Amusement Park Date
Amusement Park Date
"What the... was this what you meant when you said it would get tiring?"
"Huh? What about it?"
The moment they arrived at the officetel, Junwoo, who had put down their bags, used the excuse of having no time to change clothes and immediately went outside.
The place they arrived at by car was a famous amusement park in Seoul.
"This place is huge~ If you walk around all day, you might get so tired and exhausted you could collapse? That's what I meant."
"Umm..."
How nice would it have been if he had just mentioned the amusement park date from the start?
Junwoo, who had unnecessarily made vague statements that made people anxious, tightly grabbed the hesitant Seoyun's hand and passed through the gate.
"Wow..."
It was an amusement park themed after a fairy tale castle.
As they passed over the crudely made castle walls, the deafeningly loud music filled their ears to the point of making their heads buzz.
The crowd bustled with couples enjoying their dates and families who had brought their children.
"Seoyun-ah, remember what I said? I don't intend to treat you like an animal outside. We just date as usual and build happy memories together. Got it?"
"Umm..! Y-yeah, I will..."
The pet treatment was merely a means of control to prevent her from having frivolous thoughts.
What Junwoo ultimately desired was a happy future with Seoyun.
"So, where should we go first? Since we came to an amusement park, we should do that, right?"
"Do what..?"
Junwoo first entered a souvenir shop and looked around at headbands.
At first, he thought about buying a puppy headband, but it seemed like a rabbit headband would suit Seoyun's appearance better.
"So incredibly cute!"
His judgment was correct.
Seoyun with rabbit ears had a lovable charm that could make one feel happy just by looking at her.
The pink dolphin shorts she chose instead of a skirt due to the hot weather and the oversized knit also suited Seoyun well.
"Are you going to wear that all day today?"
"Umm..."
Seoyun blushed as if embarrassed and tightly gripped the bag strap slung over her shoulder.
Following closely behind Junwoo, who walked ahead, she looked around at the amusement park scenery and felt a newly fluttering heart.
"Wow..."
Roller coaster tracks stretched long across the sky, winding and twisting.
She was startled watching the roller coaster whiz by at ultra-high speed along with people's screams.
She also saw a carousel slowly turning with music and a House of Horrors where creepy puppet dolls waved their hands.
"There are so many interesting things. Right?"
"Umm, yeah..."
Unlike her excited heart, her answer was rather lukewarm.
Because this situation was too uncomfortable.
Even though she wanted to smile happily, the bad memories of what Junwoo had done to her swirled chaotically in her head.
Enveloped in obstructive emotions, she felt like she might throw up, but she couldn't show any dislike.
Seoyun tightly closed and opened her eyes, then put on a bright smile.
"Let's have fun..! I want to ride everything..!"
"Really?"
"Umm..!"
Seoyun, hiding her true feelings, performed an excellent act and nodded her head.
Junwoo, who had been worried she might dislike it, smiled brightly and tightly gripped her hand.
"I'm glad you like it that much~ Seoyun-ah, did you originally like amusement parks?"
"Umm..! I liked them! I just never had the chance to go."
Seoyun, who enjoyed thrills, liked Viking rides and roller coasters the most.
When riding the attractions while feeling the cool wind, it felt like the distracting thoughts filling her head disappeared.
"Then today, let's ride whatever Seoyun wants to ride as much as you want."
"Is that really okay?"
"Of course~ It's a rare date."
Junwoo swung the hand he was holding back and forth and urged her to walk.
"Then let's go quickly~ We might have to wait a long time, you know?"
"Umm..!"
Seoyun, who responded without refusal, first headed for the Viking ride.
The Viking, which tilted to an almost right angle, was scary enough to make one's legs go numb just by looking, but it was a ride with a particularly low difficulty level among attractions, so there were many people.
Standing at the end of the long line, Seoyun opened her eyes wide and moved her gaze following the swinging ends of the Viking.
Seeing her like this, she really seemed like a pure and cute girl.
"I want to ride everything..!"
"Okay. Should we ride the Viking first?"
"Umm..!"
Unlike the joyful Seoyun, Junwoo forced a smile and showed signs of discomfort.
Because he disliked crowded places.
He especially hated concert halls, amusement parks, gymnasiums, etc.
Nevertheless, the reason he came to the amusement park was for Seoyun.
He wanted to take her on a date as a change of pace to help her forget dark memories, and the only suitable place he could think of was an amusement park.
"Seoyun-ah, are you happy?"
"Umm! I love it so much~"
"Okay, that's good then."
"Hehe..."
When it was her turn, Seoyun sat in the very back seat of the Viking and enjoyed the cool wind.
