Work Text:
So pretty…
He didn’t know when it started happening. But when he was finally aware of it, it was happening all at once. Overwhelming. Overpowering. Out of his control. Occupying his mind 24/7. Causing his breath to catch in his throat when he was least expecting.
It was pathetic really. Not to mention incredibly cliché. From how he had acted in the past, he didn’t even deserve to have even an inkling of such thoughts cross his mind. Yet they did, and they had been eating away at him like a parasite. This was so unlike him. He thought he knew himself, knew what he wanted, and what he preferred.
All because of a glitch, a mistake…
He clenched his palms against his thighs, forcing himself to look away from the object of his attention. Feigning his ignorance, he waited until the person looked away before he breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall behind him.
Sensing his quickened pulse, he decided to give himself a moment to reflect on himself, and in the midst of it all, he remembered how it all started…
JOHNNY [ 10:23 a.m.] best of luck today bro. whatever happens, i’m sure you’ll feel better since you at least tried!
Mark Lee sat at a table in a picturesque coffee shop, twiddling his thumbs as he read and reread the last text that his reliable “Johnny hyung” had sent him this morning. That had been hours ago, and despite the constant reassurances of all his friends, his nerves were definitely getting the better of him.
It had been a while since Mark heard the words that had practically ruined the next few months of his life. “I think it’d be better if we go our separate ways.” It was sudden, out of the blue, and absolutely devastating to a blindsided Mark who only knew loyalty and dedication. He was too clingy, too anxious, according to his former girlfriend. And just like that, he was left alone to scrape up the pieces of a broken relationship that seemed so very one-sided in hindsight. His friends didn’t even understand what he was so upset for, but it was simple: once Mark decided he loved someone or something, his heart pushed him to go through with it no matter what.
Unfortunately for him, not everyone else thought like that.
And now here he was, months later down the road, finally picking up the courage to meet someone he had been talking to on an online dating app. It had taken a generous nudge for him to install it in the first place, a greater push to get him to start using it, and an even greater shove to finally get him to try going on a date for the first time in months.
But as nervous and hesitant as he was, part of him was somehow also excited. Not only was he already mostly healed from his past relationship, he was sure this would be a great step in allowing him to fully regain his confidence. What’s more, the true encouragement came from the fact that the person he would be meeting was quite… interesting.
Subconsciously smiling to himself, Mark swiped his phone to switch from the messaging app to the dating app, and pulled up the profile of the person he was minutes away from meeting. He could feel his eagerness rising as he gazed at the photo of the beautiful girl with long black hair and a gorgeous figure. Apparently, she went by “SEULGI ”, and what really made her seem too good to be true wasn’t even her looks: it was the conversations they’d been having together. Despite that she was older than him, their conversations matched unbelievably well, and she had a wicked sense of humour. Mark had caught himself randomly laughing by himself at 2 a.m. more than once, whenever they accidentally stayed up too late to talk. And it was this fact alone that made him really want to meet her in person.
He closed her profile before checking the time on his phone and then glancing around the coffee shop to make sure he hadn’t missed her (as if he could). She’s a little late, isn’t she? He quickly brushed the thought off, chalking it up to be traffic or something of the likes. He wondered if he should text her through the app just to make sure, but then quickly stopped as he vaguely remembered his ex’s comments about being too overbearing. He distracted himself by pulling up a mobile game on his phone.
The bells on the coffee shop door twinkled softly in the background, indicating patrons leaving and entering. As the minutes passed by, Mark found himself being lost in his game and forgetting why he had even been so eager in the first place. Maybe his heart wasn’t really in it yet. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe she had stood him up. Maybe he just wasn’t meant for love. Maybe there really was no perfect soulmate out there for him–
“Hi, you’re Mark Lee, aren’t you?”
The voice was unexpected, and completely brash, breaking him out of his trance.
And he remembered that moment so well, even to this day. That moment when he looked up. When he saw him for the very first time. Now thinking back, it seemed like everything around him had frozen in time.
In a bad way.
The voice was certainly pretty and melodic, but it didn’t belong to the girl he’d been waiting for. In fact, it didn’t belong to a girl at all. Standing before Mark’s table was a boy he’d never seen before in his life. The boy was smiling brightly and although Mark thought he was quite ordinary at the moment, there was something special about him that Mark couldn’t quite pinpoint.
In fact, his main concern at the time was the fact that this boy seemed to know his name.
“Um…hi?” Mark replied hesitantly. “Yeah, I’m Mark. Can I help you?”
The boy’s smile widened even more as he eagerly sat down despite Mark’s confused expression. Upon a quick, closer look, Mark noticed that he had a pair of really charming eyes.
“I knew it was you!” the stranger spoke gleefully as he rearranged himself in the seat across from Mark. “I just wanted to be sure. You're even cuter in person. I could just eat you up right now, oh my gosh.”
Now, Mark was quite horrified. “Excuse me?” he clarified, his eyes wide in disbelief.
“Awwww, is our Mark being shy? I thought we were past this point of acting.”
Mark blinked twice, desperately hoping that someone, anyone, would notice that as his silent cry for help. Who is this weirdo? What the f–
“Um…” Mark opened his mouth hesitantly. “Who are you?”
The joy on the other boy’s face was momentarily extinguished, but only for only a second. “What are you talking about?” he spoke back with an unexpected sassiness as if Mark was the one in the wrong and not him. “Am I so much more beautiful in real life that you didn’t recognize me? Come on, Mark.”
Mark had started frantically blinking again between his terrified, wide-eyed stares. “What the heck is going on right now?” he blurted out despite himself.
That seemed to make the stranger’s eyes flicker in amusement. “Is this some kind of stranger kink?” he said a bit too loud.
Mark frantically grabbed the boy’s flailing hands and shushed him, before he could draw any more attention to the already very stressful situation.
“Okay, listen,” Mark said as calmly as he could, still grasping the stranger’s hands in his own. “I’m saying this as seriously as I can—I have no idea what is going on so please tell me who you are and why you know me already before I lose my mind.”
The boy feigned a gasp before coming back to Earth and realizing that Mark Lee really was genuinely confused.
“Oh my god, do you actually not recognize me?” he spoke. “It’s me, Lee Haechan.” He smiled again, reassuringly, as if that had answered everything.
But Mark was still doing his desperate blinks. “Who?”
The boy called “Haechan” let out a sound of exasperation. “What is going on with you, Mark? We’ve been talking like every day for the past month. Do I really look that different from my photos?” He started mumbling to himself. “Aish, I knew I shouldn’t have let Na Jaemin edit my selfies, look what he’s gotten me into…”
Mark ignored all the irrelevant information. “Talking? Us? And what photos?”
Haechan let out another one of those crow-like exasperated noises (which Mark probably would’ve thought was pretty cute if he wasn’t so irritated ). Looking troubled in an exaggerated way, Haechan fumbled for his phone and swiped it a few times before showing Mark.
“Look, it’s me. That’s me! Did I really have to show you this?”
For a moment, Mark was still confused. Haechan had shown Mark his dating profile of all things. Though Mark subtly realized he recognized it so quickly because it was the same app he was using...
“Wait… what are you trying to say right now?”
Finally, it was Haechan’s turn to look confused.
“What do you mean what am I saying? Do you not know how these apps work?” Haechan asked. “Did we not agree to meet up?” He took his phone back and started scrolling again.
“What? What are you talking about?” Mark said, as if he was a broken record. “Meet up? The only person I agreed to meet up with was…” His voice trailed off as he opened his chat log with “Seulgi” and placed it on the table. Only for Haechan to do the same.
And it didn’t take a genius to quickly notice that the chat logs were exactly the same.
“Oh my god.” Mark stood up in horror, loudly pushing his chair back and putting his hands on his head in full panic.
“W-what? What’s wrong?” Haechan asked.
“Oh my god.” Mark repeated, not caring that people were staring now.
“Ya, Mark Lee, if you don’t stop saying that I’m gonna steal your phone.”
“You’re Seulgi?!”
Haechan stared blankly at Mark. And now it was his turn to say: “ Who?!”
The image of the beautiful, funny noona named Seulgi shattered to pieces in front of his eyes, replaced by this… weird guy. Without sitting down, Mark frantically grabbed his own phone and swiped around before brandishing it to Haechan.
“Her! I was supposed to be meeting with her!” Mark exclaimed, showing the photo and profile of “Seulgi” he’d been looking at only moments ago.
Haechan was speechless for a second. “What? Give me that.” He snatched the phone and tried several things to make sense of it, including refreshing the page and trying to pull up the chat to see if it was a mistake.
“Oh my god. Oh my god,” Mark repeated like a mantra, his hands still on his head as he started taking short paces back and forth. “Oh my god, I’ve been catfished. In real life. On my first date back.”
That caught Haechan’s attention. “What are you trying to say about me right now? I would never do something like that. I have more than enough confidence to go as myself, silly.”
Mark pointed an accusing finger at Haechan. “You’re insulting me ?! It’s clear that I’m the one who’s been wronged here. Give me back my hopes and dreams, you scammer!”
“Woah woah woah, that’s going way too far,” Haechan said, also raising his voice. “I’m just as much a victim as you are. All I wanted was to go on a nice date, not to mention it was a trek and a half to get here. And yet, I came all this way only to get bad-mouthed by you? Why don’t you pay me back for my time and effort?”
Mark raised his voice. “I WAS SUPPOSED BE MEETING SEULGI NOONA–”
Haechan also stood up, seemingly not the type of guy who easily backs down from a verbal battle. “IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL ANY BETTER, A PRETTY NOONA LIKE THAT WOULD NEVER GO FOR YOU ANYWAY–”
“HOW DARE YOU–”
“EXCUSE ME.” A new voice had entered the mix. The two turned to see the coffee shop manager glaring at them with an extremely angered expression.
“If you two are going to fight like this, get out. NOW.”
And just like that, Mark Lee and his new “friend” Haechan were tossed out onto the streets like unwanted vermin.
The exasperated noises were coming nonstop out of Haechan’s throat. Meanwhile, Mark was fuming way too hard to care about anything else.
“Aish, I can’t believe this,” Haechan was complaining and babbling nonstop next to Mark. “Stupid app made me feel insulted like this. How stupid is this. So you're actually telling me that my profile somehow glitched out and was replaced with some random girl's?! What kind of technology is this? How does that even happen? I could sue them, you know. This could've been absolutely traumatic. What if I was some weaker person? What if I didn't have such thick skin? Aiiisssh. I am definitely filing a complaint. Send me to the developers I swear–”
"Oh my god, do you ever stop talking?" Mark exclaimed at last, still processing his own personal embarrassment. "And why are you still following me anyway?"
Haechan paused and directly shot Mark a glare. Huh? His eyes are – For a moment, Mark caught a glimpse of something he probably shouldn't have, but it was easy to dismiss considering the rollercoaster of emotions he was going through.
"Aigo, you're really different in real life, aren't you?" Haechan sneered. "If I had suspected you were really this kind of petty, tactless guy, you couldn't have paid me to come see you." For some reason, that triggered Mark quite deeply.
"Listen," Mark inhaled, as spoke in the calmest and most polite tone he could manage. "Let's just…both agree it was an honest mistake and go our separate ways okay?"
The words had Haechan silent for a moment. Mark glanced sideways to see that his expression had changed ever so slightly, as if a little spark had disappeared.
"Wah… Lee Mark," he drawled after a while, his tone still slightly playful. "You're seriously breaking up with me already? So soon?"
"I'm being serious."
Silence again.
A sudden feeling of guilt arose in Mark for no reason in particular, and he felt himself stopping in his steps to actually look at Haechan for the first time.
The smile had absolutely disappeared from Haechan's face by now, and so had that charming, playful glint in his eyes. But Mark had to secretly admit to himself, once again, that there was just something about Haechan. Had Mark ever noticed this much about a person upon just meeting them? He wasn't sure. The slightly longer hair, the button features on Haechan's face, the bubbly tone in his voice when he spoke, and his surprisingly proportionate body with long legs and soft hips… there was just something about it.
Mark had to consciously keep his breathing even. He's…
"Fine, I guess you're right." Haechan's voice suddenly brought him back to reality. The truly awkward reality of what was happening in front of them right now.
Yet, despite all the anger and disappointment Mark had been feeling earlier, Haechan's barely sullen expression made him feel that he’d been a bit harsh.
"I…uh…I'm…" Mark stuttered out a few words. "I'm…sorry, I guess? Stupid app, right?"
Haechan turned his head down, smiling as he exhaled dejectedly at Mark's attempt to lighten the situation.
"It's fine, you don't have to apologize," Haechan said quite coherently. "I get it. Even though it was fun talking, I'm not…well, I don't look like her." Haechan gestured to the phone in Mark's hand. Mark was silent at that, as he found he had no reasonable reply.
Haechan looked up at Mark, the smile slowly returning to his eyes.
"Anyways, I'll miss our weird conversations," Haechan said earnestly. He gestured a farewell. "Maybe our paths will cross again elsewhere, someday." The words seemed to light a misplaced, unreasonable feeling of hope in Mark that didn't make sense at all.
"Yeah… see you…someday."
Haechan smiled. "See you…someday.."
They awkwardly took a few more steps together towards the next street crossing. After a slightly timid goodbye gesture that seemed out of character for him, Haechan turned the opposite way and disappeared into the city crowd.
Mark was left alone, in an absolutely confusing turmoil of emotions.
…what the hell just happened?
Nonchalantly, he picked up his phone. No texts or notifications. His friends must've thought that he was still on his date so they'd left him alone. He tucked the phone away and started wandering aimlessly around the city blocks, giving himself time to calm down and process what had ensued.
So… for some reason the app glitched out and gave me the noona's profile instead of Haechan's… which means I was actually talking to Haechan the whole time?
He felt himself getting lost deeper and deeper in thought, as he remembered Haechan's last few comments. Was it true that he was being shallow? It couldn't be. Things like this happen all the time on the online scene, when the person doesn't turn out to be who you expected…but was this really the same? Even if Haechan's first impression was a bit more upfront and confident than he sounded in the chats, perhaps it wasn't fair that Mark didn't give him a chance at all.
I mean, he wasn't a girl but I think he was still…kind of…
The thought got interrupted by another thought, and then a different one, at which point they all started chasing each other in circles. Before he noticed, it had gotten late, and Mark had been walking around the city for hours. As his stomach growled, he realized he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Looking around, he saw a small, unassuming restaurant by the side of the road that served some comfy soups and drinks.
Ah, just what I need… maybe I should drink this off…
Mark walked in, noting the restaurant was empty except for two other patrons. He made his way to the counter and politely ordered a soup and beer. He was still deep in thought as he waited, the slight feeling of loneliness finally sinking in at last.
"Ajumeoni~! Can I have another beer please? …And another kimchi jjigae too actually!"
Mark's eyes widened. When he had entered, he briefly noticed that there was another hunched over person sitting at the counter already. The person already had two empty glasses next to him. But it wasn't the alcohol tolerance (or perhaps the lack thereof) that startled him.
It was the familiarity of the voice. That charming voice that resembled pleasant bells ringing.
No longer able to resist, Mark turned to look at the person a seat away from him.
It was exactly as he'd feared.
"YOU." Mark said loudly, pointing in disbelief.
The person turned, slightly dazed, blinking a few times before meeting Mark's eyes. And indeed, it was undeniably him.
It was Haechan.
Haechan's eyes were slightly bleary, but still couldn't contain his shock at the ridiculous situation.
Mark beat him to speaking first. "What?! Why?! What are you doing here?"
"Stop spewing nonsense, I was here first!" Haechan spluttered back without wasting a breath. Any earlier attempts of his maintaining a casual civility were gone. "I should be the one accusing you of following me. Why are you here?"
"I just got hungry and went into the nearest restaurant!"
"What, and you're the only person allowed to eat in this world? Ugh, it's really selfish men like you that really ruin it for everyone."
"It's been hours! Why are you still here?"
"Why are you still here?"
"I was—it's none of your business!"
Huffing, Mark hadn't realized that he had stood up in his rage. He tried to sit back down and maintain composure as the auntie handed him his dinner, not wanting to be kicked out again. He looked over and saw that Haechan had also started on his second bowl of soup and third drink.
"What, are you stress-eating or something?" Mark couldn't help but jab.
Haechan put down his soup in irritation, turning to glare at Mark with puffed cheeks from the food still in his mouth. He didn't look quite as intimidating, and Mark couldn't help but smirk.
After swallowing, Haechan exclaimed: "Wah, you barge in on my meal and now you have the nerve to comment on my eating habits? I can't believe you right now—so what if I'm stress-eating? Maybe I'm doing it cause people like you exist. And what if this is the way I always eat? Who are you to be a judgmental prick?"
Mark gazed at Haechan inquisitively, not sure how drunk he was despite the slight outburst. It was hard to tell. He cautiously asked, "Um, are you alright?"
Haechan immediately brushed him off and went back to eating. "Don't pretend to act kind now that I've told you who you really are."
Mark threw his hands up in frustration. He rarely got mad but for some reason this person had managed to provoke him several times already within only a few hours of knowing him. "Are you always like this in real life? Always tryna pick a fight with people?"
"Who knows? I wasn't a pretty noona either so maybe my personality was a scam too?"
Mark watched Haechan with intent. His food was getting colder and colder as he'd left it practically untouched this whole time.
"Don't tell me, are you…" Mark started, but stopped and recalculated his words before continuing. "Did I upset you?"
This time, Haechan turned on him at once, his smooth hair bouncing as he whirled to his side.
"Of course you did, you jerk!" Haechan blurted. "I tried to play it cool but after sulking for a few hours and a couple of beers I'm just gonna say it! I still showed up expecting a date only to get turned down by a jerk like you! I ended up all alone trying to drink away the embarrassment so what else do you want me to say?"
"I'm sorry!" Mark apologized instinctively before he could even consider everything. "I… I thought it was the right thing to do. You know… cause it was a mistake and all…"
"It was a mistake for you," Haechan replied coldly. "I came to see exactly who I was expecting…and it was you."
It took a little bit, as the words ran through Mark's brain, but it finally sunk in just what he'd done to this person who… didn't really deserve it.
"I'm sorry," he said genuinely this time. He moved over so that he was sitting right next to Haechan, just so it was easier to talk. "I really mean it. I think I was so shocked I didn't think about my actions. And if it makes it any better at all…I was feeling really guilty about it without really even knowing why, so I was wandering around until this hour. And you know what? I also had the same idea as you. Just to drink it all away."
Haechan scoffed. "Wow. We're practically soulmates." His voice was drenched in sarcasm.
"Listen, I'm trying to be genuine here. I'm actually really sorry I acted that way. If there's anything at all I can do—within reason—to show it…"
There was silence, as they remained there for a moment, just gazing, with Mark not really knowing what Haechan was thinking. However, now that he was sitting closer, he started noticing other things about Haechan's face. The glimmering eyes, the sharp yet soft-looking cheeks, the pouty lips, and an underlying charm that seemed to tie it all together in a near flawless manner.
Oh yeah, he really is kinda cu–
"Truce?" Haechan's voice came suddenly.
"Hm?"
Haechan's expression had softened considerably. "I'm asking if you just wanted to do it all over again without the messiness in between."
Mark hesitated. "Well, uh…I–"
"Just as friends," Haechan said calmly. "There's nothing strange about that I think. People find friends on dating apps all the time."
Mark didn't even need to think too hard this time. His chest felt lighter already.
"Yeah," he replied smiling. "I think I'd really like that."
"Of course, I'm a genius," Haechan said, returning the smile at last.
Mark raised his eyebrow inquisitively, though his mood was heightened. "Is this overwhelming confidence part of your real personality too?"
"Yup, and lucky you, you get to experience it all," Haechan said cheerfully. "Also, give me your phone."
"Why?" Mark asked, although for some reason he'd trusted this guy enough that the phone was already unlocked and passed over.
Haechan took it. "I can type in my number so we don't have to use the app anymore."
"True…"
"Also, I don't know how much longer I'm gonna be sober," Haechan remarked as he handed the phone back and took another impressive gulp of his drink.
Mark stared at him. "You're gonna drink more?"
"Why not? Might as well since we started."
"...fair enough." Mark obligingly took a decent gulp of his own drink, his eyes still focused on a slightly tipsy Haechan.
“Cute… so freaking cute…” Mark mumbled drunkenly , stumbling along.
“Huh? What’d you say?” Haechan drawled, dragging his feet. “Speak louder, Lee Mark, why are you always so fickle? Are you always like this?” Both his arms were clasped sideways around Mark’s neck, while Mark’s own arm wrapped onto Haechan’s back. After each drinking a nearly concerning amount of alcohol, they’d left the restaurant together, dragging each other to god knows where. With a mixture of mumbling, complaining and gushing all the way, they were now in the middle of some empty park at some evening hour that they’d lost track of a long while ago.
"So nice out..." Mark was muttering.
“Aigo, look at you,” Haechan was still muttering, poking at Mark’s cheek, his face much closer than expected. “You’re so much more likable when you let your guard down. Why don’t you do it more often?”
The two managed to drag themselves over to a conveniently placed bench, throwing themselves onto it and breathing heavily. The strong taste of alcohol was still very much present in Mark’s mouth.
“Oh my god,” Mark slurred, closing his eyes heavily as he let his limbs go limp. “We’re totally gonna get arrested.”
“Relax,” Haechan replied, hitting Mark sloppily several times on the chest. “No one’s gonna notice anything as long as we don’t do anything suspicious.”
Mark was still aware enough to throw Haechan a questionable look in the dimly lit area. “You almost sound like you have experience.”
“Sometimes you just need to drunkenly brood alone when you think no one’s watching,” Haechan responded.
Mark’s gaze remained. “You don’t strike me as a person who needs to be alone…ever.”
“Call me multi-faceted.” Mark could hear the smirk in his voice. “Hey, Mark, look. We made it to the river, let’s go check it out!” Before Mark could stop him, Haechan had dragged himself off the bench and waddle-ran his way over to the fenced off river area. With no choice, Mark exhaled and followed his newfound strange partner-in-crime.
When he got to the opening, Haechan was freely spinning around with his arms open, dramatically taking in the pleasant evening air. The sun was just setting, casting a soft orange glow on everything, making the ambience all the more ethereal. Seemingly with boundless energy, Haechan kept spinning and spinning underneath the delicate light, as he started singing some song from a drama, his soft hair spinning prettily around his face. Mark ignored that weird, unfamiliar fluctuation in his chest as he approached, unable to contain the smile on his face.
“I thought you said not to draw attention to ourselves,” Mark quipped, tucking his hands in his pockets as he leaned onto the post next to Haechan.
Haechan stopped singing. “Ah, but that would be such a waste of such a beautiful sunset,” he replied, clinging to Mark’s arm and feigning a nuzzle. “Isn’t it so romantic~?”
Mark snatched his arm away, though he was still smiling. “You’re so extra.”
They stood in silence for several moments, looking out into the picturesque open water beneath the dusk light, decorated with radiant lights from the tall city buildings and remnants of traffic. Neither of them said a word, basking in a peaceful feeling. Somehow, it was mutually understood that it was a feeling that neither had felt for a while now.
At last, Haechan was the one that started talking first. “This is nice, isn’t it?” he commented softly, leaning forwards on the railing, resting his face in his hands. “Maybe I should get drunk with strangers more often.”
The suggestion made Mark wrinkle his nose in irritation. “That doesn’t sound too good. Also, we’re not strangers.”
“Oh? Are you finally addressing our established relationship?” Haechan asked teasingly.
“For the last time, I’m sorry I caused you such unnecessary stress,” Mark spoke genuinely.
“It’s ok, I’m used to it,” Haechan replied softly. “I would quite like it if we kept talking like we did. Like we are.”
Mark paused. “Me too. I would quite like it a lot.”
“And I’m sorry about what happened in your past relationship.”
“...I told you about that?”
“Yeah like, halfway through your 2nd beer. Are you perhaps more drunk than I thought you were?” Haechan teased. “Anyways, I’m on your side, and I know it probably affected how you acted, even a little bit. I get it, don’t worry.”
“...thanks.” Mark said quietly. “You…you’re pretty good at understanding people, aren’t you?”
“On the contrary, my dear Mark: you’re just an open book who’s really easy to read,” Haechan grinned. “But it’s okay, it makes you even cuter, in my opinion.”
Mark grimaced, pulling away again. “Why are you doing that? Do you always say stuff like that?”
“Ah, so cold,” Haechan feigned being hurt, as Mark merely glared at him.
“Ah!” Haechan said suddenly. “Wanna take a picture to commemorate the beginning of this wonderfully beautiful friendship?”
“Is it really so great?” Mark whined, though he let himself be dragged next to a Haechan who was already posing with the selfie camera on. Reluctantly, Mark held up his hand in a peace sign to pose, and was startled when Haechan’s head ever so gently bumped against his as he leaned in. Mark could feel his heartbeat quickening, as a surprisingly pleasant smell suddenly filled the air from Haechan’s sudden proximity. But it was all fleeting. A couple of thumb presses, and it was done.
“Aw, don’t we look cute,” Haechan simpered, swiping through the photos and showing Mark. “We look good together, Marky.”
Mark scrunched his nose. “Stop joking about that,” Mark replied, though his tone was unexpectedly soft. Before he could catch himself, he found he was staring at Haechan again, a similar softness reflected in his eyes as he watched how the boy looked amidst the setting sun. Haechan was still looking at his phone with a gentle flush that Mark could barely see. His skin was glowing bronze underneath the golden light, his hair and clothes fluttering gently in a breeze, and his eyes shining brightly above the comfortable smile on his face. Mark has thought it before and now he thought it again…there was just simply something about Haechan.
Abruptly, Haechan looked up at Mark, which caused him to flinch and turn away as if he had been caught doing something very wrong.
“What?” Haechan asked, his lips slightly pouting in that signature way of his that Mark had somehow become very used to within only a few hours of knowing him. “Do I have something on my face or something?”
Mark shuffled awkwardly. “No, uh…you’re just–um…” Mark stammered, scratching his nape. “You’re…uh. Nevermind.”
Haechan threw him a judgmental smirk. “Whatever, weirdo.”
“Hey, I’m older than you,” Mark jumped at once at the opportunity to divert the attention.
Haechan stuck his tongue out. “What an unlucky day for you, huh?” he grinned. “You signed up for a date with a pretty noona and you got stuck drinking with and taking care of a brat younger than you.” He cackled mercilessly as he pretty much started dancing around Mark. “How miserable. You really have the worst luck, Mark Lee. How the heck does this even happen?”
Mark resisted the urge to reach out and grab Haechan to restrain him and his distasteful show of mockery. “You’re really…insufferable,” he said. “You over-exaggerate so much. This wasn’t miserable.”
Haechan perked to attention at that. “Oh? Mark Lee, are you saying you actually enjoyed spending time with me?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly—”
“Would you like to do it again sometime?” Haechan asked, naturally siding up next to Mark once again.
“I mean, yeah…” Mark replied. “I thought that’s what we agreed.”
When Haechan beamed up at Mark, his face was way too close for comfort. And it was in that moment that something clicked in Mark’s mind, although he was still far from truly acknowledging it. He simply stood in silence, containing his urge to swallow as he stared at the shimmering eyes looking right back at him at close proximity.
It suddenly got all warm. Very warm.
“See,” Haechan smiled softly, nuzzling closer. “This isn’t so bad.”
“Holy shit, this is bad. Are you ok? What is up with you? ”
Mark looked up to see three concerned faces staring back at him.
"What?" Mark uttered dumbly, eyes wide.
Taeyong and Jaehyun exchanged looks, while Johnny furrowed his eyebrows directly at Mark as if to say "Really?"
"Bro, are you really not self aware?" Johnny asked. "We invited you out to celebrate your finishing midterm exams and all you've done is stare straight into space ever since you got here. You haven't touched the food, you keep mumbling weird things we can't understand, plus I know you're not even that drunk right now because half your beer is on your shirt. Seriously, what's going on?"
Mark blinked several times, before looking down. Well shit. How had he not even noticed? A surge of embarrassment washed over him. It wasn't as if he was a child. And he wasn't drunk either.
At least, not on alcohol.
"Tell us, bro," Johnny's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What have you been thinking about?"
Mark hesitated, awkwardly glancing this way and that. He definitely knew the answer to that question. The problem was: he just didn't want to say it out loud. In fact, he'd been only thinking about one thing since last night. Well technically, several things really. The way those long legs fit so perfectly into those form fitting jeans. The way the jacket made his torso look comfy and flattering. The way his voice was so melodic and charming and carried loudly, brazenly through the air. The way his long, fluffy dark hair fluttered in the breeze, framing that face. Oh, and that face. That face, with its pouty lips that could form into the brightest smile, the button nose that sometimes wrinkled up so neatly…and those eyes. Those eyes that were so dark and somehow so mesmerizing. Absolutely enchanting, unforgettable. He really couldn't stop thinking about those eyes the most, amongst other things. So yeah, really it was several things. Several things that combined to one–
"Mark!" Jaehyun snapped. "You're doing it again!
"Oh," Mark spluttered. "Sorry."
Taeyong was the only one who looked deeply concerned and had no semblance of annoyance. "Hey, you alright buddy? Is it school?"
"Um…" Mark paused again. He didn't like lying, but Taeyong had also given him a way out. "Yes?"
His three older brothers/best friends looked entirely unconvinced. "What's bothering you so much then?" Johnny pried shamelessly.
"Uh…um…" Damn, I am terrible at lying. "There was, um, there is--was a problem that I couldn't figure out and it keeps bothering me." Technically not a lie? Lee Haechan definitely is a real big problem…
More staring. "What was the problem? Why was it so bad?"
"Uh…" Think Mark, think! The three pairs of eyes were still staring intently, expecting answers, and it was not helping. And why on Earth was his mind drifting again, now of all times?!
Ultimately, Mark panicked.
"It was really, unexpectedly hot ," Mark blurted.
" What? " Three voices sounded at once.
Oh my god. "Y-you know, like everyone's talking about it," Mark stammered, genuinely doing his best. "Like, we finished the exam but we all got different answers and I kept hearing about it for hours. You know like, it's really hot. Like trendy. Kind of. And you know, now it's really bothering me."
More blank stares. Though, to Mark's relief, they faded after a few seconds.
"You could've just said so," Taeyong sighed. "Had me all worried. I thought someone was giving you trouble or something. And also, I don't know if it's the generational difference now but I really don't understand your slang anymore."
"Agreed," Jaehyun muttered through his beer.
"Y-yeah, sorry," Mark said. In an effort to ground himself and focus, he took a hefty bite of the food he'd been treated to and took a proper sip of his beer this time.
"Oh yeah, speaking of," Johnny said suddenly. "Didn't hear back from you at all–how'd your date go last night?"
Mark nearly spit out his beer again. God, why now of all times.
“Um,” he said again. “It…didn’t really work out?” He ended it as a question. “She…I mean, that person wasn’t who I expected, you know. Internet dating things. So, uh, yeah. That was that.” Again, technically not lying.
“Aw, I’m sorry, buddy,” Johnny said, reaching out to rub Mark on the shoulder. “You’re right, it happens. I hope you aren’t too discouraged by it.”
“No, I’m actually completely fine, for some reason,” Mark admitted aloud. “Somehow I’ve been… distracted by other things?” His memories drifted to the sound of an irritating (but somehow pleasant) laugh, echoing in his mind. He took another gulp of beer to prevent any further strange expressions from appearing on his face.
While the others seemed mostly convinced, Taeyong was just a bit more observant than the rest.
“I don’t know,” Taeyong mused. “You’ve been acting kind of strange today. It’s suspicious, but I won’t pry if you don’t wanna say. Just know that we’re always here for you if you need advice or if you just don’t feel good about something…”
Mark’s shoulders relaxed at Taeyong’s genuine words. He immediately felt a lot more comfortable. “Thanks, hyung, that’s really nice of you to say. I’ll remember that.”
“Of course. And also, because I sense that you’re up to something, just…don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Johnny raised an eyebrow at that. Nonchalantly, he uttered: “Well, what about that time, sometime last year when we found you–”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do within this recent year ,” Taeyong quickly corrected.
