[Our adventure starts now!]
With the energetic voice of a boy with an absurd hairstyle, the ending credits rolled.
Although the story was somewhat childish and predictable, it felt incredibly interesting and enjoyable to me right now.
Daesik and Sosik also seemed satisfied as they sat quietly and watched the screen.
Should I say we’re lucky to have found a channel that we all enjoy after coming to an agreement with those weirdos?
Anyway.
Those strange guys.
So, it’s been about five days since someone with the title ‘Call of Twilight’ came on the screen and muttered something.
The timer we saw back then disappeared suddenly at some point, but now that we can watch TV again, we can at least get the time.
The news anchors tell you the date and time pretty regularly.
After the credits ended, I changed the channel to the news.
While the pretty announcer, well, she’s more like a sister to me now, was talking about various things, I confirmed the date and time.
Yeah, it’s been 5 days.
If my calculations are correct, there’s probably about 2 to 3 days left until that timer ends.
Furrowing my brow with intellectual effort, I recalled what I had seen back then.
Call of Twilight… Phew, the profound speech they gave about being annoyed by the truth being hidden.
I’m not entirely sure, but I think they were irritated by the truth being kept secret, right?
I’m not exactly sure but it felt like they were pointing at something like that.
At first, I thought the scope was too wide.
There are just too many hidden truths in this world.
Even if we exclude the existence of people like us, the Singularities, there are things like corruption of high officials… or secret buildings… things like that.
But after carefully watching the news for five days, the hidden truth they were talking about seems to be clear.
If the Call of Twilight’s broadcast was aired nationwide, wouldn’t the news have at least mentioned it at some point?
Well, the people hiding the existence of Singularities might have controlled it, but unless they erased the memories of everyone in the country, it shouldn’t have been that easy, right?
…Is it possible?
If that’s true, it’s kind of…
Anyway.
If you think about it, it seems likely that the Call of Twilight broadcast was aired only on the TV in my room or perhaps only within the building where I am.
Which means what they’re talking about is probably related to the canned food company.
It’s hard to guess why they’re so upset about it though.
I understand that they don’t like the truth being hidden, but I can’t quite understand why they are angry about it.
Hmm… Could it be some group of people who bought a lot of Soylent purple co. stocks?
Did the company go bankrupt, turning all their stocks into data scraps?
As much as that could be the case, it doesn’t feel right.
It seems more likely that there’s a factional divide among the people hiding the existence of Singularities.
Well.
That’s how things work, right?
If everyone thought the same, wouldn’t that be more terrifying?
…Politics is kind of annoying, but that’s the world we live in, right?
Hmm.
So.
What about the timer we don’t see anymore?
I have no idea.
I suppose my limits end here.
If this makes me somewhat intelligent, then that’s good, right?
It felt nice to engage my brain for the first time in a while, but after some intense thinking, I craved something sweet.
As if sensing my desire,
The door opened, and Han Seori walked in, looking tired.
She was carrying a tray filled with food.
The dark circles under her eyes seemed darker than they were five days ago.
Could it be because of the broadcast by Call of Twilight?
Thanks to them, I’ve been lounging around watching TV, but seeing Han Seori’s face becoming increasingly pale hasn’t been making me feel too good.
“It’s time to eat…”
Look at her voice, it’s wavering with no strength at all.
In this state, if she returns to the countryside, I’m sure she’ll be force-fed until her stomach expands.
Han Seori weakly placed the tray down, and sat cross-legged by us, as if to keep an eye on me, Daesik, and Sosik while we ate.
Carefully approaching, I divided the food between Daesik and Sosik. After a brief moment of silently gazing at Han Seori,
I offered her some food.
It felt as if the one who truly needed the food wasn’t me, but her.
It wasn’t out of any grand plan — just a spontaneous gesture.
At first, she just blankly stared at my hand, then with a shy smile, she took the food from me.
Since it’s not animal fodder but a regular loaf of bread, there shouldn’t be any problem.
After looking at the bread I gave her, she tore off a corner and ate it before giving the rest back to me.
“…Thanks. I feel a little better now.”
For a mere slice of bread.
…Not that I prepared it anyway.
Sitting there cross-legged, Han Seori watched us eat with a gratified expression.
When I finished my meal, Han Seori carefully approached and hugged me.
“Can I hold you for a bit?”
Her voice carried the tone of someone who had found their only sanctuary, and I found myself unable to move in her arms.
