Imagining things seemed like something else to him. He knew the boy in the mirror couldn't have been nothing. His eyes hadn't been playing tricks on him. He knew they couldn't have. It just did not make sense to him at all. He wanted to believe what his dark doe eyes had landed on was real and not something unrealistic. It had be real, and if not, he had literally gone insane as his Grand'Mere.

Sungmin had made it back home to Goyang and to his house with his mother worried. Her worrisome mood had drifted off someplace else when she saw Sungmin with the basket full of goodies. Mrs. Lee would've believed that her son would've delivered the treats to Grandmother Lee but she was wrong it seemed. He had promised his Mother that he'd head to his Grandmother's another time when there was surely not a storm and he didn't have to skip work.

He ended up working a late shift the day after he came back. Mr. Lee had laughed at his direction since he likely remembered mocking the bunny boy. Sungmin prevented himself from cursing at the man, but instead merely glared at him. Luckily the man was turned away when Sungmin sent him the scariest glare there was. Others would probably think it's cute, but that was just what they all wanted to believe and see. If only Sungmin could show them how tough he actually was.

He was never given that option in life though. He was never in any situation of where he needed to try to protect himself from someone trying to kill him. Sure there were men who touched him when he was taking orders, but it's not like they were going to get anywhere then and there. Sungmin found it weird how none of those desperate -addicts ever tried attacking him once his shift was done.

Only smart people would think of that, Sungmin thought in his head as he finished off the remaining math equations on his worksheet. 

Ms. Oh was sending him some weird looks ever since he came back to school. He did not really care what she thought since he was merely speaking the truth. He had a job and he was touched by male customers who occasionally mistake him as a woman. He knows how feminine and cute he was. He looked at himself in the mirror plenty of times to get it straight in his head.

“You look like a girl." He told himself every time he woke up and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He highly found it a curse for a man to look pretty. Being handsome and muscular was one thing, but being pretty and petite only got straight men instantly turning gay.

He despised the fact that no one besides his own family had respect for him. None of his co-workers, schoolmates, or his boss or teachers had no faith or respect in him. They thought of him as some flower boy who was weak and knew how to stand around and look pretty.

They were wrong for one thing. He was not going to allow anyone to step on him. He had things perfectly under his control. Sadly, no one took him seriously. They thought he was some joke. They did not see him as a man at all which was something he found insulting to him as a male himself. Sure he liked men but it was not like he was born a woman so everyone could just treat him as if he were one. Besides, he thought women were pretty strong in their own ways. But he still was a male.

“A²+B²=D²?" One of the girls from his classroom mumbled as she jotted something down on her worksheet.

Sungmin used the eraser part of his pencil to tap the girl's arm to gain her attention which he did. She looked at him with curiosity. He whispered, “It is A²+B²=C², not D²." He corrected her and she nodded her head and corrected her paper.

He was also nice. He knew majority of the male students in this class wouldn't have helped anyone. Instead they would've just said, “You're an idiot," and went back to their own work even if they were wrong or right, they wouldn't know for sure. 

Sungmin knew this was independent and no one was supposes to be helping each other but he couldn't help but do something. He felt better knowing that he had helped someone in some sort of way. Besides, perhaps the girl just needed a small remainder? She might just need to study that one thing repeatedly and she would be perfectly fine? Pythagorean Theorem wasn't hard once you got the formula done and the steps. 

The bell to the classroom had rung which was a sign for everyone that it was time for this class to end. Luckily for him he was done with his worksheet. He had a day off today for work so he would bog be needing to go anywhere after schools. He would lock himself up in his room to study or do something until it was time for dinner. After dinner he would shower and say goodnight to his Mother and head off back to his room until the morning when he woke up to return to school once again. 

School went by quick to him and even though there were many students staying to study he was the only one who did not attend after school hours to open up textbooks and study. He did his studying at home. Since he had no one but his Mother he never really had much to do. He had his job but he was not always needed sometimes which left him studying or just another bored Korean male student with nothing to do. 

He'd likely study since he knew that was the best he could do if he ever had free time. Having hours or even minutes of nothing to do could always be used to pick up a book and learn something useful. Studying was something never hard for him to do. He was quite aware of some students who got easily distracted, were lazy, or just had to study for a specific amount of time. Distractions were never there and being lazy was something that did not really exist in his world. 

Since he had gotten a job while still in high school he had learned to be doing something rather than just lying around. He could study for a pretty long time and hopefully for him in the morning he would have some memories or remembrance of what he had read. That was something he could only hope for it seemed. 

Once he had arrived home his Mother was nowhere to be found. Sometimes Mrs. Lee was able to get home earlier or later, it all depended on whatever times her boss allowed her to leave. She usually went to work early which confused Sungmin. It always seemed to him that if you got somewhere early you'd get out early, but it didn't always work that way which was something he had to discover himself when he entered his freshmen year. There were students who went to school early just to find themselves at school during the night time just to study. 

His Mother seemed to not want him stressed out at all, especially when it came to school. She thought it was easier for him to study in a better environment. She wanted him to study somewhere quiet and not at all crowded. Likely that was another reason to why he really had not much of friends. Now there was probably a list of reasons and examples to why Sungmin had no friends or could not have any. He did not wish to blame his own Mother, but in some cases there was just no one else to blame and it highly made sense to why she would be the one blamed.  

