Click! Click!
Flashes burst from every direction, and Guru swallowed nervously.
'So many people!'
The pressure that crashed over her was on a whole different level from presenting at preschool.
I’m scared.
Any minute now, the deer would enter and pass by Guru, then the hunter would show up, glancing around.
At that point, Guru was supposed to tell the hunter where the deer had gone.
'Wh-what do I do? My head’s spinning!'
Behind her, the other kids were also getting flustered by the huge audience, fidgeting and unsure of what to do.
Then suddenly, Guru locked eyes with Jurim.
Maybe he noticed how tense she looked, because he mouthed the words:
“It’s okay even if you mess up.”
Guru looked once at Grandpa, Uncle Heungsam, and her big brothers and sisters, then focused on the cloudy, warm feeling she always had when she was with her dad.
I wanna do good!
Sniff!
I am a tree!
Just then, the deer character hopped onto the stage and bounded straight toward Guru.
'Here it comes. Guru Sprout’s nemesis!'
Completely immersed in her role, Guru widened her eyes.
The glare she gave was so fierce—as if she were staring down her real-life enemy—that the kid playing the deer stumbled and twitched nervously.
“......?!”
The deer approached to nibble on Guru’s sprout, but was overwhelmed by her inexplicably terrifying expression—
Zoom!
—and bolted off the stage.
Guru smiled in satisfaction as she watched the deer scamper away with its tail between its legs.
'Guru saved the sprout.'
Whatever happened with the rest of the play, Guru had defeated the deer, and she puffed out hot breaths like a dragon.
'Revenge will soon be mine.'
The teachers quickly ushered the hunter onto the stage.
Once the hunter stood in front of the tree and said, “Where did the deer go?” Guru was supposed to stick out her tongue and point that way, and the scene would end with the hunter chasing after the deer.
But...
“......”
The hunter, holding a longbow, hesitated and clammed up.
The sheer size of the crowd and the pressure of having the play’s first line fell on his shoulders must’ve pushed him into complete panic.
“Uhh......”
With a face that looked ready to cry, the hunter hung his head.
A chorus of sympathetic sighs rose from the watching families, and the teachers nervously fidgeted at the side of the stage, unsure of what to do.
“Mr. H-hunter!”
At that moment, Guru gently wiggled her tree branches to get the hunter’s attention.
“You’re wooking for da deew, wight?”
The hunter, holding his bow, nodded with teary eyes.
“Y-yeah!”
Guru smiled wide.
“De deew went dat way!”
As Guru carried the scene forward for him, the hunter lowered his bow in relief.
“Tank you, Twee...”
Then he stepped forward and gave Guru a tight hug.
“Uuung.”
Guru, her nose stinging with emotion, hugged the hunter right back and gently patted his back with her branches.
The improvised heartfelt hug between the tree and the hunter drew soft laughter from here and there in the audience.
Teacher Jungyoon waved her hand, signaling it was time to exit, and Guru nodded, waddling backward offstage while still hugging the hunter.
In the end, the teachers had to rush in and lift the kids off the stage themselves.
The rest of the play continued more or less in the same fashion.
When kids forgot their lines, whimpered, or didn’t know when to leave the stage, the teachers stepped in and guided them along several times.
But because most of the audience were family, the clumsy pacing only made the performance more endearing.
And Guru...
Sprout! Pwotected it!
Even during the final curtain call, she stayed deep in character and couldn’t stop beaming with joy.
Once the Chick Class play ended and Guru went backstage to change clothes, flower bouquets were suddenly thrust toward her from all sides.
“Guru-Guru, why are you such a good actwess? We weawwy saw you in a new wight!”
“Jjang-Guru, you were soooo cute!”
As Gidan and Nayeon showered her with praise and ruffled her hair, Guru raised Woojoo’s hand high in the air.
“Gwuu pwacticed wike cwaazy wif Woojoo!”
Woojoo nodded proudly.
“You did better than during rehearsal.”
“Heehee!”
