|| Philophobia || Baek Kyung

Chapter 16 - Scared kitties

Yeona’s day just got weirder — but, honestly, kind of better? Namjoo’s shout echoed like a fire alarm, and in classic fashion, he stumbled over the oblivious duo right in front of him. Classic Namjoo move.

“Oh, sorry! Might’ve used a tiny bit too much force,” Dohwa grinned, absolutely unapologetic as he helped Namjoo up—after thoroughly confirming his suspicions, of course.

See, Dohwa was doing a science experiment of sorts: would Baek Kyung save his long-time bro Namjoo or his new Juliet? (Spoiler alert: Juliet’s not even his fiancée yet, just in case you forgot.)

Baek Kyung didn’t even hesitate. He helped Yeona wipe the dust off her clothes like a total gentleman and didn’t spare a single glance at poor Namjoo, who scoffed and muttered under his breath, “Damned witch, brainwashed by best friend.”

Yeona snorted. Weird? Absolutely. Hilarious? Also absolutely.

---

They finally reached the amusement park’s main event: the dreaded, heart-pounding roller coaster. Some of them were hyped; others were scared little kittens getting dragged by their tails.

“Tickets for six,” Namjoo said, stepping up to pay like the responsible adult in the group.

“Are you sure it’s not five?” the ticket collector asked Dan Oh with a suspicious squint.

Dan Oh shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass. “Nope, six tickets. Count ‘em.”

Namjoo couldn’t help himself and smirked, “Might as well sit on Haru’s lap; you’re shorter than half the kids here.”

Yeona snickered and glanced at Baek Kyung, who laughed hard enough to make everyone notice. Yep, the secret was out. Everyone suspected he liked her, but this? This was proof. Still, Baek Kyung wasn’t about to change his whole vibe just yet.

---

On the roller coaster, Yeona and Baek Kyung had a silent pact: stick together no matter what. Yeona was the brave, cackling through the loops and drops while Baek Kyung screamed like a banshee and clung to her like she was his personal life raft.

By the time the ride ended, Baek Kyung was trembling like a leaf, using Yeona as his human shield. Neither of them complained, though. If anything, they were weirdly enjoying the moment — the kind of weird that says, “Yep, this is us.”

---

After exhausting all their adrenaline, they stumbled toward the food stalls. Do Hwa and Namjoo, the soon-to-be-couples-in-joke, shared a single cotton candy, which had the rest of the group cracking up.

Meanwhile, Yeona and Baek Kyung grabbed corndogs and collapsed onto a bench, their energy mostly drained from walking and screaming their lungs out.

The park was surprisingly calm, aside from the occasional excited shouts echoing in the distance.

“So... never thought you’d be afraid of roller coasters,” Yeona teased, biting into her corndog with a smirk. “Scaredy cat.”

Baek Kyung groaned but smiled, “I just started. That speed was next-level.”

“Yeah, but at least you didn’t faint like Namjoo.”

Yeona chuckled darkly. “I would’ve left you behind if you passed out.”

“I’d rather stay here than with you, Miss Irony,” he retorted with a smirk. “You’re literally scared of cockroaches.”

Yeona’s eyes narrowed, “Hey, that’s not even connected. Makes no sense.”

Baek Kyung laughed and casually rested his hand on the bench behind her head. She caught the gesture, looked at him for a heartbeat... then gave in to the weird intrusive thought bubbling up inside her.

Leaning closer, she laid her head on his shoulder, staring down to hide the faint blush creeping across her cheeks.

Baek Kyung froze, caught off guard but deciding to play along, draping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her just a little closer.

He was secretly thrilled she was looking down—because if she looked up, she’d see his cheeks the color of a ripe tomato and the goofy smile he definitely couldn’t hide.

Yeona’s heart did a little dance, somewhere between panic and thrill. “What even is this?” she wondered. But one thing was clear: something had shifted. And maybe, just maybe, that was a good thing.

---