Choi Hansol POV

"I hate it here," I told my parents honestly one day at dinner time. "And obviously they all hate me here too." I was a 6 year old kid that time and we just moved here in Seoul from New York because of my father's business. It was my second week in school and all the bigger kids picked on me for being, well, white. I know, they're all so stupid. They even told me that westerners should get out of Korea. It doesn't even make sense, I was half-Korean for crying out loud!

"And why is that, honey?" my mom asked as she put more food on my plate. "I said I hate it here. Let's just go back." I repeated  while pushing my plate away and leaning back on the chair as I crossed my arms ready to put on a tantrum. "Listen, please at least try to cope with this new environment." my mom pleaded. "At least try, I'm sure everything will be better. It's just that right now you're not used to it." she explained. "You'll gain new friends soon." my dad added.

"I don't want new ones, I liked my old friends back home. All the kids here are mean and stupid!" I raised my voice as I made a run for my room.

They don't understand me. It's not that I don't want new friends, it's because they don't want to be my friends. I wanted nothing else but to go back, I hate it here.

Days soon turned into months and before I knew it I have been here for already two painful years, on the same stupid school with the same stupid people. The bullying did not stop, in fact it had gotten worst, from the simple name calling it turned to physical. The big kids who used to call me names, got bigger and brain damage apparently came with the process so they got stupider and finally decided that "hey maybe we should start hitting Hansol 'cause we're never gonna be anywhere near as smart as him". Yes, I said that to their faces once while they were throwing all the contents of my bag on the sand box, that led to me getting my face hit three times but it sure was worth it!  

And that is where they all started hitting me for fun, 'cause I repeat, they're stupid and finally run out of words to say to me. 

So that continued again for another year, me friendless and me bullied, until one day this very pretty girl was introduced by our teacher to the whole class. Everyone was interested in her and they all wanted to be friends with her, but for some unknown reason she chose to sit right next to me during recess time.

All was shocked, including me, I just stared at her with a dumb expression on my face. "Hello," she greeted me. I was not able to say a thing, I just sat there staring at her. "So.... I'm guessing you speak English too?" she asked smiling at me. I finally got rid of my shock and nodded nervously. It had been so long since I last made a friend, and now I no longer know what to say or do. I was afraid to talk, she might leave me if I did so.

"That's cool! I was born in England actually, but I was raised in the States. You see, I'm Half Korean and half American like you..." she giggled. "Can we be friends? Please? I'm Seo Na Young, by the way." she looked so excited and happy. Once again, I just nodded.

As I was heading home the big kids, who only go to school to hit on me, finally spotted me. Oh they must have been overjoyed! Their only purpose in life is to ruin mine. Their leader came up to me and pinned me to the wall "Hey, Hansol! Stop being friends with Na Young. You shouldn't have any friends 'cause you're a loser!" he said as he spat on the floor. He must've thought he looked cool, but honestly he looked like a pig throwing up. I just laughed at him, he got pissed and hit me in the stomach, which cause me to kneel down in pain. All his other pig friends threw my bag far from me and started dragging me on the cemented ground to the back of the building. And there they started kicking and throwing punches at me. I took all of them, since there is no point in fighting back, that wouldn't make them stop anyway so I let them hit me. I figured long ago, that they'd get tired anyway, and so they did. They left me there lying on dirty ground, with bruises everywhere. They even broke my glasses. "Pigs!" I shouted after them as I tried to stand. They were too far to hear me though, if they heard me I was dead meat.

I took my glasses from the ground and tried limping to get my bag back. I was going to have to make up an excuse to my parents again. I thought out loud, "I can't say I fell down the stairs, I already "fell" last week. I can't say I tripped, my mom would ask why I have bruises even on my stomach, that would be stupid....." I was lost in my thoughts that I did not notice Na Young picking up my bag.

"Hansol," she called my attention. "What happened to you?" she asked with tears running down her pretty face as she examined my busted lip and bruised arms. I just took my bag from her and looked away. With that she wiped her tears with the back of her cardigan's sleeve and crossed her arms. "Little boy!" she called out. I did not look at her. "Little boy," she repeated. "You will look at me!" she ordered and so I finally did. "Good." she sat down next to her bag and took out some alcohol and her handkerchief.

"Hey little boy, why do you let them beat you up? Why don't you fight back?" she asked me while kneeling down to clean my wound with alcohol. It stings but I won't cry in front of her. "Does it still hurt?" she asked again while taking out a band aid from the pocket of her skirt.

"Of course it hurts, you just dumped the whole bottle of alcohol on my wounded knee.." I mumbled. She immediately asked me what I was saying, but I was not the type to repeat myself nor was I the type to talk actually. "Fine, don't answer me. But next time they try to hurt you, I'm going to hit them with my shoes!" with that I laughed, she was far smaller than me and here she was saying she'd protect me. I felt lame for a moment there, I can't possibly let a girl protect me, that would make me the greatest loser! "Seo Na Young," I called her name. "Yeah?" she smiled at me. "You talk too much you know." I laughed. "It's because you don't talk!" she replied.

From then on she never left me. Every time we were given sometime on the playground she would always drag me with her towards the slide, she had this weird habit of wanting to climb that actual slide instead of it's ladder. She says the more effort you put in the more fun it is when you finally got up there. To me it did not make sense but nonetheless I still played with her.

Having her on my side did not really made my bullies stop, but at least I had someone who can make me laugh no matter how much hits I've taken. 

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A/N: How was it? :D Comments? I appreciate them. ^^