Chapter 95 : Intimacy (4) Part-1

I acknowledge the positive feelings that can come from being embraced by someone.

Fortunately, I have a close friend named Ji-hye who is comfortable with physical touch.

She is quite open about her feelings and, although she is not excessively clingy, she frequently intertwines arms with me as we stroll together or gives me a hug when she is joyful.

When she embraces me, I return the gesture, even if I may be a bit hesitant to link arms at times, I never reject her.

In the end, I understand that rejecting such gestures would be excessively distant.

However, there was something about Hayoon burying her face in my chest that felt unlike anything I had experienced before.

Reflecting on it, Ji-hye and I had never found ourselves in such intimate proximity.

Even in instances where we slept in close quarters, we had always maintained a certain level of personal space by using separate blankets.

Ji-hye had never sought comfort by clinging to me or exhibiting this level of vulnerability.

“Mmm.”

It appeared as though Hayoon was breathing slightly heavily as she turned her face towards mine.

She squirmed and inched her way up, causing me to press my lips together tightly in an effort to remain silent.

The fabric of my stretched-out t-shirt made a soft rustling sound as Hayoon’s face finally appeared from beneath it.

While her mouth remained hidden, her nose and the upper portion of her face were now visible.

Her eyes were closed, and with each breath she took, I could feel the warmth and dampness of the fabric against her skin.

It naturally took me a longer period of time to fall back asleep again.

It seems inevitable that anyone would face difficulty in such a situation.

Somehow, after some time, I managed to drift off into slumber again, although the exact details of how it happened elude me.

I presume this must be a common experience for most individuals.

However, I vividly recall the moment I woke up from my sleep.

“Eek?!”

A sudden vibration from my chest jolted me awake, the force of it making my heart race.

It became apparent that Hayoon had emitted a loud scream, which had caused the unexpected tremor in my body.

Struggling to focus, I slowly opened my eyes and glanced down to find Hayoon gazing up at me, her eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and fear.

Despite the intensity of her scream, her expression seemed oddly devoid of emotion.

Her face was flushed bright red, mirroring the way it had been the night before, adding to the sense of confusion and disorientation that filled the room.

For a moment, I resisted the urge to release my hold and instead, gazed down at her rosy cheeks with a deep sense of curiosity.

Reflecting on the situation later on, I believe that my uncharacteristic boldness stemmed from the lingering fog of sleep that clouded my mind.

Isn’t it peculiar how random, illogical thoughts can infiltrate our minds upon waking? It appears that my consciousness was still in a hazy state when this unconventional idea took hold.

Before my logical reasoning could intervene, an instinctual impulse drove me to instinctively embrace Hayoon, my arms involuntarily tightening around her frame.

She remained motionless for a brief moment, pressing her face into my chest, before suddenly thrashing her arms and legs.

Perhaps she became aware of my presence right in front of her, which is why she didn’t exert all of her power.

If she had, she might have been able to free herself sooner.

“Pwah!”

At last, she succeeded in gently pulling her face away from the confrontation, taking a step back to create some distance.

However, the cramped confines of the tent quickly became apparent as she retreated.

Seated with her back pressed against the closed tent flap, Hayoon shot me a fierce glare, her flushed face revealing her agitation.

Her lips were slightly parted in a struggle to vocalize her thoughts, but words seemed to evade her in that moment.

In response, all I could do was meet her intense gaze, feeling the warmth rise to my own cheeks in the tense atmosphere.

…What on earth had I just done?

My brain was slow to grasp the situation, but when it finally did, it screamed in alarm.

Fortunately, I was able to stifle the sound before it escaped my lips.

Frantically, I tried to follow Hayoon’s lead and get up to move away, but the tent let out an ominous creak, halting my movements.

The air within the tent felt oppressively hot, adding to the sense of urgency and unease.

There was a sense of uncertainty in the air as we pondered why the inside of the tent felt stuffier than usual – whether it was due to us keeping it closed or simply because of the warmer weather.

Our breaths mingled in the enclosed space, creating a slightly suffocating atmosphere.

In unspoken agreement, we both rose to our feet and silently made our way outside.

Upon opening the tent flap, the fresh morning air greeted us with an unexpected crispness.

Despite the season being spring, the air was not thick with the usual dust but rather felt pure and invigorating.

Stepping out, we noticed the curious glances of some of the other kids nearby.

Their gazes seemed to carry some unspoken message, causing a twinge of self-consciousness within me.

Frustrated by the lack of clarity in my own thoughts, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of defeat creeping in.

