SOGCh 63

That day, Seon Jae-chan and his apprentices were working at the office. Even though Seon Jae-chan said he would go there in person, Go Woo-jin, who needed guiding, came to the office that day.

Seon Jae-chan had met Go Woo-jin in the hallway, and as he was about to lead him to the temporary guiding room, the words that had been troubling him flew into his ear and lodged there.

“This is why you can’t come from District 4. What’s so good about Universal Park? It’s just an amusement park. Tacky.”

Han Myeong-gyu was talking with his arms crossed and the back of his head exposed. Since there was only one person from District 4, it was obvious to whom he was speaking. Nam Hae-sol’s face, which had become increasingly white due to the recent lack of sunlight, was hardened.

Seon Jae-chan took advantage of the opportunity to intervene since he had some business to attend to.

‘Say that one more time, you District 1 brat. I’ll make sure it’s reflected in your performance evaluation, and you won’t even be able to set foot in District 1.’

And then, he said to Go Woo-jin, “Just a moment,” seeking his understanding, before hurrying to catch up with the apprentices. He asked the apprentices, who seemed unsure whether to greet Jae-chan with a nod or a stammered greeting as if they had just noticed him.

“Universal Park?”

“Oh, yes. It’s a cooperation request document that arrived by fax.”

Song Se-in, who was on her way up to the exemplary students’ area along with Nam Hae-sol, quickly responded. She smoothly took the official document from Nam Hae-sol’s hand and handed it to Seon Jae-chan.

“It’s from Universal Park’s ‘Safari Valley.’ They need a guide for treating injuries in carnivorous animals.”

It was likely not just sent to Guide Team 2, but to the entire guide team. The phenomenon where animals became noticeably more docile with a guide’s guidance was still an unexplained mystery in modern science.

“It seems like they think the Guide Nation is a veterinary hospital.”

“The diseases that plague predators are trivial and varied, such as cavities, skin diseases, and ligament problems. It seems like just applying anesthesia would be enough.”

Han Myeong-gyu and Se-in Song maintained a polite tone while freely sharing their thoughts on the request for cooperation with their senior.

Seon Jae-chan was a different person than rumored. Far from being inclined towards indoor work, he rarely stayed in the office except on days when he was on duty. He spent most of his time outside, and contrary to the concerns of the trainees, they were learning well on the job, running around, and gaining practical experience. It was to the point where apprentices from other teams secretly looked at them with envy.

There was no way that a senior like that would be interested in the pathetic job of guiding animals with only large fangs.

So Han Myeong-gyu and Song Se-in snorted disdainfully and freely shared various information about the official document. Han Myeong-gyu continued his explanation.

“It turns out, the person in charge of Safari Valley has sent faxes to the Guide Nation three times just this month. They say this new guy in Safari Valley is a golden spoon parachute who thinks the world revolves around him.”

“Oh, really? I’m a golden spoon parachute too.”

Seon Jae-chan said as he carefully turned over each piece of paper.

Han Myeong-gyu was speechless for a moment and then barely opened his mouth.

“Sunbae-nim, you are just a golden spoon… I mean, your abilities are exceptional…”

Choi Kang-man, who had been silent, nudged Han Myeong-gyu’s side with his elbow. Han Myeong-gyu closed his mouth, aware of the hint.

“This task will be handled by our team.”

At that time, Seon Jae-chan’s voice fell like a thunderbolt. Han Myeong-gyu’s mouth opened again.

“… Did you say our team?”

“Yes, Guide Team 2 will handle it. You guys are coming with me too.”

Except for Nam Hae-sol, the three apprentices were rendered speechless.

Guiding animals?

Team leader Hong Ye-deok was the type to nod to everything unless his life was in danger, so going to Universal Park was almost certain.

“I’ll inform the team leader in the morning, so assemble in front of the ‘Amusement Park’ by 10 a.m. tomorrow.”

Seon Jae-chan hammered the announcement like a nail.

Meanwhile, Go Woo-jin, who had been observing the entire process, was caught up in an inexplicable unease.

Seon Jae-chan’s tone toward the young apprentices was harsh. It was the tone of the old Seon Jae-chan that Go Woo-jin remembered. His expression was colder, making his handsome features pale in comparison.

Go Woo-jin had thought that Seon Jae-chan had changed, but seeing how he treated the apprentices today, it seemed that there hadn’t been much change after all.

“…”

It was when Go Woo-jin stared at Seon Jae-chan with a gaze tinged with slight confusion. Their eyes met. The delicate gaze that had been somewhat cold was now distinctly softened.

“Let’s go in.”

After handing the apprentices the official document roughly, Seon Jae-chan led Go Woo-jin to the temporary guiding room and said,

“Also, why didn’t you just call me?”

