Chapter 11: The Ride Continues

At the age of eleven, Minkyu found himself in a unique position. While the cycling academy he attended had provided an environment for him to refine his existing skills, he hadn't encountered many new challenges or techniques that pushed the boundaries of his abilities. Despite this, he remained committed to honing his craft, seeking ways to elevate his performance even further.

However, the real treasure he discovered at the academy was not a groundbreaking training method or a revolutionary technique. It was a friendship forged amidst the shared passion for cycling—his bond with Owen Knight.

Before Owen, Minkyu had not really made any friends his age in his new life. He had made friends with his fellow cyclists back in the streets of Changwon, Korea, but those were all old men like Mr. Choi and Mr. Park. He supposed Eunji and his parents could count, but that was simply sad.

No, because of his maturity beyond his age, Minkyu hadn't been able to create any friends, up until now. Of course, the gap of maturity was still there between the two, but to make up for that gap, Minkyu and Owen both had one shared passion, cycling. Minkyu slightly regressed in age when talking about cycling, and he would ramble and analyze like an eager child. Owen, on the other hand, took cycling just as seriously as Minkyu. But unlike Minkyu, that was how he approached cycling, seriously. Owen matured when cycling, and approached it not like a sport, but like a lifestyle.

Outside of cycling, their roles were drastically different. Owen was an extremely playful, mischievous teenager. He was 13 years old to Minkyu's 11, though the age difference didn't really mean anything. Minkyu was quite tall for his age, now standing at 5'3.

Despite the difference age, Minkyu naturally assumed a somewhat parental role in his friendship with Owen. It seemed that his previous life experiences and maturity had seeped into his new existence, guiding him to offer guidance and look out for his sneaky friend. Within the academy, Minkyu gained the affectionate moniker of "Owen's Mom," a title that perfectly captured their dynamic.

While Owen possessed a mischievous streak and a knack for finding trouble, Minkyu's watchful eye and quick thinking often averted potential disasters. He became adept at diffusing sticky situations, coming up with creative solutions, and offering sage advice to his friend. Minkyu's protective instincts combined with a touch of exasperation, earning him the endearing reputation of the academy's resident caretaker.

During their time at the academy, Owen's energetic spirit often led him down uncharted paths. He would test the limits, daringly explore new terrain, and occasionally find himself tangled in amusing predicaments. Minkyu was there to lend a helping hand, providing a calming presence amidst the chaos, and offering a voice of reason when needed.

Whether it was finding a creative excuse for Owen's tardiness, coming up with clever ways to outsmart the strict disciplinarians, or even intervening in impromptu pranks, Minkyu's parental instincts kicked in. With a mix of stern yet affectionate scolding, he would guide Owen back on track, reminding him of the importance of balance, discipline, and responsible fun.

Their camaraderie grew stronger through these moments, as Minkyu's patient guidance became a stabilizing force in Owen's whirlwind of adventure. Their bond transcended the usual friendship dynamics, evolving into a unique partnership where Minkyu provided wisdom and support, while Owen injected a youthful spark and lightheartedness into Minkyu's world.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The biggest difference between the two weren't their personalities, but rather, their style of cycling. Minkyu likened his own approach to a meticulously composed soundtrack, where every note was carefully orchestrated, resulting in a harmonious symphony of motion. His movements were precise, calculated, and efficient, creating a rhythm that was pleasing to both the eyes and the ears. Of course, you couldn't actually hear anything but the sound of the bike, but if this was an anime, characters would be hearing Mozart's Symphony No.11 every time he passed by.

On the other hand, Owen's cycling was a mesmerizing whirlwind that engulfed the senses. It was strange how Owen described it. What did he say back then? Minkyu didn't remember.

He was in the middle of English, with his head on his arms in resting position number 4. #2 was laying down on his textbook and backpack, while #1 was bringing a headrest pillow from home. The teacher was extremely kind, and always allowed him to sleep during class. The teacher was also heavily influenced by the fact that Minkyu had caught her cheating with the principal in the storage closet. That was how he was able to play around so much with Owen and not get any consequences.

