Bittersweet Memories (A Stray Kids Short Story Collection)

The Night Rider VI

     True to his word, in ten minutes time, Seungmin pulled up near the sidewalk. "Get in quickly." Jeongin couldn't read his expression. No surprise there.

     "Thank you," Jeongin said, climbing into the passenger seat. He peered over at Sunny, now parked in the lot. He would come back for her tomorrow. "For taking the phone from your mom and convincing them to let me stay."

     "It's not a big deal." Seungmin put the car into acceleration. With that, he stopped talking. Jeongin couldn't really blame him. He had to focus on the road and there was little topic for conversation.

     But still, Jeongin couldn't help but feel mournful at how little he knew his own cousin.

     They had visited each other a lot when they were kids, of course. The families always met up in Seoul yearly, whether for Thanksgiving, New Year, or birthday parties. But the uncomfortable truth was, none of those meetups would have occurred if it weren't for their grandparents holding the extended family together like glue.

     Jeongin's dad and Seungmin's mom had never gotten along as siblings. As they grew up, the two families were constantly at odds with each other's parenting styles. Seungmin's parents disapproved of the freedom given to Jeongin and Minho. They never had any pressure to maintain top grades, enter career fields with high reputations or anything of that sort. They were given a freedom that had worked out for both of them in the end.

     Seungmin's parents were a lot stricter. Jeongin's parents had often told him that it was 'suffocating' just being around them. So the two families maintained minimal contact, tolerating each other only at Seoul gatherings.

     And for the past year and a half... not even those. The families had become ghosts to each other. The last form of contact had been Thanksgiving two years ago. A dinner that never ended up happening.

     Jeongin had never been encouraged to get along with Seungmin. Which really was a shame. He knew Seungmin, being an only child, could get lonely. The two were only a year apart and Minho was only two years older than Seungmin. Seungmin would often try to seek Jeongin and Minho out when they visited each other, but it wouldn't last for long before Seungmin's parents would sweep him away for another task, scared that he would get 'influenced.'

     Jeongin's parents were equal players on that battlefield. They would see Seungmin being scolded by his parents and scoff. "That boy is going to be raised as a robot with not a single shred of original thought in him. Remember boys, your dreams are your biggest weapon. Don't let anyone take them away from you." Jeongin never understood what they were saying. He doubted Minho did either.

     So what did he know about Seungmin? Despite their parents' efforts, the two had been able to get away from prying eyes and try to be friends.

     He knew Seungmin was very quiet around new company, but could be very stubborn when something didn't go his way. He loved to argue. Jeongin remembered when Minho would crack a mean joke to make him cry, to which Seungmin would then boldly step in and try to come up with a comeback. Minho and Seungmin would banter until Jeongin dried away his tears and told them to keep quiet so the parents didn't hear them.

     Seungmin was also smart. He kept up with current events and during family dinners, while Jeongin would drone out the boring conversations, Seungmin would be sharing his opinions, animatedly participating in the talk about the world. And he definitely had a lot of opinions to share.

     The last Jeongin had heard of him...

     "You're taking a political science degree to get into law school, right?" Jeongin asked, breaking the deafening silence.