ONE
She's Merely A Lost Girl
“I’m sorry but whether you like it or not you’re going to that school tomorrow!” Hyojoo shouts from the kitchen. She is in the middle of unpacking all the dry food their relatives gave them.
“But I don’t want to go that school. Transfer me to another school, or just let me quit so I can work instead. I'd do anything except go to that school. Like, haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?” She asks with a slightly higher voice tone, her eyes red from lacking of sleep, as she turns to face his younger brother. “Heard what exactly Dongwoon?”
“That school is full of delinquencies who bully students for fun, okay and some of the victims even had to kill themselves just to run away from that Death Valley. Do you know how scary that makes that school look? I don’t want to waste my teen life in such a horrible place.” Dongwoon says, looking determined.
“Look,” Hyojoo releases a heavy sigh from her lips. This is giving her headache. “I have a lot in my mind right now, much more important that entertaining some young confused teen with his fear of starting anew, but guess what? I’m gonna a big sister here and kindly ask you to give it a try first. Then only I would reconsider this nonsense.”
“One day and that’s all.”
“No. One week and then I would reconsider.”
“Two days,” Dongwoon snaps.
“Four days and that’s it.” Her sister is already giving him a piercing stare.
“I’ll take it.”
“And tomorrow is the day one.”
“But-”
“Dongwoon,” she pleads. “Please.”
“You used the magic word,” he says through his clenched teeth. “I have no choice.”
Hyojoo pats his shoulder and his dark brown hair. “Good boy. Now, if you’re not going to lend me a hand, you might as well go stray off into this incredible neighbourhood and start to make friends.”
“Urgh,” he snorts. “I’m going upstairs. My bedroom is the only normal place in this whole wide world after the kitchen.”
Hyojoo chuckles when he said that. She slaps his and says, “Do whatever you want, freak.”
Without looking back, he fires back, “You’re a freak, having obsession over your own biological brother.”
“That’s because you’re a handsome guy okay.”
Then they both laugh.
“Yeah I knew that,” Dongwoon says as he climbs the stairs.
==
The bell rings and all the students start to scatter around, finding their classes, leaving behind a confused new student, Dongwoon. How is he going to survive?
He stares back at the white piece of paper which stated his classes. Okay. So, lesson number one is World History and it takes place in the library. Where the heck is library? He quickly carries his feet and just wonders off to any corner in the school hallway. As he turns left, he hears a boy begging to spare his life from a group of fierce-looking students. O God. School bullies. He gathers some courage to jeer his head over the wall and peeks to see what's going on.
“!” The bully’s voice echoes throughout the whole hallway. It is a quiet place. No wonder that evil student does it there. He then adds, “Your face alone is a joke to me and I ing hate jokes like you. Especially a pathetic one like yourself!” That tall built student with a dragon ear-pierce spits on that poor little student who is holding back his sobs.
“Please, let me go. I’ll pay you whatever you want, but please let me go. Please...O God, help me!” That poor dude couldn’t contain himself from not crying.
“bag! I don’t need your filthy money! ! Guys, hold him” The horrid man then laughs as he starts to undo his jeans zip. His bully mates are also laughing along and grip his arms tight against the locker. Dongwoon is honestly taken aback when the big bully actually takes out his . That darn .
“Stop whatever I’m thinking you’re doing. Please,” Dongwoon shouts as he steps forward. “Don’t do that. Keep that- I mean your ‘thing’ back to where it belongs and just- stop. Please. He’s shaking for God’s sake.” Truth be told he’s shaking as well.
Junhyung is startled by Dongwoon’s sudden rescue. Who the heck is this douche?
“What the are you thinking you’re doing?” A deep female voice comes from Junhyung’s behind and the bully turns around. Instead of feeling scared by the threatening voice, he pulls her close and starts to kiss her and she kisses back passionately. Moments later she shoves him away.
“Junhyung, please zip up your pants. You’re not planning on peeing on him, are you?” She crosses her arms and takes a couple of seconds for awhile to glance at shaking Junhyng’s victim.
Junhyung sighs and he lazily zips his pants. “You’re a bummer, Jia.”
“Sweetheart,” she rubs her temple. “You’re gonna get us all in trouble with that habit of yours. Why don’t you just beat the outta him?”
“Gosh...” Junhyung his tired neck. “Okay. But it won’t be as fun now that you and that jerk outta nowhere stop this fun train ride.”
And Dongwoon swallows hard as Jia and Junhyung turn their heads to face him.
“I mean no harm, really I do,” Dongwoon stammers.
Jia approaches Dongwoon as Junhyung gets back to his game. She insolently surveys his terrified expression but it is well-hidden.
