Ever since he can remember, Jongin has been the least popular kid in school. It’s not that people didn’t like him. They just didn’t notice him. He’d always been too shy and quiet to talk to anyone else first – and no one realized he wanted to talk to them. And his appearance – dark skin tone, full lips, and dark eyes heavily hooded by double eyelids – only served to alienate him more, and gave off the feeling of unapproachable at best.

His closest friends came in the form of his dogs – all poodles – Monggu, Jjangu, and Jjangah. They’d always been there for him when he felt he had no one else – especially Monggu. But, however good company they made and no matter how much Jongin loved them, dogs couldn’t talk back.

Because of his lack in friends, he began seeking refuge elsewhere. He threw himself into his ballet lessons and buried himself in the various plots of countless manga. And they made him happy.

From this, though, he garnered the attention he’d always longed for – and found that he much rather preferred the solitude he’d had before. His classmates had made fun of him, relentlessly. They’d said ballet was for girls, and that something was wrong with Jongin for liking it. They’d called him a nerd for loving manga. What kind of freak owns poodles, anyway?

Jongin retreated further into himself than ever before, not understanding why it was not okay to be himself and love what he loved. It was as if the world didn’t want him to be happy – was out to destroy everything that made him happy. It wasn’t fair.

He was now in high school, and life hadn’t gotten any better. He’d have thought (and had hoped) that his classmates would mature. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. If anything, the teasing and ridicule only got worse. High school was a living nightmare. That is, until his father came home from work a week ago. With an apologetic expression, he’d informed his family of a promotion he received. He’d also said the con was that the family had to move to the city.

With both his older sisters having graduated, Jongin was the only child still living at home. His parents had turned worried eyes to their son, expecting him to be upset, only to find their son with a large grin stretching his lips to either side of his face, eyes sparkling.

Jongin slept better than he ever had that night. With his dogs surrounding him, he dreamt of his new city and new school – his new life. He slept with a smile on his face and a promise on his lips. “Life will be different in Seoul.”