Seven Minutes

"When did you start playing guitar?" My friend, Woosung-ah asks me as he stuffs a fist full of chips into his mouth.

Lowering the guitar on the stand, I sit next to Woosung-ah on the couch inside the music room. I snatch the bag of chips from his hand and begin snacking on them for myself. He pouts and tries taking them back, but I'm quick on removing myself from the couch to exit the room. "Hey!" Woosung-ah hollers causing a few students who walk in the hallway to gaze over at the room.

I make my way to the classroom where a few students sit and talk to each other. A friend group of girls hang out in the far back corner by the door, gossiping amongst themselves about drama outside of their jurisdiction while a small group of boys hang out in the center of the classroom playing games on their phone, laughing and yelling at each other because the game isn't going how they planned. I mind my own business and walk to my desk in the back near the windows. It only takes a couple seconds until a boy, named Junjin-ah from the group of gamers approaches me with a huge smile on his face.

He sits in the seat in front of me and eyes the bag of chips I have. "Did you get those from Woo-sung?" He points at the bag with the Lay's fresh crab flavor printed on it.

"How do you know?" I raise an eyebrow at him, tucking the bag of chips under my arm.

He shakes his head with a slight laugh. "That's Woo-sung's favorite kind!" He tells me and all I can do is nod in awe.

"Why aren't you playing with your friends, aren't you important in the game?" I slightly raise my voice and motion my head to the yelling gamers who now verbally fight each other.

Junjin-ah gazes over at his friends and sighs. "I would rather be eaten by a lion than play mobile games with them," Junjin-ah spits as I grab a few more chips and put them in my mouth. "By the way, are you going to Choi, Ji-min's party tonight?" Junjin-ah asks me with a larger smile as he leans in on my desk.

"Party? Who throws parties in this school?" I seize and Junjin-ah backs away while giving me a tsk tsk.

"He does. And you have to come!" Junjin-ah demands, lightly slamming his hands on my desk.

"No, I don't want to." I say and lean back in my chair, trying my hardest to get away from him.

Junjin-ah frowns and takes the bag of chips that was almost finished from my grip. This time, I frown at him. He stands and starts eating the rest of the chips that were meant for me. "I heard a lot of girls are showing up~" Junjin-ah mentions, smirking.

"What about it?!" I sigh and brush off my hands together to get rid of the chip crumbs.

"What about it? Hyung, you could get a girlfriend or something! It's bound to be fun." Junjin-ah exclaims and I shake my head at him in response.

"I'll think about it." I say.

"I better see you there." Junjin-ah points at me and retreats his way back to his friends.

Who does he think I am? I still have to stay behind tonight and study.

****

"O.K., O.K., gather around everyone," popular junior of our high school, Choi, Ji-min is throwing a party which half the grade including I am attending. I don't go to parties but Junjin-ah persuaded me and I also persuaded myself into going because I didn't want to be studying any longer. Woosung-ah is somewhere in the living room and Junjin-ah had to babysit his younger siblings tonight, ironic since he is the one who pleaded for me to come. So that leaves me to fend for myself. Here somehow is a bit better than school. "Let's play a game." He says as he slurs on his words.

Jimin-ssi has an empty beer bottle in his hand and I'm not surprised he doesn't notice it considering how faded he is. I have had a few drinks and I'm already out of it. I just want to go home at this point and sleep it off, but I know I'll wake up with a hangover the next morning. "You know this game guys," Jimin-ssi laughs, almost falling over though he is sitting down on the floor.

Music vibrates the floor and blows my eardrums when the source is in the living room. The group, including me sit on the kitchen floor where a few others watch. Empty red cups are kicked everywhere and the kitchen is a total mess, there's vomit in the sink and no one dares to go near it. I'm glad I don't have to clean this up and that it's not my house, but it gives me stress that someone has to. Only a little group sits in a circle with Jimin-ssi including I as others dance and get drunk in the living room. A few I saw travel upstairs, mostly couples and I already know what they are doing or going to try and do.

"I will spin the bottle. Whoever it lands on has to spin it again. When it lands-" Jimin-ssi hiccups, "on someone they two have to go-" he swallows his vomit pointing ahead for all of us to look. "In that bathroom and play-" hiccup, "seven minutes in heaven. No matter the sex!" He outdoes the word 'matter' like it was a big deal. We all gap at him and his puffy face as he laughs like a maniac.

