Chapter 161

"Director! Where in the world is this place?"

The kids asked, faces flushed with excitement.

Sea-ah seemed to have caught on already, but the others were just dazed by the dazzling scene the likes of which they'd never seen in their lives.

"Any of you ever heard of an amusement park?"

"An amusement park?!"

At that one word, the kids bounced up and down in a frenzy.

"I sh-shaw it on TV! They said it wash sho, sho fun!"

"Wait… are there animals here too?!"

Hard to believe these were the same kids who'd been locked in life-or-death fights at the Colosseum just days ago — their eyes now shone with a starlit anticipation.

At how completely worked up they were, the corner of my mouth turned up before I knew it.

The reason I'd brought them here was simple.

I'd wanted to give the kids a real break.

Back when we'd all gone to Han Jewoon's island together, deep down I'd been hoping the kids would rest properly.

Instead of resting, though, the kids had thrown themselves straight into training, and to make it worse, they'd been dragged out of the island a little later without ever really getting to enjoy it — because of me.

On top of that, the physical and mental exhaustion they'd taken on at Icarus this time had to be enormous.

The kids couldn't stay at the institute anyway with the remodeling and the move under way, so I figured we might as well take the chance to get some fresh air.

And…

Whoosh—

A chill wind announcing the tail end of autumn brushed by, catching at the hem of my coat.

Only about half a year… until the escape. From here on, I really have to keep my distance.

My original plan had been crystal clear.

Deliberately draw a line, get the kids to unhook their hearts from me.

Because Chae Junhyeok — Chae Ganghyeon's bloodline — was a ticking time bomb that had to be removed for the kids' sake, for their future.

But…

Standing in the cold wind, I chewed hard on the truth this whole business had driven home to me down to the bone.

Too late to play it cold and push them away.

Between us, an attachment had already taken root — deep, past cutting out — and the kids' feelings toward me were far, far sturdier than I'd expected.

If anything, every half-hearted line I tried to draw only sent them into more dangerous things behind my back.

Every time the picture of the kids fighting for their lives in a place I couldn't reach came back to me, the pit of my stomach still went cold.

Just lucky it had ended safely. If even one of them had gone wrong…

So I decided to overhaul the plan.

Instead of forcibly pushing them away, drift naturally out of sight.

Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes.

The kids who'd hung on me and sobbed on kindergarten graduation day — once they'd moved on to elementary and stopped seeing me, they'd forgotten me like nothing and adapted, bright and steady.

That kind of natural forgetting and independence — I knew what it was: a growth stage anyone had to pass through to step out into the world.

And these kids, right now, needed exactly that stage. Desperately.

The moment the resolve settled, the stone that had been sitting on my chest lifted; I felt easier.

No more forcing the cold-shoulder act in front of them.

That was why I'd brought them to the amusement park too.

Starting tomorrow I'd slowly drift away — but for this one day, no lies, no performance, just an honest heart, loving these kids with everything I had.

I shook the gloom off, light, and smiled bright.

"Right! Now let's get down to some serious playing! Let's—"

"Wait!"

"—go…?"

Just as I was gamely taking a step, a familiar voice cut in from behind.

The kids and I turned as one, and there —

"Han Jewoon?!"

"Guild Mashter!"

"Ari!"

Startled cries broke from us all at once.

Standing there was Han Jewoon in casual clothes far more relaxed than usual, black sunglasses perched with style — and Ari, in an adorable dress with a ribbon.

Behind them, of all people, stood the space-teleporter Awakened — face haggard past redemption, enormous ice bags strung to every available limb.

"Wait — how the hell did you get here…!"

At my dumbfounded shout, Han Jewoon lowered his sunglasses and grinned sly.

"Junhyeok, come on, you're hurting my feelings. Aren't we war buddies and best friends and all that? How do you come out to a fun place like this without me?"

"Best friends my ass! And aren't you busy? Oh Taejin got kidnapped and vanished — your guild has to be on max alert."

At my dig, Han Jewoon shrugged and strolled over at his ease.

"Alert nothing. A rotten tooth just fell out — I should be throwing a party. And, for the record, the fact that Oh Taejin's gone is being kept quiet on the outside."

"Kept quiet?"

"Think about it. You think Oh Taejin's people are going to broadcast it around the neighborhood — 'our chief got hauled off by some assailant while he was slumming it at an illegal fight ring'?"

