“It hurts. It really hurts! Why won't they stop? They have been kicking and beating me for who knows how long! When will they stop? I know I am a guy but I can't take the blows any longer.”

“Haha! Have you learned your lesson yet you little rat?” yells a boy.

“Kick him harder! I don't think he gets it yet!” yells the other boy across from him.

“Is little Seung-Hyun going to cry! COME ON! Be a man! You can't even take a little beat! Too bad your parents aren't around to see this! I bet they would be more proud of us than of their own pathetic excuse of a son!”

~

“What to do, what to do? Today has been a boring day. I walked all over the city and there is nothing to do. I know, I will go visit my grandma! I haven't seen her in a while!”

The girl continues walking down the beautiful streets of Seoul, South Korea, kicking the rocks and seeing which one will land the farthest. Suddenly something grabs her attention.

“Stop! Stop! Okay I have learned my lesson!”

“Shut up you piece of crap! You don't have the right to talk! Kick him harder!” yells a boy.

The girl quickly runs down the street trying to follow the sound of the yells. It grabs a couple of people's attention but they ignore it and continued walking or talking on their phones. She runs a couple blocks searching every alley and seconds later the yells die off. She slows down but continues walking until she finally spots several boys gathered around in a circle at an end of an alley. They were kicking something. She quietly gets closer to see what was happening and sees a boy on the ground. They continue kicking the boy and blood behinds to appear through his shirt and drips down to the ground. The view of blood made her scream out loud and before she realized was wide open, the group of boys all turned to her. She instantly covered , up her tears, and without thinking, the girl rushes over to them.

“This is it. I can see the bright light. I can see it. It's really bright. But wait, it's trying to communicate with me? It's yelling to me!”

“Hey! Leave him alone!” she yells, trying to sound strong.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't the little girlfriend to the rescues!”

The biggest of all the boys slowly steps forward towards the girl. He had splotches of blood on his t-shirt and a bat in his right hand. His eyes were fierce, filled with anger and he showed no slight regret of what he was doing. That boy was the leader of the group, about eighteen years old but looked more like fourteen. Young and stupid, like the rest in the group she thought.

“He has had enough? Yes light, I have had enough! Please, please make them stop! Make them go away!”

“He has had enough! Now go away!” yells the girl again now slightly nervous.

“This is none of your business girly, so why don't you go away before we leave you like this too!” says the leader stepping closer towards her.

“Alright then, I hope you like jail because my father is a cop and he's just around the corner looking for bastards like you!” she tries a threating smile.

The leader hesitates a little, and then waves his hand over his head.

“Let’s go boys. We will give the little brat her way, but if we ever catch her alone, she won't be able to talk when we are done with her!”

He smiles back at her just enough to run chills down her spin. The girl tries hard not to show it and waits for the group of boys to leave. She quickly rushes to the body on the ground trying not to look at the blood.

“Thank you light! Thank you! Now take me with you.”

“Hey! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” she gently shakes him.

“I am in heaven now? I can see a angel over me. Wow... It's beautiful. It's a girl angel.”

“Hey! Say something if you can hear me!”

“Say something? The angel wants me to say something! But what should I say?”

“Yo...you...your... beau...beautiful!” he tries to say but y comes out instead.

Suddenly the boy feels a burning sensation in his left cheek. His hand quickly reacts, brings itself up to his face. He blinks his eyes several times and turns his head observing his surroundings trying to figure out where he was. Garbage cans, ripped bags, old torn up newspapers lying beside him, tall buildings, and a girl with her hand over her head.

“Did you just slap me!” yells the boy still trying to figure out his exact position.

“YOU IDIOT! Now I know exactly why you were getting beat up!”

“Huh? Wh..who are you...?” he asks.

“Don't act stupid! If I did have a father as a cop, I would have him arrest you first for being a ert!”

Suddenly everything clicks in his head and he's brought back to reality. He was getting beat up until this girl came and interrupted. His worst fear had finally come true. He was saved by the girl! A pathetic, ugly, girl. Her cheeks where lightly covered in dirt but the cherry red color shined through and slowly begin to spread throughout her entire face.

“You...?” the pain in his chest held back his anger.

“Me what...?” yells the girl nervously.

He quickly sits up, making his face meet with hers, that was now beaming red and he examines her face trying to make out some words.

“YOU! This was none of your business! Why did you barge in?”

“WHAT? Why did I barge in? You were getting the crap beat out of you and you ask why I barged in!”

“Yes! Why did you do that!” he yells in frustration.

“Oh I'm so sorry for saving you from getting beat to death!”

“It wasn't your problem.” he says rolling his eyes, wondering if he did that on purpose or because he was dizzy.

“Your dang right it wasn't my problem, but I saved you and instead of yelling at me you should be thanking me you jerk!”

“I didn't ask for an ugly girl like you to come and save me!”

“You jerk!”

The girl quickly picks herself up, standing over the boy and walks away. A waste of her time she thought. How can people be so ignorant like that? She should of just ignored the yells like all the others or might as well joined into the beating so that jerk would never forget her face! And ugly? She wasn't the prettiest thing out there. Yes, she was homeless, with a once blue shirt that was now worn out to a paily sky blue and once dark blue jeans that were now brownish yellowish with rips at the knees. But all that didn't mean she was ugly. All her anger made her forget about the thought of blood and all that lingered in her mind was that word thrown at her face, ugly.

