Why does the morning sun have to be so bright?

The youth walking down the street almost cursed, but in the end resisted knowing it wouldn’t change the innocent morning rays of light hitting his face. It had to be five or more likely six if the sun was starting to rise.
He smirked, the girl wasn’t so bad, Daisy, Daphne… whatever her name was, and not that it was relevant anymore. The chances of them meeting ever again were pretty slim.
Only thanks to his habit of one night stands had he become a master of waking up early and sneaking out. Given it wasn’t a talent to be proud of; he knew his parents would never approve.
Ha, as if they knew what he was doing… they were so busy with their own problems...

The 17 year old sighed.  Why would they even bother asking their only son where he had been almost every night? Chances were high they assured he was at his friends, due to the fact that he permanently went out with them and hung around them, well it was better than staying home and facing reality.
Hongbin scratched the back of his head, his family problems were really a sob story.

Dad was working and yet at the same time gambling their life away, whilst mom just cried at home, supporting dad at work and trying to scrape together any dime she could get from her waitressing job. It wasn’t like; if he stayed at home like a good son all the problems would be solved. Finding a part time job was difficult, and the money would either go to partying or drinks, otherwise if dad got his hands on it, it would go to gambling. So he didn’t even bother.

Oh man, he tried shrugging off the thoughts of their dilemma, it only gave him headache thinking about it.
Maybe he’d call his mates up later and meet. Only in that moment did he realize that today was Tuesday, most of them would be in school. This made him smile.

School, maybe he should go back too.

But what was the point, the teachers were loud and the other students annoying. He was anyway repeating the year so it wasn’t like he was going to learn something new.

As he walked down the road, trying to find an orientation point to help him home, he became aware of the only other person on the road, an old lady in the distance was watering her plants. The only reason he noticed her was because she seemed to be talking to her plants.
What a weirdo, Hongbin shuddered.

Why was she up so early? He rubbed his eye, another noise in the distance made him slightly annoyed. He couldn’t wait to get home and sleep some more. it was far to early to be awake, even though this definately wasn't the first or last time he would be doing this.
The rumbling sound started to approach at an alarming rate, making Hongbin looked up. 
What on earth? Hongbin blinked past the plant lady and discovered the source, an express post man on his scooter was racing at a very high speed over the road. Oh, wait,no, he was on the pavement?!
What a douche!

The old lady would have to step aside just for him, who does he think he is? King of the pavement?
So annoying, usually there were never so many people outside in the morning. Usually the walk home was peaceful and he wasn’t facing obnoxious scooter drivers and wierd old plant talking ladies…

An old lady… who… wasn’t moving…

Out of the way…

The scooter was getting closer…
is she blind?!

“HEY!” thanks to his long limbs it took just a few steps to get to the old lady and whirl her out of the way as the scooter whizzed by, mirror nicking Hongbin’s back.
“GET OFF THE STREET YOU ASSHAT!!” Hongbin yelled at the top of his voice after the fading culprit, who was already too far to hear it. Hongbin wished him a flat tire as he got smaller in the distance. 
“Wha- what?” the old lady in his arms looked up at him before looking at the distant speck, which was the scooter, “Oh…. Oh! Young man, thank you so much!”
Hongbin blinked down at her, before abruptly letting go of her and taking a step back.

 “What on earth, old lady? You want to die?! Those numbskulls are merciless but if you don’t pay attention it will be your own fault if you get driven over!!” Fuming, he turned to leave, why did he have to deal with stupid people so early in the morning?! To his surprise however he heard the old lady giggle, “Hihi but thanks to you that won't happen today, thank you, I will pay more attention in the future!”

What a strange person…

Well, not that it matters to me anymore. Hongbin shrugged leaving the smiling elder behind him, bed sounding more tempting than ever before.

As he got to the corner of the street he saw an unusually large black foreign car parked just a few meters away. Now that wasn’t something you saw in this neighborhood every day, he had to marvel at the size and the brand. Not bad. The windows were tainted and looked brand new. It must feel amazing to drive one of those, everyone knew you had status and money if you showed up with one of those. And suddenly Hongbin felt a pair of eyes on him.

