###

Author's Note: HAAAAAAAAI IT'S BEEN 2 ING YEARS I THINK????? Well, I am back. Life have gotten A LOT more difficult for me to handle all at once. I am doing better now. Thank you you all for waiting~ HATE will be wrapping up in the next 2 months? Or 3? Not sure yet. I am also going to be keeping up with US as well. US probably won't be finish this year, but we'll have to see about that. Um... It's been so long that I don't know what to say hahahaha I'm just glad you all are still here. I won't promise the consistency of updates for any of my fics, buuuuuuuuuut rest assure that I am back for good (altho I prolly said this many times before *sobs*). I won't ever abandon anything I've started. Just hope everyone stay understanding like you all have been. I APPRECIATE Y'ALL BEAUTIFUL BUNNIES A LOT! 

Anyways, enough with this, I'll have more chances to share my thoughts and feelings later. BACK TO THE AWAITED RETURN~ This chapter was actually updated before, however, I felt that it was short and lacking. So, I took it down and made it longer. The original part is still there. All I did was added more parts to it. To be honest, this lowkey feels like a filler chapter maybe? I hope it's not too much of a disappointment. And of course, there will be more scenes XD I won't be rushing to finish this off, though. So, anticipates a FEW few more chapters ^_^ I checked my calendar, and the next update of HATE is next SUNDAY. Yeah, I'm going to start putting my updates in my calendar now, since it seemed like I meet deadlines better whenever they're written down somewhere. Have fun with this chapter, and I'll see you all again next Sunday~

ENJOY AND LEAVE FEEDBACKS~ LOVE Y'ALL LOTS~

###

 

 

 

 

 

    Not knowing the reason for his young master’s sudden wrath, Jaehwan felt uneasy stepping out of the helicopter. Never had he ever stepped foot in Seoul. All his life, he’s been locked up on that island where he spends his days in the Rose Corps’s training facility. The only time Jaehwan was allow to stray away from that place was whenever his young master landed in Jeju for the annual three-months stay. Other than that, the Head Bodyguard held an important role that required constant attention towards the company. Jaehwan had always thought this responsibility was a blessing, so he viewed this burdensome job as something gracious. He loves his job. 

 

 

    “Sir,” Jaehwan gripped onto his phone, “we’re here. What do-"

 

 

    “I sent you the address. Get to him. I don’t care if he’s already blown into pieces. You bring every single piece of him back to me.” 

 

 

    “Yes, sir.” 
 

 

    Jaehwan learned not to question his young master’s commands. Especially when his young master’s voice sounded like the cold calling of Death. The Head Bodyguard pulled up the address and assigned roles to his men accordingly. Without not really comprehending the situation, Jaehwan tried to stay calm and carry out his orders. He couldn’t figure out why his young master would do this all of a sudden. 

 

 

    The consequences will be a pain in the . There were things Chairman Park could and couldn’t do here on Seoul’s soil. Or here on the government’s soil anyways. One of the things the Chairman can’t do was deploying his men outside of Jeju Island without the consent of South Korea’s military headquarters. The government held this restriction over Chairman Park just to limit his overwhelming powers. The Chairman already has control over the economy, so it was best to limit his military powers to an extent. Although, Chairman Park could care less about anywhere else in Korea besides the island where Park Group’s headquarters resides. At least at that time of signing the agreement, the Chairman didn’t think much about it. Who would have thought he’ll have the need to have his men invading into the city because of one man. 

 

 

    “Jaehwan-nim,” one of the guard called out quickly before entering his assigned vehicle, “is the Young Master all right? Why are we heading towards somewhere that the Young Master isn’t-"

 

 

    “You dare question Young Master’s orders?!” Jaehwan roared, balling his fists in anger. “Get your back inside that damn car! Do as I say!” 

    

 

    “Y-yes, sir-sir! My ap-apologies, sir!” 

 

 

    Sighing heavily, Jaehwan rubbed his temples to calm down. He himself doesn’t even know what was going on. How could he possibly have answers for his subordinates? Despite the confusion, Jaehwan still trusted his young master with his whole entire heart. Whatever the reason was, he believed his young master knew how to deal with the aftermaths. And that was what he’s going to go off of to risk this. 

