Painful Secrets

Chapter 1

Jeongin found himself standing at the stop he was at the morning , shivering in cold.

His day couldn't get any worse . The bullies at his school had given him no mercy , beating him until his whole body was bruised , they even ripped his coat off him , saying that a faggot like him doesn't deserve to wear something so expensive . Jeongin knew they would beat him again after school and that was something Jeongin couldn't take . So he had decided the other half of the school . He knew it might get him in trouble but he didn't care . Judging from the amount of bruises on his body , Jeongin afford to get more hits , just yet .

As Jeongin stood there shivering in cold , his body aching as if though it was being whipped , he wondered what he would do next . There was still a half an hour left till Jeongin's school was over and his parents knew that for sure . If he went home now and got caught skipping , he couldn't even imagine what would happen to him .

And since he hadn't eaten since morning , he was starving .

Even the term 'a total mess' couldn't describe what Jeongin was right now . His condition was far worse than that . He had no choice but to spend the remaining time at the bus stop . And his stomach who was practically begging to be fed along with the cold air that made him shiver wasn't helping his situation .

"Aren't you cold?" a voice said startling Jeongin .

He turned to see who asked him the question . The culprit was a man who seemed taller and older than him . He was dressed in a black button - up shirt tucked in black leather pants along with black lace shoes . On it he wore a rather expensive black leather jacket . He also wore a black face mask so Jeongin couldn't make out his face . Though , the person had a really stunning shade of hazel colored eyes .

"Are you mute ?" the man said , since Jeongin was just staring at the guy as though he just saw a ghost . 

Jeongin snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head as a 'no'.

"Then I guess you're not much of a talker," the man said , understanding Jeongin's unspoken answer ,"but you still didn't answer my question."

"I'm fine " Jeongin stuttered , almost cursing himself for not sounding convincing .

"You're really bad at lying ." the stranger said . Jeongin didn't take the comments as an offensive remark since the statement was correct . He was bad at lying .

Jeongin just opted to stay quiet but the cold wind made him shiver again , no matter how much he tried not to .

But his try to do that was broken when he felt the strangers hand grab one of the straps of the of his bag slowly sliding it off . Jeongin didn't stop him since he didn't have the courage to do so not the strength . If the man was planning on doing something bad or even trying to steal the only thing he had for company , it wasn't like Jeongin could stop him . So why bother to try setting him off?

However , what the stranger did next was completely different from what Jeongin expected . The man took off his coat before helping Jeongin put it on . 

"Here"the man said handing the bag back to Jeongin who quickly put it back on as if he couldn't bare to be parted from it another second .

Though , he felt a bit different . This was like an only kind gesture anyone had shown him in , well , ever . Many would just ignore him or tell him to stop acting pitiful . So this reaction was different which left Jeongin shocked that he had difficulty in finding words or how to react and thankfully , the man didn't make a bog deal out of it .

"You're a highschooler , aren't you?" the man asked , making Jeongin's breath hitch."Shouldn't  you be in school?"

Jeongin opened his mouth to let out an excuse of going home early but quickly closed it after hearing a grumble come from his stomach .

His cheeks turned pink in embarrassment as he looked away .

"You sound like you haven't eaten in weeks . No wonder you're so skinny." the man said to which Jeongin kept quiet .

Then he felt the man take him by his hand , placing something in it .

Once he let go , Jeongin saw a fifty dollar note in his hand .

"Don't skip meals or ditch school . it would only get you in trouble ." the man said , gently patting Jeongin's head .

Jeongin couldn't even count the number of times of how hardly his hair had been pulled from the same spot that this stranger was now patting . It was the gentlest touch he had ever felt . The man's hand felt so warm that Jeongin almost melted inder it's touch . It made him feel safe . A feeling he was very unlikely to feel .

"Buy something to eat and go home . Don't wander around around by yourself . Especially in a weather like this." the stranger said,"I'll get going . My bus is here . Take care,kid."

The man strode off towards the bus that Jeongin didn't notice has stopped .

As the bus drove away , Jeongin felt a pure state of loneliness take over his mind.

And for once , Jeongin felt like he wanted someone's company .