She gestured for him to start, so he leaned back, pressing his lips into a thin line, lost in thought.
Finally, he spoke.
"Do you know what a Boss is?" He asked her.
The terminology was not unfamiliar, having heard the story from Donghyuck numerous times, so she twisted her hand in a so-so gesture. He nodded, before twisting his fingers together.
"A Boss is someone who is powerful." He said simply. "Someone who is in the highest position of power in a particular field, and has everyone and everything in the palm of his hand. It's a slang, of sorts, that developed over time, and that's what men of high status and prestige used to be called. All these cities," Mark gestured, spreading his hands, "They were built by eight bosses. Neo City, Limitless, Mad City, the smaller towns outside the walls that surround these three cities, they were created from ruins.
These eight bosses were heads of companies, companies that held immense power in the corporate world, a large share of the foreign market back then, you get it."
Rina nodded.
Mark continued, "They were manipulative, using this power to their advantage. They had weapons, factories, resources at their disposal. They formed a union, and sort of took down the government in this place, and rebuilt it to their liking. They crushed the society and order in Neo City, then made Limitless the new capital. And they ruled like that for years.
Each Boss has someone by their side, called a Partner. Like, the Boss is the face of the company, the one who commands most authority, and then there's a Partner, someone who the Boss can trust regardless of the situation or circumstances, someone who he or she can lean on for advice, support, defense, anything.
Obviously, Bosses only choose someone they're the closest with. Their relationship is," Mark seemed to struggle to find the right word, interlocking his fingers, "Almost symbiotic." He said.
"That's what Donghyuck was for me." He said.
Rina's eyes widened. The aforementioned hazel eyed boy had told her about this concept, so many times both he and she had lost count, but never once had he mentioned names during his numerous story telling sessions.
"I practically grew up with him." Mark said, his gaze now on the loose thread hanging from the hem of his t-shirt. "His dad was my father's Partner. Naturally our families became close. I was really young, but if things had gone on normally," Mark swallowed, picking at the thread absentmindedly. "I'd have chosen him to be my Partner."
You gave him the name Haechan, she wrote on the paper, passing it to him. He looked up at her in shock. "How did you- Oh, he must have told you." He cut himself off, looking back down immediately. But Rina had seen the tears in the corners of his eyes. She didn't know what to do, so she simply sat still, waiting for him to speak again.
"My parents, and the other six Bosses were attacked one night." He said, his voice came out strong, but he didn't look up at her, his fists clenched.
"Again, I don't remember much, but it was really chaotic that night. My father died all because the King grew selfish and betrayed the others."
Rina shivered. There was pure, boiling hatred in Mark's voice, and the instinct telling her that she was in danger grew stronger.
She knew this. She knew that the King killed the remaining seven bosses that night, monopolizing the power over the three cities. She knew he had betrayed people to get the throne, the authority he had craved. For a long time, she just didn't know who.
"I just assumed Donghyuck didn't survive that night, because he wasn't present in any of the hideouts the Bosses had created outside the walls." The boy took a deep breath, glancing up at Rina, who said nothing.
She knew that as well. Donghyuck's family had been captured during the assault and had been brought before the King. That's how Donghyuck got a guard's job at such a young age. He was working to compensate the 'treason' his parents had committed by having worked for other Bosses.
"I didn't really recognize him." He said softly. "It had been so long, and we were so young, I'd be surprised if we remembered each other clearly. I didn't expect him to be alive."
"He didn't recognize me either. Remember he had asked you guys to leave, and I had stayed back to talk to him?" Mark asked her.
She did remember. The hazel eyed boy had pressed his lips in a thin line, hand on his gun as he had stared at Rina beside Lucas. Her heart broke into pieces when he looked away, focusing on Mark. "The rest of you can leave." He had whispered, the words still echoing clearly in the silent hallway.
"I just need to talk to Mark Lee for a minute."
She remembered how Yuta had violently protested, before more footsteps were heard, and Donghyuck had unhesitatingly shot the camera present in the corridor, ushering the rest of them out before pointing a place where Mark could remain hidden while he deviated the guards.
"He had come to talk to me because he'd done some snooping around. I have no idea where he even pulled up my old citizen records from," Mark shrugged, now fidgeting with the ring on his pinky, one that Rina had forgotten about, breath hitching as she remembered it was Donghyuck's. "But he found out that I was an ex-Boss' son. That I am the same Mark that he knew thirteen years ago."
And he gave you that ring, she wrote, to which Mark nodded, head hung down. Was he okay when you left? She asked.
"If you were worried that I had killed him, I didn't." Mark gave her a half smile. "He said he'd come up with a story, maybe hack into the footage of the cameras and erase the evidence that he had helped us." Mark quietened down, before saying, "He really cares for you."
The lump in Rina's throat became larger, and she looked down. But she didn't reply, instead asking her second question.
What about Chenle and Jisung?
Mark's eyes scanned the question, before he let out a laugh. "Man, were they a handful." He shook his head. "Chenle screamed so loudly I thought I was going to go deaf." Rina's eyes widened incredolously, and Mark seemed to realise how that sounded.
"Oh, Jesus, I- I didn't kill him!" He exclaimed. "Why do you think I kill everything?"
