.one.

What woke him up that morning, like most mornings, was the rumbling of his stomach informing him that it needed food. He tossed uncomfortably on his makeshift bed made of an old mattress and dirty sheets he had stolen from laundromats here and there. He shifted in such a way that he felt the cold congrete ground beneath him and it shook the sleep right out of him. 

The seventeen year old groaned a little too loudly. 

Another morning.

He needed to get up and start his day or else he might never get a bite to eat. His home for the week was an alley near the produce district, a little neighborhood street where all the shops mostly sold fruits and vegetables. He tried to alternate between alleys because sometimes the shop owners weren't too keen on him and decided to call the police to have him kicked out. And since he was still a minor, only seventeen, and would be turning eighteen in about four more months, he didn't want to get caught lest he wanted to go to some orphanage or some kind of government home. 

Seokjin felt like he didn't need anyone. He had himself and his black cat Raven, who was mostly out on his own anyway. The cat kept him company when he most felt alone and he seemed to follow him wherever he went. By now, Jin thought of the mangy little animal as his own.

With his ragged clothes and torn up sneakers, he lifted his tired body out of his makeshift bed and walked out onto the street. People eyed him with disdain as he passed them, most of them thinking him a drug addict, someone not worth their time or respect. Jin didn't care what they thought of him though. Stealing was the only way he knew to put food in his belly. He had been alone since he was ten years old. His father had been fighting for Korea during the Korean war, and he had seen so many things that left him having nightmares and war flashbacks. Jin was ten years old when the Vietnam war started and his father was required to fight for Korea again.

But his mental state had been so deteriorated by the woes of war that he could not handle another period of time in the military. Leaving a letter for his wife and his only son, he jumped off a bridge into the Han River to end his life. Not even a year later, his wife followed. She could not eat, she could not sleep, knowing she no longer had her life partner. Her one true love. She died of sadness. Jin could not understand, being only a child, how the two of them could leave him behind like that. But he never blamed them. He still missed them every day.

As he passed a fruit stand, he snatched an apple while managing not to be seen by anyone. He did the same as he passed another stand, taking this time some bananas and an orange. When he got to the bakery where the baker had a stand displaying the day's freshly baked bread, Jin felt his mouth water. He reached for a baguette, attempting to hide it underneath his pants just as the baker was walking out with more fresh bread to set on his table. The baker took one look at him and instantly bellowed in anger, "You! That's why I mysteriously lose bread every once in a while." Reaching for Jin's wrist, he added angrily, "You're a thief and you need to be taught a lesson."

Jin tried to pull away and his eyes widened in fear at the real possibility that this person would have him punished, or at the very least turned into the authorities.

"Let go." Jin pleaded, but he was scrawny and small for a boy his age. Some would have even thought that he was a couple of years younger than he was. He was seventeen, but he looked to be fifteen or maybe even younger.

People that were walking by saw the struggle, but did nothing to help him. The baker tried to pull him inside the shop to keep him there while he called the police. All the while, Jin tried desperately to wrench himself out of his hold. 

Seemingly from out of nowhere, the two of them heard the voice of another child trying to get their attention. "Hey! What are you doing to my brother? Eomma will be worried if he doesn't come home with the bread she wanted." Before them appeared a little boy, no older than twelve, and he seemed to know Jin. Or at least that was what he wanted the baker to think.

The baker let go of Jin's wrist and looked at the little boy who had just arrived. He seemed to be in the same situation as Jin--tattered clothes, dirt stains on his face, and worn out shoes. Jin figured that as two homeless kids, he was just trying to look out for him, and he appreciated it. He decided he would follow along to see where the situation would take him. The baker asked the little boy. "This boy is your brother, Baekhap? He was just robbing me!" He pointed to the baguette underneath Jin's pants, now awkwardly looking a lot like a boner.

The little boy pulled out some coins from his pocket and handed them to the baker. "He probably lost the money eomma gave him. But you can take this." Then, taking Jin by the hand, he urged. "Come on, hyung. We have to get back in time for breakfast."

Without another word, the two disappeared down the street into a different alley. The baker no longer argued with them. As long as he had received some form of payment, he was content. With the way that the little boy was pulling Jin, the seventeen year old almost had to half-sprint to keep up. He almost felt like a sack of bones, being dragged along by an energetic little boy.

When they stopped, Jin had some questions for the little boy. "Who are you? And why did you help me out back there?"

The boy leaned against a brick wall and slid down to the ground as he began to explain. "I saw you in trouble and I decided to help, since I saw you were like me. My name is Baekhap. What's yours?"

Jin crinkled up his nose, finding the name to be a bit strange. "What kind of name is Baekhap?"

That's a girls name, the seventeen year old thought to himself. He wanted to tell the little boy, but he refrained. He had practically saved his life after all.

The little boy shrugged his shoulders. "Its mine."

Accepting that as his answer, Jin sank down onto the concrete ground next to him. "I guess that's fair enough. My name is Jin."

Baekhap extended his hand for him to take and they both introduced themselves with a handshake. Jin did not imagine in that moment that he would never again feel like he had no one. 

-

just the first update for this story.

i hope you all like it. now i have to go downstairs and help with closing procedures at the center. so i will be posting here pretty often, or at least i hope so.

have a wonderful day eveyone!

-clary