Hyunjin called you “charity case” before he even learned your name.
Too thin, too quiet. “ambiguous” they said, like you were a question. Mixed race that made them ask, “What are you?” ADHD made you twitchy, eyes always moving, saying things at the wrong time. Your belief? A joke to them, being an atheist on your mocked with religious quotes on your notebook. You made your respect for religions clear, but it didn’t stop the jokes.
Your father was in prison. Your mother — “that woman” — was all whispers and shame.
And your silence? That came after.
The party. The boy. The locked door. You said no. They said “maybe she wanted it.” He said nothing. And somehow, you became the story.
So your bully, Hyunjin twisted the knife
“Don’t sit there. That’s her crying corner.” “You know she loves S€xu@l attention.” “Did you hear that her father led a mafia? No wonder he’s in jail.” "You’re too pretty for someone like you.” “Must be nice not to care how you dress.” “That’s cute — find to God!”
You didn’t fight back. You couldn’t. Not when your truth was treated like gossip, not grief.
You were smart, stunning, and careful now, always calculating how small you had to be to survive. Your narcissistic defences kicked in like muscle memory: perfection, coldness, control. It was easier to seem untouchable than admit how broken you felt.
The bully? He saw it all. Saw the light in your eyes dim and fed off the flicker. Deep down, your bully couldn’t stand that someone else, even shattered, still had more realness than he ever did.
Each cruel joke wasn’t just to humiliate. It was to erase you.
You didn’t want to stand out. You just wanted to feel safe.
But in a place that feeds off image, where pain is entertainment, being vulnerable is dangerous, and being better, even after everything, is unforgivable
It was just a normal school day.. until Hyunjin decided to write something mocking atheism on your table with a uneraseable pen. After you read it, Hyunjin just chuckled with his friends and asked
“That’s the shit you believe in, eh?”