Wicked Fox

Chapter 2

THE PC ROOM was hot with thirty running computers, though only three stations were occupied. It was stuffy and dark and smelled like the shrimp chips and instant noodles sold as snacks. 

Kim Minmin loved it. He clicked with nimble fingers, his left hand glued to the hot keys, her right hand sweeping the mouse over the screen. 

"If we don't leave now, we'll be late," Kim Seungmin said, his hands waving like anxious butterflies with nowhere to land. He'd long since logged off after losing his own game. 

"Then we'll be late." Digital armies marched across Minmin's screen. 

"I can't be late again." Seungmin frowned. It highlighted his exaggerated features. His face was rectangular with a flat end at the chin and his eyes were round and soft. A puppy who hasn't grown into her full looks yet. 

Minmin knew being late wasn't Seungmin's problem. His problem was being timid and having a family rich enough to care. As the only son, he held the weight of the Kim name on his shoulders, which was only doubled by wealth. It didn't sit well on Seungmin, who was prone to anxiety and merely mediocre at anything she tried. It made Minmin grateful he'd been born poor. 

"Seungmin-ah, you always worry about the future instead of enjoying what's happening now. You need to learn that life isn't worth living if you're not having fun." Minmin narrowed his eyes, searching for the final tower on his opponent's base. He found it with a triumphant grunt, and the screen announced victory in bold green letters hovering over his Protoss army. 

"Great, you won. Time to go?" Seungmin asked. 

Minmin stood up and shrugged on his navy-blue uniform blazer. 

"Seungmin-ah, no one likes a nag."

Seungmin scowled and Minmin added a friendly smile. One that said he meant no harm, but knew he spoke the truth. He wielded his grin like a weapon, a crooked tilt of his lips that revealed deep dimples. When he used it, few could stay mad. It worked, as Seungmin gave a reluctant smile. 

Outside, Minmin took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of car exhaust and simmering oxtail from the seolleongtang restaurant down the street. He swung an arm around his friend's shoulder as they walked in and out of the sun that peeked between the tall buildings. 

"Is it me, or does the morning always smell fresher after the thrill of victory?"

"It smells like someone needs to clean their fish tanks." Seungmin scrunched his face at the seafood store. Minmin followed his gaze to one of the giant glass aquariums, the bulging eyes of a flounder stared back. 

The city bus pulled up, and Minmin slapped Seungmin's shoulder cheerfully. "Come on, don't want to be late." 

They were late. 

By the time they reached the school, the front gate sat closed, a signal that class had started without them. Minmin helped boost Seungmin over the side wall before climbing up herself. He miscalculated the distance and his pant leg caught. 

"Aissi!" Minmin grimaced at the long rip in the calf of his beige pants. 

He'd had a growth spurt the past year, making him the tallest in his class. It also made him unintentionally clumsy. 

The school was a U-shaped building with long narrow hallways, lined on one side by classrooms and on the other by wide windows facing the inner courtyard and sports fields. The building was old, and there was no central heat to warm the halls in the brisk fall chill. 

They snuck into the back of the classrooms with ten minutes left in homeroom. The teacher, Miss Son Ga-in, was still addressing the class. 

"I'd like to remind everyone that now is the time to slack off." She zeroed in on Minmin. "Next year is your third and final year of high school. It's our job to prepare you and your job to learn."