Chapter 52

As soon as we got off the Observation Car, Ha-yeon grabbed my hand with a bright face. The lingering excitement from the stunning scenery we saw on the Observation Car was still evident in her expression, which was filled with anticipation. I had no idea Ha-yeon could make such a face.

“Mom, it was so high! It felt like we were close to the clouds!”

Though we were nowhere near actually catching the clouds, Ha-yeon’s metaphor was so endearing that I laughed and patted her head.

“Right? It was my first time on such a tall Observation Car too.”

I wondered if the Observation Car we just rode was the tallest in South Korea. It was so tall that even when I looked up, I couldn’t see the top.

We checked the photos we took on the Observation Car. The one of Ha-yeon at the highest point was especially impressive. She looked like the queen of the amusement park, gazing at the background with a dignified expression.

“Ha-yeon, this photo turned out so well. Let’s print it and frame it when we get home.”

It would look great hanging in our living room, where photos of Ha-yeon and me were already displayed.

“Really? Yay!”

Ha-yeon giggled with joy, her excitement bubbling over.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah! Mom!”

“Then, what’s next…”

I pulled out a pamphlet to decide which ride to go on next. It was a bit tricky to find a ride suitable for both Ha-yeon and me since her age limited the options. If she were in middle school, she could ride everything, but it was a bit disappointing.

Still, I didn’t let it show. Today was a special day at the amusement park with Ha-yeon, and showing disappointment would be strange. I smiled brightly and said to her,

“Ha-yeon, should we go on this ride?”

“What is it, Mom…?”

“There’s a fun ride here!”

“Li… Lily Dance?”

“Look. It’s a ride where you sit in cup-shaped seats and spin around. It’s called Lily Dance.”

“Spin around?”

Ha-yeon’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me, clearly intrigued. I took her hand and headed toward the ride on the map.

The amusement park was still bustling with people. Colorful balloons, lively music, and excited voices filled the air. Ha-yeon held my hand tightly, keeping up with me in the crowd.

“Mom, there’s the Lily Dance!”

In the distance, Ha-yeon pointed to a large ride with cup-shaped seats spinning around. The cups were decorated with cute flowers and vibrant colors, making them stand out even from afar.

“Wow, it’s so pretty!”

“Right? It suits you perfectly, Ha-yeon.”

We waited in line and looked around. People inside the cups were spinning the handles, making the cups spin faster. Their laughter and screams mixed together, heightening our anticipation.

“Mom, can I spin it that fast too?”

“Of course! If we work together, we can spin it even faster.”

Ha-yeon nodded confidently, but I didn’t anticipate how hard she would spin it.

Finally, it was our turn. Ha-yeon and I sat in a large pink cup-shaped seat. There was a handle in the center, and Ha-yeon already had both hands tightly gripping it.

“Mom, we’re the ones spinning this, right?”

“Yeah, the faster we spin it, the faster it goes. But let’s not go too fast, or we’ll get dizzy.”

“Got it!”

[Lily Dance… Starting now!]

An employee announced through a microphone.

The ride started spinning slowly, but as Ha-yeon and I turned the handle, the cup began spinning faster and faster.

“Whoa!”

“This is fun, Mom!”

We successfully rode the Lily Dance, but I forgot one thing—Ha-yeon loves extreme thrills. She started spinning the handle in the center, which made the ride spin even faster.

I felt the world spinning around me and said to Ha-yeon,

“Ha… Ha-yeon, slow down a bit!”

“Hehe!”

Ha-yeon gave me a mischievous smile, showing no signs of slowing down. I could only hold onto the side of the ride, hoping it would end soon.

“Mom!”

Ha-yeon called my name as she sped up even more. I wanted to scream inside.

‘Ha-yeon, I think I’m going to die!’

But I couldn’t show weakness in front of Ha-yeon, so I kept it to myself. Finally, the ride ended. As we got off to the cheerful music, I was completely exhausted.

Ha-yeon held my hand and said,

“Mom, should we go again?”

“N… no!”

I had to put on a serious face. Ha-yeon saw my expression and nodded, realizing it was too much for me.

—

“Mom, let’s eat!”

“Should we?”

After walking all morning, my stomach was growling. Eating is just as important as riding rides at an amusement park.

“What do you want to eat, Ha-yeon?”

“Hmm…”

Ha-yeon frowned as she looked at the pamphlet, which had the locations of all the restaurants in the park. She was deep in thought, overwhelmed by the number of choices. It was natural—people often struggle with decisions.

I’ve often agonized over whether to eat black bean noodles or spicy seafood noodles. Of course, there was the option of having both, but that was a devil’s choice. It was better to pick one.

“Mom, can we have pork cutlet?”

“Pork cutlet?”

“Yeah, there’s a pork cutlet specialty place here.”

Pork cutlet… a safe choice. And we could eat a lot since we hadn’t been on any stomach-churning rides like roller coasters or spinning tornadoes.

Most of the rides we went on were low-intensity, so eating a hearty meal wouldn’t be a problem. Seeing Ha-yeon’s sparkling eyes, I nodded.

“If Ha-yeon wants it, let’s eat it! Let’s go to the pork cutlet place!”

“Yay! Mom, you’re the best!”

Our lunch was decided—pork cutlet. And it was conveniently located nearby. Since it was summer, just walking made us sweat, so sitting in an air-conditioned restaurant sounded like a good idea.

Still, I didn’t let go of Ha-yeon’s hand.

We made our way through the crowd toward the pork cutlet restaurant.

—

Amid the excitement and heat of the amusement park, I held Ha-yeon’s hand tightly as we headed to the pork cutlet specialty restaurant. The cheerful laughter of children, families walking together, and the sounds of rides blended to create the lively atmosphere unique to an amusement park.

“Mom! Over there!”

Ha-yeon pointed to a sign with a crispy, golden pork cutlet painted on it. Next to it was the phrase, “Crispy Premium Pork Cutlet.” Just looking at it made my mouth water. When I heard a small growl from Ha-yeon’s stomach, I laughed and said,

“We’re here. Are you hungry? Let’s go in.”

Ha-yeon, embarrassed by the sound, rubbed her stomach.

“Yeah…”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her. How hungry must she have been to hold out until her stomach growled? In a way, it was my fault. I should have noticed when Ha-yeon was hungry and taken her to a restaurant sooner, but I was too caught up in the rides.

Anyway, Ha-yeon and I entered the pork cutlet restaurant.