Not Shivil?
“Choi… Eun-seo?”
“I was worried you might not remember me. How’ve you been, sunbae?”
The kid.
She’d gotten double eyelids since the last time they’d met.
If it weren’t for the name tag pinned to her chest, he might not have recognized the woman approaching with her clear eyes and bright smile.
“They said a staff member would guide us… but I didn’t know it’d be you. Long time no see.”
“I wanted to surprise you, sunbae.”
Choi Eun-seo flashed a grin and bowed her head toward the camera crew.
“Thank you for the long trip. I’m Choi Eun-seo, section chief of Animal Welfare Division 1, and I’ll be your guide today.”
“Oh, no need to be so formal. I’m Nam Gyu-won, main PD for Animal Kingdom. We really appreciate you making time for us amid your busy schedule, haha.”
“If it’s alright with you, would you like to start with a tour of the safari interior? We heard you need footage for your content.”
Section chief?
She’d always been sharp, but at her age?
Unlike Baek Min-hyeok, who was itching to check on Shivil right away, PD Nam Gyu-won rubbed his hands together like a fly.
“We came before opening hours on purpose since we heard Saemangeum Safari gets swamped with visitors, haha. We’d love that—thank you!”
“Then let’s head out. This way.”
With a bright smile, Choi Eun-seo gestured for them to follow her deeper into the parking lot.
“We’ll use an electric cart for the interior tour and introduce everything along the way. The grounds are so vast that walking would take forever.”
The cart she led them to was an open-air electric model, spacious enough for the entire crew—far bigger than a standard golf cart.
“You’re driving this yourself?”
“Normally, no. But I’ve got some seniority as section chief now.”
She grinned at his question as she climbed into the driver’s seat.
“When I heard you were coming, sunbae, I volunteered to handle it personally. You never show up to alumni gatherings. This is the only way I’ll get to see you!”
“Ugh, personal business keeps me swamped. But you do have a license, right?”
“Ah, come on—is that why you asked? It’s a low-speed electric cart; not hard to drive.”
“Just checking.”
“Sunbae, seriously—even after all this time. Alright, let’s roll.”
She shot him a mischievous look and hit the accelerator.
After his meeting with Chairman Jeong Yong-gun, Baek Min-hyeok had been laser-focused on Shivil-related intel, ignoring details like the safari’s size or facilities.
He knew it was built on the old Saemangeum Jamboree site, so it had to be massive, but that was about it.
“Whoa…”
Not long into the ride, a soft exclamation escaped him.
“Impressed, sunbae? Cool, right? Each of Saemangeum Safari’s outdoor enclosures connects to indoor ones.”
Choi Eun-seo smirked, clearly pleased with his reaction.
“The indoor enclosures maintain optimal temperature and humidity year-round. When it’s not too hot or cold, the animals can roam freely outside, just like in the wild.”
Right below the road stretched a long walkway—no, a lush expanse of grassland evoking a national park.
But what drew his awe wasn’t the scenery. It was the hundreds of ostriches roaming the plains.
Adults grazed leisurely on the grass while the young ones chased each other in playful circles.
The serene sight of the world’s largest birds filled him—a city dweller amid concrete jungles—with a sense of wonder.
Reina, seated beside him, gaped in the same awe.
“It’s… totally magical. Most zoos start with small animals at the entrance. This place feels on another level right from the gate!”
She bubbled on, caught up in the African-savanna vibe.
“The layout reminds me of a zoo overseas, though smaller scale. There was this huge artificial pond with tons of flamingos just after the entrance! They were so pretty. Oh, right—flamingos can’t fly, like ostriches?”
“Flamingos? They cross oceans.”
“Huh? Flamingos?”
Reina blinked in surprise—she clearly hadn’t known. Choi Eun-seo gave a wry smile.
“Depends on the species, but Andean flamingos breed in the high Andes and migrate to Pacific lowlands in winter. American flamingos fly over 80km for food.”
“That far?!”
“It’s not just distance. Andean flamingos have been spotted flying at 600 meters. They fly lower over water, but they can go high.”
“600 meters? That’s taller than Lotte World Tower…”
“Hard to believe flamingos fly?”
Reina flapped her hands in flustered denial at Choi Eun-seo’s teasing smile.
“N-no, if a vet says so, it must be true. It’s just… weird.”
“How so?”
“The flamingos I saw weren’t tied up or under roofs. But none were flying. They didn’t look sick, though.”
Choi Eun-seo’s expression darkened slightly.
“That’s not inability—it’s wing clipping.”
“Wing clipping? Like for pet birds…?”
It literally meant trimming a bird’s wings—not severing them entirely, but cutting flight feathers to unbalance them mid-air.
Reina looked shocked, struggling to respond. Choi Eun-seo continued matter-of-factly from the wheel.
“You’ve probably seen it—flamingos running up, wings outstretched, hopping.”
“Y-yeah… I even filmed one because it was cute…”
Her voice trailed off uneasily.
“That’s their takeoff posture. Instinctive from soaring on winds—but they can’t.”
“Oh my god…”
“Barking when they want, running when they want, flying when they want. That’s Saemangeum Safari’s founding principle—letting instincts thrive.”
Instinct.
Innate, irresistible urges or emotions.
Strange to think enabling that for animals cost astronomical sums.
“As you can see, our visitor-animal distance is farther than most zoos. Animal welfare trumps close-up thrills.”
“That’s why it’s called a safari, not a zoo?”
“Exactly. But we don’t isolate them completely. Species-specific close-encounter zones exist for when animals want interaction.”
