Date 13: Lotte World

 

“You sure you want to wear those?” Jiyong eyed Dara’s pair of silver-spiked black Louboutin sneakers. She had a thing for red soles, though he never understood the appeal of high-end sneakers. But she had the money for it so… why not?

“Yeah, I have to break them in.”

“Break them in? They look too small for you…” They looked two sizes too small, to be exact.

“Yeah, I got them a size smaller than I usually do because the others get uncomfortably loose once I break them in. I figure one size smaller, break them in, perfect fit.” She flashed him a smile as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

High-end fashion, she loved. He couldn’t really expect less from an heir to a billion dollar franchise, could he? He did greatly appreciate that she dressed down her designer items most of the time – like the sweater she currently had on with a pug bearing its teeth. He took a peak at the price tag while she was in the shower and almost fainted. Giv… Giv-something.

“Ready to go?” He expelled the thoughts of the ridiculously expensive dog sweater as he gestured toward the door.

“Yup! Lotte World, here we come!”




“I haven’t been to Lotte World in forever,” Jiyong muttered as they pulled into the parking lot.

“Me too, but I love it here. So many rides, so much food, so many people! You can just get lost in the crowd. I’m glad we came so early!”

Yes, very early. Eight in the morning. After the night they had at the sauna, the last thing Jiyong expected was to be woken up at six in the morning to get ready for a day at a fun park, but Dara was unpredictable that way. One day, she’s a fiend groping at his manhood with hooded eyes and the next she’s a bouncing little girl begging to get to an amusement park early to avoid the lines.

Jiyong’s expression darkened slightly as they pulled into the parking spot.

“What’s wrong?”

“I uh… Nothing.” He shook his head as he took the key out of the ignition and moved to get out of the car.

“No, what’s wrong? You don’t want to do this?” Dara grabbed his wrist, suddenly worried at the thought of Jiyong spending a day in a way he didn’t want.

“No, I do. It’s just…”

“What?”

“I.. I get really nauseous when I go on roller coaster rides and stuff….” His eyes flicked away from her, his cheeks growing a soft pink.

“So you mean you’re scared?” She laughed at his cute blush.

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No! I get sick! That doesn’t mean I’m scared.”

“Little baby Jiyong is scawed of big wides!” She cooed to him as she pinched his cheek lightly.

“No, I’m not!”

“Just admit it, Ji.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“Fine! I am! I’m scared of big rides… because I get nauseous on them.”

She eyed him for a few moments before her lips lifted into a grin. “Well then I’ll fix that today.”

“What?”

“Kwon Jiyong, I am your gateway to the various wonderful things this world has to offer,” she gestured around herself dramatically. “And some of these things, yes, will make you sick. But in the end, it’s worth it. Clear?”

“Please don’t.” He rolled his eyes at her.

“I know you’re scared,” she grabbed his hand in mock sympathy. “But things will be okay, Jiyong.”

“Ha-ha. Very funny. You know what? I let you wear those shoes even though I knew it was a bad idea because you really wanted to, just do the same with me! This relationship is all about compromise, babe. You wear those shoes, I skip the rides.” He flashed her a Cheshire-cat like smile.

“No.”

“Why?”

“These,” she lifted her right foot, “are amazing shoes and those,” she pointed toward the amusement park “are amazing rides and I am not going to let you miss out on two amazing things, okay?…. Bubba.”

“Bubba? Is that my new nickname?”

“Would you like little-boy-afraid-of-big-rides better?”

“Dara!”

“Good, let’s go.” She heaved the car door open without another word and climbed out, Jiyong mumbling to himself as he did the same.


“Now look!” She stomped her feet as she checked her watch. “We wasted fifteen minutes! The lines could be horrible by now! Jiyong I-“

“Sssssh,” He slung his arm over her shoulder and covered with his hand. “C’mon small-girl-with-bottomeless-stomach. Let’s just get our tickets.”






“Two please,” Jiyong muttered with a scowl at the ticketing booth. A giggle answered him.

“That’ll be 60,000 won, sir.”

“Alright,” he pulled out his wallet.

“And how are you today… Can I get your name?” Jiyong glanced up to find the young girl batting her eyelashes at him.

“Uh… Jiyong.” He slipped the money under the protective glass between them.

“Such a cute name!” She giggled again. “Makes sense since you’re so cute.”

Jiyong glanced over to where Dara was waiting to make sure she hadn’t heard, but he was too late. She was by his side in a second, face shoved between him and the girl, and he was thankful there was protective glass between the two.

How had she known? He really wondered if she had super hearing sometimes.

“Cute, right?” Dara smacked her lips as she said it, and her arm slithered around him.

