IBTPCS 03

Chapter 03

“Let’s just end things nicely without making a fuss.”

He tried to approach me in a friendly manner and pat my shoulder, but I instinctively flinched and avoided him.

The Section Chief made a funny “whoa, whoa” gesture, raised both hands, and backed away toward the conference room entrance, saying:

“You’ll need to start preparing for job hunting again now. If there’s anything I can help with, let me know. Ask me anything you don’t know.”

Without even looking at what kind of face she was making, the Section Chief, just chattering on excitedly by himself, shrugged his shoulders arrogantly.

“I know a lot of people in the industry. You know A Electronics, right? A Electronics. My good friend’s younger brother works in their HR department. One phone call from me and he’ll get you in right away.”

Even in her dazed state, she knew that was bullshit. Far from having connections elsewhere, the Section Chief was a fool who couldn’t even get along with a single colleague in this tiny company.

“So let’s part on good terms. Okay?”

With that, the Section Chief left. Leaving behind a final remark to come back in quickly so others wouldn’t find it strange.

—

She didn’t remember how she sorted things out and left work after that.

In a daze, she walked on autopilot and found herself at the familiar intersection on her way home. As she absently stepped forward, a sudden vibration in her hand snapped her back to her senses.

*Bzzzt, bzzzt.*

“Ah.”

It was the game alarm that had been her small comfort in this shitty daily life. She dismissed the notification that the hourglass was full and looked up. Only then did she register the noisy traffic sounds and the clamor of the bustling crowd.

She came to her senses in front of a crosswalk.

“…Damn it.”

After barely swallowing the situation, a curse slipped out on its own.

“Damn it, seriously.”

She honestly…

“Damn it.”

She didn’t want to live like this anymore.

‘I really… I really tried my best.’

She had struggled desperately just to get a name tag around her neck. She had endured the openly territorial employees, the anger management-challenged team leader, and the shitty discrimination against contract workers, all in the hope of carving out a place for herself in the company.

She wanted to show her parents, who had suddenly left her, that she was living well on her own. When she became a regular employee, she planned to visit their graves and tell them.

Look, I’m a proper working adult now. I grew up to be a decent adult.

So don’t worry, rest in peace. I can take care of myself from now on.

She wanted to do well.

*Drip, drip.*

She felt hot streams flowing down her cheeks. Tears welling up from anger only made her chest feel tighter.

How long did she stay like that, head bowed, holding her breath?

“Woof! Woof, woof!”

“…?”

Startled by the sudden sound of barking, Eugene lifted her head. As she looked around in confusion, a large electronic billboard caught her eye.

—

**”The very snack Yujini chose! Healthy dog treat ‘Dogimogi’ made from the finest Hanwoo beef.”**

—

The enormous slogan appeared flashily along with a voice actor’s narration.

—

**”Ranked #1 in the dog world’s wealthy circle! Gift your beloved companion with ‘Dogimogi’, chosen by Yujini.”**

—

The dog in the advertisement was the pet of a foreign billionaire, famous for having already inherited a luxurious mansion. The screen showed a vast estate complete with a fountain.

Eugene looked at the house owned by the dog with a name similar to hers and thought:

‘I probably couldn’t buy that even if I saved for a lifetime.’

No, never mind a mansion. Even getting a place of her own to rest her body while working was uncertain.

‘…I need to get a job before I can save anything anyway.’

It was a shitty company, but while she was there, she could cover up the anxiety of having no affiliation.

The thought of being thrown back into the hell of job hunting, with nothing changed and only time having passed, made her mouth feel dry and parched.

—

**”Woof! Woof!”**

—

Looking at the screen again, the tycoon dog was lying comfortably inside the lavishly decorated mansion. Watching the scene playing on the billboard, she unconsciously muttered:

“…I’d rather be reborn as a dog in a house like that.”

Doing nothing,

Just wanting to lie around.

She was tired of living life struggling alone like this.

“Ah, what’s that car doing?!”

“Eek! Watch out over there!”

*Crash!*

Along with a blinding light, her body flew through the air.

‘Ah.’

There was no regret. Her mind was rather calm.

‘Now I really don’t have to do anything anymore.’

