Ch.144144. Amusement Park

Suhyeok and Hana stood with their arms linked.

Having coordinated their outfits, the two exuded a distinct couple vibe.

Walking so closely together had become their everyday routine now.

Suhyeok stood still for a while, blankly staring at the guide pamphlet in his hands.

“Is there anything special you want to ride?”

Hana leaned her face over the map.

“Hmm… there are too many options, I’m not sure. Is there anything you want to ride?”

“Sohye!”

“Yes, unni!”

“Are you two okay with scary rides?”

“Yes!”

“Then~”

The Spirit group decided to start with rides that had shorter lines and seemed manageable.

The four of them chose to begin with the spinning teacup ride.

“Haven’t you been skipping exercise lately? Can you even spin this well?”

Hana playfully poked his side, sticking close to him.

“But isn’t spinning it fast just tiring? It rotates automatically anyway.”

“Is that so? But when we go on school trips, the boys always try their hardest to spin it super fast.”

“…We’re not an all-boys school.”

“That’s true.”

Hana smiled brightly.

It wasn’t particularly thrilling.

But what mattered was who you were with.

Hana laughed like a child.

She couldn’t stop smiling throughout the entire ride, grinning from ear to ear for some reason.

“Wow. Look at that.”

“Huh?”

When Hana tilted her chin in a direction and Suhyeok turned his head, he saw the Choi-Gang couple spinning their teacup with tremendous force.

“…Aren’t they getting dizzy?”

“I hope Sohye doesn’t throw up.”

Choi-Gang was merciless.

Sohye’s eyes were spinning in circles like a scene from a cartoon.

“Ugh… oppa…”

“Wasn’t that fun!”

“No… I think I’m dying…”

Sohye declared a break after just one round.

The couple insisted they were fine and told Suhyeok and Hana to go enjoy other rides.

“Honey.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s do that.”

“Which one?”

What Hana pointed to with an excited expression was the haunted house.

Suhyeok gulped audibly.

“Are you serious?”

“Why? Are you scared?”

“Well…”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle scary things at all, but he definitely wasn’t someone Hana could lean on for support.

When it came to horror, Suhyeok was excessively human in his reactions.

He would honestly close his eyes during jump scares, and sometimes even scream if things got too intense.

But he didn’t want to show that side of himself to Hana.

It was far from the image of a cool boyfriend he wanted to project.

“Don’t you want to try something else?”

“Why? Are you really scared?”

“I’m just not in the mood for it?”

“Hmm… I actually really like those kinds of things.”

Hana, the horror enthusiast.

Having come all this way, it seemed a shame to back down now.

“I’ll hold your hand. Let’s go.”

“You’re already holding my hand though?”

“Then I’ll hug you. If you’re really scared.”

Suhyeok still looked displeased.

Hana clung to his arm like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Ah, why won’t you go with me~ If you just said you’re too scared, I’d understand.”

“That…”

“That what?”

“I don’t want to show that side of myself to you…”

They’d been dating for less than two months.

Suhyeok still wanted to show only his best and coolest side.

“Heh.”

Meanwhile, Hana found her boyfriend incredibly cute.

More accurately, she found him irresistible.

As much as Suhyeok didn’t want to show his vulnerable side, Hana wanted to discover all the different facets of him.

It could be seen as a difference in how they expressed love.

“Let’s go.”

Hana grabbed Suhyeok’s wrist firmly.

She finally dragged him to stand in line.

“Tell me if you’re scared!”

“…I won’t say it.”

“You’re not actually upset, are you?”

Suhyeok didn’t answer.

The two entered, holding hands tightly.

Eerie lighting awaited them from the start.

Creating a frightening atmosphere requires two main effects.

First, visual elements.

The dark background restricts information, creating a space where you never know what might jump out.

Hana and Suhyeok could only follow the red markers drawn on the floor as they moved forward.

Second, auditory elements.

When one sense is controlled, other senses naturally become more sensitive.

The sudden creaking sounds kept making Suhyeok straighten his back.

[Why did you do this to me?]

A message written in red on one corner of the wall.

The paint was dripping messily, as if trying to mimic a letter written in blood.

“I guess the concept is vengeful spirits or something.”

