CHAPTER 7 - LIAR

Jinyoung eventually comes to London.

He looks around the huge apartment before his eyes with various feeling. Although he keeps telling himself to stop missing that merciless guy, he still can’t do it. There are something between Mark and him remain in his heart. Jinyoung gives himself a reason why he flies here that he just wants to make everything clear. Nothing more than that.

“Thank you for coming, Jinyoung.” Youngjae murmurs while they are in an elevator. Mark lives on the 7th floor of this luxury apartment around Queen Square. Jinyoung isn’t surprised why the latter still has a good life although living in the high living cost city like this. Mark is Mark anyway.

“You don’t need to. I want to meet him again.”  He plainly replies, looks at digital digits instead of Youngjae’s eyes. This is the first time Jinyoung’s been abroad. He must confess that both Mark and new environment make him really nervous. His heart is madly fluttering against his chest now.

The elevator drops them at 7th floor. Youngjae gets out first, follows by Jinyoung. They walk to the room A 703. Now Jinyoung is far from Mark just only a door, not another side of the world like before.

“If all is a lie, I’ll go back to Korea immediately. And I’ll hate you too.” Jinyoung warns again. His heart isn’t ready to be fooled again.

But Youngjae stares back with those empty eyes, no kidding in both sound and gesture, “Do I look like a person who kneeled down for a silly joke?”

Jinyoung shrugs,

“Ready?”

He a bit hesitates but then nervously nods. Youngjae presses a doorbell 3 times and steps back. The younger’s heart crazily beats while waiting for the door opens.

And then it opens,

Mark is there. He is lively and looking good as the man he’s known. Then their eyes meet and the world suddenly stops. The wall in his heart melts down in that second. Missing floods over his mind and body. His eyes are teary. His lips are shaking. But no words leave his mouth.

Mark beams widely and says, “Hi Youngjae, you’re two-day late from the appointment you’d promise me!”

Jinyoung’s blood runs cold. Mark doesn’t greet him although the older’s eyes are still looking in his. Mark just acts like Jinyoung is invisible for him.

“Mark,” Youngjae who seems to know Jinyoung’s feeling reaches his hand to hold other’s. Then Mark turns his head to face his friend instead, “Let’s get inside.”

“Fine, close the door then.” The room owner states and back inside immediately, left the guest like Jinyoung stands still with various feelings. His brain already shuts down. He knows nothing accept the truth that Mark ignores him. 

“Are you okay?” Youngjae asks softly, eyes are full of sympathy. Jinyoung slowly shakes his head. The pain is killing him now. Youngjae then sighs and pats his back to cheer up, “Let’s come in.”

Jinyoung swallows and follows the older inside. Mark’s new room isn’t as large as the one in Seoul, but still looking good anyway.

“Dude, where are you?” Youngjae asks when they are already inside.

“Here, in kitchen.” Shouted the latter then follows by a sound of something breaking. Both guests quickly run to him. And the scene there makes Jinyoung wanna faint. The blood is all over the floor and Mark still doesn’t care to keep his bruised hands away from the breaking glass. 

Jinyoung harshly yanks Mark up and bawls at him, “Don’t you see that glass is cutting your hand! Are you ing crazy!?”

Mark looks a bit shocked and confused, but his eyes are still empty when he stares back. He whispers then an answer, “Yes, I don’t see it.”

Jinyoung can’t hold his tear anymore. He turns his face to Youngjae who still looks painful as well.

‘Mark is about to has a blind. I want him to see you again. Please, Jinyoung.’

“Who are you? Youngjae, are you still here?” His unfocused eyes tell everything. The world seems to collapse right now.

Mark doesn’t ignore him, but Mark can’t see him at all.

Choi Youngjae told the truth.

///////

“So, you’re gonna be my assistant?” Mark questions while letting the stranger looks after his wound. He bites his lips to suppress his moan.

“Yeah,” The latter murmurs. Although he can’t see anything, he still feels that those hands are shaking.

“What’s your name?”

It’s been a bit longer than Mark think until the boy replies, “Junior, my name is Junior.”

“Junior is my relative. He came here to study the language. I see him seeks for a job then I ask him to be your assistant. Sorry for not telling you before.” Youngjae explains more.

Mark nods, “Fine, but actually, I can live on my own. I’ve prepared for almost 2 years. You guys don’t have to worry.”

“What’s about the earlier accident?” His close friend scoffs.

Mark shrugs, “I’m just excited. It’s been awhile since someone came to visit me. I never missed before.”

The hand that touching him seems a bit shaker. Mark even hears his sober. When he lost his visual sense, his auditory sense is getting better. “Junior, are you crying?”

“N-Nope.” The other refuses, but he knows he is lying. Maybe Junior is just feeling sympathy for his lonely life. Mark tries to understand but, can’t help, this thought makes him feel a bit sadder. 

“So let Junior takes care of you for awhile. Since you are just… ummm… completely blind. I think you need some help.” Youngjae speaks softly like his heart is breaking by those words. He never wanted to hurt Mark’s feeling. But Mark himself is already fine with it. He’s still hurt, but not that hurt.

Youngjae then leaves them together. The latter talked to Junior twice about this and that before backing to the hotel.

“I only have one bedroom. Sorry about that.” It’s Mark who starts a conversation. He speaks Korean as Youngjae required because Junior’s English is still not good enough.

“It’s okay. I can sleep on a couch.” Junior’s voice sounds familiar in his thought. Mark tries to think but ends up with nothing.

“Sorry for your inconvenient. And about the salary—”

“No need.” The younger cuts off. “I mean Youngjae hyung already did it. My duty is only taking care of you. You don’t have to worry about anything else.”

Mark nods then speaks. “I have some rules to tell you since we’re together now and tend to be for awhile. First, don’t move anything because I already marked the spot. Second, don’t touch my working table. I also have a housekeeper. She will come every morning, so you don’t have to do any housework. Okay?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Actually, I always do everything myself. If I want your help I will ask you again. You can start your job tomorrow. Now let have some rest.”

“Mark — I mean, Mr.Tuan.”

Mark gives Junior a small smile when he hears the younger calls him. “You better call me Mark hyung. Youngjae’s brother is mine too.”

“Ah.. O-Okay.”

The room owner lets a soft laugh, start adoring Junior’s innocence and sweetness although this is their first met. Normally, Mark was a bit introvert. But the last few years changed him to be another one. He smiled to other people more and tried really hard to be kind to everyone. Because he knew, one day he would never see anyone’s smile anymore.

“Your voice is shaking all the time. Do not worry. Make yourself home.”

Mark says it with a smile on his face before turning back to his room. He touches the wall which specially designed for a blind along the way. Mark get himself ready for so long. And when it finally comes. He can live with it easier. The blind boy sits on his bed. His hand reaches to the small desk near by and grabs a picture frame. His fingers fondle the picture inside and smile in bitter.

After all this time, the person in this picture is still the one he loves the most.

“I miss you, Jinyoung.”

Although they will never meet each other again.

TBC

- Talk -

Hahaha dont mad at Mark. He truly loves Jinyoung! I promise this will end next chapter. Thanks for waiting. And yeah, I have a new markjin fanfic which totally different from this one. Just take a look if you have a time. Enjoy. :)

J.