As he scrutinized the child without realizing it, a memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.
‘Ah, so this is the daughter On Jurim adopted……’
The story of how bad the relationship was between On Suhyeong and On Jurim was so famous that just about everyone knew it. Therefore, he couldn’t have imagined that On Suhyeong and that adopted daughter would appear together.
That wasn’t the only surprising thing.
Wasn’t this Chairman On Suhyeong, who was so blunt and frosty that children would burst into tears at the mere sight of him?
But the child shook that Chairman On’s hand back and forth and even smiled sweetly at him.
‘How fascinating.’
He hid his surprise with effort and donned a business smile.
“Shall I escort the little lady to the Kids Center?”
“Ah—”
The child perked up her ears at the words “Kids Center.”
“Can Geuru go play?”
“Of course you may. If anything happens, we will contact……”
“It’s right here.”
Geuru held up her watch.
“It seems to be a smartwatch.”
“The Guild Master gave it to me, but it can’t tr-transform.”
Suhyeong smiled faintly.
The dedicated team clicked their tongues at the power of the cute granddaughter, who could make even an iron-blooded man smile.
“Then I shall see you again in a little while.”
“Yeaaah—!”
“Allow me to guide you to the Kids Center.”
Geuru waved her hand vigorously at On Suhyeong, then scurried after the dedicated team employee.
Looking this way and that at the artworks, each clearly worth a fortune, Geuru let out a deep sigh.
‘In the end, I couldn’t bring the Guild Master.’
He had said there was important business today and that he had to go to work.
But a spirited child does not give up easily.
Geuru lied to Jurim, saying she would go play at Harry’s house, then secretly rendezvoused with the Chairman and headed to the auction house.
‘I just need to call the Guild Master at the right time.’
She had a watch that could be used to call for help in an emergency!
As long as there was a reason that wouldn’t look strange when Jurim came, it would be enough.
‘It can’t be helped. Geuru, today you’ll just have to become a hunter and seek out danger.’
In the meantime, the employee registered Geuru’s name and pinned a chick-shaped name tag with “Han Geuru” written on it to her chest. It was to prevent her from getting lost.
Then he guided her into the center prepared for children.
‘Don’t get distracted.’
Geuru had a grand goal.
Recalling her plan as she toddled along, Geuru soon opened her mouth into a circle.
‘This place is……!’
There were various play structures that could captivate children’s souls, and seeing the ball pit with a slide attached, Geuru’s eyes sparkled.
‘It’s like KidZania (a children’s theme park)!’
That very heaven she had only ever seen in TV commercials was right before her eyes.
No, it was a place filled with toys even more splendid and wondrous than the KidZania from the commercials.
‘Ball pit!’
Could this be a children’s paradise?
Having instantly forgotten her purpose, Geuru ran to the ball pit in a frenzy.
The child rolled around in the ball pit for a long while with an excited face, then figured out the structure of a toy she was seeing for the first time in the toy section.
‘It would be nice to make this into an item too.’
Geuru rolled around a toy where a dog and bird combined at the seams several times, then went into the sand area.
The sand was specially treated so that it wouldn’t stick to clothes or hands, which was nice.
‘W-wow, amazing!’
Seeing as she could feel magic power, it might even be a dungeon byproduct.
Should she bring back a lot next time she went to a dungeon?
‘I wish I could go again soon.’
As she thought about trying to persuade Dan oppa again, she was loosening the sand with a nearby shovel.
“That’s mine, though?”
“Huh?”
No way. She had checked that no one was using it.
“Here?”
When Geuru lifted the shovel, the child nodded.
“Uh-huh, Huiyeon was going to use that first.”
The child who called herself Huiyeon looked about the same age.
It was a toy struggle she had experienced countless times during kindergarten.
Hmph, this much was nothing. Geuru smiled maturely and said.
“But Geuru is using it, you know. There’s another shovel over there, so Huiyeon can use that.”
Geuru pointed to a shovel placed not far away.
