SAD BOY [HHJ] ✔️

[ 04 ]

F O U R
THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW

KIYOMI INHALED A SHARP intake of air. Today was her second day of school. Yesterday she didn't get around to making any new friends as Felix and Chan hovered around her likes bees. Which she didn't mind but she did look forward to make new friends other than the boys and their friends. Just before school could start, the girl was at a local convenience store down the road of the school. There was one thing she liked about Korea especially. It was there variety in jellies or gummy candy as Western people knew it as. They had precious flavors like strawberry, grape or apple to ones that she wouldn't even think about trying.

A small smile appeared on Kiyomi's face when she found the grape flavored jellies. Her favorite. At that moment she realized she had no ramen in her house. This was what she liked to call the downsides of having parents in the medical field. Sure, knowing what was bad and good was helpful. But it couldn't be bad if she had it once in a while... right? Her feet took a few strides to the aisle two aisles down. Kiyomi gaped at variety of ramen there. In Australia, to get different brands you would have to enter an Asian store that imported them from Asia.

"Ahh... Jin Ramen. Oh? Shin Ramen too. How about one of each?" She asked herself, getting her two best ramen off the shelves.

"Oh? Kiyomi!" A voice chirped happily. The female turned around with raised brows. "Eh? Seungmin? What are you doing here?" She laughed lightly, giving a small wave before walking towards him. He held his items in his arms, wriggling them at her. "Getting my lunch for after school. Since we have dance practice after. Oh and in the morning too!" He chuckled, ruffling a hand through his slightly sweaty hair. She gave a tipped smile, eyeing his arms. He held a pack of small milk bottles, packaged chips as well as a sugary drink.

"Should we pay and get to school then?"

"Oh yeah. Let's go!"

• • •

Kiyomi had arrived to the door of her homeroom. Ten minutes before her first lesson started. Yesterday, her homeroom teacher had seated her in between two people that weren't here. Felix was in the row to her left, diagonal seated across her. Speaking of that deep-voiced Aussie, he hadn't turned up yet. Maybe he was running a little late. He wasn't on the bus with her today. The girl blinked blankly several times when she saw someone. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But it was true. Her eyes weren't failing her.

Hwang Hyunjin was sitting down, next to her seat, in class.

The guy who all of his friends said never showed up to class.

Slowly, she wedged herself in between the rows and took a seat at her new desk. While she unpacked her school equipment, Hyunjin watched her from the corner of his eyes. He wondered about that smile on her face. Was it permanently etched into her face? Why did she smile so much? How can you be happy all the time?

Most of all, why would you want to smile about this shithole?

What was so good about it? Studying and learning... that wasn't something to smile about.

Hyunjin almost grew flustered when his eyes met hers. Her eyes were big and round. Innocent and happy. "Hi! You're Hyunjin, right? We met yesterday?" Kiyomi's voice was soft and velvety. It was as if one simple word was enough to lure you in. His mouth was tightly sealed, no voice escaping his throat as he took a second to look at her before moving his eyes away. The Japanese girl pursed her lips, not expecting his quiet response. It was clear he didn't want to talk. But she couldn't help not dismiss Felix and Chan's warnings. She wanted to make friends. It was just how she was.

• • •

"Anata wa Choi Kiyomidesu ka? (Are you Choi Kiyomi?)" A soft voice asked in Japanese. Kiyomi looked up from her desk, two unfamiliar girls standing at her desk. They weren't in her class. Maybe they were in her year. Soon she looked at her name tag. Did those girls not see it? "Ah... sōdesu. (Ah... that's right.)" She responded with a small nod. "I'm Kotō Kokoro and this is Hwang Yeji." Kokoro told her in Korean. The Korean female, Yeji, next to her waved and smiled kindly.

Kiyomi furrowed her brows, "Hwang?..." She looked at Yeji curiously, who immediately widened her eyes and shook her head. "I know I kind of look like him but I swear I'm not related to Hyunjin. At all." The Australian chuckled lightly, before Kokoro spoke up a minute of thinking. "You know... I'm Japanese and Yeji's Korean... it's like if we had a child, it would be you."

And that was the beginning of a new friendship.

• • •

Kiyomi sighed when she dipped back into her bed, resting her hands under her head. Finishing her homework and her job to clean the house, only one thought ran through her mind.

Why was Hyunjin so cold?

To be honest, he didn't even speak that much with his friends. But that was when she could actually see him. Maybe he was two-faced and was a happy little bunny at home or at dance practice.

• • •

Hyunjin opened the door to his house, closing the scenery of the sun setting. It was five in the evening and he was just returning home. "Yah! Why are you so late again?!" Hyunjin internally sighed. That voice. He hated that voice. He hated both of the voices. His eyes flitted around the living room before meeting his mothers'. "I had dance practice." He mumbled truthfully. His appearance was sweaty and tired because of it. The older female scoffed, taking dangerous steps towards him. Her slender fingers grabbed his jaw tightly, pressing harshly on his skin. "We've told you to stop that stupid dream of yours." She gritted out of her teeth, the smell of alcohol reeking from her.

Before Hyunjin could response, he was knocked out of her grip with a punch to his head. His father stood before him as he laid on the floor. A throbbing pain ached throughout his head, his brain getting slightly fuzzy. "Why don't you listen to us?!" His father shouted, grabbing the boy by the throat and standing him up. Hyunjin struggled to breath in his strong grip. He grunted, squirming around to get out.

This was his life at home.

A life with abusive parents.

He didn't really remember how they became like this. All he remembered was that they moved here when he was fourteen and since then they had been hitting him. Hyunjin has been waiting for two things since then.

To leave his parents and his house. To leave this abusive live.

And then the second option. The rarest one out of them.

For someone to save him.