Chapter Text
"Daesung-ah, wake up you rascal, it's your first day of school!", his mom yelled across their apartment.
He groaned. He dreaded this day. He even prayed an extra hour at church the day before so that everything would go smoothly. He heard his mom entering his room and switching on the lights, illuminating his cozy bedroom.
"Eomma! Five more minutes," he said as he pulled his blanket over his face."It's still early anyways."
Despite the blanket acting as a barrier between them, he could feel his mom staring daggers at him. Daesung took a tiny peek over his blanket, and regretted it at once as his mom swiftly snatched the blanket off of him, leaving him exposed to the elements with only his underwear. He was grateful that he forgot to take off his underwear the night before, as he usually slept naked.
"Get ready now!" she scolded him and exited the room as quickly as she arrived. Daesung knows from her stern tone that there was no use arguing with her and unreluctantly followed her orders. Daesung propped himself up, and rubbed his half-closed eyes. He groggily made his way to the bathroom.
Good thing I woke up first, he thought, as he reached for his cobalt black toothbrush.
Usually Bora - his older sister - hogged the bathroom for about an hour before he could get a chance to even relieve himself.
He promptly brushed his teeth and looked at himself in the mirror. He lost quite a lot of weight over the school holidays, so much that he looked like a completely different person. Even Do Hyun, his best friend of seven years, barely recognized him, and instead insisted that he was Kim Jongkook's long lost brother - mostly due to their similar eyes as opposed to his physique.
He tilted his head. I do kind of look like him I guess, Daesung thought. Obviously not as buff though.
His eyes made their way down to his stretch marks on his skin. The marks were sprawled across his abdomen; the stretch marks stood out against his tanned skin. It reminded him of all the times he was called "fatty", "piggy" and was even nicknamed "Kim Joon Hyun" . He even thought about going the extra mile to wear contact lenses, since wearing glasses had always been a complex of his; however, he decided against it because he's afraid of the lenses rolling backwards into his eyes. Daesung shuddered at the possibility of that happening. He wondered about how his physical appearance will be received at his new school.
Oh well, he thought, it’s not like anyone will recognize me anyway.
He finished brushing his teeth, and proceeded to walk over to his bedroom. Daesung regretted not sleeping earlier as he felt dazed, and wondered if he would be able to concentrate in class today. He had hung his school uniform the night before and took a quick look at it. It was the standard white shirt, plain black trousers, with red striped tie and a grey blazer with the school's logo.
After putting on his uniform, he looked at himself in the full body mirror beside his bed. He pursed his lips, and his brows were furrowed, not quite sure what he thought about the uniform.
"I actually look… okay," he said out loud to himself. Daesung couldn't believe what he said. He flashed a confident smile as he ran his hand through his jet black hair.
"This time I'll be exactly like everyone else."
“Daesung-ah!” his mother’s voice boomed across their apartment. “I told you to come eat already!”
"I'm coming!"
-
The bus finally arrived.
Daesung took a deep breath and dragged himself across the sidewalk and hurriedly got on the bus, tapped his T-money card on the reader, and took a window seat near the back. He plopped on the seat and placed his bag to the seat next to him, resulting in a loud thud. Daesung looked around and got a whiff of a citrusy odour, and somehow he found that comforting; it triggered his memory of his grandparents’ home. The sudden memory recollection surprised him and Daesung smiled at the thought. His seat was one of the more elevated ones on the bus, and it gave him an unobstructed view of the interior of the bus. It was dimly lit with fluorescent lighting, and looked quite dull and dreary in comparison to the bright green exterior of the bus. There were already quite a few people on the bus, yet it was quiet except for the occasional sounds of someone’s ringtone. Daesung found the hushed atmosphere to be almost unsettling.
The bus cruised through the lively streets of Seoul, and passed through the high-rise buildings of Gangnam, moving rapidly as if being chased. As the bus neared its' next stop, Daesung noticed that the nearby shops surrounding it were just preparing to open up; the 7-11 store behind the bus stop were filled with people, presumably buying breakfast, and salarymen could be seen busily talking on their phones whilst walking urgently. The crowds of people looked like a colony of ants. All in all, it was a typical Monday morning in Seoul.
Daesung anxiously took a glance at his black Casio wristwatch. It was 6:45 am. I'm early, he breathed out a sigh of relief. If there was anything Daesung hated more than homework, it was being late. He prided himself as a punctual person, a trait he deemed to be quite "gentlemen-like".
He began fidgeting in his seat, his hands mindlessly fiddling with the stray fabric on the hem of his untucked school shirt - a habit he picked up ever since the incident. Daesung was frightened to say the least. His mom called it 'the first day jitters' and that he'll get 'over it' once he's settled in. He thinks otherwise.
He put his headphones on and put on "Back at one" by Brian Mcknight, one of his favourite songs to help calm down his nerves - a form of escapism, if you will. He had always found solace in music, and today was no different. Daesung looked out the window, admiring the lush gingko trees planted by the roadside. He noticed that pojangmacha - food stalls that sold various street foods - were more prevalent in this part of Seoul and people of all ages were rushing to either go to work or school. Daesung observed a group of high school students hastily walked down the street together and it reminded him of where he was headed.
