Hibiscus Mutabilis (Eng Version)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: When That Nightmare Came Back Again

"Do you still dare to show your face in front of me?" That angry shout echoed in my ears.

The middle-aged man’s bloodshot gaze at me made me realize how deeply he hated me.

"Wait, Dad, I... I didn’t mean it that way! Mom has known everything from the start, I did—"

"STOP MAKING EXCUSES, IT’S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! IF ONLY YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN!"

Slap!

A hard slap landed on my face, throwing my body toward the edge of the bed. I was too shocked to cry; even the pain spreading across my cheek and back seemed like nothing.

As if all the physical pain was overshadowed by the shock and heartbreak.

Why? Dad is the one who cheated on Mom, so why do I have to suffer for it? Why am I the one being blamed? I didn’t even...

No, it’s my fault. I did tell my mom about the affair. But wasn’t what I did the right thing?

I feel like what I did was right. From the start, they taught me to be wise and to always follow the truth. But why?

I ran out of the room, searching for my mother, who was still crying by the window. If my father hated me, then surely my mother wouldn’t.

Didn’t mothers always love their children?

I hugged my mother’s legs, hoping the woman who gave birth to me would hug me back and tell me that everything would be okay. But I was wrong. She didn’t move at all, even as blood kept dripping from my lip.

"Mom, is all of this Dion’s fault? This hurts, Mom... please, Dion... Dad said he hates Dion, but you don’t hate Dion, right?" I kept crying, clinging to my mother’s legs, hoping she would hug me and calm me down.

I hoped my mother would take my side. But in reality, she didn’t even glance at me. She seemed reluctant to touch me.

I could only stare at my mother in disbelief. Even she didn’t side with me. Was I really the one at fault?

Should I not have interfered with my father’s affair?

"Dad said it would have been better if Dion had never been born. So, does that mean Dion... doesn’t need to be here anymore, right?" I spoke with a trembling voice.

Again, my mother didn’t respond to anything I said. I bit my lip.

Laughter echoed from behind the door. It was my aunt, laughing mockingly at my words. I could only look at the person I hated most with a blank stare.

"Thinking of killing yourself? Go ahead... haha, as if you’d actually do it," my aunt’s mocking laughter shattered whatever was left of my footing.

Crying, I ran away from the family home, with no clear destination. All I could think about at that moment was to leave, to get far away from there.

---

Without realizing it, I found myself standing by the railway tracks, not far from home. I stared blankly at the cold, empty tracks. It’s no wonder—they were still deserted this early in the morning, as people were likely preparing for the holiday.

But I didn’t care.

After all, no one was on my side. I didn’t need to be here anymore, right? I just needed to disappear from this world.

Yes.

I just needed to disappear.

I stepped toward the middle of the tracks, ignoring the sound of the approaching train.