#gieok

Gieok wondered if she would come.

She would, wouldn’t she? They all said she would, that the ferris wheel was a ‘legend’ for making couples and Gieok just knew that this would be it. It had to work, of course it did, one hundred and one percent. All he had to do was get to the top, then confess with his ring. To ask her out and to do it the way he had always dreamed he would.

Gieok rubbed his thumb over the pink glitter of the heart ring he had for so long held onto. Minah would like this, wouldn’t she? It was cute and something Gieok had personally made. Slowly, he closed the lid of the ring box before scanning the area once more to find Minah. Maybe he should have left together with her? What if she got lost and couldn’t find the place? Perhaps she had been held up by some thugs and was in some kind of trouble. Gieok felt completely uneased because where was she?

“Are you getting on?” The operator asked for the umpth time that night, watching Gieok since he had arrived.

He shook his head, “No, I’m still waiting.”

He waited three hours. In the cold night. Minah hadn’t shown up. Gieok kept telling himself that the longer he waited, the more it mattered when she would show up. He’d prove just by all his waiting that he was suitable and dedicated, that’d he do anything for Minah.

“We’re going to close soon, are you sure you don’t just wanna ride once before it’s too late?”

He turned to see the operator speaking to him again, looking kind of sorry for him. Gieok’s cheeks burned a little but he shook his head. What use would it be to ride alone? It wasn’t like he was particularly interested in riding the ferriswheel at all. He just wanted to ride it with his princess.

“Pathetic,” he heard a cold voice say.

Gieok looked to his side to find a teen wearing all black with headphones hanging around his neck. He had this sort of mussed up hairstyle that was apparently supposed to look ‘cool’ and his eyes were sharp in the dark, but something about them seemed so irritated. Both hands were in his pockets and he cocked his head to the side when he said, “You’re pathetic.”

“S-Sorry?” Gieok stuttered and he didn’t really mean to. It just always came out like that.

“I said that you’re pathetic,” The boy repeated, taking a step closer.

“Huh?” Gieok mumbled lamely because he wasn’t sure how to reply to that exactly. What was he being so pathetic about after all? Like this kid knew anything.

Except, he knew everything, “You’ve been waiting for what, over three hours? Give it up, man. She ain’t coming, you’ve been rejected.”

The words came out so casually when the teen spoke it but it felt like a heavy rainstorm crashing down onto Gieok’s poodle mopped head. He blinked. Once, twice, thrice, then shook his head, “N-No, you’re wrong. Princess wouldn’t do something like that.”

A bitter scoff, “Princess? Wow, you’re completely whipped for a girl that just stood you up.”

Gieok didn’t know what to say. What could he say? This person was utterly rude but somehow Gieok felt like what he was saying was truthful. That he really was whipped for Minah and somehow Minah didn’t exactly share the same feelings towards Gieok. After all she did think he was gay. And she did flinch when he tried to kiss her. Perhaps this was all much more one-sided than Gieok thought.

The teen in front of Gieok scoffed once more before turning to the side and a flicker of light had flashed onto his face. Gieok could see the bright red mark on his cheek and the dried blood crusted on his busted lip. What happened to him? Did he get into a fight? Before Gieok could even consider asking, the teen turned to the operator and said, “Two.”

“What? Two? Which two?” Gieok quickly asked while the operator took the small bill from the teen.

“You and I.”

“You and I, who?”

The boy looked at Gieok as if he was mentally challenged before grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him onto the platform, “Are you stupid or something?”

“W-What? Us two, but isn’t that…”

“Legendary ferriswheel?” He asked but it felt more like one of those questions that don’t exactly need answers to, “That’s what you wanted to ride with her, isn’t it? Let me tell you something, it doesn’t work and so it doesn’t matter if we ride it.”

He pushed Gieok into the cart and situated himself on the opposite seat. It was cramped honestly, both males were quite tall and the space in the cart wasn’t large enough to comfortably fit them, especially with both sitting on opposite sides. The other didn’t seem to mind that his knee was practically digging onto the outer side of Gieok’s thigh either, instead he looked out the small glass window and waited in silence for the ride to start.

