Donghyuck’s Playlist for Better Tomorrow, the Days and not the Hong Kong Movie

Smile-Mikky Ekko

“You should try this.”

“If I did I would be disowned by my mother. Sorry Lucas.”

“Tough. I don’t have a mother to worry about stuff like that.”

*******************

No one woke up until at least 12 noon. In fact, the only reason they were awake at all was because of the Drama kids banging their drums and making a sound like a didgeridoo. It was Jaehyun who opened the door to tell them to shut the up before he called the cops.

“Am I in Australia?” Mark half-mumbled, woken up by the sounds.

“No, but welcome to university life.” Jaehyun yawned. “Weird happens all the time. Don’t get me wrong though, not every university is like this. Maybe it’s just NCT U.”

“My head hurts.” Donghyuck whined as he got up from the couch. “Do you have a painkiller?”

“In the drawer next to you.” Jaehyun boiled some water to make a cup of coffee. “Did you all sleep well?”

“I guess, though the arising could have been better.” Renjun mumbled sleepily.

“Here, you’re lucky if you could get any sleep at all.” Jaehyun laughed. “If it’s not the assignments keeping you up, it’s your friends and their wild parties. Or worse, insomnia.”

“Do you not sleep?” Mark asked.

“I do, I try to keep it as regular as possible, but sometimes it’s just inevitable.” Jaehyun bought his coffee mug into his room, trying to get Doyoung to wake up. “You guys should go get ready, let’s get breakfast.”

“You mean lunch. It’s 1.30 in the afternoon.” Jeno checked the clock.

“What’s the meaning of breakfast?”

“First meal of the day.”

“Then we are going for breakfast.” Jaehyun grinned.

*******************

“I need beer. I’m going to go get us some.” Kun got off their picnic mat that they laid in front of the concert venue. The concert wasn’t supposed to start until later that night, but as Jaehyun said, there was no harm in getting there early to just chill and enjoy.

“Can I have one?”

“What the Hyuck, you’re underaged.” Jaehyun laughed. “You want me to tell mum?”

“Fine, drink your nasty beer by yourself.” Donghyuck stuck his tongue out. “Get me a coke then.”

“This is the life.” Lucas leaned back, lying down on the mat and feeling the warm sun on his face. “No reports, no deadlines.”

“No nasty professor to tell you what to do.” Jungwoo nodded. A group of students passed by them, dressed with flower crowns on their heads and peace symbols tattooed on their arms. They smoked freely and drank beer from paper cups. An older man in a dress shirt shook his head at them.

“You guys really do whatever you want.” Jeno said.

“Yeah.” Doyoung sniggered. “It’s the benefit of being young you know? Adults think we’re stupid and reckless, so we get away with lots of stuff.”

“Better enjoy most of this while we can,” Jungwoo said. “We may never go back to do this anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because when you get older you may not have the time or stamina to do all this.”

“Seems like getting older isn’t fun.” Mark said.

“It’s not.” Lucas laughed. “It ing . I wish I could still go back to being 5 years old you know. Be with my mum and all.”

“If you did you wouldn’t be able to enjoy all that you have now though.” Sicheng said. “No pizza nights, club nights, no freedom.”

“I guess it all depends on perspective.” Doyoung shrugged, drinking from his cup. “It’s about feeling young, and not necessarily being young. It’s not like youth is something that disappears magically when you turn a certain age. Youth is always there, it’s just most of the time it’s covered by a ton of adult you don’t recognize it anymore. Why do you think people still feel like kids again when they go to Disneyland? Youth is always in us. It just depends on us.”

“Aren’t you guys going to college soon?” Lucas asked Mark, Jeno and Renjun.

“We are.” Renjun nodded.

“What’s it like to be a college student?” Jeno asked.

“It seems a little scary.” Mark added.

“It’s freaky when you first come in, like a major culture shock.” Jaehyun laughed. “But once you make friends and you know your way around, it gets exciting, and soon you start enjoying yourself. Kind of like your first day of high school.”

“Don’t you guys ever feel sad that, like, maybe one day this will all be over? You’ll have to start working and then you won’t have the time to do all these crazy things like you did in college? Like reality is so much tougher and different from what you had in mind?”

The older boys looked at each other for a bit. Lucas bit his lip and nodded. “We do, yeah.”

“Wait, so you guys get scared of growing up too?”

“Of course. Frankly I’m shaking at the thought of entering the workforce. Like, 9 to 5 with all the bills you need to pay? Climbing the corporate ladder and wearing those penguin suits? Nah man,” Sicheng laughed. “That ain’t the life for me.”

“You see,” Doyoung continued. “Everyone feels like that at some point of their life. The elementary kids freak out about going to high school. High schoolers freak out about going to college or university. Then we freak out about going into working life. Then they freak about getting married, losing their ity, buying a house, turning 40, 50, 60 or what not. I don’t know who made this up but we have essentially turned society into a checkpoint game, where you can only be considered a ‘adult’ if you have passed certain things by a certain age.”

