Amusement Park Date (3)
"Are you serious right now?"
"Can't we...?"
It wasn't that we couldn't, exactly.
"Didn't you hate scary things?"
I couldn't fathom what made her think she could handle a place like that when she couldn't even sit through a horror movie. I raised an eyebrow at her, and Yeonhee started to speak.
"Well, yeah, but... I still want to try it..."
The way she shrank into herself as she said it made it impossible to talk her out of it. Which only made me sigh even harder.
"Haa... Don't come crying to me later."
"Okay!"
I couldn't understand why she was this excited about something she claimed to hate. I was starting to wonder if all that fear of hers had been an act all along.
And so it was decided: we were going to the Haunted House. We started walking right away. The closer we got to the building we'd spotted from a distance, the thicker the eerie atmosphere grew.
"They put this together pretty well."
Up close, it didn't look like some kiddie attraction. It was well-made enough that even adults might pass out from fright. So I asked her one last time.
"You sure you'll be okay?"
"O-of course! Who's scared?"
Her voice got smaller with every word. Her legs looked like they were shaking — and it wasn't just my imagination. They actually were.
"L-let's go!"
When I looked at her like this was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever seen, she grabbed my arm to dodge the issue and dragged me toward the entrance. I let out a long sigh and let myself be pulled along.
Once we were inside the Haunted House, I glanced over at Yeonhee. Her face had gone deathly pale, like she'd already seen a ghost.
"Alright, let's go."
She'd brought this on herself, but we still had to get through it, so I started forward.
"W-wait, stay with me!"
We passed through the curtain in front of us, and the interior was pitch-dark compared to the entrance corridor. A darkness so thick you couldn't see an inch ahead of your feet stretched out below us. A cold wind brushing against my skin from deeper inside sent a chill down my spine.
That was just the atmosphere, though. I didn't actually find it all that scary.
I live alone every day. If I got scared of stuff like this, I wouldn't have survived this long.
"Nnhhh..."
Unlike me, Yeonhee was glued to my side, her eyes darting around in every direction. I still didn't get why she'd wanted to come here in the first place. So I tossed out a light joke, hoping it might loosen her up.
"No matter how scared you get, you can't hit the staff."
But no matter how long I waited, she didn't answer. I guessed she couldn't even hear me anymore. A few more steps forward, and then a loud bang exploded through the dark.
"Kyaah!"
She jumped at the sound of something simply falling over.
"You okay?"
We'd barely even gotten inside and she was already freaking out over a noise. If she actually saw a ghost's face, or if something touched her, she'd probably pass out on the spot...
The thought had barely crossed my mind when Yeonhee collected herself enough to speak, her voice trembling.
"I-I'm... fine..."
I wasn't sure "fine" was the right word for this, but if she said she was fine, who was I to argue? I just kept moving without another word.
"Then let's go."
Dragging it out would only make it scarier, so I picked up the pace a little. We rounded the corner at the end of the corridor, and—
"WAAAGH!!"
"KYAAAAAH—!!"
A scream rang out, carrying a completely different kind of emotion than the ones from the roller coaster. Right in front of us, a staff member dressed as a zombie shuffled past, bloodshot eyes staring, fake blood running down their entire body.
They sure had a rough job.
I gave a small nod of greeting and looked to my side. Yeonhee had collapsed to the floor, her legs having given out completely. She was just sitting there shaking, not saying a word, so I asked again.
"You okay?"
"I'm... not okay..."
Yeah. You look it.
Haa... So this is how it ends up.
I held out my hand to help her up. Yeonhee stared at it for a long moment, then took it with a trembling hand and stood. We had to keep going, but her legs were shaking so badly it didn't look like she could walk any farther. Standing around would just hold up the people behind us, so I decided on a drastic measure.
"Don't let go of my hand. Just close your eyes and follow me."
"...Okay."
And then she wrapped both arms tightly around mine and squeezed her eyes shut.
I said hold my hand...
"Haa..."
A sigh escaped me all on its own. So this was how it ended up. Whatever. I just picked up the pace and headed for the exit.
Every time a sound went off or a ghost appeared along the way, I felt her flinch through my arm, but I ignored it and kept moving fast. We passed through the long corridor and emerged into the light.
"You can open your eyes now. It's over."
She slowly opened her eyes, looked around, and then her gaze met mine. She jumped and hurriedly pulled away.
"Regretting it now?"
"N-no..."
She'd been that terrified and she was still saying no? She seemed embarrassed by her own answer, her face flushing red. And yet... it almost looked like she was smiling?
