Work Text:
“Please…no moree…urgh—”
Kim Dokja squatted near the bench and held onto the first thing he could find. Once his head cleared and the world stopped spinning around him, he looked up to see an unamused Lee Seolhwa staring down at him like he was a pesky speck of dust.
“Dokja-ssi…if you don’t mind, I’ve just gotten my nails done.”
How did they even get in this situation?
Right, it’s all because…of him.
Lately, the kids had been dropping hints at home that they really wanted to go out. The hints were not subtle at all, more like “Ahjussi, I’ve heard there’s a discount on this theme park, I wonder what a theme park is like..”
Of course, Kim Dokja wasn’t opposed to the girls having a fun day out with their friends. However, because it was summer vacation, most of their classmates were away in their hometowns or on an overseas trip. As a result, Yoo Joonghyuk, who couldn’t make it because of work, sent them off along with tickets for the rest of the group. Kim Dokja then found out that he had severely overestimated his nervous system.
Despite the melting heat, they began their day of adventure to Lotte World. As to how they managed to book the tickets and evade crowds? Please don’t question it.
Shin Yoosung and Yoo Mia were on the couch taking turns to team up against Lee Gilyoung, who had managed to closely beat them in Mario Kart. In the morning, when Kim Dokja walked out in his regular monochrome shirt and pants, all the kids immediately dropped their consoles to go ransack his partner’s wardrobe for something else to dress him up in.
Now, decked in Joonghyuk’s shirt which was two sizes too big for him, cargo pants and a hat, he felt like the victim of one of those transformation videos that he would come across on social media. What a weird feeling.
This was totally unnecessary, honestly.
“Ahjussi, you’re out of the frame, I’m taking a selfie!!”
He quickly stuck a peace-sign pose.
He had already checked in with the groupchat; they were updating on their travel situation. Kim Dokja would be lying if he said he assumed he was going to accompany the kids alone. Somehow, they caught wind of this plan (Lee Gilyoung brought it up before him) and everyone seemed to be mapping out the itinerary with more enthusiasm than the kids.
Jung Heewon: I might not get a day off…
Han Sooyoung: We’ll have fun without you!
Jung Heewon: I can go.
[Han Sooyoung is offline]
Although Han Sooyoung was exhausted from pulling long hours to meet deadlines, she tried to hide her smile. Kim Dokja was familiar with this expression of hers which frankly made her look extremely silly given her current state. Yoo Sangah’s eyes curved into a smile.
Sangah-ssi’s smile looks a lot like one of those keychains Sooyoung-ie carries around…the white bunny with blue eyes… What was it again? Let me ask her later.
They stood in front of the large map, overwhelmed. His gaze suddenly met Lee Jihye’s whose eyes seemed clouded with fading memories. He gave her a slight pat on the back before moving forward to gather everyone.
“You guys, report back at this time. Keep your phones on at all times,” he started rattling off a bunch of instructions to the kids as they neared the entrance. They already had springs to their feet.
“We know,” they groaned.
“Wow…you’ve become father of the year,” Han Sooyoung nudged him in the side.
“Shut up…” They got into a little brawl right there, pinching each other on the arm, while the rest busied themselves by looking at the map.
“Wait, wait… I want to try out something. I mean we should try it out together,” Shin Yoosung dragged him by his sleeve to the uniform rental outlet. “It looks so cool. Ahjussi you said you haven’t been here before right? Not even in school? So this will be fun.”
Kim Dokja was fairly aware of the trends because of the kids, but that didn’t mean he could apply that knowledge to his own fashion choices. It took some time, but they finally settled on their outfits. To be frank, he wasn’t fond of the idea of wearing something like a school uniform again, but seeing that the kids were excited to take photos and live out this experience together, he just thought of it as a costume party. Unexpectedly, Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja stepped out of the changing rooms at the same time, with their matching uniforms. Everyone tried to suppress their laughter.
“Hey squid, go change. I don’t want to do a ‘couple outfit’ with you.”
"Couple outfit? Don’t make me laugh.”
He eventually took off his jumper and chose deep blue instead of maroon. While Han Sooyoung sported pants, Yoo Sangah picked a chequered skirt, and both Lee Seolhwa and Jung Heewon stuck with emerald green pieces. One, with her platinum hair and cold eyes, another with her long dark hair, they looked like partners in crime for a school drama.
Just then, Lee Jihye popped out--- who had given her a magical sword prop?
