Minjae had not gone to his classes all day. He hadn’t been in Muggle Studies. He hadn’t been in Herbology either and according to the very expensive watch around his wrist, he was supposed to be in another class right now as well. Instead, the fifth year was on the sixth floor corridor, walking around without aim and with his head in the clouds. There was a concentrated frown upon his face that wrinkled his forehead as he was deep in thought. His usual cheerful and smiling demeanor was gone. There had been something bothering him, something other than going transparent and seemingly forgetting things at random moments. Like always when he was deep in thought, the fifteen year old began to pace back and forth while biting the nail on his thumb. He had considered going to his Head of House and ask him for advice but he knew that in the end that he would need to make the decision for himself. And that thought scared him. He slumped down the wall and sat on the corridor ground, staring at but not really taking notice of the cage with two birds inside. Class would be over soon anyway so what was the point of going now? He'll apologize to the professors tomorrow if he could remember.

Heading out of Potions, Aboli thought it had been another mundane day at school. Well....it WAS her birthday. Valencia and Alexandre AND CILLIAN had all remembered so far...but the classes had been a real downer, ha. They were just so DULL with no magic.

She was on her way up to go see if Professor K was in her office when she passed Minjae. She had met him at the Christmas thing back in December, and Kimmie had suggested him as an option for her to GET TO KNOW IN A ROMANTIC WAY which lol Aboli thought was hilarious. "Minjae! You weren't in Potions!" she cried suddenly. "Not that you...missed much," she then shrugged. "Are you okay? You look kinda sad."

Upon hearing his name, the Hufflepuff got startled out of his thought and jumped slightly as he looked over to see who it was. For a second, he thought he had been caught ditching class by one of the professors but when he noticed the Slytherin girl he relaxed. "You startled me" he said, holding a hand over his chest before he pushed himself off of the ground to stand up and leaned against the stone wall. It felt cold. "I know... i don't feel like going to classes today...don't tell any of the professors please" he said as he looked at her.

He looked sad? He hadn't thought about that. He was never sad. "I guess... i'm having a problem on my mind and its conflicting me" he sighed as he scratched the back of his head and as he lowered his hand back down he smiled . "It's your birthday right? I heard someone mentioning it when they walked by" he then frowned. "...I don't have a present though, sorry" he put his hands in his pockets and felt a package inside. Taking it out, the Hufflepuff looked at it for a second before handing it over. "You can have these skittles if you want" he said nonchalantly.

She giggled when he jumped because scaring people was always hilarious to Aboli. Except when she scared someone because she was scared, like that time with Cillian. She did NOT think that was funny. "Sorry," she said, still grinning wickedly. "Oh your secret's safe with me. I am a veeeeeery good secret keeper," she said with a wink in his direction. She really was. There were things she just didn't feel the need to pass on to others, not even her best friends. It was all practice for when she was an actual adult with her future job, COUNSELOR. She'd have to keep all kinds of secrets about her clients to herself. "Why didn't you feel like going, though? Granted, the classes are pretty stupid now without magic. All we do is TALK and DISCUSS and TAKE NOTES and I just wanna pull my HAIR OUT!" she SHRIEKED dramatically.

He had a PROBLEM? "Welllllll you're in luck, Minjae. I am good at solving problems. What's your problem????" She sat next to him and pulled her sleeves down over her hands so that her hands were in her sleeves and patted his shoulder. "Oh! THANKS!" she beamed. Next year she would wear a sash or something so everyone would KNOW. "I do like skittles. I've already had sooooo much cake today. So we should share," she said as she opened the bag and offered him some first.

That wink did not comfort him. Instead, it made him even more skeptical that she would stay quiet. But the professors must have already realized he had not been attending classes today. Though, if they were as forgetful as him these days he might be able to get away with it.

He sat back down on the floor because he had been comfortable there earlier and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know..."he muttered when she asked why he had not been attending classes. "They just seem pointless right now" But it was more because he kept forgetting the instructions giving only a minute earlier and he felt extremely self-conscious about this.

Her dramatic shriek did put a small smile on his face and he chuckled lightly as she sat down next to him. He was cool with it until he felt a hand patting his shoulder. The Hufflepuff frowned and scooted away from her before he apologized. "Sorry, i don't like it when people touch me" he said, looking down at the floor before looking back up at her. She wanted to hear about his problem? For real? That came as a surprise to him because they weren't exactly friends yet.

He looked in front of him again, up at the cage with the birds and he thought for a moment. He wondered how he could describe his problem without sounding weird but then came to the conclusion that he wasn't comfortable yet So he went with the short version "What would you do? Keep a family tradition alive or break it and do something that makes you happy knowing it will break the heart of the family?" he asked.

"Also! The fact that i'm becoming translucent and i still haven't gone on a date before" he laughed. Using humor was his way to deal with problems.

