chapter 136
‘Now I gotta do someting bad…’
If you were gonna be a bad kid, skipping kindy at least once in your life was mandatory.
So the moment she made up her mind, Guru called Grandpa and asked him to take her on a tour of the company.
Then she snuck out of kindergarten and hopped into the car Grandpa sent.
Ba-dump, ba-dump!
Ever since she slipped past Teacher Yooni’s sharp gaze, Guru’s heart had been pounding like it was about to explode.
Gwuu’s bein’ so, so bad…
This wasn’t the same as dodging the director or sneaking past the babysitter. This was official bad behavior—ditching her daily schedule.
She’d never just blown off what she was supposed to do before.
Guru powered off her phone and shoved it deep into her bag.
Her heart thudded with anxiety—was this too bad for her first act of rebellion? Maybe she’d gone too far in the heat of the moment.
‘Maybe Gwuu shoulda told Teacher Yooni before leavin’…’
But then she shook her head hard.
If she told her, it wouldn’t be rebellion anymore. It’d be a school field trip.
Besides, Teacher Yooni was super strong. If she’d told her honestly, she definitely would’ve stopped her from doing anything rebellious.
She had to stay firm.
‘Tough. Like rock.’
While she was steeling her heart again, On Suhyeong asked in his gentle voice,
“Guru, did you let your dad know?”
Shake shake.
Guru furrowed her brows deeply and puffed her cheeks as she shook her head.
On Suhyeong seemed to get the picture and patted her back.
“Looks like Daddy did something to upset you.”
“Daddy’s dumb. Even if Gwuu does someting good, he say Gwuu can’t. He won’t even wisten to Gwuu.”
“Mmm.”
Suhyeong listened quietly and nodded.
“I see. Then let’s leave dumb Daddy alone and have some fun with Grandpa, okay?”
“Okaay!”
***
Wherever you went, the talk of the town was Anonymous Santa.
Thanks to the syrup potions, Korea’s crisis had cooled, and negotiations with other countries now tilted in Korea’s favor.
Foreign officials who’d hoped to take advantage of the situation were clearly displeased.
And the one whose face looked the most sour was Jurim.
At a warm, cheerful conference table, he sat alone with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
Ko Gang, Director of the Management Bureau, glanced sideways at Jurim, wondering if he was even Korean.
Didn’t this guy used to gripe about never seeing his daughter’s face? So now that things were working out, what’s with the face like he swallowed a turd?
But Ko Gang had figured out how to deal with him.
“Our little Guru really is adorable, huh? Even Old Man On Suhyeong’s out here embarrassing himself over her.”
Ko Gang smirked as he handed Jurim a freshly published article. Judging by the timing, it was probably Jurim’s first time seeing the photo.
He meant it as a way to get Jurim to soften up after seeing his beloved daughter, but—
Jurim’s face instantly twisted the moment he saw the image.
[PHOTO] Chairman On Suhyeong Showing Grandfatherly Love in the Cafeteria
(Photo: On Suhyeong feeding Guru a lettuce wrap with pork belly, lovingly hand-rolled)
Jurim snatched the phone and stared daggers at the screen.
Ko Gang, who had expected a chuckle or smile, froze in confusion.
“…Director, I need to step out for a moment. Something urgent.”
“...Huh?”
Leaving the bewildered Ko Gang behind, Jurim darted out of the hall and called On Suhyeong.
After a few rings, the call connected.
“Ah—!”
Jurim drew in a breath, ready to yell.
“…Father.”
— Oh, Jurim.
His father’s cheerful voice, filled with laughter, only pissed him off more.
“Did you not send Guru to kindergarten today?”
— Oh, did you see the article? I was gonna take her out for lunch, but things got busy. I’ll make sure she eats a proper dinner at home, don’t worry.
Jurim’s brow furrowed.
“Don’t change the subject.”
— Then what are you calling about?
Jurim let out a slow breath.
“…Is Guru planning to stay there with you?”
She’d obviously gone to Grandpa because she was mad at him.
Suhyeong probably didn’t know the whole story and just accepted her without question. But this time, Jurim couldn’t give in.
He wanted to explain to Guru just how dangerous this situation had been—but he settled for silence. A heavy one.
