The subway station was closer than expected, only about a five-minute walk.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay without me?” 

Standing at the top of the stairs leading underground, Midsummer looked down at us with a worried expression. She looked like she was ready to drop everything and come along.

“We’ll be fine. The kids should learn to do things on their own, don’t you think?”

“…Yes. In that case, please take care of them.”

“Of course.”

After seeing us off, Midsummer waved and walked away into the distance. We watched until she disappeared from sight, then turned to face the steps leading underground.

“Wow…”

Levinas’s eyes sparkled as if she were on the brink of a grand adventure. She stared at the stairs for a while, then pulled a stuffed toy out of her bag—an adorable shark with a tail resembling Sofia’s.

“Wangya, if anything happens, we can throw this and run.”

Levinas handed me the shark plush. Sofia’s expression darkened slightly, seemingly displeased with the idea of her likeness being thrown.

“Why a shark plush of all things?”

“Sharks protect everyone!”

It was clear how much Levinas trusted Sofia. And, truthfully, Sofia was indeed the most reliable of us all.

“H-Hm. In that case, I suppose it’s acceptable.”

“Yep! Even if we throw it, the shark will fend off everyone and return to us!”

“Hrm…”

Sofia’s face reddened from Levinas’s unwavering trust. Perhaps to hide her flushed face, she took a big step down the stairs.

“Sharkie! Wait up!”

Levinas chased after Sofia, with Saebyeok and me following close behind. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we had to stop and take in our surroundings. The underground area was far wider than we’d imagined.

“Woahhh.”

It looked like an entire shopping district had been moved underground. Seeing such an expansive underground mall, even I felt a bit intrigued.

“Wangya! We’ve entered the underground world! Have you ever been to a place like this?”

“No, this is my first time too.”

“Really?”

Levinas, wide-eyed with curiosity, approached a young woman nearby.

Tap tap tap—

Levinas tapped the woman on the hip with her small fist. The woman, startled, whipped around, perhaps thinking someone was bothering her.

“Eek…?”

Her surprised shriek turned into confusion the moment she saw Levinas. Realizing it was Levinas who had tapped her, the woman’s initial shock softened into kindness.

“Did you just tap me?”

“Yes! I have a question!”

“What are you curious about, little bunny?”

She knelt to meet Levinas’s gaze, her attitude warm and encouraging.

“Is this where the underground people live?”

The woman chuckled at Levinas’s innocent question and nodded, patting her on the head.

“Yes. This is the land of the underground people.”

“Gasp! But I’m from the surface…”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes!”

Thrilled to meet an “underground person,” Levinas hopped in place. After chatting with the woman for a bit, she ran back to us, looking excited.

“Sharkie! Wangya! We’re in trouble! This is the land of the underground people!”

“Amazing. I’ve never met an underground person before.”

“Me neither.”

For Levinas’s sake, we all pretended we didn’t know. Watching us, people around us chuckled softly.

“Oh, they’re the kids from Dawn Guild. They’re adorable.”

“Yeah. They called us underground people.”

Hearing strangers comment on how cute we were made my tail wag. Indeed, our kids were pretty adorable.

“Wangya! Where do we board the subway?!”

“Hmm… First, I think we need to buy tickets…”

I looked over at Sofia as I spoke. She was the only one among us who actually knew how to use the subway.

“Hm… I’ll just watch this time, so you all should try buying the tickets yourselves.”

“Y-By ourselves?”

“Yes, and if you’re unsure, you could always ask the station staff for help.”

It suddenly dawned on me why Sofia wasn’t helping directly—she wanted to encourage us to be more independent.

If that’s her intention, then I have no choice but to follow along. After all, I wanted the kids to learn to be self-reliant, too.

“So… should I just stay here then?”

“…Wouldn’t it make sense for you to take the lead, Gyeoul?”

“Huh?”

I glanced around at the young Levinas and Saebyeok. Why me, though? It seemed odd, but I decided to follow Sofia’s advice. After all, I also needed to learn how to navigate the subway.

‘To Sofia, I must be just another kid.’

With our vast age difference, I suppose it made sense. For now, I decided to focus on finding the ticket machines.

