EAR Ch 17

In the week leading up to the amusement park trip, the weather forecast predicted possible rain on the day of the field trip, causing anxiety among the students. But the day arrived cloudless and sunny, perfect weather for a day at the amusement park.

While the teachers shielded themselves from the sun with sunglasses and hats, the students reveled in the early May sunshine, which was beginning to feel warm. Their spirits, dampened by adjusting to a new school year and midterms, dried and freshened like laundry aired under the spring sun. The bus carrying the excited students was boisterous from the moment of departure to arrival.

Although many students wanted to wear casual clothes, the school had decided they should travel in their uniforms. Despite this, some students tried to personalize their look, wearing sweatshirts instead of uniform shirts or windbreakers and cardigans instead of uniform jackets, sweating profusely as a result.

Seungpyo wore his standard uniform, though unlike usual school days, he wore it without the jacket and tie, his shirt sleeves rolled up.

The students poured out of the buses, even more energetic than usual. Seungpyo, a head taller than most, stood out like a lighthouse, even more so when they lined up at the ticket booths.

“Wow… He looks like he’s not even wearing a uniform, even though he is.”

“If we get lost, we can just look for Oh Seungpyo.”

“I don’t want to walk with you.”

Seungpyo’s friends grumbled playfully as they entered the amusement park. It was a weekday morning, so the vast park was filled almost entirely with Ilyang Boys’ High School students, with only a few other visitors scattered here and there.

Some students ran aimlessly as soon as they entered, without a destination in mind. Seungpyo’s friends clicked their tongues at them.

“What’s the point of running? We have to make reservations for the rides anyway.”

“What should we ride first?”

“Seungpyo, you’re riding the Extreme Train, right?”

Seungpyo checked the app and replied, “The rollercoaster is already fully booked for the next two hours.”

“Whoa… Let’s make a reservation quickly. We should ride it after lunch.”

Seungpyo tried to reserve a panda viewing, but a notice popped up saying the enclosure would open at noon due to unforeseen circumstances. Since both the rollercoaster and the pandas wouldn’t be available until the afternoon, they had a more relaxed morning.

“So, what should we do?”

“Let’s walk around and look around first. It’s been a while since we’ve been here.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the others agreed, following Seungpyo as he started walking.

Even without riding any rides, the spacious park offered plenty of entertainment with interesting sculptures, shops, and animal enclosures.

“Let’s buy those!”

One of Seungpyo’s friends pointed to a souvenir shop. Students in the same uniform, wearing animal ear headbands, were coming out, chattering and laughing. Seungpyo scoffed.

“I’ll pass.”

“Why? People need to be able to find you.”

He already stood out because of his height; if he wore a ridiculous headband, he would become a human sponge, absorbing everyone’s attention. His friends chuckled, understanding his reluctance, and gestured towards the shop as they headed inside.

“You don’t have to wear one, just come look.”

Seungpyo followed them inside, not wanting to wait outside alone.

The shop was filled with various headbands and hats. The last time Seungpyo had visited Neverland was in his second year of middle school, and the selection had expanded considerably since then. There seemed to be a wider variety of animals too.

“Look at this. This is hilarious.”

Another group of students entered the shop noisily. Seungpyo was examining a headband with a large, open-mouthed shark plush attached to it.

Ryu Jaemin, entering the shop with his group, froze when he spotted Seungpyo. Seungpyo awkwardly lowered the headband he was holding.

“What’s wrong?”

One of Jaemin’s classmates noticed his unusual reaction. Jaemin quickly shook his head and smiled.

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

Seungpyo put down the shark headband and picked up another one with an open-mouthed crocodile. Meanwhile, Jaemin and his friends had fully entered the shop and were browsing the headbands. Seungpyo swallowed, feeling an awkwardness enveloping him.

…Since the awkward lunch, the atmosphere between Seungpyo and Jaemin had become strangely quiet. Despite staying up late the previous night, anticipating Ryu Jaemin’s response to his video and request, nothing exciting had happened between them.

Their last kiss had been a week ago. Since Seungpyo hadn’t initiated any contact, Jaemin had remained silent. It was as if Jaemin was implying their kisses had only happened because Oh Seungpyo had insisted. Naturally, Seungpyo hadn’t received an answer about sucking his nipples. Perhaps it was too late now.

