“You’re pretty cute though, in your own way.”
My mood lifted in an instant. Maybe it was because this creature resembled an old friend — memories I’d kept buried away for so long came bubbling up one after another, like soap bubbles popping to the surface.
Thinking about it now, it had been Arachne who’d taught me how to read, and Arachne who’d stolen novels from the researchers and brought them to me. I wondered how it was doing. It had already been big to begin with — but it kept growing bigger with each passing day, so by now it was probably enormous.
I extended a finger and stroked its back gently, and the creature made a squeaky, wheezing sound and rolled around on the floor as if it were ticklish. Watching it without a single trace of shyness made me want to keep it with me from here on out. The problem was, to do that, I’d have to convince hyung……
“Hmm.”
Would someone who couldn’t even stand the sight of me walking on my own two feet ever agree to let me travel around with an unknown monster? I had a feeling he’d kill it before I even got a chance to make my case.
I moved my finger again and scratched its soft, jelly-like belly, and it stretched its legs out wide and repeatedly spread its tentacles in all directions before curling them back in. Beneath the thin, membrane-like skin, I could feel a faint heartbeat. The fact of being alive was so vividly present — how heartbreaking would it be to watch that disappear right in front of me.
“…….”
Should I send it away now, before hyung spots it? I paused to check on hyung, who was talking outside, and the moment my hand stilled, the creature — which had been rolling around on the floor — promptly flipped itself over and rubbed its tentacles against my fingertips. As if to ask why I’d stopped.
……It’s even acting spoiled.
I thought it over for a moment, then carefully lifted its body. The monster wriggled once more on my palm, then tucked its legs inward like a cat and curled up. Watching it claim that spot so shamelessly, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Come along with me. I’ll work on convincing hyung.”
Squeak!
It leapt up sharply for a moment and landed back on my palm. Did it actually understand what I’d said and react to it? I rubbed its torso gently with my thumb in a little massage and continued:
“What should I name you? Lala?”
Skree!
“You don’t like that? How about Silly?”
Kyuu-uk!
“Alright then. Silly it is.”
Delighted to have a name — or so it seemed — the creature shook its bottom and jumped several times. Ah, it’s so cute. If monsters were going to keep appearing, I hoped they’d be ones like this rather than dangerous ones.
By this point, I was starting to miss the others too. Ever since the possession, I’d deliberately pushed them into a corner of my mind — but seeing Silly brought back old friends I hadn’t thought of in a while. There was Mid, who loved to swim. Grid, who loved resting under fallen leaves and in damp earth. And Strik, who would press up against me and sleep every time it got cold.
“……I miss them.”
“What do you miss?”
I’d just said it absentmindedly, not meaning for anyone to hear — but an answer came from right behind me. I startled, instinctively shot to my feet, and turned around with Silly shielded behind my back. Baek Hyunwoo and Moon Seyoung were stepping into the dining area through the half-open door.
“Oh — no, it’s nothing. Did things go okay?”
“More or less.”
“Wait — wait, hyung, just stay right there for a second.”
I stepped forward to block Baek Hyunwoo from approaching the table, and he frowned slightly and tilted his head. I knew I had to look suspicious — but I was too flustered to help it. I haven’t figured out how to convince him yet.
A brief silence settled. Baek Hyunwoo looked down at me without a word. He didn’t step back in agreement, but he didn’t come any closer either — he just watched me through narrowed eyes.
“Just a second, just one second.”
I knew I had to say something, but my head had already gone to pieces. Cold sweat trickled down my back, and my mind went completely blank — not a single thought surfaced. Oh no, what do I do, what do I do.
Squeak—!
At that moment, a small, sharp cry burst from behind me, and a feather-light weight landed on my shoulder with a soft thud. The moment both pairs of eyes shifted upward, I hastily cupped Silly in both hands and pulled it into my chest.
“Don’t kill it!”
I blurted it out like a shriek, stepped back — and my leg caught on a chair. My vision flipped. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for a sharp impact.
“Hah…… Sihyeon. I don’t know what that thing is, but you can’t do reckless things. You almost got seriously hurt.”
Baek Hyunwoo’s sigh drifted down from just above my head. I carefully lifted my eyelids — and the moment our eyes met, I gave him a sheepish grin. Even so, I kept both hands clasped together in front of my chest, unwilling to hand Silly over, and Baek Hyunwoo glanced down and raised an eyebrow. It clearly meant explain yourself properly — so with no other choice, I opened my hands a little and said in a voice that kept shrinking:
“S-say hi. This is Silly…… my friend.”
