By Zephyria 
#Side Story 13
Ire looked up at the sky with a tired face. He was hoping it would rain so he could use it as an excuse to go home, but the weather was too nice. He turned his head and saw Ru inside a small capsule, touring the amusement park.
An employee was helping him, and even from a distance, Ire could feel how excited the boy was. He closed his eyes for a moment to rest, and then he felt something cold on his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw Kim Ha-yoon smiling with a drink pressed against his cheek.
“Tired?”
“I’d rather be out catching bad guys.”
He had only ridden a few rides at the child’s request, but he already felt drained. Ire realized once again that he was vulnerable to spinning amusement park rides.
He drank the beverage Kim Ha-yoon had brought to quench his thirst, and then he spotted someone familiar in the distance. They were wearing the same T-shirts, each holding an ice cream cone, giggling. It looked like they were on a date. He felt like it would be awkward if they ran into each other, so he quietly turned away.
“Should I call them over?” Kim Ha-yoon asked.
Ire shook his head. “Let them be. I think they’re on a date.”
Ire roughly covered his face with the jacket he had. Captain, come over here too. He thought they must have gone, and lowered his jacket, but Baek Seol’s face popped up right in front of him. Oh, shoot! Before he could even be surprised, Baek Seol grinned, showing his front teeth.
“What are you doing here, Captain? On a date?”
“A date? No way… I just came to hang out with Ru.”
“Ru? The little guy came? Where is he?”
Baek Seol immediately went to find Ru, and Seo Young-jun came over to greet them. Ire wished they would just go their separate ways, feeling unnecessarily awkward, but Baek Seol dragged a chair over and sat down in front of him. Seo Young-jun, sensing the mood, quietly joined them as well.
“Why are you hiding your face like you’ve done something wrong?”
“I was just trying to get out of the sun for a bit because it was hot.”
“No, you weren’t. You darted away as soon as you saw me.”
Ire was speechless. Baek Seol was sometimes clueless, but Ire couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose.
“And besides, can you really hide it? Two handsome men are standing right here.”
“You don’t have to go that far.”
“You were shining from a distance. I thought there was a fire at the amusement park. Right, Seo Young-jun?”
At Baek Seol’s question, Seo Young-jun agreed that he had felt the same way. That idiot. How did that smart guy get caught by Baek Seol and end up like that? While he was thinking that, Ru returned after taking a lap around the amusement park.
The boy ran to Baek Seol and hugged him as soon as he saw him. “Nuna!” Baek Seol was the person Ru followed the best after Ire in Zone D, so he must have been really happy to see him.
“We should get going soon. You guys go your own way. We have to go too.”
Before Baek Seol could answer, Ru grabbed Ire’s arm. “Hyung! Hyung! There’s a gun shooting game over there! I want to play the gun shooting game!” Ire frowned at the word “gun.” He was about to say that guns were dangerous for children, but Baek Seol chimed in, saying it sounded fun.
Then Seo Young-jun chimed in, suggesting they make a dinner bet. Kim Ha-yoon also had a triumphant look on his face.
“I’m better than you guys even if I shoot with my eyes closed.”
Ire retorted, telling him not to be ridiculous, and Kim Ha-yoon put his arm around his shoulder and laughed. “Then, do you want to try? Dinner bet is fine, or we can bet something else.” Baek Seol clapped his hands in front of them, saying how cool that was, and Ire’s plan to go home was ruined.
They were led to a shooting game where they had to shoot moving balls, which looked childish and easy to anyone. Ire was wondering if he should really close his eyes when Seo Young-jun picked up a gun and took aim. Ru’s eyes sparkled with excitement next to him.
Ire wondered for a moment if he should be showing this to a child who needed to be instilled with dreams and hopes. As Seo Young-jun shot, the balls moved faster than he thought, making it difficult to hit them.
Next was Baek Seol, who scored higher than Seo Young-jun. Seo Young-jun kept making flattering remarks, saying how cool he was, and Ire briefly considered shooting Seo Young-jun with the gun because he hated seeing it.
“It’s Captain’s turn.”
“You go first.”
“No. The main character is always last.”
“Okay, then. But you have to grant me a wish.”
The word “wish” reminded him of the Wedding dress, and he shuddered.
“What, there’s no such thing,”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Kim Ha-yoon picked up a gun and took aim. Every time he pulled the trigger, the balls in front of him disappeared one by one. After hitting even the candy-sized balls, so small they could hardly be called balls, fireworks exploded on the screen and the word “Perfect” appeared. Ire took the gun and focused. The result was a tie with Kim Ha-yoon.
“Oh, a tie. Again! Again!”
“Chairman! I thought you would let me win, but I’m surprised.”
“What are you talking about? Our Captain is someone who can definitely let you win! Right, Captain?”
Kim Ha-yoon and Ire took turns shooting, and both of them hit the target perfectly without a single error. After repeating this several times, Baek Seol and Seo Young-jun got tired and brought chairs to sit down. Only Ru was excited, cheering for both of them in turn.
“When are we going home?”
“Are we even going to be able to eat?”
“You guys are terrible, both of you are terrible. One of you could just give in, why do you have to be so competitive?”
“Honey. You shouldn’t say things like that out loud. It’s rude.”
“I’m saying it so they can hear! Captain! Let’s go home!”
Baek Seol had been happy to order them to do it and cheer them on, but now he was fed up and dragged Seo Young-jun away. Then Ire fired the last shot, but the bullet went slightly to the side of the target. Ire put down the gun in shock, with an unbelievable expression on his face.
“Just now…!”
With a doubtful heart, he looked to the side and saw Ru eating cotton candy, pretending not to notice. “Ru?” he called, but Ru didn’t know where to look. He didn’t scold the child for what he had done, but looked at Kim Ha-yoon. Seeing him whistling and smiling, he was sure that the two of them had conspired.
“Seriously. This is cheating. Ru? Do you like Hyung? Or do you like that A! That! Guy! Huh?”
Ru smiled bashfully, and Ire shook his head and lifted him up. Then Kim Ha-yoon came over and took Ru away. “Your arm must be tired from shooting. Give him to me.” Ire bristled at those words.
“That wasn’t a fair game.”
“Still, you have to grant my wish.”
Ru repeated those words right after. “You have to grant my wish.” Ire laughed in disbelief and asked what that wish was, and Kim Ha-yoon pointed somewhere with his hand. Soon after, fireworks went off on one side of the amusement park, decorating the sky.
Unlike when bombs exploded, the fireworks made his heart flutter and made him feel ecstatic. Ru was also speechless at the sight he was seeing for the first time. Ire saw saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth and took out a tissue from his pocket to wipe it off, then ruffled his hair.
While everyone’s eyes were on the sky, Kim Ha-yoon’s eyes remained on Ire. The exploding fireworks lingered in his blue-gray eyes for a moment before disappearing. Ire noticed belatedly and turned his head.
“What are you looking at?”
“Something more ecstatic than fireworks.”
“Seriously. You’re throwing out lines like a playboy.”
“About the wish. Can I say it?”
“Don’t. I’m not going to grant it anyway.”
“Let’s kiss, right now.”
His mouth fell open in disbelief, and then his lips met. He was surprised when a tongue entered, and he pulled away, making him smile. Ru looked at their faces and covered his eyes with his small hands. Kim Ha-yoon smiled brightly and turned his head to look at the sky. After hesitating for a moment, Ire quietly took his hand.