TCHF 08

Chapter 08

Gru felt his heart drop. The guild master’s reaction was far from ordinary. Gru didn’t know exactly what was wrong, but as a perceptive child, he could immediately sense whether he was about to get scolded.

Was he going to the police station?

Piyo piyo.
Bang bang bang, trial.
Goodbye, 20 million won!

As Gru imagined onions with wings flying away, he felt like he was about to lose his mind. He had to get through this situation somehow. Fortunately, Gru had some know-how from his time at the orphanage.

He opened the Onion Market app on his kids’ phone, went to his My Page, and held out his hands toward the guild master.

“Here, Guild Master, I give it all to you.”

His arms shook as he offered his entire fortune.

“Here, take it. Gru can earn more later anyway.”

Joorim took the kids’ phone to check the screen, unsure what Gru meant.

20 million won. A huge sum for a kindergartener. He didn’t know why Gru was giving it, though.

“Is this bribery?”

Bribery? Confusion? Gru just opened his mouth.

“Yeees.”

Gru simply said yes again. In truth, it wasn’t far from his original intention.

Joorim rubbed his forehead.

“If I take this, how will you earn more money?”

“I’ll make more at the Onion Market, then go into a guild and earn some more…”

“…Which guild?”

“Any guild.”

Gru scrolled through the guild recruitment posts and picked a cute-sounding guild.

“Like this?”

“….”

Turnip Flower Field—a newly formed guild started by two D-rank hunters.

It was obvious from the promo post on Onion Market. They’d probably do any dangerous job as long as the money was right.

And sitting in front of them was an S-rank kindergartener voluntarily joining such a guild. He clearly had no idea of the world.

“Guild Master, this is the place.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“Yeees.”

Joorim was having an experience that left his mind blank.

After a moment of silence, Gru checked the time on his kids’ phone.

“10 o’clock!”

Oh no. Gru whimpered like a little puppy.

“I should go to sleep now…”

“….”

Of course. A kindergartener should go to bed by now. Joorim washed his face quickly and stood up.

“Go to sleep first. We’ll talk about the rest tomorrow…”

Joorim helped Gru down from the desk.

“Yeees—”

Gru replied cheerfully and ran out of the storage room.

Joorim quietly watched the child walk into the main building. When Gru disappeared from view, he immediately took out a cigarette.

“This is crazy, really.”

Gru’s “crime” wasn’t a huge problem at this point.

The issue wasn’t reporting him—it was that this S-rank kindergartener had no parents or family to look after him.

Korea would probably praise this child, but the kid would inevitably be exploited by cunning adults for their own gain. He clearly needed a guardian.

“Ha—”

He exhaled cigarette smoke. But did he really have to take on such a heavy responsibility? No. Could he raise this child properly? No.

Looking back, Joorim’s family history was full of tragedy and failure. He neither knew how to be a good family nor could he be one.

‘Exactly.’

Not taking the child was a perfectly reasonable excuse.

Joorim stomped out the cigarette butt.

The Next Day

A P-company sports car stopped in front of the orphanage playground.

When a tall man in a suit got out, all the children playing turned their eyes toward him.

He took off his sunglasses and read the sign again, bathed in the morning sun:

[Milal Orphanage]

Finally, he had arrived. His intense internal struggle continued, however.

He walked along the wall, avoiding the front gate, his long legs swaying.

‘Should I just turn back now before I do something I’ll regret?’

The child was quite cute. Surely, there must be a good guardian in Korea who would want to take him? But then, it would just be meddling.

Joorim was rifling through his pocket for a cigarette as he pondered one last time.

From over the wall, he heard an argument:

“Your hair color is weird too, so stop it!”

Hair color? Joorim frowned, recognizing something.

Gru silently stared at the kid picking a fight with him.

Six-year-old Go Young-ho had been scheduled for adoption by a middle-aged couple who visited recently.

On the night the adoption was confirmed, Gru had quietly followed Young-ho, who had called him. His heart had raced, thinking Young-ho might give up his toy, but instead, Young-ho confessed that he liked Gru. When Gru flatly refused to “date” him, Young-ho seemed offended. That’s why he started bothering Gru relentlessly.

“No one will want a weird kid like you, right?”

When Young-ho asked the other kids, laughter erupted around them.

Everyone at the orphanage knew Gru was mixed-race, which lowered his adoption chances. Young-ho had pointed this out.

Cornered, Gru lowered his eyes and pouted. He knew parents visiting for children praised him as cute and kind but mentioned to the director that he was a bit unusual. Gru had experienced this many times, so he didn’t care.

“No one taking me is fine. My real mom and dad will come get me…”

“What? Who would want someone like you?”

Laughter broke out again.

Gru felt like his throat was being strangled. He hadn’t been treated badly by friends for being slightly different before, but this was the first time he had been bullied so mercilessly.

Angry and sad, tears fell from his eyes.

If only I could open a bank account, I could find my mom and dad.

He didn’t want to cry in front of the laughing kids, so he kept his head down and pressed his feet together.

Just as a tear dropped on the tip of his white sneaker, someone scooped him up.

“I’m taking Gru with me.”

Gru’s eyes widened as he looked at the man holding him. Their long eyes met, and the man slightly frowned.

“Han Gru, crying again?”
“Guild Master?”

Why was he here? Tears fell again from Gru’s eyes.

Joorim wiped them away with the back of his hand.

“Sniff!”

Gru held his breath again. Joorim muttered to himself, wondering why the kid kept doing that, and patted Gru’s back.

“It’s Joorim!”
“Wow! Is it really him? Real Joorim?”
“Why is Joorim here?”

Was that how kids spoke nowadays?

Not used to children, he exhaled shakily.

The kids started gathering around him, curious about the sudden appearance of a celebrity.

“What? Why did On Joorim come?”
“Joorim is taking Gru away.”
“No way, really?”
“Are you really taking Gru?”

Amidst the whispers, a sharp-looking girl asked.

Gru, closing his eyes, clutched Joorim’s clothes tighter. Joorim patted his back to calm him.

“Yes.”

“Waaaah!”

A collective gasp of envy spread among the children.

Young-ho’s jaw nearly dropped.

Joorim looked down at Young-ho, humming. So this was the one bullying Gru.

He didn’t like children bullying others, but he sighed shortly while patting Gru’s still anxious back. He needed to give a warning, at least.

Tilting his head, Joorim made eye contact with Young-ho. The child flinched, looking ready to run away.

“Name.”
“G-Go Young-ho…”
“You’re the one who bullied Gru, right?”
“….”

The child paled and shut his mouth tight.

Kids are difficult. Joorim thought indifferently as he opened a skill.

[Skill: Fear] Activated.]

A skill he had obtained by targeting his druid master. A little intimidation should be fine.