“Who are you?” The ticket-teller’s hand stopped mid-air, her face gnarled up in a slight scowl.

“This cute guy’s girl-friend,” she emphasized each syllable and smiled, eyes dark. “So…” She leaned in further to get a better look at her nametag. “YooJin, why don’t you just hand us our tickets so we can enjoy Lotte World instead of wasting our time. Because this cute guy wants to spend the day with me, not stand here and watch you fog up this glass.”

YooJin’s jaw dropped, but only for a moment, before her scowl returned.

“You know what? I was wrong. Adult tickets today are 40,000 won each. So that’ll be 80,000.”

“WHAT?!” Dara inched dangerously close to the glass, so close she was almost pressed up against it. “It says right here that adult admission is 30,000!” She her finger against the ticketing chart on the window.

“Well today it’s 40,000.”

“You know what-“

“Here!” Jiyong shoved the extra 20,000 under the glass. “Tickets please… now!”

“Thank you,” YooJin flashed him an unabashed grin. “Thank you so much.” And slowly slid the tickets to him. Dara grabbed them so quick Jiyong was scared she ripped them.

“You should really wash this,” Dara pointed at the glass. “The amount of spit you’ve accumulated is disgusting and-“

“Let’s go, D.” He wrapped his arm around her and practically dragged her away as she craned her neck back to continue the glaring contest she was having with YooJin.

“Can you believe her?!” She breathed as they handed their tickets over and made their way inside.

“No…”

“Flirting with you right in front of me!” She fluffed her hair out, and Jiyong almost laughed. She looked so much like an angry bunny. “I could have her fired, you know!” Her eyes flicked back to the ticketing booth a few yards away.

“There, there my little franchise queen. She didn’t mean any harm.” He pulled her away and toward the churros stand.

“Didn’t mean any harm? I’d like to harm her face with my fist, wonder if she’ll think THAT’s cute!”

“Dara, churros.”

“She swears that I wou- ooh! Churros!” Her eyes instantly lit up as she took in the flaky, sugary goodness. “Four please!”

“You’re buying us two each?” He smiled at her, glad that her love of food once again overpowered her jealousy.

“No. Three for me, one for you.” She said as her eyes grew wide and she took the pastries from the seller, handing a single one over to Jiyong and practically skipping away.

“D! REALLY?! I WANT ANOTHER ONE!” He yelled as he followed after her.







“You ready?” Her hold on his hand tightened as they stared up at towering rollercoaster.

“I’m not scared, D. I just don’t want to get sick.”

“You won’t. Don’t worry,” she smiled as she pulled him toward the line. They stumbled toward the back as they clung to each other, Jiyong sending her playful glares for making him ride it.

“You’re going to have to pay me back for this one, D.”

“Whatever. You’ll be thankful by the end of it!”

He rolled his eyes and glanced around, looking for a way to escape the goliath Gyro Drop in front of them. His expression perked when he found a stand nearby selling the trademark Lotte world headbands – hearts, stars, and flowers all springing up and down from the bands.

“Hey, D! Let’s get those!” He nudged her and pointed to the cart, smiling as he watched her expression brighten even more.

“Yeah! You have to get those when you come here!”

“Cool, let’s go.” He took her hand to drag her away, but she pulled him back.

“You really think that would work?” She smirked.

“Dara, cmon!”

“This line will take at least fifteen minutes. Go over there and buy us some. I want the pink one with stars!”

“D!”

“GO GO!” She waved him away as she turned to stare up at the roller coaster again. He grumbled and grunted, but made his way over to the stand nonetheless. He picked out the pink one for her and a yellow one for him, both with stars on them and made his way back after muttering a quick thank you to the seller.

His cheeks blazed and his fists tightened dangerously around the plastic bands when he found three guys circling Dara, much too close for comfort, and he barreled his way over .

“Hey,” he pushed two of them out of the way and slipped his arm around her. “What’s going on here?”

“So you weren’t lying…” one of them muttered with a scoff.

“Him? Really?” The other one said, looking Ji up and down with distaste. The other guy, smaller than the rest, had his eyes fixed on Dara, a dreamy expression on.

“Is there a problem?” Jiyong nearly growled at them.

“I’m Wooyoung, this is Kevin and he goes by Flowsik,” The tallest one pointed to the other two, the smallest one being Kevin.

“And?” Jiyong nearly spat at them, hugging Dara even tighter against him.

“Whoa, whoa. Why so defensive?” The deep tone of Flowsik’s voice surprised Ji. He almost sounded like TOP and he took the couple in with cool indifference as he leaned against the barrier behind him.

