The Jelly Alien Will Save You! Chapter 15

The monsters rolled their eyes, clearly uncomfortable with the purified U-Park.

 

The fact that the absolute ruler of the area had vanished without a trace held multiple meanings for them. 

 

It meant a new ruler could emerge—and that any one of them could be the one to take the throne. 

 

That was when it happened.

 

“Clear.”

 

Hiss- hiss-

 

The sound of heavy breathing echoed loudly from inside a yellow hazmat suit. 

 

Following the lead of the individual in yellow, a large group of people in white hazmat suits moved in unison.

 

Inside the ruined U-Park, the sound of footsteps crunching on debris and the noise of breathing filled the silence.

 

Static—

 

“Confirmed that the anomaly in Yongsan Sector 1 has been neutralized.” 

 

As the yellow hazmat suit reported over the radio, a short response from a superior followed immediately.

 

—What about YS-01?

 

“It is not visible.”

 

—What is the possibility that YS-01 has relocated? 

 

“It is possible, but it is more likely that there has been artificial interference with YS-01.”

 

—Are you saying a new Calamity has appeared?

 

The yellow hazmat suit hesitated to answer. He scanned the remaining debris and checked his contamination meter.

 

Even though the Calamity had disappeared, the surroundings were purified to an unbelievable extent.

 

No matter how you looked at it, the conclusion was that this was an abnormal situation.

 

He opened his mouth again.

 

“Yes. That is correct.”

 

—…..

 

A moment of silence fell over the radio.

 

—We will proceed with the plan. First, please start identifying other entities.

 

“Understood.”

 

The yellow hazmat suit, having clipped the radio to his shoulder, turned around and spoke.

 

“The plan continues.”

 

At the leader’s command, despair filled the eyes of those in the white hazmat suits.

 

* * *

 

Upon returning home, I immediately laid Oppa down in the box (the spaceship).

 

The limp flapjack octopus was still in a daze and hadn’t opened his eyes yet. 

 

I neatly gathered Oppa’s legs together and covered him with a blanket. 

 

Cha Haeeon, sitting on the veranda with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his hand, glanced at us.

 

“Did you purify him?”

 

I nodded.

 

Cha Haeeon seemed to be deep in thought, then asked another question.

 

“How?”

 

“My purification power wasn’t enough, so I used an item.”

 

“Ah—an item….”

 

Cha Haeeon muttered quietly, as if he finally accepted it.

 

Since a massive amount of purification power had been unleashed, he must have known it wasn’t my own strength and was likely curious about the source.

 

“But it was a single-use item, so I can’t use it anymore.” 

 

It was a shame.

 

Just then, Cha Haeeon asked bluntly.

 

“Why is your brother a Calamity?”

 

Huh?

 

“Well, that’s…….” 

 

My brother is the guild leader of the ‘Quasar’ guild, and he got contaminated and became a Calamity while trying to clear the Yongsan Dungeon!

 

…I was about to say that, but I clamped my mouth shut.

 

I ran a simulation in my head.

 

If he asks, ‘Why are you a jelly, but your brother is a human?’, what should I say?

 

‘Actually, I’m a human too! I woke up and became a jelly alien!’

 

Should I tell him honestly?

 

What would Cha Haeeon’s reaction be then?

 

‘I don’t need a crazy jelly. Get out of my house.’

 

Gaaaah!

 

I imagined it in my head and writhed in agony.

 

Cha Haeeon was staring in disbelief at me as I glared at him, looking like I’d been betrayed.  

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“…It’s nothing.”

 

I straightened my posture again. 

 

What should I say? I fiddled with my ears, deep in thought, and then spoke timidly.

 

“Oppa…… I think he got contaminated during the Dungeon Break in Yongsan.”

 

A strange silence flowed between us.

 

“Yongsan Dungeon Break?”

 

“Mhm….”

 

Just as I thought I saw a slight furrow in Cha Haeeon’s brow, he asked. 

 

“You’re not contaminated, though.”

 

“Right. I’m clean. And Oppa is purified now, too. We will absolutely never be a burden to you!”

 

I desperately appealed for our safety. I didn’t want to get kicked out!

 

“…Hmm.”

 

Cha Haeeon was watching me steadily with his chin in his hand.

 

Why is he looking at me like that?

 

“W-what? Do you have something else to ask?”

 

“Is that all?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“There’s something else you want to say.”

 

Gasp! I covered my mouth in surprise.

 

Does this guy know I’m hiding something?

 

I swallowed hard. My eyes flickered like a fallen leaf on the tip of a tree branch.

 

What should I say? I couldn’t think of any other excuse. I knew myself that I was reacting too suspiciously to say I wasn’t hiding anything.

 

“Cha Haeeon, I….”

 

“Yeah.”

 

In the end, I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.

 

“I’m actually human!”

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

A long silence hung in the air.

 

I kept my head bowed, waiting for Cha Haeeon’s reaction.

 

But as the silence continued, I couldn’t help but add:

 

“I-I woke up and I’d become a jelly alien from a game. I think it’s really weird too. It’s not that I tried to trick you, I just didn’t think you’d believe me since I don’t know how it happened either, so I wasn’t going to mention it but…….”

 

Just as I was rambling on, Cha Haeeon spoke a single word.

 

“Was it like that?”

 

What?

 

I jerked my head up.

 

“Cha Haeeon… do you believe me?”

 

I thought he’d kick me out, calling me a crazy jelly, but he actually believed me!

 

While I was feeling touched, Cha Haeeon stood up and opened his bedroom door.

 

“But is your mom an octopus, or is your dad an octopus?”

 

“What?”

 

“Aliens are fascinating. A crossbreed between a jelly and an octopus….”

 

Muttering this, Cha Haeeon closed the door.

 

He doesn’t believe me at all!

 

Huff! Huff!

 

It’s so unfair! Becoming a jelly, and hearing a question about which parent is an octopus….

 

Tears welled up, and I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

 

It’s okay, let’s not cry. Even if I’m a jelly, I found my brother. Even if my brother did become a flapjack octopus…

 

I shouldn’t have told him! I kicked my blanket in frustration, and Cha Haeeon opened the door again and asked.

 

“What about dinner?”

 

“I’m not eating.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Cha Haeeon closed the door.

 

“It’s about time we started being frugal anyway.” 

 

Leaving those words behind.

 

Why would he say that? Have I been acting too much like a glutton?

 

‘???’

 

My head was full of question marks, but they soon turned into exclamation points.

 

‘!!!’

 

It was because I remembered what I did today.

 

‘Come to think of it, U-Park… it’s completely ruined.’

 

That’s right. I got rid of the mart today to save my brother.

 

The place where we farmed our daily bread.

 

My eyes widened.

 

‘No, this is a bigger problem than I thought.’

 

A food shortage will happen soon.

 

I did pack a lot of retort food at the last minute, but….

 

How long will that last? A month? A week?

 

For a moment, the look in Cha Haeeon’s eyes lingered meaningfully in my mind.

 

My body felt tense. 

 

Hasn’t Cha Haeeon survived for a long time in this deep contaminated zone?

 

It means he’s the type of guy who will stop at nothing for survival.

 

Once the stored food runs out, that terrifying guy might just make a steamed flapjack octopus dish and finish it off with jelly pudding for dessert. 

 

I hugged my brother’s limp body, feeling blue.

 

Still, I didn’t regret my choice. Even if I could turn back time, I would have saved my brother.

 

So, let’s not dwell on the mart. I have to find another way!