episode_0069

Sparkling lights spilled into various places, and as I followed them, the designated photo spot in front of the carousel turned out to be dolls taking pictures with their phones.

“Wow….”

Carousel.

It gives off a feeling like a children’s amusement ride where kids ride gleefully.

It has maintained steady popularity to the point where you wonder where it will take you, creating a romantic atmosphere even for couples to enjoy quietly together.

Surprisingly fast, but maybe it didn’t seem that way due to the intense train ride earlier.

Certainly, it felt like before, people found those scary things fun, but earlier, it ended before I could even close my eyes…?

“Should we take a picture first?”

“It’s crowded…”

Why come all this way just to turn back now?

“Well…! Everyone was happily taking pictures earlier!”

As my brother said, there are many people, but still, pushing boundaries to eliminate embarrassment has been the goal.

I wonder when my patience will run out; I’m starting to feel impatient.

“If you come out like that, I really can’t help it, can I?”

“I really want to take a picture.”

“As expected of my brother. You know what I love, right?”

If I suddenly change course, annoyance is bound to arise.

Following the lead, I stopped abruptly, feeling like I had hit a wall.

I really hate getting angry, so this is as far as I’ll go.

If I were truly angry, I wouldn’t have said it like this.

“I understand that it’s embarrassing. I won’t do it.”

“…Okay.”

“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to. If you really don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

Unless my brother shows clear dislike, I’m just hesitating.

If I show even a little resistance, he immediately agrees. He did the same with the train ride.

“I’ll do it.”

“Oh, really?”

“I… want to take a picture too. It’s embarrassing, but I don’t not want to do it.”

My brother took my hand as he spoke.

“Phew… Let’s go.”

“Don’t stress about taking pictures. If you’re too tense and look stiff, that’s the only thing I can’t handle.”

“Got it.”

My brother seemed to be pushing himself. His voice was trembling.

“Relax and let’s go.”

Benches surrounded the carousel.

Were they meant for chatting while watching the carousel?

“Sit here.”

Taking my brother’s hand, I sat on the bench.

Seeing him quietly sigh as soon as he sat down made me wonder if he wasn’t a homebody after all.

Glancing ahead, colorful lights flashed.

Upon closer inspection, someone dressed in cosplay was taking pictures among the dolls.

It seems they even had touch functions on their large hands.

People taking photos as the carousel spun around, creating a spectacle.

Lovers, friends, family.

Everyone was smiling and having fun, making this place devoid of unhappiness.

Rubbing shoulders, loosening up, and relaxing arms.

Moving from the arm to neatly placing a hand between my thighs.

“Embarrassment is fleeting. You’ll regret it later. Smile more, take more pictures. That’s how it goes.”

Feeling embarrassed was a constant emotion.

That’s why I hesitated and chose a different path.

Even though it meant taking a longer, winding route, it felt comfortable.

“I… really can’t stand being embarrassed. I feel like everyone will remember.”

My brother lowered his head.

Looking down, he was recalling everything he had stored up until now.

“Want to try remembering once?”

“…I don’t want to.”

“Not the memories that embarrassed you, but the people who watched from there.”

“…did it.”

Embarrassment is a fleeting moment, she realized.

Years. Months. For others, just a week would be enough.

“Do those people still remember me?”

“…”

She falls silent.

He was contemplating.

Enough with the contemplation now.

Deciding to delve deeper, I grasped his hand firmly and spoke up.

“Even if they were friends, they probably wouldn’t know. Or maybe they just don’t care. Someone else’s embarrassing moment might briefly amuse others, but that’s just a fleeting pleasure. While others move on and look ahead, you keep dwelling on it, dragging yourself down.”

“Ah…”

“To put it more dramatically, even if a famous celebrity gets caught in a scandal, people eventually forget once they disappear. They might casually mention, ‘Oh, there was such a celebrity,’ and move on. That’s just how people are.”

I turned his face towards me with my hand, locking eyes with him.

“Even if we kiss right now, it’ll only be embarrassing for a moment. Later, no one will remember. The only ones who will remember the kiss are us, right?”

Trembling pupils. Lost, unsure where to go, the dilated pupils seemed eager to escape from me.

“So… what do you think now? Has your perspective changed a bit?”

“A little. I’m not completely convinced yet… but somewhat.”

