Chapter Text
Ricky sat in his large office, signing some stupid contracts that weren't worth it. He was exhausted. His apartment was in the stillness of the night, only interrupted by the vague sounds of cars and motorcycles outside. He glanced at the small closet next to him and realized he had left the door open.
He stood up and tried to close the door, but the small cabinet refused to close all the way. He bent down and noticed a black box preventing the small door from closing all the way. He pushed the box in and closed the door with a thud.
He walked back to his desk and sat down. He tried to focus on the papers on his desk, but he couldn't. He drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. Even though he tried to ignore his thoughts by returning to the box, he couldn't. Something in his heart was urging him to open it, but his mind refused to recall his past, even for a little while.
He bit his lower lip hesitantly. He had to, even if he didn't want to. Living and remembering was something you didn't choose, you just did. So even against his will that knew this was a bad decision, he walked towards the closet and bent down, opening the small door that wouldn't close before.
He picked up the ornate black box, which had “high school” written on it in terrible handwriting. He laughed and sat back down at his desk, now with the box in his hand. He placed the box on the desk and opened it, and soon saw pictures, letters, tests, papers, and collages. He picked up a few of the pictures and looked at them, nothing but him and his friends having fun, either on some stupid trip or in class. He picked up a letter, it was just the envelope, but he knew exactly who the letter was from and what was in it before he took it out.
And then, looking for more photos, his hand touched something colder, a black pen drive with a ribbon that said “3008”. He picked up the pen drive and looked at it. He didn’t remember putting it there. He opened his laptop and inserted the pen drive. He waited for a while, 1… minute… 2 minutes… 3 minutes, and nothing. He thought it might be broken, but he picked it up and blew on it, hoping it would work. He put it in the laptop and… this time it worked.
Then the screen lit up his face as the files loaded. They were folders with stupid names, like they just wanted any name: “Beach trip.”, “Graduation.”, “Art project (not delivered)”.
And then he saw.
“G.”
Just one letter, nothing more.
His fingers froze for a while before clicking. He then opened it, and there were several videos.
He clicked on the first one.
The video started with a loud laugh, and then everything took shape. Hanbin was behind the camera, saying something about how good the camera quality was and that he would use it to record the last year. The image shook a little and then Yujin appeared, waving at the camera and Jiwoong jumping on his shoulders.
He could hear Hanbin and Zhang Hao fighting through the camera.
And in the corner of the image, a little out of focus.
Gyuvin and Ricky are sitting next to each other sharing earphone.
Ricky felt his breath leaving him.
There he was, with his easy smile, that idiotic way of always making everyone around him laugh like there was no tomorrow. The camera managed to capture the exact moment when Gyuvin threw dirt in his face, earning a curse from Ricky. Gyuvin's loud laughter fills all the sound around.
And then the video ended.
Ricky then quickly tried to find another video, as if he needed more. He then saw a video shorter than the one inside.
He hears another laugh, this time his own. Gyuvin leaning against the lockers being recorded by Ricky, it looked like an interview. Ricky asking something about a job and Gyuvin laughing, he didn't remember exactly why they were laughing so much, but it made him happy just to see it. And then Ricky's heart skipped a beat. Gyuvin looked at him, not at the Ricky of now but at the Ricky of the past (the one who didn't know anything). And then he went towards Ricky and hugged him and the camera stopped recording.
He remembers everything, remembers Gyuvin's voice whispering in his ear that everything was going to be okay and that he was okay. Gyuvin's arms around him. He remembers everything.
All.
⋆.𐙚 ̊──★ ˙🍓 ̟!!
Ricky has never been used to change. He didn't like it when he had to change schools when he started high school, and he also won't like it when his parents tell him that he'll have to abandon all his friends and go live in Korea.
He didn't exactly understand the reason for the trip... well, at least his teenage mind didn't let him. He knew it would be because of his father's work, and it would only be for a while. But for a teenager, the last year of high school is almost a lifetime.
He hoped to finish high school with the same people, speaking the same language as him — preferably.
So he arrives on the dreaded first day of school. Come on, Ricky isn't shy or anything. He's just extremely reserved, and being a new face has always been a problem for him. Sure, he liked to attract attention. But when it came from his total effort, not from the simple act of existing.
