Aaron once had a warm heart and hope in others — until his mother passed away. Her death shattered him. His father remarried soon after, bringing a stepmother and a stepsister into his life. He tried, at first, to bond with them, believing they could be a new family. But his stepmother was distant and cold, while his stepsister constantly played pranks on him.
One day, she invited him to go out with her. He thought maybe things were finally changing. While out, he met her friends and surprisingly got along with them. But this only irritated his stepsister. On the way home, she suddenly asked him if he liked her friends. When he said yes, she became angry, scolded him, and — in a fit of emotion — pushed him into the street.
He was hit by a car.
Two weeks later, he awoke in the hospital. Alive — but changed. His face was empty, his eyes hollow. When he saw his family, he felt nothing. He believed they hated him. In truth, they were devastated — especially his stepmother and stepsister, who were heartbroken by what had happened. But they didn't know how to say it, and their silence only deepened the distance between them.
While recovering in the hospital, he met a gangster — a rough man with a mysterious past. Despite their differences, they became friends. The gangster taught him how to fight and survive — how to never be weak again.
When he returned home, he spoke to no one. He never called his stepmother "Mom" again. He refused to acknowledge his stepsister. He lived like a ghost in his own house.
In middle school, things only got worse. His childhood friend — a girl who once meant the world to him — betrayed him. She began to bully him along with her friends. But deep down, she loved him. Hurting him was the only way she felt she could keep him close, even if it broke him more.
And it did. He shut down completely.
He responded to his family's kindness with cold silence. After school, he'd disappear to a part-time job, then come home late and head straight to his room. One day, he finally snapped — beating his bullies at school. He severed all ties with his former friend and went home without a word.
When his father found out, he was furious. He stormed home and harshly scolded him. His stepmother and stepsister tried to stop him, but failed. The MC stood his ground, arguing back before retreating to his room. The family's hearts were breaking, but his wall only grew taller.
He always said the same thing when they tried to reach out:
> "It's already too late."
High school arrived. He now stood taller, colder, stronger. When he saw his middle school classmates again, he didn't even look their way. The boy they once knew was gone.