“……Geuru, what is this?”
Jurim swallowed countless questions, pointed at the sprout, and asked gently.
“Hm?”
Ah, Geuru smiled bashfully.
“It’s what Geuru is raising.”
Geuru gently caressed the wilted sprout.
‘Seriously? On top of her head?’
Jurim looked at Geuru, who intended to use her own head as a flowerpot, with eyes as if seeing an alien being for a moment—
‘……Well, she’s cute, so I guess it’s fine.’
He decided to accept his daughter as she was.
She didn’t seem hurt, and since she said she was raising that alien sprout…….
Jurim held Geuru in his arms and checked on Sereuhi.
Perhaps because the treatment was almost finished, the acorn had completely seeped into Sereuhi’s chest.
‘So that’s the elixir…….’
It was the acorn Geuru often took out.
He had merely thought it cute how she cherished and carried it around like a treasure, saying she had brought it from the RP Dungeon.
‘It really is a treasure.’
If it truly was an elixir, then using it now was rather fortunate.
If anyone had realized Geuru had an elixir…….
Jurim stroked Geuru and composed himself.
So, had everything ended well?
‘…….’
Suddenly, Jurim looked at his left hand.
The moment he confirmed Geuru with his eyes, he had clearly felt the master of the 99th floor relieved.
This evoked a strange emotion in Jurim.
Because for the first time, he had felt a sense of a living being from the master of the 99th floor.
Leaving aside whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Jurim furrowed his brows slightly in displeasure.
‘What gives him the right to Geuru?’
Just because they shared senses, surely he wasn’t acting as if he were Geuru’s father?
Just then, the helicopter to transport Sereuhi to the hospital, emergency personnel, and Jin Siwon arrived.
“Where is the patient?”
“Over there.”
Holding Geuru, Jurim moved aside and tried to shake off his unpleasant thoughts.
*
Having followed Sereuhi to the hospital and finished all kinds of examinations with large machines, Geuru sighed and walked out of the examination room.
It was because of Jurim, who was deeply worried about whether it was okay for an alien sprout to grow on his daughter’s head.
Only after hearing the doctor’s answer several times—that the sprout was merely placed on top of the scalp—did Jurim seem satisfied.
After the examination was over.
Jurim, who had been heading to Sereuhi’s hospital room, stopped walking.
“Let’s go home for today.”
“Huh? Aren’t we going to see Seruhi oppa?”
“He woke up fine.”
“Oh!”
Jurim lowered his eyes as if concentrating on something and continued.
“He’ll probably be discharged soon. Let’s just go today. Don’t disturb him.”
“Disturb?”
What did he mean by disturb? Geuru tilted her head, but Jurim merely tapped her back.
Huh?
If he said it was fine, then it was probably fine, but.
Had Dad heard something?
Geuru was S-rank too, so she should be able to hear it.
‘Hup!’
She tried gathering all her energy, but—
‘…….’
When she couldn’t hear anything no matter how hard she strained her ears, Geuru pouted.
‘Still, he woke up. Sereuhi oppa woke up!’
Feeling better, Geuru smiled brightly and shook the hand she held with Jurim back and forth.
“Did you finish everything you had to do in Jeju Island?”
“Hm? ……Hah!”
Geuru turned to Jurim with surprised eyes.
Jurim had likely asked about the relationship between Sereuhi and Gidan, but there was definitely still something she needed to do.
Geuru hm-hmmed, stretched her neck, stood up straight, and then asked in a serious voice.
“Daddy. Did you pwomise to be lovey-dovey with Nayeon unni?”
“Nayeon? Sin Nayeon?”
Jurim repeated, “Lovey-dovey with Sin Nayeon?” with an expression as if he had chewed on a bug, so Geuru hurriedly added.
“M-matchmaking!”
“Sigh…… And who told you that?”
Oops!
“Hm? Geuru dunno.”
As Geuru put on terrible acting and rolled her eyes around, Jurim pinched her cheek.
