The amusement park wasn't a place filled with good memories for me.
When Mina was six, we'd gone to an indoor amusement park, and that's where my ex-wife and I had our fight.
It wasn't some quiet spat.
We yelled at each other loudly.
It wasn't a big deal.
Or rather, my ex-wife was just picking a fight.
"You drag us out here for barely a day, and this is it?"
"The car's broken down. How does a doctor not even have a car?"
"You expect us to wait in line for that cheap crap? No way. We're eating somewhere else."
That was pure provocation.
It was supposed to be a fun family outing.
But that woman cared more about herself than her family.
"Aren't you being too harsh? Do you know how hard it was to take a day off..."
"That's why I said, why come to a dump like this?! We're not freaking beggars!!"
"Hey! Park Ayoung!! What the hell are you saying in front of the kid!!"
"Daddy... Mommy... don't fight... Mina did something bad... I'm sorry... Waaah!!"
The final blow was Mina's massive wail.
"Ugh...!! Daughter like her damn father!"
My ex-wife was utterly irresponsible.
She had no feelings for the child she'd given birth to.
She just up and left the amusement park, abandoning me and Mina.
"Waaah!!"
"My baby girl... I'm sorry. Daddy messed up. I'm so sorry... really, truly sorry..."
Looking back now, it was ridiculously pathetic.
I, who shared no blood with my daughter, was desperately trying to console her,
while her own mother, who'd borne her, ditched her and vanished.
Could there be a sadder black comedy?
In my memory, Mina cried so heartbreakingly.
And it was no wonder.
All the people surrounding us were families.
Happy families.
Kids holding their mom and dad's hands.
Kids with cotton candy in one hand and Daddy's hand in the other.
Kids gleefully playing games under their parents' watchful eyes.
Kids riding the carousel with Mommy.
Their eyes were all fixed on us.
That's right.
We were the sinners.
We'd shattered the whole concept of escaping daily life for some fun.
A viciously awful everyday routine.
In a way, maybe my ex-wife and I were the ones who'd dredged up those memories.
I wanted to grab my child's hand and bolt from there right then.
But that would've been an unforgivable sin against my little girl.
It was a rare day off.
It must've been precious to her.
"I'm going to the amusement park with Daddy and Mommy! Heehee, I'm so happy!"
Mina had been genuinely thrilled.
No surprise there.
Our family had hardly ever gone out together like that.
They say high expectations lead to greater disappointment.
Even a normal trip would've been one thing, but with my ex-wife and me ruining it completely, how devastating must it have been for the kid?
I scooped up my daughter in my arms.
"My girl. Wanna play with just Daddy?"
"Sniff... Daddy... you okay? Sniff... Did Mommy leave 'cause she was mad?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie. For fighting with Mommy right in front of my lovely girl."
"Sniff... sniff..."
My daughter clung to me without a word.
She was only six.
But I remember Mina being more mature than kids her age.
"Wanna play with Daddy? What do you say?"
A nod.
Her answer was yes, as she rubbed her head against my chest.
"Even without Mommy?"
Another nod.
Confirming my daughter's wishes, I pushed through the crowd encircling us.
I wasn't embarrassed, nor did I lash out at the onlookers.
For Mina's sake, all I needed to do was dive back into this fantasy land.
"One Snow Ice pineapple flavor, please."
I bought a pineapple slushie, the kind she loved.
The sobs from my daughter, who'd buried her face, finally stopped.
"Daddy... what's this?"
"Pineapple ice treat you like, Mina."
"Whoa..."
My daughter's eyes started sparkling.
But she didn't dive right in.
That was the part that made me realize how amazing my girl was.
Normally, kids would've assumed it was theirs and gone for it.
But not Mina.
"Daddy... I wanna have some of that."
Permission granted.
Mina never touched someone else's stuff without her parents' okay.
Not even a slushie—she saw it as not hers until told otherwise.
What a good girl.
Truly praiseworthy.
"Here. This is yours, Mina."
"Whoa, really?! "
"Of course. Here you go."
Mina took the slushie, her face lighting up with joy.
The straw went into her little cherry lips, and yellow slushie started flowing into her mouth with a slurp.
"Yummy!! Daddy!! This is so good!!"
Slurp. Slurp.
A third of the cup vanished in seconds.
"Here, Daddy."
Maybe brain freeze from chugging it so fast—she wobbled a bit as she handed me the cup.
"You try it, Daddy! It's reeeally good!"
I put my lips to the straw where hers had been and sipped the slushie.
Cold, sweet-and-tangy flavor filled my mouth.
"Good, right? Daddy? Isn't it? Isn't it?"
Her happy smile triggered a rush of endorphins in my brain.
