Without realizing it, the staffer found himself examining the child from head to toe.
Then suddenly—
A memory clicked.
Oh... she’s the daughter On Jurim adopted...
The rocky relationship between On Suhyeong and On Jurim was so infamous, practically everyone had heard of it.
So seeing Chairman On show up with that adopted daughter in tow? Unthinkable.
But that wasn’t the only surprising part.
Wasn’t this the same Chairman On Suhyeong who was so cold and intimidating that just making eye contact with him supposedly made kids burst into tears?
And yet the little girl was swinging his hand back and forth, grinning like she was having the time of her life.
That’s... kinda amazing.
Doing his best to hide his surprise, the staffer put on his best customer service smile.
“Shall I escort our adorable young lady to the kids’ center?”
“Ah—”
At the mention of the kids’ center, the girl’s ears perked up.
“Can Gwuwoo go pway thewe?”
“Of course. If anything happens, just—”
“Got it wight hewe!”
Guru held up her wrist.
“A smart watch, huh?”
“The Guiwdmastew gave it to me. But... it doesn’t twansfowm.”
Suhyeong chuckled softly.
Even the hardened VIP staff were floored by the sheer cuteness of the little girl who could make Chairman On Suhyeong smile.
“Well then, I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Yessir~!”
“Right this way to the kids’ center.”
Guru gave Suhyeong a big wave and scampered after the staffer.
As she passed by what were clearly extremely expensive pieces of art, Guru let out a quiet sigh.
I couldn’t get the Guildmastew to come after all.
He’d said he had something important today and had to go into work.
But strong-willed children don’t give up so easily.
Guru had told Jurim she’d be spending the day at Haeri’s house...
When really, she’d secretly met up with the chairman and come here to the auction.
I just have to find the wight moment and caww the Guiwdmastew over.
She had her emergency-call watch, after all!
As long as there was some plausible reason for Jurim to show up, it’d all work out.
Guess there’s no choice. Today, Guru’s gotta be a hunter... and go chase down some danger!
In the meantime, the staff registered her name and pinned a little chick-shaped nametag to her chest that read “Han Guru.”
It was for child safety.
Then they led her into the play center set up just for kids.
Stay focused.
Guru had a very important mission ahead of her.
As she recalled her plan, she toddled behind the staffer—
And then her mouth fell open.
This place...!
It had all sorts of rides, games, and even a ball pit with a giant slide.
Guru’s eyes sparkled.
It’s wike Kizania!
(A children’s theme park she’d only seen on TV commercials.)
But this place was even more extravagant—overflowing with toys and attractions way cooler than anything she’d seen on TV.
The baww pit!
Was this... paradise for kids?
In a flash, Guru completely forgot her mission and dove headfirst into the ball pit.
Face flushed with excitement, she rolled around for ages before heading over to the toy zone to inspect a new-looking gadget.
This’d make a gweat item in-game...
She picked up a toy where a dog and a bird combined when snapped together, turning it over and over, studying the mechanism—
Then wandered into the sandbox.
The sand had been specially treated, so it didn’t stick to hands or clothes. Very nice.
So coow!
It even gave off a faint magical vibe—maybe dungeon byproduct?
If I find some next time we go into a dungeon, I shouwd totawwy cowwect it.
She started thinking about how she might convince Dani-oppa to take her back in...
When suddenly, as she scooped sand with a little plastic shovel—
“Hey, that’s mine.”
“Huh?”
No way. She’d made sure no one was using it.
“This?”
Guru held up the shovel, and the kid nodded.
“Yeah, Hwiyeon was gonna use that.”
The boy, who introduced himself as Hwiyeon, looked to be around the same age as her.
Another classic kindergarten-level toy turf war.
Hmph. Easy peasy.
Guru gave him a mature little smile and said,
“But Gwuwoo’s using it now. And there’s another shovew ovew thewe, so you can use that one, Hwiyeon.”
She pointed to another shovel not too far away.
But the boy didn’t even glance over. Instead, he pouted and said,
“Obviously you should be the one to give it up. Hwiyeon wants it.”
“Why?”
Guhuiyeon looked Guru up and down.
“You’re not part of our group.”
“Uh-huh.”
Guru had no idea what kind of group this was, but it was her first time seeing these kids—so it was clear enough she wasn’t part of it.
“My dad is Gu Shinhou, the Guildmaster of NAG. You’ve heard of him, right?”
Guru tilted her head.
She didn’t have some kind of magical radar that let her identify every kid’s parent on sight.
Does this kid?
Wait... could he be an awakened?
“Uuhm, I didn’t know he was your daddy.”
Guru answered sweetly, and Hwiyeon frowned slightly.
“Well, remember it from now on.”
“Gwu Shinhou Guiwdmastew, Guru knows him.”
“Yeah, well, he’s famous enough even little kids would know who he is. That’s how amazing my dad is.”
Yeah. I know.
Gu Shinhou was known for throwing out the same lines in every interview:
“NAG surpasses Hyeonak,”
“The old guard’s era is over. The new generation—me—is here.”
People at Hyeonak mentioned his name all the time.
Usually as in: “Why the hell did you charge in like that? What are you, Gu Shinhou?”
When Gidan took down Malikian and bumped Gu Shinhou down in the rankings, the whole team cracked up like, “So the new generation came from Hyeonak after all?”
Guru had once asked about Gu Shinhou, and the First Raid Team leader had replied,
“Ah, Gu Shinhou? That guy’s just a dude burning with unrequited love for Hyeonak.”
So this is the daughter of Mr. One-Sided Crush...
Feeling an odd sense of inner closeness, Guru beamed brightly.
“Yup! Gwu Shinhou Guiwdmastew is 4th pwace now!”
“Hey!”
“Huh?”
“Why would you say that?!”
“Why? Did Gwuwoo get it wwrong?”
Guru tilted her head and opened the ranking board.
Nope—there it was. “#4 – Gu Shinhou.”
But Hwiyeon clenched his fists like he was trying to hold something in.
His dad had been furious at home ever since his rank dropped a spot. The tension in the house was unreal.
Guru, completely unfazed, looked at Hwiyeon and asked cheerfully:ovel.com
“But hey, fwriend. Do you know my daddy?”
If this kid had some magical eye that could see someone’s parentage, maybe he could help Guru find hers.
“I’m not your friend! And how would I know who your dad is?”
So he can’t see who my daddy is either, Guru thought, sticking out her lower lip.
“Ohh, I see.”
“This your first time here? All the kids here know who their mom and dad are.”
“Ohhh... That’s how it wowks?”
Hwiyeon pointed toward the other children.
They were sneaking glances at Guru, whispering and giggling among themselves.
What’s their problem...?
Just then, staff from the VIP team walked into the center.
“Anyone who wants to see a fun little exhibit, please line up over here!”
Guru quickly moved to line up in front of the staff, putting some distance between her and the whispering kids.
Their little argument had reminded her of her original mission.
If I can just get out of the center, maybe I can find some danger...
Hunter mode: ON!
The resort was hosting various art exhibitions, and today featured a special display from an art designer who used adorable characters in their work—perfect for kids.
The curator added with a smile:
“All of these pieces are also available for purchase.”
Considering that all the kids here came from wealthy families, it was clear they were trying to sell anything they could.
The group stopped to feed ducks and geese by a pond and watched a short performance.
Guru, meanwhile, frowned.
This place is way too peaceful... Not a single sign of danger...
And then—
Wobble...
The egg she’d carefully packed away in her bag, Shakipiyo’s Egg, started to tremble.
Just like when it had reacted to Romi during the filming incident.
Is this... danger?
Guru stuck close to the staff member leading the group, walking in step across the glass skywalk that connected to the second floor.
Wobble...
She kept her eyes peeled, tracking everyone Shakipiyo seemed to react to.
She couldn’t explain it clearly, but—
It was like... some of these people didn’t feel alive.
And then—
A voice rang out from just below.
A voice she recognized.

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