Mark sighed. Class was a bit exhausting today, much more tiring than the others. Maybe, it was because of how Mrs. Park taught them. She wasn’t that engaging, and the whole class was actually falling asleep. Even though he didn’t mind studying, he still found her teaching a bit lacking in enthusiasm. He gathered his things and walked out of the classroom.

He needed to study, but it seemed that he was too drained to do so, physically and mentally tired. Was it because of school? Or, the lack of sleep? Probably both. Right now, all he wanted was his bed. And maybe, cuddle with Jackson. The latter was probably in class and of course, he didn’t want to disturb the guy.

Studies first, as he would always say. And, he kept reminding himself that. Finishing college and finding a stable job was his top priority. Well, that was the plan, and it still was. But, it seemed that he met some people along the way, though he wasn’t complaining. Jackson and Jinyoung were nothing but kind to him.

And, on cue, he saw Jinyoung from afar, walking alone. Where was Jaebum? He wasn’t sure if the guy saw him, but the boy had a blank expression on his face. They said that you could see everything from a person’s eyes.

But, Jinyoung had nothing. No spark or light, whatsoever. He watched as the said person just walked past him. It seemed that he wasn’t even noticed by the other.

For the past days, he wanted to explain himself so badly. He wanted to walk up to Jinyoung and at least give the guy an explanation. But really, what was there to explain? He chose Jackson, right? That was clear enough. Wasn’t it transparent enough? What did Jinyoung want to hear from him?

All these questions and pondering were giving him a headache. He decided to let things go, brushing all of these ideas.

Time. Jackson said give Jinyoung time. His boyfriend kept reminding him to stop the self-blame, because the decision couldn’t be helped. But, why? Why was this so hard? What if it was the other way around? What if he chose the other? What could’ve been the possible outcome? Maybe, as of the moment, that was the only thing he could give, time. He didn’t have much of a choice.

He walked past the gate, stopping as he noticed a black car halting in front of him. The heavily-tinted window slid down, revealing the person at the back seat. His eyes widened as he recognized who the person was. He could see two men in black suits on his sides.

He was in trouble.

“Get it” The man ordered. “Now”

Mark had two options: Either, he would follow the order, or he would run away. Seeing that there weren’t much people around, shouting wouldn’t do any help. Causing a scene would only make things worse.

So, he chose to follow. A black-suited man opened the other door. He was in a tight situation right now. He should’ve at least tried to run away, but no, his stupidity led him here.

Jackson, Jackson, where are you? Please, I need you. Jackson...

---

Jackson honked the car horn for the nth time. If he had the power to stop time, he would do so. If only he had the authority to ask every vehicle to move out of his way. He could, actually, if he had a convoy. But, he didn’t want to use his privilege, especially if that came from his Grandfather.

To be honest, he didn’t want to do anything with the man right now, even if he was family. And, that was exactly the problem. The man was his family, his grandfather, and the person he could rely on because his Dad wasn’t there anymore. Being the only father figure he could rely on, he expected so much from the eldest Wang. In all fairness, his grandfather did provide everything he needed, which he was thankful for.

But, why did his grandfather want Mark out of the picture so badly? How was losing the person he loved best for him? How could they force someone like Minki to be in an arranged relationship with him? How could his grandfather bare such ideas?

Did his grandfather really think of Mark as a freeloader, that the redhead was just using him? At first, that was what he thought. The environment he grew up with was ruthless and full of greedy people. That was why he found it hard to trust people. Or maybe, that was how his grandfather raised him to be.

But, if there was one thing he learned, not everyone was the same. In a world where everything revolved around money, there were still some who didn’t care about it.

Maybe, that was something he liked about Min that he also saw in Mark. Innocence? Kindness? He couldn’t see any shade of envy or greed from them.

In the darkness of the world, there was still a dim light of hope.

And, he didn’t want to lose that light, not again, not anymore. He wasn’t bragging about anything. He wasn’t being proud or stubborn. But, he was sure that at this point, he already had an idea what was best for him. It was something only he would truly know for sure.

After minutes of passing through cars and going through every shot cut he could think of, he finally arrived. He parked his car, not caring if it was a little out of place. Though, as much as he was in a rush, there was something he noticed.

That car, it looked so familiar. Wasn’t that Jinyoung’s car? He approached the vehicle, double checking the plate number. So, it was the guy’s car.

What was Jinyoung doing here?

Wait, could it be?

Was it possible? Would Jinyoung really do such a thing? The guy didn’t have any business here whatsoever. That was when he sped up his pace.

Mark, Jinyoung, his mom, and his grandfather, this wasn’t going to turn out well. But, the heart wants what is wants, and no one can dictate otherwise. There was no holding back now. Not anymore.