“Huhm-Ah-Ah-!”
The trigger for Juwon’s crying was none other than the Ferris wheel.
How did it come to this? Well, there’s no need to go too far back—it’s just ten minutes ago.
The time rewinds to just after Siyeon enjoyed bumper cars, a carousel, and spinning cups.
Maybe she noticed me just sitting on the bench near the line, so Siyeon suggested we find a ride we could go on together.
A ride with two people that we deemed safe enough to just sit on…
That ride, which could be seen from afar, slowly spinning around.
It was, of course, the Ferris wheel.
“How about that one?”
“The Ferris wheel should be okay…”
Shrugging at Siyeon’s suggestion, Juwon stood in line for the Ferris wheel while tightly holding onto the precious bundle.
A once-in-a-lifetime free event at the amusement park.
I figured we should at least let him ride something…
It was a benevolence stemming from such selfish reasoning.
Juwon, cradled in my arms, seemed curious about the people packed around us, turning his head this way and that.
If his eyes happened to meet those of a nearby stranger, he would stare for quite a while.
Finally, when it was our turn, we boarded the Ferris wheel, something I couldn’t remember the last time I rode—probably back in middle school.
I wasn’t the type to frequently visit amusement parks, after all, nor did I have a significant other.
Whenever I came across news articles about overcrowded amusement parks, I would scoff and say, “Ugh, money squandering.”
…To be honest, I still feel pretty much the same.
But now, I feel like I have a vague sense of why I came.
“Please ride carefully—”
Every ride has a staff member nearby, and the Ferris wheel is no exception.
Though it’s a painfully slow ride, they still do their job and say their piece.
Slowly, slowly.
Even after a minute, the Ferris wheel is still moving down below at a snail’s pace.
As we got closer to the entrance, Juwon, at the perfect height for his face, tapped on the outside with his fingertips, causing Juwon to turn his gaze outside in response to the sound.
“Juwon, look outside.”
“No, I don’t wanna.”
After just a brief glance outside, Juwon immediately showed his displeasure by quickly turning his head back inside the Ferris wheel.
At two years and one month old, he was certainly at an age where preferences were already clear.
“No? Why not?”
“Scary!”
Even when asked why, all I got back was an incomplete pronunciation of “no.”
Is he afraid of heights?
Reluctantly, I moved to a middle spot where Juwon could see outside better.
Siyeon stood inside the Ferris wheel, taking pictures of the view with her smartphone, seemingly enjoying the scenery from up high.
Then, issues arose right around this time, as the Ferris wheel would shake a bit due to its nature.
When it nearly reached the top and started to jolt, Juwon, startled, whipped his gaze toward the window.
His face soon transformed into a crying expression, bursting into tears before I could even comfort him.
“Huhm-Ah-Ah-!”
…And that’s the current situation.
With incomplete pronunciations, Juwon cries out for his mom.
Patting his back and moving my knees up and down to soothe him, the Ferris wheel jolts around like a subway train.
With my right hand that had wrapped around Juwon’s back now in my pocket, I finally managed to pull it out and pointed my smartphone toward Siyeon.
“Call my sister.”
In the end, I had to call my sister due to the ruckus of the Ferris wheel.
Amidst the cries echoing in the cramped cabin, the phone’s ringing echoed repeatedly.
Before it rang twice, the sound cut off, and a familiar voice came through.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
Awkwardly, it wasn’t my sister who answered, but Uncle Dae-han.
For a moment, I wondered if I dialed the wrong number, but tapping the screen reassured me, showing ‘Ji-eun Unnie’ prominently.
“Huhm-Ah-!!”
And before I could even explain anything, Juwon’s wailing was enough to bewilder Uncle Dae-han.
One after another, Uncle Dae-han’s voice came through the phone.
“Oh dear, why is my boy crying?”
“We’re on the Ferris wheel, and it’s shaking, I think he’s scared. What about my sister?”
“She just went to the restroom…”
“Uncle, come…”
With a teary-eyed face, Juwon reached out toward the smartphone.
When I held the phone close to his ear, a tearful reunion of father and son unfolded through mere voice.
“Don’t cry, just wait…Mom will be here soon, stop crying.” Such comforting words came from the phone.
Yet really, there’s nothing like a parent to soothe a kid…
“Son, why are you crying?”
As soon as my sister returned from the restroom, her voice came through the phone, causing Juwon to suddenly stop his waterworks like a broken faucet.