Standing next to the car was a small boy, probably around 12, holding a school bag and staring openly at Hongbin. This made him falter and stop in his tracks. Looking around very confused, Hongbin looked if he was mistaken but was he really looking at him? The kid had an intense stare, focused exactly... there was no mistake... on Hongbin.
It wasn’t a hostile staring, but just so … open and... unashamed! And going on for quite a while.

It was unnerving!
“Ya! Weren’t you taught it is rude to stare at people?!” something had snapped in Hongbin, kids without manners really annoyed him so much. More than loud people!
However, the child didn’t even flinch, he just continued staring.
Did he not understand? Was he a foreigner?
Before he could start yelling again, the window on the driver’s seat lowered and Hongbin barely heard, “Master, would you please get into the car, we’ll be late!”
The ‘master’ wordlessly the spot and got into the back of the car. With a soft purr the car leisurely started and drove off, leaving behind a very confused Hongbin.
What was that? This was one of the worst mornings ever.
First a crazy plant woman, mad scooter driver and being stared at by a little kid.

But he had to laugh, it was better than staying where he had been that night and the possibility of a ‘relationship’.
He was still grinning at the thought by the time he got into a more familiar area and got closer to home.
It was now definitely reaching seven o'clock by now, there were sounds of families getting ready… normal families. Children voices, as well as loving parents voices. It was so annoying.
Turning down the road to his house, he looked up and noticed something was off.
His parents shouldn’t be up yet, his dads ‘job’ did start early but he spent most of his nights drinking or at the casino so he only got up later. His mom worked the afternoon and night shifts at work so didn’t get up until noon.
And yet, both the gate and the door to the house were open.
Stranger yet, there were neighbors standing on the other side of the road whispering amongst one another.
This made him pick up his pace; there was silence as he entered the scene, all eyes on him. Without paying the crowd much attention he dashed inside.

The house, what had happened to the house?
What was that strange mark on the door? A hash tag with a four leaf clover- NO!
The lobby.
The lobby looked like bomb had exploded, shattered glass everywhere, he had wondered where the windows had gone. The umbrella stand was on the other side of the room and its contents scattered everywhere.
“Mom? Dad?” Hongbin had now a bad feeling in his stomach, as he picked his way through the mess to where he thought he heard something. Upon entering the kitchen, he saw all the drawers had been open and everything was scattered on the floor, all plates he could see where broken, more glass. He continued to the living room where he was two figures.
Sitting in the ruins of the living room were his mom and dad. No piece of furniture was in tact, everything was just in pieces, broken, shattered.
Anger and fear left him for a moment, as they both looked up and he saw they didn’t seem to be injured.
“Hongbin!!” His mother opened her arms, he automatically hugged her, thankful she was really okay. “Hongbin, good to see you, glad that you were out!” His dad patted his back.
“What happened?” he demanded immediately, their faces dropped. Hongbin knew that look...

they weren’t going to tell him!

“It is nothing!-“ “Nothing my !” Hongbin interrupted his mother, “There is a crowd outside, and no one had called the police! There is nothing left of the kitchen, lobby and living room, I take it the rest of the house looks similar and you say NOTHING?!”

His parents looked at one another, sighing, Hongbin felt a flash of red, that sound!

That was the sound they made when they acted like it was something beyond his comprehension.
That was the last straw.
This had been going on for a while.
“Don’t.do.that!” he hissed through his teeth, they flinched at the anger in his voice. “I am seven-friggen-teen don’t treat me like that! What.is.going.on?!”
His dad put a hand on his shoulder, “Hongbin, calm down please! You don’t need to know, we will sort things out-“

“Sort things out? Sort things OUT?!

Are you joking?

Like the time you told me you’d ‘sorted’ your drinking problems? Not to mention how you ‘sorted’ your money problems? I ‘don’t need to know’? Don’t make me laugh! I know!
I know that sign on the door! Now spill it! What happened?! Why did that group mark our door?!”

