Chapter 137

“Huhmmaaaa-!”

The trigger for Juwon’s outburst of tears was none other than the Ferris wheel.

How did it come to this… well, there’s no need to go too far back, it was just 10 minutes ago.

The time rewinds to just after Shiyeon enjoyed rides like bumper cars, carousels, and spinning cups.

Perhaps noticing the two of us sitting on a bench near the line, Shiyeon suggested looking for a ride we could go on together.

We decided on a ride that was safe enough to just sit without worrying about an accident…

Easily visible from a distance, it slowly turned round and round.

It was the Ferris wheel.

“Isn’t that okay?”

“The Ferris wheel should be fine…”

Shrugging at Shiyeon’s suggestion, Juwon took his place in line for the Ferris wheel, cradling his precious blanket.

It was a free event at the amusement park, something that might never happen again in his life.

Surely, we should let him ride something at least…

This act of goodwill stemmed from that selfish thought.

Perhaps fascinated by the crowd around him, Juwon, wrapped in my arms, was busy looking around.

If he happens to make eye contact with a nearby stranger, he’d stare at them for quite a while.

Finally, when our turn came, we stepped onto the Ferris wheel, a ride I couldn’t even remember the last time I had been on.

Was it the first time since I was forced to go to an amusement park in middle school in my previous life?

I wasn’t the type to frequently visit amusement parks, nor did I have a significant other.

Every time I saw news articles about overcrowded amusement parks, I would just scroll past, thinking, ‘Ugh, what a waste of money.’

…Honestly, I don’t think my thoughts are much different now.

Still, I think I vaguely understand why I came.

“Please ride carefully-”

Each ride has a staff member, and the Ferris wheel was no exception.

Even though it was a slow-moving ride that didn’t need a warning, they still had to do their job.

Slowly, slowly, even after a minute passed, the Ferris wheel slowly moved from the bottom.

As Juwon tiptoed to tap on the window with his fingertips, aligning with his face height, his gaze turned outside in response to the sound.

“Juwon, look outside.”

“No, I don’t want to.”

Then, after briefly looking outside, he turned his head sharply back inside the Ferris wheel, clearly showing his displeasure.

At two years and one month old, it’s already an age where preferences are quite clear.

“No? Why not?”

“Scared!”

When I asked for a reason, the only response I got was the incomplete sound of ‘no.’

Maybe he doesn’t like high places?

With no choice, I moved to sit at a midway point, somewhere Juwon could hardly see outside.

Shiyeon stood inside the Ferris wheel, taking pictures of the scenery with her smartphone and enjoying the view from her elevated spot.

The issue arose around this time—the Ferris wheel tends to jerk a little.

When it lurched just as it reached the top, Juwon, already scared, swiftly turned to look out the window.

In no time, he was on the verge of tears, and before I could even comfort him, the crying burst forth.

“Huhmamaaaa-!”

…That’s the current situation.

With his incomplete pronunciation, Juwon desperately called out for his mother.

I patted his back, bouncing my knees to calm him, but the Ferris wheel jerked on like a subway train without care.

After removing my right hand that was enveloping Juwon’s back and putting it in my pocket, I managed to pull out my smartphone and showed it to Shiyeon.

“Can you call my sister?”

Ultimately, the phone call was due to the Ferris wheel’s jerking.

Amidst the loud cries echoing in the confined space of the Ferris wheel, the continuous ringing sounded.

Before it rang twice, the call was answered, and I heard that familiar voice.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Instead of my sister, it was Uncle Dae Han who answered for some reason.

For a moment, I wondered if I dialed the wrong number, but after hanging up and tapping the screen, it still boldly displayed ‘Jieun Unni,’ confirming otherwise.

“Heuhuummaaaa-!!”

Before I could explain anything, Juwon’s crying was enough to fluster Uncle Dae Han.

Uncle’s voice came through again from the smartphone.

“Oh dear, why’s my boy crying?”

“He rode the Ferris wheel, and the jerking scared him. What about my sister?”

“She went to the bathroom for a moment…”

“Abba, Appa.”

With a face full of tears, Juwon reached out toward the smartphone.

As I brought the phone closer to his ear, the emotional reunion of father and son unfolded through his voice.

“Don’t cry, honey… Mommy will be here soon, stop crying.” The soothing voice came through the smartphone.

Indeed, there’s nothing like a parent when it comes to comforting children…

“Son, why are you crying?”

As soon as the voice of Jieun Unni, who had returned from the bathroom, came through the phone, Juwon’s tears, which had been flowing like a broken faucet, suddenly stopped.

