1 I was the most obedient dog at Justin’s heels. Even though I was his official girlfriend, I was the one who quietly washed his clothes with a cold face after he got back from some wild party with God knows who. Everyone in our circle thought I was desperately, hopelessly in love with him. Only I knew the truth. I only tolerated him because of the Favorability System in my head. For every single point Justin’s favorability toward me increased, a hundred thousand dollars would be wired to my account. But no matter how hard I tried over the past three years, his favorability toward me remained stuck at exactly one. Eventually, I got tired of the game. I told him we were done. That was when the long-silent system voice finally chimed in. Justin’s favorability has increased by twenty-five points. I stood there, completely speechless. When he wouldn't leave me alone and kept badgering me, I snapped and slapped him across the face. The mechanical voice chimed again. Justin’s favorability has increased by fifty points. I was utterly bewildered. On our third anniversary, it happened to line up with our high school reunion. Justin had texted me, saying he wanted to give me a surprise. But when I arrived at the private lounge as planned, I found him wrapped around Scarlett, the pretty girl from the class next door. They were kissing like they wanted to swallow each other whole. His friends were crowding around them, cheering and whistling. "Damn, Justin, you're bold," one of them laughed, raising his glass. "Aren't you worried Wendy is going to walk in and lose her mind?" Justin pushed Scarlett away, a dismissive smirk playing on his lips. "Anger? Does she even know how?" "True. Everyone knows Wendy is the most obedient girl in the world. Even if you brought another girl home, she’d probably just smile and make her coffee." Another guy joined in, "Man, but didn't you spend three whole years chasing her back in high school?" Justin leaned back into the leather sofa, crossing his legs and lighting a cigarette. "I only chased her because she was pretty. Thought she’d look good on my arm." He blew a slow cloud of smoke, his smile turning cruel. "Who knew she’d turn out to be so boring? She's as obedient as a dog." I pushed the door open, and the room went dead silent. Justin’s friends exchanged quick glances, some of them mockingly tugging at their own collars, pretending to hold a leash. They pointed at me with grins. The message was clear: Justin’s favorite pet had arrived. I ignored them, walking straight over and sitting down next to him. "Where is the surprise you mentioned?" A flash of confusion crossed Justin’s face before he checked his phone. "Oh, that? I lost a bet earlier and just sent the text on a whim." Scarlett leaned closer to Justin, her smile dripping with malice. "Yeah, we bet Justin whether you’d actually show up. Looks like we won." The room erupted into another round of snickers. Justin used me as a punchline so often that his friends had long since lost any shred of respect for me. I looked at the mockery in Justin’s eyes, then at the expectant faces of the onlookers waiting for me to play my part. For the first time, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. It just wasn't worth it anymore. I took a quiet breath and asked the question I had kept locked away for three years. "Justin, do you actually love me? Even just a little?" "Oh, hear that?" "Come on, Justin, the girl is practically begging. Say something nice." Justin stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, letting out a sharp laugh. "Wendy, we're adults. Asking about love? Isn't that a bit childish?" The jeering from his friends grew louder, some of them throwing out crude remarks. Justin threw his arm carelessly over Scarlett’s shoulder. "Actually, since you're here, there's something I need to tell you. Scarlett is staying in town for a while. You don't use your place very often anyway, so pack up your things and let her move in." I nodded slowly. "Actually, I have something to tell you too." I looked him dead in the eye. "Justin, let's break up." 2 Everyone in Justin’s circle, including Justin himself, believed I was too codependent to ever leave him. Even after I said the words, his smirk didn't fade. "Wendy, look at you, learning how to play hard to get." I didn't give him another glance. I stood up and walked toward the exit. This time, I was truly done. To be honest, my three years of silent endurance had been entirely for the sake of the system. In the beginning, my grandmother, who had raised me, fell gravely ill and needed an expensive operation. I was desperate for money. Right around that time, Justin had video-called me to confess his feelings yet again. The wind in his microphone had been deafening. He was wearing skydiving goggles, the blue sky rushing past behind him. "Wendy, I really love you! If you don't agree to be my girlfriend today, I'm not pulling the cord!" It wasn't his first time asking. 3 The first time I met Justin was on the first day of our senior year of high school. He had transferred in as a repeating student. Word around school was that he was supposed to go abroad with his childhood sweetheart, but they had a massive falling out right before the flight. In a fit of temper, the young heir decided to stay behind and take the national college entrance exams instead. Because his wealthy family had recently funded a brand-new science building for the school, our homeroom teacher called me into the office on day one. Since I was the academic representative, she asked me to help him catch up. And so, I became Justin's desk mate. His arrival in the classroom caused quite a stir. He was handsome, incredibly wealthy, and had those expressive eyes that made him look like he was flirting even when he was just looking at a chalkboard. After a brief introduction, he sauntered over to my desk, shoved his designer backpack into the cubby, pulled out a stack of pristine textbooks, and gave me a lazy grin. "Hey, new desk mate. Play nice, okay?" Honestly, during the high-pressure environment of senior year, the last thing I wanted was to baby a rich kid who was just trying out the public school experience. Fortunately, aside from a casual greeting in the mornings, he left me alone. But just when I thought we would peacefully coexist until graduation, he suddenly confessed. "Wendy, I like you. Be my girl." Amid the sudden cheers of our classmates, I just mumbled an okay and kept solving my math problems. After that, Justin started