 

 

    But something was starting to getting under Jaehwan’s skin. 

 

 

    He doesn’t exactly know what.

 

 

    What-

 

 

    “Jaehwan-nim! There’s an explosion!” 

 

 

    Immediately, Jaehwan looked out the car’s window. A huge cloud of dark smoke covered the clear sky. The Head Bodyguard took a glance at the destroyed SUV, unfazed by the angry flames erupting from it. Just from a glance, Jaehwan knew this wasn’t just going to be a simple fire. “Go around! Don’t approach!” He ordered through his earpiece, making sure all of his men safely driving away from the head of the snake. Clenching his fist and banging it on the car’s window, Jaehwan bit down hard on his lip, “this place is burning down.” 

 

 

 

 

 

+

+

+

 

 

 

 

 

    “What the are you doing, Jinyoung?!” Jaebum angrily ripped the phone from his Vice’s grasp. 

 

 

    “Give it back!” Jinyoung roared, plunging forwards with the same amount of anger. “You ed up! Im Jaebum! YOU ING ED UP!”  

 

 

    “Shut up and get a grip on yourself!” The Captain grabbed at his Vice’s wrist aggressively. “You are the last person I expect to act upon your personal emotions. Snap out of it, Park.” 

 

 

    Staring at his Captain with Death plunging deep within his eyes, Jinyoung snatched his phone back. “ off. Don’t ing tell me what I should be doing until you get Mark standing right here in front of my ing eyes.” 

 

 

    “I-"

 

 

    “Oh, right. You ing guided him to his death. So much for a best friend, huh.” 

 

 

    “Jinyoung, you don’t have the ing rights-"

 

 

    “Yes, I ing do!” Jinyoung roared, “I have all the ing rights! He’s my ing boyfriend! I sure damn have the ing rights!” The only reason why Jinyoung haven’t swung his fist at Jaebum was out of respect that Jaebum is Mark’s best friend. 

 

 

    Sighing in exasperation, Jaebum ran a hand through his hair, “I don’t have the time for this. I’m out here trying to get your dumb to calm the down and call back on your little soldiers. You know the consequences, Jinyoung. I’m-"

 

    

    “I don’t ing care. I want Mark back here. Dead or alive. If he’s blown to pieces, then I want every single pieces laid out in front of my ing eyes before I ing murder everyone in this goddamn room.”

 

 

    “Jinyoung-"

 

 

    “Don’t ing test me, Im,” Chairman Park could throw another glare at the agent, but the Chairman could care less. To him, Im Jaebum was no more than a piece of dirt squished under the shoes of the Chairman. 

 

 

 

 

 

+

+

+

 

 

 

 

 

    Call Mark lucky, but he managed to extend his day of death. Curled up into a ball and rolled until his back smacked right against a brick wall, Mark winced in pain and already started guessing how many bones he probably broke. When he thought it was safe enough, the agent pulled himself up and took cover behind a big bush. Not the brightest idea Mark had ever came up with, but he just escaped death. His mind still trying to process the flaming surrounding. Looks like he doesn’t have much time left until the bombs inside the building go off too.

 

 

    “Well, ing Hell, Im,” Mark scoffed, “if I ever did you wrong, please tell me, so I can fix it. You didn’t need to go out of your way to set me up like this, sweetie.” 

 

 

    “Ma-MARK?!” Jaebum shouted almost too loud for Mark’s ringing ears. 

 

 

    “Yes, it’s me. Why are you so surprised?” 

 

 

    “ARE YOU OKAY?” 

 

 

    “I am, yes, still in one piece.” 

 

 

    “Okay. Good. God,” the Captain sighed, “now tell Jinyoung to pull back his men before the ing government hears about it and s him over.” 

 

 

    “Excuse me?!” Mark thought he heard wrong, “Jinyoung did what?”

 

 

    “He called his men into Seoul because he thought you died.” 

 

 

    Mark closed his eyes, a little annoyed at how things escalated, “put him on.” 

 

 

    “You sure?”

 

 

    “Goddamnit, Jaebum. Just put him on.” 

