Chapter Nine: Long Ride

“Hey, why are you pretending to be so standoffish?”

Once Mi Ja starts up this type of conversation, the type which bothers them both but neither is brave enough to ask each other. Soojung encountered this problem once, too, when she wanted to ask why Taehyung and not Junmyeon. She didn’t ask, obviously, because she thinks that it’s not really her business nor it was theirs.

They’re friends, alright. But that may be just so because they’re given no other choice to be roommates in the hotel and seatmates in the bus. But this, oh this twisted turn of events suddenly done by Mi Ja to break the wall between them. Mi Ja has been bothered by Soojung’s situation, almost like hers but a bit different. In this case, a bit different is actually equivalent to the mutual love Soojung and Myungsoo have but not Mi Ja and Taehyung.

Soojung sweeps of the topic casually when the line they’re currently waiting in suddenly inched forward. She pats Mi Ja’s back and then points her lips towards the area behind Mi Ja’s back, motioning her that she has to look at what’s happening in the world while she’s not looking. Mi Ja ends up doing what Soojung originally plotted. Soojung sighs, assuming that Mi Ja won’t be that stubborn. But who is she to assume such a thing? Soojung’s assumptions get turned around completely when Mi Ja turns around to her and asks monotonously, “Why pretend to be so distant?”

“Because I am,” Soojung replies with a smirk, almost making her statement convincing and unfeigned. Mi Ja doesn’t buy her pretense though, so she lets out a sarcastic laughter before souring her face at Soojung.

“You’re not, trust me,”

“You’re not me, what would you know?” Soojung challenges as she raises an eyebrow at the tall girl. Mi Ja can only let out an arrogant sigh and laugh at her. Mi Ja says, once again, “Really, you’re not.”

“Don’t talk about me,” Soojung rolls her eyes, giving up as she heaves up her hand in defeat. As her hands fall down into place, Soojung then remarks at Mi Ja, “Let’s talk about you, then. And Taeyong.”

“Who the hell is Taeyong?”

“Oh,” Soojung then realizes her mistake as Mi Ja makes a crumpled expression topped with a pair of furrowed eyebrows. She props up her hand and apologizes briefly before continuing, “My bad, I’m bad at names. So… how are things with you and Daehyun?”

“Daehyun? You mean the guy always eating with the line-eyed boy during lunch? Hell no! How can you be bad at names when you remember mine!?” Mi Ja’s patience is almost running off, but Soojung still doesn’t stop unconsciously ticking Mi Ja off. Soojung then asks, without much emotion in her voice.

“How can I be remembering yours? I don’t even know your surname,”

“You do, you always…” Mi Ja, herself, is unsure of what she’s saying. Does Soojung really don’t know her name? It doesn’t seem like she’s actually lying, if you look at it from a certain perspective. But Mi Ja doesn’t know if what she thinks is actually what is true, but her woman instincts tell her so. Mi Ja’s faltering voice then straightens up as she strongly declared, “You always ridicule my name and make fun of it.”

“Hey,” Soojung says, “I’m pretty sure I never did that.”

Mi Ja squints her eyes at her, placing her hands on either of her hips, “How are you sure when you really remember it? I mean, look at you, your lies aren’t even matching up to each other.”

“Lies? I don’t know about that but—” Soojung gets cut off by Mi Ja’s blabber. Mi Ja justifies herself by saying sternly, “You say you’re bad with names because you have a bad memory, right? But now you’re trying to say to trust you because you are sure it never happened, huh?”

“Woman, listen to me,” Soojung’s frown emits a dark aura around her as she grips on to Mi Ja’s shoulders, “First of all, when it comes to having the skills of remembering names of ordinary people, I am most certainly at the bottom of the ranking. I don’t even know your name, but I’m guessing you’re Kaeru, right? Second…” Soojung breathes in as if charging before, according to Mi Ja’s calculations, she lounges at Mi Ja’s neck. But she doesn’t, which surprises Mi Ja a bit (just a bit, really). Instead, Soojung states with a tone of disbelief, “I don’t think I have a bad memory. But I am sure you do. You’re warping your facts, woman! Get it straight.”

“Don’t call me woman! Why are you bad at names?!” Mi Ja yells.

And so, Soojung responds, “Because I am! Why are you questioning everything about me?!” Which starts another infernal squabble between the two. The argument goes on forever until they finally realize that they’ve been moving towards the cashier as they countered each and every of their words. And now, it’s their turn to get their tickets. With this alone, Mi Ja and Soojung settles the dispute as they walk side by side towards the amusement park entrance with enthusiasm.

