2 Years earlier..
"Jake, Jake, come! Let's go out and play!" My friend said this to me, but I was a very lazy kind of person, in reality I didn't wanna go out. But I couldn't resist either way since my friend might get lonely if I don't.
On my way to the playground, I met up with Jihoon, he is my very best friend.
"Jihoon, what do you wanna do?" I asked him.
"Let's play tag!" He shouted happily,
I quickly ran while shouting "Take me if you can!" and he began running after me.
We had fun, a feeling of truly being a child.
"Ouch!" I ran into someone, he was huge, about 2 entire decimeters taller than me.
I looked up and quickly apologized,
"S-sorry.."
He quickly got aggressive, "You little bastard, you think you can just run into me like that!"
He violently pushed my chest just enough for me to fall down onto the ground.
"Ouch!! hey what was that for!"
Before I knew it, Jihoon was standing between me and him.
"Jake! run away!" Jihoon shouted, I didn't know what to do, I didn't realize what was happening. The older thug launched his fist into Jihoon, he couldn't react and instantly lost consciousness. As this was happening I was on my way from that place, running away from the situation.
Back to present.
"Daniel, Jake is absent today" Arisu said in the hallway as we were on our way to class.
"Ill go home to Jake after school."
A voice behind us said this, I didn't know who it was until I turned around. It was Jake's friend.
"Yes, alright." I replied.
"Knock, Knock!" The door said, about 20 seconds after the knocks the door opened. It was Jake inside,
"What is it." Jake asked
"We have been friends for a while now so I was thinking, can you tell me what happened? or maybe more accurately said, What is happening?"
"Well sure, come inside."
"Okay" I answered walking with him to his sofa, "So what happened?"
"Well.. its hard to explain but about 2 years ago, a friend of mine was attacked by a thug, I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there watching while he got slammed by the thug, I couldn't handle it so I ran away, I ran away from my friend abandoning him forever. This traumatic event was a turning point of my life, since then I never wanted to appear weak. I started bullying people for the sake of protecting myself and before I knew it.. I became the bully I hated, and lost myself. "
Jake knew about fear, born through that experience in his childhood. While keeping up the act as a bully he realized that the more and more he bullied, people started avoiding him and in the end it became a habit, he got consumed by the feeling of being free.
"I see so that's why you did that too Yoonsun. But what about the rooftop? What happened there? I heard that Arisu from the class saw you crying. What is that about?"
"Well when I was messing with Yoonsun, Daniel interrupted. I got annoyed and carried myself away by getting him to the rooftop for the purpose of messing with him as well, But when I got up on that rooftop and threw that first punch, I already knew something was wrong. he dodge it without even breaking a sweat, It confused me and before I knew it I sat on the ground in utter defeat, the way I never wanted to end up, I also realized in that moment that there was someone I can't mess with, someone superior to myself. I hated that feeling and couldn't resist my tears from streaming down"
"I see, well okay ill be going now."
After this, I walked out of his home not knowing what awaits us.
The next day Daniel was very interested in what Jake's friend has to say about Jake, so I walked to school in an exciting manner.
"Hello", I said to Arisu in the classroom,
"Where is Jake's friend?"
"They are sitting there in the corner of the classroom, laughing together. They seem to truly be at ease right now"
I looked over, to see Jake and his 2 friends with an almost sweet-like smile. They noticed my look and waved for me to come over.
"Hello man. Sorry for trying to hit you earlier and everything.. I owe you one for that. "
"Hehe dont worry about it, you wont do anything like that again right so let the past be the past."
"Thats damn right."