*NARRATOR'S POV*

Mark parked his car next to the pavement. He had no idea what he was doing. All he could think was don't let Miranda hurt Jackson.

Mark had seen her with Jiho a few days ago, hugging in front of her house while he was on his morning run around the neighbourhood. And he was sure there was nothing friendly about the hug. The way Jiho's hands were on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him, it looked like they were lovers, not friends.

Miranda was nothing but a in Mark's eyes. At first he thought she was nice. She was just a basic girl, fishing for guys to notice her with her classy looks. And yes, Mark thought she was attractive and friendly, but when he started to pay attention to her more closely, he realized her true intentions.

She wasn't with Jackson because she liked him. She was using him so that she wouldn't have to be alone. Yes, maybe she pitied him and felt like he needed her, but Jackson didn't need anyone who didn't really care about him. And Mark really cared about Jackson. He wouldn't let any new girl ruin what was left of his best friend. Especially now that he was sick.

Mark sighed and bit his lip. He squeezed the steering wheel with white knuckles. ”Come on...” he mumbled under his breath. He glanced at the white detached house and sighed again, this time more aggressively. He wasn't going to back down now. This was the only way he could reveal Miranda to Jackson. And if he was right about Jiho not only being her friend, this would work. Mark knew Jiho well enough to know that he wasn't going to give up and just let someone else get his girl. And the fact that Jackson and Jiho weren't exactly the most familiar with each other just secured his plan.

Jackson would hate her when he found out her true feelings.

Mark got up from the car and slammed the door closed. He stared at the house for a while before walking his way to the front porch. Then he gave the door a powerful knock.

After a minute or so, the door opened in front of him. He had prepared to face Jiho, but the person who opened the door wasn't him. He had never seen this guy before. ”Is Jiho home?” Mark asked, lowering his voice to sound more intimidating. The guy in front of him squinted his eyes and frowned.

”Depends who you are.” The shape of the guy's face and his big lower lip reminded Mark of Jiho, so he assumed that he was talking to his brother.

”Mark Tuan. Jiho and I go to the same school”, Mark said with confidence.

”That doesn't explain who you are.”

Mark glanced behind the guy and gathered his confidence. ”Jiho-ah!” he yelled.

”If you're not his friend, I wouldn't talk to him right now”, the guy said and leaned on the door frame.

”Why?” Mark asked knitting his brows.

The guy bit his lip and glanced behind him. ”It's none of your business.”

Mark sighed and took a step closer. ”I think I might be able to help him.”

The guy chuckled and shook his head.

”I'm serious. If it's about Miranda-”

”How exactly do you know her?” the guy suddenly spoke up and focused on the conversation. Then he straightened his back and glared at Mark. ”Wait a second... are you the guy who-”

”I'm no one! Just- let me talk to Jiho”, Mark sighed and closed his eyes for a second or two. ”I'm trying to help him get her back.”

The guy froze and examined Mark's serious face. Then he moved aside and let Mark walk past him.

Okay Mark, you're doing the right thing, he encouraged himself as he looked around the house. Jiho's brother walked past him and pointed upstairs. ”He's in his room.”

Mark nodded and hurried up the stairs. His heart was beating like crazy for some reason. The redhaired guy stopped at the end of the stairs and looked around. He could hear a silent music coming from the room at the end of the hall.

”Hyung!”

Mark recognized the voice. It was definitely Jiho. He was calling for his older brother. Mark walked across the hall and opened the door to Jiho's room. He had expected Jiho to jump up and strangle him, but for his surprise, the guy just lied on his bed and played with his phone. Then he looked up and saw Mark.

”What the hell?” he gasped and squinted his eyes. ”How did you get here? And why are you here?”

Mark had never hated Jiho. He hadn't really paid attention to him, even though Jiho and Jackson used to throw evil glances at each other every now and then. Their encounters were never anything very serious. If he hadn't known about his and JB's past, he might have actually liked him. ”Your brother let me in”, Mark said trying to sound as friendly as possible. He was on Jiho's territory, and didn't want to get beaten up like JB.

”Why would he let you in?” Jiho asked bitterly.

”Because I came here... to help you”, Mark said, trying to ignore the bitterness in Jiho's voice. Jiho chuckled and turned back to his phone.

”Right.”

”I'm serious”, Mark mumbled and stepped in the room. He sat on the chair in front of Jiho's desk.

”Me too”, Jiho said, still looking at the screen of his phone. ”Get lost.”

”So you don't mind at all that Miranda's at the pool party with Jackson?” Mark asked raising his voice. Jiho seemed to shiver slightly. He stared in front of him, not saying a word.

”You know she doesn't even like him, right?” Mark continued, trying to get Jiho triggered. ”She just feels sorry for him. Are you seriously going to let him take her, just like that?”

”If she didn't like him she wouldn't have gone there”, Jiho mumbled. ”And why are you telling me this? It's none of your business.”

Mark sighed. ”Because I don't like what she's doing.”

”She's not doing anything!” Jiho snapped.

”Yes she is! She's using Jackson!”

Jiho stood up from his bed and walked in front of Mark. Mark leaned his back on his seat. He couldn't say he wasn't afraid of Jiho. He knew about his violent past through JB. Jiho used to beat people up for fun when he was younger. He had heard that that was the reason why he got involved with drugs in the first place.

”Miranda isn't doing anything. If you feel like pointing a finger at someone, you should probably point it towards Jackson. He's using his... illness to get her to like him”, Jiho grunted.

Mark had succeeded. He looked down and blinked, as if he just now had realized what his friend was doing. ”Are you gonna do something about it...” he breathed quietly. Jiho threw his hands behind his head and growled. Mark watched him as he walked around the room, weighing his options.

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