The Jelly Alien Will Save You! Chapter 30

Cha Haeeon stood up, as if it didn’t matter to him either way.

 

“If you’ve found everything, let’s go.”

 

“Mhm.”

 

I stood up to follow him.

 

Now we just need to find Captain Gong Juwon and head back.

 

“Do you think Captain Gong Juwon is already out there?”

 

“We’ll know when we get there.”

 

We came out toward the counter.

 

Then, along with the employee still sitting at the counter, I saw Captain Gong Juwon’s back in front of it.

 

He was already out here, as expected! I looked at Captain Gong Juwon and waved my arm.

 

“Captain Gong! Did you find your arm?”

 

At that, Captain Gong Juwon slowly turned around.

 

But the captain’s expression as he looked back was not good.

 

What’s wrong with him?

 

While I was wondering, Gong Juwon lifted his lost left arm.

 

“Lieutenant Colonel Cha, this is strange. My arm… seems strange.”

 

At his unusual reaction, we hurriedly ran to him.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

When I asked, Captain Gong Ju-won held out his left arm with a bewildered expression.

 

His left arm was perfectly fine up to the elbow.

 

But from below the elbow, the skin didn’t continue.

 

Where his forearm should be, thin steel frames were intertwined like stems, and wires replaced where veins should be. Every time he took a breath, a faint light flickered as if an electric current were flowing.

 

In other words, it looked like a mechanical prosthetic arm was attached.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

‘Mutation.’

 

His left arm had been contaminated, causing a mutation.

 

Gong Juwon seemed to know this already; he clenched and unclenched his left fist, smiling bitterly.  

 

“I… think I’ve mutated.”

 

“….”

 

The silence was brief, as he suddenly saluted.

 

“Thank you for helping me up to this point. Lieutenant Colonel Cha, Jelly-nim.”

 

“Captain Gong?”

 

When I called out to him with a puzzled face at those words that sounded like a farewell, Captain Gong smiled bitterly and said.

 

“I know there has never been a case of a mutated entity returning to its original form. You’ve helped me a lot, but it seems this is as far as I go.”

 

Captain Gong Juwon tried to act like it was nothing, but he couldn’t completely hide the fear revealing itself in his expression and tone.

 

Cha Haeeon sighed and touched his forehead, as if he had a headache.

 

“First of all, Captain Gong, don’t think too far ahead…” 

 

“It’s alright. If I stay like this, I’ll eventually be completely contaminated, and it will be difficult to even die as a human. It’s wiser to make a decision before that happens.” 

 

A somber atmosphere continued.

 

I needed to focus on their words, but the pungent smell that kept entering my nose was bothering me so much that I simply couldn’t stand it.

 

Sniff, sniff.

 

Why is there a familiar, pungent smell coming from Gong Juwon’s left arm?

 

Why is it familiar?

 

I kept approaching Gong Juwon and sniffing.

 

“Jelly-nim?”

 

It was the moment I grabbed Captain Gong Juwon’s left arm and put my nose to it.

 

A round lump suddenly swelled up on the back of his perfectly fine left hand.

 

“…!”

 

The lump on the back of his hand bubbled up, then started to form round, bean-like eyes and a mouth.

 

“Kkyaaaak! It’s an alien!”

 

I screamed, making a huge fuss.

 

“Gaaaaah!”

 

Gong Juwon was also startled, holding the back of his hand far away in fright.

 

Only Cha Haeeon spoke to me with a normal expression.

 

“You’re the alien.”

 

“…!”

 

He’s right?

 

While I was frozen by the sudden fact attack, the lump on the back of his hand finished forming its round body and pop! bounced right out from the back of his hand.

 

“Hunya!”

 

Letting out a rather cute cry.

 

……Hunya?

 

The three of us blinked as we looked at the round thing sitting on the back of his hand.

 

It was a round, potato-like little guy, looking too cute to be called an alien.

 

Its dotted black eyes sparkled as it looked at me.

 

“Hunya!”

 

The little guy smiled brightly at me, then stretched its arms out wide and waved.

 

“…?”

