Forget-me-not

Seungmin

A/N: I bet you're all wondering what the surprise is. I usually don't pull surprises off very well and I try to stick to a strict writing schedule unless I'm feeling spontaneous. I'm usually not one to open up to strangers on the internet. I live a pretty quiet and introverted mundane life. Around this time last year, I found Stray Kids. In nearly a month, it'll be a year since I started writing on this account.

Growing up, writing was my form of escapism. During my teenage years, I didn't have the best mental health. Riddled with anxiety and depression, I turned to writing to heal. That path continued when I turned into an adult. Last year, I threw a hail mary and turned to fanfiction, more specifically, to Stray Kids.

I wasn't supposed to make it this far in life, but today I turned twenty-one. The past year, my fanfiction has taken me to wild places. I've screamed, I've cried, I've laughed, and I've loved. I've giggled over comments that have been left and cried over others. I've learned that, despite everything, there's still good in the world.

Some of you have been here since my first story, some of you have started to read this story randomly, and some of you will probably read this and go investigate my other stories. (Please do, they're completed.) As a thank you for reading (and because it's my favorite number) please enjoy the next seven chapters <3

_ _ _ 

The internet cafe was less busy than usual. Seungmin followed Felix and I.N through the maze of leather seats. They had pre-paid for a few hours to use three of their computers. Felix and I.N realized Seungmin was in some desperate need of cheering up. 

Lee Know would have come along, but he had prior plans with Han. Hyunjin was going to tour an art gallery with a handful of other people. Chan and Changbin were working on writing another song which left Felix and I.N to save the day. 

Felix laughed and moved back. Seungmin shifted ahead of him and took the seat in the middle of I.N and Felix. He plopped down and began logging onto the computer. Felix clicked his tongue and I.N hummed beneath his breath. 

"What are we going to play?" Seungmin asked. 

"Nothing yet, I wanna order food first." I.N clicked around on his screen to get the menu to pop up. His eyes widened in shock at all the options. "This place is so much bigger than the last place we went. There's so much food here!" 

"What are you going to get, Seungmin?" Felix peered around the plastic barrier that sat beside him. Seungmin was clicking through the arrows, still discovering everything. 

Seungmin ignored him and continued searching. After a few moments, he leaned back into the leather rolling chair. "I think I've gotta stick with ramen." 

"Oh, I want that too!" 

Felix went back to his computer. He clicked on the menu button and began searching through the ramen flavors. His head rested in his palm propped against the table. Quite a few of the seats were empty even though it was Saturday. 

Computers sat with keyboards and attached black mouses. Intricate towers sat behind the monitors and plugged into the back of them. Multi-colored wires provided a fair amount of power and hosted the computer's motherboard system. There was a hook up above where a pair of black headphones sat. A cord, attached to the bottom of the ear piece, hooked into the computer.

A few rows behind them, three employees were gathered around by a register. A wide variety of appliances were set up to make food. The two boys and a girl conversed while glancing around once in a while to make sure everything was running smoothly for everyone. 

Seungmin pressed the buttons and ordered a bowl of spicy ramen and a drink. When he was finished, he clicked out of the menu and began to browse the games. I.N was quick to follow after ordering his stuff, but Felix was stuck. 

"Guys, what should I get with my ramen?" 

"Broth," Seungmin mumbled. 

Felix shot him an unamused look. I.N laughed and shifted back to try and see Felix's screen from his spot. The familiarity of the situation warmed Seungmin. He had missed making the guys laugh. It had been a while since he teased them. 

"I meant topping wise!" 

I.N leaned further over towards Seungmin. He was practically on top of his lap. "Why don't you just get an egg and cheese? You seem to like that combination." 

"You're right." He clicked a few buttons and submitted his order. "All we have to do now is wait. I'm so excited, I haven't had food yet." 

I.N leaned back over to his own chair. Seungmin shifted and rolled himself closer to the desk. "Okay losers, what are we going to play?" 

"Something that I can beat the two of you at." 

"I guess we better not play League of Legends then." 

"Hey!" 

I.N and Seungmin both laughed at Felix's distressed look. He grumbled beneath his breath and clicked on a random game. "Screw you two, I don't need you. I'll play all by myself and when I wipe out the competition, I-" 

Seungmin objected, "you'll be the first one to die."

The pair continued to argue and bicker with each other. I.N decided to ignore them and pick a random game to play. Eventually, they got settled with their own things and became immersed in the digital reality. Keyboards clattered as they moved their characters around. The computer mice clicked rapidly. 

The smell of warm broth drifted towards them from the back. Seungmin sucked in a deep breath and let his eyes close after pausing his game. The last time he had been at an internet cafe, it was back in November. The guys came here to film a video where all eight members battled each other in different games. 

Their company rented out the whole place, so they were all left alone. They got the chance to unplug their headphones and turn up the volume. That video consisted of a lot of yelling and hooting. Fingers were pointed at losers and they were mocked whereas victors hung their fists in the air victoriously. 

Back during that time, it felt like nothing could go wrong. The future looked crystal clear instead of a swampy gray. It was hard to grasp the reality of how much everything had changed in a few months. Life had completely flipped and done an entire one-eighty. 

A feminine voice filled his ears. He kept his eyes closed for a few moments longer until he reopened them. A worker placed his bowl of ramen down in front of him. Clouds of steam rolled off the top and drifted further into the air. She placed a plastic lidded cup down beside the bowl. 

"I hope you enjoy your food. If you need anything else, please let us know." The woman pulled back, wheeled a food cart over to I.N and placed food in front of him. 

Seungmin glanced over and caught the woman's eyes. Cynthia stared back at him with a polite smile on her face. Her wavy hair laid past her shoulders and hung down her back. Her deep dimples cut into the sides of her cheeks. 

He blinked and she was gone. In her place, the worker had shifted her eye contact down to I.N. She placed his drink down beside him and he thanked her. When she left, Seungmin forced his eyes back to his computer screen confused. Did that really just happen?

Neither of the other guys noticed something was wrong. He rubbed his eyes and pushed his chair back. When he stood up, Felix glanced over and frowned. "Where are you going?" 

"To the bathroom. I just need a moment to myself. I'll be right back and don't steal any of my stuff this time." He left without another word. 

Felix and I.N made eye contact over the seat where Seungmin had been sitting. The two of them stayed quiet until I.N spoke up. "What was that about?" 

"I think he's still having a rough time with the whole Cynthia scenario. I wish there was something we could do to fix it, but we can't. We can try our best, but he's probably working through a bunch of inner turmoil. It wasn't his fault, but I know he still feels guilty." 

"I wish this didn't happen to him." 

"Yeah, me too."