“Uh, about... about Oppaw Jurim. I’m not sure if it’s because of that, but... should I say his mory is a little incomplete...?”
“What?”
“...Huh?”
The mbers of Team 1 stared, mouths hanging open.
All eyes turned toward Jurim.
Sure enough, his gaze did look oddly hazy.
He was inside the barrier’s radius, so he would have heard everything they’d said—yet he just sat there silently, which was suspicious in itself.
But...
“Dana, this isn’t the ti to joke around.”
“Yeah, co on. Look at the situation we’re in.”
“I’m not joking...”
Gidan, looking troubled, sent Serhi a glance to do sothing.
Serhi fumbled awkwardly, then chid in.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I’ve seen it plenty. You know how in those chaebol families in Korea, their mories often co and go.”
“Ahhh! Got it. So Dad ended up like that~”
“No, that’s from dramas!”
Son Taeha from Team 1 couldn’t take it anymore and burst out.
Gidan quickly moved closer to him, warning him to be quiet.
“Hyung! If you shout like that, everyone can hear you!”
At that mont, the raid’s Team 1 leader, who had been silently listening, suddenly stepped toward Sheir.
“...Guildmaster, do you not rember ?”
Sheir looked down at him calmly.
The man asking, awkward and hesitant, seed extrely tense, as if terrified that the answer might really be “no.”
“...”
After a brief silence, Sheir tilted his head slightly to one side.
Whatever he saw in Sheir’s stillness made the man’s face turn pale.
anwhile, the kids who were insisting Jurim had amnesia naturally assud Sheir wouldn’t rember and didn’t doubt it for a second.
A small laugh almost escaped him, but Sheir lightly curled his fist against his mouth to stifle it.
These little creatures must have gotten the wrong idea—but the truth was, he had been fully synchronized with Jurim’s consciousness the entire ti, hearing and seeing everything Jurim did.
From the birth of Hyeonak to this very mont, he had witnessed it all.
So of course he rembered. If he wanted, he could even act as Jurim # Nоvеlight # himself.
However—
“Who are you? I have no recollection.”
—he simply wanted to play along with the children.
Sheir was in quite a good mood, and all of this was just amusing to him.
anwhile, Veilach was staring at him in shock.
Seeing Sheir smiling like this was hard to believe.
“Then... do you not rember either?”
“ too?”
The team mbers all pointed at themselves one after another.
“Well now, who are you?”
While Sheir played along with feigned ignorance, Guru let out a sigh of relief.
That took care of stopping Dad from getting hunted.
Now, ti to solve the next problem!
'Soon, Bayi’s going to turn into a hamster.'
He couldn’t keep his human form forever—before long, he’d change back into a hamster.
Guru grabbed the dazed Veilach, who was staring blankly at Sheir, and pulled him behind the curtain.
No one seed to care, probably thinking it was just kids playing around.
Lowering her voice as much as possible, she asked:
“Bayi, whewe’s phi?”
Veilach blinked, as if waking from a dream.
“...Ah. phisto...”
“Why, what’s wrong? Don’t tell —”
Did phi turn into two phis?
Guru clamped her hands over her mouth at the horrible thought, but Veilach shook his hands quickly.
“No, it’s not that. There’s a life signal. If phisto were gone, the system would have reset.”
“System?”
“There’s such a thing. In any case, phisto’s an idiot, but he’s not a completely hopeless idiot. Whatever he did, it ans he’s still alive.”
“Reawwy?! Thank goodness...”
Guru sagged down to the floor like a balloon losing air.
Veilach folded his arms. Judging by the way his body was already reacting, he’d be a hamster again soon.
“The situation’s not favorable now, so we’ll search tomo—myuuu...”
And with that, he turned into a hamster and plopped down, losing his balance.
Lifting the little hamster up, Guru asked,
“Tomowwow?”
“Myu!”
His answer seed like a “yes,” but Guru pouted.
“No, not tomowwow.”
If they waited until tomorrow, phisto might really have turned into two portions by then.
She rummaged through her bag.
It should be in here...
Soon, her hands closed around a round item.
'Spy Ladybug ver.2!'