 

 

    The earpiece went static for a couple of minutes as Mark waited. Jinyoung wasn’t lying when he said he can’t leave Mark. But whatever the Chairman was doing wasn’t a good solution. If anything, it’ll start even a bigger mess. And that’s what no one needs at the moment. “Jinyoung?” 

 

 

    “MARK! Are you okay?! Stay right where you are. Jinhwan-"

 

 

    “Sweetheart,” Mark called calmly.

 

 

    “Y-yes?” 

 

 

    “I’m fine. It’s okay. Listen to me for a bit, please?”

 

 

    The anxiety laced in Jinyoung’s voice already got Mark feeling bad for putting his baby in such a state. Finally calmed down, Jinyoung sighed softly, “what is it?” 

 

 

    “Call back your men, please. There’s no need for all the unnecessary-"

 

 

    “It is NOT unnecessary!” 

 

 

    “Jinyoung.”

 

 

    Mark could literally hear the pout in his spoiled boyfriend’s voice, “what.”

 

 

    “Please, I’m begging you. We don’t have much time. Don’t make things difficult for everyone involved.” 

 

 

    “Fine. You owe me.” 

 

 

    Chuckling, Mark shook his head, “I’ll make it up, I promise.” 

 

 

    “Come back soon, please.” 

 

 

    “That, I promise, too.” 

 

 

    They didn’t get a proper goodbye since Jaebum came back on the line ordering for Mark to haul his off the ground and take cover. The agent listened, though not without throwing a sassy attitude and an eyes-roll. After a few minutes of hiding behind the bush, Mark decided to sneak around to the other side of the building. Jaebum have told him what Jinyoung instructed. So if everything works out, then Jaehwan should be around the corner somewhere…

 

 

    Bullets fired straight at the agent’s direction from the left out of nowhere, almost hitting him square in his head. Could have blown his brains out. Mark cursed and took cover near what’s left of the burning SUV. Not much cover but at least the explosion caused the vehicle to be blown into pieces that were big enough to give Mark a temporary protection. Key word. Temporary. The firing stopped and Mark slowly crept out of his spot. Another round started off, causing Mark to retreat back to the debris. And of course, his earpiece was now shattered on the ground in between the vehicle and the other side. The enemies clearly had Mark in the place where they wanted him to be. If he steps out now, without doubt, he’ll die a gruesome death. But he can’t just stay here in one place. They probably have already dispersed people to come down and surround him from all angles. Mark can’t just sit here and wait for death. There’s a way out. Though, the chance of survival is ridiculously low. 

 

 

     it.

 

 

    Holding his breath steadily, Mark knew he had one chance of doing this. Miraculously, he might make it to the other side where Jaehwan is currently waiting. So, may a miracle happens. Or else, Mark Tuan’s life ends here. 

 

 

 

 

 

+

+

+

 

 

 

 

 

    Never have Jinyoung felt such an overwhelming amount of relief washed over him before in his life. Just a glimpse of his lover’s face. Enough to wipe off any anxiousness. Enough to put a smile on Jinyoung’s face for the first time in the past stressful couple of hours. He couldn’t even wait for Mark to step out of the car. Quickly dashing over, Jinyoung opened his arms wide and enveloped his boyfriend into a reassuring hug, as if he’s making sure that Mark was really there in front of him. He hates Mark for putting him through this pain, but he couldn’t help but buried his face into Mark’s shoulder. Suddenly, everything felt a lot better. Jinyoung knew things were going to be okay. With Mark here with him, everything will always be okay.

 

 

    “Don’t do that…” Jinyoung pleaded, voice breaking in unexplainable pain, “don’t ever do that again. I was so scared. Please…” 

 

 

    With a soft smile, Mark squeezed Jinyoung a little tighter, “I came back in one piece, though, didn’t I?” 

 

 

    “Shut up! You really don’t give a about your own life, do you?” Vice Captain Park pulled away with an angry look on his beautiful face.

 

 

    “It’s not that, Jinyoung-ah.” 

