Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In Kyungshik's lab:

Knock Knock

The tired Alchemist still focusing on dropping random ingredients in his potions, measuring them with extreme accuracy as if he were a witch over a cauldron, said, "Come in,".

A brown haired man popped his head in and walked in. The alchemist after setting down his handiwork carefully on his desk whipped his head around to look at him.

Puzzled, he asked, "What's wrong? You don't usually come down here. You say the very smell of my potions haunt you,"

"They do..." Lee-kyung replied, slightly flustered by the alchemist's bluntness.

"But?"

"Dawon-ie told me to call you. For a meeting about the new dungeon raid next week,"

"Hm? I see," The alchemist turned back to his work.

The Necromancer tried to sneakily make his escape before...

"By the way..."

"...?"

"I made a potion for you~"

The once calm and adorable face of the Necromancer contorted into an expression that conveyed much more than the word disgust. The Alchemist, feigning offence said, "How could you so callously mock someone's masterpiece, something they've poured their heart and soul into?". The man wearing glasses wiped away at non-existent tears.

"It's not my fault your masterpiece tastes like hot trash,"

"They're over there," The alchemist pointed to the only table that was cluttered by glass apparatus. 

Lee-kyung headed over and picked over one of the potions that were placed at the forefront of the table.

'It has the same cover as the one he usually gives me' He thought.

The Necromancer shrugged before he pinched his nose and downed the whole potion. 

"Hm? It tastes better than I thought-" Suddenly, the Necromancer felt a slight pain in his chest before a cloud of dust engulfed him.

Poof

The Alchemist, who was nearby, looked to the source of the large cloud, alarmed.

"Choi Lee-kyung!" He screeched out in horror. He bolted over to the table and when the large cloud disappeared, the only remnants of the Necromancer's existence was the hoodie he wore almost everyday and his pants.

Horror etched the young Alchemist's face.

He started spiraling, wondering what he had done and then how the guild master would murder him if anything had happened to his dear husband.

"I'm doomed...I should flee the country...No, not even that will be enough," He mumbled to himself when he heard the slight rustle of something small underneath the heap of clothes.

He peered down and then  something quite fluffy appeared from underneath the hem of the hoodie.

"Choi Lee-kyung-ssi?"

A small, floofy, adorably golden-brown hamster.

Kyungshik rushed up the staircase with the little squirming creature in the palm of his hand. When he finally reached up and ran to the conference room, he screamed out,

"Guildmaster-nim,"

The young, dark-haired man darted his eyes to the Alchemist along with the 5 other curious eyes.

"What's wrong?" Dawon asked the panting Alchemist.

"Something...haa...happened to Lee-kyung-ssi,"

The previous calm faces of the members distorted into pure panic. The Mage walked closer and then asked, "What do you mean 'something happened'?"

The Alchemist pursed his lips before replying, "He was in the lab to call me up and I...told him to drink one of the potions I made for him to restore the cracks in his soul. But...he drank the wrong one and now, he's..."

"He's what?" The Mage spat out.

The Alchemist uncovered his fist and showed the little hamster in his palm.

"I can make the antidote in a week and he'll be back to normal by then so..." He carefully looked up to observe the expression of the Mage in front of him to only be surprised at the flush adorning his face.

"He's so...cute," He said in wonder.

Even the other members were delighting in the tiny creature in front of them, with Eunji poking it with her flashy pink decorated nails.

The Mage cupped the hamster delicately in his hands before flipping him over and pressing at his soft white underbelly with his index finger, delighting in the softness of the fur.

'Looks like I don't have to leave the country,' The Alchemist thought to himself in glee.

"He really did become Ham-Lee-kyung," The short blue haired Assassin exclaimed.

"Is this what he looked like in your memory?" The Paladin asked the pink-haired girl.

"Mhm, exactly like this. He's still as cute as he was from before,"

"He looks like a hamster from the Golden or Syrian breed. What a cutie," The tall, burly man decorated with irezumi tattoos said as he poked at the little hamster in a cute (uwu kind) voice.

"Ugh, I always get creeped out when you talk like that," The Swordsman mocked the Tamer's baby talking voice while staring at the hamster in the Mage's hands.

"Wait, can Lee-kyung ah hear us?"

"Mm?" The Alchemist's attention was caught by the Mage's pointed question.

