MY SUNSHINE stray kids

2 - pretty boy

FLASHBACK

He could feel his mother's body shaking as she held him close. He didn't know what to do. His little sunshine of a brother that had always kept him anchored, was gone—snatched away by a merciless fate that neither of them could comprehend.

His skin burned; his body was on fire. The realization hit him like a tidal wave, crashing down on him with a force that made him stagger. He struggled to pull away from his mother, his nails digging into his arms, desperate to escape the searing pain that now felt like a part of him.

A loud, heart-wrenching sob tore through the room, echoing off the walls as Kyosun's anguish became too much to contain. His mother tightened her grip on him, holding him to her chest with a strength born out of sheer desperation. Her hands gently but firmly grasped his, preventing him from causing further harm to himself as she stared at the fresh, raw claw marks that marred his arms—wounds that had not yet turned into the scars of his future.

All she could hear were the sobs and screams that escaped from her son's throat, each cry a raw, agonized sound that cut through her like a knife. The boy was trapped in a nightmarish trance, his mind caught in a loop of unbearable grief and torment. He screamed until his voice was hoarse, until the sounds that came from him were nothing more than broken, rasping whispers. Even then, he kept repeating the same words over and over, each repetition growing louder as if he could somehow shout his pain out of existence.

His mother held him as tightly as she dared, careful not to add to his physical pain, yet determined to keep him anchored in the present moment. She felt utterly helpless, her mind racing as she tried to find a way to reach him, to soothe him, to bring him back from the edge of the abyss that had opened beneath his feet. Everything had happened so quickly—too quickly—and her brain was still struggling to catch up, to process the enormity of what had just occurred.

But what could she do? How could she calm him down when she herself was teetering on the brink of a breakdown? The only thing she could do was hold him and let him cry out the emotions that had been festering inside him for so long. As she rocked him gently, she noticed the bruises on his face and arms, bruises she hadn't seen before. They were stark, ugly marks that stood out against his pale skin, and she knew immediately where they had come from. The bullies at school had struck again, leaving their hateful handiwork on her son's already battered body.

A quiet sob escaped her as she realized just how lonely her son had been. He had beared so much pain, so much fear, and yet he had never let on how much he was hurting. How could she not have seen it? How could she have been so blind to his suffering?

The burning sensation in Kyosun's body slowly began to subside, the fire dying down as exhaustion took over. His screams had dwindled to barely audible whimpers, and his hands, which had once clawed desperately at his own flesh, now formed tight fists that clung to his mother's shirt as if it were the only thing keeping him tethered to reality.

"Shh, it's okay, Sunnie," his mother whispered, her voice thick with emotion. She rubbed his back in slow, soothing circles, trying to comfort him in the only way she knew how. "Nobody can hurt you here. I'll never let anything happen to you, I promise."

"I promise, Kyosunnie. I promise," she repeated, her words becoming a soft, rhythmic chant as she sank to the floor, leaning against the wall with Kyosun still cradled in her arms.

She looked down at his bleeding, bruised arms, her heart breaking at the sight. If only she could take away his pain, if only she could bear the burden of his suffering for him. But all she could do was hold him and offer him the only comfort she had—her love.