This world is full of contradictions

Author's note// I would just like to say that the characters I am using as the 'antagonists' do not act the way I'm portraying them, I love all the idols I'm using in this fanfic and don't want anyone to think that I'm purposely trying to give them a bad name//

Taehyun's POV

"Stop!"

"Please!! Stop!"

"Leave me alone!!"

"Stop it!!"

It hurt. It hurt a lot. I couldn't get away even if I tried. So I didn't.

The onslaught of kicks and occasional punches had no intention of ending.

They taunted and laughed at my tears even though I tried my best to cover my head with my arms to hide them.

Why won't they stop?

It's been hours...

"Come on Gyu! He's had enough," A voice although part of the ambush, was my saviour.

"M'fine," Another voice replied.

That voice sent shivers down my spine. It haunted my nightmares and always lingered in my mind. That voice made me want to sink deep into the ground and suffocate. I hated the way it rang in my ears. In fact, I despised it.

Third-person POV

Beomgyu chuckled lowly as he picked the smaller boy up by the collar.

Taehyun held his eyes shut, not wanting to look at the older. He didn't want to ever see him again. He didn't want to feel the fear that engulfed him every time Beomgyu was around.

He didn't want to. But he couldn't help it.

"Hope you enjoy your stay here," Beomgyu chuckled as he dropped the other back onto the cold floor of the shower cubicle.

The other 3 boys that assisted the ambush had rustled around in the plastic bags that they had brought with them, pulling out bottles of alcohol, clinking them together as they did so.

It didn't take long for the bottles to be open and the contents inside was poured over the poor brunette.

Taehyun gasped and shuddered as the cold liquid cascaded onto his small frame. He hissed as the alcohol hit his newly open cuts and grazes.

He coughed and spluttered as the horrible tasting liquor found its way into his mouth. The excess being carelessly split onto his already soaked school uniform.

All the other boys did was laugh as Taehyun curled into an even smaller ball than before,

"Look at him, an alcoholic, just like his father,"

Beomgyu threw one of the glass bottles against the side of the cubicle, causing it to shatter.

"Get him up," One if the boys said sternly.

The other two boys pulled Taehyun up into a seating position, placing another empty bottle next to the half-conscious boy.

Beomgyu was left hesitantly with 2 girls that had witnessed the one-sided fight with phones in hand as they recorded the sight of a seemingly drunk Taehyun.

Satisfied with their work, they continued to joke around a little before they got bored.

They admired their work once more. The almost unconscious boy, his brown hair sticking to his forehead, eyes barely open, his body limp and soaked in alcohol, bruises and grazes colouring his otherwise light skin, sitting helpless, on the floor.

The background decorated with stray glass and alcohol bottles.

Still laughing, The 6 students filed out of the cubicle, managing to lock it from the outside and use some of the cleaning equipment to barricade it.

"We'll come see if he's still there in the morning," The boys shrugged

"If we remember,"

Taehyun hadn't meant to consume any of the alcohol but avoiding it was impossible.

He slowly felt his consciousness slip away, the lights were turned off and he was left cold and alone.

He tried to cry for help or for someone to come back and let him out, but his cries were slurred and almost inaudible to those outside the school changing rooms.

It was then he felt the alcohol start to sink in and whimpered when his head began to spin.

And that's when he couldn't help but remember the times when he and Beomgyu had been friends once.

Once.

The two used to be inseparable.

However, all that changed.

Taehyun glanced out of the window for the 10th time that morning. He was in Maths. He was good at maths but that didn't mean he liked it. Twirling the pencil in his hands, he rested his head on his other arm.

He hoped the rain would stop soon since he had to walk home later and had forgotten to bring his umbrella.

The brunette sighed in relief when he heard the bell ring for lunch and started to pack his notes away when he noticed three boy's approaching him. He knew who they were immediately. Hyunjin, Jisung and Seungmin.

"Hey Tae," Hyunjin said and smiled at him, although Taehyun had no intention of making any sort of contact with the latter.

