School hours had finally come to an end as the final bell rang. Students poured out of their respective classrooms.
Hajoon stretched hard, yawned loudly, a small indication that he was bored. Nathaniel slung his bag over his shoulder.
Both friends made their way out of the building, "So," said Nathaniel, "The school's annual sports festival comes up soon in a few months. Are you coming?"
Hajoon who was still tired, rubbed his chin as he thought for a while. He wasn't always the type to participate in sports.
Every year when the sports festival was held, he always backed down. He wasn't only weak but he was talentless as well.
"Nah! I think I'm gonna pass on this. Besides, it's not like I have the strength for such!"
Nathaniel nodded his head, disappointed but not surprised, "You are one of a kind, Hajoon," he said, "So, are we gonna hang out at the game store today?"
"Nope," said Hajoon.
This was shocking to Nathaniel as he knew Hajoon as someone who slacked off and played games all day, "Huh? What seems to be the issue now?" he asked.
Hajoon smiled brightly, "Today's the death anniversary of my dad," he said softly, "My dad always played games with me, but now that he's gone...."
Nathaniel placed his hand on Hajoon's shoulder, cutting him off from saying anything again, "I understand," he said, "Sorry for my forgetfulness. As your friend, why not follow you and pay respects?"
"Nah, don't wanna stress you out too much! Besides, the sky's all gloomy, and it will rain soon. My wish is not for you to catch a cold."
The two finally stopped at the entrance, their place of departure.
"Well, I'll see you," said Nathaniel, a grin on his face, "Don't go messing around in the rain again."
Hajoon waved at his friend, watching him as he quickly rushed away, trying to avoid the incoming rain.
Though Hajoon never minded it. He always wondered why people feared the rain. When his father was still alive, he usually played in the rain with him.
His mother usually scolded him anytime he got sick.
Hajoon had walked for a while, almost minutes now. Now the sky had grown darker and the streets had gotten quieter.
Clouds gathered above the city.
Hajoon looked up, "Seems like the rain will be much worse today," he said.
'I think I should hurry'
He began to walk faster now, just a few meters and he could make it to his home. At least when it rained, the people at the retail store where he worked wouldn't be expecting him.
But just as he turned the corner—he collided with someone.
Thud!
Hajoon held his mouth as his teeth struck something.
"Ah! Fuck!"
Overwhelmed, he tried to make a clear picture of what he bumped into and as his vision cleared, he was embarrassed by who he saw.
It was Kim Da-Rin, her hand on her head as Hajoon's jaw collided with her head.
'Its really her! Am I dreaming?! No! It can't be possible. Fuck no!'
"Oh crap! I... I'm so sorry!" Hajoon stuttered, "A-are you okay?"
Kim Da-Rin took in a deep breath, brushing off the pain as she brushed some hair behind her ear. She looked up at the young man, her eyes as mesmerizing as ever, "Oh, it's okay," she said, "It's you. Hajoon, right?"
Hajoon's eyes sparked as he heard this.
She knows my name. This is so unreal. A hottie such as her knows my name.
Snap out of it!
"Ah... Yes... I-it's me," said Hajoon.
Suddenly, the first raindrops began falling, ruining this moment.
Both were disoriented by the cold droplets. Da-Rin grabbed Hajoon by his hand, "Hey! Let's get out of here!" she said, "I know an alleyway close by!"
Her grip was so soft.
Both students rushed into a narrow alleyway for shelter beneath a rusted metal awning. Hajoon had faced many rainy weathers but his one poured like stone.
Now they were alone and Hajoon couldn't believe his luck. His heart pounded nonstop.
He watched Da-Rin, her body was an amazing sight but her inner beauty and her eyes held him closely. At some point, she even noticed his stares which he tried to deny by looking the other way.
From the way it looked, it seemed like the rain wasn't stopping anytime soon. This was his chance, he needed to talk to her before it was too late.
"So... Um..." he began, clearing his throat, "Beautiful weather today."
Idiot! That's not how you start a conversation with a girl.
"Yeah," said Da-Rin, "I always loved the rain when I was little."
Hajoon, despite his horrible start, was happy to hear this. So he decided to go forward, "What do you call a romantic rainstorm?" he said, "A love shower."
