Since we departed at an awkward hour, there was no traffic at all. Thanks to that, we arrived at the amusement park earlier than expected.

As we parked near the entrance and got out of the car, the sound of cheerful music from the park reached our ears.

It’s just like when I was a kid.

We weren’t exactly well-off back then. I wouldn’t say we were dirt poor like the media likes to dramatize, but we definitely couldn’t afford a full family outing to a theme park.

Then one day, a friend of Mom’s gave us free admission tickets. The expiration date was close, so the whole family hurried off to the amusement park.

It had been such a fun day.

“Seunghyuk, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

We headed to the ticket booth. Since it was a weekday afternoon and most people seemed to have bought their tickets online, the line was short.

“Two adult tickets, please.”

I spoke before Joo Seunghyuk and handed over my card.

“Hyung, are you sure?”

He probably meant—can you really afford to spend this much? But I didn’t mind.

This is the last time. After today, I’m going back to my normal life. Once I leave Joo Seunghyuk, I’ll start guiding gigs again, maybe even begin looking for a job. I won’t have to worry about my bank account anymore.

So today, I’m the one paying.

“I was the one who suggested this. Of course I’m paying. Let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

As we stepped through the gates, rows of colorful, fairytale-like buildings greeted ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) us. Mixed into the upbeat music were the shrill screams of people riding rollercoasters.

I came to a sudden halt. And immediately regretted everything.

I shouldn’t have come here.

“Seunghyuk, I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I know we came all this way, but... I’m really sorry....”

“Why? Did you suddenly decide you don’t want to be with me?”

Joo Seunghyuk’s expression turned cold in an instant. I panicked and shook my head.

“N-no! It’s not that! I, uh, I’m afraid of heights!”

“What?”

He let out a short laugh, clearly finding it ridiculous.

“Why are you sorry about that?”

“There’s nothing I can ride....”

Rollercoasters, drop towers, Viking ships—you name it. This place was basically hell for someone with acrophobia.

“You only remembered that now?”

“I was fine when I was younger....”

Ever since the Horightron incident, I hadn’t entered a gate again.

There had been rumors about me having gate trauma, but that wasn’t true. Still, I couldn’t deny the lingering effects.

After that day, I started getting scared of high places. Just seeing a rollercoaster in the distance made my heart pound and my vision blur.

I should’ve known better. Amusement parks mean rides. How stupid of me.

“Sorry. Do you want to go on something alone?”

“What about you?”

“I’ll watch.”

“Watch what?”

To see if the possessive psycho yells or doesn’t while riding rides....

Hmm... that’s not a good answer. I erased the thought from my head.

“Just... you.”

Joo Seunghyuk smiled softly and took my hand.

“Hyung, it’s okay if we don’t ride anything. Don’t apologize.”

“But...”

“Just being here with you makes me happy.”

“......”

Maybe it was the screams echoing from the distance, but my chest felt tight, and I couldn’t say anything.

Joo Seunghyuk gently stroked my face.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

The first thing near the entrance was a giant toy store. We walked in together.

“They don’t have that plush.”

“Yeah.”

Instead of a doll that looked like Woongie, the shelves were lined with stuffed dogs designed after fancy breeds.

“See anything you like?”

“No. I’m good with our Minwoong.”

“You really like that bastard Minwoong, huh?”

Seunghyuk grumbled discontentedly, then suddenly placed a bunny-ear headband on my head.

“Cute.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. You should wear it around.”

“O-okay.... Seunghyuk, do you want one too?”

The second I said it, I regretted it. Joo Seunghyuk would rather die than wear something like this.

“You pick for me.”

But he answered so casually, it threw me off. Was he really okay with it?

My gaze landed on the same bunny ears I was wearing.

With his large, dark eyes, there were moments when Joo Seunghyuk already looked a bit like a rabbit. And there was a black bunny-ear headband. But... he had a reputation to uphold. It’d be fine if it were just me seeing it, but I didn’t want other people getting that image of him.

I stared at the wall of headbands for a bit, then picked out a black panther one.

“What do you think?”

I asked nervously. He bent his knees slightly and lowered his head.

I smiled softly and placed the headband on him.

“How’s that?”

“Looks good.”

It really did suit him—he already had that vibe, but now, with the ears, he was a black panther. I picked it on a whim, but it was a perfect choice.

I tried to pay for the headbands too, but this time, Seunghyuk was quicker.

Once we left the store, I was at a loss again.

I couldn’t handle scary rides at all... what now? Ah! That might work!

“Seunghyuk, do you like animals?”

“Animals?”

