When We're Together [양정완]

32.

Yang Jungwon choked on his own breath. "H-uh?" He stared at the female with his eyes wide. "I though you and Min Yuha-"

"What? No- not for me, I'm asking for someone else," she blurted quickly, "My friend likes Aera."

The male froze for a moment before he quickly hid his face, trying not to show the fact that he was jealous at the thought of another guy with Chae Aera. "Who?"

"Psh- I can't tell you. Duh." The girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest firmly.

"Why doesn't he ask her himself?"

"I dunno. To be honest, I don't know why he told me in the first place." she shrugged and pulled a bag of chips from her PJ pant pockets and started munching on them. "So is she?"

The male was surprised that anybody was able to go from a complete annoyance to asking something like this on just a few weeks. No wonder everybody said she had a bold personality. "Yeah..?"

"Hm. Okay, thanks." The female turned to return into her room, leaving the baffled Yang Jungwon alone on the balcony, still processing that entire interaction.

~~~

The following day, the students met in the lobby of the hotel for breakfast before loading onto the buses to make their way to the theme park for day 1 of their retreat. Chae Aera was still half asleep on the bus, so she was glad to have gotten a whole row to herself.

By the time the bus arrived at its destination, however, the bus was full of awake and excited students, dancing and singing in anticipation of the coming day. Aera was awoken by the sound of the bus doors opening as the other students filed out of the bus, almost leaving her behind. She quickly grabbed her phone and hurried out of the vehicle.

The sight of the amusement park was amazing. The girl found herself staring at the huge structures and colorful lights in amazement and excitement, but she was soon snapped out of her trance by Park Haneul. "Aera! Come over here!"

The older girl waved the younger over to where she and their other roommates were huddled together for a group photo in the entrance of the park.

"Actually," Aera said as the group made their way into the castle at the front of the park, "I haven't been to an amusement park since I was... I think 6?"

Jang Eseo gasped with a hand over her mouth. "Really? How? I used to come to these places so often with my family."

Chae Aera was about to respond, but her words were cut off by Baram and Yoona's excited squealing at the sight of Baek Junhyun who was waiting in line for a swing ride. Aera, Haneul, and Eseo shared a 'not this again' look as the two giddy second years scurried over to join Junhyun in the queue.

Just them, Aera received a call, making her phone loudly play Signal by Twice, which was her ringtone. She quickly took the call, embarrassedly turning the ringer volume down at the same time as the two third year girls giggled at her.

Hello?

Aera, where are you? Yang Jungwon's voice questioned over the phone.

Uh... I don't know.

Tsk...What do you see around you?

A huge swing thingy. OOH! And cotton candy!

Cotton- uh okay, I think I know where you are. Wait there.

The boy cut the call and Aera took the opportunity to grab some cotton candy from the cute, pink cart that was selling it. Just as she was handed her teddy bear-shaped cotton candy and turned around, she was startled by a boy who was standing just behind her making a face and holding up claw hands.

Jungwon quickly pursed his lips and swung his arms down to his sides, but not before Aera spotted him and burst out laughing. "What're you doing?" she managed to get out between laughs.

The flustered and also laughing boy responded quickly, "I was going to scare you but then you turned around and ruined it. Hmph."

"Hey! At least be lucky by hands were full or else you would have gotten punched." The girl retorted, pulling off a tuft of her snack and placing it into her mouth. She hummed with joy tasting the sweet candy.

"Is it tasty?" The boy asked as he eyed the cotton candy longingly.

"Mhm!" Aera took another chunk as the pair began walking down the stone path to another area of the park.

"It looks yummy." The male tried again as he followed Aera to wherever she was headed.

"Yup!"

"Looks suuuuper good."

"Yeah, I know right!"

The male was about to try again but suddenly the girl pulled his sweatshirt sleeve and dragged him into the waiting line for a huge, snowy-mountain themed ride.

a/n: so from now on the amusement park is gonna be called Foreverland since it's just easier to give it an actual name, but i've never been to a theme park in korea so it isn't really gonna be accurate but just bare w me pls :,)