OUR HEARTBEAT [BEOMJUN] ✅

thirty

Our team won and that put everyone in an even better mood. The carnival was almost as loud as the football game had been. As promised, three big rides took up half the parking lot, along with booth after booth of carnival games—dart balloon pop, ring toss, water gun horse race, bounce house, and on and on down the line. There were also food booths everywhere, mostly candy, but some fried food on sticks as well.

And then there was the podcast stage. It was set up on the far end, with a big clearing for an audience. In one hour, I was supposed to go up there and talk, live, in front of a bunch of people. I waited for my nerves to kick up a notch but they didn’t. Maybe I had embraced this new role.

Arin and Yeonjun were walking side by side, taking in the sights. Soobin and I trailed behind them.

“Do you want to go on the Ferris wheel?” Soobin asked me.

“Sure.”

“I have front of the line privileges for all the rides.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m okay waiting in line.”

“Well, I’m not.” He said it with a smile but I knew he was serious. He took my hand. “We’re going on a ride,” he announced.

Arin and Yeonjun turned around. My hand in Soobin’s did not escape Arin’s notice. She wiggled her eyebrows at me. I took my hand back and walked toward the Ferris wheel.

Soobin was indeed serious about cutting. And to my surprise, nobody cared. They all called out their thanks to him for providing the rides. Great. That would just encourage him.

Soobin and I stepped forward and were strapped into the seat. Soobin’s arm immediately went around my shoulder as the ride jerked into motion. The motion stopped after ten feet, letting the next people on below us.

“Do you ever think that these parking lot rides are one loose bolt away from falling apart?” he asked, patting a metal support beam.

“Yes, actually. That is my first thought, followed by fear the rest of the ride.”

He swung his feet as we moved forward again.

When we stopped at the very top, he leaned forward and looked around. I watched him locate Arin and Yeonjun, who were throwing darts at balloons.

“How much will you give me if I can hit Yeonjun with my gum from up here?”

“Gross,” I said. “Don’t throw your gum.”

“I wasn’t going to throw it. I was going to spit it.”

I made a face. “Nice.”

“Arin would’ve laughed at that,” he said.

“And?”

“You don’t find me funny.”

“Sometimes you are funny.”

Soobin’s arm was still around me, and with one of his fingers, he began drawing patterns on my arm.

I thought about telling him to stop. Oh no. Maybe he did like me. Maybe I was leading him on. But as I watched Arin and Yeonjun down below, seeing how much fun they were having, I kept my mouth shut.

After several more rotations on the Ferris wheel, we reached solid ground again. “The bolt hung on for us,” I said as Soobin and I walked away from the ride.

“We are survivors for sure,” he said.

“My turn!” Arin said, running over to us. “I don’t want to wait in line either, so I’m stealing Soobin for a second.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him back the way we’d come.