"I mean...has he really turned into a regular hamster or can he like hear us?"

 "Guess there's only one way to find out," The Swordsman picked up the hamster and dropped him on the floor.

"Ragi-ah, you should be gentle with him y'know?" The Mage criticized the brash habits of the Swordsman.

"Tsk,"

The guild members watched with great interest at what the Swordsman was about to do.

"Hey, if you can hear us, stick your head through," The Swordsman made a small circle with his index and thumb and asked the hamster to stick his head through.

"Hey...aren't you treating Ham-Lee-kyung like a dog?"

"Shut up perv,"

The Swordsman's sadistic smile deepened and with great shame, the hamster stuck his head through.

"Roll to the left...good. Roll to the right...ok,"

After a few more moments of humiliating the poor Necromancer trapped as a hamster in such a way, the Swordsman clicked his tongue and made his verdict.

"Guess, it's him, the homo can hear us,"

The Mage who was now scowling picked up his poor hamster- I mean husband and petted him softly on the back.

"Ragi-ah, you're so mean," He commented.

"Shut up,"

"Guess, we'll be taking care of Lee-kyung-ie from now on,"

"When have we not?" The Swordsman commented.

Chapter Text

Lee-kyung's POV:

The Mage held me in the palm of his hand and led me to his office. He placed me on the large mahogany desk, which seemed even larger because of my small size. I looked back up at the Mage's troubled expression mixed in with cuteness aggression as he kept poking at my cheeks in glee.

I was still slightly sour about what the Swordsman did, treating me like a dog. It reminded me all too well of the Mage doing the same in Bang Eunji's Vengeful Ghost Memory. I felt a slight ache in my heart recalling that memory. I couldn't even be angry at the Mage in reality because he hadn't done anything.

'Although, it felt like he did...' If I was mad at him, it'd be like holding a grudge against him because he cheated on me in a dream. My feelings made me feel unbearably foolish sometimes.

I looked into the glass mirror placed opposite to the desk and in my eyes, it looked like the Mage was just poking at a much smaller version of me.

'I wished he could see me' 

A small part of me wished he could have seen my expression when I had to roll around on the Swordsman's orders like some kind of animal. 

Suddenly, as if some entity had heard my wishes, the wedding ring which adorned the Mage's left ring finger glowed a bright red. The Mage confused could only shut his eyes like I did due to the bright light. When the light diminished, the Mage looked slightly puzzled before looking back at me with a gaze as if he had never seen me before.

"Lee-kyung ah," His voice sounded incredibly soft before he poked at my cheeks, stunned.

"Wait, can you see me?" My small voice shouted out.

He nodded slowly.

"Oh thank god,"

I thought I would actually have to live like a hamster for a week. The mere thought took a toll on me.

I then only realized the state I was in. When I shrank, by clothes didn't shrink with me...

"Don't look!" I shouted, trying to cover the shreds of my dignity with a Chinese hanja book on the table.

"It's not like I haven't seen all this before. Besides, you look cute," The Mage's brazen comment further stunned me. How could he be so blunt?

"Pervert!"

"Alright, alright, don't get too angry," He coaxed me and handed me his handkerchief which I used to wrap around myself. I held on tightly to the edge of handkerchief, before I stepped forward.

I looked at the Mage's expression before I recalled what had just happened earlier...

'Damn, that stupid Swordsman,'

Suddenly, I was hit by a pang of anger.

"How could you just watch that guy treat me like a dog? Hm?" I questioned him with a huge scowl on my face.

"I did think of stopping him, but you were so obediently rolling around and you looked so...adorable. I couldn't help myself,"

I felt slightly irritated but his words made me calm down a bit. At least this time he knew who I was, and didn't try to break my ribs or torment like he had done in Eunji's memory. In fact, the Mage looked at me with a quite soft and sweet expression. By then, my anger had completely dissipated.

'How unfair...' I thought to myself.

Grumble

Suddenly, as if this already embarrassing situation couldn't get any worse, my stomach, despite being reduced to a smaller size, growled loudly.

The Mage chuckled to himself, which just made my already red cheeks heat up even more.

"I'll get you some clothes and some milk," I nodded as he left the room. I looked around his huge room which had practically tripled in size due to my small stature.