What's the point of wearing the most expensive, sold-out clothes in stores if people are only going to notice you when you arrive – and then act as if all the effort was for nothing.
But this isn’t the time to think about Ricky’s confidence issues. It’s about how to get through the first day of school. And Ricky has a short list. And at the top of it is: “know exactly where you need to go.”
But he ended up failing at this part, since he simply has no idea where his room is. He thinks he's walked around the halls in circles at least three times, he wishes he could say he knows what he's doing, but he doesn't.
When he turned into the hallway he ended up bumping into someone head on.
“Ow!” The person exclaimed, placing his hand on his forehead, which was where they collided.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to find anyone here.” Ricky said, helping the person to balance themselves.
The person watched Ricky for a while, tilting his head to the side. “Do I know you?"
“I don’t think so, i'm new at school … and at the country too.”
The boy appeared confused, he analyzed Ricky a little, leaving the atmosphere a little strange.
“But you speak Korean perfectly.” The boy pointed out.
Ricky laughed. “I studied hard.”
He seemed to think, “Sure, do you need some help?”
Ricky was ready to say he didn't need help, but he had no idea where he was or where he was supposed to go. This became quite obvious when it was the fourth time he had passed the same locker number 415.
He hesitated a little. “Yeah… I might be a little lost.” ‘A little lost’ was an understatement. He had no idea where to go.
The boy smiled. “Alright! I’ll help you, don’t worry.” He looked at the small badge stuck to Ricky’s uniform. “Shen Ricky?”
“That’s it.” Ricky tried to look at the nametag on the boy’s uniform, but he couldn’t make out the letters correctly. “Sun…k?”
“Sung Hanbin.” He said, laughing. “Maybe your reading isn’t the best.”
He said, making Ricky's cheeks blush.
“Don’t worry. You still speak very well, I’ll help you find your room.” Hanbin said, with a gentle smile. Ricky wasn’t good at trusting people, but this boy seemed like a pot of joy from enchanted worlds.
Then Hanbin grabbed his wrist, startling him, but he soon let himself be led away. Along the way Hanbin asked a few questions that he didn't really feel were necessary, but he answered them anyway. They then stopped in front of a wooden door, which indicated that it was the school's management.
“Here, you come in and say your name and they will tell you your room.” He said pointing to the door.
Ricky looked at him as if he expected Hanbin to follow him.
“I can’t go in…” He made a guilty face, leaving Ricky confused. “Hey! I didn’t do anything wrong, I just didn’t deliver what they asked me to do.” He snorted.
Ricky laughed. “Okay.” Then his hand went toward the doorknob. “See you later?” He turned to Hanbin again.
“I’ll wait for you.” He smiled gently again. Ricky was starting to get used to this.
“Who exactly should I look for?”
“A man with an angry face.” That was all he said, it was even funny.
Ricky opened the door and walked towards the person in the center of the room, who now understood what Hanbin meant. He had an expression of pure hatred, it didn't just seem like he hated his job, it seemed like he hated the entire world. Ricky approached fearfully, and soon his presence was noticed. The man was holding a back scratcher in his hand, with glasses falling down the bridge of his nose, a shirt that Ricky could tell was definitely ridiculous.
“Who are you?” The man asked, turning to him.
Ricky swallowed hard. “I’m Shen Ricky, I’m a new transfer student.”
“And what do you want?” He spoke in a super dry manner, making Ricky start to regret having started talking.
But he gathered up every ounce of courage he had. “I want to know my classroom.”
“Oh, right.” He didn’t add anything else, just turned to the computer in front of him again and began typing frantically.
The noises of the keys were starting to irritate Ricky.
“Right, you’re in third grade, right?” He asked and Ricky nodded. “Your class is 3-2.”
Ricky nodded and quickly left. He didn't want to spend another minute in that place. That man scared him. He left, coming face to face with Hanbin talking to someone else.
“Ah! You’re done, so what’s your class?” Hanbin took his focus off the person and turned to Ricky.
Ricky watched the person talking to Hanbin and then turned to him. “3-2.”
“Shit! Seriously?” He sounded excited.
