Chapter 68
Chapter 68
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: A Date for Three (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Did you have a good time?”
The clerk greeting us at the exit sounded cheerful, but my face was grim. Probably the same color as the splintered, rotten wood in an abandoned house.
Yu-jeong sunbae, completely oblivious to my mood, looked at me with concern.
“Su-hyeon, was it that scary?”
“No, I'm fine.”
I shook my head as I replied. From the side, Ichie whispered softly.
“Su-hyeon oppa's such a scaredy-cat.”
I managed an awkward laugh. Then I said,
“Shall we try something else? There's still so much we haven't done. Like the Blue Dragon Train here, the teacups over there, and bumper cars. Let's go. Quick.”
Pretending not to hear, I hurried Yu-jeong sunbae and Ichie along. Yu-jeong sunbae nodded with a smile, thinking I'd bounced back already, and Ichie grinned too. We wandered the amusement park in a frenzy.
In front of the Blue Dragon Train, I worried a bit about getting motion sick again, but it wasn't as dizzying as the Viking ride. It felt like standing in a car going about 80 km/h with the wind whipping your face. I got off surprisingly fine, and Ichie and Yu-jeong sunbae stepped down looking relaxed too. They fixed their wind-tousled hair while picking up our ride photo from the booth. We were all posing like we were shooting a concept photo in a convertible, which cracked us up.
Yu-jeong sunbae said,
“They say the higher your hunter rank gets, the less you can really enjoy stuff like this.”
“Can't enjoy it properly?”
“Even though TV picture quality is amazing now, back in the day, you'd see pixels fuzzing out on the screen, so you couldn't watch properly. And even here, roller coasters feel too slow compared to how fast you move yourself, so you can't enjoy them right.”
We'd had a surprisingly pleasant ride even now, so at higher ranks, roller coasters might feel like child's play. Yu-jeong sunbae tucked the photo into her bag and said,
“That's why we gotta make the most of days like today. Oh, bumper cars over there. Let's do those too.”
Looking at the bumper cars, I got nostalgic. I hadn't ridden them since my high school field trip. Ichie looked excited at the sight too. I asked her,
“Ichie, have you ever done bumper cars?”
“Once in middle school. Not since.”
“Then let's do a ton today.”
The bumper car line was full of kids. Children just barely tall enough to ride were stomping their feet in excitement, waiting their turn. Even in line, they played. Some hung on the fence, pretending to drive solo; others paired up in twos or threes for pretend fights.
One kid raised his arms high and yelled,
“Woooah! I'm the Ada Bomber!”
“Pfft!”
I jumped and whipped my head around. Yu-jeong sunbae stared wide-eyed at the kids. Ichie glanced at me. The elementary school teacher, flustered, scolded the child.
“Tae-min! You can't say that! Where'd you learn such a word?”
“It's not a bad word. It's the nickname of the guy who won Rookie King.”
“Well, it's a bad word, so don't use it. Got it, Tae-min? Be a good boy?”
“Yess~.”
The kid called Tae-min nodded. The teacher wiped sweat from her brow and bowed to us apologetically.
“Sorry about that. Kids can be noisy, huh? They're still young. Ahahaha...”
“No, no. It's lively and fun.”
I shook my head, encouraging her. Yu-jeong sunbae whispered from behind.
“You've got a lot to answer for, Su-hyeon.”
“Yeah. Should I just die?”
I joked with a laugh. At least going to tournaments in a helmet kept my face from getting famous. If my face was out there, the whole park would be yelling “Ada Bomber!” everywhere.
Before long, it was our turn for the bumper cars.
The cars were narrower than I expected.
The ones from high school felt roomier, but maybe my muscles had bulked up? I crammed myself in and looked over at Yu-jeong sunbae. She gripped the wheel and waved at me. Grinning, I charged straight at her. We rushed head-on like motorcycles playing chicken.
Bang!
Yu-jeong sunbae's car spun sideways, and Ichie's slammed into mine. Ichie flashed a V-sign at Yu-jeong sunbae. Yu-jeong sunbae scowled and spun the wheel wildly. Kids ahead giggled and rammed our cars.
