Yeosang's POV

A rare genetic mutation, that's what they call it. One in every thousand babies born develops one. The mutation can present at any age, depending on what it is and what you do. Some people see it as a gift, as something to cherish and flaunt. I don't, I see it as a curse.

Ever since I was a child, I've always been rather shy and not liked to talk to people. Due to that I was always a bit of an outcast and I didn't really have any friends. I would go to the sandpit and just play alone, or I would sit under a tree and just watch the other kids play games like tag or hopscotch. My parents would always worry about my future, wonder what would happen as I get older if I was too shy to talk to anyone. My dad said it was fine and I'd grow out of it, but my mum always pushed me to make friends and eventually, I met someone who didn't care about how shy I was. I was 10 years old when I met Kyungsoo. He had joined our school, halfway through the first term as he had moved from a different town due to his parents' job. I was, as usual, sitting under a tree during break, eating my lunch when he approached me. I was confused, not used to people coming up to me as I was the outcast, but he just started talking. In fact, he talked so much that I didn't really have to talk at all. From that day forward, Kyungsoo sat with me and became my one and only friend, not leaving my side even when people offered for him to join in their games. It was nice to finally have a friend and we grew to care a lot about each other. I was shy but I was able to talk to Kyungsoo, I even went to his house sometimes. All that happiness and excitement went down the drain however, on that fateful day. It was just over a year after we met when it happened. We were hanging out at recess together as usual, when Kyungsoo grabbed my hand, wanting to pull me over to look at this flower that he found. The minute his hand touched mine though, he started screaming and writhing in pain. I clutched his hand tighter at the time, trying to help him but he continued to scream. I eventually let him go but he was sobbing and screaming on the ground. A teacher heard and ran over, going to pull me away but the minute they touched my wrist, they screamed and pulled away from me. It scared me, I was just an 11-year-old and it seemed like I was causing people pain. I started to cry, and people were yelling at me to stay back and not to touch anyone. I can't remember everything that happened, but I know an ambulance came and Kyungsoo was taken to the hospital. I wanted to go, to make sure he was alright, but everyone was yelling at me to stay away from me. My parents arrived about an hour later and I had gloves put on immediately before they dragged me into the car and back home. I was crying and confused but whenever I said anything, they would tell me to be quiet. We moved 4 days later and that was the last I ever saw of Kyungsoo, I don't even know what happened to him.

After that day, my life was never the same. Once my parents found out I was some freak that was able to cause people immense pain by merely making skin to skin contact with them, they never treated me the same. I was 11 years old when I lost my best friend, my parents, and my happiness. They didn't want any of the new friends in their new town to know that they had a freak son, so they stopped me from seeing anyone. I wasn't allowed to leave the house and if everyone was to come to the house, I would have to hide up in my room and not make a sound. I wasn't allowed to touch my parents, no hugs, no kisses, no nothing, and I had to wear gloves all the time. If I was caught not wearing the gloves, I would be punished. I couldn't understand at first why they shunned me so much but as I got older, I begun to understand that I was dangerous and all they were doing was protecting themselves and others. Because I couldn't leave the house, I had to do other things. I was forced to do all the chores, cook, clean and whatever other chores they had for me to do. I loved my parents, I did, but it was hard to tell if my parents loved me. I half felt like I was just a mistake and, in the way, and the only reason why they still allowed me under the same roof as them, was because I was still a minor and had to be there.

It went on like this for years and soon I was turning 18. It had been around 6 years since I last left the house, since I last talked to anyone who weren't my parents. I expected everything to continue as they were for the next few years. It got beyond the point of ever considering leaving the house, but then they came. Mum and dad were both out at work and as usual, I was walking around and double checking that the house was clean when I heard glass shatter. It scared me and I jumped, quickly hiding behind the door to the room I was in. I could hear hushed voices and I leaned closer, trying to listen in to what they were saying and figure out who they were.

"Are you sure what that idiot said was true," someone asked.

"Of course. They said that Mr and Mrs Kang have a son but apparently he doesn't leave the house after an incident that happened at their old town," another one said. No. How did someone find out about me? We were all careful, I never see anyone, and I know mum and dad would never tell anyone about their sad excuse of a son. They wouldn't want to ruin their image.

