Third – Person Pov

The homeroom teacher along with other teachers of 7^th grade request to hold a meeting with the director regarding the matter going on with Byun Baekhyun. The meeting begins with Ms. Kim showing the couple of pictures of several marks on Baekhyun’s hands and a few on his face.

All the teachers tentatively looking at Director’s reaction to the marks on the child’s body

“Goodness” The Director sighed taking off his glasses in the process

“And what  did the child say ?” he asked

“He panicked when I took the pictures and made an excuse that  he is clumsy and keeps tripping” Ms. Kim replied with concern

Before The Director could respond Ms. Kim continued by saying such an answer made no sense and that the child could get such scars from falling down. The exasperation in her voice made it clear how scared she was for her student, Teachers and Director exchange glances

“I’m 100 % sure he is lying!!”

“Alright Miss Kim, have you got the chance to interact with the child’s mother”

“Yes, I’ve met his mother once, she did not like the fact we were over questioning with her during the last parent-teacher meet during that time Baekhyun had been falling ill quite frequently and was not able to attend classes  and such”

“First, will have to put some request for assistance and pay them a visit at home, with that we might be able to get some idea and-“

“What about after that –” Ms. Kim cuts off the director, Director pauses for second and continues “To be honest, even if the child has injuries like that and if both the parents and the child continue to say that he has bumped into something or fallen down we cannot do much, Ms. Kim.

“So our job is to visit them at home to see if the child is safe, and if it is necessary we will work alongside the police and give them a stern warning, We’ll keep an eye on them for like three to six months or so alongside that we will also visit them once a month ”

“Sir, Don’t you think we should take the child out of the house immediately, I’m saying this after quite a repeated pattern of the events which have happened lately”

“In our country, parental authority is considered to be quite important due to deeply rooted Confucian values, stressing filial piety and respect for elders, many South Koreans still consider children to belong to their parents. And because of such Laws we cannot just ignore the authority the parents have!... Also to investigate and forcibly removing their child from their home is even more impossible”

Baekhyun’s Pov

I lay awake in the bed for a while now, since today is a weekend I want to wake up late, I  pretend to close my eyes every time Mom or Ahjusshi passes by my sleeping bag, I finally decide to wake up I want to feel fresh and go out for a walk and maybe get some work at the restaurant.

Mom and Ahjusshi are talking and I hear T.V playing in the background I slowly get up my hurts like I did a lot of exercise, I guess I fell pretty badly in the washroom yesterday.

Suddenly I’m reminded of the sweet gesture by Sunbae, my heart is filled with warmth at the flashback of Sunbae’s concerned gaze.

I slightly slap my heated cheeks at the memory and stretch my arms and feet and standing up .i go to the washroom to brush my teeth.

I put the paste on my brush start brushing with my eyes closed when I hear the bathroom door open since we have attached basin to brush and bathroom.

I turn to see its ahjusshi, “This little is awake ?” I don’t look at him but I automatically low down the noise I was supposedly making while I brushed my teeth.

Suddenly Ahjusshi grabs my hair from behind and glares at me for not responding or looking at him.

“Why don’t you just go to sleep for forever!?” he asked leaving my hair and shaking my head in the process which causes the toothpaste foam to choke my throat, I quickly open the tap water and cough out the leftover toothpaste foam and gargle a bit before wiping my face.

I go back to my room which is basically a storeroom I quickly change my clothes and leave the house, Mom barely seems to notice as she talking to someone on the phone.

It’s almost around noontime I go sit outside the convenience store in the neighborhood

I check for something in my if you have some money, thankfully I have a few coins and the chit Sunbae gave me.

I brought myself a bottle of banana milk and drink as slowly as possible, I open the chit it has Sunbae’s number on it, I have seen it plenty number of times I think I memorized after opening and folding it back.

But I don’t even have a phone maybe I can use Mom’s old button phone, which she doesn’t know she has put it along with things in the storeroom.

After strolling in the neighborhood for few hours I look up and see I guess it should be past lunchtime, I think should try to find out that phone with that thought I reached home and quietly went to the storeroom in search of the phone, Storeroom being a storeroom was very dusty to the extent I had given up on my search until my eyes fell upon this really old box of my old stuff and I found the black button phone I shuffle more to search for the charger and I find one ,I keep the phone to charge.

Suddenly, I heard someone knocking at our doorstep, I could hear mom murmuring something to Ahjusshi when he snapped but did not shout too loudly as someone was outside, I walk to the corridor to hear the familiar voice …

“Baekhyun? Is someone home ?”

Where have I heard this voice … Ms. Kim ?!

I think Mom too recognized her voice, no wonder she was fretting so much, my mom didn’t like her much the last time Ms. Kim asked her multiple questions.

