---

 

"I would give you the stars, or the moon, or even the sun if you asked for it."

She giggled, her laugh echoing in the quiet night. It was very enchanting, music to Mark's ears as he listened. "You're so cheesy you know that?" There it was, her honey-like voice. The one Mark kept wanting to hear. 

"I am cheesy, but only for you." Mark spoke in a quiet voice, almost a whisper, as if afraid to break the romantic air between the two of them.

She smiled. The smile Mark likes the most. "What's with you today huh?"

"Nothing." Mark smiled back, and as if gaining a new found strength, he said, "You know, I think I lik--"

 

*~HAJIMA HAJI HAJI HAJI HAJIMA~*

 

Mark groaned, hands itching to throw his phone to the wall to shut it up. The obnoxious alarm set on his phone by his so-called best friend is irritating him. What was once his favorite song got reduced to the song he wouldn't mind not listening for the rest of his life. He doesn't even know why he doesn't bother to change it.

After getting out of bed (Finally!) and showering, Mark headed to his car to go to his workplace. As much as Mark loves people, his job is to face different kinds of people -annoying and not- everyday which he sometimes get tired of. He first stopped by the nearest convenience store to grab a quick breakfast before making his way to the school where he teaches.

"Good morning Mr. Tuan."

"Good day sir!"

"Hi sir!"

"You look handsome today Mr. Tuan!"

And this is why Mark officially loves his job.

 

---

 

"Markiepooo~" 

"I told you not to call me that Jackson."

Said male tried to pout at Mark. Keyword being, "tried". Because he failed miserably. What would you do if you saw someone with big muscles acting cute? Yes, Mark was horrified at seeing all those act being put on by his best friend. "But that's my nickname for you!"

The latter only rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Which is the worst nickname you could ever give someone."

"Hey!"

Mark ignored the younger as he entered the teacher's office and settled his things on his desk aka the dullest desk in the whole office ("My desk is not dull!" Mark exclaimed but Jackson rolled his eyes. "Sure it isn't.") as nothing decorated the table, aside from the test papers and other school related stuff, in contrast to the desk of the other teachers.

"But Markiepoo~!" Jackson whined, settling himself on the chair beside the older's desk. "This is the greatest nickname you could ever have! And it's from me, THE Jackson Wang!"

He stayed quiet, not wanting to argue with the other because doing that will leave Mark in hell. Jackson would cling to him every chance he'll get and whine about how great he is and how nobody is greater than him. It's better to not step on that kid's ego. 

 

---

 

One thing Mark loves from his job is the joy of seeing his students in agony. Call him a sadist but the emotions contorted on their faces as they answer the test he prepared makes him think that it IS worthy of teaching students that wouldn't listen to him everyday. He thinks it's funny that they barely pay attention to their lessons yet they stare up at him now like pitiful puppies.

He sees a few students staring at the paper with a bored expression, and Mark immediately smirked, knowing that they plan on failing the test. He knows that it will happen, so to prevent it, he said out loud. "Okay class, those who get a perfect score for this exam will be exempted in the impromptu speaking next week." He said in perfect English, translating it to Korean after some students stared at him with a confused expression.

The class erupted in groans and Mark could hear a few profanities here and there but he couldn't care less. He smiled innocently as he sat on his chair, checking his wristwatch. "You may start... NOW."

The students immediately started in answering -or trying to think of answers and failing miserably- the test while Mark sat quietly on his chair, thinking of the dream he had last night. It was not a secret that Mark was a lucid dreamer. Someone who is aware that they are dreaming, and not in the real world. Mark thinks this is a blessing, knowing that only a few people were like him.

However, Mark thinks that what he actually considered as a blessing may actually be a curse. 

When he was just a little child, he was very outgoing and laid-back. He has tons of friends to play with and his family considered him a precious little diamond, giving in to whatever he wanted. He grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, yet he learned to be humble about it. When he was 20, that was when things took a dramatic change.

He became more distant, pushing people away from his life until only his best friend Jinyoung and his family were left. He stayed in his room to no end, sometimes only going out to eat but going back to his room shortly after. It pained his family to see their precious Mark turn from a joyful and friendly person, to someone who can be compared to the iceberg that made Titanic sink.

