*Chapter 3: The Red Envelope*

*SAFINA*

Three days.

Three days of quiet hallways.

Three days without anyone yelling “commoner” behind my back.

Three days where I could eat lunch without half the cafeteria staring.

I thought it was over.

I thought after Dean’s announcement, after they deleted all the posts, after I sat next to Jin at lunch, that meant we won.

I was wrong.

It was Wednesday. 6:30 AM.

I was at my locker, fixing my notebook, when Kuya, the dorm guard, handed me something.

“For you, miss,” he said. “Someone left it at the guard house. No name.”

A red envelope.

Thick. Rough paper. The kind used for weddings. And for funerals.

My stomach dropped.

“Thank you po,” I whispered.

I went to the bathroom to open it.

Inside: a printed copy of my photo. My ID picture from the scholarship application. I was wearing my uniform. Smiling, because Mama told me, “Smile, anak, this is your achievement.”

But there was a big red X drawn over my face. The marker bled through to the back.

And underneath, in black, shaky handwriting:

_“We’re not done yet poor commoner! This is just the beginning so Enjoy Your hell day at Sta. Maria University!!”_

I dropped the envelope.

I didn’t cry right away. First shock. Then anger. Then all the fear I’d been hiding came rushing back at once.

A death threat.

Literally. An X over my face.

I sat on the cold bathroom floor.

“How long?” I whispered to myself. “How long are they going to do this?”

I thought of Mama. Selling at the market right now while I was here.

I thought of Kuya. 16, still in public school, who told me, “Ate, you’re our hope. When you graduate, it’ll be our turn next.”

It’s just me.

I’m all they have.

If I go home now, what would I tell Mama? “Ma, I’m scared, let’s go home?” Then we’d go back to debt. To me studying under one lightbulb at night. To the dream I worked four years for.

I can’t.

I wiped my tears hard with my sleeve. Like I could erase them.

“I have to be strong,” I told the mirror. My voice was shaking but I forced it steady. “I have to finish this.”

But when I walked out, my hands were still trembling.

And I didn’t know if I should hide the red envelope or show it to Dean.

What if they said, “It’s because you got close to Jin”? What if it was my fault?

So I hid it under my mattress first.

I didn’t know that morning, someone was already watching me.

### *JIN*

I hate Wednesdays.

Wednesdays are when the board sends me reports. When my father asks if “the school issue” is handled. When I remember that having my name on buildings doesn’t stop people from dying around me.

But this Wednesday was different.

I saw her first.

Safina. Walking to class. Head down. Shoulders tense. She had that look — like she just came from crying in the bathroom.

Something was wrong.

I almost went to her. But the last time I did, a red X showed up online.

So I watched. From far away. Like a coward.

Second period, I got a message from one of the janitors. Old man. Quiet.

_“Sir Jin. Someone left a red envelope at the scholarship girl’s locker this morning. A guy in a hoodie. Didn’t see his face.”_

My blood went cold.

A red envelope. At Sta. Maria, it means only two things.

An invitation. Or a threat.

I found her at lunch. Same table. Same corner.

“Are you okay?” I asked right away.

She looked up and forced a smile. “I’m fine. Why?”

“Don’t lie to me, Safina.”

She went quiet. Looked around. Then slowly dragged her bag from under the table. Opened it. Pulled out the red envelope.

She handed it to me. Her hands were shaking.

When I opened it and saw the X. Saw the words.

I wasn’t angry at them. I was angry at myself.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I whispered.

“What was I supposed to do?” she answered, voice low. “Get you to expel them again? Then they’ll just come back worse? I’m tired, Jin. I’m tired of being scared.”

Tears fell again. She wiped them fast. “I have to finish this. For Mama. For Kuya. I’m all they’re counting on.”

That broke me.

Because I knew that weight. Being the only one. The trade my family made to keep me alive, and now I have to pay for it my whole life.

“Safina,” I said. “This isn’t your fault.”

“Then whose fault is it?” she snapped, then went quiet. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“No,” I said. “You’re allowed to be angry.”

I looked at the letter again. _Enjoy Your hell day._

Hell day. That meant they were planning something today.

I stood up. “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“To Dean’s office. Then to the CCTV room. Someone left that. Someone saw who left it.”

“Jin, what if—”

“What if they come after you again? Then let them come after me too.”

She stared at me. “Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough,” I said. “I know you don’t deserve any of this.”

### *SAFINA*

We were in Dean’s office. I was shaking. Jin was calm, but his jaw was tight.

We showed him the envelope.

Dean’s face changed. “This is serious. We will file a police report.”

“Good,” Jin said. “And I want the CCTV footage from 5AM to 7AM at the dorm entrance. Now.”

“Mr. Yang, that requires—”

“I’ll have my father call the board in 10 minutes if you don’t,” Jin said. No arrogance. Just fact.

Five minutes later, we were in the CCTV room.

We watched. 6:12 AM. A guy in a hoodie, cap pulled low. Left the envelope with the guard, then hurried off.

You couldn’t see his face. But his stance... it was familiar.

