Leow Zan Ping, 11, his friend from two doors away in the
Toa Payoh Lorong 2 block of flats, could not stomach his lunch yesterday when told the news by his mother, Madam Tan Aik Hwa.
He wore a sullen face and clammed up.
'I'm upset,' was all he would say.
Zan Ping and his brother Zan Hui, 18, had become good friends with Eu-Jin over trading card games.
The brothers said Eu-Jin seemed loved by his mother because he had everything a boy his age would want - a PlayStation 3 set, an Xbox 360 set and a Nintendo Game Boy.
And like any active 13-year-old, he could often be seen tearing around the neighbourhood on his inline skates, said Madam Tan.
Zan Hui said he last saw Eu-Jin along the corridor on Monday morning.
'He looked his usual self. We waved and said 'hi',' he said.
Eu-Jin was an active member of the National Police Cadet Corps at St Gabriel's Secondary School, and was well-liked by his peers, said school principal Marcel Lee.
Eu-Jin's form teacher, too distraught to teach after she heard the news, had to be counselled by her colleagues.
While his neighbours described him as lively and talkative, he was known to be a bit more reserved at school.
His schoolmate, Paolo Soriano, 13, friends with him since their days at St Gabriel's Primary School, was overcome with emotion.
He said: 'The last time I spoke with him was yesterday. He was quieter than his usual self.'
He added, as tears streamed down his face:
'He would help me feel better when I was sad. I will miss his smile and silent support.'
SUJIN THOMAS