SANCTUARY

chapter 13

The line shortened, the two of us were near the front. It was pretty quiet and tense between us, as that answer he gave made me speechless. I didn't know the right words to say to him, so I thought that it was best to know my place. Minutes passed and at last, we were able to go on our first ride. It was weird not riding with Chenle, but it would be nice to use this as an opportunity to know Haechan more.

"Left or right?" Haechan asked, referring to where I would sit. "I'm fine anywhere."

"Right one then," I answered and went on first, Haechan sitting beside me. "Do you like rollercoasters?"

"They're okay. I can handle them," he responded. "You must love them, don't you?"

"Yeah, they're just thrilling," I smiled with excitement. "A lot of people are scared of them, so this makes me feel a lot stronger than I really am."

"You know, Ahyoung," Haechan spoke up, which caused me to focus on him. I anticipated what he wanted to say. "I find myself getting more interested in you as time passes by. You intrigued me since our first encounter."

"What kind of interest?" I asked, but he chuckled. He tilted his head at me, staring deeply.

"You have three options to pick from," he smirked. "A. The way you see the world and yourself intrigues me. Intrigued as a person, B. You seem different from others that I want to know more about you and C. I like you."

The rollercoaster sped up and slowed down when we were nearing the drop. I was flustered by Haechan's options, not knowing which one it could be. He's been a bothersome and gave vague answers and thoughts.

"Do you want a clue?" Haechan whispered into my ear before the rollercoaster dropped. "It isn't the first choice."

The rollercoaster dropped down and the air was filled with screams of both joy and fear as almost everyone enjoyed the drop. Haechan joined the shouts while I was utterly flabbergasted.

The day went on and Haechan and I finished all three rides. The words he whispered into my ear were still living in my mind, as if they couldn't leave. I tried brushing it off once I saw a stuffed toy that caught my eye.

"Haechan, are you good at amusement park games?" I asked, because I definitely sucked at them.

"Those games are just rigged to make money," Haechan scoffed, his hands in his pocket.

"What's wrong, Ahyoung?" Jeno asked, seeing my disheartened face. "Mind telling me?"

Haechan rose an eyebrow at Jeno, then to me. He quietly watched the two of us, not paying much attention though.

"There's this stuffed toy I found really cute but you need to win that game to get it," I told him, pointing to the game where you had to smack the hammer and reach the top level to ring the bell. "I have noodle arms like Renjun so I have no hope in winning."

Haechan's ears perked up, eyeing the game.

"Want me to win it for you?" Jeno asked. "I do work as a trainer."

"I'll do it," Haechan came in between us.

"I thought you didn't want to play?" I questioned, looking at him getting competitive all of a sudden.

"I said that most games are rigged," Haechan corrected. "I said nothing about not playing them."

Everyone besides Haechan and I started bursting into laughter beside us. They couldn't hold it in and laughed at Haechan's sudden change of mind.

"He changed his mind quicker than him buying stuff for his games," Renjun joked.

"I can't believe he just did that," Jisung, who was still processing what had just happened, said. "Do you really think that's Haechan?"

"Why? Are you waiting for him to pull off a mask on his face?" Chenle jokingly asked.

"Watch him be an alien!" Renjun added, which made everyone sigh.

"Watch all of you be dead meat later," Jaemin muttered, noticing Haechan's glare.

Haechan walked over to the game and paid the man for one try. He tightened his grip on the handle and readied himself. He hit it and the level soared high, surprisingly hitting the top.

"Okay, but who got him that angry to win?" Jeno asked and everyone pointed to Renjun. "I see. If it weren't for the game, you would've been the one who got bonked."

"Wow, so sexy!" Jaemin exclaimed, teasing Haechan for winning the game with one try.

"You like hedgehogs?" Haechan questioned as he passed over the prize that he won to me.

"You like me?" I parried.

"Oh shit—"

"Park Jisung!" Jaemin scolded.

"That was smooth, Ahyoung," Jeno chuckled. "I wonder what the response will be..."

"If he makes an excuse, all of you owe me a meal," Renjun added. "I'm hungry."

"What if I do?" Haechan questioned and everyone was silent. He chuckle, breaking the silence and ducked down to align our eyes. "But what if I don't?"

This caused me to be flustered, garnering unwanted attention.

"Maybe it's you falling for me," Haechan winked and walked off somewhere. His phone buzzed and he answered it, making sure he walked further from us.

"I can't believe that bitch is still a flirt," Renjun gagged.

"But in fairness, he might be finally moving on," Chenle tried to make sense out of something that didn't make much sense. "The thing is, he's too playful."

"I'll go use the restroom," I excused myself and headed there. I washed my hands and looked at myself in the mirror. "Do I like him or do I just like his company?"

"I like it when you're happy."

"I'll just make your world a bit better somehow."

"Don't waste your time proving that I'm a good person."

"You and I?"

"I don't know why but it seems like even if I try to cut you off, you seem to be fun to talk with."

"It's the puppy you wanted at that petshop."

"C. I like you."

I brushed it off and left the restroom. I was on my way back when I heard sudden shouts from an empty place. Being the curious person I was, I checked out who it was and what was happening.

"So what? What are you going to do now?!" I saw Haechan snarl to the person he was on the phone with. "Ruin my life again? Steal someone who means a lot to me again? Stay the fuck away from me, Eun Jihye."

[a/n: thank you so much for 4k! i apologize for inconsistent updates :( ]