Chapter Text
Kim Dokja finally managed to pull on his tie and shove his books in his bag, which was in fact ripped from a few corners, but it was usable and still not disintegrated so it was just good to go for Dokja. He looked in the mirror to see his own reflection.
His eyes had dark circles which made him look as if he hadn't slept properly for a week. He had a bandage of the right side of his jaw and one above his left eyebrow which gave the impression that he got into fights often. His fingers too were covered in bandages which came from attempts to improperly use a knife. His wet hair laid flat. Dokja sighed, he grabbed a comb and brushed it in attempt to fluff it up, but it was no use.
'It will fluff up as it dries on it's own...' Dokja thought and gave up on his hair.
He quickly pulled on his shoes and left the room. In the living room of the tiny apartment was his paternal aunt, Kim Cho-Hee, sitting on the dining table, asleep with her head down. From the empty bottle of alcohol beside her Dokja deduced it was another day on which she was drunk.
The living room was the most abominable room of the house. It had empty and broken alcohol bottles, trash bags creating the worst smell which made Dokja cringe and clamp his nose shut. The window was boarded up as his aunt always complained about the sunlight, clothes were thrown all across the room
In front if the small table and the destroyed couch there was an old Antenna TV which didnt work and beside it was a mini fridge stocked with beer. In front of the dining table, beside the door was a shelf, which was empty aside from some shattered frames and some bottles
Dokja softly trudged across the room, careful to not step on any creaking floorboards. But it was no use, he managed to hit the shelf with his leg and knock down a plastic bottle. It didn't really make much noise, but enough to wake up his aunt Cho-hee who was now glaring at him with a red face all too similar to his father's. She started yelling, cursing, telling him how much of a waste of space he is, and how her brother was now dead because of him. At first when she used to shout at Dokja like this, he would absolutely start sobbing, making her even more angry and get physical. Now Dokja had learnt to keep calm and not really listen to any of those words. They had a pattern, and Dokja couldn't really care less.
With his aunt screaming in the background, Dokja managed to get out of the apartment and started his walk to his highschool. For many it would seem like a rough start for the day but for Dokja? It was quite a nice morning. He didn't really care about his aunt as long as she didn't get physical and the weather was quite nice too. The sun was shining brightly and he was finally away from that god forsaken stench.
It was his final year at Seoul public highschool. He hummed 'Finally... One more year and I'll be away from that horrible place...' Dokja thought. Of course it would be nice to get away from thsoe stinky bullies and rumours.
But there was a nag in the back of his mind. After graduating, he'd have to spend time at his aunt's apartment.
Until now Dokja had a full scholarship due to his good grade and had to pay little, which came out of his pocket as he earned by working at a small cafe after school. The rest of his earning were saved up to get into some college. But he hadn't save up nearly enough to move out immediately. So he must work very hard this year.
Dokja sighed. 'I just want to disappear and read some web novels but this shit ass world won't let me....'
Dokja stopped by a convenience store on his way and grabbed an egg sandwich. Which was in fact not good but he bared with it because he was too hungry to complain. He stopped eating halfway into the the sandwich, which was not big by any means. He was full so he didn't want to finish it. He wrapped it back up in the wrapper neatly and placed it into his bag to have it as a snack later when coming back home.
When he finally reached his new class, class 3-A, he slid open the door. His eyes scanned the classroom and landed on that group, Sung Minwoo and his little minions.
'Great, another year ruined." Dokja thought, displeased. He slithered to the empty seat at the back of his class room without being noticed. He sat down at the last bench beside the window. He took a moment to look out of the window into the large ground. The class was full, and it was almost time for the home room teacher to come.
From beside him, Dokja heard the sound of a chair being pulled, he whipped around his head to see who it was, half expecting Minwoo to show his ugli face, but instead of gazing at Minwoo's wide eyes, he locked eyes with narrow, deep black ones which seemed like a black sea in which one could drown. The owner of those eyes was incredibly handsome, he had slightly tan skin, black slightly wavy short hair, thick brows which complimented his eyes, astrong jawline, and a sharp nose. His expression was one of seriousness.
Kim Dokja quickly whipped his head back to look out of the window as the handsome guy took a seat beside him.
'He looks as though the gods themselves carved him! What a great luck! I bet girls swoon over him' Dokja thought, his brain was a jumbled up hot mess. However, before he could say anything, their homeroom teacher arrived and started with their roll call.
During the roll call, when their homeroom teacher, Miss Ha, called out Dokja's name, to which he responded weakly, Minwoo and his group of little hounds whipped their head around and looked at where Dokja was sitting. Seeing the guy that was sitting beside him, they immediately started to laugh like the hounds they were and turned their heads around before the homeroom teacher saw them.
The guy sitting beside him squinted as to why they were laughing. Kim dokja sighed internally 'Those little shits won't ever let me make a friend will they? And they'llmake this poor guy suffer as well. He doesn't look like he'll stand any of their bullshit though'
Dokja came to know the handsome guy's name is Yoo Joonghyuk. A name suiting the face. Unlike Minwoo, who was just a stupid cowardly pig and NOT at all clever and brave like his name meant.
After the first class was over, Dokja was studying with his earphones in, as Joonghyuk beside him was going through the notes he took. Their calm silence was interrupted by the loud sound of someone clearing their throat beside them. Joonghyuk looked up and dokja did too, to see Minwoo and his little friends standing with a mean expression. Dokja took off his earphones as he internally groaned and grimaced 'Great, now this Joonghyuk guy will know just how much of a freak I am. How exciting'
"Hey bro you're Joonghyuk right? The famous guy who was in class 2-B last year?" Minwoo said, with a fake welcoming tone, which even a moron would see through.