“Who the are you?”
“No one.”
“No. That’s what you’re about to become if you don’t get the outta here,” Jia says as she looks at him in disgust.
The poor kid earlier is shouting and begging for Junhyung to stop and every time the shouting is heard, Dongwoon feels really bad for him he almost cries now.
"Look, if you could just tell your boyfriend over there to stop treating that poor kid like a dead veggie. I’ll pay you, I swear no matter how much that guy owes your boyfriend. But if you could just talk to him into-”
“That sounds sweet but it scares the outta me. Unless you don’t beat it, that boyfriend of mine will mark you.”
So talking to his girlfriend doesn’t help. He pushes her away and moves forward. It is a little too late for him to realize that the girlfriend falls flat to the floor.
Dongwoon turns to his right to find the girl not by his side. Oh !
Junhyung stops beating that kid and he scowls uglier than Hulk looks when he skips dinner as Junhyung sees his girlfriend is rubbing her red elbow, next to Dogwoon’s ing feet. “You motherer!”
He sprints towards Dongwoon and is about to shove him hard on the ground before he is stopped by Jia.
“Junhyung, don’t!” Jia fixes his dark gaze over to Dongwoon. “I’ll handle this asslord.”
She stomps her feet over to Dongwoon and grabs him up by his collar. She stares deep with her cold eyes and they hold his with endless hatred. “Mark today, you piece of bull as this is the day where a like you starts to live in hell.” She then pushes him hard and walks away.
Junhyung runs after her girlfriend and before he gets out of Dongwoon’s sight, Junhyung shows the -you finger sign to Dongwoon and he could picture nothing but a pitch black future if he continues to study there.
==
When he gets home, he finds a note and 10 dollar note bills stick on the door of the fridge. The note reads, “I’m on a late night’s shift and won’t be home until midnight. Get yourself anything to eat. Love, Hyojoo.”
He crumples the paper and tosses it into a bin nearby. He grabs the bills and stuffs it in his pocket. He goes upstairs into his room and just lays flat on the bed.
Dongwoon can’t sleep. He gets up and walks to the mirror. He stares at his pathetic reflection in the mirror. He was a mess and if only his sis were home now, he would get an earful for not being a man. Maybe this would change her mind and enrol him into another school. He grins. Yeah. Maybe. Hopelessly, he gets back to bed.
It is nine when his stomach starts to growl. He is famished and either he grabs his dinner now or suffers the consequences. Lazily he gets off the bed, changes into fresh clothes and takes the money his sister gave and gets out of his room. While he is climbing down the stairs, he hears a splashing sound from outside of his house. What was that? Then he sees two dark shadows of two men running away with the obvious sound of footsteps.
He quickly approaches the front door and swings it open. His heart falls as he sees red liquid smearing all over the door. And he is not hungry anymore. To top if all, he gotta scrub the whole door to get the red stain oof before her sister comes home.
==
Dongwoon already picture this one coming. His locker is badly dented inward, some guy pushes him off the stairs and he skips half of the stairs by soaring in the air, then there’s a freaking rotten egg all over his PE attire and every time he gets inside one the toilet stalls, he is locked from outside and drain water, as it smells like one, would be poured from above and no matter how much he tries to avoid it, the splash is too enormous. HIS LIFE FROM NOW ON IS OFFICIALLY CURSED. Is he in some sort that drama where the girl gets bullied like hell by the F4 dudes before she falls in love with him? Or he would fall first? Whichever, he despises the idea. Who would want such a violent girlfriend anyway? Not him, thank you.
Four days as promised passed and Dongwoon is home, lounging on his couch, watching Glee. It is 3.30 p.m.. and Hyojoo is off duty. She brings back home some groceries.
Dongwoon, like a little child running towards his mom, gets of the couch and hustles towards his sister. He even runs over the tall Vintage vase that sits gingerly next to the couch set.
“Food!”
“Watch it there you ravenous creature. I can see your hunger is raging within you but I would appreciate some nice manners.”
Dongwoon’s thin lips curve into an apologetic smile. “Welcome home big sis.”
Hyojoo smiles afterwards. “What have you been doing?”
“Nothing.”
“So, what does Starstruck High School sound to you again?” Her sister asks with a high hope. Please let him change his mind. Pretty please.
More like nightmares, where ing clowns with red big noses picking on weak students like it’s their obligation as fellow students. He doesn’t even have any friends. But certainly Dongwoon is far too sane to utter such words, so he just says, “I don’t like it there.”
“Have you given it a try?”
