Rule #10: Do not deduce without data

Do you ever look back at your life and wonder how you got from point A to point B? Or what series of decisions led you to the life you live now?

Saera felt her body work on autopilot as she nodded to what the principle and the coach were saying.

Youngjae would be suspended for a week and it would show up on his student record. She knew that the only thing that was keeping him from being expelled was the sympathy that the principle felt for her.

Mark was sitting beside her, trying to manipulate Joo Hyun's family against pressing charges, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

Because I hate you.

Youngjae had never said that he hated her before.

He'd said that she annoyed him, that she embarrassed him, that she frustrated him but he never said that he hated her.

At least if he had screamed it, she could've chalked it up as an unintended outburst, but he spoke to her in such a distant, cold, monotone voice that all she could think about was those 4 words.

He hated her.

She felt her fingers curl into fists in her lap.

What had she done that was so wrong that he hated her?

How did the either of them turn out this way?

"We're going to have to rethink Youngjae's position on the team but for the time being he will not be playing in this season." The coach said sternly.

Saera nodded again and just waited for the conversation to end. After another 10 minutes of scolding and disciplining, they were finally able to leave.

Mark had managed to sweet talk Joo Hyun's family into to not pressing charges and now the two of them were walking side by side while Youngjae walked sluggishly in front of her.

"What am I doing?" She whispered.

Mark didn't flinch as he kept in step with her. "You're doing the best you can."

"And I'm failing." She said under her breath, "I have no clue what I'm doing and I'm failing at it. The only problem is that I'm bringing someone else down with me."

Mark frowned, "This is going to sound mean but sometimes it's not your fault. It's his fault too.  He used his fists. He used the conscious decision to hit someone to solve his problems, whatever they might be."

"If I only tried talking to hi--"

"Don't enable him. If you keep taking the blame, he's going to keep acting out."

She scoffed, "So what am I supposed to do, huh? Take him to the police for getting into a fight?" She sneered at Mark, "What do you know about anything?"

She hugged herself and was about to storm away when Mark grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. She stumbled backwards and stared at him in bewilderment.

Even Mark looked a little astounded as he quickly dropped her hand. "Look, I'm not saying that he's a criminal or a thug or anything. What I'm saying is that you need to sit down and have a talk with that boy. A real talk, not as his mother, not as his guardian, not as someone who's putting a roof over his head and food on the table."

"Then how?!" She yelled while shoving him away by the chest. Youngjae stopped walking and turned around to see her sister in a heated argument with her 'friend' from the bakery who remained calm. He regripped his backpack strap and watched them talk.

Mark grabbed her wrists and leaned close to her, "You talk to him as his sister. That's what you are, right?"

Saera fell speechless as Mark let go of her hands and walk away from her and led Youngjae into his car.

She felt her shoulders drop as she followed closely behind before getting into the seat beside him.

"So…who exactly are you?" Youngjae asked from the back seat.

Mark glanced at Saera who was staring longingly out the window before looking at Youngjae from the rear vie w mirror.

"I'm a cop."

Youngjae's eyes widened as he sat up, "Y-You're a cop."

Mark hummed in response while Youngjae's interest was beyond piqued, "Are you going to arrest me?"

"Not unless you get into another fight." He said blandly and slowly rolled his sleeve up to reveal his army tattoo, knowing that Youngjae had perfect view of it.

"You already finished enlistment?" Youngjae said, wide eyed.

Saera's eyes flinched as she looked over at Mark's arm. She didn't notice his tattoo since she drew on his other arm.

"Yeah, and then I spent an extra two terms in the navy forces by choice."

Youngjae leaned forward between both their seats, "That's so hardcore."

Saera's face was tense as she turned her head to glance at her brother, "We're not done talking about what happened today."

Mark caught the way Youngjae's face fell in the mirror but chose to stay silent until the young boy spoke up first.

"How do you know my sister?"

Saera sighed and turned back forward while glaring out the window.

"We're friends." He said quietly.

