bright, colorful lights lit up the crowded and busy place while loud music was heard all over the spot. laughters and screams filled the air, which was typical for the location.

a giant ferris wheel, countless booths, numerous roller coasters and several other attractions decorated the popular place. the theme park was quite lively for its season.

the chilly evening breeze sent shivers to all of them, however, they were all hyped to visit the amusement park.

the drama club members had gathered at the entrance of the theme park to celebrate the end of their mid-terms and for having survived the phase.

it was friday evening and they just wanted to have fun and celebrate together. so why not go to a theme park?

the friend group strolled through the amusement park, glancing at the different booths and attractions.

"woahhh, it's been so long since i've gone to a theme park...", mark expressed joyfully and was astonished.

"you're quite old so i'm not surprised about that fact", haewon teased him and put an arm around him, smiling mischievously at him.

"we're literally the same age, mary sue", the canadian exposed her and mirrored her expression.

however, his smile dropped when he received a light smack on the back of his head since he called her by her other names.

"OUCH. THE MISTREATMENT."

"love you too, markie pooh."

"where should we go first??", donghyuck asked impatiently, totally ignoring the playful banter and looking at his friends in excitement.

"LET'S RIDE A ROLLER COASTER", chenle suggested energetically. a bright smile was plastered on his face as he mentioned it.

haewon's eyes sparkled at his call. she was a roller coaster enthusiast and enjoyed the adrenaline kick during those rides. she loved the thrill rides. (*inserts thrill ride by the boyz*)

"HELL YES, LET'S GO FOR IT", the senior exclaimed agreeing, feeling hyped.

however, that euphoric feeling wasn't shared by everyone in the group.

jisung's face turned pale at the thought of having to go on roller coasters.

"i don't want to die yet, guys. i'm too young for this", the youngest of the friend group protested scaredly, causing the roller coaster supporters laugh amusedly.

"me too", jieun agreed with fear being displayed in her eyes. she was afraid of riding roller coasters as well. unlike haewon, she disliked the thrill rides, hated extreme things.

"we'll not go there."

━━━ ☆★☆ ━━━

well, here they are, seated on a roller coaster which was soon about to drive.

jieun and jisung regretted lowkey (highkey) their life decisions the longer they stayed seated, feeling anxiety slowly crawling up their chest.

"why did i let you guys convince me to go ride a roller coaster with you?", the ash haired boy questioned sighing, hearing his best friend laugh next to him.

"come on! it will be fun, ji", chenle cheered him up before taking his hand in his, "i'm here for you, alright?"

the chinese flashed him a genuine smile and squeezed softly his hand as a sign of reassurance.

jisung sighed once again before giving him a little smile and squeezing his hand back.

"if i die, it's all your fault", the ash haired boy mentioned and shook his head, "and i'll haunt you if you don't make sure that shinee songs are playing at my funeral."

chenle broke out into laughter, finding his best friend entertaining but having promised to him to fulfill his wish.

"and if i break your hand, then it's not my fault. just saying", jisung added, holding tightly chenle's hand.

"understood ji, don't worry", the orange haired boy giggled, not giving a duck if his best friend actually broke his hand.

in the meanwhile, jieun was seated next to haewon as the older one offered her to be her emotional support.

"i'm scared", the female junior whispered anxiously, feeling her heartbeat speeding up.

"it's gonna be okay, jieun", haewon reassured her and gave her a gentle smile, "do you want to hold my hand to feel safer?"

jieun's heart skipped a beat at her question. she hesitated for a moment and didn't answer in nervosity. instead, she just grabbed her hand.

now haewon's heart skipped a beat at her action. she didn't expect her to do it straightforward but she wasn't complaining.

"don't be shy to squeeze my hand, i really don't mind it", the older girl offered chuckling as she caressed gently the back of her hand with her thumb.

"thank you, haewon", jieun replied genuinely, smiling sweetly and attacking haewon's poor heart once again.

"you're welcome", she mentioned nonchalantly before the roller coaster suddenly started to move, feeling the younger girl's hand holding hers more tightly.

"it's going to be fine", haewon reassured softly and glanced at jieun while they slowly drove upwards.

jieun nodded only in fear and looked at her seatmate who gave her a cheerful smile.

"we're gonna slay this!!"

"i hope s- oh holy jesus", the female junior whispered in disbelief and glanced downwards when they stopped on the top.

she gulped in anxiety when she noticed the height difference, making her stomach feel twisted, "oh please will i make it alive."

"LET'S GET DOWNNN", donghyuck, jaemin and jeno - who were sitting at the front of the roller coaster - exclaimed excitedly and put up their hands before they all dropped down.

