Chick 166
by CristaeChickling Class Hunter on Filial Duty! Episode 166
Bailak shook his head and reached for the remote. Today happened to be the day a new C-grade zombie movie was released on OTT.
It was the story of zombie hamsters swarming together and devouring people, until the appearance of a mecha hamster, created by a genius scientist, arose to confront them.
‘I can never resist zombie hamsters.’
From the OTT main screen, Bailak selected the featured film, “Hamster Zombie vs. Hamster Mecha.”
He was eagerly waiting for the opening, his hopes high for a vicarious feast of hamster-eats, more than ever today.
“Ah!”
At the sound, Gru came running and snatched the remote from his hands.
“Bayi, I said zombies are banned!”
“Mewwut!” (Just this once!)
“Beep beep beep beep!”
Mephisto snickered again, and tears welled up in Bailak’s eyes.
Meanwhile, at home watching TV, Wooju paused the channel, transfixed, as the familiar chickling drone appeared at a demonstration.
On the screen, captions proclaimed, “World’s First Drone-Mounted Railgun,” and the like.
“……?”
Without realizing it, Wooju knelt politely and focused.
The chickling drone that once scratched in the kindergarten dirt was now displaying something astonishing.
As she watched the railgun’s projectile in high-speed camera footage, Wooju cocked her head in wonder.
‘Gru, what have you done?’
Mouth agape until the news ended, Wooju quickly reached for her phone and sent a message.
What hunter grade did you say you were?
Gru
S-class!
Ah, this is a secret
You mustn’t tell
Okay? Promise
Got it. I won’t tell anyone
Gru
(Squirrel giving a thumbs-up emoticon)
Wooju replied calmly, staring at Gru’s squirrel emoticon, the S echoing in her mind.
‘S?’
Suddenly, reality crashed over her, chills prickling her skin.
‘S-class?!’
That day, Wooju learned for the first time that Gru was S-class.
Chapter: Bailak’s Star
After the invention of the chickling drone, which completely disregarded the limits of existing technology,
Gru acquired one more rule.
Never go outside alone, whether from home or work!
It was one thing for journalists or paparazzi to follow her—she was warned to be extra careful, as many other eyes were upon her, from places impossible to pinpoint.
Countless eyes watched every move of Onjurim and those around him, from untraceable places.
Therefore, the one accompanying Gru for her protection today was…
“Why are you buying a watch again? Just buy a magic stone. Seriously, I don’t get you.”
Serhi grumbled as he chewed gum, heading toward the watch boutique in a luxury shopping mall.
Tsk tsk! Gru shook her head.
“It’s the very best cutting-edge technology that goes into these watches!”
The child lifted her wrist to display the watch she wore.
Buying a top-grade magic stone was easy, but maximizing energy conversion efficiency required advanced technology.
Even if you obtained a top-grade magic stone, if you could only use 1% of its magical power, it would be terribly cost-inefficient.
“Ahh—”
At last, Serhi nodded.
Watching his pupil, quick to pick up on anything taught, Gru smiled in satisfaction.
‘I can’t possibly take apart the watch Dad gave me.’
So she intended to buy a new watch and tinker with it.
She might extract something worthwhile, or at least get some ideas.
Thus, the two entered the long stretch of watch boutiques.
Gru, excited, swung her hands back and forth, and Serhi drew her into a hug, pressing her cheek gently.
“Euuuuu~~~!”
Gru squirmed, and as Serhi chuckled, he glanced suddenly toward the restrooms.
‘Hm?’
His expression turned grave, prompting Gru to lift her tone.
“Oppya, why?”
“Gru, aren’t you going to the watch shop over there?”
Nod, nod.
“Go on ahead and start shopping.”
Letting Gru go, Serhi headed straight for the restroom.
Though told to go ahead, Gru stood rooted to the spot, lost in thought.
‘What’s in the restroom?’
She’d been told there could always be eyes watching.
In cartoons or dramas, ‘eyes’ usually meant—
‘An assassin or a spy…!’
Her heart raced.
It was a situation straight out of an action film.
So curious! Gru glanced around and began to cautiously follow Serhi.
Suddenly Serhi turned and looked back.
He pointed sharply at the watch boutique, the gesture firm—clearly, following him was out of the question.
‘Fine.’
In the end, Gru trudged into the watch shop.
Inside the newly opened premium department store.
Ham Hong-gi wandered through the luxury shops, yawning wide enough to split his face.
Why did this guy insist on meeting in places like this? He’d only been back in the country for three days.
Kang Je-i was Ham Hong-gi’s kindergarten peer.
She had enjoyed a reckless life with Ham Hong-gi, only to be all but exiled to America at the end of her first year of high school.
Even there, unable to break from her indulgent ways, she’d been expelled and lost two years in the process.
Spotting Kang Je-i, Ham Hong-gi was about to greet her when he paused, recognizing the child standing beside her, both laying their hands on the same product and locking eyes in silent competition.
‘…Why is that kid here?’
He rubbed his eyes repeatedly, but there was no mistake—the child of about four—no, five—with platinum blond hair was unmistakably his master.
‘Damn it all!’
Overwhelmed by a conflicted joy(?) at meeting his master, Ham Hong-gi yanked his hood up, pulling the string tight to hide his face like an egg ghost.
‘Why, of all places, here!’
He was about to call Kang Je-i over in secret when she, still glaring defiantly at Gru as if challenging her, spoke first.
“Hey, baby! Why do you keep following me and grabbing things? Do you even know how much this costs? How much?”
She fired off her words like a magpie’s chatter.
Gru snorted and glared back.
“Two thousand, you! Gru can read numbers too.”
“So what if you can read? You need fucking money to buy it. This is expensive, so go find your mommy, got it?”
With an affected accent and clumsy English painfully betraying her as a rich girl freshly back from abroad, her words sounded even more absurd.
Gru looked Kang Je-i straight in the eyes.
“Hmm?”
“…What? What is it?”
Gru then tilted her head with the innocent curiosity only a child could have.
“But, unni, why do you speak English so strangely?”
“S-strange?! I just got back. I can’t help it if it slips out sometimes, not used to being home yet…”
She looked down at Gru, switching back to fluent Korean.
From the sidelines, Ham Hong-gi watched in dismay.
Gru might look mixed-blood and probably spoke English fluently—that thought must have struck Kang Je-i.
Though Gru hadn’t said a thing, Kang Je-i, now flustered, folded her arms and muttered sarcastically.
“Seriously, is this really a VIP luxury line? Even brats like this come and go.”
Gru stuck out her lips in a sulk at the grumbling, and Kang Je-i peered at her over her sunglasses.
“So what if you act all cute? Do you even have money?”
At Je-i’s scornful tone, Gru’s shoulders trembled.
“Gru has money too!”