“What in the world is going on?”
It was a scene that instinctively prompted that question.
An indescribable, monstrous creature had its mouth gaping wide open, yet Kim Cheon-soo seemed unaware of it, approaching with a vacant expression on his face.
If left alone, his face would be destroyed as if crushed into a lollipop.
I discarded my clothes and dashed towards Kim Cheon-soo.
At this point, there was no one else to worry about meeting, and now that a collision was inevitable, there was no time to hold back.
…Though the sensation of transforming felt quite strange, there was no time to indulge in such peculiar musings.
With the metallic sounds of “chep, chep,” I ran toward Kim Cheon-soo, shedding my clothes—swallowing those parts that wouldn’t come off easily into my body.
I felt the chill of Jelly, cold enough to make one shiver.
Despite all this effort to rush to Kim Cheon-soo’s aid, it felt like we weren’t going to make it in time.
It seemed as though Kim Cheon-soo would reach the monster before I could close the remaining distance.
At a moment like this, if only I could emit some kind of sound… perhaps a shout—
“Mr. Cheon-soo! Snap out of it! You’ll die if you keep going!”
And just like that, my wish seemed to be answered.
The loud voice of Han Seori echoed from the device around my neck.
Her clear, high-pitched voice reverberated through the cave like a shout in a bathroom.
The Jelly even trembled from the force of the sound echoing back.
And did that sound have an effect?
The vacant steps of Kim Cheon-soo hesitated for a moment.
Then, as though responding, a voice came from the creature’s throat:
“That voice is fake. Come to me.”
The voice, presumed to be Han Seori’s, flowed out.
Though it pained me to say it, the imitation was almost perfect.
Soon after, Kim Cheon-soo resumed his march forward.
Despite Han Seori’s continued shouts, he didn’t stop.
Just as it seemed his head might snap clean off—
I noticed a cube floating around my body.
Presumably left behind by Kim Cheon-soo, it was some sort of toy.
The moment I caught sight of it, I extracted it from myself.
With the sensation of becoming a blue robot from a cartoon, I hurled the cube forcefully.
The goal was Kim Cheon-soo’s head.
Given the distance wasn’t very far, I thought hitting him wouldn’t be difficult.
…Though considering the impact my own strength could deliver, I wondered how effective it would be, but this wasn’t the time to hesitate.
So I threw the cube with all my jelly-like might!
The cube, once it left my hand—
It flew off with a propulsion much stronger than my expectation, making a strange sound as it hurtled toward Kim Cheon-soo’s face.
The cube struck his head with a “pang!” sound and shattered into pieces flying everywhere.
At the sight of this devastating event, even I, the one who had thrown the cube, felt my Jelly shiver and pause.
Kim Cheon-soo also stopped.
Though it flew harder than I anticipated, at least the goal was achieved.
However, not only did Kim Cheon-soo stop moving, he—
“Ugh…”
Seemed to faint and fell backward.
I rushed over in a panic and caught his body as I collapsed to the ground.
His head landed near my abdomen safely.
I could feel the cold and hardness rising from my behind, and I broke out in a cold sweat from behind the Jelly.
If… if his body had fallen without intervention,
The thought crossed my mind that despite the cube’s sacrifice, his head might have cracked open.
…Though his skull felt slightly protruding where it touched my body, at least his life was saved, so I considered it a fair trade.
As I reassured myself, the reality of the creature finally hit me, and I focused my gaze.
I expected it to charge with full fury, but strangely, it remained frozen with its mouth agape, as if unable to advance any further.
…Or perhaps, it was so focused on what was about to enter its mouth that it simply hadn’t noticed.
Given the situation, the former seemed more plausible.
So I began tapping the unconscious Kim Cheon-soo on the shoulder and face with “chep, chep” sounds.
Careful force control was necessary.
Thinking back, throwing the cube must’ve been something I did without realizing, for now that I was conscious of it, controlling my strength proved difficult.
I was scared that with a single slap, his neck might snap.
Meanwhile, the creature kept its mouth wide open, mimicking Han Seori’s voice.
“Over here… over here… hurry…”
“Can’t it approach…? Is there some reason why…?”
Her voice entwined with its own in a chaotic manner.
Finally,
“Huh!?”
Kim Cheon-soo exhaled a rough breath and opened his eyes under my soft jelly punches.
“Chep, chep.”
My hand slowed down just in time for him to see my jelly-punch coming with his eyes open.