━━━ ☆★☆ ━━━

"are you alright?", haewon asked the younger girl when they reached the end of the ride.

jieun glanced at her, not replying but staying silent for a moment. worries adorned the face of the senior when she received no answer.

"hey, if you really need a break, then it's fine. just tell me, i'll take care of you", haewon offered kindly and gave her a gentle pat on her head.

"thanks haewon", jieun managed to answer and couldn't help but feel grateful to have the older girl's sweet support and help.

"a break sounds good to me... i mean it was a cool ride but was a bit too much for my heart to handle", she admitted.

"same, jieun, same", jisung added whining behind them, making the rest of the group chuckle in amusement.

"please let's do a less extreme activity to calm down our hearts", the youngest requested hopefully.

"sure thing my cute lil baby!!", jaemin complied happily and babied the freshman, however, his smile faltered after the next comment.

"jaemin, i'm literally taller than you. i'm not a little baby."

"OUCH, JISUNG", the pink haired boy exclaimed in betrayal, feeling offended as momma nana. "that's not how i've raised you...", he shook his head in disappointment.

"WOAHHHH, THE BABY HAS BECOME SAVAGE", donghyuck gasped loudly, making jeno wheeze and jaemin roll his eyes.

"it's your fault, hyuck. your sassy uncle attitude has influenced badly the kids", the pink haired boy jokingly blamed it on his best friend, giving him a playful glare.

"you sure it wasn't chenle's fault that jisung has become savage?", the purple haired boy mentioned innocently with a wicked smile, resulting the chinese to gasp loudly in shock.

"HEY, WHY ARE YOU BLAMING IT ON ME??"

"MOVING ON GUYS, LET'S GO SOMEWHERE ELSE", mark tried to gain their attention again and shoved chenle and donghyuck forwards to get going.

━━━ ☆★☆ ━━━

the friend group strolled through the theme park. the majority wanted to get some snacks while jisung and chenle insisted on going to the claw machines.

therefore, the group splitted up. jaemin and renjun accompanied the two youngsters on their way to the claw machines while the snack haunters would join them later.

as soon as they arrived at the claw machines, a certain stuffed animal caught renjun's attention.

"oh my god", he stopped in his tracks to look at the endearing soft toy. the corner of his mouth turned upwards, forming a bright smile. "it's so cute!!"

"what's up? what's cute?", jaemin asked the older boy, standing next to him and glancing at the amount of various stuffed animals in the claw machine.

renjun raised his index finger and pointed at the cat soft toy which was positioned in the center. "the cat plushie", he mentioned smiling before pouting slightly, "it's just so damn adorable."

jaemin's heart melted at his sight. the pink haired boy couldn't help but find him totally wholesome.

"let me win it for you", the younger one offered confidentally but nonchalantly. the chinese was certainly taken aback but denied his offer, shaking his head. "no, jaem, really. you don't need to-"

"just shut up and be pretty", jaemin cut him off and let his flirty and confident side out. his words actually had an effect on him, causing renjun to be caught off guard and stop protesting.

a smug grin was plastered on his face as he enjoyed his reaction. "i'll win it for you. i've already made up my mind", he commented and inserted coins into the machine before giving him a playful wink.

renjun was extremely flustered but touched.

the two-toned haired boy didn't expect jaemin to be this flirty at first. however, the longer he thought about it, it was kinda typical for him. (*cough* chapter 15 *cough*) besides, his flirty behaviour and pick-up lines were just light-hearted - well, that's what renjun tells himself.

additionally, jaemin would do anything for his beloved ones to be happy. so, it shouldn't be a surprise to see him act like that.

nevertheless, renjun felt shy after hearing those words and was moved about his determination to win the soft toy for him.

his eyes flicked between the claw and his friend who was utterly focused on the cat plushie.

renjun observed him playing, noticing his precise and well-aimed movements and seeing the determination sparkling in his eyes.

"wow, jaemin takes the whole thing serious... and why is that lowkey a-"

the chinese shook his head, not wanting to finish his thought. his gaze shifted back to the claw that was about to claim the plushie.

jaemin pressed a button, resulting the claw to take the stuffed animal and drag it to the place where it'd leave the machine.

the claw was moving slowly and held barely the plushie. the two of them were watching in anticipation and holding in their breaths, afraid that the claw would drop the cat soft toy.

nonetheless, luck was on their side and the cat plushie was able to find a new home and owner.

the two of them were shocked about it as they didn't expect it to get it in first try. jaemin gasped loudly while renjun smiled widely.

