Bittersweet Memories (A Stray Kids Short Story Collection)

The Night Rider II

     Yes, Jeongin had been saving money for months. But it had been less because he was planning a road trip, and more because he just had some really cool (and kinda rich) friends who covered most of the cost of their shared apartment and food. So it's wasn't like Jeongin had anything to spend his saved money on (Not like he was freeloading either. He and his friend had had their fair share of fights with Jeongin demanding to pitch in with expenses. He always lost those fights, but secretly bought stuff on his own tab when he could get away with it.)

     In fact, deciding to leave for Seoul had been a very spur-of-the-moment decision. The motorbike had been a weight piling on Jeongin for most of the year until finally, the night before, Jeongin decided he could no longer take it and began packing.

     "I'll come home in a week," Jeongin said on the phone to his parents that night.

     "But why?"

     Jeongin took a deep breath. "I'm going to visit Minho hyung. To say hi and give him back his bike."

     A pregnant pause at the end of the line. "Are you sure, sweetie? He really said he wants you to have it."

     "I'm sure," Jeongin said, not bothering to check for any wavering in his voice. "It'll never be mine."

     Jeongin could have made it his own. He could have taken it anywhere. That bike could have become an extension of himself like it was of Minho.

     But instead, it remained in his apartment parking lot, gathering dust, stagnant in a world where it needed to move. It felt foreign to Jeongin and he knew that if he ever attempted to grab its reins, the open road would prevent him from going where he needed to go. Too many cars. Too many chances of everything going wrong.

     That bike meant everything to Minho. Jeongin couldn't waste it like this. It didn't help that he was building up an unnecessary 'bad boy' image with the people at college just for owning such a thing. No, he couldn't put up with it. Minho would be disappointed, but Jeongin had to let go of the bike.

     He had a vague idea of how he would survive a four-and-a-half-hour drive to Seoul. It involved minimal driving, A LOT of waiting around, with tons of getting burned alive by the summer sun in the mix. A pleasant experience for sure.

     This road trip would be the final obstacle to getting where he needed to go. So Jeongin set off early in the morning, the night sky still visible above him, where hopefully, the cars would disappear on the road along with the sun.

     "Finally! The repair shop called; my car is fixed!" Chan said with a fist pump. Around an hour had passed and Chan and Jeongin had just remained in the plaza chatting. Any awkwardness from before had been cleared, both just finding comfort in the fact that they were both lonely travellers.

     "Okay, let's drive back," Jeongin said.

     "Do you want your keys back, or..."

     "It's fine, you can take the wheel."

     Chan did so without complaint. But his curiosity apparently wasn't quelled. "Is there a reason you hate traffic and driving?"

     "I have been fed terrors from the media," Jeongin said, a line he had rehearsed down to the point to have it ready for anyone at college who asked him why he was too scared to take his bike out for their night outs. "They're in my head now."

     "That's too bad... but those fears wear off over time. Keep on fighting, kid."

     "Yeah, maybe..."