daddy

t h r e e

三| flashback/backstory

It was one of those days where you could smell the perspiration in the air, even when there was none. The air was chilly, sending violent shivers down Jeonghan's spine as he hugged his arms closer to his body. He didn't really mind, though. In fact, he barely paid attention to the cold.

If it was any other day, Jeonghan would be smiling happily and skipping through the streets wishing everyone a good day as he passed them. Though, it was not one of those days.

He felt numb, and it wasn't from the cold. His heart felt numb, his mind felt numb, everything was numb.

Jeonghan just looked on helplessly from across the screet as he saw his very first love, very first kiss and very first lover hold someone else close in his arms. A content smile was plastered on his lips as he held a short girl with long, silky hair. Jeonghan didn't even need to see her face to know that she was pretty, and that just made him hurt even more.

Snap.

Time was at a standstill, he didn't know how many minutes has passed or what was happening in his surroundings. He only knew that what he thought he had with Jeon Wonwoo was over with before it even started.

Snap.

Tears pricked at his eyes as he forced himself to look away. Forced himself to move forward. Forced himself to move on.

His legs were jelly, they wouldn't cooperate the way they were supposed to. The icy sidewalks weren't helping in his endeavor, making him slip and slide even more as he tried to walk.

Snap.

He looked up at the dull, blue sky. It wasn't like a bright, happy blue when it was sunny out, it was darker, colder than it normally was. Jeonghan stopped trying to walk. He just stared up at the small, soft swirls of white against the cobalt blue sky. The sight was calming, yet he felt a heavy pressure on his chest. He knew he was breaking, slowly. The pressure only grew gradually as he stared aimlessly above.

Snap.

His hand extended outwards, the small crystals landing on his palm only to melt away instantly on contact. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed the boy staring at him with a blank, dead stare. Jeonghan smiled as they made eye contact. It wasn't a bright, happy smile.

It reflected the sky above him, it was darker, colder than it normally was. Wonwoo knew that, that's why he smiled in return, a bright, happy smile that could melt anyone's heart in a heartbeat. Jeonghan felt tears pour out of his eyes, wetting his cheeks. 

Snap. That's when the final part of him broke.

He turned and walked away, not bothering to look back at the boy who broke his heart before he even knew what love was like.

The next few years went by in a flash, it was almost like it was on fast forward. Suddenly, the lonely heartbroken angel had a whole group of friends who shares laughs and smiles with him every single day. Looking back on it, it was more like a rehab for broken spirits who needed a smile, and Jeonghan was the founder.

It started with Hansol, a Korean-American who has a bad habit of pick pocketing and shop lifting. No matter where he went, something would end up missing or broken with no explanation. When he met Jeonghan, he tried to steal his wallet from his pocket, but failed miserably due to the boy's hawk-like vision. He was surprised when Jeonghan didn't get mad, but offered to be friends instead. When he transferred into his school, he gave up stealing items to stealing hearts.

Then came Jihoon, also known as Woozi. He was violent, closed off and bitter. The boy would lash out at everyone and everything, eyes red and puffy from constant crying. At first, Jeonghan thought he was beyond saving. Though, when he saw the small boy curled up in a corner of a closed down supermarket, he knew that even if he was beyond saving he needed to at least try. He tried almost every day to try and help the boy to no avail until one day when Jihoon broke down in front of him, clutching on to Jeonghan'a shirt as if it was a lifeline. He smiled softly at the boy and helped him to his feet where he took him to his house and gave him shelter.

It seemed that every few weeks he found a new broken spirit in need of helping.

Minghao, a hyperactive boy who was beaten almost everyday for his sexuality. He was clinging on to life by a thin thread when Jeonghan found him, fortunately he survived.

Chan, the youngest out of all of them. He was an orphan, his family murdered in front of him by an intruder. He had nightmares every night, they calmed down after a few months.

Sungcheol, an ex-thug. He used to run a small gang with his brother before he was found by Jeonghan when he almost killed a man for money.

The list goes on, and he even tries to convince Wonwoo to join them, to seek help. The boy won't listen to a word he says, only using a sarcastically bitter tone that sends a pang of hurt through Jeonghan's body.

That isn't how he used to talk to me.

Even though the 'rebab' group is harmless, only joining together to seek therapy, everyone fears them. They're ex-convicts in society's eyes, even though they're only young teenagers with a few problems that caused them to break in multiple places beyond repair.

They play with the students as toys to try to distract themselves from their problems, though they all know that it isn't right in the slightest. Every night they gather around Jeonghan's living room and talk things out, like a group therapy session.

It's the only thing keeping them sane, they're closer than family. Now Mingyu wants to intrude on the family unknowingly. Jeonghan knows that they won't take kindly to him, but something tells him that Mingyu might do more good than harm to this little family of theirs.

A/n: THAT WAS DEPRESSING. I just felt inspired from the snow and that happened hah. I let my dog out and I was like "I love the smell of snow in the air." Then I looked up at the sky through my window as I was writing and I was like "THATS REALLY DEPRESSINGLY PRETTY" And this happened...