An Odd Feeling

The door creaked open, and Levon stepped in. 

Home sweet home?

No one acknowledged him.

Rather, they had disgusted faces while crowded around their youngest son—a dubbed child prodigy.

One look around, and any stranger will find frames on the walls of this golden child and none of him.

This was the son they were most proud of.

Lock Belmont, Levon's younger brother of 3 years, had skipped grades twice since young.

According to his age, he could be taking the National examinations 2 to 3 years later. 

But as the genius that he was hailed to be, he took special examinations to skip grades. 

Levon had a hunch the little monster did it so he could be in the same Grade as his older brother, HIM. 

There was not a shred of doubt in Levon's mind that Lock only did this to spite him.

Where did the enmity come from?

Levon didn't know. But as far back as he could recall, his little brother loved competing with him.

Now that he thought of it, his parents weren't always so mean to him.

It all started from the moment his little brother could speak.

If he had to count how many times he had been set up by Lock, he would probably say a hundred.

It's not that he couldn't prove himself innocent, but his parents seemed to believe anything Lock said.

Even with proof, they would reject it in a heartbeat if it meant admitting that Lock was wrong.

Levon felt tired when it came to this family.

When he was younger, his grades were also great. 

However, after numerous failed attempts in trying to get his parent's love and affection, he woke up from his silly nightmare.

As time went on, he became known to many as a delinquent.

Many also forgot about his former academic glory.

It's been 8 years since he stopped caring, and he had to say it made life easier.

—No expectations, no disappointments.

Who cares…

It won't be long before he moves out and lives on his own.

His parents had no clue he had been secretly making money for himself. And even if they did, so what?

.

.

Levon immediately headed to the kitchen and picked up the lid on a pot. 

Sure enough, there was nothing left for him.

It has always been like this.

He grabbed a cup of instant noodles, microwaved it, and began slurping fast while trying not to roll his eyes.

There, his mother and father were leaning close to their darling Lock, ensuring he had everything he needed.

—Juice? Check.

—More meat? Sure, coming right up.

—What? Do you want the leftover sponge cake in the fridge as dessert? Then your wish is their command.

"Eat up, my precious baby. Who would've known you would get a 716 in the National exams? Goodness! You ranked 9th in the entire country, and you're 3 years younger than most of the examinees."

Incredible, wasn't it?

750 was the maximum score for the National exams if one scored 100% in all their papers.

The highest scorer this year had a 744.

9th in the entire country wasn't a small feat to accomplish.

It was indeed commendable, especially since Lock skipped grades twice.

"That's our Lock!" His father said proudly before throwing yet another disgusted glare Levon's way. 

"Hmph! Our Lock is not like some people who embarrass the family by scoring a 54 in the exams."

'What a disgrace!' His Father inwardly concluded. 'If the highest score is 744 and he scored just 54, then he must not have hope in society.'

—Waste!

'How did I ever give birth to such a shameful thing?'

The old man had several knots in his belly. His thoughts were obvious to everyone seated.

"Now, now, dear." Mrs. Belmont advised. "Let's not ruin the mood by mentioning such parasites in our home. In 3 weeks, our Lock here will be going to the most prestigious Institution in the Country: The Treelartus Institute of Higher Learning."

"That's true. He will be going in with a Full scholarship and many other perks. Don't forget the country awarded him with 15,000 for taking the 9th spot."

"Yeah! The Dean of that Institute also awarded him an additional 7,000 that'll be given to him once he gets on school grounds."

"Fufufufufu, our little boy hasn't even gotten a professional job yet and he's already making so much money!"

"Of course, Honey. He's definitely not like some parasites that only suck us dry."

It was another normal day for Levon. 

They praised and praised Lock so much that their meal had already turned cold. And in a place where his parents couldn't see it, Lock gave him a provocative smile different from the fake, charming, and innocent smile he wore every day."

Tch!

'Childish.'

Levon rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time, not caring at all about how wiggly his parents proved to be. 

He was serious—They were wiggling like worms, almost making him spew his noodles in laughter.

What a delusional pair. He had no feelings for them.

All Done. 

With his instant noodles in his belly, Levon prepared to head for the bath. 

But then he raised his head and caught yet a strange flicker swiftly through the window. 

After taking a bath, Levon headed to his room underneath the stairway.. 

For MONTHS now, he couldn't shake off the feeling he was being watched.

A person like him, grew far more sensitive to such things.

A normal person would grow anxious and afraid of leaving their home after having such a feeling for months. But for him…

Huh.

Levon calmly fell into Slumberland—- with a particularly menacing grin on his lips.

.

.

The night swept by quite fast. 

Levon woke up as usual, making his own breakfast and heading out for a run.

Everything seemed as it should be, except for the rather vintage-looking vehicle now parked outside his home. 

Two guards stood guard beside the vehicle. 

Looking through one of the house windows, his line of sight instantly fell on the peculiar figure his parents were entertaining .

'It's probably for Lock,' Levon concluded, shrugging without a care.

However, when he stepped in, his parents' abrupt fake smiles made his eyes turn cold. 

"Ah! There is his. Our little Levon... Come, come, come. This gentleman is here to see you... SO SIT."