"And what exactly happened," the first one said.

"I'm not sure, there were rumours and reports but apparently he's one of those mutated weirdos," number two said.

"Plus, Kyunghoon and Dongmin said they'd give us a hundred bucks if we got a picture of this mystery guy," two added. What? No, they can't go near me, they can't touch me.

"Where should we look first," number one asked. Outside, way, way, way outside.

"I dunno, just look around and if you find him, call out," two said. I backed into the corner of the room and huddled down, covering my head with my hands. I don't know what to do, mum and dad didn't brief me about this, about what to do if people broke in and wanted to see me and come near me. It was about 5 minutes later when the door to the room opened more and someone stepped inside. I stood up quickly and backed further into the corner, my eyes blow wide as I looked at the other person in the room.

"Yo Woojun, found him," he yelled out. It was boy number one. My heart started to pound, and my breathing increased, the anxiety of the situation beginning to get to me. A few seconds later there were rushed footsteps and another boy joined the first. They both looked to be around my age.

"See, I told you it was true," number two, Woojun said.

"So, who are you," one asked. I nervously fiddled with my gloves, not replying as I didn't really know what to say.

"Maybe he doesn't speak," Woojun said.

"Yeah, maybe he's a mute as well as a freak," one said. I shuffled back slightly but I couldn't go very far because I was backed into the wall already. Mum and dad are going to kill me, although I haven't talked to them and I certainly didn't let them inside.

"Why's he wearing gloves? Why're you wearing gloves freak," Woojun asked. I quickly glanced down before hiding my hands behind my back, worried about what they were thinking of doing.

"Maybe it has something to do with his powers," one said.

"Yo freak take off the gloves. We wanna see what these so-called powers are," he added as he turned back to me. I shook my head quickly, hiding my hands better.

"C'mon, we've never met a freak before. We wanna see what all the fuss is about. Take them off," Woojun said.

"I-I can't," I said quietly.

"Oh look, freak does know how to speak," one giggled.

"Now show us those supposed powers you have," Woojun said. I shook my head quickly as they begun to stalk closer to me. Can't they tell I don't want to?

"Look freak, we came here to see these powers and we won't leave until we see them," one growled. My breathing quickened and I shook my head, whimpering slightly and unsure what to do. I thought about trying to make a break for it and trying to run past them but before I could, Woojun lunged forwards and grabbed me, pulling me away from the wall. I tried to fight back but he was almost double the size of me and a lot stronger.

"Get off me," I yelled, trying to get away from him but he tightened his grip around me, stopping me from moving.

"Get his gloves off Sungho," Woojun said.

"No, no, please don't," I said fearfully. Sungho didn't listen and pinned my arm, struggling to take off the gloves.

"Please, I don't want to hurt anyone," I begged, my eyes welling with tears as I realised, I was powerless right now.

"Just stop struggling and no one will get hurt," Sungho said. No one will get hurt? They will get hurt. Why don't they realise that?

"You can't, you can't touch my hands, you will get hurt," I said, trying to get my hands out of his grip. We struggled for a few more seconds before he managed to rip both of my gloves off.

"STOP. STOP IT. DON'T TOUCH THEM," I screamed dreadfully.

"What a baby," Woojun laughed as he repinned my arms to my side. Oh my god, I don't have a phone. How am I supposed to call an ambulance if something happens?

"So, what do I do," Sungho asked Woojun.

"I don't know, grab his hand-."

"No, no don't grab it. Please don't grab it, you'll get hurt," I begged, tears beginning to fall down my face as I was terrified about what would happen.

"God, freak is such a wimp," Sungho sneered. I'm not, I'm really not, I'm just trying to protect them. Why can't they see that?

"This is kind of cool. Should we do it at the same time," Woojun asked.

