Can't Even Eat It When Given
Time flew by, and before I knew it, the golden holiday had arrived—the day Chae-yeon and I had planned to visit the amusement park together.
From the moment I woke up, I was so busy getting ready that I never had a chance to think about what the day would bring.
I should have gotten up a little earlier. I spent so much time overthinking that I ended up waking up at the exact right moment.
At least I wasn't late…
I probably would have felt more relaxed if I'd made some kind of plan.
“Jung-woo!!”
While I was waiting in front of the train station, I spotted Chae-yeon waving as she walked toward me.
Maybe it was because she knew today was special—she had clearly put extra effort into her appearance. Her beauty stood out even more than usual, like a painting come to life.
“Sorry, am I late?”
“You're not. We still have about ten minutes to spare.”
“I thought I had plenty of time, but once I started getting ready, it just flew by.”
So she really had been nervous about it.
It was obvious she'd put in more effort than usual. Her makeup was a little heavier, and her waves looked more carefully styled.
I'd dressed up to match what I guessed she'd do, and it seemed like the right call.
“Oh, what's this?”
“What?”
“You look a little different today.”
“Me?”
“Did you put in some effort? Your bangs are parted too.”
“I do this all the time.”
“Huh?! I've never seen it before. Why don't you do it when we meet?”
Wait, she's right. Why haven't I?
“From now on, keep your bangs back when we meet. It looks way better.”
“Okay, got it. Should we head in?”
“Let's grab a coffee before we go inside.”
“Sure.”
We stepped into the station and bought drinks at a nearby café. Before I could even pay, Chae-yeon rushed ahead and settled the bill.
“I was going to pay.”
“We're going to the amusement park thanks to you today. Let me spend a little.”
Technically it was thanks to Su-ho, but given the mood, I figured it was better to save the free ticket story for later.
“Not coffee again today?”
“Why are you like this? Are you going to tease me for not drinking coffee again?”
“Twenty-three years old and still can't drink coffee—aww, little Jung Jung-woo.”
“Just because you can drink coffee doesn't automatically make you an adult.”
“Honestly, how many adults can't drink coffee?”
“My grandpa.”
“Uh… well…”
“Ah, Chae-yeon got me with that one. I'm telling Grandpa.”
I was just stating facts. If she hadn't brought it up first, I wouldn't have said anything either.
Chae-yeon looked flustered and didn't say another word. I reached over, gently patted her head, and took her wrist.
“The train's here. Let's go.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
Better to catch the train than just watch it leave. That was my goal for today—act on it without going so far that she kicked me off.
“It's been forever since I rode a train.”
“Yeah. How long has it been?”
“Oh, that reminds me. Remember the snack cart we had when we were kids?”
“The snack cart? Wow, that brings back memories.”
“They don't have those anymore. Trains have lost all their romance.”
“I used to beg Mom for roasted eggs and cider.”
“Oh, right. And then your aunt scolded you for it.”
Thanks to all the shared memories between our families, the conversation flowed nonstop on the train. While we were talking, Chae-yeon must have gotten hungry—she pulled a roasted egg out of her bag.
“What is this, Dora X Mong?”
“Actually, this is my fourth-dimensional pocket. It holds all kinds of things.”
“When did you even get the egg?”
“While we were waiting for the drinks, I saw some and bought one. Want some?”
“Nah, I'll pass. It'll just send me to the bathroom.”
Chae-yeon stared at the roasted egg for a moment, then turned her gaze to me. She clenched her fist and started shaking it.
Is she seriously suggesting rock-paper-scissors?
“Rock-paper-scissors. Loser gets the egg cracked on their head.”
“Hold on. I didn't even agree to eat it, so why do I have to play?”
“It'd be boring if we just ate it normally.”
“If I lose, I don't even get the egg and my head just hurts.”
“Then win. Easy, right?”
Oh, so that's how it's going to be?
There's one thing Chae-yeon seems to have forgotten—she's never once beaten me at rock-paper-scissors.
“Don't say we're doing best of three or sudden-death after you lose.”