 

Is it looking at me? When I sent them that look, Gong Juwon and Cha Haeeon nodded.

 

Mmm.

 

I extended one finger and poked the little guy.

 

[Cosmic Spirit] 

 

A spirit that commonly inhabits the universe. As a pure and clean existence, it cannot be contaminated.

 

A cosmic spirit?

 

Suddenly, the Galactic Canned Food that had emitted a pungent smell flashed through my mind.

 

“Ah, this is mine!”

 

“Wh-what in the world is this?”

 

“Emergency food!”

 

“What?!”

 

While Gong Juwon was startled, Cha Haeeon, who had been looking down at Gong Juwon’s arm, said.

 

“It seems your emergency food was stopping the contamination in his arm.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“What?”

 

“Look here, now that this guy came out, the contamination is spreading again.”

 

“Gaaaaaaah!”

 

“What?!”

 

Indeed, the perfectly fine flesh on Gong Juwon’s left arm was shrinking.

 

Gong Juwon screamed, and I, turning a deep shade of blue, pushed the cosmic spirit down hard.

 

“Go in! Go back in!”

 

“Hunya……!”

 

Squished by my hand, the cosmic spirit seeped back into the back of Captain Gong Juwon’s left hand.

 

“…It really stopped.”

 

His left arm was back to the state it was in before, with the flesh reaching down to the elbow. 

 

“Thank goodness….”

 

I breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Huff, huff….”

 

Captain Gong Juwon must have been very shocked and panicked, too, as he panted and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

 

Just then, the click-clack sound of footsteps approaching us could be heard.

 

It was the employee of the Lost and Found Center.

 

“Are you finished with your business? Then please leave.”

 

She spoke sharply, shoved the three of us out the door, and slammed it shut with a bang. 

 

Standing side by side in front of the door, completely frozen, the first among us to speak was Cha Haeeon.

 

“For now.”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Let’s go home.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Cha Haeeon and I started walking.

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok. 

 

Then, Captain Gong Juwon’s hesitant voice could be heard from behind.

 

“I, I….”

 

Cha Haeeon spoke without even looking back.

 

“Follow us.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Cha Haeeon didn’t say anything more and walked ahead.

 

As I followed him, Cha Haeeon, who had been walking ahead silently, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

 

It was in front of a small, lit-up stall on one side of the subway station.

 

“Wait here.”

 

With a face that said he truly meant ‘just a moment,’ Cha Haeeon stood in line at the stall. 

 

I tilted my head from behind him.

 

“What are you buying?”

 

“Just stay still.”

 

After a moment, Cha Haeeon handed me a paper bag he had exchanged for a dungeon by-product.

 

Warm steam leaked out from inside.

 

“Eat.”

 

“…What is this? You said I’d have to give up one of my ears to buy it. You liar.”

 

When I looked into the bag, it was packed full of round Deli Manjoos.

 

A sweet scent wafted out strongly.

 

“Ah.”

 

My eyes sparkling, I picked up a Deli Manjoo and immediately took a bite. The fluffy bread and warm custard cream melted into my mouth.

 

“It’s delicious!” 

 

Nom! Throwing a whole Deli Manjoo into my mouth, I hummed a tune.

 

As my impromptu song about how delicious Deli Manjoo is continued, Cha Haeeon covered his ears.

 

Meanwhile, Captain Gong Juwon, who was cautiously following behind, hesitated while looking at his left arm. The hesitation about whether it was really okay to follow us like this was clearly showing on his face.

 

I picked up a Deli Manjoo and pressed it into his hand.

 

“Captain Gong. Don’t start by thinking about dying.”

 

Pat, pat.

 

“If you’re alive, you get to eat things like this.”

 

“….”

 

Captain Gong Juwon’s hand holding the warm Deli Manjoo trembled slightly.

 

“Try it, it’s delicious.”

 

“…Yes, thank you for the food.”

 

Bowing his head, Captain Gong Juwon stuffed the Deli Manjoo into his mouth and chewed heartily.

 

He said quietly.

 

“…It’s delicious.”

 

Then, he smiled with his lips trembling slightly.

 

I smiled back at him.