Of course, Seungpyo wasn’t so timid that a few days of silence would prevent him from speaking to Jaemin. If he felt like it, he could easily call Jaemin out and kiss him.

However, the unease he had felt since Jaemin’s declaration of “not friends” lingered like an unraveled knot, tangling with his desire for Jaemin.

“Ryu Jaemin, try this one. I think it’ll suit you.”

“I’m good. Choose yours.”

“We should all wear one so the pictures are funny.”

The students’ voices drifted over. Seungpyo pretended to browse, subtly moving closer. He was slightly curious which headband they thought would suit Ryu Jaemin.

Yielding to their insistence, Jaemin tried on a headband in front of a mirror. It was a lesser panda headband, with a mix of white and dark brown fur.

Ryu Jaemin was too tall to resemble a lesser panda, but their sullen expressions were somewhat similar. Jaemin briefly wore the headband, then took it off with an awkward smile.

“Ah, I don’t want to wear it. This is embarrassing.”

“Dude… are you still managing your image here?”

“You guys wear them. I won’t pretend I don’t know you.”

Jaemin left the shop without choosing a headband. Soon after, Seungpyo’s friends picked out their headbands and headed to the counter. They looked at Seungpyo, who was still browsing, and asked, “Are you buying one too?”

They noticed the lesser panda headband in his hand. Seungpyo nodded, and they responded with surprise.

“Seungpyo, you picked a cute one.”

“Aren’t pandas and lesser pandas different? You know that, right?”

“I know.”

Ignoring their teasing, Seungpyo immediately put on the headband he had just bought.

Stepping outside, the sun seemed to have climbed higher. One of the boys checked the app and suddenly exclaimed, “Let’s go to Ghost World! There’s a reservation available now!”

They were lucky to get a spot for the popular attraction. They hurriedly booked and practically ran towards it.

But as they approached Ghost World, some of the boys started to pale. They had been excited when making the reservation, but the prospect of actually entering filled them with dread.

“I can’t even watch horror movies, am I really going in there?”

“Seungpyo, aren’t you scared?”

Seungpyo shook his head firmly at the question.

“I don’t believe in ghosts.”

“I don’t believe in them either! But it’s still scary! The makeup is scary, and the sounds are scary.”

“Then are you going to wait outside bored? It’s fine if we go in together.”

The reassuring words from their imposing, nearly 190cm tall companion emboldened the group. Alright, let’s go! The initially scared boys regained their courage and reached the entrance of Ghost World.

“Oh?”

Seungpyo’s group wasn’t the only one from Ilyang Boys’ High School heading for Ghost World. They ran into another group and greeted each other with smiles.

“You guys have the same route as us! We saw you at the shop earlier.”

“It’s supposed to be more fun if you go in with a lot of people. Let’s go in together.”

Amidst the excited chatter, only Seungpyo and Jaemin remained silent, looking away with awkward expressions. One of Jaemin’s friends chuckled and pointed at Seungpyo’s head.

“Oh Seungpyo, you bought a headband? We told Ryu Jaemin to buy the same one, but he said it was embarrassing.”

“Yeah.”

Seungpyo replied curtly, having nothing else to say. The other students continued chatting excitedly, oblivious to his short response.

A staff member, with blood-like paint smeared on his face, paired the eight students into groups of two. He pulled Seungpyo and Jaemin together, saying, “You have to enter in lines, so it’s best if you two tall ones are at the back.”

Paired up unexpectedly, Seungpyo and Jaemin stiffened, as if heading into battle rather than a haunted house. Their awkward, cold demeanor contrasted sharply with the excited faces of the students in front of them, but no one seemed to notice the tension between them.

They were ready to enter. The staff member, whose cheerful voice belied his scary makeup, gave a final warning. “It’s dark inside, so be careful! Absolutely no running. You could get hurt if you fall. And if you encounter a ghost, don’t hit or fight it.”

“Yes―!”

Despite the warning, the students seemed ready to fight any ghosts they encountered. But as soon as they stepped inside Ghost World, they lost their bravado and shuffled forward hesitantly.