It was bigger and heavier than last ti, but its functions had been upgraded to match.
Guru stuck one of phisto’s feathers into the Spy Ladybug ver.2’s mouth.
Then she flipped it over and pressed the button on its belly. The Spy Ladybug’s eyes snapped open sharply, and it lifted into the air.
“Moomoo, find phi for .”
The Spy Ladybug nodded hard, then zipped out through the window with a loud buzzz.
“Myuu...”
Veilach made a dissatisfied sound, as if he didn’t like it, but Guru wasn’t about to change her mind.
Just then, Gidan pulled open the curtain and bent down.
“Guru-Guru, let’s head to the office.”
“Awe the gwown-up’s tawk ovew? But why the office?”
Shouldn’t they be going ho since Dad was hurt?
“Uh...”
Gidan gave an awkward smile.
“Guess word spread among the team leaders.”
Right then, Sheir stepped up behind him.
Gidan, who hadn’t sensed him at all, turned in surprise, and Sheir spread his arms to take Guru.
“Let’s go.”
The voice, casual yet gentle, was Jurim’s. The outstretched arms were all Jurim’s too.
'But it’s not Dad.'
Guru just looked at the hands reaching for her, then walked over to Gidan instead.
Smiling, Gidan scooped her up in his arms.
Sheir glanced between Guru’s back in Gidan’s hold and his own empty hands.
In the mories he shared with Jurim, Guru was a child who liked being held.
After a mont’s thought, he asked Veilach, who was perched on Guru’s shoulder:
— Is there any difference between my appearance and his?
“Myu.” (No.)
— Is my behavior different from his?
“Myu.” (No.)
— Then why won’t the child co to ?
“...Myut?”
It was baffling.
The question sounded almost innocent—like a child just beginning to discover self-awareness.
Was it because of the long synchronization with On Jurim?
In his own world, Sheir had always been the lone supre being, so sharing consciousness with Jurim must have influenced him more deeply.
Perhaps he even felt as if On Jurim were a small part of himself.
“Myu.” (Sheir, you are a different person from him. Just as Karmirach remains Karmirach Nognir, even if he wears the hide of his prey.)
Veilach answered, and Sheir fell into thought about what that ant.
***
When they arrived at Hyeonak—
Sheir sat naturally in the Guildmaster’s chair, with the underage crew lined up behind him like guards.
In front of him, the PR team leader, who had rushed over like a ghost, was panting for breath.
Thump!
She dropped a mountain of files onto the desk, then shoved a contract in front of the “amnesiac” Guildmaster.
“Here, here, here, and here—just sign your na. Oh, and here too.”
The kids tilted their heads, scanning the contract.
PPLs, ads, sponsors... all obligations Jurim would have to fulfill.
Jurim, as a model? PPL?
He’d hate these kinds of contracts.
“Noona, I don’t think Guildmastuh hyung would like that.”
Her eyes suddenly sharpened.
Guru flinched.
'Team leader’s super scary today!'
“On the contrary. He’d absolutely love it.”
Her gaze blazed as if she knew this was a once-in-a-lifeti chance.
Sheir watched the vivid range of human expressions with interest before asking with a smile,
“All right, I sign here?”
He began elegantly writing “On Jurim” on the contract.
“N-no... no, wait—!”
Gidan cried out, only to be dragged away by the PR team leader.
Guru, pouting in annoyance, injected a nutrient shot into the seed potato plant.
Entering the building, Sheir had naturally greeted many guild mbers.
Yet—
'How co nobody notices he’s not Dad?'
Sure, from a strategic standpoint, she had to keep it secret, since discovery might lead to a hunt. But still, it annoyed her that no one noticed.
If Dad had gone to kindergarten, maybe he’d be friendlier to people and have more friends...
Guru glared sharply at Sheir, who t her gaze with genuine puzzlent.
Hmph!
She turned her head away and checked her tablet.
The Spy Ladybug was still out searching for phisto.
'Slow...'
Its heavier, bulkier body made it sluggish, and finding phisto might take ages.
Was there any other way besides waiting?
'Hmm.'
Guru narrowed her eyes and stroked her chin.
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