“I won't. Just one round.”
“So we're doing it? Rock, paper, scissors!!”
The result was my loss.
Seeing my fist against her paper, I almost demanded a rematch. But no— a man shouldn't go back on his word.
“Alright, cracking it now?”
“Do what you want.”
—Smack!!
“Aagh!! Hey, did you have to hit that hard?!”
“Oops, sorry. But Jung-woo.”
“What?”
“The egg's gone.”
“What are you talking about?”
Chae-yeon's palm held only the shell. The actual egg was nowhere to be seen. While I was looking for it, I noticed it rolling around by my feet.
“You hit it so hard the yolk popped out.”
“Who puts spin on an egg to someone's head? I'm not a baseball glove!!”
“Old baseball habits, I guess. Does it hurt a lot?”
“Feels like my head's cracked open.”
Chae-yeon slowly rubbed the spot she'd been clutching. It should have hurt when she touched it, but it didn't. The pain actually faded away.
Once you realize someone likes you, the strangest things start happening.
We kept joking around and chatting until the train finally pulled into Seoul.
“We're in Seoul!! Now how do we get there?”
“Uh… we can take the subway.”
“Seoul's subway is ridiculously complicated.”
Seoul, which I hadn't visited in years, was so crowded it gave me a headache. The subway map looked like a puzzle, and the buildings towered so high it was dizzying just to look up. I finally understood how a country mouse feels in the city.
“Jung-woo. Are you good with directions?”
“Nope. I'm an ultra-super-duper directionally challenged guy.”
“Then I'll navigate. If I leave it to you, you'll end up lost.”
I agreed it was the smart choice and handed navigation duties over to Chae-yeon. Even though she was good at finding her way, I was still a little worried—she hadn't been to Seoul much either.
But my concern was unnecessary.
Chae-yeon navigated like a local, never hesitating once. She even handled the notoriously difficult subway lines without a single mistake.
And so we arrived at Ramji World.
“How about that? My navigation skills?”
“Insane. You could work as a GPS.”
“Just stick with me from now on and you'll never get lost.”
The moment we stepped inside Ramji World, Chae-yeon let out a weird noise and turned into a little kid. The first place she headed was the souvenir shop selling all kinds of trinkets.
“Here, the essential amusement park headband. Let's pick one for each other.”
While browsing the store, a pair of bunny-ear headbands caught my eye. Without hesitation, I grabbed them and placed them on Chae-yeon's head.
“What is it?”
“Bunny-ear headband. Thought it'd suit you.”
“Me? How do bunny ears make you think of me?”
“Big eyes. They turn into bunny eyes whenever you're surprised. Total rabbit.”
“You're making nonsense sound logical. Then you wear this.”
“Panda headband?”
“Yeah. You were nicknamed Panda back in elementary school.”
With my chubby cheeks and heavy dark circles, that had been my childhood nickname. It had been years since anyone called me that, yet she still remembered.
Before diving into the rides, we bought churros and a triple scoop soft-serve ice cream to tide us over and sat down at a table.
“The triple scoop is huge!!”
“What flavors again?”
“Strawberry, vanilla, chocolate. I'm trying it.”
Chae-yeon took a big bite of the strawberry ice cream on top. She was going to get brain freeze eating like that.
Sure enough, she clutched her temples and started stomping her feet in place.
“Aagh!! My head hurts!!”
The sight was so cute I couldn't help but laugh. It really felt like we were back in elementary school.
“I want a bite too.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
I leaned forward to eat from the ice cream she offered. But before I could, the vanilla scoop slipped off and splattered onto the floor.
“Huh?”
“No!! Haah… Can't even eat it when it's given.”
“Honestly, that was just bad luck. You admit it, right?”
“Admit what? You should've eaten it before it fell.”
I'm not a circus performer—how was I supposed to catch something that suddenly dropped? I had plenty of things I wanted to say, but I kept them to myself. If I opened my mouth, my ribs probably wouldn't survive the day.
“Since we've eaten, should we start having real fun?”
“Yeah. Let's go all out.”