Han Seori’s exhaustion must be because of those Call of Twilight people, right?
They were definitely muttering very irritably at the time.
Maybe I’ve grown close to Han Seori, because even though I’ve never met these people called Call of Twilight…
I just don’t like them.
By the way.
This woman’s taller than I expected.
I’m talking about height.
I tried to focus on other things as I noticed my view being much higher than I had imagined.
Because of Han Seori’s body warmth, it felt warm.
Below, Daesik and Sosik looked up at me and Han Seori from her feet.
Are they envious?
Hmm.
For some reason, it felt good.
…
…
…
…
Bzzt.
The timer filling the screen now showed a time that had rapidly diminished, indicating that less than a day remained.
Meanwhile, upon hearing about a suspected Singularity reaction appearing in the East Sea, Han Seori was momentarily lost in thought.
“…Is this related to the timer?”
If one thought about the timing, it was entirely possible.
Unless some spaceship rises from the sea, it was likely related.
What exactly are they scheming?
Han Seori pressed her temples hard, overwhelmed by another headache.
Tapping her desk while in deep thought, she called up Kim Cheon-soo on the panel.
Not long after, Kim Cheon-soo appeared in her space, soaking in sweat and panting.
Seeing the sweat-covered Kim Cheon-soo, Han Seori blinked a couple of times before speaking.
“…What were you doing to come like that?”
“Ah, um… I was moving supplies from the closed laboratory.”
“Is that so…? Haven’t you finished yet?”
“Ah, I just… finished.”
“Is that so… You must have worked hard.”
After praising Kim Cheon-soo, Han Seori firmly declared her intentions.
“I think I need to go down to the East Sea… Can you prepare a vehicle for me?”
“Huh… Are we going just the two of us?”
“Yea… well… um, they’ll prepare everything on that side, I guess?”
Upon Han Seori’s mutterings, Kim Cheon-soo’s face, which had been dead-tired, brightened up notably.
Seeing his satisfied smile, Han Seori spoke in a low voice.
“…We’re not going on a trip.”
“Ah, of course, I know. I’ll prepare immediately!”
“…And take a shower before we leave.”
“Alright.”
Just as the elated Kim Cheon-soo was turning around, Han Seori made a sudden exclamation as if she’d forgotten something.
“Instead of a regular car… Please prepare a small Singularity escort vehicle.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, prepare a small Singularity escort vehicle.”
“Ah, understood.”
During the time Kim Cheon-soo was scrambling around to prepare the vehicle,
Han Seori thought about their impending departure toward the East Sea, where the suspected Singularity reaction had been detected.
‘…They’re onto something.’
If they’re really planning to expose Soylent purple co.’s secrets, they should’ve acted through news, the internet, flyers, or similar methods instead of just giving a warning.
Actually, it’s not like they’d even have the time for such a warning.
And…
Han Seori had a vague notion of what they’re after.
Perhaps they’re targeting 7496 – KR, the Jelly Girl.
All recent incidents had, unfortunately, happened at her branch’s offices and laboratories.
Furthermore, 7496 – KR had somehow involved her Jelly in almost every one of these incidents.
Well, the girl herself was also heavily involved, but it seemed more natural to assume they were after the Singularity rather than targeting individuals.
…Maybe I’m on the wrong track, though.
‘If they really are after 7496 – KR…’
They might lure attention to ‘something’ in the East Sea and then target the laboratory to steal 7496 – KR.
If that were the case, their actions would make sense.
It seems they needed time to prepare something — something unknown.
And they probably carried out that ridiculous broadcast to divert all attention toward this.
The puzzle pieces fit together.
In that case, Han Seori’s action was simple.
Take what they want and flee toward the East Sea branch, where they’re bound to be boiling with anger.
‘If I hint to Commissioner Yoo Gang-jik midway, he’ll take care of it.’
The fewer people who know, the better.
That’s why Han Seori chose Kim Cheon-soo — because he’s relatively trustworthy.
‘…’
As Han Seori was making preparation to leave, she silently looked towards the isolation room where the Jelly Girl was held.
It might be a somewhat strange thought, but…
She hoped that the Call of Twilight wasn’t targeting the Jelly Girl.
She wished that her suspicions were nothing more than excessive speculation.
But ironically…
…she had to move under the premise that her suspicions were correct.
Han Seori chuckled wistfully as she walked to the isolation room where 7496 – KR was watching TV.
