Suddenly, I Became a Slime

“Wow, so squishy!” Yang Hana hugged me and began rubbing her face all over my body.

Even for someone like me, who was getting used to Han Seori’s hugs, this was an overwhelming display of affection—one that bordered on suffocating.

In some ways, Yang Hana might have an even bolder personality than Han Seori. While Han Seori would sacrifice her comfort to satisfy her curiosity and thirst for exploration, Yang Hana was just… inherently cheerful and bright.

She was exactly the kind of person her voice suggested.

To put it nicely, she had a sunny disposition. To put it not-so-nicely, she was oblivious to the extreme and marched to her own drum.

When her gaze became unfocused in the kitchen, I wondered for a moment if I had somehow developed a hypnotic ability. But no, that wasn’t the case. She was simply lost in thought as she sifted through her memories.

Moments later, Yang Hana, who had just been screaming about a ghost, suddenly exclaimed in an excited and cheerful voice.

“Oh! You’re the one from my dream!”

As Han Seori looked on with interest, Yang Hana grabbed my wrists, having reached around Kim Cheonsu’s shoulders. While I stood there, dumbfounded, she gently but firmly pulled me forward.

“Oh!”

Like someone discovering a fun toy, she pulled at my body again and again. It wasn’t until Kim Cheonsu let go, shocked, that I floated past his shoulder and into the air.

“Ack!”

With a shriek that sounded like her dying gasp, Yang Hana let go. My lower half fell with a squishy splat onto the floor.

I say “splat” only briefly because Yang Hana immediately grabbed my wrists and pulled me up again as if peeling gum off the floor.

When I flexed my body to resist, the stretched-out parts snapped back like a measuring tape. When our eyes met, Yang Hana smiled brightly.

“Finally, we meet!”

Her radiant grin left me too drained to be angry. Not that I had intended to be angry in the first place.

I’d thought she might be one of those people who buy into pseudoscience, but at this point, she seemed more like someone who would be selling it.

Regardless, Yang Hana hugged me tightly and began spinning around in circles, giddy with joy. Eventually, dizziness overtook her, and she collapsed to the floor with a dry heave. Naturally, this caused me to land on my feet as well.

…Truly unpredictable.

Kim Cheonsu couldn’t hold back his laughter, and even Han Seori’s lips twitched into a slight smile. Kim Cheonsu used the opportunity to discreetly excuse himself to prepare breakfast, sending Han Seori and Yang Hana off to the management office.

His broad smile could only be described as “smiley,” but it was clear he was trying to brush off what had just happened. Thankfully, Han Seori wasn’t the type to dig deeper into such matters. She simply chuckled and followed along with Yang Hana to the office, taking me with them.

Soon, we were back to square one.

“It’s cool and squishy. It feels so nice!”

Unable to disappear into some kind of singularity, I was powerless against Yang Hana’s incessant cuddling. Whenever I tried to slip away, she’d cling to me like a puppy with separation anxiety.

Though exasperated, I couldn’t entirely blame her. After all, she had followed a version of me she’d seen in her dreams all the way here.

Han Seori watched without saying a word, leaving me no chance to escape.

Eventually, Han Seori crossed her legs and spoke.

“Hana, may I ask you something?”

“Yes? Oh, of course, go ahead!”

Yang Hana quickly adjusted her posture, still hugging me like a treasured doll. She turned to face Han Seori but showed no intention of letting me go.

Han Seori, unperturbed, asked her in her usual tone.

“Hana, have you seen this child before?”

“Hmm? No? This is my first time seeing it in person.”

“In person?”

“Yes. It looks a little different from the one in my dream, but as soon as I saw it, I knew—this is the one from my dream!”

Han Seori nodded slightly, seeming satisfied, and continued.

“Even so, aren’t you scared? This is your first time meeting such a… strange creature.”

It stung a little to hear that. While I wasn’t “human,” the phrasing made me feel just a tad awkward.

I was curious about this myself. Even if she had unconsciously followed me, her lack of a typical reaction to encountering something so bizarre was peculiar.

