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"Give it back!"
Yongbok's voice startled Chan, even though it wasn't directed at him in the first place. He looked around to find the source, his brows knitted together in a tight grip.
It was recess time after their last hours of class, so everyone gathered in the outdoor activity space to play, paint, and, of course, make friends. Chan moved from his small group of friends and looked across the ground to spot his cousin. The girl was nowhere to be seen, but her yells stood out.
He saw a few kids huddled around the slide, and Yongbok's voice was coming from there. With a hammering heart, Chan made his way toward the slide, pushing the kids away to get in front and reach his cousin and a boy who was from a class above his.
"Give. It. Back!"
Yongbok was trying to snatch back a pencil case that the boy was holding, raising it above his head to a level the little girl couldn't reach. He wore a teasing grin and waved his hand, mocking the girl, so sure that she wouldn't be able to reach the height.
"Take it, shorty," the boy laughed, a few of his friends joining him. "Take it from my hand."
Yongbok's face fumed with anger and sadness, her eyes slightly swollen. She wasn't the type of girl who would tolerate bullying, and Chan was surprised that those boys' faces were still unmarked.
Chan placed a hand on Yongbok's shoulder, and the girl turned, her frown giving way to a pout. She held her cousin's hand and squeezed it, stomping her feet.
"Channie," the girl whined, her finger pointing upward. "Bokkie's color pencils." She blinked back her tears and continued, "Tae-Taejoon took Bokkie's color pencils. Auntie Honey gave Bokkie those. Bokkie want it back."
Her cheeks puffed out as she glared at the boy in front of her, who was grinning widely, clearly mocking her. Chan looked up at the case the boy held, the one identical to his own, which his mother had bought for him and his sister, the coolest and probably the most expensive in the whole school.
Yongbok exhaled audibly and gritted her teeth in rage because she knew Taejoon was poking fun at her. The boy's eyes were on the girl, but soon they were directed at Chan as the boy stepped in between them.
"Give the pencil case back," Chan ordered. He was scared— he sure was, but he couldn't show it when his little sister was in trouble. He had to be strong to help her.
"No..." Taejoon grinned evily, and Chan could hear Yongbok growl from behind him. The girl was gripping Chan's uniform, but he didn't move away.
"Take it if you can," Taejoon mocked, lifting his arm further up as Chan reached for it, making it hard for the boy. Chan was a little taller than Yongbok, nearly the same height as Taejoon, and it wasn't that hard to grab it if he tried hard enough.
As the boy turned to glance at his friends, Chan jumped up and grabbed the case, snatching it from his hand. Taejoon flinched and snapped his head toward Chan, too stunned to speak.
"Here, Bokkie... your pencil case," Chan said, and the girl giggled, clutching the case closer to her chest. She smiled at her brother, reaching to hug him and sticking her tongue out at the other boy.
"Thank you, Channie. Channie is the best!" Yongbok was jumping on her feet, happy to have her most cherished art supplies back.
She held her brother's hand and shook it, missing the way Taejoon was marching toward them with a scowl. Startling the two, he grabbed Chan's arm forcefully and gripped it tightly, making him wince in pain. Yongbok's eyes went wide as the boy twisted Chan's hand.
"You useless little boy!" With a scoff, Taejoon pulled his arm back, and Chan stumbled, the jolt of pain even stronger. "The nerve to snatch it from me, huh?" he hissed, Chan's heart hammering against his chest in fear as he swallowed thickly.
"Hey!" Yongbok yelled, trying to push the boy away, but all attempts were fruitless. Her voice cracked as she glanced at her cousin, who was trying to free himself from the bully's grip. Taejoon was older and definitely bigger than Yongbok, giving him the upper hand.
"Leave Channie alone!" she cried out, trying again to yank the hands from Chan's shirt. Yongbok was on the verge of losing her mind, and she gulped, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
Yongbok was little compared to the boys, but she had to help her brother against the bullies. She pressed her lips together, her hand shaking in both anger and fear. There had to be a way for her to help Channie.
Yongbok, for the first time feeling helpless, huffed, dropping the pencil case down to push the boy with both of her hands. While Taejoon was off balance, Yongbok pushed her brother back behind her and lurched forward, kicking Taejoon in his knees.
