Suddenly, I Became a Slime

‘…Aren’t you embarrassed?’

Han Seori hid me under the desk and conducted an interview with an unidentified woman who seemed to have emerged from the snowy field outside.

The desk was just a desk, no matter how large it was.

As Han Seori leaned closer to the desk to talk to the interviewee, her lower body naturally came closer to me. It felt unnecessarily explicit, and even though I tried to avert my eyes, it was impossible not to see it.

I decided not to think about it further, for the sake of her dignity.

Anyway, from the gurgling sounds of the jelly-like substance she was handling and her tone, it seemed less like an interview and more like she had already made up her mind.

Han Seori clearly intended to hire Yang Hana for this facility and Yang Hana, seemingly a job seeker, wasn’t planning to let this opportunity slip away.

As for Han Seori’s conversational skills, there’s no need to comment further. But Yang Hana’s responses struck me as strange, even to my ears.

No matter how desperate you are, would you jump at a job in a place like this? From her voice, she seemed to be a woman.

If it were me, I would have run away immediately. Imagine being rescued in a snowy field, transported to a facility you’ve never seen before, and then suddenly offered a job.

When you think about it that way, the scenario does seem intriguing.

Set aside practical concerns like salary and benefits for a moment.

The situation unfolding before Yang Hana’s eyes was akin to a movie scene where a stunning woman or a muscular man bursts through a door on a motorbike or in a car, yelling, “I finally found you! Get in; I’ll explain later!” It was the moment where the ordinary turned extraordinary.

My own transformation into a gelatinous being was more of an accident, so it’s hard to compare. Still, if I were a man longing for adventure, as I once was, I might not be able to resist.

Considering this, I could somewhat understand Yang Hana’s behavior. However, it didn’t seem like she was chasing a romantic fantasy. Instead, her decision seemed rooted in harsh reality.

Is that a bad thing? It’s hard to say, but I couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for her.

I couldn’t shake the thought that she might thrive in a more isolated and challenging environment rather than in society. Perhaps this place would suit her better.

Still, peculiarities like this often raise unsettling questions. Could phenomena like the hexagonal water she mentioned really exist? Lost in these horrifying thoughts, I almost dropped my gelatinous form, but I managed to regain control.

When I came to my senses, I realized I was nestled in Han Seori’s arms. Feeling awkward from the closeness, I refocused on my surroundings.

Just then, an alarm blared through the control room.

“Hm? Already?” Han Seori adjusted a panel with me still in her arms and displayed a video on a large screen. The video showed an empty chair and a lone play button. Looking at her puzzled face, I sensed that something odd was going on.

“…I’m pretty sure I asked for a video greeting.” With a slightly awkward tone, she played the video. Soon, familiar voices could be heard.

[Um… Could you take a seat over there?]

[Yep!]

Of course, it was Kim Cheon-su’s voice and Yang Hana’s cheerful reply. Yang Hana skipped over to the chair and sat down with an energetic voice.

[My name is Yang Hana! I’m 2—]

[Wait a minute! It’s not a job interview video; it’s a message for your parents!]

[Oh, right!]

For some reason, this felt eerily familiar. I glanced at Han Seori, who was holding me. She chuckled slightly and continued watching the video.

Clearing her throat, Yang Hana turned back to the camera and began speaking energetically again.

[Mom! Dad! I got a job! Uh, I’m not sure where this place is, but the salary’s great, and they’re taking good care of me! Oh! I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing yet, but everyone here is super nice! Oh, and look at this watch they gave me!]

She gleefully showed off a device on her wrist. It looked oddly familiar—almost like the ones frequently attached to my neck. Perhaps, unable to attach it to her neck, they made it into a wrist device.

Even if it was a bit different, it was still a surveillance tool. It seemed they weren’t letting her in blindly.

[Oh, by the way! Since this place is deep in the mountains, I might not be able to contact you for a while, so I’m leaving this message. Don’t worry! When I get some vacation time, I’ll come visit! Stay healthy, and I’ll bring some good food with my saved-up salary!]

The video ended. Han Seori sighed, rubbing her forehead. I found myself sharing her sentiment. Despite my earlier excitement, I couldn’t help but wonder—was this really the best they could do?

Especially with Yang Hana’s bright and clueless expression, the video felt off. It seemed more like baiting an unsuspecting person into a trap rather than a genuine greeting.

Sure, there’s no set format for a video message, but was this okay?

Han Seori muttered with a complex expression, “If that’s just her personality… Maybe it’s fine?”

That’s the real problem. If she genuinely acted like that, forcing her to behave differently would only seem unnatural. Even without having met her directly, reviewing the video and observing her conversations with Han Seori made it clear that a serious and heartfelt tone wouldn’t suit her.

Kim Cheon-su must have realized that too, which is probably why he didn’t bother retaking the video. Editing could make it seem more credible.

Still, it wasn’t my job to worry about these things. Decision-making is always exhausting. What mattered more was figuring out how Yang Hana ended up here in the first place.

But honestly, I had no leads. I couldn’t remember every single thought I had each day. Could it be that, without realizing it, I had wished for someone else to be here? Did that bring the stressed-out Yang Hana to this place?

Maybe I needed to develop a device to block transmissions from my gelatinous form. Or, like I had done with separating Jungsik, I could expel the ability and create a new gelatinous entity to isolate it. If that didn’t work…

Lost in thought, I absentmindedly jiggled my form.

“Hmm? Oh, do you think this isn’t quite right either? Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Han Seori misinterpreted my thoughts and made an offhand comment. Her voice reminded me of the last experiment we had conducted together. Maybe Han Seori and I weren’t so different after all.

Spending so much time together might have made us alike. Or perhaps I was losing my human sensitivity.

Not that Han Seori isn’t human. Outside of experiments, she’s quite decent. Still, all this thinking was giving me a headache. Time to ponder this further.

“Water…”

Yang Hana groggily woke up, feeling parched. She left her room in search of water, only to realize this wasn’t her house. Then she remembered—she had gotten a job.

Standing in a massive hallway, she fiddled with the device strapped to her wrist. She still didn’t know what her job entailed, but the solid feel of the device made it all feel real. Smiling contentedly, she headed towards the kitchen Kim Cheon-su had mentioned.

As she walked, a strange thought crossed her mind. Getting the job was great, and the lack of phone signal was fine too, but…

“Isn’t this place way too big?”

So far, she had only seen three staff members, including herself. But the facility was enormous, and yet, it was immaculately clean. The thought made her shiver.

“Could it be…?”

Would she have to clean this entire place every day? The idea was horrifying to someone who often got scolded for not tidying her own room.

“Should I tell them I can’t do it?”

Her serious expression was interrupted by a strange noise.

Rustle, rustle.

“…Gulp.”

Something was moving in the dark hallway ahead. “Could it be bugs or rats?”

Terrified, Yang Hana crept towards the kitchen, the source of the noise.

Rustle, rustle.

The sound grew louder. It didn’t seem human, so what else could it be?

‘Please don’t let it be that’ She thought, her heart pounding as she reached for the kitchen door and peeked inside.

Splurt!

A sticky, opaque liquid sprayed onto her face.

“Kyaaaaah!”

With a scream, Yang Hana fainted.

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