Even Han Seori had thrown Kim Cheonsu forward before daring to approach me.

Yang Hana’s reply was nonchalant.

“Well… At first, I was a little startled. But then I remembered it was the one from my dream, so it was fine! And besides…”

“Besides?”

Yang Hana grinned and hugged me tighter.

“It’s cute!”

“…Well, yes. That’s true.”

Even the unflappable Han Seori was momentarily caught off guard. Truly, Yang Hana was in a league of her own.

Still, Han Seori quickly regained her composure and asked another question.

“Now that I think about it, you didn’t mention this yesterday. Did you say the child called out to you?”

“Oh… Well, that might just be my imagination. It just felt that way.”

At Han Seori’s curious tilt of the head, Yang Hana hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“Have I mentioned that I’m a job seeker?”

“I think so, yes.”

“Then you know how mentally exhausting it is to keep failing interviews, right?”

“…Yes, it is.”

Ah, Han Seori had clearly never faced such struggles. Her demeanor was as polished as ever, though it felt slightly distant now.

I found myself empathizing with Yang Hana instead. Without realizing it, I nodded along, which made Han Seori glance at me with a curious expression.

To distract from the awkwardness, I propped Yang Hana’s chin up with my head and body.

“Well… It seems the child likes you, Hana. Please, continue.”

Yang Hana cleared her throat and continued with newfound confidence.

“Whenever I felt mentally drained, this little one would appear in my dreams and comfort me. Thanks to it, I got through tough times and eventually found a job—it’s basically my savior! So, I’m not scared of it at all.”

…Who? Me? I don’t recall doing any of that.

Han Seori gave me a skeptical look, as if to say, “Did you really?” I shook my head.

“Hmm… Come to think of it, I heard Cheonsu had a similar experience recently.”

“Oh! He did?”

Wait, what?

Had I unknowingly done good deeds? Was this some sort of “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” situation?

Since I had no memory of any of this, I felt increasingly baffled.

Meanwhile, Han Seori began fiddling with a control panel, diligently recording something.

Yang Hana, observing this, exclaimed in an excited voice.

“Oh, right! You said you’d tell me what goes on here. Is raising this child your job?”

“Well… Something like that.”

“Wow!”

Raise me? Please, that’s embarrassing to hear.

But protesting might just make Yang Hana more persistent. Sometimes, it’s best to wait for the right moment.

Still, I really wanted to get out of her grasp.

Just then, the door to the management office opened, and Kim Cheonsu entered with a tray of food. Following him were several jellies, including Sosik, who, unusually, wasn’t riding in its sphere but walking on its own.

The sight was undoubtedly a rare “singularity.”

However, something felt off. Sosik trudged over to me with an annoyed expression and glared at me intently.

Before I could ponder further, Yang Hana reached out and picked up Sosik.

“Wow! It looks just like this one! Are they siblings?”

“Well… Something like that.”

“But why does it look so upset? Would a hug help?”

Muttering to herself, Yang Hana gently set me down and hugged Sosik like a doll. The jelly’s face seemed to scream, “Even a saint would lose their temper at this!” as it glared at me.

Had my thoughts somehow influenced its actions?

Serves you right.

Still, the idea that my unconscious abilities might have leaked out left me feeling conflicted.

At least the outcome wasn’t too bad.

Finally free from Yang Hana’s embrace, I hid behind Han Seori.

“See? I’m the best, right?”

Her expression resembled someone asking, “You like Mom more than Dad, don’t you?”

Not wanting to upset her, I nodded. She smiled contentedly and held me gently.

Well, Han Seori’s embrace was the most comforting, after all.

“Oh! The doll’s walking… Is that the one I saw yesterday? Wh-What is it?”

Yang Hana pointed at Daesik and exclaimed in astonishment. It seemed Kim Cheonsu’s name would finally be cleared.

In any case, it was clear that we’d gained a very lively addition to our group. The facility would undoubtedly become much noisier from now on.

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