Gwak Seon-woo arrived at the amusement park entrance exactly on time.
Instead of his usual sharply tailored suits, he was dressed more casually than usual. Truthfully, he had worried about whether he should still show up in a dress shirt and slacks even at an amusement park. Thankfully, after rummaging through his wardrobe, he discovered he did have some other clothes. He ended up choosing a plain black T-shirt—so simple and ordinary it felt like it had been waiting just for this occasion.
While scanning the entrance area for Eun-jae, Seon-woo found himself recalling the last time he had been to an amusement park. He wasn’t the type to frequent crowded places like this, but that didn’t mean he had never been. Occasionally, he’d get dragged along by amusement park–loving friends and be forced to enter the gates right when they opened.
That’s probably why he couldn’t help but question whether it was really okay to take his time like this now.
Still, it had been so long since his last visit that he couldn’t help feeling a little excited. It didn’t take long for him to spot Eun-jae.
Eun-jae was wearing a forsythia yellow top and beige cotton pants, looking especially youthful next to Seon-woo’s all-black outfit that screamed Gwanggong. The contrast made Eun-jae seem even younger than he actually was. He waved enthusiastically and hurried over.
“You’re here, Director! It looks like a lot of people have already gone in since the park’s open. Let’s hurry and get in too!”
Apparently, Eun-jae had been thinking the same thing. Seon-woo found it amusing, though he kept a calm expression and nodded. But as they neared the ticket booth, Eun-jae’s face gradually shifted into a nervous one. He kept glancing around like someone being chased.
Seon-woo was about to ask if something was wrong when he quickly realized what it was.
“Agh! That bastard actually showed up!”
Eun-jae practically screamed. Startled, Seon-woo instinctively turned in the direction Eun-jae was glaring.
Seung-hyeon was walking toward them, waving with a beaming smile that was so damn cheerful Seon-woo briefly wondered if he was hallucinating.
It hadn’t even been that long since he’d thought he never wanted to see that face again, and now here they were, running into each other in a place like this. His reflex was to look away.
To be fair, Seon-woo had half-expected something like this.
Seung-hyeon had already butted in when they went to the movies, and even showed up with an umbrella when Seon-woo visited Eun-jae’s place.
But just because he expected it didn’t mean it wasn’t irritating.
Is he tracking us again?
Judging by Eun-jae’s reaction, that didn’t seem to be the case. The way Eun-jae acted like he had known Seung-hyeon would show up made it clear—Seung-hyeon must’ve found out where they were going straight from Eun-jae himself.
Seung-hyeon greeted them smoothly.
“Fancy meeting you here. What a lovely weekend.”
“Don’t pretend to be surprised when you obviously knew we’d be here!”
Eun-jae snapped irritably. Seung-hyeon just shrugged, entirely unbothered.
“Don’t be so cold, Assistant Manager Seo.”
Seon-woo turned his head away, ignoring their exchange. He couldn’t look Seung-hyeon in the face without that damn dream flashing back to him—and his cheeks were already burning.
Still, it wasn’t all bad.
He’d been mentally preparing for a day stuck alone at the amusement park with Eun-jae, but once again, Seung-hyeon had shown up and disrupted that.
And, in a strange way, Seon-woo felt a bit relieved.
Despite his displeasure, Eun-jae didn’t push Seung-hyeon away. Of course, since Seung-hyeon wasn’t someone who could be easily chased off, it was probably for the best that Eun-jae gave up quickly.
The three of them entered the amusement park together. From the moment they stepped inside, the uniquely lively atmosphere of the park hit them. Upbeat songs played in the background, children with balloons ran about, and stalls selling snacks and headbands caught their attention.
Eun-jae, walking ahead, suddenly stopped in front of the spinning teacup ride. He turned to the others with an air of determination.
“Let’s ride this one first.”
It was a bit odd that he would choose the teacups, so close to the entrance, over the more thrilling Viking or roller coaster rides. Was this some sort of warm-up? Seon-woo didn’t mind—he wasn’t afraid of any ride—so he nodded without hesitation. Seung-hyeon followed suit and lined up without resistance.
Compared to the Viking and other rides nearby, the line for the teacups was short, and since each cup could hold several people, they didn’t have to wait long. Eun-jae and Seung-hyeon exchanged pleasantries with the staff as they climbed into their teacup. Of course, Seon-woo, with his usual Gwanggong poise, walked right past them without acknowledging anyone.
With all three adult men in one teacup, they inevitably drew the attention of the surrounding park-goers. The other teacups mostly held elementary-aged children or middle and high school students with headbands. The teacup with three men in their thirties was the only one like it.
Seon-woo felt awkward, but honestly, Gwanggong was the type of person who always stood out, no matter the situation. If he started worrying about every pair of eyes around him, it would never end. So, he decided to ignore the stares and focus straight ahead.
Seung-hyeon and Eun-jae either didn’t notice the looks or didn’t care; they were as calm as ever. Even Eun-jae, who had been scowling all this time, seemed to relax once it was time to ride. Seung-hyeon, with a serene smile on his face, placed both hands on the handle that spun the teacup.
