The ones who became busy because the two had a common goal were the staff in charge of filming. As if leisurely walking around and having conversations like on a date or riding attractions with short lines was a luxury, the two walked around without rest, and the staff also had to chase after the two while carrying cameras.
As soon as they got off the Viking, Soyoon said they should go ride the flume ride next, and Haeyoung followed behind her while firmly pressing down his slightly disheveled hair. Though he himself wasn’t bad at riding things either, Soyoon had an overwhelming side to her. While waiting to ride the flume ride, her cheeks flushed pink as she chattered and laughed about how fun it was.
“Oppa, where do you want to sit?”
Soyoon, who raised her head just before getting on the ride, looked up at Haeyoung and asked. The flume ride had four seats and was arranged in a line. However, considering they were filming, one staff member was supposed to ride in the back seat with them.
So what she was asking now was whether he wanted to sit in the front or the back.
“I don’t mind. Where do you want to sit?”
“Then I want to sit in the front!”
At the answer that flowed out readily, Soyoon immediately opened her mouth as if she’d been waiting. Beside her, an amusement park staff member muttered quietly, ‘The front seat will get splashed with a lot of water though…,’ but as soon as Haeyoung nodded, she got on the ride with a smiling face that showed she didn’t care at all. As Haeyoung also sat behind her, the ride with even the filming staff seated began to move with a clatter.
Unlike other roller coasters, the flume ride was an attraction that went on water. So whenever the current hit and crashed against the boat-shaped body of the ride, water droplets constantly splashed up.
After passing through the first short drop section, the flume ride soon caught on the long lift belt and began to slowly rise upward. The ceiling rather than the front gradually began to fill their vision.
“I’m nervous! Right, oppa?”
“Are you really nervous?”
“Be quiet.”
Soyoon said she was nervous and whispered in a voice that wasn’t nervous at all. She even had the leisure to throw out a playful scolding when he asked teasingly. Only Haeyoung, who was told to be quiet, giggled softly.
The ride that climbed to the peak soon dropped at a fast speed without warning after a moment. Before he could even be conscious of his hair getting disheveled, a clearly excited scream was heard right in front. Of course, that joyful scream didn’t last long and got soaked wet by the downpour of water as soon as the ride finished dropping.
“Unfortunately, our water boat operation ends here. The exit is on your right!”
Not long after falling, the boat returned to where they first got on the ride as smoothly as water flowing. With the rhythmic words of the amusement park staff as the last, the two got off the boat, leading their soaked bodies.
As they exited through the passage on the right, Soyoon let out a hopeless laugh.
“Wow, I… got all wet. I didn’t know the water would splash this much, what should I do…”
Haeyoung, who had been lightly shaking off the moisture from his hair, turned his head at her words. Then, seeing her appearance that entered his vision, he swallowed a breath while smiling awkwardly.
Certainly, Soyoon, who sat in the very front seat, was much more soaked than him who sat in the back seat. While he only got a little moisture splashed on his hair and face, she even got her top wet.
Though it wasn’t excessively soaked, water stains were noticeable because she happened to be wearing a dark-colored shirt. Soyoon looked down at the water stains remaining on her clothes with an awkward gaze and soon frowned.
“Do you want to wear my clothes until they dry?”
“Is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’ll dry if you wait a bit, so wear this for now.”
Haeyoung held out his outerwear toward Soyoon. Since they were indoors, it was warm enough without necessarily wearing outerwear. Soyoon, who received the outerwear with a grateful look, threaded her arms through the coat.
“Oppa, how is it? Don’t I look a bit funny right now?”
Soyoon, who had put on the outerwear, looked up at Haeyoung and asked. Haeyoung, who took in the sight of her looking like she’d stolen an adult’s clothes, slowly opened his mouth.
“Should I be really honest?”
“Never mind. Just be quiet.”
At the mischievous question, Soyoon wrinkled her nose bridge and lightly hit his arm with a clenched fist. Then she soon made a sulky expression. Seeing the expression that changed in an instant, Haeyoung made a face as if asking what was wrong.
“…I wanted to take pictures too. But my hair got all wet so it’s ruined.”
“Why, you look fine even now? Just take them.”
“My hair is wet so the pictures will come out weird.”
Soyoon muttered softly that if she’d known this would happen, she should have taken pictures first.
Haeyoung, who had been looking down at her face that seemed quite upset, wondering if she really wanted to take pictures, raised his head. Then something caught his eyes as he looked around.
“Soyoon-ah, do you want to do that?”
Hearing the voice calling her, she raised her head that she’d dropped gloomily. She could see laughter seeping into the eyes of Haeyoung, who had his usual plain face. Soyoon turned her gaze toward where he was pointing with his hand.
