"Oppa! Wake up!" Jia screamed at the top of her lungs hoping it would be enough to wake her older brother.
Jia was one of two twins, they lived with their older brother, Jaeho, who was their sole guardian.
Jaeho woke up but he was still drowsy but who could blame him considering the number of jobs he worked to keep his sisters in school.
"I'm up… I'm up," Jaeho muttered as he slowly sat up, he had no idea how he slept through the alarm but he was glad he had sisters who could look after themselves somewhat despite being just five.
Jaeho saw they had on the dresses he had gotten them a few days back, Jia and Serin were in the new dresses he had gotten them.
"We are ready!" Serin exclaimed, giving him a little spin to show him how it looked on her.
Jaeho chuckled faintly, it was a light blue dress with Jia wearing a matching yellow one.
This way, it would be easier to differentiate their clothes and avoid future fighting.
"You both look so beautiful," Jaeho complemented them while finally standing up. Jaeho stretched but his body still ached from the work he had been doing but also the floor he was sleeping on.
However, he pushed the pain down, it was something his body had grown accustomed to.
"Have you eaten breakfast?" Jaeho asked despite knowing the answer to this already as he had smelled Jia's breath when she was yelling his name moments before.
"Yes! We ate the rice balls you made last night!" Jia responded, clearly excited to show off her new dress to her friends in school. That would explain why she was so hyper.
"Can we go now? I want to show teacher Kim my new dress!" Jia added.
"Give your big brother a few minutes, okay?" Jaeho told them. He needed to get ready after all.
He poured water on his face to wake himself up and also freshen up right before changing into his school uniform. It was a little rumpled but clean enough to wear.
Jia and Serin were already waiting at the door with no idea the kind of debt their brother was swimming in.
Or the fact that their mother had abandoned them a year ago after losing the death of their father.
Jaeho simply told them she was working overseas even though he couldn't explain why she never called.
"Alright! Let's go," Jaeho quickly put on his shoes and rushed to the door to join his sister.
-
The walk to their school was fifteen minutes and it wasn't in the direction of his own school so he couldn't stay for too long.
Jaeho held their hands as his sisters talked about basically every and anything.
Jia kept asking questions upon questions the moment her eyes saw anything that interested her. Serin, on the other hand, tugged at his sleeves only to show him pretty flowers as she was the quieter of both twins.
They were opposites but balanced each other out.
"Oppa, do you think teacher Kim would like my drawing?" Jia questioned.
"You are the best artist in your class. Of course she would like it!" Kyle's voice held no doubt in them.
"Serin is better…" Jia disagreed with him.
"... But I am louder," Jia added with a smirk. This was true but Jaeho liked that she gave her sister her flowers without trying to compete with her.
Serin giggled faintly, she found this funny but who could blame her when Jia was right.
They soon arrived at the school gates and Jaeho's sisters hugged him tight before they planted a kiss on either side of his cheeks.
"Be good today, okay?" Jaeho said this despite them not having any history of disruption, they tried their best in school because they sensed the responsibility on their brother's shoulder.
They both nodded before waving him goodbye, Jaeho watched them enter the gate and disappear into the crowd of students.
"I love you both," Jaeho muttered under his breath but he quickly checked his phone to see how much time he had left.
[[7:54 A.M]]
"Shit!' Jaeho cussed under his breath before running in the opposite direction because his classes started by 8 on the dot.
-
Jaeho ran at an astonishing pace, covering two blocks in the matter of a minute, his breathing had become labored already but Jaeho didn't care at that moment as sweat dripped down his forehead.
The only question on his mind was if he would make it in time but thankfully, Jaeho made it just in time.
He blitzed through the gates by 7:57:58 and into class by 7:59 but Jaeho saw the teacher in the hallway as the air conditioner blew against his skin.
The refreshed air in the building was a lifesaver.
He sat in his seat at the back which was away from everyone else, Jaeho didn't have any friends not because he didn't want to but because of his social standing within the school.
He was a poor boy who got a lucky break with a scholarship to get his education here, where the average person had enough money to be extremely comfortable.
However, this wasn't the only factor because while Jaeho was trying to catch his breath, three boys were watching him.
Park Minho sat two rows ahead of him but had a grin on his face. He was the ringleader of this little gang.
He was a tall, good looking, and rich but not only that, his family was one of the biggest donors to the school.
The way he styled his hair, it was easy to tell he used expensive products because it did look and smell good. He looked like the cliche rich kid.
"Yo Han," Minho whispered to Jaeho but he was loud enough for the people around him to hear him outside of Jaeho.
"Did you run here from the sewer? You smell like shit man," Minho mocked him.
A few students cackled, clearly enjoying what they were witnessing.
Choi Jiwon sat directly in front of Jaeho, close enough that he could see the cheap brand name attached at the back of his clothes.
Jiwon was Minho's right hand but was shorter with broader mass. He turned around, covering his nose.
"Did you even shower this morning?" He asked but this was clearly a rhetorical question.
He looked so proud of himself the moment these words left his mouth.
The third one, Kwon Daeho, sat across the classroom but he was more reserved than the other two but that made him worse because Daeho had this way of looking at people like they were below him.
He didn't say a word and just stared at Jaeho with a disinterested look on his face.
Jaeho kept his head down because there was nothing he could do but endure it, it wasn't anything he hadn't heard before nor could he handle.
"Hey! I am talking to you!" Minho called him out, they wanted a reaction, this was what fuelled them.
"You deaf or just stupid!?" Minho said once again but Jaeho didn't respond once again.
Jaeho felt his fist tighten but knew fighting them would be the worst thing he could do right now.
"Probably both," Jiwon muttered, turning around briefly to join the conversation.
"You cannot even afford fucking deodorant," He added.
"You know Han, if you need money, I could lend you some but with interest of course," Daeho offered, his voice was lifeless. Devoid of any emotions whatsoever.
The three of them laughed but why wouldn't they? They couldn't understand what it was like living like him and they clearly lacked empathy so ignorance was the next thing in line.
The classroom door soon opened and their homeroom teacher, Ms. Ahn, walked in.
She was in her early thirties and easily the most attractive woman in the school.
She had black hair which was styled in a ponytail alongside sharp cheekbones and full lips.
It was easy to think she got lip fillers but the truth was, she was just blessed in all aspects including a massive chest.
She placed her bag on the table before greeting the students.
"Good morning everyone," Ms. Ahn was ready to begin the class.
Minho turned back but not before shooting Jaeho one final look to tell him that it wasn't over. Jaeho let out a deep sigh, he was glad that little exchange was over.
"Just get through the day, just get through the day," Jaeho muttered to himself.