A/N: The backstory involves domestic abuse theme.
I was in middle school, walking home from Kwon's house. They're like my second family. Mom and Kwon's are good friends, and Soonyoung's like my brother. Mom made it a routine, after school, Soonyoung and I will go to their house to have dinner. Then go home before 7 pm.
I arrived home without announcing, I passed my dad sleeping in the living room with the tv still playing.
I went straight to the bedroom which I share with my mom. I opened the door and saw her kneeling and facing her cabinet doing something.
"Ahh. You're home." She greeted. I saw some wrappers of band aids behind her.
"What are you doing?" I asked while I change my uniform.
"Nothing, just cleaning up the mess in here."
"Have you eaten?" I asked.
"Yeah yeah. What's your dinner?"
"Ramen."
"I see. That's delicious." She smiled widely.
My mom is a very gorgeous and delicate woman. I have never heard her curse or lift her hand at me. She's always has a bright face. She brushes my hair and asks me about school. She laughs at all the stories I had, including the jokes I learned from Soonyoung.
She's always happy with me. Or so I thought.
I realized I can tell someone's emotions; happiness, anger, sadness, nervousness, denial. My first project was my dad.
Every time he tells my mom that he has no money or another woman, I see a particular aura from his eyes that screams lie. It has no color, image, nor smell. I just can tell it.
I was 12 when I decided to test my ability on dad. I got home to our usual home setting, mom inside the bedroom and dad lying on the couch.
"Dad." I called.
"What?"
"Are you hurting mom?"
"Eh? No."
I clenched my fists. I see boxes of bandaids in the bin and mom always wears long sleeves. Even a person that doesn't have this ability will know what there's violence going on. I'm not that dumb not to notice it even though my mom gives me her warmest smiles.
But my father's answer confirmed by speculations. He was lying to me. He was hurting mom.
I thought if he dies here and now, mom will finally be free. Mom can finally tell me how she really feels.
I took my baseball bat and walked towards my unconscious dad.
Then someone grabbed my wrist. I turned and saw mom. After all the times I met her eyes, this is the first time she lets me know her thoughts. Her eyes tell me that she's furious towards me.
"Don't do it. Please." She said it without breaking an eye contact with me.
I placed the bat down and tried to hide my tears. She hugged me and brushed my hair. I obeyed my mom since then. For five years, I endured my father's beating because it's all my mom wanted.
Nothing has changed. Every time I go home, mom acts like everything is okay, like we're a happy family.
I know deep inside she's hurting, who wouldn't? She should be down, but she never showed me. Her eyes never let me know it. I don't understand why she does it so I asked her
"Why don't we leave dad?"
"Sweetie.."
"Why? I don't want to be here."
"He's still your dad."
"But he never acts like one."
"Jeonghan.. I love him."
Hilarious. That's martyrdom.
I was 17 years old, Soonyoung decided to cut class to play at the basketball court. We got tired and sweaty so we went home early to change.
