Chapter Text
It was a hot summer’s day. Dan was sitting on the bottom steps below his house, munching on some yummy, sweet cakes his grandma makes him. There were some kids playing ball down the street, but they never let him join—always pointing and laughing at him for having no parents.
Sudden tears gather in his eyes. He never understood why those kids were so mean...
Why was it so bad to live with grandma? Living with grandma was the best. She cooked delicious food and gave him warm hugs. He felt safe with her and less lonely.
Dan was pretty much always alone. After school and on weekends when grandma had to work. The summers were especially long because he was alone most of the day.
Sometimes he tagged along but that got boring…and other grannies squeezed his cheeks too much. Even though he was nine years old, they liked to treat him like a baby. He didn’t like that.
Dan wiped his cheeks and took another bite of his sugary treat. It’s okay. Better to be alone than get picked on by the other kids. He was bad at sports anyway, preferred reading or taking care of grandma’s potted plants.
Something caught his eye then—light footsteps and movement off to the side.
A small boy with cute eyes blinked back at him. Dan straightened up in surprise. He’d never seen this boy before. Grandma told him not to talk to strangers, but this kid seemed scared. When he caught Dan staring, that tiny head ducked behind the stairs.
Dan approached carefully. “Hi. Who’re you?”
The boy remained in hiding.
“It’s okay, you can come out.” Dan squatted down, peering between the steps. “I won’t hurt you. My name is Dan. What’s yours?”
No answer. The crouched boy now stared back curiously.
Dan smiled, offering some of his treat. “Do you wanna join me?” He expected to be brushed off with some mean words.
Instead, the little boy came out from behind the stairs. Dark eyes glittering, focused on the treat, and licking his lips.
Extending his arm out, Dan said, “Here! Try it, my grandma makes these. They’re delicious!”
The boy wasted no time snatching the pastry out of his hand and eating it in one bite. Dan was impressed…that was a big bite!
It was then he noticed how dirty the other was. He reminded Dan of the stray cats found around the neighborhood. Those cats had no home and always seemed hungry too. Maybe he could offer this kid food and be his friend.
Dan almost jumped with joy—he could finally have a friend!
“What’s your name?” He tried again.
The boy swallowed and started backing away, eyes widening. Dan reached out, grabbing towards him. “Wait, don’t go!”
Too late. The little boy bolted across the street and disappeared.
Tears welt up in Dan’s eyes. Why didn’t he want to be his friend? He shared his snack and everything!
The next afternoon, around the same time, Dan ran into the house to grab two pastries and settle on the bottom steps again.
Waiting. Hoping.
Eventually, the same thing happened—the boy appeared. This time looking a little cleaner but still scared and with a bruise on his cheek.
Dan shot to his feet, offering one of the treats. “Hi! Wanna share?”
The little boy shuffled closer, taking one of the cakes. Dan sat back on the step and patted the place next to him. Happiness tickled his belly when the boy joined him.
In a hushed voice, worried about frightening the boy again, Dan asked, “What’s your name?”
A small voice croaked, like he didn’t talk much, “J-Jaekyung.”
“Nice to meet you, Jaekyungie! I’m nine. How old are you?”
Jaekyung stuffed the rest of the snack into his mouth and held up five fingers, plus an extra one.
Dan gasped, “You’re six? Cool, I’m your hyung! Wanna play?”
The boy frowned at him for so long, Dan figured he’d run away again. But then, something awesome happened—
Jaekyung nodded.
“Yay! Let’s play!” Leaping with joy, Dan wrapped him in a hug.
The shove was immediate and so strong, he almost fell off the step.
“No touching!” Jaekyung growled.
Not so much the push, but that mean stare scared Dan for a moment. He dropped his arms to his side. “I-I’m sorry…”
Jaekyung kicked the dirt with his sandals, frowning down. Saying nothing.
Dan smiled wobbly. “It’s okay, Jaekyungie. I won’t touch. Will you still play with me?”
Head bent down, Jaekyung nodded glumly. Dan wiped some sweat off his brow, relieved.
Their friendship started off slow, meeting every afternoon for a snack, then mostly strolling around the neighborhood, exploring. Sometimes they did nothing. But either way, Dan spent the time chattering nonstop while Jaekyung listened, quiet and frowning.
“Why are you always hurt?” Dan asked one day. He had to know. Did the small boy fall down a lot?
The first time he asked this, Jaekyung didn’t answer him. Little-by-little, as the days passed, Jaekyung told him things.
“Dad hits me.”
