♪ - Track 2 - Sweetie by Carly Rae Jepsen

So… You’re moving back to your apartment this Friday? So in two days from now? 

The message notification from Chaeyoung’s phone made her smile, knowing exactly who texted her without even looking. The light, energetic sound perfectly matched the feeling she had whenever she talked to the contact assigned that melody. Her phone flashed briefly as she grabbed it from her nightstand, seeing his name bright on the screen. 

“Mark Tuan <3” it read, and a soft blush colored her cheeks. 

It’s only been two weeks since they started talking, and Mark already has this magical effect on Chaeyoung. After their first night of talking, they were constantly messaging each other. Texting turned into random phone calls whenever he was free, and slowly that became video calls every night. They were constantly talking to each other, trying to contact each other in any way whenever they were free. 

And usually, they’d try to make free time for each other. 

For a brief moment, Chaeyoung held her breath while opening his message. Once she allowed herself to breathe normally, her fingers busied themselves typing out her reply. 

Yeah, sometime in the middle of the day. That’s when my sister can help me and my dad out. You know what’s it like with claiming a parking space during the weekdays. You have to pay when you're not around the car, and we are definitely not about that life, kyahaha.

Send. 

“Kyahaha? Really now? What kind of dumbness am I spitting out at him? Now he's gonna think you're some weird child trying to be cute or something!” she scolded herself, falling back against her bed while dropping her phone on her stomach. Chaeyoung would always overthink every little action she made because she was prideful when it came to her image. 

And of course, she wanted to look good in front of him. That first impression was the most important one, even if they’ve only been talking through their phones. 

Why don’t I help you move in? I live nearby both your house and apartment. It won’t be a problem on my end. Plus, we won’t have to wait until Sunday to actually meet, you know? 

“Wait, what?” she was stunned by how his thoughtful offer, quickly jutting up on her bed and staring at the screen. She stared at the screen for a minute, heart racing while her thumbs tapped quickly to reply back. 

Who would've known the guy she's been falling for was so thoughtful? 

Oh no no, that’s totally fine! Let’s just wait until Sunday. I rather have you come over when I have everything prepped and ready than you know...not ready and a mess. Plus it gets really stressful and I get really tired when I do any kind of moving in. Thanks for the offer though, it means a lot to me. 

Chaeyoung’s face scrunched up with a sense of contemplation written all over her expression. There was a tiny bit of her that wanted to accept his offer, just a tiny bit. But that would definitely be a bad move, because who would want their first meeting with a guy they’re infatuated by to be a long car ride? Especially where the destination would lead to both of them moving her stuff into her apartment, that would be a disaster for her. 

Plus, the starting point would be at her house, where her parents could see and meet him. A “strange” boy helping out their daughter move back into her apartment? 

Yikes, that was a disaster waiting to happen if she did accept his offer. 

She wanted this first meeting to work out completely. No, even more than that, she wanted their first meeting to be perfect.

Damn, I really just want to see you soon, Chaeyoung. Your smile on screen is beautiful, but I’m sure it’ll be even better when I see you in person.

“Jeez, can he stop being so smooth?” 

You’re sweet, Mark. But let’s just meet on Sunday like we planned, okay? The wait will definitely be worth it. Anyways, I’m going to do some final shopping for my place. I’ll call you tonight? 9 PM as usual? 

Quickly, Chaeyoung got up and went straight for her dresser. She slid her phone into her back pocket as she searched for her wallet and keys. Her mind was busy with thoughts about him, and she needed some sort of getaway before she got too flustered. 

Because with Mark, it was easy for her knees to get weak with just a typed out sentence by him. 

With a ding from her phone, she jutted out her room and announced her leave to her parents before exiting her house. 

Alright, Chaeyoung. I’ll talk to you tonight after work, take care and message me every once in a while, okay? 

While Chaeyoung was trying to keep herself busy and distract herself from falling deeper, someone else in a different city was trying to get himself distracted by the thought of her.

It wasn’t hard for him to do, Chaeyoung was different than anyone else he’s ever talked to.

And Chaeyoung, please don’t be shy to text me while I’m at work, okay? I like getting messages from you during work, I feel a lot better too.  

“Who the heck are you texting on your break, Mr. Mark Tuan?” 