To Mark though, that was when his life turned for the better. He found out that he was a lucid dreamer through investigating ("Thank god for Google!") thouroughly. What's better is that he found out that in his dream world, lives a beautiful girl. The most beautiful girl he's ever seen in his life, excluding his mother and two older sisters.

Thanks to the help of Jinyoung and his family, he was able to go back to his old self. Not exactly the same, but at least he was able to go out of his room instead of sleeping everytime and possibly missing out on the "trends" as his best friend said.

He was pulled out of his reverie when the bell rang, signalling the end of classes. Mark tried to hide his smirk behind a blinding smile as he saw how reluctant his students was to pass the papers. As his students were piling out of the classroom, he received a phone call from the principal to inform him of a student's arrival and how she was assigned to his class. Mark couldn't be be any happier with the addition of what he treats as his "children" whom is very close to him.

 

---

 

Mark walked until he finally got to the lake he visits frequently. He looked around to see that his-- he stopped. What is she to him? A friend? A best friend?  A love interest? A crush? He doesn't know what to call her, for she is all of that. Yet he was hoping that someday, he can call her something else. Something that starts with a g and ends with a d. 

"What's got you thinking so hard?"

Mark jumped and turned around just as she giggled. "You're here!"

"Of course I'm here." She looked at him pointedly, laughing softly when Mark rolled his eyes. 

"Come sit here." Mark proceeded to pat the stone he was sitting on, scooting over to make some room for her. When she did, he started talking. "How was your day?"

She hummed. "It went fine." It was a short answer and she gave him a tight-lipped smile, eyes missing the usual sparkle that Mark liked. He wanted to ask her what's wrong but she would give her the same answer every time. "It's nothing, you're just overthinking." 

Silence soon took over them. It wasn't the awkward one, it was the comfortable silence as they appreciate nature. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining brightly over their heads, though they know that it's night in real life. Mark discreetly looked at her and found her glowing in the sun, smiling as a butterfly landed on her finger. It was a very cliché scene but he loved it. It reminded him of when they first met.

He doesn't think it's possible, but he thinks that he's falling for her more and more.

 

---

 

"Okay class, today we will have a new student." Mark announced with a big smile on his face. His statement was met with a lot of questions and confused faces though. 

"Now? But the sem's almost ending?"

"Is it a girl?"

"Why is she only transferring now?"

"Perhaps a boy sir?"

Mark laughed, holding his hand up. "Settle down guys, one question at a time." And he answered every question the best he can. The principal didn't exactly tell him everything about the new student. What a great principal. When someone knocked on the door, the class erupted into excited whispers and Mark held his hand up again, effectively shutting up the whole class.

"Please come in." He said out loud, hoping that the student can hear him.

Everyone's breath hitched when the door slowly opened to reveal a young lady, her hair blown by the wind as she entered the room with a bright smile.The new student bowed, smile still breathtaking. "Hello! I am--"

Mark's eyes widened. His mind going back to a memory of a certain dream​.

He was 20 when he first met her. A very unforgettable one at that. The sun was shining bright and the birds were chirping happily. Mark found himself overlooking a lake, sitting on a bench. He looked around, confused at how he got there.

Then, it clicked.

He was dreaming. Oh yeah, how could he forgot that he was a lucid dreamer. Stupid Mark.

He was about to enjoy the serene silence when he heard footsteps and-- was that giggling? He turned around, seeing a girl running after a white butterfly. The girl itself is wearing a white dress, looking like a goddess as her hair was blown by the wind. She seemed to notice that someone was looking at her and her eyes widened, movements stopping. 

"Oh."

Mark stood up, looking at her curiously. He's been a lucid dreamer all his life but he never met someone he didn't know in his dreams. What does this mean? "Uh, hi?" He said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, hello! It's nice to meet you! What's your name?" The girl smiled, making the insides of Mark's head feel strangely hazy and his whole body felt warm, as if he was under the sun for a long time. 

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Mark. Mark Tuan."

The unknown girl smiled brightly again. "I'm Suzy-"

She smiled at the students, turning sideways also to smile at her homeroom teacher. "Suzy-"

"-Bae." She continued, ing her hand out to offer a handshake. Mark accepted it with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you, Suzy Bae."

"-Bae!" The newcomer greeted warmly and enthusiastically. It made Mark feel the butterflies in his stomach he never thought he would feel in real life. The students were obviously in awe with her, as they all greeted her warmly, the boys eyeing her up and down. Mark felt his eye twitch in annoyance.