It must be close to lunchtime; by the time the call was wrapping up, they said they’d come over towards the Ferris wheel.
As the Ferris wheel made its return trip, submerged in tears, Juwon still clutched the smartphone while on the line with his mom.
Standing by the exit of the Ferris wheel were the two of them waiting.
Finally, Juwon could take back the smartphone he was holding tightly and loosen the bundle he had been tied up with in front.
“Ah, Juwon, thanks for being patient… Let’s head for lunch now.”
The restaurant at the crowded amusement park was just as bustling as the popular rides during lunchtime.
On Children’s Day, it was a hub of marketers preying on adults whose wallets had loosened up in the delightful atmosphere with the kids.
Even having gotten used to the rising prices, one couldn’t help but think, ‘Seriously, are they selling this for that price?’
……And here, you could see the epitome of unreasonable pricing.
The waiting time was just as lengthy as the rides—40 minutes.
It was only after that time passed that I could finally rest my aching legs and look over the menu as soon as it was served to quell my hunger.
Kimchi fried rice served in a bowl the size of a middle school student’s palm—10,400 won.
Kimchi cheese fried rice—11,000 won, shrimp fried rice—11,000 won.
Why there are ramen options on the menu… 10,000 to 11,500 won.
Pork cutlet—12,000 won, cheese pork cutlet—13,400 won.
Even soda and cider were 3,000 won each for a can.
Truly, just looking at the prices made my appetite plummet.
If only the portions were decent, but it looked as if they had just bought thin, mass-produced frozen cutlets and deep-fried them.
Even if it were tough and cheap, there was no way to go outside the park.
Unless we had brought our own lunch, we had no choices left.
Ji-eun Unnie ordered one shrimp fried rice, Uncle Dae-han took the pork cutlet.
And for Juwon’s share, though he wouldn’t eat it all anyway, I added another pork cutlet.
Siyeon and I each ordered a cheese pork cutlet, aiming for variety, but it ended up totaling 61,800 won.
“Should we order cider and cola too?”
“No.”
Ji-eun Unnie seemed determined not to hold back since we came to have a good time, but firmly rejected it, suggesting water would suffice.
No matter how desperately I craved soda, 3,000 won for a can was too much.
With the food bill crossing into the 60,000 range, the thought of ordering chicken wandered into my mind.
‘With this money, I could buy a chicken…’
Even though chicken prices have soared and reached 30,000 won, chicken still stood as the benchmark for affordable meals.
With this money, I could order three chickens from a somewhat expensive place, and still have leftovers for breakfast the next day.
Even though it wasn’t my money, the food prices gave me a feeling of gnawing away at the flesh.
After finishing the order, I wondered how well it would turn out.
“Now we’ll take care of Juwon, so after lunch, Mari and Siyeon can play together.”
It seems Ji-eun Unnie planned to roam the amusement park with Juwon afterward.
Did Juwon’s crying on the Ferris wheel concern her?
“Oh, is that okay?”
“To be honest, I’ve ridden everything I wanted… In the afternoon, we can pick only rides Juwon can go on, it’d be rude to keep leaving him.”
When I asked if it was alright, she replied nonchalantly, as if she’d seen everything, that it was now fine to only ride those that Juwon could take too.
Even so, I didn’t particularly want to ride anything either.
Honestly, I preferred looking after the kids, so I casually said, “That’s fine…”
“Stop the chatter. It’d look weird if Siyeon rides alone.”
Before I could finish saying it was fine, Ji-eun Unnie cut off my trailing remark by pulling Siyeon over.
Hmm, she’s bringing Siyeon along…
Well, it’s not like she brought anyone else.
“Alright, I got it.”
Glancing briefly at Siyeon, I resigned and said yes just as the food cart came rolling in.
“Food’s here-”
‘This costs 13,400 won…’
The smaller-than-expected cutlet and rice that looked like it was scooped with an ice cream scoop were dished up as though they were a consolation prize.
While the cutlet drenched in sauce was somewhat passable, the issue lay with the size of the rice.
Who on earth scoops rice with an ice cream scoop? That person deserves to be hung from the ceiling like a bat and whacked with a stick.
‘Of course, it feels familiar…’
Though for now, let’s set aside the matter of the price; this cutlet gives me a déjà vu feeling.
Where have I seen a cutlet that looks like this before?
Ah, I remember now.
‘At the food court in a big supermarket.’
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