AllFreeNovel
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It’s amazing how optimistic he is.
The drive to Lotte World is slow and agonizing thanks to the traffic. Seoul’s subway and bus systems are so well laid out that it’s sometimes much faster and more convenient to travel by public transportation. And even the buses have their own lanes, so they’re faster than cars in traffic.
Bryan’s team probably picked me up to be nice, but I wish they’d let me get to Lotte World myself. Just because Bryan prefers to travel by car doesn’t mean I do. I don’t say anything out loud, though, because I don’t want to be rude.
By the time we walk through the entrance of the amusement park, I’m already worn out.
“Where do you want to go first?” I ask.
Most of Bryan’s team stayed behind in the car, but a tall, burly guy that I presume is Bryan’s bodyguard is following us at a leisurely pace.
“Do you have any suggestions, Mr. Lee?” Bryan asks the guard.
Mr. Lee just shrugs at him.
“Okay, then.” Bryan opens up the map of the park on his phone, and we stare at it.
Lotte World is mostly indoors, with an outdoor “island” area that has the bigger rides like the Viking and the skyscraper-tall Gyro Drop. Overall, the park is pretty small compared to Disney World and Universal Studios, but it has a nicely cozy and cute vibe that none of the large parks back in Florida had.
“Easy, let’s go on Pharaoh’s Fury,” says Bryan. “That’llhave you screaming ‘Oppa’ for sure.”
“A haunted tomb ride? Nice try, but no way I’m going on that ride. I hate scary stuff.”
“Fine. How about bumper cars?”
A smile slides onto my face. I’ve always loved bumper cars, and the mere thought of legally driving into Bryan fills me with mischievous glee. “All right, let’s go.”
Bryan raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.
Thanks to our face masks, we’re able to walk through a good portion of the amusement park without anyone recognizing us. Which would be a good thing if we weren’t here on a fake date.
“Bryan... what if no one notices us?” I ask. “I know we’re supposed to look like we’re secretly dating around, but... do you think we should take off our face masks?”
“Nah.” Bryan shakes his head. “If no one notices us, we can just have a fun day at the amusement park. Chill.”
The casual way he answers baffles me.
“No, but really. I’m giving up my first free Saturday in a while for this.We’regiving up our Saturday for this.”
Bryan sighs, sounding so exasperated that I snap to attention on his face. Even with the face mask, I can tell from his eyes that something’s up. Instead of the playful shine they had just moments before, he looks fatigued in a way that makes me realize that his previous enthusiasm must have been an act.
“Peoplewillnotice,” he says. “And they already have. Look.”
He runs a hand through his hair with a quick flick of his wrist, and I take that as a sign for me to glance behind us. And sure enough, I spot two middle school–age girls still in their uniforms. They’re slowly following us, whispering to each other. Their wide eyes flick away the moment our gazes meet.
“Wow, are those the Brybabies?”
“I think so,” he says with a shrug. “A lot of the more committed fans know what I look like even with a face mask on.”
“Jeez, that sucks.”
Bryan shrugs again. “It’s fine. My fans are nice, for the most part. I’m thankful.”
“What about the sasaeng fans?”
Bryan stiffens. “They can be a bit creepy, but I don’t think they’re bad people....”
Sasaeng fans are the scary fans that give K-pop fandom a bad rep because of how stalkerish they are. They’re the ones that show up in front of people’s houses or go bonkers when they find out that their idols married someone else. Luckily, they only make up a small minority of a largely positive fan base, but stories like that make me glad that I’m an actress and not involved in the K-pop world.
