Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Dreamland Full of Childlike Innocence (2)
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A crowded amusement park.
Was it because summer vacation was drawing to a close?
It felt like a last spurt, with tons of people flocking to the park.
"So many humans!"
"Guess we'll have to wait in line."
With this many people, even getting in was no easy feat.
I took Hwayeon's hand and got in line.
"Ughhh..."
About five minutes in.
Hwayeon suddenly started groaning.
Was she feeling unwell somewhere?
"Hwayeon, what's wrong? You hurt?"
"Yeah, it hurts...!! My chest hurts...!"
Hwayeon was suddenly clutching at her chest in pain.
She pointed ahead and said.
"It's so stuffy...!! How long do we have to wait...!! I can't take it...!!"
"..."
She was just impatient about the line.
'This impatient little dragon.'
I couldn't help but chuckle as I placed my hand on Hwayeon's head.
"Just hang in there. We'll be in soon."
"Grrr...!!"
"You can't even handle this, and you wanna be a great dragon someday?"
"...!!"
She froze.
Looks like she still wanted to be a great dragon after all.
"Our turn now. Let's go in."
"...Okay!"
We waited just a bit longer in line.
Finally, Hwayeon and I entered Dreamland.
The moment we stepped inside, Hwayeon let out a gasp of awe.
"Wow! Dad! Look, those rabbits are holding balloons!"
"Want one?"
"Yeah!"
Wow—
Hwayeon kept exclaiming in delight as she headed toward the rabbits.
Her reaction made me feel like bringing her to the amusement park was the right call.
"One balloon, please."
I bought one for Hwayeon and handed it right over.
"Here, your balloon."
"Balloon! Awesome!"
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
Hwayeon took the balloon from me and gripped it tight.
"Hya!"
Pop—!
"..."
She immediately squeezed it too hard and burst it.
'...What?'
Why ask for one if she was just gonna pop it?
I asked, utterly baffled.
"Hwayeon."
"Yeah?"
"Why'd you ask for a balloon if you were just gonna pop it?"
She answered matter-of-factly.
"'Cause obviously I wanted it to pop! I just wanted to burst a balloon!"
"..."
So popping it was the goal from the start.
Classic destructive Hwayeon behavior.
I took her hand and headed toward the rides.
"We've got plenty of time before the Game Ranger event, so let's hit some rides."
"Rides? What rides?!"
Rides we could do together.
Rides that dopamine-loving Hwayeon would enjoy.
What to pick?
'Hmm, I wonder if Hwayeon can handle that one?'
One ride immediately came to mind.
"Let's go, Hwayeon."
"What is it? What are we riding?!"
She was bursting with curiosity.
I decided to tell her our destination.
"The roller coaster."
"What's that?!"
"Something super fast."
You have to ride the roller coaster at an amusement park.
With that, I led Hwayeon toward it.
***
Hwayeon's first ride experience.
A roller coaster, no less.
And it was a total success.
"This is so fun—!! Woo-hoo—!!"
Hwayeon thrust both arms up toward the sky, whooping with joy.
She seemed to love the speed and twists.
"Urghhh..."
Meanwhile, I felt like I was dying.
'Why do people ride these things...? I just don't get it...'
I was dizzy as hell.
Hwayeon had a blast on the roller coaster.
I ended up half-dead.
"This is awesome, Dad! Let's do it again!"
"A-again...?"
"Yeah! I wanna go more! This is great! Weak Dad! Hurry up!"
"C-can you put me down first...? Hwayeon...?"
"Let's gooo!!"
In the end.
I got dragged by the hand into another roller coaster ride.
'Why is she so strong...?'
It didn't look great, me being pulled along by my daughter.
But her strength was no joke, so I didn't resist.
I didn't really want to fight her seriously anyway.
And so.
"Urghhh..."
"Ha! Dad's such a wimp! What's so hard about this?!"
After being forced onto another ride.
I slumped onto a bench to catch my breath.
"What're you doing, Dad? I wanna ride that one too!"
Of course, Hwayeon was perfectly fine.
She even seemed more energized than before.
