Shin and I were minding our own business during recess, sitting under our usual tree and talking about how much better our Korean was getting. That's when we heard it—the sound of someone crying.
We turned to see Leana, her small frame shaking as three kids surrounded her. They were laughing and calling her names, their voices loud and cruel.
"Hey, look at her! She's such a weirdo," one of them said.
Leana clutched her drawing board tightly, tears streaming down her face. I could feel my blood boiling. Shin noticed too and stood up with me.
"Let's go," I said, already walking toward them.
As we approached, I shouted, "Hey, dummies! You looking for a fight, messing with our friend?"
The bullies turned to us, their faces twisted with mockery. "Shut up, you nobodies," the tallest one sneered. "We do what we want. Anyway, you're just losers. And fatherless."
That last word hit me like a slap. My anger snapped. Before I could think, my fist flew forward and connected with the leader's face. He stumbled back, clutching his nose, tears welling up in his eyes as he started wailing, "Mommy!"
Shin laughed. "What's wrong? Thought you were tough!"
The teacher came running over, her voice sharp. "What's going on here? Are you okay, Sasuka? What happened?"
The bully, still holding his nose, pointed at me. "He hit me! Doon hit me!"
Shin crossed his arms, glaring at him. "You're such a baby. And a snitch."
We were both dragged to the principal's office, where we had to sit and wait for our parents. I wasn't scared of what would happen—I was still too mad to care. Shin sat next to me, muttering under his breath about how unfair it was.
Eventually, Shin's mom arrived, and since my mom was at work, she took me home too. I picked up Loom from her school not long after. As soon as she saw me, she tilted her head and frowned.
"Big brother, what happened today?" she asked, her voice full of curiosity.
"Nothing happened," I said quickly, not wanting her to worry. Then I smiled and changed the subject. "Hey, you want to go play at the playground?"
Her face lit up. "Yeah!"
For the next 25 minutes, I watched her climb the jungle gym and slide down the slides, laughing like nothing else in the world mattered. It made me feel better—seeing her happy.
When our time was up, I called out, "Alright, Loom, time to go home."
"Okay," she said, skipping toward me.
As we walked home, I thought about everything that had happened. Standing up for Leana felt right, even if it got me into trouble. Sometimes, you have to fight back to protect the people you care about—even if it means facing the consequences.