Chick 252
by Cristae252
“J—Joorim-hyung, I mean. I don’t know if it’s because of all this, but his memory’s a little… incomplete, you could say…”
“What?”
“…Huh?”
The members of the first team gaped in shock.
Every eye turned to Joorim.
It did seem that his expression was oddly vacant.
Since he was within the barrier, he must have heard everything, yet he just stood there, saying nothing—a strange thing in itself.
However…
“Dani, this isn’t the time for jokes.”
“Yeah, seriously. Look at the situation.”
“No, it’s not a joke…”
Gidan, flustered, shot Sergey a glance, urging him to step in.
Sergey quickly caught on and joined in.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ve seen it a lot. You know how in Korean chaebol families, people’s memories always come and go.”
“Ohh! So that happened to Daddy, huh~”
“No, wait, that only happens in dramas!”
Son Taeha of the first team finally failed to accept reality, raising his voice.
Gidan leaned in close to him, warning him to keep it down.
“Hyung! If you shout like that, everyone will hear!”
At that moment, the raid team leader, who had been listening quietly, suddenly approached Shea.
“…Guildmaster, do you not remember me?”
Shea looked down at him silently.
The man’s hesitant, almost timid question betrayed his anxiety—was he really not recognized?
“…”
After a moment of silence, Shea cocked his head slightly.
Whether it was the quiet or the ambiguous gesture, the man’s face went pale with anxiety.
Meanwhile, the kids, so insistent that Joorim had amnesia, showed not a trace of doubt that Shea wouldn’t remember them.
Suppressing a budding laugh, Shea curled a loose fist over his mouth.
These little ones seem to be gravely misunderstanding, he mused, when in fact, he had been synchronized with Joorim’s consciousness all along, seeing and hearing everything Joorim saw.
From the birth of Orchestra to the present, all had been witnessed.
There was no way he wouldn’t remember. If he wished, he could have even imitated Joorim perfectly.
However—
“Who are you? I don’t recall at all.”
He simply wanted to play along with the children.
Shea was clearly in high spirits, finding this all rather amusing.
Meanwhile, Bailach looked at him in astonishment.
He could hardly believe he was seeing Shea smile like this, apparently enjoying himself.
“So, me too?”
“And me?”
The other team members each pointed to themselves in turn.
“Hmm? Who could you be?”
With Shea playing along so brazenly, On Groo let out a sigh of relief.
At last, he had managed to avert his father’s subjugation.
Now onto the next problem!
‘Before long, Bayi will turn into a hamster.’
He couldn’t remain in human form indefinitely. Soon, he would revert to a hamster.
On Groo took the absent-minded Bailach and slipped behind the curtains.
No one seemed to mind, likely thinking it was just kids at play.
In a hushed voice, On Groo asked,
“Bayi, where’s Mephi?”
Bailach blinked, as if waking from a dream.
“…Ah. Mephisto…”
“Why? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me…”
Did Mephi end up being split in two or something?
On Groo covered his mouth at the terrible thought, but Bailach waved both hands.
“No, no, that’s not it. There’s a life signal. If Mephisto were gone, the system would have been rebooted.”
“System?”
“There’s such a thing. Anyway, Mephisto is a fool, but not a completely hopeless one. Whatever he did, he’s still alive.”
“Really?! Thank goodness…”
On Groo slumped to the floor like a deflating balloon.
Bailach folded his arms. Signs of physical fatigue suggested he’d soon be a hamster.
“It’s not a good time now, so let’s look for him tomorrow… mmyuu…”
Bailach, now transformed into a hamster, lost his balance and flopped down.
On Groo scooped up the furry Bailach and asked,
“Tomorrow?”
“Myu!”
The affirmative squeak made On Groo pout.
“Tomorrow won’t do.”
If they waited until tomorrow to start looking, Mephisto might really turn into two portions by then.
On Groo rummaged through his bag.
It should be here…
Soon, his hand closed around something round.
‘Spy Ladybug ver.2!’
It was larger and heavier than the last one, but its features had been greatly improved.
On Groo inserted a tuft of Mephisto’s wing into the mouth of Spy Ladybug ver.2.
