episode_0212

This was my first time at an amusement park and my first experience was on a Viking, or rather a pirate ship as they call it here.

When I watched the attached video, it really didn’t seem like much, but when I actually rode it, I still vividly remember how scared I was.

And not long after, there was the flume ride next door.

It wasn’t as scary as Vikings, but it was thrilling and creepy because it allowed me to feel a speed I couldn’t normally feel.

I felt my body getting colder.

I don’t know if it was because I was exposed to so many stimulating sensations at once, but I felt like my body wasn’t calming down.

So I wanted to ride something a little more comfortable, so I held Jimin’s hand tightly and walked across the street.

I could see the boat from the flume ride I had taken earlier riding along the rails and cutting through the water. Also, behind me, the Viking I had taken earlier was moving, making people scream.

After passing through those stimulating devices, this was the place we arrived at.

An amusement ride where a model of a horse goes around several times.

I didn’t really know what the name was. I tried to choose from a booklet but failed, so I ended up choosing by looking at it in person, so I had to look at the information panels around me.

But Jimin’s voice was soon heard, as if there was no need for that.

“Carousel? You want to ride this?”

“Oh, yeah…! I want to ride this.”

I glanced at the people nodding in line and getting on, and saw that they were mostly children or couples.

At first, I hesitated and thought, “Would it be okay if I got on it?” But then I thought about it and realized, I have Jimin.

So, there was no need to back down, so I nodded and answered.

Then he looked around for a moment and nodded as if he understood.

“Yeah, what else do you ride after this?”

“Let’s think about it after riding it… ”

“Okay, okay.”

Jimin had such a hasty personality.

I haven’t even ridden it yet and I’m already thinking about what’s next.

Of course, it would be nice to plan what’s next and move on right away, but I wanted to just take my time and enjoy this and that.

Yes, more than anything, the important thing was ‘togetherness’.

No matter how leisurely and relaxed something is, it’s fun to experience it with someone else.

I went inside following the staff’s instructions.

The train that had been playing flashy music and flashing lights until just a moment ago was now stopped, waiting for people to get on.

I climbed onto the circular platform and mounted the horse with the help of the staff.

Even though it was a model, the fact that it was with an animal called a horse subtly came across.

My heart was pounding. Jimin was sitting next to me, glancing at me.

As other people filled the other seats, I smiled bitterly and said to him,

“Looking at the shape of the horse, I remember that time.”

At that time, I was traveling in a carriage.

Back then, there were no cars and no asphalt.

At that time, there were no means of transportation other than human or horse feet.

It may have been a short time, but it was a painful time.

That time now remained in my mind, worn and beautified.

I thought about the time I was able to meet Jimin over and over again, and although it wasn’t a beautiful memory, I could still think of it as a beautiful memory.

As people got on one by one, the machine started to move.

As the horse I was riding moved up and down and forward, I could hear Jimin’s voice faintly.

“… Was it a bad memory?”

“No, that wasn’t necessarily the case.”

It was a short question and answer.

I think he asked because he was worried that I might have some trauma, but that was an exaggerated worry, and I was just reminiscing about that time.

If you asked me if I wanted to go back, I would say absolutely not, but if you asked me if I wished that moment had never happened, I think I would be able to say no to that too.

The surroundings were filled with brilliant lights.

The wonderful music was pleasing to the ears.

I thought that was really good.

Not long after that, that time was coming to an end for me again.

It’s such a shame. Of course, if there’s a beginning, there’s an end, but they tell me to get off again after only riding for a few minutes.

I couldn’t help but stick out my tongue at the thought of having to wait in that line again to get on again.

But I can’t keep riding the same thing, so let’s go see something else.

“Wow, that was fun!”

“Was it fun?”

“Yeah.”

I stretched and nodded to Jimin’s words, answering energetically.

I like going to high places that make your heart pound or feeling a sense of speed that you can’t normally feel, but I also like riding something peaceful like this.

I once again realize that there are times when you have to experience something to know something.

“What do we do now?”

Jimin asked a question. Honestly, since I bought a free pass, I thought I wanted to experience something different quickly, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t necessary.

So, the point was that it’s good to walk like this, holding hands tightly, and seeing things you don’t normally see in the scenery.

“Let’s go and take a look.”

“… What’s there over there? Should I go take a look?”

We walked like that, holding hands.

Sometimes I would silently look at the flowers blooming here and there along the way, and sometimes I would look around, taking in the sight of people screaming loudly while riding the balloons.

I also experienced a mirror maze and stopped by a restaurant to have a delicious meal.

The new scenery, the new experiences, and even the delicious food were more than enough to keep me entertained.

While I was walking around, giggling, I stopped in the middle and blankly stared at the souvenir shop.

They sold dolls, and also some strange tools, like sticks.

At the end of the stick was a sponge shaped hand, like rock, paper, scissors, and another had a trident attached, like something the devil would carry.

“… Want to see it once?”

Jimin came over and asked me that, perhaps because I was staring at him for too long.

So I hesitated for a moment and then nodded slightly.

Then this time Jimin held my hand tightly and walked towards the store.

As I followed the store and went inside, I saw that the store was full of interesting things and things I wanted.

