JR awoke to the empty apartment on Monday morning and began to get dressed for school. He sprayed some nice lilac air freshener he had bought at the market the other day around the house and opened up the small window. Since Mark had made him pancakes that one morning, JR had bought some from the supermarket and had eaten them everyday since. After finishing his breakfast he fastened on his shoes and set off for school, ready to start afresh and anew.

His first class was English and he took a seat beside Mark at the back of the room. Mark smiled as JR approached, “How was your weekend! I’m sorry I couldn’t get round to the café, I had a lot of work…” Mark said apologetically. JR waved him off and sat down, taking out his books, “It was fine! I went shopping and I got ice cream too, it’s the nicest thing!” JR exclaimed at him. Mark cocked his head, “You’ve never had ice cream? Boy you’ve missed out…” The lesson began and the teacher took out a verb list and got people in the class to read off verbs. JR was especially surprised to hear how good Jaebum’s English was, he was having a full on conversation with the teacher in English. JR’s English was very basic and broken but the teacher seemed happy with his progress so far.

She went on to go over some vocabulary and some verb tenses before taking out her textbook and speaking to the class, “Next week you’ll have a project to submit to me and I’ve already taken the liberty to choose your partners”. Mark looked at JR hopefully as she continued, “…Chowon, you will be with Jackson, Mark Tuan, you will be with Bam and finally, JR, you will be with Jaebum”. JR just stared at the teacher whilst Mark nudged JR before whispering, “Oh hell”. The bell rang for the next period and everyone got up and left the class, Mark waving goodbye to JR whilst JR just stood there with his backpack, watching as Jaebum walked up to the teacher and complained to her in English. He tried to follow the conversation as he heard his named being mentioned, “Can’t I be in a group with someone else? I just don’t understand why I have to be with HIM,” Jaebum complained. JR was taken back and tried to leave the room quietly before the teacher turned around to him, “Jaebum, you apologise to JR right now. I expect you two boys to have your project handed into me next week, ok?” Jaebum grunted and pushed past JR, leaving the room.

It wasn’t until Lunch when JR could finally meet up with Mark and discuss what had occurred earlier in English class. JR had just left his Maths class and had begun to cross the courtyard when he was cornered and surrounded by Jaebum’s gang, their grinning faces looking down at him. Jackson spoke first and JR identified him as the leader, “Aw poor little baby” he grabbed his cheek and squeezed it a little, “Do you need your hyungs to tell you where the cafeteria is?” JR winced back and banged into one of the other guys who was called Youngjae. He chuckled and put his arms around JR, picking him up and putting him over his shoulder, “I bet lots of men have picked you up like this, did your mom teach you all her tricks?” JR tried to kick against the guy’s back but was silenced by Jackson holding him in place. Youngjae piped up again, “Quickly, take whatever you can” before setting JR down and pushing him up against a wall. JR began to cry whilst the other boys began to take what they could, taking his money and some books. He pushed back against the force of Youngjae’s shoulders but couldn’t muster any strength. Instead he just stood there, sobbing as the boys stole his money. Jackson chuckled and patted his head, “Don’t worry baby we won’t hurt you, not now anyway” before coming in close to his ear. Jackson then slide his hand down JR’s back, making his skin crawl, and slowly rested his hand on his , squeezing it slightly. JR yelped and his hairs stood up on end as Jackson whispered to him, “I’ll be back for that little , don’t worry”. JR gulped and fell to the ground as the boys ran off, sobbing into his knees.

“You need to actually hand your work in on time Mr Im, ok?” Jaebum shrugged and left the classroom, angry that his biology teacher had kept him late. He made his way across the courtyard and stopped in his tracks when he spied a figure curled up into a little ball, sobbing at the wall. He squinted to see that it was JR. He ran two steps in front of him before stopping himself and asking, “Why are you running Jaebum?” He shrugged to himself and continued to walk towards the cafeteria; the sounds of the sobs become almost deafening in the empty and silent courtyard. Jaebum finally gave in and walked over to the crying boy, standing over him and rolling his eyes, “What’s up kid?” JR’s eyes shot up and he scampered away a few inches before coughing, “N-nothing” he muttered. Jaebum squinted his eyes and knelt down, “What’s wrong, it’s not everyday I ask you what’s wrong, do you want me to hit-?” “Your friends- they took my money…” JR muttered before sobbing again. Jaebum stood up and shook his head before throwing down a few notes to JR, “Clean yourself up man” he muttered before walking off. JR grabbed the money and stood up, “I don’t need your money, I don’t need anyone’s money” He shouted before kicking himself inside for shouting at Jaebum. Jaebum turned around, grinning. ‘Finally’ he thought, ‘Finally this kid was standing up for himself’. He wiped his lip with his finger and began to speak slowly, “Keep the money” JR interrupted him, “No. I don’t want it.” Jaebum walked up to JR, slowly pushing him against the wall with his hips, “If you don’t keep that money I will knock your face so hard against this wall-“ before Jaebum could even finish, JR had pushed him off and had ran away. Jaebum rolled his eyes and shouted after him, “We have to work on our project after school, I’ll meet you after class” before he made his way to the cafeteria, secretly happy that JR had begun to stand up for himself. As JR ran away, he stopped behind a pillar and smiled to himself, although he didn’t quite know why he was smiling to himself.

