Alright, let’s give up on the rides.
After a valiant attempt on the spinning ride that twirls in the air, I came to a neat conclusion. Sara’s body didn’t just lack coordination; it seemed weak to anything that made it shake violently.
Sure, she could try to adapt to it… but I really didn’t want to spend the day at the amusement park feeling dizzy and throwing up, wishing to go back.
Besides, the main reason we were at the amusement park was to instill some will to live in Sara. Not to traumatize her with the idea that “the outside world is dangerous.”
On top of that, even though Sara wasn’t out loud complaining right now, I could feel her displeasure. Despite my own bewilderment, I sensed that Sara wasn’t feeling great.
I felt a bit anxious.
Well, whatever. There’s no need to achieve anything today. After all, I plan to spend quite a bit of time with Sara, and moments like this could be developed slowly over time.
But first impressions are important, aren’t they? If the taste of food leaves a bad impression, you might hesitate to try the same kind of food again, no matter how well it’s made next time. If they get the wrong impression here, Sara might outright refuse to come to places like this in the future.
As long as I move my body, Sara can’t stop me from going where I want.
But I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to help her, not force something on her.
…….
…Huh? It feels like that unpleasant emotion has lessened a bit.
“Sara, are you okay?”
While I was resting on a bench, Ha Neul looked at me with a worried expression.
“Yeah… I think riding any more rides is going to be tough.”
I answered honestly. I felt bad saying this to my other friends who hadn’t been here in a while, but honestly, if I kept riding, I might throw up in the car on the way back. Yang Hye-in was a much better driver than I thought, but I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t get car sick on the hour-long drive.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
Sohee plopped down next to me and said.
The staff who had been following us were sent back. They looked pale when I asked if they were hindering their work by following me.
…It seems I really did almost paralyze their work by having them follow me.
Considering they heard that from the amusement park owner, it was no wonder they were scared.
I felt a bit sorry for making them so tense.
“Let’s just take it easy. There’s no need to force yourself to ride anything.”
Sohee gently patted my back. Hmm, is this a way of saying they want me to throw up? Since it was out of concern, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, but Yang Hye-in was glaring at Sohee.
Realizing she might have done something wrong, Sohee sheepishly lowered her hand.
…Surprisingly good at managing people.
Well, she used to be the one controlling the mansion’s staff, after all.
Choi Na-kyung didn’t send any extra staff after that. To be precise, all the mansion’s staff were essentially left unattended. It seemed like they were still getting paid, considering no one quit, but their faces were always filled with anxiety. I wondered if they thought they had entered the eye of a storm.
While it was nice for me to have fewer distractions, it made me uneasy.
“…I’m fine, you can still ride on your own.”
When I said that, Sohee tried to say something in response but closed her mouth again.
After some hesitation, she finally replied, “Honestly, I don’t really like rides either. Waiting exhausts me. Waiting for an hour and a half to ride something that lasts three minutes is just pointless.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Me too. There are plenty of fun things to do aside from rides.”
Ha Neul immediately agreed, nodding her head.
…Is there really anything to enjoy in an amusement park besides rides?
Well, I guess. I’ve heard that this isn’t just a place for rides but that it was originally made to enjoy gardens or things like that. So, it started as a quaint European-style village and later shifted its image to compete with other theme parks by adding all sorts of rides.
But… thinking of the entry fee per person, wouldn’t it be a waste to just enjoy the garden?
“Let’s rest a bit, and when we’re feeling better, we can walk around. It’s spring, after all. The flowers should be blooming beautifully up there.”
Sohee suggested.
Since she made that effort for me, I couldn’t refuse and nodded in agreement.
Good point; I can always come back when I’m feeling better later.
I took a deep breath. The fresh air filled my lungs, and I felt my dizzy head settle down a bit.
“Oh, but where’s Sua…?”
When I turned to look for Sua, who had suddenly gone quiet, she was staring intently at something a few steps away.
Following her gaze, I found out that it led to none other than the haunted house.
…Could it be that she likes this sort of thing?
But then again, it was a bit of a cliché. In these kinds of games, usually the quiet kids enjoy something intense or scary, and the seemingly tough tsundere characters often end up being the scared ones.
“Do you want to go?”
“Uh, yeah?”
