No, this wouldn’t work. Myungsoo looked around and sighed, he was in front of the Lee’s house, he was really curios about this new Spencer and he wanted to check that he was really in his senses when Spencer told in the afternoon to the cameras that he killed a person and tried to shove the media away. He looked so fragile with the damp clothes and yet his eyes were steady, telling the reporters not to step in the private lives of the victims. That mere fact of hours ago made his chest squeeze and Myungsoo could not stand anymore as he stepped in front of the flashes and held the petite’s wrist, he for a moment wanted to protect the man.

His father called Myungsoo afterwards asking what happened when he saw his son’s face in the media and Myungsoo sighed, “I…” what he could say?; and then he bit his lip and heard a chuckle from the other side.

“It’s okay Myungsoo, friends are more important than money and power, you did good”

He was relieved hearing his father’s words, whispering a thank you he hang off and frowned. Spencer wasn’t his friend. It was just... he felt the need to protect the man at that moment.

“I’m going crazy” Myungsoo muttered and crunched his nose, watching the door, extending his hand to knock the door and dropping it, finally he turned giving up and walked to his own house.

Maybe, just maybe Spencer was changing into a better person; even so, Myungsoo didn’t want to admit it. What would happen with Hoya’s feelings and his own; he was supposed to hate the man, not to feel something weird as the need to protect him even for a slight moment.

∞~~~~~*~~~~~∞

Hyukjae looked around the house; he has been standing in the hall of the house, afraid of his father’s wrath. Minhee told him the man wasn’t in home; Hyukjae nevertheless did not take any step further inside. Finally after calming himself and watching the worried gaze of the maid he smiled tiredly.

“I’m going to sleep.” Hyukjae announced, shaking his head when Minhee told him to take a shower or he’ll get a cold, some of his hair was still wet and she was worried.

When Hyukjae was already in the last step to the second floor, she remembered “Oh!” and she ran towards the young man.

“The hospital called, they told me your grandmother awoke from the surgery, she is fine, so you can visit her tomorrow, she asked about you.”

Hyukjae smiled sincerely, warm spreading in his body. He remembers when his grandmother sneaked inside the attic and told him a story of the outside or read something from the books, she was his first teacher, the first person to smile at him and telling him he wasn’t a murderer or ugly.

“You’re the precious son my daughter left.”

She said with a smile and patted his head, that was one of the few times smiled when he was a kid and slept with a wonderful dream of him having a mother, the memory was long gone, because his grandmother was sick and started to be interned in the hospital, and one day she wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital until the moment her system be clean and able to stand the surgery.

“I’m glad, really.”

Hyukjae forgot the bad day, he just wanted to sleep and see his grandmother tomorrow, and he held Minhee’s hands smiling widely “I can see her.”

He was so happy and felt blessed of being able to stay outside the attic; he could do so many things as visit his grandmother, some privilege he did not have before.

“Please, I want that bath now.” Hyukjae asked and Minhee smiled nodding, she was happy the young man could have some motivations, she hurriedly went and told Hyukjae he could go and take a shower, she said goodbye, because that day she had a meeting with his daughter and Hyukjae waved at her.

After a long shower, he went to his room, he was so happy his father was busy and not there to yell at him, it was weird to Hyukjae how much fear he had for his father when he just wanted to be loved and he felt more far away from him than when he was locked in the small room, he sighed not thinking too much and he hummed in his bed. Tomorrow would be a better day.

∞~~~~~*~~~~~∞

Everything was dark, he felt as someone dragged him and he wanted to hold from the mattress or the pillows, no, please.

Hyukjae winced when he felt something hit him, once, twice and more, it did not stop, he cried in pain when the hurt became sharper, he could not see the person since he was trapped in the cover he was using to sleep.

“ing trash, what?” His father yelled and held the pole in hands, his hair was messy and his tie was loose, he repeated the words Hyukjae said to the media “don’t bother to come anymore?”

He felt livid and hit each time harder the body in the cover “there is nothing to see? I clearly told you to be seen and made a show of you making community service”

The man threw the pole and looked around, he wanted something more painful, maybe the scum he had for a son could understand how important were the media and the social position, he dared to tell the reporters to go and don’t invade the private life of the lowly being on that of dirt called orphan. It was true the second born son could only bring shame and infortune.

“You want to die?” Mr. Lee asked, he picked a lamp and threw him at the body. He was angrier hearing the cries and pleads of stop, and the that dared to called him-self a son even said ‘please’.

He kicked the body and when he was tired, he picked the pole again and sighed, “get out!” he yelled and Hyukjae felt his body burning in pain, he felt the tears on his cheeks, crawling out of the cover and his father smirked,

“It costed me money to calm the media” He glared at Hyukjae “you still need to go to that ing place and wore, for free, just know you made a fool of me saying those words.”

Mr. Lee breathed clenching the pole “that people is the trash of society, don’t be concerned about them.” The man chuckled dryly and smirked. “Do this once again and you’ll really regret to be alive”.

Mr. Lee continued to hit Hyukjae’s body and snarled painful words to him, until he was content with the messy men and he scoffed at the blood, he took his handkerchief and wiped his hands, taking his handphone out.

“Come now, there’s a scum that needs some check, he needs to go tomorrow to school and do his activities, you know the code.” He hang off and walked off, Hyukjae was in the floor, wincing and coughing saliva, the only thing his father did not hit was his face, he lifted his eyes glancing at his father, fear and pain were the dominant emotions and the hurt of the silent question; why?

As if reading his thoughts Mr. Lee said before leaving the room “I hate how some Lee needs to do community service without taking advance of it, instead of gaining money, I lost some, stupid being.”   

Hyukjae closed his eyes when he was able to set his back on the floor, everything felt numb, even the tears stopped a while ago.

He then remembered the woman in the orphanage, the hard stare; the cry of pain from Hoya and the hatred eyes of Myungsoo.

It was worth?

Everyone hated him, so why did he tried to protect them from the media, and then he evoked the small smile from the kid and how happy he was when Hyukjae told him he was there to help.

Hyukjae chuckled even when it hurt his lungs, yes, it was worth the punishment because he protected the place that was home, real home for that kid he doesn’t known and even so feels empathy; it was worth because he protected what he never had, a warm place to live and a kind hand to help him when he was sad.

∞~~~~~*~~~~~∞

“I don’t think you should go to school” Hyukjae remembered the words the medic told him after making the first aid to him, he nodded telling he was fine, he wasn’t.

“What happened? He loves you Spencer.” Hyukjae smiled that time, he was not Spencer.

“It’s okay.” Hyukjae did not want to stand from bed, his clock kept sounding and he sighed, getting ready to school and he stood slowly, wincing and he saw the carpet, it had some drops of blood, and he closed his eyes holding the pain, his father did that to him, it wasn’t as before, each time was worse, maybe someday his father will really kill him. No, he was his father after all, he could not… maybe.

“Good mor-” Minhee stopped setting the plates in the small table in the kitchen and furrowed her brows “something happened?” she asked worriedly and Hyukjae shook his head taking a seat.

“Just tired”

She looked at him for a long moment, he was paler than before, his lips were dry and his eyes were red and hollow.

“I’m here Hyukjae, I can be just a maid yet I’m here you know”, she said before setting the breakfast and Hyukjae wanted to throw up, his insides were in pain, the medic told him it wasn’t so critical as to interning him, he must not eat a lot and don’t force his body, relax, he said.

“Can I have just tea, please?”

She nodded and saw the small sips he took slowly, the clock s