Chick 320
by Cristae320
“My kid, is she a genius?”
Held tight in On Ijo’s embrace, Groo’s head filled with question marks.
Genius? All of a sudden?
“Um, uncle? I should go. I have to find Yurian.”
“Already?”
On Ijo released the squirming Groo, then stood up and shook himself off.
“Then uncle will go with you.”
He took Groo’s hand firmly in his own.
Groo glanced at him, then tried to subtly shake her hand free.
But he showed no intention of letting go.
Now what?
“…Dad said…”
Groo hesitated, mumbling, and On Ijo tilted his head.
“What did he say?”
“He said you’re incompetent, so don’t get into trouble and stay here…”
“Ahaha! That Joorim, honestly…”
“Isn’t it true?”
“It is.”
“Incompetent?”
“Mhm.”
On Ijo smiled sheepishly.
“Then I should stay here. I’ll go find Yurian and come right back by myself.”
“But if uncle is alone, that’s scary.”
“Because I’m incompetent?”
“Yeah. What if dangerous people come after you while you’re alone, like with Yurian? You might get kidnapped too.”
“Gasp!”
“The world’s greatest, supreme hunter Groo has to protect uncle.”
“Gasp!”
On Ijo relentlessly attacked with phrases that struck right to Groo’s heart.
World’s greatest! Supreme hunter!
Groo’s lips twitched.
“Then I’ll sneak out and be back before anyone catches me. Uncle has to stay here in secret.”
The reason On Ijo was holed up in the hospital wasn’t just the endless tests; it was because his official public reappearance hadn’t happened yet.
The government wanted to reveal On Ijo at the most advantageous moment, and On Joorim was busy making arrangements for that.
As for On Ijo himself, he didn’t mind one way or the other.
“Of course.”
If his daughter said come and go secretly, that’s what he’d do.
He took the star-shaped sunglasses and Tiny Ping mask that Groo eagerly handed him.
Peeking.
Peeking.
Groo and On Ijo cracked the hospital door open and peeked outside.
A security guard was stationed by the elevators down the hall, monitoring anyone coming in or out of the VIP room.
Groo herself had to be checked by this guard whenever she visited.
The catch was that visitors were checked both when they entered and when they left.
Especially if On Ijo tried to leave…
‘Stop right there, sir!’
Groo pictured the guard firmly blocking On Ijo’s way.
The spy ladybug buzzed off ahead of them, right up to the elevator, drawing the guard’s curious gaze.
The ladybug’s head blinked—tracking Yurian’s scent and Groo’s location at once.
“We’ll have to ride the elevator.”
“Shh!”
Groo hushed On Ijo with a finger to her lips.
Shh, On Ijo copied, nodding his agreement.
He was right. They had to take the elevator.
But to do that, they’d first have to trick the security guard.
Groo rummaged through her bag and produced a toy duck.
With a mischievous smile at On Ijo’s curious look, she set the duck on the floor and gave it a push.
Roll roll roll.
The duck rolled up to the guard’s feet and lifted its odd, googly-eyed head.
The security guard flinched, meeting the toy’s gaze.
“…?”
Groo then poked her head from the door and called out,
“Mister! Could you please get my toy for me?”
“Uh, just a moment…”
The guard stepped over to pick up the duck.
Then—
Roll.
The duck rolled away from the elevator, in the opposite direction.
“…?!”
Each time the guard took a step, the duck rolled further away.
Two steps—the duck rolled two more times, as if teasing him deliberately.
At last, as the guard strode after it, the duck rolled away at speed, all the way down the corridor opposite the elevator.
Groo waited calmly.
She bided her time until the guard had passed the door and hurried off after the duck!
Once the guard was far from the elevator, Groo grabbed On Ijo’s hand and slipped out of the hospital room.
Pitter-pat! Pitter-pat!
The two dashed to the elevator.
“Hey—!”
The nurse at the ward desk pointed at them.
At that, the guard spun around.
He caught sight of Groo and On Ijo stepping into the elevator and began running over with a startled face.
“H-Hunter On Ijo! You can’t leave!”
On Ijo waved cheerfully as the flustered guard called out.
At his side, a frantic Groo jabbed the elevator’s close-door button repeatedly.
[Doors are closing.]
The elevator doors began to slide shut, but the guard’s sprint was faster than expected.
He was getting close—he might catch them before the doors shut.
‘A-am I going to fail?!’
Just as Groo began to despair, On Ijo briefly lowered his sunglasses.
The guard locked eyes with On Ijo’s now coral-tinted gaze and slowed, as if moving in slow motion.
Before the guard’s hand could reach the doors—
[Going down.]
—the doors closed safely.
Groo blinked in the closed elevator.
What just happened?
“That was lucky, right?”
“But the guard moved all slow.”
“Maybe he got tired from running.”
Maybe he just wasn’t strong, Groo decided.
Once again, Groo was convinced she had done well by bringing On Ijo along.
She couldn’t possibly leave her incompetent uncle with a frail guard. What if a villain who kidnapped Yurian was lurking in the hospital? If she left On Ijo, he’d probably be kidnapped just like Yurian.
‘I’ll protect uncle!’
Groo puffed out her cheeks proudly and gripped On Ijo’s hand tightly.
“You have to hold my hand, okay? Don’t get lost.”
On Ijo grinned and nodded.
“Okay. I won’t let go.”
Groo laced her small fingers through his large ones, then glanced up at the elevator floor indicator.
She’d pressed the button for the first floor, but—was this right?
The ladybug circling over her head couldn’t tell her what floor to go to.
Should she check, one floor at a time? As Groo pondered, On Ijo pressed buttons for the third and fifth floors together.
“Huh?”
Groo looked up at him in surprise as he explained, pressing the buttons.
“See, there’s no fourth floor here?”
“Yeah.”
“It must be a secret floor, right?”
“Um…?”
Groo had previously heard the explanation that in hospitals, the fifth floor just stands in for the missing fourth floor.
“So if we do this, maybe we’ll get to the fourth floor?”
On Ijo smiled innocently, his eyes curving into crescents.
Groo stared at him, lips parted.
‘What do I do?’
She gazed at him with sympathy.
‘Uncle… since you lost your memory, you must be kind of foolish now.’
“Why?”
He asked after she’d been staring for a while.
To protect her uncle’s pride, Groo simply nodded.
“Y-yeah. Maybe we can get to the fourth floor.”
She furtively wiped her eyes.
‘Better to pretend I don’t know either.’
If they ended up at the third floor, she’d get off and just act like they’d reached the fourth.
At last, the elevator rumbled past the fifth floor and came to a halt.
Ding!
[Fourth floor.]
Groo’s mouth fell open.
“…?!”
You can really get to the fourth floor by pressing the third and fifth floors at the same time?