“Had I known you had a car, I would have asked you to pick me up.” Seungwan says, as Seulgi slams her car door shut. 

“You literally live four houses away.” 

“Still! Walking is tiring.”

“Well, good luck, cause that’s all we’re going to do today.” Seulgi says as they fall into step in front of Joohyun’s door. 

Even from the outside, Seulgi can hear the excited noises of the Park family. She can hear Joohyun calling out for Yerim, and Joy asking their mom if she’s seen her favorite boots. 

“Are you ready for this?” Seungwan smirks. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Seulgi sighs and then presses the doorbell. 

An “I’LL GET IT!!!” is heard and the door swings open, “SEUNG- oh. It’s you.” 

Seulgi manages to plaster on her best smile, “Hi, Joy! Are you excited for today?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Just a yeah? Not a hell yeah?!” Seungwan interrupts. 

“SEUNGWAN, LANGUAGE!” Mrs. Park calls out from somewhere in the house. 

“Sorry, Mrs. P!” 

“And Joy, let our guests in!” 

Joy, as expected, greets Seungwan enthusiastically with a hug as she enters after Seulgi. But Seulgi doesn’t mind. She has the whole day to try and win Joy over and more importantly, spend time with Joohyun. 

“Hi you two!” Mrs. Park says as she emerges from the hallway. 

“Hi Mrs. P!” Seungwan waves. 

“Good morning, Mrs. Park.” Seulgi greets her with a slight bow.

“Dear, you’ve been here everyday for the past two weeks, you don’t have to be so formal with me. And thank you for inviting my girls to the amusement park with you and your friends.” 

“It’s no trouble at all! I would have failed all my exams if not for Joohyun and Seungwan.”

“Well, Joy and Yerim are excited for it too. They wouldn’t even go to sleep last night!” Mrs. Park laughs, ruffling her daughter’s hair much to the little girl’s annoyance. 

“Is Mr. P home?” Seungwan asks before the silence gets too awkward for Seulgi’s liking. 

“He arrived early this morning, we’re planning to go out later today after he gets some sleep in.” 

“AWW! It’s a date day for my second parents!” Seungwan coos and again, Seulgi will forever be amazed at how comfortable and how good Seungwan is with parents.

Joohyun emerges a moment later with Yerim, who waves excitedly at both Seulgi and Seungwan. “Sorry, this one wouldn’t sit still long enough for me to change her shirt.” 

“Yerim spilled juice on her shirt.” Joy tries to whisper, but of course comes out in her normal volume.

Seungwan chuckles in response and Seulgi doesn’t even register what Joy has said because what the hell. How is this fair? She looks adorable when she’s at home in her sweats or pajamas, she manages to make their drab school uniforms look fashionable and now, in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, her hair up in a high ponytail, Joohyun still manages to look stunning. 

“Seulgi?” Joohyun asks, a hint of concern in her voice, as she watches Seulgi stand silently in the middle of the doorway.

“Sorry! I spaced out! I- I was busy trying to remember if Momo needed me to pick her up!” 

“And with that, I think it’s time we get going.” Seungwan says, pulling the attention off her. 

“Before you go, what are our rules?” their mom asks with a hand on her hip.

“Hold unnie!” Yerim says.

“No strangers!” Joy follows. 

“No fights!” they say together. 

“Good girls. Have fun, okay? Take care.” Mrs. Park says, giving her daughters a kiss on the top of their heads (Joohyun included) before disappearing into the hallway and presumably back into her room.

Then, much to Seulgi’s amusement, Joohyun crouches down to Joy’s height, and Seungwan does the same to Yerim. The little girls have huge smiles on their faces and they look like they’re about to explode from excitement. 

Joohyun smiles and starts with, “ONE.” 

“TWO.” Seungwan continues. 

“THREE! LET’S GO, LET’S GO, LET’S GO!!” The teenagers shout together and there’s a round of cheers and screaming as the kids rush to put their respective jackets, backpacks, and shoes on.

Joohyun continues to cheer them on while she grabs Seulgi’s arm to lead her out to the front lawn.