I looked around, noticing all the pictures he had. I remembered how in Eunji's memory, there was a photo of all the guild members, including Ryu Hyerin and Bae Jaemin. Instead, in the very same place I had seen that picture, that photograph had been replaced by another one with...me in it.

A strange sense of melancholy welled up deep inside me.

I kept inching closer to the edge of the desk, to get a better look at the photograph, which I now noticed had a pretty bronze frame around it. In the photograph, Dawon was smiling and was holding me by the waist. 

'How pretty...'

I marveled at the brilliant smile of the Mage, before I felt my sense of balance betray me. I was already standing at the very edge of the desk and I had leant too forward. I toppled over, my heart racing for impact. I let open the handkerchief Dawon ah had given me as a makeshift parachute, before I landed on a soft pile of noodle-like shredded paper in the trashcan. 

I breathed a quick sigh of relief at my avoidance of a near-death experience.

"Lee-kyung ah?" Then, I heard the startled and concerned voice of the Mage from the corner of the room.

"I'm over here, in the trash can!" I attempted to stand up, put the light density of the papers caused me to fall onto my back once more.

The Mage worriedly ran over to me as I attempted to cover myself with the handkerchief.

"I leave you along for one second and you get yourself in trouble," He clicked his tongue as I sheepishly smiled at his words. He carefully placed me onto his palm, wrapping me up in the handkerchief like I was a burrito and then placed me back on the desk. He handed me a T-shirt and pants that were exactly my size?

"...?"

"I took your regular clothes and shrunk them using a spell,"

I was going to change but then I looked at him, indicating to him that he should shoo.

"What?" However, his obliviousness knew no bounds.

"I'm going to change,"

"Okay?"

He stood there, crossing his arms.

"I'd like some privacy,"

"You didn't need any privacy on our wedding night," He retorted.

My cheeks heated up once more and the Mage let out a small laugh.

"Alright, I'll turn around," Surprisingly (?), he kept his word and didn't glance at me once. I slipped into my clothes and then walked over to the edge of the desk, being careful to keep my balance and tugged at the end of his coat.

He turned around and was about to say something before-

Grumble

"..."

His silence just made me even more flushed.

He took out a small bowl of milk and carefully poured it in. But the bowl was too big for me. If I tried to sip from it, I would fallin and if I attempted to lift it, I would spill it all over me. The Mage saw my dilemma and took out a pipette from his pocket, as if he had already predicted this scenario and rinsed it with some water in the nearby sink.

He used the pipette to feed me the milk. I felt slightly embarrassed, but my hunger overcame it. 

After a few failed attempts of the Mage missing my mouth and pouring it over my shirt, nose and eye, he finally managed to maneuver the plastic straw into my mouth. I held onto the edge of the pipette in order for him to not jam my teeth as well. I was already growing blind due to the milk in my eye.

After my hunger was satiated, I tapped the Mage's hand to indicate I was full and he let me be. He took out the handkerchief which had saved me earlier and wiped away the milk from my face with an apologetic expression on his face.

The Mage then took out a giant red strawberry and showed it in front of me. He cut it into tiny little pieces and fed me each one with a broken toothpick.

'He's behaving so differently from the memory,' That was a given, but I couldn't help but compare the two versions of Dawon I had witnessed. Both were clumsy, but this one had a much more sincere feel to him.

It was strangely adorable to see the Mage care for me like I was some delicate flower that would wilt if it received too much water.

After I finished my hearty meal, the Mage lightly pressed the handkerchief to my lip in an attempt to clean my mouth.

"Kyungshik said he'll make the antidote within a week, so you don't have to worry,"

 I sighed out of relief, before the Mage suddenly inched closer to my face. My eyes closed out of reflex, but then,

Chu~

I felt the Mage's lips press against me and my face flushed once more.

"Just because you're a little tiny, doesn't mean I won't kiss you," He showed me a cheeky smile before repeatedly attacking me with pecks in a similar manner. If he were wearing red lipstick, there would not be a single part of my face that wouldn't be at least a hue of pink.

The Mage's gentle demeanor was so different from the horrendous way I had been treated in Eunji's memory, I was shocked.

"You must be tired, hm?"

Before I could reply, he muttered a sleeping spell under his breath and I felt my consciousness drift away. I told...him to stop...doing...that...