The mentioned male looked up from his phone, thumb still hovering over the screen while his attention was shifting to whoever called him out. His eyes were wide as if he was caught doing something terrible during his break. 

Well, it’s not that Mark was doing something bad. It’s just that he was texting the girl he was interested in, really interested in.

“Oh, just some girl, Peniel.”

His co-worker, and a good friend of his, eyed him briefly, making Mark feel a bit uncomfortable. He could feel the slight suspicion on the air, where it would lead to so many questions about this girl. He straightened his posture in his seat, placing his phone on the table while mentally preparing for any question that could be asked. 

“Some girl? Who is this some girl?”

Ding.

Conveniently, Chaeyoung replied back to his message. Both pairs of eyes glanced at the screen quickly, seeing Mark’s chosen name for her flashed on the screen. 

“Chaeyoung Baby Girl <3” it read, and Mark bit his lip to hide the shy smile that almost exposed itself. 

“Chaeyoung Baby Girl? Okay, you never told me you had a girlfriend, Mark.” 

“That’s because she isn’t my girlfriend, yet. We just started talking two weeks ago.” 

The gaze that Peniel gave Mark could pierce holes through him. He knew there were more questions being formed and waiting to be asked, and that only made him slightly flustered.

Slightly, since Mark was one who could hide any emotion that threatened his image. He liked to maintain his cool in any way he could, flaunting a cool side of his that had a touch of swagger in his presence. 

However, that was also hard to maintain around Peniel since Mark could let his guard down and express his opinion easily. He was able to be a bit vulnerable with him, and that was something he didn’t want to do when it came to Chaeyoung.  

“Just started talking? Please tell me you’ve met this girl already, Mark.”

He looked away with shy eyes, trying to avoid any eye contact with his friend. It was already hard enough to admit that he’s already calling the girl he just started talking to baby girl. Wouldn’t it be more embarrassing to share that they hadn’t met in person yet? 

“I mean, we’ve video called almost every night these past two weeks. So, technically I met her already?”

“Mark, how could you be so hooked on a girl that you haven’t even met yet?”

Hands fiddled in Mark’s lap while he thought of an answer, and this was one answer that was hard to come up with. He couldn’t even explain it himself, she was just different. There was something about her that intrigued him, and he wanted to learn more about her. 

He recalled the first night they video called, where it was the first time he felt so nervous to talk to a girl. They had planned to video call the second night they became acquainted. It was scheduled when he was done with work and she was done hanging out with her friends. He was the first one to be ready and told her he was ready whenever she was. 

Soon enough, he received a video call request from her. He didn’t think that accepting her request would change his entire life. 

Of shy smiles and awkward chuckles, they introduced themselves carefully to not scare the other away. Even with screens and some amount of distance between them, the feelings were mutual, as if they were meeting in person on their first date. 

After Mark made a joke, Chaeyoung easily loosened up around him and they began to learn more about each other. They strayed away from learning the basics about each other and decided to delve into deeper topics. There was a sense of vulnerability and rawness shared between them, and it felt as if they already trusted each other with their deepest secrets.

Actually, for them, it felt as if they knew each other for such a long time already. 

Their video call went on for hours, and they ended it at 3 AM with sweet goodnights that lasted longer than they should have. 

Eventually, that became their routine up to this day, where their relationship and trust only grew every day with each call. 

"Dude, are you gonna answer or not?" Peniel broke Mark's train of thought, wanting to hear any details about Chaeyoung and their relationship. 

“I don’t know, she’s just special, dude. I don’t know how else to explain it. Whenever we talk, she just makes me feel like I can talk about anything I want. I don’t need to hold back, I can just really be myself whenever we talk.” 

Peniel chuckled, soon shaking his head before ruffling Mark’s dark locks with a smile. It was clear that Mark was smitten by this girl, and he did all he could to hold back any teasing. 

“Well, good luck with all of that, Romeo. Now come on, our breaks are over. I don’t want to be traded in to do anything in the back.” 

Mark rolled his eyes with a chuckle, soon getting up with his phone back in his hands again. However as they walked back to their shop, he quickly opened his phone to check the message that Chaeyoung sent him. 