Imagine what he's like sober.

I can feel everyone's grin. I should leave before it's too late but Junjin-ah's words play in my head that I could technically get something out of this. What that is, I don't know yet and we will see by the end of the night. "The game starts...now!" Jimin-ssi spins the bottle. Everyone concentrates on the bottle more than they have when it came to class. If I were to leave now they would bully me the next day and harass me then on. I plant myself in my spot and pay attention to the bottle spin and spin and spin.

The bottle slowly stops. "Kangdae-ssi!"

The group cheers as I take in with my slightly blurry vision a boy with light brown hair and sharp features making him the only word out there that fits him, handsome. He scratches the back of his neck while the other hand holds a red cup.

He looks foreign. I bet he doesn't have a problem with dating.

Jimin-ssi smiles so brightly I thought the sun was born again. The guy named Kang-dae is hesitant from the sudden attention and while I paid attention to him, I realize I haven't seen this guy before. "Spin the bottle now, Kangdae-ssi." Jimin-ssi tells him. Kang-dae.

How does Jimin-ssi know him? Are they the same age?

Kangdae-ssi doesn't hesitate and spins the bottle. The bottle slowly stops at a girl who sits to my right. She blushes and turns her face away in embarrassment, knowing they'd have to go in together. The girl next to her giggles in her space and they whisper to each other with smiles. I slightly roll my eyes. Jimin-ssi frowns and moves the bottle then chants, "Yongsun-ssi!" My eyes widen now. Not only am I surprised Jimin-ssi knows my name, but I'm taken aback that he turned the bottle. Turned the bottle towards me!

"Sunbae, you can't do that! Min-ha was excited to do seven minutes with Kang-dae." The girl next to Minha-ah complains.

Jimin-ssi shrugs with a smirk, a drunk smirk. "Too bad. I wanted to play the game and you guys happened to join," he shrugs again and looks at me. "Go ahead, go in." He motions his head towards the bathroom while still hiccuping.

"This is unfair. Let Minha-ssi go," I point out, standing about to make a run for it. "I'm not playing this way." I say and back up from the group.

"You joined and now it's too late to back out," Jimin-ssi clumsily stands to drag himself towards me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he pushes me to the bathroom. "Who doesn't want to see two men kissing?" Jimin-ssi giggles and continues to push me. He covers his mouth and says with a muffled voice, "I mean get along~"

Kangdae-ssi stands now. "Don't you think this is a bit unfair to our hobae?" He adds, but dropping his voice at the end of his sentence.

"A bit? It's really unfair! Hey!" I change his meaning, clearly outraged.

Jimin-ssi stops pushing. "Someone grab Kangdae-ssi." Jimin-ssi demands and the group, like a cult, acts on his orders. Laughing, they all push us in the dark bathroom just in front of us. I swear I was the only one trying to get away because Kangdae-ssi didn't pick much of a fight. "Seven minutes, guys!" The door closes as on the other side begin to talk like they didn't just forcefully push me and another guy in a bathroom, alone, together. They giggle or holler with laughter at my misfortune.

I glare at the door and flip them off knowing they can't see me anyway. Great, inside a small bathroom with a complete stranger. I try pushing the door open but it's too heavy.

Really? Are they all leaning on it or something to barricade us inside?

I groan and sit on the bathroom floor. "Now what?" Kangdae-ssi questions in a rather calm tone as I hear him sit on the floor. I should turn on the lights but I really don't want to see him right now with the current situation we're in.

"Nothing. We are going to sit here." I cross my arms, slightly seeing Kangdae-ssi sitting across from me leaning back on the bathtub. For some reason my buzz is hitting me harder now.

"For seven minutes? This is going to be awkward," He points out with a sigh.

"Oh well, suck it up." I say and roll my eyes at the obvious. "It's not like they are going to let us out any time soon." I mumble.

"O.K. Someone doesn't know how to have fun." Kangdae-ssi claims.

So drinking isn't fun? The only alcohol I drink is wine because last time I got drunk I was beaten half to death by my mom. "I do know how to have fun!" I snap, almost lunging at him.

