Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Friday #3
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"Whoa... amazing. There are sooo many people."
Hong Yeonseo gaped in awe.
I could understand how she felt, since my mouth was hanging open just like hers.
A long time ago.
Meaning, in my previous life.
I'd been to Japan once.
I went to Shibuya, and I remembered being stunned by the massive crowds there.
Hmm, maybe that's not the best comparison? I've never been to Myeongdong or anywhere like that, so I wouldn't know. I lived in the countryside, after all.
In this life, I'm living in a brand-new planned city created by the romcom world, so I've only seen Seoul on rare special occasions.
Anyway, back on topic.
Before us at the amusement park entrance stretched a scene like a dense forest made entirely of people.
I wondered if we'd even get inside today with crowds this thick.
It was Children's Day, so there were tons of families.
The silver lining was that this was just the entrance.
Things should thin out once we're inside.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The inside of the amusement park was just as packed.
Not quite as bad as the entrance where you could barely move, but still, with it being Children's Day, families were everywhere.
We were slowly making our way toward the central area.
"Let's ride that one!"
The excited Hong Yeonseo grabbed my arm and dragged me along.
Seeing where she was headed, cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
"What is that thing..."
This romcom world had attractions on a whole other scale.
Amusement parks from my previous life looked like they were for toddlers.
The towering roller coaster looming into the sky was utterly overwhelming.
"Ooh! Looks like fun!"
"Doesn't it feel a bit much for our first ride?"
"It's fine, it's fine!"
Seong Yurin had somehow pulled out a park map and nodded along as she followed us.
Yoon Jiu seemed interested like Hong Yeonseo, while Lee Soyun looked a little nervous but let herself be pulled along by Hong Yeonseo's enthusiasm.
Kyaaaaaaaah-!
The screams from a train whizzing overhead right then were downright terrifying.
But regardless of my feelings, our group didn't stop marching forward.
"We're really doing this as our first ride?"
"We ride the one that looks most fun first, then ride it again if it's good."
"One go on this thing feels like it'll suck all the energy out of me..."
Unlike me, who was grim-faced thanks to memories from my past life, the group—full of youthful energy—was naturally heading to the ride in the order we'd lined up.
Come to think of it, paying a bit extra lets you legally cut in line in this world.
Stuff like this really drives home that I'm living in a whole new world.
We settled into the wide seats that could fit four per row, one by one.
First row: Hong Yeonseo and me, Lee Soyun and Seong Yurin.
Second row: Yoon Jiu, Yoon Jia, and Lee Sea.
"Why the death glare? Scared?"
"......"
The roller coaster's rails still loomed viciously in my mind, dropping at nearly ninety degrees.
And now I was actually on it.
"Ah! Oh yeah, I need to pee all of a sudden. Let me out for a sec."
"What? That's crazy. We're about to start."
Hong Yeonseo grabbed me as I tried to stand and forced me back down.
Her grip was way too strong...
Clunk-
The safety bar came down.
No turning back now.
Not that it matters now, but...
I've actually never ridden a roller coaster at an amusement park before.
I've been to parks, but the most extreme thing I'd tried was a drop tower.
And now this endgame-level coaster was my first real experience.
My legs trembled from the tension.
Not because I was scared, of course.
"Please hold your safety bar tight and enjoy the ride~ The train is departing!" The attendant's cheerful voice echoed through the speakers.
How does she sound so happy repeating the same lines every day?
While I admired her professionalism, a rattling sound started up, and the train lurched forward.
"O-oh..."
A glance to my right showed Lee Soyun gripping the bar so hard her knuckles were white from tension.
Next to her, Seong Yurin looked pale but flushed with excitement.
Was it joy, fear, tension, or the thrill of something new?
Maybe all three.
As we left the covered station and emerged under the open blue sky, a cool breeze hit us.
That's when Hong Yeonseo suddenly spoke up from my left.
"J-Jin-ah."
"...Yeah?"
"You know."
I turned my head slightly, and there were her cheeks, puffed out against the safety bar.
"This is... my first time on a roller coaster..."
..........
"You were acting so tough earlier."
Where was the bold Hong Yeonseo from just before launch?
Thinking back, she'd been surprisingly jumpy at the escape room too.
Oh, and during horror movies.
"Hold my hand..."
"......What?"
"Hurryyy."
Holding the bar is safer, surely.
Still, I didn't shake off the hand she reached out.
Meanwhile, the train kept climbing steadily until the top of the first hill came into view.
"Here it cooomes!"
Yoon Jia's excited shout came from behind me.