When I suddenly spoke to her, Sua jumped a bit, stuttering for a moment.
“Uh… Ah, yeah. I want to go.”
And once she realized what I was saying, she quickly nodded, her face slightly reddened as if feeling a bit embarrassed about her own thoughts showing.
“Oh, great. You probably won’t get dizzy there.”
Sohee relaxedly remarked, turning to look at it.
…Or will it? Maybe this cliché won’t hold here?
From the highlight videos I watched, there weren’t any events happening at the amusement park. Honestly, it seemed like one of those events that should happen at least once, yet I hadn’t seen it in any highlights, suggesting such an event had never appeared in the first place.
I wonder why.
Well, considering my personal experience, Yoon Da-ho didn’t seem the type to come to places like this. He’d probably enjoy a date at a fancy restaurant with a nice view instead.
It seems that in Shin So-hee’s route, there wasn’t really room for that kind of leisure. It revolved around bullying at school and even had a storyline where she plays truant. So a leisurely date at an amusement park didn’t seem to fit the narrative.
Because of that, I didn’t know the kids’ preferences well.
Well, I guess that’s just how it goes. While we had a close relationship, it had only been about a month since we started dating. I suppose we’re still in that phase of getting to know each other.
Feeling much better from sitting, I stood and spoke up.
“Alright then, shall we go check it out?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Ha Neul asked me with a worried expression.
“There’s nothing evil about it, right?”
I wasn’t exactly a horror movie buff, but I wouldn’t flinch at something like this. Maybe it was because I engrained deep in myself that ghosts couldn’t possibly exist in reality. At least I didn’t recall ever panicking when going through strength-building exercises during school trips.
Anyway, those jump scares must just be done by people in costumes, right?
Sure, in movies, they set it up to seem real, with all kinds of CGI and whatnot, but costumes have their limits. No matter how well-made, it’s not like they’ll surpass zombie makeup, right?
The haunted house staff won’t physically harm us, and there’s no reason for me to be scared.
Will it be okay?
Even though I felt alright, I still asked Sara to make sure.
Well, do as you please.
Still, feeling a bit affronted, Sara simply said that. It felt like she was in a bit of a huff, but she wasn’t incredibly angry, so I wasn’t too scared.
But isn’t it a bit hasty to assume there aren’t any ghosts? To me and everyone else, in the eyes of others, it wouldn’t be strange to think one of us could be a ghost.
…….
Uh…
Wait a minute, saying that is kind of making me a bit scared.
Right. While it wasn’t super obvious, this place was definitely closer to “fantasy” compared to where I used to live. If someone who committed suicide comes back as another soul, isn’t that somewhat like necromancy?
A ghost being afraid of a ghost, now that’s funny. I like it.
No, seriously, don’t say that.
*
Maybe it was because of the story I heard from Sara earlier, or maybe it was just how well-decorated the haunted house was.
Ever since stepping inside, I was completely freaking out.
Right. Even if we assume there aren’t any ghosts, people are still here.
And in this world, I found myself screaming at anyone who poked me in the ribs, frightened. Regardless of how composed my original self was, every time something jumped out, I screamed like a banshee.
“Yah!”
“Ahh!”
“Eek!”
The staff dressed as ghosts or zombies seemed to enjoy my reactions, popping out at me with gusto.
And beside me—
“Are you okay?”
Sua asked with an utterly calm expression, trying to comfort me.
…….
Yeah, clichés are clichés.
After our fateful team split into pairs, Sua might have jumped in surprise, but she had never screamed like I did.
……Well, I can’t say for certain if the other kids were just as scared or not.
As for Sara, I felt two different emotions radiating off her.
One was fear.
Despite saying she wasn’t scared earlier, every time I screamed, she seemed to be letting out gasps of her own. If she had been next to me, she would undoubtedly be holding onto me or Sua.
The other emotion was irritation.
Every time I screamed or subconsciously clung closer to Sua, it irked Sara even more.
Perhaps irritation about me dragging her into such a place instead of another location.
“It’s alright. It’ll be over soon.”
As Sua hugged my arm reassuringly, that irritation spiked.
……Alright, let’s get out of here as quickly as we can.
And I vowed to never enter a place like this again.
…Not because of that.
Just so you know, Sara continued to act all tough until the very end.