“Okay, but now what about five months ago-ish when you and Jaehyun–”
“Within this month.”
“How about three days ago in that pool when we–”
“Okay, Johnny, I think he gets it,” Taeyong asserted aggressively. “Just don’t do anything too stupid, ok Mark?”
“Uh, yeah,” Mark responded. But honestly, he had zoned out of the conversation a while ago. A major reason why he was so distracted this entire time was because he had contemplating about a text that he had received earlier in the afternoon. He hadn’t made his decision yet, and Taeyong’s words were definitely adding yet another unneeded layer of complications. He still remembered the words and dictation of the text as clear as day (as if he could think of anything else):
haechan lee [ 1:13 p.m. ] hey, i’m free tonight. are you busy? wanna hang out? there’s something wanna show you
Mark had never felt an internal turmoil quite like this one–all because of a stranger he was never even meant to meet.
What exactly am I getting myself into…?
The minute Mark parted with his hyungs, his mind was immediately flooded with thoughts of Lee Haechan once again, now that there was nothing to stop him.
"What's the worst that could happen? I mean I did promise to hang out with him," Mark mumbled to himself, pacing along the sidewalk. "But isn't it too eager? It doesn't have to be right away…"
Mark took out his phone that he had kept politely tucked away towards the end. Upon checking, his heart ramped up as he realized that he'd received more texts from Haechan during that time. Without thinking, he opened them expectantly.
haechan lee [4:12 p.m.] yo makgeolli. u ghostin me for real?
haechan lee [4:14 p.m.] jerk
haechan lee [5:32 p.m.] what can i do to convince you?
haechan lee [5:32 p.m.] i'll pay you
haechan lee [5:33 p.m.] not with money though cause i don’t have any
haechan lee [5:34 p.m.] how about with kisses?
haechan lee [5:42 p.m.] 😘😘😘
haechan lee [6:02 p.m.] heyyyy replyy so at least i knoooow
haechan lee [6:05 p.m.] how about
haechan lee [6:07 p.m.] mark oppa~ my parents aren't home~ 💗💞💖🙈🙊😘😘😍
haechan lee [6:12 p.m.] is2g reply or i'll fite u next time i c u
haechan lee [6:13 p.m.] 🔪
What the heck am I reading? Lee Haechan sure was persistent. But when he caught himself smiling from ear to ear, Mark suddenly knew what his instinctive choice was.
What the heck am I doing right now…? Mark thought in his blurry mind.
“Oh my god… Mark, please spare me. It’s too much. You’re too much…I can't take it anymore...” Haechan panted heavily.
“Wait..one more time…” Mark spoke huskily, also catching his breath. “Once more. Please. Just once more.”
“I can’t,” Haechan was practically moaning. “You have way too much stamina for me… ahhhhhhh~ ”
Mark gave Haechan a shove that made him stumble awkwardly onto the bars behind him. “Why are you making this weird? What’s with your voice?” Mark exclaimed, the sudden outburst rendering him even more light-headed. “And stop clinging onto me!”
Mark was in the middle of an arcade with Haechan, standing atop the pseudo stage of some knockoff version of Dance Dance Revolution . The scores read 1 250 000 to 1 150 000, with Haechan’s side being barely in the lead.
After he parted ways with his hyungs, Mark immediately rushed over to where Haechan wanted to meet him. On the outside, one would’ve thought that his mannerisms had a real simp-like energy, however Mark knew he could defend himself with the stance that he was simply eager to meet a new friend. Before he knew what was going on, he found himself being dragged into an arcade that Haechan just “had to show him”.
And thus, they’d been on the dancing platforms pretty much from the beginning, with Haechan winning the first round, then Mark winning the next, then Mark again, then Haechan, until they had finally lost count.
But right then, the winner seemed to be Haechan again, and it didn’t sit well with Mark to end on a loss.
“I’m tired,” Haechan whined. “Let’s do something else. I think we’ve proven our point.”
“What? Already? Weren’t you the one who had to show me this?” Mark responded, though he was already stepping off the platform and making his way over to help Haechan.
Haechan latched onto Mark as he dramatically dragged himself down the platform. “That was like… twenty-five rounds ago? Or whatever,” Haechan said, trying not to heave. “Anyways, let’s do something else.”
“Why were you so excited to bring me here anyway?” Mark said aloud as they walked around, looking for something new. “It’s just an arcade.”
Haechan shrugged. “It was boring, my friends were busy, and I wanted to play games with someone.”
Mark threw him a dirty look. “Wow, all that effort for just an arcade buddy. You sure you have other friends?”
“Tch, so cynical,” Haechan said with a click of his tongue. “You still came didn’t you…” Haechan’s voice trailed off as his eyes caught sight of something. Mark followed his eyes and realized he was looking at a claw machine, particularly at one with a bunch of tiger plushies inside.
Haechan exclaimed. “Oh? That one kind of looks like…”
“Looks like what?”
Haechan turned his attention back to Mark. He grabbed his arm again. “I want it. Get it for me,” he said with a pout.
Mark immediately responded with a scowl and snatched his arm away. “What am I? Your boyfriend?” he grunted tactlessly. “Get it yourself.”
“Ha, you’re just scared you won’t be able to,” Haechan smirked, already prancing towards the machine. “Watch the master.”
Mark’s eyebrow twitched, falling for the taunt within a second. And then they were at it again, pushing and fighting each other over the controls and shoving coin after coin into the claw machine slot.
“One, two, three, then click!” Mark would yell when Haechan was playing. “You gotta make use of the mechanic!"
“Yah, yah, Mark Lee, are you even aiming?” Haechan would yell when it was Mark’s turn to struggle. “Obviously you had to go farther back!”
“ ARGHHGH, I was so close!”
“Stop overreacting, that was way off!"
“Ahhhh, AHHH! I wanna die, why is it doing that?!”
“Stop being lousy at the game!”
“SHUT UP! ”
It went on and on like that. Before long they had lost track of the hours yet again, yelling and bickering, yet still no tiger plushie to be won.
“Excuse me…sirs? We’re closing soon,” came the worker’s voice at a certain point.
“FIVE MORE MINUTES!" they both screamed at once, scrambling to shove more money into the machine.
“Um… that’s not how this works…” the worker said with no energy. Then, in a lower voice: “Plus… you two have been really loud this whole time and hogging the machines so…”
But once again, Mark and Haechan were in their own weird, twisted universe where it was the world against them and their tiger plushie. The result was inevitable, as they were once again thrown out onto the streets complaining about each other.
Naturally, they still couldn't shut up about it even as they were walking down the street.
"What the heck, I really wanted that stuffed tiger. It was cute," Haechan pouted.
"Whatever," Mark grumbled. "The machine was rigged."
"A true gamer never blames his equipment."
Mark narrowed his eyes in menace. "I don't see you with a plush in your hands."
Haechan shrugged. "Just unlucky. Besides, I'm not worried. Plenty of cute boys good at games out there who I can convince to get it for me."
"...you're such a shady character."
"Hmph, sounds like a mad cause bad scenario."
Despite the continuous glaring, Mark couldn't help but find that he was somehow… enjoying himself? There was something about the natural flow of everything that made him feel relaxed for the first time in a long time. Even if it was constant bickering.
"Walk me home?" Haechan said suddenly. "I live really close to the arcade."
Mark nodded. "Sure. I guess that's why you're a regular there then?"
"Yup. Really helps me in my quest to be a master gamer."
The response reminded Mark of something he had been meaning to ask. "By the way… you were really good at that dancing game? Is that really only cause you play it a lot?"
Haechan turned to look at Mark, his smooth dark hair flopping cutely in his eyes. "Why do you ask? You did pretty much just as good as me."
"Well… the reason I was good is because I played that a lot in my middle school years… also cause I'm kind of an athlete so I guess… transferable skills?"
"Ooh, are you showing off right now, Mark Lee?" Haechan teased. "Also, I think you mentioned it before. You play basketball for your university team, right?"
"Yeah," Mark said, slightly surprised. "You remembered."
"Of course."
"What about you then? Why are you good at the game?"
"Oh, well, I actually—"
"LEE DONGHYUCK, THERE YOU ARE. I WAS WORRIED SICK."
The two stopped in their tracks to face a breathless boy around their age standing in front of them. He was dressed thinly considering the weather, with what was clearly meant to be indoor slippers on his feet. His hand was clenched tightly around his cellphone, knuckles visibly whitened despite the dim lighting.
And he seemed to be staring exasperatedly directly at…Haechan?
"Wait, who ?" Mark spoke first. But Haechan was already moving. Before he could resist, Mark suddenly found his arm being held hostage yet again.
"Hi Renjun~ Sorry to worry you," Haechan trilled, gripping onto Mark tightly. "I was just out with my new lover Mark Lee and we just happened to be late."
Mark snatched his arm away like it was touching acid. "Whoa, what the hell?! NO."
The boy called Renjun seemed utterly unconvinced. "Doesn't seem like it's mutual."
Meanwhile, Haechan had already turned on Mark. "Yah, asshole," he said, his voice lowered a whole octave from the last time he spoke. "You don't have to sound that disgusted."
"Okay, okay, I don't care who he is," Renjun exclaimed.
"Why is everyone around here so goddamn rude?" Mark mumbled under his breath.
"Just pick up your phone!" Renjun was still talking. "I called you like 15 times after I got home from my evening shift!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Haechan babbled, hands up in defeat. "I was at the arcade and I got distracted. It happens!"
"I was worried sick!" Renjun frowned. "It's been hours and you're usually home by now."
"Okay, I'm sorry," Haechan said again. "I was careless, I'll try not to do it again."
With the unexpectedly fast resolution, the next moment was filled with the most awkward silence as the three bohs stated at each other.
Renjun broke it first. "Um, sorry but…who the fuck is this guy?" He gestured at Mark.
Haechan feigned a gasp. "Renjun, manners! He's right there."
"Me?! I have the same question about you!" Mark yelled exasperatedly. He was getting quite tired of all these identity issues ever since meeting Haechan. It was truly a lot.
"Okay, relax, I'll introduce you both," Haechan interrupted. "Mark, this is my lover Renjun. Renjun, this is my lover Mark."
Mark made noises of protest again, while Renjun rolled his eyes with the most irritated sigh.
"Stop it, I'm sensitive to these kinds of things," Mark groaned.
"Honestly, what is wrong with you?" Renjun sighed. "Mark, I'm just his roommate. And a friend. And I assume that you're a friend of his too which is why he's acting like this."
"Bingo," Haechan interjected shamelessly. He swung over to Renjun and grabbed his arm this time, though it was quickly shaken free.
"Also, if it matters for whatever reason," Renjun continued. "Technically, we did try to date like a few years back. Ancient history. Definitely didn't work. He was the most horrible partner– "
"I'm right here," Haechan warned through gritted teeth.
"--so we're just solid friends now. We moved in together recently. He's actually a decent friend when he's not acting up. Us as a couple was bad though. Bad bad. Like I kid you not, there was fire involved."
Mark pressed his lips together tightly. I won't ask. "So you guys were together but now you're friendly roommates. That's…impressive."
"What can I say?" Haechan said. "He does his part in the shared living space and he's easy on the eyes. It's all you need."
Mark glanced at Renjun. "Yeah, I guess he is a pretty boy," he grinned, making Renjun flush the slightest bit. "Anyways, I'm sorry about all… this. You should probably get inside. It's chilly and all. And honestly, it was nice to meet you. You seem like a good guy, all worried about Haechannie. I don't wanna get in the way of that anymore."
"Um…who?" Renjun said.
Mark wanted to die. Again?!
Haechan cleared his throat, he wiggled his way over to Mark and whispered: "Haechan is just what I use on those profiles… my real name is Donghyuck. Lee Donghyuck."
"Oh," Mark said dumbly. Oh. He paused for a moment. "Wait, you named yourself full sun ?" He smirked. "That's a lot to live up to."
Haechan gave him a tiny shove. Still speaking hushedly, he said: "Shut up! A nice uncle gave me that name once, and I just used it. And it suits me perfectly."
"Are you two keeping secrets over there? I can see you, you know?" Renjun spoke.
"It's nothing," Mark said quickly, suddenly aware of how close Haechan was to him again. "Anyways, I'm sorry for keeping…Donghyuck. I'm glad we bumped into you. He's all yours." He glanced at Haechan yet another time, and noticed that he was smiling back with a gentle, appreciative look. To resist blushing, Mark shifted his gaze away again, staring at his feet.
Renjun observed the body language of the two in front of him, and now it was his turn to sport a quizzical look.
"Wait, are you two actually…?" he started a question.
Mark and Haechan immediately caught wind of the insinuation.
They immediately stepped apart.
Haechan blabbered. "No! Not at all! We, uh–"
"Friends?! We're friends? Kind of?" Mark interjected. "New friends is all!"
They both looked absolutely ridiculous, with their tense bodies and flailing hands as they tried to explain themselves.
Renjun exhaled and put up his hands as a sign for them to calm down. "Whatever, whatever. I don't actually care, so stop freaking out. Y'all can do whatever you want."
"Awww Renjunnie, you're so cute, thank you, Haechan drawled. He ran over and grabbed Renjun's arm again, who was looking beyond exhausted at this point.
"Ok Markie hyung, I guess it's bedtime for us, thanks for hanging out with me today!" Haechan continued happily, as he did this small nuzzle against Renjun's arm that brought forth a nuanced feeling within Mark. "I'll see you soon, okay?! Don't ignore my texts!"
"What the heck are you doing to this poor guy?" Renjun mumbled. Mark watched as Haechan waved for the last time, before walking back towards the nearby building, arm in arm with Renjun. For some reason, there was that weird sensation stirring inside him again. This time, it was a negative feeling, and he quickly felt uncomfortable.
Shrugging it off and too tired to dwell on it anyway, Mark turned and walked home.
On a particular afternoon, a few days later, Mark was staying late at the school gym after practice. Since becoming captain of the college basketball team this year, there were many expectations put upon him that he felt he had to live up to. Thus, he practiced more often than not, and today he was joined by his close friend and “vice captain” Lee Jeno. After several one-on-one sessions, the two of them leaned against the wall as they took their break.
“I gotta say though,” Jeno said, partway through their conversations. “You seem kind of different lately. More…chipper.”
“Really?” Mark asked.
“Yeah,” Jeno affirmed. “It’s a good thing I suppose. For a long time now I thought you’d forgotten how to relax, so whatever it is that’s keeping you in a better mood, I salute to it.”
Mark was quiet. It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the recent anomaly in his life. For the most part, Mark’s life had always been routine and consistent: wake up, school, practice, rinse, repeat. Thus, any change was easy to spot. Especially this one. His thoughts drifted to the past few days.
The past few days had indeed been…blissful to say the least. And he knew exactly what, or who was responsible for it.
Lee Haechan.
What a character. At first, Mark had thought he was irritating and pushy, but within only a few hours, he'd felt as if he'd known this person his entire life.
The week flashed by in his mind…
~monday~
[ haechan lee ] 3:30 p.m. hey, free again? ☺️
It was a few days after the arcade. Mark had really started acting on impulse ever since Haechan had appeared in his life, and before he knew it he was getting dragged by Haechan into yet another kimchi jjigae restaurant.
"I'm hungry~" Haechan had whined, plopping himself down next to Mark. His fingers lingered over Mark's arm. "Order for me."
"I don't know what you like!" Mark tried to sound angry, despite the tingle in his arm.
"Surprise me," Haechan pouted, now leaning ever so slightly over to Mark's shoulder.
Mark scooched away, just a little. "You… why are you always like this…?" But as if acting of a different mind, he quickly waved over the waitress and ordered something for the both of them.
"Hey," Haechan's voice interrupted him all of a sudden. Mark turned to see Haechan holding out a photo of a guy on his phone.
"What do you think of him?" Haechan asked with a smile.
Mark's nose scrunched. "Why are you asking me?"
Haechan let out his (now) signature exasperated noise and rolled his eyes. "Not for you, idiot. It's for me. I've been talking to him on the app. What do you think?"
Oh. Mark didn't expect this. Though, he supposed this was normal between guy friends. Maybe? Doing his best, Mark leaned forward in an attempt to judge the stranger in the photo.
"Um…he's fine, I guess?" Mark said. "His hair's kind of weird though."
Haechan thought aloud. "Hmm… isn't this kind of long hair really trendy right now? Should I really be trusting you, Mark Lee? Perhaps… do you have bad taste?"
"That's why I'm with you, isn't it?" The words slipped out before Mark could really filter what he meant to say.
Even Haechan was quiet for a second.
"That's why I'm hanging out with you, I meant," Mark reiterated.
Haechan quickly recovered, just in time for their food to come out. "You're really learning how to talk back, aren't you?" Haechan grinned. "And you know what, hanging out with me is great taste so maybe I will trust you…"
"Good?"
"...so I'll go out with the other guy tomorrow instead."
Mark watched in disbelief as Haechan cleared the guy's profile from his phone. "There's two guys?!" he blurted.
"What do you mean? I'm just talking. Nothing illegal about that. You don't honestly expect people on dating apps to just talk to one person at a time do you?"
"Well, no but…" Mark hesitated. "When I was talking to Seulgi, er… you…it was just…" He drifted off, not entirely sure where he was going with this. Also if he even had the right to say anything.
Haechan paused, as if carefully considering something. "Oh yeah, true. At that time somehow I got really invested into our conversations so I only talked to you too."
Mark relaxed. But why? "Oh, really?" he managed. “M-me too.”
"Yeah. Interesting, huh? Must be some kind of weird fate. As if the way we met wasn't fateful enough…"
"...must be."
The conversation continued over food. They talked like old friends catching up, neither able to stop. Mark's life only had practice and his few trusted hyungs, while Haechan painted a colourful picture of his own life. It was a bunch of names of people Mark didn't remember but Haechan promised he would meet them someday. Additionally, Haechan had a way of telling stories which was awfully charming and made Mark laugh out loud several times.
The bowls in front of them had long been emptied, but the entertaining stories kept coming.
"So he kissed me on the lips just so he could win a game," Haechan concluded, sipping from his cup.
Mark was chortling, slapping his knee. "What the heck? That's horrifying."
"I know," Haechan shuddered. "I would say never again but… you never know with them."
He paused for a moment, eyeing Mark up and down in a way that made him self-conscious.
"What?" Mark asked.
"Nothing," Haechan said, with a slight smile. "Just wondering what they would do to you when you meet them."
For some reason, Mark shivered at that.
~tuesday~
[ lee haechan ] 8:43 p.m. oh. my. god. the date was horri~ble
[ lee haechan ] 8:44 p.m. CAN I CALL YOU AND TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT PLS PLS PLS
Mark was at Johnny's place, who was having the boys over for a casual video game night. He asked to step out as he texted Haechan.
[ mark ] 8:51 p.m. yeah sure. you ok, though?
Mark's phone started ringing immediately, as he fumbled to accept the call.
"MEEELKKKK~" came the immediate whiny voice. Mark had to pull his phone away, though he couldn't help but smile.
"What happened?" he asked, grinning for some unknown reason. "Are you okay?"
"Nevermind me," Haechan said at once. "Oh my god, that guy was suuuuch a loser you wouldn't believe it. I thought he was cool over text but as soon as we met in person he did a 180. The moment we sat down, he wouldn't shut up about how cute and pretty and beautiful I was and how obsessed he was with me and how he was so grateful I existed–all in public. I was mortified."
A bad feeling crept up Mark's spine, but he shook it off with a teasing joke. "Are you flexing right now? That doesn't sound like such a terrible thing."
"No, you don't get it. It was the way he was saying it. And he had these crazy eyes going. And he kept asking me if I lived nearby and trying to segway and find out my actual address and phone number. And he wasn't funny at all. He was all like 'are you wi-fi? Cause I'm feeling a connection' AND I WANTED TO DIE."
Now the bad feeling was definitely back and here to stay. "So you're telling me… this guy was borderline creepy and your takeaway is that he wasn't funny?" Mark covered the mouthpiece, called to Johnny that he was stepping out for a bit and walked down the hallway towards the door.
"What? Humour is an important trait in a partner. How are you gonna bring me forever joy in life if we can't laugh at each other's stupidity? Anyways, I was desperately using every brain cell to find a way to leave and–"
"Lee Haechan," Mark said firmly. "Where are you right now?"
"I'm just walking home, I'm a few blocks away," Haechan answered, and then he paused before saying: "What? Are you like, worried about me or something?"
Mark was out the door of Johnny's apartment, slightly scurrying to the elevator.
"Ok maybe it's nothing," Mark answered honestly. "But… I'm sorry, I just got a bad feeling."
"Mark."
"What? What's wrong?"
"Mark…I think someone's following me."
Mark's entire heart plummeted. Haechan's voice had suddenly gotten much quieter, and he could hear the subtle quiver.
"Okay, it's fine," Mark tried to sound reassuring as he mashed the button on the elevator. "Just keep walking. I'm coming."
"I-I'm almost home," came Haechan's voice that sounded quite unlike him. "How long do you think you're gonna be?"
Mark exhaled in frustration, giving up and opting for running like a madman towards the stairs.
"Just a few minutes, my friend's place is close enough if I run," Mark answered, scampering down like his life depended on it. "Just keep walking, try to find a crowded place."
"I'm trying. Everything's closed or closing down around me. And Renjun won't be home yet. Should I go inside?"
"Not yet! Maybe as a last resort. It might be bad if he finds out where you live… and stay on the phone with me."
"Hurry, Mark." Haechan's voice was now clearly shaking. "I keep seeing his shadow, it's terrifying."
He didn't need to say anything more. Using his memory to recall where Haechan's place was, he was running and running as fast as he could. He'd never ran so fast in his life. He was lucky that he happened to be close… enough. All the while, he kept making conversation with Haechan despite his baited breath, just to make sure everything was okay.
C'mon, just a little more…
At last, he rounded a corner, and if the directions were proper–
"Haechan!" he called.
And there he was.
"Mark!"
Haechan was standing all alone in the middle of the dimly lit sidewalk, hand covered over his mouth probably to prevent any spontaneous crying. He practically flailed his way over to Mark, and as he got closer Mark could see the moistness in his eyes. Mark's chest ached—how frightened he must've been.
Mark quickly grabbed Haechan by the shoulder and turned him around, as if to shield him from whatever dangers were lurking around. Glancing back, Mark could see a sinuous shadow slinking away, and even though he only saw it for a second, he could feel the chills travel all throughout his body.
He could only imagine how Haechan must've felt.
"Hey, hey, I'm here," Mark said, walking Haechan over to a ledge. Sitting him down, he checked on him. "It's okay, there's two of us now. He won't hurt you."
Haechan let out a noise that sounded like an exasperated sob. "Ugh, that was terrifying. And I couldn't even do anything. So pathetic, what the heck."
"What was there to do? You did all the right things."
Before Mark could stop him, Haechan leaned over and rested his head on Mark's shoulder. There was no ulterior motive–the poor guy was just exhausted. Instinctively, Mark reached up before he knew what he was doing, and patter Haechan's head reassuringly. Once. Twice.
"What if he comes back?"
"We'll call the cops next time."
Haechan rubbed his brows, sighing. "I think this is another sign I need to take a break from online dating."
They sat there in silence for a while, just to give them both enough time to calm down. It had been an exhilarating, terrifying ordeal, though suddenly it seemed far away now that it was just the two of them. Alone. Sitting beneath the evening sky. Before they knew it, the mood had become calm, peaceful and transient again.
"Mark?" Haechan called.
"Hmm?"
"...thanks for coming."
Mark shuffled a little. "Of course. I wouldn't have left you like that…or anyone else for that matter."
"Ah, well… you're a good guy."
"Thanks," Mark said. "I'll remember this next time you call me names."
"Good guys can still be idiots."
"There we go again," Mark sighed. Gently, he pushed against Haechan so they were both sitting straight again. He turned over to look at the boy beside him. He was relieved to see that, though Haechan's eyes were still slightly watery, that familiar glimmer had more or less returned.
"Ready to go home?" Mark asked, standing up and brushing down his pants.
Haechan nodded.
Mark extended an arm. "I'll walk you."
~wednesday~
Mark didn't see Haechan on Wednesday.
But that didn't change the fact that his brain had become… strange.
While he didn’t see Haechan in person, he couldn’t seem to get his image out of his mind. More or less, Mark finally thought he knew what it was about the boy that had “bothered” him since the beginning.
His internal monologue ran deep and invasive all day long. The aching thoughts never left his head for a moment. Not when he was in classes, not at practice, not when he was with friends. Whether it was others or alone, he simply couldn't get the thought and image of Lee Haechan out of his mind.
C’mon, Mark Lee. You really gonna admit that to yourself? It's weird…or is it?
He tried several times to shake it out of his head, but it never truly escaped. Even when he had settled down for the evening and crawled into bed, Haechan's face and body was very much on his mind…
Suddenly, his phone vibrated from his bed stand, and his heart did several unusual flips as he realized it was texts from the exact person on his mind. He'd texted Haechan much earlier, checking on him after yesterday's incident. He'd said he was okay, but no more after that despite Mark's reply.
Until now.
[ haechan lee ] 11:58 p.m. hey what are you up to?
Mark raised a puzzled eyebrow, but couldn't help but snort a little to himself.
[ mark lee ] 11:59 p.m. i'm lying in bed. don't tell me you have some crazy place to drag me to right now
[ haechan lee ] 12:00 a.m. nah, not tonight.
[ haechan lee ] 12:00 p.m. what you doing in bed 👀
[ mark lee ] 12:01 a.m. …trying to sleep???
[ haechan lee ] 12:01 a.m. boring.
[ mark lee ] 12:02 a.m. why what the heck are you doing rn 🤨
[ haechan lee ] 12:03 a.m. secret~😚
[ mark lee ] 12:03 a.m. …
[ mark lee ] 12:03 a.m. why did you text me again?
[ haechan lee ] 12:04 a.m. wanna see me rn? ☺️
[ mark lee ] 12:05 a.m. uhhhhhh
Mark panicked, putting his phone down. His body temperature had risen and his heart was beating even quicker than before. What is happening? He could pretend to not know where his mind was going…but he definitely knew. The phone buzzed. Mark was sweating now, not knowing what to expect.
I could just…not look?
But his hand was already moving to grab his phone and unlock it.
Fortunately, it was not…that thing he was thinking.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to change his reaction.
Mark's eyes widened upon receiving Haechan's selfie of him hugging his sheets, face buried and half showing, eyes sleepy and pliant. His dark hair was tousled and his expression was misleadingly innocent.
Oh my god…
"Ugh…he's so fucking cute."
Mark's body froze in the darkness after hearing his own voice say the thing he'd been trying not to admit all day. Somehow, admitting it like this felt like he had lost some kind of battle.
[ haechan lee ] 12:10 p.m. sleepy time. i'm tired~ talk to you later mark
[ haechan lee ] 12:11 p.m. also, jokes aside… thanks again for last night
[ haechan lee ] 12:12 p.m. my hero :P
[ haechan lee ] 12:13 p.m. night!!
Mark fully believed he would truly die from all the fluttering his heart was doing.
~thursday~
The next day, Mark spent the evening with Haechan again. Haechan invited Mark over to his place that evening to play video games, and even though he kind of had work to do, he eagerly accepted as if his life depended on it. Even if it felt out of character, he didn't care–he felt like he wanted to spend as much time as possible with Haechan that day and that was final.
The boy greeted Mark at his apartment door, dressed down in an oversized baggy hoodie and T-shirt over a pair of shorts that barely covered his long, tan legs.
"Oh, hyung brough food, what good sense he has," Haechan chortled, lunging for the bags of late night korean takeout foods. Mark was distracted for a moment. As Haechan scampered inside with the food, Mark's eyes drifted after his very exposed legs. Gulping, he finally slipped off his shoes and followed Haechan inside.
Mark made his way to the cozy living area, where Haechan was laying out the food on the coffee table.
"You got fried squid!" he was saying gleefully. "I love fried squid, how did you know?!"
Mark said nothing, simply taking in the way Haechan looked, scurrying around with his shorts that went to his mid thighs and sleeves that slightly covered his hands.
Whoa…he’s so… Mark swallowed the rest of his thoughts.
Haechan finished setting everything up and gestured for Mark to come sit next to him. "Come on!" he said happily, holding out the controllers for Mark simultaneously. "Renjun doesn't come home until later so make yourself comfortable."
Mark scooched his way over to the crossed legged Haechan, being very mindful of the space.
"How you been, by the way?" Mark asked, glancing over to his friend.
Haechan tossed his hair back, before breaking the pair of wooden chopsticks with his teeth. Mark tried to look away to no avail. Haechan was like a magnet.
"I'm fine now," Haechan said, looking back at Mark with those sparkling eyes. "I was more upset that I couldn't do anything about it… I don't know why, the fear just seized me. Anyway, I got food and video games in here , so there's really no better distraction."
Mark scoffed. "You really are such a kid."
"What's wrong with being like a kid?" Haechan retorted, half chewing on a squid leg. "You'll age faster if you're worried about everything all the time."
"Well, I'm just glad you're okay, alright?" Mark said, instinctively reaching out to rub Haechan on the shoulder. The tingle on his fingers was quickly distracted by Haechan's nagging to ready up.
As it had somehow become routine for them, they spent the next while yelling and screaming at each other until they lost track of time. Though Mark had managed to keep up with Haechan on the dancing game, he was getting obliterated by Haechan with these games. The nonstop bickering didn't help with his concentration. However, as the night went on, his stomach only got fuller and his smile only widened more and more. Haechan's energy was unmatched, and he could no longer deny that he would miss it severely when it was gone.
"Aigo, Mark Lee-ah!" Haechan squealed gleefully, as Mark threw up his controller in frustration for god knows how many times that night already. "How can you be so bad at this?"
"Can we do something else now?" Mark groaned. "It's been like fifty rounds of the same thing."
"Fifty rounds of you getting wrecked by me," Haechan snickered. Mark feigned a glare. "Fine, fine, I have Halli Galli somewhere in my room but…"
"...but?"
Haechan's eyes shifted. "My room's just a little bit of a mess right now. Wanna help me find it?"
Haechan got up and brushed off his shorts. Mark blinked as he stared at Haechan’s smooth, pretty long legs.
Why he gotta hike them kind of high like that? Wait, why do I care?
Mark rolled his eyes to distract himself, but also stood up. "Do you not clean your place when you invite guests over?"
"Well, hyung, I didn't expect you to end up in my bedroom." Haechan said, changing his tone a little. His almost bare legs did this little twist that Mark definitely noticed.
Silence.
"Let's just go find the cards," Mark said hurriedly, gulping.
Haechan's room was fairly simple. No gaudy colours, mostly grey, white and black shades. It wasn't as messy as he made it out to be. His bed was tucked neatly into the corner while his fancy PC setup was next to it. It was just some clothes and things strewn here and there but nothing drastic.
Haechan was in the closet, digging through his stuff as he said: "Well, feel free to look around. Don't worry, I put all the lewd stuff away."
Mark exhaled. "Why you always gotta… never mind…" He made his way towards one of the shelves and began searching.
“Whoever finds it first gets a free dinner from the other person!” Haechan announced suddenly, eyes shining. Mark’s ears perked, at the mention of the competition (against Haechan for that matter). He immediately hastened his pace, pulling things apart and shoving things aside to look for the game box.
"Oho, Mark Lee is hungry~" Haechan grinned, now making his way to other parts of the room.
"I can't believe just finding a boxed game has become such a mission," Mark said passive aggressively as he crawled to look under the bed.
"Hey, I already told you it was messy," Haechan said. "You don't get to use that against me."
Mark noticed the small keyboard on Haechan's desk.
"You do music?" he asked, piqued.
"Sometimes," Haechan replied.
"Oh, well I actually–"
"Ah, found it! Just kidding, now hurry up and look or you're gonna lose."
They searched every corner, until at last they were both near the bed again. Lifting this and that, there was still no sign of the box.
"Are you sure it's even in here?" Mark groaned, slightly getting tired of the repetition.
"Yeah of course, I had a hot Halli Galli date in here a few months ago, don't you know?"