She kept posing happily while Jung Heewon snapped multiple photos from all angles.
Kim Dokja stood awkwardly with a headband on his head. Luckily there was an aircon in the rental shop. Ah… he was about to take a seat somewhere, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
“Dokja-ssi… you aren’t running away, right?”
“Sangah-ssi..no….”
The photobooth was cramped. Incredibly cramped. He sat defeated as the kids fought over the different filters and formats:
3…2…1…
Han Sooyoung had picked up the photo strip revealing a Kim Dokja sandwiched between the kids. Shin Yoosung had curved her arm, making a heart with Yoo Mia and framing Dokja in between. However, their expressions resembled little angry Kuromi (s) as Lee Gilyoung placed his hands on their heads right before the moment. In the next photo, they clearly got into an argument with Yoo Mia angrily snatching the angel headband off Gilyoung’s head, and in another one, Dokja’s eyes were only half open and his smile wonky. When he attempted to dissolve their tension they just looked at him, saying they weren’t really mad at each other.
“Amazing,” Han Sooyoung took a close-up snap of that particular expression.
When everyone took their turns in groups, they hung out at the shop a bit more, checking out the souvenirs. Jung Heewon appeared in front of a resting Kim Dokja. “Let’s take a photo together?”
With the chaos, they had hardly spoken that day. He took the opportunity to ask her about her work. “Can we come to one of your shows?”
“Hm?” A trace of surprise laced her smile. “Anytime. I’d have sent you the tickets if I had known sooner.”
“Known what?”
“That you were interested in attending, of course!”
Heewon picked the manual clicker, and looked at the screen. She didn’t expect Dokja to respond with, “Actress-nim, I’m always looking forward to your plays.”
Perhaps she would want to frame the first photo out of the three that they took. He teased her for so long, that when he called her an actress this time, she truly realised the sincerity in his words.
“You shouldn’t surprise me like that.”
Kim Dokja’s sheepish expression made her roll her eyes. With the cool breeze from the aircon right against her neck, she felt a sense of nervousness after a long time. Good, she was really looking forward to being on the stage. Words of acknowledgment- no, encouragement, like these made her feel more confident than happy.
She picked up their photo from the tray. The stage actress who always schooled her expression was caught off guard in the first photo. Though the frame blurred, it sealed the moment for her. They had also tried on a tiara (Kim Dokja, of course) and Jung Heewon held a prop sword.
He peeped over her shoulder, pointing at the third photo where they were tilting their heads close, giggling like mischievous children. “I like this one.”
She turned to him with a grin, “Let’s make a copy of this. Come on now, I hope you’re ready because we’re going to the haunted mansion!”
Only two could walk together in the mansion, and so Dokja was paired with Lee Seolhwa, who looked totally unfazed. Even Han Sooyoung was all keyed up, clinging onto Yoo Sangah. The mansion itself was not very scary but it turned out to be a new immersive experience….
Initially, the entryway was just a regular hallway out of a horror movie. At one point, Dokja was convinced that a spider web was attacking him, but it was the large fan blowing back Lee Seolhwa’s silky hair against his face. He stammered a few apologies before eventually accepting his fate. When Lee Seolhwa turned her head to see what’s going on with him, she raised an eyebrow at his face that had turned visibly red. This man who had developed immunity to embarrassment was torn between laughing and crying right now. They walked forward, and when a statue would greet them, he’d already pretend to look away, ignoring the ghost desperately trying to get his attention. As they were absorbed by the pitch darkness, he gripped her sleeve at the elbow.
“Kim Dokja, we’re supposed to talk to the NPCs.”
Though she spoke firmly, her words didn’t carry any hint of anger. She waited for him to collect himself, before they moved further.
“How are you not scared at all?”
“It’s not real, anyway.”
Because she was naturally a few inches taller, Dokja walked slowly behind her. He didn’t care about saving face at this point. No wonder there was a board of warnings for this specific attraction. They didn’t think too much about the “immersive” part. Dokja should have bought some ice cream and waited outside. Dark, closed-off spaces were incredibly uncomfortable.
“You talk a lot like him.”
She smiled, “This is just me, Dokja-ssi. Do you not like dark places?”
That’s right. He had a hate-love relationship with it. In addition to the low frequency voices, the humming, the faint yet distant sound of a river stream, they were captured in a haunted village. Apparently, they were “travellers” resting for the day there, but Kim Dokja took the narrative in his own hands. “We can find our way out, thank you.”
