✓LOVER BOY | hwang hyunjin

03. After School

The sun was setting the sky in deep pink. Yeseul sighed, walking her steps with a lazy push. She wanted to look up at the sky, and be drunk in the clouds. But at sight of the glasses that dangled from her shirt, she scoffed. "I can't even enjoy the sunset because of you."

While these thoughts crossed her head, she heard a clamour in one of the alleyways. Her steps turned slow, and her curiousity turned strong. She walked towards the sound of laughter, her eyes wide when she saw students from her school huddled together, bullying a boy around her age.

She gasped, her hands holding onto the brick wall which kept her away from the sight of the bullies. Yeseul looked around frantically, searching for a patrol car or an adult, but the place was deserted. The bullies probably chose the secluded area on purpose.

The boy was pushed onto his knees, and a girl kept on grabbing handful of his hair, kicking him repeatedly in his stomach.

"Yah, Jeongin. You really thought hanging out with Mister Popular would safe you, huh?"

"Jeongin? That sounds familiar." Yeseul thought, her eyes trying to look at the lowly hung head of the boy. Her eyes quickly darted to the bullies. She saw three boys and two girls. One of the boys was smoking, and a girl was recording Jeongin.

She saw a boy walking with a baseball bat in his hand. Her eyes flashed complete fear in front of her. Without a second thought, she pushed herself away from the wall, rushing towards the boy. Before he could move the bat, she pulled her backpack off, swinging it and thrusting it with full force at the head of the boy.

The bullies scrambled up. Cursing at the interruption. "Who the fūck are you!?" A boy much taller than Yeseul approached her. She could sense the life leaving her legs. But her eyes fell on Jeongin, who sat staring at the saviour of him.

"Shit!" The boy who Yeseul had hit turned around, his eyes red with rage. "I'll kill you both today."

"Stand up!" She rushed towards Jeongin, pulling him up on his feet, her legs pushing her off in a run. The two narrowly escaped one of the bullies who lunged himself at Yeseul. The girl stumbled on her feet, but she shouted at Jeongin to leave. His eyes were full of tears. "No... " He whispered.

"Run! What are you thinking!? Just run!"

Jeongin ran, the tears and the fright not leaving his eyes. He ran towards Hyunjin's apartment.

The bullies dragged Yeseul by her feet. She was pushed on the ground, her face towards the sky, until her sight was covered by the face of the boy who was hit by the backpack. She smirked, her eyes rolling back from pain.

"You bitch. You really thought you'll get away with it, huh?"

Yeseul was terrified of the situation she was caught in. But she didn't have any other escape, so she gave up, ready to be hit with a blow. The boy cursed in frustration, his fist punching her jaw. She tasted the blood in her mouth.

"Feels so good to hit a girl. What do you think of it, Sungho?"

Sungho took a long drag of his cigarette, smiling at his friend. "She's all yours. We are just the audience."

The girls laughed, cursing at Yeseul. She couldn't even bother thinking of them when her head was already swirling from the pain.

"You hear him? He says you're all mine." The bully leaned in, his breath tickling Yeseul's neck with fear. "So you're from our school, Yeseul." He flicked his finger on her name tag.

"I'm Jihoon. Nice to meet you. I'll make sure you pay for what you did today. You're too pretty, so I feel bad for ruining your face."

--

"Where is she!?" Hyunjin shouted, his anger pushing against his tolerance. Jeongin couldn't stop choking on tears.

"In the alleyway behind the new construction site near school. They all caught her. She's in danger." Jeongin sat on the floor, shaking. Hyunjin held him close, trying to calm him down.

"Stay here. I'll be back soon."

"Hyung." Jeongin looked up, weeping. "They will hurt you too."

"Trust me. I'll be okay."

Yeseul stayed on the ground for a long time. The bullies didn't do anything more than cursing her out, till they grew tired of her and left. She watched the sky turn into a hundred different shades, until a star lit up in the darkness. Sighing, she sat up, pain piercing her body. She pulled her backpack, and tried to walk, her steps staggering on her way out of the dark crevice.

She chuckled at her state. "Yeseul. You're gonna get yourself killed one day."

Her eyes fell on her chest, the glasses still hanging from her shirt. Taking it in her hand, she breathed out.

"It's broken."

The time failed to align the meeting of the two. When Hyunjin reached the alley, his lungs numb from breathing, Yeseul had already left.