I awoke, on a soft little bed. I observed my surroundings and I was in a dollhouse. It was propped up on Dawon's desk. Unlike the one in Eunji's memory, it wasn't like a modern home and felt more like a little girl's dollhouse with pretty yellow sunflower wallpapers and extravagant designs all over the place. Even the soft bed sheets wrapped around me were a shade of bubblegum pink.

I woke up and I was no longer in my T-shirt and pants but in a pretty sheer white dress. The only thing covering me and protecting my decency was a lacy linen underwear that I was given.

'Pervert' I inwardly cursed at him.

Dawon, the perpetrator who had noticed me waking up, looked at me, smiling.

"Eunji said it'd look nice on you,"

I bit my lip in frustration before I heard a lively presence enter the room.

It was Garam.

Chapter Text

Lee-kyung's POV:

The blue-haired Assassin darted his eyes between me and the Mage before saying, "Hyung, Olim noona wants to talk to you about the dungeon raid we're doing next week,"

"Is that so? Hmm..." Dawon looked to me with concern in his eyes before Garam quickly replied,

"If you want, I can take care of Ham Lee-kyung for you,"

"Haa...well alright," Dawon carefully cupped me in his arms as I tried to cover my knees with the dress before dropping me in Garam's palms.

"He looks so cute in that dress..." Garam's chubby cheeks blushed a little as I stared back at him.

'He really is just like a kid,' 

Dawon soon opened his mouth before saying, "By the way, what does he look like to you?"

Garam frowned before giving me a hard look with all his concentration before finally giving his verdict.

"A hamster only?"

"Ah...I see. Also Garam, don't give Lee-kyung-ie sunflower seeds. Give him milk and cereal. Even fruit is alright,"

"Alright hyung,"

Dawon nodded before leaving the room, shutting the large wooden door behind him. As soon as he left, Garam stared at me with great curiosity in his eyes, pushing at my head with his index finger. Shocked by the force, I rolled onto my back as Garam continued to press at my white underbelly gently.

"I've never taken care of a pet before, unless you count when Chanyoung-ie as a puppy..."

Then he fell into deep thought before Garam's eyes sparkled once more.

"Ham-Lee-kyung ah, Paw!"

As if he were shouting a skill like an anime protagonist, he held out his other hand onto which I would place my hand.

'Seriously...'

I was a little upset at being treated like an animal but upon on looking at the young Assassin's wide eyed expression, I reluctantly placed my "paw" on his hand.

Garam's previously bored demeanor was replaced with excitement as he asked me to do various other things. He placed me on the soft carpeted floor before saying,

"Ham-Lee-kyung, do a backflip"

"..." Did this kid think I was an acrobat?

"Ah wait, that might be too difficult. Even as a human, you couldn't do that...Ham-Lee-kyung roll to the left,"

I was a little annoyed at what he said before I rolled around as he giggled away. Honestly, while I liked seeing him smile, I wanted to show him I could understand his words so he would stop treating me like a hamster.

But after doing a few more tricks, exhaustion settled within me and I sat down tired, huffing and puffing.

"Oh? Ham-Lee-kyung must be tired. You're surprisingly obedient like this. You can understand everything I say too,"

'This brat knew I understood him and still tricked me into doing these tricks?'

Upon hearing that betrayal of a confession, I scurried away from him and sat in the corner of the carpet, near the tassels.

"Is Ham-Lee-kyung mad at me?"

I turned me head away as I felt the young Assassin shuffle closer to me. I stared back at him before he pulled out a small block of cheese. I was going to refuse his offer when,

Grumble

My stomach growled like thunder. I blushed as the Assassin attempted to restrain his laughter. I held onto the edges of the cheese block before nibbling on it.

"Ham-Lee-kyung is really funny," 

'This kid...'

I sighed and continued to nibble on the cheese, ignoring the commentaries that Garam was making. After I stepped away from the cheese, signaling I was full, he scooped me up and walked outside of Dawon's office.

We walked down the stairs and entered his training room before he placed me on the floor.

"Wait here, I've got some more games I wanna play with you," He excitedly got up and left, leaving the door open.

'Honestly...' Awaiting for my not-so-bright future, I sat on the ground thinking how I'd survive like this. Dawon-ie could see me but nobody else could and that would prove to be a problem if they kept treating me like a hamster. Especially, Woo Ragi, that crazy-

"Hm?"