School.
Daesung had always hated school. It wasn't even because he hated the teachers or the subjects themselves. He hated the people whom he had to call classmates. They were the type of people who sneered and jeered at those who didn't look or think like them. Naturally, he was ostracized and made fun of all throughout middle school. He wouldn’t wish for anyone to go through the physical and verbal abuse that he endured, not even upon his worst enemy. For him, school was a special type of hell.
He envisioned a day in which he would look forward to a day of school. Daesung had high hopes that this time it will be different. Seeing that Do Hyun - his only friend back then in middle school - would be attending another high school, maybe he could make at least two or maybe even three new friends that he could go joke around with, just like the other normal kids. Because that's all Daesung ever wanted in his life. To be treated just like the other kids, and live an ordinary life without all the bullying. To be normal.
Normal. He laughed out loud. His eyes widened before putting his right hand over his mouth as he realized he was on a public bus. Daesung looked around him, hoping no one heard him. Luckily, no one batted an eye.
The notion seemed so ludicrous. He can't be normal. He had always been an outcast and will always be one. There was no doubt about that. Perhaps he was simply a pessimist but he just couldn't imagine it. He shook any thought that implied any positive outlook on his situation. Daesung glanced at his reflection on his phone.
I have to be realistic about this, he clenched his fist. I can't afford to have high expectations, it'll just be crushed by reality.
The bus was relatively empty now as it nears the end of the line, with the exception of only two other students. Middle schoolers by the looks of it. Daesung smiled faintly, and began reminiscing back on his middle school days. It definitely was a very negative experience but he enjoyed the times he spent with Do Hyun.
He remembered when he and Do Hyun skipped school together and spent the whole day at the arcade. At the end of that day, Daesung received a severe lecture from his father and was made to stand outside with only his underwear. His neighbour was so worried for Daesung that she provided him with a coat. Of course, that didn’t go well with his father, who probably freightened the old lady half to death for giving Daesung the coat. Needless to say, their family was never again invited to their neighbour’s house parties. He chuckled at the bittersweet memory. What seemed like a nightmare then, was hilarious to him now. After he realized that he daydreamed again, Daesung snapped back to reality and took another glance at his watch. It was 7:20 am.
Almost there. His knees began bouncing up and down, his nerves getting the better of him. He gulped and felt something stuck in his throat.
In less than one hour, he would officially be a freshman at one of the most elite schools in Seoul. In a normal situation, there was no way he could afford it even if he chose to go. Fortunately for Daesung, he was awarded a prestigious scholarship on the basis that he continued to obtain excellent grades in math. He had visited the school once with his parents, and was pleasantly surprised that they put just as much emphasis on sports as they did with studies. He looked forward to joining the school’s football team, as he was one of the best players at his last school. He also secretly hoped that it would be easier to make friends with people from the team.
It's kind of exhilarating, and mind-boggling, he thought to himself. But I’m still confused as hell. Why did they pick me?
Daesung knew that he was fantastic at math but his grades at other subjects were simply appalling. He pondered once more.
They have really low standards I suppose. Fuck. What if they actually mistook me for another Daesung? What if they got the wrong person? What if -
There was always a constant doubt that lingered at the back of his mind, no matter what he did, even when there were a constant stream of people who reassured him that he deserved it. Daesung became increasingly aware of the time until school officially starts. Thirty minutes left... Twenty nine minutes… Twenty eight...
Daesung looked into the distance, and he could make out the silhouette of the building that will be his new abode for the next three years.He felt his heart pulsating from his throat, his palms were sweaty and his breathing started to fasten. He clicked the button to signal he needed to get off the bus. He sprung out of his seat and head towards the door; he felt his heart practically pounding from his chest. His new life starts now. No going back.
-
Daesung noiselessly entered his new classroom, careful to not draw attention to himself.
He noticed that he was the first one to arrive, and took the seat next to the window. He always got bored in class, so at least looking outside could alleviate some of his boredom.. He couldn’t decide if the smaller amount of people were an advantage or a disadvantage to him. As more people piled into the room, Daesung began to make himself look busy in the hopes that no one would talk to him. A strange tactic coming from someone who wanted to make friends. Suddenly, everyone around him began to speak in hushed tones.
Curious as to what happened, Daesung looked towards the door, and immediately regretted it.
Fucking bastard. No fucking way. He's supposed to be my classmate?! Please anybody but him. Is God playing a sick joke right now? I even prayed for an extra hour yesterday. I gave 10,000 won to charity. Is that not enough?
Every Head turned towards the tall figure standing next to the door. The silence was so deafening that you could hear a pin drop. It seemed like the figure managed to capture everyone’s undivided attention.
“Is this class 1A?”, the person flashed a charming smile.
Someone muttered a shy “yes” in response.
“Well, in that case, I’ll make myself at home.”
That person was none other than Choi Seunghyun. The Seunghyun that made his life hell ever since they met in middle school.