Youngjae snorted, "Saera doesn't have friends. She's too busy to have friends other than Mireu."

Mark looked over at Saera as he pulled up to the bakery, "I guess our paths just crossed too many times."

Saera shot him a tense, fake smile before getting out of the car.  Mark let out a breath as Saera slammed the door close and walked to the trunk and popped it open before grabbing some of his things.

Youngjae was about to get out when Mark stopped him.

"Your sister really cares about you."

The young boy froze with his hand on the handle, "And?"

Mark shrugged, "And she's all you have so maybe you should cut her some slack."

Youngjae looked at his lap for a second before opening the door, "You don't know anything about us."

-----

"Why are you bringing boxes to the storage room?" Youngjae asked as he stood by Mark's makeshift room in the hallway outside their apartment.

"He's moving in." Saera said with a serious face as she walked up behind her brother.

Youngjae snorted, "You're moving into a storage room in the hallway of an apartment unit?"

"My place is getting fumigated and I need a place to crash until I can head back." He said as he dropped his last box onto of the cheap blow up mattress that Saera dug up.

"Here." Saera mumbled while passing him blankets and a pillow.

"Thanks." Mark's eyes flickered to meet hers but she was already turning away. He watched her walk into her apartment before he crouched down next to his boxes.

Youngjae looked down the desolate hallway, "This is the only room on this floor, you know that, right? Why don't you just move into our unit?"

"Because it's temporary and your sister isn't exactly into that idea."

Youngjae shook his head, "I still don't get it. How does an ex-navy forces, present-day-cop have anything in common with my baker-psychic sister? You're way to cool for her."

"Things just happened that way, I guess." Mark responded vaguely.

He figured that since Youngjae didn't already know about Saera's involvement with the precinct, that he was to stay that way.

"Have you ever shot someone?" Youngjae asked in intrigue as he sat on top of one of Mark's boxes.

Mark gave Youngjae a look, "Yeah, but I try not to do it often."

"Have you ever killed someone?"

Mark froze with his hands gripping his clothes, something flashed in his eyes before he cleared his throat, "No."

"That's a bummer." Youngjae bemoaned.

"Youngjae."

Both of them turned to see Saera standing by the door, "Get inside, we need to talk."

Youngjae gave Mark one last look before walking past Saera and into the apartment. Saera crossed her arms and walked into the room Mark.

"You're going to be okay in here?" She said while surveying the cramped space.

He shrugged, "It'll have to do."

"Well, here's the spare. If you need anything just come in, but turn on the lights so you don't scare us in the middle of the night." She said while handing him a silver key.

"Thanks." He said formally.

Saera sighed in defeat, "I should be thanking you for doing all of this."

"It's literally my job." Mark said while leaning against the door frame.

Saera bit down on her lip and looked around. With her hair tied up and her makeup gone; with a baggy t-shirt that fell to her knees and a pair of leggings on, she didn't look as mystical and unbreakable as she did all the past times he's seen her.

She just looked human.

And very much breakable.

"Well, I should go. The last time I had a talk with Youngjae, I was reluctantly teaching about the birds and the bees." She said with a grim laugh. "Have a good night."

She was about to turn away when Mark suddenly stood up and snatched her wrist before spinning her around. Her eyes were wide and almost frightened and he was quick to let go of her and step back.

He didn't realize how impulsive he was getting recently.

"Do you…uh…need something?" She asked in confusion.

Mark took a deep breath. "You told me that there's always a winner and a loser. If you want to be a loser, you need to focus less on trying to get him to love you and more about trying to be there for him. If you want to be a winner, just keep doing what you're doing."

Saera's face stiffened when she realized what he was referring to.

"Mark, just stop." She said warily. "Stop, stop trying to fix things. Stop giving me advice. It's condescending and out of place. You said so yourself. We're work acquaintances. Stop trying to meddle in my personal life. Please."

Mark expected this reaction and wasn't fazed, "In my defence, I called you my friend in the car."

Saera closed her eyes and breathed out through her teeth.

"I kind of hate you right now."

Mark looked stunn