There was, therefore, an unavoidable reason.
Chloe’s fridge had a single carton of milk, twenty cans of beer, and was crammed with all kinds of frozen food.
You couldn’t keep feeding a child nothing but killer-tasting frozen pasta and pizza.
That was the only reason.
“Such a handsome-and-beautiful family. Here, try this once. Kids really love it!”
At the tasting booth, the lady handed over a piece of freshly grilled sausage.
On Ijo took the sausage, fed it to Guru, and asked,
“Is it yummy, our baby?”
“Yummy!”
On Ijo glanced at Chloe and smiled softly.
“The kid likes it, honey. Should we buy another?”
“Who are you calling honey.”
Chloe shoved the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) cart forward with ferocity.
As On Ijo followed with a wry smile, the tasting-booth lady suddenly tilted her head.
“You look like someone I’ve seen somewhere before, sir....”
A brief silence fell.
Guru rolled her big eyes, reading the room.
In this disagreeable situation, both On Ijo and Chloe looked terribly embarrassed.
Well, it would be a problem if On Ijo got recognized in a place this crowded.
“Oh my, now that I think about it—aren’t you that guy who’s always on the news?”
“Pardon? ‘That guy’...?”
“The hero, the hero. Was it Mr. On Ijo.”
On Ijo, awkward, tossed the sausage cup into the trash bag.
Guru lowered her gaze demurely, watching for his reaction.
He wore the face of a man braced for a commotion.
If it were Jurim, he would have coolly said no. Can siblings be so different?
In the end, Guru grabbed On Ijo’s hand in a snap.
“Daddy! Gwuu wants to twy dat one too.”
On Ijo’s eyes went round at Guru’s move.
Guru shot Chloe a sorrowful look, pleading for help fast.
“...Haa.”
Chloe, who had been watching from a distance, pressed her temple like she had a headache.
'Sis, huwwy!'
Guru’s lips quivered as she kept firing off those pitiful eyes.
Chloe bit down on her lower lip.
At last she stomped back and looped her arm through On Ijo’s.
“I think you’ve mistaken him for someone else. He’s not On Ijo. Let’s go, honey.”
On Ijo covered the burst of laughter with his fist.
“Yes, honey!”
Hunching his big frame into something small, he let himself be towed along, clinging to Chloe’s arm.
Watching them, the tasting-booth lady clicked her tongue and muttered,
“Guess not. I mean, there’s no way that hero would be some idiot, wife-doting layabout like that....”
Pfft. This time Chloe was the one who cracked up.
“Idiot, wife-doting layabout. Pffft.”
As Chloe echoed the words, wiping away tears of laughter, On Ijo dragged a hand down his face, his ears turning pink.
“Could you stop laughing?”
“Ahahahahaha!”
Despite his pleading tone, Chloe didn’t stop—she laughed even louder.
Guru quietly watched Chloe, laughing out loud for the first time, and On Ijo, who couldn’t take his eyes off her.
After buying food, they moved right away to buy clothes for Guru.
Wherever they went, they must have looked like a family.
“Wow, what a pretty baby—she’s the perfect half-and-half of her parents.”ovel.com
Guru rolled her eyes.
Even when people mistook Guru for their child, On Ijo and Chloe didn’t correct them.
Maybe it was because he couldn’t be recognized as On Ijo....
Even standing still, warmth spread into smiles and a gentle heat in her chest.
A rosy blush tinged both her white cheeks.
It was embarrassing to be thinking this alone, but still....
Her fingertips tingled because it felt like she’d come shopping with Mom and Dad.
As attachment piled up, the tree grew. Its leaves rustled noisily.
To Guru, that sounded like Mom and Dad loving her.
'I’ll make these two into a loving couple like this and unlock the title.'
It wasn’t that she had any other motive—truly, it was to unlock the title. Not because the family feeling felt nice—truly.
Even so, Guru’s eyes sparkled as she looked at On Ijo and Chloe.
Just a little, just a little longer, let this moment last.
On Ijo carefully laid the sleeping Guru down in her room.
“She hasn’t even had dinner—I’m not sure it’s okay to put her to sleep already.”
Chloe, stocking the fridge with the groceries, turned her head.
On Ijo was closing the bedroom door and coming out.
“If she wakes up later, I’ll feed her.”
“Okay.”
On Ijo picked up a yogurt from the kitchen island and sat across from her.
“Are you going to tell me now? What’s going on.”
Chloe shut the fridge and stared straight at him.
He’d expected this. He’d texted because he didn’t want to face this conversation.
“What I texted you is exactly it.”
“You’re not thinking of seeing me seriously? That’s it?”
Yeah, that had been lacking in sincerity.
“Yeah.”
Chloe answered shamelessly.
On Ijo’s gaze drifted up and down as he toyed with the yogurt.
Then, thud—he let out a small murmur like a recitation.
“Was that night really that bad? It was my first time, so I didn’t know.”
“If you give me another chance, I’ll do better.”
He looked up at Chloe, whose face said she couldn’t believe this, as if urging her.
“Crazy.”
Grinding down the curse between her teeth, Chloe leaned her back against the fridge.
This foxy bastard. Why does he keep acting cute like this.
'...How do I peel this fox off me?'
To shake off a fox that wouldn’t be handled easily, Chloe chose deliberately harsh words.
“Love, being lovers—that kind of thing. It doesn’t suit me. That’s all.”
“Then—”
“It means I never had feelings from the start.”
That one seemed to land.
At no feelings, On Ijo’s face froze like ice.
“So let’s end it here.”
Before long, Guru woke from sleep, cracked the door a bit, and listened, looking between On Ijo and Chloe.
“So let’s end it here.”
At Chloe’s cold words, it felt like Guru’s heart dropped with a thud.
On Ijo lost his words, opening and closing his mouth, then ran a hand through his hair and turned his body away.
But she, as if it didn’t bother her at all, casually washed her hands.
Guru pressed her lips tight. Her eyes trembled hard.
'Why is Sis saying something so cold to Uncle?'
'Is Uncle not going to come see Chloe anymore?'
'They suit each other so well.'
'I don’t want them to break up like this.'
Guru recalled Chloe’s face, wrecked to a mess after speaking coldly to On Ijo.
'Is Chloe still making that face now?'
A stretch of silence weighed on the room.
Bang, bang, bang!
With a fierce pounding on the door, all eyes turned to the entryway.
The violent thuds came in succession along with the doorbell ringing, as if someone was kicking the door while pressing the bell.
“Who on earth....”
Chloe, brow deeply furrowed, was about to open the door when On Ijo raised a hand to stop her.
“I’ll get it.”
Click.
As the door opened and they saw who it was, both On Ijo and Chloe fell speechless, mouths open.
The man standing at the door drew in a great breath, then let it out.
“Jurim, how did you....”
“So there was a woman after all.”
The voice was gloomy.
Guru flinched her shoulders.
At the door stood a young Jurim in his early twenties.
'Dad from the wee-woo days?!'
Spurred by joy, Guru started out the door—then halted.
'He’s Dad, but....'
The strength went out of her shoulders.
He wouldn’t be the Dad Guru knew.
But Jurim was looking at Guru—who had started toward him and then stopped—with an unreadable gaze.
“Jurim. I don’t know how you found out, but let’s talk outside.”
“Yeah. We’ll talk in a bit.”
Ignoring On Ijo’s attempt to stop him, Jurim strode into the house and opened the bedroom door.
Guru, peeking out with just her face, hunched her shoulders as she looked up at him.
“Ha.... I looked for you so long.”
He exhaled a deep breath and pulled Guru’s small body into a tight hug.
She could feel the relief pouring off him.

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