He cleared his throat and Suzy looked at him properly for the first time since she entered the classroom. He though he saw a hint of recognition flash through her eyes but he couldn't have been sure as he didn't have time to stare at her like he does when they are in their own little world. "Since you guys already met Suzy here, please treat her properly. I don't want any reports of any of you doing something wrong to her, alright?"

His class nodded, showing him mischievous smiles but nevertheless, Mark knew that they will treat Suzy well. 

"Ms. Bae, please sit there next to Mr. Choi." Mark glanced at her as he directed her to her seat, next to Youngjae who looks like he could rival a cherry. He held back a laugh at seeing one of his excellent students crushing on their new student, yet he could feel the green monster in his heart trying to crawl his way out.

"Today, we will be talking about verbs. Who can tell me what verbs are?"

Two hands shot up, and what a surprise. It's from Youngjae-

-and the other one's from Suzy.

 

---

 

"You didn't tell me you're a student."

Mark didn't mean to sound so accusing, he just felt a bit hurt that she hid that from him. His bottom lip juts out, and Suzy laughed because she reminded him of a lost puppy. "Well, you didn't tell me you're a teacher either."

"Touché"

Suzy giggled. "You don't exactly seem like a teacher, if that will make your ego okay."

Mark pinched her cheeks. "Yah, my ego is not big!"

"Sure it isn't."

He opted to glare at her, which only resulted to more giggles coming from . There was a comfortable silence after that, but he broke it after a while to ask what has been bothering his mind ever since. "Why did you only transfer now? It's the middle of the sem, almost nearing the end."

She smiled. "Just felt like it."

Mark's brows furrowed. She transferred to school in the middle of the semester just because she felt like it? He felt  like something's missing in the puzzle. There's something she isn't telling him.

And he's so damn determined to find out.

 

---

 

The class was noisy, everyone talking non-stop. It was one of the rare days where Mark gave them free time for his subject. They deserve it, after working hard on their speeches for their project in English.

He sat silently on the table, playing some game on the phone. Every now and then, he would glance up just to check if the classroom is still intact and his students haven't wrecked it because of their playful ways.

His eyes stayed a little too long on a girl with long hair and a breathtaking smile, talking to her friend. He felt the butterflies in his stomach, as if to slap him in the face that he was madly, hopelessly in love with her.

He watched as she took out her comb and gently combed her hair, still smiling softly and talking to Min. He smiled and went back to playing, not noticing how Suzy's face contorted into pain a few moments later, with Min asking if she was okay.

"I'm okay, nothing to worry about." She said softly, clutching her head. "Just a simple headache."

Min nodded, resuming to smiling and telling her about the new dance routine she made. "It was inspired by SNSD's dance, I really love them! Anyway, it starts with a spin move, wish I could demo it for you but our space is too cramped up, and then popping....." 

Suzy smiled as she nodded enthusiastically at the girl, discreetly throwing away something that suspiciously look like black strands to the bin, making sure that Min didn't notice.

 

---

 

Min, Fei, Jia, and Suzy were walking to the cafeteria, trying to find something that could clench their hunger. The four girls just came out of their classroom, talking and laughing loudly. The four of them became friends ever since Suzy transferred and they felt as if Suzy belonged to the group, like she was made to be there to fill in the spaces they can't fill.

Suzy had been nothing but adorable. She spoke softly and smile brightly. The three girls loved her a lot and spoils her. But of course, they also loved teasing her about the numerous glances their homeroom teacher throws to the girl's direction.

"Have you seen how he looks at her?!" Fei giggled. "He's totally in love!"

Suzy shook her head, smiling. "You guys are just imagining that!"

"No!" Jia all but shrieked, attracting the attention of other students. "I can't count with my fingers and toes how many times he looked at you with loving eyes." She wiggled her brows.

"That's true! One time I even caught him staring at her when we were taking our exam!" Min said in a not-so-quiet voice.

The girls continued to giggle and swap stories of catching Mark looking at their friend when they noticed that she looked pale and was sweating a lot. Her gaze was also unfocused and she looked around, as if looking for something.

"Suzy? Are you okay?" Jia asked, shaking the girl's shoulders lightly. The gesture however, made the girl feel worse and she clamped a hand on , trying not to throw up on the spot. "I-i'm gonna go to the bathroom." She excused, running away from them to go to the nearest bathroom.

