
At last, he seemed to understand and leisurely approached, tipping my enclosure over and creating an opening.
—
I slipped out, moving like Jelly itself, and once partially free—
—
Brimming—with Jelly, I carefully sealed the top shut, severing off part of my lower half.
—
It was unavoidable. I had to leave something behind in case they checked prematurely.
—
Once outside, my perspective slightly shifted downward.
—
Though it worried me briefly that I might have cut too much, it seemed necessary to avoid suspicion.
—
Thus, I adjusted the container upright and locked it securely.
—
Turning to Daesik, I gestured for him to follow.
—
Waving my hand to signal urgency, he somehow understood and emerged from Ellice, dragging Jelly along.
—
As I tried to place Daesik on my head, my knowledge pouch twitched, pointing toward the wall rather than the entrance.
—
Why would it react to the wall?
—
Unaware of the reason, I balanced Daesik on my head and lifted Ellice, placing it on the container where the woman had previously put it.
—
In other words…
—
Ellice could no longer join us.
—
It couldn’t be helped.
—
If the doll suddenly vanished, it would look odd. The reason for cutting myself to leave a part behind would no longer make sense.
—
Daesik seemed to sense the departure, fidgeting, so I patted him reassuringly.
—
We could always buy another doll, right?
—
Despite this, leaving something behind left me with a bittersweet feeling.
—
Regardless.
—
With unknown time constraints, we needed to move quickly.
—
Daesik and I headed toward the vent that I had noticed earlier. It seemed manageable once I made our bodies sticky.
—
It felt easier than eating cake.
—
Like a hero clad in red spandex, I suppose.
—
As we stealthily entered the vent passage, dust seeped into my body.
—
Evidently, the environment wasn’t great here. I longed to return home.
—
As Daesik and I made our way toward the exit…
—
The knowledge pouch continually twitched again, this time pointing not to the side but diagonally downward.
—
Assuming a series of rooms, it felt like the adjacent room might hold something of interest.
—
Though unclear why it concerned me, the pouch’s persistent response kept bothering me.
—
Pausing momentarily, I coiled Jelly pensively in thought.
