Chapter 154: Amusement Park (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154: Amusement Park (3)
Thud, thud, thud, thud—!
Lee Sol broke away from the line and moved with frantic haste.
“…….”
Her eyes darted around restlessly.
She had actually done it. It had been a complete impulse.
However, once the choice was made, there was no turning back. She didn't dare look behind her.
Her pace quickened until she was practically sprinting.
‘It takes about twenty minutes for one rotation. If I move as fast as I can and find Seung-ho—’
She wanted to play with just the two of them. It didn't matter what they did; she just wanted to be by his side. It was a simple, selfish desire.
Lee Sol pulled out her phone and checked the messages in the group chat.
[Shin A-young: Where are you guys right now?]
Lee Sol narrowed her eyes. The screen was dim, making it difficult to see. Let’s see... that message was from Shin A-young. And looking at the reply Lee Seung-ho sent below it...
[Lee Seung-ho: We’re in line for the Gyro Swing right now.]
The Gyro Swing.
“My current location is… around here, so….”
Lee Sol looked up at the map on a nearby signpost. It was quite a distance from where she was. She had to move fast if she wanted to pull Seung-ho out of line before he boarded the ride.
There was no time to dawdle. Lee Sol set off immediately.
“Sss….”
She pressed a hand against her throbbing forehead.
‘My head hurts…….’
The aftereffects of the motion sickness lingered. She hadn't fully recovered yet. She had told Shin A-young she was fine even though she wasn't, simply because she thought that was the only way A-young would leave her side.
If she had actually boarded the Ferris wheel, she probably would have thrown up everything in her stomach.
“Huff… huff… wheeze….”
Lee Sol’s pace gradually slowed as she exhaled ragged breaths. Despite the winter chill, beads of sweat formed on her skin. Why was this place so big?
‘And…….’
The crowds were getting thicker. It looked like the people with afternoon tickets were starting to pour in.
“……Ugh.”
Lee Sol looked around, bewildered.
“……I’m sure they said it was this way.”
The scenery was different from what she had expected. She felt like she was almost there, but strangely, she couldn't see anything that looked like the Gyro Swing.
Let’s check the map one more time.
Lee Sol headed toward a directory stand nearby. Her current location was…….
“Ah.”
Lee Sol’s expression turned blank with dismay. She had taken a wrong turn. She was certain she had found the right way, but she must have messed up somewhere.
‘Do I have to go all the way back?’
She decided to check her map app for a quick fix.
“……Huh?”
Lee Sol blinked.
Click. Click.
No matter how many times she pressed the power button, the screen remained black.
“……Ah.”
The battery was dead.
* * *
— Kyaaaaaaaaah!
Screams echoed from high in the air.
“…….”
Ha Seo-rim looked up, peering at the ride. Her gaze swung back and forth like a pendulum, following the moving machinery. The ribbon headband on her head moved in sync with her eyes.
We had stopped to buy it on the way here. Well, I didn't buy it; Ji Nuri had bought it for her. Nuri had practically forced it on her even though Seo-rim kept refusing, insisting it was too expensive.
— “…We only have to wait a little longer.”
The Mini-Me muttered, looking expectant. Then, she finished off the sausage she was holding in one hand.
“Step inside, please~”
[[Silver lockers are provided at each corner. Please place your belongings in a locker and—]]
“Oh, we made the cut!”
Ji Nuri grinned, saying we were lucky. Just as she said, the line was cut off right behind me. For once, luck was on our side.
I sat down in the empty seats with the two of them. There were exactly three seats left in a row.
“…….”
As Ji Nuri sat down and buckled her belt, she looked strangely tense. Seeing that, my lips twitched. My mischievous side took over.
“……Uh. Yours looks like it’s shaking a bit?”
I gave Ji Nuri’s safety bar a little rattle.
“Huh?!”
Ji Nuri’s face went pale for a second.
“Hey…!”
Realizing it was a prank, she knitted her brows.
“Are you serious right now?”
Ji Nuri smacked my shoulder repeatedly. Since I was wearing a padded jacket, it didn't really hurt.
“…….”
Ha Seo-rim watched us silently before giving her own safety bar a little shake.
Rattle, rattle.
There was only a tiny bit of play; it was firmly locked.
— “Whew, mine is fine.”
Only then did Ha Seo-rim let out a small sigh of relief.
[[The Gyro Swing is departing with a loud ring~]]
With the employee’s announcement, the ride began to move slowly.
— “It’s similar to the Viking ride.”
Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me gave a short snort.
Whoosh— Whoooosh—!
The movement began to get more intense.
“T-this much is—!”
Ji Nuri’s sentence was cut short. The ride began to accelerate, rotating to the left.
“Ugh.”
My hands instinctively gripped the handles tighter. This was scarier than I thought.
“Kyaaaaaah!” Ji Nuri let out a high-pitched scream.
“Heeeeeek…!”
Looking to the side, Ha Seo-rim had her eyes squeezed shut. Both of her hands were deathly tight on the handles.
— “--------!!”
Soon, Noise erupted from all directions. However, because of the sound of the wind whipping past my ears every time the ride moved, the Noise didn't feel that loud.
Whoooooosh—!