Hahaha, yeah definitely! I’ll send you things here and there, now focus on work! Don’t make me scold you like the first time we talked!! <3

A shy smile grew on his lips since no one was paying attention to him as he strolled into work with Peniel. It was easy for Mark to feel happier and better whenever Chaeyoung texted him.

She just had this magical effect on him, and it only grew stronger each day. If only he knew about the impact he had on her.  

Oh my gosh, Mark!!! I found lights that I’ve always wanted to put in my room! They're those ball ones that I showed you a few days ago. I’m so excited to decorate my room! <3

After hours of being out of the house, Chaeyoung returned with a few shopping bags and a smile plastered on her lips. It was always fun to go shopping for decorations, and Chaeyoung always wanted to make her room express herself more. 

Plus, Mark was going to visit her place, and she wanted her place to look perfect. 

“Welcome home, Rosé! Did you eat dinner already?” her mother stuck her head out of the kitchen, eyes scanning her youngest daughter to see the bags in her hands. “Oh, did you get everything from your list? We could’ve gone shopping together, sweetheart!”

Chaeyoung couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head with a smile as she found her mother’s words embarrassingly sweet. Her mother would do anything to spend time with her, but sometimes she wanted to spend too much time together. 

“Well, at least we could just spend more time at home than going out doing errands. We can watch movies or just cook together, mom! And I’m starving. Let me just put these to the side and we’ll go eat dinner,” she said before dashing to her room and quickly dropping off her things. 

“Get your father while you’re at it, I think he’s in the bedroom watching some movie,” her mother asked as she returned to the kitchen to prepare the table. The soft clattering of platter already signaled everyone that dinner was almost done, and gentle pattering on the floor could be heard across the house. 

“Stir-fry! Yes! Mom, you’re the best cook EVER!” a slightly deep voice exclaimed in the kitchen, making Chaeyoung chuckle softly. Her brother, Byunghun, was a sweetheart and a mama’s boy, which made any interaction with him and their mother so heartwarming. She could hear their interactions as she went to her parents’ bedroom, finding her father resting on the bed with eyes glued on to the TV. 

“Hey dad, it's time to eat. It’s stir-fry, I believe, based on Ben's yells,” she explained, using her brother’s nickname. 

Alice, Rosé, and Ben; those were the nicknames, and middle names, of the Park siblings in order. Their parents wanted their children to have some nickname they could use as an alternative name, especially whenever they were traveling around. The Park siblings adored their middle names, and slowly they became nicknames that were only used at the house. 

Her father nodded with a smile, quickly turning off the tv and getting up. However, instead of leaving the moment he got up, he brought Chaeyoung in his embrace for a quick hug. Just like Byunghun was a mama’s boy, Chaeyoung was a daddy’s girl. 

“How was shopping? Did you get everything you needed?” he questioned her, only to receive a slow nod as an answer. “Alright, let’s go eat, and then you rest okay? I always see your lights on late at night, try to sleep early tonight okay? Ben wants to go out tomorrow, and you know how he likes it whenever we’re all together.” 

“I know, I’ll keep that in mind,” she pulled away from his hold, avoiding any eye contact with him as she headed towards the kitchen. Her father liked to pry a little bit and always wanted to know what his daughter was up to, especially if it prevented her from getting enough sleep. If they continued the conversation more, he’d eventually learn about the boy she was talking to. 

She wanted to keep Mark a secret, even from her family, for a bit longer. 

Dinner was quick and fulfilling, filled with conversations about everyone’s day and sharing jokes here and there. Once everything was cleaned up, Chaeyoung headed to her room to only hear a familiar message tone from her phone. She quickly took her phone out of her back pocket, and a smile instantly grew on her lips while she opened the message.

Hey, I got out of work earlier than usual! Manager’s family needed him home which means…

As if he could tell that she was reading his message, there was a request for a video call from Mark. Fingers quickly tapped to accept the call, and within the half a second of having a black screen, she fixed her hair and quickly shut herself in her room. 

Within a blink of an eye, there he was, bright on the screen with a smile on his face. She couldn’t help but beam a smile right back at him as her heart fluttered while seeing his face. 

He was seated in his car, one arm stretched out right in front of him holding the phone. The other was busy moving around, getting his seatbelt on first before adjusting the phone on a holder where he could keep her on call on his drive home. 