"Of course, on the count of three. One, two three." I tried one last time to get away but before I could, they both grabbed my hands. That was when the screaming started. They both started to convulse, and I tried to pull my hands away from theirs, but their hands tensed up and I couldn't pull away. Pretty soon, both of their body weights were pushed against me and we fell back towards the ground. My head clipped the edge of the set of drawers and I gasped. When we finally hit the ground, they were both on top of me and my head was beginning to feel fuzzy, black spots creeping in my vision. I whimpered and tried desperately to pull my hands away from touching any part of their skin, still hearing their screaming, and feeling them twitch and tense but I couldn't get away and before long, the world went black...

I don't know how long it took before I finally came back around but all I could hear was silence and I could feel heavy waits against me. My head was hurting and begging me to take some Panadol to fix it, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. I could feel something in my hands and dread filled in the pit of my stomach. The silence, the weights against me, the thing in my hands. My eye shot open and I whimpered, blinking at the harsh light. I tried to move, and it was hard, but I continued, eventually managing to move what was on me and slip out from underneath. I heard a soft thud and I stared intently at the wall, not knowing if I could stomach looking at the scene behind me. I don't know what to expect. Those two boys could be unconscious, barely clinging to life and it will be my fault, because I hurt them. I mustered up the courage and despite the fear and dread, I turned around. Both the boys from earlier where sprawled out on the floor, unmoving, which worried me. I should at least be able to see the rise and fall of their chest, surely. But maybe because they went through a lot of pain, it's harder to see. I crawled closer on my hands and knees, trying to get a good look at them while not touching them. Before I could do anything though, there was a door slam and I stood up quickly.

"Kang Yeosang, what happened to this window," my mum yelled out. Right, the window they broke to get inside. I bit my lip, looking around anxiously and trying to figure out what to do but I didn't have much time because mere seconds later, mum and dad were standing outside the doorway. It was only then that I realised my gloves were still off, not to mention the two unconscious boys on the floor. I am so dead right now. Their eyes were both immediately drawn to my gloveless hands and they immediately bristled slightly.

"Where are your gloves boy and why aren't they on," dad asked angrily as they both took a few steps back. I looked around quickly, my eyes landing on my gloves, partially under the bed. I rushed over and put them on quickly.

"I'm so sorry dad. I told them not to take them off, but they wouldn't listen," I said, hoping they wouldn't be too mad at me. I mean it wasn't my fault, I told them to stop.

"What do you mean they? Who is they," mum asked? I shuffled anxiously before pointing to the two boys on the floor. Mum and dad will be able to help them a lot better than I would, they can call an ambulance if needed. Mum and dad both rushed into the room, pushing me aside as they ran to the boys on the ground.

"I'm sorry, please don't be mad. I told them not to take off my gloves and not to touch me, but they wouldn't listen. I didn't mean to hurt them, honest," I said in a small voice as they checked on the two boys. My dad's head snapped up and he rushed over grabbing the front of my shirt. I whimpered and cowered away, but he shook me harshly.

"Hurt them? Hurt them? You've killed them you disgraceful little shit. They are dead," he yelled at me. Dead?

"Wh-What do you mean," I asked, my heart clenching slightly.

"YOU KILLED THEM," mum screamed as my dad punched my hip and threw me to the floor, but I barely registered the pain, too worried about what my parents just said. There's no way they're dead, right. I can't do that; I can't kill someone. I just hurt them, not kill them. I don't like hurting people; how could I be a murderer? My eyes filled with tears at the thought and they slowly spilled over.

"Go to your room, right now," dad said angrily.

"Please, dad, I didn't mean to. They broke in a forced me to, I tried to get them to stop, I said they would get hurt," I sobbed.

"ROOM. NOW," he yelled. I stumbled to my feet hurriedly and ran to my room, closing my door and curling up on my bed. I brought my knees to my chest and tucked my head on top of them, sobbing into them as I thought about what I did. Mum and dad always treated me like I was dangerous, but I thought that was only because touching my skin caused pain, not because I could actually kill someone. Oh my god, I'm a murderer. I'm going to go to jail. I just, I killed someone. My chest felt tight, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I brought my hands to my hair and held on tightly, just trying to do something to stop the pain, but I couldn't undo what I did. I couldn't take back the fact that I killed two people. I did that. Me. I laid down and tucked myself under the blankets, trying to hide away from everything that had happened.

