‘Is he very angry?’
Gru, who had reflexively been about to flop down flat, suddenly recalled Sereuhi’s words and sniffed sharply.
Gru did nothing wrong!
‘Confident Gru = Strong Gru!’
With a defiant face, Gru raised her upper body, pulled a bear mask from her Inventory, and pressed it firmly onto her head.
Then she took a deep breath with a *hoo-wup*, puffed out her cheeks plump like a pigeon, and rattled off excuses like she was rapping.
—Gru did nothing wrong. Gru only wanted to help the people at Hyeonak and the sick children. Changed the syrup bottles for anonymous activities, and borrowed mannequins from Sereuhi too.
“On Gru.”
—G-Gru is…….
The moment he called her On Gru, her momentum shriveled like a balloon with the air let out.
‘O-On Gru!’
For some reason, her body tingled and her downy hair stood on end. Happy then sad, elated then downcast—her heart fluctuated wildly.
Gru squeezed her eyes shut.
‘No! Gru has to become stronger……. As expected of Rank 1……! So strong!’
While Gru waffled and hesitated, Jurim spoke coldly.
“Are you going to keep acting so recklessly?”
—…….
Gru flinched and wiggled her fingers.
—……But Gru really did nothing wrong. Gru helped people.
“It was dangerous. They could have found out that you were the one who made the potions. You saw the crowds gathered in front of the company? That means people are curious about you. Do you know what happens then?”
—But saving sick people is important…….
“You’re more important to me than anyone else.”
Gru blinked.
—But Hunters all become known by name as they work…….
“I won’t let that happen.”
He won’t let that happen…… Is that even possible?
Unless she hid for her entire life…… The hesitating Gru lowered her eyes.
—D-Daddy…… do you hate Gru working as a Hunter?
“Yeah.”
Really! She had only thrown it out there just in case. Cold sweat trickled down profusely.
“You.”
Jurim approached and sat down facing her, pulling off her bear mask.
Choosing his words carefully, Jurim slowly opened his mouth.
“You don’t have to become someone great.”
“…….”
It was something he had wanted to tell her all along.
Whether she realized it or not, she was a child who wanted to secure her place, even if she had to make up reasons to do so.
So he understood her desire to become someone everyone would welcome with open arms, but even so.
“You don’t have to be smart, you don’t have to be strong, and it’s okay to be a little selfish.”
“…….”
“It’s fine if you don’t become the person others want. I wish you were ordinary. My only wish is for Gru to grow up healthy.”
No matter what kind of person she became, he intended to let her know, again and again, that she could always lean on him.
Gru blinked slowly.
Daddy’s words made her chest feel warm and made her feel good.
The certainty that he would love her even if she didn’t become someone desired, even if she were just an ordinary child, gave her a firm sense of security, bolstering her confidence and courage.
But.
“So Gru can’t make things that sick people need, even though Gru can?”
“Yeah.”
Not helping when she could help was the wrong thing to do.
When someone was in danger, if you had the power to help, you helped them.
That was what she had learned was the right thing to do.
Gru dropped her gaze.
“Then even if it’s something Gru…… something Gru wants to do……?”
“You can’t do everything just because you want to.”
“But.”
“On Gru. Aren’t you going to listen to Daddy?”
At his sharp tone, Gru instantly lost her words and clamped her mouth shut like a clam.
She had so much she wanted to say, but Jurim rose as if he had no intention of listening to any of it, and contacted Director Yun.
Then he spoke to Gru with a cold expression.
“Go straight home. Don’t answer anyone who talks to you.”
Soon, Yun Seojun entered the guild master’s office.
When Director Yun reached out his hand to take her home, Gru got up and puffed out her cheeks plumply.
‘How mean.’
In the end, even though she had done a good deed, she was scolded and chased out. Anger welled up and her shoulders trembled.
“Daddy……! Daddy does whatever he wants to do!”
“What?”
“All you do is sleep!”
Jurim opened his mouth blankly, and Director Yun bit his lip tightly, trying to control his trembling lips.
“Lazybones! Sloth!”
“Wait, hold on…….”
As Jurim approached, Gru quickly ran and hid behind Director Yun’s legs.
Then she peeked out only her eyes, viciously wide in crescent shapes, and shouted as if protesting.
“Gru hates Daddy! Gru is leaving! Daddy lives here!”
Receiving a shock, Jurim stretched out his empty hand and stiffened rigidly.
In the meantime, Gru stomped her feet with dull thuds as if threatening, took Director Yun’s hand, and led him outside.
“I’ll take Miss Gru straight home. Please don’t worry.”
Director Yun smiled awkwardly, gestured in greeting, and closed the door.
*Slam!*
“……She said she hates Daddy?”
As if someone had struck him hard on the head, Jurim was left there in a daze.
*
Ignoring and dismissing a child’s thoughts just because they were a child’s was a bad thing.
Surely the teacher of the Chick Class at Saebom Kindergarten would agree.
The next day, when Gru got ready for kindergarten with a sulky face, Jurim was troubled but didn’t back down from his position.
Even when Jurim hugged her and kissed her, Gru turned her head away sharply.
“Are you still angry?”
“Hmph!”
Gru snorted, took the sitter’s hand, and quickly went into kindergarten.
“Byeee!”
After greeting her sitter, Gru entered the kindergarten, put her shoes in the shoe rack, and fell into thought.
Whenever she saw her dad, her heart felt stifled and depressed, but no matter how many times she looked back over her four years of life, she couldn’t find a way out.
‘*Huuung*……’
When Gru pouted her lips, Mephisto rubbed her cheek against Gru’s shoulder as if to comfort her.
Gru patted Mephisto and stared fixedly at the kindergarten door.
She made up her mind.
Gru would carry out the greatest act of deviance in her life.
Chapter On Gru (4 Years Old / Delinquent Parachute)
The lobby of Doan Headquarters.
When the executive-only elevator doors opened, all eyes gathered.
“Chairman.”
It was Onsuhyeong.
He stepped off the elevator with his secretaries in tow, and the employees all bowed their heads at once.
“Hm.”
However, he seemed to be in a hurry, barely acknowledging the greetings as he quickly headed out of the lobby door.
Outside, thick snowflakes were falling.
While Suhyeong briefly gave his attention to the snow, a black sedan stopped in front of him, and one secretary hurriedly opened the rear door.
The one who got out of the car was a small girl.
When Onsuhyeong faced the child, he broke into a broad smile.
The employees, who had been stealing glances, sucked in a breath at the ruthless smile.
“Gru is here.”
“Grandpa!”
As Gru came running over, he picked her up in a flash.
*
Nestled in Onsuhyeong’s arms, Gru passed through the people who were craning their necks with curious gazes.
“Chairman.”
Unlike the informal atmosphere at Hyeonak, where they acted without restraint even in front of Jurim, at Doan, polite and formal greetings continued.
With a stiffly frozen face, Gru rolled her eyes around.
Doan was much larger in scale than Hyeonak, so she felt even more nervous.
*Hoo-wup!* Gru filled her cheeks with air like a flying squirrel.
‘If I do this, I’ll feel a little better!’
Onsuhyeong, who had no idea why Gru was doing that, simply stroked her cheeks repeatedly as if she was cute.
Gru calmed her fluttering heart and replayed what had happened until now.
‘Gru skipped out of kindergarten on her own.’
Having obtained a black heart, Gru had taken the route that children disappointed in their parents easily went down.
Good Santa Gru had disappeared.
She was going to become completely twisted.
Now Gru was…….
‘A delinquent child!’
From now on, she would commit deviations and transgressions as easily as eating yogurt.