Chapter 27 : Amusement Park

I sighed, staring at the entrance to the amusement park.
My classmates, all in their school uniforms, filled the plaza.

We could have worn casual clothes, but Nayeon insisted that amusement park visits during high school *required* school uniforms, so here I was, stuck in my uncomfortable uniform.

Pants would have been much more practical.
But practicality had no place in such matters.

Screams echoed from beyond the ticket booths, and my face paled.

I couldn’t understand why people would pay money to be subjected to such… torture. To be dropped from great heights, swung around like pendulums, their heads filled with terror… it was beyond me.

The “Gyro Drop,” was particularly horrifying. Even someone contemplating suicide would reconsider after seeing that contraption.

And then there was the lingering trauma from the movie I had watched at Saeron’s place. Hyelin had requested we watch ‘Final Destination 3,’ where almost everyone died gruesome deaths. I had vowed never to ride a roller coaster after that.

I felt eyes on me and turned to see Nayeon and Jihyun approaching, their expressions predatory. They linked arms with me, trapping me between them.

“Any rides in mind?”
“Um… not yet.”
“Hyelin said you *love* amusement park rides.”
“D… Did she?”

I shot a nervous glance at Hyelin, the architect of this trap. She whistled innocently, avoiding my gaze.

“Let’s start with T Express. We have to ride all the major roller coasters.”
“How about Double Rock Spin? They don’t have that at Lotte World.”
“And Hurricane!”

I made a last-ditch effort to escape.

“I’ll just ride the carousel by myself.”
“N… No way! We’re riding together!”

Hyelin’s sinister smile dashed my hopes. They tightened their grip on my arms and began planning our itinerary. My eyes glazed over with each ride they named.

To me, it sounded like they were discussing torture methods.

***

We decided to start with T Express.
Even though we went straight to the line, the wait was over an hour.

I prayed, silently begging any deity listening to shut down the ride due to some unforeseen technical malfunction.

I had heard rides could be closed due to weather conditions. I desperately wished for a sudden storm.

But the sky remained stubbornly clear.

“H… Haram… it’s… our turn.”

I forced a smile.

“Already? Time flies.”
“Y… You’re a first-timer, so… let’s sit in the… back.”

Was the back supposed to be…better?
I followed Hyelin and sat in the back row.

A staff member said something, and the safety bar came down.
I checked mine, then turned to the staff member with a worried expression.

“Aren’t there any seatbelts?”

He smiled and ignored me, launching into his spiel.

“Okay! T-Ready! Checking! Start!”

The train lurched forward. My heart pounded as we climbed higher and higher.

I frowned. The people in front of me blocked my view of the peak.
I turned to Hyelin nervously.

“How much longer until we reach the top?”
“A… Almost there. D… Did you know…?”
“Know what?”
“The… the back row is… the most… thrilling.”

My eyes widened in disbelief.

‘What did I just hear?’

My thoughts were interrupted as Hyelin grinned and whispered,

“H… Hold on tight. Y… You might fly away.”
“…Why are you doing this to me?”
“Heehee…”

She just smiled, a disturbingly satisfied smile. I bit my lip and gripped the safety bar with both hands.

And then…

We dropped.

It felt… long. Interminably long.

The most terrifying part was the feeling of weightlessness, of my body lifting off the seat. If it weren’t for the safety bar, I would have been launched into the air.

I frantically turned to Hyelin. She just laughed, seemingly enjoying my terror.

“Th… This isn’t right! There’s something wrong with the safety bar!”
“Heehee! H… Haram… did you… know?”
“Know what?”
“The… the second drop is… even scarier.”

My face froze. Despair washed over me. There was another drop?

The agonizingly slow ascent began. I reflected on my life choices, wondering what I had done to deserve this. Perhaps I had wronged Hyelin in some unforgivable way in a past life.

Closing my eyes only intensified the terror. Opening them brought the horrifying reality into sharp focus. I cursed the creators of this demonic contraption.

And then…

We dropped. Again.

***

Dojun, waiting for Junseok, who had gone to the restroom, spotted me sitting on a bench, staring blankly at the ground. I was wearing a pair of bunny ears I had bought from the gift shop, my face devoid of all emotion. He approached Hyelin, who was sitting next to me.

“What’s wrong with the gloomy bunny?”

Hyelin chuckled awkwardly.

“T…The…S… Soul… harvester.”
“Soul harvester?”
“D… Double Rock Spin.”

Screams echoed from above. Dojun looked up to see a spinning contraption, its seats rotating 360 degrees, high in the air.

“That *is* a soul harvester.”
“Ah, hold on. I’ll… go get the others.”

Hyelin checked her phone and left to find Nayeon and Jihyun.

I let out a hollow laugh.

“He… hee… I thought the other rides were…potentially lethal. That one is a murder weapon. People actually *die* on that.”

My experience on Double Rock Spin had been…traumatic. Spinning 720 degrees in the air… the cruelty of humanity never ceased to amaze me.

“If you’re that scared, why did you go on it?”
“You’re right. I should have said no.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“It’s… not that easy.”

I forced a smile, hiding my true feelings.

It was too embarrassing to admit that I had endured that torture just to see my friends happy. That the price I had paid for their smiles was my own terror.

I forced a cheerful laugh.

“Well, I’ve ridden all the famous rides, so… quest complete.”

Just then, Nayeon and Jihyun walked over and linked arms with me. I looked around nervously.

Hyelin, smiling sweetly, delivered the crushing blow.

“Th… The lines for T Express are… shorter now.”
“Why…?”

Jihyun chimed in,

“We can probably ride it again after waiting only fifteen minutes.”
“Why…?”

Nayeon grinned.

“We have to make the most of it. You haven’t truly experienced T Express until you’ve ridden it at least three times.”

They started dragging me away. I frantically mouthed at Dojun,

[Help me!]

He just looked at me with pity and made the sign of the cross.

***

Dojun chuckled as he watched me being dragged away like a condemned prisoner. Junseok returned from the restroom and patted him on the back.

“Are you going to confess to Lee Haram today?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I thought you two were a thing.”
“We’re not.”

Dojun scowled at Junseok, who realized his mistake and scratched his head.

“Sorry, my bad. But I have a feeling a lot of couples will be formed today. It’s the perfect opportunity, you know.”

Confessions under the glow of the beautifully lit carousel at sunset were a classic amusement park trope.

“Ah, Min Chaerin’s calling. I’ll be right back.”

Junseok, who had become friendly with Min Chaerin through the drama club, walked away to answer the call. Dojun pondered Junseok’s words.

Him and Lee Haram? As a couple? Preposterous.

He could say with absolute certainty that he didn’t have romantic feelings for her.

But could he definitively categorize his feelings as platonic?
No.

His feelings towards her were somewhere in between friendship and something more. He decided to mentally halve the possibility of his feelings ever developing into something romantic. He remembered the promise he had made to her on that rainy day.

He smiled wryly, looking at the clear sky.

Dojun would remain Lee Haram’s friend, no matter what.