I ended up drifting off slightly but not falling asleep. I didn't get a chance to as there were the sound of sirens and cars outside the house. Did mum and dad call the police? Are they going to have me sent to jail? I know I may have been a burden to them after we discovered my powers, but I thought they still cared enough to try and protect me but obviously not. I sat up quickly and begun to panic. I don't want to go to jail. I'm barely 18, I can't be sent to jail, I won't survive. I jumped out of bed and rushed over to my closet, opening the door, and hurriedly hiding at the bottom of it. I curled in on myself, trying to myself as far into the closet as I could, to hide so I wouldn't be taken away. I was shivering slightly, although I don't think it was from the cold, given that I was wearing a jacket. I sniffled, wiping my eyes, and trying to cry silently in case someone came in. A few minutes later, the door was swung open so hard that it hit the wall and I jumped slightly, holding back a whimper as I pushed myself further back.

"The parents said he was somewhere in here. Be careful because he is a mutated and he's dangerous. Don't touch his skin but apprehend him by any means." I began to cry harder, silent tears streaming down my face. I'm not dangerous, I don't want to be dangerous, I don't want to hurt anyone. I heard rummaging throughout my room, the sound of things being thrown and broken. I wrapped my arms around myself tightly glanced at the small gap in the door to the closet, the only light source. I was scared and anxious, not knowing what to do so I just did my best to stay quiet.

"Oi, Won, check the closet. Maybe he's in there." I tensed at the words and held back a sob, begging internally that they wouldn't look. It was quiet for a few seconds and I tried hard to keep my breathing quiet, shaking in fear. The silence was broken by a bang as the door swung open. I let out a sob and tried to back away, but I was trapped, and a hand wrapped around my wrist, yanking me forwards and out of the safety of the closet. I let out a scream and tried to get away, but another hand grabbed my arm and I was dragged forwards. I was petrified at this point, not understanding what was going on and terrified of what would happen to me.

"Please, please stop. I didn't mean to do it; I didn't want to hurt anyone. Please just let me go," I yelled with a sob. I struggled as much as possible, trying to get free but soon there were three men trying to pin me down. I saw the guns on their hips, and I panicked even more.

"Let me go," I screamed.

"Kim, Jeong, Park, unhand him right now." Immediately the arms restraining me were gonna and I scrambled up, hurrying to my bed, and pushing myself as far away from the foreign men as possible. I curled my knees to my chest, peeking over the top of them at the four men by my doorway.

"You said to apprehend him," one of them said.

"No Joonwon, I said to find him. I did not say to grab him and scare him even more than he already is," the new man said.

"He's dangerous."

"He is scared and confused. He is not a registered mutator which means he most likely doesn't know much about his powers and he obviously doesn't understand what is happening. Have some sympathy for the poor boy Hangyeol," he said. They all looked to me and I tensed.

"He killed two people," one whispered.

"And that's going to be with him for the rest of his life. We took this job to help kids with powers they can't control, to take them in and to help them," the man said.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I'm new to this and to be fair, the kid did just kill two people, what would you expect us to do," the previous one whispered. Do they realise I can still hear them?

"Just let me handle this and if he does something, then you can step in but only if he does something," the nice one said firmly. The other three nodded and stepped out of the room, leaving me alone with the man. He looked to be in his maybe mid 30's to early 40's. He walked a little closer and I flinched back on instinct, making him slow down and hold his arms up to show he meant no harm.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you," he said softly. From what he's been saying so far, it does seem like he doesn't mean any harm and wants to help me, but my emotions have been on a rollercoaster right now and I'm really scared.

"P-Please stay back," I whimpered. He nodded quickly and pulled my desk chair over to himself, sitting down where he had stopped.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to, I'm here to help you. My name is Park Youngjay, what's your name," he asked I studied him apprehensively before deciding that he was ok for now.

"K-Kang Yeosang," I whispered.

"That's a beautiful name," he said. I just nodded, not replying because it's not exactly asking for a reply, it's just making small talk.

"How old are you," he asked me.