One elementary school boy in a neighboring cup kept staring at them intently. Seung-hyeon turned his head toward him and raised a hand in greeting. “Hi?”
The boy immediately waved back. “Hello.”
Eun-jae, noticing the boy, also waved back lightly. Only Seon-woo remained stiff and unmoving. Had it been the old Gwak Seon-woo, he probably would’ve at least returned the greeting, but now Gwanggong didn’t feel the need to speak first. The thought that an elementary school student had better manners than Gwanggong made him hesitate.
“Uncles, how old are you, and you’re still riding the teacups?”
Apparently, the kid wasn’t as polite as he seemed at first. Seon-woo couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath, while Seung-hyeon returned a steady smile. Meanwhile, Eun-jae, sounding a little dumbfounded, replied.
“Uncles?”
Unlike Seon-woo and Seung-hyeon, Eun-jae, still a fresh-faced 20-something new employee, wasn’t quite immune to the word uncle. Seung-hyeon chuckled aloud and said,
“If we’re not uncles, then what are we?”
“I’m younger than you, Team Leader.”
“I’m younger than you, too, Director.”
Eun-jae was speechless and fell silent, glancing over at Seon-woo. But since Seon-woo didn’t react at all, he didn’t bother looking back. Seung-hyeon, with his gentle voice, continued.
Seung-hyeon turned to the child and asked, “How old do you think we are?”
“Um… 25?”
The child seemed uncertain about the concept of age, likely because of his young age. It might also have been because of Seung-hyeon’s casual outfit. Seung-hyeon, amused, responded with a laugh.
“That’s right.”
“Are you having fun teasing the kid?”
“Yes.”
Despite Eun-jae’s remark, Seung-hyeon responded shamelessly. As the voice of the ride’s crew announced, “The spinning journey begins now~”, Seung-hyeon adjusted his posture and prepared for the ride. The boy, too, firmly grabbed the teacup’s handle.
“I bet I can spin it better than you guys.”
With that, the boy turned his head to the side.
Eun-jae and Seung-hyeon seemed to have decided to play along with the child’s little challenge. The moment the ride began, they both tightly grasped the spinning handle. Seon-woo instinctively felt a sense of urgency and tightly gripped his seat. In retrospect, it was a very wise decision. If he hadn’t held on, he would have been flung right out of the cup.
The two men were so energetic in turning the handle that it was hard to even call it “playing along.” They spun it with all their might, and their synchrony was perfect, as if they had rehearsed this exact moment. With two grown men turning the handle with all their strength, the teacup spun at a terrifying speed.
Seon-woo, spinning around, turned his head to look at the boy in the next cup. The boy was spinning the handle with his friend, and it seemed the bragging about spinning the teacup wasn’t unfounded—his cup was moving at a pretty fast pace.
He turned back to face forward. The speed was a little too much for him to handle, but thanks to his strong Gwanggong physique, he didn’t feel dizzy. Rather than that… Seon-woo couldn’t shake the desire to spin the teacup himself. What was the point of sitting on a ride like this and just sitting still with his legs crossed?
He gripped the seat tightly with his hands. Since the other two were already working hard to spin the cup, he didn’t think his extra effort would make much of a difference. Just as he was about to raise his hand,
<Gwanggong does not spin the teacup.>
Sighing, he returned his hand to its original position. In the end, he spent the entire ride maintaining his Gwanggong dignity, sitting still and pretending to look composed.
“Ah, that was fun,” Eun-jae mumbled as he stepped off the teacup ride, looking refreshed. Seung-hyeon’s face was equally pristine.
The boy who had been trying to provoke them, perhaps thinking they had won, left with a frustrated look on his face.
Seon-woo, who hadn’t been able to spin the teacup at all, found himself thinking bitterly, Does it feel good to beat a kid like that?
Eun-jae, showing no sign of tiring, immediately pointed toward the next ride.
“We’ve warmed up, so let’s go on the roller coaster now.”
With that, Eun-jae crossed his arms and decisively gave his next order.
“I’m too scared to sit on the roller coaster by myself.”
Even though Seon-woo was feeling down, he understood the meaning behind the words. It was clear that Eun-jae was claiming the seat next to Seon-woo. Seung-hyeon laughed, as if amused by this.
“Really? I’m the same, but that’s just a coincidence.”
“I’m actually more scared.”
“No, I think I’m more scared.”
“I get scared even when a leaf rolls by.”
Listening to this childish exchange, even more immature than the elementary school boy earlier, Seon-woo found himself becoming speechless. After observing their absurd argument for a moment, he calmly spoke up.
“Well then, the two scared people should ride together. I’m fine going alone.”
Seon-woo thought it was a perfect compromise. Both Eun-jae and Seung-hyeon, for once, wore expressions tinged with rare disappointment.
Seon-woo took long, determined strides ahead. The two of them followed behind, chatting quietly between themselves.
