Give & Take

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Golden shimmering paddy fields spread across the lands along with greens belonging to vegetables and plants. Small cottages stood between every few acres of land and even the one Minhyun was in was smack dab in the middle of the paddy fields. Minhyun was surprised because all of these had been wiped out by the black plague that struck them years ago. The whole land was barren and reeked of death. Nothing grew on it anymore yet here, everything was still alive. Still full of life and a future. Minhyun felt like it was suffocating thought as he was now struck with the thought that this was how the land used to be before the plague happened. He never thought he would be able to see the outskirts of his town lush and filled with so much-

"Ouch!"

Minhyun broke out from his daze and awe as the child cried out. He looked at the child who pouted and pulled a stupid face at the bug who hurt him. It clicked then and there. This was no mere child. He stood up and smiled as the bug hid itself between the shrubs. Minhyun would know that smile anywhere.

"Baekho?"

"Dongho! If you're free, come and help me."

"Dad! Coming!"

Minhyun whipped his head in the direction of the new voice and took notice of a man in the middle of the fields, cutting down the paddy. The child ran to his father excitedly and only then Minhyun took notice of the way the child was dressed. He wore simple ragged clothes but his arms and legs were all bandaged up like a mummy's. There was no denying it. It was Baekho. Minhyun contemplated following the child into the paddy fields though, unsure how this whole situation would affect him. He could only guess during the creature's explosion earlier, it may had perhaps used the last of its strength to put him into a nightmare except this had nothing to do with him. This was Baekho's past.

Still, it was intriguing enough for Minhyun not to find a way to leave immediately. He wanted to know what happened to Baekho. To his parents. Compelled by that thought, he took a step into the paddy field.

~~~

"Why are you so useless?! You can't even get me enough to afford a dress! Hopeless!"

"No, please. Stop hitting him," Baekho cried out despite knowing they couldn't see or hear him. He could only watch the child cry as he fell to the ground again for the third time while holding his red cheek. He couldn't stop them when his body wasn't physical.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, mother. I'll do better."

"Sorry? Do you think being sorry can help you? Without money and status, you will die! Your father left us early and with less than a dime to survive with. You had better pick up your slack or I am locking you up in the storage again!" the lady yelled in the sharpest and meanest tone Baekho had ever heard in his life and towards a child too.

"No, mother. Please, anything but the storage room. It's scary in there," He sobbed and pleaded his mother.

"Go back to your room now!"

"Yes, mother."

Baekho held back his tears as he went along with the child back to the room. He couldn't believe a mother would treat her own son like that. The child sobbed and rubbed his tears as he curled up in bed and wrapped the blanket around himself tightly.

"Father... Father, why did you have to leave so soon? Now, mother is always mad at me even though she loves me," the child sobbed and Baekho shook his head.

"No. Minhyun... That's not it," He said softly, his heart breaking at its very core.

"Father... If I'm always nice, she will become gentle again, right? If I become the perfect son, she will love me like she used to, right?"