CH 306

Chapter 306

I desperately resisted; I wanted to avoid becoming naked by her hands!!

Fortunately, though, Bang Euji put that terrible baby suit on top of the clothes I was wearing without taking them off. From an outside perspective, I must look terrible as these two clothes overlapped and clashed, but Bang Euji placed me down as if she were satisfied.

As I stood still, tired from the strain of struggling, she took out her cell phone.

[Coo~ Goo goo ga ga~ Look over here~]

“What the…”

I frowned and raised my head, following her voice, and my eyes caught sight of a large camera lens. I covered my face belatedly, but I had already heard a clicking noise. “Don’t take a picture! I said don’t take pictures!!”

Once again, Bang Eunji couldn’t understand, even though I protested with all my might and through exaggerated facial expressions. She snapped pictures of my angry self with a very satisfied look on her face.

Eventually, I covered my face and ran away to some other corner; I could hear her giggling as if my fleeing back was somehow cute to her.

[His butt is so cute. Garam is the best… so pudgy.]

Meanwhile, Bang Eunji pressed firmly on my butt with her finger.

‘I want to die…’ I bowed my head, frustrated, and buried my face in my palms and then my elbows.

No–I definitely made a resolution before I entered this [Vengeful Ghost Memory]. No matter what terrible things may happen, I’ll definitely sign a contract with Bang Eunji and return… I was determined–I wouldn’t give up even if I was seriously hurt or if my life was threatened…

“What is this, though…” In a fit of despair, I tore off my bib and used it to wipe away the tears that rushed out–tears that had welled up due to shame.

However, it was clear that nothing I did reached Bang Eunji who, from her perspective, viewed me as a hamster. She laughed and put me back in the well-decorated, doll-house like cage. She closed the lid carefully, held the cage in her arms, and stepped outside with a spring in her step.

[Ufufu, shall we go shopping with Garam-chan?]

“I’m getting motion sick!!” I screamed and pounded on the cage wall, but that only ended in me staring up at her large fingerprints. Eventually, falling into despair, I laid in bed.

The lace bothered me, but, surprisingly, the bed was high-quality–like a normal human bed. So, lying down relaxed me a little. Still feeling nauseous, I stared up at the wavering canopy, but I soon fell asleep…perhaps because of the mental fatigue.

* * *

[So cute!]

[I think this would look good on him, too.]

Faint ‘kyaa’s’ and cheers passed through my ears; soon, my cheeks felt the sensation of cold air rushing in and brushing past. Thinking the cage door was now open, I pulled the rough, yarn blanket that was covering my body all the way up to my chin.

[It seems he’s still sleeping.]

[Should I not wake him up?]

[How old did they say he was?]

[Less than a few months.]

[Ahh, he’s a total baby.]

Worried about the addition of a new, unfamiliar voice interrupting my sleep, I frowned and opened my eyes. Suddenly, I felt my body floating into the air; as soon as that happened, all the drowsiness that had dominated my brain fled.

When I hurriedly rose to my feet, I noticed that the bed itself was floating in the air.

“Ahhhhhhghhh!” I screamed, alarmed. But, my desperate scream was soon buried by the sounds of the giant people around me.

[Oho~ How cute… He looks startled.]

[Look at how he’s flattening his body and scrunching in on himself!]

[Should I buy one too? So pretty…]

My heart was still pounding from the surprise; meanwhile, fingers–from people I didn’t know–suddenly approached me.

Of course, I was utterly surprised and scared at how large everyone was. Disregarding my rigid back and face, large fingers approached from every direction to press at my cheeks, feet, hands, and hair. Then, when the touches went towards my stomach and groin, I managed to recover my senses and instinctively laid down to avoid further wandering touches.

[I guess he doesn’t like it when we touch his belly.]

[So cute~!]

[The clothes are super cute on him.]

–Click!

However, my actions only prevented me from being stroked and touched; there was no way to avoid the cell phone cameras.

I bowed my head and bit my lips to keep myself from crying, but I couldn’t endure the pressure of a finger that forced my chin up. The piercing camera-flash lights didn’t go off, but I vividly felt, in the absence of the deafening camera clicks, that all my humiliation was now being filmed.

“I said to stop it!” I couldn’t help but bite down on the next finger that touched my cheek. I truly bit with all my might, but the owner of that finger simply burst into laughter rather than panic, as I had hoped.

