He hated it.

Minho hated bullying, and watching Taemin get bullied made his blood boil for reasons unknown to him.

Taemin was a sweet, innocent boy that never did or said anything wrong to deserve the verbal and physical abuse he received daily. Even Key, Taemin's best friend, could do nothing to stop the bullying. There was no reason as to why they did it, but they just did.

Maybe it was because Taemin was a mystery to everyone other than Key. No one but Key knew about Taemin's life outside of school, but that didn't matter to Minho. He just wanted to protect the boy who couldn't protect himself.

How could Taemin protect himself when he couldn't even protest their actions. He was mute, which made it so much easier for the bullies to attack him.

But Taemin always surprised Minho. He admired the younger boy's determination and optimism, because despite everything, Taemin still smiled.

Even if that smile never quite reached his eyes, he put up a brave front for everyone around him.

Minho truly admired Taemin's strength, and as a result, the soccer star made it his goal to be the one to bring out Taemin's real smile.