Chapter 201
At first glance, the rock just seemed abandoned.
But behind it, Yurik was struggling to move the rock.
He tried pushing with his whole body, tried pulling.
Still looking at the rock that wouldn't budge, he wiped his sweat-streaming face.
Next to him, Shoggoths moved at regular intervals.
The rocks placed on the black lustrous surfaces were several times larger than what young Yurik was trying to move.
Yurik looked at the Shoggoths with despair, standing there blankly, then looked up at a rock he could never move.
"That's..."
[One of the tools created by this species. Surprise? Emotional expression, understanding. That tool individual possesses a type similar to Yu Yesung, this individual.]
"It's different from the other tools. It's completely different from those passing by, so why do you call it a tool?" [That tool individual naturally occurred from remnants left after creating the tool species. Intelligence, none. Instinct, exists. Obedient nature and physical durability low. Muscle strength low. Judged as defective product.]
"...Defective product?"
[Defective product. Accidental product born from remnants. Unnecessary for all purposes. Unsuitable. Disposal facility for defective products, not built. Currently under planning.]
The Elder Thing's words pointed out only dry facts.
They thought of Yurik as a naturally occurring slave species, and called him a 'defective product' because he was difficult to utilize.
But that word felt like it touched something inside him.
A subtle and strange feeling somewhere.
If he had to describe it, it wasn't entirely positive.
[Event from 7,000 years ago. Accidental occurrence. Natural generation of unique individual judged to have research value. However, said tool individual is weak, research plan abandoned.]
"Seven thousand years... For 7,000 years, he was like that..."
When he first met Yurik, he had been literally like a wild animal.
The creature that had growled with fur standing on end came to understand the word 'rock' and jumped around excitedly.
Seven thousand years without being able to speak.
Seven thousand years spent in a place where there was no being resembling himself.
Trying to lift rocks he couldn't possibly move,
Time spent only failing at tasks he couldn't accomplish.
That was 7,000 years.
The moment he realized this fact, guilt swallowed him like a wave.
He had met Yurik who was fleeing that day.
It had taken Yurik 7,000 years to decide to escape.
But he had pushed Yurik back here in just a few days, just to find the source of a handful of berries.
The reason Yurik had cried 'no' so desperately, and why he had finally said 'yes' with the face of an animal being dragged to slaughter when he insisted.
...It all had reasons.
The person who truly knew nothing wasn't Yurik.
It was him.
"Give him to me."
[Emotional expression, question.]
"That defective product, give him to me. You said that tool resembles me too, right? I think so too. So give him to me."
[Repeated expression, question. Token of goodwill between this individual and Yu Yesung? Request selection of other tool individuals with higher utility. Question the necessity of said tool individual.]
"No. I don't need anything else. Those black jellies aren't my taste. So, I want only that defective product you speak of. That one work."
What had been his feelings?
While returning to the place he had fled from, retracing that path while sleeping beside him.
Why hadn't he said he didn't want to go?
It was probably because there was no word for 'dislike' among the words he had taught him.
In his world where there was only 'yes' and 'no,' the word 'dislike' didn't exist yet.
He could feel the five eyes of the Elder Thing focusing on him.
"Please. As a symbol of friendship toward each other."
If they said giving Yurik to him was difficult,
He couldn't predict what kind of actions he might take to avoid the Elder Things' eyes.
Fortunately, the Elder Things thought very specially of him as a fellow alien species and an interesting subject of communication with high sensitivity.
The next morning.
He received Yurik as a 'gift,' a figure symbolizing diplomatic friendship between species.
The day Yurik became his possession with the agreement of all Elder Things.
After greeting the Elder Thing who had brought Yurik and turning around, Yurik was frozen extremely stiff.
Thinner than he remembered, dirt and grime flowed down his face, arms, and legs.
Even when he first regressed, he hadn't thought Yurik would have such aspects, so it was a fresh sight.
No, couldn't the Yurik from that side and this young Yurik already be considered different people?
"Hello. We meet again?"
"......"
"From today, you'll be staying with me. There are some complicated circumstances that are hard to explain in detail, and I don't know if you can understand all this."
When he took a step closer, Yurik flinched and quietly stepped back.
It was similar to when they first met in this regression.
The difference between then and now was that Yurik wasn't growling at him,
So he didn't need to be afraid either.
When he knelt on one knee in front of Yurik and matched his eye level, he could clearly read the emotions surging in the child's red eyes.
Fear, worry, confusion, such things.
"Let's get along well from now on. Please take care of me."
"......"
"Please take care of me. Try repeating it."
Young Yurik's small fern-like hands were still covered in wounds.
He wrapped those hands with both of his. He could feel them squirming inside his hands.
"Well, please take ca-are."
Though it was fumbling and awkward pronunciation, it was fine.
From now on, everything would become better.
*
As his possession, Yurik came to stay in the same room as him.
Yurik barely slept on the first day, but the next day he slept almost all day. Still clinging to his side.
The accumulated tension and fatigue seemed to have been released all at once, causing uncontrollable sleepiness.
When Yurik finally came to his senses, he fed him fruits brought by Shoggoths under Elder Thing orders.
Sleep well, eat well, rest well.
After several days like this, Yurik regained quite a bit of weight and vitality.
The healing of his hand wounds was strangely fast. It was a moment when he understood how he had boasted inhuman strength and stamina all this time.
Yurik, he had suspected, but he really wasn't human after all.
