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Mark Lee is bad news. This thought was recurring on Soyeon’s mind. But I adore him.

Her phone screen lit up with an Instagram dm notification, from none other than Mr. @onyourm_ark himself, and for the nth time that day, Soyeon picked up her phone as quickly as she could, reading through the message with a dumb smile to her face:

@onyourm_ark: In office today. Thank god, I get to text you while I enjoy some A/C
@onyourm_ark: [Sent a photo]
@onyourm_ark: Still waitin’ for you to teach me how to play mahjong btw ):

@so_yeon: You’re lucky you get to text me EVER that is ;)
@so_yeon: I see you still look cute tho, works in your favour
@so_yeon: [Sent a photo]
@so_yeon: I taught Seulgi’s bf in less than an hour, given appropriate time I’m sure that I could turn you into a pro.

Shaking her head to focus on her spreadsheet again, Soyeon placed her phone face down on her desk, knowing immediately that it was that time of the year again. The time where Mark would suddenly resurface in her life; not that they ever got into arguments or anything, it’s just that at some point when their conversation would fade, none of them would make an extra effort to maintain it every day which would lead to months of radio silence until a sudden story reply/reaction or in the fanciest case a dm which would light up the path for a new conversation of constant and rapid-fire back and forth for anywhere between one day to one month straight – until the next fade out and so on.

Mark and Soyeon’s friendship had known numerous phases, going from awkward primary school seatmates turned friends, to high school friends who attended different establishments but did their best to still meet-up at least four times a year. From attending the same university where one day they could be telling each other hi and hugging it out to call it a day - to days where Mark would literally be warning Soyeon’s bf to not break her heart. Their friendship evolved on, only like the biggest slow-burn friendship ever. They were nowhere near best friends, but they weren’t mere friends either.

Soyeon immediately knew that the simple label ‘friends’ would not suit them back in primary school when Mark stole one of her new gel pens. I mean, keep your friends close but your enemies closer, right? Mark on the other hand, discovered that he could never be Soyeon’s best friend in their first year of high school when he had developed a tiny crush on her and saw Hendery, Soyeon’s best friend from primary school, fade out of her life as if he had never even been there in the first place. If she could lose a best friend, then he didn’t want to be a best friend. And he found that the best way to remain constant, was to be nowhere near consistent. Ironic isn’t it.

@onyourm_ark: Well, you look even cuter babe ;)
@onyourm_ark: What do you say, you and me, dinner tonight?

@so_yeon: Aren’t you a charmer, Lee.
@so_yeon: Works for me, where to?

@onyourm_ark: Meet me at my office, and I’ll show you what a real charmer can do.
@onyourm_ark: We can order in and then I’ll drop you home.

@so_yeon: See you tonight then <3

@onyourm_ark: <3

Soyeon sighed in contentment, cheeks rosy from this short yet flirty exchange. The years did wonders to Mark Lee. He had always been a cute kid, but now he was a hot kid in a grown man’s body. Puberty done right if you’d ask her.

 

…

 

“Yeoooon!” Mark exclaimed loudly as he opened his arms wide. Soyeon quickly hugged him tight, laughing as he rocked her from side to side, before dropping a chaste kiss to her left cheek.

Soyeon ruffled his hair, while his left arm found the small of her back, guiding her inside his office. “Are you sure that you want to eat in office? Do you still have photos to edit or something?” Mark was a videographer/photographer with motion in graphic and digital design.

“No, I managed my part this afternoon, but I’m just too lazy to go out. Do you mind staying in?” Mark asked out of genuine concern.

Chuckling, Soyeon shook her head, as she dropped her handbag and coat on the professional office couch. “I’m okay don’t worry.”

Soyeon finally took a seat at the couch and Mark did the same, seating next to her in silence, looking at her with his beautiful doe eyes, filled with adoration. No words were exchanged for a few minutes, only looking at each other. No awkwardness, just simple eye contact. It had been more than six months since they had last met; and even so, the last time they saw each other was only in passing at a restaurant.

