The Gallagher House, Dining Room.
The table was still laden with food, most of it untouched.
Fiona stared blankly at the feast. The scene that had just played out was replaying in her mind in crystal clear high definition...
Lip, almost single-handedly, had driven away Carl, Ian, Peggy, and Frank.
How had the Gallagher family become this?
It wasn't like this before.
Before, even though they were broke, when they were together, they were happy...
The more Fiona thought about it, the more painful it became. Her eyes reddened.
Lip saw her distress and felt a pang of guilt. He wanted to curse out Carl and Ian, but knew it wasn't the right time. He held it back, swallowed his frustration, and started trying to comfort Fiona.
Fiona listened absentmindedly.
She couldn't put her finger on exactly why... but suddenly, she felt like the "Gallagher family" didn't exist anymore.
The thought popped into her head unbidden, and instantly, tears streamed down her face like rain. She couldn't hold it together any longer.
Ian, Debbie, Carl... these kids were Fiona's whole life!
Three of them were gone... that was like losing half her life.
How could she bear it?
"Fiona, we'll figure something out..." Lip had never been good at comforting people. Seeing Fiona break down like this made him panic.
Karen sat next to Lip, watching the scene with a look of deep concern plastered on her face, while her heart bloomed with joy. She felt that brazenly staying here tonight was worth every second to witness this spectacular drama.
Karen was laughing hysterically inside. At the same time, she genuinely felt these Gallaghers were pathetic.
Their lives were a complete disaster, yet they couldn't stop talking about "family," as if it were the most holy thing in the world.
Karen couldn't understand it. They could barely survive, yet instead of trying to fix their own lives first, they insisted on putting "family" above everything else...
And then what?
The whole family sits neatly together in a deep pit, waiting to be buried alive by life?
Why couldn't one or a few of them climb out first, then pull the others up, so eventually everyone could live well?
Karen had plenty of time to think while the drama unfolded.
As she pondered.
Thump.
She suddenly thought of Dexter. More importantly, she remembered something Dexter once said: "I am helping the Gallagher family."
Suddenly, everything clicked.
Connecting Dexter's actions to this outcome, for the first time, Karen believed him.
He really is a good person, Karen thought silently.
---
After leaving the Gallagher house, Ian returned to 2114 North Wallace. He dove into his room, collapsed onto his bed, and sobbed uncontrollably.
Accompanied by the tears, the full force of his lovesickness unleashed itself.
Finally, Ian's emotions reached a breaking point. He couldn't take it anymore.
The next second.
Ian bolted upright, rushed out of the house, and sprinted toward Mickey's place.
He wanted—no, he needed—a definite answer. He refused to be tortured like this any longer.
Under the summer night sky, Ian's legs pumped furiously. He ran fast.
It didn't take long.
Ian skidded to a halt in front of the Milkovich house.
Mickey's car was parked on the street. The lights were on inside.
Ian glanced at it, didn't hesitate, charged up the steps, and pounded on the front door. Bang, bang, bang!
Inside, in Mickey's bedroom.
Mickey was aggressively venting his frustrations on the young beauty he brought home. Even though it didn't feel quite right, he was forcing himself to enjoy it.
Hearing the loud knocking, Mickey got annoyed. He ignored it and kept going.
But the knocking didn't stop. It got louder.
"Fxxk!" Mickey roared. He cursed, stopped what he was doing, pulled out, yanked his pants up, and stomped out of the room.
The girl was bewildered. After a moment's hesitation, she quickly followed him.
Moments later.
Mickey threw open the front door.
Ian, face twisted in anguish, saw Mickey first. Then he saw the girl standing not far behind him.
Looking at their disheveled appearances...
Ian immediately guessed what they had just been doing. His brain buzzed, and he suddenly charged into the house.
Mickey was startled by Ian's intrusion. He had no idea what Ian was doing. "Ian, what the fxxk!"
Ian stormed right up to the girl.
In this moment, Ian's rationality had completely evaporated.
"Mickey loves me! He doesn't love you, he's gay!" Ian screamed at the girl.
Hearing this.
The girl was naturally stunned. Her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe her ears. "?????"
