Because it was still early, the park was relatively empty, except for some parents spending the day with their children. 

 

Daesung hooked his arm with mine and pulled me towards the rides area. “Uhhh…Daesung, I don’t really…ride--” We stopped in front of a roller coaster. “--especially these things!” My eyes were filled with fear. 

 

He laughed at my expression, “Don’t worry! It’s only scary for a few moments. And if you go flying out of your seat, I’ll fly out after you to save you.” 

 

“How on earth will you save me that way?!” I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. “Ahh, I’m going to die on this ride. Ahhh!” Daesung laughed heartily again and pulled me into the line. Every step closer we took to the ride filled me with even more anxiety. 

 

After a few more minutes, we finally reached the entrance to the ride. He gave me an encouraging look as he tugged my arm one last time to pull me through. And of course, we had to sit at the very front of the ride. As we slowly began to move, I started to chatter excitedly. “OH MY GOD WHY AM I ON THIS RIDE. HOW COULD I LET YOU DO THIS. AHHH HOW IS THIS A “HAPPY” BIRTHDAY?!” Daesung could only laugh at me thinking out loud. 

 

A few moments later, the ride ended and I walked off first before Daesung laughing my head off, him following looking pale and sick. “Are you alright?” I turned around to check on him, trying to hold back my laughter at the sight of him. He was leaning against a railing holding his face in one hand and placing the other on his chest, trying to catch his breath. 

 

He looked at me irritated. “Ya, how can you laugh at my pain. Oh! I didn’t think it would be that bad…Ahhh, that was horrible…” 

 

“I can’t help it if every time I looked over at you, you had a terrified expression on your face. I thought I was the one who was going to freak out, but that was actually a lot of fun.” I smiled brightly. “Want to go again?” He looked up at me in shock, mouth slightly open. 

 

“N-no…let’s just…ah, let’s just play some games, ok?” 

 

I laughed, “Ok, let’s go!” As we walked away from the ride, I wondered if Seunghyun liked rides like this. We should come here together one day…

 

“Yuri-ah!” Daesung had jogged ahead and found a game we could both play. It looked like a game where you had to try and knock off a bunch of bottles off a platform. He waved me over. 

 

“Oh! What cute prizes!” The prize was a big green dinosaur wearing a slight smile. 

 

“You want one?” 

 

“Mm! Let’s both try!” 

 

After several failed attempts from me, Daesung finally knocked over all the bottles. He handed me the dino over to me and smiled as we were walking away from the booth. The more I looked at it, it somehow reminded me of Seunghyun. I smiled and hugged it tightly. 

 

We played more games and had lunch from one of the vendors. We wandered around the park for a while more and noticed how late it was getting; the sun was starting to set. 

 

“I have one more place to take you, if you’re up for it! It‘s someplace that‘s special to me, and I think you‘ll like it.” I brightly smiled and nodded. “It’s not far from here, we can just walk.” 

 

We left the park grounds and approached what looked like a small park; it had a small playground area for children and a swing set. Daesung walked over to the end of the playground and motioned me to follow him. As I approached, I realized why this place was so special. The park was actually near the top of a hill and overlooked the entire neighborhood. 

 

“Wow, Daesung it’s so beautiful here,” I said in awe. 

 

He nodded. “Yeah, whenever I have troubles on my mind I come here to think. It’s usually quiet around this time and the view is even more beautiful at night when all you can see are lights spread out through the city.” 

 

We stood there in silence admiring the sunset when my phone started ringing. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it was Seunghyun. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Happy birthday, my sleeping beauty.” That nickname had stuck ever since the first time he used it. He said it matched me perfectly because I was so beautiful, but also liked to sleep too much. 

 

I smiled at the sound of his voice. “Thank you…but I’m mad at you,” I said teasing him. 

 

“Huh?! What? Why are you upset?”

 

I giggled. “Because you looked the message I got this morning from Lily. Is there no such thing as privacy?” 

 

He laughed lightly, “Ya, is it my fault you can preview the message on the front screen? I’m innocent. Innocent!” He sighed, “Well, I’ll be home later tonight, but if you can wait up, I have something special for you.” 

 

I tried to hide my excitement; butterflies filled my stomach as I tried to think of what he had to give me. “O-okay, I’ll wait for you.” 

 

“Ok, I have to go now. Enjoy the rest of your day and I’ll see you in a few hours. I love you.” 

 

“I love you, too…bye.” 

 

I sighed and looked to the sky. I wished Seunghyun was here to share this moment with me in person instead of on the phone. I squeezed the stuffed dino missing him like crazy. 

 

Daesung looked over at me and smiled. “You really love him, huh.”

 

I looked down shyly and nodded. “Yeah, there’s never been anyone else that I’ve felt this way for. It’s only been a few weeks, but I feel like he fills this missing piece in my heart. It’s hard to explain, but I just feel like a whole person when I’m with him and when he’s not there, I long for his presence.” 

 

I brought my glance back to Daesung and he was leaning his elbow on the railing while resting his head on his hand. He sighed and looked towards the sunset again. 

 

“Ahh, Seunghyun hyung is lucky to have such a love in his life. I hope one day I can find someone like that for myself.” 

 

“You will. I’m sure of it.” I gave him a friendly nudge with my arm and shot him an encouraging smile. 

 

He nodded in thanks. “So, did you enjoy your birthday today?” 

 

I grinned, “Yup! I had a blast!”

 

He smiled softly and nodded and turned to look back at the sun which was just barely showing itself from behind the horizon. He wore a slight smile but his eyes looked on with sadness. 

 

After the sun had set, we stayed a bit longer to take in the night view of the city. And it really was as beautiful as Daesung had said it was. It also gave me a feeling of peace; all those families in their homes, cooking dinner and spending time with their families. It gave me a warm feeling inside. Soon it was time for us to return back to the apartment for dinner. On the drive back, I could only think of Seunghyun and the surprise he had for me. I smiled to myself thinking how lucky I was to have met such great people while on vacation.