The school year was already moving fast. Most days felt like a blur of loud hallways and crowded classrooms. For Ho-jin, the only real break was the photography club. He liked the way the room smelled like chemicals and how quiet it got when he was alone. 

He was a senior, so people usually came to him for advice or just to talk. He didn't mind the attention, but he preferred to stay focused on his work.

He didn't even see Min-ji that much anymore. His own classes took up a lot of time and the photography club kept him busy until late every day. There just weren't many chances for them to hang out like they used to.

—

That week, the school newspaper asked the photography club for one photo. It was for the inside page, right next to a short article about campus events. It wasn't a huge deal, but everyone in the club cared. Getting picked meant people would actually see your work. It was important to them.

Ho-jin was an editor for the paper, so the choice was his. He didn't say much about it at school. He just took the folder home and went through the photos later that night.

There were a lot of good ones. A sunset behind the gym. Some freshmen laughing in the hallway. Rain on a classroom window.

Then he saw Ji-hun's.

It wasn't flashy. It was just the basketball court after school. The lights were still on and a janitor was sweeping in the back. The court looked huge and empty. It felt very quiet.

Ho-jin looked at it for a long time. Then he made his decision.

—

On Friday, Ho-jin posted the photo on the club board. A few students were already in the room. They were checking their gear and talking about homework.

Nobody said anything at first. They just stood there and looked at it. Then one of them stepped closer.

"This is the one?"

Another student moved in. "Wait. This is Ji-hun's, right?"

The room went quiet for a second. Then people started talking.

"Of course," one of the older students said. "He is your favorite."

A girl crossed her arms. 

"There were better photos than this."

Ho-jin didn't expect them to be so loud and he got a little annoyed. His voice was tighter than usual.

"I chose the best photo," he said. "That is it. Stop complaining."

Someone scoffed. "He is only in middle school."

"So?" Ho-jin said. "He is good."

The room grew louder as more students started arguing. One boy pointed at another photo on the board. 

"The lighting on this one is better."

A girl near the window spoke up. 

"This doesn't even have any energy in it."

"Why is it always about Moon Ji-hun?" someone whispered.

Ji-hun was standing in the back of the room. He was near the shelf where they kept the extra tripods. He hadn't moved since the argument started. Nobody even noticed he was there. He kept his hands in his pockets and watched the board.

His name was right there under the photo in black marker.

Then a girl turned around and saw him. She looked surprised. Her face changed.

"There you are. Congratulations, hoobae."

Everyone looked at him, and they were all staring now. It felt like they wanted him to apologize for getting picked.

Ho-jin waited for the room to quiet down because he could see things were getting messy.

"Ji-hun works hard," Ho-jin said. "He learned that from his mother and father, and he takes it seriously. If you want to be picked, then work as hard as he does."

That made the room quiet again, and nobody had an answer for that.

One of the older students looked away. The girl near the window messed with her camera strap and stayed quiet, and the boy who complained about the lighting stepped back.

It wasn't a big movie moment, and nobody clapped or apologized. They just stopped fighting and let it go. After a few seconds, someone asked about the next club trip, so the noise in the room went back to normal.

Ji-hun still didn't move. He didn't think Ho-jin would say those things in front of everyone.Every time Ho-jin defended him like that, Ji-hun felt a little less alone in the world. It was getting harder to hide how he felt, and he didn't know what to do with it. Nobody had ever talked about him that way before. He kept his face calm and said nothing, but he knew he would never forget it.

But then he realized something else. He never told anyone here about his mother. He only talked about his father's old camera on the first day.

How does he know about my mother? he thought.

—

Later, when the meeting ended, everyone packed their bags and left. The sky was gray outside. The hallway lights were on. Ji-hun stayed behind to put away a camera. He was very careful with it.

Ho-jin was at the desk in the front. He was moving a stack of papers around.

"You don't have to clean up every single time," he said. He didn't look up.

"It is fine, sunbae," Ji-hun said.

"They were just talking."

"I know."

"You shouldn't care what they think."

Ji-hun closed the cabinet door. "I don't."

That wasn't true. He did care, but not for the reasons they thought.

Ho-jin looked at him. 

"Your photo was the best."

Ji-hun bowed a little. 

"Thank you, sunbae."

They walked out together. The hallway was almost empty and their footsteps echoed on the floor. A few students passed them. One of them looked at Ji-hun for a second and then looked away.

Ji-hun noticed, but he didn't care. Ho-jin had stood up for him. He knew he would do it again. That was the only thing that mattered to him.

—

Outside, the air was warm. The school gates were still open. Cars were lined up along the street for pick-up.

"Don't let it go to your head," Ho-jin said while they walked.

Ji-hun looked at him. "It won't."

"And don't stop working hard."

"I won't."

Ho-jin nodded. That was all he needed to hear. They walked a little further, and Ji-hun asked a sudden question.

"How can you tell if someone actually likes you, or if they are just being nice?" he asked.

"It is hard to tell sometimes, but people who just want to be nice usually stop trying after a while," Ho-jin said. "The ones who really care will always find a reason to stick around."

"I see," Ji-hun said. "Do you think people fall in love on purpose or by accident?"

"I think it is a total accident, and it usually happens when you are not paying attention at all," Ho-jin said.

He did not know where these questions came from, but he was willing to answer whatever Ji-hun wanted to know. Still, he could not help but look at him and laugh.

"Are you in love, Moon Ji-hun?" he asked.

Ji-hun's face got hot right away, and he shook his head quickly.

"What? No way!" he said.

Ho-jin just kept walking and did not push it.

When they got to Ji-hun's house, Ho-jin looked like he wanted to say something else. He waited for a second and then let it go.

"See you tomorrow," he said.

"See you, sunbae."

Ji-hun went inside and closed the door. He went straight to his dad and gave him a hug. He told him about the photo in the paper. He held out his phone to show him, but he saw his dad struggling to see the details on the screen. Ji-hun saw his eyes moving and his chest felt heavy.

He changed his clothes and went to the kitchen. He made a simple dinner for them. Porridge, kimchi, and a pork chop. They ate together at the small table. His dad seemed okay today. That made Ji-hun feel a bit better.

After he did the dishes and wiped the counter, he went to his room and sat on his bed.

He took out his phone and looked at the photo of the basketball court. It looked smaller on the screen. He zoomed in on the janitor in the back. The man was bent over. The broom was caught in the middle of a sweep. The lights were too bright.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a good photo. Ji-hun knew that. He looked at it for a few more seconds and then put his phone on the desk.

He lay back and looked at the ceiling. He felt a quiet sense of victory. It wasn't because of the photo. 

It was because Ho-jin was the one who chose it.