Ricky frowned “Is there a problem with that?”
“It’s the same room as ours.”
"Our?"
“This is Zhang Hao. He’s also a foreigner.” He said, pointing to the boy beside him, who smiled.
“Oh, it’s a pleasure.” Ricky extended his hand in greeting, which was quickly accepted.
Then the shrill school bell rang and both boys instantly made disgusted faces.
“Looks like all hell is about to break loose.” Hao said, making Ricky make a scared face. “Don’t worry, it’s just the cute way of saying ‘teachable moment.’” He added.
Ricky laughed. Then the three of them walked to the stairs that led to the third year classrooms, they then entered the room where a small buzz started about the new face in the room.
“Don’t pay attention, we haven’t had a new student in a while.” Hanbin said, sitting down next to some chatting boys. “You can sit next to Gyuvin…” He added, pointing to the boy next to him. But the boy he spoke of was sleeping on top of the desk. “Well, he’s not awake right now, but you can sit down.”
Ricky just gave a short laugh and sat down, soon a boy waved at him.
“This is Park Gunwook.” Zhang Hao said. “If you need help studying history, he’s the man.” He added.
“I’ll try to remember that.” Ricky said with a laugh.
“And you are?” Gunwook asked.
“Shen Ricky, I am a foreigner.”
“Let me guess… Chinese, right?” Gunwook asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Yes.” Ricky nodded.
“Oh, just like Hao!” Gunwook rested his chin on his hand. “You can stop talking to yourself in Chinese.” He said, receiving a slap on the shoulder from Hao.
In the middle of the conversation someone interrupted, sitting in front of Ricky.
“Shit! The doorman almost didn’t let me in, I was only two minutes late.” He said, wiping the sweat that was dripping from his temples.
“Wow, you look disgusting.” Gunwook said, receiving a warning look from Matthew.
“Have you ever thought about not leaving the house so late?” Hanbin handed Matthew a wet wipe.
“This is the earliest I can get it, I still have to drop my brothers off at school.” Matthew ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it even more.
“But doesn’t Gyuvin also take his brothers to school? He still arrives on time.” Hao commented.
“Okay, I’m the one to blame, can you leave me alone now?” Matthew said, offended. Making the boys laugh, and soon he noticed Ricky’s presence. He tilted his head to the side, studying him curiously. “And you are?”
“This is Shen Ricky, he’s a new student, he’s Chinese.” Hanbin said, introducing Ricky who just gave an embarrassed smile.
“It’s a pleasure.” He extended his hand.
Ricky took his hand. “The pleasure is mine.”
Soon everyone's attention was taken away when the teacher entered the room. He slammed his clipboard on the table to make people wake up and pay attention. Finally the boy next to him woke up, messing up his hair, trying to fix it. He soon noticed Ricky's presence next to him, but he didn't seem to care much, as he soon turned to the teacher.
The rest of the hours passed in an instant and soon the bell for break rang. Ricky packed his things and soon someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hm?” Ricky turned to the person next to him.
“You’re Ricky, right?”
“Oh, yes. And you are…?”
“Kim Gyuvin.” He smiled, looking kind. “You don’t know the school yet, do you?”
“Well, I only know the room… and unfortunately the teachers’ room.” He made a face, remembering the teacher who had helped him.
“Let me help you.” He got up from his chair. “Me and Gunwook, right?” He said, looking at his friend who made a mocking face. “We’re members of the guild, so helping you earns us points.”
“Oh, so you’re using me?” He said jokingly, receiving a goofy smile from Gyuvin.
So that's what they did. They showed Ricky the important things in school, like the library with books that Ricky doesn't want to read because his Korean is still a bit slow, the cafeteria where some students laughed and talked among themselves, the music room with some instruments that he didn't know how to play but hoped to learn.
Ricky might have met a lot of people today, but… with Gyuvin, it was a different feeling. He was definitely different, Ricky still didn’t understand why, but he felt like he had to figure it out quickly. As if Gyuvin could disappear at any moment if he didn’t grab him.
Before Ricky could finish processing everything Gyuvin and Gunwook had shown him, the bell rang again. And everyone seemed to head back to the classroom.