Fei looked like she wanted to follow her but decided against herself. "What's wrong with her?"

Min shook her head, shrugging. "I don't know. But lately, she's been acting weird. You know, she's so unfocused on classes. And then she gets dizzy a lot, she almost fainted in dance class!"

The girls sighed, silently agreeing to ask the girl what's wrong as they continued their way to the cafeteria with worried hearts.

 

---

 

The weeks passed and Mark was looking forward more and more to his classes. It may be due to him being biased that Suzy is there, but there's a certain bounce in his every step that certainly wasn't there before. Before he knew it, his desk that had nothing on it slowly got filled with photographs of his class. 

"Sir Mark!" Jaebum, their class president, called out to Mark before he entered the teacher's office. Along with him was the whole class (Including Suzy) who was peering up at him, all wearing mischievous smiles.

"Yes?" He furrowed his brows.

"Hold him!" Jaebum commanded, and before he knew it, he was held in the arm by Yugyeom and Jungkook. He tried struggling, but the two youngest happened to also be the strongest so he just gave up.

"What are you guys doing?!"

The two brought him inside, sat him on his chair and tied him up using a rope that Taehyung brought with him. Mark squirmed, ears going red as the other teachers stared at him. This is so shameful! He cursed every student in his class and thought of giving them detention for the whole week. 

As the students fiddled with his desk ("Watch it! There are test papers there and I swear to God if any of you cheated-"), he whispered to Jackson not-so-quietly to ask him to untie his hands and legs from his chair.

Jackson, who was staring dreamily at one of Mark's student ("Jackson, stop goggling at Youngji and untie me!"), smirked and shook his head. "I'm sorry Markiepoo~" Mark growled. "I like seeing you like that so- I'm out!" He laughed, turning back to his desk and pretending to finish some school work.

Then, they finally stepped back and revealed his desk. It was nicely decorated, the dividers full of pictures along with the words "Sir Mark <3 K Class". Mark held back a smile as he shooed the students out of the room.

"Yah get out if you don't want detention for the whole week!"

"We love you sir!"

Mark sat back on the his now colorful desk, pretending to be pissed as but he was actually trying hard not to smile widely as his insides feel warm, touched by the effort of his beloved class.

Now, he arrived at his desk with a light smile on his face. The atmosphere was weird, at least to Mark. The teachers' faces were grim, speaking quietly and seriously. When they saw Mark, they told him to go up to the fourth floor, as the principal wanted to speak to him.

Mark felt nervous, he tried to recall if he had done something wrong for him to be fired. He hope that he wouldn't be, as he very much loved his class, as well as his job. When he got there, he knocked twice before entering.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" He asked politely, bowing.

Their principal, Kim Youngmin, grunted and gestured for him to take a seat which the young teacher did so. He played with his fingers, biting his lower lip nervously as he waited for the older man to speak. "It's something about the new student, Suzy Bae."

Mark's senses suddenly heightened, alarmed at what Youngmin was going to say. "W-what is it?" He cursed himself for stuttering, deeming him guilty of whatever he assumed the principal was going to accuse him.

"She's dropping out."

He tensed.

 

---

 

Everybody was quiet. 

The teacher's room was wrapped in deafening silence, unlike it's comfortable silence before. She was a very brilliant student, always reciting in class. It's not as a surprise that teachers favored her a lot. And because a lot of people was fond of her, a lot were also affected when she dropped out. 

The K class was surprisingly quiet, which is a feat, considering how they're one of the noisiest classes in the university. Everybody was affected by the fact that Suzy Bae suddenly left, without a sudden goodbye. Even Choi Youngjae, their class sunshine, was so down he couldn't even show his bright-as-a-sun smile.

Mark was the most affected person. Everyone could see that the sparkle in his eyes faded weeks ago, when their new student dropped out. It was no secret to everyone how he adored her, secret glances, bright smiles, a bounce in his step, it was all obvious to them that Mark loves Suzy so much. It literally wrecked him when she dropped out.

His eyebags could rival those of a panda's and his eyes were red, as if he was crying all the time. There was also a permanent frown etched on his face. It's like the previous Mark, the one they loved, is gone and was replaced by a lifeless robot. It was heartbreaking.

 

---

 

"Why did you drop out?" Mark asked quietly, head hung low.