The interior was pitch black, with only dimly glowing arrows on the walls indicating the path. They walked carefully, as if crossing a rope bridge. The students at the front turned around and grumbled.

“Hey, wait. We’re going, don’t push.”

“We’re not pushing!”

“Fuck, then who is pushing?!”

Euagh! The students, already scared by their own conversation, started screaming. Even before a single fake skull popped out, their self-induced fear reached a fever pitch.

“Calm down, guys.”

Just as Seungpyo, exasperated, tried to calm the overly excited students, bright white lights flashed like lightning in the dark hallway, accompanied by a loud noise. Each flash revealed a grotesque ghost figure, amplifying the students’ screams.

“Aaaah!”

“I’m sorry! Help me!”

The screams of eighteen-year-old boys in the confined space were deafening. What’s so scary about this? Seungpyo frowned, more annoyed by the noise than scared, and glanced sideways.

Ryu Jaemin’s eyes were wide, his body even stiffer than before. Seungpyo raised his voice to be heard over the noise, “Hey! Are you okay?!”

Jaemin finally looked at him, seemingly making proper eye contact for the first time today. He quickly nodded in the darkness. Seungpyo shouted again, “Really?”

“Yeah!”

Jaemin shouted back. Meanwhile, the other students had moved further ahead. Seungpyo and Jaemin hurried to catch up.

The interior of Ghost World, designed as a cursed and sealed-off abandoned hospital, was thoroughly eerie. Blood-red paint splattered on tiles, handprints on the walls, a bed with a corpse, chilling paintings, various anatomical models, curtains, plastic strips dividing sections—every detail contributed to the atmosphere.

The students, who had been overly dramatic from the start, continued to shriek their way through the attraction. Seungpyo, initially puzzled by their exaggerated reactions to simple tricks, realized they weren’t genuinely terrified but engaging in a collective performance, like cheering at a concert.

However, Ghost World’s reputation as one of the scariest haunted houses in the country was about to be proven. A student at the front let out a genuine scream of terror and stumbled backward, causing a domino effect of stumbling and shoving among the others.

“Move forward!”

Seungpyo’s shouts from the back, trying to hold his ground, were useless. As zombie-like figures sprang up from the seemingly flat floor, the students’ initially playful screams became increasingly frantic and sharp.

A series of frights ensued: a cabinet drawer bursting open, a sudden blast of cold air in their faces, a flat wall flipping to reveal a gruesome corpse, a seemingly inanimate mannequin in a wheelchair suddenly lurching forward.

By the midway point, the screams had turned into genuine cries of terror, and one student broke from the group, running down a different path.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“I can’t do it! Aagh, I can’t go! I give up!”

The students had heard rumors of people occasionally giving up due to extreme fear. But they never thought it would happen to one of them… They all looked at the runaway in disbelief.

“Don’t be embarrassing! Get back here before we leave you!”

“Ugh…”

The runaway eventually trudged back to the group, sniffling as if he had been crying.

Seungpyo, who had never been scared of ghost stories, was starting to feel worn down by the constant, unexpected frights. Even the most fearless person had their limits. It felt like being chipped away at by numerous small attacks in a game, not fatal blows, but enough to drain his HP considerably.

The unexpected interruption caused a pause in their progress. Seungpyo glanced over and saw Ryu Jaemin still standing beside him. His stiff expression made it hard to tell if he was scared, but upon closer inspection, Seungpyo noticed a difference: Ryu Jaemin’s eyes were tightly shut.

Why is he closing his eyes? Is he scared? Seungpyo grinned to himself and stealthily raised his arm, lightly slapping Jaemin’s back.

“Gah…!”

Jaemin’s eyes flew open, and he let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a scream. His tense shoulders and trembling body confirmed his fear.

“Scared?”

Seungpyo chuckled. Realizing he had been tricked, Jaemin glared at him. His eyes, sharper than any of the ghosts in Ghost World, made Seungpyo cough awkwardly and look away. The most ghost-like guy here is afraid of ghosts. How ridiculous.

“Let’s go. We’ll get overtaken by the people behind us.”

