Chick 354
by Cristae354
It felt as if too much time had passed.
After Jin Siwon was taken into surgery, and Sergey and Gidan were moved to intensive care.
The clock’s hands kept turning, but to Groo, it felt as though time itself had stopped.
The pale walls of the hospital pressed down with heavy silence.
Groo sat in the corridor, quietly staring at the tips of her shoes.
The red light above the surgery room door was still on. Though Jin Siwon had gone in a long while ago, no doctor had yet emerged.
On Suhyeong, seated beside her, kept his hands clasped in silence. He looked composed, but Groo could see the subtle tremble at his fingertips.
Groo remembered when Joorim had called their grandfather to explain what had happened.
Joorim, his face deeply contorted, forced his voice out in ragged tones.
“My brother—he did this.”
On Suhyeong had listened, without a single interruption, to everything Joorim had said, no matter how scattered. Immediately after, he’d rushed to the hospital.
Not long after, Joorim had to leave to provide a statement to the investigation officers.
With all the Hunters called away for cleanup, only Groo and On Suhyeong remained in front of the surgery doors.
As Groo gazed at the empty seats with a lonely air, she suddenly spoke.
“Grandpa.”
“Yes?”
“Will mister be okay?”
“Of course, absolutely. He’s strong—it’s nothing to worry about.”
Nod, nod.
Thank goodness…
Relieved by his words, Groo hugged Yurian closely to her chest.
Yurian stayed nestled in her arms, silent, as if to comfort her.
Bailach and Mephisto sat at her sides, gently patting her legs, and Lucifer nuzzled her foot like a cat.
Groo watched these warm companions gently caring for her and suddenly asked,
“What about Uncle?”
“……”
“Will he never come back to us?”
We were meant to go camping together…
Groo toyed with her hands, hesitating to finish the thought.
She had overheard everything Joorim had told On Suhyeong.
How he said he hated the world because of what happened to Mom and the family.
How he wished to test whether there was any value left in such a world—using the Tower.
That he’d played the villain all this time because of it.
“Because Groo hurt Uncle by biting him… did Groo make him hate me too?”
After a long silence, On Suhyeong finally answered gently.
“No way… That could never happen.”
“……”
On Suhyeong pulled the silent Groo close to his side, wrapping an arm around her.
“Ijo loves you so much. So don’t think that, all right?”
Groo, held in Grandpa’s arms, hugged his waist in return.
“But he left…”
On Ijo, weighed down by his hatred of the world, had tossed aside Groo and vanished like smoke.
The pain of it was too much, and a trembling voice escaped her lips.
“He abandoned Groo and left…”
“No, Groo. That’s not it. Ijo…”
On Suhyeong’s voice cracked.
“Ijo just…”
Tears welled up in On Suhyeong’s eyes as he stumbled over his words.
“I’m sorry, Groo.”
He drew a shuddering breath.
“It’s all this old man’s fault. My own greed ruined everything… If only I’d let go of the company, none of this would have happened.”
Groo squeezed him even tighter.
She wanted to tell Grandpa it wasn’t his fault, but the words stuck as tears continued to flow.
The white animals watched Groo and On Suhyeong in helpless dismay.
Yurian, watching them, slipped to the floor.
He didn’t want to be swept up in this sorrowful mood.
The sound of sobbing, the lonely atmosphere—it all brushed against his mind, stirring memories of the past.
It was then.
A goldfish floated through the air toward Yurian, hovering near him.
“…?”
Only Yurian noticed.
The goldfish slipped into Yurian’s head.
A distant sensation washed over him as a message was relayed into his mind.
Take Groo out of the hospital.
The order was given.
Joorim stepped out of the interrogation room and closed the door behind him.
It had taken a long time to convince them that he knew nothing about On Ijo’s deeds.
“Haa…”
He sighed deeply, thinking of Groo waiting at the hospital.
He desperately wanted to be by her side….
But Joorim bore the responsibility of stopping On Ijo now.
Leading the coalition of Hunters searching for On Ijo had fallen to him as well.
Joorim frowned as he read On Suhyeong’s text: Jin Siwon still hadn’t come out of surgery.
He couldn’t tell whether the emotion boiling up inside him was anger, anxiety, or guilt.
If only he had heeded Jin Siwon’s warning, none of this might have happened.
Joorim drew a deep breath.
But now was not the time to wallow in regret and emotion. If things had gone wrong, they would simply have to be set right.
He tapped in a number he’d saved, just in case.
“Hello, Daniella? This is On Joorim.”
Daniella, the Interpol investigator—a friend who had helped search for Chloe Han.
— Guildmaster On?
A surprised voice came through the receiver.
—I’ve heard the news… Is there something I can do to help?
“I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. I need your assistance.”
Yurian didn’t like the peculiar smell of the hospital. Nor did he like the sound of little girls crying.
Whenever he noticed such things, he remembered that cramped room he’d shared with Lea.
Yurian was just a stray dog taken in from a shelter, but Lea was a child who’d grown up in a loving, warm home.
He wasn’t sure how such a child ended up in a laboratory like that. Almost certainly, she’d been kidnapped.
So Lea could never have grown accustomed to that tiny room.
And to be forced to live there with a doppelganger—a being that looked just like her—was surely more horrifying than words could say.
Lea was strong enough to stand in the way when the researchers tried to take Yurian for their experiments, but there were times when she’d break, too.
Yes, sometimes…
Sometimes she’d sniffle, alone, a gloomy look on her face.
Just like Groo now.
When told the surgery would take a long time, Groo set up a small tent in front of the operating room.
It was the same tent they’d used while playing camping games in On Ijo’s hospital room.
She did this once nurses, secretaries, and staff from the Awakener Management Bureau began coming and going.
Evidently, she didn’t want anyone to see her cry, so she disappeared into the tent.
Groo quietly held Yurian and wept, sometimes sniffling through her tears.
Yurian, nestled in her embrace, blinked up at her.
The tears kept soaking into his fur, which was irritating—but he bore it. He’d endured much worse in the past…
This wasn’t the time to complain.
Yurian reminded himself: his mission now was to get Groo out of the hospital.
There must be too many eyes inside, so the order was to bring her out.
It wouldn’t be hard to coax Groo outside. If he just barked and ran off, she would have no choice but to follow.
He could take Groo out at any moment.
But…
Sniffle.
Watching Groo snuffle again, Yurian decided to give her a bit more time.
She still needed to grieve a little longer…
Then it happened.
Sharp footsteps echoed down the corridor—more than one pair.
Yurian pricked his ears, alert.
Groo, wondering if there was news about the surgery, poked her head out.
At the front of the group was a man with a calm, gentle smile.
“Chairman On, and Miss On Groo, correct?”
On Suhyeong blocked Groo as she crawled from the tent.
“Please state your affiliation first.”
The man calmly drew out an ID and spoke evenly.
“Ah, yes. I’m George Lee, from Interpol.”
While On Suhyeong checked the ID, the man continued,
“I have been dispatched for On Groo’s personal protection. I’ve been instructed to escort you both to a safe house.”
“Groo?”
“Yes. This has also been communicated to Guildmaster On.”
The man delivered the news smoothly, with a smile.
Yurian, beside Groo, bared his teeth in silence as he checked the man’s face.
It was a face he knew well.