𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 || 𝟚𝕞𝕚𝕟

14 | It's Nice to Have a Friend

The bell echoed across the hallways, signaling the end of the day's last class. Students spilled out into the corridors, their chatter filling the air as they hurried toward their next destinations. Seungmin exited his classroom, his bag slung loosely over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the crowd. A soft smile spread across his face when he spotted Minho leaning casually against the wall, waiting for him.

"Hi" Seungmin waved as he approached.

Minho grinned in response. "Hi, Seungmin."

Jeongin, who had been walking right behind Seungmin, froze mid-step when he saw Minho. His gaze immediately darkened, and he protectively stepped  closer to Seungmin, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "What are you doing here?" Jeongin demanded.

Seungmin turned toward Jeongin, his expression calm but firm. He held up his phone, typing quickly. "It's okay, he's my friend now."

Jeongin's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Friend? Him? Seungmin, are you serious?"

Seungmin nodded, a small but reassuring smile on his lips. Jeongin narrowed his eyes at Minho, clearly not convinced but reluctant to push the matter further. "Fine," Jeongin muttered under his breath, "but I'm keeping my eye on him."

Minho let out a small, nervous laugh. "That's fair," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

As the days passed, Seungmin and Minho kept crossing paths throughout the school. At lunch, in the hallways, or even during short breaks, they always managed to exchange a few words or spend a brief moment together. Their interactions started off polite but soon grew more natural and relaxed.

One afternoon, Minho found Seungmin sitting under a tree in the schoolyard, a place he frequently came to now to have some moments of peace. He was sketching something in his book. Minho approached slowly, careful not to startle him.

"What are you drawing?" Minho asked, crouching beside him.

Seungmin turned the sketchbook toward Minho. It was a detailed sketch of a puppy, its eyes wide and soulful. Minho's face softened. "That's... really good," he said sincerely. "Kinda looks like you...cute" he added quietly.

Seungmin blushed slightly as he smiled, signing. "Thanks"

"Don't you have a class right now?" Seungmin asked when Minho comfortably settled down beside him.

Minho just stared at his hands for a while, trying to understand what he just signed, before saying, "I'm sorry, I'm not yet that good at sign...If you don't mind, can you.." Minho fetched a small notepad from his pocket and held it out to Seungmin.

"It will be easier than typing in your phone...I don't want to trouble you until I get fluent."

Seungmin smiled as he took the notebook, happy to know that Minho cared so much about him.

He wrote down what he wanted to say and Minho insisted to teach him how to sign the words as well.

Their conversation continued for a while, with Seungmin teaching Minho the words he was unfamiliar with, and Minho trying to sign as well while speaking.

"What all do you usually draw?" Minho asked pointing towards the sketchbook lying in his lap.

"I like drawing anything that make me happy" Seungmin replied.

Minho hesitated before speaking. "Am I... one of those things?" 

Seungmin blinked in surprise before nodding slightly, his smile growing.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

Chan noticed the change in Minho almost immediately. The way his shoulders seemed less tense, the way he smiled more often—it was all new. During lunch one day, Chan joined Minho at their usual table and leaned in with a knowing look.

"You talked to him," Chan said. It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Minho looked up from his tray, startled. "Who?"

"Seungmin," Chan replied. "You've been spending time with him, haven't you?"

Minho nodded slowly. "Yeah... I've been trying to make things right."

Chan's eyes softened. "That's good. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Minho mumbled, his ears turning pink.

"But why aren't you coming to Japanese class anymore?" Chan asked, tilting his head curiously.

Minho looked down at his tray, poking at his food. "I, uh... I switched classes."

"Oh? What did you take instead?"

Minho hesitated before finally answering, "Sign language."

Chan blinked, then broke into a wide grin. "Sign language? Really?"

Minho nodded, feeling shy. "I wanted to... you know... understand him better."

Chan's smile grew even wider. "You've grown so much, Minho. I'm really proud of you."

Before Minho could respond, a group of his old friends sauntered over to the table, plopping down with loud greetings.

"Minho! Man, you've been ditching us lately," one of them said, clapping him on the back.

"No, I haven't," Minho replied, laughing nervously.

Another chimed in, "You're still our friend, right?"

"Of course," Minho said quickly, his voice uncertain.

"Good. Then we need an update. We saw you hanging out with that Seungmin kid. Looks like you're working on our plan."

Minho stiffened. "what plan?"

"Oh, come on. You know, the one where we get close to him and then... you know..."

"Teach him a lesson," another added with a smirk.

"Yeah, seriously," the first one said. "You're amazing, Minho. You even started learning sign language for this. That's dedication" he laughed.

Minho's stomach churned, but he said nothing. He just stared at the table, his hands clenched into fists.

Across the table, Chan's expression darkened. He stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"Chan? Where are you going?" one of the boys called after him.

Chan didn't respond. He just walked away, his disappointment clear in his every step.

"Oh well," one of them said, shrugging. "Guess he wasn't part of the plan after all."

"Too bad, we'll have all the fun alone."

Minho  just remained silent, unable to protest or say anything against them.