Senior Year, 20XX

Mark scratched the back of his head as he typed in the code on the door, then he blinked when he realized it wasn’t even closed.

He pushed it open and stepped in the room.

“Irina?” He called out.

He could hear the shower running, his brows rose briefly. He made his way to the kitchen and dropped the bag of food on the counter.

“Is she home?” Jaebum entered the unit.

“I don’t know.” Mark stated as he walked to her room.

“Ya, I’m coming in!” He announced as he turned the knob, her bed was unmade and curtains drawn close.

“Rina?” Jaebum headed towards the living room, Mark made his way to the bathroom.

“R? You in there?” He knocked loudly, but no reply came. He could hear water running from the other side of the door.

Mark swallowed before opening the door, and then he paused.

She was sitting on the tub, the water was already past her elbows, he noticed how her cheeks and nose were red.

“Rina!” Mark panicked at the sight of her. She was still dressed in her usual pair of ripped jeans and shirt, even her shoes were still on.

Mark knelt down beside her and yanked her up, her eyes were blank as Mark made him face her.

“Jaebum-ah!” He yelled as he twisted the faucet off and grabbed a towel.

“What are you doing?” He sighed before wrapping the towel around her shoulders.

“I thought…it would go away, the pain…But, I can’t ignore it. I….feel so hurt, I feel so empty.” She stated, her tears running down her face.

Mark frowned, he gently lifted her off the tub.

“Rina!” Jaebum was stunned when Mark stepped out of the bathroom with the girl in his arms.

“Can you get Haena on the phone for~”

“No.” Rina choked.

“R~”

“I don’t want her to see me this way.”

Mark sat down on the couch, his brows knitted together. Jaebum was standing in front of her bedroom door, pacing back and forth.

“I heard from Jinyoung, but..I didn’t know..this would affect her so much.”

“Her whole family turned their backs on her, what do you expect?” Mark stated.

“But, all she wanted to do was help, and she’s always understood them.”

“They basically called her parents thieves.” Mark replied, Jaebum shook his head.

“She’s always been so protective of her dad, we both know that.” Mark stood up; there was a certain edge in his tone that made Jaebum pause briefly. He could sense that his friend was annoyed.

“What are we going to do? I don’t like seeing her this way.” Jaebum asked.

“We wait for her to come out.” Mark nodded.

Rina closed the door behind her; she was already dressed in a pair of black jeans and a green Star Wars shirt.

“Sorry for that.” She stated as she saw Mark standing by the windows.

“You scared me.” Mark stated before opening one arm to her.

“It was an…overdrive, I…just wanted to stop functioning for a while. Jaebum?”

“He went out to grab better food, what we bought you was junk.” Mark replied as she leaned on him and rested her cheek against his chest.

“R, you’ll pull through this.”

“I know I can, but I’m angry, Mark. This anger…it’s consuming me.”

His brows met briefly.

“You don’t understand, to have your own blood turn against you, people whom you’ve known your whole life, people whom you would protect ~” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“They don’t understand you, R, but that doesn’t~”

“I will destroy them.”

“But what if this destroys you?” Mark asked.

“It wont. They forgot who’s stronger. I wasn’t raised like them, I actually have a backbone, Mark.”

He nodded and kissed the side of her head.

“Then, tell me how I can help.”

“I don’t like this, she’s…having a hard time.” Mark stated as he set down his beer.

Jaebum nodded and frowned.

“I don’t understand, her aunts and that uncle of her all plotted against her?” Jackson asked.

“Haena just found out, it’s because their grandfather favors Rina too much, they all feel threatened of her, and let’s face it, technically, Rina is the first born. Her father is the eldest son, she has no other siblings and her uncle never got married.” Jinyoung explained.

“This isn’t the olden times, everyone will get a fair share of assets,” Jackson pointed out, Mark shook his head.

“That’s what I’m saying and let’s not forget how vocal she is when it comes to her aunt and her…husband.”

“But she has a right to be pissed at that swine.” Mark stated flatly, the three males blinked. For some reason, Mark was always a little protective of her, it wasn’t anything malicious, to him, when it came to Rina, he was always on guard and careful.

“Tuan has a point.” Jaebum nodded.

“I don’t like seeing her this way, she’s been so…dry the whole week.” Jackson sighed.

“She….said something about revenge. I don’t know what to feel about that.” Jaebum stated, between the five of them, Rina and Jaebum go way back to elementary school.

“We should help her then.” Jackson stated.

“But, we~”

“Shall we?” Mark said before taking another sip from his drink.

“How are you, my cinnamon roll?” Jackson smiled as he plopped down beside the girl.

“I’m fine. How was your exam?”

At the mention of exam, Jackson’s shoulders slumped. Jinyoung chuckled.

“Let’s not talk about it, let’s talk about you, how are you feeling?” Jackson asked her.

“I..haven’t been going home lately, staying in the condo is more comfortable than having to face the parents.” She stated.

Mark glanced up from his laptop.

“Then, your cousins?” Jinyoung asked, Jackson just wrapped both of his arms around her, Rina flinched at the unwanted display of affection but she let him be.

“I don’t know, I don’t want to see them, they’re snakes.” She replied, and then she looked at Mark.

“Mark, this has nothing to do with what’s going on between you and B~”

“I know, R.” Mark nodded at her.

“Then, are you two really dating?” Jackson asked.

“Just so you know, I’m taking my cinnamon roll’s side.” He continued, Jinyoung grew amused as Rina started to wriggle free from the male’s grasp.

“I don’t know, nai nai said I should marry Bona, it’s a good thing for the company and, being connected with LLG doesn’t seem a bad idea.” Mark said quietly, Rina nodded and looked at her fingers.

Then Jackson sat up.

“Then, I have a plan!” He announced.

“What? Protecting your cinnamon roll?” Jinyoung asked dryly. Rina grinned at Mark.

“Ani, well that too, but, what if,” Jackson let go of her and faced his friends.

“I know how they always say that, you shouldn’t get mad, but you should get even, right?”

“Yeah, that.” Rina nodded.

“How about you get back at them? Your revenge, should be getting back at them, making them suffer, make them eat back their words.”

“Jackson~”

“And, Mark Yi En Tuan here is being pressured to marry one of LLG heiresses,” Jackson finished.

“Okay, we all know that.” Jinyoung nodded, Mark looked at his friend and closed his laptop.

“Are you all blind?” Jackson asked as he noticed that his friends were just staring at him.

“This, this cinnamon roll is also LLG’s heiress.”

“What, you want cinammon~ I mean, Rina to marry Mark?” Jinyoung snorted, Rina chuckled.

“Jackson, baby, it’s too early to be dreaming~”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea.” Mark suddenly spoke. Jinyoung almost choked on his coffee.

“Ya, you’re supposed to be the sensible one.” Rina stated.

“What do you think? I need an escape, you need someone to help you get back at them.”

“Like she said, aren’t you supposed to be the sensible one?” Jinyoung echoed.

Jackson was beaming with pride, Rina just stared at Mark.

“Propose to me after you think about it, I wont reject you, R.” Mark mused before stashing his Macbook in his backpack.

“Thank god, he’s just joking.” Jinyoung mumbled.

“But I’m not.” Mark looked at them, Jackson nodded wildly.

“Mark~”

Mark leaned down to meet her gaze.

“I already told you, you have to tell me how I can help you, so I can.” He bopped the tip of her nose before heading to the building across them.

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