"..are you serious?"
"No! I played it Renjun in here a few nights ago and then I threw it somewhere so can you just focus and–"
The corner of a red box suddenly caught their eye, wedged between the headboard and the mattress.
Without hesitation, they both lunged.
It was unclear who got it first, as their fingers both scraped the surface. However, Mark was stronger and managed to wrench it more towards his side.
"Yah, that's not fair!" Haechan cried, using his entire body weight against Mark. Somehow, he managed to snatch the box back in this underhanded way.
"What the heck?!" Mark screeched, realizing that they were now definitely playing dirty. He fully shoved Haechan by pushing against his shoulders, knocking the box out of the hands of the boy with a yelp.
"Oh my, that's not very good boy of you," Haechan sneered, as they both scrambled towards the box again, now breathing heavily. When Haechan realized he might just be overpowered again, he quickly seized Mark by the waist with both arms, dragging him back.
"Why…are we fighting already? The game hasn't even started?" Mark struggled, though he made no move to give in.
Haechan used all his arm strength to pull himself towards Mark, practically crawling on top of him and once again using his entire body weight in an attempt to hold him down.
"Argggh! You're such a cheater!" Mark yelled, aggravated, as Haechan pinned him down with his arms and legs.
"I never play that fair," Haechan managed to say breathily. But as he reached for the box again, Mark suddenly pushed up from underneath and spun everything around effortlessly, pinning Haechan beneath him, who let out another whine. Grinning, he reached over to grabbed the box–
A rush surged through his head, as he realized what the heck he was doing. He looked down at the sight in front–no, beneath him.
Badump.
Lee Haechan, all tousled and out of breath, his cheeks red, clothes disheveled from all the "wrestling". The shirt was showing off the perfect tan skin at the collarbone and the shorts were riding up even more against his smooth, shapely legs. His normally glimmering brown eyes were hazing and his pink lips slightly parted. What's more, there was a pleasant scent in the air, and Mark realized he was close enough that he could smell the boy beneath him.
Oh my god. Why am I–
"Oh my!"
The voice came from the door as they both whirled their heads. There, standing in the doorway of Haechan's bedroom, was a wide eyed Renjun who had evidently come home from his evening shift. Who had heard unusual loud noises coming from his friend's room and decided to check it out of concern.
And who now witnessed said friend heavily breathing, cheeks flushed, pressed up against his mattress, pinned underneath another boy who was holding him down by the wrists and clamping him tight with his legs.
"Ah, Renjun," Haechan spoke in a breathy voice that was not helping the situation. "You're home already? What time is it?"
Renjun was too stunned to speak. Mark was too stunned to move. They all stared at each other for a moment that seemed to last an eternity.
"I'm just gonna leave you two to it then," Renjun said at last, as he hurriedly rushed away and slammed the door shut, his face bright red.
Only then did Mark seem to recover, jumping away from Haechan's body like he'd been zapped.
"WAIT, IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE."
~friday~
And just like that, he was now once again sitting at practice next to Jeno, his mind all in a daze from the rush of memories. Ever since he'd met Haechan, he'd somehow gained a surge of stories and experiences.
After Renjun had "caught" them, Mark had run out and apologized profusely, explaining the situation. When everything had been established, they played a few rounds of three way [aggressive] Halli Galli (who knew Renjun was lowkey highkey competitive too?) before Renjun decided he was tired and went to bed.
And then what happened afterward. Mark remembered Haechan inviting him to his room so they could be quiet and…
"Yaaah, look at you zoning out again," Jeno's voice interrupted Mark's reverie. "You can't even hold a conversation with me anymore without getting distracted. Seriously, what's on your mind?"
"What? Nothing. Sorry, I was just… out late last night…" Mark replied unconvincingly.
"Ohoho." Jeno had this taunting grin on his face now. "So maybe the question is, who's on your mind?"
"What the heck? It's not like that!"
"Like what? You're already getting all sensitive for no reason."
"Jeno, I swear–"
The sound of the gym doors opening interrupted their conversations. They both looked up to see a bunch of girls in cheer uniforms enter.
"Speaking of distractions," Jeno smirked suddenly. "Did you know our school has a cheerleading team now?"
"Oh?" Mark said, slightly interested. "I didn't know actually. That's honestly…pretty cool. We get people cheering for us now. Are they good?"
"I think so. I heard they had a pretty strict audition and a good coach and everything. Just something new the school's trying now that our sports teams are really gaining traction and they have the faculty for it. They have scheduled practice now. So no more late late practices on Friday," Jeno explained, already getting up and gathering their stuff as some of the girls walked by. He nodded to a few of them.
Mark was slightly shocked. "You know them?"
"Some of them. Classmates and all."
"Whoa. Lee Jeno the homebody knows actual other people?"
Jeno sneered. "Speak for yourself."
Jeno observed quietly and noticed Mark's eyes drifting towards one cheerleader in particular as they were getting ready and stretching. It was a particularly tall and slender girl, with a gorgeous face and long black hair.
"Wow Mark, you're so basic," Jeno grinned.
Mark flushed, caught red handed. "W-what are you talking about?"
"I know she's your type."
"W-what? Who?"
Jeno gestured subtly again towards the girl Mark was eyeing. "She goes by Vicky. I know her through some of her classmates. Her audition was real good. Not to mention she's already real popular. People say she's gonna be the star this season."
"O-oh cool…" Mark stuttered. "Since when did you know so much anyway?"
Jeno shrugged. "I pay attention. You know what else I heard?"
Jeno paused, and in that moment, the pretty cheerleader just happened to turn towards Mark. They caught each other's eyes briefly, before both turning away, flustered.
Jeno snickered, then lowering his voice he said: "I heard she's a big fan of the captain of the basketball team." He kept snickering, as Mark slowly turned red in the ears.
The boys finished cleaning up as the cheerleaders readied themselves for practice. As Mark and Jeno passed by them, Mark noticed they were all a little flustered and lost.
"Why aren't we starting?" they were whispering.
"Well, coach said one of us is late. We can't do the proper formations…"
"Late on the first official practice? The audacity…"
Suddenly, the door burst open again, this time with violence. A busy silhouette streaked across the gym floor.
"SORRY I'M LATE!" it yelled, as it threw down its black coat to reveal the cheer uniform underneath.
Mark froze, the basketball in his hands falling to the ground. It bounced once, twice.
"HAECHAN?!" he yelled.
If people weren't paying attention to Mark when he dropped the ball, they certainly were now. The late cheerleader looked up, and certainly there he was in the flesh. He was dressed in the same pattern and logo as the other cheerleaders, except with pants covering his long legs instead of a skirt. Indeed, it was that fluffy hair and glowing eyes that unmistakably belonged to Lee Haechan.
"YOU'RE A CHEERLEADER ?!" Mark screeched yet again.
Haechan didn't know what to say, so he simply stared back at Mark, blinking. The other cheerleaders exchanged confused glances, unsure of what to do. Some were covering their mouths to hide a smile.
The gym doors had sounded again, and Mark realized that Jeno had bolted from his side due to the second hand embarrassment. The reality of his situation was finally starting to sink in, as Mark realized just the number of people who were staring at him.
So Mark made the best decision he could think of.
He immediately scooped up his stuff and ran after Jeno.
"Oh my god, stop laughing ."
Mark was wandering around his room, kicking random stuff on the floor to release his emotions. It was now a few hours later, but he was still steeped in embarrassment.
The continuous, screeching laughter coming from the phone pressed to his cheek wasn't helping.
Lee Haechan sounded like he was crying. Mark could just picture him wiping his laughing tears away. Instantly, he felt a surge of simultaneous annoyance and yearning.
“You should’ve seen your face,” Haechan was saying when finally caught his breath. “Oh, I can’t forget it. I wish I had taken a photo. I mean, was it even that much of a surprise?”
“I mean…yeah. It’s something pretty cool, and you never even told me,” Mark said honestly. “Are you really the only male cheerleader on the team?”
"As of now, yeah. It might change soon.”
“You looked good in your uniform.”
Haechan's laughter slowly faded out. He broke the silence with a teasing joke:
“Mark Lee, why did you make such a big deal anyway?” Haechan repeated. “Are you secretly into cheerleaders or something?”
“Not really. I never even considered it until now,” Mark blurted. What am I saying?
“Interesting…”
“I mean, I think it’s really cool that you’re one. Seriously.”
“Aw, well thanks. I was surprised I made the team to be honest.”
“I'm sure you're great. You gotta show me your moves some day.”
“...moves?”
“L-like cheerleader dance moves,” Mark spluttered, to which Haechan laughed aloud.
“Huh, I mean if you’re into cheerleaders…it’s really not a bad idea,” Haechan said. “Some of the girls on my team definitely already know who you are, and kept trying to talk about how much they ‘admired’ you.”
“Whoa, Lee Haechan, are you really trying to set me up with someone on your team already?” Mark said with a grin. “What an unexpected bro move from you.”
“Whatever. It’s cause I know guys like you. And guys like you are into basic stuff like that.” Mark could vividly picture the eye roll from here. “I can probably already guess the one who caught your eye too.”
“Really? Try me.”
“It’s so obvious I don’t even have to say it out loud,” Haechan scoffed. “I’ll tell you this though. She’s definitely interested…kept trying to subtly interject herself into conversations whenever the basketball team or you were involved.”
“Oh really? Wow.” Mark said, interest piqued as a flattered smile started to grow on his face. He plopped down on his chair, as he continued to listen intently to Haechan.
Haechan scoffed again. “Like I said, you’re so obvious. I can feel your big head growing even bigger from here. Anyway, if you really want to talk to her, she always hangs out at the central café for lunch. I think she’d like it.”
“Wow,” Mark repeated. “I mean, that’s great news. Also…why are you doing this? This is awfully nice of you.”
“I mean, if I can’t get my dating life in check, someone else might as well,” Haechan replied neatly. “It’s inevitably gonna happen anyway so I might as well hurry it along.”
“Well…thanks, I guess?”
“You can thank me by introducing me to a nice pretty boy with muscles and a good personality.”
Mark laughed. “I don’t know about that. Well…actually I do know a few guys like that.” Mark’s thoughts effortlessly drifted to his comfort hyungs, who more or less all fell under that definition somehow.
“No way.”
"Relax. They’re, uh….taken? Otherwise occupied?”
Haechan let out a whiny sound of disappointment. “Aw, come on. You can’t just bait me like that. Then again, I’m not completely against homewrecking.”
“You’re so crazy.”
“Hey, love is love. If I like someone enough and they’re stuck in some trashy mediocre relationship, I’d be doing everyone a favour in the long run anyway.”
Mark was still chuckling softly as he made his way over to his bed, slipping under the covers with the phone still pressed against his face. “The way you think is really something,” he said aloud.
“It’s really genius is what it is,” Haechan said cheekily.
“Cute…” Mark mumbled underneath his breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Anyways, you should probably sleep soon. Practice must’ve been hard.”
“It was alright. Besides, I’m perfectly comfortable sleeping when the sun’s up.”
Mark scoffed. “I can tell. Also, I forgot to ask…no one’s been following you anymore right?”
Haechan paused for a second before answering. “I don’t think so. I tried to stay with as many people as I could before splitting off and going to my house so I think that’s been helping. But I don’t think I’ve noticed anything.” Another pause, before Haechan continued: “You’re so worried about me still. Thanks, I guess.”
“I mean, things like that are kind of hard to deal with…are you sure you’re okay?”
Haechan’s tone softened substantially. “You’ll be the first to know if something’s up. Promise.”
The words seemed to more than reassure Mark. Especially the fact that Haechan would come to him first.
“And don’t worry about me too much,” Haechan continued. “I promise I’ll do better at taking care of myself.”
“You’re already doing that pretty well,” Mark said with a soft smile. “Don’t push yourself too much.”
“Says Mr. Overachieving Basketball Captain.”
“I know how and when to take breaks.”
“Yeah, by going on unfortunate dates with strangers, right? Same,” Haechan snickered.
“Stop joking about it, you could’ve gotten hurt.”
“Not with you I didn’t.”
Another pause. This one was more substantial, as if Haechan was suddenly thinking about something.
“So are you gonna do it?” Haechan asked suddenly.
“Do what?”
“Ask Vicky out.”
“Well…yeah, probably. I mean you said she wouldn’t mind right? And you kind of suggested it first earlier. It wouldn’t hurt to try. Especially since I've been wanting to get back into dating for a long time now, especially after, well, you know.”
“Oh, okay.” Mark thought Haechan suddenly sounded different again. “Yeah, good luck.” Another long silence. The mood had shifted into something somewhat uncomfortable, and Mark couldn’t help feeling that it was somehow his fault.
"Haechan?"
"Hmm?"
"You ok?"
The answer was just a second too slow. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
Mark also paused for a second."No reason. I just… was checking on you."
He heard Haechan snort. "All of a sudden? Quit being cute. What if I fall for you now? That would be bad, wouldn’t it?”
“Um…yeah,” Mark gulped. Haechan was snickering. It was just a joke. And Mark knew that. Right? His fingers clenched and unclenched underneath the sheets. What am I thinking right now?
“Anyways, hyung, I wish you luck,” Haechan said suddenly, his tone changed again. “She has a lot of potential suitors because there’s lots of basic boys like you out there. So you better hurry while she’s still infatuated with this fake basketball captain image of yours.”
Mark’s eyebrows scrunched up again. “What do you mean fake?”
“Well, she certainly doesn’t like the image of you all drunken, sprawled on a park bench all over the body of a boy you just met,” Haechan teased.
“What are you talking about?” Mark bellowed into the phone. “That didn’t even happen like that. Stop making it sound strange.”
“Well, it happened. And don’t worry, I won’t tell her. Besides, if she still likes you after that whole ‘ohmygosh you’re a cheerleader?!’ fiasco, you’re beyond lucky anyway.”
If Mark could somehow make Haechan see his glare right then, he would’ve. All he got in return was waves and waves of that obnoxious, pitchy laughter that seemed to mock him to his core.
“Just go to sleep,” Mark grumbled. “I’m tired. It’s super late, I don’t know how you still have this much energy.”
“Good luck, lover boy.” Mark could somehow hear his grin through the phone. “Let me know how it goes.”
“Will do,” Mark replied, smiling softly. “Good night… Donghyuck .” He didn’t know what his intentions were, dropping Haechan’s real name like that. But, he just felt like it.
“...good night.”
The next afternoon, Mark greeted Haechan with a bright smile, sitting on a ledge of one of their school’s gardens.
“Well, you look awfully proud of yourself,” Haechan said as he clutched his bag and sat down next to Mark. “Good news?”
“She said yes!” Mark blurted. “I can’t believe it! I have a girlfriend…again.”
Haechan’s expression was hard to read, even as he let out a breathy laugh and clapped Mark on the shoulder. “Congratulations…and you’re welcome. She’s a nice girl, treat her well.”
“Or what? You’re gonna beat me up?” Mark asked. “Our Haechan’s playing the protective oppa or something?”
Haechan did that scoff-smirk-eyeroll thing he always did (and it still captured Mark’s attention each and every time). “Please, Mark Lee. You should know by now that if I wanted to beat you up I wouldn’t need an excuse.”
“You also can’t. Because you’re weaker than me. Objectively.”
“Oh yeah? I’ll take you on right now. Right here. Let’s go.” Haechan leaped off the ledge and feigned a fighting stance, eyebrows wiggling comedically.
“Are you serious?”
Haechan threw him a look. “Are you suggesting you’d actually fight me right here right now in the middle of the school courtyard if I said I was serious?”
“...maybe.”
“Fine. I’m serious. Let’s g– WOAH !”
Mark lunged at Haechan who narrowly dodged with a curved waist. Laughing maniacally, Haechan sprinted away from a ferocious Mark who started chasing him all around the school courtyard. They quickly became lost in their strange, ridiculous world once again, not caring that people were definitely staring and judging.
After a couple of laps around the building, the both of them collapsed under a tree after Haechan called a temporary truce.
“By the way,” Haechan said beside him, between breaths. “Why are you still here?”
Mark was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Why the heck are you chasing me around the school when you just got a girlfriend? Shouldn’t you be going on a date with her?”
“Oh. She’s busy tonight,” Mark answered easily. “Besides, I’d already promised I’d hang out with you tonight anyway.”
“Oh. Okay, I guess.”
They stayed quiet for a few more minutes, still trying to catch their breath. Mark became acutely aware of what Haechan looked and sounded like when he was exhausted like this.
“So, what do you wanna do next?” Haechan asked, interrupting whatever intrusive thoughts Mark was having.
“I dunno,” Mark said. “What do you wanna do?”
“Wanna come to my place again?” Haechan suggested. “We can play some games. Order some food. Also...we can also continue what we were doing last time.”
Mark’s attention was piqued. “That sounds nice.”
Mark Lee suddenly became very busy in the next few weeks. He was balancing multiple duties at once as a boyfriend, a basketball captain, and a good friend to those around him. The new basketball season had started, and the team was practicing harder than ever. The competition was fierce, and Mark felt the burden on his shoulders as their leader more than ever. Sometimes, it felt unbearable, and he might’ve broken a few times if it wasn’t for Jeno being next to him.
Off the court, Vicky was as kind as she was beautiful, just as Haechan had promised. In no time at all, she established herself as the supportive partner he’d always needed. He quickly introduced her to his friend group, and after enduring the relentless teasing (mostly from Jeno), they all immediately approved. She was understanding and patient to all his quirks and needs, and really there was nothing more he could ask for. And thus, even though Mark’s life was busy, it had become quite comfortable and happy.
At least on the surface.
Deep inside, there was something missing, and even though Mark was sure it was something substantial, he wasn’t quite sure exactly what it was.
One day, in the midst of all that was going on, Mark realized that he had been seeing Haechan less and less. Sure, they still called each other almost every night, and met up occasionally, but they both had their own hectic schedules to attend to. Naturally, basketball season also aligned with the cheer season, and any free time they did have, Mark would usually be spending with Vicky.
It was on a particularly treacherous span, when Mark realized he hadn’t seen or heard from Haechan for over three days. Though it shouldn’t bother him so much, it did. For some reason, after being accustomed to the guy for so long, whenever he was apart from him for a "long" time…he kind of missed him.
And so on a particular night, after Mark was done practicing, hanging out with Vicky and finally leaving her to study for her upcoming exams, he decided he would initiate. He texted Haechan as he walked home from Vicky’s place.
[ mark lee ] 6:49 p.m. hey stranger.
[ mark lee ] 6:50 p.m. whatchu up to? i miss u :3
The incoming call arrived less than a minute later.
“Hey,” Mark picked up with a grin in his tone.
“Yah,” came Haechan’s piercing yet familiar voice. “You texted me by accident instead of your girlfriend.”
“Shut up,” Mark smiled. “I haven’t seen you in awhile. Just making sure you’re alive.”
“That should be my line. I’m not the one balancing the responsibilities of the world on my shoulder right now.”
“Is this some multi-tiered cheerleading joke I’m not getting right now?”
“Maybe. Anyway, I’m gonna be busy tonight. House party with me and some friends. Did you need something?”
“Party?” Mark asked, distracted. “What are you celebrating?”
“Um. Being alive? Does there really need to be a reason to get a bunch of dudes together with a bunch of beers?”
“Yeah, I guess not. Do you…want help?”
“Are you trying to invite yourself to my party?”
“I swear to god if you find a way to turn this against me somehow.”
“Relax, I was kidding. What about Vicky? Shouldn’t you be with her right now?”
“She has exams tomorrow. I already hung out with her for a bit. I really got nothing to do"
“Well, I don’t see any reason why you can’t join. Other than… are you sure you’re ready to meet my friends?”
“How bad could they be?
“ Well… ”
Mark Lee stood before the rather familiar door of Haechan's apartment. Somehow, it was emitting a rather ominous aura that usually wasn't there. Perhaps it was associated with the faint screeching noises that he swore he could barely hear from within.
Oh boy…
Mark was wondering if he should pray now or later, as his hand clenched tighter around the food and beer Haechan had told him to buy. He'd also said that the door would be open, and to just let himself in as he was likely to be occupied. It had seemed like a perfectly fine idea earlier, but now that Mark was actually there, his intuition seemed to be screaming at him to run away from the door.
Gritting his teeth, Mark summoned all the courage and pushed the door open before he could stop himself. The door chimed, and now there was no stepping back. The screams immediately got louder as the door opened, validating his earlier concerns. He quickly kicked off his shoes and made his way towards the living area.
From that moment onwards, Mark Lee was mentally assaulted repeatedly, consecutive times in a row.
Despite all the noise, there wasn't that many people in the space at all (which made sense because Haechan's place was relatively small). The first thing Mark noticed was two guys sitting on the couch, very much cuddled up with each other. One of the guys was leaning on the other's shoulder, while the other (still facing away) had his arm around him. While Mark didn't recognize the guy who was leaning over, he had to admit that he was one of the most handsome guys Mark had ever seen, with long slender limbs and the prettiest face.
As Mark approached, the other guy finally noticed the movement and turned around.
The guy's eyes immediately widened in shock.
"MARK?!" he yelled.
Mark dropped the bag from his hand, stunned.
" JENO?!!!!" Mark yelled back.
Lee Jeno pushed his friend(?) away as he stood up. The other boy yelped in protest before adding a whine and chucking a pillow at Jeno.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Mark and Jeno yelled at the same time.
"Okay, wait. Pause," Mark said, trying to stay calm. "Me first. Well. Um. What are you doing here?"
"I was invited to a party?" Jeno responded sheepishly.
"You're friends with Donghyuck?"
"Not really. I'm Jaemin's…friend. He's the one who asked me to come by today. I know Donghyuck by association. Huh… I never really thought about it but I guess he doesn't know I'm on the basketball team. Awkward." Jeno glanced at the boy beside him, who he had thrown away earlier. "Oh, right. This is Jaemin, by the way."
Jaemin raised his hand, and brandished a strange smile that didn't quite suit his handsome composure. "Hi~ I'm Na Jaemin. Nice to meet you! You must be Mark, I've heard loads about you. Jeno tells me stories all the time."
"What stories?" Mark asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, one is that you have a farting problem. Especially during practice–"
Jaemin was stopped by Jeno pushing a pillow onto his face, while Mark glared daggers at the person who was once his trusted teammate but now had definitely been demoted to just teammate.
Their momentary peace was interrupted by people entering from the front door. It sounded like two more people entering. The first one who appeared was an extremely tall, shy looking boy who had an extremely youthful look to him. He humbly greeted them before turning around to talk to the other person who had entered with him.
At that moment, the shy boy’s companion entered the living space.
Mark's and Jeno's eyes simultaneously widened in petrified shock for the second time that night.
" ZHONG CHENLE?!!"
The boy also froze at the sudden assault of people screaming his name. His expression was also laden with shock, before narrowing in suspicion.
“Lee Jeno? Lee Mark?” he asked. “Is that really you guys? What the hell are you guys doing here?”
Jaemin watched them, eyes sparkling gleefully at the random, unexpected entertainment. “Oho, do you guys know each other as well? What a coincidence~!"
The three boys stood there, glaring at each other. It was Mark and Jeno against Chenle. And it went well beyond just knowing each other. While Mark and Jeno were both extremely competitive and bloodthirsty when it came to their sport, there just so happened to be a player from a rival school that had been getting on their nerves for a long time. Everyone who played college varsity basketball knew Zhong Chenle. Even his name sounded famous. He was just that kid : born from a rich family, good at school, played the piano like a prodigy and also happened to be very good at basketball. And it wasn’t so much everything else that bothered Mark and Jeno, it was the fact that they detested playing games against him. He had a tendency to steal their spotlight, just as much as they did to him.
Mark stood there, less than a few feet away from his court rival, wondering how the heck he had gotten himself into this mess. He swallowed awkwardly, not sure what to say or do next.
Somehow, it was Jeno who spoke first. “Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Zhong himself in the flesh,” he said through gritted teeth. “What, you showed up to step on my toes again?” Mark cringed. He had wanted his greeting to be polite but now it was much too late.
“What are you saying right now?” Chenle replied with an expression very similar to disgust. “I’ve been coming to Donghyuck's little gatherings for a long time and this is the first time I’ve seen you two blood hungry monsters here. I should be asking you that.”
“Who’s a monster?” Jeno retorted bluntly, stepping closer to Chenle threateningly.
“Guys, let’s try to calm down…” Mark tried.
Chenle scoffed. “Look at you already being aggressive and it’s been less than a minute. Do you guys even know how to be civil? Maybe if you two transferred all that aggressive energy into practicing proper skill you could actually outplay me once in a while.”
Now it was Mark’s turn to push Jeno aside. “What do you mean ‘outplay you once in a while’?” We’ve beaten your team several times.”
Jaemin started flailing in a weird way at the back. “Kids, kids, let’s not fight!” he said in a mimicked schoolteacher’s voice, although there was a bright smile on his face.
“Ah, so now you play unfair and you’re a liar?” Jeno taunted. “As expected of the infamous name ‘Zhong Chenle’.”
“DON'T CALL ME A LIAR !” Chenle screeched, surprisingly loud. The boy next to him was cringing real hard at this point, turned away with fingers plugged into his ears.
“Guys, stop yelling!” Jaemin yelled.
“Let’s settle this right now,” Jeno was sneering. “Whoever wins is the better basketball player.”
"Fine!" Chenle responded at once, throwing down his jacket. "Name the game. And whoever loses is the ultimate loser of all time."
"ROCK PAPER SCISSORS! " Jeno yelled.
"FINE!"
The boy whose name Mark still didn't know finally opened his mouth to speak for the first time. "Are y'all seriously betting your lives' meaning away with rock paper scissors?" he asked softly and incredulously.
"Uh Jeno, we should probably wait," Mark tried again.
"Oooh, exciting!" Jaemin was clapping gleefully on the couch.
"PLAY OR LOSE, ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!" Chenle and Jeno were already screaming.
"JENO!" Mark yelled.
"GOOD! KEEPING IT GOING." Jaemin's voice was becoming really weird.
"Chenle, you should relax…"
"STAY OUT OF THIS JISUNG IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA HELP."
" WHERE IS DONGHYUCK?!" Mark cried.
The rock paper scissor chants only got louder and louder as they kept hitting tie after tie. It didn't help that they were all trying to yell over each other until–
Creak.
Everyone stopped as the door to Haechan's room finally opened, and a slightly ruffled Haechan stepped out, running his hand through his hair and looking exasperated.
"What is wrong with you guys? Can't keep quiet for a few minutes," Haechan complained.
"You're one to talk. And what took you so long?" Jaemin asked, still completely unbothered by everything that was going on.
"I couldn't find the thing. Whatever," Haechan said. He glanced around, as if finally noticing everyone else in the room. "Oh. Everyone's here. Chenle. Jisung. Jaemin. Jeno. Even Mark made it. Welcome, welcome!" He made his way over to them, although Mark couldn't quite fully appreciate everything yet as he was still quite disoriented.
"Where's Renjun?" Chenle asked, already moving away from Jeno as if he had actually already forgotten everything that had ensued.
"Work," Haechan pouted. "He'll be back later. Also…" Haechan leaned back into the doorway of his room. "Come out already! Come meet the others, I'll find it later."
Mark watched with eyebrows raised, as a shuffling came from inside Haechan's room. There's another person in there? Then, a tall, extremely handsome guy with a nice build appeared in front of them, right in Haechan's doorway.
"Hi guys," the stranger greeted them.
Mark did a double-take. Jaehyun?! But before he could further embarrass himself by screaming the name out loud, he blinked several times and realized: while the guy resembled his close hyung Jaehyun, it wasn't actually Jaehyun. While the build and hair was vaguely similar, his face lacked the signature softness that Jaehyun had.
Haechan put a hand on the guy’s shoulder. "This is the guy I'm currently seeing. His name is Jeffrey. He has night practice soon so say hi and then goodbye."
Mark realized he had forgotten to breathe, so he exhaled at that moment. Thank god it’s not Jaehyun. That's enough trauma for one day… He couldn't help but run his eyes up and down Jeffrey. Huh… so this must be Haechan's type…interesting .
Mark watched as Haechan grabbed the guy's hand and led him over to the door. He tried to hide the intensity of his stare as Haechan reached up and kissed the guy goodbye. A strange feeling snuck up over him, but there was nothing to say about it. Now that the initial shock of the guy not actually being Jaehyun was over, he realized he hadn't expected to meet Haechan's date today… or ever. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with it, or why he was feeling kind of worked up about it in the first place.
There’s no reason.
"Sooo, how long have you guys been dating?" Jaemin asked, wiggling his eyebrows when Haechan finally joined them.
"Just a few weeks," Haechan answered. "I bumped into him after cheer practice once. He’s on the volleyball team, if you didn’t know.”
"Oooh, cute," Jaemin cooed. “I’ve heard lots of good things about him. Also…so many star athletes in the room today."
"What, really?" Haechan spoke.
"Do you really not know who you invited?" Mark jeered from across the room.
Haechan immediately glared back. "Oh, so sorry I forgot about the magnificent basketball captain."
"Not just Mark," Jaemin interjected. He reached over, patted and rubbed Jeno's bicep. "Jeno here plays too…and apparently Chenle's on the rival team."
Haechan stared blankly at the group in front of him. "Oh shit. Did I almost accidentally start a world war in here?"
"It's fine. They'll both learn who is truly superior eventually," Chenle spoke, casually sipping his drink.
"Hey, stop that," Jeno sniped.
"Poor Jisungie was caught in the crossfire," Jaemin simpered, awkwardly reaching over to pet Jisung on the head.
"Well, it's nice to meet you at last Jeno," Haechan smiled. "Jaemin talks a lot about you and he said he would invite you today. I never even knew you were also close with Mark."
"Yeah… small world indeed," Mark mumbled. Too small these days.
"So… what do you guys want to do today?" Haechan asked, leaning back on the couch and cracking open a beer.
“Truth or dare,” Jaemin said at once.
Haechan brushed it off. “Not yet, we’re not drunk enough.”
"Let's just play video games again," Chenle suggested.
“Just Dance?” Jaemin grinned.
“NO!” Jeno, Jisung and Chenle simultaneously yelled in protest.
“Why not?” Haechan also mirrored Jaemin's gleeful smile.
“As much as I don’t want to admit it…Donghyuck always crushes everyone,” Chenle muttered begrudgingly.
“It’s just an embarrassing game,” Jeno uttered.
“I agree,” Jisung seconded.
Mark, on the other hand, had a different opinion. “Is he that good? I think I can beat him.”
Everyone turned to look at him, while Haechan raised an eyebrow.
“Oho, looks like the newcomer is brave,” Haechan observed, leaning into his hand. His posture suddenly became arrogant like a king on his throne, especially with that familiar smirk on his face. And it certainly provoked something in Mark.
He felt something pat repeatedly against his shoulder, and looked over to see Chenle hitting him.
“Yah, you’re a new recruit here, you really think you can beat the crime boss?” he said nonchalantly.
Mark stared directly at Haechan with a devious glint in his eye that didn’t suit his regular kind composure. Haechan returned the look, and the tension was instantly raised between them.
“Why not?” Mark said with a strange, pointed confidence. “I’ve done it before.”
Only Jisung moved, rubbing his hands on his temples in exhaustion. “Why are you guys acting like this over Just Dance?” he mumbled quietly in the back.
But of course it was much too late. Mark and Haechan stood up simultaneously, both lunging for a controller.
“Oho, looks like there are a lot of rivals in this room, “ Jaemin said gleefully, tucking himself in to watch.
“Wait, wait, let’s not get too eager, let’s decide on the punishment first,” Chenle announced.
Mark stopped in his tracks. “Punishment?”
The door suddenly burst open and Renjun walked into the room not a second later, throwing his work bag onto the couch.
“Punishment? I came just in time,” he said happily, not seeming at all tired after work.
“Yay! Renjunnie is home~!” Haechan yelled gleefully, running over and hugging him around the neck (much to Renjun’s protests).
“What are we doing?” he asked the room.
“Just Dance,” Chenle replied.
“Again? Why?” Renjun huffed. “Donghyuck’s just gonna crush us all again.”
