Soulmates: Secret Scar

D

Chapter 49

Korean: Normal Japanese: bold.

Jin was quick to cover his ears as loud shrieks and yells of pain left the boys vocal cords. Their barrage of inaudible cries were masked within their pleas to be released as he watched Mia torture their poor skin.

Though Jin tried to show no sympathy for the bullies, the mere sight of the familiar punishment had him unconsciously crying in pain with them. As a child, his mother would pull his ear anytime he was being rebellious or in the midst of fighting his brother. So, seeing the same thing happening in 4K right in front of his eyes, had his body react instinctively to the pain. 

He remained as coiled up as he could, hiding behind a relatively small bush, as he listened and watched a scene from a movie play out. Despite his discomfort, he remained as silent and still as he possibly could, even going as for as to use a watermelon that they had bought as his makeshift chair and weaving the remaining plastic bags into one, so they wouldn't rustle in the wind. The only thing he was missing at this moment was a tub of popcorn, but apart from that, he quickly found himself enthralled in watching what was happening in front of him.

Mia showed no pity for the duo in her grasp as she tightened her grip on their ears. Normally, if this had been someone older, she would have been less forgiving in feeding them the dish of revenge, one she would happily stuff down their throats. However, with the bullies being mere children, Mia found herself taking a different approach.

She would never use violence against a child, especially when she was trying to teach them the harm that comes from their violent actions, thus she took it upon herself to come up with a more suitable way to educate them on the disastrous art of bullying. There was no doubt in her mind that these boys had a reason for their actions, her mind already set on a possible reason for their torment against others- the child behind her sadly was not their only stress reliever- and now she just needed to get them to talk. Only inflicting pain upon them or scolding them wasn't going to stop their reckless behaviour. She had to get them to talk and admit to their faults. And to do that she needed a certain someone.  

"What's wrong? It hurts? You didn't stop when he asked you too, so why should I?" Mia correctly questioned as the bullies attempted to escape from the strong grip on their flesh. The reply she received to her questions were more cries and half-hearted apologies from the younger boys, and though Mia didn't believe a single word that came out of their mouth, she found herself nearly letting go. Keyword: nearly. 

If it wasn't for her strong desire to prevent another Karasumi Mae, Mia would have found herself letting the two go with a warning. But the mere thought of Mae's tragic ending, something she had massive role in, Mia knew that she couldn't let this end with just a warning. After all, if these warning ever actually worked, Mae wouldn't have ended up like she had and Mia wouldn't be forced to live with bloodied hands and in a life she had stolen from someone more deserving.

Back then, Mia had to make the choice of life or death. And looking back on it now, especially after Jin had rightfully diminished the last hope that she had held, the choice should have been easy. But who would have thought that giving a youthful girl such responsibility will end in disaster? In the end Mia did something her heart will never let her forget. She took the life of a pure and sinless girl, one who had so much left to live for, and now lived in place of the one who deserved it, she lived.

"This pain is nothing compared to the pain your victims go through. Humiliation, low self esteem, isolation and most importantly, hatred for oneself. These come hand in hand with the pain they suffer. And because of that, they can make the worst of choices sometimes. Choices that you influenced them to make."