They went back to the classroom and now everything seemed so much more colorful, Ricky was happy. He laughed with his classmates. He remembers reading and writing a lot of things, he felt his hand hurt, and his belly too, from laughing so much with his friends. Something about Matthew making a bet with Gunwook about who could finish the activity faster and both of them giving up at the same time and leaving everything blank, or something about Gyuvin knocking Hanbin off the desk, saying it was an accident (but he knew it wasn't). But unfortunately the day ended.
He returned home and felt embraced by the sheets of his bed. He had had one of the best days of his life and he still didn't understand why. He only knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with those people, and he could repeat the same life 100 more times. He had never felt so welcomed before.
⋆.𐙚 ̊──★ ˙🍓 ̟!!
Ricky and Gyuvin were writing something together, sitting at the tables outside the school. Matthew and Taerae were peeking over them, making the boys around them laugh. Matthew ended up bumping into Ricky, causing the pen he was holding to go out of line.
“Mashu! If you keep this up I’ll make you write it all down.” Ricky said, making a fake angry face.
“You’re so annoying.” Matthew stuck his tongue out at Ricky, who just gave a hearty laugh in return.
“Okay. Now Taerae, you continue. I’m tired.” Gyuvin said, stretching his arms.
“That’s not fair! I’ve been writing this a lot longer than you.” Ricky crossed his arms on the table, leaning forward.
“It’s not my fault, Zhang Hao hasn’t even touched the paper yet.”
“Hey! But I brought everything, you even forgot the pencils.” Zhang Hao defended himself.
“But he still hasn’t written anything.” Gyuvin countered, earning a warning look from Hao.
Jiwoong rolled his eyes. “Stop fighting, you two.”
“What’s going on?” Gunwook asked as he sat down at the table, placing the drinks that everyone had ordered on the table.
“Don’t you know they’re idiots?” Hanbin sat down, putting down the rest of the drinks.
This kind of moment calmed Ricky's heart, even though it was extremely noisy, it was a kind of noise that Ricky liked. He always liked silence, the kind of silence that was extremely quiet where there was no sign that it was anything else... other than silence. But there was something extremely quiet about meaningless funny arguments with people he loved.
They spent hours trying to finish the work, but in the end they handed it in, getting a horrible grade because the teacher said it was too “colorful”, unfortunately, for Taerae, it was never colorful enough. Their work was always creative, and the same group as always, of course, if the teacher let the students decide their own groups.
And in the end they would always spend hours at the same convenience store next to the school, always buying the same flavors and having the same discussions. Talking about the same movies, the same songs, and the same stupid books. They would laugh so much that the old lady who ran the store told them to be quiet, but they couldn't.
And then Gyuvin and Ricky would walk side by side watching the sky turn orange and pink. That was one of the best moments, it was real and they could just talk about everything, Gyuvin was always their comfort person.
“I’m pretty sure the math teacher hates me.” Gyuvin complained, kicking a pebble in his path.
“The same teacher you called a boring idiot in his face?”
“It’s not my fault he can’t understand a joke.” He snorted.
“You say that because he didn’t give you the rest of the note you needed.” Ricky walked, looking at his own feet.
Gyuvin watched Ricky for a while. “Let’s take a break.”
“A break? My house is over there.”
Gyuvin didn't answer, he just took Ricky's hand and pulled him to sit on the curb in front of a square.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Ricky asked, accepting to sit next to Gyuvin.
Gyuvin rested his head on Ricky’s shoulder wearily. “Resting.”
“This is no time to use me as a pillow.”
Gyuvin just laughed, rubbing against Ricky like a cat. “But you’re so comfortable, Ricky-ya!”
Ricky rolled his eyes, but didn't push him away. He could lie to Gyuvin, but not to himself, he enjoyed his friend's presence. He just let Gyuvin's body press against his, not getting any closer or thinking about separating. He just let it be. The noise of the cars passing by and the children playing in the park seemed to merge into a comfortable hum.
“Do you think we’ll stay like this forever?” Gyuvin asked, his voice calmer and lower than usual.
Ricky frowned. “Like what?”
“Like… we see each other every day, spend quality time together.” Gyuvin lifted his head, looking at Ricky with an expression he couldn’t decipher.
