“Please, save Jelly.”
Thrown suddenly into an unexpected bitter cold, I pressed on with Jelly gathered in my arms, heading in the direction Han Seori had indicated.
To be honest, I thought I was some existence that wasn’t affected by temperature.
And that was somewhat true.
Up to now, there had been various experiments where I was exposed to hot and cold, and even though I could feel the temperature when swallowing scalding or freezing foods, I neither shivered nor panicked because of it.
But… maybe that was useless in extreme situations.
All I could see was a lush forest, the kind that made me think Korea could have such a place, and a snow-covered floor shining bright white.
Behind me, my small footprints were visible.
…Until the snow obscured them and they swiftly disappeared from sight.
The reason only my footprints remained was simple.
Because our Jelly friends were all tucked into my embrace as the cold had slowed their activity.
To be honest, Sosik seemed no different from normal, but I didn’t think it was my imagination.
Anyway.
The fact that I could still move must mean… that I can adapt even in extreme conditions like this, right?
With that hopeful thought in mind,
Sosik on my back.
Daesik in one arm.
In the other arm, for balance, Jung-sik—the baby whale—was cradled as I trudged through the snow.
If another one is born, should we call it Soso-sik or Daedaesik? I thought, half-jokingly, as my body started to warm up.
I paused briefly to consider why I was here in the first place.
No matter how much I thought about it,
It had to be that last test paper I completed.
Right after I finished solving it, it felt like Han Seori started to lose control.
Had she had a child, I was sure people would have said she was eight-armed.
No, the issue was not that.
What exactly was it that I solved that made her react so strongly?
…From where I stand, I can’t figure out what triggered this change in her.
However, I did sense Jelly perceiving that something was being hurried along.
The room I had been staying in changed overnight, and during that time, I didn’t catch a glimpse of anyone else.
The only faces I saw were Han Seori, Kim Cheon-soo, and… the Director.
Then it seemed we were moving again, and I was transferred to a sturdy, small glass container.
During those transfers, we always rode in pitch-black cars, but this time, we were transported in a pretty normal-looking vehicle.
It had such heavy tinting that no one could see inside, but thanks to that, I had a clear view of the world as we moved.
Still, there was nothing particularly exceptional to see, so I just assumed we were going somewhere new.
But it was different somehow.
When the darkness fell, we would switch vehicles, only stopping when the morning came.
Strictly speaking, I didn’t require much rest, so while Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo rested, I idly observed the landscape from inside my glass container.
And then, after a brief halt, we’d start moving again.
I had no idea where I was being taken.
I thought I recognized some familiar roads occasionally, but pinpointing my exact location seemed impossible.
As I gradually started to feel a sense of apathy settling in,
The surroundings suddenly turned a bright white.
I was left on the snowy ground with instructions to find something.
It felt wrong to just leave me here, but
…the scene before me made it clear that no one cared.
With a feeling that I’d freeze into a block of ice if I failed, I decided to follow the guidance from the necklace now around my neck.
Seeing Han Seori’s face as she left me behind, it didn’t seem like she was trying to deceive me.
Honestly, after being captured once by those relentless pursuers, I had no desire to fight with them anymore.
It was too troublesome.
There was no reason to escape when Jelly ensured regular meals and entertainment.
Unless I had done something strange.
And if what I did counts as strange… then maybe it does qualify?
Anyway,
Guided by the necklace, I trudged slowly through the white snow.
When I reached what seemed like my destination, the arrow that had been leading me disappeared.
I looked around, readjusting my hold on the wobbling creatures.
…Everything looked the same.
Still the dense forest, snow-covered ground, and… absolutely nothing.
I just kept thinking how amazing it was that my country had such places.
It felt like I was right in the middle of Siberia.
Half-jokingly wondering if this was some place like “Irongrad,”
…Could this really be the place I’m thinking about?
As PTSD-like feelings started bubbling up, and I shook Jelly,
Clang!
A noise rang out, and then “the ground” opened beneath me.
That’s right.
The ground really did open up.
The accumulated snow tumbled down, pouring into an opened tunnel.
A previously dormant arrow reappeared, pointing inside the tunnel, signaling me to enter.
Still,
The inside would be better than out here in this freezing wind. Jelly might get sliced by the cold any second.
