Minhu's dad looked at me for a moment.
"You're Minhu's friend, right?"
"Yes, uncle. I'm Choi Jia," I replied.
For some reason, my heart wouldn't stop beating fast.
I was nervous.
Honestly, I was afraid too.
This was the same person who had made all of us speechless that morning.
But now, standing in front of him alone, running away felt even harder.
To my surprise, he didn't look angry.
Instead, he quietly put down his coffee cup.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I work part-time in this café," I answered.
He nodded slightly.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
The silence felt awkward.
I kept telling myself to say something.
Anything.
Otherwise, I would lose my courage.
"Uncle..." I finally said.
His eyes lifted toward me.
I tightened my grip on the tray in my hands.
"Can I ask you something?"
For the first time, a hint of curiosity appeared on his face.
"Go ahead."
My heartbeat grew even louder.
But this time—
I decided not to stay silent.
I don't even know why I started talking.
Maybe I just wanted everything to go back to normal again.
I wanted Minhu to smile.
I wanted him to stop hiding the things he never told anyone.
"You know, uncle..." I began carefully.
"I don't know Minhu as well as you do."
"Maybe you've known him better than any of us ever could."
For the first time, Minhu's father didn't interrupt.
So I continued.
"He's always studying."
"He's always responsible."
"And honestly, I thought that was all there was to him."
I looked down at my hands for a moment before smiling faintly.
"But then I saw him in the film club."
A memory flashed through my mind.
Minhu discussing ideas with us.
Arguing over scenes.
Laughing when Yian made a mistake.
"The way he talked about films..."
"The way his eyes lit up..."
"I'd never seen him look like that before."
I slowly looked back at Minhu's father.
"It wasn't because he wanted to avoid studying."
"It wasn't because he was being irresponsible."
"He just genuinely loved it."
For a moment, my voice became quieter.
"And I think..."
"I think everyone deserves at least one thing that makes them smile like that."
"I want to become a writer too, uncle."
The words surprised even me.
For a moment, I looked down at the table.
"You know..."
"My parents left me when I was young."
"They couldn't raise two children together."
"So I grew up in an orphanage."
The café became quiet.
I wasn't sure why I was telling him this.
Maybe because I wanted him to understand.
"Sometimes..."
"I still feel broken because of it."
I smiled weakly.
"There are days when I feel lonely."
"There are days when I feel sad for no reason."
"But whenever those feelings come..."
"I write."
My fingers tightened around the edge of the tray.
"Since I started writing, I've never felt completely alone."
"I write stories, and somehow they make me happy again."
For a moment, I looked out the window before meeting his eyes.
"I'm not saying Minhu should give up studying."
"And I'm not saying his future isn't important."
I shook my head.
"I just don't want him to lose the thing that makes him happy."
"Because when I saw him in the film club..."
"He looked different."
"He smiled."
"And I don't think I've ever seen him smile like that before."
My voice softened.
"I don't want to be the reason Minhu becomes sad."
"But I know films and writing make him happy."
My voice became quieter.
"You asked Minhu what he wanted today."
"I think that was the first time I've ever heard someone ask him that."
For the first time, Minhu's father's expression changed slightly.
"If Minhu hid his grades from you, you would notice immediately."
"But he hid what he loved for years."
"And nobody noticed."
The café became silent.
I lowered my head politely.
"I'm sorry, uncle."
"I don't want to make things difficult for you."
"I just..."
"I want Minhu to smile again."
For a long moment, he didn't say anything.
Then he slowly stood up.
I immediately felt nervous.
Had I said something wrong?
But he simply placed some money on the table.
Before leaving, he looked at me.
"Thank you for the coffee."
That was all he said.
Then he walked away.
The bell above the café door rang softly.
And just like that—
he was gone.
I stood there for a few seconds.
Somehow...
I couldn't tell if anything had changed.
But for the first time—
I felt like I had said everything I wanted to say.
That night –
Minhu sat alone in his room.
The project papers were still lying on his desk.
He had tried studying for hours.
But the words in front of him refused to stay in his head.
His father's words kept repeating in his mind.
"I sent you to school to study."
"Things like this won't build your future."
Minhu lowered his head.
Maybe his father was right.
Maybe he had been selfish.
Maybe he should just give up.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
Just as he reached for the project papers—
knock.
A soft sound came from the door.
Minhu froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
Because his father never knocked.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then another knock came.
"Minhu."
His father's voice sounded from outside.
"...Can I come in?"
Minhu stared at the door in disbelief.
Slowly, he stood up.
"Yes."
The door opened.
His father stepped inside.
The room instantly felt awkward.
Neither of them knew what to say.
Then his father noticed the project papers on the desk.
