Chapter 152: Amusement Park (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: Amusement Park (1)
"It’s finally over..."
The moment she handed in her exam paper, Lee Sol’s upper body slumped onto her desk.
The test she had just finished was the final exam of the year. Finals were officially over.
"Good job," I said, letting out a sigh of relief myself.
"Huuuu..."
Lee Sol looked completely drained. After a moment of wilting, she reached into her desk and pulled out something sweet. It was the Chocomong I had given her this morning.
— Slurp, slurp.
The cheeks of her Mini-Me, which had the straw in its mouth, puffed out roundly. It looked like a hamster, which was pretty cute. If I could actually touch it, I’d want to give those cheeks a poke.
"So, what’s the plan?"
Ji Nuri hopped up and sat on the edge of the desk. "We’re skipping school lunch and heading straight there, right?"
"Yeah, we can just eat there."
I nodded. Spending time on lunch here felt like a waste; it would just cut into our time at the amusement park. Besides, eating out was bound to be tastier than school food anyway.
"Then, Seo-rim is—"
Shin A-young started to ask something but trailed off.
— "Ah, she’s here."
Following her gaze, I turned my head.
"……."
I saw Ha Seo-rim standing in the hallway, on her tiptoes and peeking into the classroom. Our eyes met. She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to wave or not, before giving a small, polite nod.
I had wondered where we should meet up, but Ha Seo-rim had come to us first.
"Let’s go."
I slung my bag over my shoulder and stood up.
Looks like she did well.
Judging by her expression, Ha Seo-rim didn’t seem to have bombed the exams. It felt safe enough to ask.
"How was the test?"
"...I think I did okay, more or less."
Ha Seo-rim adjusted her bag. She radiated an air of quiet pride.
— "It wasn't as hard as the last one..."
Seeing her feel that way, I could probably look forward to her grades this time. I felt a sense of accomplishment; my tutoring had paid off.
"Let’s hurry up. I’m hungry."
Shin A-young gave my back a light push, urging us to stop chatting and get moving.
Ah, right. I asked just in case.
"Sol, did you bring your motion sickness medicine?"
"Ah. Right."
Lee Sol struggled to swing her bag around to the front. Since she was bundled up in a padded jacket thicker than her own body, her movements were clumsy.
— "I packed it in here somewhere..."
Lee Sol’s Mini-Me practically dove into the bag.
"...Found it."
Lee Sol pulled out a small box. It was the motion sickness medicine. She had actually remembered to bring it.
Gulp.
She popped one then and there. Alright, everything was ready.
* * *
We arrived at the amusement park in no time.
Taking the subway made the trip fairly short. We were still in our school uniforms since we came straight from school, but there were several other students around, so we didn't stand out too much.
"……."
Ha Seo-rim lingered near the entrance.
— "It’s been since elementary school..."
"……."
I blinked. I didn't realize it had been that long for her. I thought most people visited at least once for a school trip, but I heard her middle school had gone to Gyeongju instead.
She really doesn't get out much. Does her family not go on trips either? I found myself feeling a bit concerned for her.
"……."
Ha Seo-rim held up her phone and snapped a few photos of the entrance. She didn't say much, but she looked quite excited.
Since we had booked our tickets in advance, entry was quick. The lines weren't that long to begin with.
"There aren't as many people as I expected," I muttered, looking around the interior.
It was quite spacious. It wasn't empty, but there were fewer people than I had anticipated.
"Maybe it's because our school finished exams early?" Ji Nuri said in passing.
"Maybe."
I nodded. It was a plausible guess. Usually, second-semester finals are held in mid-December. By next week, this place would probably be swarming with kids who had just finished their exams.
"Should we eat first?"
"Sounds good."
It was a little past lunchtime. Whatever we decided to do, filling our empty stomachs came first.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Hmm... something simple like hamburgers? There's a place right over there."
Ji Nuri pointed to a building across the way.
"Um..."
I gave an awkward smile.
— "...I'm not really feeling hamburgers."
My thoughts overlapped with Ha Seo-rim's. It was inevitable since we both worked part-time at a fast-food restaurant. We were sick of the smell.
"Let's eat something else."
"Really? Then..."
Ji Nuri looked over the map and pointed to a spot. "How about here? There's a snack bar."
"Oh, that works."
Tteokbokki sounded good, and they sold kimbap too. The menu was perfect for a quick, simple meal before moving on.
"Yeah, I like that."
"I was actually craving something spicy, so that's perfect."
Lee Sol and Shin A-young both reacted positively.
"I'm fine with that too," Ha Seo-rim nodded.
Looking at the Mini-Mes' reactions, everyone seemed genuinely on board. No one was just going along with it. I headed toward the restaurant with the girls.
* * *
"Huu—"
Lee Sol tossed her paper cup into the trash can and returned to her seat. She felt comfortably full. For a snack bar inside an amusement park, the food hadn't been bad at all.
"……."
Lee Sol fell into thought as she walked.
The amusement park. This place was a golden opportunity to advance her relationship with Lee Seung-ho.
"Hmm."
Even though Ji Nuri had suggested the location, Lee Sol intended to make this opportunity her own. In her heart, she wanted to confess at some atmospheric spot as the sun set...
