Hello, Dear Readers!

I decided to update a little early since this is a bit of an interim chapter, so I'll be posting the next chapter VERY soon! Anyway, hope you'll enjoy it!  (*^_^)

Chapter 17

It was Mark's first night in his own place. The furniture had been delivered and he had just finished packing away the linens, utensils and accessories he'd need for the bathroom and kitchen.

The place was small, but it was laid out very well. He didn't need much space, now that he was living alone and, actually he felt more comfortable not having a lot room to knock around in. He had just enough to suit his needs and nothing more.

He had never been an ostentatious type of person. That didn't mean that he didn't like nice things, it just meant that he never felt the need to show off. For him, a sofa was for comfort, not for fashion. He wanted to be able to sink down into it cozily and feel at home, not sit up stiffly like he'd invaded the space of some trendy, but cold, museum piece.

Jackson had already phoned up about housewarming parties. He'd told off YoungJae for not having had one yet and he called to make sure that Mark would be having one soon. Really, Jackson just wanted an excuse to hang out. He was one of the most extroverted, gregarious people Mark had ever known, always happiest when he was surrounded by his friends.

Jackson always cheered him up and took him out of himself; he would never be lonely or feel down for very long as long as Jackson was around. And Mark loved him for it.

This was going to be the first night Mark would be sleeping alone since he left JinYoung and he wasn't looking forward to it. He had to admit, after all the nights they'd spent together, he would really miss falling asleep in YoungJae's arms. There was something so comforting about the feel of it: another human with a beating heart and warm skin pressed close to him. Sometimes, YoungJae would his back or his hair until he fell asleep. It was so nice to feel his caring caress as he slipped into dreamland.

JaeBum has no idea what he's missing, he smiled to himself.

Those two were bordering on the ridiculous: they hadn't moved one step forward in weeks. Well, it was their business, but if they left it any longer, Mark had a feeling that Jackson might decide to get involved in order to move things along.

If they know what's good for them, they'd better get going on their own before he feels the need to intervene.

It was getting late and Mark could no longer avoid it: he had to go to bed. He had a very busy day planned for tomorrow.

The café would be opening soon and tomorrow was the day he would begin interviewing for positions. He had to be alert and observant if he wanted to hire competent staff. BamBam would be there to help, but he would need a good night's sleep if he wanted to be at his best to evaluate this first string of applicants.

So, like it or not, it was off to bed for him.

Alone.

*                                 *                                 *                                 *                                 *

"Aren't we finished yet? It looks finished to me," JinYoung complained.

Mark held a shell in his hand and was pressing out shapes around one of the upper walls of a sand castle. It was made out of sand, but the emphasis was definitely on 'castle'. It was large and elaborate and looked like something that would have taken hours and hours to build.

"Just a few final touches," Mark said, concentrating.

"We came here to have fun. This was fun, but now I want to do something else before it gets dark," JinYoung whined.

"There's a lot of time left before it gets dark, JinYoung-ah," Mark murmured distractedly. "Just . . .  "

"No!" JinYoung shouted, suddenly reaching over and grabbing the shell out of Mark's hand.

"HEY!"

"You can't get me," he sang as he took off half-dancing, half-running down the beach.

"Wait 'til I catch you," Mark smiled as he took off running.

But no matter how fast he ran, he didn't seem to be covering any ground.

And JinYoung, still laughing and dancing as he ran, was getting farther and farther away.

"JinYoung! JinYoung-ah! I . . . . . . I . . . . . . can't . . . . ." Mark called, but the distance between them kept growing and growing.

Then suddenly, it was night.

Mark couldn't see anything. He was surrounded by darkness. He could only hear the sound of the waves washing up, against and into the sand.

"JinYoung-ah! Where are you? Come back! I can't see you!" he yelled.

Then just as suddenly as darkness had descended, Mark found himself standing next to an old-fashioned streetlamp. It gave off a very faint glow of light. As he stood next to it, he peered out into the darkness, but he still could see nothing.

