Suddenly, I Became a Slime

The inside of the refrigerator was surprisingly cozy. Although it seemed like it was originally clean, the hungry jellies caused a commotion, making a mess. The jellies inside the refrigerator seemed to enjoy my presence, squirming as they offered me the leftover food.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the jellies but Daesik handing it over, but still. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but since they were offering it to me, I ate it rather than refusing. The taste of raw, uncooked food was evident. It seemed that anything prepared had already been devoured.

…Indeed, without someone to regulate it, their enormous appetites would be impossible to manage.

In any case, since my body was soft, the cool interior felt unexpectedly pleasant. Although I thought of opening the door and stepping out, I decided to stay inside instead. After a while, the internal light went out, and I heard Kim Cheonsu taking Yang Hana away.

Now, the only sounds I could hear were the refrigerator hum and the faint rustling of the jellies. Even Sosik, who was already lying inside, and the other jellies didn’t seem inclined to leave.

…Well, to them, there probably isn’t much difference between a bed and here. Sosik, after all, could sleep soundly even on a hard sphere.

Aside from that, being in this cramped space gave me…a strange sense of comfort. When I crawled through the ventilation duct, I felt irritated, but why did the refrigerator feel so soothing?

Was it because I willingly confined myself? Or perhaps…I felt safe here, thinking that my strange powers wouldn’t manifest in a place surrounded by inorganic materials.

…It’s probably as meaningless as a stainless steel bowl, though.

No matter how gentle Kim Cheonsu may be…if I called him twice in one day, he’d probably lose his patience. Not that he could do much anyway!

And so, I nestled in with the jellies and drifted off to sleep. It seemed like Daesik actively pulled the other two, who were lying around full, closer to him, but in the end, sleeping together is sleeping together. My vision darkened gradually, and with the cool air, my consciousness faded.

The moment my consciousness returned was…

“Aaaah!? Wha…what? Why are you here…? What? Uh?”

A sharp voice jolted me awake. My vision brightened, revealing Han Seori’s face. It was the most flustered expression I had ever seen on her.

…She looked even more startled than when she saw Yang Hana approaching earlier. But seeing her flustered face made me realize my current situation, and my body grew slightly warm with embarrassment.

On the other hand, I thought it was amusing to see Han Seori get so visibly flustered.

Han Seori, quickly composing herself, reached out and slipped her hands under my armpits.

“So Cold…! I mean, why on earth are you in here?”

She seemed unable to believe that Kim Cheonsu had put me in the refrigerator.

…Well, even I found it hard to believe that the chef locked me in the fridge, so how could Han Seori think otherwise?

Even so, she held my cold jelly in her arms, gently stroking me to share her warmth. By then, I felt a bit embarrassed, but the cozy feeling silenced me, leaving only the jelly bubbling softly. Instead, I extended tendrils to the others inside, pulling them out of the fridge.

This way, Han Seori wouldn’t have to bother getting the other jellies out. Having grown somewhat accustomed to extending tendrils, it wasn’t too difficult.

After setting the jellies down outside and closing the door, the jellies, which had been still, began to stir one by one. Jungsik floated like a balloon, and Daesik moved clumsily, possibly due to Alice’s rigid body. As for Sosik…he lay sprawled on the floor, just as I had placed him, like meat freshly taken out of the fridge. What’s wrong with him?

Is that just his nature? The only thing he seemed remotely interested in was the TV, so I could only hope he could watch it again soon. But if they managed to connect some makeshift communication line, why couldn’t the TV work?

Although I hadn’t asked why, based on what I’ve seen so far, it felt like they were hiding from someone.

…It’s not like Han Seori and Kim Cheonsu were hiding me after helping me escape from where they were.

It’s probably…because of those middle schooler-like idiots.

Thinking that made me deeply annoyed.

Because of them, I had to move out, end up inside a whale’s stomach, ate piles of unappetizing food, and live with a killing machine! Even worse, I couldn’t even watch TV! Who’s going to take responsibility if our Sosik ends up jobless?!

…Just kidding, but I was genuinely angry. After all, I wanted to be jobless too.

While wriggling in Han Seori’s arms…

“Uh…why are you in the kitchen? I said I’d handle all the cooking, didn’t I?”

Kim Cheonsu walked in, hurriedly straightening his messy hair while dressed in layers. Han Seori, who had been gently patting me, turned to Kim Cheonsu with a questioning voice.