“Three guys around my girlfriend while I’m gone? What would you expect me to be? Chipper?”

“We were just asking why she was all alone, that’s all.” He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled his sunglasses on. It made Jiyong want to scoff… they were indoors.

“Well she’s not anymore. Alright?”

“Alright,” he raised his hands up, palms out and turned away from them and the other two did the same. “Alright then.”

Jiyong huffed and looked down at Dara, cocking his eyebrow at her huge smile.

“What’s so funny, D?”

“Is that what I looked like at the ticketing booth?” She asked him, her eyes crinkling up as she started to laugh.

“Did I look ridiculous?”

“No, no. It was cute.” She rubbed his stomach slightly as they moved forward in line, making sure to keep a safe distance from the three fanboys ahead of them.

“You know, if you really don’t want to ride, that’s okay. I’ll be fine,” Dara said as she put on the pink headband and nodded her head slightly at the three men in front of them. “I’ll be totally fine.”

“You’re not going anywhere without me,” Jiyong shoved the headband on, making him look like a determined rabbit with twisted ears, and pulled her close again. He stared up at the coaster and heaved a sigh then glanced at the backs of the three boys in front of him and noticed the little one was still peeking at Dara.

“Yeah, you’re not going anywhere without me.”





As they climbed into their seats, a good distance away from the front of the coaster, Jiyong felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest. Every step they took closer to the ride, his heart threatened to give out on him.

Yes, he lied. He didn’t get nauseous on rides; they scared him nearly to death ever since he’d ridden one far too scary for him on a trip to another amusement park when he was little. They did make him sick… from fear.

Dara entwined her fingers into his and smiled at him as the coaster crew locked them into their seats, the voice over the intercom reminding them to keep all hands and feet in the car at all times and all personal belongings safely stored away.

“Breathe, Ji. This is going to be fun.”

“Uh-huh. Big fun,” his voice came out shaky as he closed his eyes, almost yelling out as the coaster began its slow pace forward.

“YES, BIG FUN JI!” She squeezed his hand tighter, an impossibly huge grin on her face as she yelled over the loud clack clack clacks as they made their way up the burgeoning hill before the first drop.

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. He thought to himself as they made their way higher and higher, time seeming to slow down to make the torturously slow rise even more torturous.

He hadn’t been on a ride since the one that ruined them all for him… what was he thinking?

“OH MY GOD!!!!” He yelled as the car reached its apex then shot down, the familiar pull on his stomach making his eyes water. He could vaguely hear Dara’s laughter over the sound of the coaster sliding over the metal tracks and over his own shouts – mostly curses.

“OH MY GOD!!!” Another twist pushed him against Dara and she laughed even harder, screaming out with glee.

“I. AM. GOING. TO. DIE!!!!!!” His voice reverberated with the pressure from the speed of acceleration and the roughness of each twist and turn.

Then the words disappeared.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! BWAWAWAWAAAAAAA!!!!!”

“WOOOOO!!!!!” He could hear Dara yelling from beside him, the hand that wasn’t in his up and waving around.

“OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD!“ He yelled one last time after the last huge drop.

As the car lurched forward and stopped, both of them smacking hard against the seats, Dara looked over at Jiyong with teary eyes to find his hair a mess and his eyes fixed somewhere in the distance, his mouth popped open.

“Ji, are you okay?” She asked with a laugh as the crew unlocked the seats to let them out.

“D…”

“Yes?” She watched as he tried to get up and practically fell over as they got out.

“D…”

“What, Ji? You really didn’t like it?” She put his arm around her shoulders so he could lean on her as they walked away.

“D…”

“YES, JI?!” She poked him in the side.

“D, let’s do that again!” He pulled her closer to him and rushed through the exit way. “Which one should we go on next?” She laughed as his crazy hair curled around his headband, one of the silly stars already broken. “D! Which one next?!”






Five rides. Five in a row.

He looked so much like a little kid bouncing around from to ride, shouting and yelling at the top of his lungs for each one, hurrying off when one was finished and running over to the next.

When he’d gotten his fill, hair looking something like a bird’s nest and stomach sufficiently empty from all the adrenaline pulsing through them, they headed to a burger place for lunch.





“One bacon cheeseburger, extra bacon, chilli cheese fries, regular fries, and onion rings,” Dara told the waitress.

“Will that be all for you two?”

“No, he still hasn’t ordered.” She nodded toward Jiyong, her eyes still fixed on the menu, looking over the desserts. He chuckled at the waitress’ shocked expression.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger, cheese fries, and a coke. Thank you.”

“That’ll be all?”

