~~~

“Do you want to die?!” Namjoo threatened as he continued to lug her forth. By now she’d tried to stop pulling back. Doing so made his grip tighter around her arm and it hurt. “You’re not letting go?!”

They were outside now and well away from prying eyes. They were almost to the back of the school where they came outside for physical education activities when it was warmer. Some racks were tilted against the side of the building and the shadow of the roof above floated among the ground, changing in size due to the clouds drifting in front of the sun.

Namjoo expected him to shove her against the building; instead, he swung her toward the grass and tried to shove her back strangely. Namjoo dug her heels into the ground when he did again and frowned, wondering what the hell he was trying to do to her. A second later she realized he was trying to trip her back.

For about a minute they struggled with her refusing to fall. Eventually Sehun kicked her foot from behind to make her lose balance and she landed on her with a loud screech. Without failing she about rose up only to have him shove her back by ing his hand against her shoulder. It hurt momentarily as she splattered onto her back.

A breathless gasp escaped her when he sat on her, but she wasn’t about to give up just yet. Swinging her hands out in an attempt to thwart him they fought again as he tried to block her. Namjoo was enraged with what he was doing. Dominance?! The hell was he kidding?!

When he grasped her wrists and had then bound tight within his hands she about spat at him. “Do you think I’m scared of you!?”

“I don’t care if you are.” He hissed, his eyes stern on her. Namjoo opened to argue back, but bit onto her tongue to stop herself. “When I give you something, you take it. Do you hear me?”

Refusing to answer she only stared up at him with the same kind of measly stare. He tugged on her hand, again demanding, “Do you hear me?!”

“All right! Fine!” Namjoo screamed in return then felt him shove her hands toward her before getting off her. If she wasn’t wearing the damn skirt that was required with her school uniform she would have kicked him so hard in the guts he regretted being alive.

Namjoo huffed angrily and started to walk away. Abruptly stopping she turned and ran two steps forward flinging her fist out. It slammed into the side of his face so hard she felt her knuckles throb. “ you.”

~~~

Without saying anything more to him, the girls silence and he returned to his seat. Once he turned forward he spotted Namjoo’s jacket Sehun had earlier tossed to the ground before dragging her off. What the hell was going on between them? Suddenly the tables had turned and Namjoo wasn’t picking a fight with him. Kai felt amusement swarm through him.

Loud angry footsteps neared the room and he watched Namjoo enter from the first door of their classroom the teachers always used. Heading for her jacket she picked it up and shook it free of dust before starting toward him. Kai tried not to make eye contact, but even when he glanced at her she didn’t so as much glance at him.

He was surprised that there was not yet a scratch on her, which most likely meant that Sehun had gone easy on her. Maybe they didn’t go outside to fight?

Tossing her jacket over her seat she sat down and turned away from him. When students began filing back in for lunch Kai spotted Sehun walking in with what looked like bloody lips and a pink cheek. He should have known. If it wasn’t Namjoo who was suffering bruises, it was the other party.

Kai quietly snorted to himself and glanced at Namjoo through the corner of his eye before his eyes traveled down to her swollen knuckles. Boy, he’d hate to have to suffer from one of her crazy punches.

~~~

No one asked. No one worried. No one was there to care or ask what was even wrong. Only his footsteps were the only sound in this entire house. It was so quiet.

Sehun tossed his backpack to the ground upon entering his bedroom and didn’t stop until he was at his dresser. A picture he’d taken long ago with his parents sat on it, the only picture he had. And he could hear Namjoo’s voice mocking him from the back of his head.

“Go spend your time crying over how to bring your parents back instead of prying into my business, rich kid.”

Letting out a furious shout, swung his arm out, and listened to the picture clatter onto the floor. He hated how Namjoo knew all about it and used it to press his buttons even after all he did not to let it get to him. But she was right, he knew she was ing right. And he couldn’t hate her, but himself.

His eyes met with the bleak creamy beige walls. He could still hear her voice ringing in his head. The childish tone of curiosity. That girl who came here the first few times with her grandmother and asked to explore his house. Going from room to room, exploring every corner in awe with how fine his home was. And when she discovered the piano had asked to play it. He’d taught her a tune he could still remember he spent eight hours learning. 

Namjoo had been his only accompaniment then because his parents weren’t around much, and when they were she feared coming. It was his first time becoming friends with someone his age, but when a part of his home caught fire she stopped coming. Her grandma stopped working. At school Namjoo didn’t even look at him. When they were finally put into the same class he was hopeful, but all Namjoo did was pick fights.

He still didn’t know why she fought. She was bitter and mean, and he didn’t want to believe that she hated him or the world. Yet, she even hit him and she didn’t hold back. She wasn’t who he remembered.

But today, as the bruise slowly eroded his face into blue and purple, he was starting to believe it. Namjoo hated him. For real.

~~~

It was Saturday. Namjoo remembered it like yesterday when she used to lazily sleep in until afternoon; when her grandmother still worked and she didn’t need to worry about the restaurant. Now she had to run the restaurant because it was a means to make money. And they needed that money right now.