 

 

    “How could you just… How… It was bad enough to even let you do the raid alone. And you went and did something so stupid like running through an open field with tens of gunmen aiming at you! Shouldn’t you know how stupid that idea was?! I still could not believe I witnessed you running like-li-like you don’t give a !” 

 

 

    Mark held his lover’s arms firmly. His eyes searched for his lover’s. Mark wanted badly to pull Jinyoung in again and kiss away that frown. Wanted badly to kiss away that bubbling sadness in Jinyoung’s sparkling eyes full of life. “I’m sorry. I made you worry. I’m sorry, love. Forgive me and my ?” 

 

 

    Of course, nothing could move Jinyoung to the core except Mark Tuan. “You better start planning on ways to apologize to me.” Jinyoung doesn’t like the fact that Mark was such an effective weakness. Whatever Mark needs or wants, Jinyoung swears he’ll get it for him. Even if Jinyoung has to go to the end of the world, then so be it. He’ll do anything and everything for Mark Tuan without a second thought. 

 

 

    “Already did while on the way here,” Mark winked, amused by the way his boyfriend’s face turned about ten shades deeper. Those crimson streaks Mark loves so much. Shy is such an attractive look on Park Jinyoung. 

 

 

    Jinyoung cleared his throat, “Jaebum isn’t happy, by the way. You’re going to get scold at.” 

 

 

    “Oh. Right. I ed up the mission. I’m so sorry-"

 

    

    “You almost died. I don’t care what anyone else says. You almost died. I almost lost you. Your life is more important than some ing mission. How dare you think about something so damn trivial like that at a time like this?” Jinyoung didn’t mean to go off. But something triggered deep inside him. He had to let go all of this uneasy and torturous feelings weighting down his chest. “Did you know how ing scared I was? It was so hard not to think of the possibility of never being able to see your face again. It was so hard to hang onto some kind of hope. It was so hard to hold myself together. So ing hard. All of that pain and misery were just because I love you so much that I can’t bare for anything to happen to you. God, help me. My hands were shaking so bad. My heart… Mark, my heart felt like someone dug a knife through it. I regretted not going with you. I regretted even agreeing for you to go risk your life over some dumb ers! All these horrible thoughts kept crossing my mind and beating me down. I… I was in so much pain, worrying sick about your well-being. Everything hurts… Mark… How could you say something like that? How could you just throw away your life away like it’s nothing when there’s someone out there who's caring for it so much? Someone who will die just to protect your life. Die just for you. So how could you-"

    

    

    Their lips pressed against each other gently, sealing their love and promises in one simple kiss that spoke a millions of words. Just a simple touch of their lips and they had each other figured out perfectly. No amount of words could express how deep and pure their love ran. 

 

 

    “I’m sorry,” Mark whispered against Jinyoung’s lips, “I should have considered your feelings,” a soft peck, “it won’t happen again. I promise. I won’t make you feel this way ever again. I’ll make sure you won’t have to be scared or worry over me. I’m so sorry I hurt you, baby.” Cupping Jinyoung’s face, Mark looked into his boyfriend’s eyes tenderly, “I love you. And because I love you, I will not let you be in pain.” 

 

 

    “You promised,” Jinyoung smiled sweetly and rested his hands on top of Mark’s. “Keep your promises, Mark. Please, don’t hurt me. My heart belongs to you, so please, I’m begging you, treat it well.”

 

 

    Closing the distance between their eager lips, Mark swore he’ll take care of this beautiful heart until his final breath.

 

 

 

 

 

+

+

+

 

 

 

 

 

    What Captain Im hates the most was being on by a bunch of old creeps who can’t even hold a gun with one hand. Looking over at the Chief Commander, Jaebum could tell they both shared the same brain cell. This was going to be a long morning. These ers just won’t shut the up.

 

 

    “I knew all of you were useless!”

 

 

    “Should have let my team do it before they ed up everything.”

 

    

    “Who told you to trust these fledglings?”

