A punch.

A kick.

A pull.

A push.

Whimpers.

Curses.

Wounds.

Bruises.

Vision blurred.

Surroundings churned.

Gurgling sounds.

Gasps for breath.

1, 2, 3 breathe Luhan, breathe.

The words became a mantra on his head as he struggled for oxygen.

Luhan’s frail body crashed on the dirty tiles all the while coughing out the water that entered his mouth. He heard chortling laughter behind him as his lungs raced for air.

Without warning, his hair was pulled and his face was submerged in the murky water for the umpteenth time that day. A flushing sound echoed in the whole bathroom. Luhan struggled against the suction coming from the toilet bowl, making his whole face ache and his airway burn.

They held his head down while his hands flailed wildly on the side. The grip on his hair tightened and the weight forcing him down doubled. When he was released, the poor boy dropped in the cold marble floor barely conscious.

"Why are you even here ching chong boy? Abnormal people like you should be in the special school for the mute not in here! You are a sting to the eye!”

“That will teach you a lesson not to mess with us! Get lost loser!"

With one last kick the bullies left him lying on the dirty tiles of the restroom. Face pale as a snow, bluish lips and bruises covered his entire body yet he only let out a soundless cry for pain. Still, Luhan did not feel any regret for being beaten up because the cause for this is worth it. It’s the only way he can somehow repay Bom from protecting him.

He remembered clear as the day the events that happened to him awhile ago.

Since Bom still needed to rest, she is still unable to join Luhan at school making Luhan to wander on the school halls alone. Various emotions clouded Luhan’s mind as he spotted his room. He is anxious, shy and definitely nervous.

Luhan will never forget the awe-struck and adoring faces of the girls and boys when he shyly walked inside the room. But once he started using his sketchpad as a means to introduce himself, their expressions morphed into disgust. Not to mention his teacher as well who looked at him with pure judgment while explaining to the class his handicap.

He became more cringe-worthy when their teacher also revealed that he was the brother of Park Bom—the academy’s resident nerd and bully favorite. He was surprised that a cheery and bright girl like Bom will be bullied because honestly he is much more prone to bullying rather than Bom. What is there not to desire on his Bom noona right? She’s beautiful inside and out, jolly, kind and all the positive adjectives Luhan can ever think yet how come they didn’t appreciate her the way he did?

He can only bit his lip and lower his head on shame as the students as well as the teacher rained him with prejudicial words about him being adopted, his original roots, his family, his speech defect—in short his whole being.

But what infuriate Luhan the most is when someone commented that Bom was a ‘bookwhore’.

His insults to his whole being? That he can contain.

But throwing Bom in the mix? No. No way in hell will he allow it.

He scribbled furiously in his sketchpad to defend Bom from every insult they threw at her but they only laughed at him. Yet he didn’t mind all of it and continued retorting and negating their fallacious statements about his beloved noona.

C’mon. She is only a child as him! How can she be a like his own mother? Only his mother got to have the title of being a hoe but Bom? His angel noona? Probably if they meant it like on books, he can still accept that because Bom is indeed devoting her whole self on books. Although there is a misused word in the sentence, he can still somehow accept it albeit his insides are protesting. But knowing that they meant otherwise, he snapped.

So he wrote something with a dark smirk that pissed that one fat kid big time.

“What did you gain from yourself in foods? Fats and nothing but fats that you can hang yourself together with your brother pigs in a butcher shop.”

There’s actually more from what he said. A darker and more brutal comment that is way worse than their previous comments combined at Bom  but he chose to contain it. He will use it in the future not now. He didn’t care when the teacher yelled and pushed him towards his new seat nor did he flinch when a fist connected on his temple when break time came. He didn’t even fight back and let those kids do what they wanted to him. He was contented with his verbal attack a while ago because by the end of the day, Luhan knew that all the things he said was only the truth and nothing but the truth.

*~*

As time passed by quickly, various events had occurred. Luhan graduated in Primary school with flying colors despite being bullied constantly. Fortunately for him, his foster family specially Bom didn't noticed all of the bullying that he experienced. He could even have an award for being the most secretive person in the house. It also helped that their parents are always away on business trips and that he plays sports to cover up the wounds he received.

He didn't know how he endured it, he just thought that as long as Bom is safe, everything will be okay. After all, he contracted the bullies to direct their pent up angst on him rather than throwing it at Bom.

"Welcome home L