Have you ever felt so empty and hollow inside despite having everything others would kill to have?
Of course from the perspective of an outsider I indeed had it all.
What was I lacking?
My father was the owner of a company worth a trillion dollars, I attended a school most people could only dream about.
Money wasn't an issue, I had anything money could get, from servants to luxurious cars and even designer brands.
But each day I was silently withering inside.
Wealth could buy happiness—to a certain extent I believed that, maybe for some people it could—but not for me.
SLAP!
A sting slowly spread across my face.
I bit my inner cheeks as the force of his slap tilted my head a bit.
Across me was my father— a decent looking middle aged Asian in a black tuxedo with a face which was as red as a tomato.
It didn't hurt… the slap I mean.
When something became a frequent occurrence, it left very little room for feelings.
At best all it left was a dull ache on my face, nothing more.
It wasn't exactly new or anything of that sort. I've had worse.
Whenever the man needed an outlet, I was his punching bag, and as always he never really misses the chance to make me feel like a mistake.
Let's be totally honest here, it wasn't my fault his wife left him, don't get me wrong I hate her as well for leaving me behind but at the same time I couldn't blame her.
The man was a total jerk and I was the one paying the price for his own incapability to keep his woman, what a joke.
"What's this huh? Explain to me what this is!"
On the table was my report card along with several teachers' reports.
Although I knew what it was, I still gave him the least bit of respect by staring at it for a brief second before I answered.
"My report card."
My dad looked like he was about to explode, his face was literally covered in veins and yes… yes he was as red as a tomato, I mentioned it again.
No seriously I had to comment on that, the colour of his face was turning an unhealthy shade of red.
For a second there I thought my wish of having him pass out for good would actually come to pass but alas, expectations and reality were vastly different.
'At this point he really needs to see a doctor…'
Or book a session for anger management therapy or something.
"You punk!"
SLAP!
Ah yes… another one, it never really ends with one huh.
"Explain, explain to me why your report card has a zero on it, not even a fifty, you failed every single question in every important subject you needed." He yelled.
I almost resisted the urge to roll my eyes… almost, because I had actually done it, and he saw it.
"I'm sorry, I'll do better next time." Came my response.
It was flat and devoid of any emotion, even I could tell that it lacked sincerity or remorse for my action and my father, Kang Chou-Bae didn't miss that detail.
He raised his hand to hit me a third time.
I closed my eyes, expecting the familiar sting across my face but it never came.
Instead he grabbed a fist full of his hair then muttered some words in Korean before leaning against the sofa behind him.
"You must think I'm stupid, Kang Tae-min." He said. "If a person were to randomly pick the answers, the chances of them at least getting up to thirty questions right is seventy percent, chances of getting above that is fifty percent."
His eyes narrowed into a glare.
"The fact that you failed every single question means you knew all the right ones and decided not to pick them."
Well you had to hand his flowers to him, the man clearly knew his stuff.
I flunked on purpose.
Not because I wanted to, but because I had to.
If I didn't do it then that 'Witch,' would have killed my pet and also revealed the one secret I didn't want my dad to know.
Although I was expecting the next question that would follow immediately after his deduction, I didn't have any intention to answer.
"Why did you do it?" His voice sounded harsh but I wasn't bothered in the slightest.
I merely gazed back at him before replying.
"I don't want to be a doctor."
"What? How dare you… after everything I've done, What do you think you're saying? What do you think you're saying, you useless child?" He roared. "You are my son, and I expect nothing less than the best results from you."
His gaze grew dark quickly.
"One more… one more of this crap and you're done, I'll disown you from this family."
Please do.
No seriously I meant it.
I wanted a way out.
The Kang mansion was ridiculously luxurious with different floors and an aesthetic even five star hotels would envy yet it was the most suffocating place on the planet.
If he really wanted me to behave as his son then he shouldn't have taken that witch, Cha Ga-eul.
My stepmother.
That vile woman was the real deal.
She was someone who made fairytale stepmothers seem like angels.
You think Cinderella had it hard? Or perhaps Rapunzel? Their stepmothers at least made sure they lived.
I've been kidnapped, abused and tortured all thanks to her.
The last time that witch smiled at me, I woke up tied to a chair that reeked of blood.
Yet despite her attempts, I still made it back somehow and each time my father would think of it as my incompetence.
Why doesn't your brother ever cause me trouble, why is it always you?
He would ask.
Did it never occur to him that his wife was the perpetrator behind everything that was happening to me?
Of course her son would be spared the torment.
Oh but I'm sure he wouldn't think that way because he existed only to see faults in me.
"I understand, father."
Disown me, I was really looking forward to it.
I didn't wait for his permission to leave, I slowly turned around then exited the room.