Afterwards, she went to find the roller coaster, tightly gripped the safety bar, climbed to the top, then stretched her arms high and enjoyed the thrill of screaming as she fell.
The feeling of the stress piled up in her heart being punctured.
A genuinely happy smile spread across Seoyun's lips.
After enjoying the rides to her heart's content, it was already well past 5 PM.
"I'm tired now..."
"Umm..."
Both of them were exhausted and sat leaning back on a bench.
As the sky grew dark, the amusement park became quiet as guests left one by one.
"Are you thirsty?"
"No... I'm fine."
"I'll go get drinks, wait here."
"I'm really fine though..."
Junwoo patted the head of the seated Seoyun, got up, and walked toward a vending machine in the distance.
"You won't run away, right?"
The only time she was free from control.
He felt an anxious worry of 'what if,' but Junwoo shook his head and erased the unnecessary emotion.
"Hmm hmm~"
Humming a tune with a happy heart, he got drinks from the vending machine.
The moment he turned around holding the cool carbonated drink Seoyun liked in his hand.
"Huh?"
The figure of Seoyun, who had been sitting on the bench just moments ago, had disappeared as if evaporated.
Seeing no one there, Junwoo's face turned pale with panic.
"Seoyun-ah?"
The worst situation he had worried about had become reality.
Junwoo looked around with an anxious heart, sweating cold sweat.
Seoyun's figure was nowhere to be seen.
"Seoyun..."
"What's wrong?"
Just as he was about to call out loudly and search for Seoyun.
At that moment, she appeared from behind his back, startling Junwoo and grinning.
"Huh, where did you go?"
"Where would I go..? I went to the bathroom."
"Really?"
Junwoo let out a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and grabbed Seoyun's shoulders.
"Why... why..!"
Junwoo opened his eyes wide and scolded her.
"Why are you going to the bathroom without permission? Why did you leave my sight?"
"Ah... th-that... I'm sorry..."
"Hoo... Seoyun-ah, you're my pet, aren't you? Why aren't you listening to me and acting on your own?"
Once he said to act like a human outside, but now he was mentioning 'pet' and getting angry.
Just what tune is he asking her to dance to?
"I was wrong. I'm sorry. Next time I'll tell you before going to the bathroom."
"Don't take it lightly. This is wrong. You know? How much I..."
How much...
How anxious I was...
Junwoo swallowed a deep sigh, then slowly closed and opened his eyes.
"Hoo... haa..."
Calming his furious heart, he regulated his breathing.
"I'm sorry... I was wrong."
"Forget it. Just drink your soda. You should drink it while it's cool, right?"
"Umm... thank you."
At Junwoo's subtly changed demeanor, Seoyun felt an inexplicable unease.
"Turns out I was thinking wrong."
"Huh..? Wh-what about..."
Giving complete freedom just because they were outside was a mistaken action.
Even with the pet treatment, the fact that she was a human with self-awareness remained unchanged.
No one knows when she might suddenly act out again.
Taking Seoyun, who still hadn't properly grasped the situation, outside itself was the problem.
Having corrected his mindset, Junwoo grabbed Seoyun's hand and headed somewhere.
"If you're done drinking, let's go."
"Huh? Where are we going?"
"There's one last ride I want to ride with you."
"...What is it?"
"The Ferris Wheel."
The place Junwoo arrived at had an enormously huge Ferris Wheel.
It took a full 30 minutes to complete one rotation.
Usually, lovers or married couples ride it often, and it's said that men and women on the verge of confession often become lovers inside the Ferris Wheel.
That's why the Ferris Wheel's nickname is the Cupid of Love.
"Wow~"
Seoyun, who boarded the Ferris Wheel, cheered while looking at the scenery outside the window that gradually rose higher.
The creaking and strangely swaying movement was unsettling, but it was thrilling and good instead.
"Seoyun-ah."
"Umm?"
Junwoo called Seoyun's name in a relaxed and affectionate voice.
Was he perhaps going to confess his love since his feelings had changed?
"Somehow, I was thinking wrong."
"Huh? About what?"
"It seems like I love you more than I thought."
He didn't want to lose Seoyun.
He didn't want to think about a life without Seoyun.
Even if Seoyun drifted away just a little, his heart would be wounded.
Because he loved Seoyun that much.
The problem was that his loving heart was too big.
"So, you see, I've decided to sincerely become a bad man for you."
"Huh..?"
He wanted to completely monopolize Seoyun's body and mind.
He wanted to control everything so she couldn't have other thoughts, making her unable to even consider running away.
"So you can never escape from me... I'll make you look only at me."
A distorted desire for monopoly that couldn't be beautified by any means gnawed at Junwoo's heart.
Seoyun's unintentional impulsive action became the trigger that made Junwoo into a bad man.