Chapter Text
Deon chewed on his lower lip nervously as he stood outside the restaurant. He could hear the loud conversation and laughter even from here. It seemed like the welcome party for the freshmen has already begun. He came late because he was unlucky enough to step on dog shit and had to go back home to change his shoes; turning up smelling like dogshit was a surefire way to ruin your upcoming college life.
The thought of walking into such a big crowd was daunting. Where should he sit…? What if everyone already made friends? What if he couldn’t fit in? Should he even have come…? He received the mass invitation text on his phone, but…
He shook his head. Slapped his cheeks lightly with his hands.
No.
He joined the running club because he wanted to change. He wanted to overcome both his weak body and his cowardly heart. This time… this time he would be able to make friends. He would no longer be a loner.
He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The bright lights of the restaurant almost blinded him, but what really blinded him were the people. All of the tables were full of well-dressed college students, talking among themselves excitedly as they shared food and drinks. It looked like a world he didn’t belong in. Deon anxiously scanned the crowded room with his red eyes. Uhh… what if there was nowhere for him to sit? Would he have to go home after coming such a long way, then?
At that moment, a voice called out.
“Oh! You’re the one from the open house!”
Deon turned around. His eyes locked onto deep green ones.
Deon instantly recognized the other person. It was the handsome sunbae who gave him directions when he was lost during the open house. This time too, he was wearing a friendly and welcoming smile that eased Deon’s frayed nerves. Deon tentatively raised a hand and waved back.
Wow… Cassius was the embodiment of everything he wanted to be. He was surrounded by so many people and he looked so incredibly stylish with his light grey turtleneck and silver sword necklace hanging around his neck.
“Come sit next to me!” Cassius shouted above the noisy crowd. A few heads turned to look at their interaction, causing Deon to duck his head shyly. This was another part of Cassius he admired — that endless confidence.
Deon made his way over to the crowded table as people scooted to make space for him. It was kind of like a centipede crawling and wriggling. It was that densely packed, and yet a space beside Cassius was made for him like magic.
Deon was nothing but grateful.
“Thank you, Cassius sunbae.”
“You remember my name!” Cassius beamed. He looked sincerely happy to see Deon and it kind of blew Deon’s mind, to be honest. “You’re Deon Hardt, right?”
It was more surprising that Cassius remembered his name. After all, Cassius was hard to forget. He was the most attractive person Deon had ever met. Meanwhile, Deon was nothing special at all, besides his albinism.
Deon nodded as he scanned the cluttered table. Um…
“It’s hard to find this place, right? It’s kinda tucked in an alley,” Cassius kindly made conversation as he poured a glass of soju. “Ah, do you like drinking?”
Deon’s head was already beginning to spin from all the light and noise. Adding alcohol to the mix would probably make things even worse… he didn’t want to barf in front of such a nice person.
He shook his head slightly and said in a quiet voice, “Um, no thanks, I…”
“Huh? What’s with you?” The person on his other side cut in on the conversation and snarled. He leaned in, pressing his buff arm against Deon’s twig-like body. Deon staggered, and Cassius was quick to steady him.
“Asild sunbae,” Cassius greeted with a polite smile. He carefully tried to defuse the tension. “It’s fine, there are people who don’t like drinking.”
Asild refused to listen. “Look here. Why are you behaving so stuck up? When your sunbae is pouring you a drink, you should accept it with both hands and thank them for it, you punk.” He poured a full glass and shoved it into Deon’s chest, causing some of it to stain the new clothes Deon bought specially for today. “Drink it!”
“Ah…” Deon stared at the mess on the front of his brand-new white shirt. His shaky eyes glanced back up at the furious eyes of the third-year student and he flinched. Those eyes… those eyes reminded him of bad memories he didn’t want to recall.
He quickly accepted the glass. Right… he was being rude. Here he was again, being too stupid to behave right. If he kept this up, he was going to be a loner throughout his college years as well.
“You don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to, Deon,” Cassius interjected worriedly.
Deon squeezed his eyes shut and drank everything in one shot. It burned as it slid down his throat. It was a good kind of burn, warm, but it wasn’t quite sitting right in his stomach or his head.
“See! You can drink if you try!” Asild slapped Deon’s back. “You’re an adult now, so loosen up and learn how to drink.”
It wasn’t like Deon couldn’t drink. He just… didn’t remember anything after drinking.