He looked somewhere between dumbfounded and dazed, clutching his head.
“Am I dreaming again? I could go mad…”
…Huh?
Was he dreaming about me?
…In a disgusting way.
I decided to snap him back to reality by grabbing his wrist as he clutched his head.
“Wha, what!?”
I brushed his wrist away as though it belonged to a child.
Easily pulling down his much larger hand brought me a curious sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps it was the feeling of obtaining immense strength?
Anyway,
Once I had moved his hand, I turned his head to face the creature.
“Huh!?”
Realizing what was happening, Kim Cheon-soo jumped up in shock, his body stiff.
With lightning speed, he rose and moved,
…and hid timidly behind me.
It seemed he had slipped into a slight panic mode, so I let it slide.
If I hadn’t been Jelly and was instead human, I surely would’ve fainted at the sight of that grotesque beast.
Just then,
“C- Mr. Cheon-soo, did you hear my voice and come here? You seemed rather dazed… What was your state of consciousness like?”
“…Ah, Dr. Han?”
Han Seori’s voice made him clear his throat awkwardly and rise to his feet.
Though it seemed a bit late, it was perhaps part of his male pride.
I suppressed a smile and pretended not to notice.
Anyway, Han Seori must have seen it all by now.
Blocking the camera might’ve been something I should’ve done, but it wasn’t anything I could control.
[If you had heard my voice and followed it up till now, Mr. Cheon-soo, how was your state of awareness?]
Hmm…
In a way, there was a chance that this was more crucial to Han Seori than the singularity unfolding before her.
He answered with a hint of bitterness mixed with relief in his tone.
“Yes. At first, I thought you’d come to rescue me, so I went outside, but when I regained consciousness, I was lying on the snowy ground. And then I lost awareness again due to the voice… and ended up in this state.”
Some sort of hypnosis, perhaps?
Incidentally, it seems this creature can lure people from a rather significant distance.
Although it looks like the beast has its eyes set on Kim Cheon-soo for now, if and when it gives up and moves onto a different target…
The outcome probably wouldn’t be favorable.
“[We need to address this situation immediately, or there will be consequences.]”
Han Seori, too, quickly picked up on this, her tone tinged with regret.
For some reason, it felt like her voice was regretful of me.
I realized it wasn’t just an illusion.
After all, could Kim Cheon-soo, who was basically bare and defenseless, manage to handle this hideous monstrosity?
Honestly, staring at the creature with its sharp teeth jutting out, I felt a slight sense of fear, but the monstrous strength I experienced earlier gave me confidence that I could handle it.
…Ah, I didn’t want to showcase my abilities here, but it seems I’ll have to.
If I didn’t, she would likely expect me to deal with it entirely.
Reflecting on it, I realize I’ve been put in this position since the start.
Ah.
Sigh.
I guess it will end up like this.
Even as I resigned myself, Han Seori’s questioning continued.
“How about now? Is your awareness intact?”
“Yes, yes. I think I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
The monster’s gaping mouth is what’s allowing this situation to persist.
Oh.
Now that I think of it, there’s only one Han Seori’s voice.
Filled with curiosity, I focused my gaze and noticed the monster’s closed lips silently staring at my Kim Cheon-soo and me.
Its sinister vertical black slit of a pupil conveyed a chilling effect.
Perhaps wanting to flaunt its appearance in this otherwise pristine white space, its body was covered with white fur.
I was thankful that the fur hadn’t turned crimson.
Anyway,
Once the creature showed signs of moving, I cautiously stepped forward to shield Kim Cheon-soo.
…Despite the limited perspective available from behind, the gesture seemed to convey its meaning, as Kim Cheon-soo’s face softened with a hint of gratitude.
Though it felt slightly exaggerated, the feeling wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
Thus,
The silent staring match with the mysterious furry beast began.
Not a snowball fight but a staring contest involving eyes.
After all, there was no snow piled up in this place anyway.
While the creature kept its gaze on me,
I looked right back at it.
Its body seemed to extend deep into the cave’s darkness.
Perhaps there wasn’t any boundary holding it back; maybe the darkness was its limit.
Now what?
Shall I charge in and subdue it in a dramatic fashion, then dispose of it?
Since Han Seori hadn’t given further instructions yet, I was mentally simulating how I would leap at it and “cook” it when—
Ku-uguuuung!
Suddenly, the cave began to shake.