Joy then declares, “Last one out has to kiss Seungwan unnie!!”

“HEY!!!!” Seulgi can hear Seungwan shout as both kids rush out the door. (Yerim’s jacket is barely on, and Joy’s backpack is falling off but they’re already shouting they won.)

“Wow, they’re never that quick. They really don’t wanna kiss you, huh?” Joohyun laughs, patting her friend on the back.

The two little girls quickly grab hold of Joohyun’s hands, one on each side, still debating on who got out last. 

“I was out first!” 

“NO, ME!” Yerim shrieks. 

“Nuh-uh! It was me, right Joohyun unnie??” Joy looks up to their eldest for support, her eyes big and pleading.

“You are not dragging me into this.” Joohyun replies, “Let’s make it fair, both of you give Seungwan unnie a kiss.”

Both kids make a face at that which makes Joohyun and Seulgi laugh even harder.

“Wow, wow, wow. Why am I even here? You wound me, you two.” Seungwan sighs dramatically, a hand on her chest. 

“Well, one, you’re my best friend and you love us. Two, you love amusement parks. Three, they love you just as much. You’re just fun to tease. Right, Joy, Yerim?”

“YEAH!” the kids answer, flashing mischievous grins at their second favorite unnie.

“Now, go on, give Seungwan unnie a kiss.” Joohyun says, pushing the kids forward.

Seungwan’s kneeling on the grass as she accepts a kiss from Joy on her cheek. “Come on, Yerim, your turn. Kiss Seungwannie, please.” 

Yerim smiles, the biggest most annoying smile she can possibly have plastered on her little face. “No.”

“Yerim-ah.”

“Unnie, unnie, close eyes please.” 

Seungwan does as she’s told and closes her eyes. She feels Yerim’s tiny hands on her shoulders as she leans forward and then something wet-

“YAH! Yerim-ah! DID YOU JUST ME?!” Seungwan shouts as her eyes shoot open, grabbing the little girl and tickling her until she gives in. 

The culprit is cackling so hard Seulgi thinks the kid will pop a lung or something. 

“Come on, Seulgi, Joy, let’s leave these two weirdos.” Joohyun says, easily lifting the laughing Joy into her arms and grabbing Seulgi’s hand as they make a run for the car.

Seulgi, Byulyi and Momo have been going to the amusement park after exams since they were in fifth grade. What started out as a dumb punishment ended up becoming a cherished tradition. It began because of a dare. Byulyi, knowing that they were all terrified of roller coasters, wanted to motivate them to study harder. So, she declared that whoever failed their math exam would need to ride one. In the end, they all fail their exam but their love for roller coasters begins. 

It’s a tradition they plan to honor at least until they graduate high school. And no matter what, it’s always the three of them. Even if it’s been two weeks since exams have ended, if that’s what it takes for them to be complete, then they’ll wait it out. Sometimes, other members of the dance team come along, and ever since Byulyi started dating, Yongsun has become a staple to their tradition too.

So, Seulgi is used to roller coasters, rides with huge drops and all the shouting and screaming attached to it. She’s used to a steep climb before a major sudden drop, giant loops, 360 degree turns and she’s in love with it all. 

But this change? Swapping huge roller coasters with crawling caterpillar rides? A heart dropping water ride for a relaxing boat ride around the park? Or spinning tea cups instead of being strapped down and spinning at god’s knows how fast? She’s honestly a little worried about how it’s going to all work out. Because yeah, this was her idea and yeah, Momo and Byulyi (and by extension Yongsun) had agreed, but still. It’s a change in tradition and she doesn’t want to disappoint them. She doesn’t want to disappoint the Park siblings either (fine, Seungwan too) and she hopes they have a great time. She wants Joohyun to relax and not worry, she wants the kids to have fun and hopefully, at the end of the day, Joy will stop trying to push her away. 

“You okay?” Joohyun asks, as they pull up into a free parking space. 

Seulgi nods, “Yeah, just a little worried that’s all.” 

“They’ll be on their best behavior, promise.” Joohyun turns to the girls seated at the back. “Right girls?” 