"Can you do me a little favour?" He continued.

Taehyun internally sighed and looked up at the older male showing him that he was listening.

"Since it's my birthday and all.. would you be able to do our turn of cleaning the classroom after school?" He asked and tilted his head.

Taehyun opened his mouth to reply but was quickly interrupted by the older.

"If you do, I'll invite you to my birthday party and you can come over once you're done," He concluded and smiled.

The brunette looked at them surprised. No one had ever invited him round before. He thought for a few seconds before concluding that cleaning the classroom for a day was worth the potential opportunity to make friends. He smiled back and nodded.

"M'Yeah, okay," He said

"Thank you so much," Hyunjin said before pulling the other into a slight hug and handed Taehyun a piece of paper.

"My address is on there,"

Taehyun was even more surprised at the gesture but he figured the action made the invitation more genuine. He nodded again as he took the piece of paper, reading the address on it. He was good at cleaning the classroom quickly. Again he didn't like it but he didn't mind if they were inviting him round afterwards.

The three boys turned on their heels happily as they made their way out of the classroom, leaving Taehyun to eat his packed lunch in there on his own.

Lunch went by swiftly and so did the final period, it was English, another subject Taehyun was good at but didn't really like.

"Hyunjin, it's your groups day to clean the classroom," The teacher said and smiled at the three boys.

"Hope you do a good job," He said in an encouraging manner.

Taehyun looked at Hyunjin and smiled, said boy held a thumbs up at the latter and it was returned immediately signalling that Taehyun was ready to do the job. Even if it was a three-person job and he was only one.

The bell rang for classes to end and no one wasted any time in getting up and leaving to go home.

Taehyun was left alone in the classroom, he had cleaned up many times before but never on his own. He started to wonder how long it would take him.

After a few seconds of contemplating he started with the blackboard, rubbing off its contents, quietly humming to himself.

Then he started to move the desks and the tables in order to clean the floor, it was tiring to do and took a while since he was all alone but he managed somehow.

Around an hour and a half later he was finished. He sighed in relief at his work and figured if he ran he'd be able to get to the address Hyunjin had given him. He hoped he wasn't too late.

He left the classroom in a slight rush and gasped when he ran into someone knocking them both over.

"I'm so sorry!" Taehyun said, rubbing his head and standing up almost instantly. He bowed apologetically, before holding his hand out for the other.

"Oh, it's alright," The other boy said, he accepted Taehyun's hand gratefully.

Taehyun didn't recognise the other boy as he helped him stand up. He had ash blonde hair and a light skin tone, similar to Taehyun's. He smiled at him and the smile was returned.

"I'm Choi Beomgyu," The blonde boy said and bowed politely.

"I'm going to be transferring to this school soon," He said, "Are you in that class?" He asked and gestured to the classroom Taehyun had previously walked out of.

Taehyun nodded.

"Yeah, I am," He said, "Are you joining that class?" He asked and tilted his head slightly.

Beomgyu nodded quickly and his smile seemed to widen.

"I will be!" He exclaimed, in a happier tone than before.

"Oh We'll be in the same class then," Taehyun giggled a little as he stated the obvious, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm Kang Taehyun by the way," He added, realising he hadn't introduced himself yet.

"Nice to meet you," Beomgyu said and Taehyun replied to the statement with a small:

"You too,"

The two stood for a long second, both thinking of what to say. It was a little awkward but neither of them seemed to mind.

Beomgyu looked as if he was about to say something when a woman's voice echoed from around the corner.

"Choi Beomgyu?" She called, Taehyun recognised the voice as one of his teachers.

"Oh, I need to go," Beomgyu said

"I only came here to look at the classroom," He added

"Ah sorry," Taehyun said feeling slightly guilty that he had taken up the other boy's time by getting in the way, even if it was an accident.

"Don't worry about it," He said

"Maybe you can pay me back next week when I start,"

Taehyun giggled again and nodded

"Okay, deal," He said and Beomgyu giggled along with him before waving his arm and turning to walk back around the corner.

