Bittersweet Memories (A Stray Kids Short Story Collection)

The Night Rider VIII

     It had been the final year of high school. That was when Jeongin learned that it was possible to fall to the ground after jumping out of the nest. That it was possible to break into a million pieces, everything beyond repair.

     It was Thanksgiving. The family had decided to have dinner in Busan this time, since it would be difficult for Jeongin to get a few days off studying. Minho, well into the second year of his dance major in Seoul, had been supposed to drive over to Busan a week earlier. Coursework had kept him in Seoul until the day before the dinner.

     A storm had hit Seoul. Their parents had told Minho that it would be dangerous to ride Sunny out in the rain. It would be better if he waited out the storm out, even if he was late for the gathering.

     But that had been out of the question for Minho. He wanted to be on time and what was a little rain when it came to family? Staying put when things got rough wasn't his style. It never had been.

     Still wary, Jeongin's parents turned to the Kim family. Mr. and Ms. Kim had already arrived in Busan a week earlier with the grandparents. It was only Seungmin who had to arrive in his parents' car. After hours of bickering, the two families reached the conclusion that Seungmin could trail Minho as he rode in the storm, just to be on the safe side. As a benefit, both of them would arrive earlier.

     A car with a broken windshield wiper had gone out of control on the highway. That was all it had taken to end everything.

     Seungmin had escaped the crash with a concussion. He had four walls, a secure seatbelt, and an airbag to protect him. Minho had none of that.

     'Killed on the spot' was what the paramedics said. He had never suffered.

     Jeongin certainly had.

     Nothing felt real. Not the phone call, not the news headlines, not even the rain pouring outside that refused to stop painting the world black.

     The tragedy had been the last straw for the Kim family. In their perspective, if Minho hadn't been given so much freedom to do as he pleased, he would have been more careful, stayed back even, and none of this would have happened. They should have never let Seungmin go along with their plans. The Kims cut off all ties immediately and didn't even show up at the funeral (though Jeongin could find that understandable due to Seungmin having not fully recovered yet.)

     His parents always tried to reassure Jeongin, saying that the Kim's anger was not only their shock at having their only son injured, but in a way, their own coping mechanism to deal with the death of their nephew. But that didn't make the separation feel any less suffocating, like more and more pieces were falling apart from his already broken world.

     It was only the news after the funeral came when things became real.

     Minho had always wanted Jeongin to have Sunny someday. So now, Sunny had survived the crash and belonged to Jeongin. But Jeongin didn't want her. He would prefer her smashed to pieces if it meant her driver could have survived.

     And now, he couldn't ride her. Not without remembering the accident. Not without remembering that risks could kill you, that they could turn their back on you, stabbing you with the sword you wanted to wield.

     Because if his strong, courageous, carefree brother could fall to the ground just like that, then how could Jeongin even begin to take a foot outside of the nest?

     So he could never keep Sunny. Jeongin would return her to the cemetery, put her back in Minho's name, and put her to rest with the owner who wasn't afraid to ride her.