[He bit me!]

[Look at the teeth marks…So tiny.]

They were busy giggling, pointing to and peering at the bitten finger. I closed my eyes, despairing. Soon, I heard Bang Eunji’s voice.

[I’m going now. Shall we meet next time?]

[Eunji-nim, bring Garam-ie next time as well!]

[Hmm~ Should I?]

[He’s too cute. Where did you get him?]

[I’ll send you the business card.]

[Thank you.]

Bang Eunji lifted me–face stained with tears–up and saved me from their hands, but I didn’t feel one ounce of gratitude. After all, she carried that transparent box in her other hand.

That transparent and adorable box was full of doll clothes, and I guessed she had bought me clothes to wear.

The design of the clothes I was already wearing was bad enough; when I saw a frilly miniskirt and a rabbit-ear headband, I felt like my stomach flipped over. This definitely wasn’t something a man who had been to the army and back could wear.

However…. considering the overwhelming difference in power between us, I would eventually be forced into those outfits.

[Garam-chan! Do you know how much your clothes cost me today?]

“……”

[Aren’t you happy you met an owner like me?]

Unlike me, who was in a terrible mood, Bang Eunji, humming to herself, was intoxicated by good humor and called herself a great owner.

I shouted in despair, “I’m not happy. You’re the one that’s happy! I’m just… here to sign a contract with you!”

[Shall we dye Garam-chan’s cheeks too? Pink? I think that’ll be so cute…]

“Are you crazy?!”

[It’ll be very pretty if we dye the tips of his ears a matching color as well.]

I shuddered at her horrifying plans. I didn’t have fur–I had skin; I was disgusted when imagining permanently-dyed pink cheeks. Besides, I don’t know if that would be the end or if she had more in store for me.

I broke out in cold sweat thinking of those puppies that were nearly turned into accessories by their owners. Bang Eunji was… far from a good pet owner. Even now she thought of me as a living doll!

“Please… Someone save me. Please…!” I screamed and banged on the cage wall, but, as has been the case for this whole [Vengeful Ghost Memory], nothing happened.

People passing by on the street glanced at me, but no one focused on my pouting mouth; there was only passing curiosity or a slight smile on their faces–as if they had seen something quite cute. Finally, the fear of not being perceived as human by all others had sunk fully into my brain.

“No….”

Just when I had fully bowed my head, hopeless…

[Omo! Guildmaster-nim…!]

[Hello, Eunji-yah.]

[To think we’d meet here… this truly must be fate!]

[Well, we are in front of the guild building.]

A familiar voice reached my ears. I raised my head up and turned in the direction of Seo Dawon’s voice.

The eyes weren’t red–quite unfamiliar to me, but that was clearly Seo Dawon. And, within his pupils, was a weak but growing curiosity. Almost rolling towards him, I approached the wall nearest the mage and knocked, “Dawon-ah! Wait…!  Save me! Dawon-ah!”

Fortunately, my efforts were not in vain. Seo Dawon bent his knees a little and stared blatantly at me.

‘No way–does he recognize me…?’

I looked up at him, full of anticipation, but…

[And, this is?]

[Ah! Let me introduce you: this is my cute hamster… Garam-chan!]

[Garam-ie?]

[Ye~es. This one is small, but he looks exactly like Garam!]

[Haha… You guys are close as always.]

After that one question, Seo Dawon raised his head as if he had lost interest. I stared vacantly at his turned back.

[Still, it’s not good for the hamster to carry him around. He’ll become stressed.]

Seo Dawon explained, adopting a tone one might use towards a young child. I opened my mouth.

I wasn’t sure, but it seemed that, even to the Mage, I appeared to be a hamster. In a way, that was only natural, but I couldn’t overcome this shock and collapsed to the floor.

[There’s no one at home today, so I brought him with me.]

[Mm, alright… Take good care of him.]

[Ye~es.]

Without lingering, Seo Dawon turned his back. I stared after him like a fool before plastering myself to the wall of the cage and shouting, “W-Wait!! Seo Dawon!”

However, the Mage strode away. As I watched the distance between us grow, I shouted with all my strength for one last time, “[Seo Dawon]!”

At that moment, the ring on my finger shone brightly. As the light subsided–like a miracle–Seo Dawon looked back at me.

Our gazes locked again; when his eyes met mine, his pupils widened.