*
Jurim was fairly used to taking responsibility, but this time, more than any other, he felt it was completely unfair.
Why did he have to clean up after what Sheieo had done?
Why did he have to wear this stupid mascot costume?
Why did he absolutely have to appear in a video starring Gru, called something like “Today’s Gru”?
He was swept up in countless questions and all kinds of emotions, but Jurim obediently followed behind Yun Arin, the staff member Jin Siwon had handed him over to.
When they arrived, an adorable platinum-blond child was whispering into a camcorder with a bird perched on his head.
It seemed he was giving the opening greeting before filming the vlog.
“Hi, Gru! It’s been a while!”
“Hiya, Unnie Arin.”
After bowing politely, the child soon spotted Jurim in the mascot costume and opened his mouth with a delighted, “Hee.”
“This is Honghong, the Management Bureau mascot who’ll be Gru’s guide today!”
“Wooooow!”
Gru cheered without realizing that the person inside the mascot costume was his own father.
The built-in camera installed inside the costume would be recording all of Gru’s reactions.
That was the whole point of the “hidden camera.”
The concept for this episode of “Today’s Gru,” the original content promoted by the Hyeonak publicity team, was a hidden-camera prank in which his father secretly filmed him.
Jurim gave a single halfhearted wave with the most disgusted expression he could manage, then lowered his hand.
Gru and Mephisto looked startled by his lack of effort.
Yun Arin, who had been assigned as the guide for this children’s educational program, wore an expression caught somewhere between laughter and tears.
Why did I have to be on duty today of all days, and end up in this mess…?
“M-maybe Honghong is angry because your greeting was too quiet? Let’s greet him one more time! Say hi to Honghong!”
“Hiiiii, Honghong!”
What a bother. Jurim narrowed his eyes and glared daggers at Yun Arin before sighing and speaking.
- Hi.
A gruff, distorted voice came out.
The only distinctive feature was that his tone still clearly conveyed how sick and tired he was.
But Gru and Mephisto blinked and murmured quietly.
“Honghong sounds like Dad…”
“Beep…”
Caught off guard! As Jurim’s shoulders jerked, Yun Arin quickly stepped forward.
“Th-then, shall we start today’s program?”
“Yeees.”
“Beep!”
Gru and Mephisto raised a hand and a wing.
Yun Arin smiled and began explaining the program, while Jurim let out a sigh of relief.
*
For the next month, the Awakened Management Bureau would be running a children’s safety education program.
The program consisted of safety education to cultivate safety awareness and strengthen the response abilities of the growing young sprouts, as well as an introduction to the work done by the Management Bureau.
Since Awakened individuals tended to avoid civil service jobs that paid relatively little, the purpose was also to plant the dream of becoming a Management Bureau civil servant in at least those young sprouts who showed promise.
As a child influencer of sorts, Gru had been invited to experience the program himself and help promote it.
Filming an episode of “Today’s Gru” while he was at it was an added bonus.
“First, we need to find out how the program works, right?”
Yun Arin took out a simple map of the Management Bureau and handed it to Gru.
“Today, Gru will form a team with Honghong and explore the Management Bureau. You’ll get to try out activities in the Management Bureau’s classrooms and answer quizzes. If you do that, we’ll give you stickers. What happens when you collect all the stickers?”
“A prize?!”
“That’s right!”
“Wooooow!”
Excited at the thought of receiving a prize, Gru snorted eagerly and looked at Honghong, while Jurim crossed his arms with an indifferent air.
“But, Unnie. Honghong looks like he doesn’t wanna do it.”
“……No, he doesn’t. Honghong is bursting with enthusiasm!”
“Really?”
Gru looked at Honghong.
Honghong spoke slowly.
- Wow… I’m. Really. Looking forward to this…
“……”
“……”
Gru looked pitifully at Yun Arin with an expression that seemed to say, Our team is doomed.
Yun Arin did her best to ignore that gaze and continued speaking.
“If you see someone wearing a necklace like mine, they’re a Management Bureau employee. You can ask them to give you a quiz.”
[Special Children’s Education Officer]
Gru read the words on the necklace and nodded.
Finally, Yun Arin told him that the places marked with circles on the map were classrooms where he could try out activities, then guided Gru to the first classroom.
