“Our Geuru has quite the talent for scouting. How did you bring Gnosis here?”
Geuru rested her head against Gidan, who was playfully striking up a conversation.
She had heard the story about Sereuhi while playing and stacking snacks in the pantry with her big sister Nayeon.
When she heard that an odd-eyed, pretty boy had spouted nonsense about being Gnosis, she had been truly startled.
Everyone seemed to disbelieve that the boy was Gnosis, but nevertheless, it was true that Sereuhi had shown abilities astounding enough to surprise them.
Because of that, Jurim had been summoned, and Geuru had hurriedly chased after them.
Geuru mulled over the words Sereuhi had spoken inside the conference room.
He was tricked by Gnosis……. So that was why he had made that expression when Geuru read the pattern in his eyes.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“Is Sereuhi oppa coming to Hyeonak too?”
“I think so?”
The question was whether Hyeonak would accept Gnosis, though.
Instead of saying that, Gidan flashed a grin.
It wasn’t something Gidan could do anything about even if he worried. He wanted to accept him with all his heart, but that was beyond his authority.
To shift Geuru’s focus, Gidan picked up his phone.
“Geuru, want to play a fun game with Oppa?”
He opened the game he had been enjoying whenever he found time these days.
“Game?”
“This is Oppa’s character.”
Gidan showed her a grotesque green character. Over its head was the nickname ‘GeuruOppa.’
Geuru, who had been peeping out with her head stretched out, examining the character and interface, pointed at one spot.
“Here, sparkly sparkly.”
“Ah, a message came in.”
Gidan opened the message box.
[Subject: Hey]
From: Bald Wizard
I’m from Hyeonak. Scared?
‘Crazy bastard.’
Gidan chuckled and sent a message telling him to come out to the lobby right now.
He still can’t believe I’m with Hyeonak, huh? Gidan intended to go out and show him in person.
A reply came immediately.
[Subject: Lobby? Can’t go right now lol]
From: Bald Wizard
Why don’t you come to the seminar room lol
Reading the message telling them to come to the seminar room, Geuru tilted her head in confusion.
Gidan’s head tilted in the same direction.
After humming and hawing for a moment, the two reached a single conclusion.
“Bald Wizard must be in the seminar room.”
“Seems like it, right?”
Gidan sprang up and flung the door open with a bang.
“Bald Wizard!!”
All eyes of the people sitting at the table turned toward Gidan.
Especially Sereuhi’s gaze was trembling beyond measure.
“……GeuruOppa?”
GeuruOppa was really from Hyeonak, and on top of that, Gidan?
Ha! Gidan laughed as if it was absurd.
At this, Sereuhi flinched. He might have felt deceived or a sense of betrayal upon learning that Bald Wizard, whom he had played games with all this time, was Gnosis.
Gidan swept a hand down his face as if to compose himself and said,
“Damn, you Bald Wizard…….”
“…….”
“You were a foreigner?”
“……?”
Is that the problem in this situation right now?
Is this guy really an idiot?
Sereuhi turned his head toward Jurim.
“……Is Hyeonak seriously a gathering of losers? Can I rethink whether I want to join Hyeonak?”
Jurim turned his gaze toward Gidan and stared at him chillingly.
“Gidan, aren’t you leaving?”
“I’m leaving right now!”
*
After the commotion died down and the conversation was finally concluded, Sereuhi was left alone in the empty seminar room.
While Sereuhi was fiddling with his phone, the door quietly opened.
He put down his phone and lowered his gaze.
“You seem to have been well.”
Geuru nodded slightly.
“Why did you come here. It’s dangerous. I told you I’m Gnosis.”
“Dangerous people don’t say they’re dangerous themselves.”
He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
Geuru quietly approached and placed a candy in front of Sereuhi.
“This is a yummy candy.”
“The Hongdangmu radish was awful, right?”
Remembering the taste of the Hongdangmu radish from back then, Geuru clamped her mouth shut.
“Urp!”
“I knew it. They probably dumped it on us because it wouldn’t sell? The merchants there are all swindlers.”
The two giggled and laughed for a moment, recalling that day.
“I liked it when Sereuhi oppa gave me a piggyback ride that day.”
“…….”
For a moment, it seemed he could hear the sound of leaves rustling in the wind at the oak tree farm.
Sereuhi closed his eyes.
As if he could smell the trees heavy with water from the sprinkler turning.
Geuru sidled right up next to Sereuhi like that.
