𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 - 𝘌𝘯𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘍𝘪𝘤

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘸𝘰

I yanked open the front door and started outside, walking down the street with no specific destination in mind. I stared down at the sidewalk below me as I wallowed in a feeling of emptiness from the series of events that just happened.

What's to become of me now? I just got disowned by my parents...

After walking for a solid 30 minutes, I spotted a bench in the distance and seated myself on it. I placed my bag on my lap and rested my head on it as I heavily sobbed. My face throbbed from the hits I took from my father, but what hurt more was the mental state I was currently in.

What should I even do now? Where do I stay? How am I supposed to make a living on my own?

I was shaken back to reality from these thoughts when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up to see a guy who seemed to be around my age that was carrying a pink backpack.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked with a concerned expression.

I didn't know how to respond. Should I tell him? Should I not? I just met this guy...

"You don't have to tell me if you aren't comfortable with it. You just seem very upset and it would hurt me to not be of any help."

I felt like an ignited bomb that was waiting to go off. I finally couldn't hold it in any longer...

"M-my parents kicked me out of my house. I don't know where to go or what to do. I don't even know where I should stay! I'm only 17, how am I supposed to make a living on my own?" I sobbed even more, feeling extra sorrowful from hearing these words come out of my own mouth. It felt like a confirmation of everything that happened.

The guy's eyes filled with worry and he clamped a hand over his mouth. "What?! That's terrible! Why did they kick you out?!"

"They kicked me out because I got a D on my report card! I know that it's a bad grade, but I had other responsibilities to take care of. I have a part-time job because my dad is unemployed and is an alcoholic. I had to work hard to support our family and I feel like I'm under so much pressure. It's so difficult for me to keep up my grades at the same time as being crushed by a boulder of weight on my shoulders."

"Wow, do they know anything about parental skills? They have to understand that their child tried the best that they could in the situation, not just kick them out after one bad grade! By the way, what is that on your face? Did you get hurt?"

"Yeah, my dad struck me and threw one of his alcohol bottles towards my face." I rubbed my swollen cheek and immediately regretted it after wincing in pain.

The guy began to fumble through his backpack. He seemed to be looking for something. After a few seconds, his face lit up and his hand came out of the backpack, grasping a bandage. He handed it to me.

"Wow, I conveniently had this bandage in here in case I ever got hurt. Put it on your face. It should help stop the bleeding." He explained.

I thanked the guy and placed the bandage on my cheek. "I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

"My name? It's Lee Heeseung. What's yours?"

"Nice, Heeseung. I'm Kim Sunoo."

"Nice to meet you, Sunoo. You said you didn't have a place to stay, right? You can stay with me" He gave me a kind smile.

"Woah, wait. I appreciate the offer, but we just met. How am I supposed to trust you? And why are you even allowing a random stranger to live with you?" I raised my hands in the air, taken aback by the offer.

"It's because I've experienced the same events as you. Last year when I was 17, my parents kicked me out of my home. Luckily, I had enough money to rent an apartment and provide for myself. However, you don't have the same resources that I did. If I left you out here alone, god knows the amount of regret that I would feel." Heeseung reasoned.

"Well, if it makes you feel regretful, I can't say no, can I? I'll stay with you, but we should split the rent. Otherwise, I would feel too guilty."

"Alright, we'll split the rent then." He grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. I repeated the gesture back at him in response.

"Thanks a lot for everything, Heeseung." I smiled. All of the previous pain that I had felt faded at the sight of my new friend.

I have a home now.