“Yes!” Yerim replies. 

Seungwan pokes Joy to catch her attention, “Yes, unnie, of course!” Joy replies, smiling with all her teeth. (Seulgi admits that Joy’s smile gives her zero reassurance that she will be on her best behavior. But Joohyun seems to believe it.)

They spot Momo, Byulyi and Yongsun as soon as they approach the park entrance and Joy makes a beeline for the latter, crashing into the teenager. 

“Hi, Joy! It’s been a while huh?” 

“Yeah! Can you please please visit with Dahyun unnie and Jihyo unnie again? Bring the other unnies too please!” Joy says brightly, swinging Yongsun’s arms. 

“Of course, kid. We’re all free now so we’ll definitely do it soon. We keep saying how much we miss you!” 

“Me too, me!” Yerim squeals as soon as they’ve caught up.

Yongsun laughs and pinches her cheeks, “Yes, we missed you too, Yerim-ah.”

Joohyun then leads her sisters to the two other girls, “Joy, Yerim, you remember Momo unnie and Byulyi unnie, right? They visited us in Dahyun’s shop.” 

Yerim nods, and asks for high-fives. “Hi Momo unnie, Hi Byulyi unnie.” Joy greets, a bit shy, but still friendly. Then, she notices Yongsun holding Byulyi’s hand and before she can ask, Yongsun explains, “Byulyi is my girlfriend.” 

Joy nods, once, twice, then looks at her sister as if assessing. It’s clear she’s figuring out what to do, with Yerim already now holding Seungwan’s hand meaning that Joohyun has a free hand ready for the taking. 

And honestly, Seulgi doesn’t even have time to be disappointed, (plus, she fully expected it) she’s just amused at the little girl’s problem solving skills. Joy huffs, and stands in front of Joohyun with her back facing her sister, “Unnie, put both your hands on my shoulders please?” 

“What?”

“Please, unnie? So I won’t get lost.” Joy says, looking as adorable as she can be.

Joohyun chuckles, “Sure, Joy.” 

Yerim looks at her sisters, then up at Seungwan, “Me, me!” 

“Yerim-ahhhh,” Seungwan whines, “You’re so much smaller! I’ll have to bend down!” 

“Pleaseeeeee? Won’t get lost!” Yerim parrots. 

“Why don’t you stay on my shoulders instead, Yerim?” Seulgi asks, “That way you can be tall and see eeeeverything! Is that okay?” 

“Are you sure, Seul? She’s not the lightest kid in the world.” Joohyun says. 

“I’m sure!” Seulgi says, and Yerim’s eyes light up in excitement as she’s hoisted up on the dancer’s shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Joohyun, if Seulgi gets tired, I’ll take over.” Momo says. 

“I will too!” Byulyi adds. “And you, Joy-ah, let me know if you want anything okay? We’ll all take care of you.”

Momo slings her arm around Seungwan’s shoulders and the latter jumps at the contact, “Yup! Today, we’re your superunnies! Hirai Momo at your service! Right, Seungwan?”

“R-right! Son Seungwan at your service!” Seungwan salutes, with her signature wink.  

Seulgi can’t help but smile as Joy laughs at her friends, and she catches Joohyun smiling at the sight too. Their eyes meet, and a blush creeps up Seulgi’s face as Joohyun winks at her. Maybe Seulgi didn’t need to worry after all.

“Seulgi, it’s fine, it’s tradition. We’re not going to die if you leave us for one ride.” Joohyun says. 

“But-” 

“Look, there’s that flying elephant ride that’s fine for the both of them. We’ll just ride that..” 

“But-” 

“Go, don’t worry about us.” 

“Fine, fine.” Seulgi says, and she trudges towards their friends. 

“Don’t worry, Seulgi, they’ll be fine.” Momo pats Seulgi’s back as she joins them in line. 

“I know, it’s just… I want to spend time with them. All of them. But I want to spend time with you guys too.”

“Seulgi, it’s just one ride. I promise they’ll be fine.” Yongsun says. 

