Bittersweet Memories (A Stray Kids Short Story Collection)

Scavenger Hunt V

     Seungmin called Felix the next day on one of his breaks.

     "Hey. If I can get a Tuesday off from work, can you skip a few classes?"

     "Huh? I mean, I definitely can. But Jisung wouldn't be free, he's always crammed on Tuesdays."

     "Exactly." Seungmin grinned. "I want a video game day again."

     Silence on the other end. Seungmin was contemplating if Felix had possibly fainted from shock. "R- really!? With pizza, and nachos, and fries-"

     "And ice cream, and chocolate and enough junk food to make us explode," Seungmin concluded with confidence. "I missed those days, let's do it again."

     "I have only one class on the Tuesday after next Tuesday. I can skip it!"

     "Perfect. I'll pay Miren $10 dollars to cover for me that day," Seungmin said.

     "Would $10 cover it?"

     "Oh, I happened to come across it one day. Might as well put it to use," Seungmin said slyly. "See you then, Lix!"

     "Bye, Minnie!"

     Seungmin hung up feeling very satisfied. At first, he had planned to merely stop by Felix's house to check out his birthday cards. But a rule on his parent's letter had made him reconsider.

Have loads and loads of fun!

     So heck, if he was going to Felix's house anyway, why not make a day out of it? Seungmin had always felt disappointed about the distance forming between him and his friends. Now was the perfect chance to close it.

     Seungmin called out into the back. "Miren! If I give you $10, can I get a day off!?"

     Back when Seungmin had gotten Mario Kart for his birthday, Felix had freaked out, insisting the two had to play. So Felix ordered pizza and Seungmin came over with his game. The two had had their eyes glued to the screen for hours. Felix then got a whole bunch of RPGs for Christmas and had gotten Seungmin hooked. From then on, video game days were common between the two, much to the disapproval of their parents.

     Once they got older, work and college got in the way of their tradition. So Seungmin was heavy with excitement outside of Felix's house, Mario Kart in hand.

     Felix had the entire room set up. Bean bags? Check. Large pizza? Check. Full-screen TV? Check.

     "My parents aren't home!" Felix said, already on a sugar rush. "Let's get it!"

     And so the hour followed, yells filling the household as many wins and losses took over the screen.

     "I'm in first place! Suck on it!"

     "Oh no, Lix, my shell just hit you! Might as well just overtake you!"

     "Ahh... but you forgot about the banana peel I left in your path. GG!"

     The competitiveness eventually left the confines of the screens and expanded to the pillows in the room and the leftover popcorn in the bucket. Hours later, the two were on the ground, candy littering the floors, and their laughter run on sugar.

     "This was so fun!" Felix exclaimed!"

     "You bet!" Seungmin's stomach hurt, but this time from laughter. The only time it was acceptable.

     Both of them definitely needed a day like this. Their sidewalk was no longer littered with small cracks. It was a smooth walkway, completely unbreakable.

     "Hey, Lix, you know how you save all your birthday cards, right?"

     "Yeah..." Felix dreamily muttered. "So?"

     "Weird question. Can I see them?"

     "Why?"

     Seungmin finally explained the scavenger hunt given to him by his parents. It wasn't a secret, Seungmin had just never gotten the right chance to tell Felix and Jisung.

     Felix was on his feet in seconds. "Holy crap, you've become a spy now, Minnie!"

     "In a way." Seungmin laughed. "And somehow, one of the hints is on your 18th birthday card."

     Felix frowned. "I never saw anything."

     Seungmin smirked and took the invisible ink pen out of his pocket. "Now we will"

     The Lees didn't like throwing things out. Hence why Felix had a drawing crammed with old report cards and birthday cards. It took a lifetime to search through it.

     "Here!" Felix finally said. His 18th birthday card was folded at corners but still salvageable.

     "Okay, give it here." Seungmin opened the card and shone the pen's light on the blank spaces. "Any place now, we should see words... over here!"

     Felix's eyes widened, seeing blue letters appear on what was originally a blank page. "That's so freaking cool!"

     It took a while for the pen's light to cover all the letters but eventually, the message was clear.

     Yes Seungmin, your crazy parents had this hunt planned years in advance. The things we do for you, huh?

     Hint: Though you're one to talk about being crazy. We're not the ones who took over abandoned storage spaces and called them 'secret hideouts'. That's right, we knew about it all along! We even know about the vandalism you did to that place. We... might have even written a message of our own there. We're going to ignore how legal your antics are because we want you to see our creation we're very proud of :)

     "What's it saying?" Felix asked, confused.

     "I know EXACTLY what it's saying," Seungmin groaned. "I can't believe they knew!"

     "Knew what?"

     "Oh... nothing. Just a little secret I have with your brother," Seungmin said with a wink.

     Felix scoffed. "Jisung? You guys have secrets now?"

     "Right, cause I can only imagine how well informed he is of our video game days," Seungmin pointed out.

     "Fair enough," Felix said. He smiled. "But I enjoyed today, Minnie. We need to do this more often."

     "Right. We need to bring back this tradition,' Seungmin said. And strangely enough, he had the conviction to hold onto that promise. "Call me whenever."

     "Aw... come here!" Felix pulled Seungmin into a hug, despite his protests. "I'll be back to order a usual!"

     And just like that, their day was over. But there definitely would be more in the future.

     Upon departing, Seungmin took his phone out. Felix would throw a fit, but it was time for a little bit of betrayal.

     "Hey, Jisung. Tell me what day you have the evening off."