Dramatically | BL

25 - Love Carnival

JAE'S POV

"So how much will you rate me?"

"Has the date ended?", In-Woo slurped the hot coffe I bought him.

I was confused about whether to reply a 'yes' or 'no' so I just said,"Where to go next, you decide."

"No way. So you just planned walking on beach, nothing else?", he laughed.

"Oh well I thought of alot of things. Only if you allow me."

"Permission granted."

I had originally planned a movie date but what left my mouth was completely different.

"There is a small village 150 km away from this beach. A carnival runs there for 1 week. Today is the last day and it is just something which shouldn't be missed."

"Where did you get that info from?"

"I heard at the coffee shop." (Or should I say I eavesdropped two lovers blabbering about a 'love' carnival)

"I am up for it. Lessgo!"

___

The sun had already set. We safely arrived to our destination. It was a small residential settlement . The crowd was moderate. Almost all people looked locals who had been residing here since ages.

The village was not very much developed. There were no hotels or motels to pass the night. After asking around a little, I could finally find a tavern to spend the night at.

"Are you here to see the carnival?", the owner asked.

"How did you know?", I replied.

"Hahaha. Well, we don't get customers here unless it's the carnival season."

"Oh. Please rent us a room then."

The owner asked our names and noted it down in his register.

"Usually there are couples who come to see the carnival. It's rare to see two friends attending a love fest."

An awkward silence surrounded the air. After a moment I said,"We are a couple."

In-Woo was caught off guard. It was as if he didn't expect these words to ever slip from my tongue. The owner gave a blank expression too.

After making the payment we both went upstairs. In-Woo turned in my direction and asked,"What time does it begin?"

"It will start at 8pm. There are still 2 hours."

"What shall we do in the meantime?"

"Umm. Whatever you say."

"Let's play truth or dare."

"Seriously? Even grade school students don't play it anymore."

"Come on. You said whatever I want."

"Fine."

"Choose one then. Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"What is your wildest fantasy?"

"I would love to try BDSM."

In-Woo's eyes bulged out. He cleared his throat,"Oh. That's really quite wild. Ha-ha-ha."

"What about you?"

"I-am-up-for-trying."

"I meant what are you choosing? Truth or dare."

He flushed with embarrassment.

The corners of my lips raised in a teasing smile,"Or are you saying you wanna try it now? I am all ready."

"You know what? Truth or dare is boring. Let's watch some movie", he tried to change the topic.

I just humphed.

___

The sight before my eyes was so mesmerizing. The whole village was decorated with red lights which almost blinded me.

"I didn't notice any decor when we came here", In-Woo said.

"Same. But this is so freaking beautiful."

"Truly beautiful."

Mostly people here were local residents. They had set up stalls all around- face painting, interesting games, food and alot ot fun activities. We passed by each of them, having a great time.

There was a small stage. A woman stood before the mic and welcomed everyone. "I request everyone to hold their partner's hand", she announced after a while.

Before I could reach out, I found In-Woo's warmth in my hand. He had already made the move.

We looked at each other and smiled. Under the crimson light, his face glowed. 'So beautiful', I thought to myself.

Suddenly a soft music started humming. We turned to look at the stage. I was stunned..too stunned to speak and so was In-Woo.

"Artist Won-Pil!", we said together in surprise.

Throughout the ride, In-Woo and I had vibed to his songs and suddenly the man appears infront of us. What a surprise!

"I remember! I heard in one of his interviews. He was born and brought up in this town", In-Woo said.

I nodded at the new piece of information.

Won-Pil stopped humming and said," My late dad used to sing here on this stage. Before him, my grandfather and this has run since ages. That was when I realized my dream...it was to stand here and continue my family lineage."

The crowd hooted.

"My dad's last words were 'Make your own identity'. So here I am, with my own identity."

-guitar strums-
-thumping of drums-
-Won-pil intones-
-In-Woo and Jae sing along the crowd-

"Honesty this felt better than any of the concerts I had", Won-Pil smiled. "When I was young I wondered what was so special about this carnival. But today as I stood here, all I could see was love. True love. Samdalri is a place where love blooms. I will always remember this magical night."

With that, singer Won-Pil left the stage. Many people encircled him. I turned my head towards In-Woo but he was nowhere to be found. I turned to Won-Pil's direction and saw him putting his arm around In-Woo, standing too 'close'. My eyebrows raised instinctively. 'They are just clicking a photo', I calmed myself. But how could I remain calm? In-Woo was jumping in excitement, acting all CUTE, flashing his teeth infront of Won-Pil and god knows what are they talking about!!!

Won-Pil extended his hand and In-Woo grabbed it firmly immediately as if he is not going to let go of it any time soon. Fanboy In-Woo is literally too much for me!!!