Min-Hwan stood in line, tray in hand, the overhead lights buzzing faintly above the cracked cafeteria floor. His sister, Min-Seo, was beside him as always, her pale eyes dull with fatigue, the faint purple hue under them a constant reminder that they never truly rested. Their skin bore faint scars, reminders of protocols tested on them, each one marked into memory more than flesh.
They weren't like the others. Not completely. They didn't scream when the guards came in. They didn't fight. They endured. For Eun-joo.
Min-Seo glanced around and then leaned in slightly. "She's here."
Min-Hwan followed her gaze. A small figure, only eight, sat alone at a table near the corner. Her hospital gown was a size too big, sleeves rolled up carefully. Her short black hair was pinned with a tiny green clip, one she found last week and clung to like treasure. Her cough was soft today. That was good. Sometimes it was so bad she couldn't breathe.
They walked over, slipping into seats beside her. Eun-joo beamed, her cheeks dimpling. "Oppa, Noona! I saved you seats!"
Min-Seo smiled gently. "Of course you did, Eun. We wouldn't sit anywhere else."
Min-Hwan reached out to gently ruffle her hair. "How are you feeling today, Eun?"
"My tummy hurts a little, but not as bad as yesterday!" she chirped, trying to sit up straighter despite her frailty. "And guess what? I saw the green slime again."
Min-Hwan chuckled. "The green slime?"
Eun-joo nodded enthusiastically. "You know! The funny one with the sparkly eyes. He made me a drawing!"
Min-Seo blinked. "Hexin?"
Eun-joo pulled out a folded sheet from her tray. On it was a crayon sketch of the three of them with a giant flower in the middle, all smiling. In the corner was a little doodle of Hexin himself, waving.
"He said I'm his favorite artist," Eun-joo whispered proudly. "Even though I don't draw much. He said I inspire happy colors."
Min-Hwan smiled softly. That sounded like Hexin. Out of all the strange, powerful beings in this facility, Hexin had an odd warmth to him. Playful, but not careless. Kind, but not naive.
Min-Seo leaned close, brushing a crumb from Eun-joo's cheek. "We missed you yesterday."
"I wasn't allowed out. The people in white said I needed tests. I don't like tests. But the green slime cheered me up. He said next time, he'll draw us riding a dragon."
They laughed quietly.
For a moment, it felt normal.
Then the announcement blared.
"Experiments 112 and 113. Report to Prep Room B."
Min-Hwan tensed. Min-Seo placed her hand on Eun-joo's gently.
"We'll come back tomorrow," she whispered. "So take care of the clip, okay? And keep drawing."
Eun-joo pouted. "I will. But I want to come too. I want to fight monsters like you guys."
"You're already the bravest one here," Min-Hwan said, standing. "Fighting is easy. Smiling while hurting? That's hard."
As they walked away, Min-Seo's voice was quiet. "She won't make it long."
"I know."
Silence fell between them like a shadow.
They were stronger now. Somehow. Protocol 7 didn't say much, but since returning from their last dungeon, they noticed it. Their reflexes. Their energy. Even their eyes felt clearer, like something inside had finally unlocked.
They were being moved to D-Level zones now. Dangerous dungeons, mutant bosses. Their gear was better, food slightly warmer, and they weren't chained like the others.
"Privileges for performance," one of the guards had said.
Min-Hwan didn't believe in privileges. Not here.
In the prep room, they met two familiar faces.
Hexin waved, gelatinous arms wiggling like streamers. "Min-Hwan! Min-Seo! It's been forever!"
Min-Seo smiled faintly. "A week."
Ha-Yoon stood nearby, silent. He glanced at the siblings but said nothing.
"This is our new team for the D-Zone dungeon," one of the guards barked. "Perform well. Bring back valuable corpses. Fail, and you know what happens."
As the door slammed behind them, Hexin whispered, "Eun-joo said she wants to meet a dragon. Maybe if we bring back something cool..."
Min-Hwan looked over at Hexin. For all his gooey limbs and strange jokes, he really tried.
"She likes you," Min-Seo said quietly.
Hexin beamed. "She's my little flower too."
The mission began.
And though Min-Seo and Min-Hwan didn't said it aloud, the two thought the same thing:
Let me survive today.
If not for myself...
Then for her.
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Min-Seo stood near the cold metal wall of the cafeteria, her eyes scanning the scattered tables while Min-Hwan leaned quietly against the pillar beside her. The dim fluorescent lights flickered faintly above, humming like the buzz of a wasp nest. Experiments sat in dull silence, some chatting lowly, others staring off with vacant gazes. Lunch was the only time they weren't forced into obedience, the only time they could pretend to be something other than property.
