🍻

 

Mark only wanted to sleep on his free time, but Donghyuck decided to pay him a visit in his room.

"Mark-hyung! " The younger sniffed loudly as he wiped the tears off of his cheeks. For a brief moment, Mark panicked. A million scenarios flashed inside his head. Just then, Donghyuck spoke again.

"Renjun broke up with me! I hate him! "

Mark was stupefied. He looked at the younger ones more in order to observe him. Surely, his red face wasn't entirely because he was crying.

"You're drunk, aren't you? "

"I'm insulted! " Donghyuck replied angrily. "Why would anyone break up with me? "

Mark struggled to hold back an amused smile and tried his best to look sympathetic. The last thing that he wanted was an aggravated drunk Donghyuck.

"Why don't you come inside so you can tell me how Renjun broke your heart? " He offered, to which Donghyuck nodded immediately. He almost stumbled on his way in had it not been for Mark who had quick enough reflex to catch him.

Great. It was time to say goodbye to his free time.

 

🍻

 

Every drunk Donghyuck was different from the other drunk Donghyucks, and each of them was interesting in their own way.

The first drunk Donghyuck that Mark met was the clingy Donghyuck. He wasn't that much different from the normal Donghyuck, except, he was twice as clingy and touchy than usual.

It happened during his return from his long break from promotion, due to the accident that rendered him injured for months.

They were back in Seoul. From which country, Mark wasn't sure anymore. All that he remembered was the happiness of everyone, because finally, Donghyuck would be able to join them again.

What a way to celebrate it other than to go out and have a few drinks? After all, they all didn't get to celebrate Donghyuck's coming of age, as the incident happened before the end of 2018.

They were all happy. Some were tired after their non-stop touring activity, but nevertheless happy that they were able to experience everything. They went to place they had never been before. They got to meet fans from different parts of the world. It was tiring, but it was fulfilling, especially since they all got to do it together.

Except Donghyuck.

Donghyuck never really talked about his feelings regarding the incident. If ever he decided to say anything, it was nothing but praises to the members who made it to those stages. Donghyuck never wanted to dampen the mood, even if Mark knew he was upset that he missed their first tour. Anyone would be. Mark would surely feel the same.

Mark really felt bad for him. All of the members did. It's just that they all agreed, for Donghyuck's sake, to never talk to him about it. Instead, they just had to try to make him feel better through other means.

"Jaehyun-hyung! I love you! " Donghyuck announced before suddenly jumping on Jaehyun's back. They just made it back to their dorm's building, and Donghyuck was even more hyper than he was before. Thankfully, the older of the two managed to retain his strength even after a bottle beer. The last thing they needed was another injured member, and another concert without them being complete.

Jaehyun was the fourth victim of Donghyuck's affection attack, which he started after a bottle and a half of soju. Impressive, Johnny noted. Mark himself was already knocked out halfway through a bottle.

The first was Taeil. And then Johnny. Then it was Taeyong. Mark swore it he was coming after the members in the order of whom he like the most.

"I want a kiss! " Donghyuck demanded, already puckering his lips and aiming for Jaehyun's cheek.

Jaehyun didn't move. Not a single one of the previous three did. Mark figured it was some sort of gift, a tiny bit consolation for those moments that Donghyuck missed.

"Can you stop jumping on other's back? " Doyoung scolded him. "I swear, you're going to hurt yourself again! "

Doyoung looked nervous. If Mark didn't know better, he would say that it was because Doyoung was nervous he wouldn't rank high in Donghyuck's Favorite Hyung Ranking. Or maybe, Mark was just projecting.

Mark didn't remember the order after that, as he too, was a little bit tipsy during that night. It didn't help that the version of the ranking was different depending on who he asked. Doyoung would say he's fifth. Jungwoo would say the same. Yuta would say that it didn't matter, although he'd bitterly say that Donghyuck wasn't on his top five as well.

What Mark could remember clearly was that he was the last.

It was disappointing— really. He thought he was one of Donghyuck's favorite. But it wasn't until Donghyuck was done claiming his hugs and kisses from the rest of the members that he came to Mark's room.

"I'm sleeping here! " Donghyuck announced before plopping himself down on Mark's bed to join him. He didn't even wait for a response.

Frankly, Mark almost kicked him out. He was bitter. Weren't they supposed to be bestfriends? Why wasn't he on a much higher rank?

But as Donghyuck pulled the sheets to cover the two of them, and wrap an arm around him, every word in his throat were swallowed down.

"I missed you the most, " Donghyuck drunkenly confessed. "I really wish we were on that first big stage together. "

 

🍻

 

Drunk Donghyuck could also be competitive Donghyuck.

Pretty much like the previous drunk Donghyuck, this Donghyuck was the same as normal Donghyuck, just twice the intensity of his highlighted trait.

