Chapter 279 - Amusement Park

People in this world have surprisingly strong mental fortitude.

They calmly continue their classes even when a villain using supernatural powers appears in the neighboring district causing chaos, and they know exactly when to flee quickly when a villain shows up.

Unlike the world I came from, this world is filled with people with supernatural abilities and villains. Perhaps that's why the general public here seems adapted to most terrorist attacks. It's a world where people go to work the day after a terror attack.

...So, what I'm trying to say is this:

Despite the terrifying Moonlight Church disaster happening just a month ago, the amusement park was still packed with people.

"Wow! Oppa, unni! Let's ride this first!"

"What are you talking about? We should ride the roller coaster first."

Under the bright blue sky, this amusement park was filled with people.

Our group came here with everyone, and we were walking through the bustling crowd under the warm sunlight, contemplating what to ride first.

The place was brimming with vibrant energy from all directions.

Well, I didn't mind since I came out to get some fresh air. Everyone seemed excited too.

I quietly smiled as I watched Han Seo-eun, Choi Se-hee, and Su-bin discussing intensely where to go first while looking at the amusement park map.

...Though I wondered how people who normally fly through the sky or pilot giant robots could be so excited about amusement rides. Isn't flying through the sky yourself basically like riding a roller coaster...?

"Oppa! Let's ride this!"

"...Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Let's go, Ms. Su-bin."

"Yes, Da-in."

I went with Ms. Su-bin, who smiled and responded to me, to ride the attraction.

Fortunately, it wasn't too crowded, so the line moved quickly. We chatted with our group members while waiting in line for a few minutes.

"Oppa. Try eating this."

"Hey, look at this."

"Da-in oppa... Are you cold? Should I cast a spell for you?"

I shook my head at Eun-wol who whispered that in my ear, telling her I was fine.

...Actually, there was one problem with standing here. We were attracting too much attention.

Of course, everyone had cast recognition reduction spells so people couldn't recognize us, but we still stood out with our variety of hair colors—yellow, silver, purple—all standing together. Sometimes people would look at me strangely, though I didn't know why. There's no one as ordinary-looking as me in this group. Maybe because I'm the only guy?

Anyway, the line finally shortened, and we were able to get on the ride.

I sat next to Seo-eun on the ride.

"Waaaaaah!"

Well, it was fun.

...It was kind of funny that we villains were boldly mingling with ordinary people like this, but I guess it's okay as long as we don't get caught?

"Now, let's ride that next!"

"Sounds good!"

"Guys, can we slow down a bit...?"

I enjoyed the amusement park while being dragged around here and there.

...They all had such good stamina. Haha.

***

"Phew... Seo-eun. I'm going to rest for a bit. You guys go ahead and have fun."

"What? That's not right! We should all have fun together!"

How many hours had passed?

With their tireless energy, Choi Se-hee and Seo-eun seemed determined to ride every single attraction in the park today. After cycles of playing, eating, and playing again, my energy was completely drained.

...This is terrible. This is becoming more exhausting than dealing with terrorists. I need to rest...

"Come on, Seo-eun. Da-in overexerted himself recently and isn't feeling well. Let's let him rest for a bit."

"...Fine. I guess we have no choice."

"Thanks, Seo-eun. I'll rest briefly and catch up with you later."

"Okay, oppa. Call us later?"

After sending the five women ahead, I ordered a cup of tea and sat by the window in a café inside the amusement park.

...Spirit Lady who didn't come because it would be tiring. Now I see you had it all figured out. Is this the wisdom of ancestors?

While I was thinking about that and watching people laughing and running around outside the steamy window...

Screech.

With the sound of a chair being pulled beside me.

"Whew."

Ms. Su-bin sat down next to me very naturally, holding a mug.

"...Oh, Ms. Su-bin?"

"Yes, Da-in."

"Aren't you going on the rides?"

When I asked, she answered.

"No. I'm a bit tired too... And I thought you might be lonely by yourself."

She said with a small smile.

...As I always think, Ms. Su-bin was truly a good person.

Time flew by as we chatted, and my energy recovered somewhat. I rejoined Seo-eun and the others.

"Great! Since oppa says riding attractions is tiring, let's go there next!"

"Where?"

"The haunted house!"

"...?"

And so our next destination became the haunted house.

...Ghosts, huh. We have a ghost at home too. The Death Knight. With death right in the name. Though he's sleeping inside my ring right now.

Anyway, our next stop was the haunted house.

