# Chapter 88
Coming to an amusement park and sealing off the rides? That’s truly insane. Was this how Adam and Eve felt with the forbidden fruit in front of them? No, they didn’t know how the fruit tasted.
Anyway, what’s important is that I deeply relate to the saying “known flavors taste better.” Right now, I had numerous familiar delights in front of me but couldn’t enjoy them.
“Really, don’t worry about me and go.”
“…How could I do that?”
“If you’re going to lie, at least wet your lips first.”
I pouted at Baek Han’s scathing remark. I was trying my best to hide it, so was there any need to criticize? But since this wasn’t the first or second time Baek Han had acted this way, I decided to let it go and ask Kwon Dojin what I was curious about.
“But why can’t you ride the attractions?”
“Don’t you know?”
“Me? How would I know? Baek Han, do you know?”
Could this be another famous story that everyone but me knows? I looked at Baek Han with wavering eyes, and he shrugged.
“I don’t know either.”
“Oh shit. Hey!”
“You’re so gullible. Be careful not to get scammed out there.”
Baek Han shook his head and tried to maintain a serious expression despite his crumbling lips. I found it so annoying that I pushed him away irritably, which finally made him burst into the laughter he’d been holding back.
Kwon Dojin clicked his tongue at Baek Han. The contempt filling his eyes disappeared as he turned to me, replaced by affection.
“I don’t like high places. That’s all.”
“Then how do you handle airplanes?”
Kwon Dojin would have trouble if he needed to go overseas later. Airplanes are the most common mode of transportation, so can’t he ride them?
“It’s not so bad that I can’t fly. Rides are, how should I put it, in the realm of choice.”
Though his answer wasn’t refined, I understood to some extent. Besides, rides are for thrills, which makes them quite different from airplanes.
“What about places like Namsan Tower?”
“If it’s attached to the ground, I don’t mind.”
“I see.”
“Forget about that. Are you really not going to ride anything? Can you resist with that right in front of you?”
Baek Han abruptly joined the conversation and pointed to a nearby Viking ship ride. Looking at the huge, majestic Viking ship from which people’s joyful screams could be heard, I swallowed dryly.
“I’m really fine. I’ll wait here. You go with Baek Han.”
While I desperately wanted to ride it, I was the one who told Kwon Dojin it was okay not to ride. So I hesitated, feeling awkward about changing my words now, when Kwon Dojin lightly pushed my back.
“Go on.”
After a moment’s hesitation, I slowly moved toward the ride at Kwon Dojin’s gentle urging. When I first entered the amusement park, I didn’t think much of it, but perhaps because it seemed like an unattainable dream, my desire to ride grew stronger and stronger.
“Do you feel guilty? Kwon Dojin said it’s okay, so let’s hurry.”
Baek Han embraced my shoulders from behind and walked without hesitation. Walking in step with Baek Han, I looked back at Kwon Dojin, who pointed to a bench.
“I’ll wait for you over there.”
“Okay! I’ll just ride the Viking, just one ride on the Viking and come back!”
When I waved my arms enthusiastically, Kwon Dojin smiled and waved back. The sunlight reflecting off his hair made my vision blur, causing me to close my eyes tightly and open them again.
Blue jeans and a white short-sleeved T-shirt. It was a light outfit that couldn’t even be called dressed up, but would it be strange to say that’s what made him look more handsome?
“What? Has Kwon Dojin suddenly become handsome to you?”
“…Huh?”
“Was it actually true?”
Baek Han grimaced and moved away from me. Seeing his expression, I came to my senses, but since it wasn’t exactly wrong, I pretended not to know and let it slide.
“At least pretend to deny it.”
“But-, it’s true that Kwon Dojin is handsome.”
“…I shouldn’t have said anything.”
I patted Baek Han’s back as he sighed and looked up at the sky, which made him look like he had a lot to say.
“You’re handsome too. It’s just that my taste happens to be Kwon Dojin.”
“It’s clearly a compliment, but why doesn’t it make me happy, huh?”
Baek Han, speaking in a casual tone, roughly messed up my hair. His touch disheveled my hair mercilessly, causing me to let out a cry that was close to a scream.
“I blow-dried my hair today!”
“The wind ruined your blow-out a long time ago.”
“Still!”
After pushing Baek Han’s arm away, I was carefully combing my hair with my fingers when he rummaged through his pocket and handed me a comb. This is probably what they call giving medicine after causing the disease, but I took it without complaint because I needed it.
It was a rat-tail comb, and untangling the knots was so painful it brought tears to my eyes. As I hesitated, Baek Han also hesitated along with me. In the end, right in front of the Viking ride’s waiting line, we both stood side by side.
“…It’s the wind’s fault, right?”
“You have a share in this too, you know?”
As the comb wouldn’t go through the tangled part and remained stuck in my hair, I glared at him, which made Baek Han clear his throat.