But her mom had told her that if she wanted to get dumped immediately, she should go right ahead and do that. A confession is merely the process of reconfirming mutual feelings. She told her not to be hasty. Only when you are certain the other person likes you—that is when you confess, and even then, it’s not too late.
So, for today... to win Lee Seung-ho's heart, she needed to utilize this place properly. Specifically, she had to make use of that effect.
What was it called again? The Shaking... Ladder...
— The Suspension Bridge Effect.
Her mother's voice suddenly replayed in her head.
Ah, right. The Suspension Bridge Effect.
It was something her mom had told her when she heard she was going to an amusement park.
— People often mistake the tension they feel in a scary situation for romantic attraction.
She told her to use that to her advantage. In short, it meant she should ride the scariest attractions possible.
"Ugh..."
As she recalled the advice, tension crept onto Lee Sol's face. To be honest, she wasn't particularly fond of scary rides. It wasn't that she couldn't ride them at all; it was more that she was afraid of the motion sickness.
...Well, I took the medicine.
She figured she would be fine.
"……."
When Lee Sol returned to the group, Shin A-young glanced around and lowered her voice. "...Now?"
"Yeah, now."
Lee Sol nodded. The timing was perfect. Since Lee Seung-ho had gone to the restroom, they decided to move quickly.
"……?"
Ha Seo-rim looked confused, but Lee Sol didn't care. You just stay out of this.
"What color?"
"...Blue."
What they were doing now was deciding the seating arrangement. With this method, at least she didn't have to worry about Shin A-young interfering. As long as the rules were set, Shin A-young wouldn't overstep them.
Rattle, rattle, rattle—
The roulette wheel spun.
"……."
Lee Sol clasped her hands together and watched in silence.
"Ah."
The first roulette winner: Ji Nuri.
"...!"
Ji Nuri's eyes widened.
Tsk.
You really had to hand it to her when it came to luck. Sol wondered if she had picked the wrong game. Should she change it to something else now?
"Ahem."
Ji Nuri cleared her throat. She was trying her best to act nonchalant, but the twitching corners of her mouth gave her away.
Just then, Lee Seung-ho returned from the restroom.
"What should we ride first?"
"I'm fine with anything," Ha Seo-rim replied, looking down at the pamphlet.
"Since it's the first one, let's go with something standard..." Ji Nuri pointed toward the opposite side. "The Viking?"
* * *
First was Ji Nuri. Second was Shin A-young. Third was Ji Nuri again.
The attractions we rode were the Viking, the Gyro Swing, and the Roller Coaster. Every single one of them was a high-tension ride. I started to have a reasonable suspicion that these girls were all aiming for the Suspension Bridge Effect.
"Ugh..."
Lee Sol rubbed the back of her head. Maybe it was because we rode them back-to-back, but her head was starting to ache.
"……."
How can I not win even once? Is my luck really this bad?
A sense of unfairness welled up inside her.
"Sigh."
Lee Sol let out a deep breath. Since Ji Nuri had stepped away to go to the restroom, Lee Sol sat on a nearby bench for a moment to rest her tired legs.
"……."
Well, somehow, everyone else seemed fine. She hadn't been worried about Ji Nuri or Shin A-young to begin with; they were the type who were used to going out and having fun.
The surprise was Ha Seo-rim, who handled the rides quite well.
No...
Beyond just handling them, she looked like she was already looking forward to the next one. Whatever, fine. Whether she was good at riding them or not wasn't the problem. What was more bothersome was...
"Oh, they're selling churros over there. Want to go grab one?"
"Um..."
"...I'll buy it for you."
"Oh, really?"
For some reason, Lee Seung-ho had been looking out for Ha Seo-rim for a while now.
"Hmph..."
Lee Sol stroked her chin as she watched them. It was incredibly annoying. Even if it looked more like he was entertaining a younger cousin rather than a romantic interest... regardless, what's annoying is annoying. She wondered when they had gotten so close. Weren't they supposed to be awkward around each other?
"I'm back."
Ji Nuri approached, shaking the water off her hands. "Spinning it now?"
Shin A-young, who was sitting next to her, turned on the roulette app.
"...Yeah."
As Lee Sol nodded, Shin A-young pressed the button. The colors they chose were the same as before. Ji Nuri was red, Shin A-young was yellow, and I was blue.
Trill-ill-ill-ing—
The roulette wheel spun.
"……."
Lee Sol swallowed hard. Her eyes followed the spinning wheel. A subtle silence hung over the group.
Tick, tick, tick, tick...
Tick, tick...
Tick.
"...!"
The arrow stopped on blue. Lee Sol's eyebrows twitched. Finally. She had finally won.
"Let's go."
Lee Sol stood up abruptly. There was no time to waste. There were still plenty of scary rides left that they hadn't tried yet. If she picked from those...
— Churn.
A sudden wave of nausea slowed Lee Sol's steps.
"……."
Her stomach was churning. The faint headache had grown into a noticeable nuisance. There was an unpleasant pressure against her forehead.
...Ah, seriously. What is wrong with me today?
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