I might as well get a good travel allowance. Go Woo-jin’s eyebrows raised unconsciously in suspicion as he listened to Seon Jae-chan’s voice, which had softened again.

It was clear.

For some reason, Seon Jae-chan was treating him as if he were more fragile and younger than those apprentices.

Do I look like a kid?

While Go Woo-jin was lost in troubled thoughts, the two of them entered the guiding room. It was a silent space with only the fluorescent light from the office window blinds. Go Woo-jin concentrated his thick eyebrows and, after a while, handed what he had brought to Seon Jae-chan.

It was a Choco Bongbong.

A smile crossed Seon Jae-chan’s face when he realized it was Woo-jin’s favorite snack.

He hadn’t caught a cold this time of year, unlike in the past, so he’d given up on getting snacks from Woo-jin. Instead of the protein chocolate bar, he got a Choco Bongbong that Go Woo-jin liked.

“Thank you.”

He had been worried that he would be treated even more like a kid if he gave Jae-chan a snack. However, Go Woo-jin’s face unconsciously softened when he saw Seon Jae-chan smiling as he received the chocolate.

By the time they finished guiding, a sudden light rain began to sprinkle on the windowpane. Seon Jae-chan, in a cheerful mood, took out one of the many portable umbrellas he had stashed in his locker room and lent it to Woo-jin.

*

Universal Park was a theme park established and operated by Universal Land, a subsidiary of the American Union tourism company. It was located on the side of the Seorae River, which runs through the center of District 1 and was built to the left adjacent to Owol Mountain, located off the center of District 1. It was because Universal Land had acquired the massive bridge that originally served as a highway between the rough peaks of Mount Owol. The bridge, which had originally been an abandoned freeway, was polished to perfection by Universal Land and was named the ‘Universal Bridge.’

Since its first opening nine years ago, the Universal Bridge has become one of the most photographed landmarks in Universal Park. Anyone who visited Universal Park could easily see the graceful curves of the open-span arched bridge, made of reinforced concrete, which had become one of the iconic monuments of the park.

As a result, at 10 a.m., the iron bridge displayed its overwhelming grandeur beyond the heads of the apprentices from Team 2, who had gathered at the theme park due to their superior’s relentless urging. Of course, the apprentices didn’t have time to marvel at the beauty of the Universal Bridge.

“I’m going to explore the surrounding area, so you guys should get friendly with the tigers.”

This was because their senior, Seon Jae-chan, said that and threw them straight into Safari Valley. The apprentices were immediately handed over to the person in charge at Safari Valley, known as an animal lover and a golden spoon.

“See you later.”

Seon Jae-chan waved goodbye to the apprentices and purchased a month’s worth of theme park passes in one fell swoop.

The source of his audacious spending, which reached six digits, was the ‘Dad Card.’ Even though the card had been disabled for the time being due to the incident with Seon Eun-soo, having previously received cash services up to the maximum amount at regular intervals was proving useful in situations like this. He had even exchanged most of the money for gold coins, so he didn’t have to worry about his financial situation in the future.

Naturally, Seon Jae-chan went straight to the ‘Jungle Family’ theme park. This was the amusement ride that was the focal point of the hostage incident at Universal Park.

The entire theme park area was decorated with materials from the popular comic book “Jungle Family!” because it was based on it. Like the cave, the hidden forest, which was designed to look like a real jungle, and the occasional jungle village they emerged from. People were bustling around among the vividly realized structures.

In addition to souvenir shops, jungle-style restaurants, and employees wearing costumes of characters who took pictures with visitors, the most famous thing here was undoubtedly the theater-style 4D experience hall.

A theater-style amusement ride where you could experience a 4D roller coaster.

This place was chosen as the main stage for the hostage incident due to its enclosed structure.

As the most popular attraction, the theater always had an unusually long queue. Thanks to that, Seon Jae-chan had plenty of time to naturally and thoroughly observe the building’s structure and waiting rooms while waiting in line. This was why he deliberately didn’t buy an Express Pass.

After carefully inspecting every nook and cranny each time and looking over the building’s structure, he finally sat on a plush, large, red velvet sofa with other spectators. The Jungle Family’s storyline, in which the Jungle Family attacked poachers who had infiltrated the jungle, was so simple that he could follow the lines after watching it three times in a row.

As Seon Jae-chan had been so absorbed in the Jungle Family theme park, it became the sole responsibility of the apprentice Guides from Team 2 to take care of the carnivorous animals in ‘Safari Valley.’

“I didn’t know that Guide Seon Jae-chan liked amusement parks so much.”

Han Myeong-gyu grumbled as he guided a lioness through the cage.