“No. Oreo cheesecake for two please,” Dara smiled as she handed the menu over, tilting her head to the side innocently.

“Okay. I’ll be back in a few.”

“You really do eat like a sumo wrestler, D.” He laughed as he watched the waitress walk up to another and mutter something to her, pointing slyly at their table.

“Whatever. Sumo wrestlers probably eat healthier than I do.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Anyway, enough about huge men in little underwear, how did my little-boy-afraid-of-big-rides like the rides?” She cooed at him again.

“I think you’ll have to change my nickname now,” he grinned at her, reaching over to fix her hair.

“See? I told you it’d be fun. How long has it been since you rode one?”

“Since I was… ten? Went to Disneyland with my parents. My dad had a medical conference in Anaheim so we decided to come and enjoy the happiest place on earth,” he scoffed as his fingers traced over the silverware laid out in front of them. “It was anything but!”

“What ride was it?”

“The Materhorn. Chaerin dragged us on it and she loved it, but I knew once that yeti came out that…” He shuddered slightly.

“That bad, huh?”

“Ten years old and I walked out of that thing crying. It scarred me, babe.”

She laughed; she couldn’t help it. Imagining her god so afraid of a dinky metal ride… the image was too disjointed for her. That’s how she’d always thought of roller coasters – just dinky metal rides. That’s probably why she loved them so much, why she never felt any apprehension getting on one.

“I hadn’t been on a ride since, but thank you for forcing me today.” He reached over the table to grab her hand.

“Didn’t I tell you in the car?” She squeezed it. “I am your gateway, good sir.”

He smiled and winked, and the phrase suddenly had a very dirty connotation to it. She pulled her hand back and smacked his as the waitress arrived with their food.

Dara dug in immediately, moans of appreciation escaping her as she bit into her bacon cheeseburger and stuck a handful of fries into before biting into an onion ring.

Jiyong laughed again at the waitress’ bemused expression as she walked away. She looked kind of scared.

“Hey!” Dara’s words came out muffled as she called out to her. “Don’t forget our dessert!”






“Full?” Jiyong asked as they slowly made their way past the merry-go-round, the crowds now too dense to go any faster than snail speed.

“Very,” her lids had trouble staying up and she was having trouble walking even at the pace they were going. “Oh hey!” She immediately straightened up and grabbed Ji’s hand.

“What?”

“That!” She pointed across the way at a photobooth and before he knew it, Jiyong was being dragged over and pushed into it.

They had just enough space to fit perfectly and Dara happily slid in the 2,000 won Ji handed over to her. She slung her arm around him and pushed their cheeks together for their first picture, then raised her fist toward his face and scowled as he popped his mouth open in mock surprise. They put up peace signs for the third picture, pretended to be zombies for the fourth and for the last, as if reading each other’s minds, they turned and placed a sweet kiss on the other’s lips just as the flash went off.

Dara nearly squealed as she took up the pen and began writing all over them, “LOVE and ROCK” sprawled in random places, hearts and tiny bows in every corner, and the date written large for memory.

Finally, above the picture where she was pretending to punch him, she wrote ‘My little-boy-afraid-of-big-rides.’ He smiled as he read it and finally picked up his pen, touching it down above the first picture of their cheeks smushed together and wrote ‘My small-girl-with-bottomless-stomach.’

Dara laughed and pressed the print button and they stumbled out, Dara laughing even harder at the disgruntled couple waiting outside for their turn.

“Sorry,” she muttered as she grabbed the pictures from the print slot and admired their handiwork.

“Perfect!” She said as she turned it over to show him and he nodded, pulling her close and kissing her on the crown of her head.

“They’re totally perfect, D.”




They headed to the souvenir shops, bellies full and adrenaline-junkie needs met, and mulled over the wide array of Lotte World paraphenilia. They picked out matching key chains, matching hats to replace the broken headbands they’d been wearing around, and matching silver rings adorned with smiley faces.

Dara picked out a surprisingly tacky mug with Gyro Drop carved into it and smiled wide at him. “In commemoration of your change in nickname.”

He picked out an equally tacky shot glass with a sumo wrestler on it, almost unable to believe his eyes when he came across it. He cocked an eyebrow at her when he raised it to show her and smiled as she exploded into a fit of laughter.

Lastly, Jiyong picked out a small little Lorry raccoon keychain to hang on his rearview mirror and was surprised to find Dara holding one of her one, the male version Lotty, when they met back at the register to pay.





Hand in hand, they made their way to the last stop – the ice rink. They rented out a locker to put all their souvenirs, rented out their skates, and once they were all tied in and set up, they slowly made their way into the rink.