 

 

    “This is the second failure. How-“

 

 

    The American agent sighed and finally decided to break the silence. “For your information, no one has the right to speak low on this operation besides me, since I’m the one in charge. So please, refrain yourself. Also, as much as I want to say this mission has progress, I can’t. My deepest apologies that I am unable to make a breakthrough on this case. I would like to take all the responsibilities that come with this completely failure. Everything that happened has nothing to do with Unit G. It was me who pulled them into the mess.” The room grew silence. No one wanted to say anything now that an extremely knowledgable and honored person from the States suddenly spoke up. Mark faked a smile, “besides, if you all were to try and carry out the raids, you all would have failed anyways. Probably even end up dead.”

 

 

    Jaebum tried to hold in a laugh. He nudged his best friend quietly, “you didn’t have to point that out, you bastard.”

 

 

    Mark winked and whispered back, “they needed to hear that so they can get off their high horses. I’m sick of them thinking they can do better when they obviously can’t.”

 

 

    JYP cleared his throat, signaling for the two to be quiet before they anger the higher-ups any further. The Chief Commander acted all professional, but it was pretty obvious that he wanted to laugh at Mark’s subtle sassiness, too.

 

 

    After another mouthful of nothing but complains and ridicules, the three were finally released from the room with a warning notice. It could have been far worse, but of course, even the higher-ups didn’t want to put a foot on anything when the Mark Tuan was there staring down at them. Everyone knew how much of an extremely capable agent Mark Tuan was. If Mark Tuan can’t go through with the mission alone, then no one else could.

 

 

    “It’s an inside job,” JYP stated rather confidently.

 

 

    “We been know, next,” both the Captain and the co-Vice rolled their eyes.

 

 

    “Okay, jeez, I’m sorry you two are way too smart for me,” the Chief Commander put up his arms in surrender and slightly felt a little offended by the way his two agents shut him down without a second thought.

 

 

    Jaebum shook his head and sighed tiredly, “whatever. I already have people looking into this. Right now,” he turned to take a good look at his best friend, “I’m just glad that Mark made it back safe and sound. Everything else can it. I don’t care.”

 

 

    “Awe~ That’s cute~” Mark cooed, scratching Jaebm’s chin like he was rewarding a good kitty. “All thanks to Jinyoungie’s men, because apparently, your men were suspicious, Bummie-ah~”

 

 

    Swatting Mark’s hand away, Jaebum frowned, “Stop that. I’m pissed. Can’t believe someone’s an actual spy. This is ing insulting.”

 

 

    “Let it go. Not important right now.”

 

 

    “Did Jinyoung stayed with you last night?”

 

 

    “No, I send him back because he needed to explain himself to his men.”

 

 

    Captain Im sighed, “I didn’t think he could be this impulsive when it comes to you. What did you do to him, Mark? I was worried he was going to kill himself if you didn’t make it back alive.”

 

 

    Mark chuckled, remembering back to last night when Jinyoung clung onto him like a koala in front of Jaehwan, who just stood there awkwardly. It took a good hour to coax Jinyoung to release his hold. Thinking about his boyfriend makes his heart melts. Jaebum rolled his eyes at the sight. Reading the room, JYP cleared his throat and excused himself after reminding Captain Im about the required paperworks. After seeing the Chief-Commander disappeared down the hall, Jaebum lightly pushed Mark. Finally noticing the disapproving look on his best friend’s face, Mark laughed out loud and swung an arm over Jaebum’s shoulders.

 

 

    “Lunch?” Co-Vice Tuan seductively whispered in his Captain’s ear.

 

 

    “Cut that out, or I’ll cut you,” Jaebum grumbled in annoyance. “Sure.”

 

 

    “Jinyoung’s busy, so you’re his replacement, babe,” Mark singsonged.

 

 

    “ the both of you-“

 

 

    “?”

 

 

    “Mark-“

 

 

    “Damn, okay, I didn’t know you were interested, Jaebummie~”

 

 

    “MARK-“

 

 

    “But I don’t think our Jinyoung would approve something like that. He’s very possessive, as you know.”

 

 

    Sometimes, Jaebum just wanted to bash his head into the nearest wall. “I’d rather DIE.”