Ricky smiled. “Do you expect to get rid of me that quickly?” He looked into Gyuvin’s eyes.
Gyuvin laughed, throwing one of his arms around Ricky’s shoulder. “You won’t be getting rid of me so quickly either.”
Ricky was about to say something, but his phone rang in his pocket. He looked at the screen and hung up. “I have to go now, I forgot I had to go out with my mom.” He said, standing up and brushing off his pants.
Gavin stood up. “Really? I was going to take you out for ice cream.
” He brushed off his pants.
“I'll owe you, I'll pay next time. See you tomorrow, gubing.”
Gyuvin nodded, a smile on his lips. “See you tomorrow, Rwick.”
Ricky loved the way Gyuvin pronounced his name, it seemed like his name sounded better when he said it. He was definitely going to miss that.
⋆.𐙚 ̊──★ ˙🍓 ̟!!
The boys were all in the library, taking up an entire table. Some of them were flipping through comics while others were studying for some stupid test. Gyuvin was reading a comic, practically lying on top of Ricky who was trying to type on his laptop.
“Gubing! Stop pushing my arm.” He spoke trying to free himself from Gyuvin’s head sliding down his arm.
Gyuvin made an ugly face. “I’m trying to show you the fight scene!”
“This is already the fifth fight scene you’ve shown me, read it yourself.” He pushed Gyuvin’s head.
Gyuvin then sat up straight in his chair, now without any kind of contact with Ricky. He tried to continue typing, but something about Gyuvin's absence took his attention away. He glanced at his friend, who was turned away, flipping through the comic.
“So dramatic…” Ricky thought, but couldn’t help but smile.
After a few minutes, he closed the laptop with a sigh. “Okay, show me that fight scene.”
Gyuvin turned quickly, his eyes shining with excitement. “Finally!” He walked over again, nearly knocking the book into Ricky’s lap. “Look, this is the protagonist—this is the best moment, he uses a secret move that only he knows—”
“Shh!” Hanbin signaled for them to lower their voices, pointing to the “SILENCE” sign on the wall.
Gyuvin bit his lip, lowering his tone but not his excitement. “After finding a book full of illegal scams, you know?”
Ricky stared at the colorful pages, trying to understand his friend's hurried explanation. It was hard not to be infected by his enthusiasm, even though Ricky wasn't as big a comic book fan as his friend.
“It looks nice,” he admitted, turning the page to Gyuvin. “But I still prefer the last one you showed me.”
Gyuvin was horrified. “What do you mean?! This one is clearly superior! The linework, the fight choreography—”
“Whatever,” Ricky interrupted, taking the comic from Gyuvin’s hands and flipping through it himself.
Gyuvin crossed his arms. “You don’t know anything about real action, Rwick—”
“Look at that!” Hanbin shouted, jumping out of his chair and holding his phone out in front of everyone. “That theme park just opened today, it has these huge roller coasters, a light-up Ferris wheel, everything!”
Yujin grabbed Hanbin’s phone, pulling up the photo to get a better look. “Wow! It looks amazing, when are we going?”
“When?? Now is the best time.” Matthew slammed his book on the table, already closing his book. “Everyone is here, the night is beautiful, and we don’t have class tomorrow. It’s today or never.”
Gyuvin looked at Ricky, his eyes shining. “Did you hear, Ricky-ya?? Amusement park, today.” He shook Ricky’s arm like a child.
Ricky closed the laptop slowly, trying to hide his smile. “I heard, but what about studying?”
“Literature can wait, fun can’t.” Gyuvin was already on his feet, pulling Ricky by the sleeve. “Come on! Before someone changes their mind.”
One thing Ricky definitely remembers was how any day felt like a day of celebration when he was with his friends.
Hanbin laughed as he organized his things in his backpack. “Let’s catch the bus before the tickets run out.”
“And how are we going?” Zhang Hao asked, standing up.
“Uh, with the good old bus.” Hanbin said, putting the book he was reading back on the shelf.
“I promise to hold your hand if you get scared.” Gyuvin said, with his doe eyes.
"I am not going-"
“Is everyone here?” Hanbin took a head count at the bus stop.