Mark was the first to break the silence. “How’s Seulgi?”

“She’s great, her and Taeyong just celebrated their 2-year anniversary.”

“Oh, wow already, then it’s been nearly 3 years since I last saw her.”

Mark rested his elbow on the couch’s backrest, turning to his side, in order to give Soyeon his full attention, while leaning his head to his palm, tilting his head towards her in the cutest manner.

“Your fault for bailing on us and being so busy always.” Soyeon snickered, with a smile though, to show that she was just kidding, well partly.

“Heyyy.” Mark frowned. “I made time for you today, didn’t I?”

“Then make it worthwhile.” Soyeon sent him a wink, which he immediately caught.

Their friendship had always toyed on the flirtatious territory, only because they both enjoyed the thrill of said banter. Mark grinned as he grabbed his phone from his jeans’ back pocket.

“What do you feel like eating tonight?”

“I swear anything but a Caesar Salad, Lee.” Soyeon glared at him, while Mark only gave her a sheepish look, immediately getting what she was referencing.

A while back, when they were still in high-school, Mark, Soyeon and Seulgi had gone out for lunch and Mark forced them girls to have a Caesar Salad, only, since he was dieting.

“That time is over babe. How about lasagna from Linguini?” Mark had this look, this cute look accompanied by a little pout, this endearing expression he would wear in front of the real ones in his life. Only a few had ever managed to get him to this state.

Soyeon couldn’t help but smile, leaning closer to him, as she softly dropped her head to the crook of his neck. “Alright Lee, Lasagna it is.”

Mark grinned, placing in his order before swiftly throwing his phone somewhere on the adjacent couch in order to finally secure his arms around Soyeon’s waist. It was really an innocent hug, a friendly comfort, a warm gesture to catch up with no words. But boy did it feel right.

 

 

The next day, Mark and Soyeon both went about their day without texting or anything. That day turned into weeks and soon enough months of silence between them yet again. It was not anything new, in fact that was quite the routine at this point. It had been 4 years since they both graduated university, and this was their new ritual.

In retrospect, after cosying up to each other like lost lovers, you’d think that the air was awkward which was why they both didn’t put in efforts to talk the next day, but in reality, it was only because they were that close; they cared that much. They cared too much for each other to explore the very blurry lines and boundaries that they had set for each other. They cared too much to risk it all.

At the most random moments, Soyeon would think about Mark. Similarly, Mark would also suddenly think about Soyeon. But they both did not necessarily haunt each other’s minds. Maybe that’s why they never defined a label to their relationship besides being childhood friends who casually flirted, this was best. The safest bet. The most reasonable choice.

Or so they thought.

Seven months later, Soyeon woke up after a good night’s sleep to yet another Instagram dm, which had conveniently been sent at 3 a.m:

@onyourm_ark: Someone forgot about me it seems 3

A faint smile found Soyeon’s sleepy face. Now don’t get me wrong. It had not been seven months of absolute silence. Both their birthday’s had gone by during that time period, wishes were sent both ways but nothing besides.

@so_yeon: I could tell you the same, this works both ways Lee ;)

Mark smirked at her response. Only Soyeon would retort in such a way, which is why he was so fond of her. He could go months without speaking to her, but she would still be responsive. Keeping their friendship ambiguous allowed both of them to tend to their lives without feeling bad for a message left on read here or there.

@onyourm_ark: Now babe, if you shut me up like that, it does not leave me much room to continue this conversation. :(

@so_yeon: Don’t sell yourself so short, you had me when you called me babe. <3

@onyourm_ark: Imu <3

@so_yeon: Feeling’s mutual <3
@so_yeon: I’m off to work. Talk to you some day :*

@onyourm_ark: Some day <3

 

 

Mark’s career took off. He had always been well settled, but he finally managed to open his own graphic design studio, he had his own photo-shoot studio and set as well. But that was not all of it, Mark became an Instagram influencer. Getting sponsored by restaurants, hotel and local small businesses, Mark was hustling hard, but he truly loved every aspect of his jobs and career. He genuinely loved it all. But it came with a sacrifice. With the popularity, came more people in his life, whom he did not necessarily know to trust or believe.