"JAEM, YOU MADE IT! YOU WON!!", the two-toned haired boy exclaimed excitedly when jaemin claimed the cat plushie and held it in his hands.

the younger male noticed his upbeat and happy attitude, feeling his heart warming up at the sight. jaemin mirrored his bright smile before passing the plushie to him.

"i told you that i'll win it for you", the pink haired boy remarked grinning, observing renjun beaming in joy as he took gratefully the cat plushie.

"thank you so much, jaem!!", the chinese exclaimed joyfully before tackling him in a hug.

jaemin's heart skipped a beat and his mind paused for a moment. he was now the one caught off guard.

nonetheless, his body reacted faster than his mind. his arms were wrapped around him before he could realise it.

"why is he so cute?? that's too much for my heart to handle", the younger one thought to himself, smiling like a damn fool before they pulled away to face each other again.

"i cherish the plushie so so much!", renjun added and glanced fondly at him, "i'll take good care of the tiny cat."

jaemin was in awe when he heard those words. his smile had never left his face and his heart never calmed down.

his stomach felt twisted - not because he had eating something badly necessarily - but these strange and unknown feelings appeared once again.

━━━ ☆★☆ ━━━

the remaining seven drama club members were on their way to get food for the whole group.

however, instead of looking for food stalls, donghyuck got easily swayed away by different attractions.

he was able to resist the urge to stop by every stand until they passed by an archery booth.

the purple haired boy wanted to visit the stall and try out archering so bad. however, he was afraid to be a burden to his friends if the whole group had to stop extra just because of him. he didn't want to come across as selfish and exhausting.

donghyuck stole a glance at the archering booth, letting out a quiet and inaudible sigh as the group moved on.

nonetheless, mark caught the younger boy looking sadly at the booth and noticed him wanting to go there, even though he didn't point it out directly.

"hey hyuck", the canadian whispered and nudged the male junior with his elbow, drawing his attention, "wanna go archering with me? i don't want to go alone there."

donghyuck's eyes lit up at his suggestion as a bright smile spread across his face. he was glad that he wasn't the only one who wanted to go there and that mark requested that - as if he had read his mind and knew that he desired to visit that booth.

"i'm in", donghyuck agreed happily, however, guilt took over him as he glanced at the group, "but what about the others?"

"they won't be mad if we leave for a short time. trust me, i'll talk to them", mark reassured him and flashed him a sweet smile, "we won't take too long either, we can soon join them again."

"okay", the purple haired boy smiled gently, feeling grateful for him doing all that.

afterwards, mark let the group know about his and hyuck's short visit to the archery booth and gave them money for food as well. to hyuck's surprise, they didn't mind it at all and bid goodbyes.

"let's go", the older boy suggested cheerfully and headed out first. donghyuck followed him, however, it was difficult to do so due to the crowd.

the black haired boy noticed quickly that the younger boy was struggling to keep up with him. therefore, his hand searched for hyuck's as he gently grabbed it and pulled donghyuck with him.

the junior was surprised at first but smiled warmly at him for paying so much attention to the tiniest details and being considerate and caring towards him.

donghyuck gave his hand a soft squeeze, showing him that he was still there. mark looked back at the younger boy as his lips formed a joyful grin.

now, the older boy led hyuck to the stall, always making sure not to let go of him and not to lose him in the crowd on their way.

after having arrived at the archery booth, mark let go of his hand and pulled his wallet out, paying for the two of them.

donghyuck wanted to stop him and told him that he can pay for himself, however, the black haired boy insisted and didn't give him a chance to intervene.

"you go ahead and shoot first", the canadian encouraged grinning, "what are you aiming for? any specific prize in mind?"

"hmm, lemme think", donghyuck scanned the possible prizes that were sitting on the shelves next to the target. a sunflower soft toy caught his attention, making him beam in excitement.

"the sunflower plushie", the purple haired boy responded joyfully and pointed at it, "it's so cute omg. it's a must have."

mark chuckled at his response as his gaze shifted shortly to the soft toy, "true, it's adorable i gotta admit", he agreed and looked back at the shorter one.

"i know right??", the junior smiled as he grabbed a bow and arrow.

"now watch me getting the sunflower plushie", donghyuck commented confidentally and prepared himself to shoot, wearing a grin on his face.

"alright, bet", the canadian agreed smirking, crossing his arms and watching him in anticipation.

the younger boy drew his bow as his eyes were glued on the target in front of him. he aimed for the yellow point in the center of the target as he released his arrow, shooting it.

however, his arrow hit the red area which was close to the yellow center. donghyuck started to sulk as he wasn't able to make his wish come true. his pride was hurt after having lost. "oh man..."

