When Manager Hyung comes to pick and discharge Jackson, both him and Mark are sound asleep in the younger’s bed. The man has to shake them and gives them a curious look. Obviously, their manager had to deal with their fighting a lot, more than once asking Jackson to stop picking fights with Mark just to give him a break. It must be weird for the man to see the two idols cuddling in bed and sleeping together.

“When did you even get here?” their manager asks Mark as the idol sits up and stretches, covering a yawn with his sweater paw.

“When we finished the shooting. I took a taxi,” explains the idol as Jackson rubs his eyes, listening but not really paying much attention to what’s being said.

“Jinyoung said you had gone to the label first,” the manager continues and now Jackson pays more attention. “Why lying?”

“I asked him to do that,” Mark replies. “I knew you wouldn’t get anxious if you thought I was at the label, and if I asked you to bring me here you would’ve refused.” Jackson is impressed Mark went to such length to pay him a visit.

“You silly boy,” their manager mutters, shaking his head dismissively. He realises there’s no point scolding the idol when he did not cause trouble and was just making his other member company. “Anyhow, Jackson can go home. I signed the papers to discharge him so just get in your clothes.”

The younger idol smiles brightly, happy to know he can leave the hospital. He doesn’t even wait for a nurse to come and take the IV out, he does it himself which causes both Mark and their manager to hiss and scold him. But the idol is too excited to care and practically dances his way to the bathroom to change back in the clothes he came in. Once he’s done, he joins Mark and their manager and they leave the hospital, keeping their faces hidden just in case. It was a minor thing, nobody wants to make the fans anxious.

In the van, Jackson naturally sits next to Mark although they have a lot of free seats. Mark doesn’t seem to mind, quite the opposite because as soon as Jackson is next to the other idol, the boy leans closer and rests his head in Jackson’s shoulder.

“I’m still sleepy,” Mark mumbles, blinking slowly as if his eyelids were too heavy.

Jackson doesn’t say anything, just lets the other idol take a nap while he watches the city go by the window. That until their manager mentions:

“So it’s true you two called cease of fire. That’s a relief, I was afraid it would get leaked that you two couldn’t stand each other.” 

“It was me the one with the problem,” Jackson replies to that statement. “Mark only defended himself, but he never had a problem with me. Not really. I was the douche all along.”

“And now you’re not? What changed?” the man asks, taking a quick glimpse through the rear view mirror.

Jackson thinks about it because he feels the answer to that question is more complicated than one at first think. For starters, Mark had enough and finally confronted Jackson and they talked things through, but it’s not only that. Jackson changed, or better said, the way he views Mark changed. At some point he felt forced and Mark was the reminded of lies and pretence. Now in Jackson’s eyes Mark is a beautiful boy, with the most cheerful and angelic smile, someone who put up with so much due to Jackson’s own stupidity. Mark is someone patient, mature and strong, caring and thoughtful. Mark is also someone who makes Jackson very confused, always awakening such powerful feelings. Not even once, Jackson has been indifferent to Mark. The difference between before and now is that in the past Jackson was consumed by negative feelings whilst now his feelings are fluttering and unsettling.

Considering all that, anyone would say Jackson likes Mark.

It’s absolutely crazy that when Jackson thinks about that possibility, that when he examines his own emotions and fathoms the possibility to have those type of romantic feelings, instead of feeling scandalised or confused, he