eternal summer.

2.2/3

10th JULY, 2003

small boots sinking slightly into the thick blanket of snow, the two 10 year olds made their way to the nearly deserted amusement park. with the temperature descending rapidly, they were both wrapped in oversized coats and ear muffs that covered their red ears. the boy, who was clearly much more excited, had his hand wrapped around the girl's to stop her from slipping.

thumping hearts. heavy breaths. the smell of freedom. 

"where are we going?" voice muffled by a knitted wool scarf, the girl asked. hands gripped tighter onto the boy's.

"you'll see when we reach!"

when realization dawned upon her, cha tae eun gasped and came to a complete stop, causing the boy to be tugged back as well. her eyes widened.

"w-we are not taking the rollercoaster r-right—"

that earned a grin from jeon jeongguk. "it will be fun, trust me! you said you wanted to get rid of your fear of heights, right?" 

despite her groans of annoyance, the pair did manage to reach the entrance. since the weather was terrible, there wasn't much people around and they were the only ones in queue. once strapped safely in her seat, tae eun squeezed her eyes shut. hands clenched into fists.

then, a familiar warmth enveloped her right fist. calmed her trembling heart. stopped her shaking. 

"i am always here, so don't worry. okay?" 

she managed a feeble nod.

a jolt shook the row of seats, causing tae eun to jerk as well. with a countdown, they travelled backwards for a few agonizing seconds before everything went crazy. descending at an unimaginable speed, the train of cars reached the bottom before travelling upwards again. the whooshing of wind was all tae eun heard, other than jeongguk's shouts of joy. 

all she knew was that he didn't let go of her hand.

with that added comfort, tae eun opened her eyes slowly and took in the scene of seoul from where they had stopped. city lights blinked lazily, a magnificent sight under the blanket of misty darkness. traffic crawled in the busy districts, distant barks from dogs in the nearby neighbourhoods, the fresh air assaulting their nostrils sharply. from where they were, it was freezing, but the sight was definitely heart-warming.

tae eun only snapped out from her thoughts when she heard jeongguk saying something. "what?" she asked. 

"i said," jeongguk cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting into the distance. "i want to be a singer!"

nudging tae eun's arm, he urged, "quick! make a wish before we go down again!"

the girl was flustered. to be brutally honest, she didn't know why. maybe because he's the one up there with her, maybe because he's the constant warmth in her life. or maybe she was rushed for time. but she dearly wanted to wish they would always be together. 

she knew that was an odd wish to make, however. thus, with the white mittens pressed against her cheeks, she shouted, "i'll support jeon jeongguk!"

a surprised hum escaped the boy's lips, his cheeks turning as red as his nose. "hey cha tae eun! make a wish for yourself, not for me!"

"why can't i?" she retorted. "i'll be rooting for you by the sidelines, and i'll always be here for you."

silence fell, causing tae eun to regret her words for a moment. to brush the awkwardness away, she blurted, "that's what you told me a few minutes ago! i'm just... repaying the favour."

a smile tugged at the boy's lips. "tae eun."

"hmm?"

"get ready."

"for wh—"

this time, they descended at an even faster speed with cha tae eun screaming and jeon jeongguk yelling in excitement.