What is in the sky, an ever reaching expanse, that we touch yet wish to hold every day. What makes one want to soar higher, touch the clouds and lose sight of the ground below? Minseok didn't know, but as he looked further and thought about the feeling of air rushing through his hair, he was no longer overly concerned about it. To see his baby sister happy, to witness his mother free for the first time in forever, they were the only things he needed to make his final decision: he was going to take his family on a glorious trip. A trip through the skies, a trip where they could fly without mechanical wings keeping them afloat. A trip where they would land, rise and do it all again in another location of the world. That settled it, and there was nothing more to it. Except for the fact that such a grand voyage would no doubt be costly.

He couldn't take his family on the trip borrowing money, no, he wanted to do this on his own. He hid the brochure, deleted his Internet history of searching and left the house. His sister watched him leave, clad in a white dress with her small hands on the window. Sohee kept an eye on Minseok as he vanished down the street, between the trees and past the countless cars littering their block. When he was out of sight, she shrunk down into her seat with a frown on her face.

Minseok carried several copies of his resume in his pocket, neatly folded and readily available to potential employers. His current part time job as a barista at the local cafe wouldn't allow him to take his family during the peak season, especially not with the pay rate and blotchy shifts he was doing. A morning of three hours, an evening of two, a cover up for a late employee. It wasn't enough, and it was all going to Sohee's future for college anyway. Minseok was more like a father figure to his sister rather than the brother his blood foretold, but Sohee didn't mind. Minseok traversed the streets for help wanted signs, looking up pay rates of stores that adorned them before moving on. 

Minseok returned home at night, with his pocket full of resumes. He played with Sohee until she fell asleep and made sure his mother had eaten. Taking a shower to rid himself of today's stagnant luck, Minseok went to sleep afterwards. Tomorrow was the day they were going to the amusement park.

First to rise, Minseok retrieved the morning paper neatly nestled on their doorstep. As he bent down to get it, he caught the sight of a woman sitting on her porch next door. He vaguely remembered the woman from a sighting months ago when she was in brighter spirits. Nowadays, she was rarely seen and only sat on her chair looking blankly in the distance. Today, Minseok noticed she was crying. Not liking anyone in a disheartened mood, even neighbors he didn't talk to, Minseok approached the older woman. She didn't acknowledge his presence at first, still staring at the road, but turned her eyes to him when he spoke.

"Miss, are you well? Is there something troubling you?" Minseok asked, stopping at the bottom step of her porch. The woman shook her head, more tears flowing smoothly from her eyes.

"No, I'm not well. I never will be. A child is supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around," She murmured, Minseok bowing his head in apology. "I'll never see my son again, I'll never hear his laughter or watch him play with his friends. I won't get to fuss at him about his room being messy or hear him complain about what's for dinner. We'll never take pictures together and he'll never graduate, go to college, get married and have a family of his own." She continued, eyes puffy as she wipes them clear of impending salt trails. Minseok could only frown, for he had vaguely remembered a boy around Sohee's age that lived with this woman. They caught the same school bus, the boy and Sohee. Then, one day, Sohee mentioned the boy stopped getting on the bus. Minseok could only offer small words of apology before backing away, the woman giving him a nod before retreating back into her house.

Minseok returned next door, to his own home, where Sohee and his mother, Nari, were waiting for him. Nari gave him a smile, something rather rare since her husband died, and Sohee bounced like the giddy teenager she was. Minseok temporarily forgot about the woman next door. Nari and Sohee went to the family's car whilst Minseok headed upstairs to grab a few items: the spare house keys, his cell phone and his resumes. Slipping on a light jacket and grabbing two others for his mother and sister, Minseok locked the door behind him as he got into the passenger seat of the car.

"Minnie," Sohee bubbled, wrapping her arms around the headrest of Minseok's seat. "Do you like my hair? I dyed it early this morning." 

Minseok turned around at that moment and grinned, nodding. Sohee's hair was a honeyed brown with a portion of it a light strawberry. "It reminds me of ice cream. Make sure you don't melt in the sun today." He teased, both Nari and Sohee laughing. The ride was short, the three of them discussing what they wanted to do at the park. Nari wanted to collect souvenirs and win items from the stands. Sohee wanted to explore the water area of the park and Minseok wanted to test out the best rides and attractions. Dusky's Star Park, their destination, was huge and often crowded. They planned meeting intervals at every two hours near the entrance.

