Suddenly, I Became a Slime

Should I demand better treatment for anomalies?

Honestly, it’s not that I don’t understand. Even for someone like me, who has wandered around seeing various things, I’d never heard a single thing about these so-called anomalies.

Sure, it must be a secret and quite a big one at that. So, I can understand the need to move so secretively, but... Do they really need to drag me around like an animal?

I guess I should be thankful it’s not with a leash around my neck. In that sense, being carried around in this peculiar box might actually seem... better. No, I shouldn’t fall for that trap.

The sensation of my body hitting the walls of the box with every shake… It’s probably how a dog or cat feels when they’re caged on the way to get neutered. I’m not a dog or a cat! I want to shout that out loud, but all that comes out is bubbling sounds, so I just droop my body down.

Sigh. Fine, isn’t it nice that I don’t have to move myself? No, let’s think positively. Instead of being like an animal trapped in a cage, I’m using a human taxi named Kim Cheonsu.

Oh. Thinking that way makes me feel a little excited. A bit thrilled, even?

Alright, you lousy chef, hurry up and move. Take me to the scene so I can go back and watch TV. I’ll show you what it means to be a couch potato.

While I chuckled at my own thoughts, a feeling of awkwardness crept in. Maybe it’s because I’m not thrilled about being stuck in this box. Sigh. What can you do? The disadvantaged one has to endure...

The more I think about it, shouldn’t the latter feel more desperate?

I don’t know. The things I used to imagine as a human are happening now, but even as I experience them, they feel surreal. Maybe it’s because of this body. It feels like the sense of being human is gradually fading away.

Perhaps that’s why everything feels so unreal. When I think about it, even though I added a goal to reach with the TV, it’s strange how willing I am to jump into these situations.

If I were still human, I’d never agree to something like this unless I were just spectating. But here I am, doing it for a TV.

...Wait. Could it be that I’m more messed up than I thought? Maybe I was always more suited to jelly than being human?

Just then. Thud!

With a loud noise, the area near my head where my knowledge pouch is located slammed into the box.

…Hey, what kind of driving is this?

The absurdly reckless driving irritated me to the point that I imagined covering Kim Cheonsu’s face with jelly when I got out of this box.

How much time has passed? Being stuck in this box, inside a dark bag, I had no sense of time.

At some point, the box opened, and a sweet snack was placed inside. I decided to forgive the idea of smothering Kim Cheonsu’s face with jelly.

Well, at least he hasn’t forgotten about me, I thought.

Eventually—

“Phew… So far away.”

The driver’s lament came to my ears. How far had we traveled?

Come to think of it, I only had a vague idea of where we were going. I never got an exact location. Was it Seoul? Or somewhere near the capital?

…Or perhaps, overseas?

Hmm. Was I duped?

While I was mulling over this, light started pouring into the box as the bag was opened.

“Alright, up you go.”

With a voice, my body, along with the box, was lifted into the air. A large face approached the box and stared at me blankly. At first, I thought Kim Cheonsu had sold me to someone else, but upon closer inspection, it was him.

His face looked so strange up close that I hadn’t recognized it at first.

“It must have been stifling. We’re here, so I’ll let you out now.”

Hmm, maybe calling his face strange was too harsh. Let’s say it looked… distorted.

With an apologetic tone, he opened the box and took me out.

With a plop, I fell to the ground, and my squished body regained its original form.

The refreshing sky and cool breeze that I hadn’t felt in a while brushed against me.

As I felt that, an inexplicable emotion welled up. Though it hasn’t been that long since I last wandered the snowy fields of my current home, it still felt odd.

Why?

I don’t know. Maybe I was just getting sentimental.

“What’s wrong?”

Without thinking, I answered, “It’s nothing.” But all that came out were bubbling sounds near my head.

...This is a bit awkward.

Hearing Kim Cheonsu’s concerned voice, I shook my head to reassure him. Still, a mixed feeling of frustration made me wiggle my jelly body when—

“Oh!! Is this the famous 7496 - KR jelly?!”

“Uh, yes… Yes.”

“I’ve been dying to see it! Awesome!”

“Hey, me too, me too!”

Suddenly, a crowd of people swarmed in.

Kim Cheonsu seemed flustered and tried to stop them, but the sheer number of people overwhelmed him.

...Meanwhile, I was overwhelmed in a completely different way.

The crowd stared at me with wide, sparkling eyes, offering food and asking if they could touch me. Some even started touching me without waiting for my answer.

“Hey! I didn’t even say yes, so why are you touching it?”

As absurd as it was, I decided to let it slide since they were feeding me tasty snacks. Still, it felt as though I had become an animal in a petting zoo.

“This is insane—”

“Quiet, will you?! You get to see this every day, so don’t act so smug!”

“Swap with me!”

“Where are you even hiding it?!”

What is this?

This doesn’t feel like a zoo anymore—it feels like an idol has appeared, and the crowd has gone wild.

Wait, does that make me the idol here?

This scene reminds me of when Yang Hana visited me. The chaos was eerily similar. Of course, it’s not exactly the same, but it’s close enough to feel familiar.

Pure pandemonium.

At some point, Kim Cheonsu was sprawled out on the ground like a disheveled villainess disowned by her family, staring at me with a defeated expression.

Can’t someone—anyone—do something about this?

Honestly, if I tried, I could easily spray jelly everywhere and silence the crowd. But that would probably make things worse, so I refrained.

Just as I was bracing myself to try something, a cold, commanding voice cut through the chaos.

“Stop right there. Put 7496 - KR down and return to your stations.”

“Hic!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

The people who had been squealing and swarming around me froze at the sound of the voice. They suddenly seemed to regain their senses and dispersed quickly.

Click, clack, click.

The owner of the voice approached me confidently, her steps echoing as she walked.

Then she crouched down to examine me, now collapsed on the ground.

“This is supposed to solve the problem?”

Her voice was skeptical, and she grabbed my knowledge pouch with visible disdain.

The woman, whose name I didn’t know, looked at me with distrust in her eyes and muttered quietly.

“The mental contamination seems severe. Wouldn’t it be better to just eliminate it?”

What is this feeling?

Is it because I’ve only been praised by people like Han Seori, Kim Cheonsu, and Yang Hana?

Seeing her eyes filled with doubt made me feel oddly uncomfortable.

It reminded me of the bald manager I used to work under at my second job.

Well, she’s much prettier and more charismatic than him, but still.

I didn’t like it.

Maybe my jelly body sensed my displeasure because—

“Ugh!?”

Without thinking, I spewed jelly at her face.

Oh no… I did it.

I mean, she provoked me first, so this counts as self-defense, right?

What if she actually decides to eliminate me now?

Feeling a chill of fear, I quickly scurried behind the disheveled Kim Cheonsu, who was still lying on the ground like a fallen heroine.

“Wait… Did you just hide behind me?”

But, of course, hiding behind someone wasn’t going to work.

The woman wiped the jelly off her face, walked straight toward me, and smiled.

“Well, at least you’ve got guts. I like that.”

Hmm.

Is it just me, or is everyone in this organization missing a few screws?

Why does it feel like they all have a loose bolt somewhere?

And yet, this group has been managing anomalies like me all this time without the public knowing?

Is it easier than I thought?

Or maybe only oddballs can survive here.

In any case, my first outing as a jelly wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.

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