Where am I now?
Kim Cheon-soo was standing in a pitch-black space, in stark contrast to the purely white space he had been in moments ago, feeling somewhat dazed.
He had been certain that he was surrounded by blinding white, so why was he here now, in this darkness?
Despite the strange circumstances, which could have easily provoked confusion or fear, Kim Cheon-soo remained inexplicably calm.
As he stood there, gazing blankly at his surroundings, his eyes began to pick out an unusual object.
Or, perhaps “unusual” wasn’t the right word—something oddly familiar caught his eye.
But no, it seemed alive rather than an inanimate object.
Had it noticed him watching? Before Kim Cheon-soo could utter an exclamation, the living thing rapidly approached him.
At an alarming speed.
“Uh…”
The creature approaching him looked strangely familiar.
A translucent, slightly sticky, blue body.
It was…
The Jelly Girl.
The Jelly Girl suddenly appeared while he was blinking in surprise, and without any warning, threw a punch at his stomach.
Kim Cheon-soo felt himself slightly pushed back as he absorbed the blow, yet something felt off.
Even if her punch was made of jelly, it should have had some sensation—definitely not the complete absence of feeling he experienced now.
“Ah.”
It was then that Kim Cheon-soo realized this was a dream.
A dream that had become familiar to him since “that incident.”
As he absently touched his stomach where the Jelly Girl had struck, he glanced at her, noticing how incredibly agitated she seemed.
Why was she so angry?
Even so, attacking on sight was uncalled for, wasn’t it?
Though it hadn’t hurt…
Kim Cheon-soo internally grumbled about the situation but soon felt a strange sensation.
Upon realizing it was a dream, his awareness should have been clearer, and by now he usually would have woken up.
But he didn’t.
It felt eerily similar to being in a lucid dream.
Kim Cheon-soo scratched his head, feeling inexplicably at ease.
It was a nice feeling, so he decided that was fine.
Just as he thought that, his mind started getting foggy.
The surrounding darkness seemed perfect for a nap.
As his consciousness slipped further into the dark, it seemed like he might just drift off—until—
SLAP!
Kim Cheon-soo’s head jerked to the side as he snapped back to full attention.
Blinking slowly, he realized the Jelly Girl was now repeatedly slapping his face, one cheek after the other.
Though it didn’t hurt, his vision swaying from side to side woke him up more clearly.
“Hey, stop! I get it, whatever it is!”
His plea went unheard as no sound emerged from his lips.
The Jelly Girl continued slapping his face, punching his stomach, and then shaking him by the collar before finally stopping, seemingly satisfied.
Kim Cheon-soo sat down, feeling dizzy, while the Jelly Girl turned away with her arms crossed.
Kim Cheon-soo slowly rose to his feet, examining her soft body.
Whatever this bizarre dream was, it was his, so wasn’t this allowable?
Feeling somewhat wronged by her sudden attacks, he cautiously raised his fist above his head and struck a gentle blow to the top of the Jelly Girl’s head.
She looked up at him, a strange dent in her head from the blow.
Startled by how odd that looked, Kim Cheon-soo—
PFFT!
“Ah.”
Awoke in his sleep, his fist suspended in the air.
He shivered, feeling a bone-chilling cold despite being tucked away in a large bag, realizing the fire he’d maintained had gone out.
Ah.
I was stranded here, wasn’t I?
Leaning against his bag and noticing the extinguished embers, he sighed deeply. His breath misted as it disappeared into the air.
Recalling his recent dream as he reignited the fire, a thought occurred to him.
…Could I have almost died?
Thinking about what might have happened if he had drifted off like that made Kim Cheon-soo’s spine tingle.
…So.
Had the Jelly Girl from my dream saved me somehow?
The recurring dream featuring the Jelly Girl started after “that day.”
At first, she was just some bluish amorphous being that gradually took more distinct shape over time.
While Kim Cheon-soo was still puzzled as to why he kept having such dreams, he genuinely felt grateful for this one.
No matter the cause.
Thinking back to the dream and feeling grateful to the Jelly Girl, Kim Cheon-soo couldn’t help but notice something odd.
It wasn’t like this when I left the laboratory.
Why did the weather change so drastically?
No matter how cold it was where the laboratory was located, it still wasn’t outside the Korean Peninsula. This extreme change felt wrong.