Chenle pointed at Mark. “Mark Lee here thinks he can beat him.”
“Wait, what’s this punishment thing?” Mark interjected loudly before they could all speak over him again.
“It’s tradition here. When we play games or do something we always bet something substantial on it,” Chenle remarked.
“Why?” Mark asked incredulously.
Chenle shrugged. “What’s the point in playing with no stakes?”
Mark scratched his head. He supposed they had a point, but there was also no denying that they were an extremely scary group of people.
“Anyways, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Renjun was saying. “Let’s just make Mark tank the entire punishment ‘cause he suggested the challenge.”
“Great idea,” Haechan said at once. “Best idea of your life, Renjun.”
“What? No! ” Mark yelled in protest. “Seriously! I didn’t even know this punishment thing was a thing!”
“More reason for you to learn, little one,” said Jaemin.
"I didn't say–" Mark was at a loss for words. "I never agreed to this!" He even looked pleadingly at Jeno, who pretended not to see him. Oh, you're definitely demoted to just a teammate from now on.
"I got it," Renjun snapped his fingers. "Let's lock him in the Death Closet."
The others murmured in agreement, while Jeno looked just as lost as Mark.
"What's that?" Jeno asked Jaemin.
"It's a creepy supply closet at the end of the hallway on this floor," Jaemin explained. "It's tiny and all old and rusted and no one ever uses it. We're not even sure why it exists like that. Also, there's not much space so there's that element of horror. Rumours have it that someone was murdered and the body was stored there for a long time before it was found."
Chenle nodded. "Do you guys remember when we locked Jisung in there when he lost at Mario Kart on his 18th birthday? I think he cried."
"Did not!" Jisung exclaimed.
"Anyway, better hope you don't get introduced to it today, Mark," Chenle said casually, clapping him on the back.
"Do I really have no say in this?" Mark tried one last time, not quite amused by the nightmarish prospects of this demonic closet.
"Just beat him then," Jeno shrugged from his spot. "You said you could."
"Not you too," Mark groaned. But somehow accepting that he didn't really have a choice, he got up and properly grabbed the controller.
"Whoa, he's actually gonna do it," Jaemin said in awe.
"Wait, what happens if he loses though?" Mark asked suddenly, pointing at Haechan.
"You get to do whatever you want to him," Renjun said.
Mark felt something stir in his stomach. Do whatever I want to Haechan, that’s… He cleared his throat, much to the amusement of everyone watching him.
“So, what do you say?” Jaemin asked, grinning. “You in?”
Mark hesitated. Again… do I have a choice?
“What, you scared or something?” Haechan taunted suddenly from the other side. There was that agonisingly provocative smirk again.
And that was all it took, for Mark to stand in front of a group of boys, most of whom he’d just met, and flail around to some generic pop song they’d chosen. He was absolutely fuelled by the thought of wiping that smirk off Haechan by whatever means possible…even if it was just a silly dance game.
And in the end, Mark didn’t know exactly what it was. Perhaps it was the loud and obnoxious cheering and cat-calling from the boys. Maybe he simply truly lacked skill next to someone who was an actual cheerleader and possessed much rhythm and grace. Or, maybe subconsciously he was distracted by the way Haechan moved out of the corner of his eye, the way his hips swayed in an extemely distracting manner to the otherwise mundane beat.
But whatever the distraction was, in the end, even though it was just by a small margin: Mark lost.
And they didn’t waste a single second.
In hushed but excited whispers so as to not disturb Haechan and Renjun’s neighbours, the six boys dragged Mark down to the end of the hallway, opened the cursed supply closet, and shoved him in without a moment’s hesitation.
“30 minutes!” they said happily, before slamming the door shut.
As they promised, it was definitely creepy. The entire space was not even three feet wide, with barely enough room for him to move comfortably. It was lit by a single dim light bulb that seemed to be hanging on for dear life above him. The shelves were metallic and rusted, covered in dust. Not to mention, there was a strange smell that Mark didn’t want to think too much about. It was deathly quiet, all sound was muffled, and there was certainly no place to sit.
Did I just…let myself get talked into some kind of terrifying solitary confinement? At a house party?
The more Mark thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Surely everyone was gonna think he was a fool if he told them this story. What was his girlfriend gonna say?
That’s right. Think of Vicky, maybe it’ll make it better.
His thoughts drifted to his lovely girlfriend, who surely would not have let him get into this predicament. He could imagine her now: first concerned if he was okay and then giggling in her cute way after realizing how silly he had acted the whole night.
But the comforting thoughts didn’t last very long. He felt himself quickly getting distracted by the disturbing ambience surrounding him. It didn’t help that the horror stories told by the boys were also starting to helplessly drift into his head, making all that much worse.
How long has it been? I don’t think I can take another minute of this–
A bright flash of light suddenly appeared, blinding him for a second. It took him a moment to realise the door had opened. He turned to see–
“Haechan?!” he called. Sure enough, there he was. Standing there, all flushed from the party and looking straight at him with those wide, provocative eyes.
“Did you come to let me out early…” Mark’s voice drifted off as he heard the noise of cackling behind Haechan. His stomach sank as he quickly caught wind that something ominous was about to happen.
It happened in a flash. He suddenly felt himself pressed firmly into the metallic shelf behind him, and the warm body of another right next to him before the door mercilessly slammed shut.
Oh my god, what is happening?
It took everything to shake off the disorientation, to truly comprehend his true reality of the moment: and that reality was that he was locked in this supply closet that barely had enough space for one with Lee Haechan shoved in next to him.
“What’s happening?!” Mark yelled out loud. He let out a wheeze as Haechan kicked him in the shin trying to get more comfortable.
“Relax, let me explain,” Haechan tried to calm Mark down.
Mark’s eyes narrowed. “What have you done?” Haechan was close, really close, if it could even be put that way with many parts of his limbs and body already pressed right up against him. Haechan’s face was right in front of him, and any more unnecessary movement was either impossible or would surely end in some other sort of disaster.
“Well…after you left, Na Jaemin started a game of truth and dare.”
“...and?”
“The stakes are pretty high–whoever gave in first would have to buy dinner and clean up.”
“...”
“And my dare was that I should join you in the closet for the rest of your punishment.”
Mark nearly cursed out loud. “Why do I have to suffer for your antics?!” he practically screamed.
“It’s your fault for getting all competitive!” Haechan retorted. “They thought you and I had some sort of deep-ridden animosity or rivalry of some sort from the way you were acting around me, so they figured I would never join you in here.”
Mark merely groaned in frustration. It was quickly starting to become suffocating in the tiny closet. The strange smell from the shelves had long disappeared and had completely been replaced with Haechan’s scent. When they weren’t talking, Mark could hear the sound of their breathing, slightly heavy from how worked up they were getting from their needless bickering.
Then suddenly, Haechan wiggled his body, once again trying to get comfy, only to rub his thighs against Mark. The touch was electric, sending a jolt straight through Mark’s upper spine.
“Hey! Be careful,” Mark yelped. “There’s not much room and you’re making it worse!”
“I’m trying to make it better, if you’d just let me,” Haechan protested. “Ugh, we’re totally gonna get all cramped up at this rate. Look, I’m just gonna try something. Do you mind? I might have to get even closer but it’ll only be just for a bit more.”
Even closer? Is that even possible ?! Mark’s heart felt like it was gonna jump out of his throat. The horrors of the closet had long been forgotten, and now Mark almost wished that there wasn’t a light in here. That way, he wouldn’t have to see Haechan’s face so close to his like this. He would never have had to notice how pretty his large, oval-shaped brown eyes were underneath those long, elegant lashes. How smooth his chocolate toned skin was and how sharp the shape of jaws and cheeks were. And especially, how soft and pouty his pink lips are up close, plump and perfect and it would be so easy just to sink his teeth into them and–
Oh my god, what am I thinking?
“Mark! I’m gonna move!” Haechan repeated.
“U-uh, okay…”
A bit of shuffling, and Haechan arched forwards, giving himself more room between himself and the shelf…and less between him and Mark. Just like that, Haechan’s entire body was pressed up against Mark, especially as he lifted his arms and curled them awkwardly around Mark's body. Instinctively, Mark’s hands also moved, going directly to clasp onto Haechan’s hips.
“This position is…” Mark murmured.
Mark could hear Haechan’s breath right next to him. His scent was overpowering. He was reminded of that first night in Haechan’s room, when they had somehow wrestled each other onto the bed. He had first smelt this scent then, and it had been pleasant, making his mind go dizzy. Now it was stronger than ever, and he could definitely feel the woozy effects.
…baby powder?
Haechan slightly moved again, causing Mark’s hands that were on his hips to also move slightly, rubbing against them. Haechan let out a deep noise that came from his throat that went straight to Mark’s…head.
“Just stay like this for a bit,” Haechan spoke. Was his voice always this breathy? Mark thought.
Mark started to speak. “Aren’t we a little…?”
“It’s fine, don’t think too much.”
They stayed quiet for a second, trying to stay calm. In reality, there was truly nothing to be worked up about now that they were long past the initial arguments and the scare from the closet. But it seemed that neither of them could keep their breathing regular. Mark tried everything to distract himself, looking anywhere but Haechan’s face.
What is going on? Why is it like this?
He couldn’t think straight anymore. He could feel Haechan’s warm skin right next to him, on top of him, underneath his fingertips. The urges were overwhelming, and he was doing everything he could to suppress them. It would be so easy just to give in.
Give in…to what?
A question suddenly crossed his mind, manifesting from these cursed, forbidden desires. A question that he immediately had to have the answer to.
“Haechan," he called. "Why didn’t you tell me by the way?” His voice was lowered, and felt disembodied.
“Tell you what?” Haechan replied, in a tone that was also heavy, almost trembling.
“We called each other a few times in those weeks,” Mark said. “I know we were busy but why didn’t you tell me you were seeing Jeffrey?”
“Why would I have to? I didn’t think you would care.”
“I told you about Vicky right away.”
"You didn’t tell me. I figured it out.”
“I thought we were friends. Don’t friends tell each other these things?”
Haechan was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he moved, forcing Mark to look him in the eye. Mark made a breathy noise, as he looked straight into the alluring eyes he’d been trying to avoid for the past few minutes. Indeed, Haechan was right in front of him, so close to him, and there was nowhere to go.
Pretty, pretty Haechan…
“Friends, huh?” Haechan smiled so slightly, his voice barely a whisper. “Not to sound cliché but…is that what we are?”
He didn’t know whether it was him or Haechan who moved closer, but suddenly their faces were barely a breath away.
"Haechan-ah…" Mark murmured.
Instincts overrode his senses as Mark fully pressed in the hands that were holding onto Haechan’s hips, sliding them up his waist and then back down slowly. Lower. And lower. He felt Haechan’s hands slide against his back, tracing around his muscles before pressing down hard on his chest and into his abdomen. His entire body tingled wherever Haechan left his fingertips last. They were both breathing so heavily. He could hear it all. He swore he could also hear their hearts beating rapidly, simultaneously. Mark nearly lost his mind when he heard Haechan’s voice pitch up, likely by accident, into the most enthralling sound, practically begging him to do something worse. It was all too intoxicating, overwhelming, his senses completely muddled, drowning in the scent. At this rate, he was going to–
The door swung open.
“TIME’S UP!” came Chenle’s loud and disrupting voice.
Mark released his hands and swung his head back hard, forgetting there was no “back”.
Everything went black.
“So you let yourself get talked into getting shoved into a tiny closet by a bunch of boys you've never met before and ended up slamming your head into a metal shelf?” Vicky asked, pressing the ice pack gently into the back of Mark’s swelling head.
He could hear the incredulity in his girlfriend’s voice, and honestly, he didn’t blame her. When she said it like that, he sounded even dumber than he first suspected. He was spending time at her place, lying face down on her bed and being tended to after she found out what had ensued the previous night.
“What did Donghyuck say about it?” she asked, unable to keep the giggle out of her voice.
Mark tried not to tense up at the mention of his friend’s name.
Friends, huh? Is that what we are? The voice echoed as clear as ever in Mark’s mind. He could already feel his heart preparing to rev up at the recollection at what had happened in that closet. Of course, when retelling the story to Vicky he had left out the part where Haechan had gotten a bit too close and resulted in them running their hands over each other’s…everything. He’d already had a sleepless night, wracked between guilt and trying not to relive that moment. Over and over again, he tried to convince himself that nothing really happened. That they both had their own partners and what happened was just some sort of weird manifestation of adrenaline, alcohol and that cursed closet.
Whether or not he truly believed that was a different question, because he knew one of the hardest things about this all was trying to forget how pretty Haechan looked up close, and the way he felt all soft and inviting underneath his fingertips, underneath the clothes…
Mark snapped out of his revelation when he felt Vicky nudge him. He turned to see her smiling at him, looking as beautiful as ever.
Mark thought to himself: Yeah, it was nothing. It was just a moment of misjudgement. This is what’s right.
“Hey, you’re really out of it,” she teased him. “You ok? Does it still hurt a lot?”
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Mark replied.
“So, what did Donghyuck say after?” she repeated her question from earlier.
“Nothing helpful,” Mark grumbled. “He just stared at the back of my head after I regained consciousness and went `Whoa, hyung! Your head’s gonna get even bigger now!’”
Vicky laughed at that. Something Mark had quickly realized was that, despite his own qualms about Donghyuck, everyone around him (including the cheer team) was quite smitten with the boy. There was always endless praise about how hilarious and easygoing he was, with the bonus of being able to get work done efficiently and effectively when it truly counted. Mark’s opinion of Donghyuck, on the other hand, at least on the surface, was consistent as it had always been:
“Yeah, I don’t know what you guys see in him,” Mark said plainly.
Vicky was still laughing when she said: “Oh, come on. Be nice to him. He asks about you all the time.”
This happened to pique Mark’s attention. “Hmm, really? Why? What does he say?”
Vicky shrugged. “Just whether or not you’re doing well, eating well. All that stuff. He seems to really care about you so maybe you should just…I don’t know, hug him back or something once in a while.”
Mark averted his eyes. I did that already… kind of.
“Oh, yeah, that reminds me,” Vicky was still talking. “He introduced me to his boyfriend, Jeffrey a few weeks ago when he came by after practice. He seemed like a really nice guy too! Donghyuck suggested we should go on a double date sometime.”
This time, Mark didn’t even bother hiding the fact that he tensed up.
“Um,” he uttered. “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
Vicky seemed confused at that. “Why not?”
“Uh…” Mark wracked his head for an appropriate answer. “I’ll be really busy the next few months.”
She wasn’t buying any of it. “Oh, come on. We all go to the same school and have the same amount of extracurriculars. Plus, you go on dates with me anyway, so it’ll be the same! Just with a few more friends. Also, it’s no rush, he just suggested it.”
“I just really don’t think it’s a good idea,” Mark repeated, hoping it’ll have a different effect this time around.
Vicky crossed her arms, flipping her long, black hair as she was clearly unimpressed by Mark’s sudden resistance.
“What, do you really actually not get along with Donghyuck that much?” she asked. “For real? I thought it was just this weird act you two keep up with for no reason when others are around, but you actually have a lot of chemistry with each other in reality. Which is why you keep hanging out with each other.”
Mark scratched the back of his head. Well, she’s definitely right about some things… Glancing at Vicky, and realizing he had no other reasonable refute, Mark weakly bowed his head in acceptance.
“What’s the date you guys had in mind?” he uttered pliantly.
The supposedly dreaded date ended up being two weeks later. Vicky had picked a place that was relatively fancy for a group of college students, because she wanted to try something different and special for some of the closest people in her life. And so, Mark found himself being the first to be there on that day, waiting in front of the designated restaurant around fifteen minutes before their meeting time. He managed to dig out his suit jacket that he occasionally wore to formal events and gatherings, so as to appease Vicky’s passive little “dress appropriately!” nag.
Many thoughts drifted through his mind as he waited, unable to keep still as he paced back and forth. For one thing, he hadn’t talked to Haechan since their little “incident”. It wasn’t intentional, at least on the surface. He had been so caught up in school and busy with practice that he hadn’t called or talked to anyone within the past two weeks. Plus, it didn’t help that there was a misplaced sense of doom that had been building up to this double date that added to the pressure of everything–he hadn’t been able to calm down, so he threw himself into work.
More or less, Mark had managed to convince himself that Haechan had nothing to do with it all.
“Mark, over here!” a voice called.
He turned to see Vicky running towards him in an impressive pair of heels and a slim black dress that her figure filled out beautifully. Her long black hair flew out behind her, framing her beautiful face. Although the dress was simple, the black colour and how she’d dressed it up made it look classy and elegant. It was very much to Mark’s typical taste (not that it mattered). Still, he couldn’t help but crack a smile as she ran up beside him and caught his arm.
“Hey, watch out. You’re running in those terrifying heels,” Mark said gently, holding her and brushing at her hair. “That’s my girl, you look beautiful.”
Again, this is what’s right, Mark thought in his mind.
Her smile was dazzling as she clutched his arm tighter. “Thanks for doing this again,” she said softly. “I know you didn’t want to but I’m sure it’ll be great. Plus, I really wanted to do something with Donghyuck cause we kept promising to hang out but we never had time to. This is the perfect opportunity! Have the others arrived yet?”
Mark shook his head. “Nope. I’ve just been waiting. They’ll probably be here soon.”
Vicky smiled again, kissing him softly on the cheek. “Thanks again for agreeing to do this with me,” she said. Then she paused, looking over Mark’s shoulder. “Oh, here they come!”
Mark followed her gaze, and surely, there they were. His mind still did that double-take whenever he saw Jeffrey, believing that he was Jaehyun every time at first glance. Even if he wasn’t, he was still exceedingly handsome. Today, his tall build was draped in a rather expensive looking suit that Mark wondered how he was able to afford as a college student, and he caught the eyes of several people as he walked by.
But Mark found he didn’t care at all, and it took a mere second for him to be distracted by the person walking a few steps behind him.
Lee Haechan. Mark swallowed as he finally saw him, and it finally sank in how much he missed him after two weeks of absolutely no contact with him. Today, he was dressed in his fancy attire that consisted of a suit jacket and form-fitting slacks that really highlighted his…assets. Indeed, he was different from his usual fluffy self in his oversized hoodies and shorts, but it was a good kind of different. For the first time, Mark really took notice of how nice Haechan’s proportions were. The way Haechan strode was confident and daring, his long legs seeming to stretch out for miles. All that with a pretty face and those wide doe-like eyes that always seemed to be glimmering with something mysterious but inviting. He was indeed a sight for Mark’s sore eyes, and his heart seemed to ache because of it.
And when Haechan caught his eye and gave a tiny wave, Mark almost forgot to breathe. Suddenly, it was as if Haechan was truly the golden sun, and everything and everyone else paled in comparison. Mark wondered why it took him this long to properly notice. Flashbacks ran through Mark’s mind in vivid images and senses, as he remembered how close they’d been. This Haechan, for some reason, felt much less approachable, almost intimidating.
“Hey, you ok?” he heard Vicky’s voice almost as an afterthought. “We should get our reservation. They’re here.”
“Y-yeah,” he stuttered, finally tearing his eyes away and letting himself get dragged inside by Vicky. Somehow, he was very grateful for it. No time for intrusive thoughts. No time for intrusive thoughts. He repeated it internally like a mantra.
The group of four found themselves waiting in a hallway lit with elegant, dim, golden light. The restaurant was filled with a deluxe ambience, and suddenly Mark was glad he had listened to Vicky’s dress code suggestion. As they waited, Mark did everything he could to focus in front of him or on Vicky, trying his best to ignore the fact that Haechan was right behind him. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists in nervousness. He didn’t know why he was acting like this, but it seemed that ever since Haechan showed up in his life, nothing really made sense anymore.
Finally, it was their turn. Vicky strode up to the counter and waited for the receptionist when Mark suddenly felt a poke in his arm. He turned to see Haechan looking straight at him. His expression was unreadable other than the muted smile on his face.
"Hey, can I talk to you alone for a sec?" Haechan asked, he gestured to an empty corner of the waiting area.
"Hey guys, table's ready!" Vicky called from the front.
"Gimme a sec, I gotta talk to Donghyuck for a moment. We'll come find you!" Mark answered. She nodded and she and Jeffery disappeared into the spacious restaurant while Mark and Haechan moved into the quiet corner.
Mark mustered up all the "casualness" he could.
"So…uh…sup?" he said, still avoiding all eye contact with Haechan.
"Really?" Haechan asked with incredulity. He spoke in hushed tones. "You've been avoiding me for two weeks and that's all you can say?"
"I wasn't avoiding you!" Mark cried defensively like a child, still not looking at Haechan's face.
Haechan grabbed Mark by the wrist and forced him to look upwards. Mark gulped, his heart skipping a beat as those captivating brown eyes fully entranced him like they always did. Always had from the beginning.
He shook his hand away, ignoring the sensation that lingered where Haechan had touched.
"I really didn't do it on purpose," Mark repeated. "I just got busy, that's all."
Haechan crossed his arms, still unsure if it was true. Instead, he said: "Whatever the reason, are we just not gonna talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"You know." Haechan lowered his voice. " The closet. "
Mark paused, trying not to think of the actual events in fear of how he would react. Or what would react. Fortunately he had rehearsed this several times in his head, mostly to himself.
"Nothing happened," Mark stated firmly.
Haechan raised an eyebrow. "So that's what you're going with?"
"Nothing happened," he repeated. "We are both in committed relationships and whatever happened there was… was a fluke of some sort. Besides, it's not like anything did happen. It was just a little bit of…uh…"
"A little bit of…?"
"Of…touching, you know? It's just, we're touching each other…we're just touching, you know?"
Haechan was simply staring, slightly concerned.
"Anyways," Mark coughed. "It's not like anything really happened. Because nothing happened."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes!" Mark continued blabbering. "Cause if something happened, for real, let's say like, I dunno, theoretically, if we k-kissed or something? Not that we would. Anyways, then we would tell our partners, because that's a bad thing and we would feel guilty. But we didn't say anything so, that means…nothing happened."
Haechan raised an eyebrow. "So you didn't tell Vicky?"
"No, of course not! Why? Did you tell Jeffrey?"
"No," Haechan replied calmly, crossing one leg in front of the other as he leaned against the wall. God, his entire aura is different tonight. What is going on? Mark thought.
"I wanted to hear your stance on it first," Haechan said. "But seeing as you think nothing happened anyway I guess we'll just carry along as normal."
Mark nearly exhaled in relief. "Good," he sighed as Haechan finally pushed off the wall.
"One more thing though," Haechan said as he brushed past Mark's shoulder.
"Hmm?"
"Are you sure you didn't feel anything at all?" Haechan asked. Somehow his face had gotten close to Mark's again, and Mark was forced to look head on into that same mysterious but somehow insanely alluring gaze.
Mark suppressed the urge to swallow, and stared firmly at Haechan, before firmly reciting like a mantra: "Nothing."
Haechan smirked at that, poking his tongue in his cheek. That's new, Mark thought. And kind of…
"Well, I can be honest," Haechan said, his tone suddenly changing again. He leaned closer to Mark's face, his delicate whisper tickling against his ear.
"It was kind of hot for me."
And just like that, Haechan walked away cheekily, leaving Mark to stare at the way his hips swayed as he practically strutted away. He couldn’t even decipher whether or not Haechan was joking about it.
"Fuck," Mark muttered under his breath.
He swore to himself that when got to the table, he would order the strongest wine available within his budget, because there was no other way he was getting through the night.
They were definitely a peculiar group of four. In particular, they probably wouldn’t hang out with each other at all if not for their associations. Mark was seated across from Vicky and next to Haechan who was seated across from Jeffrey. After a couple of minutes, the verdict of their dynamics became obvious: Haechan was trying too hard to be funny, Mark laughed too loud (whether it was to compensate or he was really feeling it), Vicky was the mediator continually trying to calm them down and be appropriate, while Jeffery seemed lost half the time, whether because it wasn’t his kind of humour or he truly didn’t understand what to do.
Certainly, it was a very peculiar group.
Two full glasses of wine in and Mark was pretty much laughing at anything that came out of anyone’s mouth. Fortunately, it kept him particularly distracted from any of the weird intrusive thoughts he might have had about Haechan, especially in the presence of Vicky. Un fortunately, it made him laugh probably about three times harder at anything that came out of Haechan’s mouth in particular.
After a few minutes had trespassed, anyone on the outside looking in could sense the awkwardness, but it seemed Mark and Haechan were too far gone.They had done it again, that idiotic, selfish thing where they become trapped in their own world and oblivious to everyone else. It seemed that alcohol only made it worse, forcing them to lose all reason and become completely and fully unaware of anything and anyone surrounding them. This had gone on for some time, and Vicky could only watch with a forced smile, while Jeffrey was quietly focusing on anything else but the scene in front of him.
“So how’s practice been?” Mark grinned, staring only at Haechan.
Haechan shrugged, delicately sipping his wine. “The usual. I can’t help it. I’m kind of a genius so everything comes very easily to me.” His tone was very matter-of-fact and arrogant.
Mark started cackling wildly again, even slapping his knee in between. Vicky and Jeffrey could only stare in confusion, arms crossed. They were probably asking themselves what could possibly be so funny from the situation, and why Mark found it so awfully amusing.
Unfortunately, Mark somewhat answered that for them. “Cute~” he gurgled dotingly, still laughing at Haechan.
At this point, Vicky exhaled and had to speak up. “Honey, don’t you think you’ve had too much to drink?” she said as kindly as she could. She reached across and gently patted his hand that was still on the table. At the feel of her touch, Mark seemed to ground himself a little, shaking his head and clearing his throat suddenly.
“Yeah, sorry,” Mark said quickly, finally turning away from Haechan. “H-how’s the food, babe? Is it okay?” He coughed again, straightening out his jacket.
“It’s fine,” Vicky answered, trying to keep her tone even. “But maybe we should take the wine away from you.” She reached over and moved his glass away. He hiccupped in agreement.
“And how are you doing, Jae…Jaeferry?” Mark asked.
“I’m fine,” Jeffrey replied calmly, dabbing his lips with his napkin. “You should probably take care of yourself…and Vicky.”
Mark’s face cracked into a silly smile again. “Haa…you’re funny.”
“Mark!” Vicky warned in a hushed tone.
Haechan was smiling gleefully next to Mark, swaying side to side. “Aw man, don’t stop him, drunk Mark is the best Mark,” he said. “So uninhibited. So clingy. So fun.”
Vicky didn’t even bother hiding the ice in her voice this time. “So you guys do this often?”
“Of course~” Haechan slurred. “We’re drinking buddies. We kind of met like this. Well, it’s a long story that he probably doesn’t want to tell you but, long story short, he and I bonded over alcohol.”
“I see…” Jeffery said softly.
Vicky wrinkled her nose. “And why wouldn’t he want to tell me?” she asked inquisitively.
Haechan waved his hand dismissively. “That’s not important. What is important is you guys don’t realize the possibilities in front of us right now–alcohol is almost like a truth serum to this guy. He’ll say and do the dumbest things. Ask him anything and he’ll answer it. Watch.”
Haechan turned to Mark. “What’s your favourite colour?”
“Blue,” Mark answered confidently, eyes bright.
“Who’s the most annoying out of all my friends?”
“You.”
“Who’s your favourite girl?”
“Vicky!”
Vicky smiled and blushed slightly at the answers, while Jeffrey was sinking deeper and deeper into lack of amusement—to the extent that he had to speak up about.
“I really don’t see what the point of all this is, Donghyuck,” he said plainly.
“Oh yeah, watch this,” Haechan pressed on. “Mark, what do you think of Vicky?”
“A perfect girlfriend. I am a lucky man.”
“What do you think of Jeffrey?”
“Nothing. What is there to think? Why are you dating him aga—?”
“And me!” Haechan interjected quickly. “What do you think about me?”
Mark paused suddenly, as he slowly turned his gaze over to Haechan. He opened his mouth and closed it, as if unsure of what to say. Everyone watched as Mark stared intently at Haechan, eyes fluttering. The mood had changed again, to something slightly dangerous. And before Haechan could effortlessly change the topic in that skillful way of his again, Mark had blurted his answer.
“You're the prettiest …” he said, his voice barely a whisper. His hand lifted slightly, as if he wanted to reach out and touch Haechan.
Haechan’s eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe it himself. The others around the table also froze. They could’ve pretended not to hear it, but Mark had definitely said it, quiet but as clear as day.
Jeffrey cleared his throat, anger rising to his face.
“Vicky?’ Haechan quickly swerved, in full damage control mode. “Y-you’re talking about Vicky right?”
Mark’s disconnected gaze switched from Haechan to Vicky, then back to Haechan and then back to Vicky again. “Y-yeah,” he uttered dumbly.
“Donghyuck-ah, I don’t think this is…proper…” Jeffrey said.
“Okay, everyone, relax, relax,” Haechan spoke hurriedly. “I was kidding about the truth serum stuff. He’s clearly just saying random, drunken things. Calm down, everyone!”
Just as the situation might have been remedied, the waiter suddenly chose that moment to appear next to their table.
“Hi guys, the complimentary desserts for your double date reservation are ready!” he announced.
“Y-yes!” Vicky answered, grateful for an outer distraction. “That would be nice!”
“Perfect!” He placed one parfait between Mark and Haechan. “One for you two.” The other between Vicky and Jeffery. “And another for you two! Enjoy!”
Haechan opened his mouth to speak. “Oh, we’re not the ones–”
But it was too late. The waiter apologized profusely but the damage had already been done. The implications had become even more blatantly obvious, to the extent that a third party had believed it.
“I think…” Vicky stood up and threw her napkin to the table. “I need to take a washroom break.”
Certainly, the worst and most unfortunate part of all was that Vicky’s innocent wish and eager plans to have a nice outing with her friends had been absolutely and completely shattered.
Haechan grabbed Mark by the arm and shook him. “Mark, we kind of went too far,” he spoke urgently. “You should go after her.”
“R-right. Shit.” Mark replied, standing up and rushing from his seat at once. He suddenly felt completely sober. What's more it seemed as if what he'd feared the most about this date had more or less come true. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, not daring to glance back at the table where Haechan was still sitting.
What have I done…?
“Bro, how are you still in one piece?” Jeno asked, incredulously.
It was the evening after, and Mark found himself sitting crawled up on the floor against the wall of Jeno’s room, confiding in his friend about everything that had happened the previous night, including his little slip up. They’d left practice a bit earlier than usual. For good reason, Mark hadn’t quite been in the mood.
“Vicky is just a really good person,” Mark sighed. “She even apologized to me, even though she didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Dang, how did she spin that?” Jeno inquired.
“She said that I was just close with Donghyuck and that she was thinking too much into it,” Mark answered. “She said that she overreacted and that she was the one who ruined it by getting sensitive over things that were supposed to be just good fun.” His words were wracked with guilt, especially as he curled in on himself and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
Jeno sighed, leaning over from where he was seated on the bed. “Honestly, at this point, whatever happens…there’s only one real question, isn’t there? Were you being honest?”
Mark looked up, eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
Jeno held steadfast eye contact with Mark. “Were you just actually being a mindless drunken idiot? Or do you actually…” Jeno’s voice trailed off. He seemed to shudder a little.
“Actually what?”
“Do you actually think those things about Donghyuck?” Jeno blurted. "Do you have actual feelings for him?"
Mark was immediately taken aback. “Whoa, where did that come from?” he gaped. “Are you joking right now?”
Jeno’s face was dead serious, leaving Mark to stutter for a few seconds before stating. “I’m dating Vicky!”
Jeno shook his head. “That doesn’t answer the question...”
Mark immediately averted his gaze, as images of the person who was very much not his girlfriend flooded his mind again. Haechan, with his captivating dark eyes and smooth skin and soft hair and soft… everything else, probably. He'd called it. He knew there was something different about Haechan from the second they met. Foolishly, he'd fallen into it and let it play out, and now, he was stuck in this convoluted mess.
As Mark zoned out again, he heard Jeno make a knowing noise.
"Listen, you don't have to answer me," Jeno said, getting up. "Maybe you don't even really know the answer yet. But you have to be honest and ask yourself. And when you're ready…maybe talk it out with them."
