Unlike Guru, who was delighted, Chloe’s face had sunk.
Brrrrring— Brrrrring—
As the bell rang repeatedly, Guru urged Chloe, who seemed unwilling to move.
With a sigh, Chloe reluctantly picked up the intercom.
At Chloe’s voice, On Ijo’s face lit up.
His expression softened so much it looked like it would melt.
Guru covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes sparkling.
If there was such a thing as the face of ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) someone in love, it had to look exactly like that.
Guru’s chest suddenly swelled like a balloon.
Thinking of that tender word, she looked at him with eyes full of anticipation, and On Ijo spoke.
Chloe replied with a look of annoyance.
“I thought we’d said everything in our texts.”
“Haa...... My position hasn’t changed. What happened between us was nothing but a brief chemical reaction, and I don’t want it to become a pointless, exhausting relationship.”
“I don’t have a hobby of repeating myself. You’re smart enough to understand by now, Mr. On Ijo.”
Watching On Ijo’s desperate, pleading expression, Guru’s mouth dropped open.
What was this mood? Guru’s vision spun.
Chloe’s hard words had just shattered Uncle’s soft expression into something pitiful.
‘No way, could it be......’
Uncle got dumped......!
She had never imagined her first meeting with Uncle would be of him being rejected so miserably.
No matter how sad he looked, Chloe drove in the nail.
“My cousin’s child is in the house right now. If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll report you for threatening a home with a woman and a child inside.”
On Ijo’s face stiffened, and Guru’s jaw dropped.
‘S-she hates Uncle so much she’d even threaten to call the police?’
Chloe took Guru with her, saying it was time to wash up, and headed to the bathroom.
Being pulled along, Guru blinked blankly.
When she looked back, On Ijo was opening and closing his mouth in disbelief on the other side of the screen. He was probably calling out to Chloe.
Guru thought she should suggest talking it out with Chloe.
But the moment she looked at her, no words came out.
The one who had spoken the cold words had been Chloe.
And yet, her face was just as shattered and ruined as On Ijo’s.
Guru’s head filled with question marks.
[Emergency Caregiver Quest]
[Let the prospective caregiver ‘Chloe’ reveal her true feelings to the one she loves!]
[Reward: High Attachment Points]
High Attachment Points?!
Collect attachment points => unlock the sealed title!
Guru’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Rubbing her eyes as she woke up, Guru stepped out of the unfamiliar room with a yawn.
Out of habit, she reached to open the door to look for her dad—then slumped her shoulders.
‘Daddy’s not here.......’
What was happening in the future right now?
If they knew she was gone, Daddy must be worried.
Thinking of Jurim looking sad, Guru grew anxious and quickly opened her inventory to take out Mephisto.
The little bird stirred and blinked its eyes, still half-asleep.
“Mepi, awe you dat tiwed?”
Before she even finished speaking, Mephi’s head drooped forward.
He couldn’t overcome sleep.
“Cawn’t hewp it......”
It seemed he needed much more time to sleep before he could recover his strength.
For now, she could only wait until he fully woke up.
Putting Mephi back into the inventory, Guru thought back over yesterday as she quietly opened the front door.
From beside the door, On Ijo, who had been dozing off with his arms crossed, stirred at the sound and slowly opened his eyes.
It looked like he had spent the whole night there.
Guru lifted her head, looking up at him.
A man who resembled Jurim, but with a calmer, more refined face, stood before her.
‘It popped up again.’
The window showing that On Ijo could also be registered as a caregiver appeared before her.
Why could both Chloe and Uncle be registered without raising attachment points?
Was it because this was the past? Or was there another reason?
Guru eyed him suspiciously through the status window, while On Ijo straightened himself and gave an embarrassed smile.
On Ijo crouched down so he could look her in the eyes.
“I’m Uncle On Ijo. I’m, uh...... Chloe’s friend.”
“Fwiend?” Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novęlfire.net
To Guru, it seemed less like friends and more like a one-sided clingy relationship.
After last night’s cold rejection, the fact that he had still waited all night outside proved she wasn’t wrong.
As if to prove it, On Ijo added bitterly, repeating the word.
“Yeah, friend. How’s Chloe right now?”
Nodding, Guru hesitated, then reached out her hand.
Her palm brushed against On Ijo’s nose. From the high bridge of it, the chill seeped in.
“It’s cowd outside......”
On Ijo was wearing only a thin coat and shirt in the middle of winter.
Regardless of his coat dragging on the ground, he stayed crouched so he could meet her eyes.
Guru stretched out her other hand as well. With her small, soft hands, she gently rubbed his cheeks, frozen from the long night. He gave a low laugh.
That quiet laugh sounded so much like Jurim’s.
Closing his eyes, On Ijo leaned into the warmth of her hands, then spoke.
“Thanks to my little friend worrying about me, I don’t feel cold at all.”
Opening his eyes, On Ijo teased, and Guru giggled.
“Actuawwy, Uncwe’s heawt is cowd. He miss Cwoe......”
Resting his chin on his arms folded over his knees, he whined like a child.
Guru pretended to wipe away his tears and said,
“Stop. Gwown-ups not su’posed to cwy.”
“This is a secret, but adults cry a lot too. I cry even more.”
On Ijo smiled sheepishly.
Guru glanced toward the inside of the apartment.
Chloe was still asleep. Normally she wouldn’t have let him in......
But she remembered Chloe’s face, crumbling in pieces, after she had coldly driven him away.
‘Helping Unnie reveal her true feelings to the one she loves.......’
According to the quest, Chloe had some reason she couldn’t accept Uncle.
Guru fidgeted with her hands and whispered,
“......Me? Uh, maybe I should just......”
Hesitating, On Ijo sighed.
“I think I should just wait out here.”
“It’s cowd outside doh.”
“Oway. But if Cwoe Unnie is a mess, Gwuu wiww hewp.”
Guru fired off the words like bullets and went to close the door sharply, when suddenly—thunk. The tip of his shoe wedged between the door.
“You don’t want to say?”
“......Friend, have you had breakfast yet?”
Shake, shake. Guru shook her head.
“I’m good at cooking. Want to try some?”