"that was close, hyuck", mark placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, patting it gently.

"it pains me that i didn't win it...", the purple haired boy complained pouting, glancing at the desired soft toy.

the canadian removed his hand from his shoulder and giggled when he noticed him sulking over it. he found his little pouts truly sweet.

before mark could say anything, his friend turned back to him and spoke first, "let's move on. it's your turn now, mark!" a cheerful smile was plastered on his younger friend's face, making his heart warm up.

"right", the canadian reached out to the bow and arrow while donghyuck stood next to him and observed him.

the black haired boy raised and drew his bow. his gaze remained on the target, a glint of concentration was displayed in his eyes.

donghyuck watched his friend being focused on archering, however, he couldn't help but admire him secretly.

"wow, mark is actually handsome and kinda attractive and hot when archering... no homo obviously", the purple haired boy thought to himself, showing his unserious side as he grinned amusedly.

mark took in a deep breath as he shot the arrow. it flew quickly and met precisely the yellow spot in the center, marking his win.

they both gasped in shock as the canadian turned to hyuck whose jaw was dropped. "OH MY GOD, DUDE, YOU AIMED THE CENTER!! YOU WON, MARK!!"

"AY-YO I WON?! WOW DANG-"

"SINCE WHEN ARE YOU SO SKILLED IN ARCHERY??"

"I DON'T KNOW, DUDE... I USED TO BE BETTER THO..."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?? HUH??"

"I USED TO DO ARCHERY FOR SOME TIME..."

"YOU DID???"

"YEAH... BACK THEN IN CANADA-"

"sir, uhm, can you please choose your prize?", the young worker of the booth interrupted them as he had waited awkwardly all the time.

"oh yeah my bad", mark cleared his throat and laughed embarrassedly before scanning all rewards even though he had already made up his mind which plushie to choose when hyuck had lost.

"the sunflower one, please. thank you", the black haired boy responded friendly. the worker nodded and handed him over the soft toy.

mark turned to face his younger friend as a sweet smile was plastered on his face. "this is for you, hyuck", the canadian offered kindly, passing him the soft toy.

"me? what? why?", the purple haired boy asked in confusion, looking between the plushie and his older friend.

"it was heartbreaking to see you not getting it as you wanted it so bad", mark answered gently and nudged him with his elbow, "that's why i wanted to help you out."

donghyuck beamed brightly from his words as his mouth formed a warm smile.

"mark, my guy. you are literally the sweetest on earth", the purple haired boy exclaimed joyfully as he pulled the older boy into a bone crushing hug.

mark stumbled a bit backwards at the sudden energetic hug and felt overwhelmed at first. surprise was written all over his face, however, he put his arms around the younger boy, hugging him as well.

"don't mention it", the black haired boy replied chuckling. he couldn't help but crack a smile and find his younger friend adorable.

after they pulled away, mark glanced at donghyuck who was happily holding his soft toy with an upbeat and proud expression.

"the sunflower plushie suits you, fullsun", the canadian commented amusedly.

"fullsun? how come?", hyuck tilted his head, feeling confused once again.

"well, your persona is as bright and warm as the sun. you beam like a sunshine, no like a fullsun! and sunflowers need their sun so it's basically a perfect match in heaven", mark mentioned poetically, feeling his cheeks getting flushed.

the purple haired boy felt his heart warm up not only because of his lovely compliments but also the adorable nickname he received from him.

"omg mark, my favorite poet, that's sooo cute of you", donghyuck flashed him another smile, feeling flattered by his words.

"uhm, sorry to interrupt again but... could you step aside? there are other people waiting for their turn and you're blocking their way...", the young worker requested awkwardly.

"oh my god, dude. i'm so sorry", mark apologized right away and turned to his friend, "let's head back and find the others. they are probably waiting for us."

"yup, sounds like a plan."

donghyuck was now the one to grab mark's hand, not wanting to lose him when pushing through in the crowd.

the touch was a tingly sensation for mark, causing his heartbeat to speed up. he enjoyed being close to him, enjoyed holding his hand in his and simply enjoyed being around him.

as the two walked off hand in hand, the young worker of the archery booth let out a gagging noise.

"ew couples."

━━━ ☆★☆ ━━━

[ author's note ]

lmao sorry for the long ass chapter 😭🤞

i have originally planned only two chapters for their amusement park trip but it turned out to be more than expected HELPPP

there will be three chapters in total about the drama club members being in the theme park. stay tuned <3

i had to create more chapters about their amsuement park trip bc there are just too many funny moments with them that i couldn't cut out 😭😭

hope you had fun reading ♡

see you in the next chapter!!