Worries had taken over every moment of relaxation for Baeri. What had started as an exciting day Friday, turned out to be the exact opposite after the long awaited dinner in the evening. Yet not only was that feast something that kept ghosting around in Baeri's subconscious.

 

For as long as she had known him, she knew that Mark Tuan didn’t have an easy personality, although it seemed to be the case at times. He didn’t speak much – only when he felt comfortable enough to crawl out that shell of his, would you hear his many forms of laughter and curious questions that hid inside the boy’s mind. Baeri understood this because she was the exact same. It took her a long time to warm up to Jackson and Shindae; you wouldn’t say that when you'd see them interact now.

 

Also, Baeri wasn’t one to voice her emotions abundantly, only when it would accumulate until she couldn't take it anymore. She’d fall silent and keep to herself until she would feel comfortable enough to interact with the people that had hurt her. The receiving end was left to figure out what and where it had gone wrong with Baeri not helping them on their way.

 

And that was why, after all these common signs, Baeri knew something was wrong with Mark. It was already Wednesday and the girl hadn’t properly seen him nor heard from the boy. She occasionally spotted him in the hallways but he always managed to disappear a second after she was already approaching him.

 

It bothered her and her surroundings were starting to notice.

 

“If you keep on stabbing that meat, I’ll make you suffer for ruining my efforts,” Jihoon’s voice broke through the bubble of silence that had settled around Baeri. The girl pressed her lips together in thought but didn’t stop the sharp metal from continuously piercing the T-bone steak. Normally, the piece of meat would’ve been gone in a matter of minutes but today, somehow, even her favorite food couldn’t take her minds off things. Suddenly, a loud bang made her plate and fork clatter against the wooden table and undoubtedly caught the girl’s attention.

 

“What was that for!” she exclaimed and looked up at her brother with widened eyes. The man returned her gaze but with a cocked eyebrow. “Why are you sad and miserable?”

 

“I’m not sad and miserable.”

 

“Have you seen your face lately?” Jihoon instantly commented and pushed the girl’s forehead with his finger. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think someone died.”

 

A slight pout settled onto Baeri’s lips as she rubbed her forehead, and carefully placed her knife next to her plate. “It’s nothing,” she muttered, not looking up from her food. Jihoon sighed at this response and followed her example by placing his utensils on the table. He knew something was bothering his sister but Baeri being Baeri, she didn’t come out with the information and share it when needed. But Jihoon already had a feeling of what it might be and since he was a strong follower of the thought ‘direct confrontation is the best confrontation’, he knew what he had to do.

“I guess Mark finally messed up, huh.”

 

At this, his sister nearly choked on her own spit and broke out in a coughing fit. Jihoon tried to keep a straight face when Baeri reached for her glass to save herself but still a hint of a smile settled itself on his face. “Right on the spot, wasn’t I?” he chuckled to himself before he slightly pushed his plate away and entwined his fingers, placing them in front of him on the table.

 

Baeri threw her brother an angry glare, or at least attempted to seem dominant as much as she could seem with her watery eyes and reddened face. “You ,” she coughed out, her voice hoarse, but soon found her former position again – her eyes averted and her fingers fiddling.

 

The elder sighed at the sight, frowning because the Baeri he knew wasn’t that easily affected by others. Obviously the girl sometimes felt whenever her surroundings were out of the ordinary but never had he seen her like this. “What’s wrong?” Jihoon’s voice reached the girl’s ears as a low hum, breaking her evident trail of thoughts again. Uncomfortably shifting in her seat, Baeri shrugged before meeting with the man’s eyes.

 

“I don’t know,” she responded, honestly not knowing what she had done wrong to deserve this treatment.

 

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Jihoon instantly asked, his frown still in place. “There must’ve happened something for him to make you feel this way.”

 

Baeri once again just shrugged before sighing and propping her face into her hands. Through her lashes, the girl watched specks of dust dance in the light between her fingers. Yet again she found herself in the same position she had been for the past few days – musing about the issue at hand. Jihoon, of course, had noticed this shift in his sister’s behavior. The normally bubbly and sassy girl had turned into a mute with no cheeky remark leaving her lips.

