Suddenly, I Became a Slime

It wasn’t a short journey.

Kim Cheonsu felt stiffness in his neck and slowly massaged it with his hand. A cold breeze brushed against his cheek as he did so.

The chill in the air, which he hadn’t felt in a while, seeped into his bones.

But, for some reason, he didn’t entirely dislike the sensation.

Perhaps it was because it made him feel as though he had returned home.

Although he hadn’t been living here long, the fact that the place already felt comfortable spoke volumes about his life here.

Thinking of the familiar faces waiting for him back at the lab, he pulled out a jacket from his bag and draped it over himself.

Feeling good didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t cold.

"Achoo!"

...Huh, why is that person parking the vehicle over there?

Hwangbo Yul had parked the jelly girl’s vehicle in a spot hidden from view and was now covering it with a camouflage tarp she had pulled out from who knows where.

Once the tarp was in place, the vehicle vanished as if it had never been there. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight to Kim Cheonsu, so he wasn’t particularly surprised.

...But why was she setting up a camouflage tarp? It’s essentially saying she doesn’t intend to leave.

Could it be...

Is that what she meant by coming along?

As Kim Cheonsu stood dumbfounded, Hwangbo Yul brushed the snow off her clothes and approached him.

"Why are you just standing there? Aren’t you going in?"

"Uh... Are you coming in with me?"

"Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

Her expression seemed to say, "Why ask something so obvious?" Kim Cheonsu scratched his head, unable to come up with a response.

He had assumed she would leave with the vehicle, but apparently not. Though the sudden turn of events flustered him, Kim Cheonsu sighed internally.

...Well.

When has HQ ever been good at informing us about such things?

Although it wasn’t unusual, he couldn’t help feeling bewildered. Hwangbo Yul seemed to misinterpret his silence and hesitation, her expression hardening as she asked sharply.

"Is there something inside the lab you don’t want me to see?"

The atmosphere turned cold, as if the Grim Reaper had appeared. Kim Cheonsu hurriedly waved his hands, his frozen fingers trembling, and replied.

"No, no, that’s not it. It’s just... I was surprised because you hadn’t said anything."

"Hmm... Didn’t I mention before we left that I was coming along?"

...You did, but who would interpret it like that?

Suppressing his urge to retort, Kim Cheonsu forced a smile and guided Hwangbo Yul to the lab’s entrance—the very one the jelly girl had poured herself into earlier.

Ignoring the slimy trail at the entrance, the two proceeded forward. Before long, a vivid blue jelly wall appeared before them.

The jelly girl, who had flowed into the lab like a slug, now stood in her humanoid form. Though her appearance didn’t entirely resemble a human, her lower half was unmistakably that of a girl—translucent and somewhat crude, yet unmistakably so.

Since her lower half was usually out of sight, you wouldn’t notice unless you deliberately lowered yourself to her level. There hadn’t been any opportunity to pay attention to it before leaving, but now that they had the leisure, the sight was slightly embarrassing.

"Ahem..."

Hwangbo Yul gave Kim Cheonsu a pointed look.

Kim Cheonsu felt somewhat aggrieved but couldn’t deny that the sight was indeed awkward, so he discreetly averted his gaze.

At that moment, as if noticing his diverted attention, the jelly girl’s body suddenly exploded.

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

As the two uttered weak exclamations, the jelly girl’s body burst into countless smaller jellies, creating a wave that surged toward them.

"Ahhh!"

"...What now?"

The blue jelly wave enveloped Kim Cheonsu and Hwangbo Yul, pressing them close together. Although the jellies didn’t seem hostile, the wave carried them toward the lab.

The two briefly thought of the jelly girl and sighed internally.

...She must be really happy to be home.

Before they knew it, they were deposited in front of the lab, still encased in jelly.

"Cough, cough."

"Ugh..."

"Oh... Huh?"

"Oh, Senior!"

Kim Cheonsu, spitting out jelly and coughing, heard a familiar voice that snapped him back to reality. Opening his eyes, he saw Hwangbo Yul wiping jelly off her face.