It was the new year's eve of 2019, Chenle's coming of age. Naturally, the Dreamies, including Mark, wanted to celebrate. The problem was, Jisung was beginning to feel left out. Even if he wasn't saying anything, they all knew that he was at that point when everyone around him was growing up, and that there were a lot of things that the other members could do but he couldn't.

A compromise was made. Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin decided to go back to the dorm with the maknae, while Mark and Donghyuck went out to celebrate with Chenle. Chenle didn't mind. He was always easy going. Besides, the last thing that he wanted was for Jisung to start feeling like they were all abandoning him.

They should have probably brought Jaemin along and left Donghyuck behind. It would have been a fair choice. The older members should be watching over the younger, and Jaemin would have been a better choice as he wasn't really into alcohol. They needed that kind of member, and not one who would challenge Chenle into a drinking match.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what Donghyuck did.

The thing was, Chenle was second to none in their team when it came to competitiveness. Of course, he bought the challenge despite Mark's warning that it wasn't a good idea.

Unsurprisingly, Chenle won, although he had to be hauled inside his mother's car after falling asleep on the table. Mark gave her an apologetic look, but she just brushed it off. She kind of already expected it would happen.

Mark regretted not taking up her offer of free ride when their manager informed them that he couldn't pick the two of them yet. Something about an emergency meeting between the other staff. They needed to wait for more than thirty minutes.

Halfway through the wait and Donghyuck was beginning to sober up a little bit.

"I bet I can shoot basketball more than you can."

Mark laughed. He realized it probably sounded insulting to the younger. He just couldn't help it.

"I challenge you to a match! "

Mark laughed again. He was glad, the place they were in were nearly empty.

"Not tonight, Donghyuck, " he replied. Not ever. Not basketball. Mark knew their skills weren't matched. It wouldn't be fair to Donghyuck.

But drunk Donghyuck was also persistent.

"Ha! " he crossed his arms proudly. "I bet you're just scared I'll beat you! "

Mark had a few sips of alcohol, too. That was the only reason he could give whenever one of the members ask him why he lost his cool and allowed himself to fall for Donghyuck's tricks.

They rushed out of the restaurant to the nearest basketball court they could find.

They played. Just free shooting. Donghyuck's feet were unstable enough, Mark didn't need to guard him to ensure he wouldn't make a single shot.

And he was right. Donghyuck lost. The score was 5-0. It would have been ten, but Mark wasn't that ruthless to hurt his pride even more.

"Ah, not fair! " Donghyuck complained. "Why are you so good at everything Mark Lee? "

Mark pressed his lips together.

It wasn't the first time that Donghyuck asked him about it. The first was traced back to their trainee days, when Mark was still the most praised among his peers.

At that time, Mark thought he could hear envy. After all, as much as they all wanted to be friends, they also knew that they were each other's competition. Not all of them could debut. But at that point, it was pretty clear with all of them that Mark would.

But Mark thought he also heard another thing. Perhaps, admiration? He wasn't sure if he was correct. After all, Donghyuck proceeded to tease and annoy him after that, which the younger him thought was maliciously intended.

"I'll teach you next time, " he offered as he walked forward and patted the younger's shoulder. "Let's go back and find our manager. "

Donghyuck swatted his hand, much to Mark's surprised. "No! Listen! If only I can be as good at you, then maybe… maybe…"

Donghyuck didn't get to finish what he wanted to say as he started gagging. He immediately covered his mouth with both his hands and looked at Mark with panicked eyes.

"Mark, " he managed to say. "I think I'm going to throw up. "

 

🍻

 

The drunk Donghyuck that Mark liked the least was the flirty Donghyuck.

Or maybe, that was an understatement. Mark despised him. Mark hated every single action that flirty Donghyuck did.

It was after they wrapped up filming the last episode of NCT World 2.0. This, Mark perfectly remembered, as it was such an important date even if it didn't start well.

They managed to convince the staff to rent the place for a much longer time, so that all twenty three of them could celebrate and enjoy privately. They all agreed it was a good idea, until Johnny and Lucas came in with the drinks. Since then, Mark's mood had changed, and all he wanted was to march off to one of the manager's cars and demand for them to take him home.

Except, he was also reluctant to do that. He needed to watch Donghyuck, even if the said member was also the reason why he wanted to go home in the first place.

Donghyuck was dancing in between Yangyang and Sungchan in a slow beat of whatever song that Johnny was providing them. They weren't the only ones doing it, but oddly enough, Mark couldn't take his eyes off of them.

They were close. Too close. For people who only got to know each other for a brief period time, Mark couldn't help but be bothered at their lack of personal space.

It wasn't a problem before. Donghyuck was the type of person who hated seeing other people feel left out, which was why it was only natural that he took it upon himself to stick with their newest members and make them feel at ease, especially Sungchan, as 90's Love was, at that time, going to be his debut promotion.

