Chapter Text
A set of claws scraped against his scalp gently, and the hand's owner looked at Kim Soleum with only what could be described as fondness. Kim Soleum blinked up at the blue mascot, his hair being ruffled by this nonhuman entity who loved him for a reason he did not know.
His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated in surprise and shock. Yongyong retracted his arm, but the faint feeling of the gentle head pat remained with Kim Soleum. The mascot’s eyes looked at him with something that could only be identified as affection.
Yongyong had been delighted when Kim Soleum accidentally ended up in [Cheerful Theme Park!] while under the elder’s spell. Just a little while ago, he was with the other agents of the bureau, but now, he was with Yongyong.
Kim Soleum did promise to return, so it wasn’t so bad. The blue mascot seemed happy with his surprise appearance, as well. Kim Soleum liked to think it was a cute thing, but it also terrified him.
Why did Yongyong like him so much? And what would happen when that fondness came to a halt?
Yongyong had been very affectionate ever since Kim Soleum accidentally ended up here while still under the elder’s spell.
He tried not to think about it. Perhaps Kim Soleum’s youthful appearance made the mascot even more gentle and kind. A child had come to the theme park, after all! It should be a fun time!
Yongyong stared at Kim Soleum. Kim Soleum blinked back, unsure and wary. Was he supposed to say something? Nothing felt right. Yongyong wanted him to be happy to be here! But—
[Good child.]
Kim Soleum nodded, bobbing his head up and down without much thought. Yes. He knew that the mascot thought of him as a good child.
Showing back up at the Cheerful Theme Park helped ensure their relationship stayed quaint. He kept this promise, especially after the last event when Yongyong tried to find him through other means. Kim Soleum would never forget how much effort Yongyong put into trying to find him.
Kim Soleum tried not to think about what might happen when the spell wore off and he returned to his normal age.
Would Yongyong still like him? Probably. After all, the mascot liked Kim Soleum when they initially met. However, he wondered if Yongyong was only being so kind to him as he was now because of his youthful appearance.
“I can't stay forever,” he reminded the dragon mascot, attempting not to sound petulant. “I need to return home.”
He felt the need to set boundaries. The blue mascot would not hurt him on purpose, he didn’t think, but what about by accident? What if Yongyong believed it was best for Kim Soleum to stay here forever, even if Kim Soleum wanted to leave?
Yongyong simply stared, eyes unblinking, their whiskers moving minutely from the soft breeze.
Kim Soleum continued, unsure if he was stating a fact or asking a question, “I will be allowed to go home…?”
Yongyong turned away, looking elsewhere. It was a refusal to answer the question, yes? Yongyong did not want to give a yes or a no.
Kim Soleum felt anxiety well in his chest. The urge to cry or scream bubbled up his throat, needing to pour out and be known. Being stuck as a child made him irrational, he knew, but he still could not stop everything.
He took in a deep breath, trying to find solace before he had a meltdown. There was no Agent Choi or Agent Bronze to help him remain clear-headed. He had to continue through this as he was, alone.
Kim Soleum stepped forward, toward the mascot, who turned away from him. He searched for Yongyong’s eyes, his face. He needed to reason with the dragon.
Kim Soleum said, “I can play for a few days, but I must return.”
He could not remain here. He had a life outside of this ghost story. He had other things to do! He still needed to go home, and to do that, he needed the Wish Potion.
If for no other reason than to check back in with his job. What if the bureau decided he was dead as well? He couldn't return to Baekilmong without the information Director Ho wanted from the bureau. He would be fucked from all directions if he didn't return as Agent Grapes.
“I have to work,” said Kim Soleum.
Yongyong paused, and then shook their head. The whisker bobbed up and down, side to side. The mascot was displeased, but not upset.
The voice was desperate, needy, like reminding a teenager to stop staying up so late, but the reminder had been occurring for weeks, if not months.
[Child.]
[You are a good child.]
Yes, in Yongyong's eyes, that was true. And considering how long ghost stories would live, many humans may seem young. The theme park existed for more time than Kim Soleum wanted to comprehend.
But he was not a child. He was in his twenties! He had a job and a life. He had friends and a home! And if he was ever going to return to them, he needed to be able to return to the bureau.
“I have to work,” said Kim Soleum.
He knew that Yongyong understood what work was. The mascots worked at the theme park. They understood what needed to be done to run such an elaborate ghost story. Yet, Kim Soleum felt like Yongyong did not want to realize that Kim Soleum would have to return.
He opened his mouth, but Yongyong made him stop. The mascot turned to him, finally. Yongyong’s eyes seemed to tremble.
[Children do not work.]