“You know what makes all this easier?” Jaehyun said. “Friends and family. Good friends and good company, support from family, makes all this transitioning easier. Think about your first day in high school, didn’t that terrify you until you made friends?”

“Yeah, but I had Jeno with me on the first day. This time,” Mark swallowed thickly. “This time he’s moving away.”

“Don’t be afraid of trying even if you have to shake off the safety net.” Jungwoo advised him. “Sometimes you learn more about yourself that way.”

“I got the beer!” Kun returned with three bottles of beer and two bottles of coke. “So, what did I miss?”

“We were discussing the insecurities and fears the millennial generation faces as they grow up and realize that society is ed up.” Sicheng said and everyone roared in laughter.

“Ah, so nothing much then.”

*******************

“So, have you decided which college or university you want to go to?” Jaehyun asked as he squirted some ketchup onto a hot dog.

“The offers haven’t come in yet, so I haven’t decided.” Mark said, helping himself to some relish for his hot dog and another two more on the tray next to his. Mark volunteered to help get hot dogs for everyone else and Jaehyun said that he would be ‘lost because the festival is like a effing maze’, so he tagged along as well.

“NCT U is a good place.” Jaehyun smiled. “They have a great physics programme, and I’ve got lots of friends there too. If you come, we can hang out and even go back together on weekends.”

“That sounds nice.” Mark smiled. The offer was tempting, since Jaehyun would be there to help take care of him and he would feel less lost in his own crowd, but it didn’t completely shake off the doubts he had in his mind.

“What made you decide to take up physics?”

“I have always wanted to become an author.” Mark smiled. “A science fiction author. I thought if I had a breadth of knowledge in science then I could write better stories.”

“Is that what you scribble down in that notebook of yours?”

“Yeah.” Mark stammered slightly. All throughout the trip, Mark kept a notebook of memories of notes he made along the trip. The things he saw, did and tasted. He didn’t think anyone noticed his habit. Except Jaehyun.

“I bet you would make a great author.” Jaehyun helped put on some mustard for the last hot dog. “What about The APA? What did you apply to study there?”

“Music.” Mark answered. “But I don’t think my parents would go for it.”

“Did you talk to them about it?”

“No?”

“I didn’t know you wanted to be a musician.”

“I don’t. At least, maybe not.” Mark scratched the back of his head. “I do love music, and I like writing lyrics, but I’m not sure if that’s what I want. I just applied for the heck of it.”

“Sounds like you’re at the crossroads with this.”

“I am.” Mark sighed. “I thought that if I went on this trip, it would solve my problems and helped me find the answer to this question. But it hasn’t.”

“The answer isn’t on this trip, it’s in you.” Jaehyun pointed a finger at his chest. “You know the answer. Deep down, you always have. You’re just seeking validation to prove that you are right.”

“Woah,” Mark almost doubled over. It was as if Jaehyun had poked a fork into his heart and cleared his brain. He was right.

Funny how it takes a complete stranger (or a third party at least) to point out something you have been thinking about all this time.

Jaehyun smiled at him and pulled his arm. “Come on, let’s go before the concert starts.”

*******************

“Who are the opening performers?” Jeno asked Donghyuck as they stood up and leaned against the metal railing, waiting for the concert to begin. Renjun had glitter on his face and a fake web tattoo on his ankle that he got at one of the booths. They were playing some random music and Sicheng was holding hands with Kun, swaying like a drunk man on roller skates.

“I don’t know. Some group by the name of The LA Strippers.”

“Dear Lord I hope…”

“Nah it can’t be.” Donghyuck scoffed. “Can it?”

“Where’s Mark?”

“He’s getting food with Jaehyun.”

“I have a question.” Jeno asked. “Didn’t Mark have a crush on Jaehyun?”

“Yeah.”

“Does he still have one?”

Donghyuck paused for a bit before looking down at the concert programme. “I don’t know.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“I don’t own his heart, do I?” Donghyuck mumbled softly, but loud enough for Jeno to hear it. “I can’t stop him if he does. Maybe we’re just not meant to be.”

The lights dimmed on stage and the concert soon began. The LA Strippers turned out to be a female indie duo, one holding the accordion and the other with a guitar. It was a strange combination and their music sounded like the lovechild of a “Weird” Al Yankovic and Lana Del Ray but it was almost hypnotic because the audience were dancing along to the music.

Renjun tapped Jeno’s shoulders and they started clapping and dancing. Then, Lucas roped them in and they started dancing together. All that was left was Donghyuck leaning against the railing, watching the girl with blue hair play the accordion, and wonder what Mark and his perfect brother were up to.

*******************

“How long have you and Doyoung been dating?”

“8 months.”

“That long?” Mark raised his eyebrows in surprise as they walked back to the concert venue. They could hear someone singing “bada badibabu” and “twist me like a pretzel”. Obviously, it wasn’t the highlight so they took their time.

“What about you and my brother?”

“Us? Well…”

“I mean, he really likes you,” Jaehyun said. “I know my brother.”

“I know he does.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, but…you see…” Mark stuttered. He held his breath and swallowed again. “I had a crush on you.”