His father knew how stubborn he was. If he’d made up his mind, he wasn’t going to bend.
Then, after a pause, Suhyeong spoke quietly.
— Jurim.
“Yes?”
— You know… ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) I don’t think I’ve ever properly scolded you two before.
“…Excuse me?”
Jurim blinked in confusion.
It was true. He’d never really been scolded…
Suhyeong had never raised his voice or punished them.
He would just look them in the eye until they came up with the right answer themselves.
For hours. Even overnight, if necessary.
His philosophy was that, as a father, he’d taught them everything. If they didn’t follow it, that was on them—not ignorance, but willful disobedience.
He would wait until they acknowledged their mistake.
It wasn’t wrong. Jurim just hadn’t wanted to admit it back then.
He’d tried yelling, whining, staying silent—all because, in his mind, if someone acts like a jerk, you can act like one too. That was the logic he clung to back then.
But his father had always just… listened. Watched. Without reaction.
— Looking back now, maybe I avoided confrontation because I didn’t know how to deal with emotions.
For Suhyeong, expressing feelings had always been hard.
— It probably felt like I was forcing my beliefs on you. But you know... I heard everything you and your brother said, every time.
“…”
— I threw myself into work so I could support whatever it was you two wanted to do.
“…”
— Whether it was sports, art, studying, or business—I wanted to be able to provide everything you might need, no matter what you chose.
He knew how harsh life could be. How many mountains you had to climb.
So as a father, he wanted to clear at least a few stones from their path.
— ...Though you two always went further than I ever expected.
No one could’ve predicted the sudden upheaval you brought. Or that you’d one day say you wanted to go to the Tower.
Jurim let out a sigh-laced chuckle. Now he understood what that “going beyond expectations” really meant.
— If I’d tried to stop you, would you have still gone to the Tower?
Jurim closed his eyes.
“…No.”
— I’ll take Guru back to the family house. Let her cool off and come get her when you’re ready.
“…Okay.”
Jurim slipped the phone into his inner pocket and returned to the conference hall.
It felt like the day he’d punched that senior and come home.
His father hadn’t said a word—just watched.
And in the end, Jurim was the one who surrendered.
Because deep down, he knew it had all been his own stubbornness.
Inside the hall, all the Korean officials were smiling now.
That was thanks to Guru.
Jurim, still frowning, tilted his head with arms crossed.
***
After spending a full day exploring Doan with Grandpa, Guru finally arrived at the main family estate—where a thick layer of snow now blanketed the ground.
She tromped across the wide garden, leaving little footprints, until a housekeeper came running out with warm clothes and a teddy bear jumpsuit sent by Chairman Nam.
They wrapped her in a scarf and helped her into the outfit.
“You’ll catch a cold, sweetie.”
“Tank yoo vewy much.”
Guru gave a deep bow. Suhyeong chuckled and thanked the staff.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I never imagined I’d meet such an adorable granddaughter.”
“Jurim’s got good taste.”
“That he does.”
Suhyeong answered with a smile, and the housekeeper grinned wide in return.
Meanwhile, Mephisto glided through the air and landed back atop Guru’s head.
“Guru, would you like to visit Chairman Nam tomorrow? He’s been very insistent about throwing you a birthday party.”
“……!”
Guru’s eyes sparkled and she nodded eagerly.
Boing boing!
“Great. I’ll set it up. Go play your heart out—I’ll be watching from here.”
“Okaay!”
Guru shot her hand up high and ran across the garden, crunching through deep snow.
She squatted down to make a snow bunny, all while replaying her grandpa’s words in her head.
‘Guru’s birthday!’
Her very own birthday party.
A huge smile spread across her face.
‘Sooo cooool!’
Would the big sisters and brothers come too?
And…
‘Will Daddy…’
Will Daddy come to Guru’s party?
Was he thinking about her right now?
For a moment, her heart turned soft and squishy like a marshmallow.
She thought about turning her phone back on—but no.
There were some things she couldn’t compromise on.
Even if it was Daddy—this time, he had to lose.
Until he came crying and begging for forgiveness, she wasn’t going to accept him.
‘Gwuu gonna be a supah Huntoh!’
No one can stop me!
Not even Daddy!