Upon arrival, Minseok helped carry the cooler to be left at the service desk for safe keeping. It contained their lunches and drinks and was set into place carefully by Minseok's friend, Dylan, who worked the service desk. 

"You owe me one, Min." He laughed, handing Minseok a key. The blonde male carried the cooler off to the cold storage, where it could keep products at a set temperature. Nari and Sohee were gone by the time Dylan returned, off to get their admission bands authenticated. 

Minseok could only nod in response before thinking of something, pulling Dylan to the side after a few customers had their rounds. "I'll owe you a lot of favors if you could do me just one more." He began, Dylan tilting his head curiously.

"And what would that be? It has to be in reason, you know." He replied, Minseok settling himself down in a chair near the other. He prismed his fingers calmly, taking on a serious expression.

"Give my resume to your boss, tell him I'm looking for a job. Or let me know when you see him so I can do it myself." Minseok rambled out, Dylan's eyebrows raising to new heights.

"You want a job here? This is actually funny; they're looking for someone to work a position that needs to be filled ASAP. I heard it's a late shift, though, and there's only one spot for it. But the pay is high." Dylan responded, sifting through a small booklet just under the ledge of the desk. Minseok's spirits felt joy in their core and he nearly jumped up in happiness. Dylan laughed. "I'll page you when the boss is around. Here," He continued, reaching for a small black pager from the holder nearby. He handed it to Minseok, who clutched it tightly. This could be the break he needed, after all.

"Thank you, Dylan!" He exclaimed, giving his friend a hug who began laughing again, returning the gesture.

"You owe me, Min!" He pointed, watching as Minseok ran with glee in his step to where Nari and Sohee were waiting for him. Dylan returned to work, apologizing profusely to a woman who seemed to have nothing better to do than lounge at the service desk.

When Minseok arrived by Sohee and Nari's side, the former seemed a little impatient. She was gazing up and around the area, eyes falling down to spot a rainbow over the splashing waves of a water attraction that was close by, on the east side of the park. Nari could only smile fondly at her daughter, watching her until Minseok appeared. "There you are, Minseok."

"Sorry about that, I had to ask Dylan some things. Are we all set and ready to go in?" He said, Sohee shifting her eyes to him and jutting out her bottom lip slightly. 

"We are, but you aren't. Minnie, you need to get your band authenticated at the gate! Go on, before the line gets long and we end up spending more time waiting than having actual fun." Sohee urged, Minseok raising his arms in defense as he backed away towards the booth to get his band authenticated. As he turned around to go to the booth, he reached into his pocket to take out said band, one out of the three received in the mail for their seasonal pass to the park. Clipping on the vibrant red strip, Minseok walked up to the man waiting at the booth. A quick scan, a few moments wait and then a stamp were all that was needed as he was ushered to go on ahead through and enjoy his stay.

Nari and Sohee weren't far behind him, Sohee running ahead of their mother while Nari took her time. She stopped at Minseok's side and beamed, Nari standing next to them after she caught up.

"All right, you two. Make sure you be careful. Sohee, put your phone in a locker so it doesn't get wet. Minseok, make sure yours doesn't get destroyed when you get on a ride." Nari spoke, reaching into her purse to hand both of them money to spend. Sohee rolled her eyes playfully, shaking her head with a small giggle.

"Mom, make sure you don't win too many games. We only have so much room in the car for toys." She joked, but Nari and Minseok chuckled. They talked more briefly before separating; Nari to the north end of the park, Sohee to the east and Minseok veering to the west.

It was a little after an hour that Minseok realized his pager was sounding off, ringing in his pocket. He patted his hair down in place as he stepped off of the platform for the roller coaster he had just completed, free hand digging into his pocket for the black object. There was a simple message, 'He's here, come now.' from Dylan and Minseok wasted no time hurrying back towards the service desk. It took him a few minutes, nearly losing his way back to the front gate before a map helped guide him. He scurried along and into the small building, fixing himself as much as he could before pocketing the small device.

"Minseok! Over here!" It was Dylan, who was near a door leading to a special access room in the back of the building. Minseok wasted no more time going to him, a quick 'How do I look?' conversation being exchanged before Dylan ushered his friend into the room. The blonde male immediately left the area near the door, customers piling up in a frenzy of questions and complaints at the front desk.