They were sitting among grandma’s plants upstairs, staring over the balcony. Dan was confused. “Your dad hits you? Why?”
Jaekyung shrugged, picking at the bottom of his torn shorts. “I dunno. He angry.” There was a fresh cut on his forehead, which had a spot of blood on it.
Dan scrambled into the house for bandages. When he returned to Jaekyung’s side, he made sure to ask permission.
“Can I touch? This will help…”
Head tilted up with that fearful glare, Jaekyung neither ran nor pushed him away. Dan took that as an okay and knelt in front of the boy to plaster a Band-Aid on the cut.
“There. All better!”
Jaekyung rubbed a finger over the bandage with a shocked look. Then he dropped his hand and looked away, mumbling, “T-Thanks.”
Dan wanted to ruffle his hair or give him a hug but figured the younger would not like that. Things have been good between them, so he kept his hands to himself like his teachers always instructed at school.
He did not bring up the bruises again. Just treated them gently. Sometimes, he tried his best to make Jaekyung smile. Which failed most of the time.
Once, though, to wipe the pained look off his friend’s face, Dan plucked a flower from grandma’s little garden.
Tucking it behind Jaekyung’s ear, he squealed, “How cute!”
Surprisingly, Jaekyung did not look upset. Simply took the flower off and kept it in his hand the entire time.
The most wonderful thing began happening—the usually lost, angry boy let him do as he pleased. And little-by-little, told him more things.
“I live with dad. Mom left.”
“Oh.” Dan rolled the bouncy ball in his hand then threw it for the younger to catch. “I live with grandma. I don’t have a mom and dad. They died when I was a baby.”
“Died?” Jaekyung blinked, a little confused. “They no come back?”
Dan tried to smile. “Yeah. Died means gone forever.”
Jaekyung sunk to the ground, muttering into his knees, “My mom not died. I want mom to come back.”
Dan cried quietly. Ignoring the no touching rule, he squatted down to pat Jaekyung’s head. There was no shoving—Jaekyung leaned into it. They stayed crouched on the ground, close together, for a long while.
Sometimes they played hide-and-seek. That was most fun.
Jaekyung was very good at the game, especially since he was so small. Dan sucked at it—bouts of giggles always hit him whenever he was hiding, signaling his hideout. Jaekyung was a good seeker too, catching him quickly with victorious cries.
“No fair,” Dan complained once as his friend caught him by the back of the shirt. “This was a good spot!”
“No…you easy to find.” Jaekyung turned and waved, “I gotta go now.”
Dan could not help the pout sagging his face. He really hated when they had to say good-bye.
But then, Jaekyung slowly turned back to tell him, “I have to meet coach.”
“Coach? Who’s coach?”
“Coach Hwang. He help me.”
The younger said nothing more as he walked off. Dan jogged after him, grabbing his arm. “Is he nice? How does he help you?”
Jaekyung looked down at Dan’s hand. “Helps me eat. And fight.”
That worried Dan so much. What did the boy mean…fight? He didn’t want his friend getting even more hurt! But Jaekyung had that mean look on his face, which meant Dan couldn’t argue with him. Instead, he offered help too.
“Grandma can help you eat too! Come over tonight for dinner?”
The meanness melted into surprise then a flash of delight. “Okay. I come later.”
Dan couldn’t control himself. He hugged his friends tight and whispered, “Be safe…meet me at the stairs!”
Jaekyung’s little body shook a bit in his arms before he felt a nod against his shoulder. Something warm entered Dan’s chest. He never wanted to let go.
Shin Okja loved her grandson, in more ways than mere words could convey. Petite in stature with light brown hair and big, luminous eyes, like that of an angel, her grandson was one-of-a-kind in every way.
Dan had always been a sensitive boy, ever since he came to live with her at the tender age of one. Tragically, after his parents died in an accident.
Dan was a crier. He cried a lot, even now at the age of nine. At first, it worried her…now she understood that’s just how her little boy expressed himself. Dan felt everything ten-fold than your average person and suffered profound empathy for every living creature.
Something as natural as flowers wilting or a small animal in pain had Dan weeping over it. Other children called him weak, made fun of him for it, but she only saw her Danny boy as the most precious kid with a heart of gold.
The city was too rough on her grandson. She knew it right from the start, when all they could afford was a top-floor, tiny flat in a run-down neighborhood, among the back alleys of Seoul. Okja wished she could sweep Dan away, back to her small, hometown in the country—where the people were friendlier and the ocean view was breathtaking.