Whether Hayoon met my eyes or avoided them, the situation kept moving forward.

Most importantly, despite the government currently choosing to ignore the situation, it is fundamentally in conflict with both the Federation and external corporations.

The government’s initial decision to allow corporations onto the land was based on the belief that they and the Federation would serve as checks and balances for each other.

However, if working with the Federation starts to negatively impact national interests, there is no justification for allowing it to persist.

Whether the government has the ability to address this issue is a separate issue altogether.

Regardless, the government has started making moves of its own.

It seems the prosecution plans to summon and investigate the chairman of Noir Corporation.

“They’ll probably comply with the summons,” James said plainly.

“They’ll try to pin all incriminating evidence on the former chairman. That’s the kind of trash they are.”

“If they push all the blame onto the former chairman, what’s their plan to sustain themselves? Isn’t their goal to modify humans and sell them off?”

“Well, entities seeking vast amounts of energy exist everywhere—even here. Think about it: if one human life could produce energy more efficiently than the fusion reactors Earthlings so desperately desire, someone might justify such sacrifices.”

Hearing this, the magical girls’ faces turned grim.

“What’s more, the company’s ‘products’ are essentially manufactured beings. Despite the genetic similarities between dogs and wolves, Earthlings classify them as entirely different animals. If so, wouldn’t there also be people willing to accept a compromise by creating Earthlings with reduced cognitive abilities solely for energy production?”

Human ethics have shifted countless times throughout history—and they continue to evolve even now.

Could it be, as James suggested, that entities without consciousness might not be considered “Earthlings”?

“That’s absurd,” Jo-ah rebutted firmly.

“Emotions like hope and despair are complex, arising from a combination of various feelings. It’s clear that if they’re not ‘Earthlings,’ they can’t activate the circuit. If other animals on Earth could trigger the circuit, it would’ve happened already.”

Humans, in their practice of raising cows, pigs, chickens, and various other animals for consumption, demonstrate their ability to utilize living creatures for sustenance.

The idea of attaching circuits to livestock for the purpose of energy production has not been pursued, given the assumption that if such a concept were viable, it would have been explored in the past.

This notion is further supported by the fact that humans have already begun implanting circuits in their own species, indicating a greater precedence for technology integration within human biology.

“Are you so sure about that? Perhaps the only requirement is the existence of ‘Earthlings’ themselves. It could depend on the structure of their nervous system or the arrangement of their genes. The principle behind the circuit is only partially understood, requiring specific emotions to function. There’s no reason to assume alternative methods couldn’t exist.”

“Still… the possibility remains that they’ve created humans designed solely to experience despair.”

“Exactly. To confirm such theories, someone would need to prove it firsthand,” James said, turning to me.

“Back then, you didn’t kill those mass-produced Earthlings. The ones who were unconscious were retrieved by the government, and they likely kept them hidden from the Federation. Considering the circumstances, that makes sense.”

“And the Federation doesn’t have the authority to demand access to them,” Rose interjected.

“Forcing the issue would create serious problems—assuming they’re considered Earthlings.”

Cherry nodded in agreement.

“So, that adds another goal to our list.”

I summarized the situation: “Capture the chairman alive if possible. Infiltrate the government—or use another method to meet the surviving Earthlings.”

Becoming an independent force isn’t something we can achieve overnight.

“The summons is scheduled for next week. For now, there’s not much we can do other than stay in peak condition. Ideally, we’d kidnap the chairman, but our real objective is to make it clear we’re targeting him.”

All individuals present in the room nodded in agreement.

The unanimous consensus was that the primary objective at hand was to strike fear into the chairman’s heart, not to hastily pursue the modified Earthlings.

It was a decision made confidently as a result of having previously turned down the government’s offer and having made significant progress up to that point.

The concern was raised that mentioning the issue too soon could potentially give the opposition leverage in negotiations.

And just like that, the brief meeting came to a close, leaving each person to attend to their respective duties.

Leaving the building, I couldn’t help but notice that my focus on Hayoon had consumed me entirely, putting all other worries and thoughts on the back burner.

This intense preoccupation felt like a catastrophic event within my mind, causing a surge of overwhelming emotions.

It was as if my thoughts were a tumultuous tidal wave, crashing in and out and leaving a trail of chaos in its wake, only to be erased by the next wave of emotions.

Amidst all this internal turmoil, one burning question lingered: What does Hayoon think of me?

Honestly, I was worried.

So, isn’t that right?