“Right… How did you manage to escape on a workday, though?”
“Changing the topic, are we?”
“What topic? There was no topic, I’m just trying to make small talk.” Dokja tried to smile convincingly.
“Alright, I just applied for a leave. It was probably my first one in six months.”
He looked shocked. “Seriously?”
“Overtime on most days too. I’m happy to be at the hospital, but I want to unwind like this once in a while.”
At the end of the path, there seemed to be a ray of light. The staff members peered over their shoulders, puzzled. One of them approached Lee Seolhwa, “Miss, how did you both escape this quickly? What about the group?”
Oh, the group consisted of strangers in the queue with them, but Lee Seolhwa took a different route inside to work efficiently.
“Finally, we’re out of here,” Dokja trailed behind happily.
What could possibly go wrong? Just then, he tripped on air and fell. The staff member helped him up with their best customer service smile, “Sir, if you could just fill this feedback form…”
In this spirit, they tried out several other rides. One time he sat next to Han Sooyoung on the free-falling attraction and realised that the author yelled a lot for the heck of it, rendering him in a soulless stupor after her repeated screams near his eardrums. Yoo Sangah on the other hand was as composed as ever, even on the rollercoaster. She had a peculiar habit though; her eyes would go blank before and during the ride, and she’d only smile in response to every question. Dokja figured that she had a special ability called “zoning out.”
“Dokja-ssi, are you okay?”
“Yep. Just chilling here for a few minutes,” he replied. He invited her to sit next to him on the bench and saw that Yoo Sangah had tied her hair up with a light blue scrunchie. He noted that the colour suited her, perhaps he could buy something in that colour for her birthday.
“Here,” she said and handed him some tissues from her bag. They were printed with a cute, fluffy mascot that made him feel apologetic for using them. Now he understood why the kids made a fuss over using anything remotely “aesthetic” in appearance. “Shouldn’t we have done this already?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean we never went out like this, save some short trips. My memories of school don’t stand out to me. But that doesn’t matter. You know, we only ever meet up for snacks and drinks, so this feels good.”
“I see. We don’t see each other often. Remember when you promised to study Spanish with me?"
“I did? Really? I don't remember saying that… Don’t look at me like that!”
His eyes glinted, reflecting her own pursed smile. “I remember. We’ll aim for an overseas trip next so we can apply our excellent Spanish skills somewhere.”
A chuckle escaped her as she stood up and dusted her clothes. “I’m a pretty strict study partner, Dojka-ssi.”
“Can I take back my application...”
Yoo Sangah chuckled. “Come on, we have time for a few more rounds of rollercoaster. Sooyoung is in the line already.” She glanced at her watch, then turned to leave. “We’ll definitely get you past the conversational level.”
“A few more rounds of that roller coaster sounds crazy. I promised to go with Lee Seolhwa on that one.”
“That one?”
Yoo Sangah could not believe that Dokja pointed at the ride that he did, and swallowed down her confusion. “You’ve become friends with Lee Seolhwa. That’s good.”
“We’ve always been friends?”
“How interesting, Dokja-ssi. You know, I mean beyond small talk. I wouldn’t go on that even if you begged me to.”
“Wow, you didn’t have to say it that way?”
She left while still smiling at their conversation.
The final ride was not for the weak-hearted. The mechanism not only rolled over and over horizontally but also vertically. Dokja suddenly felt that they were little ragdoll humans being tumble-dried in a front load washing machine. To make matters worse, the seatbelts seemed loose (the security assured them that it was right) and so when Dokja opened his eyes, all he could see was an upside-down picture of the sunset while practically being dangled in the air.
Golden rays streaked the skies, along with pink and orange. As the remnants of his soul left his body, the ride was finally over.
He managed to make it out in one piece and squat near a bench. Lee Seolhwa was hardly disturbed by the ride, only she looked a little annoyed by how nauseating it had been. Her hands reached for the water bottle in her bag, but Dokja grabbed them tight before she could move.
“I’m going to pass out.”
“You’re going to ruin my nails,” her voice was laced with a masked concern. “Take some time to calm down.”
On their walk back, Dokja felt thoroughly embarrassed about everything, but then again, something like 'embarrassment' had long since left his dictionary when dealing with Yoo Joonghyuk, so he simply apologised without any care.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go. They’re waiting.”
