A+, meanie

Hair colour

Mingyu feels like a beast by the time he gets his training done in the gym. He's much calmer, and he doesn't think his mother's words would affect him considerably now, at least for the rest of the day.

He hops in the shower to get rid of the sweat, and sits down to get his university work completed after putting on a fresh set of clothes, so his mother doesn't display any more of her unbearable insistence. He breezes through it in barely any time, so much so he gets a few luxurious minutes to himself -- no assignment and all. What he dreads is that he has to go to dinner in a while. As much as he loves good food, he'd rather not eat if it needed him to sit across his mother's blank face for thirty minutes; he's not allowed to leave until she finishes. "It's low manners to leave the dinner table before everyone else." She would say.

His mother looks visibly furious throughout dinner today, and Mingyu has no idea why. Maybe something hadn't gone her 'perfect' way at the company today, or her maid could have misplaced a pair of heels she doesn't even look at anymore. Anything, and absolutely anything, was capable of ruining her mood -- which hung from a cliff every single time.

"I still do not approve of you joining those foolish clubs." His mother says suddenly, just as Mingyu's about to enjoy his dessert. Great, the best part of dinner got ruined. Mingyu fights the urge to roll his eyes.

"It's just a hobby, Mother, they don't mean much."

"If you enjoy them too much, they will eventually mean a lot."

"It's the only thing I like doing at Pledis." Well, except calculus, but it's best if she didn't know. And Mingyu knows he's fucked. He shouldn't have said that.

"Pardon? I shall not tolerate such ungratefulness, Mingyu, get that drilled in your dense head. There are many students outside attending contemptible institutes. You should be thanking me for being able to attend Pledis, and it's not even that hard to get you into the university."

Of course, the ever-ostentatious Kim Minkyoung never fails to wave her position in someone's face. Not even her own son was spared.

Like Mingyu even needs a painful reminder. The ambience around has gotten annoying to such a point, he wishes to live like a normal human being, in an average house without servants and bodyguards flocking around him all the time. Why couldn't he just be left alone for a while?

His mother's behaviour is sickening, and Mingyu has no choice but to become immune to it. He knows she won't ever be leaving him on his own in life. She would only get more and more insufferable as time passes, under the pretext of teaching him responsibilities and manners of a successful businessman.

Nevertheless, Mingyu has to remain silent and go on with his dinner, pretending to heed his mother's words and taunts.

Those entire ninety minutes he spent feeling better in the gym had gone down the drain since dinner. Mingyu feels worse, as he lays on the floor in his room at night. He's heard somewhere earlier that crying usually helps relieve some anguish, and Mingyu envies the people who are in a condition to actually try that.

He, unfortunately, can't. He can't afford his mother listening in, and then bombarding him with questions he wouldn't have answers for. "Don't mope around crying like a banshee, it's not sophisticated behaviour." Mingyu imagines her saying.

And even if he tried, he's too numb to even produce tears from his eyes. He'd spent most of his preschool and middle school doing the same, for he didn't understand the reason behind his mother's stiff attitude. Mingyu has seen other children around him since childhood - who have wonderful, smiley and cheerful parents coming to pick them up after school. Whereas Mingyu, owner of a miserable childhood, had been ushered quickly inside his car by an attendant, not even giving him enough time to say his goodbyes.

But now? Mingyu's over his share of crying. Instead, he forces himself to endure until he reaches his breaking point -- seeing that it's the only option he has left. His mother would never leave him alone, and he's stuck with her forever.

∿

Mingyu enters Pledis the next week, at precisely the same time he does everyday; like clockwork. Soonyoung sneaks in beside him the moment he sees Mingyu, and gives him a playful smile to start his day off. "Morning."

"Hi."

No words are exchanged after that. There's nothing Mingyu usually talks about with his friends; he has nothing to talk about. Soonyoung begins rambling about his day, and the things him and Minghao did for clubs yesterday. It sounded much better than what Mingyu had to sit through -- with Wonwoo being the over-smart asshole he is, and butting in every chance he got, only to be applauded later on.

"Clubs was not it, was it yesterday?" Soonyoung asks Mingyu, a tinge of pity in his voice as he spoke. "No. But it's fine. I brought it upon myself."

"But you like acting, don't you?"

"I suppose?"

"Well then, other things won't matter if you focused on that entirely, instead of looking Jeon Wonwoo's way."

"I guess you're right."

"I always am." Soonyoung winks.

The comfortable silence between them breaks as they walk nearer to the classrooms. There's a huge crowd gathered near one of the very last classrooms on the first floor, students with navy blazers alike, peering over each other's shoulders like curious rats.

"What's going on?" Mingyu asks a clueless Soonyoung, getting a shrug in return. Before he could say anything else, Minghao runs up and updates them about the commotion. He's panting as he speaks. "Fight..."

Right, that explains the immense curiosity. The crowd parts hurriedly just then, just a few students departing slowly, leaving Mingyu, Minghao and Soonyoung, staring at Wonwoo standing over a bleeding boy on the floor. The boy looks miserable, flinching as Wonwoo comes closer to his face and glares at him. "I think that's enough for you to understand. Never say things about my family if you don't know the truth." Wonwoo grunts, and lands a final, resonating slap on the boy's face.

Everything around Mingyu dims all of a sudden. A familiar sensation creeps in his head. Before he knew it, Mingyu falls to the floor, rubbing his head with one hand, while the other clutches at his chest tightly. Mingyu squints -- his eyes and head hurt uncontrollably, and he hisses and groans at the intense pain. Few images flash through his brain: a man and a woman, the woman slapping him across the face as tears run down her eyes, she screams something undecipherable. And Mingyu shuts his eyes tight just then.

When he opens them again, he's still sitting on the floor, two vaguely familiar people standing over him, a third joining them a few seconds later. The dim lighting seems to have vanished, and the world's back to normal. Mingyu giggles and points at the boy with the flaming red hair. He finds it funny - the unique colour. "That's so cool!" He squeals at the boy.

The boy, meanwhile, looks confused as fuck. Who wouldn't, when your best friend talks as if he's never seen you before? Soonyoung throws a worried glance to Minghao standing beside him, who looks concerned as well. "Mingyu?"

"That's me!" Mingyu says excitedly, yet again.

"What's wrong with you?"

Mingyu pouts. "I'm just Mingyu, there's nothing wrong with me..."

Mingyu sniffles when two of the boys exchange worried glances with one another. It's like they're hiding something from him. Without any warning, Red-hair dude and Grey-hair dude lift him up by his shoulders, glaring at the person who smugly observes the whole thing. Mingyu notices his hair is a peculiar shade of blond, not quite the blond he's ever seen. He excitedly reaches his hand out and touches the boy's hair, and twiddles it in his fingers. The boy instantly coils away, fluffing his hair out.

Mingyu's eyes gather tears at the rather rude gesture. He whimpers, swiftly walking away from the rude boy, not knowing where he is at the moment. Red-hair dude follows him.

"I swear to God, Jeon, even one word about this, and you won't see the light of day ever again." Minghao threatens the blond boy who stands there snickering, a maniacal smile playing on his face, and turns away to catch up with Soonyoung and not-so-Mingyu Mingyu.