…Something’s up here.
His instincts told him this was the work of some unknown Singularity.
Upon reflecting, he remembered a report from Han Seori summarizing information sent to nearby branches about these sudden Singularities causing trouble.
It wouldn’t be strange if a new Singularity had appeared near their lab.
In fact, it was highly likely.
“Damn.”
Having dealt with the steel snake and thought he was safe, Kim Cheon-soo regretted his complacency.
Regret wouldn’t change anything now.
Reassuring himself, he surveyed his remaining supplies.
Fortunately, he had plenty of food.
…Though the chunks of frozen meat would be a hassle to eat, having them was better than not.
The toys he had packed for the Jelly Girl and her friends were probably best left behind.
Even though it made him feel a little guilty, shedding unnecessary weight was necessary.
Kim Cheon-soo rearranged his things while sitting by the flickering fire.
With the organization complete, he fell into thought again.
…What now?
Although he had memorized the path back to the lab, it was useless knowledge without knowing where he was currently.
Wherever this was, what use would that information serve?
Sighing, he melted and ate a hardened chocolate bar to get some quick energy.
As he ate—
“Excuse me!”
A familiar, unforgettable voice called out.
It sounded like Han Seori looking for someone.
…Came to rescue me?
Touched and choked up, Kim Cheon-soo then remembered the possibility that the voice might be related to a Singularity.
“Is anyone there?”
Was it truly Han Seori calling out, or was it some unknown Singularity?
The voice that had been getting increasingly closer now began to fade away.
He had a decision to make.
He could find a way out on his own without clues, chase after the voice hoping it’s Han Seori—
Or, he could stay put and wait for help to arrive.
Kim Cheon-soo glanced at the transmitter inside his pocket that Han Seori had given him in case of emergencies. It seemed nonfunctional due to the freezing conditions.
Without this signal, will anyone find me?
Perhaps the voice he hears now is Han Seori who arrived before the signal went dead.
With his head aching from considerations, Kim Cheon-soo picked up his bag and stood upright.
He had decided to follow the voice.
As he slowly stepped out of the cave, his abandoned toys remained behind, shivering in the cold, their eerie presence lingering.
*
“Are you uncomfortable?”
Shaking his head at Han Seori’s inquiry, she seemed apologetic as she pulled the large hood over my head.
Looking at my reflection in the mirror nearby, I saw the silhouette of a girl fully bundled up in layers.
The oversized hood concealed my face.
…That was right.
I dressed in cobbled-together clothing of Han Seori’s and Kim Cheon-soo’s so I could venture out.
The thermal insulation isn’t that important.
This is in case I encounter an unexpected situation while being active outside.
For instance…
Running into humans unexpectedly or something.
That’s it.
Because of a foreboding thought, I’d decided to go out and search for Kim Cheon-soo, who hadn’t returned.
There wasn’t much choice once the sphere guy mentioned drones couldn’t be launched.
And Kim Cheon-soo’s signal had vanished suddenly.
Clearly, something bad happened to him.
And outside? A violent blizzard, fiercer than anything we’d seen.
It wasn’t surprising that Kim Cheon-soo might have gotten lost.
Why was there a storm like this?
Am I still in Korea?
My doubts were almost answered when Han Seori, with a worried expression, said,
“It seems a new Singularity might have appeared nearby.”
…So Singularities just pop up anywhere like this?
Realizing this made me appreciate all the more those who had been keeping these phenomena hidden.
As this crossed my mind, Han Seori attached a familiar device at the back of my neck while saying,
“So be careful. I’ll help as much as possible.”
I silently nodded, unable to speak as usual.
After all, I can’t talk anyway.
Before stepping outside, I glanced back at Han Seori.
Behind her were our companions—Sphere and the Jelly crew—who were left behind due to my odd attire.
Even though they might not have been useful had they come along, it was still disappointing.
At least thanks to Sphere, I still had Han Seori’s support in these absurd scenarios.
Should I give him a kiss as a thank you?
…He’d probably refuse.
With a parting farewell from Han Seori, I stepped outside into the howling blizzard.
The restrictive hood made seeing quite difficult. If only I could remove it…
How awkward.
At any rate…
Let’s go find our regular guy.
Guided by Han Seori, I made my way towards where Kim Cheon-soo’s signal last disappeared.