However, the opportunities in the city were unmatched. She needed her grandson to get a good education with a stable, well-paying job. Maybe even marry and build a home with someone. So, when her time comes, she could pass on to the next life in peace. Knowing her boy was taken care of and happy.
The city was hard on them. Okja did what she could with her late husband’s retirement savings, and working at the local supermarket, to make ends meet.
But there was debt. So much debt that Dan’s parents racked up before they died. She was only able to meet the interest and a small part of the principle every month.
Which would be enough, if not for the group of vile loan sharks who made it a game to demand their money back. Occasionally, coming by to torment her and Dan over it.
Okja managed to keep them at bay from hurting her boy. Although, every time they came around, lewd remarks and violent threats made her stomach turn. If anything happened to her, what would become of her dear grandson?
Because Dan was not only beautiful on the inside, but his beauty reflected in equal measure on the outside. Her boy was so lovely, in fact, the ladies at the supermarket always gushed and wondered how he wasn’t born a girl.
If something ever happened to her, Dan must be protected from these scavengers pecking at their door, waiting to tear him apart. She wished her Danny boy had friends or at least one buddy to hang on to. He was always clinging onto her or playing alone outside on their street.
The answer to her worries came in the form of a younger boy. A runt, really, dressed in grimy, worn-out clothing. Malnourished and injured in various places, but with a fire in his eyes unlike anything she’d ever seen.
When one evening Dan came bouncing in, dragging that younger boy home, Okja didn’t know what to make of it.
“Grandma, this is my friend. Jaekyung, meet grandma!”
Her grandson’s bright smile meant everything to her. And if Dan trusted this boy, then so could she.
“Hello.” Okja smiled, kneeling to the boy’s eye level. He was so small, smaller than Dan. And bruised up around the arms and face. Her heart gave a sympathetic jerk. “How old are you, dear?”
Jaekyung peered over at Dan, who was still holding his hand. Dan answered for him, “He’s six, grandma! He lives over there!” There was some pointing in the general direction to the left, which she could only assume meant the young boy lived close by.
“Nice to meet you, Jaekyung.” She patted his shoulder gently, noting the flinch that followed it. “Stay for dinner?”
After telling the boys to wash their hands, they waited for the meal at the table with Dan chatting away about their home and his toys, with Jaekyung glancing around cautiously, hardly speaking a word. But when she served the food, Jaekyung became enraptured, ravenous. He ate everything on his plate like someone was going to steal it from him.
Who was this boy, who were his parents? Concern nagged in her chest.
Dan skipped up to her after dinner. “Can Jaekyungie sleep over, grandma?”
She noticed the younger hovering by the door, unsure and ready to bolt. Glancing down at her grandson, she answered, “Only if he wants to, dear.”
Dan wasted no time in begging his friend to stay. And Jaekyung did, in an outwardly reluctant manner.
When Okja insisted on baths, her grandson took charge and led his friend into the bathroom. After some clanging noises and a few yelps, the boys exited the tiny bathroom in towels, looking fresher. Dan beaming, with a slightly harassed-looking Jaekyung trailing behind him.
Smiling approvingly, she ran to collect their dirty clothes. “I’ll wash these for you and hang them to dry outside.” Then picked out a set of clean underwear, shorts, and t-shirt too small for her ever-growing grandson.
When she offered them to Jaekyung, the little boy seemed incapable of speaking. Just held the clothes to his nose, eyes wide with confusion.
Making no remarks about the odd behavior, Okja turned away to give them privacy. Clearly, life was not being kind to this little boy. But she kept the nagging questions to herself—something told her Jaekyung would not appreciate drawing attention to his situation.
So, she quietly readied the spare mattress in their single bedroom and tucked the boys in, watching them briefly from the doorway.
Dan was staring up at the ceiling, gesturing excitedly with his hands as he recited a bedtime story, one she’d told him thousands of times. Jaekyung curled up in the fetal position, sheets up to his chin, listening with droopy eyes.
It broke her heart to think this child was suffering in any way. But all she had to offer was love and compassion…
Jaekyung came to visit them often. So often, Okja started considering him a second grandson and insisted the little boy call her grandma too.
With each visit, she witnessed Dan getting more and more attached to Jaekyung. To the point he cried when Jaekyung could not come over.
Little did she know right then how Joo Jaekyung would change their lives forever.
Dad hit him.
A lot.
Slapped, punched, and kicked him at every turn.
And it hurt. A lot.
Sometimes so much, Jaekyung fell to the floor and could not move. Drops of water from the cracked ceiling dripping onto his head, cold. He shivered, when finally left alone. Hugging himself, belly rumbling—so hungry. Dreaming of tables full of food.