Squeak!
Whether or not it understood what I was doing for it, the creature lifted one leg and let out a cheerful cry.
Once they were outside the dining area, Baek Hyunwoo put enough distance between them that his voice wouldn’t carry unless he raised it, and only then did he turn to Moon Seyoung.
“So — where did you say they moved the important people to?”
“Come on, it’s not like you weren’t already expecting this. Obviously they moved them to the preservation zone.”
“……The preservation zone is still standing? That can’t be right.”
“They must have built a new one. Humans are crafty enough — did you really think they’d just take our word for it? I knew it would come to this from the start.”
Moon Seyoung let out a hmph and flicked her hair behind her ear. Did she even realize that she herself was currently wearing a human face — and that the being she cared about most was human? Not that it was worth pointing out. She’d just come back with something like but Sihyeon is different from other humans! — so Baek Hyunwoo asked something else instead.
“Then funneling people toward the southern coast — that’s so they can wipe them out in one sweep without too much effort. Right.”
“Exactly. I went to check just in case, and they’ve got bombs planted all over the sea in that area. They blew your city to dust too, didn’t they?”
“That was me. I thought someone might follow us, so I made sure to clean it up properly.”
The softly murmured words made Moon Seyoung’s eyes go wide.
“How?”
“They were getting ready to destroy our city anyway, just as you said — I simply pulled the trigger first. They’ll assume it went according to their plan, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
He let out a deep sigh and pushed his hair back. He’d wondered why something this absurd had suddenly erupted — apparently the humans had gone ahead and engineered the whole thing deliberately.
“So the zombies are their doing too, then.”
“Yes. I assumed you’d obviously go there first to investigate, so I was surprised to find you here.”
“I sent Beomho to the Central Core Management Zone, and Yitae to the Special Research Control Zone. I need to see what they bring back before deciding anything. Do you know where this new preservation zone is supposed to be?”
“Out in the External Contamination Zone. I suppose they were trying to catch us off guard with it……”
She gave a light shrug of her shoulders. Baek Hyunwoo pressed a hand to his throbbing head and shut his eyes. He could barely believe that the work they’d spent so long preparing — all of it meant to bring joy to their beloved youngest, their only human — had been completely ruined by a bunch of foolish humans.
“Hah……. And after we were so generous with them.”
“That’s what I said. Don’t trust humans. Ahh, I was so looking forward to it.”
Her pouting, grumbling expression was adorable enough that Baek Sihyeon would have been utterly captivated — but of course, knowing her true nature as he did, it stirred nothing whatsoever in Baek Hyunwoo.
“I practiced so much for it, you know! ‘Hello. Hyunwoo’s told me so much about you. I’m Moon Seyoung.’“
“……Hah. Never mind that. What are you planning to do from here?”
“Me? I’m going to follow Sihyeon.”
The way she said it made it sound like an obvious given, and Baek Hyunwoo pinched his brow slightly.
“You don’t need to come along.”
“But I want to.”
“The plan has already fallen apart. What would you even be coming along for?”
“I just like Sihyeon, that’s all — the plan being ruined doesn’t bother me much. It’s a little disappointing, but that’s it.”
“…….”
“Ah, you’re checking up on the competition, aren’t you? You must be feeling threatened because Sihyeon seems completely taken with me?”
“Shut up.”
“No.”
“I said shut up.”
“And I said no.”
It was the kind of exchange that would have made Baek Sihyeon say you’re both being ridiculous — or perhaps watch with a strangely flustered expression. Either way, it was nothing Baek Hyunwoo had any interest in.
“He is my little brother.”
“He is our human.”
Moon Seyoung crossed her arms and lifted her chin with composure, and Baek Hyunwoo twisted his lips and fixed her with a hard stare.
“Ours? I’m his legal family. Not you.”
“Oh, so we’re going to be petty about it?”
“It’s not pettiness — it’s reality.”
“But can you really say family with a straight face? I watched Sihyeon babble his first words. I watched him take his first steps.”
“Ha! Dragging up ancient history — how desperate.”
“Desperate? You’re the desperate one, Baek Hyunwoo.”
Neither of them gave an inch, eyes blazing as they stared each other down.
