/
“Huh
??” I was flustered by the unexpected kindness. Seo Dawon looked at me, but his actions were still a bit rough. He tossed the cereal into a small bowl and splashed a little milk inside.
The problem, though, was that the bowl was too small to contain so much cereal. Still, the bowl’s size fit me well, so, as soon as the Mage released his hand, I took the bowl and drank the milk first.
Only after I drank a lot of cereal-sweetened milk did I finally feel lucid. At that moment, I realized that I had been starving.
[Do you want more?]
“Mmm
”
As I frantically drank, the Mage asked if I wanted more; I looked up at him, a little wary, but the desire to drink more milk overcame my vigilance.
When I nodded, new milk was poured in. After drinking it all, I took great care to chew the soggy cereal pieces.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over my head.
“

?” Startled, I looked up, distracted from my meal; soon, Seo Dawon’s fingers began to press at my head. Even though I became rigid with surprise, he continued to pat my head
regardless of my unease.
“Wh-What are you doing?!” I was momentarily dazed, but soon anger flared within me at the thought of being treated like a pet. I shook my head.
However, Seo Dawon smiled mysteriously and pushed at my forehead with a finger. Staggered by the force, I flopped to the floor.
This was truly offensive and humiliating. I bit my lips as I glared back at the Mage. And Seo Dawon, meeting my protesting gaze head-on, responded in an indifferent tone–
[What’s with the attitude–I even gave you food?]
“
What?”
[I have no intention of killing you for a while, so don’t be too wary.]
“

?”
Honestly, what does petting me have anything to do with feeding me

Just as I thought that, the Mage suddenly reached into the cage, grabbed me, and pulled me out. Wracked with nervousness, my body automatically shrank into itself.
Seo Dawon placed me in the palm of his hand and rummaged around the cereal box with his other hand, before bringing a cereal piece to my lips.
“What are you
”
[Say, ‘Ah,’ Lee-kyung-ah.]
His voice seemed to be half-amused, half-sweet and friendly; my mouth opened reflexively.
However, since the speed at which he lifted the cereal to my mouth was so fast, it banged into my front teeth. I automatically frowned. Seo Dawon saw that expression and handed me the cereal at a much slower pace.
I was flustered momentarily by the unexpected kindness, but after catching Seo Dawon’s strange expression, my mood obviously plummeted.
The Mage observed me as if he were looking at something incredibly fascinating–Why did his relaxed smile look particularly despicable today?
‘Seo Dawon
 I’m sure he doesn’t consider me a fellow human being
’
Idiot.
Swearing inwardly, I nibbled and swallowed the cereal.
As soon as I finished my piece, he handed me another; I turned my head to refuse his offering. Fortunately, the Mage didn’t force me to eat.
[You’re already full even though you haven’t finished half of your meal?]
“

”
[Or, do you want me to give you something else?]
“

”
[Should I give you some fruit, Choi Lee-kyung?”
“What are you going to give me
?
[Whatever you want to eat.]
I wasn’t in a position to stubbornly endure and stand my ground. Though I was annoyed he treated me like a pet, his shallow regard was necessary for my immediate survival.
Therefore, I decided to accept Seo Dawon’s arrogant behavior for this short while.
“

”
However, I became truly angry when a strawberry larger than my face entered the cage. Seo Dawon giggled as he observed my behavior.
“Cut it for me! I’m not some kind of animal
 I don’t want to nibble at it whole!”
[Lee-kyung-ie is high maintenance, hm?]
Seo Dawon clicked his tongue and treated me like a fastidious person, but he gently sliced the strawberry and placed it on a small, toy-like plate. He even created a fruit fork (?) 1 by breaking a toothpick in half.
As I looked at the Mage, I thought I needed to remind him continuously, into the future, that I was a human being. Though
I didn’t know how much longer I would be here.
The strawberry was more delicious than I expected, so I ate all of the cut pieces delightfully. After seeing the empty plate, though, I felt a little embarrassed.
[You’re kind of funny.]
A smile on his lips, Seo Dawon said this meaningfully as he observed me. And, from that day on, he started taking me to work in that cage.
* * *
“Excuse me, um
 What are the other guild members doing now?”
[Why are you curious about that?]
Like that, a week or so flew by. Little by little, I had become accustomed to living in a cage.
Seo Dawon began to treat me so kindly that I almost forgot his scary demeanor when we first met. While continuing to try and read his body language, I searched for an excuse to meet Bang Eunji.
However, his expression turned rigid every time I brought up the topic.
‘When will he drop his wariness
?’
Considering the Mage’s sensitivity and perfectionist tendencies, there’s probably a long way to go, but
 I looked up at him while swallowing my sigh, “It’s just
 I’m curious about
what Bang Eunji-ssi is doing.”
[She’s doing well.]
“

”
Seo Dawon cut off our conversation so abruptly that I may have been embarrassed in any other situation. But, when I stared up at him, he smiled softly. In a gentle tone, he added–
[Raise your hands into the air.]
“

”
[Quickly.]
I wanted to change my clothes myself, but Seo Dawon, embarrassingly, wanted to take care of outfitting me. Even when I opened the closet, there were no clothes inside. Instead, day by day, he directly dressed me in whatever he pleased.
Of course, I mentioned that I could put on the outfit on my own, but my opinion was dismissed. However, I couldn’t wear the same clothes for several days in a row, so, in the end, I had no choice but to surrender. Every time the Mage changed my clothes, I felt like a doll.
“You’re a pervert
” Of course, I couldn’t resist throwing barbs. After all, this was an incredibly weird thing to do. From Seo Dawon’s standpoint, wouldn’t it be easier to throw the clothes in the cage and let me take care of myself?
However, after hearing my complaint, Seo Dawon snorted and retorted–
[What are you saying? You’re the hamster who broke into a little girl’s house.]
“I-I didn’t do that on purpose! How many times must I
”
[Then, you should explain better when I ask who placed you there.]
“

”
[Pervert.]
The Mage smiled. Though that was the face of my most beloved person, I hated that expression and wanted to scratch and tear at his face.
Perhaps because I grumbled that he was a pervert, the clothes that Seo Dawon had taken out today were truly loathsome.
A maid dress.
It even had a miniskirt that clearly showed the skin above the knees. I tried not to wear the dress, but
 Seo Dawon simply overpowered me. As I struggled, he even placed a frilly headband on my head.
[If you take off your headband, I’ll strip you. Alright?]
Seo Dawon smiled as he threatened me with a hand on my head.
Tears threatening to well up, I shouted, “I’d rather wear no clothes than wear something like this!”
[Really? I won’t let you keep your underwear, then.]
“
What?”
[If you want to be truly naked, then try and take it off.]
Seo Dawon looked as if he would follow up on his promises. In the end, my defiance fizzled out and I sat on the palm of his hand, disconsolate.
The Mage looked at me quietly, fiddled with my clothes, and placed me on the sofa before leaving the room. I sighed deeply as I looked around his bedroom.
“What on earth is he thinking
”
I stared at the changed furniture in the cage; Seo Dawon’s intentions were becoming increasingly enigmatic.
Actually, about three days after I was caught by the Mage, the cage’s interior changed completely.
The cage’s size was larger than before; the interior design of the miniature furniture changed as well. Before, the aesthetic resembled a princess-style room, but now the cage felt like a regular modern home.
Furthermore, the typical, transparent hamster cage was now changed to a two-floor doll-house-like structure.
Footnotes
That’s a two-tined fork normally used for eating fruit. Why do we need a separate fork for fruit? I have no idea tbh.