 

 

 

 

 

+

+
+

 

 

 

 

 

    Without a single call or text from his boyfriend, Mark had thought Jinyoung got too caught up in handling the s from the government that the Chairman didn’t have time to pick up his phone. Since early this morning, Jinyoung got escorted to the Blue House to discuss what happened last night. And then, the whole day, Mark didn’t catch not even a glimpse of his lover. They were separated before the raid, and now, after the raid, they still can’t spend even lunch together. Sighing, Mark entered the suite and get ready to catch a quick shower before ordering some take-outs.

 

 

    After his shower, an unexpected phone call came in. “Hello?” Mark answered, towel still wrapped around his waist.

 

 

    “Mark-ssi?” It was Jaehwan.

 

 

    “Yes? What’s wrong? Did anything happen?”

 

 

    “N-no! It’s not that.”

 

 

    “Then…”

 

 

    Jaehwan went silent for a second before opening his mouth. “Um. I… How should I address y-you?”

 

 

    Mark thought it was something serious. He thought Jinyoung’s life was in danger or something worse. The agent laughed as he searched his closet for clothes. “Anything you think that’s fitting. I don’t really mind. We’re all family, right?”

 

 

    “O-okay! How about Mark-hyungnim…?”

 

 

    “That’s a lot better than I thought. I would have cringed if you called me Young Master, too.”

 

 

    “Well, if you’d like-“

 

 

    “Nope.”

 

 

    “Yes, sir!”

 

 

    Tuning the call on speaker, Mark dropped his phone on the bed to change. When he dressed, Mark picked up the phone and held it near his face. “Anything else?”

 

    

    “Not really…”

 

 

    “Is your Young Master okay?”

 

 

    “He’s okay, I think. He sent us back this morning and hasn’t call to update on the situation.”

 

 

    “I would love for you to not word things like that, because it makes me worry like Hell.”

 

 

    “Sorry, hyungnim. We’re worried as well. But I believe Young Master will be fine. He’s the strongest person I know.”

 

 

    It’s so impressive how someone could be so loyal to the Chairman. Jaehwan genuinely cared a lot for his young master. Jinyoung cared a lot for Jaehwan, too. They shared a bond that was unexplainable to outsiders. Mark was glad that Jaehwan existed to be by Jinyoung’s side ’til the end. “Jaehwan-ah, can we have a little secret?”

 

 

    “Yes?”

 

 

    “What did you buy today?”

 

 

    “Huh? I, um, I didn’t buy anything…”

 

 

    “Red beans.”

 

 

    “I don’t understand…”

 

 

    “If there a situation where you need to verify it’s me, or I need to verify it’s you. This is our code. You can’t tell anyone this. Not even Jinyoung, okay?”

 

 

    “So ‘red beans’?”

 

 

    “Yep. I can ask you, and you can ask me.”

 

 

    Mark could hear the enthusiastic grin in Jaehwan’s voice, “welcome to the family, hyungnim. I will protect you with my life like how I protect our Young Master.”

 

 

    “It’s okay. I can protect myself-“ A knock interrupted Mark’s sentence. He quirked an eyebrow and glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. Who could possibly visit him at this hour? Mark approached the door when another knock resonated throughout the suite. On the other line, Jaehwan sounded cautious, already pestering Mark to be careful and grab a weapon. Of course, Mark ignored that, knowing how capable he himself was in any situations. Slowly, Mark opened the door. The moment he saw the culprit who interrupted his night, Mark smiled and said into his phone before hanging up. “Looks like I have company. You don’t have to worry about your precious young master for tonight, Jaehwan-ah.”

 

 

 

 

 

+

+

+

 

 

 

 

 

    Immediately, Jinyoung fell into Mark’s embrace. “I miss you soooo much,” his voice muffled by the fabric of his boyfriend’s sweatshirt. His body relaxed for the first time in the whole day. Squeezing Mark tighter, Jinyoung breathed in the scent of the person he loves dearly. Feels so nice to have Mark plush against him after a day of nothing but bull. This moment needs to last forever. That’s all Jinyoung asks for.

 

 

    “Finally,” Mark said, running his fingers through Jinyoung’s soft messy bed of hair. “It felt like I’ve waited for years.”

 

 

    “I’m sorry. I wanted to come sooner.” Jinyoung reluctantly pulled them apart. “But I bought dinner,” he held up the paper bag he had in his hand.