The room was dim compared to the rest of the building, and much cooler. It was small, almost like a cubicle, and Minseok instantly took in the sight of a rather burly looking man whose suit didn't match him. The man gestured for Minseok to sit down, thick beard nearly stealing the audio, and held his hand out politely. Minseok took the seat and shook the man's hand, who gave him a smile.

"Hello, you must be Minseok. Dylan told me about you and how you were looking for a job. Is that correct?" He began, deep voice putting a veil over Minseok's confidence. He swallowed.

"Yes, sir. He mentioned an opening you had for a late shift-" Minseok was cut off when the man pulled out a small booklet, similar to the one Dylan was sifting through earlier, and set it upon the table.

"Yes, there is an opening. And please, just refer to me as Dusky. Sir makes me feel uneasy." He laughed, Minseok cracking out a similar facial expression. The air felt a little awkward. Dusky cleared his throat. "The opening is for maintaining nothing goes awry in the park at night. It starts at eleven pm, around the time just before closing, and ends at six am sharp."

Minseok tilted his head. 'Nothing goes awry'?  "So, a security job?"

Dusky merely smiled and nodded his head. Minseok felt a little at ease at this. "Yes, like a security job. The game kiosks will be locked, but there may be people trying to break in any way to rig stuff up. You'll have access to many utilities, however, to aid you through the night and early morning. Does this sound doable to you?" Dusky continued, Minseok reaching into his pocket to hand him a copy of one of his resumes just in case.

"Yes, it does, Dusky. I have a copy of my resume if you need it, too, to help you decide if I'm qualified for the job at hand. I-" He was cut off once again, this time with Dusky shaking his head.

"There's no need, Minseok. Dylan told me all about you and he's one of my best and most trusted employees here. He doesn't refer anyone to me and you're a first. I can trust you'll be able to handle this." Dusky reassured, causing Minseok to give a smile. He would owe Dylan big time.

"Thank you, Dusky. But I have to ask.. The pay rate for the job, how would that be?" Minseok inquired, Dusky leaning back to his beard in thought. Had he not thought of this?

"Roughly $30 an hour. If nothing ends up missing after the first two weeks, I'll give you a review to see if you deserve a raise. How does that sound? Do you agree?" This was the final nail in Minseok's plan. He could afford to take his family on that trip sooner than he thought!

"Yes, that sounds great. I'll take the job!" Minseok exclaimed, Dusky nodding his head with a small laugh. He then reached down to bring out a booklet of papers neatly stapled together, handing Minseok a pen along with them.

"Excellent. Now, I just need you to sign the highlighted areas on these papers and initial the final form. You start tomorrow night, so bring your ID with you so I can get you in the system." Dusky spoke, Minseok signing and initialing the papers in record time. He didn't even read them, writing them off as standard terms of use. The only thing going through his mind, at the moment, was the grand skydiving trip in the near future. A week or two of work could pay for their lessons. Once he slid the signed papers back to Dusky, with the pen neatly placed on top, Minseok was dismissed and he couldn't have walked out of that dim office in a brighter mood. Dylan, who heard the door click open, threw his friend a thumbs up. Minseok mouthed a hearty thank you to him before leaving the service building, running to where he was supposed to meet his mother and Sohee. Time flew that day, with rushing water and blissfully smiling plushies piling up in the backseat. And the dream of flying seeming less like a dream.

"Mom, slow down! You're winning too many! At this rate you'll have to make two trips to get everything home." Sohee complained, Nari having found a cart-like carrier to transport her growing collection of game prizes. Three large plushies, four smaller ones, one basketball signed by a famous player and a coupon to the gift shop worth $20. Nari handed the coupon to Minseok, promising Sohee one of the larger plushies to compensate. After their short meet-up was over, Minseok headed to where the Gift Shop was located to see what he could get with the coupon. Upon looking the rectangular strip of paper over, Minseok noticed it had actually expired a week ago and clicked his tongue. Nonetheless, he continued to go to the store and entered the rather large shop. The selection was the usual goodies located in any amusement park store, with small plushies littering the top shelves, key chains no one would want dangling on hooks scattered throughout, candies of all sorts in the glass shelf under the register, shirts and hoodies with various slogans and pictures decorating the walls and toys in large bins with a sign to parents to supervise their children. Most likely everything, including the key chains, would be well over $20.

