Side Story Chapter 47 – Amusement Park.
I temporarily set aside my feelings of disappointment and slowly looked around.
Even though we couldn’t all be together right now.
We would surely reunite again later.
So, it was time for us to have some fun!
But there was one happy dilemma in this situation.
What should we do for fun?
We had gained the privilege to use the amusement park as we pleased.
Yet, when faced with so many choices, making a decision was tough.
Too much freedom had become a solid shackle instead.
“Hey kids, what do you want to do?”
“Do you have anything in mind?”
“Something special!”
“Anything is fine!”
Right off the bat, the kids’ desires were quite vague.
Of course, saying this might make me feel guilty towards the heroines who had halfheartedly come to work.
But if they were in this situation, they wouldn’t be much different from me.
So, I decided to wander around and ponder.
“If you see something fun while walking, let me know.”
“Okay!”
“Got it, Dad.”
Isn’t moving around way better than just sitting still?
Walking slowly to match the children’s pace, I quickly scanned the surroundings.
With the sheer scale of the place, there were tons of attractions to enjoy.
However, none of them were particularly enticing enough for me to want to rush to.
Maybe it was because we hadn’t walked that far from the entrance.
To put it nicely, it was average; to be blunt, it lacked character.
Still, a part of my heart could accept the scenery before me.
Like this novel, the beginning of everything is always quite plain.
[It was plain…? The start of this novel…?]
‘Compared to what happens later, that was really nothing.’
[……That’s true…]
However, the kids were gazing at the attractions, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
Though these attractions could be found in any amusement park.
Was it because they had never actually been to one before?
Suddenly, Yumi and Yeonwoo grabbed my and Ayeon’s hands, leading us toward an attraction.
“Dad! Mom! I want to ride that!”
“I want to too! Hurry up!”
And following the kids’ tugging, Ayeon and I willingly got on the ride.
“Okay, Yumi. Don’t run.”
“There’s no one around, so take it slow.”
No matter how I felt about it, if the kids liked it, that was enough, right?
Thanks to that, we truly rode a lot of rides.
From the carousel that the kids could ride without any issue.
To the roller coaster that didn’t even bring a smile to my face.
And before long, we decided to stop that activity altogether.
“Dad! Let’s do more! Huh? Hurry!”
“Yumi, it’s too much… I’m not feeling well…”
It turned out my stamina was way too low for my expectations.
Maybe it was because my activity level had dropped drastically since becoming unemployed.
My body couldn’t adjust to this long-awaited outing.
Even if I was jobless, I felt like a flounder at this rate.
It made me slightly worry about my future, despite having a long lifespan.
“But you said going up and down felt good!”
“……Just call it a ride… It feels weird…”
Wondering about the kids’ education was just a bonus at this point.
[And yet, you were busy having fun with Yumi, weren’t you?]
‘It’s bumper cars, so crashing is part of the fun, you crazy girl.’
I bet a considerable chunk of this mess was caused by Piece that crazy girl.
Aside from that, I was genuinely too exhausted to move.
If I let my guard down, I felt like I’d fall asleep in no time.
In that moment, Yeonwoo suddenly stood up.
“Everyone, you take a break. I’ll go get us drinks.”
“Huh? Yeonwoo, are you okay with that?”
Rather than showing discontent, Yeonwoo offered to bring drinks for everyone.
He often displayed an adult-like side, even for a kid.
Who would have thought he’d show such consideration even in a fun situation?
I felt grateful for his thoughtfulness.
“Then I will accompany you, dear.”
“No, I’ll go alone. Mom, you just relax.”
By now, he could be considered a proper adult.
“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
“Of course. I’m ‘an adult’ now too!”
…What Yeonwoo meant by “adult” felt a bit deep, though.
Anyway, with Yeonwoo off to buy drinks for a bit.
We sat on the bench, quietly looking around.
From a short distance, I saw beastman workers passing by.
Everyone displayed gloomy faces, burdened with various materials.
Ayeon’s words about construction not being over began to feel real.
Maybe because it wasn’t far, I caught snippets of their conversation.
“Seriously, those gay bastards are the worst. They’re just perverts driven by lust.”
“I agree. They don’t listen to anything that bastard says.”
The topic of their conversation was none other than the gay bastards who once invaded the Beastman Kingdom.
Surely, they had crossed the line back then.