Han Sooyoung was slumped on the outdoor cafeteria chair. It seems like they had already placed their orders: lemon cake, strawberry parfait, tiramisu…
Yoo Sangah picked a strawberry off her desert and ate it in a single bite. The sunset flowed against her face, and she happily took a photo of their food, even arranging them properly. She sent a message on their group chat, tagging the kids without explanation.
“Dokja-ssi, you look exhausted. Was it fun?”
“Please don’t tease me.”
”Alright, alright.”
Han Sooyoung had a mischievous look in her eyes. She sat straight in her seat. “Already old, eh?”
“Han Sooyoung, look at yourself first.” He showed her a photo of her previously slumped over the chair with her eyes half-closed. Han Sooyoung could never be caught at a bad angle, but she still looked like a shrimp curled up.
“I don’t have the energy to respond now.” She leaned her head on Yoo Sangah’s shoulder, naturally as a sunflower leaning into the sun’s embrace. “Just wait for my revenge.”
“Just thinking about how Yoo Sangah has to deal with you makes me tired.”
“She’s a challenge, indeed,” she nodded.
“You’re supposed to take my side?”
“All is fair,” she replied in English, laughing. “But I’m only teasing, okay? Afterall, you’re only mean to Dokja-ssi.”
“Hey, did you forget how mean she is to me?” Jung Heewon put down the spoon, ready to recall every single argument.
Han Sooyoung gave up, digging in her lemon cake. “Okay, okay, how did this turn into a Sooyoung Anti-Fan Club?”
“I would like to be a part of it,” added Lee Seolhwa. “Is it fun?”
“As you can see,” said Dokja.
Dokja could already hear Shin Yoosung’s excited voice before the kids entered their view. He looked at each of them as if assessing their emotions, but he did it so naturally and frequently, to check if they’re just there where he can see them, where they can see him if needed, that his concerned gaze escaped everyone’s attention.
After giving back everything at the rental, everyone moved sluggishly towards the exit. Dokja wondered if it had made sense for him to wear anything nice at all, since they spent the entire day in the uniform. When he looked up, the sun was already sinking, night nearly setting in. One by one, the paths towards the exit lit up. A chill rushed down his spine, being hit with a sense of deja vu. As though it had already happened in a dream, as though it were a dream itself.
A string of notifications filled his lockscreen.
It seemed that Shin Yoosung sent a couple of photos on group chat. Dokja randomly swiped through them, pausing on the one where they all posed in front of the ferris wheel.
“That’s a good one.”
“Lee Jihye? You scared me there.”
Jihye smiled, looking the least bit sorry. He had also forgotten how much she had grown over these few years. She was nearly as tall as his shoulders. She had gradually stopped treating Yoo Joonghyuk as her idol; yet there were times she’d simply look at him for some remark or some comment. Now, she was definitely more attached to Jung Heewon.
“Oh I’ll post this one.” She took out her own phone, going through them with a quiet, solemn expression. The blue and clear charms on her phone, bought along with Yoosung and Mia, seemed to glint under the light. “Thank you.”
His hand found the back of his neck. “I didn’t do anything...”
She only threw him a “you-know-what-I-mean” look before jogging away, throwing an arm around Jung Heewon, who was calling for her.
Kim Dokja waved goodbye to everyone (a couple of times, until they couldn’t spot each other in the crowd). On the train ride back home, swaying back and forth with the carriage, lulled the kids into a mini-nap. The kids scurried up on the road leading up to their apartment refreshed again. Kim Dokja internally cursed Yoo Joonghyuk for purchasing an apartment with an uphill climb.
Around the turn, the elderly uncle at the corner store left his radio outside. An old love song filled the warm air with sweetness. He placed down a round potted plant next to the vending machine, humming the melody, head bobbing left and right.
Dokja continued walking past this scene, past the off-tune humming, and the orange streetlights. There were no stars above; no, there were no stars when the citylights glittered below.
His phone screen lit up again:
Yoo Sangah: Let’s go cycling next time.
Han Sooyoung: Sure.
Lee Seolhwa: d(^_^)b
Jung Heewon: And get food and drinks later XD
Lee Jihye sent a funny sticker of a cat dancing.
He breathed out slowly, feeling slightly lightheaded from the day. Even if the lights in his sky would go out, there was always one constellation strung together by some familiar twinkling stars.
From afar he could only watch three kids, making up some version of hopscotch on the street, bumping into one another, laughter erupting and then shushing themselves quickly.