Chapter Text
Eunyoung cracks his eyes open to a blurred vision, the taste of iron and the stinging smell of alcohol. Bloodied and bruised, he winces at the pain he finally realises he is in. Family dinner proved to be not so family-friendly after all. The previous night Eunyoung ticked off and he suffered the brunt of it.
It was the usual man-to-man talk his father wished to have with Eunyoung, quickly turned into a one-sided victim blaming of how Eunyoung was oh-so embarrassing to raise, oh-such a bitch of a son, oh-so this and oh-so that. Eunyoung stayed quiet for the most part, which received a reaction of
"When an adult talks to you, respond!"
And respond Eunyoung did, but for what ?
"You're talking back to me now ? Come here, little fucker ! You're no better than that bitch mom of yours !"
And suddenly, oh, all of a sudden, Eunyoung is small again, Eunyoung is a kid again. The child in him cries for the beating to stop, though the current him can feel nothing but anger welling up inside him.
The morning after, Eunyoung stays holed up in his room. He refuses to go to school, his pretty face damaged ! No way he can show off any merchandise if broken like this, he'll have to send it in for repairs.
Eunyoung is weak, Eunyoung is tired, Eunyoung has had enough.
But one beating will never be enough, not for Eunyoung, no. Rebellious children such as he will never learn, will they ? And so another beating will await him, father dearest searching for reasons to send a loving hand flying onto the cheek of his one and only most precious child. What's wrong with a little bit of disciplining ?
Nothing wrong can be done if Eunyung does nothing at all, so he stays in bed and sleeps in. He will sleep through the morning, encroaching in the afternoon and bull through the evening. Sleep, sleep, sleep.
The doorbell rings. Again. Again. Again.
Eunyoung stays in bed. Mother answers the doorbell. Haejoon is there.
Haejoon bows his greetings to Eunyoung's mom once, makes his way in and goes straight into Eunyoung’s room. He's all to familiar with the place. Bang! The door opens. Haejoon stuffs any and all of Eunyoung clothes he can see in a duffle bag he brought with, grabs Eunyoung and quickly heads out. Eunyoung full of confusion and fatigue stumbled to walk, Haejoon doing it no better by rushing up the walking pace. Eunyung shouts to slow down, asks what the mad dog was doing, throwing curse after curse at Haejoon. Haejoon thinks if he should stuff Eunyung in the bag as well.
Haejoon was taking Eunyung out of that house and bringing him back to their home.
...?
'Home' is questionable but Eunyung needs a place where he belongs for now.
... Is what Eunyung remembers what happened during the last time he got beat up.
They say you get a flash of memory before you die, after all.
Eunyung lays motionless. He can barely breathe. He is trying to hold on, he really is.
Am I going to die ?
He can't die like this, he has to get going to have a thanksgiving meal with Haejoon. He has all the ingredients in his nice little red bag and has gotta start cooking in the dorm. Surprise ! I made your favourite thanksgiving food or whatever. Haejoon has an old man's taste, him and his bean sprout pancakes that Eunyung made fun of earlier that week. Haejoon will be at the dorm, drinking some water while admiring the scenery outside that window and saying corny shit like how it's nice and fuck-all and give Eunyung lectures on how he needs to pull his shit together and take his studies seriously and avoid childish fights and how he should really get along better with Juwan and what is that shouting Eunyung swears to god-
WEAKASS BITCH ! DON'T DIE ON ME NOW. YOU CANT HANDLE A LITTLE DISCIPLINING ? A LITTLE BEATING ? YOU DIE AND THEN WHAT, I GET REPORTED TO THE POLICE ? LIKE HOW YOU ALWAYS DID WHEN YOU WERE A LITTLE BITCH CHILD ? GET YOUR ASS UP FUCKER, GET UP I SAID !
Dad's raging voice.
Right. Eunyung's back in his house. Eunyung just got another beating. This time however, it was severely worse than the last. Or maybe Eunyung was just so misbehaved that disciplining wouldn't cut it, so father really had to take drastic measures. A monster should be slain before it goes rampant, no ? That's what Eunyung is, a monster. Born a creature of violence, the cursed gift of a child to his parents,
the perfect reflection of his very own dad.
Like father, like son.
Death caresses Eunyung's cheeks softly.
Have you come to set me free ?
Eunyung wonders.
Sirens blare outside the apartment complex not long after.