𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲 | 𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐨

25

The rest of the boys decided that it would be fun for them to come and camp here at Yoshi's house. As of the moment, they're sprawled out on the floor, watching a football game that I couldn't understand. I was seated between Yoshi and Jaehyuk who are both into the game just like the rest of them. They kept on shouting at the screen as if the players can hear them. Since I got bored watching the game, I stood up from my seat and decided that I would just spend my time at the balcony.

"Where are you going?" Yoshi asked me, but his eyes are still fixated on the screen.

"I'm gonna go to the balcony." I told him. He just nodded. I shook my head. Boys and their sports. I made my way out of the living room and went up the stairs. I went to my room first to grab the book that I'm currently reading. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. After that, I went to the balcony and sat on the couch there. I was so indulged into my reading session that I didn't notice that I was no longer alone.

"What are you reading?" I was startled when I heard a deep voice. I quickly turned around to see my companion.

"You scared me, Ben." I said, clutching my chest. I scooted to the side and motioned him to sit beside me.

"It wasn't my intention to scare you though." He chuckled. "You're just too busy with your book."

Silence enveloped the both of us. It wasn't awkward though. This felt like the right time for us to talk about things and catch up with one another.

"How are you?" I decided to break the silence. "How was Australia?"

"Australia was incredible but I still prefer Korea. I had a hard time adjusting to their culture especially since they do not eat rice for breakfast." We both laughed. "But surprisingly, it felt right to be there for some reason. How about you? What happened after we went away?"

I sighed. "Hell happened." I felt Ben shift on his seat. "Everything crumbled down after you left. It was total chaos. My mom died. My father kicked me out. I became a homeless kid but thankfully Miss Kim was there to help me out even if she cannot take me in. I had to do multiple part-time jobs to be able to attend school. I almost got killed while buying toothpaste because I ran out of it. Then I found myself getting connected to a gang, your gang, which is like the rival gang of my dad's gang. I can't believe I just used gang four times in one sentence."

"You've been through a lot Mirae. Sorry, I wasn't there to help you out." He muttered, not even caring about the joke I've said. I faced him and gave him a smile.

"You don't need to be sorry, Ben." I told him. "It's not your fault. If anything, I am very happy that you were part of my childhood because in that way, I can at least say that something good happened. Anyway, enough of me. How about you? How did you end up with you know? The gang?"

I watch a smile pull up on his face. "It started when we went back here in Korea for a vacation. I went back to our old village to find you but you weren't there anymore. I tried my best to look for you but I didn't succeed. I figured out that maybe you moved to another house or maybe you have also left the country. One day, I went to the park where we used to play because I was hoping to see you there. I sat on the swing alone until three boys showed up. Jihoon, Yoshi, and Junkyu approached me and asked me to play basketball with them. At first, I was hesitant because I didn't know them and they could totally be bad guys. Yoshi looked like he was about to square up. I found myself walking to the court with them though."

Same. I thought. Yoshi's aura especially when he's wearing his poker face is scary. It doesn't help that he's usually quiet too.

"We played basketball for hours until our bodies were tired. That's how our friendship started. I also met the rest of the boys after that. They were so friendly and welcoming. It felt like I made another family when I met them. We shared our stories with each other. It was that one unlucky day when I was strolling with Asahi..."

Noona, I was the first one who turned into a monster. I can still remember what Asahi told me and it still breaks my heart up to this day.

"Yes, I know what happened. You don't have to tell me that anymore, Ben." I said when I noticed how his fist were clenched. "It must've been so painful... I'm sorry about what happened."

"I thought that would be the end, Mirae. I was scared for my life, for our lives. I barely survived that incident. Good thing, I made it through." He laughed but there was no humor in it. "I went back to Australia after that to heal. Meanwhile, the boys decided to start Treasure and I joined them because I also wanted to avenge myself. We want to take them down."

I stared at the orange sky. The sun is setting. It's a wonderful sight.

"I'm just glad that you're okay and I just want you to know that I am happy to see you again. You've grown a lot. You're strong and resilient. When we were kids, you became my refuge. Now that we're older, let me be your protector."

"I don't want to get killed by Yoshi though." I frowned at him. He snickered. "You don't have to protect me. If anything, let me protect you. I know that Yoshi is there to make sure you're safe and sound but I just want you to know that I am also here. The rest of Treasure is here for you."

"Since when did you get so mature?" I elbowed him.

"Maturity is what happens when one learns to only give a fuck about what's truly fuckworthy." He replied making me confused. He must've seen the confusion written on my face because he ended up chuckling. He flicked my forehead making me groan. "It's from the book that you're reading right now, idiot. Through the years, I've learned to only put premium on the things that really mattered and I guess that made everything better."

We smiled each other before looking at the setting sun. I'm really happy that I got reconnected to Ben. He's one of the few fragments of my childhood that I want to keep. Darkness finally started to envelop the sky. We decided to go back inside and check on the boys. It was when we were almost at the bottom of the stairs that we heard Junghwan's scream. We looked at each other before we sprinted to where the boys are.

We saw Junghwan trembling in fear, something that I usually don't see from him since he is somewhat fearless. There was a box lying on the ground. The older boys went on and checked what's inside the box that made Junghwan scream. I found myself walking towards them. Before Yoshi could stop me, I already saw the contents of the box. I fell to the ground in fear. I started shaking. Yoshi quickly went to my side and tried to calm me but I just can't collect myself.

Inside the box is a picture of me smiling with a bloodied knife stabbed in the middle along with some worms that began crawling out of the box. The one who sent the box must've had a deep grudge towards me but I can't think of any person can do this to me. Besides, I even don't know a lot of people to put a name to the person who delivered the box.

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A/N: Thank you for the 4.3k reads!!!