Give the department store?

Even the Master was surprisingly good at jokes.

As I took off my eye mask and looked up at the Master, his expression seemed quite serious.

'...Really?'

He looked like he might actually give it to me if I asked.

I hurriedly held out both palms toward the Master.

"Um, you don't actually need to give it to me..."

"Hmm."

The Master nodded and entered the hotel.

Levinas blocked his path.

"We are the Thieves of Justice! Hand over your treasures!"

"...The department store?"

"Umm... Levinas wants chocolate more than a department store..."

"I have chocolate."

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

Levinas, who had been a thief just moments ago, politely held out both hands as if she'd never been anything else.

"I hereby appoint you as a Thief of Justice."

We entered the hotel while eating the chocolates the Master had given us.

In the living room, Han Yeoreum was cleaning up the messy interior.

It looked like she was cleaning because the Master had arrived.

"You came early?"

"I took a plane."

"Oh... we should have taken a plane too."

Levinas's ears perked up at the word "plane."

Not just Levinas, but the other children also showed excitement.

"Plane!"

"Are we taking a plane when we go back?!"

Tap-tap-tap-tap-

Han Yeoreum smiled at Levinas's excited foot-tapping.

Then, with a mischievous face, she asked us:

"Children, do you want to ride a plane?"

"Yes. It would be fun if we all rode a plane together."

I answered Han Yeoreum, representing the children.

She immediately reached out to me.

"Then should I let Gyeoul ride a plane first?"

"What...?"

Han Yeoreum slipped her hands under my armpits.

Then she lifted me high like I was on an amusement ride.

"Ta-da, up high like an airplane."

"Huh?"

My body rose into the air.

With nowhere to place my feet, my toes wriggled on their own.

I was probably making a face similar to Gaeul's usual expression.

"...Doesn't Gyeoul like the airplane?"

"Well, I just prefer hugs more."

"Ah, I see?"

At Han Yeoreum's warm hug, my still tail began to wag.

I rested my chin on Han Yeoreum's shoulder and asked the Master behind her:

"Master, why did you come all the way here?"

"I had some personal business."

"I see."

I shouldn't ask more about his private matters.

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

"There's something happening nearby. Want to go see?"

"What is it?"

"...Some tourism project to attract child customers?"

"Wow."

Maybe there was something fun.

Since we had nothing else to do, we decided to go together.

**

Jo Jin-young.

He was a part-timer in charge of safety management at a children's theme park.

Though it had the grand name of "theme park," it was actually just a small neighborhood park.

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

Jo Jin-young looked around, stifling a yawn.

The facility had been created by the local government to attract young tourists, but it didn't look particularly appealing to Jin-young.

'Kids these days only go to places like Caribbean Park and such.'

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

Jin-young, who only cared about making money, wasn't particularly interested.

"Ahem."

Even the local dignitary walking with his hands behind his back in the distance was of no interest to Jin-young.

Jin-young was secretly proud of his ability to remain composed even in front of powerful people.

However, that confidence crumbled moments later.

"Hello..."

A small voice from behind.

Jin-young held his breath when he turned around and saw who was standing right behind him.

It was someone that every Korean would recognize.

Kang Jinho.

When Jin-young made eye contact with the master of Yeomyeong Guild, he unconsciously lowered his gaze.

That's when he noticed the children below.

"Excuse me, is this the Sea Park?"

"Ah, ah, yes. This is the Sea Park."

Though he stumbled over his words foolishly, Jin-young wasn't embarrassed.

Even the local dignitary who had been walking with his hands behind his back had respectfully brought his hands forward.

"Um, what do we need to do to play here?"

"Just go to the ticket booth over there, buy entrance tickets, and you can play."

"I see. Thank you."

Gyeoul bowed her head slightly and ran toward the ticket booth Jin-young had pointed out.

Looking back at Kang Jinho who was following behind her, she asked:

"Uncle, are you going to play too?"

"...No, just watching."

"Okay."

The children got their tickets and ran to the park entrance.

It was a small tube park built over the seaside, with a voice recognition system as its supposedly cutting-edge technology.

"Oh no, the door won't open."

"Yeah..."

The children were knocking on the door when they turned to look at Jin-young.

Naturally, Kang Jinho's gaze also turned to Jin-young.

'Ah.'

Jin-young couldn't believe that the purpose of Kang Jinho, whose mere presence made everyone respectful, was simply to protect these children.

Of course, those children were extraordinary beast-kin.

"Th-that door opens only when you say the secret password."

"A password?"

"Yes. It's in the pamphlet they gave at the ticket booth..."

"...Oh!"