At first, being paired with the wimpy kid was Jaebum’s worst nightmare but now he began to see the positives. Firstly, he would be getting a good grade out of it and secondly the kid didn’t seem to be all that bad. Jaebum noted that they had some of the same interests and maybe even one day, they could be friends. He shook his head as he walked out to meet JR, they could be friends in a perfect world, not a high school world where popularity and status was everything. It was natural selection and who was Jaebum to feel sorry for people who weren’t popular. He nodded at JR who was standing by a pillar awkwardly clutching his bag, “Follow me” he muttered before walking off to the private car waiting for him. Jaebum slid into the car and threw his bag on the floor. They sat there for a few seconds until Jaebum looked out the window to see JR struggling with the door. He muffled a smile and opened the door for him, smirking slightly. JR slid into the car and sat awkwardly while they sped off to Jaebum’s house.

Arriving at the apartment, JR was astounded to see such wonders such as electronic gates, key cards and even a receptionist. In his own apartment there were no such things, the doors barely had locks on them. Jaebum muttered to his father and continued to walk up to his room. JR stood there and bowed at him, “Hi sir, I’m-“ he began before being yanked by the bag by Jaebum. He rolled his eyes as he pushed JR into his room, “You don’t need to show him any respect, don’t worry”.

To Jaebum’s surprise, the two actually finished the project earlier than expected and it wasn’t even dinnertime yet. The two sat awkwardly on Jaebum’s bed, just looking around the place, avoiding eye contact. JR sat there, his hands clasped together before he spoke up, “Your house is really nice…” he trailed off before looking up at Jaebum. “You mustn’t be used to any of this stuff” he started before picking up the guitar and showing JR, “This is a guitar, we play music on it!” JR rolled his eyes playfully, “I know what a guitar is, I’m not that stupid” Jaebum laughed and set it down, “I play guitar you know…”

The two continued the awkward albeit pleasant conversation and at the end of it were even laughing as if they were old school chums. Jaebum didn’t even realise how much fun he was having with JR until he went and looked at his desk, Jaebum relaxing on the bed. He closed his eyes and when he opened them JR was holding up some sheets of paper, looking at them. Jaebum shot up and looked over his shoulder, “What are you doing” he asked, glaring down JR’s neck. JR turned around, almost smiling before he saw Jaebum’s expression, “I was just-“ Jaebum pushed him up against the wall, holding him by the waist, “Don’t you dare go through my writings, they’re for my eyes only” he muttered. JR looked back at him and gulped, “I’m sor-“ “And another thing, don’t come up to me in school, we’re not friends and this little ‘play-date’ today, never happened. You hear?” JR nodded slowly and dropped the papers before bowing. Jaebum rolled his eyes, “Stop bowing you look like a clown…didn’t you mother or father ever teach you not to look through other people’s things?” Before Jaebum had even realised what he said, JR had broken off from his grip and grabbed his bag, running out of the house. “Wa…it” he muttered before shaking his head and sitting down on the bed, holding his head with his hands.  ‘Why was this happening’ he whispered before lying back on the bed.

“Mom…things are still hard but I don’t want you to worry about me, I’m going to be fine on my own” JR had decided to go and visit his mother after the incident with Jaebum. It wasn’t easy getting back home and after taking two wrong buses, JR finally arrived in his district. He left his mother’s grave and climbed over the industrial estate and walked to his apartment. He passed the various drug dealers and abusers on the stairs up to his apartment, nodding at them and trying to go unnoticed. He got changed into his work uniform and had a quick wash before walking to work. He was working late tonight and wouldn’t get back until two tonight.