 

A sigh slipped past Jihoon’s lips. “If it’s about you liking him, I think you should speak up,”

 

“It isn’t,” Baeri replied softly, not even bothering with covering up that she had developed a crush, her face still buried in her hands.

 

Again, Jihoon was left with not much to go on. “Well it’s something between you two that isn’t quite right.”

 

To this, his sister didn’t respond but Jihoon knew his answer was spot-on.

 

“Listen Baeri, I don’t exactly know what is up with you youngsters,” he continued, “but sometimes you need to take the bull by its tail.”

 

“Horns.”

 

“Whatever,” Jihoon continued and mentally debated whether he should place his hand on his sister’s shoulder as a sign of comfort, or just remain as they were. “Boys are clueless creatures sometimes, therefore need some guidance whenever emotions are at play,” he shifted in his seat. “And I’m sure Mark isn’t any different from the others, gender wise.”

 

By the time Jihoon was done speaking, Baeri had already straightened in her seat, watching her brother utter surprisingly smart words. The man wasn’t a fan of giving advice, therefore never did so it was only logical for Baeri to feel surprised because of her brother’s words.

 

“Thanks.” A small smile had found her thick lips, appreciation lacing each letter. “Don’t mention it,” Jihoon instantly replied as he watched the girl place her dishes in the sink, before he turned serious. “Seriously, don’t ever mention it again. I have a rep to uphold.”

 

A chuckle settled itself inside of Baeri’s throat but, for once, she decided not to throw him a cheeky remark and just left her brother in his pink bubble of deceit.

 

Baeri slept surprisingly well that night. Her brother’s words kept echoing in her mind and somewhat managed to ease her. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding and Mark really unintentionally saw some things in a different light. Baeri still wasn’t sure but one thing was clear to her and that was that the only way she could find an answer to her thoughts, was go to the source itself. But as she was scanning the large cafeteria - that the students at the college called the eco pit because it was situated below ground level, its healthy meals and ecological bull that the school was trying to force upon them – for Mark, she suddenly heard her name being called.

 

“Hey Baeri!”

 

Searching for the owner of the voice, the petite girl soon spotted the man. “Hey,” she smiled at her classmate Jaebum, and seized her searching for Mark for a moment. She had never really spoken to Jaebum before but he was a happy-go-lucky type of guy that got along with pretty much everyone. Hence why Baeri didn’t just walk away or ignore the calling of her name as she normally would.  

 

“Want to grab lunch together?” Jaebum asked her with a wide grin and took a few steps back as he whipped his thumb over his shoulder towards the cafeteria’s kitchen. Baeri somewhat laughed at his enthusiasm and after checking the hall a last time for a familiar blue beanie, she nodded. “Sure.”

 

With a happy hop in his step, Jaebum smiled at her as he took the lead to the kitchen. He grabbed two platters from the rack at the entrance and handed Baeri one before he took her by the elbow and began leading her along the displays containing food. In his enthusiasm, he didn’t notice Baeri’s uneasiness but the girl just allowed him to take her wherever he needed until he had properly filled both their platters.

 

“I don’t have enough money with me for all of this,” Baeri concluded when they stood in line, waiting until they could pay for their meals. “Oh don’t worry about it!” Jaebum incepted, his handsome smile never leaving his lips. He never elaborated on what Baeri shouldn’t worry about because he had already relieved the woman from her platter and placed them both on the railing along the counter. When Baeri wanted to complain, Jaebum just playfully shushed her and pulled his wallet out before paying for their food. Baeri pouted as the boy walked away with a satisfied grin, the two filled platters professionally resting on his palms as he was searching for an empty table.

 

When he had found one, he motioned at Baeri with his head at the spot and quickly slipped onto the bench, carefully placing the platters onto the table top. “Why is it so damn packed in here,” Baeri heard Jaebum mutter when he glanced around before meeting with her curious eyes. “It normally isn’t that hard to find a spot but then we had to switch building,” he added with an exasperated sigh and fiddled with the cap of his water before he opened the bottle.

