"This is continually odd that people would celebrate like this," Mr. Hyun commented as he walked along with Ling as they walked along one of the open areas that had been built up to be a part of Spookyville and noting the parade of high school aged teenagers in various costumes running around with either paper maps or cellphones looking for "bounties" which seemed to be a part of this year's Spookyville event, "to have people celebrate a holiday that involves costumes and candy take part in business best left to the state."
This was in reference to the "bounty" aspect of this year's Spookyville, which had people looking for things that "Grim" or someone else had supposedly stolen. Some of the announcements on this also struck Mr. Hyun as though the clues and locations that the teens were following made it pretty obvious. And while the actions that had lead to "Missy's" capture had betrayed the potential for dumb criminals, some of these things struck Mr. Hyun as a bit too obvious as he and Ling passed some of the booths that were providing various treats and carnival games. With them were Richard and Robby, Robby as Animalia's Deputy Mayor and Richard as muscle in case Mr. Hyun tried anything.
The North Korean "agent" was to a degree a source of concern for Animalia and Lyre, for while he had signed the official paperwork as a foreign agent and "ambassador" for North Korea, the knowledge that North Korea was a dictatorial state with a lousy human rights record was still clear to them. Mr. Hyun expected a lot of that mistrust as did fit within what his original mission had been when Ling was brought to Animalia/Lyre. The hope had been for either a super-soldier or a way to use the Animalia Virus as a weapon in and of itself, but of the two only the latter was possible, and much to Mr. Hyun's surprise was that neither Chairman Kim nor anyone else in his government had recalled him and Ling to North Korea. It left him wondering if his reports that super-soldiers being unlikely leading to an unofficial exile, as with Ling, North Korea would have access to the Animalia Virus and once the virus's vaccine wore off after a year, it could serve as a weapon. But there had been no recall, and thus the two had settled into a sort of holding pattern in Lyre/Animalia. It had often also generated responses that even Mr. Hyun didn't expect, like the break-in and his first thought being that someone was threatening Ling when "Missy" tried to steal Anastasia's jewelry.
"The bounty thing is more of a puzzle... something that will give high schoolers and others something to solve rather then getting into any sorts of pranks," Richard commented as he looked over to Mr. Hyun as the walked along.
"Pranks?" Mr. Hyun asked suspiciously.
"As in practical jokes... and YES that happens," Richard commented, "but the idea with the bounties is to give something that is fun and lets everyone enjoy Halloween."
"I'm still not sure why you celebrate your harvest season by dressing up as monsters and cartoon characters and asking for candy," Mr. Hyun commented, "Do you not take pride in your work?"
"We do..." Robby said slowly, "but people need the freedom to have fun... and Halloween is one of those sorts of holidays. Everyone pretends to be scared by the costumes and get some candy as well."
They were then interrupted as a pair of children approached and looked up to Ling. One of the two was dressed as a pirate while the other was dressed up as a ghost. Both were human, but they came up to Ling with no fear and Richard could see a smile on the pirate's face. He couldn't tell on the ghost, as the white sheet with eye holes covered up most of the child's face.
"I like you vampire costume," the pirate said to Ling.
"I'm afraid I'm not dressed up," Ling said slowly, "what you see are my tusks. And as a Korean Water Deer... they're natural."
"I thought deer had antlers?" the ghost wondered.
"Korean Water Deer are special," Mr. Hyun spoke politely. There were some things that he didn't fully trust Americans on, but he couldn't pull a hard line on children, particularly ones that warmly treated Ling with a friendly tone of voice.
The pirate came forward and poked at Ling's hip. She responded by shaking his hand and the pirate returned the handshake and quickly drew the obvious conclusion, "you aren't made of water." The ghost came forward and also petted at Ling's hand, feeling her fur and at her hoof-like nails.
"Your fur is fairly soft... but short..." the ghost commented.
"It's a little bit thicker now... as winter is coming," Ling gave a small smile. True, Lyre/Animalia didn't have the topography that she remembered from the farm in North Korea where she'd been raised, but Korea was fare enough north that she could know when winter was approaching. In that Lyre/Animalia and North Korea had something in common. They both had winter seasons. "But this is essentially how I am."
"What do you think about Halloween?" the pirate asked, "and would you go out as a vampire next year? You could wear a cape and go "blah!" It'd be fun!"
"It is different from what I remember," Ling answered, "and right now... I really can't say. I'm just happy to learn about things you do. Maybe use them to make Korea better..."
Mr. Hyun was quiet on that, but he felt a major pit in his stomach at the comment. Ling was polite and that made for good diplomacy and relations, but he also sensed that Animalian honesty in beliefs and rhetoric raised other potential problems. He may not have been recalled with Ling to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for the rest of the program that Chairman Kim had sent him on, but he also knew that when that happened, even if his government didn't weaponize the Animalia Virus, threatening to turn the people of South Korea, China, or Japan into Animalians, it would be likely that Ling would face a lot of hard manual labor to increase farm production and feed a country that had essentially been starving for years. At first, Mr. Hyun didn't really care about that, as it was just another job and another task. Now, though, a part of him was nervous for Ling. He knew those thoughts and worries would be traitorous against Chairman Kim... but he couldn't help it to some degree. That was soon reinforced as the pirate and ghost then departed to join their parents.
"Maybe you could stay here... you could have fun at Spookyville next year," the ghost said with a departing waive and then headed off.
Richard and Robert soon waived along to the two boys as they moved along to the area where "Spookyville" transitioned to the "Medieval Fair" area. The two generally blended together and they noted that Mr. Hyun visibly relaxed as they came along to that area. It only left them wondering what the North Korean agent could be thinking about.