When the bag of skittles was placed under his nose, the Hufflepuff looked genuinely surprised. "Wow! how'd you get those? I didn't know the magical world had skittles as well. That's pretty cool!" he said, having already forgotten that he had given her the package earlier. He put his hand in the package and grabbed a couple with his fingers. Thanks" he grinned as he popped them in his mouth all at once.

"Well, I can agree with that," she said with a sigh. "They seem pointless, boring, and....altogether mundane. We don't go to Hogwarts School of Mundane Mundaneness...." she could have sighed again, but that would have been too many sighs in the space of such a short time.

What did shock her, though, was when he scooted away from her touch. She had even made SURE her hands were hidden in her sleeve so their skin wouldn't make contact - she was so used to everyone wanting physical touch that it really did surprise her! "Oh...sorry. I don't...either. Not much, anyway." She shrugged and pulled her hand away and rested both of them back in her lap. "I guess since I don't like it, I shouldn't offer it...kinda inconsiderate of me to think that just because I WANT IT in the moment that you would reciprocate. Sorry," she sent him a sheepish apology smile.

Oooooh he was opening up to her then? Aboli straightened up, wiggly with excitement, and nodded as he spoke. "Well." She began, clearing her throat. "I think in situations like those, every case is different. Can you..be...more specific? If not, I can try to work it out without the details." Nodnodnod. Aboli knew EVERYTHING okay? She was very smart about people and emotions CLEAAAARLY.

OMG his next statement was funny. Aboli snorted, though. "So? I haven't had a boyfriend either. It's hard when you won't go around snogging anything that moves. I am SO not that kind of girl," she said proudly, smugly, and with a glint in her eye. "I think we won't be translucent forever. Some days I think the worst and think we're DYING but like TODAY since it's my birthday I am feeling super positive SOOOOO I don't think we'll stay this way." MORE NODDING, eagerly, too.

She chuckled. "Minjae....you gave them to me. Ding dong." She was about to poke him, but luckily remembered that he didn't like to be touched.

Hogwarts School of Mundane Mundaneness. Such a classy name. Minjae snickered "Exactly" he nodded."I came here to learn magic but now that that has been taken away from us..."

Minjae was just as surprised as Aboli looked when he had scooted away from her touch. Not because that she had tried it, for some reason people wanted to hug him and he still did not know why but because she genuinely apologized. Not some half "Oh sorry" apology but one in which she acknowledged her own mistake. And it made him feel guilty in return. "Ah, no it's okay. You didn't know. I mean, its not written on my forehead that i don't like to be touched" he laughed before he suddenly stopped and turned his head and eyed her. "It isn't right?!" he asked.

Be more specific.... Minjae knew he had needed to be more specific but he had never talked about his problems before. He had always kept them to himself. But he had been keeping this problem for himself for over two years now and he knew that if he did not talk to someone soon , he would break down crying. And he did not want to cry in front of everyone. Merlin's Beard what if that happened during class?! The humiliation!

But because he had kept this to himself for so long, he was a bit unsure of how to go with it. He didn't know Aboli very well but perhaps that was why it was the time to talk. Because she did not know him so she wouldn't have a biased judgement. In any case, he was so far that he probably would have told Nemesis his story and he did not trust that kid for a minute. "I'll try" he said and took a deep sigh before letting it out. "So... i come from a very...very rich family..." even saying this made his ears go bright red, a clear sign that he was embarrassed. Perhaps most people knew already because he usually wore expensive clothing and his robes were of the finest quality and he occasionally made a remark like 'chauffeur' or 'manor' but he had never said it out loud that he was rich. "My great grandfather owned multiple business over the world and he passed it on to his son and around 15 years before i was born my father took over" he said slowly as he tried to form the words in his head so that she could understand. "It's family tradition for the first born son or daughter to take over the company" he pointed to himself without looking at Aboli. "My family expects me to learn the ropes and take over after i leave Hogwarts but..." he was starting to tear up a bit and he blinked his eyes rapidly, praying that the Slytherin did not notice. "I don't know if i want to... I am not the leader type, even at home i don't order the staff around i work with them because i take joy in helping but i know that if i refuse, my family will be so disappointed and heartbroken. Especially because i don't know what i want as an alternative either" did he want a job in the muggle world? Or in the magical world? He didn't know!

He suddenly let out another hollow laugh and looked up at the ceiling. "Look at me complaining when i had a job security since the moment i was born when others don't and have to fight for it" Why was he so filled with guilt? Why couldn't he be like his younger brother? Cold and decisive even at an early age.