If this was a movie, everything would be frozen in place as Mark and Jaehyun stared at each other deeply. Mark finally expressing himself after all those years, and Jaehyun realizing his neighbour’s hidden affection for him. Music would be playing in the background as Jaehyun prepares himself to break Mark’s heart.

“ Mark.”

“I know.” Mark nodded. “Kinda stupid isn’t it? And all this time you had a boyfriend.”

“No Mark, it’s not stupid, it’s just…” Jaehyun bit his lower lip. “Man, I can’t believe I didn’t notice.”

Didn’t notice? How could that be? Donghyuck said I was so obvious and transparent? Is he that oblivious, like me?

Is this…is this what Donghyuck felt all this time?

“It’s okay though.” Mark said. “I know you and I will never be together, but I just…I needed to tell you how I felt after all this time.”

“Mark I…”

“Can you take the food back? I’m going to go somewhere else for a bit.”

“Okay but where are you…Mark!”

It’s too late, Mark went off in the opposite direction, and lost himself in the crowd.

*******************

“Where is he?!” Donghyuck asked over the loud music blaring in his ear. The concert was hyped up and everyone was having fun, jumping and screaming. Jaehyun returned with the food but no Mark, saying he had gone to the bathroom. After 15 minutes, he still didn’t show up, and Donghyuck was understandably nervous.

“Jae!! Where is he?!”

“He went to the bathroom!”

“For 15 minutes?! What is he doing? Making a cake?”

“Hyuck,” Jaehyun sighed, beads of sweat decorating his forehead. “He confessed to me.”

“He what?!?!?!”

“He confessed to me.” Jaehyun said. “I’m sorry bro. I didn’t know.”

Donghyuck wasn’t sure what to do. His heart broke at the thought of a nervous Mark, pouring and spilling his guts to his long-time crush, only to be rejected because the other was no longer available. Donghyuck was going to exit the crowd of pushy people to find Mark, when the said person reappeared behind him.

“Mark! Where were you?!”

“I took a walk to clear my head!”

“Well you’re just in time! EXO is performing next and they are about to shoot the confetti cannon!” Donghyuck yelled loudly over the music. “The person with the least confetti in his hair has to pay for dinner!”

“Hyuck wait!!” Mark grabbed his arm and pulled him close. He could hardly hear anything over the sounds of heavy rock and he was sweating so much his shirt was soaked. “I need to tell you something!”

“What?” Donghyuck yelled back.

“I told your brother I had a crush on him!”

“I know! He told me!”

“No wait!” he stopped Donghyuck from turning. “You don’t understand why I did it!”

“Why?”

“I had to let it out. All this time I felt something was stuck in me, like it was stopping me from moving on. Now that it’s out, I feel relieved. Like I’m not hiding anything more. I’m free, don’t you see? I’m free from the shackles of unrequited love.”

“Good for you!”

“I feel like I can do anything!” Mark smiled so widely, like he scored a million dollars. “I feel like I am free to climb mountains, scale walls…” he looked at Donghyuck and pulled him a little closer. “I’m free to love anybody I want now.”

“Okay, but I don’t see what your…”

That sentence never finished as Mark pulled Donghyuck in his arms and kissed him, something he should have done many, many, many months, maybe even years ago. Donghyuck’s eyes bugged out in shock and he opened his lips to gasp but Mark took this as an invite and pressed his lips against his even more, eyes shut and hands holding him tight. Their lips melted together, as if they were meant to be like this. As if fate had destined them to be together.

Donghyuck’s eyes fluttered shut and he wrapped his arms around Mark’s neck, feeling his heart and Mark’s pound in unison. Sweat dripped off their bodies and he tasted saltiness on his tongue. Their ears burst with the sounds of the concert, and the blast of the confetti cannons dropping their coloured papers everywhere.

It was a mess and complete chaos when they parted their lips for a breath of air. EXO started their performance and from the corner of Mark’s eye, he could see Jeno bouncing up and down like an Energizer bunny on steroids and screaming his head off while Renjun was trying to avoid his slaps. Confetti was falling everywhere and he could still taste Donghyuck’s coke on the tip of his tongue.

That was not what mattered. Not the heat, not his favourite band on stage, not the screaming and not the dancing. It was the boy in his arms, this beautiful boy of smiles and happiness, who made him laugh through his toughest times, who was with him through all his mistakes and imperfections, who made him feel like the best and strongest man in the world. This boy who didn’t know how beautiful and perfect he was and spent all this time doubting himself. This boy was now his, and no one was going to stop him from loving him.

Not even himself.

“Kiss me again Hyuck.”

You didn’t have to ask Donghyuck twice. They kissed under falling glitter, EXO screaming about Monsters and the heat of the summer night, it’s stars twinkling above as their arms were wrapped around each other tight while they smelled like hot dogs, second hand cigarette smoke with sweat stains under their arm pits.

In other words, it was ing perfect.

A/N: This is the chapter we have all been waiting for, and there are only two left in this story TT