Chapter 6
WITH MR. LEE ACTING AS A HUMAN SHIELD IN front of us, Bryan and I manage to get out of our cars and exit the bumper car area. But we don’t get much farther.
This is it , I think as the fans surround us. We’re trapped.
I know we’re on this date to get noticed, but I still can’t stop the waves of anxiety crashing over me.
People block our way, snapping pictures and filming us on their phones.
And even more nerve-racking is the knowledge that at this very moment, countless people all over the world might be posting and commenting about Bryan and me, saying whatever they want to say.
I get an overwhelming urge to check my phone and see what the worst is.
Instead, I exchange a look with Bryan, who nods and steps in front of me.
“Hi, everyone,” he says after taking off his face mask. “How are you all doing today?”
At Bryan’s direct acknowledgment, several people in the crowd shriek. A general buzz of excitement fills the now claustrophobically packed hallway.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any pens with me, so I can’t give anyone my autograph, but I really do appreciate your love and support,” Bryan says, smiling brightly like the perfect prince the entire world believes him to be.
“I have a pen!” shouts a fan.
“I do too!”
Suddenly, at least a dozen people are holding pens out at us. Bryan shoots me an apologetic look, but I shake my head and say, “Totally fine. Let’s sign a couple.”
Most people only want signatures from Bryan, but a few people come up to ask me for an autograph, too. I’m shocked and flattered. This is the first time that anyone’s ever wanted my signature.
After a while, Bryan grabs my hand.
“Come on,” he says.
And then before I can even process what’s going on, Bryan and I are dodging and bolting through the crowd, leaving everyone in the dust.
I’ve seen plenty of scenes in K-dramas where the main characters run away while holding hands. Usually the camera is in slow motion and there’s bright, romantic music playing in the background as the couple runs, with somehow flawless hair and makeup.
In real life, my hair’s all up in my face as Bryan and I run away from the fans. There’s no music, but there is the sound of dozens of fans screaming after Bryan. My heart’s pounding in my ears as I struggle to find a safe place for us to hide in a now packed amusement park.
The crowd only grows larger and louder as it follows after us. Fortunately, after some crafty turns here and there, we manage to lose everyone for the time being. Mr. Lee managed to keep up with us, and the three of us all bend forward with our hands on our knees as we try to catch our breaths.
“Sorry I didn’t give you a heads-up,” Bryan says. He’s smiling, and his face is flushed with exhilaration. He’s actually enjoying this. “I just felt like we’d be there forever if we didn’t escape. And then this wouldn’t be much of a date, would it?”
But this isn’t a date , I want to remind him.
Not a real one, anyway. Instead, I change the subject.
“Okay, where to next? I kind of want to go to a ride that minimizes the number of pictures that people can take of us. I know the whole point of this date is so people can see us together, but I could use a breather. I don’t want to be ambushed like that again. ”
“Hm.” Bryan rests his head on his hand in a contemplative gesture for a few seconds before his face lights up. “How about a fast ride? Like a roller coaster?”
“Not exactly what I had in mind, but sure?”
“Look,” he says, pointing. “You see that spiraling sky-blue rail that snakes around the park?”
I follow his finger and notice for the first time that at the far edges of the park, there’s a roller-coaster rail that snakes and hugs the park’s walls as it twists around and around and goes through several tunnels.
As I’m staring at it, a roller-coaster car goes speeding across with people screaming at the top of their lungs.
My heart starts beating faster just at the sight of the roller coaster.
The last time I’d gone on one was at Universal Studios in Orlando back when we lived in Florida.
I don’t know if I still have the stomach for them, but I used to love them as a kid.
And I’m more excited than anything to try riding one now.
Bryan must have mistaken my silence as fear because he smirks and says, “If you’re too chicken to ride it, then don’t worry about it. We can just go on the merry-go-round or something—”
“Nah,” I cut him off. “Let’s go. The person who screams the most has to buy the other one a stuffed animal.”
A laugh escapes from Bryan’s lips, sounding like a sharp bark. “Hah! Okay, it’s on.”
“How are we supposed to get on it, though?” I wonder out loud. “The roller coaster is past the crowd of fans.”
Bryan has a thoughtful look on his face again before he says, “I got it.”
And that’s all the warning Mr. Lee and I get before Bryan starts bolting back in the direction we came from.
“What?” I exclaim. “Have you lost your mind?”
Mr. Lee makes an equally baffled noise as he runs after Bryan.
“Just trust me!” Bryan calls back.
Wondering if all of this is a terrible idea, I follow Bryan, right into the crowd of screaming fans.
For one confusing moment, I think Bryan’s going to run right into the Brybabies. The fans must have had the same thought because they all get out of the way.
But at the very last second, Bryan sharply turns right, whizzing past everyone.
After a few seconds of looking dazed and perplexed, the fans all start screaming and chasing after him, leaving me alone like I’m suddenly invisible. I don’t know whether to be thankful for Bryan or afraid of him. This guy really is something else.
I slow down to jog after the crowd at a leisurely pace, catching my breath as Bryan pivots and runs to the roller coaster.
Once he reaches the line, he bows and strikes up a conversation with the people standing in front of him.
I’m too far away to hear what he’s saying, but I can tell from the way he’s bowing rapidly and smiling that he’s working his charm.
I speed up until I’m close enough to hear what’s going on. By then, he’s almost at the very front.