bringing me breakfast every morning, leaving expensive gifts and bouquets of flowers on my desk. I gave the food to whoever was hungry, tossed the gifts in the trash, and handed the flowers to our teacher. Eventually, he cornered me in the hallway before morning study. "Wendy, do you seriously think I'm not good enough for you?" I kept my eyes on my English vocabulary book. Justin, who had likely never been ignored by a girl in his life, let out a frustrated laugh. "Fine. Then tell me, what kind of guy does it take to please the great Wendy?" His voice was loud enough to draw stares from the passing students. Not wanting a scene, I casually pointed to the academic honor board on the wall behind him. It displayed the photos of the top ten students from the last exams. I pointed at the boy in the number one spot. "Him. I like guys like him." 4 "Joey? That freak?" Justin sneered, glancing at the photo. "Didn't realize you had such bizarre taste, Wendy." From that day until graduation, Justin stopped bothering me. Instead, he actually started burying his head in his books. Later, we ended up at the same university, though he was admitted into the major with the lowest entry requirements. On move-in day, Justin drove his luxury Maybach right onto the campus plaza, pulling off a dramatic drift before stopping right in front of me. "Wendy, I got into the same school as you. Now will you finally agree to be my girlfriend?" He tapped the hood of his car. "You know what my family is worth. Being with me means you'll never have to worry about a thing." A crowd had gathered, some students clapping and chanting for me to say yes. I took a deep breath, looking him straight in the eye. "Justin, I simply do not like you. It has nothing to do with your grades or your family's money." Chasing shortcuts and wanting things that don't belong to you only leads to a harder fall. I knew that better than anyone. Embarrassed by the public rejection, Justin slammed his car door and sped off, leaving a cloud of dust. I assumed he would give up. But a month later, he showed up again. This time, someone had clearly given him better advice. He stopped demanding that I be his girlfriend. Instead, when my student union group was prepping for an event, he brought his friends to help carry heavy boxes. When I volunteered on weekends, he quietly paid to upgrade our school transport to comfortable buses and funded our supplies. When I worked late tutoring, his car would be waiting down the street to make sure I got home safely. Over time, even my roommates began to nudge me. "He's rich, handsome, and actually attentive. If it were me, I'd marry him on the spot!" Then, my grandmother fell ill. The hospital bills were astronomical, and the money I could make from part-time jobs was a drop in the bucket. I stayed up all night pacing, finally deciding to call Justin. But his phone kept ringing out. For a month, I worked myself to the bone, trying to raise funds. And then, out of nowhere, the system appeared in my mind. Justin’s video call came right after. He was in Queenstown, New Zealand, skydiving, yelling his confession through the wind. With the system urging me to lock in a target, and looking at his wind-swept but familiar face, I finally said yes. Justin laughed, pulling his parachute cord. Behind him, the white canopy bloomed, printed with bold letters: I love you, Wendy. 5 The early days of our relationship were actually sweet. We traveled together during breaks, and when we were on campus, we ate at the cheap food stalls down the street. When Justin learned about my grandmother's condition, he hired the best specialists to treat her and visited her regularly. She adored him. Once she was discharged, she wanted to return to her quiet hometown to recover, but she worried about leaving me alone in the city. Justin had held my hand in front of her, promising he would protect me and cherish me forever. Even though the system showed his favorability was at a meager one, I did receive the initial hundred thousand dollars. That money saved my grandmother’s life. For that, I would always be grateful to him. But whatever gratitude I had was slowly burned away by his behavior. Within a month of my grandmother leaving, Justin started entertaining other women. A boy of his status was never short of company, and there were always plenty of girls willing to throw themselves at him. Every time I resolved to leave, Justin would suddenly soften, showing just enough warmth to make me hesitate. He knew exactly how to pull my strings, making me wonder if he might actually learn to love me again. Just a little. At least another point would mean another hundred thousand dollars. Having known the terror of being broke, I wasn't going to turn down money. But during those quiet nights, listening to the muffled sounds of his late-night calls in the next room, I couldn't help but ask myself if I had only stayed for the cash. 6 Now, none of that mattered anymore. Ignoring the sneers of his friends, I turned toward the exit of the lounge. Suddenly, a violent crash echoed behind me, followed by Scarlett’s sharp shriek. "Joey! What the hell are you doing?!" Hearing that familiar name, I spun around in surprise. A young man with a sharp buzz cut had Justin pinned hard against the glass coffee table. He was wearing a dark windbreaker, his sleeves pushed up, radiating a raw, dangerous energy. He hadn't changed at all. Still as reckless as ever. Back in school, Joey had been a legend. He was fierce, constantly skipping classes to fight, yet his grades were always impossibly perfect. The teachers couldn't touch him, and the students kept their distance. Even someone as arrogant as Justin had never dared to cross him. This reunion was supposed to be Justin’s crowd. Joey’s presence was entirely unexpected. Joey lazily twirled a small pocket knife, letting the blade catch the light right in front of Justin's eyes. "Just didn't like the look of your face today. Thought I'd break it." Scarlett had already scrambled into the corner, trembling. Justin’s friends hovered at a distance, none of them daring to step in. They were terrified of him. Justin’s cheek was pressed hard against the table, his face twisted in rage. "Joey, you think we're still in school? Look around. This is my turf." "Don't care." Joey slammed the knife into the wood right next to Justin’s ear, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and delivered a brutal kick straight to his ribs.
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