—

Near the subway entrance, a ticket vending machine stood, drawing people’s attention.

What’s going on here? Station attendant Song Jin-seok, curious, approached the source of the commotion.

“Wangya, the letters just turned all squiggly.”

“Yeah, it’s because we selected the wrong language.”

“It’s in English.”

The three beastfolk children were clustered around the large screen, while a child with a shark tail stood with her arms crossed at a distance.

“Wow, what’s going on?”

“Look at their little tails sticking up.”

Someone took a photo, capturing the kids’ adorable figures from behind.

Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any problems. Jin-seok quickly made his way toward the children.

“Excuse me.”

He pushed through the crowd to reach the machine, where the three children looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

“Ah! It’s the police!”

“I’m not the police, just the station attendant. Do you need help?”

The kids glanced at one another, then all looked at the child with white ears and a tail—Gyeoul.

“We want to ride the subway…”

“I see. Do you know where you’re heading?”

“Um, no… We don’t have a destination.”

“No destination?”

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. They wanted to take the subway but didn’t have anywhere in mind?

“Actually, this is our first time on the subway.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. We wanted to try it today, but we don’t know how.”

“Ah…”

They weren’t trying to go anywhere specific—they just wanted to experience the subway. Jin-seok found their determination quite endearing.

“What school do you go to?”

“Why does that matter…?”

“Oh, it’s just that subway rides are free for elementary school kids.”

The children looked around elementary school age, so he wanted to let them know they didn’t need to pay. However, one of the kids didn’t seem happy with his comment.

“I… don’t go to school.”

“You don’t?”

“No… I’d rather pay.”

“Oh…”

Jin-seok looked the kids up and down, noticing their worn clothes. He pursed his lips tightly.

‘Are they not able to afford school?’

These were kids who should be learning and playing freely, yet they didn’t attend school. In his mind, elementary school was mandatory—why weren’t they in school?

Was it something unique to beastfolk or Dawn Guild? Knowing little about them, Jin-seok felt a pang of guilt.

‘I really shouldn’t have said that.’

“Elementary school students are free.” It must’ve been painful for a child who couldn’t go to school to hear that. He regretted not choosing his words more carefully.

‘Maybe I should’ve just explained it by age.’

This wasn’t just about them not needing the subway—they probably couldn’t afford to take it. Sighing deeply, Jin-seok forced a polite smile.

“You don’t need to pay, really.”

“But… even if I’m not an elementary student?”

“Yes, even if you’re not, it’s free.”

“Huh?”

Gyeoul tilted her head, confused as to why she wouldn’t need to pay. Seeing this, Jin-seok misinterpreted her expression and bit his lip.

Gyeoul didn’t go to “elementary school” and didn’t understand why she could ride for free. In reality, it was just an age-based rule. Jin-seok regretted his words all over again.

“You’re free to ride the subway anytime. And since your goal is just to experience it, you don’t need to go far.”

“Yes…”

“If you board, then exit at the next station and cross over to take the train back, you’ll return here. It’ll take around 30 minutes round-trip.”

“Oh…!”

Gyeoul’s ears perked up, and her tail, which had drooped in confusion, began to wag. Relieved by the improvement in her mood, Jin-seok sighed inwardly.

“If your goal is just to ride the subway, there’s no need to go far, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then just ride there, hop off, and come back. You think you can handle that?”

If they wandered too far, they might get lost. Fortunately, the kids didn’t seem to want to go very far.

“Yes. We can do that.”

“Great. I’ll wait here for you to return.”

“Wait…?”

“Yes, since it’s your first time. If you don’t come back, I’ll notify each station to keep an eye out.”

“Oh… okay.”

He could’ve easily laughed at them for being unfamiliar with the subway, but instead, he was considerate. What a kind station attendant. Gyeoul found herself respecting him for taking

 his job seriously.

“Alright then, have a good trip.”

“Yes!”

Finally, our first subway ride. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Gyeoul led the others to the turnstiles.

When she reached the gate, though, she stopped. A long bar blocked the way, as if determined not to let them pass.

Unsure how to get past it without paying, Gyeoul just stood there, staring blankly at the turnstile.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep