Chapter 39: The Hell Train

Walking alongside Ma Won-ho, with my gaze fixed on him, the other park-goers seemed to fade from view, and my nerves began to settle.

When the staff announced it was time to enter, and I stepped inside, greeted by an employee, I felt a sudden realization: I had crossed the point of no return.

Though we had agreed to visit the zoo while in the car, the moment we entered the park, I felt as if I had become an exhibit animal myself. The sheer overwhelm left Dohwa utterly flustered.

“First, we need to buy headbands.”

Led by Ma Won-ho, whose voice had lifted a full tone higher than before, I followed him into the souvenir shop.

‘…Isn’t that a camera?’

Once inside, he released my hand, allowing me to browse. As I looked around, I noticed several objects scattered about that looked suspiciously like cameras.

“I picked out some that would suit you.”

It seemed Ma Won-ho had already made his selection, as he approached, grinning, with three headbands in hand. He extended one towards Dohwa.

He probably wanted me to try it on.

Without any resistance, I tried on all three headbands, one after another.

As I did, Ma Won-ho’s expression grew increasingly serious, until he even snatched away the last headband Dohwa had on.

‘Did he not like them?’

As I tried to smooth my dishevelled hair, my gaze inadvertently met that of a nearby stranger. Flustered, I gave an awkward nod. To my surprise, the person suddenly bowed deeply in return, causing me to wave my hands in a startled refusal.

“Look at me.”

Ma Won-ho gently took hold of Dohwa’s face, turning it towards him. He then proceeded to place and remove two of the three headbands he held, testing them against Dohwa’s hair.

Then he left one headband on, without taking it off.

“This is the one.”

“…Alright.”

My head nodded in tandem with his resolute expression. When I finally looked in the mirror, I saw myself wearing a black cat-ear headband, complete with a tiny bell.

A shake of my head produced a faint jingle from the bell.

Since Ma Won-ho had chosen a headband for me while I was distracted by other souvenirs, I decided it was my turn. I moved to the headband section, carefully sifting through options that might complement him.

“What are you doing?”

“Your headband… I was trying to choose one for you.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ll just get the same one as you.”

I stammered, watching Ma Won-ho, who now wore the identical black cat headband, its ears nestled amongst his brown hair.

He leaned down, bringing his face level with mine. As I studied him closely, I began to notice details I hadn’t perceived before.

‘His hair is a bit wavy.’

Was it the new hairstyle? Ma Won-ho’s usual intensity seemed somewhat softened today, even — I was shocked to realize — a little cute. The thought jolted Dohwa.

What had I just been thinking?

“Let’s hurry and go on some rides.”

Unaware of my internal turmoil, he casually took Dohwa’s hand once more, leading me out of the souvenir shop.

I followed him mindlessly at first, but as the sounds of screams grew steadily louder, I realized our proximity. Dohwa’s expression hardened, and I came to an abrupt halt.

“Stop, where are we going?”

“Of course, if you come to an amusement park, you buy a headband…”

Ma Won-ho paused for a moment, then smiled brightly and said.

“The first thing you do is go on the roller coaster.”

That was not mutually agreed upon.

For a moment, his face overlapped with that of a grim reaper leading me to hell.

Ma Won-ho, witnessing Dohwa’s face turn ghostly pale, asked playfully.

“Can you not handle scary rides, by any chance?”

“No.”

I blurted out a reflexive “No,” nodding vigorously. Instantly, the image of the baby panda we’d discussed in the car flashed through my mind.

Which way was the zoo again?

My gaze swept the surroundings, only to meet the eyes of several onlookers. Awkwardly, I turned back to Ma Won-ho.

“Let’s try it this time. Rides aren’t fun if you’re good at them! It’s much more exciting if you’re not.”

His nonsensical excuse was so absurd that I immediately planted my feet firmly on the ground.

Fun, for whom?

When Ma Won-ho tugged on my clasped hand, I moved, but instead of walking, I simply stopped. Undeterred, he practically dragged me all the way to the roller coaster entrance.

“I’ll wait, so go ride it. I’ll stand in line for another ride.”

He spoke with unwavering resolve, his face set firmly, offering no room for negotiation. Yet, Ma Won-ho merely continued, a sly grin spreading across his face.

“Why stand in line? We have a Super Pass, so we don’t have to.”

Why did they tell only Ma Won-ho and not me?

I cast a resentful glare towards the staff for a moment, but Ma Won-ho, observing my reluctance, began to subtly coax me.

But I was simply not an easy target for persuasion.

“For now, let’s not stand here; let’s go somewhere else.”

As if I wouldn’t know he was heading towards another roller coaster.

However, knowing that lingering there would inconvenience others, I let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly moved.

His grip on my hand remained firm.

****

My vehement refusal at the roller coaster entrance successfully thwarted the ride. However, the sheer effort expended felt like I had already endured two rides.

Unlike Dohwa, who was utterly unfamiliar with the park’s layout, Ma Won-ho navigated with an assured ease, as if he were a frequent visitor.

We primarily followed his lead, and perhaps inevitably, each path he chose seemed to include at least one ride I absolutely dreaded.

“Can’t we ride that?”

“…”

After indulging in a few low-difficulty rides—the kind perfect for a gentle breeze, chosen out of consideration for Dohwa—Ma Won-ho once again pointed to a ride he desired.

I had refused too often, and now my conscience pricked me. This was already the fifth time.

However, unlike the previous rides, only the entrance was visible. The actual roller coaster, hidden underground, remained out of sight.

“This one doesn’t have 360-degree rotations, and its speed isn’t really fast compared to the others. You can even ride it with your eyes open.”

Now Ma Won-ho no longer tried to persuade me at length, but got straight to the point.

“If we ride this, we can stop with the rides and go eat. And then go to the zoo.”

“Haa… alright.”

No, no.

I swallowed down the words of refusal that couldn’t quite escape my lips.

Meanwhile, perhaps fearing I might retract my words, Ma Won-ho seized my hand the moment I spoke, then smiled brightly and practically dragged me towards the entrance.

“Are you riding this?”

“Yes.”

The attendant, noting Dohwa’s pallor, double-checked, but I reluctantly nodded, presented the Super Pass, and was ushered straight inside.

Fortunately, there were people inside, so it seemed we would have to wait a little.

“Why are you shaking so much?”

Noticing the faint tremor in the hand he held, Ma Won-ho let out a dry, teasing laugh.

When I shot him a look that clearly asked, ‘Are you serious?’, he only intensified his teasing.

“You can’t watch horror movies, and you can’t ride amusement rides. Aren’t you just a big baby?”

“Do you want to die? They say being careful with things like this helps you live longer.”

Fearing my impulsive retort might have offended him, I immediately scrutinized Ma Won-ho’s expression.

“…This was all caught on camera, right? Please make sure to broadcast it.”

But no chance.

His mental fortitude, seemingly tougher than steel, caused Dohwa’s composure to finally crack.

“Please make sure to zoom in on my face and broadcast that too.”

“Don’t film me.”

I released Ma Won-ho’s hand and covered my face with both of mine.

Perhaps due to his playful teasing, I felt considerably better as our turn approached. I’d forgotten to remove the headband I was wearing, so Ma Won-ho took it off for me and placed it in the storage locker.

Then, as the safety bar came down, the reality set in. I was actually going to ride this.

“Your hand is cold.”

“Ha…”

“If you’re scared, hold on tight.”

My already cold hands grew even colder as they touched the frigid safety bar. Ma Won-ho pulled one of my hands, which was gripping the bar, and intertwined our fingers, sending a wave of warmth through me.

Ding-ding-ding—

“This train is bound for hell!”

A loud clang echoed, followed by the cheerful voice of an employee.

As the ride began to move, Dohwa squeezed their eyes shut, feeling an unprecedented rush of wind and the jarring lurching of the car.

“Open your eyes.”

My tightly clasped hand trembled, and at his words, I miraculously opened my eyes.

Before me unfolded a spectacle of crimson light, a vision that unmistakably resembled hell itself.

It wasn’t just a figure of speech; this was truly a hell train.

****

A ride without rotations, only speed, would typically be boring.

However, thanks to the person I was riding with, I found a different kind of enjoyment, and I was secretly a little surprised.

It wasn’t exaggeration or feigned weakness; I had never seen anyone genuinely this terrified before.

The trembling before getting on could easily have been an act, but one couldn’t fake body temperature.

‘To think my hands would get this cold in summer.’

My hot hands felt pleasantly cool as they touched Dohwa’s.

Each time the speed accelerated, the pressure on my hand intensified, yet it had no effect on Ma Won-ho.

After I told them once to open their eyes, they seemed unable to close them again, spending the latter half of the ride simply taking in the scenery.

“Your hair is a mess.”

After we disembarked, I steadied the stumbling Dohwa, led them out of the exit, carefully tidied them up, and even put their headband back on.

I thought they were completely spaced out, but then:

“Don’t laugh.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t laugh like that; it’s annoying.”

Suddenly, they adopted a sharp, cat-like expression, glaring at me with piercing eyes. Startled, I took a step back with an ‘Oh dear’.

Was I laughing?