“Hey Chaeyoung, you look good today!” his compliment made Chaeyoung giggle, which only made his smile grow. “How was your day today?”

“Oh it was good, just did some errands here and there. I just got done having dinner with my family. Stir-fry, one of my mom’s specialty.” 

She could hear the car turning on, the usual clicking of the car and a soft hum from Mark. She just loved all the little things that he did, and it only made her heart flutter just a little bit faster.

“Sounds good, maybe one day I can try your mom’s specialty while making her like me.” 

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes with that sweet smile still plastered on her lips. She made her way on her bed, being mindful of how she looked. She always wanted to look good in front of him, his impression and thoughts of her were important to her. 

“And why would you possibly want her to like you, Mark?”

“Uh duh, so that way when we do start dating, she’ll like me and accept me to be your boyfriend, Chaeyoung,” he said with a cheeky smile, glancing at her before driving out of the parking lot. “Also, I hope you don’t mind me having you on my drive home, I just couldn’t wait until 9 PM to see you.” 

His eyes were on the road and focused on his way home, and Chaeyoung was silently thankful that he couldn’t see the blush coloring her cheeks. He was always so good with words, and that was probably the only thing she hated about him. 

“How was work by the way? Did you get to work with that good crew of yours?”

“Yeah, I worked with one of my good friends, Peniel. I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually. He actually saw me texting you, and he questioned me about who you are and everything.”

“Oh?” Chaeyoung questioned as a brow perked up in interest. “And exactly what did you tell him about me?”

“Well,” he paused for a moment, focused on the road for a moment since he needed to make the turn, “I just told him that you were cute and that I’m excited to see and formally meet my future girlfriend.” 

Again Chaeyoung became shy, and she looked away for a moment before glancing at the screen. Unfortunately for her, Mark caught her in her flustered state, and he sent her a cheeky smile before driving again. 

“You ready to be my girlfriend, Chaeyoung?”

“You ready to actually meet me first though, Mark?”

“I mean, I think the feelings are mutual regarding how we’re interested in each other and that we may want a relationship out of this.”

“Mark, as much as you make my heart flutter and I find all these little things in common, we do need to at least meet. And well, make sure we’re actually the real thing. As in like, we’re compatible and want the same thing.” 

“But, Chaeyoung,” he paused again, focused on taking the exit he needed to take to get him home, “I think we’re compatible. Plus, you’re really cute, how could I not want to try to be with you? You’re honestly someone I didn’t think I would find in my life.” 

“And honestly, I feel the same way with you too, Mark. But you have to understand, patience is a virtue. Maybe this dream you have of me won't come true… Maybe I won’t meet your expectations or desires. Maybe I’m just a pretty face that you want to get kisses from and just suddenly leave me.”

Chaeyoung pursed her lips, heart aching slightly as her eyes wandered off to the side. It was a habit of hers whenever she brought up any harsh reality that could kill anyone's, including her own, dreams and hopes. It always pained her to disappoint anyone, be it by her actions or thoughts. 

However, it was true though, they needed to be realistic about all of this. Even with the endless messages and calls they’ve shared, they never really met in person. 

“Chaeyoung, I would never leave you. I mean, I definitely want a few kisses from you here and there, but I also can see us building something together. And remember what we said the first time we started talking? Or more like, what you introduced and I agreed on?”

Her shy eyes met with his through the screen for a brief moment, and only a sigh escaped her lips.

“That we’d be friends no matter what happens between us? Be it if we do get something romantic out of this or not?”

“Right, that’s exactly what you said. And remember that I agreed to it? Well, I’m still staying true to it. Chaeyoung, I never had a chance to open up to anyone the way I’ve opened up to you. And I don’t want to lose you anytime soon.” 

Mark flashed a sweet smile down her way and she could only relax. He had this special magic that only presented itself with his smile, and she always fell under its spell. 

“And I feel the same way with you, Mark. So let’s just see where Sunday takes us, okay?” 

“Of course, Chaeyoung,” he said with a reassuring tone while his hands were busy turning the wheel and he was just a block away from his house. “We’ll take it slow like you want it, I want to respect what you want.” 

