“You can still work on the assignment tomorrow.”

Minhyun fixates her, his eyebrows raised, lips forming a pout and head tilted. Yet still, his attempt at trying to persuade his best friend to delay her school work fall flat. He realizes the fruitlessness of his endeavors when Haerin rolls her eyes. Her face turns into a grimace as she pushes her hand through her hair in a gesture of exasperation, staring up at the ceiling.

“You know I won't be able to finish it in one day,” she mutters, turning her head away. “Not every one is a super genius like you that can finish his homework in the blink of an eye.”

Yes. That's right. Minhyun is smart. Intelligent. He's not just quick-witted, no, he has a photographic memory, meaning that he remembers every little thing. He doesn't have to bother with memorizing vocabulary, formulas or anything else. As soon as his eye fly over a text, the words are comitted to his memory. And not just words. Colors. Songs. Scents.

Professors hailed him as the Korean Einstein even going as far as inviting him to their prestigious universities aand research insititutes to analyse just how amazing his brain is.

Pff.

Haerin blows a raspberry as the familiar feeling of jealously rolls over her. She downcasts her eyes to stare at her shoes: the dirty converse that used to be white once when her sister first bought them are now the color of a washed out grey. But it's like that with all of the hand me downs she receives from her older siblings. They're not in good condition anymore. Just a little bit too dirty, a little bit too battered.

“Haerin,” Minhyun starts, frowing at his best friend who seems absorbed in gloomy thoughts. “Then just let me treat you to some pizza. I got my allowance early this week.” He stretches out his hand to reach for his wallet in his back pocket, patting the material of the wallet that rests against the denim. “And since I helped my uncle in his garden this week he gave me a bit of money as well.”

Well, it's true that he helped his uncle with gardening, ripping out weeds and pushing wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow filled with dirt out of the gate, but his uncle, who has the reputation of being a stingy geezer, a reputation that Minhyun wouldn't refute, didn't think twice about compensating his nephew for the hard work. He just nodded half appreciatively as Minhyun carted the last load away.

“Uncle Seojoon gave you money?” Haerin looks up from her shoes to give Minhyun a suspicious glance from her narrowed eyes. She knows how tightfisted the man is, but at the same time she can't help her imagination. If he had suddenly turned into a generous person, that meant the possible prospect of working for him was looming on the horizon. At the thought of earning some money, a small smile appeared on her lips. She could finally buy some new shoes.

Minhyun's gaze travels to the tattered shoes of his best friend. The broken soles that are only held together by glue and the holes in the fabric. His expression softens as he opens his mouth. “It wasn't a lot though.” He hesitates for a second, his lips. “And I told you I gave your application to the café. They told me they would phone you as soon as you turn eighteen.”

Eighteen. That's right. In just a week Haerin would turn eighteen. Would be legally able to work a job, a real job, one that would pay her more money that the odd errands she had been doing for the last few years now. She wouldn't have to worry about vicious dogs barking at her while stuffing advertising posters into overfilled mailboxes. She could become a barista or work at a bakery. Everything jobs that she had applied for. Then, suddenly, she remembers. A thought that makes her bite her tongue.

It's not just her birthday that's nearing. Their graduation is right around the corner, just a few months before their would receive their diplomas, throw their black hats into the air and be freed from going to school every day.

“Have you already made upyour mind?” she asks, looking up at Minhyun. “SNU? Kaist? What is it going to be?”

With his photographic memory and stellar grades, she knew that Minhyun had a place guaranteed at any university. They had probably already made a personalized locker just for him, reserved a spacious dorm room with his name engraved on the wooden door.

He shrugs at her words, an uncomfortable expression spreading on his face. “I'm probably just going to stay here.”

“What?” Haerin looks at him with a mixture of shock and dismay, already puffing up. “Are you crazy?” she asks. “I bet all the top notch universities are butting heads right now and trying to figure out how they can lure you to their campus.” She shakes her head angrily. “And the university here is total crap, you know that.”

Minhyun shifts from one foot to another, choosing not to answer. Of course there is a reason why he doesn't want to leave this town. Or better yet, there is a person with a job lined up and tattered converse and a penchant for pessimism. A person that he doesn't want to leave behind.

A/N: Im working and it always leaves make exhausted but here is a Minhyun one shot. Sorry, it's really short.