"Bokkie, enough! Let's go!" Chan got in between them and tugged at Yongbok's uniform coat, groaning as she avoided him. The girl reached for Taejoon's ears and urged him up as she kneeled, twisting his earlobes.
"Bad boys—" Yongbok hissed, kicking him again. Then she grabbed a handful of his hair. "Bad boys get punishment." She moved and pulled herself back, only to kick his knees a few times before stepping back.
"No, Bokkie!" Chan's frantic call did not reach Yongbok as she glared at the bullies, who no doubt looked scared now. Taejoon clutched his kneecap and wailed as Chan noticed a small patch of darkness spreading there.
"Oh, no."
"Thank you for joining us, ma'am." The school staff bowed as she opened the door for the women to step inside the office. Hyunjin mumbled a small thank you in return and stepped inside, worried eyes sweeping the whole place to locate her kids. Minhee was just a stride behind, her face flat, unlike the anxious Hyunjin.
A supposed calm evening, a supposed 'canvas and brush' evening for Hyunjin has now turned into this: an emergency meeting because her son got into some fight, followed by Minhee's call saying the school contacted her as well because Yongbok got into a fight.
Hyunjin had been to Chan's school; mostly when Chan had a panic attack or whenever he was sick, but this was something new, something she wasn't at all prepared for. Adding to it, the men were out of town, the younger one due to an important business meeting and Jisung busy with the audio launch of his company's new album.
Hyunjin panicked even though Minhee assured her it was going to be okay, and Hyunjin knew it already because she knew Minhee was the best when it came to dealing with difficult situations, better than the whole family combined.
"Mumma…"
"Auntie honey..."
Hyunjin heard two low whispers and gasped, spotting Chan and Yongbok in the office corner. The boy looked scared but Yongbok's face was devoid of any panic or fear. Hyunjin was about to walk toward the kids when a screeching voice echoed throughout the place, startling her.
"Look what your child did to my son!" a woman hissed, roughly the same age as Hyunjin. Along with her, Minhee turned her head to the side, a furious woman glaring daggers at them with a boy sitting on the chair beside her. He looked like he was crying, and Minhee looked down at his knees; she didn't have to be told what had happened.
Minhee, knowing her daughter better than anyone else, was calm, as if she foresaw the events happening somewhere in the near future. But Hyunjin? Her son was a good kid, always studying and reading, doing his homework and projects on time. Well-behaved, and whenever there was a parent-teacher conference, Hyunjin and Jisung would come and go back feeling proud of their son.
So, what happened this time?
"Please calm down, Mrs. Choi," the teacher said, and then turned to the other women. "Please take a seat." Hyunjin nodded, pushing Minhee gently to walk first, glancing at her children for one last time before pulling out a seat.
"There’s just been an incident a few hours ago at the playground," the teacher began, and Hyunjin winced inwardly. "The kids were on playtime. Yongbok and Chan got into a fight with the kids of class five-one. One of them is injured."
"Injured?" Mrs. Choi hissed, a hand pointing at her son's leg. "My boy's knee is broken. Don't you all have eyes?"
"Chan did it?" Hyunjin asked the teacher carefully, and the teacher shook her head.
"It's Yongbok, actually," she replied, and Hyunjin swore she saw a subtle smirk on Minhee's face, which she hid quickly. "I couldn't quite understand the situation since the kids refused to tell me what happened; perhaps you could help me out," she said, and Hyunjin nodded.
"Chan, Yongbok. Come here," the teacher called for the kids to come forward. "Explain what happened."
Hyunjin moved in her seat. "What happened, princess?"
"Princess?" Mrs. Choi scowled. "She's a-"
"Mrs. Choi," the teacher's voice silenced the woman as Hyunjin turned back to focus on the girl.
"What did you do?" she tried again. "Why did you hurt him?" Yongbok blinked a few times and looked at Chan as the boy stepped forward.
"He was teasing Bokkie; he was mean to us," Chan began, a protective hand linked with his sister's tensed one. "He took Yongbokkie's coloring set; I just tried to get it back, and he twisted my arm."
