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Chapter 314
I hurriedly shouted at Jung Garam, “What do I look like to you? G-Garam-ah! Can you hear me? You hear me, right?”
[

]
“If you can hear me, please take me back to Bang Eunji-ssi!”
[Haah
?]
Jung Garam looked at me with a strange expression on his face
as if he never imagined I would speak to him.
However, I wasn’t in a position to hide or be crafty. It’d be better to be with Seo Dawon–if I left with Jo Chan-young, I’d forever be raised as a hamster. The fear of living life as a pet underneath Jo Chan-young’s surveillance overwhelmed me.
However, Jung Garam neither helped nor did he completely turn a blind eye to my struggles; he merely continued to observe me. The wariness in his eyes reminded me of Seo Dawon a week ago

‘He’s suspicious of my identity
’
In the end, I determined that I wouldn’t be able to receive Garam-ie’s cooperation immediately. So, I bit Jo Chan-young’s hand as hard as I could when he tried to place me in the cage.
[Cutie?]
“I said, it’s Choi Lee-kyung!”
Of course, my teeth didn’t pierce Jo Chan-young’s skin. However, he hesitated for a moment, as if he didn’t expect my desperate rebellion. Thanks to that, I escaped through a gap between his hand and the cage’s lid, slipping from the man’s grasp.
Jo Chan-young quickly tried to grab me, but I was able to slide down his sleeve, missing his fingers by the skin of my teeth.
When I landed on his shoes, he flinched and stepped back. He must have been afraid to step on me, so he retreated instinctively.
I didn’t miss that opportunity; I quickly crawled underneath the desk next to Jo Chan-young’s shoes. The fire-suppression sand and water–spread throughout the room after the sprinklers were triggered-clung to my body, but I knew I needed to hold out and endure in this small gap.
Fortunately, I made the correct choice. When I disappeared underneath the desk, I heard Jo Chan-young’s flustered voice.
However, suddenly, a big hand stroked my head. Jo Chan-young, kneeling on the drenched floor, placed his hand into the gap underneath the desk.
I froze–my hips stiffened–I didn’t know he’d try this hard. I met his worried, anxious eyes; he began to talk to me in an apologetic voice when I quickly backed away.
[Cutie, you were scared, weren’t you? <3] 1
“What the
!” I stared at Jo Chan-young; goosebumps raised all over my arms at his voice. Though I knew he could only see a golden hamster when he looked at me
 But
. Still

‘His character is just too different!’
How could his personality change so much from interacting with people compared to animals?
Above all, Jo Chan-young’s affectionate love towards animals did not suit me. Even if I wanted to use him and that affection, Jo Chan-young would only see me as a golden hamster. Even though he was obsessed with me, he’d still treat me like a hamster