“Cheonsu, do you know anything about why 7496-KR was inside the refrigerator?”

“…Oh, um…was it inside the refrigerator?”

“Yes. When I got up to drink water, it was chilling inside.”

The more she spoke, the paler Kim Cheonsu’s face grew, resembling someone locked in a fridge.

“…Don’t tell me, you locked it in there?”

“Not locked…just…it was a prank! A prank. It could have opened the door and come out whenever it wanted.”

“But it stayed inside until I took it out?”

“Th…that…”

Han Seori frowned as she adjusted her hold on me.

“Why would you do such a thing? How much did you scare it that it didn’t even think of coming out?”

“N-no…listen, can you hear me out?”

Even though I wasn’t doing anything, it felt like a popcorn machine was relentlessly producing and piling up popcorn in front of me.

I won’t forget you locked me in the fridge.

While Han Seori wasn’t someone who made hasty judgments without hearing the other side, her expression didn’t soften as she listened to Kim Cheonsu’s explanation.

“It…it’s true that I was a little annoyed when I was about to sleep, and it…called me out. But I didn’t threaten it or anything! Really!”

“Hmm….”

Kim Cheonsu stared at me with desperate eyes, as if hoping I’d vouch for his innocence. Did he read something from my expression? He gulped nervously and continued speaking.

“Also, opening the fridge door from the inside should be…child’s play for 7496-KR. You’ve seen the previous videos, haven’t you?”

At his fervent defense, Han Seori rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

“So you’re saying 7496-KR stayed inside on purpose?”

“Yes…I don’t know why, but…”

Hmm.

The popcorn felt like it was going stale. Butter popcorn was tolerable, but it lacked stimulation. Just as I was about to discard the soggy popcorn from my mind, Han Seori looked down at me and cautiously asked.

“Is that true? Did you stay inside as a prank?”

The soggy popcorn suddenly got a caramel coating, thanks to Han Seori. Although I wasn’t making direct eye contact, I turned my jelly to glance at Kim Cheonsu and then, feeling slightly embarrassed, burrowed into Han Seori’s arms.

As if…a scolded child was clinging to their mom in anger at the person who scolded them. Sweet caramel popcorn burst once again.

“I don’t think so….”

“Ah, th…um, wait…m-my jelly? Or your name is…ugh…uh….”

Seeing Kim Cheonsu’s flustered reaction made me feel great. It seemed like payback for locking me in the fridge yesterday. I wanted to tell him this was the consequence of that action.

After watching Kim Cheonsu’s excuses and Han Seori’s cold gaze for a while, I eventually began to feel sorry for him. To grant him a reprieve, I lightly tapped Han Seori’s arm.

“Hmm?”

When Han Seori looked at me curiously, I pointed to the floor with a finger. Puzzled but complying, she set me down. Once on the ground, I hesitantly moved closer to Kim Cheonsu and raised my arms.

…Unable to think of a way to immediately absolve him, it was the only gesture I could make.

Kim Cheonsu, realizing this was his lifeline, responded with determination.

“Ah, of course! I’ll hold you! Should I…even spin you around?”

Don’t overdo it, you fool.

Perhaps the change in Han Seori’s tone when addressing Kim Cheonsu affected him more than expected. He seemed entirely out of sorts. Even Han Seori appeared uneasy, scratching her head with an awkward expression. I regretted even starting this.

As I stretched out my jelly while glancing at Daesik, who had replaced me in Han Seori’s arms, a small head peeked out from beyond the kitchen door. It was…Yang Hana. With a nervous face, she scanned the kitchen. Upon spotting Kim Cheonsu and Han Seori, she beamed and waved enthusiastically.

“You two!”

Entering with a bright smile, Yang Hana’s gaze fell on Alice (Daesik) nestled in Han Seori’s arms.

“A ghost!!!”

With a piercing scream, she clung to Kim Cheonsu’s back. Startled, Kim Cheonsu trembled and called out.

“Ha…Hana?”

“Y-yes. It…it wasn’t a dream last night…”

Mumbling incoherently, Yang Hana clung to his back. Her eyes widened as she suddenly locked eyes with me, dangling from his shoulder. Instantly, her expression turned vacant, as if under a trance. The noisy kitchen fell eerily silent.

…What’s wrong with her?

Something felt…off.

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