He didn't have friends and when his Mother thought it'd be better for him to do other things he seemed to not want to do, he dealt with it. Since he had no friends and he knew for a clear fact that he wouldn't get any for now, even though he worked and went to school with human beings like himself. But then again, no everyone could agree and accept with each other. That was just how life and human adaption was created. 

The boy had made his way to his room with no second thought at all. Sungmin ended up taking off his shoes, leaving them by the door where they rightfully belong, and placed on a pair of bunny slippers. He then dashed into his room afterwards, not even noticing or hearing the light thud that came from the front door.

Sungmin didn't have friends, therefore he had no pictures of people of any ages in his room. He didn't have any pictures of his family members who had passed away. His Mother and Grand'Mere definitely had photos, but none of them were posted on walls or framed. It was as if those who had gone to the afterlife hadn't even existed to begin with. It made Sungmin mad and sad, and annoyed at the same time. 

He didn't like how the memories and times of his Grandfather, Father, and Brother weren't remembered, it seemed exactly that way to him. Since he lost the three at a young age he barely remembered much about them. He remembered what they looked like and their voices at the time they left Earth. He had no memory of those three though. He didn't want to pressure anything, but he would've wished the three were rather talked about than remembered as some souls that turned into phantoms immediately and just weren't ever supposed to be mentioned. 

Sungmin didn't want to think of the possibility of those three not being remembered. He barely remembered a thing about any of then besides their voices and faces, but no memory at all. He understood his Grandmother and Mother were still grieving, but if they worried about him, why did they never approach him during that time? They needed comfort, but he was merely a child who was confused and had no idea how death worked and how nothing could stop it. He didn't even know what death was at that time. 

Sungmin's walls were the color of light grey clouds, he had a small bathroom, and then a closet and even a window. He had his bed with its own nightstand with his alarm clock and a pencil and notepad as well. There was also a dresser for him as well. He placed his backpack on his bed before approaching his dresser and opening the third drawer out of the five. In the third drawer there were pairs of socks, but Sungmin wasn't looking for anything to place on his feet. Instead, he continued to dig his hands through the stacks of socks until his eyes landed on a small silver key.

Sungmin took the key in his right hand and used his other to close the drawer and made his way to his nightstand where the first drawer out of three had a golden lock. The boy placed the key in the hole of the lock and turned it three times to the left and used the handles to push the drawer out. Once he was looking down at the insides of the drawer his eyes landed on an envelope. He remembered the day he was given this envelope. 

It was two weeks ago when he had been given it. The strange thing was that this envelope wasn't given to him. He had found it in his locker, meaning someone had meaningfully placed it there. He would've thought that it would've been okay waiting a while but he now felt the curiosity of wanting to know what this letter contained. He took the envelope and started ripping it open just to reveal a folded paper which he ended up unfolding and reading:

Dear Lee Sungmin,

I have some matters I feel like I must speak with you. 

I am very much aware of the type of relationship you and I have.

We are not exactly friends, but we are not foe or enemy.

I have very important information I would love to speak of. 

If we are to speak of this particular info I hope things will start to click.

It will not make sense, but really, what in this world does?

Do not try writing me back in any form; email, text, call, or letter.

I will not reply back, unless we're together.

These matters are not things we need spreading everywhere.

Therefore I wish to speak to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for reading and I do truly hope you take this seriously instead of some sort of small joke of any sort. This is no joke. This is real and I hope for you to take this as seriously as I likely sound in this letter and as stern as I will sound when we meet up.

Sincerely, 

Kim Ryeowook. 

He didn't know why but he could swear he felt shivers go down his back. His eyes ended up scanning the letter all over again top to bottom. He stopped when he heard a thud, louder than the one he hadn't noticed earlier. He dropped the letter and dashed out of his room. As he made his way to the entrance room the letter fell onto the ground and the window in his room opened forcibly due to the wind. But shadows of someone was seen and a vanished immediately.

When Sungmin had gotten to the door he tried to not think about the note or letter, whatever it was. He made his way to the door and opened it. He had thought it was a neighbor. Perhaps the mailman? Or his Mother? He had no idea and he didn't want to try and figure out why there was no one at the door. But as he looked down he saw something at the doormat. It was a red box as big as a tablet and as wide as a closed laptop. He eyed it and saw a red label with black marker writing, TO: LEE SUNGMIN. He bent down and took the box in his hands and entered to set it down on the couch and closed the door, locking it as well.

He took the box in his hands once again and went back to his bedroom. The shivers and goosebumps came back as he literally entered the room. It was from the suddenly cool air that had engulfed the whole room. He found the source of the cold air; his open window. He felt confused as he closed it, he could've sworn it had been closed. He had accidentally stepped on the letter that he had been reading but he took no notice. He was too focused on what he had been sent. 

He took the lid from the box and saw something that surprised him. There was a doll in the box. The doll had a red little cape, black pants, and black short hair that looked a little but a lot like Sungmin's. As for eyes the doll had black little crosses and for a mouth another cross as well. There was also a note attached the doll's cape. Sungmin knew there were more shivers and goosebumps and it wasn't from the cool air, but the note: 

He wore red silk that hid his head,

He walked into the woods,

He met a stranger and strayed,

He died along with his kin.

He is the one who wears The Red Hood.