Out of the corner of my eye, from the open window, I saw something moving.

Meow

A tabby cat slid itself between the metal bars on the window and the blood drained from my face. Usually, I would have happily started feeding and petting the cat, but I was currently the food the cat was eyeing to eat. The cat stretched its paws, bending its hind legs, staring at me intently. I could tell that it was ready to pounce.

Scrape

It's claws scraped against the floor as I gulped the fear down my throat. Suddenly, the cat jumped. I pat my thighs before I leaped sideways so I could avoid it. I kept running until I got out of the door but the cat was still chasing me.

I ran down the white-tiled hallways before I saw a young man pushing a moving cart, covered with a red tablecloth. Preparing myself for what I was about to do, I jumped onto the cart, clinging to the red fabric as the man hastily pushed the cart away. Somehow, I was able to lift the cloth and roll myself into the cart. 

The cat which had been running after me tried scratching at the cloth before the cart came to an abrupt halt and I heard someone click their tongue.

"Tsk, what's a cat doing in here?"

Hiss

I heard the cat whine and hiss as I saw a shadow of someone, the young man pushing the cart, from behind the red tablecloth lift up the cat and walk away. After a few minutes, the cart suddenly started moving and my head hit something hard. I grasped at the side of my head before looking to the cause of my pain.

"?"

There were a pile of ceramic plates and other utensils surrounding me. 

"Don't tell me..."

I was heading for the kitchen?!

The cart was rolling at a fast speed so if I jumped out right now, my left arm would no longer be my only crippled limb. Before I could think of anything else, I could hear the doors to the kitchen swing open.

Dawon's POV:

In the conference room

"You didn't call me just for the dungeon raid no?" Olim and I spent weeks researching on this specific dungeon and it wasn't something difficult easier, we were both practiced in this regard. I could see in her eyes she had called me for an entirely different reason.

"I'll be straightforward. Eunji when training, caught sight of some infiltrators in Red Lotus," She paused before continuing.

"They seem to be high level Assassins, so they shouldn't be dealt with lightly. We got information that one of them could be a holy attribute user as well. If word gets out, the building could blow up into hysteria and some of our employees may be in danger," I've had my fair share of assassins and infiltrators but they were usually not even brought to my attention and just dealt with quietly.

"What do you think they're aiming for?"

"Surprisingly, it's not us they're looking to kidnap. They may be here after some of our rewards or..."

"Or?"

"The Necromancer," My eyes widened at her words.

"What do you mean?"

"It's highly plausible word could have gotten out of him being turned into a...hamster. So they could be here looking for him," I was well aware how many kidnapping attempts had been placed on Lee-kyung ever since our resurrection. After all, he is considered the pioneer of Necromancy. But that only makes him more vulnerable to attacks. I held onto the table, clenching my fists until my knuckles turned white.

"Find out who spread information about Lee-kyung in this state and then-" 

Slide

Before I could say anything more, the door slid open with Garam popping inside. His eyes were skidding around the room and his panting self made me anxious.

"Garam, what-"

"Hyung, Lee-kyung's gone,"

Chapter Text

Lee-kyung's POV:

As the doors swung open, I heard the clattering of plates and the shouting orders of the sous chef. I slowly peaked from underneath the tablecloth to look for an opening - a window of some kind- that I could jump out of. Obviously, jumping out of a window was going to be dangerous, but my plush body would serve as its own barrier. On the other hand...

I slowly looked at the rat poison and other bug sprays placed on a high shelf, my fingers trembling. I'd rather be rolling around on the streets than be sprayed like a cockroach.

I shuddered at the thought before I caught sight of an open window. The cart had stopped and was close enough to the window that I could reach it. The problem was managing to climb up. I looked around and saw a dishwash cloth hanging over the edge of the counter. I took the edges of that damned dress that Dawon had put me in and tied it around my waist. I steeled my resolve and bolted.

I jumped out onto the checkered floor and when I reached the edge of the counter, I leapt up onto the cloth, my tiny claws - hands as they appeared to me- clutching onto the fabric.

I maneuvered my body and slithered my way back up, occasionally letting my eyes flit around to make sure no one was looking. I managed to mount onto the counter and slipped my way through the window.

