Invisible String || PURINZ

23 • finding meaning

The five of them ventured towards the patio: it was the smell of steaming hot food that led them there. This time it was Yunjin who exhaled a loud gasp, running to the food so fast that Chaewon almost fell over.

They all eagerly sat down on pillows by the table. There were plates filled with grilled meats and salads, which was their biggest weakness. The girls cheered happily, stuffing their mouths with food; except their leader, who felt like she had regained her role when she found a note under her pillow.

Her eyes darted over her girlfriend. Her cheeks were so full of food that she looked like a hamster; it was a weirdly adorable sight. She let out a chuckle before pinning her eyes on the letter.

"Dear Fimily, today Kim Chaewon returns to film Day Off–" Eunchae clapped happily– "And we celebrate with the Fimmies' favourite meal. But don't get too familiar with your lodgings, because you will have to test your bravery at the local theme park first! Your mission is to ride every attraction, and strike a different pose in each ride's camera! If you fail to pose or are too scared to hop on for the ride, you'll receive a penalty. Good luck on your Fimily outing!"

Yunjin's eyes widened in excitement. Sakura on the other hand couldn't help cracking up when she saw Chaewon's face fall. "Oh, that'll be the death of her!" She laughed, folding over when the other cast her an angry look.

"God, I'm getting so many penalties I might as well go home!" Chaewon cried.

Yunjin patted her back, trying not to get infected by the Japanese girl's laughter. "You'll be fine, Chae-chae. We'll sit in the back, that way your barf won't hit anyone." A diabolical smirk grew on her face as she dodged the short girl's elbow.

A few sly jokes and one grand chase later, nearly all the food on the table was gone. Chaewon was pretty sure they couldn't use half the footage, since Kazuha kept cussing Sakura out for stealing her food– and rightfully so, because it was the most delicious food she had ever tasted.

Besides Huh Yunjin.

When they were back on the bus, Eunchae was already complaining about how much she wanted to explore the mansion. Kazuha reminded her that they would be back soon enough after going on all the rides– which sparked a fifteen-minute conversation about Chaewon never making it out alive.

And then, to her own surprise, the short girl was incredibly relieved when they arrived. Hearing about all the different ways of passing away in a roller coaster hadn't exactly sparked her excitement.

The gates were open wide, and a whole crowd of people were in line to get their tickets scanned. The roller coaster tracks stuck out behind the large gates: Chaewon could count two, but there were many more small rides– all of which she couldn't even see yet.

Yunjin massaged the short girl's neck as they followed their manager towards the entrance. "Feeling nervous, baby?" She whispered in her ear.

"Shut up." Her girlfriend groaned, anxiously rubbing her arms.

The other let out a chuckle. "Well, you know one way to shut me up," She hummed softly.

Chaewon's eyes darted over the cameras. Her cheeks heated up as she thanked the gods that none of them were pointed at them.

She took Yunjin's hands, moving them to her hips instead. "Might want to tone it down, pretty girl." She mumbled.

"Or what?" Yunjin purred defiantly.

More than anything, Chaewon felt ashamed to admit that whatever her girlfriend was doing was working.

The girl sucked in a deep breath. "Kkura, she's doing it again!" She yelled to the eldest, who immediately turned around.

"My God, stop trying to hide things in her hair, Yunjin!" Sakura scolded, crossing her arms.

Yunjin threw her arms in the air. "I wasn't even...! Ugh, foul play, Kim Chaewon!" She complained.

And so she went off to bother Eunchae instead. Chaewon considered her mission to be successful.

Once they were inside the park, the girls got their own cameras strapped to their wrists like always. It was almost as if their leader hadn't missed a day of work: it all felt so familiar– like second nature, in a sense.

Kazuha was the first to head straight towards the roller coaster. Eunchae ran up behind her, equally as excited. Suddenly Chaewon wasn't sure if she was more concerned about dying on the roller coaster or about her bangs being all messed up from the wind.

Their surroundings were weirdly pretty. There were dazzling lights all over the place, and this section of the park was dressed up like they were in a fairytale. There were statues of faes mounted on fake castles, and the beauty of it all made Chaewon feel less nervous when they were right in front of the coaster carts.

She held onto the handlebars for dear life with one hand, the other squeezing the life out of her girlfriend's hand. The moment they started moving she was screaming so loud that the others were too busy laughing at her to enjoy the ride.

Chaewon didn't know whether she was laughing or crying when they finally came to a stop.

Although, after having faced the worst ride and still successfully sticking her thumb up to pose for the camera despite being in tears, the rest didn't feel so bad anymore.

She managed to beat everyone at the tiny karting circuit, and she won a plushy in a claw machine for Eunchae. She almost won from Yunjin when they shot at balloons, until the tall girl tried to kiss her cheek and she missed the shot.

They were at the park for hours, corndog in hand– and for Eunchae some cotton candy. Chaewon hadn't smiled that much in ages.

She didn't care much for her hair anymore, nor the cameras pointed at them. As she watched Yunjin trying to secretly take a bite out of Eunchae's cotton candy while Sakura and Kazuha were warning the young girl, all she cared about was being in the moment.

Simply existing.

She smiled as she took her polaroid camera from her bag. She pointed it at the girls, lining it up just right...

Click,

Click,

She released her breath.

Click,

If only they knew just how much they meant to her.

"You coming, Chae-chae?" Yunjin asked, waving at her girlfriend.

Chaewon chuckled as she nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." She hummed, joining her members in a quest to win the gigantic teddy bear in the prize hall.