Different | ROHWI

Chapter One: Abnormal

From a young age, Hwiyoung was able to see a certain range of colors surrounding a person. These said colors would outline the person, signifying whether they are close to death, whether they are dying, or if they are officially dead. On some occasions, he would see a new color—where it meant the person was returning to health after being ill. Even if this did not affect Hwiyoung, certain casualties did shatter his heart - bit by bit. Those whom he loved, that have gone away or hurt him, caused for his soul and heart to feel what they felt; he hated the feeling of experiencing their pain, their last breath.

However, over the years from his childhood to now—a twenty-one year old—, people have done nothing for him but simply use him. The upper class's children were known as the bullies of the lower class, and they would constantly ask him how alive their bruised and wounded victims were. His relatives, and his close friends, would ask him how alive—or healthy—were they, also pondering if Death was coming for them soon. The thought of no one caring for his mental state, his own being as a person, drove him insane—feeling as if he was absolutely nothing to anyone.

He wished he was never born with the ability he had. He cursed at the ancient relative that had it that caused him to get it; he hated every second, every minute—every single day and night of life because he'll always have this ability unlike the other people in the town. His mind, oh how he hated it; it constantly reminded him how he was not truly needed—how he was simply a mere, pathetic tool. He was not worth it; he was not anyone important. What was his purpose then? Who was he? He was a nobody, and he was just the boy who knows when Death is approaching or leaving a person.

He was exhausted from not having anyone, not even his parents, to ask him how he was, what he was doing, how he's holding up with everything. He was simply not worthy of having people care it seemed; the world—well, his world: the town—was a cruel, cold place. Over the years, he thought they feared him. There had been consequences with the conservatives of the town, who were the ones in charge of keeping the people safe and keeping everything good and stable. They preferred everything to be traditional—all uniform.

In the past, a sudden outbreak in a rare DNA genetic mutation spurted from a disease that rose from contaminated food - where the consumers who ate them would have it stored within their DNA. If those people gave birth, their children would be born as outcasts as it was discovered that it caused the children of those people to not physically eat food. They would fall extremely ill if they did, where the strongest outcome was, well, Death.

At this time, ever since that occurrence, it was now 1750. It's been 100 years since that outbreak.

There have been no outcasts that had the strange genetic trait from 100 years ago; the people made sure of dealing with them throughout the years - prosecuting them. They figured they were the alleged vampires, who got unlucky as they could not eat food for nutrition.

Hwiyoung remembered how his mother's neighbor once tried to slash an axe against his throat, for the neighbor had thought he was a vampire. It made his stomach churn at the thought because although he may be different, he wasn't a vampire. He could eat food perfectly fine, and he didn't get sick. He was human, just like the other people in the town. Except, he was abnormal—as the people would say.

He hated the word 'abnormal.'

He hated that the people who knew of his ability would go on and gossip to the rest, yet he knew everyone found out over the years. His mother tells his father, his father tells his brother, the brother tells his wife—it's a cycle where people gossip about anything.

Luckily enough, word about him has not reached the conservatives in the long time span. Hwiyoung figured the people did not want him killed, so they could keep using him for their own personal benefit. It was upsetting but at the least, he was not dead yet.