Min-Seo's eyes found her. Eun-joo.
She was seated at her usual corner spot—table 12. Alone, her small body dwarfed by the size of the bench. She had a hood over her head, more to hide the IV line trailing down her neck than to keep warm. Her skin was pale, almost paper-thin, and her fingers trembled when she reached for her cup.
Min-Seo nudged her brother. "She's not eating again."
"I know."
They approached quietly, as always. Eun-joo didn't flinch or look surprised. Instead, her small face lit up in the faintest smile when she saw them. "Min-Hwan, Min-Seo."
"Hey, ," Min-Hwan said, crouching beside her with a gentle smile. "You look tired."
"I had more tests today," she whispered. "They said I might not make it to the next month."
Min-Seo reached out, brushing a few strands of hair from the girl's forehead. "They've been saying that for three months. You're stronger than they think."
Eun-joo gave a tiny laugh, but it turned into a weak cough. "I think I'm just good at pretending."
Min-Seo sat beside her, pulling a small cloth bundle from her pocket. Inside were dried petals from a flower she had managed to sneak back from the dungeon. "A gift. It's from that blue cave—remember?"
Eun-joo's eyes widened, and she took it reverently. "It's so pretty."
Then, from across the room, a familiar voice called out—soft, gooey, and oddly cheerful.
"Joo-joo~!"
Hexin oozed toward them, his humanoid slime body practically shimmering with orange-yellow highlights. His arms shifted in shape with every step, but his expression was bright and warm. In one blobby hand, he held several folded sheets of crayon drawings.
"Hexy!" Eun-joo giggled.
Hexin dropped into the seat beside her with exaggerated flair, plopping the pictures in front of her. "Ta-da! A garden just for you, drawn by yours truly."
She picked up one drawing—a swirl of green hills, pink flowers, and a cartoon version of herself sitting in the middle with a crown of blossoms. "This one's my favorite."
"I knew it would be," Hexin said, leaning in with mock secrecy. "I made the clouds extra poofy just for you."
Min-Seo smiled faintly. Even here, surrounded by monsters and cruelty, Hexin had a way of making things feel… safer. She glanced at Min-Hwan, who gave a tiny nod back.
Hexin's strange ability—to ease someone's pain with just his presence—was something neither of them could understand, but they saw how much better Eun-joo always seemed after he visited. Even if it was only for ten minutes.
"She said you're the cool cousin," Min-Hwan teased.
"I am the cool cousin," Hexin grinned. "The gooey-est, greatest cousin in the whole facility."
They shared a light laugh, but the air never fully lost its weight. Min-Seo could still hear the alarms in the back of her mind, could still see the way guards dragged people away when their numbers were called. This place was a machine. And they were all fuel.
But with Hexin here, with Eun-joo smiling, maybe just for a little while, they could believe otherwise.
Min-Seo reached into her own pocket, pulling out a crumpled list of scheduled dungeon assignments. "We're headed into another D-level tomorrow. They're sending us with the slime and that boy with the bandages—Ha-Yoon, I think."
Min-Hwan's expression turned thoughtful. "Then we'll finally meet the boy who's been making waves."
Min-Seo hummed. "And maybe see why Protocol's watching so closely."
Hexin's smile didn't falter, but there was a flicker of something—like he heard more than she said.
They all knew something big was coming. The monsters weren't the only things growing stronger. So were they.
And soon, pretending wouldn't be enough.
-----------------------✿✿✿----------------------------
The cafeteria was buzzing with low murmurs, clinking metal trays, and the occasional cough from the sick bay kids. But to Eun-joo, it was just another ordinary morning of bland gray porridge and supervised chewing. She sat at the far end of the long table reserved for "non-combat approved" experiments—aka, the ones too sick, too young, or too broken to bother with.
She swung her legs under the bench, too short to reach the floor, humming a little nonsense tune only she seemed to know.
Then came the unmistakable squelch-splat-squelch of a familiar gooey figure plopping into the seat across from her.
"Ta-da! Guess who~?" said a bubbly voice.
Eun-joo smiled wide. "Hexin!"
He grinned with the pride of someone who just pulled off the most obvious surprise in history.
"You're late," she scolded playfully, hands on her hips—if only her tiny arms had any intimidation power.