They had inadvertently taken a break. The other students, who had been screaming and panicking, regained their composure and focused on completing the remaining half of the course.

But their resolve crumbled within a few steps. Ghost World’s frights became more intense and frequent as they neared the end. A zombie hanging upside down from the ceiling swooped down like a trapeze artist, while hands reached out from behind bars, trying to grab them.

The students shrieked again, pushing forward frantically as if they themselves were zombies, desperate to escape. Seungpyo quickened his pace to keep up with the others.

Finally, the exit came into view. The students’ screams transitioned into cheers.

They pushed open the blood-splattered door and emerged into the bright May sunshine. The horrors they had just experienced faded like a brief nightmare.

“Wow, it’s over! It wasn’t that scary.”

“I think I could go again.”

The same boys who had been trembling moments before now boasted about how underwhelming the experience had been.

Only the student who had tried to escape looked sheepish, pretending to be absorbed in his phone. Seungpyo seemed to be the only one who hadn’t reacted much at all.

“Where’s Ryu Jaemin?”

Seungpyo, the last to exit, looked around at the chattering students.

There had been eight of them when they entered, but only seven, including himself, were standing at the exit. The situation felt like a ghost story itself. The students exchanged bewildered glances.

“Did he leave early to go to the bathroom?”

“But Ryu Jaemin was at the very back. Seungpyo, didn’t you see him?”

Seungpyo frowned. Jaemin had definitely been beside him until Seungpyo had startled him, but after that, the other students had been screaming and rushing forward, so Seungpyo had focused on moving forward as well. He had assumed Ryu Jaemin was following.

“He probably fell behind. He’ll be here soon.”

It was common for one or two people to lag behind in a large group. The others seemed unconcerned, but Seungpyo’s frown persisted. He abruptly turned and pushed open the exit door, telling his friends, “I’m going back in.”

“Huh? Then tell the staff…”

“Tell them for me!”

Seungpyo re-entered Ghost World.

Despite the chaos, Seungpyo hadn’t been scared at all, only startled a few times. But being alone in the eerie darkness was more unnerving than being with the noisy group.

“Ryu Jaemin!”

Seungpyo called out Jaemin’s name. As he started backtracking, scanning his surroundings, a small crack appeared in Ghost World’s facade of terror.

A zombie, lying on a cot, poised to jump out, seemed to hesitate, unsure of its timing. Seungpyo bowed his head.

“I’m looking for my friend. Sorry.”

The zombie nodded silently instead of replying.

They had been together until the midway point, so Jaemin couldn’t be too far from the exit, but the darkness made it difficult to orient himself. I should have brought a flashlight.

“Ryu Jaemin! Hey, Ryu Jaemin!”

“Excuse me.”

Seungpyo turned to the voice. A woman in a bloodstained white dress pointed to a corner and whispered, “Your friend is over there.”

“Thank you.”

Seungpyo bowed and hurried in the direction she indicated.

He walked a few steps and peered into a secluded corner. The small, dark space was a blind spot within Ghost World. It wasn’t an emergency exit or a designated resting area, but rather a space that seemed to have been created accidentally during the design process. It was devoid of the scary props that filled the rest of the attraction.

Ryu Jaemin was huddled there, leaning against the wall, stiff as a board. Seungpyo sighed in disbelief and called out, “Ryu Jaemin.”

Jaemin looked at him, dumbfounded, as if he had seen a real ghost. He didn’t respond, so Seungpyo took a step closer.

“Why are you here? Come on.”

The space was too small for two grown boys. They had to stand practically pressed together. Seungpyo leaned in, his elbow resting against the wall beside Jaemin’s head.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here? Why didn’t you come out?”

“…I was, going to… but something suddenly popped out and I lost the others.”

It seemed he had gotten separated from the group after being startled by a prop.

So he had hidden here, unable to move forward or backward…

That means he was scared.

Seungpyo bit his inner cheek instead of replying. Jaemin’s stammering explanation, so unlike the usually arrogant top student, the psycho slut who always seemed to be mocking him, was almost timid.

