Roy looked at Lee Doha with a trace of pity, then signaled to Lys with his eyes.
‘Lys, make sure no one else can hear our conversation.’
“Peep.” (Understood, Contractor.)
An invisible barrier formed around the Red Team. Though you couldn’t grab it with your hands, its presence was clear, and Yoo Jaeri waved her hand around for no reason. Ahh, she said, testing if sound escaped past the barrier, while Roy started explaining the plan.
“I think it would be nice to make a small aquarium.”
“Aquarium?”
“Yes.”
Though his drawing skills were lacking, Roy began sketching on the sandy beach.
“Aqua will make a transparent ice aquarium like this…”
“Por.” (That’s super easy for me.)
As soon as her name was mentioned, Aqua nodded eagerly.
“Then we’ll fill it up with seawater and put fish inside. Of course, after filming is over, we’ll release them back where they came from.”
In the drawing, a slide, a swing, and a space to watch Ber’s fire show circled around the aquarium.
“Bii?” (Is this my spot?)
Ber walked to the spot in the drawing where fiery flames burst out.
“Yep, that’s right. There, Ber, you just have to keep making fire shapes the kids will enjoy.”
“Bihihi.” (I’m super good at that.)
Ber fluttered the feather on his forehead and laughed. Just from Ber’s confident attitude, it already felt like the Red Team’s victory was assured.
“Then do we just go underwater and catch the fish?”
Han Honghyun felt like he was starting to see why Roy suggested making an aquarium. After all, the spirits were Roy’s own ability. But this was clearly a team battle.
They were all on the same team, and Roy doing the mission alone didn’t seem right.
“Yes. So, if Team Leader and Doha catch the fish, and Honghyun-sunbae and Jaewoo help me and the spirits build the slide and jungle gym, that would be best.”
Though the spirits were powerful, human hands were needed to fine-tune the details. Roy specifically assigned roles to each team member.
“Sounds great. Doha and I will head to the ocean right now. We’ll have to ask for a net.”
“Okay.”
Is this what true drive looks like? As soon as Roy finished briefing them on the plan, Yoo Jaeri stood and tapped Lee Doha on the shoulder. Doha shook his head to push away his drowsiness and refocus.
After the two disappeared in the direction of PD Shimjun, the remaining three secured the space for the play area.
“Roy-hyung, should I at least draw some rough lines like this?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Jaewoo started using his sword tip to divide the aquarium space and the rest of the area with lines.
“Pororong.” (Should I go ahead and make the aquarium?)
“Wait. Our aquarium—should the ceiling be open?”
“Wouldn’t that be better? Easier to put the caught fish in, too.”
With Aqua’s power, she could easily make a lid after placing the fish inside the rectangular block of ice.
But visually, it might look better if the top was left open.
‘Earth, are Charles and Heis doing well?’
As he worked, Roy checked in with Earth about the other two whenever he had a spare moment.
They’d talked until dawn, but it was nerve-wracking, like leaving little kids by the water’s edge.
{The egg is still reacting strangely, so I’m guarding it, and those two went into the forest!}
‘Where on earth is the Mud Magician hiding?’
Roy had a feeling the monster probably hadn’t gone far from the egg.
He still had no idea how a legendary monster had shown up in Korea and was now linked to a dragon’s egg.
“Puhaa. Aqua, we caught a ton of fish here!”
“……Me too.”
By the time Aqua finished making a transparent, rectangular ice aquarium, Yoo Jaeri and Lee Doha returned carrying a heavy net.
“You caught a lot. Good job.”
Han Honghyun patted their shoulders. With her wet hair slicked back from seawater, Yoo Jaeri looked like she belonged in a magazine spread.
Flap-flap –
The net teemed with fish of all shapes and colors, twisting with lively energy.
“Por.” (Leave it to me now!)
Ara pulled the fish from the net and popped them into the ice aquarium.
Then, from the ocean, a stream of water rose like a sea dragon, arcing long into the aquarium.
Chwaaaak—
“This is amazing. The aquarium came together in no time.”
Just moments ago, the fish had been thrashing desperately on land. Now, inside the aquarium, they leisurely flicked their fins.
“But isn’t it a bit boring with just fish? Should we put a few monsters in too?”
Yoo Jaeri watched the aquarium and came up with the idea.
“If you do that, the kids would see the fish getting killed. Plus, with the top open, if one jumps out, it’ll be a crime scene, not an aquarium.”
Monsters didn’t always attack the fish, but in the confined aquarium, it could easily happen.
This mission was about making kids happy, not giving them traumatic memories.
“Yeah, guess that’s not a good idea.”
Realizing her suggestion wasn’t right, Yoo Jaeri nodded.
“Pororu?” (Should I dry you off?)
With her job done, Aqua circled the soaked Lee Doha and Yoo Jaeri.
