When I was 9 years old, back in New Zealand I was dared by my swimming classmates to jump into a deep pool. Although I was in a swimming class for a couple months I barely knew how to swim in a not so deep pool. However, I wanted to show everyone that I was indeed fearless and that I was not just a talker. So the next thing that happened was that I was spending a few moments frantically struggling underneath the water, trying to fight my way to the surface. When I finally made it, I was gasping for air like I had never breathed before, and my lungs felt like they were about to burst.

That was exactly how I felt when I heard Sehun speak. I heard him say those words that I never, ever expected to hear from anybody I knew.

It took me a couple of seconds to take in what was said to me and comprehend what Sehun had just said. When I finally got myself together, it felt like hours had passed us by.

"What?" I gasped.
 

Sehun looked at me, and soon a scowl had appeared on his face, and for the first time, it seemed like he was so much older than he was. Instead of being eighteen, it seemed like Oh Sehun was actually a middle-aged man who had only experienced the horrors of the world in ways that most people cannot comprehend.

This teenage guy in front of me had taken on several jobs, taking care of his mother, grandmother, and two younger siblings. Oh Sehun was definitely not living a regular and normal teenage life.

At that moment I wanted to heal his wounds and scars of the past, and forget everything in the world that have caused trouble.

"Ever heard of Eun Jiwon?" Sehun said dryly, staring down at his feet again.

I shook my head. "No, I have not."

Sehun let out a sigh and leaned forward on his knees, his head was resting in his hands. "Well, that a*sshole of a man is my father. And because of my a*sshole father, Mia and Daniel had never met their father."

I was certain my jaw was almost hitting the ground as I stared at Sehun in horror.

I knew life could be unfair, crazy, cruel, and unpredictable. But this? That is possibly one of the worst things someone would have to deal with.

"E-Excuse me?" I croaked out, gripping my coat sleeves tightly. "Did I hear you correctly?"

Sehun got up in front of me and started pacing, his hands clasped behind his back.

"My mom met my dad at the District High School I first attended during freshman year. My mom ended up pregnant with me before senior year, so they had to get married and move in together, which ended up being a total disaster. Because like I said before, my father is an a*sshole. I don't have that many memories of him, but hell with the ones that I do. The guy was completely awful. He was always drugged or drunk hanged around with his low life of gang members, and use to beat up my mom all the time. Even though I was small, I tried to stand up for her and ended up getting beat up. My mom tried to protect me as much as possible. Most of the times I had to sleep over my grandmother's house with the excuse that I had to be early or stay a bit late at the ice rink for hockey practice, while my mother stood behind with that man. I always felt anxious when thinking that the next morning my mother would possibly be dead because of a beating. I hated that man the moment I laid eyes on him I'm certain about that."

My heart started beating uncontrollably, how was I supposed to react to this? I wanted answers, didn't I?

Even though it s*ucked to admit it I was certain that there wasn't much I could do to calm Sehun down or even stop his mental breakdown.

But I knew well enough that Sehun has never talked about himself and his problems before. Then I remembered the time my mom had to meet a therapist because of Kai's death. It was probably the best to simply sit back and let Sehun just vent out about anything that he needed to.

"What happened after that?" I muttered, taking a deep breath.

"It took my mom some time to finally leave him and we then permanently moved with my grandmother," Sehun answered in a steely voice. "My mom divorced my dad and got a restraining order against him, but that sure didn't stop him. He used to show up at random times and demanding my mom to let him see me. And that she wasn't going to be able to take me away from him or something like that. I don't really remember."

What an a*sshole of a father.

"But Mia and Daniel have a different father?" I asked with cautious.

Sehun nodded, continuing his panicking pace. "My mom met their dad when I was nine years old. And one thing for sure was that Jinhee was sure a hell of a whole lot better man and father than my own biological dad."

"So Jinhee was the good guy?" I said.

"Yes, he cared for my mother a lot and helped out as much as he could at the cafe. And he was always super supportive of my hockey pursuit, he will never miss a game. He was just as supportive as my uncle when it came to providing me with the training I needed and scouting bigger leagues for me to play with."

I remained silent for a moment I was feeling terrible. I wanted to cry my eyes out and hug Sehun tightly, but I knew well enough that both of those things will only get me into trouble.

"But Mia and Daniel?" I blurted a bit quietly.

"An unexpected surprise." Sehun sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I love my younger siblings to death, even if they are annoying little brats, but life sure became ten times more complicated after they were born."

I bit my lip, then took a deep breath in order to calm down all my emotions inside.

"What happened then?" My voice tone barely above a whisper.

At first, I thought Sehun didn't hear me. His back was facing me and he was looking up at the dark sky. But a few moments later he turned back around, and I could tell he definitely had heard me.

Maybe Sehun got sick and tired of talking. One thing I was certain was that he had just spoken much more about himself than he possibly has ever done.

"Forget it, Jennie." He muttered, closing his eyes shut for a brief moment. "You probably had enough and don't need to hear more of my poor little sob story."

"Is that what you think?"

I didn't know how it had happened, but I was up at my feet and in front of him already very pissed off again.

"Think what?" Sehun demanded to know while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Think that I'm listening to you because of the enjoyment or because of pity. And that I'm going to enjoy the fact that something like that had never happened to me?"

I could have slapped myself that moment, where was this even coming from? I felt like a stranger was talking.

"You are not making any sense Jennie. So stop talking about things you don't understand." He said.

God, he was right.

"Look, whatever, way you put it, it wouldn't hurt you to open up more like this," I said while clearing my throat, and dropping my gaze to the ground.

"To you? Maybe? Is that what you are getting at?"

"Why not?" I said still looking down at the ground. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"Oh, I supposed so." Sehun sighed heavily, sounding a bit dramatically.

I tried to fight back a smile, the serious air surrounding us was lighting a bit up, but the mood wasn't entirely gone. I had a strong feeling this was not going to be the last time we would be talking about this. But what was going to happen that next time? I had no idea.

Why did he change the subject? Was what had happened in the past, really that bad?

"Are you okay Sehun?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

I lifted my head up and saw that he was watching me with curiosity, his lips tilted down in a frown just a little bit.

"I'm fine." He answered in a stony voice. "What else would I be?"

"No, I mean really," I said quickly. "Are you okay?"

"Does it matter?" He asked me a bit conflicted.

"Yes. It does."

Sehun stared down at me in surprise, his eyes wide, and I, like an idiot blushing bright red.

"Fine." He said after a moment. "I'm fine."

He tried to sound more convincing the second time around, but he really didn't succeed. I wanted to question him further, but I knew well enough not to push my luck.

I really don't know how I manage to get back my courage and before I knew it I gave him a tight hug. Sehun was stiff perhaps in shock and not knowing exactly what to do. Before he could say or do anything I let go once an idea struck in my mind.

"Come with me," I said while reaching out to grab his hand.

Before he could object, I started to drag him back to the sidewalk heading towards the destination I had in mind.

"Where are we going?" Sehun asked, more like demanded to know while sounding annoyed.

I tried to keep my feelings in control since I was more or less holding hands with Oh Sehun, and I ignored his question and continue to drag him along.

"You know, for a small petite girl, you definitely have a good amount of strength." He continued to say. Soon enough, it became obvious where we were going.

"Oh, no." Sehun shouted, yanking his han