Whoooosh—!
Whoosh—!
Before long, the ride’s speed gradually decreased.
“““…….”””
Without exception, everyone’s hair was a total mess. Silence settled between us; no one had the energy to speak.
Hiss.
The ride came to a complete stop.
“Waaaah…….”
Only then did a breath of released tension escape Ha Seo-rim’s lips.
[[That’s all for the Gyro Swing~ Please unbuckle the belt between your knees and wait a moment.]]
Following the mechanical voice of the announcement, we headed for the exit.
“Wow… that was seriously scary.”
Ji Nuri rubbed her forearms.
“…It was even worse because it’s over the water.”
I nodded in agreement. Even though you know you won't fall in, the sensation is completely different. The psychological fear that you might fall in definitely cranked up the tension.
“…I think my legs are going to give out.”
Ji Nuri pressed down firmly on my shoulders with both hands. I supported her weight as I walked forward, Ji Nuri dragging along behind me.
“Hey, hey.”
Ji Nuri’s finger tapped my shoulder.
“What?”
“Look over there.”
Ji Nuri gestured with her eyes to the right, toward Ha Seo-rim. Her voice was laced with a bit of laughter.
“…Seo-rim is shaking like a leaf.”
She whispered softly, but Seo-rim must have heard her because her eyebrows dipped downward.
“…I’m perfectly fine.”
“Yeah, right.”
Ji Nuri let out a snicker, telling her not to lie. She definitely didn't look fine. Her upper body seemed okay, but...
Tremble, tremble….
Her lower body was the problem. Her thighs were shaking uncontrollably.
“…….”
Ha Seo-rim grabbed her thighs with her hands. Even then, they didn't stop. She must have been truly terrified.
“Since Sol is joining us, let’s ride something easy next.”
“Sure.”
I nodded at Ji Nuri’s suggestion. Since the other two were supposed to meet us here, I sent a text to see if we should meet in the middle.
“Hmm.”
Ji Nuri stepped up beside me and poked her head over. Peering at my phone over my shoulder, she asked, “Where are they?”
“Still no reply.”
I shook my head. I’d sent the text a while ago, but neither of them had responded. Maybe it would be better to just wait here by the Gyro Swing. It wasn't like we had walked very far.
“Lee Soooool…!”
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps reached us. An exhausted-looking Shin A-young came running toward us. For some reason, A-young looked angry. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes definitely weren't.
“…What the?”
Shin A-young scanned the area around us.
“Where’s Sol?”
“?”
I tilted my head, confused. What was she talking about?
“Sol didn't come here?”
“…No.”
I shook my head. In the first place...
“Weren't you two together?”
“No, that girl…!”
Shin A-young thumped her chest in frustration. The movement naturally caused a bit of a bounce.
“Ahem….”
Ha Seo-rim let out a small cough while looking at me. She shot me a sharp glare.
…Hey, it’s not like I wanted to look. I awkwardly looked up toward the sky.
[ Ding-ding-ding-ding— We have a brief announcement. ]
An announcement broadcasted from the speakers mounted high on the lamp posts.
[ We are currently looking after a student named Lee Sol at the Lost Child Center. ]
“……?”
I turned toward the speaker. What was that? I felt like I just heard a very familiar name.
[ Repeating the announcement. We are currently looking after a student named Lee Sol at the Lost Child Center. ]
I hadn't misheard.
— “…What the heck?”
Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me blurted out exactly what I was thinking. Everyone’s expression, including mine, turned blank.
What on earth was the girl who was supposed to be resting because of motion sickness doing over there? It couldn't be someone else with the same name. "Sol" wasn't exactly a common name.
[ Would the guardian of the student please come to the Lost Child Center for identification. Thank you. ]
[ Ding-ding-ding-ding— ]
“…….”
Beep— Ring, ring, ring—
Without a word, I pulled out my phone and called Lee Sol. Just in case. It really could be someone else.
[The person you are calling has their phone turned off. Connecting to voicemail after the beep—]
I hung up immediately. I didn't need to hear any more.
“Uh, well…….”
What else could we do?
“……Should we go find her?”
The others gave awkward nods.
*
The Lost Child Center was an awkwardly long distance away. Not close, but not exactly far either. It was right in the middle.
Did she really get lost?
“……Excuse me.”
I cautiously stepped inside the Lost Child Center. I went in as the representative; it would look a bit weird if we all crowded in at once.
There she was.
I saw a figure sitting on a sofa. It was unmistakably Lee Sol.
“…….”
“…….”
Our eyes met.
“Ah…….”
A short gasp escaped her. Lee Sol hung her head low. It seemed she realized how embarrassing this was. Through her silver hair, I could see her ears turning as red as a ripe tomato.
“……Y-you’re here?”
Lee Sol tried her best to greet me brightly. But she couldn't hide her flushed face or the teardrops clinging to the corners of her eyes.
“…….”
I silently scratched my head. Then, I let out a little chuckle.
“Let’s go.”
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Lee Seung-ho Profile
I usually make it a rule not to generate illustrations for the male lead to leave it to the readers' imagination (and it's hard to get right)... but since there were requests, I decided to give it a try.
I hope this image matches what you've imagined.