"I'm 18," I whispered.

"Do you have any idea where I'm from," he asked softly. I shook my head because it's true, I have absolutely no idea where he's from. I thought they were police because there were sirens but apparently, they aren't.

"I'm from IMI. The Incheon Mutant Institution-."

"Are you going to experiment on me," I asked fearfully. This is worse than jail.

"No, no, of course not. That's not at all what we do, we're not that kind of institution. I actually hate the fact that we're called an institution because it sounds bad when it really isn't, it's more like a nice facility," he said.

"What do you do," I asked, shifting a little so I could look at him better.

"Well, we have different sectors in our facility. Each sector houses many different people, all with different powers and abilities. We make sure we evaluate every new person coming in and we try our best to match you with the sector that will help you flourish the most," he explained.

"I don't understand," I sniffled.

"We look after kids like you who have abilities, ones your parents might not be equipped to deal with. It's a wonder they managed to keep you from hurting someone this long," he said. I let out a wet, slightly hysterical chuckle, making him frown.

"Kept me from hurting someone? I just, I just killed two people. They're dead because of me. I never wanted to hurt someone, but they wouldn't listen. I'm a murderer," I said, beginning to cry once again.

"I believe you; I do Yeosang. And that's why I want to help you ok, we can help," he said.

"It's already done though; I can take that back. I think, I think maybe you should lock me up," I said shakily.

"I really don't think that is necessary Yeosang-."

"You don't understand! Everyone I'm around, ends up getting hurt, even my parents fear me. I've been locked in this house for seven years, only able to talk to my parents and the first time I see someone other than my mum and dad, I kill them," I said shaking my head.

"You've been stuck in this house for 7 years," he asked, and I nodded.

"And your parents knew about your abilities," he asked quietly. I scoffed and rubbed my eyes, leaning back against the wall and relaxing slightly.

"We found out when I was 11 that if I touch someone, I cause them pain. I hurt my one and only friend and then we moved. After that I wasn't allowed out of the house so I wouldn't hurt anyone else. I usually wear these gloves as an extra precaution but, they took the gloves off," I said sadly, glancing down at my blankets.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. I glanced up at him, seeing that he really did look sorry for me. I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse.

"I can tell that you've had a hard life but if you come with us, we will do our best to help you feel confident in yourself, in your abilities," he said.

"Feel confident in causing pain? In killing people," I asked angrily.

"We just want to help you Yeosang. I know you never meant to hurt anyone, but you have two options right now. Either you agree to come and give the facility a go or you get charged for what happened. I don't agree with your life being ruined for something I highly doubt was your fault. I want to help you, to try and give you a better life where you don't have to hide and be shunned. I have a good idea for which sector to put you in if you do come and I know you will fit right in. They are lovely and I have faith that you can find friendships in them, maybe even a family," he said. I perked up slightly but tried not to show it. I have a family, but I don't even know if that counts because they barely feel like a family. I don't want to go to jail, I already said I wouldn't last. And worst-case scenario, I can just stay away from everyone, not talk to them and just make sure I have no chance to hurt anyone.

"I don't want to go to jail. I don't even know what happened. They just grabbed me and started seizing and then we fell, and I hit my head. I passed out and when I woke, they were dead," I whispered. He frowned and stood up quickly, hurrying towards me.

"No don't, please don't touch me," I begged, trying to move away.

"It's ok Yeosang, I'm not going to touch your skin, I promise. But you just told me you hit your head and passed out and that's honestly worrying me. I just want to check it out to make sure you're ok," he said. I glanced at him, where he was standing at the edge of my bed and I ran my eyes over him, trying to deduce whether there was any danger.

"Just, please don't touch me, I don't want to hurt you," I said with a sigh.

"I won't, I'm only touching your head," he told me. I held my breath anxiously as he leant over and gently brushed my hair aside. I clenched my hands tightly closed, trying not to breath to heavily in case it caused me to move and accidentally hurt him. He was taking a while and I began to get increasingly more anxious, tears welling up in my eyes as I tried so hard to not accidentally move. He eventually pulled back and I shuffled away slightly, letting out a deep breath.