But the girl grumbled without even looking at where it was.
“Of course you should give it to me. Huiyeon wants it.”
“Why?”
Gu Huiyeon looked Geuru up and down.
“You’re not in our group.”
“Uh-huh.”
She didn’t know what group it was, but since they were kids she was seeing for the first time today, she was definitely not a member.
“My dad is Gu Sinhu, the NAG Guild Master. Don’t you know?”
Geuru nodded. She didn’t have the ability to figure out the father of a child she had just met.
Did Huiyeon have such an ability? Could she be an Awakened?
“Uh-huh, I don’t know your dad.”
When Geuru answered innocently, Huiyeon frowned slightly.
“Then you better remember from now on.”
“Geuru knows Guild Master Gu Sinhu too.”
“What, he is an amazing person that even babies all know. My dad.”
She knew.
Gu Sinhu had spouted the same rinse-and-repeat lines in every interview—‘NAG surpasses Hyeonak,’ ‘The era of the old generation (On Jurim) has passed, and the new generation (myself) is coming’—so his name came up frequently in Hyeonak as well.
It was usually used in the sense of, ‘Why are you rushing in so stupidly, are you Gu Sinhu?’
When Gidan caught a Mallikian and surpassed Gu Sinhu’s ranking, they had all burst into laughter together, saying the new generation must have come from Hyeonak too.
At the time, when Geuru asked about Gu Sinhu, the leader of Raid Team 1 had described him as, “Ah, Gu Sinhu? He’s a guy burning with one-sided love for Hyeonak.”
‘So she’s the daughter of the one-sided love uncle.’
A subtle sense of inner intimacy welled up, and Geuru said brightly.
“Uh-huh, Guild Master Gu Sinhu dropped to 4th place this time.”
“Hey!”
“Huh?”
“Why would you say that!”
“Why? Did Geuru get it wrong?”
Geuru tilted her head and opened the ranking board.
It was correct that ‘Gu Sinhu’ was written in 4th place.
But Huiyeon clenched her fists in indignation.
Her dad had been furious that his ranking had dropped by one step, so the atmosphere at home had been one of low pressure the entire time.
Regardless, Geuru spoke to the fuming Huiyeon.
“But you know, fwiend. Do you know my dad?”
If she had the eyes to recognize a father, could this friend perhaps find her own dad too?
“Why would I be your friend? And how would I know who your dad is?”
‘What, you can’t see through dads either.’ Geuru pouted.
“I see. Got it.”
“It’s your first time here, right? All the kids here know who each other’s dads and moms are.”
“Aah…… it was like that?”
Huiyeon pointed at the other children. The children all glanced at Geuru and then giggled amongst themselves.
‘Why are they doing that?’
Just then, the dedicated team employees entered the center.
“Friends who would like to see an interesting exhibition, shall we gather over here?”
Geuru lined up in front of the employee, avoiding the children who were glancing at her.
Because the argument just now had reminded her of her original purpose.
‘If I get outside the center, I might be able to find danger.’
Hunter mode ON!
Various artworks were on display inside the resort, and today, works by an art designer who used cute characters had been specially exhibited for the children.
The curator added with a smile.
“For your information, all of these are available for purchase.”
Since all the gathered children were from wealthy families, one could feel the determination to sell something more.
Feeding ducks and geese at the pond, and watching a simple performance like that, Geuru furrowed her brows.
Far from any danger, it was too quiet and peaceful…….
That was when.
‘It’s trembling again……’
The carefully packed egg of Shakipiyo in her bag trembled. Just like how it had reacted to Iromi when they went to the filming set.
‘Is it danger?’
Geuru walked side by side along the glass corridor leading to the second floor, following behind the employee who was leading them like a kindergarten teacher.
‘Tremble……’
As she did, she carefully observed those who made Shakipiyo tremble.
She couldn’t explain it clearly, but—
It was a feeling as if they weren’t living people.
At that moment, a familiar voice was heard from directly below.