Chapitre 12: Past Demons

"P-Please s-s-save me, M-Mang..." A tearful Jinwoo would think.

A crying baby with silhouettes representing the figures in the impoverish looking hospital room.

"Ma'am, it is a boy." The silhouette representing the doctor would say but the one representing the father simply walked out the room.

Presenting the baby to the mother that seemed to be the only one with distinctive features. She was a pale-skinned young woman with long black hair that has an intricate braided bun at the back and the same green eyes as her newborn child.

Tears of joy filled the eyes of the woman but that soon turned to sorrow as she realized upon not seeing the father that she would be raising this child on her own.

"I will do my best to make sure you do not turn out like your father." The green-eyed woman would say, hugging the baby tightly as her warm tears trickled down her cheeks and on top of the bald head of the child.

"I think I will name you, Jinwoo. You are going to change the world, Jinwoo."

Two years had passed, and Jinwoo was learning how to walk but raising a child alone was quite difficult, especially when you live in Guryong Village but that changed soon as she relocated to Itaewon due to the nature of her work. She had to make ends meet by becoming a sex worker, working in a prostitution parlor. She hid this from Jinwoo during his adolescent years and made extra money working from home in her spare time, men would come and go but she made sure Jinwoo never had contact with any of them.

She knew the cruelty of man first hand and did her best to shield Jinwoo from this side of the world. Now and then, Jinwoo would see his mother heavily bruised, as if beaten, but she always claimed she fell. He had his suspicion but he did not have any reason to doubt his mother.

This soon became a normal sight but the clueless innocent boy would accept this lie as truth, why wouldn't he, he was 6 years old with no friends in school. Upon entering the 2nd grade, his mother had raised enough money for a much better school all the way in Myeongdong, but this was both good and bad in a way.

The good aspect was, he would receive a higher level of education in a much more serene environment, he enjoyed the train rides he used to get there, and no one could compare the exposure he got regarding the real world. The bad aspect was, part of that exposure was the wickedness of man, and his came in the form of bullying...

Jinwoo was occasionally being picked on by the kids for being poor, even the bullied kids bullied him to overcome their sense of helplessness.

It was a weird sensation being at the bottom of the food chain but he was content, he knew the troubles his mother went through to make this possible and there was only so much harm words could do.

But this was where he made a grave miscalculation. After a few years of verbal abuse, it escalated to physical harm when he entered the 4th grade at the age of 11.

One day, Jinwoo stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom to see just how badly he was beaten and he realized that his injuries looked a lot like his mother's bruises she got from "falling".

Dropping to his knees defeated, he would laugh hysterically before replicating his state of mind with uncontrollable tears. How blind was he all these years? No, he knew deep down what his mother was doing. It was impossible for her not to drop occasional hints over the years, but he swallowed it, he knew that this was his mother's shame but the origin of the bruises was what he was not aware of.

This was exactly how his mother looked every day. Suddenly, the door to the toilet would swing open and the kneeling dejected-looking Jinwoo didn't even bother to see who it was, what did it matter? It was probably just another bully.

"Hey man, what you doing kneeling on the floor, that is gross." The individual would say before heading into a stall to take care of his business but while inside, he would begin talking to Jinwoo.

"You look like crap man, the hell you doing on the floor?" The individual would ask but he got no response.

"I can get the gist of things by the way you are looking. Not that I care though but once you start looking like that, it is all downhill from there." As the toilet would flush and out came a towering figure. At 11, Jinwoo was a kid with a bowl cut and a round-baby face. He is fairly short and lacks muscles. he has dark hair and bangs on his forehead. Washing his hands, the much bigger kid would exit but Jinwoo never caught a clear view of his face but remembered his yellow eyes with vertical pupils.

The words of this stranger struck a chord within the heart of Jinwoo as he picked himself off the floor, staring at his beaten face in the mirror before wiping the tears from his face and strengthening his resolve. He also wondered just who the other kid was but this was not really of much concern to him at this moment.