"Yes" Joonghyuk said, he made it clear that Minwoo and his little friends were interrupting something.
'So this guy is famous, I had no clue' Dokja thought as he saw Minwoo ramble about how great Joonghyuk is and how girls love him, to which Joonghyuk seemed displeased. It seemed that he hated the notion of being popular.
"Well" Minwoo turned the talk with a smile "Do you perhaps know Dokja? The guy you're sitting beside?"
"I don't." Joonghyuk said simply.
"Well you should know he's a real loser. A waste of space" Minwoo said, in a matter-of-fact way
"Why is that?" Joonghyuk asked, his eyes turning a little darker. There was no curiosity in his voice. His brows were furrowed.
"Well his mom murdered his dad you know? And she wrote a book about the. He's the son of a murderer and he even lives with his aunt forcefully! His aunt says on the press that he's a huge asshole who even screams at his own aunt who keeps him well fed! And on top of that, he's bisexual!" Minwoo exclaims, as if he's doing a huge favor to Joonghyuk by telling him all this, he was behaving as though Dokja just wasn't there. His little minions agreed from behind him
Dokja gritted his teeth and thought'These little shits! I will knock their teeth out one by one and-'
"How indecent of you going about spreading rumors about a poor guy who lost his parents. Do you have any shame? And you go on ranting about his preferences. " Joonghyuk snarled at them, with a steel glare. "How about someone goes around spreading news about you at how much of a shit head you are hm? Is it your fine ass business on whether he smashes his own head into a wall or pushes someone off a roof? No it's his business. Get out of my sight all of you before I report you."
Minwoo, who certainly expected Joonghyuk to have a shit personality started sweating "hey! You did not need to get so serious! I'll just leave" he said nervously before he left with his minions following him.
Joonghyuk sighed angrily "Dumbasses..."
Dokja was in awe 'this guy is cool. Maybe I can finally have a friend and have some hope for this final school year'
"You have to deal with that everyday" Joonghyuk asked, and Dokja snapped out of his daydreams and nodded.
Joonghyuk mumbled something and went back to going through his notes.
Dokja resumed studying, at first he couldn't but he quickly got back at the task.
As the classes passed by, Dokja couldn't help but sneak glances at Joonghyuk but he couldn't help but start panicking and not say anything.
Lunch break arrived, Dokja's favorite part of the day. Joonghyuk was swarmed by his friends from other classes to go eat lunch together. Dokja quickly slipped out of the class.
Dokja B-lined to the cafeteria and out like a whirlwind. He just needed a sandwich and a cold water bottle from the snack bar which is what he ate nearly everyday. This early at lunch, everyone swarms the lunch bar, and no one is at the snack bar, so it'seasy to grab the sandwich. Dokja quickly made his way out of the building to the back yard towards the basketball court. He finally sat down in a corner behind the tree. His daily spot. No one ever came here, plus there was a cute cat that always roamed around there. Dokja sat down, panting, with trembling hands he opened the cold water bottle and chugged down some water. He sighed and relaxed. Opening his sandwich carefully, he started eating as he listened to music. A little later, the little white cat came meowing at him. Dokja smiled
He had named the cat Biyoo. Dokja tore off a piece of chicken from inside the sandwich and held it out in his palm to Biyoo. The cat gladly accepted the treat and ate it. Dokja wanted to bring cat food for Biyoo everyday but he couldn't, his money was tight after all and he could only bring tuna sometimes. But it seemed that the staff fed Biyoo sometimes so it was fine.
Dokja finished the entire sandwich and the water. He played with Biyoo for a while before the bell rung.
Dokja was always sad to let biyoo go but he had to after all. He quickly made his way back to class where he saw Joonghyuk already sitting. Wordlessly, he took his seat and the classes begun again.
After what seemed like an eternity of classes, Dokja hurried out of the school building. Turns out, joonghyuk is a student council member so he had to leave and couldn't attend the last class
When finally out of school, Dokja didn't go back to his aunts apartment. Instead, he ate the remaining half of the sandwich on his walk to work. Dokja worked at the 'star stream' cafe. It was owned by a famous actor, Uriel and she was generous enough to let Dokja work there as a part timer. The pay wasn't too good but atleast the job was flexible sometimes.
Uriel always told Dokja that he looked good but took poor care of himself. Which Dokja agreed to. He seamlessly worked through his shift which finally ended at 9 PM, leaving Dokja exhausted. In the staff room Dokja quickly gathered his things, and left the little cafe. It was a long walk back to his apartment, but he didn't mind. His aunt Cho-Hee didn't care and would be rather happy if he never turned back up to the apartment. But of course she needed someone to make something for her and get her food so she kept Dokja around and didn't allow him to leave her completely.
Dokja stopped by the convenience store once again on his way back. He felt dizzy but he managed to buy two packs of instant noodles. The rest of the walk back to the apartment was a haze. Once he reached back, his aunt wasn't at home, he had managed to reach his room which really was just an empty room with a blanket, and pillow in the middle. He placed his bag down, his steps were wobbly, he put down the bag containing the instant noodles pack.
'Ahhhh fuck.... not again....' Before Dokja could think of anything else, his yes were clouded with black and he fell to the floor.