Mickey's reaction was even more violent!
He was about to lose it. Reacting instantly, he slammed the front door shut, then spun around and roared at Ian. "Ian, what the fxxk are you saying! I ain't gay! You say one more word, I'll beat you to death!"
Ian was past the point of reason. He didn't care about Mickey's threats. He stared unblinkingly at Mickey and shouted with absolute conviction, "You are gay! And you love me!"
Hearing those words.
Mickey shot a panicked, guilty glance at the still-shocked girl. He snapped. He clenched his fist and charged at Ian. "Fxxk you! I'm gonna kill you!"
In the blink of an eye, the two were wrestling on the floor!
"You love me! Why won't you admit it!" Ian used the skills he learned in ROTC, fighting back without holding anything in reserve, screaming as he swung.
"I ain't gay!" Mickey denied it vehemently. "And I don't love you!"
As they screamed back and forth, the fight got more intense.
At that moment, the girl's mouth was open wide enough to fit an entire egg.
She couldn't help but feel that the whole world had gone mad.
How is this happening?
This is too unexpected!
But... this is the first time I've seen something like this...
The girl hadn't known Mickey for long. She didn't love him; she didn't even really like him that much. She was only with him because he had a Mercedes and liked to spend money...
So, after the initial shock wore off, she recovered. She actually started to find it funny. She leaned against the wall and watched the show with amusement.
Ian didn't care.
Mickey missed this feeling—the physical contact—too much. Even now, he lost his reason. He didn't care about the fight; he just wanted to keep enjoying the sensation.
Time ticked by.
Click.
Mandy, home from work, opened the door and walked in.
One step, two steps, three steps...
The absurd scene in the living room assaulted her eyes.
Without missing a beat, Mandy was fried to a crisp by shock. "Holy fxxk!!!"
"Oh! Shit!!" Mickey saw Mandy. His body jerked, and instinctively he yelled out. Then, he flipped over, wound up, and punched Ian square in the face, knocking him flat onto the floor.
It was a heavy hit.
Ian spat blood, and a tooth went flying.
Mickey didn't even look. Whoosh—like an arrow leaving the bow, he bolted into his room.
Ian lay on the floor, in too much pain to move for a moment.
It all happened too fast. Too fast to process.
Mandy blinked hard several times. Her gaze bounced between Ian and the girl a few times before she regained a shred of composure.
But even then, she couldn't compute. What is this?
Ian and Mickey... she could understand.
But the girl standing there? How did she fit in?
A pile of question marks practically materialized on Mandy's face.
Mandy couldn't figure it out, so she took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and decided to tell Ian to put his clothes back on properly first.
But before she could get a word out...
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Mandy, Ian, and the girl all jumped and flinched in unison.
Mickey stormed out of his room, holding a handgun, absolutely furious. His roar shook the walls. "Ian Gallagher! You are dead!"
The words hung in the air.
Bang!
Mickey pulled the trigger again, firing into the couch right next to Ian!
Ian was terrified!
The girl wasn't in the mood to watch the show anymore; she scrambled to hide.
Mandy hadn't expected Mickey to actually try and kill Ian. Her heart pounded, her nerves stretched tight. Instinctively, she rushed at Mickey. "Mickey, what the fuck are you doing! Put the gun down!!"
Bang!
Mickey fired another shot!
As the gun went off, Mandy reached Mickey's side. She grabbed his right wrist with both hands and shoved his gun hand upward toward the ceiling.
"Ian! Run!" Mandy screamed.
Despite being a Gallagher, deep down, Ian knew when to fold.
Mickey had fired three shots...
Ian didn't want to die. Hearing Mandy scream, he grabbed his clothes and scrambled toward the door on all fours.
Bang!
Mickey fired a shot into the ceiling.
Ian crawled fast. He managed to scramble out of the Milkovich house.
Once outside, he didn't care about anything else. He scrambled to his feet and ran for his life.
He didn't stop until he reached the underpass of the L-train tracks. Gasping for air, he quickly pulled his clothes on properly, then kept running.
Back at the Milkovich House.
Mickey hadn't intended to actually kill Ian. Seeing Ian escape, he didn't fire again. Furious, he shook Mandy off, turned around, stormed back into his room, and slammed the door.