Mom glanced at me with an angry expression, I looked else where in worry

We both attend to Ms. Kim, “ Baekhyun-ah you are at home, What took you so long? Hello Mrs. Byun, I’m Baekhyun’s homeroom teacher”.

 Mom nods, Ms. Kim bends forward to pat my head as I hide behind mom.

“Mrs. Byun, I came to check up as Baekhyun was not well …well he has not been well for quite a while”

“I’m aware” Mom replied coldly

“Um...Baekhyun has injuries on other body parts as well” Ms. Kim stated skeptically

“I know …Did you come to ask if I was the one who did it ?”

Ms. Kim seemed to be taken aback  from the bashful response

“Ms. Kim, I’ve always been weak since I was a kid, Right Mom ?.” I barged in an attempt to cool down the tension between them.

Mom looked away like I had spoken some nuisance

“I heard there is some man living with two of—“

“Ms. Kim, I make a living on my own and raise my kid alone, I go to work at 10 am and come back at 8 pm, What am I supposed to do with my child? Should I lock him up? Also do I need to tell my kid’s homeroom teacher if I am seeing a man or not ..?”

Ms. Kim pressed her lips in a straight line, she had no answer to what mom asked...

“Ms. Kim, I’m sorry, I will try to build a strong immunity and come regularly and these marks I said pointing at them I just keep falling I’ve told you about it, Yes ?”

Mom leaves me alone with Ms. Kim, I bow towards Ms. Kim as she leaves

While leaving Ms. Kim catches a glimpse of Ahjusshi who was also peeping through the glass window shield, it takes her a moment to walk away she rubs her left arm like people do when they get goosebumps.

I look down and close the door slowly I go to the storeroom to sleep, I know it is odd time to sleep but that’s the only solution I have to save myself from Ahjusshi’s anger

I close my eyes counting to sleep, I feel teary due to the embarrassment I had to face in front of the homeroom teacher, I think I have run out of excuses to give to Ms. Kim

Suddenly I feel a shadow looming in front of me, suddenly the zip to my sleeping bag is opened, its Ahjusshi

Frightened, I sit up immediately trying to divert the tears in my eyes

“Did you cry ?”

I shake my head in response “You didn’t cry right? Cause if you cry, you’ll die” he ruled out

I try to calm myself down  by taking deep breaths and thinking about something to divert my mind

Ahjusshi harshly pulls me out of the sleeping bag dragging me by the collar to the window where the computer for video games was set up

I try not to make any sound when he dragged me not even when he banged me against the wall, Mom doesn’t seem to be around its almost dinner time , maybe she had gone to buy dinner

“But...Ahjusshi we live on the first floor.. I won't die from here ..right ?”

Ahjusshi smirked, I know he will attack me after what I said, still I said that anyway, I’m not afraid to die, I want to die at least dying would be better than this living hell.

I don’t know what had struck me I had pulled at the newly charged old button phone when Ahjusshi was dragging me and I had snuck it  under my sleeve

“You know how you will die, I will press you down here like this, really really hard,” he said  while grabbing my neck slowly causing goosebumps all over my body

His pitch-black gaze puts me into cold sweats running down my body.

I carefully slide down the button phone and place it in my hands as he holds my gaze, I don’t pray but if there is someone there I really hope, I wish I can run away from this depressing house, from this state I’m in

“And you know what will happen to you …” he continues tightening the hold on my throat I slowly start dialing Sunbae’s Phone number.

“Your eyes will swell up it will bulge out and will pop right out of your eyes ” my vision starts to become blurry due to tears gathering in my eyes. I trace my numb fingers against the button of the old phone in my hand and press the remaining digits

This is my last Chance ….

Sunbae, You are my only option

“There will be this liquid similar to the color of your blood …You know it is sticky like that of your saliva.. and you will die !” his whisper echoed loudly in the brain , since his hold had tightened beyond the bearable level I tried to gasp for oxygen but couldn’t get any.

I think I had dropped the button phone which went unheard to Ahjusshi’s ears as he saw my eyes my rolling up.

My grandmother used to tell me when we die a flashback of happy memories flow in front of your eyes

I guess I don’t have any …..

A flashback of Gran’s face  and Chanyeol Sunbae’s warm gaze run through my  head before I fall on the ground

Third –Person Pov

Baekhyun’s lithe body falls on the ground, Baekhyun mother comes back empty handed  “Oppa, there is nothing good available here, Lets go out !”

She sees her boyfriend squatting on the ground with Baekhyun collapsed on the ground along, she assumes it is another beating given after which Baekhyun has collapsed

“What Happened to him ?”

“He’s sleeping”

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*GOOSEBUMPS*

HI Guys ! its was really hard to type the last part , it was quite painful !!

Lets pray Chanyeol saves Baek !!!