Minchan: Fighting The Storms With You

04

I remember leaving the rooftop when lunch break arrived. The beats I had intended to write down slipped away, replaced instead by thoughts of the beautiful features of Minho and the mystery surrounding him.

Entering the canteen, I found Jeongin and his gang waiting for me.

"Bro, you skipped classes! Where the hell were you?" Jeongin exclaimed as soon as I sat down.

Ignoring his question, I focused on my food. They were discussing some girl from another school that Changbin had a crush on, but the conversation soon shifted to Minho.

"Oh, I forgot to mention – Minho was here today. He looked fine," Jeongin informed us.

"Thank God. Hyunjin was feeling pretty guilty all week," Felix added.

Hyunjin remained silent, lost in thought.

"What's the use of feeling guilty if you're just gonna do it again... And we always end up joining in too," Jeongin complained.

"I never told you guys to join me," Hyunjin retorted, his gaze narrowing before he stood up and left with his tray.

The rest of us exchanged sighs.

"It's just... I feel like we shouldn't be doing this to Minho... maybe I'm a softie," Jeongin said, his voice tinged with concern.

"But he's using Han Jisung. None of us can disagree with that. He's practically running around Kim Seungmin all the time. He should just reject Jisung so that Hyunjin gets a fair chance. But he's just stringing Jisung along. I mean, I don't get what he's thinking. And Jisung is our friend too. I really hate how he just left us for that psycho," Changbin exclaimed.

The other two nodded in agreement.

Jeongin turned to me, his expression questioning. "So where the hell were you?"

"At my secret base," I replied with a smirk.

He sighed and changed the subject, engaging the others in a different topic.

But my mind was elsewhere. I couldn't stop thinking about Minho. I needed to see him again, talk to him again. Perhaps I could do that on the rooftop. But more than anything, I wanted to be his friend.

I left the canteen early and made my way to class. Standing at the doorway, I spotted Minho asleep at his desk.

'This guy sure sleeps a lot,' I thought, observing him.

I debated whether to wake him when suddenly another student entered the classroom. Without hesitation, he strode over to Minho's desk and began shaking him aggressively. I was taken aback by his rudeness.

"Minho!... Hey, Minho!" the guy called out, his voice stern and abrasive.

Minho jolted awake, clearly startled, and I couldn't help but notice a flicker of fear in his eyes as he blinked at the intruder, trying to comprehend the situation.

~Beep beep beep~

The sound pierced the air once more, and Minho instinctively clutched his chest, just as he had on the rooftop.

To my surprise, the rude guy did something unexpected – he grabbed Minho's hand and yanked him to his feet.

"When will this drama end?" he yelled, frustration evident in his voice.

"Minho, I'm really getting tired of this. You were gone for an entire week. Do you have to go to such lengths just to get my attention?"

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

~Beep beep beep~

The incessant beeping only heightened my anxiety. The guy continued to berate Minho, but I couldn't focus on his words. My attention was fixed on Minho, who was clutching his chest and gasping for breath. His face had turned pale, a shade of blue creeping into his complexion, and he trembled uncontrollably.

But the guy showed no signs of stopping his tirade.

I made up my mind to intervene and began walking toward them, but someone beat me to it – Jisung. He pushed the rude guy away from Minho and enveloped Minho in a tight hug. However, it was too late. I watched helplessly as Minho fainted in Jisung's arms, tears streaming down his face as he closed his eyes.

The rude guy's demeanor seemed to soften as he witnessed Minho's collapse. He gently lifted Minho into his arms and carried him out of the classroom.

"Here we go again," he muttered in annoyance.

I couldn't understand why Jisung didn't follow them. He simply stood there, his expression one of profound sadness.

Everything felt overwhelming, like a cliché unfolding before my eyes. It was clear to me that Minho was unwell, yet everyone seemed to treat it as though he was faking it. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to make sense of it all. 'Am I missing something?' I wondered, feeling lost in the chaos. My gaze settled on Jisung, and I knew he was the one who could shed some light on the situation.

Summoning my courage, I approached Jisung, who was now seated at his desk.

"Hi, Jisung," I greeted him tentatively.

He regarded me with confusion, and I couldn't blame him – my sudden interest in him must have seemed odd.

"You were with them at the canteen that day," he remarked, his tone guarded.

'Damn. Not the best first impression,' I thought to myself, feeling a pang of guilt.

"Yeah... Jeongin's the only person I know here, actually. I'm still pretty new," I admitted with an apologetic smile.

"And... what do you want from me?" Jisung asked, his confusion evident.

"Um... I'm just... confused. Can we talk?" I asked, feeling the weight of uncertainty pressing down on me. Surprisingly, Jisung looked even more perplexed than I did.