Mandy's head was buzzing.
After a few seconds of ringing silence, she shifted her gaze to the corner where the girl stood, pale as a sheet. "What the hell happened?"
The girl was scared to death. She froze for a moment before stammering out the sequence of events.
Hearing the story.
Mandy's head buzzed even louder!
Ian did what???
Jesus Christ!
Are all the people in the Gallagher family fucking mentally ill???
---
Inside a Movie Theater.
Dexter and Bianca sat side by side, leisurely watching a movie.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
Dexter took it out. It was a text from Karen, saying that a huge drama had unfolded at the Gallagher house tonight.
[I'm watching a movie. Text me the details.] Dexter replied.
Karen didn't waste time. She quickly sent a series of texts explaining everything.
Reading through them, Dexter chuckled. He genuinely felt that Lip, the idiot, was the MVP of assists.
Of course, Peggy's performance was stellar too.
These two—one tearing the family apart from the front, the other dismantling it from the back...
The Gallagher family was doomed.
[Thanks.] Dexter sent a simple reply.
[You're welcome. Enjoy the movie with Bianca. I won't disturb you.] Karen replied sweetly.
Dexter put away his phone.
Seeing this, Bianca whispered, "Busy with something?"
Dexter shook his head gently. "Nope."
Bianca blinked. "You're acting a little strange today. Cooking all those dishes, bringing me to a movie... are you planning something?"
Dexter laughed. "What kind of nonsense is going on in that head of yours? Can't I just treat you well without an agenda?"
Bianca smiled too. "Mm."
Dexter had originally just wanted to relax before heading to the Caribbean, but now that Bianca mentioned it...
Ding-dong.
He actually had a great idea. He leaned close to Bianca's ear and whispered mischievously, "I'll buy some uniforms. You can wear them for me."
Bianca didn't get it at first, but she sensed it wasn't anything holy. "What uniforms?"
"You know... maid outfits, flight attendant uniforms..." Dexter grinned.
"..." Bianca understood now. She was shocked, her eyes widening. "What kind of dirty stuff is in your head!"
"Hehe," Dexter laughed.
That wasn't a "no."
This was going to be fun.
After the movie, it was getting late. They walked out of the theater, bought two ice creams, and strolled toward the parking lot.
Walking along, Dexter suddenly remembered something he'd thought about before but never found the right time to bring up. He decided to mention it now.
"Bianca, you studied medicine for so many years. Do you have student loans?"
Bianca was taken aback. Then she gave a sly smile. "Mr. King, are you offering to pay them off for me?"
Dexter nodded. "Of course."
"What price do I have to pay?" Bianca teased.
"Sell yourself to me," Dexter joked.
Bianca's steps faltered slightly. Her heart rate sped up. "Not selling. But if you beg me, I might consider it."
Dexter caught her drift. He laughed. "Bianca, are you hinting that I should propose to you?"
Instantly.
Bianca blushed crimson. She lowered her head, staring at her toes. "What nonsense. I'm not hinting at anything."
Her reaction was too cute.
"Is that so? Good. Because I was thinking of waiting for you to propose to me," Dexter said with a grin.
Bianca was stunned. She stopped walking, thinking she misheard. She looked up at him. "What are you talking about?"
"It's a tradition where I come from. The woman has to propose to the man," Dexter lied through his teeth, his tone dead serious.
Bianca felt her worldview tilting. She was speechless. "????"
"Haha," Dexter held it for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "Don't just stand there silly. Let's go."
Bianca started moving again, her mind in chaos.
Once in the car.
"I don't have student loans. My parents paid for everything," Bianca blurted out. She didn't know why she said it.
"Then I'll have to treat your parents to a big meal someday. Thank them for saving me money," Dexter replied.
Bianca: "?????"
This conversation was getting weirder and weirder.
She didn't get it!
"What on earth are you talking about?" Bianca got anxious and decided to ask.
"When we have time, let's meet your parents," Dexter said.
Bianca understood now. Her face went red. She lowered her head, and after a long while, she spoke in a voice as quiet as a mosquito. "Okay."