Just then, as more and more family members started to stream into the waiting room, the Hyeonak raid team leader raised a hand.
“Alright, everyone—let’s take a group photo before the reporters swarm in.”
“Unbelievable that you guys followed her all the way to a school play.”
While the raid team grumbled, someone at the back asked cautiously,
“Should I take the picture for you all?”
It was Park Mirim, mother of Guru’s friend Harry.
“I wanna be in it too!”
Harry squeezed in between Woojoo and Guru, making an adorable cheek heart pose.
Always right on cue—our girl never misses her moment.
Smiling wryly, Park Mirim took as many pictures as Harry wanted until she was satisfied.
After the group photo was done...
The guild members were soon swamped by family and friends asking for more pictures, autographs, and other favors, sweating bullets as they tried to accommodate ★ Novelight ★ everyone.
The teachers did their best to block the reporters, but it was impossible to fend off family too...
Jurim, too, couldn’t just coldly refuse the families of Guru’s classmates and was taking photos with them as well.
Suhyeong and Guru watched him with soft smiles.
“Guru-ya, I’ll hold the flowers for you.”
“Okaay.”
As Guru handed the bouquet to Grandpa, Harry suddenly ran up beside her.
“Guru-ya! Let’s ask da Guildmastuh and go to da pwaygwound!”
'Guildmastuh?'
It had been a while since she heard that word, and Guru blinked.
Ah, that’s right—she told Harry he was the Guildmaster, not her dad.
'But not anymore.'
Clenching her tiny fist, Guru shouted loudly.
“Not Guildmastuh! He’s my DAD now!”
Woojoo, standing next to her, gaped.
'He’s a dad now?!'
But Harry simply nodded like it was no big deal.
“Den wetch ask yo daddy and go on da swings.”
“Uh-huh. Woojoo can come too?”
“Yup, okay!”
“Mommy! I’m goin’ on da swings wif Guru an’ Woojoo!”
“Oh, oh! I’ll be right behind you. Play safe!”
“Okayyy!”
Park Mirim waved, then turned her head toward Jurim.
Guru was asking him if it was okay to go play with Harry.
Still signing something for someone, Jurim nodded without hesitation, a gentle smile blooming on his lips.
He really had become a dad now.
Park Mirim rubbed the tip of her nose, suddenly a little choked up.
'Good for them.'
Chapter: Dads
Inside a TV station’s waiting room.
Jurim sat waiting for the start of the “Three Guildmasters, Three Colors” special, thinking he’d been spending more time at broadcast stations than in dungeons lately.
He’d agreed to the shoot to redirect public interest away from the fake Santa rumor, but if he’d known this was the same day, he never would’ve scheduled it.
Anxiously, Jurim checked his watch.
'It should be out by now.'
Time had flown since the interview for admission—two weeks had already passed since Guru and Serhi, having passed the written test, went in for their school entrance interviews.
And the results were due today.
Guru was a smart kid, sure, but Jurim couldn’t help but worry she might’ve said something absurd during the interview.
'She said she didn’t say anything weird, but...'
Even for his own matters, he’d never been this nervous.
He remembered how calm he’d been waiting for his own college acceptance letter. Honestly, it was his brother or father who had been the most over-the-top back then...
Lost in old memories, Jurim glanced to his side.
Someone else was just as restless.
“The results? Still nothing?”
It was Gu Shinhoo.
With his stylist in tow, Shinhoo was touching up his makeup while frantically calling around on speakerphone.
His daughter, Gu Hwiyeon, had also passed the written test this year and was waiting on her interview results.
'Maybe I’m more nervous because of this asshole.'
Jurim shot a glare at the jittery Shinhoo, who hung up the call, waved off the stylist, and clutched his phone with a desperate grip.
Between these two dads nervously awaiting their children’s fate, Chun Gyuri let out a dry chuckle from where she sat at the edge of the couch, scrolling through her phone.
Watching these two squirm like this—now that was rare. Not even during major raids had she seen them this on edge.
More than Guildmasters... they really were just dads right now

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