Fortunately Unlucky: A Short Story

Luhan has always been your typical Good Samaritan—he took part in his school’s volunteering programmes as a child and moved onto organising one of his own as he matured. Never turning a blind eye to the less fortunate, Luhan was the epitome of compassion and sympathy, the person who people generally referred to as those “who still had a shred of humanity left in them”.

Briefly put, Luhan is a darling angel.

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Italian shoes clacking against the concrete ground, he skilfully dodges the current of people swarming towards his direction as he makes his way to the city’s centre where lies one of the country’s greatest architectural works—his office, one of the most massive financial companies the world has to offer. However, as he turns the corner, shuffling paperwork around his briefcase he looks for his pass, can’t help but notice a man huddled on the hard floor in a rather uncomfortable position through his peripheral vision.

The man is an unkempt mess. Overgrown stubble making a home on his chin, growing past it to end around mid-neck and his dark brown hair tousled from tossing and turning in his sleep. In addition to his dry and flaky skin, it is also pale and ashen grey, making the dark eye rings look even more prominent in the dim morning light. With nothing on his back but wrinkled and torn clothes, Luhan concludes that this man was in fact, currently without residence.

Or commonly known as the homeless.

Sympathy enraptures the Chinese male and engulfs him whole. Before he knew it, feet have already strayed from the path towards towering skyscrapers and are fast approaching the other man. Luhan always did have a soft spot for the homeless.

Perhaps it is because of his family’s history, something about those tall tales...

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...ilthy and vile, with people only caring for themselves and themselves alone. Call it selfish, but it’s undoubtedly in human nature to prioritise themselves above all others. They’ll do anything to climb to the top, step on anyone as long as it benefits them, and sacrifice whatever as long as it profits them in the long run. Dearie, you’re the first person who even gave me a chance to lob their charity back at them.”

Stunned is the state Luhan finds himself in at the other’s monologue; legs rooted to the ground and jaw slack. He notices the other heave a sigh, shaking his head. “There you go again, pitying me. Shouldn’t you be getting to work?”

Luhan dumbly nods, mechanically moving one muscle at a time to turn tail and flee.

“Sehun, my name is Oh Sehun,” is the last thing he hears as double doors close and he jogs towards his first meeting of the day.

Sehun, huh?