That Ryu Jaemin is this afraid of a haunted house? He had to suppress a laugh, not out of mockery, but from a strange, tingling sensation in his chest.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Jaemin simply nodded, looking down, avoiding eye contact. Being unable to navigate a simple amusement park attraction and needing Oh Seungpyo to rescue him must be incredibly humiliating for the proud Ryu Jaemin.

The others were waiting outside. The ghosts, who had witnessed Seungpyo going back in, would be wondering when they would reappear. If they took too long, a staff member might come looking for them. Despite these thoughts, Seungpyo didn’t rush Jaemin or pull him along.

Standing close together in the cramped corner, Seungpyo gently pressed his lips against Ryu Jaemin’s forehead. He slowly rubbed his lips against the hairline, feeling Jaemin tense up.

“Were you that scared? I should have kept a closer eye on you.”

Seungpyo whispered. The eerie sounds of Ghost World made it difficult to hear voices, but their close proximity allowed his words to reach Jaemin clearly. Jaemin simply rolled his eyes, his expression uncertain whether Seungpyo’s actions were intentional or not.

The light touch turned into a proper kiss. Jaemin finally met his gaze, his eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and a question: What are you doing here?

But Seungpyo persisted, pressing another kiss to his lips. And another. Jaemin’s lips parted slightly. Seungpyo slipped his tongue inside, and Jaemin, though surprised, opened his mouth without resistance, as if by habit.

Seungpyo, now more experienced in kissing, quickly explored the warm, wet interior of Jaemin’s mouth. Though his body was stiff, his mouth was soft as always. Perhaps his fear and tension mimicked arousal, as his body felt hotter than usual.

“Hng, uh…”

In the darkness, where their figures were barely visible, only Jaemin’s soft moan was clearly audible. His hand had found its way to Seungpyo’s back.

Thump-thump. Seungpyo’s heart, unmoved by the fake ghosts, responded intensely to Ryu Jaemin’s small sound. Finding it ridiculous, Seungpyo bit Jaemin’s lower lip a little harder and sucked on it, pulling him closer.

As they broke apart, Jaemin remained looking at him, lips slightly parted. I should lick his tongue. Seungpyo gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge, and whispered into Jaemin’s ear, “Not scared anymore?”

“…No.”

“We can’t do anything more here. Let’s get out.”

Whispering, Seungpyo put his arm around Jaemin’s shoulder, and Jaemin obediently started walking. Seungpyo covered Jaemin’s eyes with his hand.

“Close your eyes if you’re scared. I can see for you.”

“It’s fine.”

“Feeling braver now?”

Despite his words, Jaemin didn’t push Seungpyo’s hand away. With Seungpyo’s arm around his shoulder and his eyes covered, Jaemin walked as if entrusting himself entirely to him.

They walked in silence for a while, finally reaching the exit. Was the path always this short? Feeling a strange sense of disappointment, Seungpyo removed his arm from Jaemin’s shoulder and his hand from his face, taking a deep breath before opening the door.

“Ryu Jaemin!”

“We were about to call the staff because you guys took so long.”

Their friends, who had been waiting anxiously on the benches and the ground, jumped up to greet them.

Ryu Jaemin, who had been cowering in fear, quickly composed himself upon exiting, acting as if nothing had happened. He glanced at Seungpyo uneasily, seemingly worried that Seungpyo would reveal what had happened inside. Seungpyo scoffed softly, inaudible to the others.

What does he take me for?

They had kissed, they had even shared masturbation videos, and he still didn’t trust him? Seungpyo felt a prick of annoyance but maintained his composure.

“We got a little lost inside. A staff member in ghost makeup showed us the way.”

“Eugh, really? I heard there are sometimes people talking to ghosts in there, so it was you.”

The group, thrilled with the unusual anecdote, seemed relieved. Now that their friends had returned, it was time to move on to the next activity.

“Let’s ride the Water Splash this time! We can ride that and one more thing, then have lunch before riding the Extreme Train.”

They had already been waiting outside for about ten minutes and were fully recharged, unlike Jaemin and Seungpyo, who had just emerged from Ghost World.

Jaemin smiled awkwardly and waved his hand.

“You guys go ahead. I’m thirsty, so I’ll rest for a bit.”

“Really? You’re not riding?”