They waited for a while. The bus arrived with a creak, and the boys climbed on like an avalanche of teenagers. Almost caused an accident when Gunwook tripped on the step and was saved by Zhang Hao pulling his sweatshirt by the hood.
“Watch out, big guy.” Hao laughed, while Gunwook straightened up, embarrassed.
Inside the bus, Gyuvin grabbed Ricky by the wrist and dragged him to a seat in the back. “Better seat,” he declared, pressing himself against the window.
Ricky sat down with a sigh, but didn’t complain when Gyuvin immediately leaned his head on his shoulder again. “You’re insufferable.” He lied, staring out the window as the city passed by in flashes of light.
He didn't hear Gyuvin grumble something about how loud Matthew was. He just grabbed his headphones and put them in both ears, putting on some music. But soon he had one of his headphones stolen by the same boy lying on his shoulder, he just smiled at Ricky and put the headphones on, lying on his shoulder again. Ricky chose not to argue this time, he just laid his head on Gyuvin's, closing his eyes.
And in a few minutes they arrived, soon they started to go down and Hanbin said something about a meeting point that Ricky didn't hear. The amusement park was a chaos of bright lights, loud music, screaming and the smell of cotton candy. Hanbin led the group straight to the tickets.
“I want 9 tickets, please.” He said, addressing a woman inside the ticket booth. He pointed to the people behind him.
“Okay, cash or card?” She said with a gentle smile.
Hanbin turned to the side and saw the boys starting to rummage through their pockets, taking out change of different values from their pockets, coins and crumpled notes.
He laughed. “You know what? I’ll pay.” And he handed over his card.
Gyuvin jumped on top of Hanbin, putting one of his arms around Hanbin’s shoulder. “My friend is so cool, paying for everyone, what a gentleman.”
“If you keep this up I’ll make you pay.” He pushed Gyuvin away with a smile.
Gyuvin walked over to Ricky with a tearful face, rubbing against his shoulder. “See how evil he is, Ricky-ya? You should stand up for me.”
“Me? Should I?” He took the ticket from Hanbin’s hand.
“You’re cruel.” Gyuvin said with narrowed eyes, earning a chuckle from Ricky.
“Okay, who’s going where?” Matthew asked, looking at the ticket.
“I’m going to the haunted house with Yujin and Taerae.” Jiwoong said, putting his arm around Yujin who scowled at him.
“Okay, I’ll go to the carousel with Hao.” Hanbin said, intertwining his fingers with Hao’s, receiving an “awwn” from the rest of the group.
“Okay, then the rest of you will go with me and Matthew to the roller coaster.” Gunwook said, smiling excitedly.
They didn't listen to Hanbin telling them to be careful, they just ran towards the huge line of the roller coaster. Ricky looked up, watching the cars shoot down the tracks with a metallic roar, followed by high-pitched screams.
“That thing looks even scarier up close.” He commented, trying to sound nonchalant.
Gyuvin, beside him, was jumping up and down in excitement. “It’s even better! Look at that drop!” He pointed to a part of the roller coaster that was a steep descent. “It must be like falling off a building.” He said, resting his arms on the big one, since they were next.
Matthew behind them grimaced. “I already regret it, can I go to the carousel with Hanbin and Hao?”
Gunwook laughed, pulling Matthew by the collar. “No way, you promised.”
When the other people finally got out, a little unsteadily. The attendant opened the gate for them, they sat in the cart that fit four people, two in the back and two in the front. The attendant lowered the safety bar. Ricky gripped his with slightly trembling fingers, while Gyuvin watched him with a mischievous smile.
“Are you scared, Rwick?”
“No,” Ricky replied too quickly. “I just don’t want you yelling in my ear.”
Gyuvin put a hand on his chest, feigning offense. “Me yelling? For your information, I don’t yell.”
Matthew, already sitting behind them with Gunwook, leaned forward. “Are you two going to hold hands like girlfriends?”
Ricky slapped Matthew’s leg without looking back. “Shut up, Mashu.”
The wagon began to move, slowly climbing the first hill. Every click of the tracks seemed to echo in Ricky's chest. Gyuvin, on the other hand, was beaming, his hands raised as if he were already on the way down.