Suzy didn't respond, opting to just smile lightly. If Mark looked up, he could have seen how sad and miserable her eyes looked like. He could have seen the changes in her, yet he didn't.

"Where are you?" He looked up, eyes filled with hope that she couldn't bear to shatter. But she has to, for everyone's good.

"I'm somewhere." Her eyes flashed with something Mark couldn't recognize but it was gone as soon as it had come. "Somewhere I belong."

Mark looked at her pleadingly. "Please, just tell me. I can't bear not seeing you, not being able to hold you, not being able to breathe the same air as you. At least tell me why you dropped out. Please." His voice cracked, eyes glazing over with unshed tears he would never admit.

Suzy sighed. "I'm in the hospital."

His eyes widened. "W-what?"

 

---

 

Mark chewed on his bottom lip. He would do anything right now just not to be in the principal's office. It felt like being a student all over again, except he wasn't.

"I don't understand Mr. Tuan!" Youngmin stated angrily, pacing back and forth. "You're one of my best English teachers and suddenly, you couldn't do anything right! What do you think will parents say if their children can't learn anything in here?" He glared. "The school will have a very bad reputation and it's gonna be all because of you!"

"I'm sorry." Mark bowed his head, unable to look at the older man in front of him.

Youngmin scoffed. "Sorry? Your sorry won't do anything good! Tell me, Mr. Tuan, is it because of that transferee who dropped out?"

Mark tensed, yet he kept his silence.

"So it is. Young Mark is in love huh?" The principal laughed humorlessly. "Were you heartbroken because she left? Afraid you can't contact her anymore, Tuan?" 

"...no sir." He mumbled.

Youngmin hit the table with so much force it almost broke, and the sound startled Mark. "Look here, Mr. Tuan. I don't care if you're heartbroken or what but I am not having any sloppy teaching at my school. Either you gather yourself together or you say goodbye to the school, to your students, and to your job! I could easily report you to authorities, you're seeing an underage!"

Mark kept his eyes down. "I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't!"

With that, he was dismissed with a glare on his back.

Mark couldn't believe what was happening to him right now. He was in between a forked path and he has to choose whether it be his passion or the girl he loves. Whether he leaves his students and go after her or stay and ultimately move on and find another girl. To him, the latter seems like the most correct choice and with a heavy heart, he went back to the office.

"I have decided. I'm not going to leave the school. I will work hard from now on. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Youngmin smirked. "Good choice, Mr. Tuan."

 

---

 

JB frowned as he was taking notes of History of Literature from the powerpoint Mark has presented. If their homeroom teacher was sad in the past few weeks, today, he is downright miserable. Every trace of happiness is flushed out of his body, and everyone can see that.

"The tragedian Sophocles wrote Oedipus Rex also known as Oedipus the King. Can anybody tell me what's the story?" Mark said in a dull voice.

JB raised his hand. 

"Yes Jaebum?"

"He married his own mother and killed his own father." 

"Correct. Now-" Mark blinked when the younger raised his hand again. "Yes JB?"

"Rather than talk about a tragic story, can we just know who you are?"

Mark furrowed his brows. "I'm Mark, your homeroom teacher. Why-"

Bambam stood up, collecting his things and Mark frowned. "Sit down Bambam, we're in the middle of the lesson." Bambam smirked. "Lesson? You call this a lesson when we can't even understand a thing?" But he sat down nevertheless, still afraid of the other.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not the same. You changed." JB interjected, shaking his head as if disappointed. "You're not Sir Mark. The the homeroom teacher we know is cheerful, patient, and explains thoroughly."

"I am explaining thoroughly, what else do you want Jaebum?" Mark's voice was stern, almost cold, and his gaze hardened. JB knew that he was pissed off that's why he started calling him by his full name.

"We know you miss her."

Mark's stern gaze faltered and a lot of emotions passed through his eyes. Sadness, anger, heartbreak, but his gaze returned to the emotionless state it was before. "I don't know what you're talking about." He turned around, determined to get through the lesson instead of talk about what he's feeling with his students. It is, after all, his job to teach, not to gossip.

But his students had other ideas.

"Sir please, we wanna help you. Just tell us what's bothering you." A soft voice said, and Mark turned to see Youngjae looking at him pleadingly. "We just wanna help, please let us help."