They had brought the pamphlet but hadn't looked at it.

At the very top of the pamphlet was the magic password to enter the park.

[Let's journey to the world of the sea.]

Levinas's ears perked up when she saw the password.

Her eyes showed anticipation.

"It's a magic spell! Does anyone want to try it?!"

Levinas asked the children.

Gaeul stepped forward from among them.

"Sea!"

She thrust out her chest proudly as she shouted, but unfortunately, the password was too short.

Naturally, the door remained silent and didn't open.

"Gaeul, you need to read all of it, not just the first part."

"Ing..."

Reading the whole thing was too difficult.

Gaeul's ears drooped.

The children watching began to encourage her.

"Don't be afraid! Puppy Gaeul can do it!"

"That's right, there's nothing Gaeul can't do."

"...!"

Did the children's encouragement help?

Gaeul thrust out her chest again.

Then she looked at the pamphlet and began reading one syllable at a time.

"Let's... jour...ney... to... the... wor...ld... of... the... sea."

Though she read the letters diligently with spaces between them, the door remained silent again.

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

"You read it so well this time, but it still won't open."

"Yeah! Levinas thinks this is a stupid door!"

Stomp, stomp.

Levinas stomped on the ground.

As everyone got angry for Gaeul's sake, Gaeul's eyebrows rose fiercely too.

"Stupid door! Bad! Bad!"

Hop-hop-

Gaeul jumped in front of the door, but it wouldn't open.

Just as Jin-young was about to press the manual open button, Kang Jinho, who had been watching the children from behind, said:

"You have to ask politely for it to open."

"...!"

Gaeul seemed to realize something and stepped back slightly from the door.

Then, placing her hands above her navel, she bowed politely and said:

"Please open."

Jin-young pressed the manual open button as Gaeul made her polite bow.

At last, the door opened, and Gaeul's eyes widened in surprise.

"It opened! It really opened!"

"See, it opened because Gaeul was polite."

"Heuk...!"

The children ran happily inside.

As Jin-young felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction, Kang Jinho nodded slightly to him in appreciation.

'Wow.'

That brief acknowledgment filled him with contentment.

It was a refreshing satisfaction, different from dealing with the local dignitary who only threw his weight around.

Even boring management work could become enjoyable depending on who you were dealing with.

In Jin-young's euphoric field of vision appeared the local administrator.

He was feeling anxious watching his grandson.

He was worried that his grandson might do something to offend Yeomyeong's children.

Seeing someone he had thought was a tiger now trembling with fear was also refreshing to Jin-young.

**

"Wow."

I walked around the playground built over the sea with the children.

There were slides and bridge-like equipment.

The sea playground was both similar to and very different from Yeomyeong's pool playground.

"Let's..."

Should we start with the slide?

Just as I was about to call the children who were distracted by the playground, Levinas shouted loudly to everyone:

"Everyone be careful not to fall into the sea!"

"Into the sea?"

"Yeah! There are huuuuge fish in the sea that might eat us!"

Levinas stretched her arms out wide.

At the mention of large fish, Saebyeok licked her lips.

"Would they be tasty?"

"I don't know about the taste! But we might get eaten before we can eat them, so be careful!"

The "don't fall into the sea" game began with Levinas's shout.

It was quite fun in a place with many attractions that could make you fall into the sea.

"Puppy Gaeul, keep your balance! If you fall from here, the giant fish will gobble you up!"

"Hogok!"

Gaeul walked in a straight line across the tube bridge that looked like a narrow log bridge.

It was a narrow bridge where even a slight wobble could make you fall into the sea.

"Gaeul, you can do it."

"Not far to go now."

As we were cheering for Gaeul crossing the bridge with the other children, a voice came from behind.

"Are you guys stupid?"

"Ing?"

"The water here is too shallow for fish that eat people."

When I turned around, there stood a boy who looked mischievous at first glance.

Levinas raised her eyebrows at the boy.

"No! There are thiiiiis big fish! They even eat people!"

"Where are they? I don't see any."

Pfft.

The boy jumped into the sea, covering his mouth to stifle a laugh.

Levinas reached out toward the boy in alarm.

"Come back up quickly! You'll get eaten by the giant fish!"

"I told you, the water is too shallow here for giant fish to come!"

"No, there are sharks, and I was told they would show them to me..."

By sharks, she must have meant Sophia.

Had Sophia promised to show Levinas giant fish?

Just as I was thinking that might be possible with Sophia...

SPLASH-!

A massive whale leaped out of the nearby sea.

Everyone's mouths fell open at the appearance of the apartment-sized whale, and the boy who had gone into the sea screamed.

"A-ahhh!"