Smile flower | Joshua Hong

10

As the class ended, the teacher told you to go for break.

You both nodded and left the classroom together.

Mingyu took a deep breath, "That was deep, I don't think I will ever cheat in my life."

You agreed with him, feeling grateful for the teacher's words. "The teacher was right," you said.

"Cheating doesn't help you. You might get marks from it, but what's the use when you don't even know how to solve it by yourself? And you're also cheating your friends and other students when you do it."

Wow, since when did you become wise?

Mingyu nodded, looking thoughtful. "I never thought about it that way," he said.

"I guess I just wanted to do well in here, but maybe there's a better way."

You smiled at him, feeling proud of your friend for being open to new ideas.

"There's always a better way," you said. "And I know you'll find it."

Mingyu grinned back at you, looking more relaxed than he had in a while. "Thanks," he said. "I'm glad we're friends."

You smiled back at him, feeling grateful for his friendship.

"Me too," you said. "Now let's go there before they eat lunch without us."

You and Mingyu were walking to the cafeteria when you saw Jeonghan, Dino, Joshua, and Iva sitting together.

Dino noticed you and waved, calling out to you to come and sit with them.

You smiled at your friends and walked over to join them, Mingyu following behind.

"Hey, guys," you said, taking a seat next to Dino.

Dino then turned to you and asked, "So, what happened with the teacher?"

You hesitated for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed. But then you decided to come clean.

"We were caught cheating," you admitted, looking down at your lap.

Mingyu chimed in, "Yeah, it was pretty bad. We got a stern talking to from the teacher."

Joshua made a face of shock,  "Woah, that's not good. You guys should try to study on your own next time."

You felt a little embarrassed by his comment, but you knew that he was just trying to help.

"It's okay. Now what's done can't be brought back, right? Just try not to do that again." jeonghan says while laughing, you and Mingyu agreed.

Iva smiled at you and gave you a thumbs up, and you felt a sense of relief wash over you.

You were glad that your friends were supportive and understanding, and you knew that you could count on them no matter what.

Mingyu looked at Jeonghan and smiled. "Hey, that reminds me," he said. "Did you become friends with Joshua too?"

Jeonghan nodded, looking pleased. "Yeah, I did," he said. "He's a really cool guy."

Mingyu looked happy to hear that. "That's great," he said. "I'm glad you're making friends."

Jeonghan and Iva introduced themselves to each other, chatting about their interests.

"I don't need to know about you," Jeonghan said, looking at you. "Dino already told your whole history."

You rolled your eyes, feeling a little embarrassed. "Thanks, Dino," you said, giving him a playful shove.

Dino laughed and pretended to be offended. "Hey, I was just trying to help," he said, grinning at you.

Iva suddenly piped up, saying, "Okay, enough of this drama. We have a surprise for you!"

Surprise?