“Dani oppa said Sereuhi oppa won’t be Gnosis anymore.”
Sereuhi opened his eyes.
“Yeah, I decided not to.”
“Why?”
“There are many reasons.”
Gnosis tricked me.
So I wanted revenge.
To do that, I needed an affiliation.
No, actually…….
Sereuhi rested his chin on his hand and looked down at Geuru. When he poked her puffy cheek with his index finger, a squishy sensation tickled his fingertip.
Because he couldn’t forget this ticklish sensation.
“I’m tired of doing bad things. I was going to have a sea-writing match with you.”
If not for the memory of the farm, he wouldn’t have made this choice.
“Then…… will you stay with Geuru from now on?”
“Probably? I’ll stay if your guild master permits it.”
“Geuru likes it……!”
“I didn’t ask.”
Boink!
When Geuru pouted her lips, Sereuhi smiled softly.
It would have been better if he hadn’t known from the start. Then he wouldn’t have hoped.
Truthfully, his heart was still anxious.
What would happen if Hyeonak didn’t accept him?
Leaving Irina’s side had been an impulsive decision.
There was no Plan B.
Sereuhi hid his nervous inner feelings behind a sulky face, waiting for the verdict.
Whether she knew his feelings or not, Geuru simply took Sereuhi’s hand and listed off things they would do together at Hyeonak.
“Also, eating bread in the pantry.”
“What’s a pantry?”
“Mhm……. A place that gives bread and snacks?”
“Sounds nice.”
“And also…… having a sea-writing match.”
The child’s carefree words quietly melted his tense heart.
“I’ll probably win that.”
Snickering, Sereuhi held her hand in return.
Geuru smiled bashfully as she looked at Sereuhi, who had entered her caretaker slot.
*
Jurim, who had been listening to the conversation in the seminar room from the next room, turned his gaze toward Jin Siwon.
Siwon smiled pleasantly while drinking coffee.
He had rushed to Hyeonak upon receiving word that Sereuhi had arrived.
Jurim narrowed his eyes at Siwon, who looked relaxed.
“They said you were backstabbed over there. You don’t seem to care much.”
Siwon blinked with a naive expression.
“Ah……. I’m sorry. What is ‘backstab’? I’m still learning the language, so there are many words I don’t know.”
Jurim looked at Siwon with a complicated expression and then shook his head.
“No. It’s better not to know.”
Siwon chuckled and then said what Jurim had been wanting to hear.
“Everything Sereuhi said is the truth.”
In fact, the first words of the phone call from Jurim had been this:
- Team Leader Jin, do you happen to be able to detect lies as well?
“Yes. It’s possible.”
- To what extent?
“S-Class is possible too.”
Therefore, the reason he had come here was to find out if Sereuhi’s story was true.
“I will report to the higher-ups.”
It was nothing less than the defection of an S-Class Gnosis.
The higher-ups would probably want to promote it widely, but from Sereuhi’s position, it would be full of complications, so it would be better to hide it.
Since Jin Siwon was also from Kirus, he should be able to spin a story to keep Sereuhi’s presence from standing out too much.
But he hadn’t expected him to cooperate so readily.
He hadn’t thought he would, what with that Gnosis bastard going on about backstabbing and whatnot.
As if sensing Jurim’s curiosity, Siwon spoke the answer first.
“Sereuhi resembles my younger sibling.”
“That, do you mean Irina?”
“Ah, you’ve heard.”
Siwon flushed as if caught in an embarrassing weakness and scratched his chin.
“Actually, besides Irina, I have one more younger sibling……. He resembles him, so I keep worrying about him.”
Jurim nodded languidly.
“But is it alright for Hyeonak to take Sereuhi in? If it’s inconvenient, I will take Sereuhi myself.”
“Well, it’s not comfortable. But our kids like him so much.”
Jurim, arms crossed, let out a deep sigh.
Geuru’s reaction was completely favorable.
And after learning that the Bald Wizard or whatever was Sereuhi, Gidan had stepped up saying he would take Sereuhi around himself.
He was the type who would normally refuse, saying he preferred to be alone even if told to take someone around.
Since killing Mallikian together with Geuru, Gidan had changed a lot. He no longer refused to move with the team, and now he even kept others by his side.
“Hmm…….”
As if something didn’t sit well with him at all, Jurim clicked his tongue.
“The guild keeps gaining nothing but brats.”
Jin Siwon smiled with an embarrassed expression.