“Pause,” Jin said. “Zoom in on the shoes.”

Limited edition. Valdez brand. Released last month. 80,000 pesos.

Marco Valdez.

“Are you sure?” Dean asked.

“No,” Jin said. “But he’s the only one with motive and money to not get caught.”

We walked out. I was quiet the whole time.

When we got to the courtyard, Marco was already there. With his group. Like he was waiting.

“Yo, Jin,” he said. “What’s up? Looking for me?”

Jin didn’t answer. He walked straight to him.

“Give me your shoes,” Jin said.

His group laughed. “What?”

“Your shoes. Now.”

Marco looked at him, then at me behind Jin. “This about your little girlfriend again? The one with the red letter? Oops, did I say that out loud?”

My heart stopped.

He knew.

Jin stepped forward. “Last time I asked nicely. This time I’m not asking.”

“Or what? You gonna tell daddy?” Marco laughed. “Everyone’s scared of you, Jin. The cursed prince. But not me.”

He swung first. Again.

This time, I moved without thinking.

I stepped between them.

“Stop!” I shouted.

And Marco’s fist stopped. One inch from my face.

The whole courtyard froze.

Because everyone knew the rule. Don’t touch Jin Yang.

But no one knew the rule about touching the girl with Jin Yang.

Marco looked at his fist. Then at me. Then at Jin.

“What,” he whispered. “What are you?”

I didn’t know either.

Jin grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. “Don’t ever do that again,” he whispered to me. Angry. Scared.

“Why?” I asked. “I thought—”

“You thought you wouldn’t get hurt?” he cut me off. “You could have died.”

But I didn’t.

And he didn’t flinch when he grabbed me.

That’s when I realized.

The curse didn’t touch me.

### *JIN*

I felt it the second I touched her arm.

Nothing.

No burn. No cold. No voice in my head saying _she’s next._

For 17 years, everyone who got close to me got hurt.

Teachers who patted my shoulder. Kids who tried to be friends. Nurses who checked my temperature.

All of them. Except her.

I pulled my hand back like I got burned anyway.

Safina was staring at me. Confused. Scared.

“Are you okay?” I asked her.

“Yeah,” she said slowly. “You grabbed me. But... nothing happened.”

Marco was still standing there. “What the hell was that?”

I ignored him. My mind was racing.

If the curse didn’t affect her, that meant—

No. Don’t think about it. Don’t hope.

“Dean!” I yelled. “We need to talk. Now.”

### *SAFINA*

We were back in the office. Door closed this time.

Jin showed the envelope again. This time with the CCTV.

“Marco Valdez,” Jin said. “Suspension. Police report. And I want a restraining order.”

“Mr. Yang,” Dean said. “We need proof.”

“Then get it,” Jin said. “Because if anything happens to her, the Yang family pulls all funding. And I will personally make sure your name is on every news site as the dean who ignored a death threat.”

Loud. Direct. No beating around the bush.

Dean nodded. “We’ll handle it.”

When we walked out, it was still quiet.

“Jin,” I said. “Why didn’t you get hurt when you grabbed me?”

He stopped walking. Looked off into the distance.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “17 years. You’re the first.”

I went silent.

17 years of being alone. Of people dying because they tried to be kind to him.

And I’m the first who wasn’t.

“Maybe it’s because,” I whispered. “Maybe it’s because I don’t believe in curses.”

He looked at me. “Maybe.”

We walked back to class in silence. But this time the silence wasn’t fear.

It was hope.

### *SAFINA LATER THAT NIGHT*

I’m in the dorm. Still holding the red envelope.

I read it again. _Enjoy Your hell day._

Well, I survived hell day.

I called Mama.

“Anak? How’s school?”

“It’s okay, Ma,” I said, forcing my voice to sound strong. “Just a small problem, but it’s okay now.”

“Don’t give up, okay?” Mama said. “This is for us.”

“I won’t, Ma,” I said. “I won’t give up.”

After hanging up, I looked out the window. The campus was quiet.

But I knew. It’s not over yet.

They said “we’re just getting started.”

But now, I’m not alone anymore.

I have Jin.

### *JIN LATER THAT NIGHT*

I’m in my room. Same as every night. Big. Quiet. Empty.

Except tonight.

I keep thinking about her hand. When I grabbed her. Warm. Alive. Not cold like everyone else.

The curse was supposed to be absolute. Trade half our lives for mine. In exchange, no one can touch me without dying.

So why her?

I called my father’s lawyer. “Check the records of the trade. 17 years ago. Who did we make the deal with.”

“Young master,” he said. “That information is sealed.”

“Unseal it,” I said. “Because I think I found the loophole.”

I don’t know if Safina is the loophole.

I don’t know if she can break the curse.

But for the first time in my life, I want to find out.

Because if she can, then maybe... maybe I can stop being the reason people die.

And maybe she can stop being the reason people bully.

Maybe we can both be free.

Outside, the campus was quiet.

But somewhere, Marco was probably planning something.

And somewhere, Safina was probably crying, then wiping her tears and deciding to stay.

Just like me.

We’re both staying.

Hell day or not.

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