“Wait. Let me do it for you.”
Baek Han reached out, grabbed the comb, and slowly combed down. He seemed to be trying to be careful, but the pain of detangling wasn’t completely absent.
“Ow, ow! Be gentle!”
“Hey, I’m really moving as carefully as possible! If I reduce the force any more, I won’t be able to untangle it.”
With his hand firmly pressing my shoulder, telling me not to move, I endured with tears in my eyes. I had given my hair some curl with a blow dryer today to look stylish, but it had tangled more severely than usual.
“Don’t ever blow-dry your hair again. Your hair is thin, so it’s damn difficult to untangle.”
“I didn’t know the wind would be this strong today either! It really hurts…”
Heuheong. A crying sound came out involuntarily. Baek Han looked at my hair that showed no signs of untangling, holding the comb with a troubled expression.
“Should we just give up and get in line?”
“Give up what? Aren’t we riding the Viking? Why aren’t we getting in line yet?”
“Good timing. Come help untangle this kid’s hair.”
“Kwon Dojin-.”
Raising my head to look at Kwon Dojin, he cupped my cheeks with a serious expression.
“How badly is it tangled that there are tears in your eyes? Let me see.”
“It really hurts like hell. I want to cut it all off, it hurts so much.”
“Don’t cut it. Your hair length right now looks fluffy and cute, Habin.”
“Do you have to add unnecessary comments? This looks like it’ll take a while, so sit down and do it. I’m going to buy some drinks.”
Baek Han removed Kwon Dojin’s arms from my cheeks, pushed his back toward the benches, and left to buy drinks. As Baek Han said, it looked like it would take a long time to untangle my hair, so I headed to the bench without protest, and Kwon Dojin followed, carefully holding the comb stuck in my hair.
Standing behind me as I sat on the bench, Kwon Dojin diligently worked his fingers. I couldn’t see, but I could tell he was untangling my hair.
“Does it hurt?”
“No. Why does it hurt less when you do it?”
When Baek Han did it, it hurt so much, but when Kwon Dojin did it, it hurt less. I let out an exclamation of wonder at this strange phenomenon, and Kwon Dojin laughed softly.
I’d forgotten because he was doing it so well, but Kwon Dojin’s right arm was in a cast. Even so, it was amazing that he was untangling my hair more skillfully than Baek Han, which made me exclaim in admiration once again.
“Baek Han doesn’t know how to control his strength delicately. He hasn’t had much reason to control his strength until now.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Even when fighting, he always breaks someone’s bones, which makes the cleanup twice as troublesome.”
“Hmm?”
“That’s why he probably has more enemies than I do.”
“I see…”
I’m not sure if it’s okay to talk about such brutal things while smiling.
Unable to say anything to dampen Kwon Dojin’s apparent enjoyment, I awkwardly smiled and agreed.
“There, it’s done.”
“Already?”
“It wasn’t as tangled as I thought, so it was easy to untangle.”
If Baek Han had heard that, he might have felt wronged. In my opinion, it wasn’t easy—Kwon Dojin just had better technique. After combing my hair one more time to make it neat, he sat down beside me.
“When will Baek Han come back?”
“I think there was a place selling drinks nearby. He should be back soon—”
Kwon Dojin stopped mid-sentence, hardened his expression, and stared somewhere. Following his gaze, I saw Baek Han running toward us.
“Speak of the devil—here comes Baek Han. But didn’t he say he was going to buy drinks?”
Why isn’t he holding anything?
While I was tilting my head at this strange sight, Kwon Dojin suddenly stood up, blocking my view.
“Habin.”
“Huh?”
“Should we go to the safari?”
“What? What about Baek Han?”
“Let’s ditch him.”
“Ditch him? All of a sudden?”
I frowned, not understanding why he wanted to leave Baek Han who was clearly visible right there. Meanwhile, Kwon Dojin reached out with both arms, grabbed my waist, and lifted me from the bench.
“Let’s go quickly.”
“Are we really going?”
“Yes.”
“Hey! How underhanded to pretend you don’t see me!”
Hearing Baek Han’s shout, Kwon Dojin clicked his tongue with an annoyed face. Thanks to the following shouts, I understood why Kwon Dojin wanted to ditch Baek Han.
“Baek Han! Aren’t you going to stop there?!”
“Running away? Have you no pride?!”
“Would you want to fight in an amusement park?!”
I opened my lips in astonishment watching Baek Han, who, like the Pied Piper, had a line of delinquents trailing behind him.
“What on earth is going on?”
“Ha-. Why bring them all the way here when you could have handled it yourself!”
“There were too many people over there! There are relatively fewer here!”
Even in such an urgent situation, he had the leisure to consider whether there were many or few people…
I quietly marveled, thinking that indeed, not just anyone can be Rank 3.
