“Hup!”
Guru, her eyes all puffed up, calmed the followers who were fussing over her in worry.
“Uuung. Now—sniff. Gwuu ish okay. Don’ worwy. snrk!”
When Guru rubbed her eyes, Jurim stopped her and peered at them, worried.
“You’ve gone full goldfish. Let’s put some ice on that when we get home.”
“Yesh......”
When Jurim moved to pick her up, Guru shook her head.
“Why?”
Guru widened her goldfish eyes and spoke.
“Yurian ish gone. snrk!”
Only then did Veilach and Lukshifer’s jaws drop, as if realizing at last that Yurian had vanished.
“You two dunno eider?!”
Veilach and Lukshifer looked at each other.
After Jurim and Guru had been wrapped in the ring of light, they’d suddenly blacked out and hadn’t paid Yurian any attention at all.
“Myu!” (You were supposed to watch him!)
“Kkyut?!”
When Veilach jabbed a paw at Lukshifer, Lukshifer teared up in wounded protest.
Just then, a sudden voice came from behind them.
“What are you doing there? This area isn’t open to just anyone— Oh, Guildmaster On.”
Jurim dipped his head in a brief nod.
He rose from his seat, brushed the dust off Guru’s clothes, and said,
“I’ll find him for you. Let’s go for now.”
“Okaaay......”
The flight attendant seemed to take it as they’d come to retrieve something, bowed, and stepped away.
Holding Guru, Jurim went to greet the Minister of Defense—to excuse himself since he needed to leave with the child.
Preparing for the drone demonstration, the Minister glanced at swollen-eyed Guru and gave a wry smile.
She seemed to assume the kid was throwing a tantrum about wanting to go home. Her eyes said, Parenting’s rough, huh?
That wasn’t it, but the two didn’t bother to correct her.
The Minister had someone escort Guru and Jurim back to their car, and the two left the carrier behind.
'Mama was with Gwuu the whole time.'
Guru hugged her chest tight.
It felt like she could still feel Mama’s warmth that way.
Then it happened.
A goldfish suddenly appeared and fluttered over Guru’s head.
“Um?”
Guru tilted her chin up to look.
'Chuen unni’s goldfish?'
While Guru brightened, Jurim casually snatched the goldfish out of the air.
Pop!
With a sound, the goldfish burst.
“Eh.”
“What’s with her—she could just call. Why send something like this...”
After wiping away the mana with a wave or two, Jurim set back into motion.
Step.
At the same time, footsteps sounded from behind.
A man was darting his eyes around with a desperate look, as if searching for something.
'What’s he looking for...'
What had he lost to wear a face like he might cry any second?
Guru burrowed her face into Jurim’s chest.
His big palm cupped the back of her head.
Warm.
It filled her up.
Chapter Who’s my daddy?
At the hour when the gray light of dawn was ➤ NоvеIight ➤ (Read more on our source) shifting into morning sun—
Guru rubbed her eyes, checked that Jurim wasn’t awake yet, and toddled into the bathroom.
Her reflection climbed up onto the children’s stool, inch by inch.
She opened the status window.
[Title: Mom Loves Guru Too Much]
Zzing—
Guru read the title her mom had left—again and again.
Even after reading it hundreds of times since it unlocked, her heart always thumped and swelled.
Before long, she spoke to the mirror as if the person reflected there were her mom.
“Uh, Mama, hewwo.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed at the silence that answered, Guru rolled her eyes in a circle, then ahem, cleared her throat and kept talking.
“Gwuu didn’ cwy at all wast night. Gwuu ish a gwown-up now.”
Of course, Mama would also know she’d bawled on and off for a whole week after the trip to the past.
For some reason, it felt like the title flickered.
Startled, Guru rubbed her eyes, then, confirming the title wasn’t blinking, pouted a little.
Sometimes the sadness still came, but she’d handled it well.
Thinking about how Mama had been with her all along made her feel all fluffy, like riding a cloud.
And now she could summon Mama’s face in her mind.
'Is this how you become a grown-up?'
Guru dabbed away the tiny tear that had snuck out and scrubbed her nose.
“Mama, Gwuu wuvs you today too.”
Smooch.
She kissed the air, then hopped down off the stool before Jurim woke up.
The fact that she talked to Mama every morning was a secret from Jurim.
If he knew, it might hurt his heart. He might feel sorry for bringing Guru back to the present.
Just as Guru had needed time enough not to cry, Jurim would need time for that sorry feeling to fade.
Even though Guru already knew why he had to do what he did.
'Ah, it’s seven!'
Confirming it was time to get up, Guru dashed into Jurim’s room.
She took his big hand in both of hers and used her filial skill, and Jurim began blinking awake.
Guru rubbed her cheek against his.
“Daddychann, it’s mowning!”
His strong arms wrapped all the way around her.
“...Sleep well?”
His late, drowsy greeting was so soaked in sleepiness that Guru couldn’t help but giggle.
“Get up quick. Today we go see Gwampa, wemembuh?”
Today, with Suhyeong, they were going to pay their respects at On Ijo’s Memorial Park.
“Dun go back to sweep.”
“Mm, Daddy won’t.”
While Guru didn’t notice, the title twinkled.
In spring, On Ijo Memorial Park was quiet.
Unless it was November, when the commemorative ceremony was held, the visitors were mostly foreign tourists.
On Suhyeong drew a deep breath.
He was pretending nothing was unusual, but having a sudden appointment at the memorial had him a bit on edge.
Jurim had never come here in spring, and suddenly?
All this time, he’d only ever left flowers quietly on some late night or at dawn on a November day.
He was fiercely wary of anything noisy where his brother was concerned.
Even now, just because he’d come to the memorial park, photos were already being snapped.
Even with the clicks sounding here and there, his son simply walked at On Suhyeong’s side, lost in his own thoughts.
They didn’t talk much when alone in the first place, but even so, the mood felt unusually heavy; a strange silence stretched.
By contrast, Guru was in high spirits, bouncing along ahead of them.
'Feels like he has something to say.'
Should he take the lead and open?
Before he knew it, Jurim was standing before the monument, staring at the name “On Ijo” for a long while.
If it wasn’t a sudden surge of longing for his brother, then there had to be some reason.
It was then On Suhyeong decided he had to be brave—as an elder, as a father.
Jurim spoke out of nowhere.
“Father, I have something to tell you. Please don’t be too shocked. The kid will be startled.”
“Alright. I won’t.”
On Suhyeong nodded.
“What’s going on?”
He steadied himself.
Since the boy seemed to find it hard to say, he resolved to keep calm no matter what and embrace him.
If the adults faltered, the child would be frightened. Whatever the issue, they had to keep Guru from noticing.
He was sure of that—and yet...
“Guru—she’s my brother’s daughter.”
Without meaning to, On Suhyeong quietly echoed his son’s words.
“Right. Guru is Ijo’s...”
Then his words stopped short.
“What?”

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