“Look how beautiful the view is from here!” Gyuvin shouted, pointing at the illuminated city.
Ricky looked to the side, forgetting the butterflies in his stomach when he saw the city shining beside him. Gyuvin's hair flew with the wind, his eyes shone brighter than all the lights in that city... his eyes were simply radiant. It was hard not to smile seeing him being so himself, always.
He stared so much into Gyuvin's eyes that he forgot where he was.
And then the car plummeted.
“AAAAAH!”
Ricky didn't have time to process. The wind was knocking the air out of his lungs, the world was turning upside down.
“OH MY GOD, WE’RE GOING TO DIE!” Gyuvin screamed, grabbing Ricky’s arm with a life-or-death grip.
“FUCK, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU—” Ricky yelled back amidst the chaos, his fingers involuntarily intertwining with Gyuvin’s.
“WHY DID I AGREE TO THIS?” Matthew screamed, closing his eyes.
“THIS IS AMAZING!!” Gunwook said in ecstasy.
When the car finally stopped, Ricky's heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. Gyuvin, standing next to him, had messy hair and a huge grin.
“Let’s go again!”
“Never again.” Ricky replied, but was already being pulled away by Gyuvin who was known for not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
Gunwook jumped out of the carriage as if he had just woken up. “Who’s going to queue with me again? Just five more times!”
Matthew fell to the floor on his knees, dramatically. “I want to stop, I need to stop.”
Ricky looked at Gyuvin, who was still holding his hand as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
“...again?” Gyuvin asked, with that honeyed voice he used when he wanted something.
Ricky sighed. “If I die, I’ll come back to haunt you.”
Gyuvin laughed, pulling him back into line. “At least this way we’ll be together forever.”
And Ricky realized that this was never a bad idea.
The small lawn near the Ferris wheel looked like an impromptu picnic of exhausted teenagers and a few couples sharing ice cream. Ricky chewed on his pink cotton candy that melted on his tongue, watching the small chaos around him. Jiwoong tried to get cotton candy out of Yujin's hair, Hao and Hanbin shared a churro, Gunwook and Taerae lay in the tree while Matthew turned his roller coaster ride into a life-or-death drama.
Gyuvin, who was standing next to him, so close that their knees were touching, stole a piece of cotton candy from Ricky.
“Hey!” Ricky protested, pulling candy away. “Buy your own.”
“But yours is tastier.” Gyuvin replied, his mouth full, smiling.
Ricky rolled his eyes, but didn't think to stop him when Gyuvin stole the other piece. He was tired of arguing with Gyuvin's stubbornness and honestly… he didn't really care.
It was then that Gyuvin looked up at the Ferris wheel lit up against the night sky and urgently tugged on Ricky's wrist.
“Come on. Now.”
“What? Why?” Ricky tried to resist, but Gyuvin was already on his feet, dragging him along.
“It’s the last attraction of the day! And the line is short.” Gyuvin argued, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Ricky decided not to argue anymore, just let himself be led away from the group. The voices and the smell of candy faded away, and it was just him and Gyuvin again.
The Ferris wheel cabin shook slightly as they entered. Gyuvin quickly pressed himself against the glass, looking down with bright eyes.
“Look how small everyone down there looks.”
Ricky sat down next to him, more cautious. “Be careful, or you’ll turn into a flat Gyuvin.”
Gyuvin laughed, leaning back in his seat. “Dramatic.”
The gentle movement of the Ferris wheel slowly took them to the top, revealing the park with twinkling lights little by little. The large park looked insignificant from above, the roller coaster, the spinning ride, the group of friends at the little makeshift picnic waving at them.
Gyuvin was silent for too long, then turned to Ricky with an unusually serious expression.
“Today was fun, right?”
Ricky looked at him, surprised by his light tone. “...It was.”
“We should do this all the time.” Gyuvin leaned on his arm, watching the sky. “Go out to random places. Like, when we’re older.”
Ricky smiled. “Older? You already complain about back pain.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Gyuvin replied, laughing. “We’ll still be the same old people, going to amusement parks even if we walk with crutches.”