As she hurried downstairs in her shorts and pulled her thin sweater on she could smell freshly cooked food coming from the kitchen. Her grandmother was at it again even when she said she didn’t need breakfast. The old woman was stubborn as an ox.

“Are you going out?” she turned upon hearing her.

“Yea.”

“Come eat first. I made some soup for you.”

“You eat.” Namjoo turned away, but was forced to a stop when the woman grabbed her arm somehow making it from the kitchen to her within a split second.

Pulling her toward the table with hand outstretched to feel the solid she pulled the chair out, and made her sit. “It’s already done and made. You don’t eat much when you work. It should be a busy day today.” Namjoo let out a sigh watching the woman slid a bowl of rice toward her and place a spoon into her hand.

“Today must be a sunny day,” her grandmother smiled walking back with a bowl of soup and carefully placed it in front of her. “I have a good feeling you’ll make quite a bit.”

Namjoo glanced at her grandma, wondering what in the world she was talking about. As long as some customers stopped by for some bread she didn’t really care so long as they got some revenue. If she could she’d spare some so they had better things to eat next month. Seeing how the loansharks stopped by early, it only meant she had to skip out on breakfast before going to school the rest of the month.

~~~

Her grandmother was right. Just an hour in after opening the bakery, customers poured in. She was almost out of the cupcakes she started making herself just recently and shelves were starting to become bare. In just a few hours she’d have to close the shop if she sold out what she had, but that was good news. It would mean she was making some good money at least.

“You working here all alone, young lady?” a man questioned, struggling to pull his wallet out from his pocket. He looked familiar – in a way she couldn’t explain. Maybe it was his face or something else about him.

“Yes.”

“It must be difficult. Wish my boy was diligent like you. He could use some real lessons in life,” the man commented, handing her a few dollar bills for the rolls he was purchasing. His eyes darted toward the last cupcake sitting inside the glass counter and he pointed to it. “How much for that? I think my son would like it.”

“Ah…” Namjoo pushed aside the back cover and brought the cupcake out. “I’ll give it to you for free, sir. Don’t worry about it.”

“Wow,” he quietly mused, “you’re quite mature for your age. Your parents must be proud.”

Namjoo only smiled at him while placing the cupcake in a box and handed it to him. “Have a good day, sir.”

She watched him walk out the door while observing his tall, lean build. For almost a second she wanted to hit herself. The man reminded her of Kai.

~~~

Loud chattering from outside his bedroom door made him roll over in bed. His leg was sticking out from the blanket and his shirt had slid halfway up his body. Turning and digging his head into his pillow he groaned before finally sitting up. That lady was over again and his father was up early.

Stumbling out of his room he heard his father call after him, “You better hurry up before we eat all the bread.” As he started out the door he heard his father laugh about something with that woman. What the heck were they so excited over? Shaking his head he rubbed his empty belly and entered the bathroom.

When he returned a few minutes later his father slid a package of bread rolls and a box in front of him. “Have them.”

Kai stared at what was his breakfast and heard the Aunt cooing about how kind his father was for treating them that morning. He wondered whether her husband knew she was with them or not and if he cared at all. Without word he pulled out the bread and took a bite of it before opening the box to find a cupcake with chocolate spread and some decorations on it.

“I bought it at a bakery downtown,” his father told. “There’s a girl who works alone there. Maybe you could ask if she needs help. You could use a sense of responsibility.”

Kai snorted and mumbled to himself, “Don’t talk to me about responsibility.”

“Did you have a bad dream?” the next door lady, sitting beside his father, leaned over to ask. Kai glanced up at her with a slight glare. Who the heck was she kidding? Was she trying to seduce his father so early in the morning?

“Why are you here?” he rudely inquired.

“Oh Kai,” his father tried, but he rolled his eyes in retaliation.

“It’s all right. He’s been in a bad mood all week because I went to his school,” the woman waved her hand his way, as if to say it wasn’t a big deal but he was exaggerating. He groaned and unable to deal with them snatched the rest of his breakfast before heading to his room. Slamming the door after him he sat down onto his bed and munched on the rest of the bread. The rest of the cupcake helped fill him up.

Tossing aside the trash he lay down on his bed and watched the dust stream into his room from the window overhead. It was calmly and relaxed him. From his left the loud voices of his father and that unwelcomed woman’s laughter only became louder. He groaned and tried to block them out. It only annoyed him even more.

Unable to take anymore of this irritation he got up, changed, and strode out of his home with his father calling after him. Once he left he didn’t plan to return until late. Hopefully when he returned that annoying woman would be gone.

It was a sunshine kind of day and everywhere he looked he saw happy couples and packs of kids walking around together. Laughter here and smiles there, but his world was dull and gray. He paused at every red light; each time he did, he would glance around to find himself surrounded by people who were accompanied by other people. For some odd reason he felt more alone than ever, as if he stood out among a sea of fish.