"Seriously though, don't tell anyone what i just told you. I don't even know why i told you in the first place...i mean, we only met once during the holiday"

"........Did you just really make a 'i'm not like other girls' statement?" he laughed, genuinely laughed this time. He was surprised that she never had a boyfriend either, he didn't know why but he always thought she had. "I hope so, i mean what if we become so translucent we go THROUGH objects like a ghost" the thought weirded him out! "I didn't believe in ghosts before i came to Hogwarts you know" he said. He had no idea why , perhaps he wanted to talk about something light.

He ...had? Frowning, Minjae eyed the skittles before he let out a frustrated cry. "Sorry, i can't believe i forgot that!" How on earth did he forget something that literally had taken place two minutes ago?!

Taken away from them. In the past, from what Aboli could understand, all of the issues at Hogwarts could be solved because of magic, so she was absolutely not sure how this would ever come to a close without magic. How did one solve problems without magic? Sure, muggles had found loads of really good ways, but this was a magical problem. And they often couldn't be solved without magic itself.

"Well...sometimes I wish it was something you could have written there. Because yeah....I don't like it either unless it's on MY terms," she explained, but she didn't much feel like delving into it right now; not when they were focusing on MINJAE'S issue.

Which, as it turned out, he was completely opening up about with Aboli. She was pleasantly surprised, and she made sure to keep eye contact as she listened, something her mum always told her made people feel like you were reaaally listening. "Okay. So." She took a deep breath before getting into it.

Rich family. Business being passed down. First born. Sounded like some old pureblood stuff. "Are you...pureblood or...?" she asked simply. She knew a few ooooold wizarding pureblood families like that, but for some reason she didn't get the vibes he was from a magical family. Maybe she had heard Kimmie mention it before or something, but she couldn't remember. She did smile, though. "Minjae, just because you have job security and others don't...doesn't mean you don't have a right to feel bad about your own situation. Someone else's mountain to get over doesn't make yours any less difficult for you; everyone still has to get over a mountain at the end of the day." She nodded as she spoke. "But besides that...you...have a bit of time to figure out all this. You don't have to decide TODAY or even this summer, right?" Wasn't he a fifth year with her? Or at the very least...a sixth year? Hmm.

ABOLI BLUUUUUSHED. SHE HAD MADE A STATEMENT LIKE THAT AND NOW SHE WAS MORTIFIED. "Maybe I did, but it's TRUE I'm not. Something you'll find out in time, maybe." She shrugged, trying to seem like it did not bother her even though it DID because he seemed amused. Aaaand the ghost statement just confirmed that he probably didn't come from a magical background. "I am hoping it doesn't come to that. We won't even be able to touch each other even if we WANTED to," she siiiiighed.

Minjae shook his head. ”I’m Muggleborn actually. I’m the only one who went to Hogwarts ...as far as i know..” because if he had magic in him that meant one of his relatives had to be magical as well. It wouldn’t just start like that with him right? ”My little brother is super jealous because he can’t do magic” he grinned but little did he know that his brother had been sending him messages about having done magic and that he was going to Hogwarts as well. He didn’t know this fact yet as he was not able to receive any owls anymore thanks to whatever was happening on the outside world.

At first, Minjae kept the eye-contact while he was talking because it felt like a connection yet the moment she talked he unconsciously lowered his gaze to the ground and a frown began to appear on his face. ”Still....” he answered after she was done talking. ”I feel guilty about it for some reason” he said. ”I really don't have any hardships in my life... I have muggle friends who have it far worse than me"

Would he really have been so worried if he had till his graduation day to decide his fate? ”Not today no....but they do expect an answer during the summer break” he sighed heavily. ”If i refuse the offer, it will go to Daniel , my younger brother, who is a nightmare and the thought of him owning the family company sends a chill down my spine” he wasn’t even joking. He was only nine but already his behavior was that of bratty boss. He loved his brother but had they not been family he probably would have disliked him.

”Thanks for listening by the way” he said softly, feeling a bit embarrassed that he had just told his personal problem with a girl he didn’t even know that well. "Do you know what you want to do after you leave Hogwarts?" he asked.

The blush on her face was unexpected. Had he said something wrong? But when she answered he got it why she was so embarrassed and he tried his best not to laugh. ‘we won’t even be able to touch each other even if we wanted to’ ”Why? You want to hold my hand one day?” he grinned , slowly getting back to his usual mischievous self.

So her thoughts were confirmed. Muggleborn. And an older brother. "He must be. Magic is wicked cool. Poor thing," she shook her head a bit. "One of my younger brothers is here...he's in Slytherin like me. My baaaaaby brother, though...I'm assuming he'll be magic only because we're all magic," she shrugged. Now that she truly thought on it, though, she didn't know for SURE if her entire family was magic. Her mother had been adopted, and Ziggy had never sought out her biological parents; this could mean that her biological grandparents not magical. She didn't tell all of this to Minjae, though. Just....kept it in her head for now.