The cabin reached the top, and for a second, everything was still. Just the starry sky, the lights, and Gyuvin's warmth against him. At that moment, there were only the two of them, no one else was down there, he could no longer hear the sound of anything — he could only hear Gyuvin breathing nearby.
And once again the Ferris wheel reached the top, only now stopping, as if for a moment time had stopped. Gyuvin, who had been admiring the view until then, looked at Ricky with a small smile, the kind that doesn't quite reach the eyes.
“Have you ever thought…” He began, tapping his fingers on the bench to a tune Ricky remembered hearing on the radio. “That we could disappear tomorrow and no one would know the last time they saw us laugh? Like, really laugh.”
Ricky nearly choked on the rest of the cotton candy he was eating. “Where did that come from?” he asked through coughs.
Gyuvin laughed, throwing his head back. “Oh, come on. It’s just a random thought. You remember your first kiss, your first bad grade, your last year of school, but you never remember your last laugh.” He shrugged, as if he’d said something he hadn’t expected to say. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”
Ricky stared at him. There was something different about Gyuvin’s voice, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it — it made his stomach churn — but it was Gyuvin. The same Gyuvin who cried at sad dog movies, the same Gyuvin who bounced around like he was in a cartoon.
“You’re watching too much afternoon drama again,” Ricky grumbled, flicking him on the head. “Stop being so melancholic. The last time you actually laughed was 6 minutes ago when you watched Taerae almost throw up his lunch on that spinning ride.”
Gyuvin seemed to think for a second, and then his face lit up as if someone had flipped a switch. “That’s right! He looked like a clumsy duck.” His laughter filled the cabin, too loud, too fast, almost as if he was trying to make up for something — it made Ricky’s body shudder — and then he laid his head on Ricky’s shoulder again.
Ricky thought about complaining, but his fingers, without being told, lightly pinched the sleeve of Gyuvin's shirt. "See? You're laughing right now, and I know exactly when." Ricky said, and Gyuvin said nothing.
The park was almost closing when Hanbin took out his phone for the first time since he had arrived and looked at the time, jumping. “Shit! The last bus leaves in 10 minutes.”
It was enough to make the entire group panic. Taerae dropped the rest of the popcorn and cotton candy on the floor, Jiwoong quickly woke up from his post-spinning toy coma, and Yujin simply started running without warning.
“RUN, DAMMIT!” Matthew yelled, grabbing Gunwook by the arm and dragging him.
Ricky barely had time to think when Gyuvin's hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him hard. “COME ON, RICKY!”
And so began one of the most chaotic moments in the history of their friendship.
Gyuvin dragged him like a hurricane, dodging tourists and food stalls. At some point Ricky stepped on some food on the floor and almost slipped, but Gyuvin caught him by the waist without stopping running.
Gyuvin laughed maniacally, his feet pounding the asphalt with a frantic rhythm. “SHIT, THIS IS SO FUN!”
Behind them, the rest of the group was a walking disaster, with their friends tripping over each other multiple times.
When they finally saw the bus stop, the vehicle's engine was already running.
“No, no, no!” Gyuvin let go of Ricky and sped off, banging on the bus door like a madman. “UNCLE DRIVER, PLEASE, OTHERWISE WE’LL DIE ON THE STREET.”
The driver, a mustachioed gentleman who had clearly seen a lot of life, sighed and opened the door.
One by one, the group fell into the nearly empty bus like a bunch of tired zombies. Ricky collapsed into the same seat as before, only by the window now, his heart beating so fast it felt like it wanted to escape his chest. Gyuvin was next to him, sweaty and red-faced, but happy.
“See?” He gasped, leaning in Ricky’s shoulder. “We did it.”
Ricky looked at him, at the sweat dripping down his forehead, at the stupid smile, at the warm hand shaking with adrenaline pulling him closer.
“You’re the worst.” He said, letting his head fall onto Gyuvin’s shoulder.
Gyuvin laughed, the sound vibrating between them. “And you love me.”
And as the bus pulled away, carrying a bunch of teenage delinquents who reeked of sweat and cotton candy, Ricky thought, maybe — just maybe — it was worth dying for right now. He would remember the last laugh.
At least for a while.