'Why does she get more hyped after rides...?'
Guess the difference between dragons and humans is just too vast.
Feeling the species gap, I dragged myself to my feet.
"Alright, let's go..."
"That one! The one that goes way up and then zooms down! I wanna ride it!"
And so.
I got dragged by the hand to yet another ride.
'Is this the difference between adults and kids?'
I was dying.
But Hwayeon was even more thrilled after the rides.
No wonder kids go crazy for amusement parks.
***
After getting dragged around by ride-obsessed Hwayeon for three more rides.
We grabbed a simple meal at a nearby restaurant.
Fortunately, the food was pretty standard.
The prices, though—probably jacked up by kids' innocence.
Downright evil.
'They destroy adults' innocence to protect kids'.'
With Hwayeon ordering way too much delivery while I was gone, our funds had taken a hit.
I'd have to hustle after vacation ended.
"All done eating, so shall we head out?"
"Yeah! Let's go see Game Ranger!"
Game Ranger event time.
For the Game Ranger show Hwayeon wanted to see.
I took her hand and headed to the event area.
"Hwayeon."
"Yeah?"
"But why do you like Game Ranger so much?"
What was behind Hwayeon's love for Game Ranger?
She snorted and replied.
"Hmph, isn't it obvious? Game Ranger's cool! They save worthless humans! Total hero of heroes!"
"Dad's a hero too."
"You're just the beard monster uncle at home! What hero? Don't get cocky just 'cause you look better after molting!"
"..."
Hwayeon was hitting Dad where it hurts.
I secretly wiped away a tear.
As we chatted lightly on the way.
"There's the event stage."
"Game Ranger!"
We spotted the Game Rangers on the event stage.
Hwayeon dashed forward, face full of excitement.
"Game Ranger! I'm gonna see 'em up close!"
"Hey, Hwayeon! I said don't let go of my hand and run off!"
Sigh—
I sighed and chased after her.
Hwayeon was on tiptoes, staring at the stage.
"Yi Hwayeon!"
"Dad! There's Game Ranger Red over there! He's the leader of leaders that I, Yi Hwayeon, approve of!"
She pointed at Game Ranger Red.
'Whoa, nice build.'
Did they hire a former hero or something?
Even in that tight suit, his muscles stood out sharply.
Which made me wonder.
"And Pink...!?"
What about the sole female member, Pink?
I desperately scanned for Pink.
But Hwayeon wouldn't stand for it.
"You're an adult, Dad! No peeking! Dragon Claw!"
"Aaah—! My eyes—!"
Sneaky, poking Dad's eyes.
Every time I tried focusing on Pink, Hwayeon's interference came.
So I had no choice but to stop ogling Pink.
"What a shame..."
"Hmph, what's there to regret!"
Under Hwayeon's control.
I quietly watched the event with her.
The Game Ranger show was mostly like a play.
One kid gets "kidnapped" by a villain in a monster mask.
Then the heroes—Red, Blue, Green, etc.—show up, beat the villain.
To adults, it was predictable, simple WWE fare.
'...But.'
The kids went wild for this straightforward hero-vs-villain tale.
"Wow! Go, Red!"
Even Hwayeon, my little Red Dragon riding high on my shoulders.
Was losing it over this basic story.
I set her down from my shoulders and asked.
"Fun meeting Game Ranger?"
"Yeah! Seeing them for real was great! And so—"
"Uh-oh..."
I had a bad feeling about what came next.
Sure enough.
Hwayeon, all hyped up, said to me.
"I'm gonna go meet Game Ranger!"
"What?"
"I'll be right back! Wait here, Dad!"
She said what I should've.
"Hey, you!"
Whoosh—!
She bolted off to meet Game Ranger.
All alone in this huge Dreamland.
"Argh, I told you not to let go of my hand."
That troublemaker.
I ran after Hwayeon, who'd vanished into the crowd.
'But what if she sees them out of costume? Her innocence shattered—what then?'
Worried for Hwayeon who'd lose her Game Ranger illusion.
I chased after my about-to-get-lost daughter.