#Side Story 4
“Is that so?”
“I don’t think someone who can jump as high as a building with their bare body would enjoy riding just this.”
Since it was a weekday afternoon, the not-so-long line quickly shortened. Ho-woo sat at the very end of the Viking ship and skillfully lowered the safety bar. Oh-yul seemed to doubt whether the safety bar, which clamped his thighs and could be crushed with one hand by his standards, could really ensure safety.
“It’s not that weak.”
Ho-woo shook the fixed safety bar with his hand to demonstrate, then hesitated for a moment. As the ride slowly began to swing, expectant cheers erupted from the people. Amidst those cheers, Oh-yul heard a very small murmur, audible only to him.
…because you’re here.
The preceding words, not fully pronounced and muffled in his mouth, weren’t heard, but he quickly understood what Ho-woo had meant to say.
“…Ah.”
Whether due to the cold winter wind or some other reason, Ho-woo’s ear lobes were particularly red. As the Viking ship hit its highest point and plunged down, there was a floating sensation. Somehow, his heart skipped a beat and he felt dizzy. In that moment, Oh-yul felt a chilling thrill.
As Ho-woo said, it would be difficult to feel much excitement just from riding such a ride.
And yet.
Even after getting off the ride that had swung for several minutes, Oh-yul felt a pleasant afterglow.
“What do you want to eat?”
Standing in front of the street vendors, Ho-woo’s figure turning to ask him was so overwhelmingly lovable that Oh-yul, uncharacteristically, hastily reached out his arms.
“Ugh!”
As he strongly hugged him from behind, Ho-woo made a muffled sound and struggled, but soon calmed down. Conscious of the glances from passing people, Ho-woo lightly patted the arms tightly holding his waist with an embarrassed face.
“What’s this suddenly?”
“…Just, because I’m happy.”
Even if their relationship was forcibly patched together from a terribly torn state, this moment wouldn’t disappear. The monster deeply inhaled the intoxicating poison. Even if it was just a moment of happiness, he desperately gathered it and piled it in his heart.
“If you’re happy, then choose this.”
With the large man attached to his back, Ho-woo awkwardly walked to a hot dog stand. Although he hadn’t seen him snacking usually, if they came to a place like this, they had to eat some overpriced and tasteless food without dreams and hopes.
“Choose whatever you like, Ho-woo.”
Oh-yul, still burying his face in Ho-woo’s back, mumbled without even looking at the menu. Ho-woo slightly furrowed his brow at this.
Oh-yul always did this. Rather than his own likes and dislikes, as Han Seong-won had said, he orbited around Ho-woo like a satellite. So Ho-woo didn’t know what food this man really liked. As for hobbies… it seemed like quietly reading books was his hobby, but even that wasn’t entirely reliable.
“Is it really okay if I choose what I like?”
“Yes.”
Slightly annoyed by the answer that showed no hesitation, Ho-woo ordered the most basic hot dog. The pre-fried hot dog was quickly placed in Ho-woo’s hand. This time, without asking, Ho-woo chose mustard from the sauces.
“Ho-woo, don’t you like ketchup?”
Oh-yul asked as if it was strange, but instead of answering, Ho-woo generously squirted the yellow sauce until it dripped and forcefully put it in Oh-yul’s hand.
“…?”
Before Oh-yul, who had taken the hot dog in confusion, could say anything, Ho-woo ordered a cheese hot dog this time and received it. Then, he squirted a moderate amount of ketchup and took a bite.
“What?”
“……”
With perfect timing, a drop of mustard fell to the ground. Oh-yul stared blankly at what could hardly be called a hot dog in his hand, more a mass of sauce, then took a big bite.
“…Hmm.”
Glancing at him from the corner of his eye at the small hum filled with numerous emotions, Ho-woo pretended not to notice and went ahead alone.
“Well, I want to ride the roller coaster, so let’s hurry.”
At Ho-woo’s urging, Oh-yul, awkwardly holding the hot dog he had taken one bite of, quickly approached and stood beside Ho-woo. Concern about how to handle this appeared on his face.
“Eat quickly, we can’t take food on the rides.”
Ho-woo smirked as he ate his hot dog mischievously. That’s what you get for answering so readily when asked. It’s self-inflicted. Standing at the end of the long line and eating his share of the hot dog, Ho-woo watched Oh-yul.