Jeno paused, before continuing. "And stop hurting Vicky man. That's not cool. She deserves so much more than just to be someone hit in the crossfire. You better figure it out soon."
"Y-yeah…" Mark agreed. "I… didn't mean for all this to happen."
Jeno smiled empathetically as he walked over, got down beside Mark and patted him on the shoulder. "It's fine, I know you're a good guy. With a lot going on. I mean, we've even got the big game against Chenle's school coming up in a few days so… take it easy. Pace yourself. Just, do it all reasonably and in good time and don't hurt anyone in the course of it. Including yourself."
Mark smiled, leaning his head on Jeno for a moment to express his gratitude. "Thanks bro," he grinned at last. "To think I was about to cancel you for siding with the others at Donghyuck's party back then."
Jeno frowned at that. "To be fair, you and Donghyuck were both really annoying together. Which…now that I think about it, I see it."
"See what?"
Jeno pursed his lips. "Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out." Jeno patted Mark's arm twice before standing up. "I gotta go now, Jaemin's waiting for me. You gonna be good?"
Mark nodded gratefully. "Yeah I think so. Thanks a bunch, Lee Jeno."
"I gotchu. Always." Jeno gave Mark a fist bump before seeing him off.
A few minutes later, Mark was out of Jeno's place and on his way home. As he was walking, he checked his phone that he'd neglected since arriving at Jeno's.
He stopped in his tracks.
Huh, what's this?
5 missed calls - Haechan ☀️
Mark hadn't expected to hear back from Haechan so soon, and wondered what had prompted him to reach out so suddenly. He also wasn't sure if he was completely, mentally prepared for all this. Jeno had just told him to do it in good time but he didn’t realize that meant literal minutes away.
Mark let out an exhale. Immediately, he tapped to return the call. Whatever it was, it seemed urgent, and he couldn’t just ignore him. As the dial tone sounded, he fiddled nervously with his free hand.
Haechan picked up seconds later.
“Mark?” came his voice.
“Hey, what’s up?” Mark said as gently as could. “You alright?”
“Um…is there any way I could come see you right now?” Haechan asked. His voice was so timid, almost as if he was afraid of something.
Mark felt like a claw of ice had suddenly gripped his chest. “What’s wrong? Can you tell me or…? I’m out right now but I’ll be back home in a few minutes.”
“Okay…is it okay if I meet you there? Please? Sorry, I think I just really need this right now. I won’t ask anything of you ever again.”
Ba-dump. Mark’s heart thumped loudly in his chest. How could he resist this? It was just a friend desperately in need…
…right?
“I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Mark was sitting at the couch when he heard his doorbell ring. He opened the door to see a Haechan that wasn’t really looking so…Haechan. His body language was all curled up, and he avoided Mark’s eye contact as he made his way in. That being said, it seemed Haechan was still trying to make it feel like everything was normal.
“So this is how you live, huh, Mark Lee?” he said with a teasing smile that was a shadow of what it normally was.
Mark returned the smile gently, closing and locking the door behind them. “What's wrong, Lee Haechan?” he said, though his tone remained playful. “Why did you insist on coming here at this time?”
“How about: ‘I just couldn’t resist staying away from you’?” he purred theatrically.
Mark chuckled softly. “Stop it. Are you alright?”
Haechan’s expression faltered. Throwing himself down on Mark’s couch, he averted his eyes away again, which was very out of character for him.
“Do you want something to drink?” Mark offered.
Haechan waved his hands to say no. “I guess, I just needed some… some advice? And you were the best person I could think to come to,” Haechan said. He grabbed a pillow and curled in on it, his oversized hoodie draping over in a cute way.
Now it was Mark’s turn to hesitate. Jeno’s words echoed in his head. Just, do it all reasonably and in good time and don't hurt anyone in the course of it. Including yourself. Naturally, they had not yet addressed the catastrophic events of last night, but he wondered how much time he had left to reflect on his own feelings, and whether Haechan’s sudden appearance had anything to do with it.
Despite all the alarm bells, he found himself sitting next to Haechan, close enough so that their shoulders were pressed together.
“So, what’s going on? Is that stalker guy bothering you again?” Mark asked carefully.
“No, I've been fine with that. Mark…” Haechan breathed, cradling the pillow closer. “I think…I think Jeffrey’s gonna break up with me.”
Mark was stunned. Well, this is unexpected.
“Well, do you even like him?” was Mark’s first instinctive response.
For some reason, the proceeding silence made Mark’s heart ache in a way he couldn’t explain. So…it isn’t a definite no. Mark watched as Haechan rubbed his face against his pillow, finding refuge in the soft texture.
So he likes soft things…. Mark thought. The distracting thought evaporated as Haechan started talking again.
“Everyone said they thought he’s really good for me,” Haechan spoke softly. “So I really thought I’d finally found something good for myself. Yet… I think I messed it up. He's been acting pretty different with me for a while now. And now, I have this weird feeling that last night was just the nail in the coffin…”
Mark was silent. His heart was pounding in his chest.
“And w-why do you think this?” he managed to utter. “It’s not like you did anything terribly wrong. Did he say something?”
“No…” Haechan replied. “I dunno, I just… I have a feeling. And I guess…” He was stuttering all over the place, forgetting his words here and there, which was awfully unusual for him. He let out a frustrated sigh. “I think I came over because I thought…you might help me find an answer. About what to do.”
“Why me?”
As if by a magnetic pull, they both looked up simultaneously. For the first time that night, and in a long awhile, Mark really looked into Haechan’s eyes. His alluring dark, brown eyes that somehow seemed prettier when tinged with the hint of melancholy they had now. Somehow, they elicited a strange sort of instinct in Mark. Usually, he was never able to maintain eye contact for too long. But tonight…tonight felt different somehow. He almost felt like he had a duty to give Haechan all the attention he had to offer.
“I dunno…” Haechan said again, his soft-looking lips barely making a noise. “Well, what do you think?”
“What do I think?” Mark repeated, eyes wavering a little. His fingers twitched nervously, and his entire body was on edge. “I…well, I’m not sure I know enough to…t-tell you what to do?”
Much to Mark’s dismay, Haechan seemed disappointed by the answer, as he turned away, back to Mark’s pillow that he was currently holding captive.
“B-but I can ask you something,” Mark reiterated quickly. “Do you have genuine feelings for Jeffrey?”
Hypocrite. The word echoed loud and clear in Mark’s mind. For he remembered all too well that it was all too similar to the question Jeno had asked him earlier and he wasn’t able to answer.
“Well…I’m dating him,” Haechan replied simply, slowly turning to look back at Mark again.
Now where have I heard that before , Mark thought ruefully.
“T-that…that doesn’t answer my question,” Mark said awkwardly.
“Well…” Haechan started. Has he gotten closer? Mark’s pulse was massively spiking and he could feel the sweat starting to bead from his forehead.
Haechan suddenly leaned in, pressing his hand on top of Mark. He’s definitely closer , Mark panicked. But he couldn’t move. He could only stare at the soft, pouty pink lips that were opening and closing right in front of him as Haechan spoke.
So… so close.
“Well, are you suggesting that I might have feelings for someone else even though I already have a partner?” Haechan’s voice was slow, almost a lazy drawl, and it was sending Mark’s mind into a detrimental haze.
“N...no,” Mark breathed. “But…” He bit his lip before spitting out the next words. “Do you?”
A dangerous glimmer flashed in Haechan’s once calm eyes. “Do you ?” he repeated.
“That’s… a really risky accusation,” Mark replied, feeling his own expression starting to mirror Haechan’s. Was Haechan starting to push into him? Was he leaning back? He didn’t know. He didn’t care anymore. The haze in his mind had become overpowering, and the mood was now too intense to resist. His eyelids were getting heavy, and his gaze was probably getting volatile.
“Yeah…it would definitely be bad, wouldn’t it?” Haechan whispered. “What kind of stupid cowards would torture themselves like that?”
The situation was getting more and more precarious. The pillow Haechan was holding had long been abandoned on the ground. Mark could feel Haechan’s breath against his neck. And there was that intoxicating smell again: baby powder and…something else. Perhaps it was just Haechan’s natural scent? The hand that was pressed on top of his own was ever so slowly sliding upwards, brushing against the clothes on his arm. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but his own hands were somehow gripped tightly on Haechan’s hips again, a place that they’d somehow already become familiar with once.
“Donghyuck-ah…” Mark called his name, barely a breath. His hands slid dangerously. “I–”
Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing made them both jump apart, startled.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s mine,” Mark yelped, scrambling to look for the phone. Haechan had retreated back to his couch corner. Mark finally found it tossed carelessly on the side-table after it had stopped ringing.
He checked the caller ID. “My bad,” Mark repeated. “It was…it was just Vicky calling.”
“Oh,” Haechan uttered. Mark wondered if he was just imagining the hint of bitterness in his voice. “Don’t you need to call her back?”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Mark answered plainly, coming back to sit beside Haechan as if nothing had happened. “She usually calls me around this time just to say good night but if either of us are busy it’s not the end of the world.”
“Huh. Vicky…she seems like a really good girlfriend to you,” Haechan noted. He’d gone back to avoiding eye contact with Mark again.
“Y-yeah, she is,” Mark answered nervously, running his fingers through his hair. “I really don’t deserve her. She’s been so understanding about… everything.” Briefly, he reiterated how Vicky had apologized to him, just as he had told Jeno earlier.
“I see.”
The room was filled with silence after that. Whatever happened before seemed like it had never happened at all, as Haechan seemed to be deep in thought. Mark wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure what to say anymore.
“Well, I guess that leaves me to deal with Jeffrey on my own, I guess,” Haechan finally said at last.
“That’s not true!” Mark quickly interjected. “Besides, you don’t even know if he’s actually gonna break up with you yet. Hopefully, he’ll be just as understanding as Vicky.”
“Yeah… hopefully ,” Haechan said with a grimace.
Mark watched Haechan intently. Clearly, the boy had wanted something more as a solution. He let out an exhale, drawing Haechan’s attention.
“Look, you want me to be honest?” Mark asked spontaneously.
“More than anything in this world right now,” Haechan replied at once.
“Fine, I’ll say it,” Mark smiled. “Jeffrey doesn’t even seem that great for you anyway, so why does it matter?”
Haechan stared at him incredulously. “Dang, I knew you’ve been thinking it, but I didn’t think you’d say it out loud, Mark Lee. Plus, you’re the first one who’s said that about him. Everyone else thinks I’ve found the greatest catch of all time.”
Mark shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong,” he elaborated. “Like, the guy looks kind of like a model and seems to have a decent enough personality so maybe he is great–”
“He’s also filthy rich,” Haechan interjected needlessly.
“--but just from the way he was talking and stuff…he just didn’t seem like he was for you , you know?”
Haechan was speechless again.
Mark continued talking. “I mean, not only was he super serious the whole time, he didn’t even laugh at your jokes at all!”
After Mark had finished talking, he realized Haechan was just staring silently at him. He wondered if he had said something wrong, when Haechan suddenly burst out into a laugh.
“Wow, Mark Lee, I never thought you were the type of person to shit talk other people’s partners behind their backs,” he said gleefully.
“I’m not!” Mark protested. “You told me to be honest!”
“Is this your way of trying to make me feel better?” Haechan smirked. “Talking him down so I won’t feel as bad when he dumps me? I gotta say, that’s actually quite clever of you.”
“That’s not it though! Think about what I said. Am I wrong?”
“Well, in that case,” Haechan said with a lean forward and the familiar mischievous glint returning to his eyes. “Who would you say suits me better?”
“Well, uh…” Mark hesitated, stuttering to find a proper answer. “Y-you said you wanted someone who makes you laugh and laughs with you right? So maybe someone…funny?”
"Jeffrey's funny."
Mark frowned. The two of them met eye contact again.
And then burst out laughing.
"Oh man, this is a great strategy," Haechan said between laughs. "Let's just rip into him and then there won't be anything left to regret. It's so awful."
Mark grinned. "Hey, whatever gets you through it. It's not like we said anything too terrible. Also…" Mark reached out and laid a warm hand onto Haechan's forearm. "If he actually dumps you he'll definitely be the one regretting in the long run."
The smile on Mark's face was gentle and encouraging, and Haechan couldn't help but soften his own expression at the sight of it.
"Thanks, Mark," Haechan replied. "I knew it was a good idea to come here."
"I've got an even better idea," Mark said, suddenly standing up. "If you don't mind staying over a bit longer, I have exactly two beers left in my fridge and a crappy karaoke machine."
Haechan's eyes lit up. "You have a karaoke machine?"
Mark smiled. "It'll be a good distraction…plus, we can talk shit more about your boyfriend if you really need it."
Haechan's broad smile said it all. "I am so down," he said enthusiastically.
It was nearly 3 a.m. when Haechan finally left Mark's house. After losing track of the number of songs they'd queued up and casually making fun of Jeffrey's style a few times, they finally called it a night. Mark considered offering for Haechan to stay over since it was so late, but for some reason he was really insistent on leaving.
"I can't stand not being in my own bed," Haechan had said, seeming slightly flustered.
And so, Mark walked Haechan as far out as he could before forcing him to stay on a call with him, just in case any suspicious people were around. It wasn't until Haechan said he was safe in his bed that they finally uttered their goodbyes.
"Thanks again for tonight, Markie," Haechan said. "Goodnight!" Somehow, despite all the worries, Mark thought he could still hear a smile in his voice. Thank goodness… Though, a part of Mark still felt guilty, because he knew deep inside that they hadn’t actually solved anything substantial. If anything, they had simply distracted themselves and pushed it all until a later date.
It can’t be so bad…
"Goodnight. Donghyuckie."
It happened the next day.
Mark and Jeno were leaving practice late again. Upon exiting the building and entering the school courtyard, they saw Haechan sitting on the garden ledge, dangling his legs back and forth.
“Hmm, Donghyuck?” Jeno inquired. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey,” Haechan greeted them. “Um…is it okay if I talk to Mark a bit? Alone?”
Jeno threw a glance at Mark, who did not return it. Looking between Mark and Haechan once more, he nodded.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Jeno said. “Take your time. I’ll wait for you by the bus stop!”
He gave the two of them a quick wave and then was gone.
Mark sat down next to Haechan and gave him his full attention. “What’s going on? Were you waiting for me?” he asked. “Why didn’t you just text me?”
“He did it,” Haechan muttered, looking down, eyes hidden away.
“What?”
“Jeffrey broke up with me earlier this afternoon.”
Mark was stunned. After all, he was at least fifty percent sure that Haechan’s concerns had only been in his own head. Turns out Haechan’s intuition was much better than Mark had given him credit for. And again, he found himself at a loss for words: despite it being Haechan’s unfortunate situation, Mark found himself torn in his own mix of emotions, unsure if he was truly happy or sad about it.
“I’m sorry,” Mark said carefully. “I…I really didn’t think he would actually do it, if I’m being honest. Do you wanna… go anywhere or something? To get your mind off it?”
Haechan sighed, still looking down at his feet. “It’s okay. I’ll get over it. I just wanted to let you know. Besides, I haven’t properly thanked you for helping me out last night anyway.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Mark spoke. He trailed off, lost in thought again before blurting. “Besides, honestly, who on Earth would actually break up with you? That’s ridiculous!”
Haechan finally turned to look up at Mark. It was clear that his eyes had the remnants of tears, but at that moment they only showed incredulity. “What's that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“Well…you may not act like it sometimes, but you're seriously very likable,” Mark stated bluntly. “Like, honestly, if it were me, I would never break up with you over something like that...”
Haechan stared silently at Mark in disbelief for another few seconds before bursting out into another laugh of incredulity.
“What?” Mark asked, confused.
Haechan slapped Mark a few times on the shoulder. “Aw, Mark, you’re really too nice for your own good. Such a cutie.”
His words made Mark’s heart skip a beat. “I’m really not that great,” he gulped, still being honest.
Haechan finally calmed down. “Wow, I didn’t think I’d already be laughing again so soon,” he observed. “You’re really something, Mark Lee.”
“Thanks?” Mark said. “One more thing–I thought we both agreed last night that this guy wasn’t so great anyway. So why be upset? It’s not like you lost anything too significant.”
“Well, yeah but…” Haechan replied slowly, turning his eyes to his twiddling feet again. “I think it’s more…it always hurts to hear that you’re not wanted, no matter who says it to you…”
Mark swallowed, remembering how roughed up he'd been after his previous relationship that had been worth substantially less than Haechan's with Jeffrey.
“True," he said shortly.
And he didn’t know what triggered it. Perhaps, it was the laden sadness in Haechan’s words. Perhaps, he’d been recently overly emotional about everything anyway. Perhaps, he simply felt like it. Whatever it was, he reached out and put his arm around Haechan’s shoulder and gently pulled so that Haechan was suddenly resting on his own shoulder. Haechan moved obediently, limply. They stayed that way for a while, unmoving, and not once looking at each other. It was comfort at its simplest, and it was something they both really needed just then, especially Haechan.
Before long, Mark could feel Haechan’s shuddering beneath his grip.
“Hey…” he whispered gently, nudging his own head against Haechan’s while patting him gently. “It’ll be okay. Don’t cry about it… he’s…he’s really not worth it.”
Haechan said nothing. He only kept shaking every so gently in Mark’s hold.
“So you ready for the big game tonight?”
“Hm, what?”
Taeyong let out another long, exasperated sigh. “Not again,” he muttered. Taeyong, Mark and Jaehyun were sitting at the campus coffee store, having a chance to meet up after Mark’s classes and before the notorious “big game”.
“Why? What’d I do?” Mark blurted, wide eyes blinking innocently.
Taeyong threw him a look. “These days you barely hang out with us and when you do, it’s like your mind is completely elsewhere,” he said pointedly. “And when we ask you about it you brush it off and act like you totally have something to hide.”
Mark pouted apologetically, shaking his head. “Sorry, hyung, there’s just…there’s been a lot on my mind lately.”
“I know,” he said gently, patting the back of Mark’s head. “I’m not actually complaining about it. Just know that we’re here if you need to talk.”
“Yeah, Mark, I thought this moody side of yours would go away ever since Vicky came around,” Jaehyun said. “But if I were to be completely honest…I think it’s only gotten worse.”
Mark was silent at that. Part of him knew the reason, he just wasn’t really willing to admit it to anyone yet, including himself.
“You sure you don’t need our help?” Taeyong insisted.
“Y-yeah,” Mark stuttered. “Not right now at least. I think I’m just gonna focus on the game and then maybe… I think I’ll talk to you guys.”
Jaehyun sighed. “That’s fine. I guess, it’s good to get your head in the game for now. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Mark nodded. “Thanks, hyung. I…I promise I’ll come to you guys once this is all over.” He glanced at his watch. “I gotta get going now. The team is waiting.”
“See you there, captain,” Taeyong smiled. “You’re gonna crush it.”
Mark gave them a last wave before running off towards the main gymnasium. While the game was still a few hours away, they had to get ready and prepare beforehand. If anything, Mark felt like he could use a lot of pep talk right now, even though he was usually the one doing it for his team.
As he ran, his phone received a text.
vicky 💗 [3:37 p.m.] good luck sweetie! i will be /literally/ cheering for you 🤗🤗🤗
Mark couldn’t help but crack a smile at that. For the first time, the cheer team and the boy’s basketball team would be coming together. And it just happened to be for the highly anticipated game against their biggest rival school. It was an exciting time for the both of them: they would finally both be able to show off what they had been working so hard on for the past few months.
He hastily sent a few hearts back before finally rushing into the locker room. Some of his teammates were also in the midst of changing and greeted him excitedly, grateful for the sight of their trusted captain.
“Hey, hey, did you hear? The cheer team is also getting ready soon?” one of the boys was saying to the other. “We’ll be able to see them in person today!”
“Oh, I heard they’re really good this year,” another teammate was saying. “And really pretty, which definitely helps.” They both snickered in a childish way.
“Hey, isn’t Captain’s girlfriend also one of the head cheerleaders on the team?” someone asked, addressing Mark. “What a power couple. That’s so exciting.”
Mark smiled in response, but said nothing more on the issue as he returned to getting ready.
A few minutes later, the entire boy’s basketball team was mostly present and accounted for within the gymnasium that was getting set up for the main event. Mark and Jeno stood next to each other and their coach within the huddle, as they had a last minute discussion of strategies and tactics. Proceedingly, they had their informal warm-up, where they honed their skills as best they could within the last few minutes. At this point, Mark had completely forgotten all about the mess that was his personal life, and was entirely focused on performing to the best of his abilities.
“Man, I can’t wait to literally dunk the smirk off Zhong Chenle’s face right in front of everybody,” Jeno was saying, as he dribbled a ball around Mark. “It’s gonna be so, so satisfying.”
“That’s the spirit,” Mark smiled jokingly.
“I mean, you literally cannot lose this Mark,” Jeno said, as he slowed down and stood next to the captain. “All your friends are watching and your girlfriend is on the cheerleading team for your school. That would just be embarrassing if you lost.”
“No pressure,” Mark said, throwing Jeno a playful glare.
Jeno grinned. “You know me. Always there to motivate my captain.”
“Is Jaemin coming?” Mark asked.
“Yeah, he’s already here,” Jeno said, pointing towards one of the bleachers. They were still mostly empty, but sure enough, tucked into a little corner about three rows back was a cute-looking Na Jaemin looking all comfy and snuggled into the seat. When Jaemin noticed Jeno and Mark waving, he waved back before blowing a kiss.
Mark threw Jeno a look of disbelief. “Are you two being serious?”
Jeno shrugged. “It is what it is,” he answered. “I think Renjun and Jisung are coming later too. The whole squad’s gonna be here! We’re playing against Chenle, and Donghyuck is cheering so…it’s a real big day.”
“So basically… I gotta do well or I’m gonna make a fool of myself to everyone I know,” Mark concluded.
Jeno nodded eagerly like a puppy. “That's what I said.” He patted Mark twice in the shoulder. “Best of luck mate.” And he went back to practice.
Mark also started his training regime. The area was just about set up at that point. It wasn’t long before Mark noticed his team had become a little distracted, and sure enough, when he looked over, he saw that the cheer team had started to assemble by the door.
He saw Vicky first, who was absolutely looking the part as the perfect cheerleader in the white and green skirted uniform set. Her long slender legs and elegant figure caught everyone’s attention as she walked by. When she noticed Mark smiling at her, she waved excitedly and gave him a thumbs up as an early encouragement. Mark waved back, before his eyes started wandering around the gym again.
Hmm? Where’s… Mark looked this way and that. Both the gymnasium floor and bleachers were starting to be well filled up at this point, but Haechan was nowhere to be seen. Is he just late again? I hope he’s okay. It was with a jolt that Mark realized that Haechan had broken up with Jeffrey only days ago. He once again recalled the trauma that had come from his own relationship that ended a while ago, and how long it took for him to get over it all. He wondered if Haechan was the same. He remembered how long it had taken for him to even be okay with the idea of online dating again.
But then again, that was when he met Haechan for the first time after all. All because of a silly app glitch.
He suddenly felt someone shove him with full strength from behind.
“Hey, captain, what’s with that stupid smile on your face?” one of his teammates asked, with a teasing smile of his own.
“Huh, what?” Mark uttered dumbly.
“You happy your girlfriend’s here?” he continued. “Cmon bruh, get your head in the game.”
“R-right…”
“What’s going on?” Jeno’s voice cut in through the mix, much to Mark’s dismay. The vice-captain joined the discussion.
“Markie is yearning for his girlfriend,” the teammate chided.
“Really?” Jeno inquired, raising an eyebrow. “You sure that’s what he’s yearning for?”
If Mark could’ve shoved Jeno without seeming suspicious, he would’ve.
“Well, well, well, look who’s messing around and not taking things seriously again. How predictable,” a new voice entered the fray.
Having zoned into their impromptu huddle, the boys had forgotten to pay attention to their surroundings. They looked up to see a group of boys decked out in red and white basketball uniforms standing in front of them in a triangle formation, with none other than Zhong Chenle at their head. His arms were crossed, and his aura was especially condescending today. There was definitely no playful Chenle from the house party in sight.
The home team members immediately narrowed their eyes.
“I hope you’re ready to get crushed ,” Jeno started stereotypically, immediately going on the offense.
“All talk no game, son,” Chenle smirked, walking past and patting Jeno on the shoulder. “I hope you practiced. Practiced controlling your sulky faces, that is, for when you lose horrendously.”
Chenle stuck his tongue out while the rest of his team jeered menacingly as they moved over to their side of the court.
Mark and Jeno’s teammate shook his head in disbelief. “He is the worst, how the heck is that even allowed?”
“I dunno man, but if I don’t beat him today I’m not a basketball player,” Jeno fumed.
“If I don’t beat him today, I’m gonna forfeit my position as the captain,” Mark agreed.
“If I don’t beat him today, I’m gonna quit the team,” Jeno continued.
Mark tilted his head at that. “Whoa, relax man. Don’t bet your life away on these games.”
“It’s not a bet because we’re gonna win. ”
“...true that.”
They finally gathered with the coach and went over their strategies one last time as the clock started to tick down to the game hours. The cheerleaders were already starting their pre-game routines, but as much as Mark looked, there was still not a sight of Haechan. He resisted the urge to go grab his phone and call him.
At last, the pre-game ritual began, and stands were completely filled. It was the game against the rival school game after all, and people had been waiting eagerly all month to encounter the showdown. Mark’s school was decked in banners and clothes of green and white, while Chenle’s school directly contrasted that with red and white. In past competitions, Jeno had once joked that they kind of looked like some sort of Christmas event. Cheers and chants had already begun, and the school spirit was higher than ever on both sides. The cheerleading teams were doing effortlessly, especially on Vicky’s side. Though there was clearly an empty spot, they did a great job of covering it up and captivating the audience. Vicky had indeed earned her reputation as the star of the season, performing brightly and attractively without breaking a sweat. Her stance was solid, and her expression never once faltered. It was exceptionally charming, and evident of how hard she had worked, and Mark couldn’t help but feel proud for her.
Soon, it was time to play. The teams lined up on both sides, before getting into formation. Mark and Jeno were playing first, and naturally Chenle was also on the other side. Despite the former polite handshakes, the tension was high, and neither side was willing to back down.
Before they started, Mark scanned the crowd once more. He saw Jaemin sitting there in his corner, looking slightly more suffocated now that there were more people, but overall still excited. He had been joined by Renjun and Jisung, who looked like eager little woodland creatures staring out onto the court. Tracing his eyes further back, he saw Johnny, Taeyong and Jaehyun a few rows behind, also settling down and casually chatting to one another. Finally, he glanced over where the cheerleaders were seated. The game hadn’t even started but Vicky already seemed nervous, her fingers twiddling delicately in front of herself.
There was no longer any time to look around. The timer had reset. The ball was ready to be thrown. They first had twelve minutes to assert their dominance. Mark Lee immediately tuned everything out, focused only on the game in front of him.
Just as the whistle was about the blow, the main gymnasium doors suddenly burst open, distracting the referee and breaking the tension.
In slipped a dark-haired boy looking quite flustered, dressed in the male version of the green and white cheerleader uniform. He fumbled his way over to where the cheerleaders were, trying to be discreet while also looking extremely apologetic.
Of course, this boy was none other than Lee Donghyuck, who had evidently shown up late again .
Mark couldn’t help but scoff to himself with a smile. He’s always got to have his main character moment… Regardless, he was relieved to see that Haechan was fine, at least on the surface.
Just as Mark was momentarily distracted, the whistle blew. Jeno got the first touch against Chenle and the game had officially started. All eyes were on them, though Mark fumbled to get in position. He noticed Jeno throwing him a quick look before passing the ball to a different teammate.
Quickly, Mark realized that as much as he practiced over the past few months, so had the other team. This game was going to be insanely close matched and fast paced. What’s more, it was becoming clear that Chenle’s footwork and agility had increased dramatically since they played last time.
Unable to keep up with the novel situation of his opponents, Chenle’s team had a breakthrough and they scored the first basket within minutes. The crowd erupted in cheer, but Mark had no time to dwell on it. Grabbing the ball, Mark ran and dribbled as fast he could to the other side, trying to avoid the players but to no avail. And it started to happen again and again. Every time he thought he gained a lead, he would get blocked or otherwise outpaced. His frustration started to build and build, as he found himself being cornered and surrounded every time he had the ball.
Before they knew it, they were near the end of the second quarter, with Mark’s team barely trailing behind by only five points. At that point, Mark had the ball again, only to fail a pass to his teammate because there were three blockers on him. Taking advantage of the positioning, they quickly made it to the other side and got yet another basket in. Mark exhaled in frustration. It had long become a mental game as much as a physical game. He glanced towards the cheerleaders to see Vicky sitting on the edge of her seat with bated breath. Next to her was Haechan, who looked so stressed out he seemed like he could cry any second.
Aw man... Mark thought to himself. I really can’t lose this one.
He shook his head as if to get rid of all the negative thoughts and focused harder than he had in his life. By the time they reached the end of the second quarter, his team managed to pull ahead by two points, but it was barely an accomplishment considering how worn out they all were.
Mark Lee practically fell onto the bench, immediately guzzling his water bottle as if his life depended on it. He looked over to the opposing team's side and saw that Chenle was also looking quite roughed up, having also given it his all.
He was about to get up to get some fresh air when his teammate suddenly nudged him.
"Hey, where you going?" he asked.
"Out for a break, why?" Mark responded.
"Now?!" He gestured out to the floor excitedly. "The cheerleaders are starting their main routine. You gotta stay and watch."
"O-oh yeah."
It definitely didn't take much convincing. Mark sat back down as the green and white uniforms fluttered over to the center. Vicky took her place at the center, expression flawlessly bright despite her visible nerves from before.
"Wait… is that a boy there?" He heard someone say in the bleachers behind him.
"Ooh…I think he's the only one. He looks kind of cute!"
And sure enough, Mark's attention was diverted to the Haechan that finally showed up. He did look quite adorable in his uniform while clutching the pom poms, and Mark couldn't tell if he was nervous from his expression.
The music started, and the routine kicked off with an ambitious synchronized five-member flip that included Vicky and Haechan. It was perfectly executed. The crowd erupted in cheers of pleasant surprise—there were rumours that their cheer team was good but they never expected it to be this good.
And then something strange happened. As Mark kept watching, he found he couldn't tear his eyes away from Haechan. He wasn't sure what it was about him. They were all doing the same dance in near perfect synchronization, but something about the way Haechan moved just kept him captivated. Every move, every kick, every flip was executed with full energy, and his style was the perfect mix of grace and power that made one unable to look away. What's more, it seemed that any sign of nervousness had completely dissipated, for Haechan's expression was the brightest and most brilliant of them all.
"So…cute…" Mark mumbled to himself, face half buried in his hands as he watched Haechan do a spin into a brandishing flutter of the pom poms.
Jeno, who had been watching silently beside Mark, turned to look at him.
"Hey, I heard that," Jeno nudged. "Who are you watching anyway?"
"..."
Jeno sighed, shaking his head. "Your silence speaks wonders my friend. I knew it. You got it bad, if you haven't figured it out by now. You better deal with it soon."
Mark's heart did a weird flip-flop in his chest. Is it true? And was all it took for him to come to terms with it finally was Haechan dancing in a cheerleading uniform with pompoms?
Finally, the dance ended with a flourish. The cheerleaders posed, chests heaving from the demanding routine. The crowd was on fire, having not expected such an epic performance.
"YEAHHH. YOU GO DONGHYUCK. SLAY THAT SHIT."
"LEE DONGHYUCK. LEE DONGHYUCK. LEE DONGHYUCK."
Mark glanced in the direction of the obnoxiously loud, bellowing cheers that seemed to overpower the rest. Of course, it was none other than Na Jaemin and Huang Renjun screaming their hearts out for their friend. Park Jisung, on the other hand, was shriveled away, acting like he didn't know them.
"Oh man, that was awesome," Jeno clapped appreciatively. "They killed it."
