He didnt know how things escalated into this. He never thought it’ll be this serious. All the jokes, the teases, were just meant as that; teases. He never thought he would take it seriously. No one ever did.

No one really knew this kid after all.

                                        ************************               

“Fattie !”

Jinseok lifted up his head and turned towards the direction of the voice. It was his cousin, Hyosuk. He ignored him, only to have Hyosuk call out the same thing again.

“Fattie Jin !”

He turned around angrily. “What ?! I’m not fat !”

Hyosuk stuck out his tongue at him. “Yes. Yes you are you fattie”. Just then, another one of Jinseok’s cousins came out. “Hey drumstick !” Dongjun called out.

Jinseok fumed. “I am not fat ! I am not a drumstick !”

“Have you seen your thighs Jinseok-ah ? They’re like big fat drumsticks” Dongjun replied, causing Hyosuk to cackle with glee.

Jinseok huffed and stomped his way towards his house. Everyday it was the same, his cousins teasing him for his body stature. Calling him all kinds of names. And he couldn’t avoid it. His grandparents were quite well off, and so when they died they left their seven children some land, which, is more than enough for them to build houses complete with their own yards. Jinseok’s own house is considered large, especially since only five people lived there. Him, his parents, his brother, and the maid.

The downside of it all, in Jinseok’s opinion, is that his relatives and cousins all lived in walking distance. And there was more to them than the constant teasing.

Jinseok ran into his house, flinging his shoes to the side, since the maid could pick it up later. He made his way into his room, slamming and locking the door shut. He flung his school bag to the side and stood in front of the long mirror in his room. He looked at his arms, his legs, his stomach. He pinched his cheeks and frowned. Was he really that fat ? It could probably be just their teasing. But then again, they aren’t the only ones who . Everybody did. His friends, his cousins, his aunts, uncles, his brother, his parents.

He made his way into the bathroom, thankful that no one else is home yet. His brother went to Hyosuk’s house the second they got off the school bus and his parents are still at work. The maid was probably cooking dinner in the kitchen. He opened the cabinet and took out the weighing scale, then stepped on it. He weighted 2kg less than the last time he weighted himself, which was a few months ago.

A frown made its way onto his face. If he lost 2 kg, then why did Hyosuk and Dongjun still called him fat ? He looked into the bathroom mirror. Well, the 2 kg seem to not make any difference in his body stature, as he still looked the same as he did before. He sighed as he returned to his room, once again standing in front of the long mirror.

He pinched his thighs and lifted his shirt, revealing his tummy. He in his breath only to release it again, as his stomach is pretty much the same. Maybe he is really fat. Maybe he is really a drumstick. Maybe he should lose it.

Maybe he really should.