It's one of those days where Sehyuk wishes the world should've just ended in 2012 like in the movie. He stares at the ceiling, the incident that occurred exactly two years ago today, playing in his mind. The heaviness in his chest keeps him tied to the bed, lethal words ringing like a sonorous empty utensil. He spent one year as a shut-in since that day, only moving to use the washroom and barely eating.

Sehyuk clutches the sheet under him, crumpling it in his palm. He closes his eyes, taking in slow and long breaths, toes curling at the images that flash in his mind.

"I hope you'll never be happy!"

"You're escaping the law only because your parents are stuffing bills in everyone's mouths!"

His parents have always been his support, sometimes a bit too doting as he's an only child. He's been coddled since birth, having all the love and attention to himself. Even after the incident, his parents cleaned up after him. The other party was furious but couldn't do anything but accept the cheque his parents held out for them to settle.

Although the burden in his chest is overwhelming and crushing, he has to get up. He has a test that comprises forty percent of his final grade for the course and he would fail if he doesn't take it. The professor had already warned them that there would be no retakes. So, Sehyuk lifts himself up, dragging his legs to the washroom and getting ready for the day.

"What's done is done, don't let it hold you back. Learn from your past actions." Sehyuk's counselor had relayed over and over again. He repeats the mantra while brushing his teeth, the mint toothpaste tasting on his dry tongue, accusing eyes trained on the mirror in front of him.

Sehyuk closes his eyes when he hears his phone ring in the room, sighing at knowing who it already is. He lets it be, for now, first showering and then changing into a pair of Adidas black tracksuit and picking up his backpack before leaving his apartment. He mounts his Hyosung GD250R motorbike and straps his helmet, starting the engine and riding off to his university.

His mobile phone rings again and Sehyuk answers this time, moving to the side to connect his AirPods and then continuing towards his destination. "Hello, eomma. How have you been?"

"I'm good," the older woman replies from the other line. "How...how are you?"

"Don't worry about me," the son says, gripping onto the hand clutch and ignition switch. "I'm heading to the university right now."

"You should've taken a leave today...to rest."

Sehyuk licks his lips and bites off the skin of the lower one. "It's okay. I'm over it, I'm happy here." He smiles for extra effect, to make his voice believable. "Seoul is doing me good, even made some friends."

"T-that's...that makes me very happy," he feels his mother holding back tears. "Last year had been hard for you."

"Eomma, my university is here, I'll talk to you later." Sehyuk gives a tight smile. "Bye." He hangs up, parks his bike near the bicycle stand, and proceeds to his first class.

"The paper has twenty-five questions, one mark each." The professor starts as all the students settle in their seats, the test papers placed on their tables. "You may start now and I'll be taking attendance in the meantime."

"Do Dohyun."

"Present!"

"Byuk Nami."

"I'm here."

"Min Sehyuk."

"Present."

The professor's voice becomes white noise as Sehyuk breathes in and releases air through his mouth, grabbing a pen from his bag and starting the test. He starts filling in the bubble sheet as he carefully reads the questions.

"Nam Seulgi."

"Here, Professor Kim."

"Kang Kihyun."

"REM sleep is stage four of sleeping," Sehyuk whispers as he chooses option D. "Who is the father of psychology?" The boy taps his pen on the options, squinting in confusion.

"Kang Kihyun?" The professor repeats.

"Was it Sigmund Freud or Wilhelm Wundt?" Sehyuk ponders, his eyes wandering and meeting the professor's.

"Does anyone have an idea why Kang Kihyun isn't attending today?"

Sehyuk perks at that, searching for the said boy. He shakes his head wondering how he could miss such an important test. Even if Kihyun usually displays a nonchalant behavior in class, he doesn't fail to mark his attendance and scores well on all his assignments and tests.

Sehyuk sighs as the professor announces that Kihyun won't be getting a retake. Twenty minutes later, the transferee submits his paper and exits the classroom, the thought of Kihyun's absence lingering in his mind throughout the day.

It's been a week since their last interaction at the football court and Sehyuk is quite in awe of how he's managed to get bullied by the other for the half semester. Two more months and he'll step into the next one. It's been anything but a mundane journey, with the added bullying, football club, and befriending Jaemin. He's grateful to have come across the boy and been pulled into his world of chatter and care. If Sehyuk had to name the best thing that happened to him in the past months, it would be the bond he's formed with Jaemin. Easy and genuine.

After he's done with the university for the day, Sehyuk walks up to the convenience store in his area. The bell chimes and he gives a small smile to the worker stationed behind the counter. He zooms in at the ramen aisle, picking a few spicy packets and some kimbap, and dropping them into his supplies basket. The boy then moves towards the wall of built-in coolers, grabbing a crate of soft drinks and a juice bottle. Not far from him, a high school girl is pressing some buttons on the coffee machine, the smell of fresh coffee wafting around as the cup fills with brown liquid.

"Eomma! I want bubblegum candies!" A little boy whines, pulling his mother towards the snacks row.

Sehyuk drops his items from the basket onto the counter, fetching his wallet from the back pocket of his track pants.

