﹙ 01 ﹚Lee Minho

Minho was a particularly quiet boy, always taking care of his precious garden. He lived peacefully in a small neighborhood with his older brother, Bang Chan.

“Will there be neighbors?” Minho murmured to himself, looking out his bedroom window at the moving truck parked next door. The workers went in and out of the house, while a woman in modest clothes gave orders. Every word could be heard—her tone firm, almost authoritarian. Minho sighed. A move wasn’t unusual; he just hoped the new neighbors wouldn’t cause trouble.

Then something… or rather someone, caught his attention.

There he was—Jisung. A delicate-looking boy wearing a large gray sweater. His wavy hair made him stand out from anyone else, and those eyes… Minho almost bit his tongue, scolding himself for even noticing the small mole on the boy’s cheek. His heart flipped. ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’ he thought.

Weeks passed, and Minho always tried to catch a glimpse of that mysterious boy. Every time he went out to water his plants or even take out the trash, his gaze would unconsciously search for Jisung—sometimes successfully. But Minho was too shy to approach him. He was the type who preferred to watch rather than speak.

Until an opportunity finally presented itself.

Coincidentally, their rooms aligned—both on the second floor, their windows almost directly facing each other. Minho was studying when he heard a door slam in Jisung’s house. Jisung’s mother looked irritated as she left in her car. Minho’s hearing sharpened, catching the faint sound of Jisung crying in his room. The sobs were soft, almost inaudible, but Minho always noticed details like that.

He decided to do something. Even though the idea of talking to his dear Jisung made him nervous, he couldn’t let him deal with that alone. Gathering his courage, Minho stood up, left his house, and within seconds, he was at Jisung’s door. He sighed softly before ringing the doorbell.