Minho still clearly remembered that when he was 8, he realised his hyung was a bit different from him and other kids. Jonghyun was talkative but the sentences he usually said were sounded like a toddler, unlike a nine year-old boy. They went to the same elementary school and Minho fairly knew that some of Jonghyun’s classmates scolded Jonghyun mean words like: ‘Idiot’, ‘stupid’, ‘brainless’, etc.

It was not that Jonghyun’s classmates did not make any sense. Minho felt that he was way smarter than Jonghyun somehow, judging the number of times he bragged to Jonghyun that he got first in his exams again. Jonghyun would usually said, “You’re good, Minho! I got the last position!” Minho just came into a conclusion that, Jonghyun was just slow. Slow in everything and his mind was so simple, so pure.

“Master, young master is back!” the butler shouted once he saw Minho at the door. Minho’s appa, Songjun walked down from the stairs excitedly to meet his dear son.

“How are you, Minnie?” Songjun asked as he hugged his son.

“I’m fine…Appa, don’t call me Minnie anymore!”

“Why not? It’s cute!” Songjun retorted. He liked to call Minho ‘Minnie’ since he felt that ‘Minnie’ suited Minho well.

“Yah, it sounds like Mickey’s girlfriend, Minnie mouse! How the hell I look like a girl?” Minho rebuked as he sat on the sofa, arms folded.

“What Minnie mouse? I don’t know about cartoons. Or you want me to call you Hoho?”

“Nooooooo! APPA, JUST CALL ME MINHO!”

“Alright Minho!” Songjun gave a wrinkled smile as he sat beside his son. “Do you have a girlfriend to let me see?” Songjun asked with a dear smile. Of course he wanted to know his son’s affairs.

“Too busy to have a girlfriend,” Minho complained. Well actually, he did not really want to find a girlfriend yet. Since he had no ideal type or crush yet.

“Too busy? I know, you have to take care of your cute hyung,”

“Whaaaaat? How do you know!?” Minho exclaimed out loud. How the hell his dad know?

“I’m smart. Well actually, I went to your school last week and saw you being so over protective of your hyung.”

Minho nodded awkwardly. Even his dad knew and could tell that Minho was over protective over Jonghyun. I bet the whole school already knew about it.

“I think you have to let him on his own, by this way he can be independent. I know he is gullible but he has to learn how to be strong. You can’t always stay beside him.”

Minho stayed silence. His dad’s words made so much sense. He had to let go of Jonghyun. He had to let him be on his own. It was quite hard for Minho. Jonghyun was a simple-minded kid; he bounded to get hurt if he was alone!

“And, Appa has been so lonely since 10 years ago. When can you move in?” Songjun broke the silence.

“Appa…is not that I cannot move in. I’m not legal yet, I still have to stick with umma.”

“Oh yes, I forgot…”

“Why don’t you find a partner? I will not object!”

“I only love your mom, Minho. If there is a partner, then I will go for it, okay?”

“Alright. Don’t find someone who loves your money but not your old heart and body.” Minho said cheekily and dashed up the stairs to his bedroom.

“Yah!”

Meanwhile Jonghyun was in the bedroom, busy working out his math sums. However Jonghyun still could not solve the math sums he was doing since an hour ago. He began to panic and shouted, “Minhoooo! Help me!”

There was no reply. Jonghyun looked at the lower bunk bed behind him. There was no one but a gigantic frog soft toy lying on the bed. Usually at this hour, Minho would lie on his bed and read his favourite novels. Jonghyun did not know what novels Minho read, because novels were never an interest to Jonghyun. Jonghyun loved music and nothing else.

Jonghyun sighed as Minho was not at home. He could not believe he had to endure for around 2 days. It was not that he had not experienced this loneliness before. He really did not know why, he felt so lonely recently. He wondered why.

He continued to work on the tough math questions, trying to get focused. But the worst thing was, Minho never got out of his head.

Minho, I wish you were here. You promised not to leave me, but you still had to leave me this way?

The next day was more of a torture. Jonghyun did not feel like doing anything. He put on his headphones and he kept on replayed on Bruno Mars – The Lazy Song. He lazed around the house alone, his appa and Minho’s umma were busy in their noodle stall. But Jonghyun was not bored. His mind was occupied by Minho, Minho and Minho.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh! One more day to go! I miss Minho!” Jonghyun shouted in the empty apartment. He knew no one would hear him anyway and he like to talk to himself, sometimes.

“Jonghyun, why are you missing Minho ?He will be back, he will! Minho will be back…” Jonghyun mumbled softly, mind wandered to what happened yesterday, where Onew and his gang bullied him. He could not forget how heroic Minho was and what Minho had said.

“Lee