Since we couldn't all go in together, we split into two teams. I went with Seo-eun, Ms. Su-bin, and Eun-wol.

Following the employee's guidance, we entered a pitch-black interior where we could barely see each other's faces thanks to a single flashlight.

Some creaking sounds echoed around, and the darkness that made it impossible to see even a foot ahead created a surprisingly scary atmosphere. This place looked huge from the outside...

...I'm suddenly worried about Choi Se-hee and Seo Ja-young. What if they get startled and attack the ghosts?

"Kyaaaah! Oppa, aren't you scared?"

Meanwhile, Seo-eun was holding my right arm with both hands, saying she was scared while her face showed she was clearly enjoying herself. As expected of an engineer, she doesn't believe in superstitions. Uncle Desik would be sad to see this...

"..."

Eun-wol also looked calm. Well, she's learned magic, so ghosts probably don't scare her. Or maybe as a priestess, she's used to communicating with spirits.

Ms. Su-bin hadn't said much since we entered, but she still looked peaceful. Probably.

"Oppa, oppa. I think the concept here is an abandoned house. Look at the detailed wooden floor. Oh, a skull! Kyaah, so scary!"

"...!"

"Seo-eun... Those words would be more convincing if you weren't smiling while saying them."

I said that to Seo-eun, who was practically hugging my arm by now.

More importantly, I think Ms. Su-bin flinched slightly when Seo-eun pretended to scream earlier...

I continued walking, relying on the flashlight's beam.

And finally.

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

The first ghost appeared suddenly from behind that closet.

A woman dressed in white cloth like Eun-wol's priestess outfit, with her hands raised and black hair hanging down, running toward us.

"Kyaaaah~ Oppa, let's run away!"

Seeing this, Seo-eun pretended to be surprised and screamed while running in the opposite direction. She seemed to find this situation very amusing.

...I actually thought my heart would drop, but I'll keep that a secret. I mean, I thought that closet was just a prop—why did it actually open?

We fled toward the helpfully marked arrows and soon confirmed that the ghost—or more accurately, the part-timer in ghost costume—was no longer chasing us, so we paused for a moment.

"Wow. Oppa, it's scary but fun! Let's keep going!"

Seo-eun's eyes were now sparkling as she spoke.

Eun-wol was also quietly smiling, seemingly happy just seeing Seo-eun excited.

"It might get scarier as we go deeper, so be careful. You know not to throw bombs when startled by ghosts, right?"

"Huh? I'm fine... Then you know not to use magic, right?"

Watching the two girls chatting happily as they moved forward, I smiled.

It's good to see them enjoying themselves. Is this what they call the twenties, when even rolling leaves can make you burst into laughter?

"Ms. Su-bin. Shall we go too?"

I turned to Ms. Su-bin as I said that.

"...Ah. Yes, let's go."

She answered belatedly to my words.

And her expression was...

"Um... Ms. Su-bin. Are you okay?"

"What? Oh, I'm completely fine. Da-in, let's hurry."

She was smiling, but her face seemed to have lost some color. She appeared to be sweating a bit too.

...She must be scared.

Still, seeing how she insisted she was fine and urged me to move forward, she probably didn't want to admit it. This side of Ms. Su-bin was a bit different.

Alright. Let's go together for now.

I went deeper into the haunted house with her.

"Graaaah!!!"

"Eeeeeek!"

"My leg... Give me back my leeeeg!!!"

More and more ghosts appeared as we went deeper. Since this was a paid attraction inside the amusement park, it had an impressive amount of content. Ghosts seemed to be multiplying.

Though I was startled at first, I gradually got used to it, and now I wanted to applaud the part-timers for their dedication. Seo-eun and Eun-wol had already excitedly disappeared ahead.

...But it seemed I was the only one who had adapted.

"Um... Da-in."

"Yes?"

After we encountered the fourth ghost.

Ms. Su-bin, who had been quietly following behind me, called out.

Then, she lightly grabbed the hem of my clothes.

"...Let's go together."

And as she said that.

She looked like she was about to cry.

...She must have been really scared.

"Yes. Let's go together."

I smiled brightly at her and walked closer to her side than before.

...Though her ears turned red from embarrassment, she still held onto my clothes with one hand.

...But somehow I have a bad feeling the more fun we have, though it's probably just my imagination.

***

"..."

At that moment.

Stardust was tapping her fingers on the desk, feeling troubled.

...Something, something felt ominous.

She felt like she needed to take action.