Baekhyun stifles the yawn that is about to escape from his mouth as he sits in front of the dinner table, listening to his step mother's blabbering about how her necklace got stolen on the street today. He hates hearing the sound of her high-pitched voice, let alone looking her make-up-smeared face. But he has no choice right now because his father is home and he needs to be a good, young man who doesn't complain and always follows the rule. 

"Seriously! This country is really bad when it comes to security. I should've just taken the car, yeobo. See what happens when you don’t let me take the car." The lady says, and pouts. 

Baekhyun wants to roll his eyes around and puke. 

His father grunts, probably annoyed, “You can’t drive a car. You’ll only end up crashing it.”

“But… You can hire a driver for me.”

“Too much hassle.”

Sometimes, Baekhyun wonders why his father is very frugal despite their wealth.

"My neck still hurts, yeobo." She wraps her long, lean fingers on her neck and pretends to be sad.

Why she's doing that, Baekhyun doesn't understand. What he understands is that this witch is only interested in the money his father has. And she’s only acting like she’s in love with him to get his sympathy. Cliché. Yes. Baekhyun never thought this scenes could ever happen in real-life. But there he is, sitting back and watching the conversation like a high-definition movie. This is getting really boring and almost a routine but this is life. His life.

When Baekhyun’s father stops talking, the stepmother shuts , too. He speaks with finality and once his father has made a decision, there’s no more changing it. His father actually runs the house with an iron fist. Almost literally.

Actually, he wants to say something to his father after dinner. But because of the way his stepmother is giving him the "stares", Baekhyun changes his mind. Maybe later when the witch is not around. He starts to play with his food because he's not allowed to leave the table unless his father tells him so, or until his father finishes eating. That's a rule. And in this household, no one breaks the rules. 

“Baekhyun, how was your day?” His father asks him.

“It’s fine. Mr. Do came over today, as usual. I perfected his math tests, and the English tests, too.” Baekhyun’s voice is emotionless, like a machine programmed to say only the good things. What he actually wants to tell his father is that he wants to go to a real school. Not just home tutorial. He's been home schooled from the time he knew how to speak a word, that's why he doesn't have any friends.

But ever since Baekhyun’s mother died, he’s been kept inside the house all the more. No, wait. More like imprisoned inside the house. Actually, it’s been 10 years since he’s last seen the city.

“Good. What do you want as reward?” There is no warmth in his father’s voice.

Sometimes, Baekhyun wonders if his father only sees him as a computer machine that gives out satisfying results when paid. Everytime his father asks him about his studies, he answers with the same sentence but his father never noticed. Instead, the old man also asks him the same questions again and again and again. The repetitiveness of their conversations makes Baekhyun sick.

“Nothing.” He lies. But inside, he wants to scream out his desire to go to school. It doesn’t matter to him if his father won’t pay the school for him, he can do that just fine. All he wants is approval from this man he calls “Dad”.

The dinner goes on for what seems like forever. And Baekhyun’s heart breaks at the coldness of the place he calls home.

--

The letter sits in his desk, unopened, staring at him. Baekhyun stares back, leaning on his chair. It’s a letter from the university he wants to go to. He doesn’t know whether he should open it or just forget about it since he knows his father won’t allow him to go. The effort he's going to exert will only go to waste.

People say money can make you happy, but it’s not true. He’s got all the money his heart could want but there’s no happiness inside his heart. No contentment. No satisfaction. Instead, his heart is filled with sadness and a huge gaping hole sits in the middle of his chest. Money is not something Baekhyun needs. Life. That's what he wants. A real life.

Saving himself from this black hole of tiring mess is not even an option. He wonders if he’s going to stay like this forever.

No.

He doesn’t want this life. He wants out.

There is nothing he understands more than the fact that he only wants to be an independent 20-year-old boy. For God’s sake, he’s not sixteen anymore. The world outside is waiting for him. And he needs to see it. Feel life.

With this in mind, he makes a bold move. Tearing the envelope open, he reads the letter.

The joy he feels makes his heart swell. He’s been accepted. As a scholar. It's an incentive for being the topnotch in the entrance exams. He thinks of his father. Maybe if he shows him this result, he’ll be happy and finally allow Baekhyun to get out of the house.

With a hopeful heart, he makes his way out of his room and into his father’s study.

“Dad?” Baekhyun pokes his head through the door like a shy kid.

“Hmm?” His father’s head is buried deep in the piles of paper settled on his table.

“I need to tell you something.”

“Hurry, Baekhyun I’m busy.”

His heart is thundering loudly inside his chest and he swears he can hear it clearly. “I- uh… I want to go to school.”

“But you’re already studying.” The old man answers without lifting his head.

“I- I mean… a real school. A- A University.” Honestly, he is scared as hell right now. "I got accepted."

“No.”

“But, dad.” Baekhyun needs to convince him. "I was the topnotcher."

“No, Baek.” Glumly, his father tells him. "And how did you even take the stupid entrance exam?"

"It was o- online. Mr. Do recommended it."

The old man clucks his tongue in disapproval. "My decidion is final. You are not going anywhere."

Baekhyun’s face turns red. Enraged by his father’s lack of care, he lets his feelings out. “Why?! Why are locking me up inside this place?! I’m a grown-up man now! Why are you tying me in the neck?!”

His father sighs, as if bored. “Because you’re the heir. I can’t let you go just like that.”

“But I can still be an heir even if I study outside.”

“There’s too much distraction out there, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun wants to shiver at the coldness of his father’s attitude. It’s like the room is suddenly experiencing a snow storm where the winds are harsh and the temperatures are freezing. Why can’t his father care about him? Why does he only care about the money?

“Maybe that’s why mom left you. You don’t care about how other people think. You’re too caught up with your wealth.”

His father’s head snaps up to look at him. This time, Baekhyun knows he’s touched a sensitive topic. But the truth always hurt and Baekhyun couldn’t care less. “Get out. I don’t want to see your face.”

Baekhyun’s heart breaks for the second time. He turns away from his father. No. Not father. Dictator. That's what he is.

There's no point in arguing so he goes back to his room, slumps down on the bed and cries his heart out. Why is god punishing him? It's a question he can never answer on his own. Maybe this is the life he's fated to have. The tears gush out of his eyes like waterfalls, smearing his cheeks.

He falls asleep with a heavy heart.

And a lot of questions.

---

A/N: 

yeaaahhh i hope you like it. forgive me