“You okay?” Cassius whispered when Deon didn’t open his eyes for some time. “I know it hits especially hard if you drink on an empty stomach. Eating something might help.”
“...”
Deon opened his eyes. His gaze was serious and sharp, unlike the prior uneasiness. His red eyes stared at Cassius unblinkingly.
“Are you my enemy?” he asked in a low voice.
“I’m your sunbae,” Cassius informed him with a laugh. “Are you drunk already? You should drink some water. Hang on.”
Cassius left his seat to get some water for Deon. Deon frowned and turned to his other side to glare at Asild.
“Are you my enemy?” he asked.
Asild scoffed. What the fuck was wrong with this kid? Was he being rude just because Asild made him drink one glass? “Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?”
What happened next was too fast for anyone to react.
The normally timid boy swung full force right into Asild’s nose. There was a sickening crunch as his nose bridge caved in. Asild staggered backward with a weak groan, falling into the lap of the person next to him.
Mouths fell open as blood gushed out of Asild’s nostrils.
Then Deon raised his arm for another blow. His strikes were so brutal. Everyone froze in fear and disbelief for a moment. A silence fell in the crowded restaurant, broken only by the sounds of heavy blows.
Then all at once, the restaurant came to life as they collectively realized they had to step in or run away.
“Hey, stop! He’ll die!”
“Kyaaa! Someone call the cops!”
“Ack!”
“Move out of the way!!”
“Grab him!”
A few men tried desperately to restrain the thin boy by grabbing his limbs, but they got elbowed in their faces and guts in exchange for their trouble. Asild lay on the ground in a bloody, unmoving heap. There were people pushing past each other to rush out of the restaurant.
Cassius returned to this scene of carnage.
The glass of water fell out of his hands and broke into pieces on the ground.
Instead of running away, he rushed towards Deon.
“Move!” he screamed.
The struggling men followed his yell and immediately backed away from Deon.
In one smooth leaping movement, Cassius jumped over the low table and onto Deon’s back. He wrapped his legs around Deon’s torso and his arms around Deon’s neck and squeezed with all of the strength he had as Deon fought against him.
With his airway restricted, Deon struggled to breathe. He viciously punched the legs around him, trying to get Cassius to let go, but Cassius refused to budge. Eventually, Deon ran out of strength and oxygen. He sagged forward onto the ground, bringing Cassius with him.
“Hah…” Cassius heaved a sigh when it was finally over, pushing back his bangs. He glanced around the deserted restaurant which was left in an entire mess. A tired smile lifted the corner of his lips. How much would it cost to cover the repairs…?
With the threat immobilized, people began to stream back into the restaurant. Many of them had their phones out as they took pictures or videos of the incident.
“Holy shit! What the fuck is wrong with him? Why did he go crazy?”
“Shit, I’ve never seen anyone fight like that.”
“Is that fucker a person or a beast?”
“Asild sunbae! Shit, is he still alive?
“Get an ambulance!” Cassius commanded the crowd as he got off Deon. He rolled up his sleeves and flipped Deon over. Now unconscious, Deon looked harmless and innocent like an angel, especially with his long white eyelashes and alcohol-flushed cheeks. Cassius put a finger under Deon’s nose and checked if Deon was still breathing.
Thank god.
There were already people taking care of Asild and the other injured members. No one dared to get close to Deon, so Cassius knew it was his role to sort things out. He searched through Deon’s bag and couldn’t find his identity card or address. His phone was password locked too. Hm… there was only one way to go about it then.
“I’m going to bring this guy back,” Cassius told the rest as he lifted Deon Hardt into his arms. Deon was really light. It was surprising how someone in the lowest weight class could take down a muscular guy like Asild.
“Huh? Aren’t you scared this guy will wake up and go crazy again?”
“Just leave him to the cops, sunbae!”
Cops? Cassius thought about it a bit. His legs were hurting from Deon’s blows and they would no doubt bruise tomorrow. Then he looked down at Deon’s peaceful sleeping expression. He remembered the way Deon entered the restaurant, looking around like a skittish rabbit.
…
He didn’t want Deon to wake up in a holding cell, confused and all alone.
He smiled to reassure everyone. “No, I think we’ll be fine. Sorry. I’ll be leaving the rest to you guys.”
Everyone steered clear of them as Cassius left the restaurant with Deon in his arms.