"Then let's have fun! We have six minutes by now." Kangdae-ssi tells me still in a chill state.

What is this guy trying to do? It's scaring me how laid back he is.

I cock my head and stare at Kangdae-ssi as my eyes adjust to the dark. "Then what do you want to do, huh?" I retort with a snap.

"Want to kiss?" He asks me and I glare at him now.

"Hey!" I yell at first. "I'm straight, sorry to burst your bubble if you thought that was going to happen." I reply.

"Oh come on, guys kiss their friends. It's normal." Kangdae-ssi voices with a slight shrug.

"Bastard...gladly, I don't have friends like that." I lean my head back on the door and have a sudden thought to bang my head against it until I have brain damage. Or maybe I can punch a hole in the door to crawl out?

"How about a kiss on the cheek?" I don't answer his question even when I see him poke his left cheek in the corner of my eye. "Come on, I don't go to your school so who is going to find out? Don't be boring~" Kangdae-ssi nags at me like a toddler with an attitude.

That's why I've never seen him before.

"Do you want to die?" I lift my head to fully look at him, he stares at me with a light smile and I can't help but groan in annoyance.

If he doesn't go to my school then what am I really giving up? It's not like I'm gay.

My eyes widen in realization of what he said.

"Boring?! Hey!" I exclaim and shake my head. "Fine, to show you I'm not boring you can kiss me on my cheek!" I bitch at him.

He follows my command and like a puppy wagging its tail, he comes to my side. I become dizzy and have the sudden feeling to throw up everything I've had. This buzz won't let me crawl away this time.

Don't throw up just yet or maybe if I throw up on him he surely won't mess with me.

His hand travels over my neck and goosebumps form on my arms as well as the hairs on my neck stick up. I slap his hand away. "Hey, don't touch me," I fume.

"Huh? How do you think kissing works?" Kangdae-ssi retorts.

So annoying.

"Hurry up," I nudge him by the shoulder indicating that I want it to be over with it quick. He shrugs at me. My eyebrows furrow together as he grows closer and closer. His lips meet my cheek and I squeeze my eyes shut. But he doesn't stop there as he smells me from my cheek over to my ear. My eyes widen when he pulls back and I can finally see his face up and personal.

"That wasn't so hard." He faintly whispers. He smiles but there is no feeling behind it.

I want to slap him. I can say he harassed me and I couldn't fend for myself because of how drunk I was. Yeah!

"Is this your first time?" Kangdae-ssi lightly chuckles, his hand lingering towards my neck.

"You fucker..." I ball my hand in a fist that swings across his face, harsh and determined to get my point across. There is only a nod from Kangdae-ssi making me even more embarrassed.

Did that punch do nothing? I must be really drunk.

"What the hell, who says something like that?" I mumble and advert my gaze.

He stares at me but I don't dare look at him because every single cell in me is embarrassed . Forgetting the time, the banging on the door causes me to jump on my feet at the sound. "Time is up!" I hear Jimin-ssi cheerfully announce. The door opens and light seeps in and I can finally see Kangdae-ssi. He's on the ground, a faint smile on his face. But I'm not smiling. "Whoa! What happened in here?" Jimin-ssi hollers with excitement.

"Nothing happened," I tear my eyes off Kangdae-ssi as the bruise on his lip says otherwise. "Get out of my way!" I shove past Jimin-ssi and retreat out of the house to the warm Daegu air in the middle of October.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and when I take it out, I see my younger brother calling me. I instantly answer and hold the phone up to my ear. "Hyung," he starts.

"What's up?" I ask him, my phone shaking in my hand.

I must have sobered up. Thank goodness my brother won't have to see me drunk tonight.

"When are you coming home? I made dinner." My younger brother, Chan-woo happily tells me over the phone.

"I was heading home just now," I begin walking towards where I think my home is located. "Where is mom and dad?" I question while running my hand through my hair.

My parents don't gang up on Chan-woo like they do me and I think that's because I'm older. My grades matter more than they ever have before.

"They went to aunts beach house for a couple days." He explains and I nod with a sigh.

Thank god.

"I'll be home soon. Don't eat it all without me!" I tease making my brother laugh.

"Hurry before it gets cold."