Surviving Among the Letters

“You’re back?”

As Calpis and I walked out of the storage facility, Director Messier greeted us.

He glanced at my eyes, then at the faint streaks of tears on my sleeve. Without a word, he roughly ruffled my hair and said nothing.

I like how perceptive he is.

“Brother, are we heading back to the lab now? We’ve done everything we came for, right?”

“No, we’re staying here overnight.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You haven’t heard yet? I told Dongbaek to gather the members at Dongbaek Island.”

At this, Luca looked at me, then back at Messier.

“That’s happening tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“When did you tell Dongbaek?”

“This morning.”

“No wonder there’s been no announcement yet. I’m not sure if everyone will be able to clear their schedules on such short notice, but fine…”

Luca scratched her head in mild frustration before turning to me.

“Blanco, do you even understand what we’re talking about?”

It’s obviously about the Star Cluster.

But isn’t it supposed to be some kind of secret organization?

With Calpis standing right here?

I pointed at Calpis, but Luca waved her hand dismissively, laughing.

“It’s fine. He already knows. Calpis here is someone who once declined an offer to join the Star Cluster.”

“Haha, that’s ancient history…”

So Calpis is connected to them, too.

No wonder they’re speaking so openly about it.

“Alright, then I’ll take a guess. Is this a… welcome party for new members?”

When I agreed to join the Star Cluster, Messier made a call right away.

I wasn’t sure if it was a ceremony or something else, but it’s clearly related to me.

“Wrong! Technically, you’re not a member yet. While Messier and I have accepted you, there are still four others who haven’t met you.”

“So that means…”

“You need to pass an interview. But don’t worry, you’ll ace it.”

So there are six members in total, excluding me.

Director Messier.

Luca.

The Swordmaster, Cielo.

And the person they’ve been calling Dongbaek.

The other two… I have no clue.

As I mulled over this, I noticed Calpis’s uneasy expression.

“Miss Luca.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Is it true that Miss Blanco has been scouted by the Star Cluster?”

“Ah, I guess you hadn’t heard. Yes, it’s true.”

“A child like her already… Good grief.”

Calpis let out a deep sigh.

Whether it was out of amazement or concern, I couldn’t tell.

“So you’re staying overnight? What about clothes? Toiletries? Did you bring anything on the helicopter?”

“…”

“Don’t tell me…”

It seemed I needed to break some shocking news to Luca.

“Unni, we didn’t bring anything with us.”

At my revelation, Luca was momentarily stunned before turning her frustration on Messier.

“Brother.”

“Y-yeah?”

“You might not care about how you live, wearing the same white coat and overcoat every day, but Blanco is different.”

“I understand…”

“You’re letting her wander around in the freezing winter without a proper coat, dragging around an ill-fitting lab coat. What were you thinking?”

“You’re right…”

“Wait a second… Did you at least make sure she changed her underwear? Blanco, when was the last time you changed?”

“Four days ago.”

Let me think… That was probably around the time we had a lull because the test subjects were dying so quickly.

I’d managed to shower and change then, but that was the last time.

Hearing this seemed to horrify Luca even more.

Her sharp glare prompted Messier to shift to speaking formally.

“I-I’ve been so busy that I didn’t have time to check…”

“Brother.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You said you wanted to be her father, didn’t you?”

“Y-yes.”

“I get that adopting her was probably the easiest way to give her a clean identity. But if you’re going to do it, you need to take full responsibility.”

“…”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t bought her as a test subject, would it?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Huh? Blanco?”

“If he hadn’t bought me, I wouldn’t have met Remy.”

If Messier hadn’t purchased this body, I wouldn’t have met Remy.

Or would I? Maybe I’d have possessed someone else.

Regardless, my statement made Luca pinch the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

“Sigh… Like father, like daughter. How did two people so alike end up together?”

“…”

“…”

“First, let’s go shopping for clothes.”

Luca pulled out her phone and made a call.

“[Miss Luca?]

“Yes, it’s me. Are you the attendant I sent to buy clothes earlier?”

“[Yes, ma’am!]

“Where are you now?”

“[At Shinsegae Department Store.]

“We’re done here, so stop shopping and wait for us. We’re heading there now.”

“[Understood, ma’am.]

Even Shinsegae exists here, huh?

Luca hung up and immediately dialed someone else.

“Jamie, get the limousine ready at FutureIce. We’re heading to the department store.”

She ended the call without waiting for a response.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

With that, Luca started walking.

Honestly, she seemed far more reliable than Messier.

Even though she’s seven years younger, why does Luca seem so much more mature?

Is Messier just bad at acting his age?

◆◇◆◇◆

When we reached the building’s main entrance, a limousine was already waiting for us.

The chauffeur, Jamie, stepped out and opened the rear door.

“Jamie, these two are coming with us.”

“Understood. Dr. Messier and…”

“Hello, I’m Blanco Atreia. I’m the director’s daughter.”

“I thought he wasn’t married… A secret romance, perhaps?”

“She’s adopted…”

“Haha, that’s usually how it goes. Please, step inside.”

“Ugh, forget it.”

Messier seemed to give up on clearing the misunderstanding and climbed into the limousine. I followed after him.

Luca leaned out the window to wave at Calpis.

“See you next time, Calpis.”

“Goodbye, Miss Luca. Farewell, Doctor, and Miss Blanco.”

With that, the limousine started toward the department store.

“You don’t like it, do you?”

“Nope.”

In the end, Luca tossed all the shopping bags into the backseat of the limousine.