“That 4-hellish days were my try and I swear to God that school-” Hyojoo’s expression makes his heart feel heavy. He tightens his mouth embittered. He grabs a nearest tool chair before he takes Hyojoo’s hands and squeezes his sister’s hands to keep them warm. “I really don’t want to study there, big sis.”
Hyojoo runs through his little brother’s hair with her right hand, the other is still in his. “Okay. But it’s gonna take some time before you leave that school.”
“You mean-”
“Look, I did my part and keep my words. So if you could do me favour and just bear with it for another one week or two, you’ll leave there in no time.”
“Fine. One week or two and that’s about it. Any further than that I’m quitting school and would just register into any other school like a boss.”
“You freak,” Hyojoo laughs hearing his humorous threat.
==
Dongwoon is tossing his Algebraic textbook when some hand from his left purposely pushes other textbooks that are in his hold. The books fall hard on the ground and they hit his foot, but he manages to stay composed and bends down to pick up the book nevertheless.
The studded red Prada pumps with blue heart-shaped diamond at the centre plays menace as she kicks the bloody book away even before he gets to touch them. Jia smiles cockily as she crosses her arms.
“Haven’t had enough?” She raises one of her perfectly arched brow.
A 5-seconds silence drums in her ears before he opens his mouth and says, “Thanks. I never needed those books anyway. In fact, you’ve just saved your so-called reputation by kicking’em away before I get to dunk those useful books into your ing Goddamn pretty face so some of the intelligence will be absorbed smoothly like how friggin’ Spongebob Square absorbs water. I guess kicking people’s faces is how you work on those thunder thighs, don’t you?”
Dongwoon then walks away, feeling victorious and relieved that he finally stands up to his bully. Like seriously, how many people on earth have freaking guts like he do?
“STOP RIGHT THERE YOU !” The whole students register a note of hysteria in her voice and nobody ever wants that to happen. But it is. Some of the students begin to scatter and run, some of them take out their cellphones and record the scene while some of them just stand there, freezing.
“You ing bastard! How dare you speak to me like that?” She stomps forward, her eyes red, her neck strained and she is pointing at him and she gets close to him. “! Do you have any idea who I am?” She boldly grabs her collar and smashes him to the locker.
Dongwoon is scared by her venting but he is a freaking man and a freaking man doesn’t get threatened by this disgraceful creature, but the tight grasp around his collar is suffocating him. Dongwoon takes hold of her fist and squeezes it, giving it some force to push her away.
“Let go,” he says through his clenched teeth.
“You dare repeat those words again?”
“Look, before I lose my patience-”
PANG! She slaps him hard across his face and as much as it kills her to do so, she feels good. She grins big looking at him in pain. Dongwoon’s head goes blackout for awhile but he decides that it is yet to surrender. He pulls himself together and grabs Jia’s collar in return. Her body is pulled close to him and everybody who watches have their jaws dropped. He drags her body around and slams her hard against his locker. This should taste her own medicine now.
“, listen up and you better listen up good. Since the very first day I have a ty hunch about this school and guess what? It truly lives up to my expectations. It exceeds as the matter of fact. Yeah, certainly with you, a ed up female student torturing the outta my pathetic life, outta everyone’s pathetic life just to make yourself and all your other ing bully feel better. Think everyone’s just a piece of trash. Think everyone’s just another mistakes brought into this world. But do tell me, and better be completely honest okay? Do you truly feel great about yourself when you do so? Do you feel divine having to turn people’s life into such tragedy? Don’t you know that some of us may not be the same once we were scarred by your playful tricks? Some of us may end up dead in the bathtub, with our wrists slit up or hanging from ropes feeling regrets over to ever encounter into a jerk like you, a jerk who never feels good enough about herself, a jerk who feels like she has got to show these kids who’s the real boss just to ing gain their respect and acknowledgement, a jerk who experiences the least love, probably least compared to her victims, a jerk who actually thinks she is a mistake brought into this world. But she’s not. I think she is merely lost.”
Jia doesn’t bat her eyelids from the start of Dongwoon’s truthful hurl. Suddenly, when Dongwoon lets go, her eyes glisten with tears. She tries hard to hold her tears from flowing even more. She would never cry. She would stab her ing both eyes if she ever were to cry. Dongwoon vanishes from her sight and never bother to look back as she looks up. Her knees are weak. She collapses to the floor and cries silently as she drops her head in her knees, not caring about any whispers around her. No one even bother to console. Junyhung’s out of town. Her fellow friends- it, she has no friends. And as school ends, she is the last student to leave.
== (END OF FIRST PART)
;~~~~~~~~~; Okay, maybe not a one-shot…two-shots probably. ;)
Thanks a lot for reading anyway <3
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