With my bundle of cargo, I entered, and once inside, some mechanism closed whatever connected us to the outside.
Darkness enveloped me.
After a brief adjustment to my surroundings, I followed the arrows forward.
Once inside what seemed like some kind of facility, Daesik and Jung-sik started to move again.
I also didn’t feel cold, which reinforced my suspicion that it wasn’t the temperature itself, but the wind that had been making me feel the chill.
Even though the temperature here felt similar to outside, the absence of the wind made a noticeable difference, suggesting that the only difference was the lack of wind.
Meanwhile, Sosik clung to my back steadily, showing admirable determination.
Sosik’s determination.
Phew.
Hmm.
There’s nothing like a good pun to warm a cold body.
Feeling slightly warmed,
I clung to Jung-sik. With Daesik perched on top of him, Jung-sik floated steadily.
Hanging onto Jung-sik, I felt like we were floating in some video game.
Still,
Since Jung-sik can drift in the air, there’s no risk of me having to jump off or anything.
Just how far we had been walking like this when,
Thud.
Jung-sik’s body hit something presumed to be a wall, halting our progress.
Unhappy with this, Jung-sik began ramming into the wall repeatedly. Thud. Thud.
Feeling like I was on a malfunctioning ride, I let go of Jung-sik and plopped to the ground.
Jung-sik, groaning, continued to ram into the object in front of him, still carrying Daesik, who clutched onto him.
…That kid’s temper sure is foul.
If he really had the mass of a “whale,” I wouldn’t be making such lighthearted observations.
Watching Daesik on his back, Jelly bubbled around.
Just then,
Clunk…
The sound of something old opening reached my ears, and a door leading somewhere opened.
The door looked like it hadn’t been used for quite some time, emitting an unpleasant noise.
Did Jung-sik believe he had caused that?
Confidently floating up to me, with Daesik on his back, Jung-sik acted as if he had achieved something grand.
…I was pretty sure that Han Seori had something to do with it, but I didn’t want to provoke the angry whale by jumping to that conclusion.
Though not particularly scary, it was strange every time Jung-sik got angry, so I gently patted his head.
Even with Daesik still riding on his back, Jung-sik seemed delighted and began to puff Jelly out of his body.
…Of course, this prompted me to have to pick up Daesik after he fell victim to the Jelly blast.
Watching these guys,
I get this mixed feeling.
It seems like they’re behaving however they please, but at the same time, they seem to crave some affection from me.
It feels like an unforeseen responsibility without much joy.
Anyway,
How long does this small guy intend to keep this up?
Muttering to myself, I was about to step inside when suddenly,
The laser that had been creating arrows began to form words.
The laser’s message read as follows:
[This is a place where humans cannot enter. Find and remove the cause.]
A very straightforward sentence.
Compared to the test paper, this was far simpler, so reading it probably wouldn’t be a problem.
…Wait a minute, is it really safe?
I don’t know.
The water’s already spilled, so let’s not worry about it.
Anyway, since I already understood the words, there’s no point pretending ignorance now.
Hmm.
A place where humans cannot enter.
Reading those words and observing my surroundings, something seemed amiss.
Though it was said that humans cannot enter, this place clearly looked man-made.
Only it seemed abandoned—covered in dust, and the hinges squeaked like they were screaming.
Made by humans, but became a place they could not enter, thus abandoned by humans?
Why am I here?
Though I wasn’t told that either, curiosity led my body instinctually forward.
Conquer a place where humans cannot enter?
I can’t resist.
So, with the Jellies, I stepped inside, and the tunnel that connected us to the outside closed.
Not surprisingly,
Inside, I saw a structure similar to the place where I had been staying.
This confirmed that this was undoubtedly a place made by humans.
Why then have humans become unable to enter?
…No monsters lurking around, right?
My question was answered in a rather strange way.
Because the bodies of the Jelly creatures that came in with me…
Were swelling.
Like balloons with something bubbling inside.
Even more alarming was the fact that
My body couldn’t maintain its form either.
It, too, was bubbling uncontrollably.
This was when I understood why humans can’t come here.
Had I been human, my bones might have exploded by now?
As I wrestled with what to do with my bubbling body,
I heard an offbeat sound from somewhere.
It sounded like some familiar machines were starting up.