It wasn't a problem, even if the two equally extroverted members matched well with Donghyuck's personality. It was benefiting their team's performance, and with people constantly trying to figure out which in NCT weren't getting along well with each other, the last thing that they wanted was a rumor of them bullying the new members.

Their closeness had never been a problem before, so Mark didn't know why he was balling up his fist when Yangyang bent down to whisper something on Donghyuck's ear, or why he almost broke a glass with his hand when Donghyuck leaned back and rested his head on Sungchan's shoulder.

Mark decided to talk to Taeyong about it, with him being their unofficial leader. He pointed at the trio and complained that they were being closer than necessary. The problem was, Taeyong had way to many drinks already for him to be able to take Mark's concern seriously.

So he came to Taeil, and then to Johnny. He also talked to Doyoung and to Jaehyun. The most frustrating part of it was that all of them only laughed at him, as if they knew something that Mark didn't, and they would rather let him figure it out on his own rather than to tell them.

For the first time, Mark felt like resenting the older members.

Mark came to Kun next, as the WayV leader seemed to be the only person who would take him seriously.

Once again, he pointed at the trio and complained, even more frustratedly than he did before. At least, Kun managed to be kind about it and give him a sympathetic look.

But then, somebody laughed. Mark was ready to throw a fist and regret it later, but Kun managed to hold him back.

It was Ten who laughed at him, and he looked offended that Mark almost hit him.

"Well, if you have a problem with anybody getting too close to Donghyuck, you should do something about it instead of asking other people to do it for you. "

Ten pointed at the direction of the trio once again, and all of the other thoughts he had faded, except for one thing.

Sungchan was cupping Donghyuck's cheeks and leaning down, they're faces getting closer and closer to each other.

"What are you going to do about it, Mark? "

 

🍻

 

The only reason why Mark liked Confused Donghyuck more than Flirty Donghyuck was because at the very least, the former was compliant to his requests.

"Arms up! " Mark told the younger and he immediately obeyed, allowing Mark to put his own hoodie on him.

He managed to put Donghyuck to the shower despite him still crying over his break up with Renjun. He managed to brush the younger's teeth without choking him with toothpaste, and he also managed to make him drink a lot of water. He calmed down a bit, but obviously, he was still upset and angry about the incident.

Mark sighed. He almost regretted not catching all of Donghyuck's actions in film. It would have been a good blackmail material, if only he was on the same level of ruthless as the 2000 liners of their team.

"There, go to sleep, " Mark told the younger while pushing him down on the bed. His bed.

It would be difficult to take Donghyuck back to his own room at his current state. An excuse, Mark thought to himself. It was only a problem if Donghyuck would mind.

Donghyuck rubbed his eyes with his fist and let put a yawn. Good. The sooner he could fall asleep, the better. Mark wasn't sure if he could fall back to sleep again, but resting for a couple more hours before the sunrise wouldn't be too bad.

Mark's phone began ringing, and he searched for it on the bed before it could annoy Donghyuck with it's sound.

The caller ID didn't even surprised Mark anymore. He answered immediately.

"Jaemin? "

The person on the other line was breathing loudly.

"Mark-hyung. " Jaemin's voice understandably sounded worried. "Did Donghyuck call you? "

Mark didn't even think about teasing Jaemin. The poor guy didn't deserve it. If his guess was right, then Jaemin was probably searching for him all night.

"He's with me, " he said, much to the other's relief.

"Oh, great! I thought we lost him. Is he okay? "

"Well, he came crying to me, because apparently, Renjun broke up with him. Care to tell me what happened? "

Mark could practically hear Jaemin rolling his eyes.

"It was Jeno who brought out those soju bottles, and the four of them started drinking. They were all making jokes that I believe, you need to be drunk in order to understand. Well, I wasn't, so I was confused. In the middle of it, Jeno suddenly "broke up" with Renjun. Donghyuck decided to laugh at him, so in retaliation, Renjun "broke up" with him. Well, Jisung laughed, and I guess, Donghyuck's pride got hurt. He walked away before I can even explain why Renjun couldn't even break up with him in the first place. I swear, I don't know how to handle them anymore! "

Mark chuckled despite the other's frustration. "And how is the rest of them now? "

Jaemin grumbled. "Jisung is flat on the living room floor, and Jeno and Renjun thankfully made up. It would have been a problem to me if they didn't. "

Mark hummed. "Right. So, I'm guessing you'll sleep now, now that you already know that Donghyuck is safe with me."

"What is sleep? "

Mark chuckled. "Alright, then. Take care of your boyfriends and Jisung, Jaemin. "

Jaemin sighed. "I don't really have a choice, do I? Good night, hyung. "

"Good night, Jaemin. "

"Tell Donghyuck not to get back together with my boyfriend. "

Mark chuckled once again before ending the line.