Dad drank bottles of yucky stuff and called him bad names.
“Weak…ugly! Filthy trash!”
“I hate the sight of ya!”
“A good-for-nothing bitch like your mother!”
Jaekyung always went to sleep thinking of mom. He missed her so much. Her voice, her touch.
But she will come back one day. Dad just needed to go away and she will come back. To hug him, rock him, feed him like she used to.
Mom was always so pretty and smelled so nice. Just like his new friend…
Dan—his first ever hyung.
Jaekyung did not have friends, but this boy with shiny brown hair and a cutey smile felt like a friend. He was not used to gentle touches, but Dan-hyung liked to touch.
Jaekyung was starting to like it…
The hugs were warm, the touches soft, especially when he was hurting, bleeding. Plus, Dan filled his empty belly with snacks, so he didn’t have to steal as much.
When his friend was not home, Jaekyung explored the neighborhood by himself. One day, he met Coach Hwang while stealing some milk and everything changed.
He and other boys just like him, alone and hungry, came to Coach Hwang’s gym for boxing lessons. Then sat for meals cooked by Grandma Hwang, followed by hot showers and clean clothes.
Coach Hwang shouted a lot, but he never hurt them. Not like dad. And the things he told Jaekyung made happy flutters in his tummy.
“You’re a runt, boy, but you have a fire in you. Stay focused and aim for a goal! You can do great things, Jaekyung!”
There were trophies back at the house. Trophies his dad won for boxing. Maybe if he learned boxing and got good at it, his dad will love him.
“D-Dad.” Jaekyung went up to him one morning. “Coach Hwang teach me boxing.”
Dad laughed around the stick he was smoking. “That old coot! Sure, go right ahead and see where that gets ya!”
Jaekyung forced himself not to run; he hated that laugh. The sound scared him. Made him want to cry.
Standing to full height, his dad stared down at him, lips curling. “I’ll be puttin’ you in school soon.”
Jaekyung closed his eyes…knew what was coming.
“As if that’ll do ya any good either,” dad slapped him across the face. “You’re just gonna end up like me. Like all the Joo men. Drinking and selling drugs on the street!”
The hard slap caused Jaekyung to hit his head on their small table. His eyes stung and blurred.
But he never cried.
When Dan-hyung saw him later, he stopped the hurt and gave him a flower. It seemed silly…flowers were silly, but Jaekyung kinda liked it.
He liked Dan more, though. And his grandma.
Grandma Okja had a sweet voice and yummy meals waiting for him almost every night. It was the best feeling to be with them both.
Now, Jaekyung had a full belly and a warm bed most days. He tried not to go home, either sleeping at the gym or at Dan’s house. Home was not safe.
The weather turned, not so hot anymore as school started.
His days got even better. He and Dan went to the same school. They rode the bus together and came home together. After a quick snack, Jaekyung went to Coach Hwang for training. Then it was either dinner with Grandma Hwang or with Dan.
And although Grandma Hwang liked him more than all the other boys, Jaekyung loved meals with Dan and Grandma Okja the most. Sleeping next to his friend was nice too. Dan told him the funniest stories and held his hand while they slept. It felt like a warm hug, floating on a cloud.
So, yes, his days got better. Though boxing was hard and the other boys didn’t like him very much, Jaekyung woke up every day with energy. Even when his dad was mean to him or left him on the floor bleeding.
Right now, sitting on the balcony of Dan’s house, Jaekyung waited for his friend to come out with bandages.
“Got them!” Dan ran over with a small box. “Now hold still. That cut looks bad!”
Jaekyung made no sound as Dan wiped the blood off his cheeks and lips. He stared at his friend, thinking: so pretty.
Dan gave him a very sad look. “You’re always hurt. I hate it. Why do you like boxing so much?”
Jaekyung finally spoke up, “’Cause it makes me strong.”
Tears in his eyes, Dan said angrily, “W-Well then, you must promise to always come back to me! So, you can heal!” Then held out his pinky. “Promise me!”
Jaekyung stared at the finger curiously. What was this?
“C’mon! Twist your finger around mine and say promise!” Dan waited for him to follow instructions, wiping his tears with the other hand.
Lifting his pinky, Jaekyung curled it around Dan’s. “Okay. Promise.”
When Dan suddenly smiled, the world seemed brighter. His body hurt less.
The pain just did not matter anymore. He had Dan to feel happy and warm. And a goal to keep him strong: be the best fighter and win trophies.
Do great things, like Coach Hwang said.