Kim Soleum sweatdropped, the hair on the back of his neck raising up. He was not a child. He was an adult who looked like a child. Yongyong understood that, surely. The mascot already knew him.
Yet he was still called a child. What nonsense was this?
[Stay.]
It sounded like a plea and a demand all at once.
Suddenly, Kim Soleum’s small hands were being cradled by large, fluffy claws. Yongyong bent over and looked Kim Soleum in the eyes. It was such a strange position. Kim Soleum wanted to run away. He felt fear tear down his spine like lightning.
He was torn apart, ripped in two, as Yongyong held him with wobbling eyes. Had Kim Soleum ever felt so wanted before? Why did this entity, who was not supposed to be anything other than a ghost story, care about Kim Soleum more than anyone else?
[Play.]
Kim Soleum bit his lip as he trembled. Yongyong’s hands were affectionate. He was forceful, but fond. He was everything that a person could ask for. If Kim Soleum were truly a child, he would stay here without ever questioning why not.
But he needed to work. The Wish Potion was his only way home.
[... Stay?]
Kim Soleum could not run away if Yongyong looked at him with such a hopeful gaze.
He swallowed the bile in his throat, throwing away his anxiety and nerves. He had to embrace what he felt instead, or else he would fall into despair, and that couldn’t happen at such a cheerful place.
“What did you want to do?” he asked.
Yongyong paused, their frame straightening from the unexpected attention. Kim Soleum smiled timidly. He wondered if the mascots of the park were ever asked what they wanted to do. Did they ride the rides? Did they have fun like those who showed up to the park by accident?
Kim Soleum took back his hands as he smiled at Yongyong above him. The dragon stood up and looked around, seemingly trying to figure out what to do first. There were many options! A theme park was always filled with different things to do. How must people choose just one?
Yongyong finally spotted something worthwhile. He lifted his arm and gestured with his claws toward a water slide. It would be a thrilling ride, and it may even make Kim Soleum gasp in fear as they went through it, but it was safe.
Kim Soleum nodded his head to the idea of going on the slide, and then a moment later, he found himself picked up off the ground. He swung in Yongyong’s grasp, shocked by his child-stature being taken advantage of.
Yongyong did not pause a single step as he walked forward, going toward their destination. Hopefully, the slide would be fun, and not at all scary.
It was weird to be a child. Kim Soleum already knew that. He preferred his height over being so short. He missed looking down upon others— he wanted to be tall enough to make Baek Saheon look away from him when their gazes met.
He was even shorter than Go Yeongeun now, huh? It was a strange thought. She was a kind young woman and helpful toward him, even though he did not know what he had done to earn it. He would repay her in some way with time.
But he had grown used to being in his child-like state. Or at least, he thought he had.
Kim Soleum’s glasses slipped off his nose, yes, but he was always able to put them back on. Plus, he was growing adept at not tripping over his own feet.
Agent Choi would laugh at him if he knew how often Kim Soleum fell over, probably. Agent Bronze was even shorter than Kim Soleum—when they were children, that is. He missed them already. It had only been a few short hours since he saw them last, hadn’t it? Why did his heart ache like this, if so?
Yet, as Kim Soleum was held by Yongyong and taken to the slide, his legs swinging in the air, and Yongyong looking so content to be carrying him, Kim Soleum was reminded that he did not know how to behave as a child at all.
What was normal child behavior? And also, why was everything in this world so large? Children had rights, too, you know.
“Uhm…” He wanted to say something, perhaps even ask to be let down, but he could not figure out the best phrase for it.
What should he even call Yongyong? Kim Soleum frowned, his head beginning to hurt. He needed to stop thinking about things that didn’t matter.
He would have fun with Yongyong for a few days, and then return so he could continue with his undercover mission.
Agent Grapes was still needed if he was ever going to make it back home. The bureau would save him in a roundabout way. He just had to sit and wait, earn their trust, and be allowed to see the documents that Ho Yuwon sought.
They arrived at the bottom of the ride. Before reaching the top, they had to walk up a large and long series of steps.
Kim Soleum assumed he would be set on the steps and told to walk up them himself, but that was not the case. Yongyong shifted how he carried him, now letting Kim Soleum sit in his arms. He was treated like a child, which was aggravating, causing him to flush with a mixture of childish emotions.
Kim Soleum tried not to die of embarrassment. This was… This was normal. He looked like a child, so Yongyong was treating him like one. That was all. It was faster this way as well, he bet. A child’s stamina lacked in comparison to a mascot’s, surely.
But it still felt so bizarre. Kim Soleum was an adult in mind and soul, alright! He was not a child.
