𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰│ ᴍᴇᴀɴɪᴇ

7

"M-Mother passed away three years ago I think? I'm not sure of the date or time but I killed her Gyu, w-we were out hunting and there was a deer. I'd never killed anything before so I was scared but she told me I needed to learn so I raised my bow and my hands started shaking like mad, it was crazy, she was whisper shouting behind me to just shoot already but I couldn't, she was improaching on my space and she told me if I didn't do it we'd starve so I really wanted to, it was such a harsh winter but she was getting more and more angry and I was so silly that the deer ran away and when she went to hit me I flinched and sent the arrow flying into her a-arm and.. it s-started to bleed r-really bad, so so bad, there was b-blood everywhere and-"

Mingyu tried to reach out to stroke the older's back but he flinched away. "Wonwoo are you-"

"I can c-continue," He said, cutting off Mingyu and using the sweater he was wearing to wipe his eyes and cover his red hot cheeks that showed off far too many emotions for his liking.

"I-I managed to carry her back inside and she was really m-mad, she wouldn't stop screaming at me saying I was k-killing her so it must have been v-very painful but once I handed her the medical box she fixed it and I thought she'd be fine. S-she wasn't. Her wound got infected and she stopped shouting, she felt ice cold like she had hypothermia so I got her some blankets b-but s-she was ice cold for a reason. My best guess is she got s-sepsis, it kills so fast I didn't know what to do. So I just curled up next to her and cried, she never liked me hugging her but she wasn't going to get mad anymore. The next morning I buried her in the mountains and n-now I can't hunt and I-I'm a k-killer and I-I shouldn't be around you okay so just- I'll feed you and then you c-can leave and tell no one about me, please,"

"Wonwoo, your mother shouldn't have hit you." Wonwoo was shocked to see Mingyu's stern face that showed anger and pity more than the fear he was expecting.

"W-What?"

"Mother's aren't supposed to hit their children Wonwoo, that's assault. You're not a killer, your mother passed away due to a blood infection and she pressured you into trying to hunt okay, you have to believe me."

"No, no you're lying, you're a liar, mother did that to protect me because I was silly. Silly people get killed, Gyu." Wonwoo was raising his voice, his mother was all he knew so he couldn't take a negative word as the tears continued to run down his pale cheeks.

Mingyu didn't know what to say, he didn't expect the boy who saved him to be so broken. He felt bad for unearthing this trauma but he knew he had to tell Wonwoo it was wrong, he began to question the mental stability of the woman who raised him. All of a sudden he felt a shooting pain in one of his legs as he realised Wonwoo had leaned back on it accidentally so he released a sharp groan from his lips.

"S-sorry."

Mingyu wasn't sure if he was apologising for leaning on his leg or getting angry but he nodded anyway, in this situation he wasn't the one in the most pain.

"You read a lot of books, right, that's how you know so many things about the outside world?"

To Wonwoo this seemed off topic but he nodded anyway, directing the younger to continue, "In your story books were the parents ever like your mother?"

"N-no but she wasn't bad! Sometimes she was really nice and passive, the calmest person in the world but it was like I flipped a switch in her when I did something wrong, she would get all angry and sometimes it would hurt mentally... and p-physically but she was doing it out of love; sometimes it would last days but it was my fault. She wanted to keep me safe from the outside and I've gone and let the outside in and now you're accusing her and making me say all this stuff!"

Mingyu wasn't a psychologist but this sounded all too familiar to him, scarily reminiscent in fact and he felt lucky he could grow up and recognise it but Wonwoo was shut off so it was probably normal to him.

"Some people have an issue with controlling their emotions, they're not very good at understanding children are their own people and not just theirs, to me that sounds a lot like your mother. The world isn't that bad, there are very bad people and very amazing people, was it possible she was paranoid of the outside world? I don't want to act like I'm trying to diagnose her with anything, I'm not qualified for that but do you think maybe she was a little different to you?"

"That makes a lot of sense..." Wonwoo dragged off, he was quiet and looked to be contemplating the younger's words.

"You should never be subject to hurt, Wonwoo, you deserve to have a life that you want to live and experience or explore whatever you want to. Not what your mother wanted you to." Mingyu reached out to stroke the older's shoulder and this time he didn't flinch away, instead leaned into it and letting out slow tears onto Mingyu's hand.

"You're messing with my head Gyu but thank you, I don't think you're a liar and I'll try to listen. I've never been able to speak about myself to anyone. Oh and one more thing, could you read your books with me? Y-you promised to teach me about things and I'd like to start there please."

"Sure, Wonu, we can read together." Mingyu showed off his canines as he smiled, glad that Wonwoo was able to process what he'd said and that he would actually talk to him. There was something about this boy that was so fascinating, he was like a pure and untouched diamond for only Mingyu's eyes to see, a lone wolf in a world full of sheep.