HEE:LIFT | TXT & Enhypen

~ twenty-nine [bonus 7: huening kai] ~

Bonus 7 [Huening Kai]: Oasis || 2/2

"Now! Do it now!"

Kai kept one hand on the joystick as he pressed the red button, following Jake's orders. They groaned in frustration as the claw dropped, missing a toy camel in the process.

"This game is impossible," Jake grumbled, reaching to put another coin in the slot.

"Maybe we should try something else," Kai laughed, grabbing Jake's hand. He dragged him away from the claw machine. "What about this one? Joust? It's a two-player game."

"Sure." Jake slipped a pair of quarters into the coin slots.

Kai stood on the left side of the control panel with Jake to his right. It took them a minute to figure out the game's concept.

"Okay. No more practice rounds. We're actually keeping score now."

Kai grinned. "I've been keeping score since we started. I'm winning, by the way, three to one."

"Whatever," Jake scoffed. "You ready?"

"Oh yeah. You're on."

Kun entered the arcade section, carrying a bamboo steamer basket and two pairs of chopsticks. "Boys, you want some dumplings? I made them earlier."

"Woah, thanks." Kai abandoned the game machine, clearing space on a coffee table for Kun to set the steamy container down. "Is that Shumai?"

"Yes!" Kun cheered. "One of my favorite types of traditional Chinese dumplings to make."

He looked at Kai suspiciously, switching to Mandarin. "You like it?"

"Yeah, it's delicious," Kai replied, matching his language swap.

Kun chuckled, disappearing behind the plastic strip curtain. Kai watched him leave before taking a seat on a nearby sofa. It had been a while since he spoke Mandarin; the encounter was almost nostalgic.

Jake let out a whoop of joy from behind the Joust machine. "Score's three to two now."

He ran over, plopping down next to Kai. "Loser."

"How? I'm still winning." Kai picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks. "Try one. Kun sunbaenim is really good at cooking."

He carefully fed Jake the dumpling before helping himself.

"Oh, that's fantastic," Jake mumbled through a stuffed mouth. "By the way, were you guys speaking Mandarin?"

"Mhm," Kai nodded happily. "I grew up in China. Haven't been there in a long time, though."

"Do you regret moving to Korea?"

"No. Do you?"

"No."

Kai popped a dumpling into his mouth. "You don't seem like you do."

Jake quieted down. "I didn't leave much behind in Australia."

"Family?"

"My dad was always away on business trips."

"Friends?"

"Didn't have any close ones."

"Am I considered close?"

Jake smiled. "Yeah."

"Damn. You really had no friends, then. We barely know each other."

Kai met Jake's eyes, and they burst into laughter.

***

"Go ahead. Try it out."

Jake backed away from the violin. "Oh, um, I was just looking."