 

“I wouldn’t know because I never really eat in the cafeteria, to be honest,” Baeri told him once she had taken a seat opposite from him. Jaebum hummed as he took a sip from his water. “Why not?”

 

A small smile found Baeri’s lips. “Too crowded.”

This piece of information made the man’s expression fall. “Why didn’t you say so! We could’ve found a spot somewhere quieter,” he whined, his lower lips slightly jutted out. Baeri snorted but shook her head. “It’s okay.”

 

“See? This is what happens when we don’t speak to each other,” Jaebum tutted and pointed his sandwich at her. “We have never really spoken so I don’t know these kinds of things.

 

Baeri chose not to vocally reply but nodded anyway to show that she was listening.

 

“Which is weird because we’ve been in the same class for two years already,” he added with a chuckle and took a bite from his lettuce sandwich. “There was never really a moment to,” Baeri lamely deducted and sipped on her juice when she realized how stupid that actually sounded. Jaebum caught on, however, and let out a laugh, his eyes turning to slits as his melodic voice filled the air. It was then that Baeri noticed that Jaebum was quite a handsome lad. She had noticed him multiple times in class but never thought more of him than a classmate she didn’t speak to, simply because he was the exact opposite of her.

 

He was outgoing, and easy to interact with; everyone liked him, but Baeri figured no one really truly knew him as a good friend because when she thought about it, she had never seen him together with anyone. Jaebum wasn’t close to anyone in particular and Baeri wondered whether this was an own choice, or something more.

 

“I guess you’re right,” he answered and nodded to himself before slipping a piece of apple into his mouth, grinning when he tasted the sweetness. Baeri felt herself smile at this expression and couldn’t help but want to pinch his cheek because of it. Something still ‘bothered’ her though.

 

“Why did you invite me to eat with you?” she asked, fiddling with her fingers as she noticed the boy’s eyes focus on her.

 

“Because I don’t know you,” he smiled satisfied, studying Baeri’s reaction before lifting his water bottle to his lips again and taking a sip. Baeri felt something stir in her chest because of this statement; it was nothing serious enough for her to dash away from the table. But she knew she appreciated him. The rest of lunch, Jaebum filled the time with asking questions about Baeri’s life and her interests, simply because he was truly interested in whatever the girl had to say – no other intentions but getting to know her.

 

When they both had finished their food and Baeri noticed lunch break was almost over, she excused herself.

 

“Thank you,” she smiled at Jaebum, who had stood up with her and gathered their empty platters. He returned her smile and affectionately ruffled her hair. “Any time.”

 

Surprised by this sudden contact, Baeri gaped at the man’s back as he walked away to get rid of their platters. Shaking off the feeling, the artist slipped past filled tables with chatty students to the stairs that lead to the ground level. Choosing to be a bit sporty today, Baeri passed the elevator to the stairs and climbed them until she found herself in the hall that had changed her opinion of the school. She hooked her thumbs through her bag straps and sauntered through the corridor, passing a few doors until she had reached the one she was subconsciously looking for.

 

A subtle smile found her lips when she spotted the familiar shade of blue in the room, but it soon disappeared when she saw the expression he wore. For once Mark didn’t look like the easygoing boy he truly was; something heavy had fallen over him and it was noticeable in the way his eyebrows curled together into a frown. Baeri’s felt the urge to smooth out the creases, her slim fingers unintentionally searching for the cold metal of the door handle. She pushed it down, slowly slipping through the crack she had created into the room. The patter of her footsteps caught Mark’s attention but when he spotted who had just entered, the creases in his forehead only deepened.

 

“What are you doing here?” Baeri flinched at his harsh voice but didn’t stop approaching him until she was only a few feet away from him, the closest she had been to him in the past few days. “I’ve been looking for you,” she explained with a small voice, her fingers tightening around the straps of her backpack. She had been looking forward to this moment ever since Friday but this was definitely not how she expected it to be.

 

“Well, you found me,” Mark replied and fished his phone from his bag before plugging it into the sound system. Again with the harshness. Baeri frowned at his answer and took another step forward. “I haven’t seen you in days, man,” she said, running her eyes over the boy’s handsome profile. Even though he had cut his hair the week before, his bangs were already getting longer and nearly covering his eyes when he looked down.

