Guru lowered her gaze toward the source of the noise.
In front of three n, a boy was grumbling.
“It’s only ‘cause you guys never check KakaoTalk.”
“Then just send a real gift card, you punk. You’ve got money.”
“Co on, what kind of adult takes handouts from a minor?”
“No one says anything if you treat us. Can’t even pitch in for a company dinner, and now you’re baiting us with a coffee gift card?”
“Wow, that’s true. Now that I think about it, that’s ssed up. Team leader, let’s take this bastard out.”
“Should we? Do we get to split Beart’s Emptiness between us?”
“Let’s go sixty-forty.”
“Excuse , team leader? Why am I being left out?”
“Alright, you’re in.”
“Roger that.”
“Ugh! That’s so unfair!”
The team leader wrapped an arm around the boy’s neck like a wrestling move, making him shriek.
Guru’s eyes shook violently as she confird who they were.
Even from a distance, he had the dazzling, delicate looks of an idol. A boy with a model’s height and proportions.
He was dressed in a suit today, unlike usual—but Guru knew him for sure.
Why is Dani-oppa here?
The people beside him were Hunters from Hyeonak’s First Assault Team.
Now that she thought about it, this auction did have byproducts from the Malikiyan.
Since Guru had registered her item for auction, the organizers had sent her an invitation—of course, Hyeonak would have received one too.
Maybe they ca to see how much it would go for.
At that mont, as if sensing soone’s gaze, Gidan subtly lifted his head.
Guru ducked behind a flowerpot with a snap.
Peek.
Peering between the flowerpot’s leaves, she saw Gidan stiffen his expression while chatting again with the First Assault Team.
Ugh...
If anyone from Hyeonak spotted Guru, they’d definitely co over to say hi.
And if that happens...
Guru being at the auction gets found out = Jurim gets contacted = Jurim finds out Guru ca with Chairman Suhyeong.
That could ruin the whole plan!
If Gidan was here, there was no way Jurim would show up too. That was so relief.
But then again—Jurim might order Gidan to drag her straight back ho.
Peek.
She looked out again. Now Gidan was tapping on his phone like he was ssaging soone, pointing up toward the second floor.
He saw !
Guru started hopping from foot to foot in a panic, scanning her surroundings.
That!
She spotted a small vent door—just big enough for a child to crawl into. Without hesitation, Guru slipped inside.
****
Inside the vent, everything suddenly went quiet.
Maybe I should wait just a bit before going out.
The staff would notice soon enough that she was gone. If Chairman On found out, there’d be a huge fuss about searching for her.
If only I could call Guildmaster-nim right away...
She considered doing five backflips inside the vent and yelling for help—but shook her head. Calling for soone in a cramped space like this wasn’t a good idea...
But what were those villains earlier?
Those weird not-quite-people that Shakipiyo had reacted to with trembling.
As she crouched in the silence, thinking about those strange people she’d already decided were villains—
“I an, huh? I can’t ask a close friend for a little favor?”
A slurred voice, like the speaker was drunk.
“Just scare them enough to cancel the event. That’s not hard, is it?”
Cancel an event?
Scare?
Guru crawled toward the direction the voice was coming from. The closer she got, the louder the man’s voice beca.
“I’m serious, okay? This auction business—your family’s betting everything on it.”
She climbed up onto a tal grate vent.
Through the bars, she saw a heavyset man slump into a seat, facing the drunk speaker.
“Exactly. That’s why I’m canceling it. How does it make sense to hand over such an important business to your daughter? When I, the eldest son, am sitting here with eyes wide open?!”
The heavy man swirled his glass and shook his head.
“Try getting clean first. Before that, even if Ayoung took a dump at the resort entrance, you still wouldn’t be getting the job.”
“You don’t know that! If this event gets screwed up, it’s basically like Ayoung taking a dump on Dad’s face!”
“So what do you want to do.”
“Co on, you’ve got awakened friends, right? Call them up and make it all go boom! bang! crash! Like in the movies, huh? You know what I an?”
Boom! Bang! Crash! Like in the movies!
His explanation was baby talk at best—but to Guru, it actually made perfect sense. He was speaking her language.
A villain!
She knew it! There was definitely so shady sche going on. They might be working with those not-quite-human people from earlier.
Guru carefully observed the space beyond the tal bars where the n were secretly planning sothing.
And then she pictured the building layout she’d seen earlier.
Let’s go down there.
Guru dashes down toward where the n are.
“I heard your entire plan!”
Then the villains will threaten Guru.
“W-What did you just say?!”
“You brat! We won’t let you walk away!”
And just as Guru is backed into danger!
Her watch will sense the threat and call Jurim.
“Guildmaster-nim, over here!”
Then, just like at the amusent park, Jurim will show up.
In a flash, Jurim will beat up the villains—bam, bam, bam.
And after that...
A fluffy cloud in her head ford the shape of a leopard.
The leopard (Jurim) defeats the bad guys, follows the baby lamb (Guru), and then ets the daddy leopard (Suhyeong). It was a perfect family reunion scene.
Perfect.
Reality never gets in the way of the stories in her head. In there, it’s always perfect. Until it’s brought out into the real world.
Blowing away all sorts of questions like dandelion fluff, Guru began squirming her way back through the vent. She’d confird the villains' plot—now it was ti to act.
“Shit. He’s really doing it.”
“Just pretend, man. Don’t actually do it. If this really goes down, we’re extra fucked. Look how many Hunters are gathered here... Just scare Ayoung a little. She’s running the event, and she’s already so nervous that a tiny scare will knock her over.”
“My friends don’t move for pocket change.”
“Dude, you think I don’t know that? Huh? Of course I’ll—huh?—pay up nice and fat.”
Hmph. Just wait, villains.
They might already be looking for , so I should get back for now.
As soon as she climbed out of the vent and looked around, a staff mber—clearly searching for her—rushed over.
“Miss Guru, where were you?”
“I wenta da baffroom.”
Guru flashed a bright, innocent smile like she knew absolutely nothing.
The staff mber chuckled awkwardly and reported through her comm.
“We’ve located Miss Hanguru.”
Guru was led by the hand back to the sandbox area of the center, where the other children were.
“In thirty minutes, we’ll be heading to the banquet hall. Your parents will all be there, so please wait here a little while longer.”
Guru sat down on the sand again and pretended to play with the textures while her eyes scanned the area.
If I wait too long, they might run away.
That’s why she’d prepared for this. An item that would let her move undetected by adult eyes!
From her bag, Guru pulled out a small parrot plush, about the size of an adult’s palm.
[Copycat Parrot Plush (B)]
Mimics the target’s appearance and behavior.
Since joining Hyeonak, things were way better than they’d been at the orphanage.
But still...
Guru isn’t free.
There were just too many interrupters.
At work, sure—but even at ho, there was the play-sitter, and the housekeeper lady who handled chores.
Guru needs so alone ti, too...
Back at the orphanage, grown-ups couldn’t be around as much—but that made it easier to slip away unseen.
Making items or running her little shop had only been possible thanks to that freedom.
The parrot plush was sothing she’d crafted to relive that sa freedom. Tiny, wiggly °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° fingers had made it just for this.
Guru crouched behind a huge spaceship toy and rolled the parrot plush into the sand. Recognizing Guru, the plush instantly transford into her and started mimicking her every move.
As long as no one tried to talk to her, no one would notice.
Guru quietly slipped back into the vent and snuck out of the kids’ center.
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