But it felt nice as well. Yongyong seemed so pleased as well. The waterpark almost seemed to be brighter with its mascot in a happy mood.
They reached the top of the stairs. An inflatable tube was already there, waiting to be sat on. Kim Soleum inspected it with weariness. He was tired, somehow, despite not doing anything. Children had it really rough.
Yongyong set him down on his own two feet. It was strange to feel the presence of something below him, the pressure coming down on his joints and shoes. It pained him to admit that he liked not having to work too hard to enjoy some fun.
Maybe this could be a vacation, even if everything else screamed at him that it would not be possible. He was still in a ghost story at the end of the day. People would die here. Yongyong was dangerous. He had to remind himself of that.
Even if Yongyong was friendly toward him, the first trip to the theme park was filled with death. Not only did the researcher, Supervisor Lee, die, but so did an A-squad member.
Yongyong killed Supervisor Lee himself. Just because the blue dragon was more reasonable than the red mascot did not mean that there was no danger.
Kim Soleum reminded himself of that as Yongyong patted on the inflatable tube. The mascot looked so excited. Kim Soleum swallowed thickly and walked forward. He climbed onto the tube, settling down quickly.
This would be fun.
Yongyong pushed them down the running water slide. Kim Soleum did not remember experiencing something so thrilling before. The water was fast, gliding them down the chute with ease. It felt too rushed, like a blur or a flash. Kim Soleum almost became dizzy with the way that they were flung forward and downward.
A rush of excitement was the only way to describe what he experienced.
Yet, there was also a gleeful laugh echoing around him. It did not sound like Yongyong at all—it was Kim Soleum’s own voice, high-pitched and full of glee. He was terrified, don’t get him wrong, but the sheer awe he felt for the ride outweighed the fear and anxiety he held.
When they ended up in a pool of water after being spat out by the slide, Kim Soleum still found himself smiling. It felt so nice to be here.
For a flicker of a moment, he thought it wouldn’t be so bad to remain in the theme park.
No responsibilities, just play. It didn’t sound bad on the surface. But he was supposed to be working. Whether it was as a field agent or as a mascot— Wait. That didn’t sound right. Kim Soleum had only ever worked in this world for Baekilmong, and the Bureau while undercover.
It was best not to think about it.
The days at the theme park did end. That was a certainty. Yet, with the sun still so high in the air, Kim Soleum wondered how long he had been at the park. When did he arrive, and at what time of day?
He looked at the sky, shielding his eyes from the light. It was charming to see that the park was doing so well, if nothing else.
He wondered if the threat of the red bunny was cleared up, and also how so? Did Yongyong do the deed and murder the red mascot? Kim Soleum felt it was improper to ask—he was the one who showed up unannounced, after all. It wasn’t any of his business to ask what the inner politics of the park were like.
Yongyong patted the spot on the bench next to him. Kim Soleum glanced at the mascot, who was too endearing for his own good. Honestly, it was so hard to say no to the blue dragon. Kim Soleum walked over to the bench, sitting down once he arrived.
He looked around the park, still trying to observe all that had changed. He was surprised by the growth.
He wondered how it had gotten to be more cheerful than it was the last time. Although, he supposed that anything was better after he had to flee from the red mascot who was quite literally out to kill them, and then the blue mascot who adored him a little too much than comfortable, and then exit through the yellow area of the park.
For some reason, he kept looking for where the entrance to the yellow park would be. It felt like he should know it in a deep, meaningful way. He frowned, trying not to pay too much attention to it. He had other things to do.
It was a beautiful place, in the end. It was just that he couldn’t look too hard at certain things. He was just a kid, who had no true right to tell Yongyong what to do in order to run the park. Kim Soleum knew he couldn’t demand things from the mascot.
He tried not to look at the people who seemed confused to show up at the park. They were ushered off by other workers of the park, probably through Yongyong’s command. Kim Soleum wouldn’t know how he would react if he saw someone die here. He was still a child, and his emotions waxed and waned against his will.
He finally looked down to his shoes. They actually fit him, for an odd reason— all of his clothes did, now that he thought about it. His skin showed no injuries either. His glasses were slightly large on his face, occasionally slipping down his nose, only for Yongyong’s claws to tap them back in place.
Kim Soleum didn’t remember what he was wearing previously while in his adult body, but it didn’t feel right. He was at the Mermaid Grave not too long ago, right? He was a cat at some point as well. Contamination spread toward him. But he was fine now. He ended up here in those events, even if his skin did not feel like his own.
Being in the form of a child was so strange. He looked at Yongyong and wanted to scream. He wanted to wail. He wanted to stop being himself, too. He did not wish to consider that all of those thoughts had nothing to do with being a child, but rather how he felt at all times and never wanted to admit it.
