[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
It wasn't as hot outside as I thought. Compared to the morning, there was a breeze, and perhaps because it was surrounded by a lake, it was much cooler. In some ways, the weather was actually better than indoors.
Whether we just timed it right or it was always like this, I regretted not coming out sooner.
After getting off the monorail, we looked around to see what we should ride next.
Maybe because it was an outdoor facility, there were many rides that couldn't be built indoors. There were plenty of large, thrilling, and fun attractions like the Gyro Drop, Gyro Swing, and Atlantis.
"What should we ride first? I feel like anything would be fun."
"Isn't that the first thing you have to ride when you come here?"
Sion said, pointing to a corner over there. There was a facility set up that looked like a house made of candy.
I know what it is since I rode it when I was a kid. I had a lot of fun riding it back then.
"Fantasy Dream?!"
"Do you dislike it?"
"No, it's nice to reminisce about the old days for a change. It's just nice to look at."
We entered through the entrance that looked like a house made of candy and went underground.
Fantasy Dream is a dark ride type of attraction, similar to Sinbad's Adventure or the Jungle Exploration Boat. The only difference is that while the previous two focus on the feeling of adventure, Fantasy Dream is themed around childhood innocence.
As you can tell from the entrance facility, it's not just a house made of candy; the main features are animatronics like animals that could come out of a fairy tale or sweets with human faces.
"I have to hand it to my wife for being such a kid."
"........."
"Ugh?! Ugh?! It hurts!? It hurts, okay!? Don't hit me while coating your hand in a gravity field! That actually hurts!"
My Force Field boasts zero defense when it comes to Sion. That's how much absolute trust I have in her.
But if she hits me while coating her hand in a gravity field on top of that, even I'm going to feel it. Ugh, my stomach...
"There aren't as many people as I thought."
"It's just right."
After the rotation went around a couple of times, it was our turn. We went inside and sat in a seat somewhere in the middle. It's not like this is a high-speed ride or anything, so it doesn't matter where you sit.
As the attraction passed through the clown's mouth and started, we entered the Fantasy Dream set in earnest. The dark passageway with circular lights gave the feeling of passing through a tunnel, which was quite a sight.
Inside, various animatronics welcomed us. Lollipops with faces on them were standard, and there was a place that looked like Santa Claus's toy factory, as well as a forest and a dragon.
"A house made of candy... I wanted to see something like that back in the day."
"Isn't there a witch who can do that?"
"Who? Oh, Gil-hyun's friend? Forget it, we aren't on that good of terms, so I don't want to ask for a favor like that."
"They might think differently on that side. You should try to get along with your relatives."
"I'll do that when you start getting along with your cousin."
"........."
"Ah, ah, ah?! It hurts, I said?!"
I got hit again by Sion's hand, which was coated in a gravity field. No, I was just saying the truth! Ah, was it a "get-hit-worthy" truth?
Since it wasn't a high-speed ride, it took about 10 minutes to go around once. Just as we returned and were about to head to the exit, Sion was staring blankly at the decorative fake gold coins scattered on the floor below.
"Why?"
"Back in the day, I thought those were gold coin chocolates and wanted to take one."
"True, considering the attraction, it was highly likely they were gold coin chocolates rather than real gold coins. You had a time when you were full of childhood innocence, too."
"I am always full of childhood innocence."
"You weren't like that in bed."
We took the escalator located at the exit and came back up to the ground. Now it was time to ride some thrilling rides in earnest.
I pondered over what to ride. We'd probably have to leave before it got too late because of our restaurant reservation. Considering that, it was ambiguous whether we could ride everything, and it looked like we could ride at best two or three more.
In that case, I had to choose wisely.
"First off, let's skip the Gyro Drop."
"Why are we skipping that?"
"...Are you really saying that after hitting me with a gravity field earlier? I'm sick of feeling thrills through gravity, so let's ride something else. At the very least, the Gyro Swing would be better."
"Then how about that?"
Sion pointed to the far end with her chin. There, something similar to a roller coaster rail was laid out, and people riding the vehicles, which were moving faster than other rides, were screaming.
Atlantis! I almost cried when I rode that with my friends in middle school! Seriously, what kind of ride accelerates from the very beginning and hits top speed right away!
"That's fun. But it looks like it'll take a while, are you okay with that?"
"It doesn't matter. Isn't it fun to ride something like that at least once?"
"Even if it takes some time, something like that is better. I guarantee it'll be fun."
We walked to find the very end of the Atlantis queue. It was such a popular facility that the line stretched not just in front of the attraction but all the way to other attractions, so I clicked my tongue at the sight of the long line of people.
"But isn't it a bit noisy over there?"
"What? That?"
Over there, in one corner, I saw people gathered even though it wasn't an attraction. It didn't look like a waiting line, but rather people gathered in a circle to watch something.
Usually, the parades here are held indoors, so there shouldn't be anything worth watching like that outside. What is it?
"I saw earlier, it must be from a broadcasting station. I saw them carrying cameras."
"What, how did you know? I didn't see it."
"They must have had them in their bags, so you didn't see them."
I'm not omnipotent, and I don't have clairvoyance, so if you ask me to figure out what's hidden without using my Ki sense, I can't. In comparison, Sion can detect any electronic device.
