The sound was extreme, a clatter and a crash, countless pieces of glass flying all over the space, creating a dangerous mess. The room was partly illuminated by a light flickering right at the centre, hanging from the ceiling. It was cold and cruel, the sight that unfolded. But to him, it felt like nothing.

He was numb, completely numb to everything that happened around him, his senses disinclined from executing their tasks.

He watched her pick up a large shard from the floor, it's sharp edge now pointing towards his eye, nearing closer and closer. The peril was inevitable, but even in that case, he showed no emotions.

The expressions upon his face remained unchanged. He did not move.

For a moment, he turned to his left and caught sight of his father watching the scene with no remorse or regret. And before he could brew the hope within him that his father would get up from his seat and come forth to defend him, the latter turned away and focused on his computer screen. He could care less.

The highschooler did not move, his pupils now focusing directly at the tip of the glass piece in his mother's hand. Beside him lay a sheet, a test paper which bore a number at its top right corner in red ink.

82.

"Mingi, you okay?"

Mingi was startled, quickly snapping his head to his left and noticing a lad in a black mask looking at him, kind brown eyes bringing back within him a strong sense of safety and warmth. For the few minutes that followed, he was lost in a daze. But soon, he regained composure and smiled back at the stranger.

"I'm okay hyung," he responded in a whisper, "Just a few thoughts in my mind."

"I hope they aren't causing you much trouble," the concern was prominent, and Mingi couldn't help but tighten his grip around the stranger's fingers a bit more.

"Not as long as I'm with you," he replied with a soft smile, his eyes now finding pleasure at the sight of a tree by the pavement bearing lush green leaves and beautiful purple flowers creating a mesmerising contrast.

The weather seemed to be in their favor, as they loved the clear blue skies and the warmth of the sunshine. They walked down the streets, hand in hand, talking in whispers lest someone heard them. Everything seemed enthralling, from the thick white puffs of the cumulus floating against the sky to the soap bubbles of various sizes that flew about due to the air blown into hoops by children who played near the parks.

The two breathed in the breeze, a sense of freedom engulfing them. They knew well that this feeling was not for long, but for the moment, it was enormous and full.

And that was what they wanted to enjoy.

After a little more of strolling down the lanes, they stopped in front of a small shop. It was owned by a lady, visibly middle aged. There weren't any customers inside so the masked boy had decided to step in and buy something, especially for his companion.

But before he could go inside, he felt a tug on the sleeve of his jacket.

Mingi was hesitant to follow.

"Wear the mask I gave you earlier," the masked boy suggested, "Remove it once we're out of this place."

Mingi followed his instructions and walked behind him into the shop. The owner was charming, greeting them with a sweet smile and asked them what they would like to buy.

The masked boy bought two sweet breads while talking with her, easing in a casual conversation. Mingi did not pay much attention to them. Instead, his gaze was fixated upon a specific candy, bright red in color and shaped like a diamond. There was only one, placed inside a little box that made it look like a precious jewel. Everything about it made it seem extremely pricey and therefore, he chose to look away.

"I'm glad to finally have some customers," Mingi heard the lady speak, "Young children and teenagers rarely visit. You've seen what's going on in the city, haven't you?"

The masked boy quietly nodded as Mingi looked on, his own fingers fidgeting with the hem of the long sleeves.

"A young boy had been kidnapped a while ago and it's all over the news," the woman continued while settling some of the objects upon the counter, "The kidnapper...what a terrible person they must be!"

Mingi instantly lowered his head, visibly gulping, his knees now shaking and his hands feeling colder. He wanted to exit that place right at that moment, a strong sense of discomfort tingling within him.

"It's so unfortunate," the woman spoke again, softly drumming her fingers upon the solid surface of the counter, "For both him and his parents." She sighed, looking out of the window of her shop which overlooked the street, currently deserted. It was quiet for a while.

"I hope," the masked boy chose to break the prolonged pause, "I hope the boy finds his happiness very soon, wherever he is."

His choice of words confused the lady for a short while, but soon she nodded and gave her statement of agreement. As the boy payed for the sweetbreads, Mingi looked at him, his eyes bearing a sense of relief, lips curling into a smile behind the cloth covering his mouth.

* * *

"This tastes amazing," the boy in the brown coat chirped, taking a big bite from the bread, "Soft and sweet. I love it."

The one beside him smiled and walked forward. They were strolling down another path, a little less deserted than the previous ones. Mingi remained indulged in the bun, complimenting it on occasions as he trudged along with the other.

"But it was pricey," he complained at one point, "You could have-"

"It was nothing Mingi," the stranger immediately assured him, "Just-"

But before he could complete his sentence, he felt the boy scooting closer to him and disappearing behind his back. His hands clutched his jacket as he strived to hide himself as best as could. He was scared, his hands shaking and his lips quivering, his grip around the piece of bread in his hand loosening. He seemed hesitant and even though the other asked him questions, he was reluctant to answer them.

"Mingi?" the stranger softly called, a little confused as to what induced this sudden behavior in the boy.

He received no response.

He chose to look forward and soon found the reason himself. In front of them not more than a few paces away were two boys walking towards them. They were dressed in school uniforms, the same one that Mingi had worn on the day he had first seen him. The boys were talking to each other and hadn't noticed their presence yet. But as they approached closer, the masked boy could feel the grip around his jacket sleeve tightening further. Mingi looked extremely scared.

"Wait," one of the boys called the other as they were passing by the two other pedestrians, "Don't you think that's..."

"You sure dude? Is it really him?" the other one questioned, edging closer to Mingi, the latter instantly turning his head away, shivering with fear.

"I don't think you have anything to do with my younger brother, do you?" the masked male immediately intervened, stopping the high schoolers right at their tracks from moving closer to his companion. For a moment they spoke nothing, their gazes still fixated upon the trembling figure. But when they noticed the masked stranger wrapping an arm around the other, they took two steps back.

"Oh, we mistook him for someone else," one of them shrugged, "C'mon let's go."

They turned around and walked away, but Mingi could still here their commotions.

"And why did we even think that he'll be around? He's a goner haha!"

"Yeah! He better not come back."

"You think so? Bet they'll find his rotten body within a few days ugh!"

"It was fun with him though. Desperate little fag! Guess we gotta find someone else soon."

"Perfect."

"Let's go," the stranger called, noticing how stoic Mingi was, his feet stuck to the ground, not wanting to move an inch. Mingi didn't want to display his expressions and therefore, he followed him with his head hung low, tears threatening to fall any moment.

Memories of the past were swirling back into his head and it was not helping him, not at all.

His urges were slowly crawling back into him and he was way too weak to fight against them.

He was ready to give up, once again.

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Thoughts?

(Short af cp ik. Sry:)