Mark checked the clock. He still had a few minutes. Taking his time, he decided to walk outside to take a breath of air alone. It was quiet out by the gym entrance. The atmosphere was completely opposite, and allowed him to relax. For a minute, he could let his mind settle. When he had finished, he promptly made his way back.
Abruptly, he found himself face to face with Lee Haechan.
"Oh," Haechan's voice was startled. "I didn't expect anyone to be here."
"S-same," Mark uttered. This was the first time Mark saw Haechan up close in his uniform. He looked very nice in that shade of green and white. It fitted him quite nicely, hugging him in all the right places. What's more, he seemed to be wearing some kind of makeup, which made his normally pretty features even more captivating.
You got it bad, Jeno's voice echoed in his head. You better deal with it soon.
Mark swallowed. He hadn't expected to bump into Haechan now of all times. This was perhaps a terrible time, right before the second half was about to start.
"U-um, you did amazing out there," Mark said the first natural thing on his mind. "It was awesome."
"Thanks," Haechan accepted the comment with a smile, tucking a strand of loose hair behind his ear. "I was kind of nervous but once I got out there…it just kind of happened."
"I didn't know you could move like that," Mark said with a sheepish chuckle.
Haechan gave him a look. "I could say something similar about you. I've never seen your games before. You looked like an angry tiger out there. It was kind of…" Haechan seemed as if he was trying to look for the right word. "Different."
"Well, you're about to see more of it," Mark said dumbly. What am I saying? "A-anyway, I'm glad you're okay. I was kind of worried when I noticed you were late."
"You noticed?" Haechan asked, eyes widened. "Well, I'm doing fine actually. I Just lost track of time like an idiot."
Mark laughed softly. "That's so you."
Haechan scrunched his nose in feigned annoyance. "Shut up. You're not allowed to judge me."
Haechan gave Mark a gentle shove in the chest with his hands, and Mark let himself get pushed back a step with a soft laugh. They both looked at each other, holding their gaze. The silence drifted in, and suddenly there was something in the air. The mood started changing, and Mark wondered if Haechan was experiencing the same tension he was.
You got it bad…. Jeno's voice was in Mark's head again.
There was no one else around—it would be so easy just to admit everything right now. Admit it to himself in front of Haechan and deal with the consequences later. It would be the simplest in the world.
"Mark?" Haechan called his name.
"Hm?"
"You look like you have something to say...?" Haechan was looking at him so intently, so expectantly. With those eyes.
It was definitely so hard to say no to Haechan sometimes.
Mark opened his mouth to speak. "The truth is I–"
Suddenly, the building doors sounded as if they'd exploded, and they both spun around to see one of Mark's teammates barreling out.
"There you are!" he screeched. "There's only five minutes left until the third quarter, why are you hiding out h—oh hey, Donghyuck."
"Hi?" Haechan replied awkwardly, not sure what to do about the situation.
"You were awesome by the way. Fantastic job. You really know how to move. Bro to bro, I couldn't stop staring at your ass. Flawless execution. I’m definitely a fan now," the boy rambled gleefully. "Anyway, MARK LET'S GO."
And before Mark or Haechan could get another word in, Mark was grabbed by the wrist and forcibly dragged away.
"After!" Mark called back over his shoulder to a bewildered Haechan. "I'll tell you after I win the game!"
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing—now he had even more resolve to win this game. He would snatch the victory and in the high of the emotions, he would tell Haechan everything that he'd been feeling. He would also confidently approach Vicky at some point, and be honest with her in the kindest way possible.
But at least now, Mark thought he knew exactly what he wanted.
The team huddled with the coach for the last time before the second half began. As they stepped onto the court, Mark felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins—he was definitely in the zone now.
The whistle blew and the second half officially started. The sound of sneakers squeaking on the floor resonated across the court as the players braced in, ready to give it their all. Mark glanced up to see a tense but cute Haechan sitting there, eyes focused on him.
Mark could fully feel the determination coursing through him.
I have to win.
The half rolled out, the minutes feeling both simultaneously too slow and too quick for the players on the court. A few more timeouts and a couple of breaks later, it was towards the end of the final quarter, and the score was still much too close to call. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Mark was leaning over on the court, hands pressed into his knees, dripping sweat as he stared ahead, desperate to catch his breath. He looked over and noticed Chenle doing the same, though he didn’t seem quite as fatigued. It made sense, as Mark had been surrounded practically the entire game as part of the opponent’s strategy. It was finally taking the toll on him. The team had tried to reset their strategy several times throughout, but it was to no real avail. All they knew was that they should win fast–their captain’s strength wasn’t going to last.
Dribble. Pass. Step. Block. Shoot. The last few minutes were agonizing. Soon there were seconds left. Still too close. Everyone was practically standing in their seats when the ball suddenly came into Captain Mark Lee’s hands again. He ran and ran, but the opponents were just as hungry. Almost immediately, there were three players gaining on him. There was no one in position for a good pass, and if he ran any closer, they would surely be upon him again.
He thought quickly and shot from where he was.
The audience watched as the ball floated in the air, practically, hovering in front of everyone’s eyes. The second seemed to drag on, as the ball drew its captivating arc. It hit the backboard, bouncing a little near the edge. It was truly a sickening moment. There was nothing more he could control. All Mark could do now was watch.
The whistle sounded.
Just as the ball sank through the hoop.
Mark and his teammates spun around to the scoreboard.
They had won by a single point.
The crowd erupted in an enormous roar. Mark didn’t even get a chance to process what was going on before he was bombarded by his sweaty teammates, all lunging at him and shouting their praises. He saw Jeno squeeze in next to him, gripping him tight around the waist. Through his team’s crowded heads, Mark could see the riotous state of the gymnasium: some people were cheering, some even crying, some were on their knees. He caught sight of his hyungs in the back row of the bleachers, who were shaking each other and screaming in joy. He also saw Jaemin, Renjun and Jisung a few rows ahead, clapping politely and satisfied for both sides. Sure, it was just another game in a college basketball series, but it was a hell of a game. It was as if there was so much at stake
Mark’s thoughts immediately flashed to Haechan. After…I’ll tell you after I win the game.
And he had won.
I can believe it… we won. We actually won.
“Guys, we did it!” Mark yelled excitedly, no longer caring. “We won!!!!!”
He grabbed the heads of his teammates nearby and ruffled them all up. They jumped around in their little huddle a bit longer before being called to the center for the final handshake. Before long, Mark met Chenle in the line and they exchanged eye contact. The opposing player was trying his best not to look too disappointed.
“Honestly bro,” Mark said quietly, pulling into the handshake. “I think you also played like a monster today…in the best way possible. I could barely keep up.”
Chenle’s expression was a half-smile, half-grimace, but he didn’t resist when Mark pulled him into a pat on the back. “Don’t compare me to the likes of you,” he responded calmly. “I’ll get you next time.”
Mark grinned. They gave each other a quick fist bump and final smiles before going their own way.
When it was all done, Mark immediately turned this way and that to look for Haechan. He didn’t have to look very hard. The cheer team was performing close to the bleachers to celebrate the win. Pom poms in the air, Haechan was cheering, legs kicking and hair bouncing, brightly and vibrantly like the sun itself.
Mark couldn't help but crack a smile as he made his way towards the cheerleaders. He's so beautiful. He faltered, realizing he had finally admitted it at last. Upon the admission, he wondered what he had been so afraid of—it was more like a huge relief.
And just as soon as everything seemed to be coming together, it just as quickly started to unravel.
It was no one's fault. Perhaps they shouldn’t have organized it so the cheerleaders were dancing so close to the audience. Perhaps the cheerleaders had gotten too ambitious in the midst of their hype. Perhaps the crowd passing by should’ve paid more attention.
Mark watched it all happen in slow motion. The cheerleaders were set up for a throw of some sorts. There were two groups of three, and it looked like the ones attempting the mid-air flip would be Haechan and the head cheerleader.
Haechan and the other cheerleader stepped onto their fellow members’ hands.
At that moment, a group of people were exiting the bleachers, when one of them suddenly tripped on the stairs and fell forwards. The chain reaction was immediate. People started falling into each other, drinks and snacks flying out hands and they toppled forwards.
Right into the group of performing cheerleaders.
Mark’s eyes widened.
The impact wasn’t huge, but Haechan was already midair when it happened, and any distraction would've afflicted the already precarious move—for a bunch of the college cheerleaders, the height had been decently impressive.
Screams echoed through the gymnasium.
“No!” Mark yelled, breaking into a run as he saw the two cheerleaders fall onto nothing but the hard wood floor underneath.
He didn’t care how tired he was. All that was on his mind was one person.
“Donghyuck!” he yelled, carelessly shoving his way through the crowd. “Donghyuck, are you okay?”
Mark finally broke through, and saw Haechan lying on his side amidst his fellow cheerleaders.
Is that… blood?
Mark immediately rushed to Haechan’s side, not even remotely aware of the eyes and whispers that were surrounding him. He reached out to Haechan with a gentle touch and pulled him into a more comfortable sitting position.
“I’m fine,” Haechan reassured. “I think it’s just a deep scrape.”
“We don’t know that, we should get you checked up,” Mark said hurriedly, already trying to diagnose the injury on Haechan’s knee.
Haechan suddenly grabbed Mark by the shoulders, shaking him.
“Mark,” Haechan called, looking him directly in the eyes. “What are you doing?”
“What–?”
Haechan nodded to his left.
Mark turned. Immediately, his chest dropped as he’d realized what he’d done.
He could only watch, as Vicky was being slung over the shoulders of two of her fellow cheerleaders. Her expression was laden in pain, and she seemed unable to use one of her legs, dragging it out behind her as they carried her away.
Oh no…
He had been so focused on Haechan the whole time that he’d forgotten his own girlfriend was the other cheerleader that had fallen. And evidently her injury was also worse. He’d done something completely neglectful, and Vicky had seen everything. It was evident from the way she didn’t even say anything, and only gave him a sad glance before she half-limped away.
It wa much too late to defend himself now. Everyone had noticed. Even Haechan was staring at him with extra widened round eyes, completely confused. Finally looking around, he saw everyone watching, whispering. And it was obvious what they were saying.
“What the hell was that?’”
“Isn’t she the one he's dating?”
“What’s him and this guy’s relationship anyway?”
Just past the immediate crowd, he saw Jeno standing there, arms crossed, shaking his hand. On the other side, Chenle was watching intently with his hands on his hip and brows furrowed. Even further back, Renjun, Jaemin and Jisung had their hands over their mouths in shock. And finally, he somehow even managed to see his hyungs, watching him from afar with looks crossed between knowing and disappointment.
Mark swallowed nervously, standing up slowly.
Well. So much for not fucking everything up.
"The number you dialed is currently unavailable."
Mark groaned in frustration. It had been hours after the game, and he was walking home alone.
And Vicky still hadn't responded to a single one of his desperate calls.
Everyone had dispersed after the incident. Haechan left for an emergency check up. Mark declined all the celebration invitations for good reason. What's more, all his friends had disappeared on him.
He just wanted to find out where Vicky was and somehow remedy the situation.
"Come on, just pick up," he grumbled to himself, as he entered the corridor to his apartment room.
He tried again and again, but it was useless.
Then, as he was in front of the door to his home, he tried some of her friends, but they told him (rather coldly) that she was taken care of and that she needed space to think for now.
Thanking them, he hung up the phone and exhaled heavily, plagued with guilt.
I guess that's fair… man, I've been such a huge jerk.
Even if all he wanted to do was apologize at this point, he had no means to do it. Tiredly, he punched the passcode to his door and entered his humble abode. Although he didn't think he could rest either, he had no choice.
After taking off his shoes and hanging up his jacket, Mark stepped foot into his small living area.
"Holy shit!" he cussed, jumping.
Lined up in his living room was…well, everyone. Johnny, Taeyong and Jaehyun were leaning on various empty parts of his wall. Renjun, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung were squished into the couch. Jeno was leaning on the arm of the couch, arms crossed. And Zhong Chenle was holding up a large sign that read:
"MARK LEE INTERVENTION TIME."
"What the heck is going on?" Mark asked exasperatedly. "How'd you all get in here?!"
"I know your entry code. I let everyone in," Jeno said easily. "And as you can see, it's time for an intervention."
Mark blinked. "What?"
"Jeno told us everything," Taeyong explained from the back. "And we all decided it's time to intervene ."
Mark finally threw down the gym bag he'd been carrying only to glare at Jeno again.
"What do you mean everything? " Mark repeated. "What exactly did you tell them? Also, I know this is way past the point but I just want you guys to know this is considered a home invasion and is very much illegal."
Renjun signed from the couch. "He told us about how you've been dating Vicky but you secretly really wanna scramble Donghyuck's eggs or whatever in actuality."
Mark's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "WHAT?!"
"I may have paraphrased," Renjun reiterated. "But you get the point. Besides, even I noticed something going on the first few times. The vibe you two have. It’s just… telling ."
"WHAT?!" Mark repeated.
"He's right," Chenle mumbled. "I noticed something weird at that house party too. No one does rivalry like that. It was a lot."
“We literally just played a game where we were literal rivals, Zhong Chenle,” Mark said plainly.
Chenle shook his head in denial and a frown. “You have never once looked at me like I'm the sun of your universe, dude. I would've noticed. That’s just something else, bruh.”
Mark could only stare speechless, his mouth hanging open. Desperate, he turned to the older hyungs that were lined up against the back wall.
"Well, we don't know any details," Johnny said. "But after what Jeno told us, it really does explain why you've been acting super weird lately."
"All these times I thought your face lit up at your texts because it was Vicky texting you…" Jaehyun said, shaking his head.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop. Just stop," Mark cut in, waving his hands desperately.
"Ah, he gets the main point of an intervention now," Chenle gleefully pointed out.
Mark continued talking. "These are huge accusations to be making on me right now. First of all, y'all are acting like I cheated on Vicky. I never did anything like that."
"You didn't…physically," Jaemin muttered from the couch, not even looking up. "Emotionally, however…"
Mark's face was beyond red at this point. "I didn't!" he insisted. "I swear! And fine, I've been a jerk to her a few times but that's why I just wanted to properly apologize."
"You better not try to continue dating her," Jaehyun said firmly. "If you try, I'll make her break up with you."
"I wasn't going to!" Mark exclaimed. "I know I've been a horrible boyfriend. And I was going to find a way to settle everything but then the game happened and then the accident and…" Mark raised his hands in frustration. "Honestly, I just want to apologize. That's it. And I'll do it as soon as she responds to me. And I promise I won’t try to pursue anything with her any longer because I’ve clearly lost my chance awhile ago. The timing's just been really bad."
He breathed heavily after finishing his wholehearted admissions. The boys looked at one another, silently discussing whether or not to accept this course of action.
At last, Johnny spoke: "Well, it sounds alright to me."
"There better be some real groveling," Jaemin mused out loud. “Man, I’d be so upset if my boyfriend ran to some other dude with a such a lovestruck expression without a second glance at me after I sprained my ankle. That’s just cold.” The boys murmured in agreement, as Mark stood there wondering whose side they were really on.
"Alright, second main point," Jeno said, clapping his hands together. "What do we do about the fact that Mark definitely secretly wants to run away with Donghyuck and make love to him underneath the sunset but plays it off like he hates him until he slips up really badly and it's been a catastrophe every single goddamn time?"
Mark felt like his soul was leaving his body. "Can't I at least admit to this stuff on my own terms first?" he groaned.
Renjun threw Mark a tired look. “It’s so obvious. To everyone. Literally people who you don’t even know know about it, that’s how obvious it is. I don’t know why you’re still trying to convince yourself otherwise.”
"Who knows?" Mark asked, flabbergasted.
"Mark hyung wants to cook with Donghyuck in the kitchen," Jaemin said, grinning. "But Mark can't cook, so you know what I mean." Him and Renjun slapped out a hi-five.
Mark narrowed his eyes, ignoring the senseless innuendo. "How do you know I can't cook?"
"Jeno tells me everything," Jaemin answered seriously. "Like everything ."
Taeyong was exchanging looks with Johnny. “What are these new Gen Z references? I just don’t get them at all…” he whispered.
"I disapprove, by the way," Chenle said suddenly, raising his hand. "It would never work out and imagine how weird it would be when everyone finds out: you were just dating the head cheerleader and then you dump her and immediately switch to her male counterpart on the team? That's just asking to get cancelled. Or just social exile but either way."
"Who cares about social exile if that's love though?" Taeyong said pointedly. "Also, it's not like it's anyone's business."
Chenle turned to Mark. "Well, do you love Donghyuck?"
Just when they thought Mark's complexion couldn't get redder, it did.
"W-what? I–" Mark fumbled. "I can't just--I don't know that out of nowhere!"
Chenle turned back to Taeyong. "See, he can't even answer it yet. Not true love right now. Therefore your point is completely invalid."
"I also disapprove, by the way," Renjun interjected. "It’s a selfish reason but highly relevant: I'm Donghyuck's roommate and I really don't wanna be anywhere near their 'Halli Galli turned wrestling' in Donghyuck's bed ever again."
Jaemin's eyes lit up. "Ooh, that's sexy~ ! So something did happen. Tell me everything!"
"I think it was way before he started dating Vicky," Renjun explained. "But I'll definitely tell you. Later."
"I just realized something," Jisung spoke for the first time. "...didn't we shove them in a really small closet together?"
Silence filled the room.
"Why the heck would you do that?" Johnny asked, watching the group of younger boys, slightly appalled.
"Punishment for a game," Chenle answered, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Well, it shouldn't matter if we did," said Jeno. "If nothing happened, then we aren't responsible for initiating anything. Unless…" He gave Mark a look. "Something did happen?"
All eyes were on Mark once again.
Mark swallowed. "Nope. I touched nothing." He started mumbling under his breath for no reason in particular, something about "groping" and "ass", and "not long enough so it doesn't count".
Chenle practically screeched in agony. "Bro, please. You're so bad at lying. Please just stick to basketball and never try to to play poker or something like that."
"So we are part of the problem," Renjun said mournfully, head in his hands. "We took a spark of something and poured gasoline on it."
"Okay, we put them in there but it's up to them if they want to do something," Jeno argued. "Why is that our fault if their willpower is weak?"
"Oh yeah?" Renjun retorted at once. "Let me see how strong your willpower is if I shove you in a closet with—"
"Moving on!" Jeno announced loudly. "Jisung, what do you think?"
Jisung was quiet, and then shaking his head, he said softly: "No. Only because…I think they'd be quite terrifying together."
Chenle nodded approvingly. "True. I know exactly what Jisung means. Not to each other. Just to everyone else. It would be…a lot."
"Hold on," Mark said suddenly, holding up his hand. "Are you guys seriously discussing and trying to make the verdict on my life right now? As if I wouldn't have the final input anyway?"
"Jaeminnie, what do you think?" Jeno asked, ignoring Mark completely.
"Honestly, do whatever you want, Mark," Jaemin answered. "I don't care. It couldn't affect me at all. Follow your heart brother, and if you embarrass yourself Jeno will just tell me about it later.
"Fair," Jeno said. "What do the hyungs think?" He nodded towards the back wall.
"I say go for it," Jaehyun said at once. "I'm all for romance, no matter the struggles it might take you to get there."
"I agree," Taeyong seconded. "You're young. It's okay to go through these things and learn. Mistakes can happen when it comes to these matters, just so long as you're not intending to hurt other people."
"I don't know though," Johnny spoke up suddenly. "I don't think it's entirely fair to Vicky. Like, it's very easy to just push her off as the passing ex but she's still a person. A person who was nothing but nice and tried her best for Mark. Imagine how she'd feel when she finds out he’s immediately with the person she’s been having doubts about, right after their relationship ends. It just doesn't sit right with me, especially since we all know that Mark has already been so subtly neglectful of her feelings."
"Hmm…while that's true, no one has the right nor the ability to control someone else's feelings," Taeyong said. "Even if Mark's feelings did change, for example, it doesn't make him a bad person, nor can we expect anyone to stay with anyone forever to appease their feelings."
But Johnny was still unconvinced. "You guys are thinking too deep. Just think about how you would feel in Vicky’s shoes, that’s all I’m saying."
"Okay, so far I guess that's three yeses and four nos…" Jeno tabulated. "Which leaves me." He turned to face Mark again. "Captain, I think you already know my opinion on this."
"I do?" Mark asked. He was still trying to come to terms with this current situation. Considering he was already tired from the game amongst other things, it was all a lot to register.
"I told you to go for it, remember?" Jeno reminded him. "And to be careful and all but I guess there's no longer any point in that. Still, I believe that you two can find a way to work it out if you put your mind to it."
"So, we're at four and four now," Taeyong noted. "Now what?"
Mark stared at all of them. "What were y'all planning to do if it didn't tie?" he asked them incredulously. "How about me? What about my vote?"
"It's your intervention, of course you don't get a vote," Chenle’s expression was as if Mark was the biggest idiot in the world. "Also, if the majority vote had been no, my idea was to lock or send you away until they both forget about you completely, by the way."
Mark shuddered visibly.
"Well…at least he's heard all that we had to say," Johnny said.
"There's one more huge matter we forgot to talk about though," Renjun said suddenly. "How would Donghyuck feel about all this?"
"Well, about that…" Jeno said, everyone turned to look at him.
As if on cue, the doorbell suddenly rang.
"...I might've also called him but he's late again," Jeno explained. "Also, his knee injury thing so he has an excuse this time but still."
Mark looked livid, running at Jeno. "You called him to my house?! At this time?! Without my knowledge?!" he yelled, grabbing him by the collar and shaking it.
"Bro, relax, it was for the intervention," Jeno said, pushing Mark away from him. "But now that he's here and we all spoke our mind… I think I have a better idea."
He leaned over and whispered something to Renjun. At once, they all started crowding around the couch and started discussing something without letting Mark hear.
"Guys?" Mark called. "You know this is my house right?"
They ignored him and they went on talking for a few more seconds. Suddenly, they all got up once.
"Alright, good night Mark. We're gonna get going now," Renjun said, waving as he started moving hurriedly towards the door.
Mark blinked. "That's it? W-what about Donghyuck?"
"Yeah, honestly it's getting late, we're gonna leave too," Taeyong said, speaking on behalf of Johnny and Jaehyun. "Good luck, Mark! I know you'll do what's best!" They also made their way to leave.
Chenle had stolen a pen off Mark's table and was scrawling something else on the intervention sign.
"Yeah, I gotta go too," he was saying. "Gotta rest. That game was so tiring I don't know how you're still standing."
Mark threw Chenle a deadpanned look before he also disappeared around the corner.
Finally, it was only Jeno and Jaemin.
Jeno clapped Mark on the shoulder. "I'm glad I was able to do this for you," he said proudly.
"What did you even do?" Mark genuinely asked, exhausted.
"Night!" Jeno said, smiling. And he pushed Jaemin out towards the door.
The next few seconds happened in a flurry. Mark heard ruckus by the front door of his house but he just stood there by the wall, not having the energy nor will to look. He thought he heard the sound of screeching and probably some manhandling.
But before he knew it, all the guys were gone.
And there, standing in front of him was none other than the promised Lee Donghyuck himself.
"Um…the guys shoved me in here and closed the door behind them," Haechan explained.
He was holding the MARK LEE INTERVENTION TIME sign, but this time Chenle had evidently also scrawled on " one-on-one time! work it out by yourselves! "
Mark could only exhale in disbelief. Are these really our closest friends?
"Um, what's going on?" Haechan asked. "Originally Jeno said to come here because he said you had the best medicine for my knee."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "You believed that?'
"No," Haechan stated bluntly. "So he changed it to that it was an emergency and that you really needed to talk to me. Which…makes way more sense. But honestly, what's going on?"
Mark sighed, scratching the back of his head. "You know what, just sit down first. It's been a long day. Is your knee okay?"
Haechan nodded as he obliged, moving over to the couch. "The doctor said it was indeed just a surface wound."
"Thank god," Mark said. For the first time, he looked at Haechan that night. He'd changed out of his cheerleading uniform into some jeans, a white T-shirt and a leather jacket. There were still traces of the makeup left on his face, and overall, Haechan looked…nice.
Always a sight for Mark’s sore eyes.
"So did you actually want to talk to me about something?" Haechan said suddenly. "Or was that Jeno just saying weird stuff again?"
"Yes," Mark replied simply.
"Also, why was everyone here?" Haechan was still asking questions. "And why'd they have to push me? Also also, who were the really good-looking guys? I don't think I've met them? For a second I thought I saw Jeffrey, it was so trippy. And… oh yeah, why do you need an intervention?" He shoved the intervention sign back into Mark's hands.
Mark's head started spinning again. It was a lot of questions that he didn't quite know which angle to attack from. He wasn't even sure what exactly he wanted to say. And it wasn't like he could just tell Haechan to leave because he was tired. He would never do that.
All he knew was that he was suddenly confined in his own house with Lee Haechan by his friends, and he was going to have to deal with it.
He glanced back to Haechan. Almost immediately, his mind and heart started doing that thing they did when he was around Haechan: the haze, the sped up heartbeat… he wondered why he still found it so surprising every time.
So pretty…
He didn’t know when it started happening. But when he was finally aware of it, it was happening all at once. Overwhelming. Overpowering. Out of his control. Occupying his mind 24/7. Causing his breath to catch in his throat when he was least expecting.
It was pathetic really. Not to mention incredibly cliché. From how he had acted in the past, he didn’t even deserve to have even an inkling of such thoughts cross his mind. Yet they did, and they had been eating away at him like a parasite. This was so unlike him. He thought he knew himself, knew what he wanted, and what he preferred.
All because of a glitch, a mistake…
He clenched his palms against his thighs, forcing himself to look away from the object of his attention. Feigning his ignorance, he waited until the person looked away before he breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall behind him. Sensing his quickened pulse, he decided to give himself a moment to reflect on himself, and in the midst of it all, he remembered how it all started.
“Ugh, what have I been doing lately?” Mark grumbled quietly to himself.
“What was that?” Haechan asked.
Mark looked up. "Nothing.”
Haechan continued staring unblinkingly at Mark from a distance. "By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask…what's up with you lately? You used to act so smart but these days you're always so… confusing?"
Mark had to shake his head in disbelief at that. "Me? I'm the confusing one? I'm the one who is confused!"
"Why are you confused?" Haechan asked.
"Well, if I knew I wouldn't be so confused,” Mark answered pointedly.
"You're literally making no sense,” came the retort from Haechan.
"I'm the one who doesn't make sense?!" Mark raised his voice as he made his way over to the couch. "You were the one who told me to go out with her in the first place! And now I'm stuck as the bad guy in all of this mess. And honestly, I kind of am." He was just saying whatever now, the deliriousness finally taking over his brain as he plopped down on the couch next to Haechan. This time, however, he was careful enough to maintain distance.
Haechan's eyes were also beginning to shake, a mixture of confusion and anger. "Mark, what are you talking about? Did you call me over here to… blame me for something?"
"I didn't call you, Jeno did," Mark said. "But somehow I actually do have a lot of things I could blame you for."
Haechan scoffed, turning away and rolling his eyes. Ugh, his eyes shine bright like lanterns. Stupid pretty lantern eyes, Mark thought, as he stared.
"Listen," Haechan spoke. "I’ve never told you to do anything. Even today, I was just as confused as you are apparently, so I don't know what you're trying to say."
"Oh stop it," Mark said tiredly. "You know exactly what you do to me, so why do you play innocent? Sure, you never straight out say anything but that's all part of this weird manipulation thing you do that makes me end up doing exactly what you suggest anyway."
Haechan stared at Mark, stunned. "What are you going on about right now?"
“It doesn’t matter what I say or think, it never matters anyway,” Mark mumbled angrily. “You always ruin everything for me. We were never even supposed to have met.”
Mark wasn’t looking at Haechan, so he couldn’t see his expression, but when Haechan spoke next, his tone was a mix somewhere between hurt and confused.
“Would you have preferred it that way or something?” Haechan said slowly. “Are you saying you wanna act like I was never a part of your life?”
Mark turned his head to finally look at Haechan. He was still there, sitting near the corner of the couch, eyes glistening as he watched Mark expectantly, worried about what he would say next.
Mark let out a sarcastic chuckle that indicated how ridiculous he thought this all was. “What am I even doing right now?” he said. “I should be looking for Vicky right now and begging for her apology, but that’s not where my mind’s at at all.”
“Then, what do you want, Mark?” Haechan asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “Although you are kind of acting like a child right now, so you should at least try to keep things at least civil and appropriate."
“Oh, so I’m a child now,” Mark scoffed, instinctively scooting closer to Haechan. “Maybe you should tell me what you want, see how easy that is.”
Haechan hesitated. "This…this isn't about me."
“See?” Mark said assertively. “Not so easy, is it?”
“Speak for yourself,” Haechan finally managed. “I’ve always known what I wanted. But I also know how to look out for what I believe are the best interests of those around me, unlike you, evidently. Whatever I may have suggested in the past as you insinuate was because I thought it would make you happy.”
“None of this is my fault,” Mark countered. “It’s your fault.”
“How is it my fault?! I’m not responsible for your actions!”
“It’s your fault for existing!”
“So I shouldn’t exist then?!”
“You’re like…” Mark fumbled, looking for the right words. “You’re like a glitch in the matrix. If it weren't for you everything in my life would probably work out exactly the way I thought it would. I was never even supposed to have met you but now that I know you… I can never stop thinking about you. I can’t get you out of my mind at all.”
Haechan was silent. His eyes were slightly watery, unreadable as they looked back at Mark’s frustrated ones.
“I...I can’t help the dangerous thoughts when I’m around you,” Mark kept talking. “I’ve never felt this way before. About anything. It came out of nowhere. It feels terrifying and I still don’t know what to do about it. And it’s because you’re you.”
“So what do you want to do about it?” Haechan repeated, his eyes had changing yet again, perhaps finally understanding what Mark was implying. Now there was a challenge in them, a taunt.
Mark tried to keep his breathing in check. He moved closer, keeping his heated gaze steady on Haechan. “I can’t just tell you the things I’ve been thinking. The things I’ve been wanting to do…”
“Why can’t you?”
“You told me to keep things ‘appropriate’. The things I would say…definitely aren’t …” Mark said darkly.
Haechan said nothing. There was only a tense silence and the sound of breathing between them. They had gotten really close by now. Any closer and they would be touching.
“We…shouldn’t do this,” Haechan uttered suddenly, his voice barely a breath.
“Why?” Mark asked, eyes glazed as he leaned in. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about…” Haechan spoke slowly, pursing his lips. “I’m thinking about how nice it would be if you put your hands on me right now.”
Mark’s entire body shivered. The words rendered him dizzy, shooting straight through his already dazed brain.
“What about you?” Haechan spoke slowly, his voice low. “What are you thinking right now?”
“The usual,” Mark replied, pushing in now so that Haechan was pressed into the armrest behind him. “I’m thinking about how nice you always look, always so neatly covered up in your pretty clothes…but also about how I always want to just rip them off so I can finally see what’s underneath. It can be just as dangerous to leave everything up to the imagination sometimes too, you know? And mine’s pretty active…”
Haechan’s breath hitched in his throat, and Mark definitely saw it.
“What else do you imagine?” Haechan asked cautiously.
“Well, I also think about running my hands all over you,” Mark replied. “Your skin is just so perfect and soft-looking that I often wonder what it feels like... I wanna see how it curves on your bare body, and I wanna trace it all the way down your pretty legs...”
“Mark, maybe we should stop now…” Haechan tried again. But Mark's composure had been weakened a long time ago. The sight and sound of Haechan like this, caged beneath him, was just too much for Mark.
“I just know I would never get tired of you,” Mark said, leaning in even more so that he was right in Haechan’s face. “I already know you’re gonna be perfect inside and out, Donghyuck. And it always makes me wanna push you down so bad, despite everything. Despite that I know I shouldn't.”
“Mark…” Haechan called, his voice already sounding so far away.
“Hmm?”
“Please, ” Haechan begged.
It happened like a flash of lightning. It was unclear who initiated it first. One moment they were barely resisting, and the next Mark had Haechan shoved against the couch and Haechan’s fingers were roped in his hair, pulling him in. They crashed their lips together, immediately going mad, pressing into each other and feeling at whatever they could. It was sweet, sweet relief, and it was so overwhelming that Mark thought for sure he would never regain his sanity from this.