Then, flipping it over, he pressed the button on its belly. The ladybug’s eyes glowed sharply, and it took to the air.
“Mumu, find Mephi for me.”
The Spy Ladybug nodded vigorously and flew out the window with a buzz.
“Myuu…”
Bailach squeaked disapprovingly, but On Groo was not about to change his mind.
Just then, Gidan opened the curtain and knelt down.
“Groogroo, let’s go to the office.”
“Are the adults done talking? But why the office?”
If Dad was sick, shouldn’t they be going home, not to work?
“Uh…”
Gidan forced a smile.
“It seems rumors are already spreading among the team leads.”
At that moment, Shea approached silently behind Gidan, who didn’t notice until the last second. Shea spread his arms, ready to scoop up On Groo.
“Let’s go.”
The voice was Joorim’s—detached yet gentle. The arms reaching out to embrace On Groo, too, were all Joorim’s.
‘But he’s not Dad.’
On Groo looked at the outstretched hands, then walked instead to Gidan.
Smiling wryly, Gidan scooped On Groo up in his arms.
Shea watched the retreating On Groo cradled in Gidan’s arms, then stared at his own empty hands.
In Joorim’s memories, On Groo was a child who loved to be held.
He hesitated a moment, then asked Bailach, perched on On Groo’s shoulder,
—Is there something different about my appearance from his?
“Myu.” (No.)
—Is there something different in my actions from his?
“Myu.” (No.)
—Then why won’t the child let me hold him?
“…Myut?”
It was bewildering.
The questions sounded as naive and guileless as a young child just discovering selfhood.
Had the extended synchronization with On Joorim had a deeper effect than expected?
Shea, once the solitary supreme being of his own world, may have been more greatly influenced by the shared consciousness with Joorim.
It was as if On Joorim had become a tiny piece of his own self.
“Myu.” (Shea, you are different from him. Just as Karmirak remains Karmirak Nognir, even when wrapped in the skin of prey.)
That was Bailach’s answer, and Shea pondered the meaning deeply.
After arriving at Orchestra.
Shea sat naturally in the guildmaster’s chair, while the minors lined up behind him like silent guards.
In front, the head of PR, who had raced over like a phantom, was gasping for breath.
Thud!
After dropping an enormous stack of files, she slid a contract in front of the “amnesiac” guildmaster.
“Just write your name here, here, here, and here. Oh, and here as well.”
The children craned their necks to look over the contract.
Product placements, advertisements, sponsorships… all duties for Joorim to fulfill.
Joorim as a model? In product placement?
There’s no way he’d willingly agree to such contracts.
“Noona, I don’t think guildmaster-hyung would like that very much.”
At this, her eyes turned sharp as knives.
On Groo instinctively flinched.
‘Team leader is super scary today!’
“Oh, but I think he’d absolutely love it!”
Her eyes blazed fiercely, as if she knew such a chance would never come again.
There was even a touch of desperate resentment.
Watching the vibrant emotional outburst of humanity, Shea smiled and asked,
“All right, is this where I sign?”
With elegant movements, he began to write ‘On Joorim’ on the contract.
“N-no, wait…”
Gidan stammered in horror, and the head of PR began dragging him away.
Scowling, On Groo stuck out his lower lip and injected the Seed Potato Planter with a Cosmic Extract Nutrient Injection.
On arriving at the office, Shea had mingled easily with a host of guild members, exchanging greetings.
But still—
‘Why doesn’t anyone notice he’s not Dad?’
He needed to keep it hidden for strategic reasons, since discovery might mean his father’s subjugation… But still, the fact that no one noticed irked him.
If only Dad had at least finished kindergarten, maybe he’d have more friends, just by being a little kinder…
As On Groo glared fiercely at Shea, Shea met his gaze quizzically, as if genuinely puzzled.
‘Hmph!’
On Groo turned his head away and checked his tablet.
The Spy Ladybug was still hunting for Mephisto.
‘So slow…’
With its upgraded bulk and weight, the Spy Ladybug ver.2 seemed as though it would take forever to find Mephisto.
Was there some way, besides waiting, that On Groo could help?
‘Hmm.’
With droopy eyes, On Groo stroked his chin in thought.