Mark shook his head, but the tears had already pooled in his eyes. "No." He croaked, voice breaking as a sudden surge of sadness went through him. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and he was not having one in front of his students.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Jia smiling softly at him. "It's okay oppa." She smiled, dropping the honorifics. "It's okay to cry." And that was the cue for Mark as his tears fell down his cheeks and he broke down.

Everyone stood up and hugged him, trying to comfort him. They all exchanged sad smiles as Mark covered his face, sobbing. "It hurts. It hurts so much." 

"We know." JB said, rubbing his back. "We know hyung. We know how you loved us so much you gave her up just to stay with us."

"W-wha-" Mark's eyes widened. "H-how do you know that?"

Yugyeom shook his head. "That's not important. What's important is that you-" He took Mark's hand and placed it on his chest. "-follow your heart. Do what makes you happy hyung, we won't mind."

Mark looked confused but Taehyung opened the door. "Well what are you waiting for? Follow your heart, sir." He smiled, his lips forming a box-shaped grin and Mark's insides felt warm.

"Thank you." He mumbled loud enough then he was out of the door.

Kim Youngmin, losing his job, not earning money. All that matters is finding Suzy. And he will, even if he has to go to hell and follow her.

"Wait for me, Suzy."

 

---

 

"How are you?"

"I'm fine." She said but her body says the opposite. She's thinner than when he last saw her. Her skin unnaturally pale and her eyes drooped, wanting to close but the girl couldn't do that. Not when he's here.

"Liar."

She chuckled. "It's better to lie than to tell you the truth." 

Mark's eyes watered. "Why." It wasn't even a question. His voice held so many emotions that he has to swallow the lump in his throat to prevent from breaking down again. He already broke down in front of his students, he can't do that to Suzy too. 

"Because you'll find me. And I don't want you to see me in this state." She said, eyes never leaving the water.

"What state?" He asked, panic and worry rising inside of him. 

Suzy waved a hand, giggling. "Nothing, stop worrying."

But Mark couldn't find it in himself to laugh with her. Instead, he took her hand and gently tipped her chin using his finger to make her look at him. "Don't leave me." He tried to prevent it, he swore he tried but his voice still cracked. "Don't leave me, Suzy."

"I won't."

"Promise me."

She smiled, leaning her forehead on his. "I promise."

 

---

 

Jinyoung cursed, typing in Mark's password on the keypad and entering the unit. "Yi-En!"

He was answered with silence, just like how it is when they were 20. He cursed again and entered the bedroom, finding the one he is looking for. "Yi-En come on, wake up." He coaxed, kneeling down beside the bed and shaking the man's shoulders. "Yi-En wake up!"

"Jinyoung?" 

He turned around to see his friend entering the room. "Jackson! What happened?"

Jackson sighed, rubbing his temple. "He broke down in school, got fired, then fainted on the side of the road. It's a good thing that my fencing classes were outside and I saw him immediately."

Jinyoung glanced at the sleeping male then turned back to Jackson. "Can you get me some medication for headache, water, a basin, and a towel? He'll need it when he wakes up." Jackson nodded and went outside to get the said things. Jinyoung sighed and shook Mark's shoulders, yelling loud enough to startle him. "Yi-En wake the up!"

The other jumped up, opening his eyes as he looked around. "J-jinyoung?"

"Yes Yi-En, it's me. Now get up and get changed. You stink."

Mark looked at him blankly. "You ruined it."

Jinyoung's brows furrowed. "Ruined what?" Mark clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes in irritation. "You ruined my dream!"

"For 's sake Yi-En, it was just a dream!"

"Just a dream?" Mark jumped up, eyes dark as he gripped on the other's collar. "It isn't just a ing dream! She was supposed to tell me where she is and you ruined it all! You shouldn't have woken me up!"

Jinyoung grunted, using all his strength to remove the fists that almost choked him. "Get off of me!" He coughed as the other released him. After his coughing fit, he sent a sarcastic smile to his best friend, rolling his eyes. "Wow, this is what I get for caring huh? This is what I get for trying to save you from depression? This is what I get for trying to save your life? This is what I get after abandoning a surgery to save a person's life just to comfort my best friend?" He laughed loudly just as Jackson entered the room, holding the things and holding the things Jinyoung told him to bring.

"What's happening here?" He asked, but Jinyoung just snatched the things out of his hand and placed it on the bedside table. 