Gieok sat nervously and thumbed the box in his pocket, thinking about how all this was a waste and now he was sitting in a too close for comfort ferriswheel cart with a complete stranger. It wasn’t until the actual ride started that the younger male began to speak again, “I came to Wolmido with my younger sister. She wanted to ride this ferriswheel with some boy in her class, but he told her she was gross and then pushed her. They’re just kids, but my younger sister was so devastated, so I offered to take her instead.”

To be honest, Gieok didn’t understand why this boy was telling him this, so he just sat quietly and listened.

“She told me I was stupid. Can you believe it? I offered to do something nice and she told me I was stupid for it. I don’t understand girls. It’s just a ferriswheel. Who says you’ll end up with the person you ride it with? That’s like saying if you both take a shit at the same time then you’re destined to get married,” his voice was hard but Gieok could see a little smile form on his lips while he talked about his younger sister. He must actually really love her, “So umma made her go with me but in the end she tricked me and I somehow wound up at the ferriswheel all by myself. She’s probably sulking in the hotel room or something by now.”

“I’m sorry, but what does this have to do with anything?” Gieok asked, watching the way the boy’s brow furrowed. He looked kind of handsome in this low light.

“The point is, you shouldn’t have to rely on this hunk of metal junk. You and I are riding it but does that mean we - two strangers - will end up going out after we step out?”

“No, that’s just stupid,” Gieok answered.

He smiled again, “Exactly.”

It got quiet once more between the two boys and Gieok furrowed his brow this time. Was this kid trying to console him? Had he… Been watching Gieok as he waited for Minah?

Just as he was about to speak again, the cart suddenly shook and the whole ride came to a screeching halt. Gieok panicked and looked down towards the ground floor, completely unaware of how not concerned the teen was. It was high up, they were nearly at the top and the ride had shut down. The operator was shouting something to all the passengers and Gieok couldn’t catch a single word of it.

“He said they’re trying to fix it,” the boy explained, chewing on his thumbnail and staring out the window again.

“How long will that take?”

“Dunno.”

Gieok blinked a few times before slowly looking down at his hands and then fishing out his cellphone. Just his luck because for some reason the reception thirty feet up was terribly fuzzy. The stranger across from him didn’t seem the least bit worried, but Gieok knew it was getting late and he hadn’t contacted any of the others yet.

“Uhm,” Gieok hesitated, “does your phone work up here?”

“Don’t have it. I left it in the hotel room.”

“O-Oh…” He felt like all his hopes had sank down.

It was awkward. More so than before because they were stuck now. Who knows how long it takes to repair a huge machine like this, maybe if Gieok could get down there he could easily fix it, but that was the problem wasn’t it? He was up here and they were down there. Gieok was stuck in a ferriswheel cart with a stranger and Minah was down there in her own hotel room.

“I’m usually not this curious but…” The boy suddenly spoke again and Gieok stiffened, “How were you gonna do it?”

“Do what?”

“Ask her out.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Gieok chewed his lip nervously and swallowed, “It’s silly.”

The boy chuckled, “I bet so.”

It got silent again and the boy sighed, “I still want to know.”

You’re probably so curious after watching me for three hours, Gieok thought. What an absolute creep. A handsome creep.

“Well,” Gieok started and pulled the box out of his pant’s pocket, “With this.”

The teen turned his gaze towards the small red present shaped box in Gieok’s hand and then sighed, “What’s in it?”

Gieok opened it and handed the box to the teen. He took it before gazing intently at it and Gieok almost thought he would laugh and call the ring he had made pathetic too. What he didn’t expect was for the boy to take it out and place it on his ring finger. He also didn’t expect it to fit and neither did the boy, “Woah. It actually fits.”

Well of course it would, Gieok thought, he’s got such slender fingers after all, almost like a girl’s.

As if to comfort (or help hurt) Gieok’s wounded ego even more, the boy said, “It’s pretty.”

“Huh?”

“It’s pretty, she would have liked it.”

And for the first time that night since meeting the strange boy, Gieok smiled, “You think?”

“Of course, any girl would.”

“Right?”

He nodded then held his hand up for Gieok to see, “Very pretty. She missed out.”

Gieok’s smile grew wider and his gums showed, “Thanks-” then he remembered, “Ah, I put something else in it too.”