As lunchtime came to an end, they finished up the call and said they would come toward the direction of the Ferris wheel.

After the round trip of the Ferris wheel that had submerged in a sea of tears, Juwon still held onto his smartphone, continuing to talk to his mom.

The two of them were waiting at the exit of the Ferris wheel.

Finally, Juwon was able to return the smartphone he had been gripping tightly and free the blanket that was tied around him at the front.

“Oh dear, thanks for looking after Juwon… let’s go get lunch now.”

The crowded restaurant at the amusement park, matching the lunchtime hour, was just as bustling as the popular rides.

On Children’s Day, it was the epitome of marketing strategies aimed at adults who were loosened up by the joyful atmosphere with their children.

Even though I had gotten used to the rising prices, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Are they seriously selling this for this price?’ The restaurant was a place to see the extreme of unreasonable prices.

With waiting times that rivaled the rides, 40 minutes went by.

Only after that long did I finally get to rest my aching legs and reviewed the menu immediately to fill my growling stomach.

Fried rice with kimchi in a bowl the size of a middle schooler’s palm, 10,400 won.

Kimchi cheese fried rice, 11,000 won; shrimp fried rice, 11,000 won.

A type of ramen that didn’t even seem to belong in an amusement park… ranging from 10,000 to 11,500 won.

Sirloin cutlet, 12,000 won; cheese cutlet, 13,400 won.

Even cola and lemon-lime soda cost 3,000 won for a can.

Seriously, just looking at the prices made my appetite plummet.

Even if the portion sizes were large, the appearance suggested they had just ordered thin mass-produced frozen cutlets to fry up.

No matter how dirty or petty it seemed, going out of the park wasn’t an option.

Unless you brought a lunchbox, there were no choices.

Jieun Unni ordered one shrimp fried rice, Uncle ordered a sirloin cutlet.

And since it was supposed to be Juwon’s share, but realizing he wouldn’t finish it, we ordered one more cutlet.

Shiyeon and I each ordered a cheese cutlet, thinking we should try a variety, but the total came out to 61,800 won.

“Should we order soda and lemon-lime too?”

“no.”

With the mindset of not holding back since we had come out, Jieun Unni rejected the thought firmly, implying that just water would be enough.

No matter how desperately I wanted soda, it felt like 3,000 won for a single can was crossing the line.

With the food bill totaling six digits, I couldn’t help but think about how many chickens I could buy with that money.

‘With that much money, I could have bought… chicken…’

No matter how much chicken prices increase and they say we’re entering the 30,000 won era, chicken still remains the baseline for reasonably priced foods.

With that price, I could easily order three from a place where the value isn’t too bad, and still have leftovers for breakfast the next day.

Without even paying for it, it felt like I was losing out on my money when thinking about the food prices, and even after placing my order, I was bracing myself for how it would turn out.

“Now that Juwon is with us, after lunch, let’s let Mari and Shiyeon play together.”

It seemed like my sister was intending to take Juwon around the amusement park after lunch.

Was she concerned about Juwon who cried on the Ferris wheel?

“Ah, is that okay?”

“To be honest, I’ve already been on all the rides I wanted… In the afternoon, we can pick only the ones Juwon can ride. It’s a bit awkward to keep leaving him alone. ”

When I asked if that was okay, my sister spoke nonchalantly, as if she had already seen all the sights, saying we could just ride rides together with Juwon now.

That said, I didn’t particularly have a ride I wanted to go on.

In fact, I preferred to look after the kids as long as they followed instructions, so I just casually said, “That’s fine…”

“Don’t go on about it, it wouldn’t look good for just Shiyeon to keep riding alone.”

As I tried to continue my statement that it was okay, my sister swiftly interrupted, bringing Shiyeon along with her.

Hmm, she brought Shiyeon along…

Well, it’s not like she brought anyone else… but still.

“Okay, I understand.”

Glancing at Shiyeon, I reluctantly replied that I understood just as the waiter approached with a food cart.

“Your food is here-”

‘This is 13,400 won….’

As unexpected as my anticipation was, a small size cutlet and rice that appeared to have been scooped like ice cream were presented.

While the cutlet drenched in sauce was alright, the real issue was the size of the rice.

What kind of jerk scoops out the rice with an ice cream scoop in the first place? That guy definitely needs to be suspended from the ceiling and beaten with a stick.

‘No wonder it feels familiar…’

Putting that aside, the cutlet somehow seemed eerily reminiscent.

I had seen a cutlet like this somewhere…

Ah, I remembered.

‘The food court of a large mart.’