INSCRIPTED REALITIES

I sat at the table across from Principal Jeong, looking at me over her glasses. She rested her arms on the surface of the table, interlocking her fingers.

‘Mr. Kim, I hope my leniency doesn’t make you ignore the severity of the accusations against you…’

Figures. Here I thought she was different.

I pursed my lips, silently looking down at my hands.

That she would listen to my side of the story.

She sighed causing me to whip my head up to see her taking off the glasses and setting them aside.

‘I didn’t ask you here to reprimand you.’

I raised an eyebrow as she continued. ‘I understand how unfair you must feel all this is. No, I can’t understand. I just know.

‘She shook her head, taking a deep breath. ‘But that’s unfortunately how this world is. In front of people in my power…we’re helpless. All we can do is-’

The room felt cold, tension weighing down on me. I felt my heart squeezing. I clenched my fists, as I sharply cut her off.

‘That’s only because people like you let it happen even when you know the truth! Because you let them have power over you, over us! You are the authority to prevent just that, but what chance do any of us have if you quietly bow your head down to them!’

My chest heaved, as a lump formed in my throat.

She closed her eyes, leaning back in her chair. ‘I used to think like you too. I carefully investigated the truth and punished those who did wrong always striving for Justice. But with time I understood it’s never that simple.’

She paused, rubbing her temples before she continued with trembling lips.

‘Even if you stand up to them today, all you’re doing is risking your future or someone else’s. If you keep quiet now, you only need to deal with the consequences at the moment. But if you fight, I’m afraid it’ll be too much for you to handle. So, it’s best to leave the punishment to Karma. One day, their actions will haunt them.’

Her eyelids slowly lifted, looking me in the eyes. ‘You…are too young to understand.’

Excuse Me?!

I clenched my jaw, feeling my stomach twist. I knew the person sitting in front of me had the power to screw me over. This show of empathy might have been all just a ploy to get me to stop seeking justice. But the frustration I felt made my chest feel heavy. I blurted out.

‘Yeah, good excuse to make yourself feel better. You’re just like the rest—talking fairness, too scared to act.’

She glared at me. ‘Mr. Kim’, she warned.

I couldn’t stop. My nails dug into my palm.

‘If we keep quiet now, he’ll become worse. If it's not me, someone else will suffer. And if I think of this as the easy way out like this. If I decide to live my life like this, only hope that one day Karma will come for him.’

I was trembling, furrowing my brows as I continued. ‘Sure, middle school will be over. But there will always be another Daekyu out there. So tell me, Respected Principal, how long do I have to keep running?’

She heaved a heavy sigh, pursing her lips. ‘I was afraid you’d say that’. She drummed her fingers on the tabletop.

‘I can see you have a lot of rage pent up inside you…you know, for me, it always helps to write.’

I tilted my head, raising an eyebrow at her words.

She crossed her arms, avoiding my gaze.

‘It always helps to write when you’re angry. You can make up a story, imagine the people who hurt you are the characters, and…make them suffer by your hand within the pages because that is all you can do to safely relieve your frustration when you’re powerless to fight back. It’s also productive. Good for your writing ability and-’

I had an ominous feeling. My breath hitched as I interrupted her.

‘What are you on about?’

She shook her head.

‘I tried to make you understand, but since you refuse I’m sorry.’

My eyes widened at her words when I heard a loud crash as the door swung open.

I jolted, whipping my head around. My heart dropped at the scene.

My ‘family’ was here.

Principal Jeong cleared her throat.

‘As you must’ve heard, he is in dire need of discipline.’

I glanced at my adoptive dad to see him glaring at me, his eyes red.

I’m fucked.

I turned toward Principal Jeong to see her avoiding my gaze. She pointed her chin at me. ‘Please teach him well.’

My ‘mother’ nodded frantically.

‘Of course. No need to worry. Oh, I don’t know what happened. He’s usually a good kid. But I will talk to him. Please excuse us.’

She grabbed my arm, yanking me up and pulling me out. She squeezed my arm, her long nails digging into my flesh.

My ‘father’ followed closely behind. She pulled me to the car and gestured for me to open the door. As soon as I did, I felt a hard impact against my back.

A sharp, stinging pain shot through it as the blow landed right where I’d been hurt. I gasped, my breath hitching as my vision blurred for a moment.

My knees buckled, and I fell straight onto the backseat, a low groan escaping before I could clamp it down. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I felt a sting from my lip.

The door slammed behind me after which the two got into the front seats.

The car sped ahead, my body trembling. Flashbacks of that night surged, anxiety mixing with pain.

Sweat soaked my back. My ears rang, their voices a distant hum. I couldn’t understand any of what they were saying except their distorted expression when they turned around, seeming to yell through the tears blurring my vision.

My heart raced, and I felt suffocated. I could vaguely make out a few words.

‘Burden…nuisance… embarrass…waste of time…our child would never…if it wasn't for the inheritance…should’ve died.’

I closed my eyes, a tear slipping out and staining my cheek as I waited to get to that place.

When we got home, they pulled me out of my daze. My ‘father’ grabbed me by the neck. He dragged me up the stairs and threw me in my room.

‘Don’t even expect any food after what you pulled. Fucking embarrassment!’

I lay there for a while, numb to everything. I watched as the sun slowly set from the window. My surroundings turned from bright to orange before they descended into darkness. I took a deep breath and forced myself up.

Each part of me throbbed in pain. I sat on the ground, tucking my knees against my chest. My hands trailed through my hair as I yanked at it. The frustration and rage crashed down on me. My chest ached, a weight pushing down on it.

There was a lump in my throat. My nose stung as drops of tears fell. I clenched my jaw, wiping my face.

I stood up and turned on the light. I scanned the room till my eyes rested on a pencil and notepad lying in the corner. I slumped down on the floor and started scribbling.

The ominous scratch of pencil on paper echoed in the silent room.

And that’s where it all began…

To be continued…