"Hello?" Minseok called out, realizing that he actually hadn't seen a clerk since he walked into the store. There was no answer at first and Minseok waited, browsing the selection. $50 for a shirt with a picture of a dolphin on it? Minseok walked away from it, brows furrowing. Still no sign of a clerk. "Is anyone here?"

"Ah, hello!" A cheerful voice chirped out, startling Minseok and causing him to drop the key chain he was examining. The clerk gave a laugh, patting Minseok's shoulder apologetically. "I'm sorry, did I frighten you? I didn't mean to."

The clerk had on a smile that seem glued on to his face like visible botox, eyes slanting inwards that looked more creepy than assuring and kind. Plus his hair was over-slicked and his shirt looked like it was tucked down to his knees. Minseok struggled to get a smile out back to the man, knowing he just wanted to be good at his job of selling overpriced goodies. Minseok shifted before holding out the coupon to him, lips downturning as he pondered if the basketball had a real signature.

"My mother won this with a basketball at a booth. However, I see that it has an expiration date.. And it happened a week ago." Minseok explained, the clerk gently taking the coupon away to look it over. His smile fell off, as if the glue dried up.

"Ah, this is one of the coupons the old clerk made.. But no worries, I can override the system and honor it for you. I've gotten a few of them in the past week, it's no big deal. Just let me know when you find something and are ready to check out." He responded, handing the coupon back to Minseok. His smile reappeared, less forceful this time. Minseok nodded, pocketing the coupon.

"Thank you. I'll be back later to buy something." Which was mostly a lie, because everything was overpriced, but Minseok wanted to leave on a good impression. The clerk waved him off politely, Minseok heading out to the front door and finally to where the rides were. As he headed to the large steel roller coaster, Soul Stealer, Minseok spotted Sohee in line already. She also spotted him and quickly ushered him over. Apologizing as he cut through the line, Minseok hugged his little sister once they were together. Sohee smiled brightly, returning the gesture and pointing off towards the 'spectating' section of the ride. Minseok could see their mother, Nari, with a partially filled cart. She must have took the other ones to the car, because the plushies seemed different and the basketball was no longer there.

"She wants to take pictures of us getting on the ride and when we get off, to compare them. So no patting down your hair!" Sohee laughed, Minseok shaking his head with a smile of his own. He patted down his hair anyway, earning a light slap to his shoulder from Sohee. The line moved rather slowly, murmurs of the ride malfunctioning again from a pair in front of them that had Sohee clinging to Minseok worriedly after hearing it a few times. It took nearly twenty minutes to reach the front of the line, which was relatively fast, and Sohee's knees were shaking at this point. Minseok comforted his younger sister, telling her it's just a ride and the others just wanted to scare others out of the line. This seemed to help, because Sohee aimed for the front seat of the ride. Before she could reach it, however, she stopped and decided to calmly sit down in the second cart. Minseok cocked an eyebrow wearily but sat down next to her anyway.

"Changed your mind?" He asked, the bars slapping down over their laps. Sohee shook her head, eyes blinking rapidly before she pouted.

"Hey, why didn't we get the front seat?" She asked, bewildered as to why they had sat down on the second cart. Minseok opened his mouth to say something, but the speakers overhead began to blare as the countdown started. He let it go. Just before the ride started, Minseok caught the sight of a man standing close to the edge clad in white, eyes dark as he stared at the front cart. But when Minseok blinked, he was gone. Minseok continued to look where the man was standing, head turning as the coaster crawled up the tracks until he could no longer see the platform without painfully hurting his neck. Maybe it was the heat getting to him.

"We're going up so slowly! I wish this would move faster.. It's making me anxious, you know? Like.. Like what if it really malfunctions like those guys said? What if it goes off track? What if- Eeek!" Sohee suddenly screamed as the coaster dipped down the neatly sloping hill, her stomach generating a feeling of weightlessness that melded so disastrously good with the rush of wind through her hair. Her shriek caused Minseok to laugh, the cheeky male giving off a bright smile with crescent eyes. The coaster rounded a corner before dipping down into a tunnel carved under the ground, lights flickering on as sensors triggered stars of false light to flash and glisten. Minseok was tempted to reach for one, hand raising slightly to begin the journey across the simulated universe, when the coaster began to turn upwards. His hand ceased rising and as passengers behind them both gasped  and yelled in excitement, Sohee cried out happily as the glaring sun poured into the mouth of the tunnel.