Taehyun waved back and watched as the blonde-haired boy named Beomgyu left his sight.

On his way to the address he had been given, Taehyun mentally cursed. He didn't have anything to give Hyunjin. Thankfully he passed a corner shop and quickly went inside. He looked around for something, anything that could start a friendship between them.

He saw something from the corner of his eye.

A pair of friendship bracelets, they were a cute pair, one with a sun and another a moon. They seemed to be those supposed emotion detecting ones that never actually worked but you liked to pretend they did because the colours were pretty.

They were a little girly in Taehyun's eyes but he didn't have much of a choice.

He frowned at the price, it would take up all his pocket money but he figured if he would gain a friend from it then it was worth it.

He swiftly bought the items.

As he held the pastel blue and red bracelets, he walked to the address that matched the paper and looked up at the doorbell. Hesitantly he rang it and waited.

Moments passed and still no sign of movement from behind the door. He figured that maybe they hadn't heard him and so rang the doorbell once again.

Still no answer.

He waited a little while longer.

"Hyunjin?" He called and jumped back a little when the door actually opened. He smiled when it did but it was quick to disappear and he looked confused when a woman opened the door.

He knew Hyunjin had said many times that he only lived with his dad because his mother had moved to America.

"Hello there?" The woman said also confused, her tone seemed a little annoyed but warm all the while.

"I-I'm sorry miss... Does Hyunjin not live here?" Taehyun asked hesitantly and then down at the address on the paper he had been given, his fingers trembling as the realisation hit him.

The woman shook her head and seemed to feel pity for the boy.

"I'm sorry honey, No one called Hyunjin lives here," She said and Taehyun nodded, biting his lip. He apologised for disturbing the older woman before walking away as the woman closed the door.

He had been tricked.

Slowly walking down the pathway, he sniffed and held the two friendship bracelets in his hand, tears threatening to fall down his face but he refused to let them until he got home.

It was a losing battle as he let them go when it started to rain just as heavily as it had done when he was in class.

He wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. How could he have been so stupid?

He kicked a puddle in frustration but instantly regretted it when he got his uniform trousers soaked.

"Are you okay?"

Taehyun jumped at the familiar voice behind him. He felt even more stupid that whoever was there had just seen him throw a slight tantrum.

Taehyun turned around to make sure that the person behind him was directing the question to him and not some other person despite there being almost no one around.

And that's when their eyes met.

"Choi Beomgyu?" Taehyun asked surprised

"That's hyung to you," Beomgyu giggled a little and walked over to the drenched boy, covering him with the umbrella he was fortunately carrying.

"What?" Taehyun asked confused.

"I asked the teacher who was showing me around, turns out I'm almost a year older than you," Beomgyu smiled "Nevermind that though, didn't your parents ever tell you not to go playing in the rain? You could catch a cold!"

Taehyun was caught by surprise at the elder's small scolding, they had only met a few hours ago and yet this 11-year-old was acting like he was 10 years older.

"Sorry Hyung.. I just forgot my umbrella," Taehyun sighed, he decided not to tell Beomgyu about what had happened but he didn't need too.

Beomgyu had watched what had happened.

He saw Taehyun walking and decided to catch up with him.

He hadn't meant to eavesdrop but that was an accident he couldn't have avoided.

Taehyun turned to the blonde and held something out to him. It was a friendship bracelet, It had a cute little sun shape on it.

"Can.. Can you keep this safe?" Taehyun asked, hesitantly. "As in.. forever?"

Beomgyu looked at the bracelet. "You're giving this to me?" He asked and the brunette nodded.

"I have a matching one, see?" He said and showed his wrist. It had an almost identical bracelet on but instead of the sun shape, there was a moon.

"They're pretty," Beomgyu said and Taehyun nodded again, this time in agreement to Beomgyu's statement.

"Alright, I'll keep it safe," Beomgyu said and took the bracelet with great care.

"Promise?"

"Promise,"