With increased aggression, Mark forced Haechan’s lips open with his own. The moment he was granted access, he wasted no time in delving in with his tongue. Haechan’s mouth was every bit as delicious as he imagined. Every sensation was deeply addictive, and suddenly he felt like he didn’t want to do anything more in life any more except kiss Haechan. Especially when those little whimpering noises started to elicit from Haechan’s throat.
“Oh, Donghyuck….you’re so fucking perfect ,” Mark groaned against Haechan’s lips when he had the chance. He was going crazy, everything inside him was going to burst. It felt so wrong, but so right, all at the same time. He wanted to swear, he wanted to scream, but he couldn’t because he was too far occupied with kissing Haechan brainless. Mark felt Haechan’s fingers tighten even more in his hair as he let out another moan, slightly hurting Mark's scalp. But it didn’t matter, as every little sensation, even the slight pain, was turning him on more and more. Mark just wanted to feel everything that was Haechan. The dam had finally broken and there was no stopping it now.
Mark’s hands started roaming. He moved them behind him while still kissing Haechan, dragging them up the legs he was so obsessed with, stopping underneath Haechan’s thigh before lingering on his ass and squeezing eagerly. It seemed to make Haechan squirm, which pleased him greatly. He moved them upwards to Haechan’s slim waist, making sure to press in just as he’d always wanted, losing his mind just from feeling Haechan’s body from over the clothes. Then, he moved them back down to Haechan’s abdomen, eagerly reaching for the hem of his shirt and the buttons of his jeans.
Suddenly, Haechan pulled away. “Wait! Wait, stop!” he cried aloud, pushing him away.
Mark stopped immediately. He caught eyes with Haechan, the both of them panting heavily from their breath-taking makeout session. Even in his state of shock, most of his brain could still only focus on how sexy Haechan looked right then, with his hazy eyes, tousled hair, swollen lips and clothes all ruffled up.
I did that, Mark thought shamelessly to himself.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” Mark said at once. “I didn’t know—I didn’t mean to force myself on you.”
“No, it’s not like that,” Haechan replied. “It’s just…” Haechan hesitated. “You should do things in proper order. Vicky. You should end things properly with her first. It’s just not fair to her.”
Mark’s heart sank at the reminder. “Oh yeah, right…” he said. “Does that mean we can’t…”
Haechan shook his head. “I think you know that too,” he said softly, running his fingers affectionately through Mark's tangled hair. “I don’t want you to be the guy who sleeps with another person while the status of his own relationship is up in the air.”
Mark leaned into the touch. “I don’t think it’s that up in the air though…”
Haechan had to snort a laugh at that. “Are you trying to convince me right now?”
“No, but is it working?”
A full-sounding laugh came from Haechan this time. Mark couldn’t help but smile as well–it’d been a while since he’d seen Haechan laugh like this. And it was a nice feeling.
“Trust me, it took everything in me to stop you just now,” Haechan said. “I just knew if we went past a certain point, I definitely wouldn’t be able to stop. You were already pretty convincing before. With… you know…”
Mark broke out into a smug grin. “I thought you said before that I could never win against you with my tongue.” He promptly received a pillow in the face.
“I had meant using your tongue to say words. Not…this,” Haechan retorted, blushing.
“Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing,” he admitted. “You were just there so I… did it.”
“Hmmm, do you say that to all the girls you kiss until they’re weak in the knees, Mark Lee?” Haechan mused out loud.
“No, just you,” Mark said seriously, unblinking.
Haechan had to laugh at Mark’s honesty. “Ah, seriously, you’re so cute,” he said.
Mark’s smile was plastered on his face. “I think you’re the cute one. You're the cutest.”
“Are we gonna fight about this too?”
It was Mark’s turn to smirk at Haechan. “If you could hear the sounds you were making the way I did, we wouldn’t have to fight about it at all.”
Haechan slapped Mark in the arm. “I changed my mind. I don't remember you being that good at kissing.”
“Really? You forgot already?”
“Mm hmm.”
“Well then, let me remind you again.”
Mark leaned forward with an unexpected surge and grabbed Haechan’s chin, capturing his lips once more. Mark let out a throaty exhale, the surge of pleasure possibly even better than the first time. A slip of the tongue in, and Haechan let out a blissful high-pitched sigh yet again, despite his will.
Mark pulled away, wiping his lips, a complacent grin back on his face. “Told you.”
“You’ve got this new smugness about you and I’m not sure I like what I’ve enabled,” Haechan grimaced, picking up the pillow back up and wrapping his arms around it. “Anyways, stop kissing me!"
“Why?” Mark said, trying to look into Haechan’s eyes. He was burying his face into the pillow again, avoiding eye contact. “You like it, don’t you? You definitely do.”
“I already told you,” Haechan said. “It took everything to stop you the first time…”
Mark snatched Haechan’s wrist and tugged him close. “Then don’t stop me.”
Haechan stared back at Mark weakly. “Mark…” he whined.
“I’m kidding,” Mark said. “I’m not gonna do anything you don’t like, that I swear by.”
Haechan sighed in relief, though he promptly said: “Though…I guess it’s just kissing…so long as we leave it at that…”
“Yeah?”
And then they were leaning in again, Haechan’s arms still wrapped around the pillow. When Mark thought it was an addiction, he wasn’t kidding. It was by far the most delicious feeling he had ever experienced. This time around, it was gentle, but purposeful. They mostly kept their hands to themselves, with the exception of Mark’s hand on Haechan’s jaw. He felt Haechan lean into his hand as the kiss deepened, and the drunk feeling enraptured his brain once more.
They stayed like that for a while. After what seemed like long minutes, possibly hours, they finally broke apart, temporarily sated. They simply sat there, Mark’s arm around Haechan’s shoulder as Haechan found refuge on his chest.
“Mark…” Haechan called him suddenly. “Aren’t you tired?”
“Of course,” Mark answered. “Aren’t you?”
Haechan nuzzled closer. “Yeah, I am,” he said softly. “What do you want to do now?”
“Honestly…I’m pretty comfy right now,” Mark replied, fingers reaching up instinctively to play with Haechan’s fluffed up hair.
“Me too,” Haechan exhaled. “But we can’t just stay here.”
“Why not?”
“Tomorrow’s coming and it’s going to be a mess,” Haechan said. “Whatever happened here tonight might as well not have happened at all.”
“What do you mean?”
Haechan pressed his hands into Mark’s chest and peered up at him with his lovely eyes. “Well…have you decided what you’re gonna do about everything? About Vicky? About us? Have you thought about the consequences?”
Mark thought back to the “intervention” that Haechan had missed. “Oh, I heard the consequences. Loud and clear.”
“Well then?”
Mark closed his eyes, thinking deeply, leaving Haechan to wait in suspense.
After a moment, he said: “If we were being honest, this is all my doing, so let me fix it.”
“How do you intend to do that?”
“Don’t worry about it, you’ve worried enough,” Mark smiled softly, patting Haechan on the head. “I’ll figure it all out by tomorrow night. I promise. For now, don’t say anything about us. We’ll keep it a secret.”
“Oh my, is the prim and proper Mark Lee in a secret relationship ?” Haechan said in a fake voice. “How scandalous!”
Mark poked Haechan in the waist, causing him to yelp. “What about you? What are you going to do? You can’t just stay here forever.”
“Why not?” Haechan asked solemnly, doing a little wiggle with his body against Mark. “How big is your bed?”
Mark’s entire body tensed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Relax, I was kidding,” Haechan said, getting up. “I’ll go home.”
“I can walk you home,” Mark offered. “It’s kind of late.”
Haechan’s eyes widened. “What, really? It’s kind of far on foot though. I was gonna take the bus.”
Mark shrugged. “Sure, I can keep you company.”
“You’re tired. You’ve had such a long day.”
“You had the same day I did.”
“You'll have to go back alone.”
“Unlike you, I don’t have confirmed crazy stalkers, so I’ll be fine.”
“Well, so will I.”
“I insist.”
“And I reject it. You need rest.”
“Are we seriously fighting about this too?”
“No, because I’m going home.”
“I’m going with you.”
“Mark. ”
“Donghyuck.”
They stared at each other in silence, now at a stalemate with neither willing to back down. Haechan thought about it.
“...rock, paper, scissors?” Haechan finally suggested.
Mark sighed. He raised his fist. “Fine, whatever.”
“Play or lose, rock, paper, scissors!” Haechan announced.
Mark won.
“Yes!” Mark cheered while Haechan let out a disbelieving scoff.
“Well then,” Haechan said, grabbing his stuff and making his way to the door. “Don’t complain to me tomorrow when you’re too exhausted to move.”
Mark grinned, following Haechan out. “I’ll be fine. Your boy’s on a lucky streak today.”
“Let’s hope it’s still around for tomorrow, cause you’re gonna need it,” Haechan said, slipping his shoes on.
“I’ll be fine,” Mark said. “I’ll let you know as soon as it’s all done.”
Mark grabbed his wallet, jacket and keys as they finished getting ready. Before leaving, they stood face to face in front of the door.
This time, Mark’s eyes were the ones to glimmer mischievously. “Should we…” he uttered. “Before we go outside, that is.”
“Mark, we’re never gonna get out of here,” Haechan sighed.
“Whatever.”
Mark wrapped his arm around Haechan’s waist and tugged him close, kissing him one last time. He savoured this one. It felt like it would be the last one for a while, or at least until he figured everything out. It was every bit as sweet and pleasant as he wanted it to be, and they let it linger as Haechan placed his hands on Mark’s chest.
“Ugh, Mark Lee, what am I gonna do about you…?” Haechan sighed heartily, as they pulled away.
“Ok, let’s go before it gets even later,” Mark said at last. He unlocked the door and pushed it open.
As the two of them stepped out, they stopped in their tracks.
There were eight pairs of eyes staring back at them expectantly.
Renjun. Jeno. Jaemin. Chenle. Jisung. Even all the older ones were accounted for. Taeyong. Johnny. Jaehyun.
“Oh my god,” Mark said. “You guys camped outside my home?! Why?!”
“Well, at least you won’t have to walk me home now…” Haechan muttered so only Mark could hear.
The sketchy group of guys squatting in the hallway said nothing. They just kept staring at Mark and Haechan, as if they could figure something out the more they bore their eyes into them.
“So,” Chenle was the first to break the silence. “Did Mark Lee finally get that long ass ride he so desperately needed?”
Mark and Haechan were speechless.
“Everyone, ” Mark fumed at last. “GO HOME. NOW”
~ dreaming *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
You're the cutest.
His voice had been so clear, echoing in Donghyuck's mind all day. Indeed, it all happened like a dream. It felt fleeting, like it never happened at all.
Donghyuck was sitting cross legged on his bed, resting after his school day. Renjun had gone to work and it was just him at home. For some reason, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts today, no distractions, just himself. Perhaps, he just wanted to dwell on the dreamy night he had yesterday… and of course, also the dreamy boy who had kissed him until he forgot his own name.
Things like this just didn't happen to Donghyuck. He wasn't sure if it was bad luck or what it was. When he goes on dates, he ends up with boring guys or stalkers. The one time he finds someone he actually has chemistry with, the guy doesn't even recognize him and calls him a catfish. If that happened to him before finding a decent date, it was clear that Donghyuck's love life just wasn't meant to be smooth sailing.
And even now, it wasn't.
Which is why he decided to treat it like a dream. A dream where the guy he's had a crush on for a long time now (despite all his attempts to get rid of it) tells him how perfect he is and cuddles with him and plays with his hair. Clearly, it was too good to be true, which was why Donghyuck didn't want to believe it yet.
It wasn't like he'd planned for any of this to happen, as Mark might have insinuated. When he told Mark to ask Vicky out, it was because he cared for Mark's happiness genuinely believed that Mark would be happy with her. And vice versa. Plus, what better way to get rid of a crush than to know for a fact that they're involved with someone else? He would never be egotistical enough to guess that Mark had feelings for him this entire time, hidden underneath the surface and disguised as a fond, pigtails-pulling kind of friendship. He'd based all of his suggestions on Mark being, well… Mark: a straight-laced sort of guy who did things by the book and wanted the more convenient things in life. How could he have guessed that Mark also had an unpredictable streak, especially when it came to Donghyuck himself?
Again, it was too good to be true.
Donghyuck had found his way to his soft body pillow again, clutching onto it and rubbing his face against it and trying not to think about Mark's call. He hadn't heard from him all morning, and that was expected… but it still didn't keep the wait from being agonizing. He'd decided to go through the worst case scenario several times in his mind by now, in order to not be disappointed no matter what happened. Perhaps, Mark would decide to wake up from this dream after all. Like getting rid of a computer virus, he would decide to remove Donghyuck from his life and restore it back to how it originally was. How it should be. And honestly, Donghyuck wouldn’t blame him. He kept telling himself that over and over again to make sure he would believe it if it ever truly happened.
Donghyuck sighed out loud to himself, leaning into his pillow and falling over. Mark… where are you? Why are you taking so long? Eventually, he fell over onto the pillow, falling asleep due to the previous day’s taxing events.
Almost immediately after he fell asleep, he heard a strange noise coming from outside. His eyes squeezed open again, half in irritation, half in confusion.
Tap. Tap.
What is that? Cautiously, Haechan crawled out of his bed and headed out towards the balcony of their apartment where the sound was coming from. He did his best to keep hidden, for fear that his stalker might still be lurking.
Tap. Tap.
Is someone…throwing stones at my window? Donghyuck thought. He moved closer, standing so he was pressed against the curtain.
All of a sudden, he heard a distinct voice come from outside.
“Oh baby, can you give me the love sign~?”
Donghyuck flung the door open so fast he nearly tore his arm off and rushed out onto the balcony in his pajamas.
He was stunned at the sight below him. For it was none other than Mark Lee, standing underneath his balcony with a guitar, shamelessly serenading him with a song that they both knew too well. He didn’t spare a glance on onlookers, and his eyes were entirely focused on Donghyuck as he crooned his heart out with the silliest smile on his face.
“Those eyes are like a love sign looking at me
You know it too, say it, it’s in your eyes, Donghyuckie~
Say it without hiding anything,
Think I’m gOing to you~!
Donghyuck couldn’t hold back his laughter as he moved towards Mark. He pressed his arms into the balcony and leaned into his hand as he watched, messy hair floating in the breeze as he remembered how Mark had learned the song in the first place..
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
The first time Donghyuck shared his love for music with Mark was after their first Halli Galli incident.
“I like singing a lot,” Donghyuck confided in Mark, while Renjun was sleeping. “And making music.”
“Really? I play the guitar,” Mark had replied. Donghyuck distinctly remembered the wide smile that crept onto his face. “I do it as a hobby when I’m not busy with school or the team. I really love music too.”
“Huh, it’s like we’re meant to be,” Donghyuck joked at the time.
“Show me something!” Mark said eagerly. “Sing something!”
Normally, Donghyuck probably would’ve been shy about it, but something about Mark and his energy put him at ease.
“Well, I have some hyungs that are really good at music,” Donghyuck said slowly. “And there’s this song we’ve been working on.”
Donghyuck would never forget the look in Mark’s eyes when he finished singing the song “Love Sign” to him for the first time.
“Whoa, Haechannie,” Mark had said. “You’re really amazing…”
He proceeded to gush about Donghyuck's voice for the rest of their time together.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
The next time was after Mark had asked Vicky out for the first time, also the night he’d promised to hang out with Donghyuck so he fulfilled his promise.
This time, Mark brought his guitar, and something between them just clicked.
They kept playing song after song after song, and for the first time in a long awhile, singing and just playing music felt so easy and so enjoyable.
It was too surreal, Donghyuck had thought at the time, for two people who were so different on the surface to work together and harmonize so well when it came to something as simple as music.
He remembered stealing glances at Mark Lee several times as he was focused on finding the right notes. He couldn't help but feel shy, something that Lee Donghyuck rarely felt and often covered up well enough. His heart was just fluttering too much at the situation, and it was out of his control.
It was a shame he would probably never have the guts to actually act on what felt so right…
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
“You make me dream, I want you to stay in my life…”
Back in the present, Donghyuck kept watching Mark sing with the most smitten expression. Mark was truly giving his all even if he couldn’t properly hit some of the notes, but it just made him all the more endearing. It was still the most romantic thing anyone had ever attempted for Donghyuck,
“You’re my love…oh my love sign.
Love sign~”
Mark finished with a flourish, as Donghyuck applauded as enthusiastically as he could for one guy watching alone from the balcony.
“Hey, Romeo, you were a bit flat in some places!” Donghyuck teased, hands cupped over his mouth, his smile brighter than ever. “But I don’t think I’ve ever swooned so hard in my life!”
All he saw in return was Mark smiling back just as bright, as if he had no regrets for the many decisions he had made that ultimately led him to this point of serenading Donghyuck under his balcony in the middle of the street.
As he gestured for Mark to come up, there was only one thought in Donghyuck’s head.
Am I still dreaming?
“I can’t believe you did that!” Donghyuck laughed as he pushed Mark through his bedroom door along with his guitar and bag.
“I told you I’d let you know,” Mark replied with a grin. “Renjun still isn’t home right?”
Donghyuck shook his head. “If he was, he definitely would’ve been on the balcony with me.”
“Does he know anything?” Mark asked slowly.
“About what?”
“About the fact that we’re in a balcony-serenading relationship now?” Mark replied cheekily.
Donghyuck laughed. “No, I don’t think so. I was pretty discrete about it in the morning. And it was easy because I didn’t know what was going to happen either.” He paused. “So what’d you do in the end?”
Mark sat down on the edge of Donghyuck’s bed. “Well, spoiler alert,” Mark started. “Vicky and I are definitely no longer a thing. She finally answered her phone today and I told her we had to talk. Her foot was sprained, but it’s gradually healing so she’s doing alright. I think in the end… I was just honest with her. I kind of told her everything, about how I never planned for any of this to happen and that I was just confused the whole time. It’s not like I was good to you either because I was so trapped in these weird expectations I had for myself. At first it sounded like an excuse but gradually she started to understand. And of course, I was super, super apologetic about everything. I wanted her to know she had truly done nothing wrong, and that anybody would be lucky to have her…which now I realize sounds fake and generic but it really was the truth. Everything was just…bad timing.”
“And how is she now?” Donghyuck asked, genuinely concerned.
“She was really nice about it in the end actually,” Mark answered. “She understood that I was going through a confusing time and she said she appreciated my honesty. She even said that I had her support and she wouldn’t tell anybody in the meantime.”
Donghyuck made an impressed noise. “Woah, that girl really is a saint. I think I need to learn from her.”
Mark nodded aggressively in agreement. “Yeah, seriously. I think we should all learn from her.”
“Well… at least you’re done being Mark the bad guy now, hopefully?” Haechan smiled.
“Yeah, I hope so too,” Mark exhaled, almost in relief. “Oh, also I skipped school this morning to get her one of these as an apology present, along with some medicine.” Mark reached into his bag and pulled out a tiger plushie and a small two-flower bouquet with a tulip and a sunflower. “Remember this?”
Donghyuck’s eyes widened. “From the arcade the day after we met,” he said in recognition. “How’d you get it? Why’s it here?”
“I got Vicky one as a peace token as part of my apology and I got you one too because I remembered you really wanted it at the time,” Mark said as he handed the gifts over to Donghyuck.
“Dang… how long did it take you to get two of these with your pro gamer skill?” Donghyuck inquired, as he appreciatively inspected the cute tiger doll.
“Like five minutes.”
Donghyuck shot him a look.
“Fine, more like five hours,” Mark admitted. “For some reason I started thinking about them and then I couldn’t get my head away from it. In fact, most of my plan revolved around the plushies. I skipped class to get them, that's why it took so long.”
“Mark… why ?”
Mark shrugged, “When I focus on something, I really focus on it. Even if it’s something stupid.”
A breathy laugh escaped from Donghyuck’s throat. “You’re really an idiot,” he snorted.
“Aw, come on,” Mark pouted. “Are you back to being mean to me already?”
“Nah, you’ve been super cute today.” Donghyuck smiled, leaning forwards and giving Mark a peck on the cheek before getting up to set up his tiger plushie and flowers on his dresser. The unexpected kiss suddenly reminded Mark of… things. Things that he’d risked his reputation and dignity and life to make sure he could experience again.
Mark dropped everything and scooted closer to Donghyuck. “So, uh… when’s Renjun coming home again?” he asked.
“Why do you ask?” Donghyuck replied, the slightest hint of amusement in his voice.
“No reason…” Mark’s voice trailed off, as he cleared his throat.
Donghyuck’s smile widened as he returned to the bed, putting one of his arms beside Mark and leaning in. That glimmering look in Donghyuck’s eyes was absolutely mesmerizing, and Mark didn’t think he’d ever grow tired of it.
“Well, Mark, after all the hard work you’ve done today, you deserve a treat, don’t you?” Donghyuck spoke with a lilt in his voice.
Mark restrained the urge to swallow. God, I would do anything for this boy, he thought to himself. I hope he never finds out about the power he has over me.
“Are you…” Donghyuck curled his tongue as spoke. “ Hungry? ”
“Uh, huh, wha?” The grunting noises Mark made in response weren’t exactly a human language. His mind was definitely elsewhere as he fixated on Donghyuck’s luscious lips that were getting closer and closer.
“I asked,” Donghyuck repeated slowly. “Are you hungry?”
“Uh huh.”
“Great,” Donghyuck said, as he got up suddenly. “Let me go make you some ramen.” He turned to walk to the door.
Mark blinked a few times, feeling kind of desperate. “Huh, what wait? What do you mean?”
Donghyuck turned back around and giggled at him. “You forgot to eat today, didn’t you?” he said observantly. “I heard your stomach growl several times already, so let’s eat something before you pass out. Wanna come help?”
“Uh…sure?” Mark said dumbly. “I can’t cook though. Like at all.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to make yourself useful,” Donghyuck winked.
Mark gradually became distracted from his original “cravings” after that.
Donghyuck was great in the kitchen, so watching him and trying to do the minimal things was more than enough for Mark. In fact, it seemed Donghyuck didn’t mind answering all the questions Mark asked and even found it kind of cute. It was all good fun in the end. When they were finished cooking, Donghyuck suggested they put on a movie while they ate, and before Mark even realized it, they’d gone through two hours of a rom-com, two beers and four packs of ramen. It was oddly gratifying, despite that they didn’t do anything too extravagant. After such long and exhausting days, it seemed they were simply glad to relax and be in each other's company, not needing to say much at all.
After snuggling through half of a second movie, Mark had his arm around Donghyuck's shoulder when he suddenly heard the sound of the door unlocking. They immediately sprang apart, with Donghyuck mouthing the word “Renjun” with a panicked look in his eyes.
“WAIT RENJUN, DON’T COME IN I’M NAKED!” Donghyuck yelled as loud as he could, as they both jumped to their feet.
“What do I do?” Mark hissed, flailing this way and that.
“My room!” Donghyuck yelled back. “Hide in there! In the closet or something!” He gave Mark a shove-kick to the butt to make him move.
“My shoes, Donghyuck! My shoes are at the front!”
“I’ll take care of it, go just go!”
Mark practically tripped over himself as he scrambled into Donghyuck’s room, closing the door as quickly he could behind him.
He leaned against the door, trying to catch his breath when he finally heard Renjun’s voice.
“What the hell, Donghyuck? Why are you walking around naked in our public space again?” Renjun asked.
“Well, you know me,” Donghyuck’s voice was more or less convincing, if not slightly flustered. “Sometimes it’s just more freeing that way.”
“What the hell were you doing by the way?”
Mark suddenly remembered the huge pot of ramen and beer cans that they’d left on the table in front of the TV.
“I…uh…I got lonely,” Donghyuck replied dumbly.
“You got lonely…so you decided to get naked to eat a bunch of ramen and drink beer all by yourself…while watching ‘The Proposal’ ?” Renjun asked slowly.
Mark didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the situation.
Miraculously, he suddenly heard Renjun walk in the opposite direction of the apartment. “Whatever, I’ve learned not to ask when it comes to you,” Renjun said. “I’m going to take a shower and sleep. You better clean up whatever this is.”
“Yessir!” came Donghyuck’s clear reply.
Mark finally let out an exhale as he slid down against the door in relief. Hearing the sound of Donghyuck cleaning up, Mark transferred himself to sit on Donghyuck’s bed as he waited.
Minutes later, Donghyuck appeared by the door and snuck back into the room.
“Oh my gosh, that was close,” he breathed, his voice still a whisper. “Stay quiet though! Our rooms don’t share a wall but he can still hear us if we're too loud.”
“What the heck am I gonna do now?” Mark asked. “Should I sneak out? Is it time to jump out the window?”
“We’re on the fourth floor so unless you’re Spider-Man I wouldn’t recommend it,” Donghyuck grimaced. “And if you leave now he’ll definitely hear you. Plus, I think it’s too late now—the buses aren’t running anymore.”
Mark groaned in frustration, slamming his head backwards into Donghyuck’s pillows. “What am I going to do?”
“It’s not the worst,” Donghyuck reassured. “If it’s one thing about Renjun, usually when he settles for the night, he's probably just gonna sleep and he’s definitely not going to leave his room so at least, there’s that.” He appeared to be thinking for a second. “How about this? You just camp out here for the night and leave in the morning when he’s out. That way he won’t have a clue!”
Mark thought about it. “That sounds doable, I guess,” he said. “But…where am I gonna sleep?”
Donghyuck nodded towards the bed. “Just sleep here.”
“Huh, but then where are you gonna slee– oh. ” Mark realized what Donghyuck was suggesting halfway through his question.
Donghyuck was watching with the most innocent-looking eyes. “Is there a problem?”
“N-no,” Mark said, gulping. “Why would there be a problem?”
“Thought so,” Donghyuck said, smiling. “If you want you can just get comfy, I’m just gonna get changed.”
“What? ”
Donghyuck was already unbuttoning the first few buttons of his pajama top. “Oh, I get hot really easily when I sleep, so I have to wear something more…breathable, I guess?”
Mark’s mind was suddenly going to a bunch of different places, and none of it seemed appropriate to say out loud, so he opted for an: “Uh huh?”
Turning away, Donghyuck continued with the rest of his buttons. “I can lend you something too if you don’t want to sleep in those clothes. I think we should be similar sizes,” Donghyuck said. His tone was so casual, as if his actions weren’t threatening Mark's brain (and other parts of him) to explode right now. Mark’s pulse started to quicken, and his entire body started to react.
Before Donghyuck shrugged the open top off, Mark's breath hitched in his throat as he saw him tug at the drawstrings of his pajama bottoms. He was still turned away, so Mark couldn't see anything…yet .
I shouldn't look… Mark attempted to avert his eyes. Despite everything, he somehow still hadn't seen an inch of Donghyuck's body yet. The boy was always so well covered up.
…but it would be a crime not to look.
Mark turned back despite himself.
Immediately, his throat dried up.
Donghyuck was still facing away from Mark. He was slightly bent forwards when he shrugged his pants off with a titillating wiggle of his hips, revealing the underwear and skin beneath. It wasn't the first time Mark had seen Donghyuck's legs, but considering they were normally distracting enough, seeing them in a vulnerable light like this drove him crazy. The open pajama top was still hanging around the top half of his body, teasing the area of his ass and thighs as he bent forwards even further to put away the clothes.
"Donghyuck-ah," Mark called suddenly, his voice low.
"Hm?" the seemingly oblivious boy answered, still not turning around.
Mark got up from the bed, and moved so he was pressed up behind Donghyuck. Donghyuck let out a slight gasp as he felt Mark's body against him. All of it.
"Mark," Donghyuck whispered. "Are you…?"
Mark placed his hands gently on Donghyuck's almost bare hips, as he leaned forwards and whispered seductively in his ear:
"You know exactly what you're doing, don't you?"
The tense silence only lasted a few seconds.
"Oops."
It was all that came out of Donghyuck's mouth before he was practically thrown onto the bed.
"I think I died and went to heaven," Mark murmured happily. "Several times."
It was the next morning, and the two were blissfully lying next to each other. Mark only had his boxers on while Donghyuck was still naked, lying on top of Mark under the sheets. One of Mark's hands was lazily stroking Donghyucks's tailbone, while his face seemed to have a permanently dumb expression on it.
Despite his better interests, Mark had definitely fantasized about making love to Donghyuck many times, whether voluntary or not. As vivid as Mark's imagination was, it was nothing compared to the real thing. Donghyuck had been sweeter, softer, warmer, prettier and sexier than anything his brain could come up with. Somewhere along the way, he definitely lost his mind, simply getting drunk on the feeling of Donghyuck's body and the way his hands felt on that glorious, tan skin that was now all his to explore as much as he wanted. The way Donghyuck reacted to his touch and tried to suppress his sweet, sweet voice because Renjun was nearby made Mark never want to leave him alone ever again. Perhaps, his caveman brain took over in the end–Donghyuck was way too much for his mind to comprehend, so he ended up being rougher than he'd originally intended, aggressively chasing those rolling bouts of pleasure that they'd both desperately craved for so, so long now.
"I'm glad for you," Donghyuck sulked. "Cause I feel like I'm in hell right now. It's been so long, why'd you have to be so rough on me?"
"Stop acting like you didn't egg me on!" Mark responded.
"I did nothing," Donghyuck pouted, readjusting himself on Mark's chest.
"Do you really want me to remind you?" Mark was smiling. "Because I remember everything. Made sure to record it all mentally."
Donghyuck shifted his head slightly so he could look Mark in the eyes. Mark thought he looked adorable like this, all pink hued, fluffy hair and puffy in all the right places. Not to mention the ways his eyes twinkled even brighter like everything was right in the world.
"Wah, Mark Lee, you're kind of obsessed with me, aren't you?" Donghyuck said. "Stop looking at me like that."
Mark let out another laugh. "I mean, that's the whole plot. The entire conflict. Where have you been this whole time?"
They snuggled a bit longer. Mark took in the morning light as he let his thoughts drift.
Suddenly, something occurred to him.
"Wait a minute," Mark said. "What time does Renjun usually come home from work?"
"Like 8 or 9, why?" Donghyuck said.
"Last night…" Mark thought aloud. "You told me the buses stopped running so I couldn't go home."
"...so?"
"Buses around here don't stop running until 2 a.m."
Silence, as Donghyuck was at a loss for an answer.
Meanwhile, Mark was grinning from ear to ear. "Wow, Lee Donghyuck, you're a little sly are you?"
"Don't say anything overboard," Donghyuck warned.
"You must've really wanted my–" He immediately got a pillow stuffed into his face.
They wrestled around for a bit, before returning to their original position. Donghyuck smiled as he buried himself in Mark's neck again. As he moved, his naked body pressed on top of Mark's, causing Mark to groan heavily when certain places were brushed up against.
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at Donghyuck's door.
"Hey! Are you awake?" came Renjun's voice. Both of them stiffened at once. "I can't find my black jacket anywhere, did you take it in your room by accident?"
"Uh…no?" Donghyuck replied as casually as he could. "I don't think I've seen it!"
"Can I come in and look for it if you're awake?"
Mark and Donghyuck exchanged panicked looks. If Renjun walked in now, they definitely wouldn't be able to pass their current situation off as just two homies chilling after a late board game night.
"Why do you need it so bad? I swear I haven't seen it!" Donghyuck tried.
"Why are you being annoying?" Renjun talked back. "I said I want it so just let me look for it." The doorknob suddenly twisted.
"AHHHhhhHH WAIT, I'm still naked!" Donghyuck screeched convincingly. At least it wasn't a lie this time. Mark and him both sprang up, searching for their strewn about clothes as fast as they could.
"Again? " Renjun asked. "You ok, buddy? What's up with you lately?"
Donghyuck managed to get his pajama bottoms and a T-shirt on at lightning speed before frantically whipping his head this way and that to look for a black jacket. He grabbed the first thing he could find that resembled Renjun's description before shoving Mark into the closet again so he was hidden.
