Dreaming A Dream | An ONF Fanfiction

pmk & sjy.

tw: swearing, mention of drugs

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"Another fail."

The teacher tossed the test paper on my desk with great force, making me jump in my seat.
He leaned on my desk.

"Park Minkyun, if you don't start taking your training seriously, we might have to kick you out. Your tests have been all terrible, and you do the bare minimum in physical training. If you want to become a hunter, you'll have to do so much more than this."

His tone was cold. So cold it sent a shiver down my spine. I sighed in relief when he walked away. But I knew that would only be the start of the threats and insults I'd receive that day.

"He managed to fail even a test as simple as this, what a loser!"

"I bet he takes some of the stuff his mother did too, there's just no other explanation for this."

"He definitely used to steal her expensive drugs! I wonder if he still has a way to get them nowadays..."

"He should just quit. He'll never become a hunter. Or if he does he'll probably end up hurting others instead of protecting them!"

Those were just a few of the comments I heard from my training mates. they were nothing new, I used to hear these things every day. I didn't even try to counter them anymore, they would never listen to me. At the time, I had no idea who started those fake rumors about me and I feared I would never discover it. What was worse, I feared they would never die down. It had been more than a year, and I still couldn't sleep at night before crying first, I couldn't focus on my training, I simply couldn't live peacefully. I was tired of it, but I didn't show it. Hell, I didn't show anything at all. Why bother showing emotions when no one cares at all? Or worse, when they start bringing you down for it?

In those miserable days, there was only one thing that was able to bring me a bit of joy and comfort.
A black and white cat often roamed the training ground. It usually minded its own business, staying away from people and equipment, but for some reason, one day when I was taking a break from training in a pretty isolated part of the grounds, it walked up to me and let me pet it. That day, I was able to smile. After so long, the corners of my lips finally curved themselves up, spontaneously. For a few minutes, I felt at peace.
I would go to the same spot each day, at the same time, and the cat would always be there waiting for me. I'd bring it food and some very simple and improvised toys made of sticks and cloth. Those short moments spent with the kitty were the highlight of that dark period in my life.
But one day, my spot was found by some of my training mates. I don't even remember who; all of them hated me either way. Three of them silently approached me while I was petting the cat, and they started throwing rocks at us. They weren't hitting us, they would be in trouble if they did, but the rocks flying at high speed were enough to scare the cat; panicked, it assumed an aggressive stance and ended up scratching me on my arm, ruining my uniform, before running away.
I was furious, but all I could do was cry. I have no idea if the bullies said anything else to me or if they even moved. My vision was blurry because of the quickly forming tears. I got up, ignoring anything that might have been happening around me. I rushed inside the academy building and up the stairs, to the last floor. It was currently being renovated, but I could very well hide on the stairs without trespassing. Hopefully no one would have passed through there, I thought.

I sat on the stairs and stayed there, quietly sobbing, for about 5 minutes. I was so tired. So tired of people bullying me. So tired of training. So tired of everything. And at that moment, with my only source of happiness gone, I was even more tired than I thought I could be. I just wanted to disappear. Forever.

"Is someone there?"

A deep, unknown voice interrupted my sobbing. Someone found me. I wanted to run, but I was cornered. They would have beat me up, again. Like someone does almost every week. I did not want to resort to this, but I stood up, closed my eyes and grabbed the pocket knife that was resting in my backpack. I always kept it in case of an emergency, or when I was in danger. I never used it, and I didn't think I would that time too, but I was in such a bad mental state I decided to grab it just to scare the aggressor off. I couldn't take it anymore.
I firmly grabbed the knife with both hands and extended it before me. My eyes were still closed. I did not want to see anyone's cocky face again. That damn smirk they all put on each time they walk towards me... I was sick of it.

"Oh woah, hey there... Everything ok?"

The same voice spoke again. It seemed surprised and innocent, but I did not want to be fooled again.

"Go. Away. I know what you want to do to me."

"I'm sorry. I did not want to bother you... No need to worry, I am not an enemy..."

"BULLSHIT. EVERYONE HERE KNOWS ME. AND HATES ME. WHY WOULD YOU BE ANY DIFFERENT?"

"Why would I hate you? We've never met before. Anyways, I'm so sorry I bothered you. I will go away now."

I was expecting him to just stay there, ready to punch me in the face as soon as I would open my eyes. But, to my surprise, I actually heard his footsteps getting slightly quieter. Was he actually walking away?

I finally opened my eyes to confirm my suspicions. A man dressed in a uniform similar to mine was indeed walking back down the stairs. His hair was black and slicked back. He also had an undercut. Based on the slight differences in our uniforms, I figured he must have been part of another training group of my same age.
I was honestly shocked he listened to me. No one ever would. Everyone in the academy knew about me. The rumors spread throughout the whole place like wildfire. Even the teachers were aware of them. But I was the only one who knew they were fake. No one ever listened. But he did...

"Park Minkyun."

The young man stopped on his way down. He was still facing the opposite way. I was startled when he called my name, so in a fight-flight response, I raised my knife again, as I noticed I was starting to loosen my grip around it.
He slowly turned his head around, revealing a stunning, masculine side profile. His full lips were slightly opened, and his eye was somehow both piercing and docile.

"I do not hate you. If you want someone to talk to, search for Shim Jaeyoung. I want to help you."

A long pause ensued as he stared at me with that kind eye. Finally, he added:

"I'm sorry I bothered you. I will be going now. Get well soon."

I froze in shock. Despite being deep, his voice was... comforting. It was warm. No one ever spoke to me like that. Maybe apart from my mom and the two friends I had in high school. But my mom was gone, and those two were almost done with their training. We weren't able to meet again after they finished high school.
Jaeyoung continued his descent down the stairs. I immediately considered searching for him the following day. Maybe he was an enemy. Maybe he hated me too. Maybe he just wanted to lead me to an isolated place and beat me up. All these thoughts crossed my mind. But then I thought: I had nothing to lose. I would continue being bullied all my life anyway. It was worth a shot.

And still, to this day, I am so glad I decided to reach out to him.