Y/n POV
What the hell is wrong with that guy? Why is he such a busybody?
"Y/n? Y/n ah? Are you listening?" Hyungjun's voice startled you out of your daze.
"Huh? Sorry, I was spacing out. You were saying?"
"I was asking you what do you want to order?" A slight annoyance colored Hyungjun's voice.
"Oh. I'll just have the same thing as you. I need to go to the restroom. I'll be back soon." You got up from your seat & walked briskly towards the restroom.
Song Y/n, stop thinking about that weird Kim sonsaeng. You're with your boy friend now, why are you thinking about another guy?
"Oh, the restroom is out of order. Well I guess I'll just have to hold it in." You sighed & turned around to go back to your seat.
You could see that Hyungjun was talking to the phone as you approached him from behind.
"Baby, of course you're more important. She means nothing to me. You know I'm just playing along with her because I pity her. I'll ditch her soon, don't worry."
Your heart dropped to the floor as you unintentionally heard his conversation. Holding in the anger & tears, you immediately grabbed your bag & bolted to the exit.
"Y/n! Where are you going?" Hyungjun frantically followed you from behind & caught your hand.
"Don't touch me, you two-timing bastard! I trusted you! How could you do this to me?!" You yelled as you shook his hand off.
"What do you mean?" He still wouldn't admit his deceit.
"I heard your conversation earlier. Let's break up so you can go to that 'baby' of yours." You spat bitterly at him.
"You're breaking up with me?" His expression turned menacing in an instant. In a sudden move, he snatched your wrist & gripped it tight.
"Ow! You're hurting me!"
"How dare you break up with me after I put up with your pretentious ass for a year? Just because you're a bit pretty, you think you're all that, aren't you? You want to know why I cheat on you? Because you're as dry as sandpaper! You won't even let me touch you even after a year of dating! Fine, let's break up. I'm sick of you already anw. Just so you know, she's much better in bed than you'll ever be." He threw your hand violently & left.
You were too stunned to move, so you just stood there frozen watching his diminishing back & listening to your heart breaking into pieces.
A droplet of tear escaped your eye & you quickly wiped it away with the back of your hand.
Don't waste your tears on him. He's not worth it.

-•-

You slammed the door behind you & dragged your feet to your room. Seeing the door half opened, you huffed heavily, expecting to see your stepfather in your room again.
"Get ou- Eomma? What are you doing? Are you going through my stuffs?" You exclaimed in surprise as you saw your mom's head buried halfway inside your tiny wardrobe.
"Where is the money? Give it to me now." She swiftly turned to you with her palm facing up.
"Money? What money?"
"The money I gave you yesterday for that painting competition. Come on, where do you hide it?" She demanded urgently.
"Why are you asking me that? What are you going to do with it?" You took a step back, hiding your bag behind you.
"Don't ask so many questions. Just give it to me, I need it for something urgent."
"Is it to bail that scumbag out of jail again? What has he done this time? Drunken assault as usual?" You scoffed.
"Shut up! He's your stepdad, have some respect!" She slapped you hard on the cheek.
"Eomma.." You cradled the left side of your face, tears glistening in your eyes.
Your mom looked guilty for a fraction of second before she lunged at you & grabbed your bag by force. She rummaged through it & found the money that she'd given you in an envelope.
"You don't need to join that competition. It's not for people like us." She avoided your gaze & dashed out the door.
You slowly bent down to pick up your bag as tears rolled down your swollen cheek.
Do I have to live like this forever? Can someone please rescue me from this hell?