"Delicious. Really delicious!"
"Heehee. Great."
The bad mood from my ex-wife was completely gone.
Mina seemed the same.
"Daddy! That one!! I wanna ride that!!"
It was a hot-air balloon ride hanging from the indoor amusement park ceiling.
"Alright! Let's go!"
"Yay, so exciting!!"
Something bad had happened.
But it wrapped up on a good note somehow.
That first—and last—amusement park trip with little Mina ended just like that.
After the divorce, I quit my busy thoracic surgery specialist job at the university hospital and opened a neighborhood clinic.
I bought a fancy foreign car for my daughter and took trips whenever I had time.
But I never went to an amusement park again.
I'd asked her about it once before.
"Ah... let's go to the beach instead, Daddy. I wanna see the ocean."
But Mina turned it down too.
I'd asked for her sake, but honestly, I didn't want to go either.
Me.
Mina.
We both had such painful memories there.
"Daddy. I wanna go to the amusement park."
That unspoken tradition broke when Mina turned twenty, right after getting into Korea University on the supplementary round.
"Uh... yeah? Am... amusement park?"
"Yeah. The one we went to when I was little."
Mina's face was resolute.
She must've seen that moment as her golden chance to overcome the trauma.
"...Alright. When do you wanna go?"
I didn't pry.
I could guess why she was acting this way.
At this point, she'd achieved everything as a student and daughter.
Having crossed the mountain of minority into the new land of adulthood.
She wanted to shake off those lingering uneasy feelings from her childhood days.
"Today."
"Huh? Today?"
"My friends said weekday evenings are the best time. Let's go now."
It was 3 p.m. now.
We'd arrive no earlier than 4.
Playing from evening on, literally.
"A-alright. Let's do it."
"I'll get ready and come out! You get ready quick too, Daddy!"
Slam.
Excited footsteps, then her bedroom door shut.
Right. Time for me to get ready too.
I went into the dressing room and started pondering what to wear.
Something casual for a light outing?
Lots of people around, and my daughter's an adult now, so I should dress a bit sharper.
Can't make her uncomfortable because of me.
"All dressed?"
While I agonized over outfits, Mina, already done, started urging me on.
"Sorry, sweetie. Haven't even picked yet."
"Just throw anything on! I did!"
"Still, crowded place—we gotta look decent."
"Don't worry! Hurry up instead! I wanna play! Quick quick!"
Just from her voice, Mina was pumped.
The girl who'd passed her teens into her twenties was like a well-tuned car engine, full of power.
"Got it, got it. Daddy'll hurry, so can you wait a sec?"
"Yeah! Okay, Daddy!"
Eh, whatever.
I'll just grab anything.
I picked up the joggers and hoodie I always wore for drives with her.
****
"Hmm~ hmm-hmm~ hmm~~"
It takes about an hour to the amusement park.
Living in northern Gyeonggi, we were cruising the outer loop expressway.
"Once you're at Korea University, you'll probably need to live off-campus, right?"
It's far from our place to Korea U.
Subway's connected, but one way takes nearly 90 minutes.
Driving doesn't save much time either.
"I'm not gonna live off-campus?"
Mina shot back like what was I talking about.
She'd always gone to school nearby, so she doesn't get it.
How tough long commutes are.
"Round trip from home is three hours. Think you can keep that up through school? Daddy hates seeing you suffer."
"Daddy, don't you know how dangerous it is for a girl living alone?"
"..."
"Plus, weird rumors could start."
She's right, actually.
Even back in our day, girls lived alone.
Not just the ones from the countryside who had no choice—some just did it after turning adult, but the gossip wasn't kind.
But I trust Mina.
She's not the type.
"I don't wanna. I'll commute from home."
She was firm.
Fine.
Respect her choice for now.
Won't be too late to ask again if it gets tough later.
"Okay, Mina. Do it your way."
"Thanks, Daddy. For respecting my decision."
She gently took my hand on the gearshift.
Her long, soft hand wrapped around my roughened one like a gentle cloth.
We arrived at the amusement park.
As I parked and headed straight in, my daughter stopped me.
"Daddy! Before we go in, one quick stop!"
The amusement park was attached to a huge mall.
She dragged me there.
"Sweetie... what's this place?"
"What else? Gotta change outfits to enter Fantasy Land, right?"
It was... a costume rental shop.
****
"Hmm~ hmm-hmm~ hmm~ hmm~"
Mina went into her room and opened a drawer.
Her panties were neatly folded inside.
"It should be here."
She reached deep into the drawer and rummaged around.
"Found it!"
With a serious face, she pulled out a pair of panties from the drawer.
But they were different.
Not regular ones—the fabric was skimpy, a black T-back.