“I don’t know. Let’s hurry.”

Unlike Hana, who was looking around with interest, Suhyeok just wanted to escape.

-Thud-thud-thud-thud

The sound of wooden floorboards breaking.

The panel with the message behind them collapsed and fell apart.

Though no explicit ghost figure jumped out, these effects were making Suhyeok’s heart race.

A ghost will appear soon, right?

It’s definitely coming soon, right?

Suhyeok counted numbers like a mantra, preparing for whatever might suddenly appear.

One. Two. Three.

One. Two. Three.

One. Two. Three.

O-

“AAAAHHHH! WAIT!”

Suhyeok was startled by the sudden appearance of a woman’s head with a broken neck.

“Ooh, that’s awesome~”

While Hana faced the scene head-on with fascination, Suhyeok had urgently pulled her into his arms.

“Pfft. Ah, you should have just said you couldn’t handle it~”

Hana stroked his back.

“…Is it over?”

“Yes. That seems to have been the finale.”

The floor markers were now pointing toward the exit.

Once outside, Hana could see her boyfriend’s face had turned completely pale.

“Are we taking a break now too?”

“No? I’m fine.”

For someone who claimed to be fine, he was sweating quite a bit.

“I’m sorry.”

Hana offered an apology.

“No, what are you sorry for?”

“I didn’t know you were that bad with scary things.”

“S-still, I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

He had only screamed once, at the very end.

“Well, you were cute, I guess?”

Hana giggled.

Suhyeok scratched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment.

After reuniting with the Choi-Gang couple, Suhyeok’s couple rode a few more attractions before deciding to get food.

“Wow, the line is so long. That’s crazy.”

“At least we’ve already been on most of the main attractions.”

“Lee Suhyeok! Got any cola left?”

“Drink it if you want.”

The winter day was short, and the sky was already growing dark.

“So we’ll watch the festival, ride the Ferris wheel, and then call it a day?”

“Looks like it.”

The parade was scheduled to start at 7 PM, so the four of them joined the crowd of children waiting at the front.

“This is amazing.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Honey, take my picture.”

Hana handed over her phone and immediately struck a V-pose as soon as Suhyeok turned on the camera.

“Unni! I’ll take it for you!”

“Wow, really? Wait! I’ll take yours too.”

Between taking photos and watching the parade.

The men silently complied with the women’s requests without complaint.

“Phew…”

It had been an enjoyable day, but fatigue was setting in.

Suhyeok wasn’t the type of person who usually spent so much time out.

Though he often went on dates led by Hana, they rarely lasted this long.

He could feel his eyelids getting heavier.

“Just one more ride and we’re done!”

The Ferris wheel wasn’t particularly popular.

It was almost the last operating time.

With barely any line, the four of them were able to board quite easily.

“…Sleepy?”

Hana’s eyes were still bright and sparkling.

“…Honestly, a little.”

Suhyeok apologized to her with a guilty expression.

“Ah! You shouldn’t be sleepy yet~”

“Why? Aren’t we going home after this?”

“Mmm… hmm…”

Instead of answering, Hana followed the staff’s instructions and entered the Ferris wheel.

“Ooh, we’re going up.”

Suhyeok sat pressed against the window.

Like a child, he looked down at the ground that was getting farther away.

The higher they went, the more of the amusement park came into view.

Suhyeok took out his phone to capture the moment.

“Hana, should we take a picture together?”

“Yes, that would be nice.”

The two leaned to one side rather than sitting across from each other.

Hana naturally rested her head on Suhyeok’s shoulder.

“How is it? You said you wanted to ride this.”

“I like it. Isn’t the view beautiful?”

While Suhyeok kept looking out the window, Hana’s eyes remained fixed on him.

“I just like being alone with you like this.”

“True. There were too many people around all day.”

Slip

Hana raised both arms and took off the knit sweater she was wearing.

“Uh…? Why are you taking that off?”

Wouldn’t she be cold?

Suhyeok couldn’t quite understand her intention.

Dim lighting.

The ground getting farther away.

Hana’s face was gradually turning red.

“Honey. You know.”

“Yes…?”

“I told you I was wearing lingerie.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Hana rested her forehead against Suhyeok’s chest.

“There’s something I want to try.”