He frowned down at himself, trying to find what was wrong. He dug his blunt nails across his arm, feeling the need to peel his skin. This was wrong. Everything was wrong. He didn’t know what, exactly, but something was wrong with him. He felt off.
Kim Soleum hesitated for a long while as he tried to make sense of his situation. He did not want to worry Yongyong, but he was scared. Why did he suddenly feel so awful?
“I don’t feel so well,” he admitted, looking down at his shoes, too stubborn to look at Yongyong and express the fear he felt.
Something was wrong with him. Maybe he was never right to begin with. He was something warped and crazed, maybe even so poisoned that he was unfit for consumption. Toxic. Deranged. Not good enough for what he had hoped for.
He only looked up when he felt the slightest tap against his shoulder. He would not have lifted his head otherwise.
Yongyong looked at him like he mattered, and therefore there was nothing else to consider. There was concern in that gaze, which felt so emotive compared to the gazes of many people that Kim Soleum interacted with frequently.
Kim Soleum could not deny that he did not want to make the mascot feel unnecessary emotions. He felt guilty as he saw those eyes waver and wane. He wanted to retract his words. Why cause Yongyong needless concern? There was no point to it.
Kim Soleum was unsure if he felt pity for the entity before him. The blue dragon was fierce in his own way, but he was also a pitiful beast that Kim Soleum never wanted to see cry. It made it hard to hold up here. Was he frightened by the pressure of caring for someone else?
He felt responsible for Yongyong. It was probably strange to someone else, but Kim Soleum had grown attached. He only ran into the mascot a couple of times, yet they held a connection together that was transcendent.
Yongyong still scared him at times. The dragon did not mean to be intimidating. Kim Soleum was just easily frightened. He wanted to curl up on a bed and pretend that the world was not filled with ghost stories that were alive and breathing, trying to find new victims and thrive as they were.
Kim Soleum wondered if he ever scared Yongyong in turn. He was probably a bit bizarre to look at, yes? How many children fell into this ghost story, after all? He wasn’t always a child, either. It was surely strange to see Kim Soleum’s appearance change so drastically.
He suddenly felt bad for Yongyong. Kim Soleum was a lot to handle—he was accustomed to looking after himself, and he knew that children were a great deal of work. He couldn’t imagine holding down a job, such as running a theme park, while also looking after a kid.
Yongyong must be stressed, trying to keep Kim Soleum happy.
He wanted to take back what he had said. He felt even more ill now, but he was not in trouble in any way. It was manageable. No issues had truly arisen; he was overthinking the situation. He needed to calm down and be rational, even if his childish heart wanted to behave drastically.
Yongyong tapped on his shoulder again, gentle as always.
Kim Soleum had the urge to cry. He had abandoned this mascot twice. Did Yongyong not care about that? If Kim Soleum had been abandoned by someone twice over, he would never trust them again.
[Feel better.]
The tone was ominous, but the sincerity was enough to make tears well up in his eyes. Kim Soleum sniffled, snot dripping down his face as Yongyong continued to sit on the bench with him. The pats to his shoulder only made Kim Soleum sniffle loudly in response.
Yongyong was too precious for this world. Kim Soleum would destroy it if he could and set Yongyong free. Yongyong deserved to do whatever he wanted, especially if it meant leaving the theme park.
But.
Did Yongyong want to leave? Technically, the mascot could already leave the park. Ghost stories were somewhat connected, as that was how Braun’s Late-Night Show and the Alley Mall worked. Kim Soleum knew that already, yet he felt like more needed to be had.
What if Yongyong were in the real world? Or what counted as the real world? Would Yongyong even be happy to go there? Would he be free of his worries and duties? Would he be happier without them, or was Kim Soleum projecting?
“I’ll get better,” he promised Yongyong, a sigh leaving him with the words.
He had to get better by the time he needed to return to work. There was still so much to do. He had to go home. He missed his home. He needed to return. He had friends and family. He had a home to return to, and that was why he got involved in any of these ghost stories in the first place.
Yet, it felt like something was wrong with that line of thinking. He frowned and brought his knees up to his chest. He wanted to tuck his chin to his knees, but deemed that too childish, so he instead looked at Yongyong with trembling pupils.
“Do you have a home?”
He felt silly for asking it, especially when Yongyong raised his hand and gestured to the surrounding area. This theme park was Yongyong’s home. Trying to take him away from it, even if it was for his own good, would be cruel.
Kim Soleum frowned down at himself. He really needed to stop behaving like this. He wasn’t thinking clearly. He needed the elder’s spell to wear off. Wasn’t it supposed to have already happened when he was a cat?