“Hwa-ee-ang.”
“Chairman Nam?”
“Hnng……”
“Saying such things in front of a child…… It wasn’t Nayeon. It was someone else.”
Someone else? Geuru rubbed her stinging cheek and repeated.
“Who?”
“Someone you don’t know.”
“Whooo?”
“Why do you keep asking?”
“Nooo, becauthe…… if Daddy goes lovey-dovey, Geuru hath to know too.”
Seeing her twist her body around as she spoke, Jurim let out a snicker.
“Then you don’t need to know. I got rejected.”
“Gasp!”
Jurim stroked the surprised Geuru’s head once, then took her hand and left the hospital again.
Geuru stared at Jurim, who drew many gazes even inside the hospital, and muttered.
“As expected, a minus……”
“As expected?”
“Daddy, it’tth okay……. Geuru ith here.”
Standing in front of the hospital entrance, Geuru hugged Jurim as if to comfort him. As her small hand patted his bottom, Jurim suppressed a laugh and dragged out his words.
“Mm. Daddy can’t do without Geuru.”
“Later, let’th just go to kindergarten with Geuru.”
If Daddy just learns manners at kindergarten, he’ll be perfect!
“……Suddenly?”
Ignoring Jurim’s question, Geuru took his hand with a sad smile and tapped the back of his other hand with hers.
‘A grown adult attending kindergarten would be embarrassing.’
Geuru decided to secretly enroll Jurim in kindergarten to protect his pride.
Afterward.
Thanks to the kindergartener who couldn’t keep a secret, it didn’t take long for the rumor that On Jurim had been rejected to make the rounds throughout Hyeonak.
Chapter: Nurturing Life Requires Responsibility
Two days had passed since returning from Jeju Island.
They were pleasant days where they only had to wait for Sereuhi to be discharged in good health.
No, that was how it should have been, but…….
Geuru stood with her back perfectly straight in front of Jurim, who sat leaning back on the living room sofa, and spoke clearly.
“I’ll take them for walks every day too. Geuru will eat only half a bowl of rice and feed the babies to keep them alive.”
Jurim looked at Geuru neatly presenting her future plans and tilted his head.
“On Geuru.”
“Yeth.”
“Would Daddy like it if you ate only half a bowl of rice?”
“Aww, I wike it……”
“Mm.”
Tch. Judging by her reaction, the first plan was a failure.
Then, it was time for the second plan.
Geuru naturally let her head slide downward.
“I apowogize.”
As Geuru prostrated herself flat on the floor, Jurim pressed his hand to his forehead.
“On Geuru, tell me honestly.”
“Yeth.”
“Where did you get this?”
Jurim pointed at what looked like a hamster crudely made from modeling clay.
The hamster had dead, glassy eyes and was kneeling beside Geuru.
‘Geuru should have been more careful.’
She had succeeded in bringing it home in her bag, but she couldn’t keep it in there forever.
‘I have to feed it something!’
With that thought, she was taking Bellark out of her bag and sneaking toward the refrigerator.
“What’s that?”
“Hic!”
She had been grabbed by the scruff of the neck by Jurim.
Geuru pouted her lips and stammered.
“J-Jeju Island……”
Jurim exhaled and lifted his head toward the ceiling.
“……Of course. There’s nowhere else something like this could be.”
An SSS-rank monster wouldn’t be rolling around outside a dungeon for no reason, and someone must have deliberately caught it and brought it out.
“Geuru, I can waise it well……”
And my daughter was the one who picked it up…….
Just then, the hamster yawned as if bored. Its sharp teeth, jutting out like a shark’s, glinted.
It would have been better if she had brought home a stray cat or a wandering puppy like other children.
Why did our child have to pick up something so ominous? Not even a slime, but an SSS-rank monster.
Unaware of Jurim’s heavy heart, Geuru said innocently.
“Now Geuru is its owner. Wight?”
Nod.
The hamster nodded arrogantly.