Minchan: Fighting The Storms With You

01

"Chan-nah!"

"Chan-nah!"

My mom's voice jolted me awake as I had dozed off on the way to my new school. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at her smiling face. I didn't smile back. I was angry. Angry because she had forced me to return to Seoul just because my grandfather was sick.

I knew my grandfather was really important to my mom, and I liked the old guy too, a little. But if she wanted to be with him, she should have come back alone. Why drag me with her?

I had been living in the States for as long as I could remember. All my friends were there. Most importantly, my band was there. It took me years to find the perfect bandmates. We were starting to get noticed. But now, I had to leave everything behind.

This was bullshit.

I stepped out of the car and walked onto the school campus. The place was massive.

'Seoul Boys Academy'

It was a high school for the elite, with tuition fees that cost a fortune. Everything about the school screamed 'EXCLUSIVE.'

All the students were dressed impeccably. Being part of the elite myself, I hated this kind of show-off. I never liked the rigid hierarchy that was so prevalent in Korea, something I had seen in my relatives all my life.

I followed my mom to the principal's office to complete some paperwork. Already wearing the uniform, I was ready when my homeroom teacher came to escort me to my new class. I said goodbye to my mom and followed the teacher.

"Here's your schedule. Call me Mr. Cein. The kids here are nice. If you're ever confused or need help, just ask. I'm here for you too, okay?" Mr. Cein said, handing me a piece of paper as we walked through the hallways.

I nodded silently, taking in my new surroundings.

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As we were walking, a loud noise drew our attention, causing us to stop. Mr. Cein then walked towards the source of the noise, and I followed him. We reached an area with a few chairs behind a small flower bed. Before Mr. Cein could react, a few students ran away from the scene.

Instead of chasing them, Mr. Cein approached the flower bed. Curious, I moved closer as well. There, I found a boy sitting on the ground amidst the flowers. His head was bowed, and he was hugging his legs tightly to his chest, shivering. It was then that I noticed he was completely soaked.

Wow... It's my first day and I already hate this place.

"Minho! Are you okay?" Mr. Cein yelled.

But the boy named Minho didn't respond; he just kept shivering. Mr. Cein was about to step into the flower bed when another man, who also looked like a teacher, approached us.

"Not again," the new teacher said with a sigh.

"Can you take care of him, Mr. Jin? I need to take this new student to his class," Mr. Cein said, pointing at me.

Mr. Jin nodded and went over to the flower bed. Mr. Cein gestured for me to follow him.

For some reason, I really didn't want to leave. There was something about Minho's wet hair and small hands clutching his legs that pulled me towards him. I wanted to see his face, his eyes. But, I followed Mr. Cein anyway.

Mr. Cein took me to my locker, gave me the keys, and finally, we stood in front of our class.

"Sorry you had to see that on your first day. It's not bad here, I promise," Mr. Cein said, smiling at me before entering the classroom.

I followed him inside.

"Everyone, this is Chan. He just transferred from the States, so I believe you'll be nice to him. Chan, you can sit at that desk," Mr. Cein said, pointing towards an empty seat.

"Ummm, Han! Minho might be at the infirmary. Go check on him after class," I heard Mr. Cein say as I walked to my desk.

Suddenly, the students started whispering about this Minho guy like he was the hottest topic for gossip.

Some were saying, "Not again."

Others said, "Why does he even come to school if he's just gonna stay in the infirmary?"

A few remarked, "He's just seeking attention."

Some just laughed it off.

The chatter continued until Mr. Cein told them to stop and get their textbooks out.

'Minho'—a beautiful name. But the name itself sounded weak, just like the guy I saw, shivering with wet hair but not moving an inch. I hated weak people. I hated those who couldn't fight back. Therefore, I didn't feel bad for him. But I was curious.

As the first period ended, all the students gathered around my desk. They obviously knew who I was. The elites like to act like they're all in this together for some reason. I just smiled and nodded.

I hated it.

I felt a bit relieved when Jeongin came over. Jeongin was the son of my mom's friend. They had lived in the States for a few years and often visited us even after moving back to Korea, so I was pretty close to him.

"Hey, bro!" he said.

"Man, I was going to suffocate," I said, chuckling.

"Well, you'll have to put up with it. You're already famous," he said with a serious tone.

I sighed.