The 'Kim Taeyang and Lee Yuyeong' Line (3)
I was dragged by the arm by Lee Yuyeong onto the Ferris wheel.
"Perfect, plenty of space!"
As she said, there was hardly a line. After a short wait, we boarded right away. Inside the glass-walled gondola, there were plush benches that could seat two or three people on either side. I sat down first, and Lee Yuyeong naturally took the spot next to me. Across from us, my white noona sat, with Iri noona beside her.
The door closed, and soon the gondola lifted upward.
"Ooh~ We're rising~"
Feeling Iri noona's excited exclamation and the floating sensation of weightlessness, I headed to the window. The view rising below soon stretched past the amusement park to the distant city skyline.
"Taeyang! Look over there!"
Lee Yuyeong scooted her hip right up against mine and leaned her head toward me, pointing at the window. The scent of her shampoo wafted from the strands brushing my nose. Damn, why does a girl have to smell so good? I tried not to think about it.
"Look! Taeyang! You can even see our school!"
"Got it, so calm down. Or switch seats with me?"
"No way. You stay right there, Taeyang. I can just turn my head."
No, the problem is you're pressed right up against me! I got that Lee Yuyeong was trying to get closer, but this level of skinship was uncomfortable in all sorts of ways. Not that I disliked it physiologically or anything. It was just... I had no idea what was going through her head.
Like when she suddenly showed up at Gahee noona's house after spotting me and tagged along, or when she out of nowhere accused me of being the womanizing Geum Taeyang targeting Gahee noona during the study session. Right now, she seemed friendly because of that old soccer notebook drama she turned into her own youth romance. The girl was impossible to pin down—a total wildcard bomb where I couldn't predict what reaction would set her off.
"It's making me uncomfortable."
"Oh... really?"
Only then did Lee Yuyeong pull her head back from the window. But she still didn't move her hip away from mine.
"Should we take a group photo?"
Lee Yuyeong suggested it to everyone, and the noonas immediately agreed. They'd take turns snapping pics, then finish with a group shot of all four of us. Iri noona was the first to pull out her phone camera.
"Alright. Taeyang, scoot a little closer to Yuyeong."
"How much closer do you want from here?"
"Hmm... maybe throw your arms around each other's shoulders?"
Lee Yuyeong naturally draped her arm over my shoulder. With no real reason to refuse, I extended mine over hers too, striking a mutual arm-around-shoulder pose.
"More importantly, Iri noona, you any good at photos?"
"Trust me. Your noona's a pro photographer!"
Total bluff in her tone, which made me even less confident, but the shot turned out decent.
"Hehe, thanks, unnie. Next pose... Oh, wait, you unnies need pics too!"
Lee Yuyeong got excited for more but seemed to catch herself.
"Nah, we're good. Take a few more with Taeyang."
"Really?"
"I'm done. Solo shots for me."
My words were naturally ignored, and soon I was linking arms with Lee Yuyeong or matching her with those two-fingers-down "gal peace" signs or whatever.
"Okay, next. I wanna take one with Taeyang too!"
Iri noona beamed innocently, handed her phone to Hayan noona, and plastered herself right against my side, trapping me so I couldn't stand.
"Wait, I need a break."
"Come on, closer!"
She wrapped her arm around my side in a hug pose.
"Iri noona... you're too close."
Her chest pressed against my torso, and I could feel her warm body heat. Embarrassment flooded me, but it wasn't bad, so I let it be.
"Say cheese!"
"That enough? Whoa! What the—?!"
We'd just taken one shot, and I was about to suggest Hayan noona's turn when something insane happened.
"Up you go!"
"How the hell did you lift me?! You monster!"
"This kid talks so cheeky."
Iri noona pinched and tugged my cheek hard, but that wasn't the issue right now. She'd just hoisted my entire body onto her lap like it was nothing.
I might be shorter than the noonas, but I'm still a third-year middle schooler...
"Your arms don't even look that muscular."
I poked one of Iri noona's biceps in awe. Firm and toned, perfectly balanced—not overly bulky. Track team made sense for stronger legs, but where'd this super strength come from?
"You're hurting my feelings? Don't just grope a girl's body like that."
"You grope me all the time anyway, Iri noona."
"What?"
Someone looked flustered by our banter—Lee Yuyeong.
"I don't touch if you tell me not to, Taeyang."
"You ignore me and pinch away when you're having fun."
"...Huh?"
Lee Yuyeong tilted her head in the corner, but more than that, sitting on a girl's lap for a photo at my size was mortifying.
"Do we have to do it like this?"
"Stay still."
Click. Only after the shot did Iri noona set me down beside her.