The boy tilted his head to the side and Gieok hesitantly leaned over, pressing the small button on the side of the ring. His fingers brushed against the boy’s and it felt warm on the other’s skin. The pink heart shaped ring lit up and exuded a faint red glow, to which the younger male seemed amused.

“This is getting corny now,” the other... chuckled? Giggled? Something, but it was kind of cute in a really weird way and Gieok didn’t think it worked right with the cut on his cheek and his busted lip and not to mention the way his hair was styled.

“By the way, are you okay?” Gieok asked, his hand still out stretched, wanting to touch the other’s cheek, but not sure if he could.

Instantly the look on his face dropped and turned to stone again, “I’m fine.”

“O-Oh…” Gieok said in that timid way he was known for.

The boy looked irritated again at this, apparently not liking how shot down Gieok looked, “I was mad. I have a short temper. I bumped into some guy and it got ugly, mostly for him though.”

And Gieok tilted his head in confusion because did he just…?

Did he just feel sorry for me again and give into my question?

“We should get it cleaned and disinfected when we get down,” Gieok said, not wanting to ask what he really wanted to.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” he mumbled and looked down at the small lit up ring still on his finger, “So you were going to give her this?”

Gieok noticed the direct 180 of the conversation but nodded, “Yeah. I’ve always… Wanted to give that to the girl I’d date.”

“God, you’re so corny. Princess, legendary ferriswheel, and a ring?”

“Hey…” Gieok said, a bit offended.

“You should just give up. She clearly has rejected you tonight,” he said all while looking at the ring.

And Gieok felt a bit angry. He hadn’t been angry at all until now, he hadn’t even cared when he got called pathetic three times in a row. What did this boy know? He wasn’t Minah, he didn’t know her feelings or understand Gieok’s. How could Gieok just give up right away on his princess? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate defeat and let down? Is that how far his feelings went for her that he’d simply get over her because some stranger told him he should? No, Gieok didn’t think so.

As Gieok was going to protest that he would definitely not give up on Minah, the ride suddenly started up again and he was thrown forward onto the younger male. His legs got tied up together with the other’s and his arms were squished against the wall of the cart, but his chest was right flat onto the boy’s. Their faces were only inches apart and Gieok could feel the heat radiating from the other’s breath; soft and enticing puffs of breath slowly leaking out. He immediately turned a shade more of red before pushing himself off of the other and smoothing out his shirt, their legs still tangled around each other.

The other male’s eyes remained sharp and hard, staring at Gieok with such intensity that he felt like he may just combust at any given minute. He didn’t of course, but instead they silently rode out the rest of the ride until they were brought back down to the ground and let out (Gieok actually tripped out and nearly fell on his face).

To save himself from any further embarrassment (he had completely forgotten that spark of anger he felt on top of the ferriswheel) Gieok tried to immediately run off in the opposite direction but then the teen suddenly shouted at him, “your ring.”

Gieok stopped in his tracks and turned to meet his eyes, they were still dark and intense and Gieok still felt like melting under them, but he watched the boy take off his ring and hold it between his forefinger and thumb, holding it out for Gieok to take.

But Gieok didn’t want it, “You keep it.”

“What?” He asked, cocking his head in that way that Gieok had already become familiar with.

“I don’t need it anymore… I mean- you said it yourself. What’s a hunk of metal junk going to do?”

Then there was that small smile, so fragile looking yet completely uncynical like the earlier smiles which made Gieok feel wary yet warm towards the boy. “You’re right, I did.”

He wrapped his fingers around the ring into a fist and was about to make his own leave when Gieok suddenly said, “I’m Gieok by the way!”

Only a slight turn of his head and the boy replied with, “Hyunsoo.”

And maybe it didn’t work; the ferriswheel. But maybe it did and Gieok feels silly to think that the boy- no, Hyunsoo would keep the ring. He’d probably throw it out or give it to his little sister as an apology of sorts. However there was that little yearning tug in Gieok’s chest that hoped Hyunsoo would at least keep the ring… That maybe if Hyunsoo had it then Gieok wouldn’t have to worry about where it’d end up at. About which girl he’d have to give it to and be rejected by yet again. Because he’d know Hyunsoo would have it and that it’d be safe with him.