The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 24

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24.
“Is there anything you’d like to do, Cha Gyeong? It seems such a waste to come all this way just to look around.”
Cha Gyeong shrugged.
There was nothing he particularly wanted.
“Never mind what I want. Today, let’s do whatever you’d like to do.”
Do-ah tilted her head, lost in thought.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
Just then, a scream that seemed to tear through eardrums erupted from not far away.
Cha Gyeong and Do-ah’s eyes snapped toward the source simultaneously.
A massive mechanical apparatus descended vertically, and white spray shot up like a waterfall.
A vessel packed with people vanished from sight in an instant, then reappeared, repeating the cycle.
Do-ah’s eyes sparkled with an intensity unlike anything before at the spectacle.
As if entranced, she pointed toward it with her finger, looking up at Cha Gyeong.
“That…….”
“…….”
“I want to ride that, Cha Gyeong.”
When Cha Gyeong said nothing, Do-ah began speaking faster.
“I heard this is the only roller coaster that looks like that. It’s called Ocean Breaker—the signature attraction here.”
Do-ah’s voice grew quieter before continuing.
“They say it’s a must-do when you come here. The free-fall section that drops into the water is what it’s most famous for…….”
Cha Gyeong gazed down at Do-ah’s chattering lips.
Just hours ago, she’d hesitated, claiming Dating Practice was too much of a burden. Yet here she was, having clearly done her research, speaking with such enthusiasm.
If she wanted it that badly, they should ride it.
He was about to tell her not to worry and to go ahead when Do-ah looked at him with something to say, then faltered before speaking.
“Well, um…….”
Do-ah’s lips, after a moment’s hesitation, opened.
“Would it be possible…… to ride it together? I don’t really want to go alone.”
Cha Gyeong’s eyebrows rose slightly.
In truth, riding a roller coaster wasn’t difficult. But he was the sort of person who didn’t understand why anyone would ride one at all.
Wasting thousands of kilowatts of electricity each cycle on some contraption, paying good money to board it, screaming the whole way—it made no sense to him.
But today was the day he’d promised to give Do-ah whatever she wanted.
“Fine. Let’s go together.”
At Cha Gyeong’s answer, a bright smile bloomed across Do-ah’s face.
“Really? Thank you so much!”
Watching Do-ah bounce on her toes with delight, Cha Gyeong let out a soft sigh.
Seeing her so happy, he was glad he hadn’t refused.
True to its popularity, the area before Ocean Breaker was packed shoulder to shoulder. The warmth of the crowd, the smell of churros, and humid air mingled into an oppressive haze.
Cha Gyeong unconsciously unbuttoned one of his shirt buttons.
“Be careful.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
In the press of the crowd, Cha Gyeong instinctively wrapped an arm around Do-ah to keep her from being jostled.
When his hand naturally settled on her shoulder, Do-ah glanced up at him, slightly startled.
“There are so many people.”
“There certainly are. It’s popular, like they said.”
Fortunately, the express line was much shorter. In less than ten minutes, they arrived at the boarding platform.
“Please sit over there.”
Following the attendant’s guidance, Cha Gyeong and Do-ah sat side by side. Do-ah murmured as she lowered the Safety Bar.
“Wow, it’s so much higher than I thought. Ugh, what if I get really scared?”
Then why ride it if you’re going to be scared?
Cha Gyeong didn’t understand, but somehow found this contradiction oddly entertaining.
Soon the Safety Bar inspection began. The boarding attendant approached them and pressed hard on the bar. It clicked into place with a soft sound.
After quickly checking the Belt as well, the attendant hurried back and cheerfully announced the start of the ride.
“Off we go! Have a wonderful time!”
With a roar, Ocean Breaker shot skyward in an instant.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
He heard Do-ah’s scream from the seat beside him.
Whether terrified or thrilled, she was screaming with genuine delight.
That was when it happened.
‘Something feels off.’
As his body tilted under gravity, a sudden thought struck him—the Belt’s buckle didn’t seem fully fastened.
He felt it with his hand. The buckle was indeed sitting loose, not properly secured at all.
‘Surely not…… this curse again…….’
While Cha Gyeong was adjusting the buckle, the ride reached its apex. Then it began its vertical descent.
At the drop point, his body lifted as a reaction.
In that moment, the Belt he’d thought was only loosely fastened came undone completely with a click.
“―!”
His body felt as though it might fly out past the Safety Bar at any second.
He quickly gripped the Safety Bar with all his might, but fighting the tremendous force of the plummeting ride was impossible.
“Kyaa…… wait? D-Director?! Kyaaaaaah! What do I do!”
Spotting him struggling to hold the Belt, Do-ah screamed with entirely different intent than before.
She immediately reached out and grabbed his collar with all her strength.
“Help! His Belt came loose! Someone help!”
Do-ah shrieked until her voice grew hoarse.
Her hands gripped his shirt so fiercely her knuckles had turned white.
The ride continued to lurch, and his body kept sliding outward.
The man in the front seat heard Do-ah’s screams, turned around, and grabbed Cha Gyeong’s shoulder.
The woman in the back seat also pressed hard on his Safety Bar.
“Attendant! This is an emergency!”
When several people shouted, the monitoring staff on the ground looked up.
They spotted Cha Gyeong’s unstable position and immediately hit the emergency stop button.
The ride lurched to a halt at a safe position. Staff members came running.
“Are you—are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
With their help, Cha Gyeong was able to descend to the platform.
He’d faced considerable danger before, but rarely had he come so close to death.
The thought that he’d almost died filled him with a strange mixture of fear and something like regret.
“Are you alright? Director! What should we do? We need to call an ambulance right now……!”
But before he could dwell on it, Do-ah grabbed his sleeve and cried out urgently.
“Calm down, Do-ah. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“But still, we need to go to a hospital and get you checked out…….”
Cha Gyeong couldn’t find an answer for Do-ah, who kept repeating herself.
His mobile phone was buzzing frantically in his pocket. The caller was his grandmother, Gyuseon.
The moment he picked up, a near-shout erupted from the other end.
― You fool! Are you alive? Stay right there—I’m sending the medical team now.
How did she always find out so fast? Cha Gyeong pressed his throbbing forehead.
“Grandmother, please calm down. I’m fine. Not a scratch on me.”
― Fine, my foot! Mansin specifically told you to stick with that young lady! And here you are with no progress to show for it! Will I have to die and come back to see results?!
“There’s progress. I’m with her right now, after all. Anyway, I’m perfectly fine, so don’t send anyone. I’m hanging up.”
Having barely managed to end the call, Cha Gyeong finally turned back to Do-ah.
She stood rigid as a plaster statue, her soul seemingly gone, shaken to her core by the sudden accident.
“Do-ah?”
Cha Gyeong approached and gently patted her shoulder.
At his touch, whatever thread had been holding Do-ah together snapped, and thick tears began rolling down her cheeks.
“Sob…… aaaaaah……!”
Do-ah wept like a child, clutching his sleeve, abandoning all propriety.
He himself remained calm despite nearly dying, yet watching this woman cry without restraint stirred something strange and tender in his chest.
“It’s all my fault…… I suggested riding this, and because of me you almost…… I’m so sorry.”
This wasn’t Do-ah’s fault. It was only because he carried misfortune in his wake.
Unable to explain such circumstances, Cha Gyeong found himself patting Do-ah’s back without thinking.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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