I craned my neck to look down.
......Isn't this way too high?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Screeeeech-
The train's climb up the hill was deafening.
Yoon Jiu stared ahead with his eyes half-closed.
Hong Yeonseo's red hair tilted to the right.
And poking out beside her was an arm intertwined with Seo Ijin's.
'Tch.........'
Seo Ijin.
A friend he'd known since elementary school.
They used to be really close...
But ever since high school started, things felt off.
Seo Ijin might see it differently, but from Yoon Jiu's perspective, that was the case.
Yoon Jiu glared at Seo Ijin's back.
'Did he seduce Hong Yeonseo too...?'
Yoon Jiu had always been popular with girls.
If Lee Sea—the girl he'd liked since childhood—wasn't by his side, he might've dated a bunch by now.
Plus, his seniors had hyped him up, saying guys like him just needed to show their face to attract girls.
But because of his feelings for Lee Sea, he'd held back.
Still, he hadn't liked how Lee Sea's gaze kept drifting toward Seo Ijin instead of him.
That's why he'd been thrilled when Seong Yurin made her proposal recently.
It could've driven a wedge between Lee Sea and Seo Ijin, making it easier for him to get her.
But things hadn't gone as planned, and after that day, Lee Sea started acting different.
Feeling her consciously avoiding him, Yoon Jiu's anger turned toward Seo Ijin.
From then on, he'd observed Seo Ijin subtly and learned things he hadn't noticed before.
Not just Lee Sea—Lee Soyun seemed to like him too.
'Both are girls I like.'
For Yoon Jiu, who'd had his eye on them both since middle school, it was frustrating.
Considering looks and personality, I'm better than that guy.
Objectively, he was more handsome. And personality-wise, he was better than that gloomy creep.
The stack of love letters he'd received proved it.
And then Hong Yeonseo and Seong Yurin, whom he'd gotten close to in high school.
Yoon Jiu had been planning to date them too.
But after that day, he'd distanced himself from Seong Yurin, and Hong Yeonseo showed no real interest in him.
These four were leagues above the girls his club seniors had introduced.
'If it weren't for that guy, all four would've been mine.'
Clueless to their true feelings, Yoon Jiu kept stewing in his thoughts.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Urgh."
As expected, I thought I was gonna die.
This roller coaster was on another level...
Not that I've experienced lower levels, of course.
I got off the train, legs wobbling, steadying myself.
Then several hands leaned against me for support.
"Ughhh. Dizzy."
"Oppa... I feel sick."
"Ughh. Jin-ahhh..."
Surprisingly, Seong Yurin and Lee Sea looked fine.
I'm dying here too, guys. Give me some space...
"Alright, everyone, let's go."
Yoon Jiu came over and helped peel the three off me.
Thanks, Jiu. You're a true friend.
I shot a wink at Yoon Jiu for looking out for me.
He averted his eyes upon seeing it.
Hmm... maybe winking between guys is weird?
"Everyone looks wiped from the first ride."
Seong Yurin looked down at us calmly and said.
"I told you we should've started with something else."
Hong Yeonseo slyly avoided my gaze at my jab.
No point whining now.
She was the one who boldly led the charge, only to get scared and ask to hold hands.
"Wanna rest a bit then hit the safari?"
We all agreed with Lee Sea's suggestion and headed to a bench.
Once recovered, we got moving again.
...For the record, I wasn't fully recovered.
Body's fine, but my mind's exhausted.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Whoa! A white tiger!"
Hong Yeonseo and Lee Soyun pressed against the windows like kids, gawking at the animals.
Thanks to our expensive tickets, we had the safari vehicle to ourselves, so they ran around freely.
Surprisingly, Yoon Jia sat quietly next to me.
"Don't like animals much?"
"W-well, I like small ones. But big ones scare me..."
Ah.
The safari's full of predators, after all.
I turned to the window and snapped a photo of a lion with its mouth wide open.
Pictures are what last, kids.
Take a bunch.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After that, we did bumper cars, carousel, swan boats, drop tower...
We kept busy.
"Feels like we've done almost everything?"
"Hmm. According to the map, the main event's still left."
Seong Yurin unfolded the neatly folded park map.
Lee Soyun, today's star, had a blast too.
But Hong Yeonseo and Seong Yurin were the real enthusiasts—dead serious about the park.
Especially Seong Yurin, who'd come prepared with a full route planned on the map.
"What is it?"
"The haunted house. Let's do that last, then grab dinner."
..........
She saved the highest difficulty for last......