Chapter Three

I slowed us down when we reached the revolving carousel, both of us panting hard.

The disappointing but inevitable call of, "Haha out. Haha out," was heard over the speakers.

"We need to be more careful from now on and stick together, oppa."

"I agree. But first, wanna ride the carousel with me?" I asked, fully comprehending how weird I sounded at the moment.

Surprisingly, Suzy simply answered, "I like your spontaneity. Let's do it!" She linked our arms together and led me up the steps.

I helped her onto the rabbit before jumping onto the kangaroo next to it.

The usual circus music was looping through the air so I spiced it up by adding some of my own beatboxing.

I succeeded in making Suzy laugh and I was very pleased with myself.

A sudden breeze pushed a strand of hair in her face and I seized the chance to tuck it behind her hair. Her profile was beautiful against the backdrop of the vivid, colorful lights.

So I told her that.

Suzy blushed and murmured a shy "thank you".

Riding on the high of my accomplishment, we were enjoying each other's silence until the sound of approaching bells snapped us out of our bubble.

Running once again, we hid behind a random lemonade stand before the paparazzi saw us.

However, the chilling bell jingles had not yet stopped, growing louder as the person walked closer.

Seconds passed as Suzy and I remained frozen in our sitting positions. Suzy had closed her eyes, cupping her hand over to prevent unwanted noises from coming out. I clenched my fists, my body tense with the waiting.

Eventually, the jingles faded to a faint and the occasional ting. When I felt that the coast was clear, I slowly peeked my head over the counter.

The tall figure of Kwangsoo's retreating back was obvious as he was making conversation to the VJ's camera, completely oblivious to our hiding spot.

By now, the only survivors left were Suzy and me, as well as Wooyoung and Gary from the purple team. Jongkook had been ousted curiously ten minutes earlier.

Twenty minutes remained before victory would be reached.

I figured if Kwangsoo had passed our hiding spot, we would be safe for a little while longer. I sat back down next to Suzy.

“Sooo…”

“Well…”

We spoke at the same time and broke into laughter, the ice melting away.

For the next few minutes, Suzy and I discussed our plan to win the mission. When that was out of the way, Suzy suggested an idea to pass the time.

“Oppa, let’s play a game to get to know each other. I’ll ask you a question, you answer, and vice versa. Arasso?”

“Sounds easy enough. Ladies first.” I gestured to her with a sweeping motion of my hands.

Suzy tapped her finger on her cheek as she thought about a question. “Ah, who’s your ideal type?”

It was my turn to blush. “I thought you already knew.” My ears were burning up, a seemingly regular occurence when she was around.

Suzy grinned mischievously, “I do know. I just wanted to hear you say it out loud.” She bumped her shoulder to mine. “Your turn!”

I couldn’t just let her question slide so I asked, “Am I your ideal type?”

Fully turning to face me, Suzy scrutinized my eyes. “As I’ve said many times, I like a man who has half double and half single eyelids. You actually seem to have that,” she said, shyer than she was a few seconds ago.   

Suzy moved on from the perplexing subject, both of us needing more time to think about the half confessions that had just happened. “Have you ever cried watching a movie?”

I sighed, “Yes, I have.” Through my peripheral I could see that she was curious to know which one.

Ordering her to not laugh, I grudgingly answered, “Toy Story 3.”

Suzy tried to stifle her giggles but they escaped anyway. I hung my head in embarrassment and pouted, “You hurt my feelings. I specifically told you not to laugh.”

Not even trying to cover up her amusement, she smirked, “Well, I think your sensitivity is cute.” I would have taken that as a compliment had Suzy not added, “You know what else is cute? Tangled. Did you cry watching that by any chance?”

I felt my manliness take a hit and I intended to get my revenge.

However, a loud ruckus interrupted us. It seemed that the paparazzi had found Gary and Wooyoung. The heavy sound of running footsteps came towards us.

In their haste, Gary and Wooyoung ended up at our hiding spot.

"What are you guys doing here??" Wooyoung demanded in a hushed whisper.  

"This was our place first! You guys are the ones who need to leave," retorted Suzy.

The arguing was not helping. The bells were coming closer, fast.

I made eye contact with Suzy, conveying the plan with my gaze. She nodded slightly in understanding.

The moment Jaesuk found us, I held Gary's head and braced it towards the camera while I hid my face behind his back.

The click, flash, and Jaesuk's excitement indicated that I had succeeded in getting Gary ousted.

Meanwhile, Suzy had covered Wooyoung's eyes to prevent him from going anywhere.

"Suzy-ah! Let your oppa go! C'mon, I'll treat you to ice cream after this!" Wooyoung pleaded.

"Sorry, oppa," grunted Suzy, struggling with Wooyoung's constant agitation, "As much as I love ice cream-" She smacked Wooyoung's prying hands away, "I love winning more!"

Then she let him go. Right into the camera's line of vision where the perfect shot of Wooyoung's confounded expression was caught.

We ran away with Jaesuk hot on our trail. There wasn't much time left, all we could do now was to try and survive.

The fast grasshopper caught up to us, going for Suzy first. The commotion had drawn Krystal to the scene.

Suzy tried in vain to cover her face but Krystal had her arms locked in her grasp. Jaesuk lined up the shot-

“Time's up. Blue team wins,” came the voice from the speakers.

Jaesuk shook his head, "Aigoo, so close."

I assisted Suzy up from the ground and we celebrated, turning to each other as we threw our hands up.

Elated, I gave Suzy a double high five and clasped our hands together before letting go.

-

At the closing scene, we were congratulated for our win. Gold bars were distributed to the blue team.

Kwangsoo yelled out his infamous, "ANDWAAAAAAE!" as he bent over. It was quickly followed by a resounding smack from Jihyo. Kwangsoo turned to glare at her but a threatening glance from his noona swiftly reverted him back to his submissive state.

"To the guests, would you like to say any parting words about today?" prompted Jaesuk, naturally lapsing back into MC mode.

Suzy raised her hand. "I had a really great time filming today,” she said smiling, “Life is often hectic and busy, it's nice to just be in the moment and enjoy what's going on around you.”

She glanced at me for a split second after saying that. I smiled to myself, understanding her implication. “Running Man is like another family to me, and I'm grateful that you continue to invite me back onto the show-"

"-Why wouldn't we?!" Haha interrupted, causing Suzy to laugh briefly before resuming.

"To be honest, I'm usually terrified of being on variety shows, being a quiet person by nature. But this show, and all the members, has always made me feel comfortable and I want to thank you all for that." Suzy bowed while everyone applauded her candid speech. Jihyo hugged her before returning to her spot. Bora let out a whoop for her friend.

Turning to me, Jaesuk gestured that it was my turn to speak.

"Um...what she said," I responded, arousing laughter among the Running Man members and guests. Suzy teasingly punched me on the arm and I felt we had grown very close spending the day together.

I only hoped that our bond would continue to strengthen.