The problem was that she was lying underneath him. Realizing this, Kim Cheonsu felt an odd softness beneath him and hurriedly scrambled to his feet, only to slip and fall again before managing to stand properly.

In front of him stood Han Seori, looking at him with a disapproving gaze, and Yang Hana, who waved cheerfully.

Kim Cheonsu wanted to say something, sensing a misunderstanding, but...

What could he even say?

Is it a misunderstanding?

What exactly had happened that he needed to explain it as one?

As he stammered, Hwangbo Yul stood up, brushing off the jelly. She alternated her gaze between Han Seori and Yang Hana before speaking softly.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Han Seori. And... Agent Yang Hana."

"...Nice to meet you too, Team Leader Hwangbo Yul."

"Oh, hello!"

Han Seori and Hwangbo Yul exchanged calm glances while Yang Hana performed a near-90-degree bow, catching even Hwangbo Yul off guard.

Breaking the awkward atmosphere, Han Seori cradled the now-miniature jelly girl in her arms and spoke.

"Let’s talk inside. Oh, and we’ll need to bring the others in as well."

Smiling faintly at the jelly girl, Han Seori gestured for her to lead the remaining jellies inside. Concentrating, the jelly girl touched her temple with her finger.

Gradually, the chaotic jelly waves organized themselves, forming rounded shapes and tiny humanoid figures.

"Wow... Now that’s..."

Intimidating.

If she wanted to, she could probably wipe out a town—no, a city—in an instant.

Feeling a strange mix of emotions, Han Seori looked down at the jelly girl. The girl’s excited expression made Han Seori chuckle despite herself.

Contrary to her grim thoughts, the jelly girl simply seemed eager to watch the TV she had been promised as a reward.

Thank goodness.

You’re still the same as ever.

Han Seori smiled warmly, patting the jelly girl’s antenna-like appendages and head.

"I’m glad you’re back."

Bubble.

The jelly girl wiggled her antennae in response to Han Seori’s murmurs as if questioning why she was repeating herself.

Chuckling again, Han Seori led Hwangbo Yul, Yang Hana, and the multitude of jellies into the lab.

Left behind at the entrance, Kim Cheonsu stood alone, feeling strangely forlorn.

"...Huh."

Why do I feel like crying?

As he dawdled, Yang Hana returned like an eager puppy and handed him a large towel.

"Dr. Han asked me to give this to you! You worked hard!"

"Oh, really? By the way, you’re calling her Dr. Han now?"

"Yes! I’m officially working here now!"

"Haha..."

Wiping himself with the towel that Yang Hana handed over, Kim Cheonsu entered the lab. Answering her questions about what had happened felt oddly pleasant.

From near tears, Kim Cheonsu was now smiling as he walked.

What a simple man.

Would it work?

I wasn’t sure, but it did. The feeling was... strange.

Regardless, cutting my body into pieces wasn’t exactly pleasant. Unless you have a particular taste for that sort of thing, it’s hardly enjoyable.

Thankfully, the jellies split successfully and still followed my commands.

Comparing the new jellies to the original ones, I noticed subtle differences.

The new jellies seemed utterly obedient. Even when hungry, they wouldn’t attack humans.

It felt... like a race from a certain space-themed war game.

In contrast, my original jellies were more free-spirited.

Especially Sosik.

Currently sulking, Sosik had tucked itself into a corner, facing the wall as if pouting.

Was it protesting against me? It didn’t seem to make much sense.

Sleeping on the floor instead of the bed didn’t really change anything... did it?

Still, seeing it soaked in jelly and curled up in the corner tugged at my heart.

Regardless, waking it up now would only make it angrier, so I decided to postpone my apology.

Perhaps during mealtime would be a better opportunity.

Aside from that, distributing the jellies throughout the lab was a task in itself.

Deciding how much jelly to place in each room, setting rules for the jellies to follow, and so on—there was plenty to manage beyond Sosik.

As I busied myself organizing the jellies, I noticed the sphere slowly approaching me.

Only now appearing, the sphere stirred a mix of relief and irritation within me.

[You’ve returned. I have something to report.]

Its peculiar voice echoed in my mind.

...What?

Did I give it some kind of task?

Please support the series on NovelUpdates