"Phew..." I breathed a long sigh of relief that had been brewing in my very core. I looked around and saw a grand metal pipe stretching over past the corner of the building. I placed my hands against the edge of the pipe and used the momentum to lift me on top of it. I slowly started walking over the pipe, the dress now undone, flowing back and forth in a delicate manner.

'This must be one of Eunji's dresses...'

I continued my pace until I heard some voices from around the corner of the wall, where the pipe bends.

"I got some news, the hamster went missing,"

What? Were they talking about me? 

I made sure I was hidden right behind the wall to hear what they were talking about.

"Where'd you hear that from?"

"There's a small webcam placed in the conference room. It bypasses most of the security. It'll probably get destroyed and found out, but we have info so does it really matter?"

"We'll start by looking around the training rooms or inside the building's basement, it's where he might be most likely,"

"Got it, I'll keep contact,"

I peered past the wall to see what they looked like. One of the men was...the guy pushing the cart that I was in and the other was wearing a security guard uniform.

'No way,'

Guessing from their discussion, it was clear as day that they were intruders. Having heard enough of their conversation, I turned to go the other way when...

Meow

The fat tabby cat was on its hind legs, showing off its fangs and eyeing me with delight.

"Shit..."

If I hopped on the floor right now, I would be cat food, but if I turned around the corner, I'd be kidnapped. It was a lose-lose situation. Seeing the cat's ready-to-pounce position, I hiked up the edges of the floral dress I was wearing and once again tied it around my waist.

"Huh? Do you hear something?" I heard the questioning remarks of the intruders from behind and their increasingly loud footsteps. 

Leap

The cat pounced at me and I jumped off the pipe. The dress I had loosely wrapped around my waist unraveled and served as a faux- parachute and softly guided me down like a dandelion. The cat ,on the other hand, hit its head on the pipe and rolled around on the floor. I hissed in pain with sympathy, before the footsteps of the men reminded me to run.

I pat my thighs and ran to the opposite side of the brick wall, hiding behind the layers of trash bags with its sour and rancid smell emanating from it. I pinched my nose and bent down to the side.

"Huh, it's just a cat..." I saw the two largely built men shoo away the bruised cat. I carefully observed their faces from the safety of the trash bags.

The first one, dressed as a security guard, had a long scar stretching from his eyebrow to his jaw. He had short hair, cut to the shape of his scalp.

The second one, had a brown vest covering his white shirt and wore glasses. There was nothing especially identifiable about him at first glance but...

His eyes.

They were an unusually light and hazy shade of grey as if he had cataracts. His clouded eyes scanned the area to where I was standing. Afraid that I would get caught, I bent down to the ground.

"D'ya see something over there?"

"Huh?"

The man with the grey eyes started walking towards where I hid. I quickly looked around and saw a large safety pin, the ends slightly rusted. I took it and tore the thin skin of the plastic trash bags and hopped inside, holding my breath as to not gag from the horrible, engulfing smell.

'I'd still rather be here than drink one of Kyungshik's potions again...'

I waited patiently, hearing the man's footsteps get louder and louder, stopping right before the trash bag I was hiding in. I could see his shadow looming over the small opening of the trash bag. I made sure to keep myself extremely still, grasping at my trembling hands before I heard retreating footsteps.

"Nothing's there, maybe it was just some stupid cat,"

"We'll keep looking then,"

"Haa..." I breathed a sigh of relief at their words. After a few minutes, I carefully slipped out of the bag and started running to the other corner of the building. and from the ground up, I saw tree vines crawling up to an open window.

Dawon's POV:

"Did you find sight of him yet?"

Everyone shook their heads in dismay.

"We'll keep looking for him. Send over the CCTV footage, maybe we'll spot something," I looked over to the corner of my eye and noticed the guilt oozing out of Garam. I walked over to him before sighing.

"He's been a hamster before right?" Garam looked up at me and nodded.

"He'll be okay then," I patted his shoulder before turning over to Kyungshik.

"Is the antidote almost done?"

"Yup, I managed to finish it quickly,"

"Good work. Olim, tell everyone to shut down the building and to examine the whole area for a hamster. We can deal with the infiltrators after we find Lee-kyung. But just to be safe, tell security to keep an eye on anyone who looks suspicious," She nodded and headed off to make an announcement on the speaker.

The guild never felt this large to me before. Lee-kyung ah, where are you?