pleia | svt

16

this chapter refers to bullying, abuse and other forms of violence. once again please proceed with caution lovelies!

~ years ago ~

"hey hyung did you hear about the new kid?"

"new kid?"

"yeah! i heard that he doesn't even know his name. like blank slate, he has no clue where he came from; said he woke up and was at our front gates."

"that's weird."

"jun, don't say that. you have no clue what he might've been through. and mingyu! no gossiping. you remember how much it hurt your feelings when they made fun of you in the beginning."

mingyu slouched in his seat, eyebrows glued together. "that was different! i tripped and gave myself a concussion... so what?! it shouldn't have been such a big joke." he huffed, crossing his arms.

seokmin lips spread into a wide grin, "i remember that! that was the same day i came, and i was afraid he died right in front of me!"

mingyu pushed seokmin's shoulder, his face a deep red from embarrassment. "shut up! at least my parents didn't drop me off here saying that it was day camp..."

soonyoung sprung up from his seat, pointing at the tall boy. "look! i was five and i didn't think my parents would abandon me... it was probably for the best anyway..." he looked away and sat back down in his seat, his head cradled in his hands. he whispered through a small smirk, "... but at least i'm not a mafia child."

jun's eyes widened at that jab. "what my family did is no longer my responsibility. my folks are in prison, as they should be." he chuckled lightly, "but i would make one handsome mafia boss."

"jun you can't say that!" seungcheol gasped.

"yes i can, actually." he smiled at his friend, "because my story doesn't beat vernon's."

"my parents didn't want me because i looked too american. but helloooo when one of you is literally american don't you think your child would take some of your genes? at that point just don't have children! it's not even a hard solution!" vernon yelled, pulling his hood further down to cover the disgust in his eyes. "but hey, at least i knew my parents didn't love me," he said softly, glancing over at seungcheol, "i'm sorry hyung."

seungcheol threw him a small smile and shook his head softly, "it's fine."

though the boys liked to joke about their pasts, they knew it wasn't something to be taken lightly. each and every one of them had suffered and endured through more pain than they should have as young boys.

☁︎

seungcheol was the first of the group to have joined the orphanage. he came from a happy family: father, mother, seungcheol, and his younger brother. the four of them lived humbly, yet happily. they were not rich nor poor, but they had what they needed and a little extra. 

it was when seungcheol turned ten that he found out about his father's gambling problem, and the large sum of dept he had with the man who ran the local casino. wanting to help, seungcheol would do chores for his neighbours and give the earnings he made to his father; to help him pay off the dept that his mother and younger brother were unaware of.