He frowned, his fingernails biting into the skin of his knees in annoyance. He was upset because he couldn’t remember how he ended up at the theme park. He just woke up to Yongyong, and had been with the mascot ever since.
Maybe the Moonlight Tattoo Shop was connected not only to the beach, but the water park as well…? Yeah, that didn’t sound plausible, even to him.
Kim Soleum did not pout, but it was a close thing. Why did he feel so bleh? It was not his fault that he was at the park. He promised to visit, yes, but on his own terms! He had planned to ask Ho Yuwon about gaining access to the Cheerful Theme Park, but now there was no need to rely on that sly fox any further.
Pat, pat.
Kim Soleum blinked as Yongyong ruffled his hair. He sniffled, and wiped away tears he didn’t know he had shed. He peeked up at the mascot, his eyes widening as Yongyong looked at him with unbridled fondness.
So this was Yongyong’s home, huh.
Kim Soleum looked around at the amusement park, taking it in as not only a ghost story, a Darkness or a Disaster, but as a home, a residence for those whom Kim Soleum feared. This was a home for so many different beings, a place where things resided as a fragile in between.
Kim Soleum did not know what he expected from this place. He was always scared of it. It was simpler for him to view it as nothing but a ghost story, but he had grown attached. So many things had happened here.
This was the first place he met Yongyong and where he first summoned Braun into the Good Friend. He witnessed Jin Nasol change her opinions about him in real time and saw Yongyong kill Supervisor Lee.
On the road to entering [Cheerful Theme Park!], he also met Kwak Jekang, a named character from Dark Exploration Records. So many things happened because he entered this ghost story. His life was forever changed when it occurred, altered in a way that could never be undone.
Kim Soleum’s life did not start here. He couldn’t speak for when his life started, really. He thought about his friends and family, but that was something brief and fleeting. Anymore, he thought more about D-squad, their kind smiles and comforting presence.
He thought about Eun Haje’s grin as she poured coffee, and Park Minseong’s weary look when he brought in more paperwork. He thought about Lee Jaheon’s unblinking red eyes, and Jay’s nonchalant expression when presented with anything, no matter the circumstance.
He thought about Braun, too, and the way that he could never fully trust the host, while also never being willing to cut Braun off. He thought about Yongyong, the poor dragon’s mask forming into something human-like whenever Kim Soleum left it behind to return to the world.
He had so many people he thought about now. Did he always have so many people in his thoughts before?
Even though he hadn’t known them for as long, Agent Choi and Agent Bronze would not budge from his memories. He wanted to suppress it all and forget about everyone who made him feel like he was changing things for the better, but he knew it wasn’t enough.
Was he incapable of forgetting the new connections he made? He did not want to leave Go Yeongeun behind, though he trusted that she was now wise enough to do things on her own. He didn’t even want to leave that one-eyed bastard behind. Baek Saheon was vicious, and a person Kim Soleum felt like he would never understand, but at least he felt real.
Kim Soleum didn’t always feel real. He was so caught up in doing what he needed to, that he often forgot about the details that mattered just as much as the larger picture. He wanted to remain blanketed in disbelief and nostalgia, rather than being confronted with the fact that he wasn’t what he wanted to be.
He looked up at Yongyong, who was waiting patiently for his response.
Kim Soleum’s voice was stuck in his throat. He didn’t bother clawing it out or trying to force it up. He blinked, sucked in a breath, and exhaled his troubles. He cleared his mind.
“Do I have a home?”
Yongyong did not freeze or flinch. The mascot did not look surprised or thrown off by the question. The dragon merely gestured around them once again, and Kim Soleum felt at ease.
He settled back against the bench. The wooden grooves felt more substantial now. He ran the pads of his fingertips over them, even picking at the grains, like he could get a splinter if he tried hard enough.
This was not home, but it could be a temporary arrangement. At the very least, he could stay until his child form wore off from the elder. He would return to work when he was an adult, ready to take on responsibilities that children should not have.
Kim Soleum lifted his hand from the bench, and tapped Yongyong’s arm. The mascot peered down at him, affection welling in its eyes. Kim Soleum felt a smile form on his face.
He felt better now. Thinking about the past did him no good. He couldn’t redo anything. He could only move forward, pushing his muscles beyond what they could normally do, and walk.
“What else is there to do here that’s fun?” asked Kim Soleum, feeling childish as he grinned up at Yongyong.
Whiskers bobbed up and down in the air. Yongyong thought about it for a moment before a bright look passed over their features. Kim Soleum soon found himself standing up, his hand in Yongyong’s claw, as they walked across the ground together.
The amusement park’s sun continued to shine bright in the sky.