"This is so great!" Sohee raised her hands high, eyes crinkling prettily as she waved them in unison with passengers behind. Minseok laughed and did the same, his gaze falling towards the takeoff platform that looked small from their position. And he saw that same man from before, clad in white. He was on the tracks this time, but no one seemed to notice him. Minseok watched, as everyone else enjoyed their ride, he watched the man slowly walk up the slope. He seemed to glide, if anything, with moves so smooth. When he reached the apex of the slope, the man fell forward and to the side. Time seemed to slow around Minseok and just as he was going to scream out, the coaster whipped into a large loop that dove back down to the ground. When the slope was able to be seen again, the man was gone.

"Minnie?" Sohee questioned her brother as they got off of the ride, noticing the rather blank but troubled stare he had towards the slope. Minseok slowly looked at her, eyes focusing once more, and frowned.

"You didn't see that man?" He asked, Sohee tilting her head in pure confusing before jutting her hand back over her shoulder.

"You mean a man behind us on the ride? If so, you'd have to be a bit more specific.." She responded, Minseok shaking his head as he looked back towards the slope. His breath hitched instantly as he saw the man once again. This time he was slumped against a support beam with his head lolled off to the side in a rather painful fashion. As if his neck were broken. "Minnie?"

Sohee repeated Minseok's nickname, watching as he seemed to walk towards the man that only he could presumably see. He was stopped when both an attendant and Sohee  persuaded him to get off of the platform. Minseok was just about to protest, about to point out the man that seemed injured when he glanced over and noticed that the white shadow was yet again gone. Baffled at this, Minseok halted his protest before it could bubble out and make him seem like a fool and went along with Sohee's guidance back to their mother.

"What was that all about?" Sohee questioned, looking at her brother with worry laden on her face. Minseok shook his head, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Nothing, just the heat getting to me. Mom's waiting for us with the camera. I bet you look crazy!" He laughed, Sohee gaping before she giggled and ran off ahead to their mother. Minseok took a fleeting glance back at the platform but when he didn't see the man again, he followed after Sohee. They met up with Nari, who was beaming with her digital camera in hand, and the siblings took turns looking at the pictures Nari had taken. Minseok seemed distracted and out of the ride most of the time, with his face away from the lens in a few pictures. Sohee, on the other hand, was terrified in almost all of the pictures and Minseok took it upon himself to imitate her faces. While he was doing so, he noticed something odd in one the pictures. The figure he had seen while on the ride, was clearly visible in the background. Sure, he looked like a misshapen piece of wood with a mop of black hair, but he was visible.

"Hey, look." Minseok gained the attention of both Sohee and Nari, pointing to the man that he had saw. However..

"What are we looking at, Minnie?" Nari asked, holding the camera close to her face to try and see what Minseok saw. The man was baffled; could they really not see the figure in white, climbing up the hill of the track? Impossible. Minseok walked closer to Nari and again pointed to the figure he could clearly see. Sohee shook her head, peeking over their mother's shoulder.

"There's nothing there, Minnie. It's just the track of the coaster.." Sohee said, Nari nodding in agreement as Minseok was handed the camera again. Why could he see this guy and they couldn't? Why was he able to see the man just before the ride took off? It didn't make sense.  At least, he had thought, Sohee should have been able to see him. She was suddenly stopped from getting on the first row. As if she had saw that the man was going to get on it first. Minseok shook his head, deciding to let it go.

"Must be the heat, then." He sighed, Nari and Sohee giving each other a look before nodding. Nari put her hand on Minseok's shoulder lightly, a warm smile on her face.

"Why don't we go get something to drink, then? That should cool you off." She suggested, Minseok agreeing with a smile of his own. They all then walked off, Sohee leading the way when she pulled the map out of Nari's pocket. On the way, they passed the gift shop and Minseok heard a sniffling noise come out of the door that was slightly ajar. But..