Nevertheless, he knew that the real ones, like Soyeon and a few others, were true and always there for him. Just like now, defeated and lost, Mark had Soyeon’s shoulder to rely on. It had been a year, and within that year, Mark had found himself a girlfriend. She was very pretty and truthfully, they looked great together. Only four months into the relationship, Mark caught her cheating with one of his new influencer ‘friends.’

The only person he could call, the one person he knew would not judge him, was Soyeon. She easily found her way through the coffee place, at a table secluded from the public’s eye, Mark was there, eyes red, probably from staying up all night crying. It was the first time he felt so betrayed.

“She did not deserve you.” Soyeon simply stated, as she surprised him with a back-hug.

Sighing into her embrace, one of Mark’s hands found hers, before she broke free, only to finally take a seat next to him.

“I understand why you prefer staying single now.”

Soyeon sadly smiled. “Do not get into my head Lee. Once you get used to the celibacy, it’s hard to get out of it.”

Mark chuckled, shaking his head softly. “How did you move on when Jihoon cheated on you back then? Hell, it was barely a week before finals. How did you manage even?”

Soyeon’s hand was still tightly grasped to Mark’s. She gave his questions a genuine thought, a small pout to her lips, as she did.

“I did not really have any other choice but to continue living. I was devastated, yes. Heartbroken. My self-confidence took a major hit. But I could not let myself down only because someone else let me down. Besides, I had you to gracefully remind me that you didn’t like the guy from the very get-go.” Soyeon finished off, by nuzzling her nose to Mark’s cheek.

“But you did not give me any warning about her, what a bad friend you are.” Mark joked.

“Unlike back then, we only see each other once in a while now. You did not give me much leeway to judge her Marky.”

“You called me Marky.” Mark toyed with Soyeon’s fingertips. “You haven’t called me Marky since primary school.”

“It felt like a Marky moment.” Soyeon simply answered.

He smiled. Leaning his head against her shoulder, while she allowed hers to softly drop on his. Whatever happened, he would always have her by his side.

 

 

For two months straight, Soyeon checked on Mark weekly. Only until he seemed to fall back into a consistent routine. His breakup took a much more public tenure than he would have hoped for, but the hundreds of thousands of following he had on the socials prevented a proper privacy on such matters.

Soon enough however, he seized being the talk of the town. And yet again, silence settled between the two of them. But for once, Soyeon wished that their boundaries were no more. For the first time in twenty-one years of friendship, Mark forgot her birthday. No messages, no calls not even a belated text. She wanted to be mad at him, she wanted to sulk like a child and be mad at him. But this was such a childish incident. He could have genuinely been busy. It could have really been an honest mistake and he really forgot. This did not prevent her from being upset still.

The nature of their friendship and the new routine they had settled for prevented her from acting on it however, they had never fought, and she wouldn’t raise an issue on something so small. A week later, when Mark’s birthday rolled around, she wished him genuinely. She tried calling him that morning, but he did not answer. Thinking he might be working since his birthday was a weekday, she simply left him a dm.

@so_yeon: Happy Birthday Lee <3 I miss you. Hope you have a great time, next time we see each other will be my treat ;)

He replied. Only two days later:

@onyourm_ark: Thanks. Imu too <3 :*

And that was it.

 

 

The second time Soyeon wished that their friendship could warrant more of a fight was a random Saturday night. Soyeon had gone clubbing with her colleagues. The coincidence being that Mark was there too, with a few of his influencer friends. Soyeon immediately spotted him, afterall, he garnered much attention anywhere he went now that his following reached a million.

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