Weren’t they the ones who suddenly had public orgies after a casual meet on the streets?
They even abducted innocent people to force them into a relationship.
Even though those scoundrels might no longer exist in the Beastman Kingdom.
The scars they left on the hearts of the beastmen would remain as terrifying reminders.
[Even if you sympathize with the beastmen, it’s all water under the bridge now.]
‘Still, it hurts to think about.’
[The sympathy they lost will never return, after all.]
‘Do you really have to phrase it like that, you bastard?’
Moreover, from what I overheard, it seemed some gay bastards were still around.
I could imagine the beastmen had issued eviction orders against them.
Yet, they probably still resisted and refused to leave.
I know it sounds a bit harsh, but would it have been better to just kill them?
“Say you’re hurt, and they just do it harder.”
“If they had just paid more, it wouldn’t have happened.”
That included those bastards over there too.
[Ah, fuck.]
‘That figures…’
I felt unsettled.
They had definitely driven the gay bastards out of the Beastman Kingdom.
Was there really a law in this world protecting gay scoundrels?
What was the difference between them and hunters, anyway?
At least they weren’t committing rape.
They’re merely crawling under someone’s control out of their own will.
No matter what happened, I just wished to stay as uninvolved as possible.
Because if I got too close, it could have an adverse effect on Yumi.
Meanwhile, Yumi and Ayeon seemed to be oblivious to the discussions and were chatting merrily.
“Mom, it’s amazing that a huge amusement park like this was made by people!”
“It means human potential is limitless.”
Ayeon’s response was excellent.
It would have been fine to simply agree with Yumi and move on.
But Ayeon didn’t let any of Yumi’s little comments go by unnoticed.
Furthermore, she took it a step further by subtly teaching her something valuable.
She really was the model of a good mom.
“But everyone looks so gloomy. Do they have a hard life?”
“If that’s the case, Yumi should study hard and create a better world for them later.”
However, this time her point was pretty off.
Encouraging Yumi to study was fine, but not in that way.
Even though those bastards’ identities were twisted in a serious way.
Ayeon shouldn’t teach Yumi in such a manner.
It was almost like implicitly agreeing that others were beneath her.
“Is that right, Mom…?”
“Ah, I made a mistake.”
Luckily, Yumi quickly pointed this out before I could speak.
Well, I understand Ayeon making such a mistake.
Ayeon is relatively in a higher position than others.
After all, she’s running three gigantic businesses.
So, her perspective might have skewed, prompting such statements.
“No, I’m not saying Mom was entirely wrong…”
“No, it was definitely a mistake on my part. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Yet, Ayeon quickly admitted her mistake and apologized upon hearing Yumi’s words.
“Mom doesn’t always know everything, huh?”
“I’m sorry. I feel ashamed, but it’s true. I still have much to learn.”
Ayeon’s demeanor was deserving of praise, and it wasn’t regrettable at all.
She might not be the perfect mom, but was that really all that important?
Even if mistakes happen, what matters is the actions taken afterward.
If you did something wrong, you fix it; if you didn’t know, you learn; if you fall short, you fill that gap.
Just like Ayeon is doing now.
“It’s okay. I know what to do in situations like this.”
“Then how about you tell me, Yumi? What can we do for those people?”
With such a mom around, Yumi must have been growing in the right direction all this time.
“We need to help them break free from the yoke and chains of capitalism!!!”
“…….”
……Only now did I think something seemed off.
‘Uh-oh…’
[Wait a second…]
For a moment, I doubted my eyes.
Though my hair was red, inherited from Hyeji.
Today, Yumi’s hair seemed to be a different color.
Rather than red, it looked endlessly crimson.
Before Ayeon and I could articulate our disbelief, Yeonwoo returned.
We each took sips from our drinks and began walking again.
How long did we walk?
“Dad! Let’s go here!”
“It looks fun.”
The emotion of excitement clung tightly to Yumi and Yeonwoo’s feet.
With wide smiles, Yumi and Yeonwoo bubbled with joy.
However, Ayeon and I appeared somewhat sullen.
It was only natural, considering the place the kids wanted to visit.
“Ayeon, is this place really okay…?”
“We have to send them to the bathroom before we go in.”
None other than the ‘Haunted House.’
‘They say it’s your house.’
[Bastard.]
Somehow, I felt a chill starting to creep in.