“I’ll catch up soon. Don’t worry about me and go ahead. You’ve already wasted a lot of time waiting for me.”

“But…”

The others hesitated, torn between leaving one person behind and maximizing their limited time at Neverland. Oh Seungpyo broke the stalemate.

“I’ll stay here with him. You guys go ahead.”

“Oh, really?”

“I don’t really like the Water Splash anyway. I don’t want to get wet.”

“The weather’s nice, it’ll dry quickly.”

“Just go ahead without us.”

Relieved, the others nodded. They waved and walked away without further hesitation.

“Call us later!”

“Okay.”

Seungpyo and Jaemin were left alone on the outdoor bench. After a brief, awkward silence, Seungpyo sat down heavily, leaning back against the backrest, and asked, “What should we do now?”

Jaemin kicked a small pebble at his feet and replied, “I’m a bit tired. I just want to look at the animals or plants.”

“No rides?”

“Not now.”

Seungpyo grinned. It was their first proper conversation in a while.

Seeing the pandas had been his main goal for the day, so Jaemin’s suggestion suited him perfectly. The problem was that the panda house wasn’t open yet.

What would be a suitable activity for Ryu Jaemin, who’s probably exhausted from being scared in the haunted house? Seungpyo quickly found an answer.

“Then follow me.”

“Where are we going?”

“Just come.”

Seungpyo strode forward without explanation, then glanced back. Jaemin wasn’t following; he was just staring at Seungpyo with a suspicious look.

“I’m leaving you behind.”

Normally, it wouldn’t have been much of a threat, but having just been rescued from the haunted house, Ryu Jaemin seemed more pliable. He quickly caught up with Seungpyo.

Seungpyo chuckled and continued walking, still without explaining. Ryu Jaemin, just like at the beginning of the semester, was following him obediently, curious about where he was being taken and what they would do. Only two months had passed since then, not enough time for a person to change drastically.

That day, he had taken Ryu Jaemin to the arcade. Jaemin had never been to an arcade, nor a karaoke room. It was Oh Seungpyo’s first time encountering such a rare specimen. And Oh Seungpyo had kissed that rare specimen…

I’m always thinking about this these days.

Seungpyo coughed lightly and deliberately looked away from Jaemin. Ever since they started kissing, he felt like Pavlov’s dog, instinctively wanting to kiss and touch Jaemin whenever he saw him.

He hadn’t planned to kiss him in Ghost World… After a week of silence and ignoring each other, suddenly kissing him had been impulsive, even in his own opinion. But he believed it had been the best option. It was much more efficient to resolve the situation with a kiss than to try to comfort him with words he wouldn’t listen to, or to drag him out of his hiding spot.

But he wasn’t a lab rat, he was a human. He needed to break this habit of constantly thinking about kissing Ryu Jaemin.

They soon arrived at their destination. Seungpyo confidently pointed at the enclosure in front of them.

“This will be fun, right?”

Jaemin looked at the scene with a slightly bewildered expression.

Inside a low, transparent fence, small guinea pigs and rabbits with various fur colors were huddled together, digging in the dirt. Colorful parrots flew around in a nearby cage, and in a separate, spacious enclosure, a few capybaras were slowly wandering around, their eyes half-closed.

The people around them, observing the animals, were mostly young children around five or six years old and their parents. None of the Ilyang Boys’ High School students, who made up the majority of Neverland’s visitors today, were in sight. It was understandable; boys with limited time and a mission to ride as many attractions as possible had little interest in this small, peaceful area.

Jaemin had said he wanted to see animals and plants, but he hadn’t meant a petting zoo for toddlers. He looked at Seungpyo with a deflated expression.

“Are you making fun of me?”

But Seungpyo’s eyes widened, as if he didn’t understand the question.

“This is fun. You’re too exhausted from being scared in Ghost World anyway. You know what’s good about this place? You can feed and touch the animals.”

Seungpyo bought a feeding experience ticket, received a container of food, and poured it all into a long-handled plastic scoop. He pushed the scoop into the enclosure, and a few guinea pigs scurried over, busily munching on the food.

Seungpyo turned to Jaemin with a smug grin.

“See? Don’t you want to try?”

