There was only one place
where Kang Min-Jae could breathe.
Not his home.
Not his room.
But…
with them.
His friends.
They weren't perfect.
They weren't special in the eyes of the world.
But to Min-Jae—
they were everything.
Four Different Worlds
Each of them was different.
Choi Ji-Hoon — the smart one.
Always thinking ahead.
Always talking about the future.
"Bro, I'm telling you… I'll leave this village one day."
Park Min-Kyu — the childish one.
Loud.
Carefree.
Always laughing at his own jokes.
Even when no one else did.
Lee Dae-Hyun — the bold one.
Didn't care about anyone's opinion.
If someone caused trouble—
he would stand in front first.
Yoo Seung-Ho — the quiet thinker.
Always observing.
Always analyzing.
Speaking only when it mattered.
And then—
there was Min-Jae.
The one who listened.
Together, They Were Different
When the five of them were together—
everything felt lighter.
They sat under trees after school.
Shared snacks.
Talked about random things.
"Min-Jae, if you become rich, don't forget us, okay?"
Min-Kyu laughed.
Min-Jae smiled slightly.
"I won't."
Ji-Hoon smirked.
"He won't become rich. He'll forget us first."
Dae-Hyun hit him lightly.
"Shut up."
Seung-Ho just watched.
Quietly smiling.
And for a moment—
Min-Jae felt normal.
The Only Time He Forgot
With them—
he forgot.
Forgot the shouting at home.
Forgot the fear.
Forgot the things he didn't want to remember.
He wasn't thinking.
He wasn't overthinking.
He was just…
there.
And that was enough.
A Smile That Was Real
One day—
Min-Kyu tripped while running.
Fell face-first into the sand.
For a second—
everyone froze.
Then—
Dae-Hyun burst out laughing.
"Idiot!"
Ji-Hoon joined.
Even Seung-Ho laughed quietly.
Min-Kyu looked up, embarrassed.
"Don't laugh!"
And then—
Min-Jae laughed.
Not a fake smile.
Not forced.
A real laugh.
For the first time in a long time.
It surprised even him.
A Silent Support
They didn't know everything about him.
They didn't know what he was going through.
But somehow—
they stayed.
They didn't ask too many questions.
Didn't push him.
They just…
included him.
And sometimes—
that was more than enough.
The Small Changes
"Why are you so quiet these days?"
Ji-Hoon asked again.
Min-Jae shrugged.
"Nothing."
Dae-Hyun looked at him.
"If something's wrong… just say it."
Min-Jae stayed silent.
Because he wanted to say it.
But the words—
never came out.
Fear Even Here
Even in this safe place—
fear didn't fully disappear.
Sometimes—
a loud shout would still make him flinch.
Sometimes—
he would suddenly go quiet.
Lost in his thoughts.
And they noticed.
But they didn't understand.
Not yet.
The Only Light Left
As days passed—
everything else in his life felt darker.
But this—
this small group—
was still light.
Weak.
Fragile.
But real.
And Min-Jae held onto it.
Without even realizing—
this would become
the only thing keeping him from completely breaking.
End Line
"He didn't know how to save himself…
but for now, his friends were enough to keep him from falling apart."