"Yesung."
"You should call me hyung. What's wrong?"
"Hyung."
Moreover, he was incredibly smart.
He had guessed from how quickly he learned language, but he never dreamed he would be this intelligent.
More objects and life forms were scattered around than in the rock cave where they had lived before.
They spent most of their time in the forest area outside the city, the 'garden,' killing time and conversing about various things.
"What's this?"
"A lizard. It seems still young? Don't play around and put it back where it was."
"I wasn't playing around. I brought it. I wanted to show Yesung."
"It's hyung, not Yesung."
At some point, Yurik could construct complete sentences and express his thoughts including things like 'dislike' and 'like.'
Of course it was a joyful thing, but on the other hand, it felt a bit strange as it seemed like one of the pieces of evidence that he wasn't human.
Still, was it fortunate that he was showing behavioral patterns appropriate for his apparent age?
Lying sprawled under the shade of a large tree, he brushed away the lizard sitting obediently in Yurik's outstretched hands.
The creature that climbed up his hand disappeared obediently when placed on the tree trunk.
Young Yurik, who had been watching this scene, pouted.
"I brought it to show you."
"It's pitiful."
"Why?"
"Well... It hasn't fully grown yet, and how sad would the lizard family be if they knew the baby lizard had disappeared."
"Sad?"
"It means your chest hurts and tears come out. Usually many people cry when watching movies. Ah, there aren't movies or plays here yet."
"You're talking about weird things again. I don't know about that."
Yurik threw a tantrum but still plopped down next to him and rubbed his head all over.
Watching the still slightly rough platinum hair get tangled, he combed it with his fingers.
"What can I do? I'm an alien species from another planet."
"Are there many such things on the planet Yesung came from?"
"Very many. So many they're overflowing that I couldn't see them all."
In fact, in Korea he rarely subscribed to OTT services or went to movie theaters. He wanted to spend money on more practical things rather than such entertainment.
For example, discounted sushi packs from mart closing sales, lunchboxes approaching expiration dates, or specially priced thinly sliced pork belly.
Yurik let his head be scratched without resistance and asked again.
"Is Yesung sad every night?"
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
"You say your chest hurts. And you cry. You go 'urgh, urgh.'"
Only after Yurik realistically mimicked vomiting did he understand what he was talking about.
In fact, there had been times when he crawled around with stomach pain and spat blood.
Yurik seemed to have seen that.
But that was...
"Hmm. It's not sadness. There's nothing particularly worth being sad about."
That wasn't sadness but pain.
And the one who made it that way was you from the previous worldline.
How many times had you stabbed him?
Wouldn't he want to punch him now when he asked with such an innocent face as if curious?
But instead of punching the innocent Yurik here, he stretched his plump cheeks.
"You don't need to know about me yet."
"Eh? Ehoahohae?"
"Why you don't need to know is because... we have quite many days to spend together. There's plenty of time to get to know each other slowly."
If they lived together for about 100 million years, they would come to know everything about each other.
Then no matter what bad intentions Yurik might have later, he could prevent them in advance.
Or he could do his best to guide Yurik so he wouldn't go astray.
He didn't know how difficult early education of a villain would be,
But wouldn't it be easier than the regressions he had done so far?
When he pinched and shook the soft cheeks this way and that, Yurik began to get angry with teary eyes.
"Aha."
"I must have pinched too hard. Sorry."
When he let go, Yurik, rubbing his reddened cheek himself, let out a deep sigh.
"Tears came out. I'm sad now."
"No, that's tears from pain..."
"I'm sad because Yesung pinched me. This is sadness."
"Nonsense logic. Well heard. That was an excellent statement. But it lacks persuasiveness."
Being able to be with Yurik's childhood meant enjoying such advantages in addition to preparing for future disasters.
Teasing a character who might become a villain later was quite entertaining.
He should tease him like this every day. Every day would be happy and wouldn't get boring.
Thinking this, he stood up and extended one hand to Yurik.
"Should we pick some fruit you want to eat and go back? I'm getting dizzy from being outside too long."
Yurik looked at his hand with an annoyed face, debating whether to sulk, but eventually grabbed it and stood up.
Just as laughter was about to come out at that sight.
Yurik suddenly tensed up stiffly and jumped in to hug his waist.
"Why suddenly."
He could quickly understand the reason.
From across the path through the garden, a black Shoggoth was approaching with a squishy motion.
Yurik particularly disliked Shoggoths.
He didn't know well whether he was scared from being captured once, or if the Shoggoths had done something to him while he was searching for Yurik.
But he couldn't coldly push away Yurik who was hugging his waist tightly with his face buried in his chest.
He patted his back and gently calmed him.
"It's okay. It probably came to collect plants needed for Elder Thing research. It often did that."
"......"
"It'll pass by soon."
Shoggoths were controlled by Elder Thing hypnosis techniques.
So there was no worry they would harm them.
But as the Shoggoth coming this way gradually picked up speed, watching that sight, the conversation he had with the Elder Things suddenly flashed through his mind.
-[Unknown estimated period until city construction completion. Reason, variable factors added.]
-Variable factors?
-[Tools created by this species. Negating hypnosis, escaping from control. 86 cases occurred so far and city construction delayed. Emotional expression, displeasure.]
Wait, was it really okay?
The moment he thought that.
At the same time as alarm whistles sounded from the city direction, the Shoggoth began charging toward them like a train.