chapter_0486

486 – Sea Playground

486 – Sea Playground

“You’re giving us a department store?”

The Master surprisingly has a good sense of humor.

As I looked up at the Master while taking off my blindfold, his expression seemed quite serious.

“…Really?”

He looked as if he might actually give it to us if I asked.

I hurriedly extended both my palms toward the Master.

“B-but you really don’t have to give it to us…”

“Hmm.”

The Master nodded and entered the hotel.

At that moment, Levinas blocked the Master’s path.

“We are the righteous bandits! Hand over the precious item!”

“…Department store?”

“Um… Levinas wants chocolate more than a department store…”

“I have chocolate.”

The Master pulled out enough chocolate for all of us from his pocket.

Levinas, who had been a bandit, politely extended both hands as if to say he had never done such a thing.

“I hereby appoint you as a righteous bandit.”

We entered the hotel while eating the chocolate the Master gave us.

In the living room, Hanyeoreum was cleaning up the messy interior.

It looked like the Master had come to help with the cleaning.

“You came early?”

“I took a plane.”

“Oh… We should have taken a plane too.”

At the mention of a plane, Levinas perked up his ears.

Not just Levinas, but the other kids were also showing excitement.

“Plane!”

“Are we taking a plane when we go back?!”

Thump thump thump—

Hanyeoreum chuckled at Levinas’s excited footsteps.

With a playful expression, she asked us, “Hey kids, do you want to ride a plane?”

“Yes. I think it would be fun if we all rode a plane together.”

I answered on behalf of the kids.

Then she suddenly reached out her hand toward me.

“Then should I let Gyeoul ride the plane first?”

“Y-yes…?”

Hanyeoreum slipped her hand under my armpit.

Then she lifted me up as if putting me on a ride.

“Ta-da, the plane is high high.”

“Huh?”

My body floated in the air.

As the ground disappeared beneath my feet, my toes began to wiggle on their own.

I might have had an expression similar to Gaeul’s usual one.

“…Is Gyeoul’s plane not fun?”

“Well, I just like hugs more.”

“Oh, I see?”

With Hanyeoreum’s warm hug, my tail, which had been still, began to sway.

I rested my chin on Hanyeoreum’s shoulder and asked the Master, who was behind us, “Master, but what brings you here?”

“I have a personal matter to attend to.”

“I see.”

I shouldn’t ask more about his personal matters.

As I nodded, the Master pointed toward the front door with his thumb.

“Do you want to go check out something happening nearby?”

“What is it?”

“…A tourism project to attract child customers?”

“Wow.”

I wondered if there would be something fun.

Since we had nothing to do right away, we decided to go together.

**

Jo Jin-young.

He was a part-time worker responsible for safety management at a children’s theme park.

Though it had a grand name, it was actually just a small neighborhood park.

If there was anything special about it, it was that it utilized the sea?

Jo Jin-young yawned and looked around.

He heard that the facility was created by the local government to attract young tourists, but it didn’t seem particularly appealing to him.

“These days, kids only go to places like Caribbean Park or whatever.”

As a result, the theme park had become a playground for local kids.

For Jo Jin-young, who only needed to make money, it was not something he was particularly interested in.

“Ahem.”

The local dignitary walking around with his hands behind his back was also of no concern to Jo Jin-young.

He felt a quiet pride in being able to stand calmly even in front of those in power.

However, that feeling quickly crumbled.

“Hello…”

A small voice came from behind.

When Jo Jin-young turned around, he held his breath for a moment.

Standing right behind him was someone who no one in South Korea could possibly not know.

Kang Jinho.

As Jo Jin-young made eye contact with the master of dawn, he unconsciously lowered his gaze.

Then he noticed the kids below.

“Excuse me, is this the Sea Park?”

“Ah, yes. This is indeed the Sea Park.”

He stammered foolishly, but Jo Jin-young felt no shame.

The local dignitary, who had been walking around with his hands behind his back, also clasped his hands politely in front of him.

“Um, how do we play here?”

“Just buy an entrance ticket at the ticket booth over there and you can play.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

Gyeoul, who bowed her head, ran toward the ticket booth that Jo Jin-young had pointed out.

As she turned to look back at Kang Jinho following her, she asked, “Are you going to play too, sir?”

“…No, just watching.”

“Okay.”

The kids took their tickets and ran toward the entrance of the park.

The small tube park built over the sea was equipped with a kind of cutting-edge technology called voice recognition.

“Wanga, the door won’t open.”

“Right…”

The kids knocking on the door turned to look at Jo Jin-young.

Naturally, Kang Jinho’s gaze also turned toward Jo Jin-young.

‘Ah.’

Jo Jin-young couldn’t believe that Kang Jinho’s purpose in making everyone polite just by standing there was merely to protect the kids.

Of course, those kids were extraordinary beings known as Beastmen.

“Um, um, it’s a secret spell that opens the door.”

“A spell?”