"JinYoung! Come back! JinYoung-ah!"

Then he awoke with a gasp.

And JinYoung's name on his lips.

*                                 *                                 *                                 *                                 *

Mark was halfway through his interviews for the day, but he still hadn't found anyone he considered suitable for managing the place. He was looking for three managers and had already interviewed five people. But not one was right for the job.

He thought that maybe his horrible night's sleep had had something to do with it. After his nightmare, he lay alone in the dark just staring at the faint outlines of things in the room; things he could barely make out. But he tried with all his might to concentrate on them. He tried not to let his mind wander. But it always did.

Back to him.

He could still see JinYoung's smiling face as he on that beach in his dream. He could see the sway of his body as he danced around, laughing at Mark, willing him to follow after him with his magnetic, shining eyes.

He could still feel the panic of losing sight of him.

He could still feel the loss of losing him.

So, he lay there for hours, his mind not resting, his body not sleeping. With JinYoung dancing before his eyes.

But, it turned out that he wasn't the only one who thought none of the candidates fit. BamBam didn't think anyone had, either.

"It's a shame you can't be a manager," Mark sighed after the fifth unsuitable applicant had left.

"I wish I could,. Better pay," BamBam smiled. "But it's impossible. I can't. Not with my studies."

"Tell me the truth, is it just me or . . . "

"It's not just you. Believe me, none of them fit. . . . . . But, maybe you'll have better luck this afternoon," he said cheerfully.

Mark smiled weakly. He still felt tired and worn, but BamBam's optimism gave him the strength not to just grouch his way half-listening through interviews and staring blearily at documents for the rest of the day. His smile, encouragement and enthusiasm made Mark almost feel as though he'd had a strong, hot cup of coffee.

"Ah, pull yourself together, boss," BamBam said. "Here's the next one."

A very handsome, raven-haired man walked in. When Mark looked at his face he felt, at once, confused. On the one hand his expression said 'no nonsense', but when he smiled, he had . . . cute teeth?

"I'm here for the interview," he stated approaching the table Mark had set up.

Mark stood to bow and shake his offered hand.

"I'm Mark Tuan. I'll be conducting the interview."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr Tuan. My name is Kim HimChan."

*                                 *                                 *                                 *                                 *

The next applicant showed no promise, but Mark was relieved that he had found at least one manager. Kim HimChan's resume was no joke: he had a lot of experience and had just returned from a training course in Italy where he'd learned the newest techniques in coffee brewing, flavour mixtures and beverage design. He was also very personable and  extremely handsome.

"He'll have the place packed with university girls in no time," BamBam grinned.

Yeah, girls . . .

At the end of the interview with the next candidate, Mark was thinking, don't call us, we'll call you. He started to believe that Kim HimChan was just a lucky blip on an otherwise disappointingly blank screen. Both he and BamBam were starting to feel despondent and Mark was already wording another ad in his head, when the next applicant arrived. He had a bright, white smile and was very lively.

Even though he cracked jokes during the interview, he seemed very knowledgeable about both front and back service in service establishments. BamBam seemed impressed and according to his resume he was very experienced. All that was left was to check his references. But if they panned out, Mark got his second manager.

"Thank you for coming in, Mr Hwang. You'll be hearing from me very soon."

"I'll look forward to it," he replied.

And with that, Hwang KwangHee, after a firm handshake and a friendly wink, left.

It was almost the end of the day and time for the final interview.

"Hello, my name is Kim Ki-Bum. Pleased to meet you."

As Mark showed Ki-Bum, or Key as he told Mark he preferred to be called, around the café during the final stage of the interview, this applicant made a lot of comments concerning the style and the effectiveness of certain aspects of the design with regard to service.

He certainly has no problem speaking his mind.

But, Mark took note of his recommendations.

And criticisms. They seemed well-considered and made sense.

Once he left, Mark asked BamBam what he thought of him.