It’s already around 3 in the afternoon and Junmyeon’s excitement is still undeniably overflowing, whereas his partner isn’t anywhere near enjoying this situation. Junmyeon looks like a lost child to Taehyung, except he isn’t lost which makes him seem only like a child wandering around. Junmyeon wanted to line up to every ride and imprint a memory of every place in his man as he comes to every spot prepared. His camera flashing secretly as he takes a photo of the carousel slowly revolving around, almost appearing like a glittery paradise to Junmyeon. Once Junmyeon gets tired and eventually realizes how idiotic he looks like, he straightens his slouched back up and grins sheepishly at Taehyung. And Taehyung instantly recognizes what that smile means.

Taehyung finds the two of them standing in front of a long line shortening in a matter of seconds, waiting for their turn to ride the Ferris wheel. Taehyung crosses his arms and swerved his weight on one side of his body, crunching his nose at Junmyeon. Junmyeon returns his gaze with a cold, “What? I’m nothing compared to you and Mi Ja’s idiotic collaborations.”

There’s a slight thud inside Taehyung’s chest, but he opts to overlook it and presses the matter to Junmyeon, “Ah, so you know what I’ve been thinking since we entered the park? Since you do understand now… can I—?”

Junmyeon immediately cuts him off saying, “No. You’re coming with me. Inside one of those carriages in that Ferris wheel. And you’re not going to disobey me. Clear?” Taehyung, feeling cornered as he has no other choice, sighs and hesitantly accepts Junmyeon’s command.

On the other hand, while Junmyeon remains unsteady on his spot, being giddy and all that, his peripheral view catches sight of a pair of girls a few people away from him and Taehyung. It’s Mi Ja and Soojung, jumping up and down in unison with their hype never wavering. Junmyeon slightly smiles as he sees the normal smile on Mi Ja’s lips. At least, maybe, things are starting to fall into the right places. Junmyeon doesn’t stop smiling, and his lips curve up even more as he realizes a brilliant plan to get over with this state.

Taehyung notices the cocky smile plastered on his company’s face. Sickened, Taehyung shivers as he looks away from Junmyeon. The older man then plugs a pair of earphones booming with music inside Taehyung’s ears, and then tries his best to distract him so the plan would go along with his luck. Junmyeon asks Taehyung to buy them some drinks, which Taehyung finds a good opportunity to escape from Junmyeon.

“Be back in 5 minutes, get whatever you need,” Junmyeon warns, “It’s going to be a long ride.”

Apparently, Taehyung’s naivety decides to take over now so then he doesn’t get the slightest hint that Junmyeon’s plotting something remarkably wise yet slightly mean. But Junmyeon doesn’t give the slightest care about how he’s going to take this ‘surprise’. Once Taehyung escaped Junmyeon’s line of sight, even when he tiptoed and looked around there was no sign of Taehyung, not even a shadow, Junmyeon started acting out the pillars of the plan.

He taps the shoulders of the woman in front of him and then smiles gently, “Uhm, hi there. I’m called Junmyeon,” the face sinks into Junmyeon’s mind and he realizes that this woman is also a senior from Taehyung’s school, “I’m Kim Taehyung’s guardian.”

“Oh, hi,” a soft gush of red powdered the lady’s cheeks as she turns around to meet Junmyeon’s dark ashy brown eyes. She reaches out her hand and introduces herself, “I’m Park Sora...I’m 18, and I don’t have a b—!”

Junmyeon cuts her off with a low bow and smoothly continues his move, “You know… Taehyung really, badly, wants to go to the Ferris wheel and overcome his fear. He’s a really frail child, you see. Since he was a mere child, he’s cried even when we climbed up the stairs because that’s how he hates heights so much. He loathes it. And now, he finally has a girlfriend. He wants to show her the world from above. But he can’t, all because of this inevitable fear.”

First, there’s silence. But then, the girl suddenly wipes the corners of her eyes and sobs, “Oh my goodness, that’s such a sad story. I hope he can finally face his fears…”

“The worse part of everything else?” Junmyeon asks, in which as a response, the girl raises an eyebrow. Junmyeon, thus, continues, “She’s going to meet him later, and it’s their last time to be together. Because…because…the parents of his girlfriend are against their relationship.” Junmyeon fakes a teary eye while looking so distant, and s