-Junhong was a sensitive boy at heart, no matter what the circumstances were. He would always think in a fragile mindset-until the world decided he would become bitter.-

...

"Cities are beautiful from a distance," Jiho explained with an easy expression on his face, his eyes focused on my camera as he watched me from the other side of his room. "It's noisy once you get too close." Jiho had a faraway look in his eyes, remembering something that not even I could decipher. It's different, he muttered while standing up quickly-the look in his eyes vanished as soon as it arrived. He held a hand out to me and I took it while he led me out of his room and downstairs into the kitchen, I carried my new camera with me. It was a Saturday so neither Jiho or I had anything to do. This routine was familiar to us, the only company we had was each other. 

"So you're really gonna leave after you graduate, huh?" Jiho asked me with a grin on his face. I just shrugged, not really understanding where this sudden onslaught of questions came from. If anything, I should have been asking Jiho what he planned to do after graduation but I hated to think of what I was going to do without him. He would leave me to face another year alone at that school I hated so much. Jiho grabbed an apple and tossed it to me while he grabbed a bottle of water for himself. "Headed to New York City? Or Maybe you wanna visit London?" I just shook my head at everything he was saying denying my desire to head to a city alone to take millions of pictures. "Oh, I know. Paris?" He tilted his head while I rolled my eyes, quickly taking a bite of my apple.

"I'm not leaving here. I just- I don't know. I don't like thinking about the future." With my mouth stuffed with apple I explained my reasoning, Jiho's eyes softened and he just ruffled my hair. "I want to leave this place...I just don't know where." 

For the longest time I thought about it. About where I would be without Jiho or where I would have been if my mom and I hadn't moved to his place. I hated thinking about what I was going to do after I graduated. My mother says that I can't be a photographer and she hates the fact that I take pictures. She hates how I don't have plans for the future yet and I don't know what to tell her. Jiho has encouraged me more than my own mother and that's why I never want to leave him. He's the most precious friend I ever had. The difference between us though, is that Jiho's parents never ask him what his plans for the future are. Jiho always told me that he hasn't figured it out and I could always understand that. Jiho told me one day that if I have a burning desire to photograph then I'm a photographer. He said that I don't have to think about it, "You have nothing to fear, if your fear is not being successful then you're going to succeed. If you love it then don't worry about anything else." That's why I made the decision to be a photographer no matter what anyone else says. Every night I repeat to myself that I must not give up, I want to put this passion to use.

"Are you doubting yourself again?" Jiho asked and I looked up into the concerned face of my best friend. "Just do it Junhong. Just take pictures until you can't anymore. Do it because it ignites a fire in you that I have never seen before- it gives you something that nobody else can." I smiled and nodded, promising to Jiho that I would do everything I could to make my dream come true. He sighed happily and sat down next to me, his jet black disheveled hair dusted over his eyes and around his face in wavy curves. "I believe in you."

"Thanks Jiho, but I'm kind of troubled about something." I looked down at the camera settled on my legs, my thick red sweater surrounding the fragile item. Jiho motioned for me to continue while he drank a gulp of his water. "I don't really know what to take pictures of." I sighed and gingerly took my camera into my hands, handling it with care.

Jiho thought for a moment, just watching me curiously. "Oh, you can photograph me can't you?" I nodded at his proposal but still felt dissatisfied. Jiho would serve as a good model, but aside from that- there wasn't much else. There wasn't anything that I could actually- capture. 

"I'm definitely going to photograph you, that's for sure. But- what else? I have no clue." We sat there in comfortable silence for a good few minutes, just thinking. Jiho left the room to go throw my apple core in the trash while I thought. Somewhere untouched, I have to find a place undisturbed- "Wait!!" I sat up quickly, beaming. Jiho re-entered the room quickly, my sudden shout startling him. My eyes shimmered with an excellent idea, my heart starting to beat faster in the sudden urge to go explore. "The woods!" I exclaimed to Jiho, and he seemed to turn the idea over in his head a few times. 

"The forest? Yeah okay- but what are you gonna find there? Hardly anybody goes into there, what if you get lost?" Jiho asked, and he seemed genuinely concerned. I just nodded my head in understanding.

"Yeah but I won't go deep into the woods, just enough so I can see if there's anything out there worth photographing. Besides, I don't get lost easily- I can find my way." I suddenly started planning out times to go and explore. Jiho just smiled fondly at my display of readiness. 

"Okay, but don't be disappointed if you don't find anything." 

...

I sat in my room that night, exhausted and worried. I spent nearly the entire day trying to avoid my mother- she wasn't happy that I got a camera for my birthday a few days ago. I made sure that I didn't tell her that I also helped pay for the camera. If I told her that, I knew she would be much more frightening than she is now. Usually my days aren't as eventful as this one was- but I wasn't really complaining. Jiho and I spent most of the day at his house- doing nothing but watching old movies. That's always how our schedule is. 

Monday through Friday- I would wake up at 6 am, get dressed, then walk to Jiho's house so we could go to school together. After school we would usually walk back to his house and eat some food and watch TV or do homework. After that, I would either stay over at Jiho's house for dinner or walk back to my own house for the evening. I would often stay over at Jiho's house because it was more convenient.

On Saturdays I would do whatever I wanted but my day was spent mostly at Jiho's house doing nothing. Since there wasn't much to do where we lived I spent all my time in my room. I really liked studying photography and searching for blogs of photographers on the internet so I did that a lot on Sundays when I was bored. I also liked reading, and poetry was something I was fond of.

Then it was the week all over again. However, school was not something I anticipated- in fact I hated it.

For some reason, the people in Jiho's grade and my own grade would always bother me. I don't like it because I'm always alone, since Jiho is in a different grade than me. He has a couple other acquaintances but none that he really likes and he doesn't get bullied but I always do for some reason. Sometimes even the people in his grade would poke fun at our friendship- but Jiho told me that he doesn't mind it. Only on a couple occasions would their bullying get physical towards me- but I was too embarrassed to tell Jiho about it so I just let it be. 

I glanced over at my new camera, making a mental note not to take it to school where it might get ruined. I had to figure out when I was going to go explore in the woods, I would definitely have to ask Jiho if he wanted to come with me. I had a good feeling about my new camera, it would definitely bring some light and excitement into my life.