Thud, thud. Amid the chaos flying every which way, Yu-jeong sunbae targeted Ichie. Ichie dodged around but got cornered and hit again. Yu-jeong sunbae gave her a V-sign, then came at me. I gave her car a light kiss of a bump and flashed a grin.
“That was fun.”
With the most refreshed look of the day, Yu-jeong sunbae said that. I couldn't figure why she was so pleased. Had she and Ichie made a secret bet without me? Ichie grinned at me. Yu-jeong sunbae pointed to the teacups.
“Shall we try those?”
“Eugh...”
I grimaced a bit, worried about nausea, but curiosity won out and I nodded. How fun would teacups be with hunter strength? Ichie said,
“Let's spin it crazy fast.”
It was like that playground instinct where you find a merry-go-round and spin it till it flies apart. Full of anticipation, we hurried to the ticket booth.
“Um, are you all hunters by any chance?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Sorry, but hunters can't ride the teacups. There've been safety incidents a few times.”
The attendant looked truly apologetic and pointed to a sign nearby.
[Hunters are prohibited from riding the teacups due to frequent accidents where cups are spun too hard and flung riders off or damaged entirely.] “Ah...”
Disappointment hit, and my energy drained. Ichie slumped her shoulders, staring glumly at the teacups. Trying to cheer us up, Yu-jeong sunbae pointed to a nearby cafe.
“How about we all grab some coffee?”
The cafe, topped with a giant coffee bean structure, wafted sweet, mood-lifting aromas even from afar. Excited at the thought of americanos, we followed Yu-jeong sunbae's quick steps inside.
Kyaahahaha—
Faint screams from roller coaster riders filtered through the glass. Cars zipped past on the rails like giant bugs. The line was still long. If we'd queued an hour ago, we'd be riding now. But we'd packed the day so full anyway, no regrets.
Yu-jeong sunbae plopped right next to me. Ichie sat across, fiddling with her phone but sneaking glances my way. Yu-jeong sunbae pretended not to notice, slipping her hand into mine under the table.
I squeezed back with a smile.
“Hm?”
“What's up?”
A strange sensation tickled my ankle tip, like someone tapping it with their toe. I squinted down, but glanced at Ichie instead. She was phone-gazing with smiling eyes.
I pulled out my phone and texted her.
[Ichie. Cut it out.]
She raised a brow at the message, then hiked my pant leg with her toes, brushing my calf lightly as she typed. Yu-jeong sunbae looked at the menu.
“Su-hyeon, what do you want?”
“Cafe latte for me.”
Ichie spoke first. A text pinged.
[No.]
“Green tea latte for me.”
“I'll go order then.”
As soon as Yu-jeong sunbae left the table, I fired off texts.
[Ichie, I'm dating Yu-jeong sunbae. Sorry I didn't tell you. But this isn't okay. Let's just be friends.]
She tilted her head, looked at me, and slid her foot higher. Her toes grazed near my knee—way too suggestive. I could vividly picture her foot's shape. Another text.
[Don't like me?]
Ichie cocked her head, demanding an answer. I did like her. If I'd met her before Yu-jeong sunbae, maybe we'd be dating. She was that pretty, kind, and charming. But I was with Yu-jeong sunbae now. She was too good for me, and I couldn't betray her.
I texted,
[I think you're attractive. But I have a girlfriend.]
[Three is better than two.]
I couldn't parse that. Was she telling me to be a cheating scum? Ichie texted,
[Talked it over with Yu-jeong unnie.]
Talked it over? My head throbbed. What was settled? Was I reading right? I texted to change the subject.
[Why me?]
She hesitated, then typed.
[We've met before.]
Met before? I'd remember a girl like her. No memory. She added,
[And now we're teammates. So it's fate]
Fate? That seemed grandiose. A beat later,
[.]
She had such cute quirks. I had no clue what to do. Never expected my love life to explode like this. Yu-jeong sunbae was coming back. As I pondered a reply, another text.
[Next time, talk at my place. Family's home that day.]
I nodded. Yeah, we needed a proper talk. Yu-jeong sunbae was heading our way.