Gru held up the camcorder and filmed the sign written beside the door.
[Dungeon Simulation Classroom]
The first classroom was a place that realistically recreated the entrance to a dungeon.
“Teacher Kim Jinhu will be teaching you in this classroom, so make sure you listen carefully.”
As Yun Arin handed over the baton, Kim Jinhu waved.
“Hi, Gru!”
“H’lo!”
When Gru bowed deeply at the waist, Kim Jinhu smiled and tried to pull the adorable child into his arms.
But then a terrifying killing intent suddenly descended, and he froze.
“……?”
A sharp, almost tangible killing intent was leaking out from the ugly Honghong.
“……?!”
Swallowing hard, Kim Jinhu took a step back.
Only Jin Siwon and Yun Arin knew that Jurim was inside Honghong, so Kim Jinhu began the dungeon safety lesson with a head full of question marks.
“Gru, do you know what this is?”
“A gate!”
“That’s right! You know it well.”
“I’ve seen it lots!”
Gru spoke proudly, and Honghong let out a deep sigh.
“……?”
Gru and Kim Jinhu turned their gazes toward him and watched Honghong’s reaction.
Honghong waved his hands, as if telling him to continue.
“R-right. Since you already have a Hunter license, you may have seen quite a few. This shimmering thing is called the entrance to a dungeon—in other words, a ‘gate.’ Now, here’s a question! What should you do when you encounter a gate?”
A quiz! Stickers! A prize! Gru raised his hand, his eyes sparkling.
“Draw my fork!”
“Wrong!”
“……!”
Gasp! Gru covered his mouth in surprise, while Honghong rubbed his face in exasperation.
“Th-then… call Dad?”
Kim Jinhu was about to shout, “Wrong!” again when Honghong swiftly approached him.
Then, in his gruff voice, he said,
- Correct!
Kim Jinhu’s mouth fell open.
Why is that the correct answer?!
The correct response was to avoid touching it and move to a safe location. Then you were supposed to report it to the police or the Dungeon Bureau.
So he had no choice but to mark it wrong!
But Honghong paid him no mind. He snatched the sticker from Kim Jinhu’s hand and stuck it in Gru’s notebook.
“Wooooow!”
After patting the delighted Gru on the head, Honghong looked at Kim Jinhu and jerked his head.
It meant he should continue.
“……?”
Still bewildered, Kim Jinhu took out a monster doll and brought it outside.
“Now, the next question. After a dungeon gate turns red, if enough time passes, all the monsters inside the dungeon escape outside. What is that called?”
Gru answered confidently.
“Dungeon flake!”
- Correct!
“……?”
Kim Jinhu rolled his eyes.
Honghong had gone so far as to take the stickers himself and stick two of them onto Gru at a time.
Should I say something? Kim Jinhu considered it, but then remembered the killing intent from earlier and shook his head.
“Um. Sometimes monsters can escape outside even when there isn’t a dungeon break, or they can be created outside. Do you know about that?”
“Yeees!”
“What should you do then?”
“Uh! Draw my fork…?”
“……”
What on earth was this fork? Kim Jinhu was now genuinely curious about its existence.
Gru tried to draw his fork at every opportunity, as if it were some legendary demonic sword.
- Wrong, wrong, wrong!
While Kim Jinhu was lost in thought and remained silent for a moment, Honghong waved both arms and shouted.
- No forks allowed!
“Tch!” Gru clicked his tongue.
“Then, then… call Dad.”
- Correct!
“Boo, this is boring.”
- Shut up.
Pushed into the background, Kim Jinhu silently watched the two of them.
From the very first program, he had ended up giving the child bizarre lessons.
Gru now answered every question with “Call Dad,” and Honghong marked every one of those answers correct.
While Gru yawned as if he found it boring, Kim Jinhu, who had unknowingly been displaced from his own position by Honghong, held back tears.
It was around the time the first fun and chaotic lesson finally came to an end.
They were preparing another advertisement that had come flooding in after the drink product placement featured in the previous episode of “Today’s Gru” became a huge success.
A text message arrived on Gru’s phone.
Hi, friend?
Want to go treasure hunting with me? :-)