-•-

You wandered mindlessly out of your neighborhood. Without realizing, your feet brought you to the gallery where your favorite painter had an exhibition. Unfortunately, it was already closed so you just sat at a bench across the gallery.
You were zoning out, listening to music with your earphones plugged in, when someone tapped your shoulder.
"Heyyy, what a nice coincidence." Dojoon slurred, obviously drunk. His two underlings trailed behind him.
Dear God, do you hate me that much?
"Go away. I'm not in the mood to deal with you." You shrugged his hand off & stood up.
"Stop being so cold. Come on, let's have some fun." He threw his arm around your shoulders & pulled you towards him.
"Get off me!" You frantically opened your bag, trying to get the taser but one of the boys snatched your bag away from you.
"No one will help you tonight, so just come with us. We'll show you a great time." He laughed evilly, making you shudder in fear.
"No!" You tried to get away from his hug, but he was too strong.
Just when you were about to give up, someone pulled Dojoon away from you & threw a punch on his face.
"Run!" It was Taehyung. He grabbed your hand & pulled you away, while his other hand was carrying something that looked like a grocery bag.
"Catch them!" Dojoon shouted.
You ran along with Taehyung until you reached a narrow dark alley.
"Let's hide here." He put his forefinger on his lips.
Your chest rise up & down in rhythm with his. His warm breath blew over your sweat-slicked skin.
It felt like deja vu, but this time, feeling his body so close to yours made your heart weirdly pound faster than necessary.
"I think they're-" Taehyung's sentence was cut off by a hand choking his neck.
"Hah! You think I'll let you escape again this time?" Dojoon snickered as he punched Taehyung's face, causing his glasses to fly off & drop to the ground.
"Kim Dojoon! Stop it! He's a teacher at our school! You'll get expelled for hitting him!" You tried to talk some sense into Dojoon, but he was too drunk to care. His underlings held your hands tightly behind your back, making you unable to get closer to Taehyung.
"Pfft.. I don't give a fuck what he is. All I want to do is beat him into a pulp now." Dojoon scoffed.
"Do-Dojoon ah, should we stop? What if we really get expelled?" One of his friends asked hesitantly.
"Shut up! Or I'll beat your ass too!" His friend's statement made him even angrier. He knelt down over Taehyung's body & beat his face & torso mercilessly.
Taehyung struggled to sat up, but Dojoon was too big & heavy for him. All he could do was cover his head with his arms in defense.
Taehyung's blood spattered all over the place. You couldn't continue witnessing the assault, so you bit your lower lip & shut your eyes tight.
"Dojoon ah, that's enough! Let's go. Let's just go!" Scared of the possibility of Dojoon killing Taehyung, both his friends pulled him away.
"That's what you get for getting in my way." Dojoon spat at Taehyung before he staggered out of the dark alley with his friends.
You immediately rushed to Taehyung's side & cradled his head on your lap. Angry bruises covered his face & blood seeped from the corner of his lips & nose.
"Kim sonsaeng! Wake up! Kim sonsaeng!" You gently shook him but he showed no response.
"Please, wake up. Please." You cried.

"Ok.." His whisper was so faint that you barely heard it, but you saw his lips moving.
"Omg, thank God you're not dead." You breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"I thought you didn't like me." He slowly opened his eyes & smiled.
"Ya! This is not the time to joke!" You involuntarily slapped his chest.
"Ow. Please don't do that. It hurts." He winced.
"Sorry. Did it hurt really bad? We should go to the hospital. Can you stand up?" You held his arm & gently supported him.
"There's no need to go to the hospital. My apartment is just around the corner & I have first aid kit at home." He stood up with one arm over your shoulder, as he painfully clutched his torso.
"Are you sure? The wounds look pretty bad."
"Don't worry it's not as bad as it looks." He assured you.