At Yeonhee's request, we'd come back to the bench and sat down. We hadn't really done anything since getting here. Sitting on this bench was going to be the most memorable part at this rate.
"So what now?"
I asked casually from my seat. Apparently she had no intention of calling it a day, because she sprang to her feet.
"Let's go! Next ride!"
She was so energetic it was hard to believe this was the same person who'd been terrified just minutes ago.
"...Alright."
Not like I had a choice. I sighed, planted my hands on my knees, and slowly stood up.
"So what are we riding?"
"The Viking!"
"..."
I glanced behind me and spotted the Viking not far away. It wasn't hard to find. A scream rang out from that direction, as if voicing exactly how I felt. The Viking was swinging back and forth with enthusiastic pendulum motion.
I had no thoughts left. I followed the hand pulling me along in a daze, walking myself straight into hell.
I didn't get a moment to collect myself after the Viking, either. Every time one ride ended, Yeonhee dragged me off to the next without a second of rest.
Double Rock Spin. Let's Twist. Mega Swing. Gyro Swing. We spun until the world blurred, rocked until my bones rattled, and above all else... we went high. Only after we'd ridden just about every thrilling attraction the amusement park had to offer was I finally set free.
I collapsed onto a bench again, limp, a groan leaking out of me.
"It's over..."
I muttered it under my breath, and a voice came from beside me.
"That was fun, though. Kind of a shame... Ah! Should we go one more time?"
"..."
A chill ran down my spine at those words. I didn't even have the strength to refuse anymore. I was about to get up, half-resigned to being dragged off again, when I noticed a little boy crying not far away.
He was standing in the middle of a path packed with people, crying all by himself, and not a single person was paying him any attention. It felt like looking at a younger version of myself. I couldn't just sit there.
"Juyeong, isn't that kid over there crying?"
I wasn't the only one who'd noticed. Yeonhee reacted immediately.
"Looks like it."
"What should we do... Is he lost?"
Maybe she felt sorry for him crying all alone. The Yeonhee beside me seemed even more restless than I was. A moment later, she took a deep breath and sprang to her feet.
"Juyeong. Let's help that kid find his parents."
I'd figured she'd say that. I let out a small laugh and stood up, and we walked over together. The closer we got, the clearer his pitiful crying became.
"Waaah... Mommy... Daddy..."
I was never good with words, so it was Yeonhee who crouched down to meet the boy's eyes.
"Hey, little guy. Did you lose your mom and dad?"
It was a completely different side of her from the usual teasing and banter. She didn't even have kids, but her voice was so gentle it practically radiated maternal warmth. Maybe her sincerity got through to him. The boy stopped crying and looked at Yeonhee.
"I'm Lee Yeonhee — like a big sister. And this is Han Juyeong, like a big brother. What's your name?"
A trembling little voice came from his small mouth.
"...Juho."
"Is that so? That's a really cool name. Juho, would it be okay if we helped you find your mom and dad?"
His little head bobbed carefully, and Yeonhee stood up with a gentle smile.
"So, where should we look first?"
"Didn't you already have a plan?"
"Hehe..."
"..."
She was smart, but every now and then she pulled something like this.
"How about the lost child center?"
"Oh, right. That exists."
She made a gesture like she'd completely forgotten and only just remembered.
"Juho, how about waiting somewhere with other kids?"
He shook his head. Apparently Juho didn't like that idea.
"He says he doesn't want to...?"
"Then I guess we'll have to go around to the places Juho came from, one by one."
"Got it. I'll ask him."
She turned back toward Juho.
"Juho, do you remember the last place you were playing with your mom and dad?"
Instead of answering, Juho pointed in one direction.
"That way, huh. Then let's go look. How about holding our hands so we don't lose you this time?"
"Me too?"
When I asked if she was serious, she glared at me like I needed to take a hint.
"...Fine."
I took Juho's left hand and Yeonhee took his right, and we ended up looking like a little family out on a day trip.
"Let's start with the place Juho mentioned."
Leading him by the hand, we headed toward the spot he'd pointed out and looked for his parents.
"Is Juho's mom or dad here?!"
Given the situation, I called out louder than felt natural for me, but they didn't seem to be here. We wandered through a few more spots after that. We covered quite a bit of ground, but still couldn't find them.
When we still couldn't find them no matter how much we walked, Juho started to get anxious and teared up again.
"Mommy... Daddy..."
There was nothing I could do in a moment like this. I glanced at Yeonhee and gave her a look. She nodded like she understood. She was just about to comfort him again when a voice that had to belong to Juho's mother called out from behind us.
Relieved we'd found his parents, I turned around. And in that instant, I froze solid at a reunion I had never wanted.