Just then Thomas spotted his father and ran toward him with tears of joy in his eyes, calling out excitedly for his papa. Daiki picked him up and asked whether he had enjoyed his day.
Thomas told him happily about everything he had learned. Then, without warning, he asked his father to imitate the sound of a frog.
The unexpected request caught Daiki by surprise. He turned toward Kenta with an irritated expression and demanded to know why Thomas was making animal noises, and who had taught him.
Kenta looked nervous. He explained that Minjun had been entertaining Thomas by imitating the sounds of a duck and a frog while they were walking together.
That explanation only made Daiki more annoyed. He asked whether that was really what had happened.
Kenta confirmed that it was, and added that the young master had enjoyed it very much.
Thomas reached up, touched his father's face gently, and asked him once again to make the frog sound. Although all of his subordinates were watching, Daiki eventually gave in and imitated it, which made Thomas incredibly happy.
Minjun, standing off to one side, was completely mortified and wished he could disappear through the floor.
Afterwards, Daiki asked Kenta to stay with Thomas, because he needed to speak privately with Minjun. Some of the men offered to accompany him. Daiki refused, saying that only Minjun was needed.
Before they had even reached another room, Daiki cornered Minjun against the wall and told him that he deserved to be punished for teaching strange things to his son.
The sudden accusation left Minjun speechless.
As they continued walking through the hallways, Minjun could not stop thinking about that word. Punishment. He felt Daiki was overreacting, since it was perfectly normal for children of that age to imitate animal sounds. His imagination soon began running away with him, and he pictured himself tied up and punished by a yakuza boss.
Once they entered the room, Daiki explained that he did not want Thomas learning animal noises.
Minjun defended himself quickly. They were not just random sounds, he said. They were cute ones, and Thomas had genuinely enjoyed them.
Daiki remained unconvinced. He explained that children tended to enjoy almost anything while they were having fun, and warned that because Minjun was still young, he might not realise how easily a child could begin copying inappropriate things. Swear words, for instance.
Minjun found the explanation confusing. He could not imagine who would teach a child language like that, and privately he thought Daiki ought to be more concerned about the gang members standing around Thomas all day.
Even so, he apologised at once. He admitted that he lacked experience, and promised not to teach Thomas anything else without permission.
Accepting the apology, Daiki explained that since it had been an honest mistake, he would overlook it this time. He warned, however, that if anything similar happened again, there would be consequences.
Frightened, Minjun assured him quickly that he would remember.
After Minjun left the room, Daiki summoned Kenta and the teacher. As soon as they came in, the teacher began apologising for failing to stop Minjun, but Daiki interrupted him. That was not the reason he had called them.
He informed them that the Suzuki gang had become active again, and had most likely discovered that Thomas was staying there. Making it clear that he could not afford to lose his son, Daiki ordered both Kenta and the teacher to protect Thomas until the situation had been resolved.
Standing outside the door, Minjun overheard the conversation by accident. Hearing that Thomas needed protecting left him more confused than before, because he could not understand exactly what Daiki meant by it.