episode_0040

It’s common sense that you get better at something the second or third time you do it than the first time.

The same goes for raising children or raising pets. Is that why the bright-eyed Dr. Lee Bit-nam called Na-rin?

Since you live with me, I think it would be okay to have at least one more person who is a dwarf like me stay with you.

Well, I don’t mind. The more people I can have fun with, the better.

He said that he was a researcher who reported the illegal activities taking place at the research institute because he felt guilty about it, so he probably isn’t a bad person.

So you can come with us as my sister. And I can give you a passing necklace.

But that’s just my opinion, and since Narin is the landlord, I think it’s right to follow Narin’s wishes.

Because it is uncertain whether the researcher will receive funding or not, and it is also not known whether he will be able to earn money in the future.

If you’re rich, you might not understand, but when it comes to financial matters, you have no choice but to be realistic.

But in that case, I would have asked for Narin’s cooperation. Dr. Lee Bit-nam said he needed my help.

So, as I was waiting quietly for others to speak, Dr. Lee Bit-nam opened his mouth hesitantly.

“Hmm, probably similar. They probably cultivated or created the genes of a species similar to Inamin. Didn’t the government experiment with turning ordinary people into beasts and forcibly developing their abilities? Similar to that.”

I didn’t know. Was something like that happening outside while I was in the military and dying?

Now that I think about it, it seems like some time has passed since I died. While I was tilting my head at that thought, Narin answered cautiously.

“Oh, I remember. That horrible thing… … . So, was this experiment also done by the government?”

“Fortunately, no. Still, it must have been inspired by that place and conducted the experiment. We will gradually reveal the purpose, but… … . Anyway, what we need now is how Ji-Hyeon-ssi, who has become so small, should live, and what dangers there might be, so we invited you here.”

“Aha.”

That’s the kind of help you need. It’s like a cat that has become a human and needs to be taught how to live from now on.

There are things like that. Some animals eat it with pleasure, but other animals take it as poison and die. There are also things that people eat with pleasure, but other animals vomit them out.

If there is such a thing, please tell me so that I can be careful. I tilted my head and answered.

“Hmm. I ate ramen, vegetable tripe, pumpkin pancake, cabbage pancake, rice, and things like that, and they were delicious. I didn’t get sick.”

“Oh, I’ll give you a list. Please check it. It includes not only food but also lifestyle habits, so I would appreciate it if you could write it down.”

“Yes!”

The doctor always treated me with respect despite my young appearance. That’s why I was able to willingly cooperate with him.

Oh, that’s a loss. But since you’re so polite, I can help you with something that’s not difficult.

“Then, please, Inamin, take the survey at this table… … . We will talk here for a moment.”

“Yes. I’ll do it right away!”

I was carried by Narin’s hand to the desk in the corner of the hospital room, along with a pencil taller than me and a questionnaire.

I wonder if they had printed it for me, because the letters were small and easy to read. Even so, they were only the size of my palm, so I had to turn my head a bit to read a single sentence.

But how come I don’t have to read from left to right? If I did, I would have had a hard time before the survey.

“Choose the foods that tasted good when you ate them. Hmm, there wasn’t anything that wasn’t good. Wait, this list is too long… … ?”

Reading the text was quick. But the list below was of ingredients rather than foods.

Rice, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, peppers, apples… The moment I saw that list, I had a feeling that this survey would not be that easy.

The questionnaire was filled with lists of things. I had to check them off on two pages, front and back.

But I plan to work hard. I think I’ll be heartbroken if I eat something wrong and get sick, since I’ve become like a human in a body like mine.

Oh, but what have I ever eaten that was wrong? It seems like I’ve eaten pretty much everything and it’s all delicious.

And since this is written as a food ingredient, it’s a bit ambiguous. I ate it as cooked food, I’ve never eaten cabbage or peppers separately.

It’s okay if the original ingredients are clearly visible. Pumpkin pancake? It must be made with pumpkin and flour. Vegetable tripe? Perilla leaves, cabbage, and green onions. It’s intuitive.

But when it came to ramen, you could tell what was inside by looking at the ingredients written on the ramen bag.

“Ugh. This is difficult. Doctor, what do I do if I don’t know this?”

“You can leave it blank. For now, eat only what you can eat as soon as possible, and then slowly see if you have an allergic reaction to the rest.”

“Oh, it’s because of allergies.”

I wondered why they were doing this survey, but then I understood when they said it was because of allergies.

In our country, if you say you have an allergy, they say you’re a picky eater and force you to eat whatever you want. But don’t people with really severe allergies choke because of it?

Since Jihyun’s body has completely changed, her immune system may have become weaker. We may need to be especially careful about that.

I don’t know if there are things I shouldn’t eat, but I’m sure my body will be fine since it was born this way and I’m strong.

