chapter 43
“Hmph, Guru can find another treasure,” she mumbled to herself.
If they follow her again, she’ll make sure they get a taste of her duck pincers this time.
Following the teacher upstairs to the second floor, Guru shot a sharp glare at the delinquent toad and his group trailing along with her.
‘I didn’t want to use this, but…’
From her stuffed backpack, Guru pulled out a wagon. The small toy cart, typically used by children, was packed with various items.
Extending the handle all the way and gripping it tightly, Guru equipped her magnifying glass.
Rumble rumble— Guru dragged the cart around, scanning the area. The delinquent toad pretended to chat with his friends, but his eyes were secretly glued to her.
‘Just try and follow me.’
She’d make sure to put him in his place. Hmph!
Just then, the magnifying glass shone brightly. Guru stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening.
‘The light is huge!’
But… why would someone hide something in the bathroom?
Dragging her wagon along, she hurried towards the restroom.
The delinquent toad and his gang hesitated, seemingly unwilling to follow her into the girls’ restroom.
‘Idiots.’
Guru slipped inside and checked the second stall.
‘Inside the toilet tank…?’
No matter how many times she checked, the light was definitely coming from inside the tank.
Guru scrunched up her face in disgust.
Weird, but whatever it was, she needed to confirm it first.
Since she’d probably get wet, she decided to take off her watch—
‘Wait. My watch… it’s gone!’
Did she lose it?
Just as she turned to leave the restroom, planning to retrace her steps—
A dinosaur in a tutu entered. It was the same one she had taken a photo with earlier.
‘Oh!’
At that moment, someone covered her mouth and yanked her back.
****
Parents’ Waiting Room.
As soon as the tall man stepped inside, tension filled the air.
He was well-built, his expensive-looking coat fitting him perfectly. Even with a mask covering most of his face, his sharp features were unmistakable.
In an amusement park’s parents’ waiting room—where families usually gathered—it was rare for a young man to be alone. Yet, he looked effortlessly refined.
As if accustomed to attention since birth, he casually strode in and took a seat at random.
Then, from the pocket of his thin coat, he pulled out a small parenting book.
[Our Child is Too Smart—Could They Be a Genius?]
The moment people read the title, a collective thought passed through the room.
‘What a doting fool.’
‘Doting fool.’
Who hadn’t, at some point, entertained the thought: Could my child be a genius?
The kind of delusion parents experience when their child is too cute or speaks a little too eloquently—leading them to believe they’ve birthed an exceptional prodigy.
Clearly, this man was in that phase.
I remember when I was like that, the parents thought fondly, smiling warmly at the rookie dad.
“……?”
Feeling the unfamiliar warmth of their gazes, Jurim furrowed his brows.
What the hell?
Bzzzzzt—
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
Jurim glanced at the caller, silenced the phone, and stuffed it back into his pocket.
A moment later, a message arrived.
Young Master, the Chairman would like to have a meal with you on the upcoming memorial day. Please let us know your schedule so we can arrange an appropriate setting.
Additionally, the Chairman is quite curious about the granddaughter he recently adopted. He wishes for her to accompany you.
Granddaughter? Who?
Jurim let out a dry chuckle, his distaste unmistakable as he ran his tongue over the inside of his cheek.
His gaze darkened as he tapped his fingers on the chair’s armrest before replying.
Say that again. Whose granddaughter?
Apologies if I caused offense. I will correct my wording.
Annoyed, Jurim began typing a more cutting response but stopped midway, exhaling sharply.
No matter what he said, it wouldn’t change anything—it was just him lashing out.
Let the Chairman know that this number is also blocked by On Jurim.
He pressed the block button and shoved his phone back into his pocket.
****
Thump, thump.
Her heart pounded violently.
The hand that had pulled her into the stall—
“Shh.”
The owner of the hand was a boy.
Not quite her age—maybe a year or two older.
Standing in front of her, he blocked the way out while keeping a watchful eye on the area outside.
Guru, confused, simply stared up at him.
Under the shadow of his cap, his delicate features became more visible.
He was the prettiest child she had ever seen.
Actually… he looked familiar.
Where had she seen him before?
Just as Guru was staring hard at his face, trying to remember—
“How’s the old man? Still not here? Yeah, it’s fine. There’s no one around.”
The voice of the Princess Saurus in the frilly can-can skirt came through from the next stall.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to get distracted? Yeah, I know. I’ll steal the USB properly, alright? Don’t you trust me?"
USB? Guru turned to face the boy.
"You hired me because I’m good with my hands, didn’t you? You asked me to steal things. I’m just doing my job, so don’t start complaining when I finish."
Steal?
Now that she thought about it, there had been several announcements warning visitors to keep an eye on their valuables because of pickpocketing incidents.
Judging by the phone conversation, it was highly likely that Princess Saurus had stolen her watch as well.
‘Was it when we took the picture and she put her arm around my shoulder…?’
"What? You’re here now? Wait, I’m coming out."
That was the last thing she heard before the conversation ended.
Thunk—
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps fading into the distance.
Only then did the boy let go of Guru.
“Phew…”
Guru, feeling all the tension leave her body at once, collapsed to the floor.
Whatever’s going on, that Princess Saurus is scary…
She shivered.
Then, just as the boy was about {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to leave the restroom, Guru grabbed onto his sleeve.
“Don’t go out yet. They might be waiting in front……”
She whispered, and the boy plopped back down onto the floor.
“Hah… you’re right.”
“What, what’s going on?”
The first thing she needed to do was understand the situation.
“That dinosaur’s a pickpocket. She stole my necklace, so I followed her. She hid all the stolen goods here. I was about to take them back when…”
“You got caught?”
“I hid before she saw me. That’s when you came in.”
“You didn’t tell an adult? What about your mom or dad?”
“Why would I? Nobody cares about me anyway.”
“Huh?”
“They dumped me at this amusement park because I’m a hassle to deal with. Do you think they’d actually listen to me?”
There was deep hurt in his voice.
Guru, startled and unsure how to respond, fidgeted with her hands.
“Well… still…”
“That way, they don’t have to worry about an annoying kid and can enjoy their time alone. Even my dad does the same…”
“Your dad?”
“My dad doesn’t believe a word I say either. He doesn’t care about me, so he dumped me on that woman.”
Did he have a complicated family situation?
“That’s why I handle my own problems. I’ll get my necklace back by myself.”
This pretty boy clearly had a deep distrust of adults.
“Is your necklace expensive?”
“…Not exactly…” His voice wavered. “My mom gave it to me.”
Lowering his head onto his knees, he looked like he was holding back tears.
It would have been great if she had her kids’ phone. Then, she could have asked Guildmaster On Jurim for help.
But ever since she started wearing her watch, she had stopped carrying the kids’ phone around. She never thought she’d end up in a situation like this.
Still, if Princess Saurus really did steal it, that meant her watch should be in the next stall.
…!
Just then, a lightbulb went off in Guru’s head.
If it’s in the next stall, I just have to take it back, right?
Guru peeked through the restroom door crack.
She couldn’t see if the dinosaur girl was still there, but the toy wagon she had brought was right outside.
“Hey, pretty one. Don’t be too sad. Guru will help you!”
The moment she called him pretty, the boy’s face turned bright red.
“My name’s Wooju! Seo Wooju! And you…!”
Wooju stared at Guru’s face.
As if she was the one who looked like a doll.