It wasn’t cold, but being drenched in salty water never felt pleasant.
“Please do, Aqua.”
“Me too! Me too!”
Even if they couldn’t understand Aqua’s words, Doha quickly caught on to her intentions. Yoo Jaeri didn’t miss her chance and stuck close to Doha.
“Por.” (I’ll do it right away.)
A stream of water from Aqua’s hand swept from their heads to their toes.
The rough sand and briny smell were washed away in an instant by the refreshing water.
“Thanks to Aqua, I’m clean already.”
Lee Doha reached out and gently stroked Aqua’s hair. Aqua quietly accepted the touch, then quickly turned and climbed atop the aquarium.
The sway of her tail subtly revealed her contentment.
“Solum, it’s your time to shine now.”
“Uum—.” (Just need to pack the dirt tight, right?)
“That’s right.”
With the aquarium—the centerpiece of the Red Team’s playground—complete, there was nothing left for Lys or Ber to prepare. They just needed to play with the kids once they arrived.
Now it was time to make the jungle gym and slide.
“They do everything so easily, while we’re making it piece by piece?”
Song Doyoon, who’d been gathering wet sand, let out a dazed sigh as he saw this.
His team had to painstakingly build everything by hand, but Solum finished in less than a minute.
And the size was easily tall enough to dwarf any grown man.
“Now we just have to carve it, right?”
“Yes, exactly.”
They’d probably need Solum or Lys to do the final detailed work, but rough shaping was now the Red Team’s job.
“Then I’ll make the slide with Honghyun-sunbae.”
Kim Jaewoo approached the big pile of packed dirt with Han Honghyun to start shaping a slide.
“This is as hard as cement—what is this?”
It was just dirt meeting his sword tip, but it made a metallic clang. Kim Jaewoo looked as excited as a kid with a new toy.
“I think your sword is fascinating too.”
“Looks just like real wood, right?”
“Yeah.”
To Han Honghyun, Kim Jaewoo’s weapon was unusual.
It looked weak, with its crooked thorns, but seeing him fight, it seemed hard enough to scratch real armor.
“I feel like I’ve gotten luckier since meeting the team members.”
Kim Jaewoo smiled with a faraway look, as if remembering the past. He too had faced countless hardships before debuting.
Sometimes, he’d secretly pinch his cheek, amazed he got to be in a team with such great members.
“Like attracts like. From what I can see, Jaewoo, you’re definitely someone this team needs.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
In High Cycle’s position, they could’ve easily looked down on junior groups who just debuted.
The shoot would revolve around them, and even if word got out about something happening, their fandom could make it disappear without a trace.
‘I want to be like the High Cycle seniors someday.’
Relaxed as someone at the very top, yet never arrogant; rather than being jealous of close junior groups, they guided those who followed behind.
The perfect role models to aspire to.
“Should I start carving from the top down?”
“Yes, if you can get the rough shape, I’ll finish it up.”
Right now, Solum had packed the sand into a huge mass.
“I’ll make the jungle gym with Lys.”
Roy took charge of the jungle gym. Lee Doha and Yoo Jaeri would make the swing and the stage for Ber’s fire show.
“Red Team really does everything in a snap.”
PD Shimjun, after interviewing the Blue and Yellow Teams, came to Red Team last.
The Red Team was building natural playground facilities like experts, without a single worry.
“That aquarium could stand anywhere, really.”
Without the spirits’ help, it would have been impossible to build. It wasn’t winter, so it would be impossible to find ice that huge nearby.
“Por, por.” (Humans have a good eye.)
Ara, having finished her part early, sat atop the aquarium, watching the others work.
Sometimes, she’d stir up a small whirlpool inside the tank.
“Aqua, do you want to do an interview?”
To PD Shimjun, Aqua looked like she was bored out of her mind.
“Pororu.” (I’m not doing it for free.)
Ara flew over to PD Shimjun, holding out both hands. It was an obvious gesture—she wanted something.
With just that, Shimjun immediately understood Aqua’s intent and nodded with a bright smile.
“Of course, interviews need to come with delicious snacks. Come over here.”
At his signal, the staff hurried over with snack bundles—the same kind the guest kids were eating.
“Por.” (What do you want to ask, human?)
Aqua, her heart won over by snacks, took a cookie and bit into it, staring intently at Shimjun.
“Ah, come to think of it, without Roy here, I can’t translate Aqua’s words…”
Shimjun looked at a loss. Roy was busy working on the jungle gym.
With the timer running, it was hard to ask the hard-working Roy for time out for an interview.
Tap tap.
But Aqua’s cleverness quickly solved his problem. She tapped the pocket where Shimjun’s phone was.
“Aqua, can you type a text message too?”
“Por!” (Who do you think I am!)
The confident cry was just like Ber, who always teased her.