She stomps her way back onto the road and heading towards nowhere. The sun was nice and warm, a perfect day really, but not for her. She passes several coffee shops, bakery shops, and flower shops all full with beautiful men, women, and children, something that seemed she was not. Her eyes meet with the segment that creates the sidewalk, but no rocks were in sight to be kicked. She brings her eyes back up only to see the entrance of a new life. She looks through the glass window and her glossy brown eyes fill with all sorts of colors and shapes of the latest clothing designs. Brand new clothes, from sparkly to the most simple of designs, all worth hundreds of dollars. Then she sees her reflection. Her hair was long, thin, black, and clumpy from not brushing it. Her face was dirty with an old stripped headband across her forehand, and bruises running down her arms and legs. Maybe she was ugly. Maybe the boy was right, she was an ugly little girl and that's why her parents didn't want her. She turned away from the store and begins to run down the street. In a matter of seconds, she disappears into a crowd of people.

The boy tries standing but the pain in his chest is unbearable. He lies back down and closes his eyes for a while. He thinks of how he got into this mess. He should have just ignored them but they stole from him first! That group of boys where always stealing from all the runaways. The little money he earns from collecting plastic bottles could have bought him at least a couple meats and a ride to the next city. He knew he shouldn't have stayed for long but now it was too late. He was now badly injured and he had nothing and no one to help him. He opened his eyes and tries sitting up again. This time ignoring he pain he manages to sit up and see everything more clearly. How did no one else notice he was here? He looks around once again and finally remembers that they chased him all the way down town where less people wonder and into this alley. Lifting his shirt up slowly, he sees something he couldn't afford to imagine. His eyes close shut, his head hitting the ground and blacks out.

It's morning and the boy is beginning to awake. He felt uncomfortable and tries to move around but a sharp pain whips his entire body and he lets out a weak scream. He bits his lip to keep the pain hidden but fails and lets out another weak scream.

“Quiet now boy! The neighbors will get mad if you keep yelling!”

He opens his eyes, trying to find the owner of the voice and finds an old women sitting next to him. He feels a wet towel over his forehead and the hot flash runs through his body. He looks around and notices he is no longer in the alley. His bloody shirt was gone and his whole chest is wrapped up with a couple ice packs all over his body.

“It's okay. Don't be afraid. I promise I will not beat you. (Giggles) I assume you are wondering how you got here? Yesterday night I went out to buy some carrots for my soup, because I was out, and well, as I was walking back home and I saw you lying in an alley all alone. It was cold out and you were wailing like a pup with no mother. Poor child I thought, you must of gotten beat up pretty bad. The gash on your chest certainly screamed it out for you. If I wouldn't have found you and patched up your injures, you would have bled to death!”

“Wh...who are you?” asks Seung-Hyun.

“I am Mi-Kum, but everyone calls me Halmeuni. And what is your name?”

“Well...” panics Seung-Hyun.

“Don't worry I won't turn you in. I am just the old cat lady,” giggles Mi-Kum.

“Cat lady?” says Seung-Hyun a bit doubtful about everything after she said that.

He looks around trying to spot any cats. He doesn't trust anyone especially girls, well in this case old ladies. Does she really expect for him to believe her? Anyone would kill to get their hands on a runaway so they can turn them in to get that fat reward and he doubts anyone would let the down. But how did she know he was a run away?

“Yes my boy, but... it's not exactly cats in which I surround myself with or in this case help.”

“What do you mean then?”

“I think you are smart enough, think about it. Since you are hurt I will give you four days to stay here. The bathroom is out the door to the right first door and if you get bored, there is another boy in the room to the left. He told me his name... but if you are not comfortable yet that's okay. I understand.”

The old lady stands and heads over to the door. She knew it was very hard for these runaways to trust anyone especially if they don't know how they got into her house but they all soon realize she brought them here to help them.

“I will bring lunch to you in a while so no need to get up,” says Mi-Kum opening the door.

“Wait!” yells back the boy.

“Yes boy?” replies Mi-Kum.

“How long have I been here?” he asks.

“Let’s see... I found you around nine PM yesterday and it’s ten AM right now, so about thirteen hours. Now you close your eyes and rest. You need to heal.”

Mi-Kum steps out into the hall no expecting another word form him but sometimes the children realize right away that they are safe here.

“It's Seung-Hyun...! Lee Seung-Hyun,” he yells.

The door closes and after a couple seconds and then sound of the old lady's footsteps vanish. Seung-Hyun looks around the room wondering exactly where he was. It was hard to believe this Mi-Kum lady. Why would she just take in runaways? Who wouldn't want to turn them in for money? This lady must be playing with him, it was over either way. Once runaways got injured, the white flag went up. He wouldn't be able to run from that gang of boys or travel to the next city with this pain. All he could do now was relax and just enjoy his last seconds alone. He closes his eyes and falls asleep.