 

 

    Mark smiled softly, “go shower.”

 

 

    “Yeah, I need that right now.”

 

 

    While Jinyoung was in the shower, Mark set up their dinner. He also left some clothes for his boyfriend to change into. Jinyoung must have been really tired to not notice Mark entering the bathroom. Seeing his love so worn out, Mark wanted to straggle whoever thought it was a good idea to keep his Jinyoung for the entirety of twenty-four hours. He sighed and picked up Jinyoung’s uniform off the floor. Jinyoung was done at the same time Mark finished putting the uniform into the washer. They didn’t say anything, just looked at each other with understanding eyes. Except Mark found it funny how his clothes seemed to fit Jinyoung perfectly. The last time he checked, his boyfriend was a little bit taller than him.

 

 

    They settled down and ate together. No need for too much words. Jinyoung didn’t want to talk, and Mark respected that. Everything probably went well, since the Blue House released the Chairman just after twenty-four hours of mandatory supervision. If things went wrong, Jinyoung wouldn’t even be sitting here enjoying take-outs right now. That’s really all that matters to Mark. He knew nothing of the business world nor did he care much about how much the government is scared of Jinyoung. All Mark wants is for Jinyoung to return back to him safely. Nothing makes Mark more happy than seeing Jinyoung uninjured. If anything happens to Jinyoung, Mark would lose his sanity.

 

 

    Jinyoung chilled on the bed as Mark cleaned up. Mark joined him on the bed soon after. And Jinyoung rolled over to snuggle up with his Mark. They still haven’t say more than three words to each other. But the silence was comfortable. Besides, it’s not like they have to say anything. For sure, they’ve already understood each other. Times like this, Jinyoung was grateful for Mark. He can just let his walls fall whenever he’s with Mark.

 

 

    “You’re going to sleep?” Mark asked, voice barely above a soft whisper.

 

 

    “I don’t know,” Jinyoung replied, shifting a bit to get more comfortable. “Maybe I should.”

 

 

    “I think so, too.”

 

 

    “Mark-ah.”

 

 

    “Hmm?”

 

 

    “What if I die?”

 

 

    To this, Mark smiled sweetly, “I’ll just die with you then.”

 

 

    Apparently, that wasn’t a good answer because Jinyoung was quick to slap his boyfriend’s chest. “No!”

 

 

    Rolling his eyes, Mark rubbed his chest and cringed at the light sting. “What am I supposed to do then? If you die, who’s going to spend the rest of my life with me? No one. Unless you want me to move on and someone else-“ Another slap delivered on the same spot. “OW!”

 

 

    “Don’t you dare!”

 

 

    “I’m kidding,” Mark pouted, “don’t die, please.”

 

 

    “…”

 

 

    “Don’t ever think about leaving me,” Mark cooed, hugging Jinyoung’s head against his beating heart. “Don’t ask about something that’s never going to happen, Jinyoung-ah. I will never let you die. I will protect you.”

 

 

    “…”

 

 

    “Plus, there’s Jaehwan. He’ll cry A LOT if you die, you know.”

 

 

    “I know…”

 

 

    Mark kissed Jinyoung’s forehead, “what makes you suddenly thought about something so dumb?”

 

 

    Jinyoung stared up at Mark for a while. “Come down here.” Mark complied. Jinyoung pressed their lips together. “I won’t let you die, either.”

 

 

    “I know,” Mark smiled into their kiss, “even if I die, you’d dig up my grave.”

 

 

    “I won’t let you go lost, either. If you’re lost… If you’re unable to find your way back home to me, I will set out. I will find you. No matter where you are. I will find you.”

 

 

    “I know.”

 

 

    Another comfortable silence as they stared into each other’s eyes. Jinyoung held Mark’s face in his hands like he’s holding the world. He leaned in again and kissed Mark’s forehead. “Okay. I will sleep now.” Turning his back to his lover, Jinyoung didn’t have to say or do anything for Mark to automatically spoon him. He eased into Mark’s embrace once more. All the stress, all the bad, just disappeared in an instance. This love is enough.

 

 

    “Sweet dreams.”