Stranger Danger

Daewon's heart skipped a beat, but he stood firm and refused to back down. "I don't want any trouble, Joon."

But Joon wasn't listening. His gang slowly made its appearance from the shadows, their presence was heavy and suffocating.

"Well too bad Losermon. Running away from me all this time was a mistake. I haven't forgotten that." Joon's eyes were fixed on him as he stepped closer, his tone becoming more serious.

Daewon's hands clenched at his sides, a wave of frustration washing over him. He wasn't going to back down this time. He swung a punch at Joon, but it was weak, too slow, too unpracticed. Joon barely flinched, but the anger in his eyes erupted.

"You're going to regret that," Joon spat, stepping forward with the intent to make Daewon pay for the weak punch. The gang closed in from behind, surrounding him.

Daewon's heart raced as he realized he wasn't going to be able to fight his way out of this one. As the first blow landed, Daewon took a step back, his body crashing against the rough concrete of the alley. Pain was struck in his body, but he refused to cry out. He crawled toward a darker corner of the alley, hoping to hide from the chaos that was quickly getting out of hand around him.

He stood there, his chest tightened, his breaths were sharp and unsteady with anger and frustration as Joon's gang closed in on him.

The night air was cool, the faint street lights casting long shadows across the alley where the confrontation had taken place. His heart pounded, adrenaline was rushing through him as he clenched his fists, ready for whatever came next.

Joon stepped forward first, a smirk was setting at the corners of his mouth. "So, you really think you can take me on?" he said, his voice low and mocking.

Daewon's hands trembled slightly, but he clenched them tighter, trying to balance himself. He had been in situations like this before, getting picked on, threatened. But this time it was different. This time, something inside him burned. The voice, the persistent whispers, the pressure, everything had led up to this moment. He wasn't just going to stand there and take it.

Without thinking, Daewon swung his right fist, aiming for Joon's jaw. His fist connected with a satisfying punch, the impact echoing through his knuckles. But it was weak. Too weak. Joon barely flinched, and his smirk growing even wider.

"You call that a punch?" Joon's voice tone was arrogant as he wiped the spot where Daewon had hit him. "Pathetic."

Before Daewon could even react, Joon's gang surrounded him, two of them grabbing his arms. The other two closed the distance, blocking any chance of escape. Panic rushed in Daewon's chest as he struggled, trying to escape, but they were too strong. The more he fought, the tighter their grip became.

One of the guys from Joon's gang shoved Daewon into a brick wall, the impact shaking his bones. A groan of pain came out of Daewon's mouth, but he quickly pushed himself off the wall, desperate to stay on his feet. He had to keep moving, he had to find an opening.

"You're lucky you're not in a worse shape." Joon grinned. Then, without a warning. He launched a swift kick to Daewon's waist.

The force of the blow knocked the wind out of Daewon, sending him back unsteadily, gasping for air. His legs trembled, but he caught himself on the wall, groaning in pain. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, he hadn't even noticed that he had bitten his lip.

Daewon's vision blurred for a moment as the world spun around him. He was losing balance. His body felt like it was betraying him. His thoughts were chaotic, the fear of being beaten down again was pressing in on him.

But then something inside him snapped. The burning feeling from before returned, but this time, it wasn't just a flicker, it was a blaze. Daewon's fist clenched again, and with everything he had, he pushed himself forward. He then swung another punch, this time with more force, more intent.

And it landed as well.

For a split second, Joon's eyes widened in surprise. Daewon had hit him square in the stomach, the impact knocking the wind out of him. But it wasn't enough to stop him.

Joon's expression darkened, and he stated harshly. "You think that's gonna make a difference? You're so dead Losermon."

He shoved Daewon back again, but this time harder, sending him collapsing to the ground. Daewon's hands scraped against the rough asphalt as he tried to catch himself, but it was no use. The pain in his body was too much. His vision blurred again, his thoughts began to drift away.

Joon's gang stepped forward, each of them looking down at Daewon like he was nothing more than an obstacle to get rid of. One of them kicked him, and Daewon groaned, his body tensed from the shock.

He wasn't sure how much more he could take before blacking out.

"Please," Daewon thought to himself, a small, quiet voice in his head. "No please, not again, just... stop. Someone make it stop"

But the beating didn't stop. It kept coming, kick after kick, shove after shove. And just when Daewon thought he might black out, his body finally gave out. He collapsed against the cold alley floor, his vision slowly fading to black.

But his mind wasn't ready to give up just yet.

He crawled. Crawled away from the pain, away from the suffocating fear. He wasn't sure how long he had been lying there in that dark corner of the alley, but when he could finally move again, he struggled to stay on his feet. His legs were weak, unsteady, but he slowly managed to find his balance.

He needed to get out of here. He needed to leave before he ended up in a worse condition.

His breath was uneven, his body on fire from all the blows, but he didn't let that stop him. He slowly walked toward the end of the alley, unbalanced. His steps were slow but determined. With each step, the pain seemed to lessen, it was replaced by a growing persistence.

But then, another kick was launched, this time to his ribs. Daewon gritted his teeth as pain struck him again. The impact sent him rolling onto his back, his breath coming in rough gasps. He could hear both Joon and the gang laughing at him.

Joon crouched beside him. "Next time, don't waste my time, Losermon."

Then, they were all gone.

Silence filled the alley, broken only by Daewon's short gasps of air. He could feel the warmth of blood on his skin, the constant ache of bruises forming beneath his clothes. His body refused to move. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

He lay there, staring up at the faint glow of the street lights above. The night stretched endlessly for him. For the first time in a long while, he felt small.

Weak.

Hopeless.

A bitter taste filled his mouth, but he wasn't sure if it was blood or something else.

Maybe Joon was right.

Maybe he really was pathetic.