The Jelly Alien Will Save You! Chapter 29

* * *

 

[The doors are closing.]

 

Psssssh—.

 

The three of us stood side by side in front of the subway as it dropped us off and its doors closed.

 

Cha Haeeon had the eyes of a dead fish, Captain Gong Juwon was sniffling, and my eyes were sparkling.

 

Just as I thought, everything went smoothly after I shouted, ‘It’s a groper!’

 

Cha Haeeon reading my move and playing along also played a part.

 

“Captain Gong, since when have you been after my butt…?” 

 

“I-It’s a misunderstanding! I haven’t had even a speck of such impure thoughts! And look, I only have one hand…”

 

I chimed in as well.

 

“Using your only remaining hand to grab Cha Haeeon’s butt…” 

 

“Please do not interpret it that way!”

 

Unfortunately, Captain Gong Juwon was just driven into a corner without knowing what was going on, but that made him look even more like a culprit trying to deny it.

 

At the commotion, all the passengers looked at us and started whispering.

 

“I oppose homosexuality!”

 

Even the old man who was fighting the cult war shouted at Captain Gong.

 

Come to think of it, I think that was when Captain Gong Juwon started sniffling.

 

Still, it was a relief that we could safely get off the train.

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok, pyok. 

 

We started walking toward the Lost and Found Center.

 

Only Captain Gong Juwon, who should have been the happiest here, looked as if he were at a funeral.

 

I tapped Captain Gong Juwon’s leg and comforted him.

 

“You feel wronged, right? But since you’ll be able to find your arm, just let it go.” 

 

“….”

 

In such a long silence, we arrived at the Lost and Found Center.

 

[Lost and Found Center]

 

Creeeeak— 

 

While Cha Haeeon opened the door to the Lost and Found Center and Captain Gong Juwon held it open, I stepped inside with my brother.

 

The Lost and Found Center was more spacious than I thought. Lost items lined the metal shelves that stretched endlessly along the walls.

 

At the counter near the entrance, the employee of the Lost and Found Center glanced over us half-heartedly.

 

Of course, his face was hollowed out so I couldn’t see it, but that was the feeling I got.

 

Gong Juwon immediately stepped forward.

 

“We’re here to find a lost i—” 

 

“Yes.”

 

The employee cut him off dismissively, as if they already knew. 

 

When he tapped the tablet in his hand, a short electronic beep sounded.

 

Beep—

 

The employee raised his hand and pointed at Gong Ju-won.

 

“Left arm is R-1320.”

 

Then, pointing at my brother on my head and me, he continued.

 

“Octopus is G-333. Jelly, go to U-201.”

 

Huh? Why us?

 

“We didn’t come to find anything, though?” 

 

“Then don’t take it.” 

 

“No, no!”

 

I can’t do that!

 

“I mean, is there something we lost?” 

 

“Who knows. Next customer~”

 

I was ignored! Even though there were no other customers besides us!

 

I stood there with my mouth hanging open.

 

Meanwhile, Captain Gong Juwon began moving without hesitation to find Zone R.

 

I looked at Cha Haeeon and then hugged my brother to my chest.

 

It wouldn’t be strange if my brother, who had been in Yongsan all along, had lost something.

 

But the fact that there was a lost item of mine was still incomprehensible.

 

I wasn’t even wearing clothes when I first woke up in Yongsan, was I?

 

“Are you going to check it out?” 

 

“Yeah.”

 

I first headed to Zone G, number 333, where my brother’s lost item was.

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok, pyok……. 

 

Zone G looked noticeably different from the other zones.

 

And rightfully so, as the lost items placed on the low display shelves lining both sides of the aisle were entirely abnormal.

 

One bag had its zipper halfway open, and something was squelching and moving inside it.

 

‘Eek!’

 

A human ankle was attached to a pair of shoes, sporadically twitching in spasms.

 

I tried not to look at the other items and moved while searching for the number written on the shelves.

 

[G-333]

 

“Found it!”

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok!

 

“Uh, this is…”

 

I widened my eyes when I saw the item placed on the shelf.

 

But Cha Haeeon, who was sitting next to me, picked it up first.

 

It was a badge with the letter ‘Q’ written on it.

 

“An item?”

 

[Quasar’s Badge] 

Notifies with a vibration when a person registered to the badge is nearby.

 

Quasar’s Badge was a type of item that reacted when guild members were nearby.

 

My brother made it in case they got separated from each other in a dungeon…

 

Just then, my brother snatched the Quasar’s Badge from Cha Haeeon’s hand with a tentacle.

 

Then, he firmly pressed it into my hand.

 

Actually, I knew this item had a separate main function.

 

To find people.

 

In other words, it was for finding the corpses of guild members who ultimately failed to return from a dungeon.

 

The reason my brother always carried this around was probably not to protect someone, but rather to take responsibility for his comrades to the end.

 

Biting my lip, I squeezed the badge tightly, and Cha Haeeon stared quietly at my hand holding the badge with an unreadable expression.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

 

“What did I do?”

 

As if denying it, Cha Haeeon jumped up.

 

“You’re going to Zone U, right?”

 

Saying that, he took the lead and walked toward Zone U.

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok. 

 

I hugged my brother and followed behind.

 

Zone U was different again from Zone G.

 

Mostly, somewhat bulky machine parts were on display.

 

From large devices with circuit boards attached, to pipes and bundles of cables.

 

I became more puzzled. There was no way I could have lost anything in a place like this.

 

U-198 

U-199 

U-200

 

And when I finally found ‘U-201,’ I couldn’t help but freeze with a surprised look on my face.

 

It was because a cardboard box, crushed here and there, was sitting on the shelf.

 

I could tell.

 

This wasn’t just a cardboard box.

 

This was a broken ‘spaceship.’

 

Furthermore, it was a spaceship that wasn’t mine. 

 

‘If that’s the case…….’ 

 

Does that mean there’s another jelly alien in Yongsan besides me?

 

Or, there was one?

 

‘…?!’

 

Startled, I reached out to touch the spaceship, but it made a rattle, rattle sound and suddenly broke into four pieces.

 

Gasp!

 

Even when I picked up the pieces and tried to put them back together, the spaceship, having split into four, showed no signs of returning to its original state.

 

“Uh, uh, uh…”

 

Stammering, I lifted a piece, but with a crack, a corner of the spaceship fell off.

 

‘Eeeeek!’

 

I completely broke it!

 

Cha Haeeon watched this with his dead fish-like eyes and remarked casually.

 

“This is completely useless.”

 

I know that! Annoyed, I was just about to grab a corner piece and smack Cha Haeeon with a flurry of hits.

 

[Gravity Control Movement Module Sticker (For Spaceship Use)] Do you want to move your spaceship? Attach this module to your spaceship!

 

‘Movement module?’

 

Looking closely at the corner piece, there was a sticker attached to it shaped like a hot spring symbol (♨).

 

‘Ah, it’s that. A spaceship item…’

 

In the original game <Squishy Squishy! Planetmon!>, attaching stickers to the box would often give the spaceship various functions.

 

‘Ohhh.’

 

If I attach this, my spaceship will no longer be just some cozy cardboard box.

 

I carefully peeled the sticker off and placed it on the back of my hand.

 

Cha Haeeon watched this and asked.

 

“Is it yours?” 

 

“From now on, it is.”

 

I replied shamelessly.

 

Even if I didn’t know who the owner was, this spaceship was clearly beyond use now, so wouldn’t it be more beneficial if I put it to use?