Roughly speaking, Sion is quick at detecting electronic devices, and I'm quick at detecting living things. Sion has a hard time figuring out where things are if there isn't a single CCTV around, but conversely, I can't even tell how many cell phones are around me. Biological sensing and electronic device sensing are different systems, after all.
While watching what they were filming, I noticed someone running towards us in a hurry from over there.
"E-excuse me!!"
".......?"
".......Who are you?"
Sion had been ignoring them, but she answered reluctantly when it was clear they were looking for her.
I subtly clenched my fist. It's easy enough to chase away a guy trying to hit on her, but people working in broadcasting, whether good or bad, are persistent.
The middle-aged man with glasses wiped away his dripping sweat, caught his breath, and once he seemed to have calmed down, he started spouting his nonsense.
"Ah! You speak Korean well! That's even better! I'm Jin Yong-seok, the PD for 'We Live Together'. We're filming right in front of here, and if it's alright with you..."
"No thanks."
Sion refused firmly. But the other party didn't care about the refusal and started pestering her again.
"Don't be like that, why don't you appear on the show? A beauty like you would become incredibly famous just by appearing on TV once. Ah, are you signed to a modeling agency, so you're not allowed to appear in media?"
"That's not it, I just don't want to."
"Our program isn't super famous, but it has a decent amount of recognition. Don't you want to become famous? I'll bet my career as a PD on it, you'll definitely blow up. So..."
"I"
Sion said, looking at him coldly.
It was so blunt and cold that not just me, but anyone else could tell from her icy gaze. And hidden behind that was a quiet anger.
"I clearly said I refuse. This is your last warning."
".......Understood."
Only then did the man who introduced himself as PD Jin Yong-seok stop pestering her and finally returned to where they were originally filming.
It's fortunate that he left just by being told. Occasionally, there are people among that type who don't listen even when you tell them. Considering that, we got rid of him easier than I thought.
"Ruined the mood. Still, I'm glad he gave up easily."
"It's better than before. At least he didn't approach us to do anything weird, right?"
"That guy from earlier or this broadcasting worker. They're all the same."
We went back to chatting and waited for our turn. It seemed like it would take at least another hour before we could ride, but since I was talking with Sion, there was no time to be bored.
However, PD Jin Yong-seok hadn't given up.
".....Huh?"
People surrounded by the crowd started coming this way. The people being filmed by the camera were two men, and their faces looked familiar.
No matter how little interest I have in celebrities, I remembered the people I saw in the military. Those two were a two-man male singer group. Both of them are Force Users.
Since Gaia Force automatically assists the physical abilities of Force Users, the moment they awaken, their appearance and physique slowly change.
Baek-ri was decent looking to begin with, but now that he's awakened as a Force User, he's at the point where female customers often ask to exchange phone numbers, so it must be even more so for people who were already handsome.
With physical conditions superior to ordinary people and being handsome, it's natural for them to be popular. I remember them as celebrities who were quite popular with both men and women, since they could cover their singing ability with more practice.
...It's nothing else, but one of my seniors in the same [Dormitory] used to play their songs every morning.
Huh? Wait a second, now that I think about it, their group name is...
"'We Live Together', was it? I remember that program as a variety show that shows the daily lives of celebrities from the same group living together in one accommodation."
"No wonder there were so many people."
Considering they'd be filming a broadcast with crowds flocking, I could understand why they came out of the blue, as it's better to come secretly without spreading rumors, but our timing was bad. Putting other things aside, the fact that the camera was pointed this way was even worse.
"Wow! That looks fun! Atlantis! Chang-hyuk, have you ridden that?"
"I can't ride scary things! Let's ride something else, something else!"
"If you come to an amusement park, you have to ride something like that at least once, it's fun! Let's ride it together!"
A two-man male group, who could be counted among the best in terms of looks even among celebrities, approached us. And they spotted us.
To be precise, they saw Sion.
"Oh, whoa..."
"Hey, what are you looking at, that... oh, oh?"
Sion deliberately took out her phone and looked at it, ignoring them. It was a decent way to handle it, but the problem was that their attention was directed at us.
They approached us. And they started talking to Sion, and the camera filming them started filming us in earnest.
"Hello! Ah, hello? Are you a foreigner?"
"......."
Sion deliberately ignored them. But they didn't seem like they were going to leave easily.
They kept talking to try and get her attention while she ignored them. I don't know if they didn't realize that she didn't want to talk since she was deliberately ignoring them, or if they were the ones being rude by ignoring that.
I subtly clenched my fist tighter.
"Where are you from? Ah, I'm Lee Jin-hyuk. This is Yoon Chang-hyuk. We both have 'Hyuk' in our names, so it's easy to remember, right?"
"........."
"We're here to play and film... ah, we're a two-man group called 'Utopia'."
"What did you just say?"
Sion, who had been consistently ignoring them and only looking at her phone, lifted her gaze.
They succeeded in getting Sion's attention. But that was by no means a good thing.
I don't know why they named their group Utopia, but it was bad luck for them. There are so many other names, why that one of all things?
"Did you just say Utopia?"
Utopia.
That was the name of her cousin whom Sion loved and hated.