Chapter Text
“Twenty more minutes and I can finally get out of this hell.”
Minho muttered under his breath, leaning lazily against the counter of the arcade where he worked. His elbow rested on the surface while his hand propped up his tilted head.
Screaming kids, dim lighting broken only by the neon glow of the machines, and the same sounds looping over and over again were just three of the countless reasons he hated working there. Still, he told himself it was the only way to pay for university. If he studied hard enough, maybe he could land a better job and leave this place behind for good.
He was lost in thought when his coworker Chan’s voice snapped him back to reality. “Minho! A kid just threw up on the VR roller coaster. Go clean it.”
“That’s disgusting. You do it.”
“I did it yesterday. Your turn, princess,” Chan shot back, handing him a rag and a bucket of soapy water.
Grumbling, Minho grabbed the supplies and trudged toward what he mentally labeled the crime scene. The sight nearly made him gag. He dropped to his knees and cleaned up the mess, muttering incomprehensible complaints the entire time. “
People puking on a roller coaster simulator. Great. Another reason to hate this job.”
Still queasy, he put the rag and bucket away in the small storage closet at the back of the arcade. As he shut the door, the bell above the entrance jingled. Someone had just come in.
He glanced at the clock. “Who the hell shows up ten minutes before closing?”
Annoyed, he strode toward the entrance. After scanning the room, he spotted a boy wearing a beanie and a face mask feeding 5,000 won into the token machine.
Only 5,000 won. Ten tokens. At least he won’t be here long..., Minho thought before calling out, “Hey, you!”
The masked boy startled and turned around.
“A-are you talking to me?” he stammered, pointing at himself.
“Who else would I be talking to? It’s just you and me in here. Not counting my useless coworker.”
“I, um, sorry. I mean, I’m sorry, sir. I mean—”
“I don’t care. Make it quick. We close in ten minutes and I want to go home.”
The boy nodded quickly and rushed to the first machine he saw, clearly flustered. He slipped in a token and started the game. It was a zombie shooter. He lost in less than twenty seconds.
Second token. Same result.
And the third.
All the way to the tenth.
From behind the counter, Minho watched him.
I definitely made him nervous. I basically just made him waste 5,000 won.
Then he shrugged internally.
Whatever. Maybe he’ll learn not to show up right before closing.
Even though part of him found it mildly entertaining to watch the boy lose ten times in a row, guilt crept in when he saw him step away from the machine looking completely dejected.
“Hey. Don’t make that face.”
The boy barely looked up.
“Listen, I didn’t mean to pressure you. I kind of made you waste your money, so that’s on me. Come back tomorrow and I’ll give you ten free plays. I don’t usually do that, so take the offer.”
“I— thank you. I mean… sort of,” the boy mumbled.
“You don’t talk much, do you?”
The boy glanced at him awkwardly.
“Yeah, okay. No more questions tonight.”
An uncomfortable silence settled between them until Minho checked the time again.
“It’s ten. I have to close.”
“O-okay,” the boy replied softly, heading for the door. Minho let out a small laugh.
“Hey. Quiet guy. Wait.”
The boy turned around.
“If I’m not at the counter tomorrow, ask for me. Just say you’re looking for Minho.”
With one hand already on the door handle, the boy nodded. Then, with the other, he lowered his mask. “Okay. And my name’s Jisung. So you can stop calling me ‘quiet guy.’” He even made air quotes with his fingers, catching Minho off guard.
“Oh? Did you suddenly find your voice?” Minho teased.
Jisung didn’t answer. He pulled his mask back up, opened the door, and stepped outside, letting it close behind him.
Minho stood there for a moment, staring at the door. “What a weird kid!” he said to himself.
After dragging Chan away from the bar area, where he had been texting instead of working, Minho shut off the lights and locked up the arcade. He pulled down the metal shutter and turned the key.
As he walked home, whistling softly to himself, he found he was hoping that the strange boy named Jisung would actually come back the next day.