you slowly blink your eyes open as the sunlight passing through the blinds hits them. your groan as you rub both of your eyes together.

then you stopped. you remember the last things that happened before your lost consciousness.

you looked around, realizing that the place isn't familiar. it was nothing close to your plain white and gray bedroom.

suddenly, the door opens. you jerked, startled. as the door opens wider, it revealed a figure of a teenage boy, looking like the same age as you.

he had black hair, too thick that it covered his eyes. you wondered if he could still see his way. he has a pretty long nose and his lips were in a unique shape.

he smiled, quietly and awkwardly laughing at your scared face. he closes the door behind him and walks towards you, giving you the plate of food he was holding.

"i'm sorry but i don't know you." you said, hoping that didn't hurt the guy or whatsoever.

"oh, i'm yedam. bang yedam. i'm actually your neighbor but i guess you haven't seen me yet since you always walk with your head down." he said. "anyway, i think your hungry so here. please take it."

"n-no, you should it eat instead. i'm good."

"please take it, you need to eat. you didn't wake up last night so you haven't ate dinner. please eat breakfast."

you stay silent, not knowing what to say.

"i don't cook for everyone, you know."

"t-thank you." you said, taking the plate from yedam.

he sits down on the edge of the bed, awkwardly playing with the hem of his oversized gray shirt.

"the landlady checked your room last night and after finding out that you were there, she told me to tell you that, um, you're out." yedam said, looking at you with wooried eyes.

"don't worry, i'll leave after i eat."

"no, you can stay."

"yedam, i think you've done too much. if i stay, i might ruin your life like what happened to the others."

"it's already ruined actually."

the both of you stayed silent for a few seconds.

"i'm sorry."

"no, it's okay. continue eating."

you nod and did as he said.

"may i ask something?"

"sure, what is it?" you said while chewing your food.

"what happened yesterday?"

you almost choked on the pancake you were swallowing. you stayed silent for almost a minute, trying to gather up all the words that were going through your head.

"i don't know, i felt tired. too tired, i guess. when i was young, my father died and my mother left me for another man. i got adopted by a japanese woman and a korean man who got married but couldn't give birth to a child. but i wasn't raised like other kids though. instead of letting me go out and play with other kids, the woman who adopted me would lock me up in my room, forcing me to study. all my life i have been pressured to get high grades. there was a time when i wasn't the top but just second and when i got home, i got beaten up and yelled at, saying that i was dumb. i was just ten when that happened. when i turned twelve, the korean man died because of an accident, leaving the japanese woman so sad and mad that she blamed me for what happened. after the man got buried, she returned to japan, leaving me with their house and a small amount of cash. i would go to the market, asking the vendors if there was something i could do just so i could earn money. and so, i would go around the market, carrying buckets full of fish, slicing and cutting them in half, taking off their scales and watch over the stall. i had that job until i was fifteen and i never went to school. sometimes, i would meet my classmates and they'd ask me what happened. i was too shy and embarrassed to tell them the reason why so i would just say that it's better to earn money at a young age. when i was fifteen, i met a rich businesswoman and she told me that she would let me study for free. i was happy, so happy, but that was until she made me.. s-she.."

you stuttered and looked down.

"what did she do you?" yedam asked, very concerned.

"she made me a prostitute." you said and a tear rolled down your cheek.

yedam moved closer to give you a hug. you hugged him back, crying on his chest. he patted your back as he softly hushed you, trying to calm you down and comfort you.

"i'm sorry i asked you that question." yedam said.

you lifted your head from his chest. "no, no, it's okay. it feels kinda good to finally tell someone about my life." you said.

"you mean you haven't told anyone about it yet?"

"no, who would i tell it to when i had nobody?"

yedam looked at you in the eye. the both of you stared into each others eyes. his eyes screamed pain and asked for help like yours did, and both of you wanted to save each other.

"you have me now." yedam told you. you felt his hand hold yours, making your heart skip a beat.

────────

today was tiring i feel
exhausted ngl anw i
was watching my school
and other schools
perform on the drum and lyre
contest today! another
school won champion and
my school was just third
but it's ok oof
my school had won in the
prev years anw lmao