“Yeah. If you do, want to go on the safari ride?”

“Sure. I’d like that.”

He smiled gently.

Apparently now you could check ride wait times through an app. I pulled it out to check the safari line and nearly jumped.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

“The safari closes at five!”

“Five?”

“Yeah. We’ve only got ten minutes left! Run!”

It was 4:50 p.m. The safari would close in ten minutes.

I grabbed Seunghyuk’s hand and bolted.

Why is this park so damn huge?

I clenched my teeth and sprinted. Finally, I saw the safari entrance in the distance, with animal murals painted all over it.

Ding ding ding ding!

“One minute until closing!”

A staff member rang a golden bell and made the final announcement. My lungs were about to burst, but I couldn’t give up now.

I was about to dash again, grabbing my knees for support, when my body suddenly lifted off the ground.

“Wah!”

“Hold on tight.”

Joo Seunghyuk scooped me up and started running. His speed was unreal. I guess he’d been slowing down to match my pace before.

As we dashed through the entrance, the staff checked their watch and blocked the way behind us.

“That’s it, I’m sorry. No more entries.”

People were still running up behind us, but they were all turned away.

“We’re the last ones in.”

“Looks like it.”

“If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have made it.”

If it had been just me, I’d probably be crying in front of the gate right now.

“You ran pretty fast too, Hyung.”

“I tried my best....”

Honestly, I gave it my all. I hadn’t run that hard since a 100-meter sprint in elementary school.

After catching my breath, I felt people’s eyes on us.

Well, we did just run in with me in a princess carry. Of course they’d stare.

The relief of making it in on time quickly gave way to sheer embarrassment. My face burned bright red.

“Why are you so flushed?”

“I-I’m just out of breath.”

Too late to care now. No point being embarrassed. I just needed to focus on the fact that we’d made it to the safari.

The line was moving fast, probably because the bus had arrived. The people staring at us turned away and stepped forward. Since it was right after university exams, there were a lot of college-aged visitors.

We joined the line and managed to board the very last bus.

***

Tigers, lions, bears—even hyenas. My eyes sparkled like a child’s as I stared at the animals. Joo Seunghyuk stuck close behind me, looking out the window too.

“What did you think?”

I asked as soon as we got off the bus. Since we came here for him, I felt a little sheepish for enjoying it so much myself.

“It was fun.”

A smile played on his face. I was relieved he liked it too.

“Right? It would’ve been a shame to miss. I used to be terrified of animals when I was little. But now they just seem cute.”

“Me too. Seeing them so calm and compact gave me a new perspective.”

They were still huge, honestly—but for someone like Joo Seunghyuk, who faced off against monsters in gates every day, they probably seemed tiny.

“I want to see more animals... but everything’s closed now.”

According to the app, all animal attractions closed at 5 p.m.

“Let’s come earlier next time.”

“......”

There won’t be a next time. Today is the last day I’ll be by his side.

The one standing next to Joo Seunghyuk from now on won’t be me—it’ll be the only daughter of Lexington Pharmaceuticals.

“Seunghyuk, should we ride that?”

I pointed to the “Super Extreme Boat” ride right next to the safari.

“Do you think you can handle it?”

“Yeah. It’s not high. Just... wet.”

“I don’t want anyone else seeing you soaked.”

You psycho.

Even if I stripped naked, no one would bat an eye. Well, maybe they’d call the cops.

“Ha, I rode it when I was little. Despite the name, you barely get wet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Let’s go!”

I dragged Seunghyuk along. Being a popular ride, the line was even longer than the safari.

After nearly an hour, it was finally our turn. The boat had four seats, two people per row.

As we sat down, a chipper staff member made an announcement.

“Please make sure your splash guard is fully secured. Of course, even with the guard, you will get wet. Your hair will get wet. Your clothes will get wet. Your shoes will get wet. Everything. Will. Get. Wet.”

Shit. I told Seunghyuk we wouldn’t get wet.... Realizing the contradiction, he tilted his head slightly.

“T-they’re just trying to scare people. When I rode it as a kid, only the tips of my hair got damp.”

“Got it.”

He smiled sweetly.

Soon, the round boat started moving. As we slowly drifted downhill, I instinctively grabbed Seunghyuk’s hand.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

At first, I was nervous. But since we were floating on water—not suspended in mid-air—and the slope was gentle, it wasn’t that scary.

Just as I relaxed, the boat turned a corner and slammed into a wall.

Crash!

A huge splash crashed over the boat.

‘AHH!’

I screamed internally.

Of all the people to get hit—of course it had to be Seunghyuk.