There was a gift shop with cute items displayed under bright lighting. When Soyoon made a puzzled face, Haeyoung gestured as if to say let’s go check it out and took a step. Following him heading forward, Soyoon also inadvertently moved her steps.
Haeyoung, who entered the gift shop, stood in front of where fabric hats were displayed. Though they seemed impractical to be called hats, they seemed sufficient to cover wet hair. He picked up a hat with white rabbit ears on top and grinned as he held it out toward Soyoon.
“How about this? It’s like you…”
Haeyoung, who was about to say it looked like her, quickly closed his mouth. Though it was light words mixed with playfulness, he couldn’t help but be conscious of the camera following them.
Without any particular response, Soyoon took what he held out and immediately put it on her head. And after looking in the mirror placed beside them and fixing the hat and hair here and there, she turned around with a satisfied face.
“Does it suit me?”
“Yeah, it suits you.”
Haeyoung answered while nodding. She probably also asked knowing that it suited her well. The evidence was that she was already drawing a pleasant smile on her face, having forgotten that she was gloomy just moments ago.
Soyoon looked at her reflection in the mirror and fidgeted with the hat as if somewhat embarrassed. Then she glanced back at Haeyoung with a grinning face.
“Hehe. Oppa, won’t you wear one too?”
“…Me?”
He, who had been relieved seeing Soyoon whose mood seemed to have lifted, had to doubt his own ears at the words he heard. The smile on Haeyoung’s lips became awkward.
“Me, this?”
After hesitating for a moment, he pointed at the top of Soyoon’s head with his hand and asked back. That question was closer to asking because he wanted to think so rather than thinking he’d heard wrong.
Haeyoung, who was staring at the rabbit hat, couldn’t hide his reluctant gaze. To wear it at twenty-six years old was a bit… More than that, even when he went on a school trip at seventeen, he didn’t wear one, and now?
Just looking at what Soyoon was wearing, it did look quite cute, but that was clearly because she was wearing it. No, rather, it was a problem because it was excessively cute. Haeyoung couldn’t easily imagine just how ridiculous he would look if he put that on his head.
“Ah, I’m not saying you have to! If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
Soyoon, who had been looking up at his face that seemed to be pondering, belatedly waved her hands and spoke. Just as the words she added hurriedly suggested, it didn’t seem like she’d be particularly disappointed if he didn’t wear it. However, Soyoon’s words thinking of him like that rather cut off Haeyoung’s worries.
Yoon Haeyoung had a minimum sense of responsibility that he’d had since participating in the program. If he had a conscience, even if he couldn’t give his heart, he had to do his best for the other person moment by moment. Hajin said there was no one who came out here wanting to really date anyway, but he was originally someone whose nature was satisfied only by returning what he received.
Might as well play the comedian once… Haeyoung shook his head and picked up the displayed hat.
“No, I’ll wear it. But you can’t laugh.”
“Okay!”
To him speaking while looking at the hat this way and that, Soyoon responded energetically. Haeyoung, who obliquely avoided her gaze as she immediately made expectant eyes, placed the hat on his head. He grabbed the rabbit ears flowing down in front of his eyes and roughly threw them back, then carefully looked at Soyoon.
I knew this would happen. Haeyoung narrowed his eyes at her face trying hard to hold back laughter while looking at him.
“You know you’re laughing right now, Ha Soyoon.”
“…I’m not laughing though?”
She, who swallowed her laughter, opened her eyes wide as if asking what happened. At the face that looked as innocent as could be, a helpless laugh eventually escaped from Haeyoung’s mouth too.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror in front of Soyoon and fidgeted with the hat. Haeyoung, who briefly fixed the hat he was wearing awkwardly and the hair sticking out sharply below it, turned to look at Soyoon and asked.
“Isn’t it okay?”
“Should I be really honest?”
At her playful answer, Haeyoung hesitated for a moment. There was something familiar about that mischievous question.
To think the teasing question he’d brought up a little while ago would come back like this. He, who held a light chuckle in his mouth, raised the corners of his lips crookedly. Then he eventually shook his head side to side.
“You… Never mind, let’s just take pictures.”
Haeyoung, who took his eyes off Soyoon looking at him with a brazen smile, slowly moved his steps toward outside the gift shop. Soyoon walked beside him, giggling from time to time.
However, it was soon Soyoon who began walking ahead of Haeyoung. He thought they were going to take pictures in front of a photo zone or ride, but was he wrong? After making a puzzled face for a moment, he followed behind Soyoon, who was moving her feet without hesitation as if she had a separate destination.