 

“I’ve been busy,” came Mark’s quick reply before he looked up at her. “Who was that kid?”

 

Baeri frowned once again because she didn’t understand who he meant. “What kid?”

 

The brown haired had averted his eyes to his phone again and continued to slide his fingers across the screen, not responding to Baeri’s question. He didn’t need to, though, because she soon realized who he had meant with his words. “You mean Jaebum?”

 

“Possibly. Don’t really care for names.”

 

“What is your problem!” Baeri suddenly exploded when Mark uttered another answer that definitely showed another side of the boy. “He is my classmate and invited me to eat lunch with him because I didn’t have you with me for once, so I said yes!” she added, her heart furiously pumping blood through her veins because of the adrenaline boost she had gotten. She honestly didn’t understand why he had to respond like that. “You don’t even know him so you don’t need to be so rude about it. And you saw us? Why didn’t you join us!”

 

Mark looked up from his phone, his lips parted. “Rude,” he scoffed, repeating what Baeri had just said, and threw his phone onto the speaker, shaking his head before closing his eyes for a moment. He slipped his signature beanie from his head and combed a few fingers through his hair, not meeting eyes with the woman in the room when he spoke up again. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

 

Baeri frowned at his statement and lightly shook her head because she honestly didn’t understand what he was trying to say. “What is there to get, Mark?” she spoke softly. “Your behavior right now? Because I don’t get that. Or do you mean you suddenly ignoring me? Because trust me,” she pressed her lips together for a moment, “I most certainly don’t understand that either.”

 

Her voice trembled as she spoke, and for some reason tears began to pool in her eyes. She knew Mark had some sort of an effect on her but for her to become this emotional because of his behavior towards her? Kim Baeri was sure she had never felt like this before. But she didn’t like it. It weren’t tears of happiness in that moment – it were anything but positive things and Baeri didn’t know how to handle it. Mark’s eyebrows creased once again but this time it wasn’t out of frustration.

 

It was the pained expression Baeri wore at that moment that got to him. This wasn’t his intention.

 

Unconsciously, his feet carried him further into the room until he stood in front of the petite girl he had called his friend for the past weeks. Steadily, his hands found her shoulders and rest on her small frame, his lean fingers draped over her body before they slid down to the sides of her arms.

 

“I like you,” Mark said, his shaky voice barely above a whisper as he tightened his grip on Baeri’s upper arms. “And I actually had hope that you felt the same,” he continued as he continued to slide his hands down her arms until he had reached her hands. “But then you shared your thoughts on relationships and I lost every single fraction of that hope.”

 

His fingers slipped past Baeri’s wrists until he had reached her palms and held them, lifting them between their bodies. “Back then, when we were walking to your house, you said you felt like relationships were just boxes full of problems that you didn’t need in your life,” Mark spoke up again, his voice steadier this time as his fingers wrapped tighter around Baeri’s. “I want to change that idea.”

 

Even though Baeri’s mind was still a mess, realization dawned upon her because now she understood why Mark had acted the way he did. She hadn’t noticed back then but the conversation died from then on. Her comment had hurt him. And all for the wrong reasons.

 

“Mark -”

 

But when Baeri wanted to speak up, Mark intercepted. “I haven’t known you for as long as I wanted to but I like you. I know it because I feel it inside of me, and I’ve never felt this before so I’m sure it’s because of you,” he said and looked down at their entwined hands. Baeri was left speechless after his words because never had she thought this would ever happen without her being the one to confess first. Mark was right – they didn’t know each other for that long, but that didn’t matter. Baeri felt more than the simple ‘like’ for her friend.

 

“You may have your doubts and think that whatever I’m saying is utterly insane, but relationships develop as time passes, so please,” he spoke softly but the tone was desperate, and closed his eyes for a second before locking his gaze with Baeri’s, “take a chance with me?”