"See, I didn't touch you and I'm completely fine," he said. I sniffled and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"I'm sorry if that scared you but I just wanted to make sure you're ok," he said.

"Why would it matter though. I might not choose to go to the facility, maybe I would prefer getting locked up, even if it's in jail," I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. I may not have met a lot of people in the last few years but I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to risk harm to check on a stranger.

"Even if you don't come with us, my top priority is to make sure you're ok," he told me.

"If I, if I do go with you to the facility, will I get to have some choices in what happens or do you just put me somewhere with stuff and not care," I asked, nibbling my lip nervously. I mean, it's still better than going to jail either way but I want to know what it will be like.

"Of course not, we'll work to make you comfortable and to put you an environment where you can grow. We will check in on you every few weeks and you'll always be able to contact us if you need something," he said.

"Can I keep my gloves," I asked nervously, fiddling with them.

"Of course, we can even get you new ones," he nodded.

"And, the fact that I just killed two people doesn't bother you," I asked.

"No one likes death but something like this was an accident and I'm not going to put the blame on you. There are people in our facility who have gone through a similar thing as you Yeosang and we've managed to help them, give them a safe place to be themselves," he said. I took a deep breath ran my fingers through my hair, taking a shaky breath. It's clear I can't stay living here and I don't want to go to jail, which means I have to say yes. But it's been so long since I've interacted with other people and I've never met anyone with abilities before, I don't know how I could fit in with them.

"I tell you what, if you come and you don't like it, we will be more than happy to take you back here. We won't force you to stay," he told me.

"I-I want to try. But I'm scared," I admitted.

"That's ok. We won't throw you straight into it, we will evaluate you and figure the best plan moving forwards. For now, though, we just need to get you out of here and somewhere comfortable in the facility until we can get that all done," he said. I never thought when I woke up today, any of this would happen but this I know my best option, so I need to take it.

"Ok, I will go with you. I'm just, sorry if I'm not what you were hoping," I said anxiously.

"We don't expect you to be anything Yeosang, we just expect you to do your best to get along with everyone," he said. I mean, that's fair enough.

"Ok, I'll come. It isn't like I have much choice anyway," I shrugged as I stood up. He stepped closer to me and I flinched away quickly.

"It's alright, I know. No touching. I just want you to follow me out to the van I show you. I don't want you to stop and talk to anyone ok, I just want you to keep your head down and keep walking," he said. That doesn't sound very good at all.

"Wh-What's wrong," I asked nervously.

"Word gets around in towns like these. And given that people apparently didn't know you existed; more people will be around.

"Some of my other workers that were here earlier might intervene and help you to the car. They might grab you but only on your clothes. I know you're probably scared of them right now, but they won't hurt you, I promise," he said. I was a little nervous, but I nodded, understanding I needed to trust them for now, even if they grabbed me harshly earlier.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere better than here," he said softly. I nodded and pulled the hood of my jumper over my head before I followed him out of the room. I immediately noticed the police and my parents in the living room talking. My mum and I locked eyes and she stood up angrily.

"There. That's the bastard. He's the one who killed those boys, he should be locked up." I tensed at her words and fought back tears at the thought of how much parents must really hate me.

"Yeah, he's a freak and a murderer," my dad yelled.

"C'mon kid, you don't need to hear what these assholes are saying." I sniffled and looked up as a hand wrapped around my bicep and lead me forwards. I tensed slightly but followed him, recognizing him as Joonwon. I was nervous after what happened earlier, but I didn't want to stay in the room.

"Sorry for the previous introduction but we're here to help," he said. I didn't reply, just continued walking. I was bought to a van and the door was opened for me.

"It's gonna be ok kid, just hang in there alright."

A/N

So, welcome to my new story. I had this idea for a while and I've been working on it  and I decided to finally start posting it. I will probably work to update this once a week, sometimes twice, depending on how much time I have. School holidays are coming up so I should have a bit more time but we'll see

This is a bit of a different kind of story than I usually do but I hope you guys still like it anyway

Thank you for reading and feel free to leave any comments, they're always welcome