It was almost noon and Byul was already bored out of her wits. She flipped through the channels on tv and blew a raspberry when she couldn’t find anything interesting to watch.

Jeongmin lives with his parents and his younger brother. But because his parents were rarely at home, it was practically just Jeongmin and his brother. As they got home late yesterday and his brother was already in his room, Byul didn’t get to see him.

When she was looking through the fridge for something to eat, she heard the front door and she grinned. “You’re home? That’s early. I thought you’d be busy till night since that’s what you sa-” She said, thinking it was Jeongmin who came back. But her words were cut short when she looked out of the kitchen and realized it wasn’t the person she thought it was.

The boy stared at the new girl that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere in their house. She searched her head for an answer to who this boy might be and the only explanation was Jeongmin’s brother. She closed the fridge door and exited the kitchen with a smile, walking towards the boy whose eyes widened even more when he saw what she was doing.

“W-who are you?! Why are you in my house?!” He somehow managed to stutter out and hugged his books closer to his chest. “Are you a stalker?!” He gasped and grabbed an umbrella that was placed next to the door. “Or a burglar?! D-don’t come closer! Just take what you want and leave!” He closed his eyes shut and waved the umbrella in front of him, hoping to scare Byul.

She chuckled at the sight before her and held her hands up to show that she meant no harm. “Sorry, I should’ve introduced myself first. Hello, I’m Jung Hanbyul, Jeongmin’s friend. I stayed over last night but I guess you were already in your room so we didn’t get to know each other. Sorry for scaring you with my presence. You’re Jeongmin’s younger brother, right?” She explained in a soft and gentle tone and Minwoo lowered his weapon slowly.

“y-yeah. Sorry for scaring you just now as well; we don’t get much guests here except for hyung’s friends, much less a girl. I’ll be upstairs in my room then.” He lowered his head and tried to get past her but she grabbed his arms before he could do so. He gasped in shock and Byul quickly released his arm. “Sorry.” Byul apologized sheepishly.

He shook his head and was about to go up the stairs again when Byul stopped him again. “Wait! I don’t know your name yet!”

He stood on the second step for awhile before saying his name in a soft tone and ran upstairs without looking back. Byul opened to talk to him more but he had already ran up. She pouted but smiled slightly. “No Minwoo. Nice name. But why is his surname different from Jeongmin?” She thought and proceeded to the kitchen to make some snacks for herself and Minwoo as well.

Right as she finished, her phone rang and she answered. “Hello?”

“It worked! It worked!” She heard Jeongmin scream on the other line and laughed. “I told you! Now go enjoy your lunch date and tell me more later, alright?”

“Of course! I couldn’t have had the courage to do this if it weren’t for you so… thanks.” Jeongmin said and she could imagine a smile on his face when he said that. “I know I’m awesome.” Byul answered jokingly and they both laughed. “We’ll talk later then. Thanks again! Bye!” Jeongmin said excitedly and hung up. Byul smiled at her phone before carrying the tray up the stairs towards Minwoo’s room.

Knock knock.

She heard a bit of shuffling before the door opened a little. “Yes?” Minwoo said behind the door and Byul held up the tray in her hands slightly. “I brought snacks for you in case you were hungry. Can I come in?” She asked politely and Minwoo opened the door to let her in. She smiled and tried to find a place to put her tray, but every corner on his table was filled with books and notes. “uh…” Minwoo quickly cleared a space and she chuckled lightly. “Sorry for the mess.” Minwoo said softly and Byul just shook her head. “It’s okay. Eat up!” She sat down on his bed and munched on a biscuit.

“Aren’t you leaving?” He asked and she just blinked at him. “Nope. I’m gonna stay here and keep you company. You need a break from studying, too!” She declared and Minwoo looked at her. “Y-you really wanna keep me company?” He whispered so softly that if it wasn’t that quiet in the room, she would’ve missed it. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

“Yeah right. More like you need my company. You’re bored, aren’t you?” he scoffed and she played with her hair and smiled sheepishly. “Caught. But I’m serious about the ‘break from studying’ part! I’m sure you’re tired from all the studying you’ve done all day. And I have nothing to do right now as well. So why not let’s get to know each other better?” She smiled and Minwoo could tell that she was sincere about it.

“Unless you don’t want my company… I guess I’ll be going off then.” She said dejectedly and stood up when Minwoo stopped her.

“No! It’s just that… nevermind. I don’t mind your company at all.” He smiled softly and Byul smiled back, glad to have a new friend.

After talking with Minwoo for the whole afternoon, she found out that his surname was different because he took his grandmother’s surname when she passed away a few months ago. “She was my caretaker for as long as I could remember.” He said, tears forming in his eyes as he talked about his beloved grandmother. “When she passed away, I felt so empty. She was my only source of family love, apart from hyung. My parents are never home.” He bit back a sob and all Byul could do was pat his back in comfort. She pulled him into a hug and he finally lost control of his emotions and cried out everything.

He was an outcast in school previously because of his scrawny build and big nerdy glasses. But he didn’t mind, as long as he had his grandmother by his side, he could take all the insults that were thrown at him. She was his one motivation to do well in school, and she encouraged him to change his image as well, which was why he abandoned his big glasses.

After throwing his glasses away, girls flocked to him. He felt disgusted with the people that were trying their best to be close with him now when they were the very ones who bullied him a week ago. When he saw Byul, he had to admit, she was pretty, but he still had his guard up, fearing that she was one of those fake es in school. But after talking to her, he realized she was a pretty nice noona, and he doesn’t mind keeping her in his life.

The day he changed his image was also the day his grandmother passed away.

“Minwoo-yah, by the time you read this, halmeoni would have gone to a better place already. The society is a very cruel place. They judge your appearance first before your capability. So I asked Jeongmin to help me change your style. You’re a handsome boy, Minwoo. Don’t hide that face behind those glasses. I know you’re getting bullied in school because of this, don’t think halmeoni is dumb just because I’m old. I saw the bruises on your arms and legs and I’m not stupid as to believe your story of falling down the stairs. Take care of yourself and live well with Jeongmin. I love you.

-        halmeoni.”

Meeting Byul that day made him realized that even though his grandmother is gone now, he have a new source of family love apart from Jeongmin: Jung Hanbyul.

~~~~~

just to clear up, minwoo only mentioned the passing away of his grandmother but he didn't say anything about the bullying cases and the letter. Those were just an introduction to minwoo and his past, i hope it's not too confusing :3