"He's a little bossy and very . . . um . . . 'confident', but he seems to know what he's doing. And he's pretty witty. He made me laugh a few times and fun is really important during long shifts," BamBam remarked.

"I like him," Mark said, smiling.

"I like him, too," BamBam laughed.

Key was outgoing and exceptionally honest: he was the sort of person who would let you know if he thought something was wrong. He certainly didn't give the impression that he would just agree with everything you said or did, even if you were his boss and Mark knew he needed that. It was so hard to find someone who would tell you the truth.

JinYoung used to be that person for me . . .

When he was designing the hotel and spa, even though he was no expert, JinYoung would freely and confidently give Mark his honest opinion about his designs, no holds barred. He never babied him. That was something Mark had always appreciated about him: he was honest and straightforward.

Mark smiled at the memory.

Then he remembered MiRa, and that night.

When had JinYoung started being dishonest? When had he stopped thinking he could trust me enough to tell me the truth, even if he thought it would hurt me?

The smile slowly slipped from his face.

Why was he even thinking of JinYoung anyway?

JinYoung isn't here anymore.

*                                 *                                 *                                 *                                 *

He now had his three managers.

Now it was on to phase two: hiring server/baristas, and both Key and HimChan would be available to help him choose, so between the four of them, the fun was about to begin.

The interviews for servers took place over three days: there were a lot of applicants because Mark — after listening to Key's and HimChan's advice — included in the advertisement that experience was preferred, but not necessary. Both experienced managers were of the opinion that anyone could be trained to do this job if they were disposed to, so the most important things were for them to have a good attitude, a willingness to learn, a good work ethic and a sense of teamwork. BamBam was living proof that that philosophy was effective, so it made sense to Mark. Plus, it would have been hard to oppose Key on anything he was convinced about, but in the short time he knew them he was also able to figure out that disagreeing with Key and HimChan once they'd joined forces was . . . inadvisable.

It seemed like every university student was looking for the kind of job on offer, especially at such a good rate of pay. At the end of the three days of back-to-back interviews, Mark thought he might need a week's holiday to recover, but after discussing it with the other three and all of them coming to an agreement, they filled the positions and were able to prepare the schedule.

                                                 Roster

6:00-12:00                           12:00-18:00                         18:00-00:00

HimChan (M)                          Mark (M)                               Key (M)

JunHong                                 BamBam                               DaeHyun

JongUp                                   YuGyeom                              RyeoWook

                                              SungJong

Rotating Manager: Kwang-Hee

Rotating Server/Baristas: Kevin, Ren, WooHyun

Once he had taken a look at the finished roster, the realisation hit him for the very first time: this was really going to happen.

Mark's new dream was about to come true.

*                                 *                                 *                                 *                                 *

Although things at the café were going smoothly, things at home weren't going so well.

Mark had begun to hate sleeping for one simple reason.

Every night, he'd begun to dream of JinYoung.

And tonight would be no different.

*                                 *                                 *                                 *                                 *

JinYoung was sitting in front of a racing game, concentrating intently on the screen before him.

"Hey," Mark said draping his arms around him as he leaned on the back of his seat.

JinYoung looked up and smiled at him for only a second, unwilling to take his eyes off the game for any more than that until it was over.

"Ah, JinYoung-ah! You scored high!" Mark praised as he finished the game.

JinYoung patted his thigh, motioning for Mark to come and sit down. Mark, once perched on his lap, draped his arms around JinYoung's neck and looked into his eyes.

"I was going to get something to drink. Do you want anything?"

JinYoung looked at him with bedroom eyes.

"Anything you want to give me," he said provocatively.

"Come on, JinYoung . . . " Mark whispered, " . . . not here."

"You're no fun," he smiled playing with Mark's hair. "Okay. Just some water. And . . . . . . a kiss," he said.

Mark leaned in intending to give him a peck on the lips, but JinYoung pulled him in tightly and kissed him passionately.

"Jin . . . . JinYoung . . . . mmph . . . JinYoung-ah . . ." he tried, but JinYoung's mouth just moved vigorously over his, his tongue Mark's lips before slipping in between them and plunging inside.

