Daesung just stood there, trying to get back in control over his own body. His heartbeat was irregular and he had trouble breathing. He watched Seunghyun from afar, he wanted to go over there but his muscles wouldn't listen. He hadn't expected to have to confront Seunghyun one on one, where were his friends? Should he wait until they got there and then go over there? He couldn't decide, he couldn't even think properly. While he was waiting for his brain to react, he took in the sight that was Seunghyun. He had never seen him out of his school uniform, well if you didn't count the outfit he wore in the musical which wasn't really something you would wear on the street. He had a simple but classy style. He wore nothing extravagant but you could see his clothes were expensive. He wore them well, they weren't too tight nor too lose, they fit perfectly. It was almost as if somebody had made them especially for him. Seunghyun checked his watch and furrowed his brow, burrowing into the ground with the tip of his sneaker. Daesung felt guilty making him wait, although he thought it unlikely that Seunghyun even remembered inviting him. He was probably waiting on his friends and couldn't care less if Daesung showed up or not. Daesung sighed. Why were his friends taking so long? He got mad at them on Seunghyun's behalf, it was rude to keep people waiting when they were expecting you.

Seunghyun suddenly turned his head and gazed in Daesung's direction, scanning the crowd. Daesung panicked. Seunghyun spotted him and looked right at him. Daesung's heart stopped. What should he do? What should he do? "Brain please help me!" Daesung smiled awkwardly and did a kind of a half-wave. It was originally supposed to be a wave but he changed his mind at the last second, since it would look silly to wave eagerly like an idiot. Thus it turned into a weird half-wave. He decided just to go with it, since it couldn't very well be undone. Why was he so socially awkward? He longed to be as amazing as Seunghyun, unfazed by anything in his surroundings, always keeping his cool no matter what. Even though Daesung did appreciate his own ability to lighten the atmosphere with his radiant smile and awkward humor, it was moments like these when he wished he could be cool and mysterious, making everyone wonder what he was thinking, wanting to be like him. Seunghyun didn't move and just kept watching him. Well, this couldn't go on forever, one of them would have to make a move. Daesung convinced himself he could do it, he could go over there, easy as pie, one foot in front of the other. He took one step. Then another. Never breaking eye-contact. He wished he could read Seunghyun's mind, it would make everything much easier. As he drew nearer he tried to smile, but he was so nervous that he wasn't sure if he had succeeded. Nearly there. He saw Seunghyun draw a deep breath. Oh no, did he find him so insufferable that he had to calm his nerves just to be able to be around him? Daesung hoped not.

“Heh... hey..” Daesung said awkwardly. Seunghyun gave him a nod but said nothing. “Em.. sorry I'm late, I had some trouble finding you.”, that wasn't precisely true but he needed to say something and that was what came out. “But hey, looks like I'm not the only one, where are the others?” he asked looking around. He wasn't really looking for them, since he didn't even know what his friends looked like. It was just hard to look straight at Seunghyun for a prolonged period of time without taking a break. “Come on.” Seunghyun said, indicating with his head that he should follow him. Daesung was confused, “But...”. What was he playing at? Were they perhaps meeting his friends elsewhere and Daesung had made them late by hesitating for so long. He followed Seunghyun, starting to feel a little guilty.

Seunghyun led them to the ticket booth and they got in line. It was a little awkward, Daesung could think of nothing to say. Seunghyun looked a bit uncomfortable too. Hopefully his friends would join them soon to take some of the pressure off. Although Daesung kind of liked having Seunghyun all to himself, for that he was ready to suffer all the awkwardness in the world. Thankfully the line went fast and before they knew it, it was their turn. Seunghyun bought some tickets and put them in his pocket. Daesung was up next, he felt extremely embarrassed to be able to buy only one ticket. There was nothing he could do about it though, so he got his money ready. He was about to put it on the counter when Seunghyun's hand grabbed his wrist and dragged him away. Daesung gave him a puzzled look. Seunghyun answered with a slight smile. He pointed at the Ferris wheel, “Wanna try it?”. Daesung could do nothing but nod. Seunghyun, who still hadn't let go of his wrist, led him to the entrance of the Ferris wheel and paid the tickets for them both. Daesung didn't know what to think anymore. It was becoming clear that his friends were not coming. Had they canceled or were there never any friends coming in the first place? If so, why had he said 'us'? And why had he invited him, and only him, to the carnival? Maybe he didn't have any friends and was afraid to admit it. Daesung found that hard to imagine, everyone at school would jump at the chance to befriend Seunghyun. Then why had he picked him?

Daesung's line of thinking was distrupted by the Ferris wheel operator, who had a gondola ready for them to mount. Seunghyun went first and was going to help Daesung get in, but Daesung, the klutz that he was, stumbled over the last step and fell head first into the gondola. Seunghyun broke his fall and helped him up, laughing politely “Huh huh huh”. It was the most wonderful sound Daesung had ever heard. It was deep and surprisingly cheerful, it tickled his stomach and made him want to laugh with him. They sat down side by side and the wheel started moving.

Daesung couldn't wrap his head around what was happening, he was excited and scared at the same time. He was ready to give his heart to Seunghyun, but he was afraid it would get trampled on. If Seunghyun wanted to be just friends, he was okay with that too, more than okay in fact. At least that was what he told himself. The gondola shook slightly and Daesung grabbed the edge of the seat to steady himself. Seunghyun put his hand around him, “If you're scared, you can hold onto me. I'll protect you.” he said softly. Daesung's heart jumped. He wasn't the least bit scared, he loved carnival rides, but he held onto him anyway, with his head resting lightly on Seunghyun's chest. He could hear his heart, it was beating really fast. Maybe it was Seunghyun who was scared.

Daesung was floating on a cloud, resting in Seunghyun's warm embrace at the top of the Ferris wheel. Life couldn't get better than this, he thought. The ride was over way too soon. When they were almost back down, Seunghyun cleared his throat awkwardly and removed his hand. Daesung sat up and immediately missed Seunghyun's touch. It was so tender and assertive, so manly. They got out and walked around the area, keeping a timid distance between them. Daesung was slowly getting more comfortable, enjoying Seunghyun's company even though he didn't say much. They walked passed a booth where you had to throw hoops onto pins in order to win a variety of prices. The grand price was a huge Care Bear, placed proudly on the top shelf for all to see. “Look! It's Grumpy Bear! He was my favorite when I was little.” Daesung beamed. Seunghyun stopped abruptly, gave Daesung a triumphant smirk and slammed a ticket on the counter. He took the first hoop, positioned himself in front of the pins and aimed with confidence.