Bittersweet Memories (A Stray Kids Short Story Collection)

Scavenger Hunt VI

     "So you're telling me your parents knew about our hideout all along!?" Jisung exclaimed. "And not only that, they used it in this treasure hunt they're sending you on!?

     "Crazy, right?" Seungmin picked at another fry, still processing that information. "It's just like them to use that knowledge for their own gain instead of ratting us out."

     "I miss that place..." Jisung said, almost a bit wistfully.

     Memories also flowed through Seungmin. "Yeah, same. But that's what we're here for after all."

     Jisung had gotten the evening off the very next week, so the two were in the mall food court. They were playing it low, preparing themselves for the kind of, sort of, possibly illegal act they were about to commit.

     They scanned the crowd, waiting for it to thin. Soon, families packed up and left and other groups went to explore the stores.

     "Okay, let's go!" Jisung said.

     It was by the side of the last restaurant lining the court. Making sure nobody saw them, Seungmin opened the door, leading them into a small hallway with more doors. They snuck into the second one on the left.

     Seeing its contents, it really was a hub of memories.

     Jisung and Seungmin discovered this place when they were 15 while they had been looking for the washroom (thank goodness for their crappy sense of direction.) It could have been an old janitor's closet or storage room, but what mattered was that nobody was ever in it. Whiteboard took up two of the walls and it was a barren but cozy space. Only one thought had gone into the two teenagers' minds.

     Take it over.

     And take it over they did. They brought cushions to line the walls and even pinned in a floating shelf that Seungmin had found in the attic. Oh, and they brought whiteboard markers to use the whiteboards. Those were a mess. They drew all over the walls. Sometimes they came here to study, writing test questions and answers. This was the place where Jisung had quizzed Seungmin on English. This was the place they holed up in to gossip about teachers, girls, tests, anything. This was the place where they blasted music through Jisung's speakers, not giving a care about who would hear them. This was a place they had even fallen asleep in after cramming into the night.

     This place was Seungmin and Jisung's secret. A special clubhouse only they knew about. Seungmin often felt like this was the link that tied their friendship together. So here they were again.

      "Yo Minnie, our drawings are still here!" Jisung said, running towards one of the whiteboards. "Dang, is that supposed to be a picture of a dog or a jellyfish?"

     "You're one to talk," Seungmin said. "Your squirrel looks like a cactus!"

     "Let's see how much we've improved," Jisung said, picking up a marker.

     "Oh, you're on!"

     Seungmin nearly forgot about the scavenger hunt as the two rushed back into their high school days, living through their memories. They hadn't been in this place in months and none of them quite knew why they had stopped.

     "Still a jellyfish, Minnie."

     "Still a cactus, Sungie."

     "Why you-" Jisung picked up one of the cushions. "Say that to my face!"

     "Okay, it's still a cactus!" Seungmin challenged, picking up his own cushion.

     Yeah, Seungmin had completely forgotten about the scavenger hunt. This moment was theirs and they were completely lost in it.