"You're gonna regret what you did, brat!" cried Min Rin. She threw her wet, and stained black feathered sweater at Eun Kyung.

"Yeahh!" chorused her two groupies Hwang Ra and Min Gi. They spat at her feet.

"No need to cry, you baby. It's just a sweater. I'm sure Umma will buy you another, right, Min Rin dong sae--"

SLAP! 

Eun Kyung felt her right cheek, which was stinging, and red. Her face was already bruised and her arms and legs sore from trying to prevent Chin Hwa dragging her on his back to Haknam Alley. 

"Ugh." she coughed, and spat bloody saliva onto the ground near the three girls. 

And then all of a sudden, Min Rin grabbed her collar and snarled, "Don't you even spit at us, you worthless piece of garbage. Don't you even try to be friends with Myungsoo, you ."

Eun Kyung widened her eyes. "Why are you bringing him up? He hasn't been coming to school for years now."

"Don't!" she clawed Eun's face, "Talk!"

Eun Kyung felt her face bleed. She hoped it would stop bleeding quickly because she didn't want to explain this to Sunggyu or Appa. It was hot, and trickled onto her school uniform.

"Yo! Min Rin, what do you mean about Myung--umph!" 

She scrambled to her feet quickly, as the formidable, towering girl screamed, "What part do you not get about 'don't talk'?!?" 

Eun Kyung had enough. She leaped forward, and pushed the other girl hard, and she kicked her in the side. Min Rin gasped.

"TELL ME. What do you mean...what about Myungsoo?" she threatened.

"He should be my boy--boyfriend, you--you're trash... I...I don't understand--and... why're you his frie--" Eun Kyung punched her in the nose midsentence.

"You're so pitiful. You're jealous by a simple friendsh--" In which Eun Kyung was dragged away from Min Rin by, boy, gee, who?, Chin Hwa.

"Don't you touch my girlfriend!" And when his fist connected to her temple, she out.

---

 

Eun Kyung woke up in the Haknam Alley, alone, and bleeding and bruised up. It hurt to walk, it hurt to stand up, and it hurt to breathe. It hurt that she was being bullied, that she was being hit, by girls and guys alike. It hurt that she was an outcast, that she knew she would be scolded, yelled at, lectured. It hurt that her life in general.

But what hurt the most was Myungsoo. His laugh, his happiness, his voice, and his presence. They were all ruined. 

Explanation

"Appa, Sunggyu pushed me down the stairs~!" Eun Kyung playfully cried. Sunggyu glared at her from reading his book.

"Eun Eun! My gosh, what happened?" their dad asked.

"I fell." she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and slouching. "It's Sunggyuuu's fault!" 

Kim appa stood up from eating breakfast, and walked over to Eun Kyung, and gently pushed her disheveled hair behind her ear. He winced when he saw claw marks, and several, coloring bruises swelling up her once round, pretty face.

"Eun Eun, come to the bathroom, I'll clean you up. But you have to tell me, who did this to you?" he said as he lead her to the restroom.

"Sunggyuuuu did!" she chirped. "I'm fine, appa! I just need help with the bandages and medicine."

"I'm serious, Eun. Who was it? Chin Hwa? I'll pound that boy into the ground." he said darkly, and he took out the first aid kit.

"Uwahh! Appa, my arms, my arms!! Put the salonpas patch on my arms!" she squealed.

"Eun Eun! Give me an answer, NOW." he demanded, while placing the salonpas where she requested them to be.

"It was the regular people, you know, Min Rin, and her gang. But they didn't hit me! I've got everything alll under control!"

Kim appa sighed. He knew that his daughter was being bullied. She had always been pleading him not to do anything about it, that she got "everything all under control". But today was much too far. He decided on something, something he should've done a long, long time ago.

"Okayy, Eun Eun. I won't get those baddies. But promise you won't get in any more fights?" he asked fruitlessly.

"Mmm! I promise, appa!" 

Kim appa smiled, knowing that such a promise could never be kept by the one and only Eun Kyung. With the life she lived, and evidently even now, her luck couldn't last long, even if she wanted to obey her dearest appa.