Lee Minho

The school hallway was deafeningly noisy, but Minho sat motionless at his desk, like a statue carved from marble. First day at a new school. Everyone around him was shouting, laughing, and discussing holidays, but Minho simply stared ahead. His face was completely expressionless—a blank, stony mask. He simply didn't know how to look any other way when he was nervous. Because of this, at his previous school, he was considered an arrogant, boorish jerk. Suddenly, the chair next to him moved back with a bang. "Hi! I'm Jisung!" A whirlwind of voices and laughter flew into Minho's ear. Minho slowly turned his head. His deskmate was the complete opposite: his eyes were shining, his mouth wide, and he was gesturing wildly, almost touching his notebooks. Jisung was ablaze with bright, noisy emotions. "Hey, why are you so gloomy? It's like you're at a funeral!" " Jisung playfully nudged Minho in the side with his elbow and looked straight into his frozen face. "Don't worry, our teachers don't bite. Well, almost all of them." Minho cringed inwardly. He wanted to say he wasn't frowning, just nervous. He wanted to smile back kindly, but his facial muscles seemed paralyzed. He merely blinked slightly and said dryly, "I'm Minho. Hi." Jisung froze for a second, studying his stony expression. Anyone else would have already considered Minho strange and turned away, but Jisung only snorted playfully. He unceremoniously grabbed Minho's hand, shook it in the air, and grinned broadly. "Great, Minho! Since you're such a silent glacier, I'll do the work of both of you. I promise to get you going by the end of the week!" Minho looked at their clasped hands, and for the first time all day, his heart skipped a beat. The stony mask on his face remained the same, but for the first time in a long time, a pleasant, unfamiliar warmth spread within him.