85) Chapter 14. No, That’s Not It? (6)

I’ve never been abroad in this life.

From what I’ve heard, there are a lot of complications when a superhuman tries to travel overseas.

Well, I guess it makes sense. It’s like letting someone who’s always holding a loaded weapon onto a plane—of course that would make people nervous. And some superhumans could probably blow up a plane and escape on their own if they wanted to…

……All safety regulations are written in blood, so maybe something like that really did happen once.

Of course, it’s not like superhumans are forbidden from traveling abroad. Once you’re an adult, register your ability, and sign a bunch of agreements, you can board a plane just like anyone else.

And domestic flights have far fewer restrictions anyway.

Still, aside from overseas trips, my family did pretty much everything else.

No—more than “did everything,” Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun made sure we never missed a single thing.

Every summer vacation, we’d go to the beach for a few days. In autumn, we’d go camping with tents. Sometimes we’d fly to Jeju Island. We always celebrated Christmas.

And of course, we went to amusement parks pretty often. Actually, since we lived in Seoul, we went very often.

Even though Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun are famous, people don’t swarm them as much as you’d think. I still don’t know if it’s because people here respect celebrities’ privacy more, or because heroes aren’t quite as “celebrity-level famous” as entertainers.

……Anyway, that’s how it was.

There was nothing wrong with my family. If anything, the problem was my environment and my personality—not Auntie Yujin, not Uncle Dohyun, not Soi.

Even in those circumstances, Soi’s family wanted me to experience things like any other kid.

So of course Soi had no reason to be nervous. She’d been to amusement parks many times. Same for Chae‑yi—she’d gone with me and Soi before.

“Hoo…”

I was the one feeling uneasy.

Back when I studied at home, Soi often took me out for walks around the neighborhood, or brought me all over Seoul to play.

She wanted me to know I didn’t have to be afraid of the world—that people wouldn’t recognize me as easily as I feared.

So I don’t think I need to be scared. I even visited Soi’s house last weekend.

But still, crowded places make me tense. Not to the point of freezing up like when someone hugs me, or panicking like when someone touches my head, but…

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.

I only wanted to soften the atmosphere a little, say something, and it somehow turned into this.

“……Hoo~”

……Hm?

I heard a deeper sigh right next to mine. When I turned my head, it was Jinwoo.

Once you start suspecting something, it never ends.

Now even her sigh sounds like a pretty girl’s voice. Well, I guess her voice is pretty thin for a guy. The kind of voice that, in an anime, would probably be voiced by a woman.

Why is she so tense?

……Ah. I guess she would be.

I’m almost certain she’s a girl now, but that probably makes it even more nerve‑wracking for her. This is her first time hanging out like this with a group of girls since entering high school. She’s probably worried she’ll slip up somehow.

And if I assume she’s just a normal boy, well… that would be nerve‑wracking in its own way too.

“Uh, ah, sorry.”

When I stared at her, Jinwoo blushed and spoke.

“Why?”

I tilted my head.

Did she think I was blaming her?

“Uh, no, it’s just…”

Jinwoo looked around nervously, face red.

“It’s just… I’m nervous.”

Hmm.

Somehow, seeing her like this actually eased my own nerves.

When you’re scared or tense, realizing someone else is even more scared is strangely comforting.

“Why? It’s not like it’s your first time at an amusement park.”

“Uh……”

“…….”

Hm?

Jinwoo’s eyes darted around.

Oh.

“……You’ve never been to an amusement park?”

I asked just in case.

“Uh… yeah……”

She answered in a tiny voice.

“Ah, sorry……”

“N‑no, it’s fine……”

Ugh.

What do I do?

I felt sweat trickling down my back.

Well, of course there are people who’ve never been. There are plenty of reasons someone might not go.

Most people go at least once with school, but depending on circumstances, you could miss those too.

And assuming it’s “normal” could hurt someone.

Even for me—if someone asked, “What middle school did you go to?” I’d have trouble answering. I enrolled, but I never graduated.

“……A‑as long as we have fun today, that’s what matters, right?”

I stuttered in front of Jinwoo for the first time in a while.

But even after I said that, Jinwoo’s ears were still bright red, and she didn’t answer. So I glanced away.

Hyeonji was there.

She walked silently, expressionless. Not angry—just her usual face.

“S‑so, H‑Hyeonji, what about you? Been a while?”