Almost immediately, Dara’s feet came up from under her and she reached out to grab Jiyong, sighing as his arms slinked around her and guided her to the railing nearby. She took hold of it as he tightened his grip around her, steering them both along from behind as she pushed off from the white barrier.

“I’m a horrible skater, did I tell you?” She said after their first round.

“Really? I couldn’t tell.” He placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck, tickling her. “You okay, now? We’ve made one round already.”

“Yeah,” she held on tighter to the railing as he slowly let go of her and moved to skate beside her. He turned and smiled, skating backwards with a grin.

“Show off.”

“I guess I’m your gateway for this one, aren’t I?” He smiled as he took her hand and began pulling her away from the edge.

“Ji! I’m gonna fall!”

“It’s okay everyone falls their first ti-“ But before he could finish, Dara was on the hard ice, face scrunched up in silent laughter and hand already on her aching backside.

“Sorry, jagi!” He reached down to pull her up and couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, everyone’s fallen hard at least once.”

“Ugh,” she rubbed the ice off her pants before she grabbed both his hands again as he began skating backward, dragging her along with him.

“Just push. One after the other.”

She struggled and wobbled, shouting as she felt herself plummeting down again, but Ji’s arms were around her and she was pressed up against him before she knew it. “Uh-uh, I won’t let you fall again,” he said softly as he wrapped his arm around her and moved so they were side by side and began skating forward. She stared down at his skates to mirror what he was doing and soon, she was gliding right along with him.

“You’re a natural, D!” he laughed as they made their fifth round, the ice much feeling much softer than when they’d first stepped on.

But as if he'd jinxed it, Dara hit a hard patch of ice and lurched backward, taking Jiyong along with her and they both smacked hard on the ice. They exploded in laughter, the only real way to deal with the ache and the embarrassment.

Dara opened her eyes, still breathless, to find Jiyong looking down at her, eyes filled with something different than she expected. He moved in slowly, hand sliding underneath her head to bring her up slightly and touched his lips to hers. She smiled against him, the cold ice under her such a contradiction to the feeling searing through her.

He moved in, tongue grazing for permission and she opened up to him. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him down to delve in deeper and he happily complied, teeth grazing her bottom lip and nipping slightly.

The kiss intensified and Dara was just about to let out an appreciative moan when she flicked her eyes open to find a little boy staring at them not too far off, his mother approaching fast to drag him away.

Oh yeah. They were in the middle of an ice rink.

She pushed him away softly and nipped at him as they parted.

“Let’s head home, Ji.” She smiled at the pink on his cheeks as he moved to get up.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”


Once out of the skates, Jiyong headed over to the locker to reprieve their Lotte goods and came back to find Dara sitting in her socks, just staring at her shoes.

“What is it, D?”

“Um…. You were right.”

“About what?” He put the bags down on the floor and sat beside her.

“They’re too small.”

“What are?”

“… My shoes.”

“D…”

“I was fine before we got to the rink, but now my feet are swollen and aching and I can’t put my feet back in those shoes! I can’t!” She looked up at him with wide eyes before something swept through them and she grinned.

“No, D.” He said as if reading her mind, but before he could say any more she was standing on the bench with her arms around his neck ready for a piggy-back ride.

“D!” He groaned as he got up. “I told you not to wear those shoes!”

“I know, I know! I’m sorry…. But they were so nice.”

“Nice, my a-“

“Let’s go!” Dara cut him off with a laugh as she took the bags and he adjusted her positioned on his back.

“Yeah,” He chuckled as they made their way through the crowd. “Let’s go.”




In the car, Dara pulled out the J keychain she’d bought and twisted it onto the main ring of her keys. Jiyong pulled out the D keychain he’d bought and did the same before he stuck the key into the ignition and the engine purred to life.

He slurped at the last of the vanilla ice cream they’d bought on their way out as Dara started on her second bar.

“Home?”

“Yes, sir!” She smiled at him, the edges of her lips coated in milky vanilla.







Once out of the shower and rid of the day’s sweat and overall grime, she picked up the green bowl and offered it up to Jiyong, already sprawled out on the bed.

“The red bowl, remember?” He said as he took the green bowl and placed it back on the nightstand.

“Oh, right.” She reached over to pick out a card, but he stopped her.

“I picked one while you were in the shower.”

He held up the index card and Dara read it aloud.

“Jeju Island.”
 

 

---written by dolcevittaa---

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A/N from dolcevittaa: Was going for more of a lighthearted, playful date after Jen's MA storm and since they were at an amusement park anyway. Hope you liked it!


And thank you to Jen for some real life inspiration and Pandy for the jelly moments! ;]