You get up the next day bright and early, even though you hadn’t even set up an alarm to wake you. Yawning, you take a shower and change into your school uniform. You’re about to make sure you have enough money for a bus fare when you remember the note Daehyun had given you last night. You had come home surprisingly tired, and you had completely forgotten the fact that he had written you a note filled with information you needed to know. You search for it and find it on top of one of your notebooks. He’s written down three pointers, and you read them quickly.

The landlady comes every Tuesday, so make sure you have money for the rent by then.

Oh. You had totally forgotten that you’d be paying for your living quarters yourself, something you had never needed to do at your old home. Where are you going to get the money for that? Would you actually have to get a job? Banishing the meddlesome thought away, you read on.

There’s a kiosk down the road that sells some pretty cheap food items, if you can bargain with the lady managing it.

Food. Just thinking about it makes you hungry. You read the last pointer and stare at the last word he’s written.

Smile.

Smile? Why would he say that? It’s not like … well, you’re not happy, sure, but … somehow, it hurts your pride a little, and the fact that somebody noticed that you can’t seem to manage everything by yourself makes a dent in your ego. Not that you should be having an ego in the first place, since you barely have anything left to back your reputation.

And yet … smile. Out of all the words he could have written, he wrote that. You tuck the note into your pocket, heft your backpack over your shoulder, and walk out the door. If you have time, maybe you’ll check out the kiosk along the way.

You had just stepped onto your front porch when Daehyun walks out of his own house, his hair resembling a halo as the morning sunlight gleams across the street. He looks up at you, just noticing that you had both coincidentally left for school at the same time, before approaching you with a grin.

“Hi,” he says, and you fall into step beside him.

“Hi,” you reply, and keep it at that. You don’t really want to arrive at school together with him, but you decide to stay by his side until you can easily make your escape. 

“You read my note, right?” he asks, looking at you. 

“Sure,” you respond, trying to keep yourself from asking why he had written ‘smile’ on the paper. Changing the subject, you ask, “You walk to school every morning?”

“Yep,” he nods and kicks a tiny pebble across the floor. “It’s not that long. And I like walking. Plus, I get to have breakfast along the way. See that?” He points to a corner of the street, where the city slowly begins. A lady standing behind a kiosk animatedly bargains with a customer as you and Daehyun come up to her. 

The kiosk is filled with baked goods, and you eye the delicious sweets hungrily. Breakfast. You hadn’t had breakfast yesterday. You take out your cash to pay for a muffin you want to consume when Daehyun grabs two muffins and gives the lady his cash.  The lady gives him back his change, and he takes it gratefully. He holds out one of the muffins to you with a smile. “Here,” he says, and you unwillingly take it.

“I have money, you know … ” you say, a little insulted, and try to give it back to him. He turns away, refusing to accept it.

“I think I told you that gifts are meant to be kept,” he teases, and waves to the lady goodbye before crossing the street. He unwraps his breakfast and bites into it. “And anyway. It’s not that expensive.”

You stare at the muffin. It looks absolutely delicious, but you’re hesitant to eat it. It’s like accepting defeat, admitting that you can’t afford to eat tastier, more lavish meals anymore. “Why … are you so nice to me?” you mumble. You look up and see Daehyun staring at you.

He seems to contemplate your question for a minute before slowly asking, “Would you rather that I treat you more off-handedly?” He doesn’t wait for a reply and continues, “It’s not pity,” he says, when he sees the look in your eyes. “I guess … I don’t know. I’m just like this. I like helping people.” He shrugs. “I get in trouble for it sometimes, but I don’t really care.” He takes another bite of his muffin and turns a corner. The school is only a few blocks away. 

You finally take a bite of your breakfast and silently chew the pastry. You watch Daehyun as he walks forward, so sure of his place in this world. His hair bounces with each step he takes, and although the sharp, fitted clothes don’t seem to suit him - he looks like he prefers baggier things - he seems so content in where he is, and who he is. Something that you doubt you’ll ever feel again.

You’re almost in front of the entrance doors of the school now. Forgetting for a moment that your reputation is at stake, you let him open the door for you as you step inside, back into that suffocating building. Daehyun walks beside you, his presence an assurance of safety from the suspicious stares that pierce your back.

“I gotta go to my class,” Daehyun says, and starts to part ways. Before you can say anything, he looks over his shoulder and smiles. “But I’ll see you at lunch, okay? We can sit together again. If you want.” With that he jogs forward, an undeniable spring in his step, leaving you in his cheerful wake.