“Let’s call it an anecdote… Of course, we haven’t kissed in a place like this before, but… you remember when we secretly kissed at the aquarium, right?”

“Oh… right.”

Wanting to reassure him, who still didn’t fully believe, I continued.

“If I think about it now, it comes to mind that even if someone passing by sees us, they’ll eventually forget. We’re left with just memories, right?”

“Yeah… that’s true.”

He responds well.

But sometimes, silence is better than speaking while pondering.

Responding implies he’s acknowledging and accepting it himself.

“Shall we take a picture now? I won’t force you. Even taking it at home would be a memory.”

“…”

Though he let go of his face, he kept looking at me.

Unlike before, he met my gaze properly this time.

“Let’s take it. Just wasting time like this won’t lead to anything.”

I looked at him with satisfaction.

Feeling like I had accomplished something significant, I appeared strangely dignified.

Once you show them the way, their understanding is quite remarkable.

As I took a hesitant step forward, he was already ten steps ahead.

“Please take a photo of us too!”

At the clear request, the dolls turned around.

He didn’t stop his stride.

Feeling like everything was surreal, he let out a bitter laugh and smiled more splendidly than anyone else.

*

“A quiet spot in an amusement park. It has a certain charm, doesn’t it?”

After confidently conquering scary rides and turning into a pile of mush all at once, we headed to find a late lunch.

Passing through several places, we arrived at this deeply entrenched location.

A peculiar space with a traditional Korean house adorned with electronic billboards, yet the food was delicious, and nearby cafes sold misugaru seemingly infused with tradition.

Of course, we bought coffee brimming with caffeine.

“You need to rest in a place like this to truly relax. Watching people pass by is also exhausting.”

Watching busy individuals rushing around, it’s hard not to chuckle.

They must be moving around trying to ride one more attraction.

Yet, it must be enjoyable. By the end of the night, exhaustion will likely set in almost to the point of crawling.

A proper rest can be seen as groundwork to reignite the fire within.

“Haha… a bit pricey, but still delicious.”

This costs 6,900 won.

Something about the name feels like it might have a premium price tag attached to it, but it’s a store name I’ve never heard of.

Sometimes when I think about it, rice costs 8,000 or 9,000 won, but drinks start at a basic 5,000 won… It’s hard to understand why it gets more expensive just because a slightly different liquid is in this small cup, but in the end, we’re still buying and consuming it.

And when I heard the price of these reservation-like pass tickets, I was already giving up.

“Anyway… I want to ride that. My stomach is already full, so I don’t want to overdo it.”

“Oh. I wanted to ride that too.”

What my brother pointed out was a train slowly moving on rails in the sky.

Unlike the scary, wind-battered one we rode, this train had a proper roof and moved at a speed where you could appreciate the scenery.

“Hehe. Brother, you’re not even thinking about the school uniform anymore, are you?”

“I just… feel like I forgot something. It reminds me of my school days, and it feels strange.”

“Brother, did you receive a lot of confessions when you were a student?”

“Yeah… I did.”

With a slightly hesitant tone, I linked my arm with his.

“Did you expect me to get mad about this?”

“…No?”

If someone like him never received a confession with that face, then there’s a problem.

“Why would you be mad at me now if it’s mine? Were you interested in those girls, by any chance?”

“…They’re not girls.”

“Huh?”

“They’re guys. From middle school and high school…”

“Uh… uh…”

What is this supposed to mean?

He said he received a confession.

“I’m not interested in dating… I rejected things like blind dates… from guys to guys…”

Confession from a guy to a guy… No way…

“Okay… Let’s stop here. I don’t want to think about it anymore.”

“Oh. You rejected him properly…!”

“You must be popular among guys too… I really… didn’t know.”

Is he at a level where even guys confess to him?

It seems like it, but… it’s a bit much.

“Brother, you’re handsome. It’s unbelievable from being an office worker.”

“Haha… I don’t want to make money with my face…”

“Even though you could earn some working and save for retirement?”

“Well… that’s true but…”

In a soothing voice, like ASMR.

Women are crazy.

Perhaps just by silently showing his face on camera and smiling, he could have been globally popular.

“Whatever you want to do, brother…”

Regardless of what he did, it was fine as long as he grew up like this and met me.

If he had been famous, it might have been difficult for us to meet.