"Closed for break time?" Minseok mumbled, Nari looking back at him when she realized he had stopped walking to look at the door. Following his eyes, she saw the sign as well.

"They'll probably be open again after we get our drinks. Want to come back then?" She asked, Minseok giving her a slightly confused look. Did she not hear the crying? Sure it was faint, but he could hear it through the noise of the surrounding people with no issue. Nari was able to hear Sohee sniffling in her closet from a floor below, so why couldn't she hear the crying from within the store? Minseok shook his head, looking back at the door that was slightly open. Was. It was now completely closed.

"N-no, it's fine. I thought I saw something interesting inside, that's all." He dismissed, Nari nodding before opening her arm to usher Minseok to her side again. The man nodded and began to walk away. As soon as he did, however..

"I can't.. Somebody.."

Minseok whipped around to the door of the Gift Shop, eyes wide as he heard the voice clearly. It had to be of a teenager. He cocked an eyebrow and Nari frowned at his actions, walking up to her son.

"Anyone.. Please?"

"Minseok." Nari spoke, snapping Minseok back to reality. He apparently was walking to the door and was about to bump into a few people. The man swiftly apologized to the lady he nearly collided into, looking back at his mother with a slight hint of confusion in his eyes. Nari placed the back of her hand to Minseok's forehead, wrapping an arm soothingly around her son. Minseok leaned against her then, burying his face partially into her side as she walked them to catch up to Sohee. She cooed to him softly, Minseok's mind still focusing on the voices he clearly heard coming from the Gift Shop. It gave him chills.

They made it to the refreshment booth in a few minutes, Sohee having already ordered drinks for the three of them. A frown was on her face when she handed Minseok his drink, their mother guiding him to a seat under an umbrella. He thanked both of them with a small, forced smile and took a sip of his drink. The cold beverage raced down his throat and cooled him internally a few degrees, making him sigh in relief. Perhaps it really was the heat getting to him. He didn't hear or see anything odd in the shop before when he visited during open hours. Sure, the clerk was a bit creepy, but that was it. No crying or sniffling.

It's just the heat. That's all.

Nari and Sohee fell into a light conversation as they let Minseok recover from his heat 'sickness'. He would have told them about the job then and there, but decided he'd keep it until they returned home. Nari suddenly turned to Minseok, speaking to him to see if he was all right. The man nodded, taking a final sip of his drink. They'd get a refill before setting off again.

Minseok didn't go back the way of the Gift Shop, nor did he encounter anything else out of place. Their trip ended a few hours later after the sunset, the three of them helping Nari push carts of toys and prizes out of the park with onlookers watching in amusement and awe. Nari herself was clapping gleefully, smiling brightly and thanking anyone who congratulated her on her prizes. Sohee and Minseok chuckled to themselves, looking over giant plushies as they weaved the parking lot to the car.

"Oh, Man.. Who's gonna be sitting between Mr. Plump and Ms. Fluff?" Minseok joked, Sohee gaining a horrified expression as she looked at the grossly large teddy bears in the cart. She groaned, the two stopping to load the car with Nari's prizes. Like Minseok had asked, Sohee was sandwiched between the two biggest bears that wouldn't deal with staying in the trunk. Sohee pouted nearly the whole trip home, only stopping when Minseok climbed into the backseat with her during a pit stop and put Ms. Fluff, the giant pink bear, in the front seat with Nari. During the last thirty minutes of the ride home, Sohee fell asleep with her head on Minseok's shoulder and Minseok slumped against the window. Nari smiled at her sleeping children through the rearview mirror, driving in silence until they reached their home. She parked the car in the garage and decided they would all unload the car in the morning.

"Minseok, Sohee. Wake up, you two, we're home. Don't worry about unloading; just get yourselves showered and into bed." Nari gently shook both Sohee and Minseok, the two waking up with whines and groans before dragging themselves out of the car and through the door to the kitchen. Nari shook her head with a laugh and closed the garage doors, locking them before following them inside. 

He'd tell them in the morning, Minseok sleepily decided as he rummaged for his pajamas. Right now he was too tired from both the excitement of the park, the things he saw and heard, and his new job. "In the morning," He yawned, going out to the bathroom until Sohee raced in there first. He groaned obnoxiously, slumping against the wall in sleepy distaste. "Sohee!"