My close friend

Another Shutdown

"Ladies and gentlemen, you are urged to stay away from the Dark Ride and to let the personnel through. Please evacuate the recommended area immediately .The personnel apologises for the unfortunate inconvenience. Ladies and gentlemen, you are-"...

We ran, and ran, and ran, while being self-conscious about our mobile phones and belongings in the bag. We joined in the huge crowd that had formed at the park's gate, presumably the safest place to be at the moment, and we all tried to squeeze our way through the people. I made sure to grab Chanyeol's hands tightly, and to have the others in my sight as well.

Screams could be heard here and there. Many were whining about the current situation and the striking heat, many were crying out of panic and fright, but mostly, we were all only wondering about what could be the cause of such an uproar. We were obviously not given more information about it so as not to arouse unnecessary fear and panic in the people, which could certainly cause a lot more damage than the actual causative incident.

We were being pushed, trampled and even punched; everyone was feeling uncomfortable and irritated, not only due to the fact that our stay at the park had been forcefully put to an end, but also because of the tremendous heat, and the fact that we were all closely packed like sardines was only worsening things. Eventually, some fell unconscious.

As curious as I have got, I was still focused on the fact that I could have lost the one true love of my life. Of course, as much as you, I was also aware that that was not the moment to be thinking about it. But as we all seemed to have been stuck and barely were we moving an inch, I could help but go back to the time that he had so selflessly grabbed my hand, as if I were one of his most precious belongings. And the fact that he did not even glance at me while doing so, showed just how much he knew me; he knew that I would not be resisting him, as I was really recessive in those situations. When, just when, had he got to know so much about me...? When did I reveal all of myself to him ? Of course, I knew the answer but it seemed so unreal that he took the time to remember each and every little detail about me, no matter how petty it would be...

"Okay, stay close to me, alright ? It's almost over; we'll soon be out of this", he reassured me with his warm smile. I could only smile back, and hug his arm tightly.

No matter how brightly or strongly the sun shined, his smile was always warmer and more radiant. To think that I could even think of that while I was melting under that scorching sun, was something that I, myself, failed to comprehend. I could only look straight in front of me, and try to look for a passageway among that lot of people, in hopes that that would distract me a little from him.

We finally started moving a little bit quicker, and sooner than we had all thought, we had reached the parking lot. Chanyeol unlocked the doors and we all hurried in as the people kept pushing and walking over each other.

"Is everybody here!? Everybody's alright!?" worriedly inquired my soft giant. It would seem that he had had most of his attention focused on me, once again.

We looked back to take a look at everyone, who seemed to be just as puzzled as us. As I expected, Eric seemed to have been less disturbed than the rest of us, but traces of confusion and worry could still be seen on his face. We all calmed down and re-hydrated ourselves; with all this sudden commotion and the dazzling sun, we were all spent.

"Can anyone tell me what happened back there...!? Anyone saw or heard anything ?", worriedly asked Auntie.
"Thank God you guys came back to see us before heading to another ride...!"

She was right and oddly enough, it was Eric who had told us so. You must all be thinking that he had planned that incident and not wanting us to get involved in it, he advised us to meet up with our parents. That thought would have certainly crossed my mind, but at that time, he did not seem to be scheming or hiding anything at all. We should not judge a book by its cover, you would surely say, but his body language and the look in his eyes were not deceptive at all.

"You bet! We were actually heading towards the Dark Ride but... Eric thought it would be better if we stopped by to meet up with you guys before going there", said Chanyeol as he glanced at Eric with thankful eyes.
"And thankfully enough, we did! Who knew such that a thing would have happened!?" he continued to make sure that no awkwardness would come up after the little pause he took before saying Eric's name. His plan worked as expected; we all shifted on the current matter at hand: the cause of all this tumult.

"You think it is another of dysfunction of the animated mannequins ? And someone has been electrocuted ? Or maybe, it resulted in a fire...!" suggested Mom.
Her suggestion was not bad, except that we did not see smoke coming off at the ride's entrance.

"No, I don't think so. We would have surely been warned of a fire outbreak. I think it's something more serious", added Eric, trying to blend in. Putting the past and the hatred aside, Uncle agreed with him and in turn, suggested something else, so that the discussion could go on.

And thus, they were all putting forward their own suggestion while Chanyeol and I were checking on each other. He grabbed my chin and turned my face to check for any sign of scratch or bruise. While he was at it, I could only look at him passionately, yet I was somewhat sad deep inside. When was it that I had cared so much for him ? When was the last time that I had asked him if he was alright ? I could not seem to remember.

"Hey, you're okay, right ? You seem like you've been hit on the head or something... Why are you staring at me like that ? I know I am really handsome, certainly the most handsome man you'll ever get to lay your eyes on, but I have the immense pleasure of reminding you that this beauty is all yours and that you, lucky girl, will get to see His Handsomeness for the rest of your life, hehe", he chuckled. I could not help but giggle at his ridiculous (yet true!) words.

Again, he never failed to cheer me up, no matter in what kind of messed up situation I would be. He never failed to sense that something was wrong with me, and during those times, he never failed to support and console me. He never failed to intervene during my hardest times. He never failed to be by side and help me each time I needed him. He never failed to shield me. He never failed to encourage me. He never failed to make me smile. He never failed to make me laugh. He never failed to make me feel loved. He never failed to make feel all kinds of feelings with his smirks. He never failed to be himself, Park Chanyeol...