Rina shook her head in utter shock. "I took him and Jisung to the towns beyond the wall. I have, uh," He hesitated, eyes darting away, "I have family there." He said softly.
They both flinched when they heard the banging of a door, and the loud voice of Ten floating down the hall. "I'll poison the food if you force me to help, I swear to God, Jungwoo," Followed by the irritated response of the soft spoken blue haired male. "Taeyong and Johnny are going to be here soon-" their conversation drifting away as they walked past the door to Mark's room and further away.
Mark brightened up. "They're going to be home?" He asked to no one in particular, eyes sparkling with happiness, lips curving upward into a joyful smile.
Wasn't Taeyong the person who's room she had slept in, Rina thought to herself, frowning. Mark got up, stretching. "If we're done here, do you wanna go up and help with breakfast?" He asked brightly. "It's not often they're home. Man, I miss Johnny."
The loud voice of Ten had reminded her about her last question. She halted him with a raise of her hand, quickly writing it down.
What do you know about Ten?
"About Ten?" He read out loud, frowning. "What do I know about Ten?" He repeated, as if reconfirming it was the question she wanted to ask. She nodded, her wrist moving smoothly as she elaborated.
What did he do that made all of you hate him?
"Oh, that." Mark said, realisation dawning upon him. "Thought you were going to hit on him or something," He said with a grin, to which Rina gave him an indignant look, lightly hitting him.
"Ten has been a Partner for while," Mark explained, scrunching up his nose as he tried to remember. "Taeyong's Partner, specifically. And a couple of years ago, Ten, Lucas, Sicheng and I went on a mission, but ended up being caught." The brunet winced, as if remembering painful memories.
"I think the guards knew Ten, like, personally. And they mentioned something about knowing the location of something, can't remember what. So Ten turned us over to the guards in exchange for the information. I don't know if he got what he needed, but he came back for us a day later, and broke us out of the holding cell they had kept us in."
Rina cocked an eyebrow, confusion written across her face. Mark paused for a second, before saying unsurely, "I think he was searching for someone, not something."
It was like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over her. A distinct memory, one that had resurfaced just recently, echoed in her head.
"If I went missing, would you look for me?"
"I would tear apart every city if I had to."
It couldn't be him.
He had been executed the day she was thrown into the prison, hadn't he? She'd heard the screams of the servants who had raised the orphaned boy, she'd heard the pulling of the rope. She hadn't been allowed to witness the execution, but her father had done her the favor of letting her know that her only link to the world outside, the angelic boy who had done nothing but make her heart flutter and lips curve into happy smiles, who could make her forget her lost voice, was dead, was murdered by the man who sat on the throne, the perfectionist who was ready to eliminate anything with flaws, anything humane in the world.
He had been killed to weaken her, a display to show how the King controlled her life and the people in it, how she wasn't strong enough to fight against his will, not even to save those she loved.
That day she had lost her best friend, and she lost any remnants of her old life as she was tossed into the cold cell that became her home for eight years, no reason to fight against the soldiers, just a limp corpse overflowing with regret, because he had been killed for being her friend.
But at Mark's words, the seeds of hope planted themselves in her chest, blossoming to beautiful yellow flowers, ones she believed would die a bitter death the second she got the answer to her last question.
Is Ten his real name?
Mark bit his lip at this question, looking at Rina with narrowed eyes. "No, but I thought you knew that. I mean," He said incredulously, "Did you honestly think any parent would name their child after a number?"
She gave no response, and Mark sighed. "His real name is really long, though. I never get the second part right." He said, frustrated, tugging his brown locks. Five seconds passed, before he gave her the answer.
"I think it's Chittaphon Lee, something along those lines, yeah."
She stilled, butterflies erupting in the pits of her stomach, her heart plummeting, the flowers blooming into thorny vines that encircled her lungs, making it heard for her to breathe. She wanted to laugh, wanted Mark to laugh, tell her it was a joke.
Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, her mind whispered.
"Hey, Rina, are you okay? You look a little pale." Mark said worriedly, leaning down. No, she wasn't okay. She was far from okay.
He was alive.
And he was upstairs.
So she did the only plausible thing.
She tossed her notepad on the bed and got up so fast Mark had to leap back to avoid crashing into her, and she raced out of the room, running up the stairs.
"You guys came back early, we haven't made anything yet- Oh, hi, Rina." Her entrance cut Jungwoo off, and she froze, because there, not less than a few feet from, stood Ten, who looked at her in surprise.
But he wasn't the only one who was shocked at her appearance.
Behind him stood a man with pale white hair and piercing eyes that rooted her to the spot, his gaze looking her up and down, as if questioning who she was and what she was doing.
"Ah, this is Taeyong," Jungwoo gestured to the white haired, seemingly having taken it upon himself to introduce the two newcomers, not taking note of the thickening tension in the room.
"And this is Johnny." Rina ripped her gaze away from the intimidating man to the one beside him, a taller, brown haired male, black at the roots, who was staring open mouthed at her, an expression that was fusion of horror and shock painting his features. He had slanted eyes, a soft nose, a tan skin tone that was slowly turning white-
She couldn't think any further, her brain finally having caught up with everything happening. All she could register what that Johnny looked like the older version of someone she knew.
He looked like her. But most of all, he looked like Youngho.