I looked at grandfather. He had called me after dinner and tea to his office. I had trudged slowly making my way to his office and had knocked three times precisely with determination.

One thing about grandfather was that he hated when things were dawdled. I was included in those things. It was though not a total bad thing because I learned to be specific, determined and quick in action.

I stood in front of me as he continued to stare at me with hard frozen eyes. I kept my eyes looking at the edge of the desk as I waited for him to speak first.

It was obvious that whatever he needed to say was serious. It was also probably why he was angry and he needed to address it. Without him saying or him shooting angry glares af me through dinner and teatime I had known his object of anger was because of me. I was really the only one that frustrated him and easily irked him.

The usual calm, charismatic leader and chairman of Victory Group was not so easily moved nor shocked. The only exception apparently was me. Yet to have discovered the true reason why I was the exception...but I was sure some day I would. I already had ideas on why grandfather was not always so pleased with me.

"Grandfather?"

My answer from him was papers and pictures thrown at me by him. Despite the physical damages or pain was little, it did not change the fact that it angered me. I bit my tongue forcing myself to stay in my place.

"Explain!" His words sharp and hissing through his teeth. The decibel kept fairly low so grandmother's attention would not be caught.

I examined the papers in front of my left foot. It was a report.

Probably a weekly report that grandfather received about me from the private eye or whoever was in charge of following and keeping an eye on me. The report seemed fairly detailed with bullet points of the exact time and date noted with my activity that was described.

I took my eyes further to look at one the post from the website. To be specific, it was some student mentioning how the game of 'Marked' had begun once more. Which technically was not true.

Next was a picture of Mia whose back was shown. Not a picture of her face was among her pictures, which I had made sure immediately with my scanning eyes. I still knew it was her though.

There was a picture...the picture was of her from a few days ago. She had been wearing the blue navy beanie and I was standing before her with my smirk on my face as she stood rather small in front of me. The picture did no justice to what she had actually looked like during the confrontation.

"Who is she?" He was imaptient. "The girl in the picture?"

"No one." I replied.

He scoffed, his eyes beady and reflecting the obvious dislike for me. "Lie."

He didn't believe me in the first place I was not sure why he asked. I was positive that he already knew everything. He knew me well. And I knew him too.

I was like him in some ways. Vicious, determined, impatient and manipulative. I had learned from the best. Him...

"No one. I'm not lying. She's not anyone. Not yet." I met grandfather in the eye as I️ explained. Hopefully whatever was going in my head would not go against me later. "She's marked in a way but it's nothing you need to worry about grandfather."

"Not good enough."

I picked up the picture that held Mia's profile. Looking at it I took the time to remember that day. "I meant what I said. She's nothing yet because she had yet to become anything." I explained slowly.

It was true Mia was nothing to me. Only a nuisance and next to her was another nuisance. One I had not known that had existed until now.

"Taehyung." His voice warning me.

"She's someone I marked hoping she would be willing to perhaps...get to know a bit more..." Another that was not a lie.

"But..." he had gotten the direction that I was going. His eyes were still distrusting but allowing me a chance to speak.

"It seems that the girls got jealous and started bullying her. I have yet to find a solution to make them stop. As you can see in that picture," I pointed at the picture of Jimin and Mia on the rooftop, "even Jimin's warnings were not enough."

"I want that nonsense marked business no more. And I want no more rumors of you allowing bullying to occur." His firm voice still had power despite his old age. "I will not have you bothering your grandmother."

"Yes sir." I smiled grinning at the small victory.

"Dismissed." My grandfather waved me out.

I planned on just leaving but my feet automatically planted itself from moving.

"Oh, grandfather, I have a quetion for you." Taehyung did not wait for approval. "How do you for...coax someone to be...well yours? To be come your ally?"

"In what way?" I could tell that grandfather's interests were piqued.

I smiled. "Perhaps this particular someone is not affected by anything that is done to...for her. How do I get her to...react? To get a...affected by my doings?"

"That girl...Jung-something, Mia."

"It's a hypothetical question, grandfather." I pressed.

I watch as grandfather narrow his beady eyes at me. He spoke after some time but I had seen a particular picture that caught my eyes. I only looked up when his voice called my attention. "For a girl like Mia, you won't get anywhere by trying something with her. Especially your methods."

"Oh?" I had not expected him to answer. "Then your solution to someone like...Mia?"

"Everyone else..." his reply curt. I was actually surprised he responded at all.

I didn't get it. Was he trying to confuse me even more? Was he trying to speak in riddles to spite me?

Apparently he had seen me question him silently.

"For someone like Mia, you have to woo her through others. She's not going to see sincerity unless it's through others." His grandfather considered me as I thought about what he said. "Change your tactics Taehyung, because you won't get anywhere with her. You won't break her that way."

I made a mental note to work on my transparency skills even more.

"Noted. I will leave you be grandfather. Goodnight." I picked my feet up and began to move, but before briskly walking out of the office, I picked up the picture that had caught my eyes.

It was a good picture, and a rare picture of Mia. It was with her smiling but that was not why I picked it up and took it with me.

This picture of her so different, so happy made my stomach churn in sickness. She was laughing at my pain, and my suffering. This picture that now hung above my bed's canopy as I threw darts at the picture.

Around her...huh? Change my tactics.

I smirked as I threw my last dart at not her but the one standing next to her. A girl, to be specific, it was that girl. Her best friend, the one she had slapped me for; she would be first.

Time to change my tactics indeed.

It was time to see Mia's plain face contort with anger.

Just wait, I will meet those eyes once more, just like the first time."

➰➰➰

The Sunday morning, I received an email and messages confirming my requests. I grinned.

It would be fun.

It had been quite boring watching Mia stay indifferent toward anything happening toward heself and indifferent toward me. At first I had just enjoyed her getting bullied, but it wasn't excitable anymore. I needed something more and since she decided to be boring, I would give her the push she needed.

She started this and I will finish this. Soon...

But first a break perhaps. This was probably a good time to give Mia a break, a reprieve from what her life had become. It would be a change of pace, a breather, a chance for her to relax as a wallflower again.

I chuckled since this would be the first. Giving a 'Marked' a break before their departure had never occured before. I guess I had Mia to thank for this...new experience.

➰➰➰

I'll see you soon. Mia...