While I was concentrating on the survey, I heard three people talking in low voices.

“… … I don’t know… … .”

“According to the MSD manual… ….”

“It’s okay, you said Jihyun, right? At the lab… … .”

Ah. Adults are talking in difficult terms. I guess they are giving me surveys because they are bored with me talking in terms I can’t understand.

What was more surprising than anything else was that Narin was talking to Dr. Lee Bit-nam on an equal footing.

Isn’t it true that Na-rin was actually a very talented person? Oh, so that’s why she got into a big company?

My sister is such an amazing person. Even though I couldn’t understand the conversation properly, I laughed at the thought.

After roughly checking the things I ate deliciously, the next question was about my lifestyle.

What time do you sleep? I usually sleep around ten or eleven in the evening, so I wake up when Narin wakes up. I sleep until about seven in the morning.

How much exercise do you get a day? I’m not sure about this. Does climbing up onto a sink on a repel count as exercise?

Even though I don’t know that, I could guess that Jihyun would adjust her lifestyle to what I wrote.

So, to ensure that I could stay healthy even though my body changed, I decided to increase my exercise time.

The time spent going up and down the repel was 5 minutes. The time spent playing a rhythm game was 10 minutes. The time spent being dragged around by Hamshik was 2 hours. If you include the time spent napping here and there, it was about 4 hours.

Okay, I’ve finished writing it all down. I looked down proudly at the questionnaire I had carefully filled out and shouted at Dr. Lee Bit-nam.

“Doctor! I’m done!”

“Oh, thank you for your hard work. I’m sorry to ask you this, but I’d like to confirm whether Jihyun and Namin are the same species. Would it be okay if I took a small blood sample? You don’t have to.”

“Namina, you really don’t have to force yourself. It might hurt.”

Oh, right. Now that I think about it, in order for the survey I worked so hard to write to be effective, Jihyun has to be exactly the same race as me.

We’re both miniature versions of people, but what if we only look the same and our genes are different?

Then I can eat chocolate, but Jihyun might end up foaming at the mouth after eating chocolate.

“Yes, it’s okay… … .”

So I was about to answer right away, but I hesitated. I almost gave in to the request, which was so polite.

But it’s still blood draw. I can’t give it away for free. They even gave me two Choco Pies when I donated blood in the military.

Of course I couldn’t do it. What good would it do to take blood from someone with cancer?

Doing things for others also requires being healthy.

Anyway, it can’t be free. So I boldly asked for the price.

“I’ll give you blood if you give me three candies! Oh, and no red ginseng candies.”

The reason there are three is because mine, Hamshik’s, and Narin’s. I calculated that I had to get three like that.

The doctor replied with a hollow laugh.

“Of course I wasn’t asking for it for free. Of course, I should give you some compensation. If it’s candy, um… … Jihyun. Can I give you some of this green grape candy?”

“Yes. It won’t go into my mouth anyway… … .”

“Yes, thank you.”

So I sold my blood for three grape candy. Since it was a blood donation, I thought they would at least take out enough to fill a syringe, but they only took out about the size of my fingernail.

Can you do something like a blood test with that? If it’s a genetic test, is that enough?

Well, you can do all kinds of things with just hair. You see that in crime movies.

Narin looked worried as she saw me donating blood and asked.

“Namina, are you okay? Are you sick?”

“I’m fine because I got a lot of vaccinations! I got one every three days over there.”

“… … .”

It only stung for a moment. As I was holding the alcohol swab to the spot where the needle had been stuck, Narin looked at me with a complicated look.

Are you feeling anxious? When that happens, eating candy will make you feel better.

I consoled her by giving her the candy I had received from the doctor.

“The three of us will share this! Can ham-sik eat it too?”

“… … Okay, I’ll eat well. Thank you. Doctor, then we’ll go now. If Jihyun doesn’t have anywhere to go, you can come to my house.”

“Yes, thank you for your cooperation.”

Oh. Could Jihyun really be my little sister? That would be nice.

But if you report bad researchers and then get attacked with drugs, it would be too cruel to expect that kind of person to have nowhere to go.

So I decided to just empty my mind. Instead, I went back to Na-rin’s arms and showed Ham-shik the green grapes.

Right now, I have to be nice to my only sister.

“Hamshik, do you know what this is? It’s candy. It’s sweet.”

Hamshik stretched out his arm for the unopened candy as if telling him to give it to him right away. Rustle, rustle. Hamshik was good at opening the packaging even though he had never been specifically taught how to do so.

Then, Hamshik took a bite of the large green ball, which was larger than other candies.

“Kki… … in… … in… … .”

“Eww, Hamshik-ah! What if I put it all in my mouth!”

When I put it in my mouth, it just went in. Maybe it’s because I can’t swallow it or chew it.

Hamshik looked embarrassed and tapped the candy in his mouth.