Hexin leaned closer, whispering like they were sharing national secrets. "I had a mission in Painville. Population: my stomach."
Eun-joo tilted her head. "What?"
With exaggerated drama, Hexin reached into his gooey midsection and slowly, painfully, pulled out a small, warm metal container. He hissed the entire time, wincing.
"Ow ow ow—yep, still hurts, yep, still attached to the collar… But it was worth it!"
He slammed the container down with flair and opened it.
Inside: two strips of bacon (slightly goo-soaked), a squished but golden egg, and one lonely rice ball.
"For you, my little flower."
Eun-joo gasped like he'd just gifted her the moon.
"You really brought me breakfast?! From your body?!"
"I'm a walking fridge with style," he said proudly, though his collar buzzed faintly, a reminder of the pain. "Well, more like a heating pad. I kept it warm by, uh… tucking it next to my core,and don't tell anyone but ..I got this core from a monster I slayed by myself. Don't ask how much it burned."
Eun-joo giggled, taking a bite of the rice ball with wide, starry eyes. "It's so good! You're the best cousin-goo ever."
Hexin softened, his entire upper half melting just a little, like a warm puddle of sunshine. "Anything for you, little flower."
They sat in silence for a bit, Eun munching happily while Hexin drew smiley faces on the table with his goo. Then Eun spoke with a faraway look in her eye:
"Min-Hwan and Min-Seo looked so sad today. I heard them whispering about the next dungeon mission."
Hexin nodded, stirring a squiggly drawing of a cat. "They're strong. Protocol knows it. That's why they keep getting sent out."
"And I'm stuck here," Eun-joo muttered. "Too sick to be useful. They'll throw me away eventually, right?"
Hexin paused, his yellow-orange eyes gleaming with something dangerous beneath the humor. Then he flicked a blob of goo at her nose, making her squeal and giggle.
"Never say that again. You're not trash, you're treasure. Anyone who says otherwise," he leaned closer with a mischievous smirk, "gets mystery slime in their shoes. And better yet ,socks... Forever."
Eun-joo laughed so hard she hiccuped.
"Promise me something, Hexin."
"Anything."
"Don't ever let them make you forget how funny you are."
He blinked, startled. Then slowly, he saluted. "Scout's honor. Wait—were we ever scouts? No? Then... slime's honor."
Eun-joo smiled sleepily, the warm breakfast in her belly and the soft laughter still in her chest. For a moment, the cold, sterile world of the facility faded away, replaced by gooey jokes and warm eggs.
Hexin hummed a silly song as he doodled hearts around a badly drawn stick figure of her.
She whispered as her eyelids drooped, "Don't tell anyone I like you best."
"Cross my core," Hexin said, beaming.
----------------------------------------------------------
Absolutely. Here's a small, emotionally grounded continuation, still keeping some warmth while revealing the tragic truth about Eun-joo's condition from Hexin's perspective:
Hexin stayed behind after Eun-joo was escorted back to the medical wing. He watched her shuffle out, tray in hand, escorted by a silent guard. Her steps were light, but he could see the tremble in her legs, the way her breath caught every few seconds.
When she disappeared around the corner, Hexin let the goofy smile melt off his face like cooling wax.
He made his way down a side hall—fluid, silent—and seeped into a crack in the wall that he'd discovered months ago. The facility thought they'd sealed off the observation rooms. They thought wrong.
Behind the one-way glass, two doctors in pristine white coats were reviewing charts. One of them yawned.
"Eun-joo, Experiment 1337. Still deteriorating. Her lungs are weak, the infection's too far in," the taller doctor said casually, flipping pages.
The other nodded. "At most, two months. Probably less."
"Should we try to extract anything useful before then? Her readings have always been… interesting."
"We've already got blood samples and her mana signature. That's all we'll need."
They spoke like she wasn't real. Like she wasn't someone who told knock-knock jokes with her mouth full, or named each tile in the cafeteria floor, or believed he was the funniest person on Earth.
Hexin pressed closer to the glass, slime form trembling. Not with anger. Not yet.
Just… sadness.
Two months.
He retreated quietly, unnoticed, his goo form slick with barely-contained emotion. The collar around his core pulsed faintly with heat—probably in warning—but he didn't care.
By the time he returned to the experiments' dormitory wing, the cheerful energy was back on his face. He waved at the guards like always. Called them his "serious-face friends." Joked with a few passing experiments.
But inside?
He was already sketching.
A field of red and orange flowers....
... And one white white glowing in the middle.
....Just like her....