The pained expression on his father’s face, almost made him feel guilty for spitting out those words. But only almost.
“Sweetie, it is about time that you told him! If you don't I will!” his mom spoke up and it made Hongbin look in surprise, for the first time in ages, she sounded stern.
“I know, I know… Hongbin sit down…”

What had happened was, a few years ago as Hongbin’s dad had found himself without money to gamble a local group -known for their hash tag and clover mark- had come forth and offered to sponsor him in exchange for his juridical knowledge, with him in fact being a lawyer, but after his gambling addiction was discovered, he was fired.  Naturally at the time, he thought it was a onetime thing and that he would win the tenfold of that money, and pay them back with ease.
However just as naturally, that didn’t happen.
He found himself crawling back to them asking for just one more chance. They gave him the house, a job in one of their places. They paid for Hongbin’s school fee and things couldn’t look better.
In return he worked for them and promised to slowly pay back the debt. 
His wife did cry though, she was scared, scared of the stories of what the gang did if they didn’t obey them. At that time he thought that was ridiculous, she was just being hysterical. After all they had paid for her clothes and kitchen utensils. Why was she complaining?
However, after being treated so wonderfully for three years.
Things changed.
His addiction was becoming more and more of a problem; he had been able to pay back parts of his debt to them but at the same time continued to make it even bigger. The gang had started making hints of the noose getting tighter around his neck.
To relieve him of some of the debt, both he and his wife agreed to help them with their ‘work’ and cover it from the police. This had gone on without Hongbin’s knowledge; he had only noticed that his mother cried more than usual.
However, they weren’t ever fully aware of what they were actually doing for the group, they thought in the worst case it would be washing money. But one day they were confronted reality.
They had been helping wash money but also forge fake checks and rip off companies, big companies. Worst part was that it was that the group had managed to insure that they would take the blame should it get out. 
This had horrified them and decided to run. The plan was to not tell Hongbin, since he was anyway likely to be out. And the second he got home, grab him, bags and leave the country with the little money they had.
But before they made it home, the group was already there, trashing the place, the pair had been given a place to hide in a neighbor’s house until the group left.
They had found a threaten note on the floor of the destroyed house.

“We have to pay the debt or else they are going to come after us… the debt is listed there… your school… my gambling… the house… “
Hongbin stared at the letter in his hands, only then did he realize he was shaking.
Was this really happening?
His school…?
It …

it made sense… with father’s gambling problems… and … mother’s meager income from being a waitress… they wouldn’t have been able to pay it…
It … why…
Why?
Why… why… HADN’T THEY TOLD HIM!!
“Hongbin!” he felt two pairs of arms wrap themselves around him, he hadn’t even noticed that he was crying. Angry tears were falling down his face. He was shaking from so much rage.
“I’m so sorry! I have failed as a father and husband! I should- I should have gotten help… I’m so sorry!!” His father was also close to tears. “I’m sorry! I should have been a better mother! If only I had gotten a proper job and taken care of you Hongbin!!!”
Hongbin couldn’t even speak.
He hadn’t known! His parents, their problems, he wasn’t innocent.
He hadn’t gone to school for the past months!!

The school that had built up such a massive debt.  
If only they had told him!!

The school his parents believed he was going to diligently every day.
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” He breathed out. “We were worried you’d get upset!” his father told him.

Why… why was that so accurate?!
 Reality was crushing him, the arms around him helped anchor him and not completely fall apart.
If he had known! If only he had known!!



After a good few minutes like that the small family looked up and mother even managed a weak smile.
“What are you going to do now… “ Hongbin asked quietly.
“I… I have an idea…” his father started carefully, as the other two looked at him sharply, “A better idea… I never wanted to do this… Honey, I’m going to call… him… I'm going to call Han….”
Hongbin saw a tiny shimmer of hope in his mothers eyes, the name didn’t ring a bell but if it meant a way out of this mess. 
“…but can I ask you two to trust me a last time…?”
Hongbin and his mom looked at one another before coming to a silent agreement and nodding at his dad.

And so Hongbin’s life was going to be a little different starting from now…