That was her last thought.

—

And then she opened her eyes to a strangely familiar scene.

“…What the hell?!”

For a moment, reality felt incredibly distant.

The smell of mud and filth mixed together flowed into her nose. All around the dirt ground she was sitting on, wooden cage bars limited her view.

‘Where is this?’

As she looked around at the suddenly changed view, she saw several children in shabby clothes placed inside what looked like an animal pen. And among them, one child cautiously rose and approached her.

“Um.”

That face, looking at her with a worried expression, was familiar. Soft brown hair and intelligent-looking green eyes. And on top of her head, triangular ears sticking up, asserting their presence.

‘This child is…!’

Eugene recognized her. Of course she did—she’d been looking at that face on her phone every day lately!

**”Golden Cage.”**

It was a mobile game based on a popular novel.

The protagonist controlled by the player was named Canis.

A beastkin, she had been captured by a slave trader who kidnapped children and sold them to nobles, and was trapped in a cage.

Canis, who was only waiting for a chance to escape, one day encountered the Crown Prince visiting the shop. The Crown Prince, who had never seen anyone bare their teeth at him so openly, was curious and took her to the palace—and so the story began.

So this place now was the slave shop where the protagonist Canis and the Crown Prince first met.

“Are you okay?”

The one speaking to her now was that very protagonist.

True to her righteous personality, her kind-looking green eyes were filled with pure goodwill and concern.

“I…”

Eugene reflexively opened her mouth, but was surprised by her changed voice and widened her eyes.

‘Huh?’

After making a few more sounds, Eugene frantically looked around. Realizing there was nothing to reflect her appearance, she looked down at her own hands and feet.

‘…Small.’

Her body was definitely smaller than before. As Eugene froze in surprise, holding up her arms, the girl cautiously spoke to her again.

“Are you really okay…?”

Canis’s ears, trembling with anxiety, fluttered and shook. Eugene watched in fascination as the cute triangular animal ears with their blunt tips actually moved right before her eyes, then lowered her gaze at the girl’s words.

‘Ah.’

She could see her current reflection in Canis’s green eyes. She looked to be about ten or eleven years old. Her shrunken form was reflected roundly in her pupils. And her hair, which had grown longer.

‘Huh?’

Looking down again, Eugene could confirm the color of the long hair flowing down from her shoulders.

White.

An incongruous white hair, completely faded like an old woman’s, unsuited to her young frame.

“I saw you crying all night last night. I don’t know what happened to you on your way here, but… drink some water first. If you stay like this, you might collapse from exhaustion.”

When Canis pointed it out, Eugene finally became aware of her parched mouth, dry from her tongue all the way down her throat.

‘Thirsty.’

*Gulp, gulp.*

As she took the offered water bowl and drank, Eugene mentally retraced her situation.

‘White hair… Who was the white-haired child around Canis again?’

Eugene racked her brain, diligently recalling the game she had played for so long. And before long, she remembered one character.

‘Damn it.’

And unfortunately, the situation of this white-haired character, who now seemed to be Eugene’s body, wasn’t very good.

Eugene had only become deeply immersed in novels and games like this recently.

More precisely, around the time she was searching for something to completely occupy her mind in her empty home.

This genre, filled with unfamiliar settings and unique characters, transported her to another world, if only for a while.

When she fell into a new world, she could temporarily forget the problems of reality, even if just for a moment.

As she eagerly absorbed these new genre works, Eugene learned various terms: regression, possession, reincarnation, catharsis, growth, slice-of-life, childcare stories, and so on.

And among all these terms, what best described this game was clear.

A confinement story.

Why was the title of **”Golden Cage”** called a “cage”? It was because of the most popular character in the game, who could also be called the ultimate villain.

‘That crazy Crown Prince.’

The Crown Prince Michael, who took the protagonist Canis to the palace, was insane.

A madman for the protagonist.

At first, the Crown Prince treated Canis as less than human, like a pet dog. Later, however, he came to love her. Unlike Canis, who was already disgusted by his cruelty, the Crown Prince became completely obsessed with her, acting as if he couldn’t live a single moment without her by his side.

‘The problem was that he wanted her to be just as obsessed with him.’