Ling stepped into the corridor still smelling faintly of sweat and soap from the locker room, blazer slung over one shoulder, jaw set. Her mood was unreadable — the kind that made people instinctively move out of her way.
Then she saw the floor.
Dirty water. Rotting scraps. Sticky streaks smeared across polished tiles. Paper towels thrown aside like an afterthought. The air carried a sour stench that didn't belong in a university funded by trillions.
Ling stopped walking.
Rina, who had been half a step behind her, halted instantly.
"…What the hell," Rina muttered under her breath.
Ling didn't answer.
Her eyes tracked the mess slowly — not rushed, not shocked. Controlled. Calculating. She crouched slightly, touched the floor with two fingers, rubbed them together.
Wet.
Filthy.
Her jaw tightened.
Rina glanced around. Students nearby suddenly found the walls extremely interesting. No one spoke.
"Who," Ling asked quietly, "did this."
No one answered.
Rina straightened, voice sharper. "I asked who did this."
A boy swallowed hard. "It—it was… seniors. After class."
Ling stood fully now.
"And?" she said.
The boy hesitated, then blurted, "It fell on Rhea."
The name landed.
Ling didn't react immediately. That silence was worse than shouting.
Rina turned sharply. "What do you mean fell?"
Someone else spoke quickly, trying to sound casual. "Just a prank. You know… the doll was placed, so—"
Ling's head snapped toward the voice.
The student froze mid-sentence.
Ling walked toward him slowly. Every step echoed.
"Finish," Ling said softly.
The student's lips trembled. "Everyone knows… when the doll appears… it's allowed."
Ling stopped an inch from him.
"Allowed," she repeated.
Her voice was calm. Deadly calm.
Rina inhaled sharply. She knew that tone.
Before Ling could speak again, Mira's voice cut in, light and mocking.
"Well," Mira said, folding her arms with a smirk, "what did you expect? She brought it on herself. Playing victim after—"
Ling turned.
One look.
Not anger. Not rage.
Something colder.
Mira's smirk died instantly.
Ling walked up to her, stopping close enough that Mira had to tilt her head back to meet her eyes.
"You speak," Ling said quietly, "when I permit it."
Mira swallowed. "I was just saying—"
Ling leaned in slightly. "You were just enjoying it."
Mira's face flushed. "Ling, I—"
Ling straightened, cutting her off. "Another word," she said evenly, "and you'll learn what it feels like to be on the other side of a rule you thought protected you."
Rina let out a slow breath. The surrounding students were pale now.
Ling turned back to the mess.
"Clean this," she ordered the corridor at large. "Now."
No one moved.
Ling's eyes lifted again.
"I won't repeat myself."
Students scrambled. Someone ran for cleaning supplies. Another started wiping the floor desperately, hands shaking.
Rina watched Ling closely. "You okay?"
Ling didn't look at her. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Rina studied her profile. The clenched jaw. The tight shoulders.
"…They went too far," Rina said carefully.
Ling's fingers curled once, then relaxed.
"That wasn't the point," Ling replied.
Rina frowned. "Then what was?"
Ling finally turned to her.
"To make sure she understood," Ling said flatly, "that the world doesn't soften for anyone."
Rina's eyes narrowed slightly. "And did you need this to prove it?"
Ling didn't answer.
She stepped over the last remaining stain without looking down, adjusting her blazer like the mess had never existed.
As she walked away, students pressed themselves flatter against the walls.
Behind her, the floor was being scrubbed raw.
But the damage wasn't on the tiles.
It was elsewhere.
And Ling Kwong — face cold, spine straight — walked on without once asking where Rhea had gone.
Rina followed Ling down the corridor, heels clicking faster now, irritation sharpening her voice.
"You put the doll there," Rina said flatly. "You announced the threat without words. You know exactly what that means here."
Ling didn't slow.
"They followed the rule," Rina continued. "So why are you scolding them like they crossed your line?"
Ling stopped abruptly.
Rina nearly collided into her back.
Ling turned slowly, eyes sharp, jaw locked.
"I was angry because they made a mess," Ling said coldly. "This university isn't a slum."
Rina laughed once — short, humorless.
"Oh please," she said. "At least lie properly."
Ling's eyes flickered.
Rina stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You don't give a damn about floors. You've walked past worse without blinking."
Ling's nostrils flared. "Watch your tone."
Rina crossed her arms. "No. I won't. Not today."
She tilted her head, studying Ling's face like she was stripping armor layer by layer.
"You marked Rhea," Rina said. "You knew what would happen. And the moment it did, you looked like you wanted to burn the building down."
Ling scoffed. "You're imagining things."
"Am I?" Rina shot back. "Then explain why Mira got a death glare for saying what everyone else was thinking."
Ling's voice hardened. "Mira overstepped."
"Exactly," Rina said. "She said it out loud. And that's what pissed you off — not the prank. Not the rule."
Ling stepped closer now, invading Rina's space.
"Careful," Ling warned. "You're forgetting who you're talking to."
Rina didn't move.
"No," she said quietly. "You're forgetting who knows you."
Silence stretched.
Ling looked away first.
Rina softened just a fraction. "You wanted her humiliated. Without wanting her hurt."
Ling laughed — sharp, bitter.
"Don't flatter her," Ling said. "She's stronger than she pretends."
"That's not an answer," Rina replied. "That's deflection."
Ling turned back to her, eyes cold again.
"She made her choices," Ling said. "This is consequence."
Rina shook her head slowly. "No. This is you punishing yourself through her."
Ling's hand clenched at her side.
"Enough," Ling snapped. "I didn't ask for your analysis."
Rina sighed. "You never do. You just bleed and call it control."
Ling's gaze cut into her. "Say that again."
Rina met it evenly. "You're lying to yourself."
A beat.
Then Ling straightened, mask sliding back into place with practiced precision.
"Clean-up is done," Ling said dismissively. "Class starts in five."
She turned to walk away.
Rina watched her go, voice following her down the hall.
"You can destroy her reputation," Rina said. "You can scare the entire campus."
Ling didn't turn back.
"But don't insult me by pretending this is just about rules."
Ling's steps didn't falter.
Yet when she reached the corner, her hand brushed the wall — just once — steadying herself before she disappeared from view.
Rina exhaled slowly.
"She's already breaking," Rina murmured to herself. "And she still thinks she's winning."