Mark moaned as he returned JinYoung's  hungry yearning in earnest, feeling their tongues flick against and caress one another as they exchanged deep kisses. Their breathing became heavier and heavier as their appetite for each other grew.

But then, their kisses slowed and became less passionate and more playfully affectionate as they tapered off sweetly, finally ending with brief touches as they pressed their lips simply against each other's. Mark looked at JinYoung with his arms still draped around his neck and smiled as JinYoung clutched his waist lovingly.

"I'll go get the drinks and be right back," Mark said and he gave JinYoung another quick peck on the lips before hurrying off.

He brought the drinks back to where JinYoung had been sitting.

But he was no longer there.

"JinYoung . . . . . . JinYoung-ah! . . . . ." he called.

And he kept calling and calling him with increasing anxiety and desperation until he finally woke up with a start with JinYoung's name again on his lips.

The dreams changed every night. Sometimes Mark and JinYoung were at the cinema. Sometimes sitting in a restaurant. In one dream they were even on a train platform waiting to leave on holiday, but the endings were always the same.

JinYoung would disappear without a trace and Mark would call his name until the nightmare of not being able to find him, woke Mark up. Afterwards, he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep for hours. But would instead lie in the darkness, with JinYoung's face always before his eyes.

JinYoung-ah . . .

*                                 *                                 *                                 *                                 *

"You look awful!"

"Thanks, Jackson. Nice to see you, too," Mark said sarcastically. "You never mince words, do you?"

"No. But that's why you love me," Jackson said, slinging his arm around Mark's shoulder while smiling prettily at him. "No, but honestly Hyung, you look exhausted. I'm glad those renovations are going to be over soon if this is what they're doing to you."

"It's not the renovations, Jackson. I'm just not sleeping too well these days."

"That's all? I thought it was something serious! If it's just a good night's sleep you need, I know exactly what you should do. You need to work out, Hyung! Come over to the centre. After a few rounds, once you get home, you'll be asleep before your head hits the pillow."

Mark sighed.

"Falling asleep is not my problem," Mark said. Then he told Jackson about his recurring dreams, or rather nightmares.

So, he really did it, huh? JinYoung really let him go for good . . . after all these years . . . Incredible!

Jackson made a mental note to give JinYoung a little more than a piece of his mind if he ever saw him again.

And what he had in mind to give him would be hard, painful and very thump-like.

"I still think working out would do you good, Hyung," Jackson said, leaving his fantasy of giving JinYoung a thumping and coming back to the conversation. "It's not just for your body, you know, it'll help clear your mind. You need to get rid of some of that stress. Your brain is working overtime, that's what's causing your problem. All that stress," Jackson declared.

"Oh, and you're an expert now," Mark teased.

"When it comes to stress, yes. Look, come to the centre and try it out. I guarantee you'll feel better and get a good night's sleep for once."

"Oh, you guarantee it? So, what happens if it doesn't work? What do I get, Mr Bluffer?"

"You'll have to . . . *ahem* . . . work out . . . *cough* . . . the details with . . . *cough, cough* GaYeon," Jackson joked. "She's the one you'll have to go to if you have any complaints."

Mark smiled to himself, shaking his head.

*                                 *                                 *                                 *                                 *

"Don't be too hard on me," Mark requested, fully outfitted in training gear, and all ready to go. "I haven't worked out in a while."

"I won't be hard on you at all, because I won't be the one training you."

"Wha . . ."

"GaYeon!" Jackson shouted. "Your seven o' clock is here!"

As I mentioned at the beginning, this is an interim chapter. I needed to establish some things in order to set the stage for what's coming up. There will only be a few characters who work in the café who you will see again, but for the most part, they won't be coming up much in this story.

I think I should mention again that this is going to be one of those long-haul fics, so I hope that you can stay with it through all the twists and turns. I think it will be worth it! I hope you'll think that too! (*^_^)

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