Kai regretted coming to the food district immediately when the delicious smell of cooked beef weighed in the air. He looked on enviously as mothers and fathers walked out with their happy children, full from their lunch or dinner or whatever it was they’d had. He couldn’t remember a time when his father took him out to eat, always bringing home with him leftovers after drinking with his buddies. But that only happened if he stayed up into the wee hours of the night waiting for him to come home.

He continued forward slowly so that he could keep the lingering smell of beef within his space. Kai came to a stop when he spotted the bakery in front of him and stuck his hand into his pocket to feel for the dollar bills he had. Hopefully it would be enough to purchase one or two more of those cupcakes. The taste was still fresh on his tongue which made him crave for more.

Another step closer to the bakery brought him to a pause in his steps. His head turned as he watched a man drag Namjoo out by her sweater. They disappeared around the corner very quickly. In his mind he pictured the way Sehun dragged her out of the classroom just the other day. The two girls had panicked before staring at him.

~~~

Namjoo had turned the sign on the door and had just stuffed the money in her cashier into an envelope she planned to take home with her. If there was one thing she learned, it was to never leave money behind in the store. When the door opened she called out, “Sorry, but we’re closed.” Her lips became firm when she recognized the man whose face she’d tore apart a few years ago. They’d left eternal scars on his face due to the stitches he received from her attack.

She didn’t know his name, but he was a Big Man. Bald, broad shoulders, big ears, and a heavy body that showed how hard he worked out at the gym. Now that she looked at him she realized how crazy she had been to have attacked him that evening. But she didn’t regret. It at least taught him a valuable lesson about messing with them, but now he carried with him a deep hatred for her. Maybe a grudge.

Today he was alone without his group. For a moment she wondered if he was the one who extracted money from her vulnerable grandmother the other day. If he was…well, she wouldn’t let him off anyway. He was twice her size and taking him down wouldn’t be as easy as fighting with Kai or Sehun at school. Here, Namjoo wouldn’t be able to exert her dominance. Big Man would be the one dominating her.

Keeping her calm she quickly hid the envelope under a bunch of wrappers without appearing like she was moving. Gently gritting her teeth together she watched him glance around as he neared her.

“Looks like you cleaned up,” he commented. Coming to a stop in front of the counter he grinded a fist into his palm. “So…where’s my daily pay?”

“What daily pay?” she remained composed.

Big Man held out his hand in wait of money. He stared at her gravely, “Give it to me. Don’t play tricks with me. I’m never in a good mood when I see you.”

“Then, why are you here?” Namjoo asked. “It’s not pay day yet. You know it too.” She tried not to appear vulnerable when he grabbed her sweater, literally lugging her over the counter. Namjoo frowned up at him angrily, but didn’t spit vicious words into his face for she knew it wouldn’t do her good.

“If you want to talk, lets talk outside. I’ll kill you if you break anything in here. If you do, I won’t make money for you.” She threatened in her calmest voice possible. Big Man contemplated her words before agreeing. Still with a grip on her sweater he dragged her out of the bakery. Namjoo followed while trying to think up of a way to escape without getting too badly injured if she were to fight him.

He pulled her into a dead alley between a grill restaurant and a café next door. There was a dumpster in the back alongside some black garbage bags. The strong acrid smell of waste made her want to vomit. Letting go of her he shoved her against the building and held out his hand again. One glance at his palm and Namjoo thought it was even bigger than her face.

“Where’s the money?” he demanded. Namjoo glanced at him and immediately shifted half her body away with a hand clutching onto her shorts pocket. She watched him glance at her hand, assuming she had money hidden there. Actually, there was nothing. The devious trick somehow had been ejected into her head without much planning.   

She skidded forward unwillingly when he grabbed her arm to pull her forth. Namjoo fought hard to keep her grasp on her pocket. If he discovered her trick it would be the end. They struggled for a few seconds before she was shoved onto the hard black concrete. She whimpered and squirmed as he bent down to pry her hand off her pocket. Namjoo remained determined and thought that even if he were to pull down her shorts she wouldn’t stop.

After a few seconds he succeeded in prying her hand off and stuck his hand inside her tiny pocket to discover her scam. Groaning angrily he shoved her against the floor even when she was already on the floor. Namjoo felt her head bang into the concrete and withheld her cry of pain. She refused to look weak in front of him. As pain screeched throughout her body he pulled her up by her sweater, flinging his hand across her cheek. It stung so hard her cheek nearly went raw.

“!” he screamed. A cry belted out of her lips when he dropped her onto the ground. “I knew I should have done this to you earlier. Just you wait. I’ll teach you a lesson.” Pulling up his sleeves and balling his hand up into a fist, swung his arm back in preparation for the blow. Namjoo curled up on the ground. Her head hurt in an insane way and she couldn't feel her face. For a second she thanked God for turning her grandmother blind. Clamping her eyes shut she readied herself for the blow, could even imagine Big Man’s heavy fist swinging through the air with sound effects.

“You should stop, sir,” a voice flittered into her ears. Namjoo’s eyes opened and turning recognized Kai grasping onto the loanshark’s round wrist.       

***Kai = Sunshine xD