The next morning, Kevin, Rina, and Mira walked together to school.
They laughed. They joked. It felt like a peaceful day.
But when they reached the school gates, everything changed.
A wave of cruel laughter echoed through the air.
Students pointed at Kevin and Rina—some whispering, others laughing openly.
Their smiles vanished.
Slowly, they turned to follow everyone's gaze to the back wall of the school.
There, written in huge, ugly letters:
"The Children Without a Father."
The words were so large, they could be seen from the main road.
The bullies had used a ladder during the night to write it, but now the ladder was gone.
No one could erase it.
Kevin's heart dropped. His breathing turned shallow.
His shoulders sagged, his footsteps suddenly heavy.
He couldn't lift his head. He couldn't meet anyone's eyes.
Rina's fists clenched at her sides. Her whole body trembled.
She lifted her chin, forcing a tough expression—but her chest ached.
She looked like a shield, but inside, she was breaking.
Mira, Kael, and Finn quickly rushed to their side, standing with them, arguing fiercely with the other students.
When they entered the classroom, the mockery followed.
Some laughed, some whispered behind their hands, others threw cruel jokes across the room.
Kevin sat in silence, his trembling hands hidden beneath the desk.
He heard them. Every word. Every laugh.
But he said nothing. He couldn't.
Rina sat close to him, her head low, her chest tightening—but still, she acted unshaken, as if the words couldn't touch her.
The door slammed open.
Their martial arts teacher, Van Loon, stormed in with a sharp glare.
His voice boomed across the room:
"Silence! This is a place to become strong—not to destroy each other."
Van Loon didn't speak to Kevin or Rina directly, but his protective presence wrapped around them.
The bullies wouldn't have their fun in his class.
But even then, Kevin wasn't really there.
His body sat in class, but his mind was somewhere far away, drowning in the weight of the words on that wall.
When class ended, the whispers returned instantly.
Kevin suddenly ran.
"Kevin—wait!" Rina called out.
"Leave me alone!" Kevin's voice cracked, sharp and heavy with pain.
Rina took a step to chase him, but Kael gently stopped her.
"Sometimes… people need to be alone. It helps. Trust him."
Rina's lips trembled. She didn't want to leave him like this.
But Mira and Kael convinced her.
Kevin walked away—alone.
That day, they didn't open the restaurant.
Sayura and Yuna had gone shopping for supplies.
When they returned home, the house felt heavy.
Yuna tried to lighten the mood.
"What's with these serious faces? Where's Kevin? Didn't you all come home together?"
Silence.
Sayura's voice turned sharp, her worry rising.
"Did the bullies… did they hurt him again?"
Still no answer.
Sayura's voice cracked.
"Kevin? Kevin, where are you?!"
She hurried through the house, searching every room.
Finally, she turned to Rina.
"Where is he? Please, tell me."
Rina's head hung low. She hesitated. Her voice came out small.
"He went somewhere… he wanted to be alone."
"Somewhere?!" Yuna's voice trembled.
"Why didn't you go after him?!"
"He said… he wanted to be alone…" Rina's lips quivered, her eyes filling with tears.
Before anyone could say more, she turned and slammed her bedroom door shut.
Sayura turned to Mira, her voice pleading.
"Mira… please. Tell me what happened."
Mira quietly explained everything—the writing on the wall, the laughter, Kevin's silence, his pain.
Sayura collapsed into a chair, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Yuna wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly.
They sat there in silence, waiting. And worrying.
Finally, Sayura whispered,
"Let's go find him. Yuna, please… let's go now."
But just as they were about to leave—
The door creaked open.
Kevin stood there.
His clothes were dusty. His fists scraped and red. His head hung low.
Sayura rushed to him.
"Kevin! Kevin! Are you alright? Please answer me!"
Kevin didn't speak.
His face was stiff. His eyes distant.
He walked past her without a word.
"Kevin…?" Sayura called again, but he didn't respond.
Rina's door creaked open. She had heard everything.
Kevin quietly stepped into her room.
Rina lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her pillow was already soaked with tears. She pretended to be asleep.
Without a word, Kevin lay beside her, resting his face against his own pillow.
He gently placed his arm over her, holding her close—not too tight, but enough to let her feel he was there.
Rina's tears began to fall again, but she didn't push him away.
They stayed like that—in silence—holding onto each other.
His voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"I'm sorry… for leaving you."
Rina's body trembled, but she didn't pull away.
Instead, she slowly reached up and held his hand with both of hers, her touch warm and steady.
"It's okay… you're here now," she whispered, her voice calm, comforting, like a mother soothing a child.
Yuna, watching quietly from the hallway, whispered,
"Let them be. They need each other tonight. We can talk tomorrow."
Sayura wiped her tears, still shaken.
"They haven't eaten anything all day…"
Yuna placed her hand gently on Sayura's shoulder.
"I don't think they'll eat tonight. Let's not disturb them now."
Sayura looked toward their room, her heart heavy.
"Okay… let's leave them alone tonight."
For now, nothing more needed to be said.
Tonight… they just needed each other.
Tomorrow, they would face the world again.