Chick 305
by Cristae305
Unlike Groo, who was practically glowing with happiness, Chloe’s face was dark and subdued.
Bzzzz—bzzzz—
As the doorbell sounded again and again, Groo prodded the unmoving Chloe with urgency.
“It’s a guest! A guest!”
“Yeah…”
With a sigh, Chloe reluctantly picked up the intercom.
“Mr. On Ijo.”
At the sound of Chloe’s voice, On Ijo’s face lit up on the screen.
His features softened so completely it was as if his whole face would melt away.
‘Oh!’
Groo, clapping her hands to her mouth in awe, watched with sparkling eyes.
Surely this is what people look like when they’re in love, she thought—that melting softness.
Suddenly, Groo’s heart swelled like a balloon.
‘Love?!’
As the fluffy word passed through Groo’s mind and she gazed at them with hope and excitement, On Ijo spoke.
— Sorry for showing up out of the blue. I couldn’t reach you by phone…
Chloe replied, looking thoroughly annoyed.
“I thought I’d said everything I needed to by text.”
— I came to talk about that.
“Sigh… My feelings haven’t changed. What happened between us was just a moment of chemistry, nothing more. I don’t want it to lead to an unnecessary, friction-filled relationship.”
— Chloe, wait, C.C. Let’s talk face to face.
“I’m not in the habit of repeating myself. You’re smart enough to understand at this point, Mr. On Ijo.”
— Chloe…
Watching On Ijo’s desperate, pleading face, Groo’s own mouth fell open.
“Um?”
What was with this atmosphere? Groo’s mind was spinning.
Is this… right?
Chloe’s hard words turned Uncle’s soft face absolutely miserable.
‘Could it be… is this…’
Did Uncle just get rejected…?
She never expected her first meeting with her uncle would be to witness such a dramatic dismissal.
No matter how disconsolate On Ijo looked, Chloe drove the point home relentlessly.
“My cousin is at home now, so if you don’t leave immediately I’ll have to report that you’re threatening a house with a woman and child inside.”
On Ijo’s face went rigid. Groo’s mouth dropped open in shock.
‘She—she hates Uncle enough to threaten to call the police?!’
Chloe promptly told Groo that it was time to get ready for bed, heading for the bathroom.
‘Oh no!’
Groo, dragged off to the bathroom, blinked absentmindedly.
Looking back, she saw On Ijo behind the glass screen, gaping in disbelief—surely calling out to Chloe.
“Unni…?”
Groo thought to suggest that maybe they should hear Uncle out.
But upon looking at Chloe, she couldn’t find any words at all.
Chloe had delivered those harsh lines—yet her own features looked every bit as shattered and broken as On Ijo’s had.
‘…?’
Groo’s head was suddenly filled with question marks.
And then—
Ding!
[Emergency Caregiver Quest]
[Help prospective caregiver ‘Chloe’ reveal her true feelings to the one she loves!]
[Reward: High Affection Level]
Someone she loves?
A high Affection Level?!
Collecting Affection Level → unlocks sealed Titles!
Groo’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
The next morning.
Groo woke with a yawn, blinking in unfamiliar surroundings as she climbed out of bed.
“Haaaam…”
Almost automatically, she started to open the door to search for her father, then drooped her shoulders in disappointment.
‘Dad’s not here…’
What was happening in the future?
If they realized Groo was missing, Dad would surely worry.
The thought of a grieving Joorim stirred her to urgency; Groo opened her inventory and took out Mephisto.
“Mephi, Mephi.”
The little bird blinked its half-open eyes, still drowsy with sleep.
“Mephi, are you that tired?”
“Piii…”
Before she could finish, Mephi’s head slumped forward.
He clearly couldn’t resist sleep any longer.
Groo sighed.
“Nothing to be done…”
It seemed Mephisto would need much longer to recharge and awaken.
There was nothing for it but to wait.
Returning Mephi to her inventory and thinking over yesterday’s events, Groo quietly opened the front door.
Creak.
Next to the entrance, On Ijo, arms folded, was dozing on his feet. At the sound, he stirred and slowly lifted his head.
It looked as though he’d spent the whole night by the door.
Groo looked up, lifting her gaze.
The man before her looked like Joorim, but even more elegant and gentle.
‘As expected.’
A prompt appeared—On Ijo could be registered as a caregiver.
But why could Chloe and Uncle both be registered without raising Affection Level first?
Was it because this was the past? Or for some other reason?
Groo, suspicious, stared intently at him through her status window. On Ijo, fussing with his appearance, gave her a sheepish smile.
“Hello.”
“Hullo.”
On Ijo squatted to Groo’s eye level.
“I’m Uncle On Ijo. I’m, erm… a friend of Chloe’s.”
“Friend?”
It looked to Groo less like a friendship and more like the clingy, one-sided variety.
Given that he’d waited in front of the door all night after such a cold rejection, that didn’t seem far off the mark.
He hesitated, then repeated “friend” a little bitterly.
“Mm, a friend. How’s Chloe?”
“She’s still sleeping.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
Groo nodded and hesitantly reached out her hand.
On Ijo’s nose brushed her palm. From the proud tip of his nose, a chill seeped into her hand.
“It’s cold out…”
On Ijo wore just a thin shirt and coat in the middle of winter.
Regardless that his coat was trailing on the floor, he remained crouched so he could see Groo eye to eye.
Groo reached out her other hand. With her soft, small fingers she warmed his ice-cold cheeks, drawing a smile from deep in his chest.
The low, warm laugh sounded strikingly like Joorim’s.
On Ijo closed his eyes and leaned into Groo’s little hands, savoring that warmth, then spoke.
“Because my friend worries for me, I don’t feel cold at all.”
“Liar.”
“Is it that obvious?”
On Ijo opened his eyes and teased her, making Groo giggle.
“The truth is, my heart feels cold. I miss Chloe…”
Resting his chin on his folded arms atop his knees, he whined in a decidedly un-adult way.
Groo pretended to wipe away his invisible tears.
“No crying. Grown-ups aren’t supposed to cry.”
“Here’s a secret—adults cry a lot. I cry even more.”
“Then that’s no good. Don’t cry.”
“Okay. I won’t.”
On Ijo broke into a gentle smile.
As Groo watched his faint dimpled cheeks, she glanced back into the house.
Chloe was still asleep. On a normal day, she wouldn’t have let anyone in, but…
She recalled how Chloe’s face had crumbled after harshly driving out On Ijo the night before.
‘Help her be honest with the person she loves…’
According to the quest, Chloe must have some reason she couldn’t accept Uncle.
Groo fiddled with her hands, then whispered in a small voice,
“Come in.”
“…Me? Uh, I’ll just….”
On Ijo hesitated, then sighed.
“Maybe I should just wait out here.”
“It’s cold outside.”
“Still…”
“Fine. I’ll take care of Chloe-unni, who’s a mess, myself.”
Groo declared boldly, ready to shut the door again, but suddenly, the toe of On Ijo’s shoe wedged in the gap.
“A mess?”
“…”
“You don’t want to talk?”
Groo nodded vigorously.
“…Friend, did you have breakfast?”
She shook her head.
“I’m a good cook, you know. Want to eat?”
“Yes!”