"He hurt Channie, here," Yongbok cut in, pointing at Chan's arm. "Called Channie useless." Hyunjin winced, knowing what her kids went through while Minhee was on the verge of snapping.
"See?" Minhee snapped. "My child did nothing wrong. This boy tried to steal her things, even hurt my boy, and I think that's exactly how we deal with bullies."
The teacher sighed as Yongbok turned to her. "Told him to leave Channie and Bokkie alone. He hurt Bokkie's brother. Made Bokkie mad. No one hurts Bokkie's family."
"That's my girl," said Minhee proudly, earning a kick on her feet under the table from Hyunjin. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "I-I think we'll talk about this—I guess?" she babbled, her voice not at all promising. Her words lacked the seriousness they were supposed to have, and Hyunjin sighed for the millionth time.
"Lina," she called in a warning tone and then turned to the teacher. "We'll have a talk with the kids. I promise it won't happen again," she finished and looked at Taejoon's mother. The woman had her lips set in a knifelike line, one arm protectively around her son.
"Mrs. Choi," Hyunjin began carefully. "They're kids. Please don't make this a big issue; we'll cover all the hospital expenses and everything that follows this." She promised, but the woman didn't look convinced.
"Tell these brats to apologize."
"Brats?" Minhee jerks up. "Who the hell are you to call my kids brats?"
"Lina..." Hyunjin shook her head and placed a hand on Minhee's shoulder. "Let me talk." Minhee huffs at that and crosses her arms over her chest.
"He's a bully," she snaps in the next second, throwing her arms around, unable to sit still. "He bullied my kids, and what are they supposed to do? Give him roses for his glorious bullying?"
"Lina, please."
Minhee took in a sharp breath. "Fine," she said, leaning back against the chair, but she couldn't hide the pride and joy she felt that her daughter kicked those who tried to bully her and her brother.
"Taejoon was mean to Chan," Yongbok tugged at Hyunjin's dress and pouted, trying to prove her point. Seems like her mother got the point, but that wasn't enough; she wanted her aunt to believe her as well.
Hyunjin smiled softly. "Next time, if someone behaves mean, go and complain to the teachers, okay?" she asks, and Yongbok looks down, side-eyeing Chan, who was obediently nodding his head.
"It's not a good thing to fight."
"It is," Minhee muttered under her breath, and Hyunjin glared, which had no effect on the woman. Still, she smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. "Sorry."
The teacher stood up. "Taejoon, apologize to Chan and Yongbok," she ordered, and he nodded, letting go of his mother's hold.
"I'm sorry, Yongbok," Taejoon mumbled, looking down. "I'm sorry for taking your pencil case without your permission." He apologized, and Yongbok's face lit up as the boy stepped forward toward Chan. "I'm sorry, Chan, I was mean to you."
"I'm sorry too, Taejoon." Chan smiled a little as he apologized, nudging the girl with his elbow. Yongbok looked at her mother and aunt, both showing completely different emotions than the other, and she looked at her mother for a long time before turning to the boy.
"Yongbok is sorry too for hurting you because you hurt Bokkie's brother when he tried to get Bokkie's pencil set back from you because you stole it."
Minhee huffed out a tiny laugh and quickly covered it with a cough, feeling a few pairs of questioning gazes directed at her.
The teacher, deciding to avoid the woman, turned to the other two. "See, it's that easy," she said, patting Yongbok on the shoulder. "I hope you three continue to be friends like this."
That's.... That's questionable.
"Are we going to be in trouble?" Chan asked Yongbok on their way back home, the girl shaking her head and glancing at the adults in the front seats of her aunt's SUV.
"Nope," Yongbok smiled, her grin resembling her mother's. "No trouble," she assured with a shrug, and Chan nodded, soft eyes fixed on the girl.
He then looked out through the window at the fast-moving buildings and trees, his mind going back to the incidents once again. Yongbok stood up to help him; she helped him and fought those who tried to harm him. She was fearless, and she was courageous because it was about her family.
Family.
Chan decided one thing that evening.
One day he'll be older, and he'll be stronger; and when that day comes, he'll protect his little sister with all his strength, and all his power.