The fabric lesser panda ears on Oh Seungpyo’s head stood out. They weren’t real ears, so they shouldn’t have moved on their own, but the way Oh Seungpyo moved his head created the illusion that they were twitching.

He hadn’t noticed it inside Ghost World because of the darkness, but seeing Seungpyo, a large figure with animal ears, crouching among the small animals, made him look like a predator in disguise, ready to pounce on his smaller prey. He looked distinctly villainous in the otherwise cute and peaceful setting, like something out of a children’s storybook or animation.

“Yeah. It’s fun.”

Jaemin chuckled, and Seungpyo stood up, pulling Jaemin’s hand.

“Try it. It’s fun.”

Seungpyo placed the food in Jaemin’s hand before he could protest. Jaemin looked down at his hand hesitantly, then sighed softly and approached the enclosure, slowly pushing the scoop forward.

The guinea pigs buried their little heads in the food Jaemin offered. Seungpyo didn’t miss the shy pleasure that slowly spread across Jaemin’s initially indifferent face. Like a salesman persuading a hesitant customer, he clung to Jaemin, explaining the joys of the petting zoo.

“You can do more than just feed them. You can touch some of them too. The parrots and capybaras over there.”

“You really like animals.”

“Doesn’t everyone like these guys? They’re cute.”

Seungpyo hopped over the low fence and into the enclosure. A large high school boy amongst toddlers looked like an ecological disaster waiting to happen. Jaemin watched, curious to see what he would do.

“Look. They’re docile, so you can touch them like this.”

The invasive species crouched beside a capybara and stroked its back. As he had promised, the gentle creature remained still, eyes half-closed, indifferent to the human touch. Seungpyo chuckled, looking back and forth between the capybara and Jaemin.

“It kind of looks like you. Aloof.”

“It doesn’t look like me at all. It’s ugly.”

As they bickered, a zookeeper passing by smiled and spoke to Jaemin, “Ugly? Don’t you think capybaras are cute?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I didn’t mean it’s actually ugly, it was a joke…”

“You can hold the rabbits. Would you like to try?”

Ignoring Jaemin’s flustered response, the zookeeper offered kindly. Jaemin nodded shyly, and the zookeeper picked up a rabbit and placed it in his arms. He had felt a little self-conscious standing in his uniform amidst all the children, but interacting with the zookeeper gave him a sense of purpose.

Jaemin looked down at the rabbit, which had white fur with brown spots. The small animal’s body was warm, softer and more fragile than he expected, making him hesitant to hold it tightly. He felt as if he might crush it if he applied too much pressure. As he watched the rabbit nestled comfortably in his arms, he felt a sense of drowsiness wash over him.

“Feels good, right?”

As he gazed at the rabbit, Seungpyo’s smug voice interrupted his reverie. Jaemin’s eyes met Seungpyo’s, who was standing inside the capybara enclosure. Jaemin shrugged and put the rabbit down. Seungpyo hopped back over the fence.

“Why did you put it down already?”

“They won’t like it if you hold them for too long.”

“You weren’t holding it for that long.”

Seungpyo tilted his head, approaching Jaemin.

Even though Jaemin’s expressions weren’t dramatic, Seungpyo could usually read his emotions. He had seemed to enjoy holding the rabbit, but now he looked slightly melancholic. Was he still shaken from the haunted house?

“If you’re that scared of haunted houses, why did you even go in? You should have said no.”

“I didn’t know. I didn’t know I was scared of those things.”

“Why? Have you never been to one?”

“I went once when I was in kindergarten… I wasn’t scared then. My father carried me through it.”

Seungpyo raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“I heard your father is really strict, but he seems affectionate.”

“He used to be, when I was younger.”

Jaemin watched a child laughing and playing with the animals and a family busy taking pictures, then turned to Seungpyo.

“What do you want to do next?”

“We have to see the pandas. This was just a quick stop before that.”

“Then let’s go see the pandas.”

Jaemin seemed to have recharged by petting the small, fluffy animals after having his energy drained by the ghosts. Just as I planned. Pleased with his excellent itinerary, Seungpyo led the way to the panda house.

📚

The doors of the panda house were now open. The number of visitors allowed inside at a time was limited, so it wasn’t crowded.

