01
"taehyoung kim!!"
At 2 a.m., Taehyung's father, who came home from a late-night drinking session, came looking for Taehyung first. Born into an upper-class family, Taehyung was pressured to study from a young age and never fell below the top of his class. However, Taehyung's father, who always insisted on being number one, was displeased with Taehyung's ranking and routinely bullied and assaulted him. Taehyung trembled in fear that he would be hit again, and studied in his room, trying hard not to hear his father's voice. But soon, his father burst into the room.
“Kim Taehyung. Aren’t you going to answer?”
“Uh, sorry. I couldn’t hear you because I was studying…”
Thud- Before Taehyung could even finish his sentence, a dull sound came. Today, too, Taehyung was taking the beatings without any resistance. Because of his too naive personality, Taehyung was always getting beaten, both at school and at home. His hair had been cut so long ago that he couldn't even remember when he last got it, and his bangs had grown so long that they touched his nose and covered his entire face. He was so focused on studying that he hadn't even eaten properly, so he had lost all his muscle and fat, leaving his skinny body, nothing but bones. How could he endure such severe beatings and all-nighters? Even after his father left, Taehyung started studying again, studying like a madman all night without a break, and leaving home at the early hour of 7 o'clock.
As Taehyung was walking outside, looking for a snack, a newly opened bakery caught his eye. From the outside, it looked no different from a Paris Baguette or Tous Les Jours, but once he stepped inside, his eyes were drawn to the luxurious interior, with its black ceiling and walls and gold accents here and there. For a moment, Taehyung wondered if he should be in a place like this, but soon the smell of bread made him hungry and he began to choose bread. However, the only ones on the market were only 3,000 won. With a disappointed expression, Taehyung picked up a small loaf of bread and headed to the register.
Standing at the counter was a man with a cat-like appearance, a pure white face, and what looked like a manager. Taehyung was intimidated by his slightly sharp expression, and in a hushed voice, he asked for the bill. The man slowly looked Taehyung up and down before speaking.
“This is what I'm giving you, so take it and eat it together.”
He handed him a beautifully wrapped sandwich. Taehyung waved it off, saying it was fine, but the stubborn gaze on his face made him unable to refuse it a second time. Taehyung thanked the man repeatedly and left.
After Taehyung left, a woman from nowhere came up to the man at the counter and rudely asked if he didn't like the sandwich he'd made for him. The man reached out, patted the woman's head, and tried to soothe her, telling her that he hadn't disliked the sandwich; he'd just given it to her because the boy was so skinny and looked like he might collapse at any moment.
—
Meanwhile, Taehyung arrived at school, ripped open the bread package, and began to hurriedly eat it, keeping an eye out for other kids to arrive. After about ten minutes, kids began to slowly arrive, and the classroom suddenly became noisy. The classroom, which had been so noisy that even the school bell seemed inaudible, suddenly became as quiet as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it when three people entered. As soon as they entered, the three of them went over to Taehyung, tapped his head with their fingers, and began to speak to him as if he was unlucky.
"What the heck, Kim Taehyung, you're studying again today. Even if you study like crazy, you'll never get first place. With that smart brain of yours, why don't you worry about how to buy cigarettes?"
Taehyung was upset and angry about being treated like this every day, but he tried to avoid causing any trouble as much as possible by clenching his fists until his fingernails dug into his palms and shutting his mouth so tightly that his molars broke.
After that precarious school day, Taehyung headed to the convenience store to buy cigarettes for the group he'd been seeing earlier. But he couldn't change out of his uniform, as he didn't want his parents to find out he'd skipped school without a party. He stood in front of the convenience store, wondering what to do.
Just then, Taehyung's eyes caught the bakery he'd stopped by that morning. With a determined expression on his face, he entered. As soon as he entered, the same cat manager he'd seen that morning was still at the counter. Taehyung summoned up his courage and spoke to her.
“Excuse me… Can I ask you a favor?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Taehyung hesitated at the positive answer that came readily, and then began to speak with difficulty under the man's gaze that seemed to be urging him to speak.
“Could you please buy me 4 packs of cigarettes at the convenience store in front of me..?”
"hmm… cigaretteyo. this?"
