Bittersweet Memories (A Stray Kids Short Story Collection)

Scavenger Hunt VIIII

    "I thought you were joking!"

     "Really? I'm disappointed in you, Min."

     Seungmin was visibly shaken, stumbling out of the car. "You can't drive! How did you get your license!?"

     "Unimportant details. Anyway, this is Hyunjin's new street. Come on."

     "Give me a minute... Think I'm going to throw up from all the swerving you did."

     "Oh, shut up and come!"

     Soon, they were in front of the house. Minho must have picked up Seungmin's loud breaths.

     "You nervous?"

     "Not really," Seungmin said truthfully. "I was the most nervous at your house. I've kept in good contact with Hyunjin."

     Before Minho could make a snarky remark at that, Seungmin went and rang the doorbell. The door opened, revealing a tall boy, his long dark hair in a ponytail save for the few strands falling in front of his eyes. However, they were very visible with how wide they grew.

     "Seungminnie!?"

     "In the flesh, Jinnie," Seungmin said, happiness overtaking him.

     In a flash, he was being crushed to death by Hyunjin's arms.

     "I've missed you so much! We were separated for so long and alas, I thought our paths would never cross again! I was settling for us growing old and sparing a glance at each other when we finally see each other again-"

     "Calm down, Jinnie!" Seungmin said. "Dramatic as always."

     "Let him breathe, Hyunjin." Minho finally spoke.

     Hyunjin let go of Seungmin and pouted. "Seungmin saw you first before me?"

     "Blame his parents for that," Minho said with a shrug.

     "Parents?"

     Seungmin rolled his eyes. "I need a break before explaining again. Meanwhile, show me your new house."

     "Right this way! Your guide, Hwang Hyunjin, will lead the way!"

     Seungmin oohed and ahhed at the new surroundings, followed by Minho who showed mock surprise at everything he had already seen before. It got annoying to the point where Hyunjin attempted to put Minho in a headlock, only to be shoved aside like nothing.

     The two exchanged death glares while Seungmin opened the door to Hyunjin's room. A chill draft came from the windows. "Do you happen to still have your Grade 10 textbook?"

     "Yeah, why?"

     "Show it to me."

     Hyunjin frowned but got it out anyway. "I would have thrown it away, but your parents told me to keep it for future use. I haven't used it ever so I don't know what they were on about."

     That confirmed Seungmin's suspicions. He opened the textbook, Minho peeking from behind. "Jinnie, your textbook is a mess of drawings! Did you actually do any, you know, studying with this?"

     Seungmin, however, was unimpressed. "This is all you did, Jinnie? My textbook is way messier."

     "What!" Minho exclaimed. Seungmin and Hyunjin shared a knowing smile.

     It was a habit that had started out around the end of middle school for them. Hyunjin and Seungmin had been sitting together during a monotonous photosynthesis lecture. Hyunjin, bored out of his mind from the teacher's droning, had leaned over to Seungmin's desk and scribbled a little doodle in the margins of Seungmin's textbook. It hadn't been much, a series of abstract scribbles, but Seungmin had looked at it quizzically and then leaned over to Hyunjin's desk with his pencil. He probably drew a duck or something, he couldn't remember. But it didn't matter what it had been. Before they knew it, the two of them were exchanging drawings between their books, in an unspoken competition to see who could draw something the craziest. Neither of them were artists but ever since then, using their textbooks as sketchbooks had been stress revealing and a special activity only they shared.

     They had always wondered how they had gotten away with it. Turns out they hadn't. Seungmin's parents had most definitely figured it out.

     "Then you need to show me your textbook," Hyunjin told Seungmin.

     Seungmin nodded, still turning the pages until he reached the biology section. He skimmed everything until he saw it. Scrunched writing beginning at the top right of the page and bunching together into the corner. "Damn..."

     "What is it?" Hyunjin noticed the writing and gasped. "I never did that!"

     "But apparently, my parents got a hold of your textbook," Seungmin said with a snicker.

     Geez kiddo, if anyone else had discovered all the things we had, you and your friends would be behind bars. Be grateful it was us and instead of punishing you, we send you on a scavenger hunt!

     Hint: You've never been outside of Seoul when we lived in Korea, right? We've heard Busan is also nice. We've heard there's a great arcade in Yongso-ro. You will enjoy it there for sure :) Go and stay there for a while!

     "Uh, Min? Are you breathing?" Minho asked.

     "They- but- what the- how-" Seungmin sputtered. "I think my parents are sending me to Busan."

     "Really? Why?" Hyunjin asked. "Why did they put a letter in my textbook?"

     Seungmin explained. Hyunjin's jaw dropped.

     "That's so cool! You're on a grand adventure- not sure when you'll see the sun again, but persevering day after day, knowing that at the end is a prize which you're not sure you'll ever reach, but- ow!"

     "Cut the dramatics!" Minho said, hitting Hyunjin on the back of his head.

     "But what's in Busan!?" Seungmin exclaimed.

     "Not sure. Send letters," Minho said, not a hint of worry in his voice.

     "Screw you," Seungmin muttered. "Guess I'll worry about that later. Anyways, you guys want to know about Canada?"

     "Ooh, do tell!" Hyunjin said, grabbing Seungmin's arm and pulling him close, ready for gossip. The two looked up at Minho with puppy eyes.

     "Okay, Seungmin, start talking," Minho said with a smile, sitting on the other side of Seungmin. "You went to the other side of the world. Then what?"

     They spent the entire evening talking.

     "No Mom, it's all work," Minho argued, on the phone with his parents that night. "Well... if you wanted me home for dinner, then you shouldn't have pushed me to major in computer science! ... Why is me getting drunk the first conclusion you reach!? ... I'm sober, safe, and studying, okay? ... Yeah, yeah, bye!"

     Minho hung up with a heavy sigh. "Okay, my parents won't expect me until morning. I can sleep over."

     "Yesss!" Hyunjin cheered. "Just like our old days!"

     The room felt warmer, the three of them in it together. Just like the old days.

     Crazy to think that all Seungmin needed was a step in the right direction to get those days back. The scavenger hunt had pushed him to it. That made it so much more than a crazy adventure.

     It made it a return back home. Whether it was in Canada or Korea, the hunt had taken Seungmin back to the days he had smiled the most.