There were two pandas. One was sleeping in a tree, its body draped between the branches like laundry, its plump rear end sticking out. The other was sitting on the ground, eating bamboo. Seungpyo chuckled and took pictures.

“Isn’t its sleeping position hilarious? Why would it sleep so uncomfortably?”

Jaemin seemed more interested in Seungpyo than the pandas, his expression curious.

“Why do you like pandas so much?”

“They’re cute. Cute and funny. You know pandas only eat bamboo, right? They’re big, but since bamboo has no nutritional value, they have to eat for ten hours a day. If they lack nutrients, they could just eat other things. But they only eat bamboo for ten hours.”

“Why?”

“There are several theories, so it’s not certain, but pandas’ digestive systems are the same as carnivores. So they were originally carnivores. The most popular theory is that they evolved that way to avoid competition after climate change made it difficult to find food. If they only eat bamboo, they don’t have to fight other animals for food. Isn’t it fascinating?”

“Yeah.”

Jaemin nodded slightly, then spoke before Seungpyo could continue.

“I thought nature was all about fierce competition and survival of the fittest, but I guess not.”

“Humans just make things too complicated for themselves.”

It was a conversation that seemed to completely disregard the fact that they had twice engaged in fierce competition themselves over grades.

Seungpyo, who had been passionately explaining about pandas, seemed to remember something and took off his headband. Jaemin, who had been leaning against the railing, watching the pandas, was startled when Seungpyo suddenly moved closer.

“What? What is it?”

“I’ll take a picture of you. Try this on.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t want a picture.”

“Why? We came to see the pandas, we have to take a commemorative photo. It’s not like it’ll always be here. It’s going back to China next year.”

While talking, Seungpyo had placed the headband on Jaemin’s head. Jaemin tried to take it off immediately, but Seungpyo held it in place.

“Just stay still. I’ll take a quick picture and then you can take it off.”

“I’ll just take it without the headband, then.”

“You really don’t know how to have fun. Everyone does this at amusement parks. Didn’t you see everyone wearing one earlier? Why are you being such a loser?”

“Who’s a loser, asshole?”

As Seungpyo expected, it worked. Jaemin grumbled but stopped resisting. He had correctly guessed that the straight-A student who had never been to an arcade or karaoke would be sensitive to being called a loser.

Seungpyo stepped back to take the picture, looking back and forth between Jaemin on his phone screen and Jaemin standing in front of him. The lesser panda headband seemed to suit Ryu Jaemin even better than him.

…He’s kind of cute?

The power of animals was strong indeed. Just two ears had managed to make him think this way about Ryu Jaemin, a guy who had absolutely no cute qualities whatsoever. He had originally bought the headband to tease Jaemin, but it suited him so well that it wasn’t funny at all.

“Hurry up and take it if you’re going to.”

Jaemin urged him when he just stood there, adjusting the framing. Seungpyo took a picture of Jaemin’s sullen expression and showed him the phone.

“I’ll send it to you later.”

“Take one of me too?”

“Of course.”

“Here, take this.”

Jaemin quickly removed the headband and returned it to Seungpyo, then took a picture of him posing as if eating bamboo.

The panda house had been as enjoyable as they had hoped, but they couldn’t spend all day watching pandas sleep and eat bamboo. They started discussing their next destination. As they exited, Jaemin took out his phone.

“Let’s call the others.”

“No.”

“When are you going to call them? They might be waiting.”

“Waiting? They’re too busy having fun. The rule is to abandon stragglers, but they went to look for you because it’s you.”

“Yeah, keep saying that, milk it for all it’s worth.”

“I will.”

Jaemin’s expression darkened, as if he felt he had given Seungpyo another advantage. But Seungpyo wasn’t really paying attention to his words.

He glanced at Jaemin’s profile as he studied the park map.

I want to kiss him while he’s wearing the headband.

It seemed he wouldn’t be breaking his habit of wanting to kiss Ryu Jaemin today. It couldn’t be helped. Things didn’t change overnight. He would start tomorrow.

Jaemin, oblivious to Seungpyo’s thoughts, asked, “Anywhere else you want to go?”