“Wait, wait! I got an idea!” Byulyi huddles them all together, “Look who’s manning the line. It’s Chanyeol. Let’s just ask him if we can skip!”

“How?! I’m not close with him, neither are you!” Seulgi whispers. 

Momo claps her hands together, “Okay, we gotta bribe him!” 

“This money is to pay for today!” Seulgi hisses. 

“Damn. I’m broke too. Do you know what he likes?! Maybe we can get him a week’s supply of his favorite candy or something-” 

“He’s not a child!” 

“Well, do you have a better idea?!” 

“Getting Chanyeol to help was my idea!”

“All of you, shut up.” Yongsun says. “Let me handle it.” 

Seulgi watches in amazement as Yongsun makes her way towards their classmate Chanyeol, says a couple of things to him, and he quickly hands over his phone for her to type in. As soon as she’s done, she waves them over. 

She doesn’t even have time to figure out what the hell happened because before she even knows it, she’s being strapped down into the ride, screaming her lungs out with Momo beside her. As soon as it’s done, Yongsun is already pushing her towards the child-friendly ride and Seulgi is severely out of breath as she taps Seungwan on the shoulder, the group still waiting for their chance to get on.

“You’re done?!” Seungwan asks. 

Seulgi nods, and points behind her, “Wan- go- Momo- waiting- you-” is all she manages to get out. Joy sends her a glare when she realizes what has happened, but thank god she’s excited because she’s quickly distracted by the line moving and getting Yerim to move along with her.

“Here, you look like you need it.” Joohyun says, handing Seulgi a bottle of water from one of the kids’ backpacks. Seulgi gulps it down and closes her eyes to steady herself. Then, her eyes shoot open as she feels soft cotton on her face, and Joohyun pulls her hand back and instead, offers the handkerchief to her. “You’re just a bit sweaty.” 

“Thanks.” After she makes sure her forehead is clear of sweat, she leans on Joohyun’s shoulder. “It was so fun. But I’m so tired. Can we stay like this for a bit? Until the line moves again?” 

Joohyun squeezes Seulgi’s forearm, “Sure.” She traces light patterns on Seulgi’s skin, humming something under her breath and Seulgi kind of hopes they never get to ride so they can stay like this for much longer.

Of course, that’s not possible, but Seulgi is pleasantly surprised when the line starts moving again and as Joohyun lets go of her forearm, she instead reaches out to hold Seulgi’s hand, hiding their intertwined fingers behind her back. Joy is none the wiser, as she opens the amusement park map, showing Joohyun all the rides she wants to try. 

They only let go when it’s about to be their turn, and Yerim ambles up to Seulgi, asking to be carried. “Do you want to ride with me?” Yerim nods and they settle into the elephant ride together. 

“Are you scared, Yerimie?” 

Yerim nods once more and gets as close to Seulgi as she possibly can. “Don’t worry, I got you.” 

As soon as the ride begins and the elephant flies up in the air, Yerim starts to scream her little lungs out. Her eyes are shut tight as she clutches onto Seulgi’s arm, and Seulgi already has her arm wrapped around the preschooler’s shoulders. The elephant continues to go around, sometimes going higher into the air, then dropping a foot or two, with Yerim screaming the whole time. 

Then they hear Joy shout, “Open your eyes, Yerim-ah! It’s okay! It’s fun! It’s okay, Yerim! Listen to unnie!” Yerim’s small hands are still holding onto Seulgi for dear life, but she slowly manages to open her eyes. 

This time, Joy and Joohyun start to cheer and they shout together, “Good job, Yerimie!! Go Yerimie!!” The toddler’s screams turn into squeals of delight and they enjoy the rest of the ride together. 

As they exit the ride, Yerim runs to her sisters, “I did it! I did it!” 

"You did it!! Good job, my Yerim!!” Joohyun says as she lifts her sister up. “Go Yerim!!” Joy cheers, jumping up and down beside them. 

“Unnie! I open eyes!” Yerim says proudly, as they catch up to the rest of their friends. 

“What?! I didn’t get to see it!” Seungwan pouts, “Can we ride something together? I want to see brave Yerimie too!” 

“Me to