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Chapter 6
WITH MR. LEE ACTING AS A HUMAN SHIELD INfront 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 arealone, 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.”