He took out his phone and went to text Owen.

{OWEN}

[MinGay]: Hey, where r u?

[Captain Cracker]: im w/ shelly

[MinGay]:really? hasn't she told u to go to school

[Captain Cracker]:sorry correction- im stalking shelly. she's talking with a boy rn. WHAT IS SHE DOINGGGGG

[MinGay]: lol idc-anyways i was wondering

[MinGay]: if you

[MinGay]: could tell me

[Captain Cracker]: im going to beat u up if you keep txting in words instead of sentences

[MinGay]: stfu chinky

[Captain Cracker]: could you be quiet? I need to watch Shelly, the slug that she's talking to is trying to make a move on her

[MinGay]: omfg i don't understand how ur this annoying-i was gonna ask if you could tell me how you would describe ur cycling style?

[Captain Cracker]: (...)

Minkyu waited for him to respond. It took about 4 minutes until Owen said:

[Captain Cracker]: sorry forgot abt u, and no

"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SH-!!!!" Minkyu burst out of his seat until he realized he was in the middle of class.

"Oh whatever, fuck this." He picked up his backpack and left the classroom as very startled and confused students stared at him.

Minkyu hopped on his bike and sped towards where he knew Owen would be.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

'The Party Palace' was a convenience store right beside the school dorms. From his english classroom, it was about a 5 minute ride, 2 minutes if he took fun shortcuts. One time he had convinced Owen to take the shortcuts with him, which had resulted in Owen scraping his knee and spraining 2 of his fingers. Minkyu had almost died of laughter.

The convenience store was called 'The Party Palace' by Minkyu and Owen, because of a certain incident a couple of months back. Personally, he didn't want to get into explicit details, because the results of that incident had Minkyu owing Owen 3 big favors.

Owen had cashed in his first favor 2 weeks ago when he made Minkyu protect Shelly for an entire weekend while he left for a competition. Minkyu had almost been falsely outed as a stalker.

When Minkyu arrived, the first thing he could see was a conspicuous teenager with blinding blonde hair unstealthily peeking at 2 people sitting on a table. The teenager was obviously Owen, while the 2 people were Shelly and some random dude.

"Hey." Minkyu poked Owen from behind. Owen spun his head around towards Minkyu is surprise.

"Oh! My favorite yellow fellow! How have you been?"

Minkyu punched him in the gut.

"Yeah, yeah, be quiet dude. I'm here to take you away. Shelly has enough on her plate, and a stalker is too much for her right now."

"A stalker?!" Owen gasped. "Who?! Who's stalking my baby?!"

Minkyu grimaced. "I don't understand how anyone deals with this kid..." He grumbled.

"I'm older than you, if you didn't forget. Aren't Koreans supposed to respect their elders? Kids these days."

"Okay, I'm done here." Minkyu grabbed Owen by the ear and tugged him away from The Party Palace. Owen shrieked in pain, and prompted everyone in a 20 foot radius to stare at the pair. Including the couple that Owen was stalking.

Shelly was Owen's childhood friend and the focus of his affection. Owen described her as, 'the light of his life'. To Minkyu, she was just a nice friend. He didn't get too close to her because of her disinterest towards cycling, but he interacted with her a fair amount because of Owen's antics.

She had also just noticed the two of them watching her.

Shelly stood up in anger, her face flushed.

"O-Owen! What are you doing here!!!" She screamed.

Owen whipped his head to her voice like an excited puppy.

"Shellyyyyy!!!" He ran towards her and pushed away the boy she was with.

"What a coincidence! We didn't even know you were here! And who is this?" He gestured towards the boy he had just shoved to the floor.

"H-Hey man!" The boy stuttered, furious. "What the fuck is wrong with you!"

Then Owen kicked the boy in the face, knocking him unconscious.

"Anyways! Lets go home!" Owen took Shelly by the arm and dragged her away.

"Why are you like this..." Shelly groaned.