The shift was slow but picked up at about ten o clock when lots of students poured in with their various textbooks and smartphones. Two people caught JR’s attention the most, and he stopped to stare as they walked in, Mark with one of Jaebum’s friends, the one he identified as Bam. He gulped and jumped behind the counter until Mark walked up to find him, “Yah JR what are you doing hiding behind the counter like this?” he asked, walking up hands in his pocket. JR looked up feebly, “I’m just looking for some…oil” Mark laughed at him and helped him up, “I want you to come meet Bam, he’s a very nice guy” “You do realise who he is, right?” Mark nodded and smiled, “But he’s different, I swear, just you come and see”. JR walked over behind Mark, looking down before Bam stood up and bowed, “It’s nice to finally meet you” he said awkwardly before sitting back down again. JR nodded and bowed back a little, “Sit down JR, your boss said you had a break now anyway” Mark said, pushing JR down on the seat. “Well, go ahead and tell him,” Mark said to Bam. JR looked up, raising his eyebrow before Bam began to speak, “If I have ever hurt you, and I know I have, I apologise for it”

Mark smiled whilst Bam continued, “I just want you to know it wasn’t intentional, it was and it is out of fear of Jackson that we act like that, he scares everyone” JR nodded a little, “Thank you, it’s fine though I’m really okay-“ “No, you’re not okay and it’s not okay to treat someone like that, what I did was terrible and I am truly sorry for it Jin Young”. Mark nodded and clapped his hands a little, “See JR? School will be a better place from now on!” Bam smiled and nodded in agreement, “The whole gang is falling apart and everyone is tired of how Jackson continues to persecute and terrorise the younger kids” he shook his head in disgust, “It’s disgusting really so I’ve decided I’m not his friend anymore”. JR smiled and for the first time, felt like tomorrow at school would be a good day, “I’m so…I feel happy” he said before Mark laughed and placed his hand on JR’s thigh, “School will be a better and safer place from now on with us two as your buds” Bam added, “You can count on us mate”. JR smiled back and nodded, getting up to return to his work. He was in a much better mood than before and actually felt safe, one of the things he had never felt in Seoul. When he went to sleep that night, he went to sleep happy and content, actually feeling a strange desire or ‘want’ to go to school the next day.

Whilst JR met up with Bam and Mark at the café, that very same night Jaebum had decided to drink. His father had whisked his girlfriend off to Beijing for the week and Jaebum was home alone. He found the first thing he could and drank it, it just so happened to be a bottle of Jameson’s Whiskey. Shot after shot, glass after glass, bottle after bottle, Jaebum was drunk and staggered around his apartment, smashing glasses and trying to find his way out. He wanted to escape, he wanted to be free of his daily mundane life and so he left the apartment, forgetting his key card and stumbled down the stairs, past the night guard, and made his way into Seoul. He still had on his uniform from earlier and so stayed in the shadows so as to avoid any police or others that may find him. He trailed his fingers along the gate to the park and climbed over it, hitting his knee on the way down and tumbling into a pile of bushes and flowers. He coughed and hit the ground with a thud, unable to move his back. He groaned in pain and confusion and lay there, laughing to himself about nothing. He thought of the future, the past, his mother and even JR, the stupid little kid at school whom he thought about far too often. How he wanted to just hold him, even for a second, and tell him it would all be okay. He shook his head and laughed, falling unconscious in the bushes in the park by the school he was meant to be attending in four hours.

JR woke at ten minutes to nine and jolted out of bed, barely brushing his teeth and hair as he darted out of the door carrying his bag. He was late to school but if he ran he could just make it. He darted out of the apartment and made his way onto the main road, running with his head down until he banged straight into someone’s back. He went flying back onto his bum and looked up, holding onto his bag to see that it was Jackson and his gang. He gulped and jolted up, backing away a bit. Jackson turned around, smirking at him, “You made me drop my cigarette” he muttered before taking a step forward. JR backed away a bit, looking at the school in the distance, “I’m sorry- I wasn’t looking-“ Jackson stopped him and came in close to his ear, “Do you wanna play?” JR looked at him before he continued, “I’ll make it worth your time, how much did your mom charge by the hour? I can double that, wait no I'll just give you what I have right now, nine...three..seven two!” JR gulped and looked at him with frightful eyes before shaking his head. Jackson grinned, “I’ll give you three seconds to run”. JR gulped and his heels running, conscious of the fact that there were pairs of feet running after him.

Whilst running he mentally tried to figure out the best way to school, the best detours and the most crowded streets, somewhere where he could possibly blend in. He chose the detour and when he turned the corner he slunk into the park, still running ahead of him. He took a look back but before he could see, his foot slammed into the trunk of a tree and he went flying into the bushes, his back falling in front of him. He yelped and screamed a little before falling onto the ground and rolling down a little hill. He hit the ground with a thud and landed on something squishy. He looked down and saw Jaebum staring right back up at him. He opened his mouth to gasp but before he could do so, Jaebum had placed a finger to his own mouth and leaned up to kiss JR on the lips. JR’s eyes widened as the running feet of Jackson and his gang, oblivious to Jaebum and JR in the bushes, ran past them out of the park. Jaebum lay back down, grinning up at JR with hooded eyes before falling unconscious again, snoring in JR’s face.