Furthermore, Jo Chan-young’s ‘good intentions’ were the biggest obstacle in the [Vengeful Ghost Memory].
Though Jo Chan-young was sure to treat animals well, he would be a likely cause for a bad ending. In my perspective, Seo Dawon, who treated me like a human, was at least a little bit better.
I instinctively stepped back to avoid Jo Chan-young’s touch, recalling the deluge of sunflower seeds that Bang Eunji poured into my cage in the past.
Jo Chan-young’s expression became even more fretful. He furrowed his brows as he sat closer to the desk.
However, he didn’t try to touch me again; he tried to check my condition by sticking his face close to the gap to visually confirm my health. Additionally, his imagination brewed up stories that may explain my escape.
[Are you perhaps scared because Guildmaster-nim bullied you?]
“
What?”
[I’m not going to do anything our Cutie would dislike.]
“
Do you think I’m pleased with anything you’re doing right now?!”
[Baby, come this way. Hm? Don’t eat the dirty stuff on the floor. It’s yucky, yucky.] 2
“Haah
”
As expected, it would be futile to go with Jo Chan-young. My butt clenched tight, I was alert and nervous, keeping an eye on his movements.
However, Jo Chan-young wasn’t the only person in this office. I felt wind suddenly blowing from behind me; when I ducked my head reflexively, I saw a thin hand miss me by a narrow margin. Colorful, flashy nails on the moving hand passed by.
“B-Bang Eunji?! Are you crazy? I almost died!”
[Tsk! I missed him!]
Before I knew it, Bang Eunji sat on my other side and tried to grab me. Her movements were so rough, though, that I felt my bones would be crushed if she grabbed me incorrectly.
When I saw her blazing eyes, my hands and feet stiffened. It seemed to me that she was more resentful at Jo Chan-young and Jung Garam taking her hamster than she was worried about losing me.
Maybe that’s why I felt neither caution nor care in her movements. The sound of the wind caused by every swing of her hand made my spine shiver.
‘Still
 I suppose I have to go towards her?’
No matter how scary she was, this [Vengeful Ghost Memory]’s goal involved persuading Bang Eunji. Therefore, with a frown on my face, I walked towards her hand.
However, for some reason, Bang Eunji quickly pulled away her hand; following that, I heard a terrible noise from her direction.
I stopped walking towards her. Soon, the earth seemed to roar; I flopped back on my behind, ears ringing.
[Attacking me shamelessly from behind?! Are you really going to continue acting this way, Jung Garam?]
[
I told you that I’d buy you a new hamster–similar to that one.]
[Guildmaster-nim wants *that* hamster though!!!]
[Hey, look here
Jung Garam. I’m warning you–don’t buy the Guildmaster any more hamsters. I’m against that.]
They began fighting amongst themselves.
Jo Chan-young and Jung Garam, though it seemed like they were in an alliance, raised their voices gradually; once again, tension settled in the office’s atmosphere.
[Let’s take the easy route, okay, easy route. Let’s just throw her something else.]
Jung Garam shot back at Jo Chan-young, tone indicating his growing annoyance. And Jung Garam’s insensitive words touched on the animal-lover’s delicate nerves.
[Do you think an animal is some fucking toy?]
Jo Chan-young’s voice became spookily gloomy; the air felt cold. Instead of replying, the young Assassin clicked his tongue, as if he found his fellow guildmate a bit pathetic.
And

[Eunji bought that hamster for 12 million won!]
Bang Eunji cared little for their moral conflict and claimed ownership over me. Jo Chan-young immediately rebuked her in a contemptuous tone–
[Disgusting
 What’s the point of bragging about buying–high prices at that–from a pet shop
]
[I said I’d give you 12 million won. Why can’t you understand?]
Furthermore, Jung Garam joined in on rebuking her. The three continued their fight, though it seemed more like three separate monologues rather than a continuous conversation.
However

[The only thing Eunji wants is Garam-chan!]
Angered, Bang Eunji screamed loudly. Then, she sucked in a breath, as if she were embarrassed.
At first, I wondered what she even said, but then I belatedly recalled the name she gave me.
[What?]
Jung Garam, who was ignorant of all that, asked in a dumbfounded tone. However, Bang Eunji remained quiet.
[Hey, what kind of bullshit did you say?]
Of course, Jung Garam didn’t let this situation go and continued to interrogate her. Bang Eunji must have been incredibly embarrassed. Quite unlike her, she mumbled quietly–
[I-I just gave him that name because he’s so small. There are no other reasons
]
Listening to her excuses, my previous hypothesis only strengthened. However, Jung Garam continued to be ignorant of Bang Eunji’s innermost thoughts; he asked again, bewildered–
[What? You gave that hamster my name?]
[S-So? What are you going to do about it?]
[His name is
 No, fuck. Why would you give someone else’s name to something like that? Gross.]
Bang Eunji said nothing, a brief pause, before quickly replying to him in a sharp tone–
[
Isn’t it grosser that you’re still 160 cm tall at your age?]
[You really want to die, huh?]
As I watched the war of words between the two young guild members, I muttered, “No way
 Does Bang Eunji
 like Jung Garam?”
[What?]
And, Jung Garam was the one to answer me.
TL: NGL, If I was Choi Lee-kyung, I’d start to look for some popcorn to eat while watching this soap opera. To think: She liked Garam and not Seo Dawon! (I can’t blame her, I adore Garam too).
Also Jo Chan-young: Don’t shop, adopt
Tbh, though, is it even possible to adopt a hamster? From what I know, most people shop bc hamsters aren’t really a thing in most shelters?
Footnotes
He’s speaking in a cute uwu tone that one might use towards their pets. There’s no heart in the original, I just wanted to denote that he sounds cute. Jo Chan-young is actually saying the stuff on the floor is 지지 (jiji) which is ‘trash’ or ‘gross’ in baby-speak. To adapt it to English, I said it was ‘yucky,’ which is something a toddler might say about trash.