Fair enough…

However cleanly their chief had vanished, his inner circle would be the last people to want it out that he'd been running in and out of an underground fight ring.

On top of that, a would-be top dog getting hauled off helplessly by another Awakened was shame enough on its own — no one on that side was going to rush to publicize the disappearance.

"Besides, right before you smashed Icarus to pieces, I got my hands on some things."

Han Jewoon slung an arm over my shoulder and dropped his voice, conspiratorial.

"Every scrap of evidence of Oh Taejin's filthy playtime there — I lifted it clean. Grip's firm now. His leftovers aren't going to breathe wrong in front of me either."

"…Damn."

A one-hundred-percent-genuine sound of admiration slipped out before I could stop it.

I'd been so busy just keeping myself upright, and in the middle of that carnage this man had set up a board where his rivals got a clean purge.

Yet again I had to give it to him — the meticulousness and decisiveness of the country's Rank One.

"So! The moment I got the top-shelf intel that you lot were playing hooky and heading to an amusement park, I bolted straight over~ Brought my Ari along, too!"

Barely had the words left his mouth when Ari, behind him, stepped out with a puffed-up pout.

"Mister, you're the worst! How could you leave me on the island and go running off to play by yourselves?!"

"A-ah. Ari, that, that was, you see…"

I was scrambling for an excuse, flustered, when —

"Whatever, fine! Just for today, I'll be extra cool and forgive you all!"

Big-hearted as if she were doing us a huge favor, Ari declared it and, without waiting for a reply, pattered off and stuck herself firmly to Sihyeok's side, where he stood placid as ever.

Watching Ari — who'd been distraught over me a moment ago — flit away to Sihyeok as if my explanation had never registered, I trailed off mid-apology, feeling faintly ridiculous.

Han Jewoon burst into his signature open laugh at the sorry sight of me and turned to the raucous kids.

"So, squirts. You lot miss the Squad Leader too?"

"Yes! Guild Mashter!"

"Your shunglasses are so cool!"

"Oh, discerning eyes on this crowd."

Unbelievable…

Not so long ago they'd bristled like they'd bite Han Jewoon on sight. When had they gotten so friendly with him.

They plotted to lock me up together twice — of course they got close…

I was standing there chewing on that absurd truth when a pitiful voice drifted into my ear.

"Um, Guild Master…"

My eyes went to just behind Han Jewoon.

The space-teleporter, hollowed out, both hands and back dripping with ice bags.

"I got you to the front of the amusement park — mind if I take off now…?"

At the pathetic ask, Han Jewoon slung an arm around his shoulders.

"Yun Gyeongha! What kind of hurtful talk is that! You've been slogging as our pack mule — of course you're playing with us! Right?"

"I-I'm honestly fine! And in my current state, if I get on any of the rides I'll a hundred percent throw—"

"Nuh-uh! Motion sickness is best cured by a stronger stimulus! Think of it as training that turns straight into blood and bone. Come on — off we go!"

The dead-white flailing plea was breezily ignored.

Han Jewoon grabbed the scruff of Yun Gyeongha's neck — ice bags and all — and, with the giddy kids in tow, strode off toward the amusement park's entrance.

I watched the cheerful shambles and let out a small laugh.

Well, they'll have to join Bawi Guild eventually anyway, so getting friendly early isn't a bad thing.

"Junhyeok, hurry up!"

"Direektuh! Come on!"

Han Jewoon and the kids, well ahead now, waved wildly, urging me on.

Hands stuffed in my coat pockets, I nodded, easy.

"All right, all right, take it slow. You'll trip."

Soon we reached the ticket booth, and the kids started rummaging through their pockets in a fluster.

"Ah — we have to buy tickets, right? I don't have any money…"

"Me nether…"

Unlike the kids, hesitating and shifting on their feet, a uniformed staff member came over with a bright smile and didn't ask about payment.

"Welcome to Joyful Island, the land of dreams and fantasy! Please hold your wrists out this way?"

She snapped hologram bracelets around the kids' and Han Jewoon's — even Yun Gyeongha's — wrists, and courteously opened the gate.

Waltzed in on a free pass without warning, the kids stepped through the gate with confused faces.

Then —

"…huh?"

Sea-ah, the first through, came to a dead stop.

The kids following, and even Han Jewoon, stopped too and looked around.

