Chick 319
by Cristae319
The brothers, visibly more at ease, greeted Groo as she came back in.
“Looks like you’ve worked things out a bit.”
“Sorry, Dad. I’m sorry you had to see us like this after so long.”
“You should be apologizing to the child.”
“Oh, right.”
At that, Joorim walked up to Groo, bent at the waist, and met her eyes.
“I got too worked up and said things I shouldn’t have. You should never repeat words like that. I know I shouldn’t, I’m really sorry.”
“I won’t learn them. It’s okay.”
“Thank you. I mean it.”
Only then did Joorim finally smile, as if a weight had lifted.
Groo, giving Joorim a quick hug, turned her attention to On Ijo.
On Ijo, still stiff with nervousness, forced a smile.
“Uncle made a fool of himself, didn’t he?”
Groo, seeming equally anxious, quivered at the corners of her mouth before calling out.
“U-uncle!”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay if I call you uncle… just a little longer?”
“Just a little?”
She nodded.
“Until I get more used to it…”
She still needed time.
“Of course!”
On Ijo beamed, and Groo’s eyes brightened as she slowly broke into a smile herself.
In a luxurious hospital room, settled into the emptied VIP ward, On Ijo sat cross-legged on the sofa, phone in hand, groaning.
cafe: HN District Classy Moms Gathering Registration Form
[On Ijo]
- This nickname is already in use.
“Seriously, who would use ‘On Ijo’ as a username on a mom’s café?”
Trying to sign up for the moms’ café Joorim had recommended, On Ijo was utterly perplexed.
Joorim,
Why is there someone using my name as a nickname
on a moms’ café??
On Joorim
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Isn’t that weird???
On Joorim
Use this one instead.
Tears prickled in On Ijo’s eyes as he sat before the nickname entry field, but the message from Joorim made him laugh instead.
cafe: HN District Classy Moms Gathering
[Title: About My Child Not Calling Me Dad]
Author: Se-Groo
[Comments]
- What’s your relationship to Doo-Groo?
- Did you become Se-Groo after your regretful breakup with Doo-Groo?
- Are you by any chance that T-villain?
“Doo-Groo?”
On Ijo tilted his head at the repeated questions about whether he was “Doo-Groo.”
He’d joined the café with great hope, posted about his greatest concern, only to find nothing but bizarre, off-topic comments.
Joorim,
Is this place really any help?
(Screenshot of the post and comments)
Why do they keep asking if I’m Doo-Groo?
Who is Doo-Groo anyway???
But Joorim, perhaps busy, took a while to respond.
In the end, when On Ijo actually asked who Doo-Groo was, the comments only multiplied: “Have you marked your return?” making him even more dispirited.
For rookie caregiver On Ijo, the moms’ café was anything but welcoming.
It had already been four days since On Ijo came back to play the role of a father.
He was trying his best to get closer to a child who still insisted on calling him uncle, but nothing seemed easy.
Just as On Ijo was wrestling with these worries and efforts, there was a knock at the door and Groo peeked her head in.
“Princess Groo, are you here?”
“Uncloo~”
Greeted warmly by On Ijo, Groo blushed and shyly entered the room.
Ijo lifted her up and set her on his lap.
“My princess, did you go to kindergarten today?”
“Yes, I came straight here. Dad told me to keep an eye on you, uncle.”
“Oh? Keep an eye on me?”
“Yes.”
“You’re always so honest and cute, Groo—no wonder you’re the best in the world.”
Groo burst out laughing at On Ijo’s exaggerated affection as he nuzzled his face against hers.
“What did you do at kindergarten today?”
“Oh! I drew a picture.”
Groo rummaged in her bag and pulled out a piece of drawing paper.
It was a family portrait: grandfather, Joorim, Ijo, and Groo herself, with animal friends nearby as well.
“This is Mephi, and this is Baei, and this one’s Pere.”
On Ijo smiled, listening to her earnestly list their names.
Ah, a bird on top, a hamster and a rabbit peeking out of her bag. How adorable.
Suddenly, he pointed at a dog drawn at the edge.
“Groo, who’s this dog here?”
He’d seen the bird, the hamster, the rabbit—but had never seen this dog before.
“Ah…”
Groo’s shoulders slumped in gloom.
“This was the dog I was raising. She disappeared.”
Since Yurian vanished from the carrier, there’d been no news.
She’d appeared once on CCTV running out of the hangar, but after that she vanished into a blind spot, and her whereabouts were unknown.
Groo pouted resentfully.
When she told adults she lost her, they’d say, “It was a stray, so it probably just went home,” which made her fume inside.
“The truth is…”
Groo leaned in and whispered in On Ijo’s ear.
“I think Yurian was kidnapped.”
Joorim had asked, “You sure you weren’t the one who kidnapped Yurian?” but Groo hadn’t listened at all.
She definitely hadn’t kidnapped Yurian—she’d become part of the family for a reason.
So there was no way Yurian had left without telling anyone.
Yurian had absolutely been kidnapped by a bad villain.
Fortunately, On Ijo listened to Groo’s story without laughing, taking her seriously.
“I see.”
“Yeah. That’s why I have to find Yurian.”
Just as he praised her and gently patted Groo’s back, the name stuck in his ears.
“…Yurian?”
“Yes. Her name is Yurian.”
On Ijo grew momentarily tense.
“Yurian?”
“Yes. Yurian.”
Groo repeated the name, and On Ijo’s eyes darted with a smile tinged by confusion.
Seeing his uncertain expression, Groo tilted her head.
“Why?”
“Oh, no… I just know someone with the same name.”
“Oh, I see.”
Even though it wasn’t a common name, she found it curious and hopped off his lap.
From her bag, Groo started pulling out various items.
“I made all sorts of gadgets to help find Yurian! Want to see?”
“Wow, amazing. Is it okay if uncle takes a look?”
“Yes! This is a magnifying glass for finding items. If you put it on, it lights up.”
“Wow! How did you make something like this?”
On Ijo’s delighted amazement made Groo puff out her chest like a pigeon as she demonstrated each item.
“And this is a Spy Ladybug. I upgraded it recently—it can follow scents now. So I put Yurian’s scent in here. When it picks up Yurian’s scent, it’ll fly off to go find her.”
Just as Groo placed the ladybug down on the floor—
Bzzzz—
“…?”
The ladybug abruptly lifted off and flew upward.
On Ijo looked up in surprise.
“It really does. Even your gadgets are as small and cute as you are, Groo.”
Groo’s mouth dropped open.
Why did it fly here? Unless Yurian was nearby, it shouldn’t react.
The Spy Ladybug circled above Groo’s head, as if beckoning them to follow.
Groo’s eyes went wide, and she leapt to her feet.
“Y-Yurian must be here!”
Crouched down, On Ijo smiled broadly.
If this Yurian is the same Yurian I’m thinking of, then she really is here.
Why this Yurian is the same as that Yurian, he couldn’t say.
But in truth, Yurian had indeed been kidnapped, just as the child suspected.
With a strange surge of emotion, On Ijo hugged Groo tightly.
“My girl is a genius, isn’t she?”