“Thank you so much for letting me cut to the front of the line,” I hear him say. “You really didn’t have to. I was perfectly happy with standing in line! If you’d like, I’d love to make it up to you by taking a selfie with you or giving you an autograph.”
Everyone cheers, and Bryan gets busy smiling at people’s phones and signing whatever they ask him to sign. Just looking at him work is both amazing and exhausting. Bryan is many things, but he’s definitely a pro at fan service.
By the time I catch up to him, we’re far enough into the line of people that the crowd can’t get to us. After a short wait, we sit at the front of the roller coaster.
A worker comes to pull down the safety belt over our heads, while another one instructs everyone to store all bags, phones, and other things that can fly out during the ride in the nearby cubbies.
Bryan gives me a little nudge.
“Ready to scream your head off?” he asks.
I don’t deem that worthy of a response. Instead, I just smile.
Little does Bryan know that Kid Me was obsessed with roller coasters.
Growing up near Orlando means that I always had easy access to all kinds of different rides.
In the end, I had to stop going on roller coasters for the sake of my dad, who kept getting sick from having to go on them with me all the time.
Although I have no way of knowing how my body’s going to react to roller coasters now, I’m buzzing with excitement at the sheer fact that I’m currently sitting in one.
The ride slowly begins to move, and the conversations around us die down to a low murmur as people wait in anticipation.
“You ready to buy me a stuffed animal?” Bryan whispers as the roller coaster picks up speed, climbing higher and higher up the rail. “Here we go!”
That’s the last thing I hear Bryan say before the ride drops down at a speed so fast that the wind gets knocked out of my lungs. Some people—Bryan included—yell, but I can’t get a single sound out as the ride spins around and around at an unbelievable pace.
I feel every twist in the bottom of my stomach and my eyes tear up from the wind.
But instead of being afraid, I’m ecstatic.
The super speed of the roller coaster is so freeing.
The suspension of gravity, exhilarating.
I feel like I’m flying. And the best part?
No one can reach us. I’m totally isolated on this roller coaster, literally going too fast for anyone to get a clear view of us or comment on my business.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this happy. I feel so alive .
“Aw yeah!” I shout at the next drop.
I’m so caught up in my own joy that I forget Bryan’s still sitting there beside me until the ride’s almost over. He’s absolutely silent, and we’re going through a dark tunnel, so I can’t see his face.
“Bryan, you okay?” I yell as loud as I can above the roar of the roller coaster.
No response.
I’m wondering if Bryan has passed out when, suddenly, I feel a squeeze on my arm.
Our roller coaster hurtles out of the tunnel, going up and down for one last spin. Bryan’s face is white as a sheet as he tightens his grip on me. He’s literally clutching my arm for dear life.
He screams, and I’m reminded that he sings all the high parts in his boy band’s songs. He’s not much of an “angelic voice” now, but I can definitely hear the range.
I’m starting to lose circulation in my arm. I would have minded if his reaction weren’t totally hilarious.
Bryan seems terrified, though, so I try my best to not laugh. I may not be his biggest fan, but I still let him hold my arm for the rest of the ride.
When we finally come to a stop, Bryan doesn’t get up.
“Um... you okay?” I ask.
At the sound of my voice, he slowly turns to look at me. His eyes are wide and kind of glazed, like he’s stunned.
“Hello?” I try again.
Bryan snaps to attention, his gaze immediately focusing on me. “How can you be perfectly fine after that ride?”
I finally lose it, giggling so hard that I can barely breathe. “It made my stomach churn a bit, but I thought it was really fun! I freakin’ love roller coasters.”
Bryan groans. “Ugh, I wish I’d known that sooner. You were acting like you were scared earlier! I’m going to be sick.”
“It has been a long time since I’ve ridden one,” I explain. “I wasn’t sure if I’d still like it.”
I gently help him out of his seat. By that point, a small crowd’s begun to gather around us, only deterred by the ride workers who are doing their best to usher everyone out of the disembarking area.
Mr. Lee steps in front of us so the fans can’t get a good picture of Bryan in his current state. I shift my weight a little so I’m blocking people’s view of him, too. No one deserves to have photos taken of them when they’re about to lose their lunch.
“Here, I’ll help you find the restroom,” I say.
With Mr. Lee’s help, I navigate Bryan to the bathrooms. Thankfully, Bryan doesn’t throw up—not that I could hear, anyway—but he doesn’t come out for a long time. When he finally does, his face and hair are a bit wet, like he splashed water on himself.
“I am never getting on another roller coaster ever again,” he says. “Especially not with you.”
“Was that your first time on a roller coaster?” I ask innocently.
“No, but it’s been a long time for me, too. Maybe it’s all the twists or the advances in technology or something , but whatever it was, that ride was a lot scarier than I thought it would be. I feel like my stomach got dislodged.”
I give Bryan my best sympathetic look. But I don’t dare say anything out loud, in case a joke or jab slips out. It’s hard not to gloat when Bryan was so obnoxious before.
“Okay, okay,” he says. “Let’s go get you your stuffed animal.”
“What? Oh, we don’t have to,” I reply, completely thrown off by the fact that he remembered.
“Nah, fair is fair.”
It doesn’t feel right to get a prize when the ride made him sick. I’m about to protest again when he winks and adds, “Don’t worry, Oppa will buy it for you.”
And that’s when I decide to pick the most expensive stuffed animal in the store.