Youngho suddenly felt the atmosphere darken and grow eerie, making him shudder.
As he took a step back, shaking his head in denial, Jurim smiled faintly.
"Shouldn’t you be honest?"
The child hiccupped.
"I-I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m really sorry."
Seeing Youngho on the verge of tears, Jurim immediately deactivated his skill.
"Let’s get along with our friends."
"Y-Yes!"
Youngho nodded repeatedly, hesitantly stepping forward.
"Are you going to apologize?"
"Y-Yes..."
Jurim lowered Guru to the ground.
"Guru... I’m sorry..."
Guru fidgeted with both hands, shaking his head.
"...It's okay."
"...I felt bad because you cried."
"Guru too... I said no when you asked me out, so I’m sorry."
Asked him out?
Jurim, startled by the children's early romance, glanced back and forth between them.
"No, I’m more sorry. Let’s be friends from now on."
"Yeah, okay."
Guru and Youngho clasped hands and shook them up and down.
So innocent.
Watching their reconciliation, Jurim patted Guru’s head.
Just then, the orphanage teachers, noticing a stranger’s presence, rushed over in a flurry.
Upon recognizing who had arrived, they couldn’t hide their shock. Their expressions practically screamed, "Is that really On Jurim?"
"Are you the caretakers? Nice to meet you. I’m On Jurim."
"Huh? Oh, yes! Hello, Guild Master On Jurim. But... what brings you all the way here...?"
There weren’t many people in South Korea who didn’t recognize On Jurim’s face.
Flashing the suave smile usually seen only in interviews, he replied,
"I’m here to pick up my kid."
"A kid?!"
The teachers’ gazes dropped downward.
As Jurim lightly tapped the child's head, Guru blinked blankly.
Guru sat on the sofa in the director’s office, staring blankly at the director and the guild master.
The bald orphanage director was a good person, but he was always over-the-top, and the event of a celebrity visit had sent him into overdrive.
After taking several photos—one shaking hands with Jurim, another of them smiling together—he eagerly introduced his self-authored book, Milal’s Children.
Only after bringing out a hefty stack of A4 papers and collecting dozens of autographs did he finally begin discussing the adoption process.
Once all the procedures were complete, Jurim sat beside Guru, looking more exhausted than usual.
"I plan to raise Guru properly in Hyeonak."
The moment Jurim said that, Guru had to clamp his hands over his mouth to stop himself from screaming.
He had been skeptical after hearing, I’m here to pick you up—
But he’s really taking me to Hyeonak?!
It felt as if a horde of birthday worms were rolling around inside his chest, firing off celebratory cannon shots.
Even the orphanage director seemed flustered, stammering.
"So... you’re saying... Guru is... an, an, an awakened one?"
"Yes, though he hasn’t been registered with the Bureau yet, he is an awakener."
"Oh, my goodness!"
The director smacked the armrest.
"Our little Guru, ever since he was just a tiny thing, never cried much, always smiled brightly—such a pretty and exceptional child!"
He beamed from ear to ear, showering Guru with praises. Guru, feeling smug, puffed up his chest.
Yes, Director, please keep going. Keep praising me in front of the guild master.
But oblivious to Guru’s desires, Jurim poured cold water on the moment.
"He’s not that exceptional—just slightly better than the average person."
Deng—!
That’s too harsh!
"But still, isn’t he the youngest awakener ever? Wow~ Guru! You awakened, and now you’re going to Hyeonak! That’s amazing!"
Hehe, right?
Once again, Guru’s lips curled into a blissful, goofy grin.
The director, after showering Guru with compliments, scooted closer to the guild master. Jurim subtly leaned away, but the director firmly clasped his hands.
"Oh, Guild Master! Making such a difficult decision—you will surely be blessed. The government fully supports adoptions by socially esteemed figures like yourself. You have nothing to worry about. Just fill out the paperwork properly, and everything will be smooth sailing~!"
The director reassured him fervently, but instead of gaining confidence, Jurim found himself experiencing the remarkable phenomenon of losing trust.
Right...
Casually withdrawing his hands, Jurim continued.
"One more thing—I wanted to ask if this would be possible."
"Yes, yes! Anything, just say the word. Anything is possible."
"Regarding Guru’s living arrangements, would it be possible for him to move in with me by tomorrow?".
"Huh? Tomorrow already?"
"To be honest, Guru’s awakening state is still unstable. I’m concerned."
The director’s face turned pale.
He had probably seen news reports of unstable awakeners accidentally unleashing their powers, resulting in casualties.
Of course, the real reason was that Jurim needed to put an end to Hanguru’s illegal black-market dealings.
Keeping a perfectly straight face, Jurim casually lied—then instinctively checked Guru’s expression.
"U-Unstable..."
Guru, his face ghostly white, murmured the word, looking utterly shaken.
Only after Jurim leaned over and whispered, I’m lying, did Guru giggle, his tension melting away.
"If Guild Master On is personally taking care of him, we’re more than grateful... But, Guru, are you okay with going with Guild Master On right away?"
"Yes!"
Guru beamed, grabbing Jurim’s hand tightly.
Because Guru is part of Hyeonak too! Just the thought of living with the guild master made his heart race with excitement.
Seeing Guru accept it so readily, the orphanage director immediately made a call to arrange for Guru's relocation under the emergency awakened child protection procedures.
At that moment, a status window appeared before Guru’s eyes.
[Quest: A child needs a reliable guardian.]
[Completed!]
A paw-print stamp slammed down on the completion notice with a resounding thud.
Guru’s eyes widened as he cupped his cheeks with both hands.
A guardian... I got one!
That night, Guru finally settled down.
All day, he had been overwhelmed, answering endless questions from his older and younger orphanage friends about Jurim.
Only after enduring their curiosity until lights-out did he finally lie down and organize his thoughts.
"The guild master said he was adopting Guru... So does that mean the guild master will be Guru’s dad now?"
Thump, thump.
Family... His heart pounded with both nerves and excitement.
And then—
"Guru, Auntie has a baby in her belly."
A memory, sharp as a blade, slashed through his mind.
The heart that had been racing now solidified, like a dry leaf turning brittle.
The other children probably wouldn’t understand, but Guru knew. He had been adopted once before.
For just three months.
"Our precious Guru. It would make me so happy if you called me Mom."
A warm, affectionate couple had showered him with love after his adoption.
The soft tone that urged him to say Mom, the loving gaze, the gentle embrace—
It had been so wonderful. The happiness had filled him to bursting, like an overinflated balloon, so much so that whenever he smiled, he felt like joy was spilling out from between his lips.
But those days hadn’t even lasted three months.
"Guru, Auntie has a baby in her belly."
That day, when his mother returned from the hospital, she had told him that.
You can’t call me Mom anymore.
That was what it had felt like she was saying.
And, as if following a predetermined script, Guru was returned to the orphanage.
The couple had cried. They were afraid that with a baby on the way, Guru might feel left out. They said they wanted him to find a family that could love him even more.
But Guru didn’t mind having a younger sibling.
He had been sure he could take care of the baby, just like his mom had taken care of him.
His vision blurred. He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve.
"Not a dad... He’s the guild master."
Guru knew now—an adopted child without blood ties could be sent back to the orphanage at any time.
But if he was a guild member?
If Jurim was only taking him in because he was an S-rank?
Then Guru’s place would always be in Hyeonak.

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