Chapter 21

* * *Dowook opened the door to his home with his bike. He lived in a 2 floor single home surrounded by a tall fence. Even now, he didn’t feel very used to living in a home like this. A little dog ran over to greet him with an excited look. The dog’s name was Little. The only thing in the house he’s gotten used to living with. Dowook had no idea what breed the dog was. He just knew it’s been five years since he picked it up from the old lady on the street. At least it was growing healthily. He pet the dog a little bit as he parked the bike on the wall next to him.Dowook walked up the three stairs up to his front door. A warm air greeted him upon his first step inside. He didn’t bother saying his greetings, since he knew there was no one was home. He slipped into his slippers and walked over to the kitchen.More cold food again for him to reheat.He warmed up the rice and soup in the microwave. He watched the plate inside spin for a few seconds before walking out with some dog food. The dog greeted him with its wavy tail. Good boy.“What were you doing all this time?”Dowook asked, pushing the food bowl towards it. It didn’t answer. Obviously. Dowook pet its head before walking back into the kitchen. The microwave beeped from inside to let him know the food was done. He started eating his food. There was a sticky note under the bowl of rice had originally been, he noticed. It was a message from his mom, he had no need to read. It was probably the same thing as always anyway. He finished eating and turned on the TV. It was pretty cold in the living room, so he turned on the heater as well.After laughing at a random reality show for 30 minutes or so, he went to use the restroom. A laugh track was playing the moment he stepped outside. The timing got on his nerves, for some reason. He pressed the power button on the remote to no avail. He tried again. Still nothing. Again. Finally. He walked up to his room on the second floor where he could hear the dog barking outside after finishing its meal.He decided to ignore it. He turned on his computer and opened up messenger after a bit of hesitation. 13 friends were currently online. They were all his middle school friends. None of them responded to his messages. Then again, they weren’t really great friends to begin with. Dowook turned to look at his phone. He scrolled through his contacts, trying to find a friend that he could call. His face turned stiffer with each scroll upon each realization that there wasn’t anyone he could really call. “Fuck.”He closed his phone. Why was he feeling so nervous right now? Trying to call his friends wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about so why was he hesitating? Then again, what would he even say to them?What was the name of the kid up front again? Ah, Jichul, right. Why was he thinking of that guy now? The guy always stayed alone by himself because of how quiet he was. Dowook could remember Jichul’s troubled expression lingering as he looked around every time there was group work. “...Hah.”Crap. Dowook was just like that guy right now. That was what made him feel nervous. It was even worse, actually. At least Jichul had people who occasionally talked to him. He recalled everything he said at school in the previous week.“...There’s nothing.”Just conversations with the teacher was all. He’s never talked to the other students. No, he ‘couldn’t’ talk with the other students. Was this what being bullied was like? For some reason, the faces of his previous victims started popping up in his head clearly. Please, he didn’t want to remember. Crap. Their faces wouldn’t leave his mind. About how they could only ever say “I’m sorry” and “please forgive me” in school. “Fuck.”Dowook turned on a song at full volume. A quiet ballad shook his room like a heavy metal song. Hopefully the noise will drown out some of his feelings.“...Crap.”The voices of his victims still wouldn’t go away.

* * *“Come out?”- Yeah. I need your help. You’re better at this kind of stuff than me.“What stuff?”- Daemyung.Daemyung? At 11 at night? Why? He’d have to bike for 20 minutes to get there.“Damn it, fine.”People don’t change that easily. Maru didn’t want to ignore someone when they needed his help. Especially friends. “I’ll be out for a bit, mom.”“Where are you going?”“Friends.”“What?”“Don’t worry mom, I’ll be fine.”“......”Mom hesitated before telling him to come back quickly. That reminded him, he’s always thought of raising a kid freely when he grew up. Like his parents. That’s exactly what he did with his daughter. She’s hurt him occasionally, but she did grow to become a fine lady.‘Helicopter parenting is no good.’Maru peeked into the fridge as he stepped out of his parent’s bedroom. Talking with friends, huh… Well, that meant he would need a certain things with him, then. He pulled out a can of beer and put it in his pocket before walking outside.