They mainly sell toys, models, and dolls, which you probably wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Since it’s a souvenir shop, people are probably buying it as a souvenir.

I looked at them with the feeling that I definitely wanted them, but most of them made me hesitate to actually ask to buy them.

Even though it was for souvenirs, I had a feeling that I didn’t know what, how, or with what kind of feeling I should bring back as a souvenir.

“What do you want to buy?”

So, I just hesitated and moved my lips to answer Jimin’s question.

Should I ask them to buy it? No, I don’t think I’ll end up looking at it. If I take it and it’s not useful, it’s just a waste of space and a way to create trash.

He stuck out his mouth. After thinking for a while, going back and forth between left and right with his mouth sticking out, Jimin let out an “Ah” sound and started looking at the props hanging on the wall.

I unconsciously turned my head at that sight and stared at it quietly.

I found myself drawn to the sight of her looking at the headband.

“… Headband?”

“There are heart shapes and devil shapes too. Should I buy that with the devil horns headband?”

As Jimin said that, he lifted his headband and gently placed it on my head.

But I didn’t really want the devil headband. Still, I wanted to see Jimin wear it, so I thought about it for a moment and pointed with my finger.

“It might be a bit weird if I just use it, but Jimin uses it too.”

“Ah, suck it, the devil is a little.”

“What is this… ”

I was about to say, “You recommended it to me when you weren’t even going to use it?” but I saw Jimin’s hand not stop and go straight to the headband right next to him, so I kept my mouth shut.

The hand reached out to the heart-shaped headbands, grabbed two of them, and then quickly scurried away to the checkout counter.

“Huh?”

He finished paying before I could say anything, then quickly came over to me and handed me a headband.

“Okay, put one in.”

“Uh, yeah… ”

Jimin accepted it with a bewildered expression, and quickly began to put the headband on his own head as if he was happy.

It was in the same position as the horns, but instead of horns, it was a heart with springs that moved around, so I thought I would burst out laughing.

I swallowed my laughter and quickly put on the same hat Jimin had given me.

Because I thought that there would be less resistance when two people did it rather than doing it alone.

“Hey, how is it?”

“Okay. Then let’s take a picture.”

“What picture?”

“Commemorative photos. Photos last longer than souvenirs.”

As Jimin said that, he took his smartphone out of his pocket and tapped the screen. It turned on in just a few seconds, and he pulled me close to his level.

Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a picture before.

Even though I don’t know about ID photos, I could definitely say that this was my first time taking photos in such a fun place.

So, what should I do? I asked myself this question, and soon the corners of my mouth carefully raised.

I felt like my face looked a little stiff on the screen in selfie mode.

I don’t think my expression was like that originally.

“Minhee… your face is so stiff.”

“Ah, oh. Uh, I don’t know what expression to make… ”

“Just smile naturally.”

Naturally, it seemed like such a difficult task to me, having never been conscious of it.

I tried hard to move my facial muscles while thinking, “How did I usually smile?” but every time I did, only a creaking sensation remained.

“Ugh, uh.” I groaned and shook my head, and Jimin shook his head as if he had said something.

And then he spoke to me as if he had given up.

“Just look straight ahead without making any facial expression.”

Those words made me feel ashamed of myself.

I also felt a sense of inferiority as I thought to myself, “Does it make sense that I can’t even do one thing like smile naturally?”

Still, I could do this expressionlessly. I consoled myself with that thought, and Jimin looked at the screen with the same expression as me.

“One, two… ”

“Huh?!”

Click.

Three, there was no sound.

The phone just rang with a beeping sound, along with my panicked voice.

“Hey, hey! What are you doing in a place like this…!”

“It’s a place where lovers usually show off their affection.”

Jimin was looking at his smartphone and giggling as if nothing had happened, as if it was normal, despite my protests.

“… … .”

As I opened my eyes and looked up at him, he smiled and nodded at me.

“Tiring,” the smartphone in my bag rang.

I carefully took out my phone to see what was going on, and when I looked at the screen, there was a text message. And attached to it was a photo that looked like it had been taken earlier.

“… … Oh, no.”

One, two, three. Jimin acted as if he was going to take a picture when I counted to three, and then he kissed my cheek.

And my expressionless face was dripping with embarrassment.

His face was also bright red.

When I cut off his words, Jimin chuckled.

“I’ll have to ignite it later.”

“Hey, what’s a ignition? Huh? Isn’t it weird?”

“That’s right…what was the ignition?”

“Ah, isn’t that really weird?”

“There’s a ignition there!”

“Hey!”

No matter how many times I asked about a word I had never heard before, Jimin would change the subject and walk away.

I just followed him to protest.

The first amusement park we went to was fun.

The first souvenir I bought was satisfactory,

The first photo I took was very impressive.

Because I was the first and last person to be photographed.

The reason I didn’t stop him until the end when he said he would print out the photo on paper as if it was a joke was because I wanted this memory to remain somehow.

The sunset was setting, and it seemed like it would be a good time to go home.

As I left the amusement park and took the subway home, saying that I had a great time, I held onto the photo he had taken for me and looked at it quietly.

The date left on the photo will probably be remembered as an unforgettable day.