Oh-yul, as if he had made up his mind about something, devoured the entire hot dog in two bites. After wiping the sauce from his mouth with water droplets, he wiped Ho-woo’s hands too and chuckled lightly. He wasn’t in a bad mood.
The line shortened quickly, and their turn came sooner than expected. The train running along the rails was fast and intense, but somehow strangely lacking in tension.
Oh-yul had ruined it for people. Now, even riding amusement park rides made one think it was boring rather than fun.
Ho-woo, with a strangely deflated face, got off the ride and immediately scurried to the photo zone. Although the ride wasn’t as fun, he had gotten a humiliating photo of Do-hyun here when they came before. Given the characteristics of the fast-moving roller coaster, it was difficult not to take embarrassing photos. Ho-woo, scanning the screen with an expectant face, soon checked the photo and let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
Although his hair was windswept, Oh-yul’s expression was peaceful. No, it looked almost bored. In contrast, he himself had a very ugly expression. His chin had tripled due to his slightly hunched neck, and his face was scrunched up due to the wind.
“It seems we can purchase the photo.”
Before Ho-woo could say anything, Oh-yul had the photo printed and carefully inserted it into his wallet. Ho-woo was about to ask why he would buy such a photo, but he closed his mouth, realizing he would have bought it immediately if Oh-yul had looked humiliating in it.
Once again, unlike during the Viking ride, Oh-yul seemed curious about the exit directly connected to the souvenir shop, peering at the displayed items. The overpriced and useless souvenirs, which would be of no use outside the amusement park, were even poor in quality.
“What an incredible sales tactic.”
“That’s how these places are.”
Agreeing with the admiring comment, Ho-woo naturally picked up a hairpin with a sprout on it and put it on Oh-yul’s head. The crude plastic sprout sprouting green on his black hair suited him quite well. What wouldn’t suit that appearance? The Esper, who knew all too well how outstanding his looks were, asked shamelessly without a hint of embarrassment.
“Does it suit me well?”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
It was irritating how well it suited him. Ho-woo responded gruffly on purpose and replaced the hairpin with a headband with devil horns. If it was going to suit him anyway, this suited this man better. Isn’t that how devils are supposed to be? An angelic face with a wicked mind.
Red horns protruded sharply above Oh-yul’s head. He seemed to quite like this situation, even adding round water droplets around him and holding the plastic trident that came as a set.
“Are you going to walk around like that?”
“You said it suits me.”
“It does suit you, but…”
Why did he have to feel vicarious shame? Ho-woo stared at him with narrowed eyes for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. Rather than expecting age-appropriate modesty from this man, he felt more like, “Well, go ahead and do everything you couldn’t do in life.” In the end, Ho-woo went around the amusement park with Oh-yul, who had even paid for everything in that state.
The two of them, who had conquered everything from the merry-go-round they never thought they’d ride again at this age to the bumper cars, enjoyed a comfortable silence while having a makeshift meal with snacks.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
Oh-yul, who had been looking up at the sky while sitting on a bench, suddenly asked. Ho-woo stopped eating his churro and stared at him blankly. He, still gazing at the sky….
He looked like he was enjoying himself more than anyone else.
A grown man, wearing a headband and holding a trident.
“What about you, how do you feel?”
“Me?”
Oh-yul rumbled his throat as if pondering for a moment. Although it didn’t seem like something that needed such consideration, Ho-woo waited calmly without rushing him, just as Oh-yul had done for him.
“…I think I’m enjoying it.”
The answer that finally came after ten minutes was exactly what Ho-woo had expected.
“That’s good. Me too.”
He felt good for the first time in a long while. Setting aside the guilt that always weighed heavily on his shoulders, just for today, Ho-woo stretched out long. ‘Whew.’ His frozen breath scattered widely with the long exhale.
After stretching his body stiffened by the cold temperature, Ho-woo sprang up from the bench. There were still quite a few rides left to go on. Since they were here, he planned to try all the rides they could. Although boring, this too would remain in his memory as an unforgettable experience.
“Now, let’s go back to riding…”
“Aaaaah!”
Before he could finish saying “go,” a loud scream rang out. A scream of terror, fundamentally different from the screams on rides. Ho-woo, startled, stared in the direction of the sound. People were running out of the haunted house, almost crawling.
“Is it that scary…?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