Rushing over to the door, Donghyuck cracked it open ever so slightly and tossed the jacket out.
"There, take it!" he yelped.
"This isn't it!" Renjun complained.
"It's close enough, go! I'm in a hurry," Donghyuck rushed.
Renjun raised an eyebrow as he looked at Donghyuck's appearance through the door crack. "Were you…jacking off or something?"
"Why are you asking, weirdo?" Donghyuck retorted. "Just leave already!"
"I mean, you could've just told me.." Renjun mumbled. "It happens."
"Let me do what I want in my private space without you asking questions," Donghyuck snapped back.
"Whatever. Have fun? I guess?"
And then he was gone, at last. They heard the sound of the front door opening and closing before Donghyuck let out his default exhausted noise as he threw himself back onto the bed, while Mark slowly peeked out of his hiding spot again.
"See what I have to deal with?" Donghyuck groaned, lying flat on his belly. "He thinks I'm some kind of weird person now."
“You aren’t?” Mark couldn’t help but smirk.
“Why is it always me who gets the blame?” Donghyuck complained, doing that pouty lipped whiny thing he always did when he got really worked up. “You’re just as responsible as me but everyone thinks you’re so proper while I get to be the unhinged pervert. It’s so unfair.”
Mark leaned onto the bed next to Donghyuck. “You just have to be better at hiding it.”
Donghyuck scoffed. “Let’s see who’s better at it, then. Whoever lets other people know about us first gets a punishment.”
“Fine,” Mark agreed at once, always up for a challenge. “Winner gets to do whatever they want with the loser.”
Donghyuck gave Mark a look. “Better hope you don’t lose then.”
Mark’s eyes were dark. “Same to you.”
They gazed at each other for a moment before Donghyuck flipped around and did a full-body stretch on the bed before getting up.
“Ah, I don’t have class today…do you want breakfast? I can make something,” Donghyuck suggested.
Mark shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”
The still sleep-hazy boys stumbled their way out towards the living area and kitchen. As they were squeezed through the door, Mark’s hands accidentally brushed against Donghyuck’s hips. He paused in his steps and glanced deliberately at his fingertips.
“What’s wrong?” Donghyuck asked, turning back.
“Are you…” Mark hesitated, giving Donghyuck a strange look. “Not wearing any underwear under that?” His eyes drifted down to Donghyuck’s pants, which were airy, thin pajama bottoms that hugged his butt and flared out at the bottom in a very flattering way.
“Well, I was in a bit of a hurry if you hadn’t noticed,” Donghyuck replied. He gave Mark a side glance. “...is there a problem?”
Mark didn’t even bother hiding the way he swallowed hungrily. His eyes bore straight into Donghyuck, his intentions greedy and obvious.
“Oh, I've got a really big problem,” Mark replied, before barreling straight at Donghyuck.
Donghyuck yelped as he was tackled onto the couch, but the noise quickly turned into something more pleasurable when Mark’s hands and mouth were on him again, attacking with fervor. Tired as he was, he returned the favour, and the two went at it like starven beasts again, their hands and tongues desperate for each other.
“Man,” Mark was saying between kisses. “I swear out of everything, my only regret is that we didn’t do this sooner.”
Donghyuck let out a sigh as Mark started kissing down his neck. “Maybe you really are a bad guy,” he murmured, dazed as Mark returned to his lips. Donghyuck let his hands slip under Mark’s shirt, as he felt up the firm abdomen beneath.
“That’s fine.” Donghyuck could feel Mark’s grin hotly against his mouth. He let out a choked noise as he felt Mark’s naughty hands slipping into his pants. “If that’s what gets you, I can be whatever you want.” Donghyuck let out a loud, unabashed moan this time as Mark deepened the kiss, and slid his hands even lower.
Creak!
“Hey, Donghyuck, I forgot my hat– OH MY GOD! ”
Mark and Donghyuck froze and looked up, still tangled up in each other’s limbs. They saw a blanched face Huang Renjun standing before them, his expression as if he just saw a ghost. Though, instead of a ghost, it was his roommate and some dude making out in their shared living space. It took a few seconds before Renjun’s expression worsened, as he realized just who it was on top of his roommate.
“WHAT?! HOW?!” Renjun screeched, pointing. “ WHY?! Wait...that loud noise just now..." Renjun turned bright red as he looked at Donghyuck. "Was that you moaning?"
Mark said nothing. He didn’t even bother moving from where he was at this point, wondering how the heck they were going to explain this.
Donghyuck on the other hand, seemed to just immediately accept the situation.
“Oh yeah I forgot,” Donghyuck said airily. “Mark Lee came.”
The next few weeks and days were quite blissful for Mark Lee.
That emptiness that he’d felt before had been completely filled, and his days all felt like they were filled with sunshine and happiness.
Somehow, they had convinced Renjun to keep it a secret for them, and as reluctant as he was, he decided that his friends’ happiness would come first. Their plan was to date in secret for a while until everyone forgot all about the previous mess that had ensued, so as to not be too judgmental of their situation without knowing the details. And so, Mark and Donghyuck continued what they were doing in private, with none of their friends the wiser.
Mark also kept in touch with Vicky. She eventually became one of his closest female friends and his confidante for advice when the boys just weren’t being helpful. Eventually, she also started dating some athlete from a rival school that she’d met during one of her cheer sessions. Overall, she was happy, and Mark couldn’t be happier for her.
The dynamic between Mark and Donghyuck was the same in public, even if they had to play it up slightly. They were still bickering and squabbling constantly in front of their friends, which was all quite natural to them regardless. Since realizing that he could overpower Donghyuck quite easily (as Donghyuck seemed to allow it), Mark sometimes just skipped straight to throwing hands instead of arguing against Donghyuck, which was all the more convincing in their minds.
But there were also things that changed.
“You know, Mark,” Jeno said one day at practice. “You’ve got this weird aura around you these days. Almost like you’re always shining or something.”
“What?” Mark asked, amused.
“It’s like…” Jeno trailed away looking for the right words. “It’s like you copulated with a phoenix or something.”
“What the heck?” Mark said, laughing at the unusual metaphor.
Jeno shrugged. “Just different, man. But in a good way. I think. Anyways, you free for dinner after with the team?”
Mark shook his head. “Sorry, I’ve got other plans.”
“Wow, again, huh? That’s so unfortunate.”
“Yeah, sorry.”
Jeno had looked at Mark with a tilt of his head and slightly narrow eyes at the time, but Mark hadn’t thought much of it.
Even the hyungs thought Mark was acting more unusual than normal.
“Hey, Mark,” Taeyong called one day over dinner. “Put down your phone, why do you keep staring at it anyway? Tch, kids these days.”
“And stop smiling at it like that,” Johnny said, frowning. “You look lowkey creepy.”
“Oh, uh, sorry,” Mark said quickly, slapping his phone down on the table.
“So, what’s up with you lately?” Johnny asked. “Are you doing good? Seeing anybody new after Vicky?”
“Nope,” Mark answered at once. “Just me and my single butt sitting around, moping, dreaming of the day when a beautiful person who’s as bright as the sun comes by and whisks me away into the sunset.”
Taeyong said nothing. Johnny simply mumbled: “Oddly specific, but okay.”
Mark's phone went off again, and before he could be stopped, he'd grabbed it again. Johnny and Taeyong watched as Mark's eyes widened and his pupils dilated as he saw whatever it was that was on that tiny screen.
"I gotta go," Mark blurted.
In a flash, Mark had snatched his bag and jacket without even bothering to put either on properly. Before Johnny or Taeyong could get another word in, he had already ran stumbling all the way to the exit, also tripping over a chair in the process.
And finally, there was Donghyuck.
Even though Mark had only known Lee Donghyuck for a little while relative to his entire life, he swore the boy just got better with time. From the time they started dating, he only seemed to get prettier and prettier, which was doing nothing good to Mark’s poor enchanted heart: his hair got longer, his skin got softer, his eyes got brighter, his lips became more full and his face just seemed happier in general. He was just grateful he noticed how pretty Donghyuck was before anyone else truly did, otherwise it might’ve been a bigger issue. And as a partner, it was as if Mark got all the benefits from being Donghyuck’s best friend but increased ten-fold. They did all the things they usually did together, but now there was an added emotional connection, and that wonderful, fluffy feeling in his heart that he could finally fully accept. That was thing about Mark and Donghyuck: they seemed so different, but were really so similar when it came down to it.
Indeed, life had become quite blissful for Mark Lee.
On one particularly cool evening, Mark and Donghyuck were walking back to Donghyuck’s place, with Donghyuck clinging slightly to Mark’s arm without being too obvious about it.
They were walking and laughing as usual, when Donghyuck suddenly tugged on Mark’s arm.
“Hey, look slightly to the right behind us,” Donghyuck said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Mark followed Donghyuck’s gaze, and sure enough there was a dark shadow hiding by one of the trees.
Mark scoffed. “He’s back ? I thought he gave up a long time ago.”
“I thought so too,” Donghyuck murmured. “I haven’t seen him in so long I thought he was over it. What should we do?”
“Should I call him out? Threaten to call the police?” Mark suggested.
Donghyuck shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, he’s not gonna listen to any moral preaching. It might just make it worse…”
Mark thought about it for a second. “Well…what he wants is you, right?”
Donghyuck visibly shuddered. “I guess so, but never say it like that again, please.”
“Well then, we just have to make it clear that he can’t ever have that, then.”
“What? How–”
Donghyuck stopped mid-sentence as Mark suddenly grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him closer and into the shadows. They were now inconspicuous, but still visible enough that anyone watching them intently could tell exactly what they were doing.
Donghyuck opened his mouth. “What are you doi–?”
Donghyuck’s breath was knocked out of him as Mark tugged him closer with a savage-like expression and kissed him full on the mouth. Taking advantage of Donghyuck’s gasp, he pushed his tongue in and made Donghyuck moan aloud despite their public situation. With one hand still clutched on Donghyuck’s wrist, Mark wrapped his other arm around Donghyuck’s tiny waist and pulled him closer so that they could feel everything . It was hot and heavy, and neither of them could resist once they started.
Mark shuffled slightly, spinning Donghyuck so that Mark could see that cursed silhouette figure in front of him. He wasted no time in flipping it off, while still kissing Donghyuck until he was weak in the knees and started falling into Mark's hold.
That’s right, watch all you want. See if I care, jerk.
The shadow disappeared shortly afterwards.
Mark and Donghyuck stayed like that until they finally ran out of breath, pulling apart and resting on each other.
“Oh my gosh,” Donghyuck said, breathing heavily. “Please give a guy some warning before you do that next time. I really didn’t think you were the type for PDA.” He ruffled his hair against Mark’s chest as he rested, messing it all up.
“Sorry,” Mark said weakly. “I didn’t mean to go that hard. It just…happened.”
“Mark~ ” Donghyuck whined.
“What is it?” Mark replied, his voice adopting a similar doting tone.
“I feel all weird now,” Donghyuck sighed, in a voice that was captivating as hell.
Mark swallowed. “What do you want to do about it?”
“Do you want the appropriate answer or the real answer?” Donghyuck asked. Not waiting for a response, Donghyuck leaned up and whispered something into Mark’s ear.
Mark’s eyes immediately went black.
“How long to your place?” Mark blurted.
“About ten minutes.”
“We’re running.”
Mark and Donghyuck raced each other into Donghyuck’s apartment building, heart pounding and blood pulsing for many different reasons. They were both a mess of adrenaline and hormones as they ran, not caring who they were disrupting as they trampled down the hallways and up four flights of stairs in their eagerness.
At last, they were at the door. Donghyuck was so impatient that he messed up the house code the first time, causing Mark to scream out loud.
“Look, I’m not the type to rush people for things like this,” Mark said, still catching his breath. “But what are you doing?! ”
“Sorry, sorry! My hands are all shaky,” Donghyuck gasped. He tried again, and Mark nearly cheered out loud when the beep sounded and green light appeared.
They practically shoved each other through the door, and before it even closed all the way, Mark’s lips were already back on Donghyuck’s mouth, desperate and ravaging. They stumbled their way in, lurching and panting, kicking their shoes off and hands fumbling at each other’s clothes without moving away from each other’s face. They unzipped whatever they could and pushed it off each other, leaving a trail of clothes from the doorway as they moved towards the living area.
“Oh, Mark…” Donghyuck whimpered against Mark’s lips, as his nimble fingers started working desperately on Mark’s belt. “You’re so hot, oh my god…”
“You’re the one talking,” Mark replied, as the hands that were on Donghyuck’s hips slipped down to grope his ass.
“GUYS, STOP!”
The noise was as loud as a thunderclap, causing them both to jump apart. As they turned towards the living room, they saw several pairs of eyes staring back at them in shock. After the people sitting there, the first thing that caught their eye was the sign, written in blood red writing.
“MARK LEE AND HAECHAN LEE INTERVENTION TIME.”
Mark cursed out loud, turning away to tuck his shirt back in and button up his jeans again. Donghyuck also made his own adjustments. They both looked absolutely ridiculous, with their lips swollen and hair sticking up all over the place, along with their disheveled clothing. When they turned back around, they noticed that there was also a second sign this time, which was held up by Lee Jeno.
“Y’ALL AIN’T SLICK. IT’S SO OBVIOUS.”
“Why’d you stop them?” Na Jaemin was saying, as he punched Chenle in the arm. “It was just getting good!”
“You’re disgusting, no one wants to see that,” Chenle scowled. “Plus, Jisung is here. We need to protect our baby.”
“I think I just aged like fifty years from that alone,” Jisung muttered, hands covered over his eyes.
“Trust me, I’ve seen enough of this shit and it truly leaves a permanent scar on your life,” Renjun said scornfully.
“That was really unexpected though, I didn’t expect them to be like that,” Jeno speculated out loud.
“Ah…young love,” Jaehyun mused.
“Wait, didn’t you guys shove them in a closet together?” Johnny spoke up. “That must’ve been…messy.”
“What are you all imagining right now?” Taeyong interjected, blushing.
“There’s nothing to imagine, another three seconds and they probably would’ve gotten naked in front of us without even noticing,” Renjun sighed.
“THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING, ” Jaemin blurted angrily, popcorn flying out of his mouth.
“Jaemin, how the hell do you have popcorn ready?” Jeno asked suddenly.
Jaemin shrugged. “Always be prepared.”
"OKAY ENOUGH," Lee Donghyuck screamed at last, brandishing his hands out. "What the heck are you all doing here?! Also, who are those three?" Donghyuck gestured to Johnny, Taeyong and Jaehyun again who were standing near the side, kind of resembling models posing against a backdrop.
"First time, huh?" Mark said weakly. "Also, those are my hyungs. Don't be fooled by their looks, they're very weird, clearly."
"Hey!" Taeyong yelled in protest.
"What's all this about an intervention?" Donghyuck asked.
"What more could there be to it?" Jeno answered. "Y'all have been annoying as heck about your 'secret' relationship and it's time to stop ."
Donghyuck immediately angrily pointed an accusing finger at Renjun. "YOU. I knew you couldn't be trusted!"
Renjun held his hands up in defense. "I didn't tell anyone anything! You may not believe it but I swear!"
"He didn't have to tell us anything," Chenle said. "It's so obvious even a child could tell."
"What?" Mark asked, disbelieving.
"Bro, whenever Donghyuck's around you stare at him like you want to eat him for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Jeno elaborated. "It's not that hard to see. Ask anyone."
Jaehyun nodded in agreement. "These days when he hangs out with us, he's always staring at his phone like he wants to nuzzle it with all the endearment he's feeling."
"Not to mention that one time we hung out together, the three of us," Chenle said. "It's like I wasn't even there. You guys were so lost in your own world. Not that I minded—more time for me things."
"B-but we always argue and stuff," Mark tried.
It was Johnny's turn to scoff. "Who are you trying to fool, Mark?" he said. "You can't claim to hate someone and then talk about them every second of every minute when they're gone. Doesn't work like that. Like, it seems like everytime Donghyuck isn’t around you make it everyone’s problem. Like everyone. We get it, Mark, that man is your girl."
“What?” Taeyong uttered.
"And Donghyuck," Renjun spoke up. "We get it. Mark Lee is amazing. You can tell him yourself, we don't need to hear you gushing about it when you think he isn't listening. You’re often so bold and shameless with everything that it makes the soft spot you have for Mark hyung even more obvious."
Mark and Donghyuck exchanged looks. Perhaps they weren't being as careful as they thought. And maybe, just maybe stumbling into a shared apartment while making out wasn't the most cautious thing in the world either, but neither of them appeared to be particularly smart when they were horny.
"Guys, stop it! You're making me blush!" Jaemin squealed at Mark and Donghyuck simply just looking at each other, furiously chewing more popcorn.
"That…wasn't really it, but sure," Jeno said.
"I told you guys this is why I didn't want them together," Jisung said. "Honestly, the worst. " He pinched his fingers together to emphasize the point.
"Yah, says you, you don't even know the worst of it," Renjun said aggressively. "I live with one of them. And I had to lie for them. The things I've seen and found. I swear they've done yucky things on every surface of this apartment."
Every cringed at that, some recoiling from the places they were sitting or leaning on.
"You're overexaggerating," Donghyuck complained, lips pouting again. “Stop giving me that kind of image. We’re not that crazy!”
"Donghyuck, I found a condom wrapper on the kitchen counter a few days ago."
More disgusted noises, and a few looks of sincere empathy at Renjun. Jaemin, on the other hand, was grinning when he said: "Looks like someone's been really enjoying the ramen."
"Okay! Enough of this firing squad behaviour, I get it!” Donghyuck interrupted, brandishing his hands. “Now can you please tell us what you want from us and leave so we can–”
“Get back to shoving your tongues down each other’s throats?” Jeno surmised. “That can wait. We’re talking about the greater good here.”
“What have we done that's so wrong?” Mark asked defensively.
“First of all, you severely underestimated our intelligence,” Chenle said. “Did you really think we wouldn’t notice? And why was Renjun the only one you trusted? Feels like such a breach of friendship. I’m way better at keeping secrets than him!”
“This doesn’t really feel that relevant…” Mark started to say.
“They didn’t tell me by the way,” Renjun said. “I walked in on them.”
“Doing what?” Jaemin asked subtly, before shoving another handful of popcorn in his mouth.
“I don’t know, I didn’t see much…but whatever it was they were doing, it was on the couch y’all are sitting on right now.” Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung all yelped and made various noises of disgust as they jumped off the seats and opted instead to sit on the armrests and back of the couch.
Taeyong clapped his hands to get their attention. “Yah, yah, let’s stay on topic,” he said. “Look, I guess it’s fine that you guys are a thing now but I think the point is, you should’ve at least trusted us.”
“Half of you were against this before it even started!” Mark argued pointedly.
“They were?” Donghyuck turned to look at Mark.
“Bold of you to use past tense,” Renjun mumbled under his breath.
“We just thought,” Johnny continued. “There are better ways to do things than to sneak around like horny teenagers hiding from their parents every day.”
“You guys said it yourself!” Mark resisted. “It’s not a good idea to let the world know right now because of the judgment and stuff. So we thought we’d just keep it lowkey for now.”
“Yeah! It’s not our fault we’re so famous and popular,” Donghyuck said shamelessly.
Most of them chose to ignore the last comment. “Anyways, this intervention was not only to call you guys out but to also give us all a break,” Chenle said. “Perhaps now that you know that we know, you’ll tone down all the suppressed lovey–dovey energy that can be very, very exhausting sometimes. And also cut Renjun some slack. He’s a hella good friend for dealing with you two like this. Alone.”
“For the last time, it’s not that bad,” Donghyuck insisted.
“Oh, should I start then?” Renjun asked. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay? Where do I even begin. Hmm, let’s see. How about we start with your 3 a.m. ‘laundry sessions’, Donghyuckie? If I recall, I overheard you saying over the phone that you had to deal with a big load?”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Donghyuck said quickly, gesturing at Renjun to stop.
Jaemin was the only one laughing, having finished his entire bag of popcorn. “You guys are so freaky,” he chortled.
“So what do you want us to do then?” Mark asked.
“I think we just wanted to rub it in your faces that we knew,” Chenle said nonchalantly. “And that you guys are annoying as heck together sometimes.”
“That’s not true!” Taeyong spoke up. “We just wanted you guys to know that you can trust us and that we’re also on your side for now. Just tone it down a tiny bit and remember we’re here too…as your friends.”
Chenle shrugged. “Same thing I said, just a little different.”
A knowing look passed between Mark and Donghyuck. They were reaching the point where they needed no words to understand what each other were thinking at times.
“Fair enough, I guess,” Mark answered. “Sorry…for all the inconvenience. And stuff. We’ll do better.”
“Finally. Can I go home now?” Jisung asked, springing off the couch and avoiding the seat cushions. “For the record I already saw this coming so I’m just gonna hide until their overwhelming energy dies down. Also, being in this entire house kind of gives me the ick now that I know what’s going on.”
“Hey, I live here too!” Renjun said.
“You guys are really annoying, you know that?” Donghyuck said, hands on his hips. “What kind of image are you all giving me right now?”
“Aish, come on,” Jaemin said, also getting up. He walked next to Donghyuck and patted him on the shoulder. “We all know you’ve been obsessed with Mark Lee for a long time now, so there’s no shame in venting that passion now that you can. And again, it doesn’t matter what you do because it doesn’t affect me. I don’t live here.”
“Hey!" Renjun yelled again.
Mark glanced at Donghyuck. “You were obsessed with me?”
“Since he was texting you on that app,” Jaemin said. “He’d tell me about how amazing you were and how much chemistry you guys had. And when it didn’t work out, he actually cried about it a lot.”
“Jaemin!” Donghyuck said through gritted teeth, trying to stop him.
“I made you cry?” Mark asked Donghyuck, his heart feeling extremely forlorn all of a sudden.
“Well… a little back then,” Donghyuck said, at the same time Jaemin said: “Several times.” Donghyuck threw Jaemin a glare.
Mark reached up and ran his fingers softly through Donghyuck’s hair, his eyes gentle. “How about you tell me about it later, if you want? And I can try everything in my abilities to make it up to you.” Donghyuck’s eyes softened immediately, as they looked back at Mark.
“Ugh, gross!” Chenle retched from the side. “I’m totally getting out of here. It’s not gonna change. Jisung’s right, let’s just wait until the honeymoon phase is over.” He practically trampled on five different people trying to get out.
“Does anyone want to stay since we’re all here?” Jaehyun asked suddenly. “We can play board games or something. and talk a little more.” Several of the boys looked at each other, nodded and agreed.
Mark was slightly surprised. Since when did they all hang out together anyway?
Jaehyun leaned forwards and picked something off the ground. “I found this earlier.” It was the red box of Halli Galli, the one that Mark had been so familiar with before.
“I wouldn’t use that if I were you,” Renjun spoke up suddenly, as Jeno started dealing the cards.
“What, why?” Jisung asked.
“...”
Jeno was the first to drop the cards and snatch his hands away. “Oh my god, they fucked on the cards,” he feigned a retch in terror.
“What? No, even they couldn't possibly be that weird,” Jaemin said. “It’s just a card game, how on Earth would that even escalate to that ?” He turned to Mark and Donghyuck for a confirmation. “Right, guys?”
All eyes turned to look at the two suspects who suddenly had very strange body language. Donghyuck was unusually quiet, completely avoiding all eye contact as his body was turned to the door, hands on his hips. Mark, on the other hand, was looking down at his feet that were shuffling restlessly on the floor, hands shoved into pocket.
Mark cleared his throat. “Hmm, what?” Mark answered awkwardly, scratching the nape of his neck. “Yeah…nope. We didn’t… on like half the cards at least. I think.”
The boys all chucked away their cards like they were covered in acid (and they may as well have been).
~golden sunset hour ☀☀☀
“I can try tomorrow, if I do it together with you…”
The evening breeze was cool, with the air of dusk slowly settling on the hilltop. It was the most beautiful view of the warm sunset settling over the river beneath, surrounded by the nature immediately around them and opening up to the cityscape far ahead. Mark was sitting cross-legged on the grass with his guitar, while Donghyuck was sitting on a log nearby, leaning side to side as he sang the melody. The picnic set they’d carried up the mountain park had long been devoured, and now it was just the two of them enjoying the quiet evening alone, singing to the songs they both liked.
“ Your voice is so nice,” Mark said after the last one, smiling as he set his guitar aside at last, moving up to snuggle next to Donghyuck. It was not the first time he said that, nor would it be the last.
Donghyuck turned away. “This song we made together is nice,” he said softly. “But why does it make me feel kind of…weird?”
“Oh,” Mark leaned in, smiling. “Are you being shy right now?”
“No…”
“Cute.”
Donghyuck leaned over so that his head was on Mark’s shoulder. They sat in silence for a few moments, simply enjoying the sight of the gorgeous sunset, glowing in its vibrant, warm colours. In the peaceful quiet, Mark reached over and grabbed Donghyuck’s hand, gripping and rubbing it gently in his own.
“Isn’t it crazy how big the world is?” Mark mused out loud, as he stared into the distant sky.
Donghyuck snickered shortly beside him. “Is it time for Mark Lee to get philosophical again?”
Mark smiled. “I was more thinking along the lines of, this world is so big, yet you and I somehow managed to meet by accident and get along like this in the end,” he said.
“Which part are you more surprised by?” Donghyuck asked, a crack of a smile on his face. “The part about us meeting or the fact that we get along?”
“Both,” Mark grinned. “You did teach me the true meaning of anger towards the beginning after all.”
“It’s fine, that was just…the projection of repressed feelings, I’m sure.”
“Don’t flatter yourself so much.”
“Just admit it already, Mark Lee,” Donghyuck purred, leaning in further and nudging Mark’s neck. “I’m your soulmate. Even if it’s forced, you just have to accept it.”
Mark laughed softly at that. “I mean, it’s true,” he said. “The more I think about it, the more I realize the word soulmate is almost kind of made for us, isn’t it?”
Donghyuck hummed. Mark felt Donghyuck's hand tighten the grip on his own as a wordless response. Again, they drifted into a peaceful silence, with Donghyuck closing his eyes in his comfort, simply enjoying the evening with his beloved person.
Donghyuck’s phone that was thrown on the ground next to them suddenly lit up. The lock screen showed the photo of Mark and Donghyuck that was taken on the day they met, drunk and posing by the river. The first time Mark had seen that photo, he was surprised that Donghyuck had held onto it for so long. Naturally, he asked Donghyuck to send him a copy, so they could have matching lock screens.
Mark leaned over to read Donghyuck’s incoming texts with him. It was a continuation of a group chat conversation:
nana [3:30 p.m.] emergency
nana [3:30 p.m.] jeno lost one of his practice uniform workout shorts again
mork lee [3:34 p.m.] that does not sound like an emergency
beloved renjun [3:35 p.m.] there’s a pair of mark’s shorts at our place, want me to bring it?
mr. zhong [3:36 p.m.] ew.
nana [3:37 p.m.] jeno said that’s gross why would you even suggest that
mork lee [3:41 p.m.] they’re just shorts why you guys like dis
mr. zhong [3:42 p.m.] hyuck’s hands definitely been in those shorts 🤢
baby jji [3:43 pm.] muting this chat for 24 hrs bye.
zhong [3:44 p.m.] why else would they be there
nana [3:47 p.m.] hey donghyuckie i heard mark's shorts look really good on him but they would look better on the floor of your roooooooom 😃😃😃
mork lee [3:48 p.m.] r u hitting on donghyuck for me????
nana [3:49 p.m.] wouldn't be the first time ㅋㅋㅋ
beloved renjun [3:51 p.m.] you want the shorts or not?
nana [3:55 p.m.] jeno said he would rather practice in his boxers than wear something covered in mark lee’s **** ***** i’m not typing that use your creative minds
mr. zhong [3:57 p.m.] cock water
mr. zhong [3:38 p.m.] dead sperm
mork lee [3:58 p.m.] …
beloved renjun [3:59 p.m.] cum
mr. zhong [4:01 p.m.] sexy icing
FULL SUN [5:05 p.m.] can y'all stop talking shit about ppl behind their backs
FULL SUN [5:08 p.m.] also it's obvs dick juice. im a genius
nana [5:08 p.m.] (omg he’s alive) stop being a ho for basketball captains who wear baggy t-shirts den
mork lee [5:09 p.m.] what has this chat become
no jaemz [6:03 p.m.] hey there’s a night market at the park next week. y’all wanna go?
nana [6:04 p.m.] funnnnn~❤️❤️❤️❤️🤩🤩
mr. zhong [6:05 p.m.] do i have to watch cringy ppl fake bicker, make kissy faces then overreact at everything in front of me again?
nana [6:07 p.m.] mad cuz single
mr. zhong [6:08 p.m.] 😒
beloved renjun [7:21 p.m.] 🔪
beloved renjun [7:22 p.m.] also. i’m down. i think jisung is free too.
“Why are we friends with such weird people?” Haechan commented out loud, as he scrolled through the chat. He quickly typed out a reply that they were free to join them.
“Haechannie, it's cause you’re the weirdest,” Mark said, though he was nodding in agreement.
“Says you,” Donghyuck pouted in return. “You’re just as weird as me. If not worse. We just manifest it in different ways.”
“Fair enough…”
Mark leaned forward and kissed the pout on Donghyuck’s face. Donghyuck’s lips slowly melted into the kiss. With the beautiful golden sunset and the calming evening breeze, it genuinely felt like only the two of them existed in the world. Existing with each other, and for each other. And it was a glorious feeling.
When Mark pulled back, he took that moment to fully look at the Donghyuck in front of him, as he often did recently. It was unbelievable what this person now meant to him, someone who was originally only meant to be a stranger, or at the very most, a distraction (albeit an awfully attractive one). The Donghyuck in front of him now was peaceful, relaxed, the ghost of a pleasant smile plastered on his dreamy face. His bronze skin was tinged by the glowing remnants of sunlight, which also reflected against the delicate strands of his long, dark hair that was caught in the wind.
Mark reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Donghyuck’s ear. “You’re beautiful,” he uttered, the words just slipping out of his mouth before he could even think of anything else.
Donghyuck nuzzled softly into the hand touching him. “You’re not so bad yourself,” he said. “By the way…”
“Hmm?”
“I secretly recorded you screech singing earlier and I’m gonna upload it to the group chat,” Donghyuck said.
“ No, why!” Mark yelled, lunging for the phone but failing the first time as Donghyuck reflexively dodged.
“Ahhh, why?” Donghyuck whined. “They’re so annoying, we have to rub it in their faces that we’re happy and wonderful together.”
“Post a video of yourself!” Mark said, still reaching for the phone.
“No, I like this one. It’s cute.”
With another lurch, the both of them fell to the ground with Mark’s overwhelming strength. They rolled around the grass for a little bit, before Mark finally managed to grab the phone away from Donghyuck.
“Ahhhh~” Donghyuck whined his stretched out whine. “Give it back!”
“Make me,” Mark said.
Donghyuck's eyes glinted devilishly. "Right here? Right now?" He reached down with a naughty hand that Mark instinctively slapped away.
Mark had twitched at the suggestion, but suppressed it with an exhale. "Maybe we deserve all the smack talk we've been getting…"
"What? They're just jealous about how much I love you," Donghyuck smiled.
Mark's ears perked. "What'd you say?"
Still lying sideways, Donghyuck grabbed Mark by the lapels of his jacket and tugged him close, kissing him in a way that made Mark's entire body feel like jelly.
"I love you," Donghyuck muttered against Mark's lip to emphasize the point.
Mark grinned widely, eyes filled with love as he wrapped his arms tightly around Donghyuck's waist, fully returning the kiss with even more passion. They kissed for a bit, laughed at their unending eagerness for each other, and then kissed again.
"I love you too, Donghyuck," Mark replied softly.
The light of the golden hour shone over them in the form of a beautiful blessing as they laid there in each other's arms. And it was then that Mark truly felt that he had indeed mislabeled his original meeting with Donghyuck.
No matter the universe, Mark felt that surely, they would be destined to meet in unconventional ways.
It was no glitch, no mistake...
Perhaps, it was better defined as a destiny, or a fate.
☀