Chapter 116
Chapter 116
After every attempt at persuasion was shot down, I decided to give Sara a little time.
That detached attitude she had toward life was clearly because she didn't really understand living.
The best way to give someone something to want, I figured, was to show them that wanting wasn't a bad thing.
"So, this is the place you picked?"
So-hee asked, looking at me.
She was in her usual maid uniform. But without the apron she usually wore over it.
It was April, and the weather was finally starting to warm up properly.
The cherry trees lining the streets were already thick with blossoms.
Probably because it wasn't cold enough for coats anymore, neither Yang Hye-in nor So-hee had worn one. But since they were officially on duty, their outfits were still the maid uniform. I could tell because So-hee hadn't unbuttoned her collar.
A maid uniform without the apron looked less like a maid uniform and more like office wear. The black blouse instead of a white one gave it a slightly subdued air, but—well, maybe not for Yang Hye-in, but So-hee's expression was bright enough that the mood didn't feel heavy at all.
"Wow, I haven't been here in forever. First time since middle school."
Ha-neul said from beside me.
......Wasn't she still in middle school barely four months ago? Going by graduation, it hadn't even been three months yet.
"The last time I came was about two years ago, I think?"
......If it had been two years, wasn't that coming pretty often?
For me, the last time had been something like six or seven years ago.
If I'd had a girlfriend, we might have come here on a date, but...... unfortunately, I didn't have that kind of girlfriend. Going with a group of friends felt too gloomy, and trailing my nieces and nephews around was exhausting.
It wasn't that I disliked amusement parks. If anything, I was on the side of liking them. I just wasn't the type to show up every year and go wild.
Well, it was more that nobody around me would take a whole day off to go to an amusement park. When people did take time off, we'd just gather and pour alcohol down our throats. Going far was a hassle, and with work waiting like a dog right after vacation ended, there was no way any friend of mine would want to exhaust themselves trekking out here.
Not sure how it works among women, though.
"Whoa......."
Su-a's eyes sparkled as she got out of the car.
Right, we came all the way to an amusement park. A little excitement was only natural.
Wasn't it?
......I went when I was little, too.
......Isn't doing everything in life exactly once kind of a waste?
Seeing Sara's indifferent reaction, I had to hold back a sigh.
Well, from her perspective, this was somewhere she had already been with Choi Na-kyung.
......It felt a little weird to say this, but this was the theme park that 'Ye Sa-ra was set to inherit.'
More precisely, she held shares in the company that operated this theme park. And part of the land inside the park was still directly owned by the former chairman, so it was jointly managed with Chang-eon Savings Bank.
Honestly, it was impressive that there were places all over the Republic of Korea where you could say, "That's mine."
Even outside this theme park, there was probably at least one apartment building on prime land in every major city. If I wanted to, I could probably secure a place to sleep anywhere in Korea. Come to think of it, that old comedy show bit about "my stomach hurts—let's buy a hospital" suddenly felt almost plausible.
"......Haa."
And having so many things meant that wherever you went, those facts kept intruding, spoiling any chance of just enjoying something.
They said this country was too small to contain the Yujin Group family.
The more I went out, the more I felt the truth of those words.
.......
Well, whatever. I came here to have fun, not to dwell on this.
"Then let's go."
At that, everyone except Yang Hye-in, who looked like she'd forgotten how to smile, broke into wide grins.
*
The reason I'd specifically chosen an amusement park was, honestly, because even when I tried to think of somewhere else, nothing came to mind.
Rather than wandering around outside at random hoping to find something we wanted to do, picking a specific destination like this was far more efficient.
The problem was, outside of amusement parks, there weren't many places that offered this kind of visceral, straightforward fun.
Art galleries and museums were just boring for someone with zero interest.
Going somewhere athletic was out because I hated exercise. And Sara probably hated it even more. Every time she exercised with Nam Da-un, she wore the most profoundly disgusted expression.
I'd even considered heading to a skyscraper with an attached aquarium and shopping center, but Sara didn't seem interested in that sort of thing.