“Thank you, Mark. I really appreciate it, and I’m glad you’re not rushing me. The last thing I want is… Well, for you to be like the other guys I’ve met on this dating app. They'd always rush everything just to get physical.”

At that moment, Mark parked his car right in front of his house. Turning off the car allowed him to take a small pause, listening to what Chaeyoung was saying. He honestly hoped his potential feelings and current thoughts about her weren’t going to lead up to that. 

He always spoke the truth with her, but he was still a twenty-year-old boy. Boys around his age would usually speak what gets them that physical contact, and never what they wanted or needed. 

Hopefully, Chaeyoung was more of an emotional want and need than a physical desire for Mark. 

“I promise you I will never force you or rush you into anything, Chaeyoung. And I mean it. I’m also home, so let me hang up and get everything set up in my room on my computer so we can have our video call there. See you soon?”

“Alright, see you soon, Mark.”

Mark could only smile before ending the call, and in a swift movement, he exited the car. He honestly hated whenever there was a pause between their video calls, and he grew accustomed to having her on any screen he had. He didn’t want her to wait too long as well, which made him rush to get to his room. 

He ran into his house, kicking his shoes off in a messy manner and greeted his family before running upstairs. Someone was calling for him from downstairs, but all that was on his mind was calling Chaeyoung and asking about her day. He wanted to see her again and on a bigger screen this time. 

Once he got to his room, he closed the door quickly and went straight for his computer. Hands moved fast and instinctively, already knowing where he needed to go. Opening up their video call app, he hit the call button and heard the familiar ringing that was soon cut off. 

Chaeyoung popped up on his screen, with glasses on and a bright smile on her lips. 

“Hi again, Mark. That was pretty quick. Did you run upstairs or something?”

He couldn’t help but smile and silently nod to answer her question. His eyes were glued to the screen, staring at her beauty. The black frames of her glasses were round and huge, and it only made her look so tiny and cute. He never thought a nerdy-preppy looking girl would be attractive, but Chaeyoung made it so easy for him to fall for that kind of look. 

“Yeah well, I just like having you next to me. Had to make that chance come faster, you know?” 

She rolled her eyes, a soft chuckle escaped her lips. These little actions only made his heart beat faster, and he only questioned how could one girl be so cute. 

Before Mark could say anything else, he heard a knock on his door. Putting up a finger, a sign they agreed to make whenever they needed to mute their microphone, he muted himself and went for the door. His mother was at the door, and she had a few letters in her hands. 

“Sorry to interrupt your important video call, but there was some mail for you. One of them happens to be from your mission trip leader.”

Mark’s eyes widened for a brief moment before he rushed through the mail to find it. He saw his mother smile before turning to leave him. Closing the door, he turned around and rushed to open the letter he’d been waiting for. His steps were slow towards the computer since his entire attention was all on that letter. 

He pulled out the letter and unfolded it, and the first words he read was, “Congratulations.”

“You’ve been accepted to be one of the youth leaders for the mission trip in Mexico this upcoming January,” he read softly to himself, holding the letter still right in front of him. 

Then he looked up, only to see Chaeyoung patiently waiting for him with curious eyes. 

“Well damn, this is a situation I need to figure out.” 

“Mark? Did you say something? I can’t hear you, remember? Unmute yourself!”

Mark sat at his desk, putting the letter to the side before unmuting himself. As if he didn’t get the letter, he smiled at her and shook his head to answer her previous question. 

“Did you get something good in the mail or something, Mark? You opened that letter in a rush, so I was just curious about that.”

Her question made him pause for a moment, a swirl of thoughts came in mind and he didn’t know if it would be appropriate to even tell her about it yet. Deciding to hold back, for now, he shook his head with a smile. 

“It’s nothing, Chaeyoung. Now then, how was your day?”  

Just another author note, I made a few stylistic changes where text messages are a different font to make it easier to read and clarify what's a text message. That's only the major changes I've made writing-wise.  Regarding information about Rosé, I just made the Park sisters' names, Rosé and Alice, as their middle name and gave Alice a Korean name (not knowing if she has one or what it is) just to have the story flow a bit better. It'll make more sense as the story progresses, so bear that in mind! I hope you all are enjoying the journey of this story so far and thank you all for reading!