"That'll be ₩2384," the cashier states, rattling a plastic bag and adding items to it. Sehyuk swipes his debit card, the machine spitting out a bill as the payment is accepted.

"Thank you," the blond gives a light head bow and exits the convenience. He opens the plastic bag to check if he has all he needs for the day only to crash into a body. "I'm sorry! I wasn't—" he stops at the presence in front of him. "—Kihyun..."

The said boy snorts, pushing Sehyuk aside to go into the store but the transferee stops him by pulling his arm. "Where were you today? We had that test—"

Kihyun's eyes widen momentarily, but the surprise disappears as soon as it comes. "Shut up. Mind your own business." He slurs with a weak push.

Sehyuk doesn't give in. He shakes his head, the alcohol smell noticeable from the other boy. He isn't one to assume but Kihyun's ripped jeans and grey silk blouse along with disheveled hair act as evidence of him partying all night. "You will not be getting a re-test, the professor already—"

Kihyun pulls Sehyuk to the back of the convenience store and pushes him into the wall, landing a solid punch to his jaw.

"Do you ever shut up!" He yells angrily and rounds up another blow to Sehyuk's gut, shoving the boy to the ground. He falls near the discarded vegetables and expired packed items from the store, thrown outside the bin in the place. "You're not my father so stop butting in!" He kicks him ferociously, shoe digging into the boy on the ground. "I'm so tired of your existence." His foot slams in the middle of Sehyuk's arm and then they both hear it.

Crack.

Sehyuk's bone snaps and the boy cries in pain, his hand coming up to hold his arm, fingers curling around it.

Kihyun is taken aback, his staggering feet step away, hands trembling slightly as he sprints off from the scene, leaving behind the younger boy. He runs as fast as he can, till he is breathless and his knees give out. Yes, he's hungover but didn't expect his rage to overpower him. He's been beating up students in the past year but has always been careful to stop it at simple bruising.

Kihyun rubs his hands over his face with a sigh, the image of Sehyuk on the ground guilt-tripping him. There was nothing he could do but leave him there since he couldn't attract attention when he would be in trouble for slipping the test. With heavy feet, the boy hails a cab and goes home.

The week has been hard for him. It's been a year since his brother went to prison and Kihyun cut off even his family. His newborn nephew hadn't done anything wrong but he couldn't bring himself to visit at his birth. By now he would be around a few months old already.

"I received a call from your professor today," Kihyun hears as soon as he enters his villa. He closes his eyes, praying the odds are in his favor.

"Abeoji." He turns to the man. He hates how his father keeps tabs on him even in university. He's not a damn child. "It was nothing major, I can attend it again after submitting an excuse to the instructor."

"Well, she had something else to say," the father scoffs, walking in Kihyun's direction. "There will be no re-test."

Kihyun wants to get over with it so he shrugs. "I can just take the course next semester again. It's not like it's my major course, it's just psychology."

Wooshik pulls the boy's collar. "I had to apologize to the professor and request a retake!" He bellows as a hand strikes Kihyun's face. "Me!" The older man points at himself. "I, Kang Wooshik, had to apologize for a scum like you!" He slaps him again on the same cheek and Kihyun holds himself in place, hands fisting at his sides.

The sound of the unbuckling of his father's leather belt straightens Kihyun up. His bravado falters as the first lash whacks harshly over his chest then at his thighs. He doesn't expect the punch that comes next, curling onto the tiled floor to protect his head by covering it with his hands.

"You piece of crap! You need to learn your place!"

The burning sensation of the belt on his skin breaks something in Kihyun, his eyes fighting to keep the tears at bay. One lash after the other, and he can do nothing but cower in fear.

"Wooshik! What is going on?" A female voice interrupts the man's stress blow-off session.

Wooshik grips the belt tighter and turns to his wife. "Your lovely son missed an important test for which I had to apologize."

"Oh," the woman deflates, eyes meeting her son's. "Kihyun, we just ask you to have good grades. Can't you do as much for all that your parents have done for you?"

Kihyun grits his teeth, he's not surprised but just disappointed. His mother does nothing to stop his father when he hits him. She may not have been someone like that in the past but slowly detached herself to escape her husband's rage as it was she who was his first victim.

"I have to discipline him," Wooshik grouses and he belts Kihyun again.

His mother opens her mouth and raises her hand in an attempt to stop him but both fall to their place simultaneously, her hand by her side and lips pressing together. She squints and turns away, grabbing onto her dress with a slight tremble as her husband hits their son. Maybe, Kihyun's cowardice comes from his mother.

At times like these, Kihyun misses his older brother. He was the one who could put up a fight against their father. Kihyun had always been the weak one among them, always staying under the shadow of his hyung. With him around, he felt protected and safe from their father's wrath.

The boy lets angry tears roll off his cheeks, one bruising red, the tears stinging where his father slapped him. He stares at the two figures in utter defeat. A power-hungry father, full of himself, doing everything to attain absolute control over others. And a gold-digging mother, who drowns herself in her husband's money, overlooking everything to save herself and stay by his side.

Just a perfectly normal, rich family.