“Yes. It’s written in the pamphlet given at the ticket booth…”

“…Ah!”

The pamphlet that was handed out but only brought along.

At the very top of that pamphlet was the magical spell that would allow entry into the park.

[Let’s set sail to the world of the sea.]

Levinas’s ears perked up at the sight of the spell.

He looked as if he was expecting something.

“It’s a magical spell! Is there anyone who wants to try casting it?!”

Levinas asked the kids.

Then Gaeul stepped forward from among the children.

“Floor!”

She boldly puffed out her chest and shouted, but unfortunately, the spell was too short.

Naturally, the door remained silent and did not open.

“Gaeul, you have to read the whole thing, not just the front.”

“Ugh…”

Reading the whole thing was too difficult.

Gaeul’s ears drooped.

Watching this, the other kids began to cheer her on.

“Don’t be scared! Gaeul can do it!”

“That’s right, Gaeul can do anything.”

“······!”

Could it be that the kids’ encouragement gave her strength?

Gaeul puffed out her chest again.

Then she began to read the pamphlet slowly, one letter at a time.

“Floor… is… shasa… run away…”

She read the words carefully, but again, the door remained silent.

Jo Jin-young could see Gaeul’s eyebrows drooping in disappointment.

“I read it really well this time, but it won’t open.”

“Yeah! To Levinas, this is a stupid door!”

Thump thump.

Levinas stomped his feet on the ground.

As everyone got angry for Gaeul, her eyebrows furrowed fiercely.

“Reverse! Spell! Spell!”

Jumping up and down—

Gaeul hopped in front of the door, but the door did not open.

Just as Jo Jin-young hurried to press the manual opening device, Kang Jinho, who had been watching the kids from behind, spoke up.

“You have to say it politely for it to open.”

“······!”

Realizing something, Gaeul stepped back slightly from the door.

Then she placed her hand on her belly, bowed politely, and said, “Excuse me.”

At the same time as Gaeul’s belly bow, Jo Jin-young pressed the manual opening device.

Finally, the door opened, and Gaeul’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yay! It opened!”

“See, it opened because Gaeul was polite.”

“Wow…!”

The kids joyfully dashed inside.

As Jo Jin-young felt an inexplicable sense of pride, Kang Jinho lightly bowed his head and greeted him.

‘Wow.’

A brief greeting filled him with satisfaction.

It was a refreshing sense of fulfillment, different from dealing with local dignitaries who only threw their weight around.

Even tedious management tasks could become enjoyable depending on whom one was dealing with.

As Jo Jin-young felt a sense of ecstasy, he noticed the local official.

He was feeling anxious as he watched his grandchild.

He was worried that something terrible might happen to the children of dawn.

The sight of someone he thought was a tiger looking frightened was also refreshing to Jo Jin-young.

**

“Wow.”

I wandered around the playground built over the sea with the kids.

There were slides and equipment like stepping stones.

The sea playground was similar yet vastly different from the dawn’s swimming pool playground.

“Let’s…”

Should we start with the slide?

Just as I was about to call the kids, Levinas shouted loudly to everyone.

“Everyone, be careful not to fall into the sea!”

“Into the sea?”

“Yes! There are fish as big as this that might eat us!”

Levinas stretched his arms wide.

The mention of a large fish made Saebyeok lick her lips.

“I wonder if it would be tasty?”

“I don’t know if it tastes good! But be careful, or you might get eaten before you can eat it!”

The game of not falling into the sea began with Levinas’s shout.

It was quite a fun game in a place filled with equipment that could make you fall into the sea.

“Gaeul, keep your balance! If you fall here, a giant fish will gobble you up!”

“Ahh!”

Gaeul walked carefully across a narrow tube bridge that resembled a tightrope.

It was a narrow bridge that would make anyone fall into the sea with just a slight wobble.

“Gaeul, you can do it.”

“Not much left.”

As I cheered for Gaeul crossing the bridge with the other kids, a voice came from behind.

“Are you guys stupid?”

“Huh?”

“This water is shallow, so the fish that eat people can’t live here.”

When I turned around, I saw a boy who looked mischievous.

Levinas raised his eyebrows at the boy.

“No! There are fish as big as this! They eat people!”

“Where are they? I can’t see them.”

Pfft.

The boy laughed, covering his mouth, and jumped into the sea.

Levinas reached out his hand toward the boy in surprise.

“Come back quickly! You’ll get eaten by the giant fish!”

“The water is shallow here, so the giant fish can’t come!”

“That’s not true! They said there are real sharks!”

If he was talking about a shark, he must be referring to Sophia.

Did Sophia decide to show Levinas a giant fish?

Just as I was thinking that it might be possible with Sophia—

Splash!

A gigantic whale leaped out of the water nearby.

Everyone’s mouths dropped open at the sight of the whale the size of an apartment, and the boy who had jumped into the sea screamed.

“Ah, ahhh!”