"Oh Minjae. You do have hardships. It's good that you have perspective on it, and that you do see your privilege," she nodded and smiled. "But that doesn't make your hardships any less troublesome to deal with, all right?" That was VERY important for clients friends to know.

Wait... "THIS SUMMER?" Aboli thought she'd clarify. "WHY so early?" she asked with a shocked look on her face; her blue eyes were WIDE. "So you feel that taking over the business is your duty not only to your family but to society as a WHOLE to save them from your brother," she tried her best to voice what she thought he was trying to get across. "Interesting." She had some of her own thoughts on this, but she would give him a minute to respond before she added her two sickles to the conversation. "Oh no problem! I actually want to be a psychiatrist so!" She beaaaaaamed innocently at him, "This fits in VERY WELL with what I want to do. My grandpa and mum are BOTH successful mental health professionals." Something she was super proud of!

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT

ABOLI SNORTED SO MUCH SOME OF HER SNOT PROBABLY GOT PERMANENTLY LODGED IN HER LUNGS. "Excuse YOU Minjae. I don't know you well enough to know if I WANT to hold your hand!" she gave him a haughty sort of look.

Aboli had a brother in Slytherin? He felt a bit jealous. He might now really like his little brother but if he could have had someone he knew at school with him when he had first started in his first year he would have been less lonely. Of course those thoughts were five years ago and in the meantime he had gotten some great friends and he was secretly hoping that Aboli would become one of them. "What's your brother's name? Maybe i know him" he asked. "Even if my brother turns out to be magical we won't be in school at the same time. He'll turn eleven when i turn seventeen" he sighed.

Yes, he did have privileges and he did appreciate having them and tried to be humble about it. Perhaps that was the reason he had been sorted in to Hufflepuff and not Gryffindor where he thought he truly belonged in.

Yup, this summer. Minjae nodded his head slowly before he shrugged his head. "I don't know...I think if i say yes they want me to leave Hogwarts. I mean, my parents were never a big fan of me going here. They supported me but i could see that they were never happy about me learning something other than what they had planned out for me. I mean, it might be nepotism that i get into the company but my dad still wants me to learn and get degrees before i take over" he shrugged yet again and then he laughed when she mentioned Daniel and his concern about him taking over. "I mean, society might be a bit exaggerated. Let's say i worry for his assistants. And i say plural because i just KNOW some will quit" he looked at Aboli for a moment as he thought though he wasn't really looking at her, he was in thought. "But then again... maybe i'm judging him far to harsh because he is still a kid. It is possible he can change during the next few years" he said.

".....Psychiatrist? wow..." he said softly in amazement. "I don't think i'll ever be able to do that" he said. Thinking about his own problems gave him a headache. Listening to others.... And her parents were both mental health professionals? No wonder she wanted to become the same. "Is there a wizarding equivalent for that job?" he asked. "Like how a healer could be seen as a nurse"

LOOOOOOOOOOL "Ah! But that wasn't a direct no so you are still keeping an option open to hold my hand in the future" he said teasingly and stuck out his tongue. "Are there more of those skittles?" he asked.

"His name is Kohaku. You'll probably forget it by the end of this conversation, though," she shrugged, but smiled. The memory thing was annoying, but in some ways it was pretty amusing. "That's quite the age difference. Do you and he get along at all?" She and Koko got along fairly well because her brother only really spoke to her. She understood him well, and he her.

Hmm. "I think if you want to take over and continue to go here, maybe you should give them that ultimatum. Like.. 'Dad, if I'm going to take over I am GOING to finish my magical schooling first and foremost!' and be aaaallllll forceful about it. And unafraid!" she gestured with her fist as she spoke. "He is young, too. He hasn't grown into himself yet...neither have we. Who says we won't grow up and be...horrible?" Aboli almost whispered the last part because she had voiced this aloud to a few of her close friends. She was terrified of turning out like her dad. T E R R I F I E D. And no matter what Kimmie or Noah or Valencia said, she couldn't shake some of her inner feelings and inner cravings and inner thoughts...almost like she was fighting a version of herself. She didn't voice this to Minjae, though. This conversation was about him, not her.

"Well...I'd be a magical one for witches and wizards and squibs and whatnot." For reasons she would keep to herself for now. "For me...it's more than just helping people...I just...I want people to really discover themselves. And be comfortable and confident and to NOT need me anymore," something her mother said was the sign of a good therapist. They want to never see you again!

AND IF MINJAE DIDN'T BE QUIET SHE WAS ABOUT TO ELBOW HIM IN THE RIBS. "I always keep my options open for ~love, Minjae," she chuckled, though, her cheeks still a bit red. "Here - they're really yours so - " she dumped the rest of the bag into his outstretched hand.