For a long moment, he simply looked at them.
Finally—
he spoke.
"Tell me about this film project."
Minhu blinked.
"...What?"
"The project."
His father pulled a chair closer.
"I want to hear about it."
For the first time that day—
Minhu couldn't find any words.
Because somehow...
this was all he had wanted from the beginning.
A small smile slowly appeared on Minhu's face.
Maybe it was because of happiness.
Maybe it was because, for the first time, his father was actually listening.
The hesitation in his eyes slowly disappeared.
And as he started talking—
his eyes began to sparkle.
"Dad, the film project is about youth."
"Youth?" his father repeated.
There was curiosity in his voice this time.
"Tell me more."
Minhu looked surprised for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"It's about a group of students."
"They all have different dreams and different problems."
"Some people think they're not good enough."
"Some are afraid of the future."
"And some hide their feelings because they don't want to disappoint the people they love."
His father remained silent.
Listening carefully.
Minhu continued.
"The story shows how they grow together."
"How they make mistakes."
"How they help each other."
"And how they slowly find the courage to follow their dreams."
For a moment, Minhu stopped.
Then a small smile appeared on his face again.
"It's not really about becoming successful."
"It's about finding people who understand you."
His father looked at him quietly.
The excitement in Minhu's voice was impossible to miss.
This wasn't the voice of a student trying to avoid studying.
This was the voice of someone talking about something he truly loved.
And for the first time—
his father noticed it.
Not the grades.
Not the achievements.
Just his son.
Talking happily about something important to him.
"Do you think I can be convinced by an emotional speech?"
Minhu's father looked at him and asked calmly.
The smile on Minhu's face slowly faded.
For a moment—
he didn't know how to answer.
The room became quiet again.
Outside the window, the night sky stretched endlessly.
And somehow—
neither of them spoke another word.
The next morning—
the atmosphere at school was unusually gloomy.
Everyone sat together before class started.
No one looked hopeful anymore.
Yoonji rested her chin on the desk and sighed.
"I think we failed."
Yian nodded immediately.
"Completely failed."
"That was the scariest morning of my life."
Even his joke couldn't make anyone laugh.
Beside them, Sihoon remained silent.
His gaze stayed fixed on the window.
Meanwhile—
I looked down at my notebook.
I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday.
The café.
My conversation with Minhu's father.
The things I had said.
I had gathered all my courage.
But in the end—
nothing seemed to change.
Maybe adults really couldn't be convinced so easily.
A small sigh escaped my lips.
"I think we should stop."
The words slipped out before I realized it.
Everyone looked at me.
I forced a small smile.
"We tried our best."
"But maybe..."
"This is something we can't change."
For the first time—
even Sihoon didn't disagree.
The room fell silent once again.
And at that moment—
the classroom door slowly opened.
Everyone turned toward it.
Minhu had arrived.
His school bag hung over one shoulder.
For a second, nobody knew what to say.
Because all of us were thinking the same thing.
What happened after we left?
Minhu looked at us.
Then he slowly walked toward our desks.
His expression was impossible to read.
"Minhu..."
Yoonji spoke first.
"Are you okay?"
For a moment—
Minhu didn't answer.
Then suddenly—
a small smile appeared on his face.
We were all surprised.
A moment ago, we had been convinced everything was over.
Yet there Minhu was—
standing in front of us with a smile on his face.
Then he looked at all of us and said softly,
"Thank you."
Yian immediately frowned.
"What?"
"Why are you thanking us?"
He pointed at Minhu dramatically.
"Did yesterday finally make you go crazy?"
Before he could continue—
Yoonji smacked his arm.
"Ouch!"
"What was that for?" Yian complained.
"Can you stop saying weird things for one minute?" Yoonji replied.
Meanwhile, Minhu laughed quietly.
It wasn't a big laugh.
But it was enough to make all of us stare at him.
Because after yesterday—
none of us expected to see him smiling.
Then Minhu looked around at everyone.
His gaze stopped on me for a brief moment before returning to the group.
"Last night..."
He hesitated.
As if he still couldn't believe it himself.
"My dad came to my room."
The classroom instantly became silent.
Even Yian froze.
"What?"
"He what?"
Minhu nodded slowly.
"He came to my room and asked me to tell him about the film project."
For a second—
nobody reacted.
Then all at once—
"What?!"
The entire group shouted together.
We all stared at him.
Then Minhu reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper.
"And he gave me this before leaving."
My eyes widened.
"What is it?"
Minhu looked down at the paper.
Then he smiled again.
"I think..."
"Things are finally changing."
For a moment, none of us knew what to say.
But somehow—
seeing that smile on Minhu's face felt like enough.