 

Baeri didn’t know when her emotions had gotten the best of her but somewhere during Mark’s confession, her tears had begun to flow uncontrollably, leaving long tracks down her peachy cheeks until they dangled along her jaw. Everything that had happened in the past weeks had led up to this and Baeri wasn’t sure whether she was ready to meet with the results. She had loved in silence and now she got called out. Was she really ready?

 

“Yes,” Baeri whispered with her voice thick of tears but her fingers tightening in Mark’s hands. “Yes,” she repeated more confident and nodded, releasing the breath that had been stuck in the moment Mark held her, into a smile. She trusted the sight to be pretty pathetic but something told her that the male didn’t mind; he was too happy to even respond. All she was met with was his ever bright smile, showcasing his perfect pearly whites, and a pair of arms around her body as she was pulled into a tight hug. Mark let out a laugh and tightened his grip on her, nestling his face in the crook of her neck.

 

Baeri felt her body tense at first but when she felt Mark’s warm body connect with hers and his arms hold her so affectionately, desperately as if she were the most precious person in his world, she eased into him. Her arms that had been hanging lifelessly along her body reached up until her fingers buried themselves into the fabric of his shirt, clinging onto him and pulling him closer. After another moment, Mark leaned away enough for him to see Baeri’s face and cupped her face wiping away her tears with his thumb, smudging the tracks until there was no trace of them left on her reddened cheeks. “Thank you,” he muttered softly and traced his eyes along her face until he reached her lips. Baeri felt herself flare up at this but didn’t move away.

 

“May I kiss you?” the question came out as a whisper and Mark’s eyes were anywhere but locked with Baeri’s but he didn’t need to.

 

“Yes,” Baeri whispered after a moment and rest her eyes when she felt Mark’s fingers that cupped her face slide to her air, entangling it with the strands as he inched his face closer until they connected, his lips on hers. The woman gasped internally and felt herself tense once again, her fingers gripping tighter on his shirt when he slanted his head to fit their lips better. Mark smiled into their kiss and after another infinite moment, leaned back but only enough for him to rest his forehead against Baeri’s.

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

The walk home couldn’t have been more awkward. His presence had always had a significant difference to her but now, with them being in the stage of ‘dating’, how was she supposed to act? There was still a small distance between them as they walked side by side – like always – and Mark still made small-talk – like always – so what was she required to do now there was a difference in their status?

 

As she was so lost in her thoughts, Baeri nearly walked into a lamp post but Mark just in time pulled her out of the path of doom by snaking his arm around her shoulders with an amused grin. “Maybe you should get your bangs cut again – walking into posts isn’t fun,” he joked but to Baeri’s disappointment, didn’t let go of her for the rest of their walk to her house. Now she couldn’t concentrate on her mental struggle at all.

 

It didn’t take long before they had reached her home. Mark’s arm was still in place but – thankfully – lifted when they had to fit through the gate that lead to Baeri’s front door. The woman dug for her keys in her pockets and mentally cheered when she felt the bundle of metal. Pulling them out, she moved to stick the right key into the door but Mark stopped her from doing so. Surprised, the artist looked up at him, lifting her eyebrows in question.

 

Mark smiled as he cocked his head. “Please don’t feel awkward around me, Baeri,” he said to the shorter girl and moved closer to her, slipping her hands into his. “There’s no need,” he added with a small smile before he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he smiled against her lips, slowly opening his eyes to meet with her fluttering ones. Damnit, the woman thought because if this was how he was going to make her feel every single time he kissed her, she would drive herself insane because of her awkwardness. “Yeah,” she breathed against his lips, still not entirely down to earth again but still managed to answer him. Mark grinned and playfully pressed another kiss to her lips before releasing her and hopping down the two steps that lead to the path that ran through the garden.

 

Waving with the same grin, he his heels and disappeared through the gate to the road. Baeri was still nailed to the ground, trying to comprehend what had just happened but it didn’t seem to work. But even though the woman still felt like she was dreaming, a smile tugged onto her face and her fingers reached for her lower lip, running it along the skin as she thought back to what just had happened.

 

The smile widened at the final realization.

 

Mark had stolen her heart and she was damned happy he had.

 

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