"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." Oscar Wilde-
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Minho never spoke about the crying and Jisung was scared to bring it up.
He started school without knowing why his friend's behavior had changed so much over the past months.
The older went from being happy, always laughing and genuinely smiling at Jisung, to being constantly absentminded, sometimes staring at his friend with the saddest expressions but trying to hide them whenever he noticed Jisung looking, giving only weak and forced smiles.
How could an eight year old look so sad all the time?
Jisung didn't know Minho already knew he had been accepted into school. He didn't know Minho had given up his place for him, convincing the caretakers that the younger was more capable and that himself wouldn't mind waiting until he turned nine or ten to enter school then. Jisung didn't know that Minho was the only kid left from the time when they found him, how the others had all been adopted. Jisung just didn't know so many things.
Minho was forced to grow up too soon too suddenly.
One day, when Jisung came back from school, he found a notebook in his friend's bunk bed, old and worn out. It read Minho's name, nothing else. He was seven and curious, his friend surely wouldn't mind if he looked through it a little bit, right? It's not like they had any secrets anyway.
When he opened it he found math problems dated from two years ago, becoming more recent with every passing page. It had history notes, english, science; everything Jisung had been studying since last year, everything he already knew from school. The most recent page was full of crossed out problems, as if Minho had tried to solve them but simply decided to give up halfway.
A little note was written below the blurs of dark pencil and pen.
'I don't wanna receive more lessons, Aera Noona. It's not like I'll be accepted in my year anyway.'
The next handwriting was clearly from the older woman, answering Minho's little resignation letter.
'You'll get accepted, even if it's in a year below. Keep fighting, Minmin!'
The same math problems Minho had crossed out were rewritten and Jisung realized Aera Noona had left the notebook on the older's bed so that he could give them another chance.
So Minho was struggling with school stuff? Jisung could help him with that! He knew how to solve those problems!
A pair of arms circled his waist and he felt Minho's characteristical mint scent. He dropped the notebook immediately and turned around to properly hug his best friend.