"Haa... seriously..."
"Next up, me! I wanna take one with Taeyang too!"
"Noona..."
Hayan noona slid naturally next to me. Am I some photo prop now?!
Finally, after snapping one side-by-side with Hayan noona, I escaped prop duty. Afterward, I was stuck as the noonas' camera shuttle, holding the phone nonstop.
"Knew this'd happen, so I brought the selfie stick~"
Iri noona pulled it out and extended it fully. One group shot later, photo time was done.
"Hmm..."
Then Lee Yuyeong's gaze shifted. Her interest in me had somehow turned toward Iri noona.
"Yuyeong, what's up?"
I asked, worried she was short-circuiting into some mishap, but she just shook her head.
The Ferris wheel reached the ground and stopped. The lock clicked open, and the attendant slid the door aside. We said thanks and stepped out, already hungry.
"What'd we even do, and it's already lunchtime?"
"Right? I'm starving to death~"
"Drama queen..."
Grrrowl. Iri noona laughed at my stomach, no room for me to talk.
"Wanna grab lunch and rest a bit?"
We were heading to a nearby restaurant when—
"Um, wait. Iri unnie."
"Yeah?"
Iri noona turned at the call and flinched.
"Yu... Yuyeong?"
"Unnie, can we talk for a sec?"
We stared, wondering what was up, but Lee Yuyeong smiled calmly, like it was nothing.
"Oh, it's nothing. You two go ahead to the restaurant."
"Yeah... you guys go on."
Her serene smile with that stiff expression was scarier. No, just yell or something—what's with that face? Even her eyes looked a bit lifeless, worrying me. Was Lee Yuyeong awakening her yandere side? Thankfully, her gaze didn't match Yandere Stage 1 from Love Chain heroines, so I relaxed. Their yandere eyes all looked pretty similar.
"Alright, we'll head in first."
Hayan noona brushed it off as no big deal.
"Iri noona, if anything happens, run. Or call the cops."
"Taeyang, what're you saying?"
I gave the warning and turned away. It hit me then—she'd triggered Yandere Stage 1 before.
After splitting from the siblings, Lee Yuyeong and Min Iri headed to a bench.
"Unnie... you said you'd help me, right...?"
"Ahaha! Sorry! I didn't expect the haunted house to freak me out like that."
Lee Yuyeong spoke in a small, emotionless voice, timidly. Sure, Min Iri had promised help, but no real reason to complain if she bailed. Arranging the spot was plenty, and Lee Yuyeong knew she'd have to take it from here.
But... it didn't sit right. Haunted house aside, what was with the Ferris wheel? Touching?
Min Iri had gone way further with skinship on Kim Taeyang than Lee Yuyeong ever did, and he'd accepted it like it was normal. The same Taeyang who'd been iffy about even light contact with her... was poking Min Iri's arm and bantering like, "You touch me all the time anyway."
"Hmmm................"
"Hey... Yuyeong? Hello~?"
Min Iri waved her hand in front of Lee Yuyeong's distant stare, flustered.
"Unnie."
"Y-Yeah!"
She flinched as the stiff Lee Yuyeong finally moved.
Wh-what? Did I mess up? The haunted house was unavoidable...
But Min Iri hadn't clocked the issue. Her Ferris wheel antics were pure habit—like with her little childhood buddy.
Lee Yuyeong's next words made her realize.
"Unnie, what's your relationship with Taeyang?"
"Huh? Well... he's been like a little brother since we were kids."
"I see."
"Oh, if you're misunderstanding things between us, don't worry about it."
Lee Yuyeong paused to think. Childhood friend... yeah, sometimes those don't spark romance. Could be platonic. Still, better safe.
"Unnie! You'll help me, right?"
"Of course! I want you two to work out."
Lee Yuyeong grabbed Min Iri's hand tight. Min Iri noticed the change in her but couldn't pull away.
"Unnie, then one favor!"
Taeyang would've bolted with Min Iri at this sight. Lee Yuyeong had re-entered Yandere Stage 1.
"While I get close to Taeyang today, stay back a bit and hold off on skinship!"
"Uh... sure..."
Min Iri thought it over. Yeah, promised to help them bond—why butt in?
"Got it, Yuyeong. I'll stick with Hayan and hang back."
"Thanks, unnie! With your help, I can guide Taeyang the right way!"
Only I can guide Taeyang right. As soccer manager, she alone could reignite his passion for the game.
Lee Yuyeong nodded at her conclusion and grinned wide.
"They're probably waiting. Let's go, unnie."
"Yeah."
Min Iri felt uneasy but chalked it up to imagination and headed back with Lee Yuyeong to the siblings.