Junho's POV

"Wuss!"

"Freak!"

"Jerk!"

Jeers and curses sailed over my head as I felt the accompanying pain of stones and kicks battering my body. I was huddled in a ball, my eyes squeezed shut, wishing for the pain to end. It was much worse this time, much worse. I never imagined they would go this far.

"You think you're better than us?! Huh?! Mr. Know-It-All!"

My only response was to curl up even tighter, ignoring the jeer. Suddenly I felt myself being lifted up by the collar, and I came face to face with the angry but smug face of one of my torturers.

"What a little wuss...not even fighting back. You know that only makes us want to hurt your...DIFFERENT little self more right?" my torturer growled into my face. I could only manage a fear-filled whimper in response, which onlly seemed to give the bullies more satisfaction.

"So what should we ruin first...your red hair....your pale skin...or...your angelic voice?"

I was then roughly thrown against the wall, knocking the breath out of me and black dots appearing in my vision.

"Let's start with your voice."

I glimpsed something moving towards me then-

I woke up, gasping, my hand clutching onto my  neck, a sheen of sweat covering my body. My heart was pounding, my breaths uneven. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and the door swung open. I visibly flinched in fear at this intrusion, my mind still on the nightmare.

"Hey Junho, it's time to wake up," came a soft voice from the doorway. I looked to see my brother, Junsu, looking at me with concern.

I quickly gave him a nod of recognition,and he left silently, but not without his concerned look lingering on me.

As soon as the door clicked shut, I sighed and fell back onto the bed, releasing all my tensions from the nightmare.

That dream...I haven't had it in years...

I unconsciously touched the scars that plague my neck, painful memories flashing through my mind of what happened. I shook my head ruefully, then got out of bed and joined my brother for breakfast.

Good morning  I signed to him as I sat down at the table.

"Good morning," he replied. "You OK? You looked as though you just woke up from a nightmare when I went to wake you."

It's nothing I signed, then dug into my breakfast.

Yeah, I'm mute. That's the only way to put it. But I wasn't always like this. 

Middle school was when the bullying started, the age where kids start noticing the differences within their peers. I was the most obvious target of bullying, my natural crimson hair and small frame an easy explanation why. They also despised the high praise teachers always gave me for my high grades and singing ability. At first the bullying started little, a trip in the hallway, a slight push here and there. But as time went on it escalated into much worse things until it finally ed at the elimination of my differences. The nightmare I had was actually how I lost my voice, an act of bullying taken too far.

4 years have passed since then. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't in depression for 3 of those years. The loss of my voice was a shattering loss to me, my dreams of becoming a singer brutally torn apart. I didn't even try to learn sign language, and I let my grades drop drastically. I probably would've committed suicide if it wasn't for my brother being there for me. My parents died 6 years ago in a drunk driving accident, and to avoid us being separated Junsu dropped out of high school at 16 to support us. We are each other's whole world. If something happened to one of us the other wouldn't know how to live on.

It's only recently that I got over my depression and returned to normal. My grades are back up and I actually go to my sign language classes now. In replacement of singing i've taken up teaching myself piano instead.

When I moved up to high school I made sure to choose one farther away so i wouldn't have to face the people of my torment any longer. My brother felt pained he couldn't send me to a school that used sign language since we didn't have the money for it, but I told him I'm fine with going to a regular public school. I don't want to feel more different than I already am.

After breakfast, I got dressed, got my stuff, then left for school. I now attend a high school in Seoul, 45 minutes away by subway. You'd think a school that far away wouldn't know about some bullying incident from a small town. But they did. Rumors floated around about me, and people kept their distance. But I don't care. I've had enough of people in this world.

After school I decided to stop by a cafe and order a snack before I headed for my sign language class. I ordered a slice of cake and a hot cofee by writing my order on a slip of paper, then sat down and ate my food contentedly. I heard a "takking" sound coming towards me but i ignored it, fully immersed in my cake and coffee. Suddenly my coffee toppled over, the hot liquid splashing all over me and the coffee mug shattering on the floor. 

In surprise, I also toppled out of my chair and landed painfully on the ground. A white cane brushed against me, and I saw a hand extended above me to help me up. 

"Hey, you ok? I'm really sorry about that." 

I averted my eyes and gave a nod in reply. I was going to ignore the hand and help myself up when the man said,

"Hey you still there?"

What does he mean if i'm still here? Obviously I am! I looked up to see a tall fit, body dressed in black skinny jeans and a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his strong arms. I looked further and saw a handsome face, near Italian like, with short black hair with a slight tint of red. But what made me take an intake of breath in surprise was the man's eyes. They were closed, with a long, gruesome scar stretching across them, from the left all the way to the right. 

This man is blind.

A/N: I know it's starting out kinda slow but it's bound to get better I promise! >.< please leave a comment and subscribe! :) idk how often i'll be able to update with school and stuff but i'll try my hardest to update as often as i can!