It was time for lunch, and down to the cafeteria, he went. The void of having no friends is a hole no one but the victim can explain. Queueing up to get their lunches but it did not matter that Jinwoo, everyone cut in front of him regardless because they knew there was absolutely nothing he could do. A laughing stock he had become but something seemed different as Jinwoo had a smile plastered across his face despite standing in line longer than he should.

Once it finally reached him, all the good stuff had been taken but this did not bother Jinwoo as long as he got to eat but finding a place to sit was yet another problem as almost all the tables were occupied and the only one free was beside the trash bin but Jinwoo tried his best to remain positive. Upon sitting, his eyes darted around the room trying to find the hulking figure he had seen in the restroom but to no avail.

"Hey, you little sh*t. Who said you could eat in this room!" a green-haired boy would ask accompanied by 2 other kids of similar height but each had black hair, slamming his hand on the table, this would spill the drink Jinwoo had placed at the edge. It would splash on the bully's trouser and he was livid.

"What the f*ck man!? That was intentional, wasn't it!?" He barked like a dog being denied his bone but Jinwoo would shake his head frantically to refute this but before he knew it, he was smacked right across the face with a right hook from the bully that sent him crashing to the floor. Seeing him winding up yet another punch, Jinwoo would brace himself as he closed his eyes in fear.

A few seconds had passed but there was no pain, the punch never came. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the yellow-eyed boy he had previously seen in the toilet holding the wrist of the kid from behind.

"Hey! Who the f*ck do you think you a-!?" He soon stopped upon looking back and seeing who it was.

"What was that now…?" The yellow-eyed boy asked, with a young red-eyed boy seen behind him with a lollipop in his mouth. Mangsik has an intimidating outlook and a very big build for a kid his age. He has light blue hair that he styles to his left. His eyes are yellow with vertical pupils, and he has a blank gaze. His skin is fairly pale.

"I am sorry, Mangsik Senpai!" the boy would apologize and immediately retreat alongside his 2 henchmen.

"Hey, you okay?" Mangsik asked, stretching forth a hand to help him on his feet in which Jinwoo accepted. Everyone in the cafeteria flashed curious stares and their whispers were like crickets.

"Yes, I like that look in your eye. Much better than what I saw earlier. I am Mangsik, what's your name?"

"I-I am J-Jinwoo. Thank you!" Flashing the guy at the back a thankful gaze and Mangsik took note of this and nudged the red-eyed kid.

"Hey, introduce yourself, man," Mangsik said in a friendly tone, the red-eyed kid would let out a loud sigh that traveled through the cafeteria, this did well to quiet down the whispers. He proceeded to say in a commanding tone.

"I am Dohyun, the right-hand man of Mangsik-sama!�� He said with a salute, this brought a faint chuckle from Mangsik but it was clear Jinwoo wasn't trusting of the pair and thought this was some sort of game of truth and dare. Dohyun was a tall kid for his age, easily the same height as Mangsik, with an athletic build. He has red hair, and his hairstyle is cornrows that he keeps in braids to the back.

"C'mon man! Loosen up, I promise you. No one will touch you anymore. You are under my protection. That I can guarantee you." Mangsik would encourage, gently putting his right hand on the shoulder of Jinwoo.

"That guy over there, be patient with him. He is a bit much." Mangsik said in a whisper so Dohyun would not hear him but for some reason, Dohyun seemed to be acting like a guard on the lookout.

"Mangsik sama! We should leave, we have attracted too much attention here! Enemies could be lurking." Dohyun said in a serious voice, which puzzled Jinwoo. It was now clear he was playing bodyguard, he was a kid after-all.

"See ya around, Jinwoo! Remember, the mind is the most powerful accessory! A strong body is nothing with a weak mind but a powerful mind has no limit." He said, waving him goodbye as he walked away with his back to him.

"The mind is the most powerful weapon?" Thought Jinwoo.

Back to the present,

Jinwoo's body would suddenly be engulfed in a blinding light, as he glared at the back of Chaewon, who was in the process of walking away but would stop with a sickening grimace.

"So you have awakened, I keep liking you more and more!"