Well, the aquarium maybe, but shopping would definitely not interest her. That was the personality that saw money as meaningless. The closet barely had a few kinds of clothes.
She didn't enjoy eating, either. I'd been eating diligently and had managed to put a little weight on her, but before that, her body had been pitifully thin.
So, I picked an amusement park.
A place with that unique atmosphere that makes you want to come back after you've been. A place where you could feel strangely detached from the world. Even an amusement park in the middle of the city was enough to evoke that feeling.
Great, even I thought it was perfect.
A place where you could see, eat, and experience all kinds of things, not just one.
On top of that, it was the first time in Sara's life she'd come somewhere like this with friends. It seemed reasonable to think she might feel, 'I'd like to come to a place like this again sometime.'
The problem was, I'd overlooked one crucial fact.
"......Ugh, I feel like I'm dying......."
I was sprawled on the ground, muttering to myself.
Yeah, literally sprawled on the ground.
"You okay?"
Ha-neul patted my back.
No, I was absolutely not okay.
Right. I had overlooked the fact that Sara's body was far weaker than most people's.
Whether it was congenital or the result of growing up nearly neglected, Sara's body had almost nothing going for it, from stamina to overall health.
Maybe it was because she'd died once and come back?
I'd been exercising hard and putting on weight, but there was no way a frail body maintained over more than a decade could become as healthy as everyone else's in just three months.
Thankfully, riding one roller coaster didn't make me throw up, but my head was spinning violently.
.......
Even Sara, who usually pursed her lips when she was unhappy with something I'd done, was silent. It seemed like amusement rides worked as excellent torture devices for us.
Maybe the problem wasn't just motor skills, maybe something was wrong with her semicircular canals or cochlea, too. I was seriously mulling that over when—
"M-ma'am, are you all right!?"
I heard the sound of someone rushing over in horror.
And it wasn't just one person running.
I barely managed to lift my head. Male and female employees in the park uniform were staring down at me, their faces pale.
"......."
Right. What I'd overlooked wasn't just Sara's physical condition.
It was the fact that the effective owner of this amusement park was Sara herself.
Of course there was no way the employees here wouldn't know her face.
Sure, Sara hadn't been coming here regularly to manage the place, and the only time they'd seen her face in person was back when she was very young.......
But the world had this excellent system called the internet, and as it happened, Sara's face had shown up in online news articles several times recently.
Sara's face wasn't the kind you saw every day. It wasn't just that she was pretty—her distinctive aura, the cut of her eyes, her whole impression were unusual.
Which meant: if the company's de facto owner appeared in the news, if the employees saw it, and if the article was interesting enough to spread as gossip, it wouldn't take long for the staff to learn Sara's face.
I noted that among the uniformed employees was someone graying at the temples, properly dressed in a suit, clearly older.
......Did people like that personally come to the theme park to manage things?
Or had he come scrambling over the moment he found out I was here?
"......."
I clenched my teeth and forced myself upright. Luckily, Ha-neul was standing beside me and discreetly linked her arm through mine for support, so I managed not to stagger.
"No, I'm fine. Something I ate earlier just......."
"Could you tell us where you ate, ma'am? We'll take immediate action."
What is this, the military?
I'd seen the employee who recognized me floundering and told him, 'Just treat me like any other guest.' Ever since then, this had been the response.
They tried to wave me past the lines and give me a free pass inside. They tried to assign a dedicated staff member to me.
I had no idea how to refuse without making things worse, so I'd just let it be, and now the number of attendants following me around was steadily growing.
"......."
I glanced around. Passersby were sneaking looks at me.
Did this look like I was throwing my weight around?
.......
Sara was inside my consciousness, but at times like this, it always felt like she was standing right next to me, watching. As if she were looking at me with an expression that said, 'Told you so.'
"......."
A stubborn spark lit up inside me.
The determination to absolutely, definitely satisfy Sara today.
Well, good luck.
Sara said it flatly.
Was it just my imagination, or despite that tone, did I feel like she was giggling?