Now he was fucked. He wasn't going to ever get a girlfriend with this mindset.
Da-Rin blinked like she was confused. Then she let out a soft chuckle which turned into a genuine laugh.
"You're... You're really funny."
At that point, Hajoon felt like he might ascend into the heavens. For the first time in years, he finally dared to talk to someone other than his gender.
As the rain poured, both talked, mentioning simple things. Even a few awkward jokes from Hajoon somehow made her laugh again.
Finally, the rain had stopped.
Hajoon let out a deep breath, "It's finally over," he said, relieved.
But his relief didn't last for long as footsteps emerged, slow and deliberate.
Then a voice.
"Well, well, well.." the voice said, "Look at little Hajoon Stacy being a man."
Hajoon slowly turned to the owner of this familiar voice. Park Seok-Jin stood there with his gang of hall monitors and this time there were at least five of them plus him making it six.
"S... Seok-Jin," Hajoon stuttered, "H-how are you here?"
'Also. What's with the other guys? Weren't they like two?'
Park Seok-Jin laughed, "Didn't I tell you that this wasn't over? That bastard principal saved your ass but now that he isn't here, you're helpless against us." he said with a wide grin, cracking his knuckles.
Kim Da-Rin, who was unaware of what was happening stepped closer to Hajoon, holding his arm, her chest pressed against him, "Hajoon? What's going on? Who are these goons?" he said.
Crap! Now he was in for it and not to mention, Da-Rin didn't look like the type to be able to run.
Now Seok-Jin had noticed her, "Who's this? Your girlfriend?" he asked, stepping closer.
"H-hey, leave her out of this! She did nothing!" Hajoon warned.
Now Seok-Jin was amused, "Oh? Is that so? he said before taking a deep breath, "Seems like there's no use for all this pretence. Aren't I right, Kim Da-Rin?!"
Now Hajoon was confused by this. What pretence was Seok-Jin talking about? How did he even know her name?
All these questions were finally answered as Da-Rin pushed the young man away, "Ugh! Fuck off," she said as she walked towards Seok-Jin and stood beside him.
Hajoon couldn't believe his eyes, Da-Rin now had a cold look in her eyes and a grin on her face.
"Da-Rin? What's going on?"
One of the monitors snorted, "Wait! He actually believed it?"
The others laughed at Hajoon, most especially Da-Rin who let out a soft chuckle. At the moment, his entire world came crashing down.
Hajoon had always had a crush on Da-Rin since the first term and now she was laughing at him.
Seok-Jin grinned, "You really thought that a girl like Da-Rin would move with someone like you?"
"Ohhh! I almost feel bad," said Da-Rin, crossing her arms, "Well, it's his fault for thinking the most popular girl in school would hide in an alley with you?"
Hajoon trembled at this revelation.
"... W-why? Why did you do this?!"
Da-Rin tilted her head, "Are you really that dense?" She chuckled, "Park Seok-Jin is richer and more handsome than you will ever be. You... You're just a scrap. Plus, you're easy to play with."
The first punch hit Hajoon's stomach. Through his sorrow, he didn't see Seok-Jin dashing towards him.
"You should look at what's right in front of you!!"
Pain exploded through Hajoon's body. For a second he almost passed out, he grunted, holding his stomach as he coughed violently.
Then another punch was landed on his head, a devastating kick that landed him on the ground.
Hajoon tried to stand on his feet, he tried to run. That's all he needed to do, but he was too weak to move, and soon he found the rest of the gang surrounding him.
'Crap! I'm dead'
The gang took turns in beating him and soon he found himself on the ground once more. Through the beating, he tried to fight back, but his attacks were useless.
Now the last droplets of rain washed away the little blood on his face.
As the gang ran away, Hajoon was left there alone. The rain had returned again and now he was left on the last line of his life.
As his vision blurred, memories began to flood in. The memories of the happy times he had with his mother.
Why... Why was he so weak? If only he had become strong, his mother wouldn't have left him.
He wouldn't have been sent to an orphanage where the start of his torment began. Now he was set up by the only girl he liked.
Through the darkness, a faint blue light appeared in front of him. Transparent. Glowing. Like a game window.
>Apex Fighter System Initialized<
Hajoon stared at the screen for a second, "W-what is this?" he said, then he passed out.