-•-

"Woah, Kim sonsaeng, you must be loaded. Are you a chaebol or something?" You looked around in awe at his luxurious pad.
"Nah, my parents are farmers in Gangjin." He said as he sat down on the white leather sofa.
"Then, how come- Oh well, it's none of my business. Where's the first aid kit? Let me get it for you."
"It's inside the cabinet in the bathroom. Just go along the corridor, it's the first door to your right."
"Ok."
"Damn, his apartment sure is nice." You gaped as you walked in the direction that Taehyung told you.
You found the bathroom & turned on the lights. The first thing you saw was a painting on the wall above the bathtub. It was so exquisite that you couldn't help but stop for a moment to admire the beautiful colors.
You walked closer & searched for the painter's signature at the bottom right corner.
"What the-" You gasped in surprise.
You quickly opened the cabinet, grabbed the first aid kit, & stomped out of the bathroom.
"Kim sonsaeng, what you're doing here is a crime." You angrily exclaimed.
"Huh? What do you mean?" He opened his eyes in confusion.
"That painting in your bathroom. It's a crime to hang it there! The moisture will ruin it!"
"Aahh. That painting by V. Well, I have nowhere else to hang it, so.." He shrugged.
"What? You- I can't deal with you anymore." You put down the first aid kit & turned towards the exit.
"Wait! Ok ok, I'll take it down & hang it somewhere else. So, please, don't leave." He grimaced in pain as he tried to get up.
You felt pity for him. He was hurt because of you after all. You threw your bag back onto the couch & plopped down beside him.
"I'll help you dress up your wound." You opened the first aid kit & began putting ointment on the cuts on his face with cotton buds.
"Ow. Can you be more gentle, please?" He exclaimed.
"Psshh.." You stabbed at it harder on purpose.
"Ow! Ya Song Y/n, are you a sadist or something?" He yelped & backed away from your touch.
"That's for disrespecting my favorite artist." The corner of your lips lifted slightly looking at his reaction.
"Take off your shirt." You flatly said.
"W-Why? What are you going to do?" He instantly covered his chest with both arms.
"I just want to check the bruises on your body. Stop being such a perv." You rolled your eyes at him.
"Oh o-ok." He pulled his T-shirt up & your eyes widened in shock once you saw the ugly purplish black bruises all over his body.
"Omg.. Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? Those look extremely painful." You skimmed your finger gently on one of the bruises & he immediately flinched.
"It's ok. They'll heal in no time." He quickly pulled his T-shirt back down.
"Wait. At least let me put some ointment on them." You grabbed his hand & stopped him.
"O-ok." He pulled his T-shirt back up again & looked away, his cheeks blushing slightly.
As you dabbed the salve on the bruises, you realized how well-sculpted his body actually was. His waist was slim, his abdomen was muscular, & his chest was wide. Feeling suddenly embarrassed, you sped up so that you could finish the job faster.
"That's it. Those will definitely hurt a lot more tomorrow, so you should just rest at home. I'm going home now. Take care." You tidied up the first aid kit & stood up.
"Let me drive you home." He pushed himself up from the couch with much effort.
"No, I can go home on my own." You rejected right away. One, because you were uncomfortable sharing such a small space with him. Two, because you didn't want him to see your sad neighborhood.
"I insist. It's already very late. What if you meet some scoundrels again on the street? I can't risk that. My car is in the garage, so come on." He limped to the exit & signaled you to follow him.
"No, I-"
"Song Y/n, can you please listen to me for once?" He sighed, his voice & gaze stern, very different from the usual playful him.
"A-Alright." You finally gave in & followed him.
The ride to your apartment was quiet. Thank God, his imported car engine's roar was loud enough to fill the deafening silence, otherwise it would've been extremely awkward.
"You can stop here. My apartment is right there. Thanks for the ride." You said to him as you unbuckled your seat belt.
"Go ahead. I'll leave after I see you go in safely." He smiled at you.
"Oh ok. Thanks again & I hope your wounds will heal quickly. I'll see you at school." You pushed open the car door, ready to get off.
"Song Y/n! Can I- Can I have your number? Don't get me wrong, it's for that painting competition. The committee needs it for registration purpose."
You stared at him & thought about it for a few seconds.
"Give me your phone. That's my number." You dialed your cell number on his phone & soon your phone started ringing.
"Thanks. I'll give it to the committee tomorrow."
"Don't bother. I can't participate in the competition anymore. Good night & thanks for the ride!" You closed the door before he could say anything.
You heaved a deep sigh & slowly walked towards your apartment building.
Huh.. what a night.
The image of Taehyung's smile suddenly flashed in your mind.
He's a really weird guy.
You smiled to yourself as you put your hands inside your pockets.