One.

5 years ago…

He still remembered.

It was his mother’s birthday. That day he ran to home excitedly while holding a small box of cake.  Before he went to school, he secretly poured out all his coins that he kept in his Pororo bank and decided to buy her favourite chocolate cake. Mother will like this, he smiled as he thought of it.

He was smiling happily as he reached in front of the doorstep. Like a naive child he was at that time, he hid the box behind his back. He thought he was going to surprised her, but he was wrong.

He was going to open the door when he heard a loud banging sound inside the house. Then the panic struck him when he heard his mother screaming in pain.

“Mother!” he called her as soon he barged into the house. The house was messy with furniture turned upside down. Broken glasses and vases scattered everywhere on the floor. He gasped as he saw some blood splattered on the floor.

What he saw next really surprised him.

There, in the middle of the house, he saw a devil; a tattooed man grabbed and pulled his mother’s hair. Kyungsoo shuddered as he recognized him.

That devil was his father.

His father had the rage face on as he kicked on her stomach mercilessly. Kyungsoo was trembled, and his round eyes start to welled up with tears as he saw his mother was bled from mouth and nose. Unconsciously, he dropped the box on the floor and ran to his father.

“Leave mother alone!” Kyungsoo screamed loudly as he tried to stop him, but his father was too strong that he easily pushed him hard to the floor. Kyungsoo shrieked in pain. He could felt warm liquid slowly flow from his head.

 “Kyungsoo!” His mother screamed frantically when she saw Kyungsoo was bleeding. She tried to escape from her husband but like a monster he was, her husband pulled her back and slapped on her face.

 “I’m not done with you yet,” he smirked, his hand still grabbing her hair. “Now tell me where your money is!”

She shook her head, “I...I don’t have any,” she weakly said, sobbing.

Hearing this, his eyes grew larger and blazed with hatred. “Liar!” he growled like a madman. “I knew you don’t have money because you gave them all to your stupid, useless son!” he said while pointing his finger to the box of cake on the floor. “Tell me how did you get the money to buy that ? TELL ME!” he shouted as he grabbed on her hair tightly. He raised his hand higher in the air, ready to slap her. Kyungsoo’s mother screamed in terror.

“Let her go!” Kyungsoo yelled as he mustered all his tiny strengths to get up. He picked a broken glass and stabbed it on his stomach. His father stepped back and winced slightly as his stomach started to bleed.

“Bastard!” he cursed madly as he pulled out the glasses from his wound. Kyungsoo’s mother immediately pulled her son towards her and embraced him protectively as her husband pulled out his belt, ready to whip them.

***

“Mother, please wake up!” Kyungsoo cried as the doctors push the stretcher to the emergency room. His mother was unconscious, and seeing her bled too much made him wailed even louder. The nurses abruptly hold and stopped him from entering the room. “Please wait outside,” the nurse said, leaving him alone in the small, empty hall. Kyungsoo was badly shaken at thought that he’ll lose his mother forever. He sat down on the floor, hugging his knees. The only thing he could do at that moment was praying.