On Monday morning, Ji-hun woke up for school and felt nervous right away. He got up to get dressed and opened his closet. When he saw the photos Ho-jin had hung there, everything from Friday came back to him. 

He remembered the boys bullying him, Ho-jin showing up out of nowhere and stepping in, and then suddenly finding himself at Ho-jin's house. He remembered how Ho-jin cleaned the cut on his cheek and put medicine on it. Everything had happened so fast, and Ji-hun did not even know if he deserved that kind of kindness. Still, he had a small smile on his face as he got dressed.

After breakfast, he checked his bag and left the house. He ran down the stairs, even though he was scared he might see those boys again. 

The air outside felt warm, and the street was still half asleep. After a few steps, he stopped. Ho-jin was standing out there with his hands in his pockets, waiting like he had been there for a while.

"Sunbae? What are you doing here?" Ji-hun asked as he bowed slightly.

Ho-jin looked at him and smiled. 

"I think it would be better if we walk together for a few days. We don't know what those guys might do."

Ji-hun hesitated for a second, then nodded. 

"Okay. Thank you."

They started walking side by side. Their steps fell into the same rhythm. Cars passed now and then, and the city slowly began to wake up around them.

"You told me your dad was sick," Ho-jin said. "How is he doing now?"

"He's better now," Ji-hun said. Then, like he had wanted to say it for a while, he added, "He had a heart attack. The doctors kept him in the hospital for two days and ran a lot of tests. After that, I brought him home. It's been a little hard."

When Ho-jin heard how serious it was, he felt surprised. But what surprised him more was the way Ji-hun talked about it like it was just a normal thing. It felt like this kid was carrying too much on his shoulders and did not even plan to complain about it.

"I'm really sorry, Ji-hun," he said.

Ji-hun kept his eyes ahead. 

"It's okay. I'm used to it."

Ho-jin wondered what he meant by that, but he stayed quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Your mom…"

"We lost her in a car accident," Ji-hun said. "It's been more than three years."

Ho-jin nodded. "I'm sorry."

They kept walking. The space between them did not feel as wide as before. Now Ho-jin understood a little more about what was under Ji-hun's tough front and why he always tried to act strong. He had lost his mother at a young age, and when his father got sick, he had to take care of him on his own.

As they kept walking, the streets slowly grew more crowded and the city started to move faster around them. Cars passed more often, and more people filled the sidewalks. 

After a while, Ji-hun kept looking ahead and asked, "Does everything get easier when you grow up?"

Ho-jin was quiet for a moment. 

"I wouldn't say it gets easier, but you get used to the hard parts."

Ji-hun did not answer, but Ho-jin liked that he had asked him something.

"Give me your bag," Ho-jin said all of a sudden.

"Why?" Ji-hun asked.

"You went through something bad on Friday. I want you to walk easy today."

Ji-hun's face turned red. 

"Friday was just one time. If I wanted to, I could have run away. I'm actually pretty fast." Then he looked at Ho-jin. "I'm stronger than you think, sunbae."

Ho-jin laughed. 

"Of course you are, Moon Ji-hun. I never doubted that. That camera weighs a kilo, and you carry it around all day without complaining. That's not easy. But still, give me your bag. I wanna carry it."

Ji-hun did not argue again. He liked that Ho-jin was trying to look out for him, even if he did not say it. He slowly took the bag off his shoulder and handed it over. Now Ho-jin carried his own bag on one shoulder and Ji-hun's on the other.

They walked without talking for a while. When they turned the last corner before school, Ji-hun saw her.

Ho-jin waved and smiled. "Min-ji!"

Min-ji saw him and ran over with a big smile. She hugged him around the neck, and Ji-hun looked away. A few seconds later, he heard her soft voice.

"Hi. I'm Lee Min-ji. You must be Moon Ji-hun. Ho-jin talked about you all weekend."

"Hello, I'm Moon Ji-hun," he said as he bowed, "nice to meet you."

Then Ho-jin took Min-ji's bag and put it on the same shoulder where he was carrying his own.

Ji-hun felt a sharp sting in his chest when he saw that.

—

Ho-jin spent more and more time with Ji-hun over the next few weeks. They walked to school together almost every morning. They stayed late in the darkroom, sometimes until the hallway lights were already dim. Sometimes they even ate lunch at the same table, even when other seats were empty.

After a while, people started to notice. A few students glanced at them more than once. Some whispered when they passed by. Some of them wondered if they were brothers or related somehow. Others couldn't figure out why they were always together when there was such a big age gap.

One afternoon, Ho-jin stood near the vending machines with two of his friends. Ji-hun had just left to go back to class, his bag hanging off one shoulder.

"You two are together a lot these days," one of the boys said.

"We're in the same club," Ho-jin said.

"Ya, he's in middle school," the other friend said. "You're basically his bodyguard now."

They laughed, but Ho-jin didn't laugh with them. 

"He's just a kid. Relax," he said.

"Exactly," the first boy replied. "That's what we're saying."

Ho-jin took a sip of his drink and looked down the hallway for a second. 

"You guys are bored. Find something better to talk about."

They kept smiling, but the teasing slowed down. One of them shrugged and changed the subject.

Down the hallway, Ji-hun watched them from near the classroom door. He couldn't hear what they said, but he saw them laughing. 

He knew it was about him.