Mino slowly lifted his battered body from the ground and took several deep breaths when pain lanced through his body.

Being used to being beaten didn't make the beatings hurt any less, instead, they added more pain to the injuries already existing.

His eyes were vacant, however when he thought of his worried mother, he couldn't help but try to make it back so she could sleep without worrying about him.

He took a few steps in pain and walked towards the playground entrance, not caring for the least if they had left yet.

After he ,are it to the entrance, he found that they did in fact leave, so he let out the breath of relief.

As he walked to the corner and took a right, he saw the shabby looking apartment building come into sight.

He had been living in the apartment since his mother adopted him, and he had several fond memories living there.

After he climbed the flight of stairs to the second floor, he took out his key and brushed the dirt from his clothes.

He didn't want her to worry about him as she already had enough to worry about. When the door opened even before he could unlock the door, he saw his mother's anxious face.

"You came back? How was your day? If anyone bullied you, I'll go down to the school and demand an explanation."

Hearing her serious tone, he took his time to look his mother over. Despite being in her late twenties, she still had an aura of youthfulness.

Her face was delicate and pretty, however the dark circle under her eyes made it look haggard.

Seeing his state, Mino's mother dragged him inside the apartment and closed the door behind him.

"Kim, I'm fine, I just got a little caught up in finishing a project." Mino randomly made up a lie, however Kim didn't pursue it since he didn't want to talk about it.

She hugged him gently and rubbed his back before rustling his hair.

"There's still some food in the fridge, I'll go heat it up for you." She turned and wentnot the kitchen, her long hair swaying behind her.

...

Mino entered his room and dropped his school bag to the side and went to take a shower.

In the shower, he turned his body side to side, seeing several dark purple bruises from the beating today, as well as some older marks as well.

'I want strength, to be stronger than everyone. I want to give Kim a good life instead of being a burden.'

His hand lightly hit the mirror as tears started to flow. Kim had saved him from the pits of despair as he sat in an orphanage about to close down.

If it hadn't been for Kim, he'd have been on the streets, and kids on the streets don't last that long, much less him.

His mind whirled faster as he tried to think of a way to make sure that she remained safe. She was his reverse scale like that of a dragon, whoever touches the reverse scale must die!

His eyes lit up with a strange glimmer, however it quickly faded away and his eyes returned to normal.

Deep in his mind, something trembled slightly as a cool current ran down his body. He dried off and went to bed, his body aching from the long day he had.

...

Mino woke up with a sore feeling throughout his body. His eyes which were open looked quite dreary.

He pulled himself out of bed and made breakfast and set a plate on the counter for Kim.

She also was a late sleeper, probably because of working all the time. Mino wanted to help ease the burden on her shoulders, even if by a little.

After he left the kitchen, he took a shower and looked at the pudgy face in the mirror. Red spots dotted his cheeks, making his cheeks seem as if a bee angrily stung him a few times.

After drying off, he wore his uniform and left the apartment. The cool morning air made him feel a bit better, however he couldn't help but want to change.

When he made it to the school grounds, many young people walked by him as if he were air as they knew he was the loser of twelfth grade.

His face was blank as he headed up a few stairs and walked to the classroom. When the door opened and he walked in, he felt everyone's disdainful and disgusted stares.

He didn't look at anyone as he took his seat. After he immersed himself in reading, Ms. Rachel walked in with a book in hand.

"Before I start class, I'll be giving a test when you all get back from Christmas holiday. If you fail, don't think you'll be fine."

She started class, but Mino didn't even glance at her, as his head was buried in a book. After the room went quiet, he looked up and saw people leaving.

He was so immersed in his book that he didn't even realize that class had ended. He packed his bags and left the class, hurrying back to the apartment.

When he reached, he was about to open the door when he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he saw an old man with a cane walking towards him.

As he was about to turn back around, the old man gave him a smile and took a book out from a small pack he carried.

"This is your Christmas gift from the your parents, you won't be able to open it until Christmas day."

His eyes widened as he heard the old man mention his parents. He looked down at the small book and then looked up, however the old man had vanished without a trace.

He opened the door and entered the apartment as he knew that Kim hadn't come back yet. 

He warmed some food up and sat at the table, the book sitting before him. It was a book wrapped in a silk like fabric and was soft to the touch.

He tried to open the book, however the book didn't have a mechanism he could see to open it.

'So how am I to open it? And did that old man really know my parents? Should I tell Kim about him?'

As he was deliberating, he turned and realized that the TV was on playing the news.

He walked over to turn it off when he heard something interesting.

"-d the bodies have yet to be found. The couple went missing three days ago, and even now, the police still can't bring the perpetrator to justice." A man with a handsome face said as the TV showed heavily wooded areas being searched by policemen.

Mino turned the TV off and headed to his room. He had forgotten to grab his phone in the morning, and now he checked to see if any of his online friends were online.

Only online could he let up and be whoever he wanted to be, unconstrained by rules. To his surprise, none of his usual friends were online.

The only ID available was a person called SuperModel01. He sent a tentative wave and was surprised when they returned the wave.

As he was wondering if he should invite this person to play, the person had sent an invite to him.

He smiled happily as he hopped on to his computer and started playing. After three hours, he heard the door open and got up.

Leaving the game, he sent a sorry message to his team, however, since he had already died, they didn't mind much.

He rushed out just in time to see Kim open the door and saw a man standing outside with a rose in his hand.

He was handsome and wore expensive clothes, and he wore a polite smile.

"Kimberly, it's my pleasure to come and see you. My dad still asks about you from time to time, how are you?"

"Go away Vern, I don't want to have anything to do with you or them." Mino concluded that them meant her family, however she rarely spoke about them.

"As my fiance, you can't be here working three jobs to provide for a boy who can't even complete schooling-" He stopped when he saw Kimberly's ice cold expression.

"Leave my son out of this. If you want to insult me fine, button can never insult him." Her voice was cold as ice, and Vern knew that he had made the situation worse.

Smiling helplessly, he took out his phone and sent a text to someone, while Kimberly turned around and walked inside, slamming the door behind her.

When she saw Mino, a gentle smile appeared on her face as she ran over and hugged him.

"No one can pick on you, just believe me." Kim promised, however she didn't know what went on in school.