— sometimes it frightens me,
a haunted starter for @gnsaein !
the carnival feels half like a joke, half like a dream.
on one hand, heejin thinks it’s all too convenient a traveling park this big would park in their little corner in the middle of nowhere. she’s sure there is someone hiding something, like perhaps the mayors of daehan and gaenari want to distract everyone so their kids have less competition for the suneung tests. or maybe it’s the good ol’ money laundering schemes. why else would a carnival even acknowledge their county?
on the opposite side, the tiny part in her that hasn’t given up on love and magic is ecstatic as another shot is fired in the distance to signal the start of a horse race. all around her, the colors are vibrant and the children are screaming, and she itches for a chance to toss some rings and eat tteokbokki made by someone other than the old lady downtown.
a couple hours into the night, and heejin is actually in a good mood. of course, it doesn’t last long.
“hey! watch it!”, she snarls as a taller man bumps into her. she takes a step back and grunts, staring down at her food now scattered on the ground in between them. “that was expensive! are you going to buy me a new serving now? why don’t you look where you’re going?”
as heejin glances back up, however, she notices the man is as white as paper and can’t stand still for even a second. her anger deflates, and she furrows her eyebrows. “are you... are you gonna, like, pass out or something? do you need a doctor?” the last thing she wanted was to have to deal with a medical emergency — and she would probably ditch him with park security as soon as possible — but... there’s something in the way he can’t stop looking over his shoulder that makes her pause and take things seriously for a second.