She smiled and pulled the cart to a stop.
“And spots like this one allow direct exchanges. Let’s get out and see.”
A pristine white wooden fence evoked a peaceful European pasture, teeming with tiny critters inside.
“First up: Kids World. It’s near the entrance since toddlers tire quickly on long walks—ostrich paddock aside.”
“Eeeeek, oh nooo! They’re too cute!”
Fallow deer fawns, wallabies, alpacas, rabbits.
Scores of adorable herbivores clustered cutely.
—Huh? Food’s here today.
—Ahjussi carrots! Gimme carrots!
—Me carrots too! Me too!
Round eyes, moist noses, roly-poly faces begging to roll away.
Baby animals triggered dopamine floods regardless of species—mind-melting cuteness.
“It’s quiet pre-opening, but usually one of our top spots. Kids feed them directly, observe reactions, build empathy, responsibility, care. Parents love the educational angle.”
“Morning, Chief.”
As if anticipating their reactions, she beckoned Kids World staff to demo feeding.
—M-m-more!
—Sniff sniff carrots!
Reina clutched her cheeks, hopping; the crew filmed furiously.
“Definitely a hit with kids.”
“Not just for kids.”
Choi Eun-seo beamed at his musing, eyes twinkling a bit intensely.
“Before moving to species enclosures, these babies interact with other species and humans—gaining experiences. Know why, sunbae?”
“Hm. Boosts affinity for human visitors later in their own paddocks?”
“Spot on. Like a kindergarten for calves.”
Solid concept.
Diverse fur textures, sounds, food feels sharpened their senses.
And reduced fear or aversion through cross-species, human contact, as she said.
“Good intent. But winter’s coming soon. Year-round? Lots of babies hate the cold.”
“Indoors in winter. Our motto: ‘More natural than nature.’ Next stop?”
More natural than nature.
After bidding adieu to the healing fluffballs, they moved on.
“Next: Primate World. Gorillas, orangutans, lemurs, capuchins, sloths—grouped by habitat mimicking originals.”
Kids World’s gate was cutesy with baby animal carvings; Primate World’s featured a towering gorilla statue thumping its chest.
‘Whoa… what scale?’
Engraved primates around it left his jaw slack.
“Most primates are rainforest dwellers, but Japanese macaques, Barbary macaques, golden snub-nosed, mountain gorillas, drill baboons aren’t. We match altitudes as best we can.”
Passing the gate, his dropped jaw added a gasp.
Primate World was a vast glass dome like a mega-botanical garden.
“Incredible. Indoor habitats this spot-on? Probably more species than many botanical gardens.”
“That’s why we get flak—‘wasting rare plants in animal cages.’”
She chuckled at their wide-eyed scans.
“But it’s not just plants, sunbae.”
“Sounds like there’s more.”
“Diets prioritize native foods. We localize if better options exist for health or environment.”
Hard to spot localization at a glance.
Tropical enclosures had fruit-laden trees.
‘No joke—this is real.’
Japanese macaque area even had an onsen.
Jeong Yong-gun, #52 global billionaire—the only Korean in the top 50. Flex only he could pull.
But his flex didn’t end there.
“These screens… track every animal in the enclosure?”
Large rectangular touchscreens fronted each dome paddock.
They seemed to show real-time animal positions.
“Touch one—names, sex, age, paths, fave foods, hobbies, all that.”
She smiled at his surprise.
“Ever get frustrated at zoos when animals hide?”
“Yeah. Most come to see animals, not empty spaces.”
“Right. Kids whine, some bang glass.”
She grinned, demoing the screen.
“Here, easy find. See…”
The crew mobbed the screen, equally hooked.
‘Flex on another level. O-sung Electronics tech makes it feel like Jurassic Park.’
He wasn’t a zoo fan—animals happiest in wild habitats.
But early glimpses suggested Saemangeum Safari assuaged those worries.
“Infrared cams in enclosures help keepers manage post-closing…”
Choi Eun-seo was explaining screens to the crew when—
—Ho ho. Early birds today. Tsk tsk. Smells like a bachelor from a mile away.
A rude tongue-click from behind. He whipped around.
—Heh heh. Thinks I mean someone else? Yeah, you, kid.
An orangutan enclosure entered view.
‘Talking… to me?’
The massive male orangutan nipped at surrounding females, sidling toward him.
With sage-like, soulful eyes.
—Fancy that. Eyes like he gets me. Come here, kid. Yeah, good boy.
Shaggy orange fur framed pudgy reddish fingers beckoning.
Then to the close-up glass.
Choi Eun-seo was deep in crew interviews.
Looked great superficially, but prime chance to ask residents directly.
—Heh heh. Up close confirms it. Face screams ‘never held a girl’s hand.’
As he neared the glass, the orangutan taunted.
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m just not into dating.”
It hooked him.
The yellow-toothed sneer was too mocking to ignore.
—Keh heh heh. Knew you understood. First like you in my long life. Welcome to Saemangeum Safari, kid.
The beast cackled, gums bared—amused by his comprehension or just trolling.
“Whatever. How’s life here versus before?”
—Hm. Love it. Childhood dodging humans in wild, then crap zoo after capture. You a reporter? Wait, vet?
This guy.
Nailing his love life and job?
The orangutan’s sage eyes scanned him; he swallowed dryly, like facing a shaman.
“Vet, yeah. Here for an animal needing help. Figured I’d ask orangutans for issues while I’m at it…”
—Help… So you’re here for the hippos?
Hippo?
Not Shivil?