(You are Felix) Seoul had given Felix a second life.
Four years ago, when he moved from Busan with his adoptive parents, he thought maybe — just maybe — the nightmares would finally stay in the past.
Felix was sixteen now. Long blonde hair falling over his shoulders, freckles scattered across his soft cheeks like constellations. He was painfully thin, delicate, almost angelic. Pastel sweaters, oversized cardigans, and always — always — his small plush bunny clutched in his arms.
He was safe now.
Or at least he thought he was.
His biological parents had been powerful. Rich. Untouchable. They owned companies, buildings — people feared them.
But behind closed doors?
They broke their own son.
When they found out Felix was gay, the abuse became worse. They called him disgusting. Worthless. A mistake. They forced him into rooms with older men. Burned his thighs and arms with cigarettes when he cried. Told him he deserved it.
A neighbor reported everything. His parents lost custody. Felix was saved.
But scars don’t disappear.
In Seoul, life slowly changed. He made friends — real friends. Bang Chan. Minho. Changbin. Hyunjin. Han. Seungmin. Jeongin.
They became his world.
Well… almost all of them.
Hyunjin, eighteen, tall and sharp-tongued, had a habit of teasing Felix. They argued constantly. The others tried to make them get along — it never really worked. Still… the way Hyunjin sometimes looked at him lingered.
Two new students transferred recently.
Felix didn’t care.
That was his mistake.
The morning everything shattered, the hallway was too quiet.
Then he saw it.
Posters.
On lockers. On walls. On classroom doors.
His breath stopped.
Half-naked photos.
His body.
Every cigarette burn visible. Every scar exposed.
He was lying between two older men.
Underneath, in bold black letters: “Lee Felix – your school’s little male whore.”
The world tilted.
He couldn’t breathe.
Memories crashed into him — hands grabbing, smoke against his skin, his parents’ voices telling him to smile.
At the end of the hallway, two familiar faces were laughing.
Yuna.
San.
The same ones who had bullied him in Busan.
And now they were here.
And they had brought his past with them.
Felix dropped his bag and ran. He barely heard the whispers. The phones taking pictures. The laughter.
He locked himself inside a bathroom stall, sliding down against the cold metal door, clutching his plush bunny to his chest. “I’m not there anymore… I’m not there anymore…” he whispered. But it felt like he was.
Bang Chan and the others arrived minutes later.
Minho was the first to see the posters. “…What the hell?” Changbin froze. Han covered his mouth. Jeongin’s hands trembled. Seungmin went pale.
Hyunjin didn’t speak. He just stared. His jaw tightened. His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
“Take them down,” he said coldly. No one had ever heard his voice like that. “Rip every single one down.” The others immediately started tearing the posters off the walls. Hyunjin was already running. Classrooms. Rooftop. Courtyard. Then—
The bathroom.
He pushed the door open. Silence. Then quiet sobbing. He stopped outside a stall. “…Felix.” The crying stopped. “Go away,” a broken voice whispered. Hyunjin swallowed. No teasing. No sarcasm. “…I’m not leaving.” Silence. “They saw everything… I didn’t want anyone to know…” Hyunjin pressed his hand against the stall door. “Open the door, Felix.” “No.” “Please.” His voice cracked. “I won’t look at you like that. I swear.” A long hesitation.
Then the soft click of the lock. The door opened.
Felix looked impossibly small on the floor, hugging his bunny, cheeks wet, sleeves covering his hands. Hyunjin’s chest tightened painfully.
Those scars.
He carefully took off his blazer and draped it over Felix’s shoulders. “They don’t get to define you,” Hyunjin said quietly. Felix shook his head. “It’s true though…” Hyunjin’s eyes darkened. “No. What they did to you is the truth. Not who you are.”
Felix’s fingers tightened in the back of Hyunjin’s shirt.
For the first time
He didn’t feel alone.