Why is Nayeon unnie here?

It was strange, but—

Anyway, I’m happy to see her!

Should she add Nayeon unnie to the mission too?

As Guru cheerfully approached Nayeon to greet her, Gidan swiftly intercepted her.

Um?

“Wait a moment.”

He signaled with his eyes, hastily scooped Guru up by her waist, and hurried into the garden. He then placed Guru onto a bench.

Why is he acting like this? Gwuu just wanted to say hi to Nayeon unnie...

Gidan paced anxiously back and forth in front of Guru, then suddenly stopped and murmured softly,

“...Could it really be Nayeon noona?”

“Um? Wha ish?”

“You know... that Daughter Lady.”

“Gasp!”

Guru clasped her hands over her mouth.

Speechless, she listened as Gidan spoke with a grave expression,

“Nayeon noona’s family is definitely a good match.”

Nayeon was, after all, the only daughter of a prominent business family.

“She’s wealthy, pretty, young, and an only daughter...”

As Gidan listed off each suspicious factor, Guru swallowed nervously.

“D-den, da Daughter Lady... ish Nayeon unnie?!”

Gidan trembled slightly as he nodded in affirmation.

Gyaaaah! Guru barely managed to stop herself from shrieking by tightly covering her mouth again.

But Gidan was equally panicked.

“Wh-wh-whad do we do now?”

“C-cawm down! C-cawm down, Dani.”

Gidan’s face had gone pale as he forced himself to calm down.

“O-okay!”

Ironically, Gidan himself was the least composed.

“Nayeon noona and Hyung? But they... they’re family, aren’t they? They’re both Hyeonak!”

Guru’s face soon turned bright red as well.

Nayeon unnie might become Mama?!

My heart’s gonna explode!

Guru clutched her chest and staggered.

I gotta get to Serhi Oppaw!

But before she could even reach Serhi, she’d encountered a massive obstacle!

As the two flailed around in excitement like freshly caught fish, Guru stumbled into someone.

“S-sowwy!”

A woman with an expressionless face stared closely at Guru. Guru, captivated, stared back into her pitch-black eyes, unable to distinguish her iris from the pupil.

So black. Ish fascinating.

The woman eventually responded flatly,

“It’s fine.”

Guru smiled bashfully at her. She’s nice!

Facing Guru’s innocent smile, a faint blush briefly colored the woman’s pale face, quickly fading back into gloom.

“......”

After hesitating briefly, the woman suddenly poked Guru’s soft, chubby cheek.

“...!”

Cold!

The chill was startling.

Guru shivered slightly, and the woman hastily withdrew her hand.

By then, Gidan had already stepped defensively in front of Guru and spoke sharply,

“Please don’t touch the child so casually, noona.”

“Ah... Ah.”

The woman lowered her eyes. Though her expression showed little emotion, Guru sensed a subtle embarrassment.

“I apologize...”

Despite her icy demeanor, she appeared genuinely flustered and bowed deeply.

Her speech was fluent, yet accented—clearly foreign.

Foreigner?

Judging from her appearance, she was likely from a country near Korea.

“Guru, let me see your face.”

“Um? It’sh okay, weawwy...”

Ignoring Guru’s protests, Gidan checked her cheek. Meanwhile, the woman clenched the fist she had used to poke Guru, turned abruptly, and walked swiftly away.

Guru clasped her hands together, staring at the woman’s retreating figure.

Her expression and touch had been cold, but—

She wasn’t dangerous.

Because...

Ding!

[Prospective Caregiver Detected. Increase attachment points to complete [Caregiver Registration].]

This popped up!

Um, it’s been a long time since I saw this...

Guru stroked her chin thoughtfully as she viewed the popup window. Lately, she hadn’t seen these caregiver registration alerts at all.

That was understandable, considering how few S-Ranks existed...

Ah!

Wait, then...

Dat unnie... ish S-Wank?!

“Are you really alright?”

Observing Guru’s rapidly shifting expressions, Gidan asked again worriedly.

“Yep yep! Gwuu ish fine.”

This wasn’t the time to space out again!

“Oppaw, Gwuu ish hungwy.”

“Oh, what do you want to eat?”

Gidan unfolded the guide map, checking the resort’s various establishments.

Since it was an ultra-luxurious resort, numerous shops were available.

Guru pointed to one spot on the guide map and, hiding a mischievous smile, said,

“Gwuu wanna go hewe!”

***

Inside the spacious lounge.

Carrying a tray dressed as a waiter, Serhi tugged irritably at his suffocating bowtie.

A mascot suit, waiter’s uniform... even contact lenses to hide his distinctive eye color.

This is getting ridiculous.

Serhi suppressed his growing annoyance.

—This tie’s fucking uncomfortable.

—I’m sorry. Please bear with it a little longer, Serhi.

It was Jin Siwon.

Brows knitted, Serhi sighed deeply. He knew deep down the mascot suit and bowtie weren’t the real issues.

The more twisted these tangled human relationships became, the more exhausting they felt.

From Jin Siwon to Gidan...

Reflecting back, Serhi had always created problems, never solved them.

Unable to find amicable solutions, he often reacted defensively or aggressively.

This time, as usual, he raised his guard, asking sharply,

—Why are you answering? Where’s Yoon Arin?

—We switched briefly. Any sign of the target?

—Not yet.

Three days had passed since the Management Bureau’s Special Investigations Division, aided by Infinity Wave CEO Allen Kravis and intel from Shin Corps, arrived on Jeju Island.

Things had remained quiet; perhaps the main deal had yet to commence.

Information gleaned from Shin Corps and Allen indicated monster trafficking would coincide with Infinity Wave’s product launch. Participants would browse items on provided tablets, make payments, and await delivery.

However, this time, there was one particularly large merchandise expected to physically arrive on Jeju.

The Special Investigations Division’s objective was locating this monster or catching a tablet transaction.

This case had to be solved at all costs.

Serhi suddenly recalled the photo Allen had shown them.

Irina.

The picture showed Irina standing next to Zachary McLaren, Infinity Wave’s co-CEO.

This trafficking was undoubtedly linked to Gnosis.

As Serhi clenched his fist, suppressing his surging mana, a voice interrupted him.

“Hey, brown hair. Come here.”

A drunkard?

The middle-aged man arrogantly beckoned with his finger.

—Serhi... should I come over?

Having overheard, Jin Siwon asked anxiously.

—Forget it.

Serhi replied coldly, approaching the man.

“Yes.”

Jang Hyeonmin, head of a distribution company dominating domestic «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» silver-light grass logistics, eyed Serhi up and down while chugging alcohol.

He’d hoped to profit immensely from the recent silver-light grass crisis but was foiled by some eccentric brat called Zab-so or something.

Public anger intensified further when the media accused his company of deliberately hoarding supplies. Political parties seized the moment, proposing strict regulations.

Even lobbying wouldn’t help now; his prospects were bleak.

Frustrated, he crashed this event uninvited, only to be avoided by everyone.

Infuriated, he’d resorted to heavy drinking.

Damn it!

Veins bulging, he glared at the waiter.

Seeing the refined, neatly styled brown-haired boy, anger flared anew.

Pretty boys everywhere, damn it.

Clenching his teeth, Jang roughly grabbed champagne from Serhi’s tray, swallowed a mouthful, and poured the rest over Serhi’s head.

“Hey, you call this shit alcohol?”