“Never been.”

“……Huh?”

“I’ve never been to an amusement park. Not even once.”

“…….”

I shut my mouth.

Cold sweat ran down my back so much that my clothes stuck to me.

Ah. Right.

When I was in middle school, Hyeonji’s father was injured.

Auntie Yujin said the Association provides support, and the government helps too because he served as a hero for so long, but…

“When I was little, my dad was busy.”

“Ah… yeah……”

Maybe because I looked flustered, Hyeonji said that to reassure me.

She doesn’t know I know about her father’s situation.

But hearing that made sweat bead on my scalp too.

Parents being too busy to take their kid to an amusement park is a common cliché. And if they moved around a lot, she might’ve missed school trips too.

So it’s entirely possible she simply never had the chance.

But…

Her father was injured protecting me.

I don’t know how long he was hospitalized, but if he lost an arm, the treatment must’ve taken a very long time.

I don’t know much about these things, but I’ve heard that when a limb is severed, they try to reattach it first. They attempt multiple surgeries before giving up.

If he spent a long time in the hospital, then went through rehabilitation, and only recently returned to work…

“…….”

When I fell silent, Hyeonji tilted her head.

“It’s been a while for us too.”

Chae‑yi jumped in, saving me.

“So we’re really excited.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

Soi nodded.

That was why they were so cheerful. We’d gone to the beach in summer, but it had been a long time since we went to an amusement park.

“You know, Rua screams so much on rides that her voice goes hoarse.”

“……Really?”

Hyeonji asked.

Honestly, she looked unsure how to respond to that.

Like she wasn’t sure if it was okay to tease me about it.

“Hey, don’t make that stiff face.”

Even Soi—who normally would’ve been wary of Hyeonji and Jinwoo—lightly tapped Hyeonji’s arm.

“Amusement parks are for that kind of thing.”

“I mean, I know, but……”

There are things you can’t understand until you actually go.

If you only hear about it, it sounds horrifying.

A torture device that makes you scream involuntarily, and you wait two hours just to experience two or three minutes of it. Even with apps shortening wait times these days, it’s not like you can ride something every ten minutes.

“And, um… Jinwoo, you too.”

Soi awkwardly addressed Jinwoo.

She tapped Hyeonji without hesitation, but she couldn’t bring herself to do the same to Jinwoo.

Earlier, Hyeonji looked unsure whether it was okay to tease me. Now Soi was looking at Jinwoo with that same expression.

Because Soi thinks Jinwoo is a boy. She’s unsure whether it’s okay to touch "him" casually.

Come to think of it, Soi and Chae‑yi rarely hung out with boys. They were friendly with everyone, but they didn’t play with boys much.

Probably because of me. Since I was shy around strangers, they were careful on my behalf.

“…….”

Anyway.

What do I do?

It would’ve been better if I hadn’t said anything at all.

Soi and Chae‑yi tried to lighten the mood, but the atmosphere never fully recovered before we arrived at the amusement park.

Even though the weather wasn’t that hot, my back was completely soaked with sweat before we even got there

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A word from the author (A/N):

Thank you for reading again today!

=

Lapokki, thank you so much for your support!

You supported me twice starting from the 14th, and I’m very sorry for posting this thank-you so late ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Writing is always enjoyable, but the reason it’s enjoyable is because there are people who read my work. No matter how much I write a novel on my own, and no matter how closely it turns out the way I intended, can it really be called a novel if no one reads it? It might be a diary, perhaps, but I believe that writing meant to be a story only gains value when it is shared with someone. If I had been writing alone, I wouldn’t have been able to keep writing dozens of chapters consistently like I am now. It’s because someone reads my work and tells me it’s enjoyable that I’m always able to find the strength to write the next chapter, and the one after that. Thank you so much.

The reason I can think about finishing one piece and starting a new one, the reason new ideas for future stories keep coming to me even while I’m writing, and the reason I can plan out the plot and structure—all of it is because I know there are people who read my work. I sincerely hope that the joy I feel while writing can be conveyed, even just a little, to all of you who read my stories. I will do my best so that the time you spend reading my work is not wasted, but instead becomes a memory you can look back on someday. Thank you very much! I look forward to your continued support!

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Pub: 19 Apr 2026 09:59 UTC

Edit: 19 Apr 2026 10:07 UTC

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