Coincidentally, Donghyuck chose that moment to call for him.

"Milk! "

Mark smiled. He already lost count of the variation of his name that Donghyuck came up with. He would have been bothered if he wasn't that fond of the younger.

Donghyuck extended his hand towards Mark, beckoning him to come. Mark didn't hesitate joining him under the covers.

"Feeling better, Hyuck? " he asked, when the younger rested his head on Mark's chest. Mark couldn't resist running his fingers on Donghyuck's hair. He missed when it was longer. Despite to other fans' opinion, Mark actually like it. But then again, it wasn't like there was a hairstyle that Mark didn't like on Donghyuck. Even the bowl cut worked for him when he was younger.

"Renjun still , " Donghyuck mumbled. "Why would he even break up with me? "

Mark decided to humor him. "Right? Who in their right mind would break up with you. Aren't you the cutest person in world? "

"And smartest, " Donghyuck added.

"And smartest, " he mimicked.

"Praise me more. "

Mark chuckled once more. "You're talented, loveable, sweet and perfect. Is that enough for you? "

Donghyuck hummed in response. "Thanks Mark. You're good, too. "

"Just good? " he pretended to sound disappointed.

Donghyuck pulled away to look at him with those wide, hypnotic eyes. "The best, " he corrected himself. "Did I ever tell you you're perfect? "

"Many times before. "

Donghyuck made a face. "Eww! Why would I even say that? "

Mark let out a sigh and shook his head. "Just how drunk are you tonight? "

Donghyuck gave him a confused look. "Who's drunk? "

Mark almost threw his arms in the air. He gave up.

"Do you want to know a secret? " Mark said in order to tempt the younger.

"Secret? " Donghyuck asked in a really excited manner. "What secret? "

Mark smiled. "Renjun couldn't break up with you. "

Donghyuck looked confused. "Because I'm perfect? "

"That, and because he's not your boyfriend. "

For a second, Mark thought Donghyuck would have a meltdown over the "new" information.

"But I do have a boyfriend, and I love him! "

Mark shushed him before he could wake the entire resident of the tenth floor. "Yes, Hyuck, you do have one. He loves you, too. "

"I want my boyfriend, " Donghyuck said, almost annoyed at himself. "Where is my boyfriend? "

Finally, Mark decided to take pity on him and tell him the truth. "I'm your boyfriend, dummy. "

Donghyuck stared at him in shock. "No way. Is that why I have been wanting to kiss you ever since I got here? "

Mark sighed again. He shuffled closer to the younger and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Ah, yes. I should have done this earlier. "

Donghyuck still looked confused. "Since when are we dating? "

"Don't you remember? " Mark teased. "Last year, after filming the last episode of NCT World 2.0. I was so jealous of Yangyang and Sungchan. I ended up processing my feelings for you and confessing. We started dating since then. "

Donghyuck blinked. For a second, Mark wondered if Donghyuck believed him. Just then, his face broke into a huge smile and engulfed Mark in a hug.

"Wow! I'm dating my crush since trainee days! This is awesome! "

Mark could only laugh in response before rubbing Donghyuck's back to calm him down.

"Yes, yes, I'm your boyfriend, " he said again. "Now go to sleep. "

Donghyuck hummed to himself happily but nevertheless began to relax.

"Good night real boyfriend! "

Mark sighed. "It's good morning, already, my cute, drunk and confused boyfriend. "

 

🍻

 

Donghyuck woke up with a throbbing headache. His immediate thought was to complain to his boyfriend who was in bed beside him.

"Mark, my head hurts! "

Mark let out an amused sigh. "That's what you get for drinking more than you can handle. "

Mark turned away from him, much to his annoyance. He heard the other rummaging through the drawer before closing it again. He turned back to Donghyuck and began shaking him.

"No shaking, I'll throw up! " he threatened, knowing that it would really scare Mark off. Mark immediately stopped.

"Drink your aspirin, Donghyuck and we'll talk. "

"Don't wanna, " he replied stubbornly while hugging Mark again.

"Come on! " Mark whined. "You still have to tell me why you and Renjun broke up. "

"We what? " he asked, unsure of what the hell Mark was talking about.

"You came to me while crying. You said Renjun broke up with you. "

Donghyuck pushed the older away and proceeded to glare at him. "My head is too painful for this prank, Milk! "

"But you're the one who said it! " Mark replied defensively. And then he smirked. "But that's not the only thing that you told me last night. "

Donghyuck didn't know why but he suddenly felt nervous.

"You said, " Mark paused dramatically and began closing their distance, "that you've been crushing on me since trainee days. "

The headache and everything else disappeared, leaving Donghyuck with only one thing — dread.

"Who ing snitched to you? It's supposed to be a secret! "