Bright music, colorful parade cars on standby, roller coasters spinning at speed.

But the thing an amusement park was supposed to have — nowhere to be seen.

"Di-Director…"

Suho, a chill running up his spine, scooted close to my side and scanned the surroundings.

"Are we sure this is right? The rides are running… so why isn't there a single person around?"

Weekday or not, apart from the smiling staff, our little group was the only crowd there.

Faces tense, kids looking up at me as if they'd just stepped into a ghost story, I let out a chuckle.

"No people around here is exactly right."

"?"

Big question marks bloomed over the kids' heads.

"I rented the whole amusement park for the day."

"…"

"…!"

For an instant, the kids' jaws dropped so far they nearly hit the floor.

"…WHAAAAAAT?!!"

"Everything you pick out and eat here today is on the house. Don't worry about anything, just play your hearts out. Got it?"

The words had barely finished leaving my mouth when the kids' faces lit up like fireworks going off.

"Yaaaaay!!! Best!!!"

"Direektuh, is it really, really all just for us? Kyaaa!"

Suho and the twins clasped hands and bounced up and down; even Sea-ah, mouth slightly open in surprise, looked around.

"It must've cost a fortune…"

"D-Director! Let's go over there first! I want to ride that!"

"Direektuh! I want the bumper carsh! Bumper carsh!"

"I want the zoo!"

I calmed down the kids — all but ready to yank the roller-coaster support pillars out of the ground with excitement — and let out an easy laugh.

"Settle down. Plenty of time, we'll ride them all, one by one."

Our first destination, the essential amusement-park stop: the gift shop.

"Woooow! Direektuh! Direektuh! Can we get everything in here?"

"Headbands! There's headbands!"

Eyes sparkling, the kids launched excitedly into trying on animal ears.

"Let's be chickies! Peep peep!"

Matching yellow chick headbands on their heads, the twins flapped both arms and did an adorable little dance.

Next to them, Suho clutched a Welsh-corgi-eared headband tight and beamed.

"I want to be… a puppy…!"

Ari, who'd fitted a panda headband on Sihyeok, plunked a cute rabbit one on her own head and prattled away in front of him, asking wasn't she just so cute.

Sea-ah looked things over seriously, tracked down a fox headband, and set it neatly on her head.

The problem was Cha Yul.

"You want me to wear one too…?"

He tried every angle to dodge, edging back — but the iron-wall defense collapsed pitifully fast.

"Oppa… you're not gonna weaw it…? Really? Are you sure?"

"Hyung… wear one with us. Please? You wear one too. I wanna wear one with hyung, I really do."

Two chicks and a Welsh corgi, huge, teary eyes tilted up at him — and Cha Yul's eyes wobbled helplessly.

In the end, letting out a deep sigh, Cha Yul pulled a black cat headband on with a resigned face.

But as I stood a step off, camera shutter clicking away furiously, his eyes flicked at me, mischievous.

"You know… don't you want the Director to wear one too? I bet it'd suit him."

"Huh?"

At that, the beasts of the kids swung their gazes onto me as one.

"Yeah, ish tru! The Direektuh hash to weaw one too!"

"Let's put one on the Director!"

Under the giggling swarm-assault, I got caught halfway through a photo and, powerless, went down.

Something plush settled onto the crown of my head, and the kids cheered, clutching their bellies.

…out of all the animals, why a chicken.

Checking the mirror, I lost all words.

A chicken headband with a red comb standing proudly upright.

Glanced sideways: at some unknown point, Kang Taemin, in a bear headband, was watching me in silence.

"Bwahaha! Junhyeok! You look like a mother hen! Suits you!"

Han Jewoon, in a lion headband with a lush mane, cackled with a hand pressed to his stomach.

And behind him…

"…"

The space-teleporter Yun Gyeongha, wearing a monkey headband, staring at nothing with dead-empty eyes.

He'd already reached full enlightenment.

Cheerful chaos over, we left the shop.

"All right, now — moving out to conquer the actual rides!"

"Moooving oouut—!!! Peep peep!"

One black cat, one Welsh corgi, and two peeping chicks — a menagerie of little animals wiggled their ears and set off in step.

Balloons in one hand, short legs pattering along in step — from behind, the deadliest, softest marshmallow squad in existence.

Down a path popping with bubbles, an adorable, boisterous day was underway.