Bittersweet Memories (A Stray Kids Short Story Collection)

Scavenger Hunt VIII

     It was March, five years ago, at 4 pm, around 6 degrees Celsius.

     Seungmin, Hyunjin, and Minho had decided to stay behind after school instead of heading home. The school grounds were technically off-limits outside of school hours but nobody was ever around to enforce. So off to the hills the three went.

     They were school friends so they never really got the chance to hang out outside of school. Especially with Minho. He was a high school senior, crammed with exams and college applications. It didn't help that his parents were strict and no-nonsense, disapproving highly of Minho's "younger friends" and much rather he spent his time at home, studying.

     That obviously didn't stop Minho from sneaking out and spending time with Seungmin and Hyunjin. He always claimed that the two younger boys were far more bearable than the "morons in his grade."

     The three had been inseparable since middle school, when Seungmin and Hyunjin had met in the manga section in their library (Seungmin had gotten lost. Hyunjin had meant to be there 100%) and Minho had also been stacking up on volumes, scanning the corridors to make sure he wouldn't get busted for his guilty pleasure. Seungmin loved Hyunjin for his constant dramatics in every situation. He loved Minho for his snarky remarks where one would have to have the highest class of humour to laugh along with. Seungmin and Hyunjin could laugh along every time.

     That day, it had snowed the night before and melted around mid-afternoon. The field was just a wet mess of slush. Seungmin and Hyunjin had been whining the entire day that they had missed the chance to go sledding. Their complaints had gotten on Minho's nerves.

     "Shut up, you two. The hills are slippery from water. Go try sledding there if you want to do it so badly."

     Yeah, about Seungmin and Hyunjin being the master translators of Minho's humour? They failed. Their eyes lit up and before Minho could even call out his joke, the two had gotten their sleds from home and dragged Minho to the hills that day after school.

     "This might just work, Seungmin!" Hyunjin said, looking down at the hill.

     "I think so too!"

     "You guys can't be serious!" Minho exclaimed. He was sitting against a tree reading a book. It was a habit for him whenever he hung out with Seungmin and Hyunjin. The other two never took offence to it. They found comfort in Minho's mere presence. Besides, they knew the older boy either had to study or grab the opportunity to read the comic books he kept in his secret stash in his room.

     "You bet we are!" Hyunjin threw himself face-first onto the sled and propelled himself down the hill. His screams of "WOOHOO!" echoed through the school grounds.

     "Seungminnie, this actually works!" Hyunjin said, throwing a thumbs up from the bottom of the hill. "It's a bit bumpy but still fun!"

     "Okay, let's race!" Seungmin said. Hyunjin came back to the top and Seungmin looked towards Minho. "Minho hyung, I have an extra sled. Race with us!"

     Minho scoffed from his spot. "No, this idea's stupid."

     "Don't be a buzzkill, Minho hyung, come on!" Hyunjin said.

     "No, you two are going to die."

     Hyunjin eventually dropped the begging, perfectly content with Minho just watching. However, Seungmin had been a bit more exhilarated. He grabbed Minho's arm. "Hyung, pleaseee? Come on!"