Chapter 168 – Her X Her X Her (17)
“Ugh…”
While waiting in line, Ye-hwa trembled with anxiety.
Her heart was pounding.
Kyaaaaaaak-
Whoosh-
Amidst the wait, people’s screams were clearly audible.
The Viking was repeatedly tilting its body almost vertically, going up and down. Just watching it made her mouth go dry.
That’s a bit…
Kyaaaaaaaahah-
Whoosh-
Laughter was mixed in with the screams.
People said they were screams of fun, not fear, but to Ye-hwa, they just sounded like cries from the underworld.
Back in high school.
She and Su-jeong had gone to an all-girls school, so they hadn’t experienced it directly, but sometimes when they went to amusement parks and their visits overlapped with other schools, there were male students who would force girls onto scary rides.
She wondered why they would let that happen, but now, wasn’t she the one experiencing it?!
Y-yeah, maybe giving up is the better option…
“Okay~. Next group, please come in~.”
“Ah…”
But before she could say anything, Ye-hwa was pushed by the line and found herself inside the Viking’s seating area.
She could say something, but deep down, a small part of her thought that since she was a bit older now, maybe she could ride it without being scared.
While she was hesitating about where to sit, Jin-hyeon pointed to the very back.
“Let’s go to the back. It’s the most fun there.”
“…Jin-hyeon.”
Ye-hwa pouted and squinted her eyes.
Even Ye-hwa, who didn’t ride scary things, knew that the back was rumored to be the scariest.
She hadn’t seen him like this before, but today, a mischievous prankster image was being added to the good image she had of him.
“Please lower the safety bars~.”
The back seats of the Viking were arranged in pairs, with a total of four people able to sit there.
Looking to her side, she saw Jin-hyeon’s face, and next to him, another couple was chatting happily.
She wasn’t interested in the guy, but Ye-hwa’s eyes widened at the girl.
She was maybe a little over 150cm tall. She looked like she had just graduated high school.
Right.
Even a girl who looks so small and cute is riding the Viking, so there’s no way she can’t do it.
Ye-hwa, having regained a bit of confidence, slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
“Looks like we’re about to start.”
“Yeah…”
But as the moment approached, fear washed over her again.
Ye-hwa, pouting again at Jin-hyeon’s sly smile, tightly gripped the safety bar with both hands.
[Raise the anchor~! Clap~! Get ready! One, two…!]
As the starting announcement was made, Ye-hwa tightened her grip on the safety bar in tension.
At first, the Viking moved gently, but it wasn’t long before the speed and angle of its movements became much greater.
Whoosh-
Whoosh-
‘Y-yeah, I knew it…!’
I shouldn’t have ridden this!
Ye-hwa trembled.
This kind of thing wasn’t for her. Even though it was still the beginning, she felt like her heart was sinking.
Whoosh-
“Ah…”
I’m, I’m doomed.
As the Viking rose much higher than before, Ye-hwa tightly closed her eyes.
Her body trembled at the recoil of the drop.
That’s when it happened.
“Heh. Ye-hwa, you don’t have to be scared.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Jin-hyeon placed his hand over hers.
“J-Jin-hyeon, what are you doing…!”
As Ye-hwa was surprised, he smiled and said,
“I’ll hold your hand. You won’t be scared if I do this.”
No, it’s not like holding hands will…
Whoosh-
Kyaaaaaaaahah-
“Huh?”
Ye-hwa’s eyes widened as she looked at Jin-hyeon.
She felt nothing.
There was a sensation of her body floating and her heart pounding, but she didn’t feel the same fear and terror that she had felt before.
The moment Jin-hyeon held her hand, she felt so much at ease. Just like when she first smelled the diffuser with his scent…
‘Ah.’
Come to think of it, his scent had become even stronger. Only then did Ye-hwa realize that she and Jin-hyeon were holding hands, close together like a couple.
‘This is totally…’
Her face flushed slightly, but Ye-hwa didn’t pull away from his hand and remained still.
“How is it? You’re not scared anymore, right?”
“Y-yes, yes…”
Whoosh-
The Viking tilted even more than before, dropping almost vertically.
But instead of fear, she felt enjoyment.
There was a slight fear, but it was more like a thrilling sensation that gave her pleasure.
As her body floated and then dropped, she felt like her stress was completely relieved.
It was the first time she felt like she understood why people rode these kinds of rides.
[Please exit to the left~.]
“Ah…”
In an instant, the Viking ride was over, and the safety bar went up. Jin-hyeon’s hand naturally fell away.
At first, each movement felt like it took forever, but after holding hands with Jin-hyeon, it had disappeared in an instant.
“How was it? These kinds of rides are pretty good, right?”
As they got off, Jin-hyeon looked at Ye-hwa and asked.
Ye-hwa couldn’t deny it at all.
It wasn’t just good, it was really, really fun.
It was the first time she had fully enjoyed such a ride and felt the fun, so Ye-hwa felt like she had tasted a new world.
‘But at first, I was definitely scared, so why suddenly…’
Because she held hands with Jin-hyeon?
Is it really just because of that?
Surely not…
“Want to ride it again?”
Whatever it was, she didn’t feel any more fear.
Nod nod.
Ye-hwa nodded slightly.
******
“Hoo~ This is so much fun too.”
“I know, right.”
Perhaps it was because she no longer felt fear, but Ye-hwa was now enjoying various thrilling rides like a runaway train.
She had even reached the point where she was finding them herself and dragging me along.
I think we rode eight more after the Viking.
Time had flown by.
“Ye-hwa, I’m going to the restroom. Can I have your hand?”
“Ah, s-sorry…”
Ye-hwa was startled and let go of the hand she was holding.
We had held hands every time we rode a ride.
Usually, we would naturally let go of each other’s hands when getting off, but just now, we had been to a place similar to a haunted house, so we kept holding hands without a chance to let go.
I recalled the skill I had purchased this morning.
[Touch of Stability]
◆ Rank: 10
◆ Description: You gain a touch that has a stabilizing effect.
◆ Options
1. Touch of Stability (ON/OFF)
– Cooldown and consumption: None
– ON effect: When making physical contact using your hands, it eliminates the target’s trauma, including fear and anxiety.
I had a lot of coins.
Recently, I had been buying various skills to upgrade my stats.
The Touch of Stability skill was something I had just bought today after hearing from Su-jeong that Ye-hwa couldn’t ride scary things.
I originally only had the ‘Scent of Seduction’ skill, which increased my charm and made people slightly sexually aroused, but after giving Ye-hwa the diffuser last time, I bought skills that made my body odor have the same or greater effect than the diffuser.
These days, even after buying skills like that and gradually increasing the specialized stats of Su-jeong, Da-jeong, Yu-jeong, and Delia, the coins weren’t running out.
“It’s okay. I like holding hands with you, Ye-hwa.”
Ye-hwa looked at me with a strange gaze, then slightly blushed and turned her head to the side.
“I-I’ll go buy some drinks, so please hurry back.”
“Okay.”
I smiled brightly and headed to the restroom.
