Unexpected Love *⁠.⁠✧

Episode 19

Perth and Santa sat closely together, the air between them calm but thick with unspoken words. Perth, glancing at Santa, shifted.

As Perth pulled Santa closer, resting his head against his chest, he asked softly, "Ta... why did you agree to be my slave in the first place? You didn’t have to listen to me."

Santa hesitated for a moment, his eyes distant, before replying, "You wouldn’t understand, phi... I have this fear of embarrassment." Perth raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. Santa sighed, taking a deep breath. "I've been bullied when I was in high school."

Perth’s arms tightened around him. "Bullied?"

Santa nodded slowly. "I wasn’t always the person I am now. Back then, I was the quiet kid... the one everyone ignored or called a freak. Every day felt like... like I was invisible but somehow still a target."

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The scene shifted to a memory of Santa sitting alone at the back of a high school cafeteria. His eyes were downcast as he picked at his food, pretending not to notice the group of students sitting nearby, whispering and pointing at him. One boy, with a cruel smile, walked up to him and knocked his tray to the floor.

"Oops, sorry freak, didn’t see you there," the boy mocked as the others laughed. Santa remained silent, his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as the cafeteria echoed with laughter.

Back in the classroom, Santa sat in the last row, alone. As the teacher turned away to write on the board, another student threw a crumpled paper ball at him, hitting him on the back of his head. "What’s the matter, freak? Cat got your tongue?" another boy taunted.

Santa never said a word, always keeping his head down, hoping to just disappear.

One day, As he approached his classroom door, he noticed a group of boys lingering near the lockers, whispering and snickering, but he didn’t pay them any attention. He was used to being ignored or laughed at from a distance.

When he opened the door to the classroom, everything happened so fast.

A loud splash echoed through the room as a bucket of water, balanced on top of the door, fell directly onto Santa’s head. Cold water soaked his clothes, dripping down his face and splashing onto the floor. For a second, there was silence — then the laughter started. Loud, cruel, mocking laughter from his classmates, who had all been waiting for this moment.

Someone shouted, "Look at him! What a loser!" Another voice followed, "Hey, freak, you need a towel?"

Santa stood frozen, water dripping from his hair, completely humiliated. His heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to keep his composure. His eyes darted around the room, trying to avoid the phones that were pointed at him, recording every second of his embarrassment.

One of the boys who had set up the prank stepped forward, grinning. "Smile for the camera, freak!" he jeered, holding his phone up to Santa’s face.

Santa’s hands trembled, his throat tight. He wanted to run, to disappear, but his legs felt like they were glued to the ground. He could feel his face burning with shame, and tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but he blinked them back. The last thing he wanted was to cry in front of them.

More phones were out now, recording him from different angles, capturing his humiliation from every side. The videos would surely be spread around the school, shared in group chats, and laughed at for days.

The teacher wasn’t even there yet — no one to step in and stop it. No one to defend him.

Finally, one of the girls sitting at the back muttered, "That’s enough, guys. It’s not funny anymore."