“Blanco, we’ll just buy new ones, right?”

“Of course.”

I decided to take this opportunity to build a wardrobe of more mature clothes.

With my mental age in my twenties, dressing like a child wasn’t something I could tolerate.

There was one item I had my sights set on first.

“Let’s start by getting a proper lab coat.”

This trailing lab coat was the first thing that needed fixing.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Do you have a white lab coat suitable for a twelve-year-old?”

“Uh… That might be difficult… We don’t usually stock children’s sizes for lab coats.”

“Then could we have one tailored or altered?”

“I’ll check for you, ma’am!”

Right now, I was experiencing the power of a VVIP firsthand.

There was no need to walk around shopping myself. A call to the central lobby had staff rushing to fulfill my requests.

“We found one, but there’s a slight issue…”

“What is it?”

“It’s actually designed for children’s pretend play… It might not be ideal for practical use.”

A toy lab coat for pretend play?

Perfect for a kid playing doctor, I suppose.

“We’ll just have it tailored. Right, Luca-unni?”

“That works. Please handle it.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Oh, and let’s look for a proper winter coat while we’re at it. Could you guide us?”

“Certainly, ma’am. Please follow me.”

◆◇◆◇◆

I successfully bought a winter coat and had the toy lab coat tailored to fit properly.

Since I’d be wearing it often, I purchased five of them.

We also bought plenty of everyday clothes and underwear.

By the time we finished shopping, Director Messier and the attendant were each carrying an armful of shopping bags.

“Oh, right! We still need shoes and socks.”

“Can we stop already…”

Women’s shopping was clearly terrifying for men.

And, truthfully, even as someone mentally a man myself, I was exhausted.

Why does it take so long to pick something when you could just grab whatever works?

Vrrrr. Vrrrr.

Both Messier and Luca’s phones buzzed simultaneously.

“Looks like Dongbaek finally sent out the announcement.”

Luca opened her messages and began reading aloud.

“Let’s see… ‘Messier’s dragging some twelve-year-old into the Star Cluster. It’s a disaster. To save this poor, abused child, all members must gather at Dongbaek Island tomorrow.’”

A “poor, abused child,” huh?

They’re obviously talking about me.

What on earth has Messier done to earn this kind of reputation? Oh, wait.

He experiments on children, doesn’t he?

Yeah, that tracks.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

This time, Luca’s phone buzzed multiple times—an incoming call.

“Hello, Grandpa? Is this about the announcement?”

She answered the call, her expression puzzled.

“Yes, Grandpa? What’s up?”

[──────]

I couldn’t hear the other side, likely due to the surrounding noise.

Grandpa… It must be the chairman of Avio Genesis.

“Right now? You want me to come over? Uh… I’m with her, yeah.”

[────]

“Got it. I’ll head over now.”

Luca ended the call with a deep sigh.

“My grandpa wants to meet you, Blanco. I guess it makes sense. A twelve-year-old being scouted for the Star Cluster is bound to make anyone curious.”

Then, she made another quick call.

“Jamie. Bring the limo.”

With those two words, she hung up.

“Attendant!”

“Yes, Miss Luca!”

“You’ve got a sense of her taste now, right? Finish buying her shoes and socks. Got it? Hand over the bags.”

“Ah, well… Miss Luca…”

“Should I have the twelve-year-old carry them instead?”

“N-no, ma’am. Here you go.”

Defeated, the attendant handed over the bags, and Luca grabbed them all effortlessly.

“Let’s head to the headquarters. We’re going to the chairman’s office.”

◆◇◆◇◆

On the way to Avio Genesis headquarters, a question popped into my mind.

“Luca-unni, is the chairman part of the Star Cluster too?”

“Yeah, but he’s semi-retired now. When I turned twenty, he handed over most responsibilities to me, saying he’d leave the impossible goals to me.”

“What’s his goal?”

“Abiogenesis.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a biology term—Abiogenesis. The origin of life.”

“Wait… Is that where the company name comes from?”

“Exactly.”

I’d understood the meaning of “Genesis,” but I’d always wondered about “Abio.”

Turns out it’s one word.

“That’s why our company focuses exclusively on biotechnology and medicine. Honestly, for a company this size, we could expand into other industries easily.”

“So why that goal specifically?”

“Does there need to be a reason?”

“What?”

“Why do scientists explore the laws of the universe? Because they’re curious.”

“Oh…”

“Why do you think I’m the next chairman when my parents are alive and well? It’s simple—because I was curious about the origin of life. My father, on the other hand, was never a scientist. He used to argue with my grandpa constantly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Grandpa wanted to pass the company down to him, but he had zero interest in science. Grandpa must’ve been tearing his hair out. Then I was born—scientific-minded down to my bones.”

“That must’ve stopped the fighting.”

“At first, it made things worse. My parents tried to protect me from Grandpa’s influence. But when I started showing interest in science and life itself, they eventually gave up. After that, I began meeting members of the Star Cluster and was groomed as Grandpa’s successor—exactly as he wanted.”

“Don’t you resent them? Your grandpa or your parents?”

“Hmm… I’ve never really thought about it.”

“…”

I didn’t know what kind of childhood she had.

But from her words, I could piece together that she likely grew up without love.

To her grandfather, she was merely a tool for achieving his goals.

To her parents, she was someone they couldn’t relate to at all.

She probably grew up without even a shred of affection.

How pitiful.

Of course, she’s an important figure in the original novel.

A valuable character in this fictional world.

I suppose offering her this much sympathy is fine.