His voice is cold, as well as his eyes when he spoke to his bestfriend. "Take this to remove the headache and let Jackson help you in cleaning your body with the towel. I have a surgery, I gotta go." He turned to go out but Mark gripped his wrist. "W-wait, Jinyoung-"

"What."

"I'm s-sorry. I didn't m-mean to choke you."

Jinyoung laughed humorlessly. "I'm sure you didn't. You just did it because of 'her' right?" He removed his wrist from Mark's hand and continued walking out. "I ruined your precious dream right? Well gues what, Mark." He spat, turning around to face Mark. "You ruined our 15-year friendship." And with that, he was out the door.

Mark sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "!"

 

---

 

Mark, whether he liked it or not, became what he was years ago when he just stepped on his 20's. He's so withdrawn it felt like he travelled to the future and when he came out, he got bewildered at how advanced the technology is.

He was certain that he looked like a hobo, if that wasn't proven by the way Jackson reacted when he saw him yesterday ("What the hell man?! I ing thought some homeless person broke into your apartment!"), then he doesn't know what else proves it.

He spent a lot of time just sleeping, dreaming, and convincing Suzy to somehow give him a clue on where she is. He's spent 2 weeks doing literally nothing, because the girl won't budge and just continued to smile at him like nothing is wrong. He also videochats the class sometimes, and after he got fired, they were given to the hands of Jackson's good friend, Namjoon.

It didn't lessen Mark's closeness to the K Class. He also met Namjoon a lot of times and he can honestly say that he can take care of the class well. Nevertheless, they complained about how they missed Mark and how Namjoon's tests were harder than his, and how Namjoon's face is such a sore in the morning unlike Mark's (Which they got rewarded by an eraser to their head and a ten pages essay about Sophocles and his works).

Those were the times when Mark would wonder if he made the right choice of giving up his beloved job to search for Suzy. 

But then nightime would come and he would get to talk and laugh and play with her again. Mark would then assure himself that yeah, giving up everything for her is not a bad choice. Searching for her is more important, anyway.

Mark mourns for the loss of his bestfriend too. He regrets his actions so much. He wants to apologize, but everytime he would call him, it gets sent to voicemail. Texting him wouldn't work either because Jinyoung's just gonna ignore every text.

He knows he's done bad when Jinyoung called him Mark. Growing up with him, Jinyoung has taken to calling him his birthname, Yi-En. And when Jinyoung called him Mark, he knows that the younger has been very mad and he may as well be serious with his threat of ending their friendship. Mark allows only family and special friends to call him that. He was actually hoping that someday, Suzy would call him Yi-En, not Mark. Because Suzy is very special to him.

Mark's wallowing was cut short when his phone vibrated, the vibrations causing tingles to travel through his right thigh as the annoying song Jinyoung set starts to reach his ears. Before the lyrics are even uttered, he answered the call, not minding to look at the caller id.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Mark Tuan?"

"Yes it is, who is it?"

"I'm Irene Bae, I'm Suzy unnie's sister."

Mark's breath hitched.

 

---

 

(Please play Butterfly by BTS. It would really fit this scene :"> )

 

Mark ran as fast as he could, not minding the weird looks being sent his way. The bus stop was far from his unit but he ran all the way there, because he had  to catch the last bus, he couldn't miss it.

His tears ran down his face as he got there just in time for the bus to close it's doors. "Wait!" He called and slipped inside before the door can fully close. His entrance caught the attention of many people, but they were surely surprised when they saw the distraught look on his face.

An elderly couple was kind enough to scoot over at the back of the bus to give him some seat, which Mark was very greatful of. After bowing to the couple, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the window beside him, tears still running down his face.

"H-how did you get my number?"

"I saw it from unnie's phone. I knew I had to call you, she's been calling your name ever since she got to sleep."

"What happened?"

"They're doing a surgery on her tonight at 11 PM. The doctors said that there's a chance that the surgery wouldn't be s-successful." Her voice broke and he heard her inhale sharply, as if trying not to cry. "I know unnie had to see you, before the surgery. You're all she talks about."

Mark didn't hesitate to grab his coat and as he was wearing his shoes, he asked. "Where are you?"

"I'll just text you the address."

A loud beep forced Mark out of his flashback and he looked to the front to see that there was heavy traffic. He looked at his watch. 10:48 PM 

"." He cursed, effectively getting a glare from the elderly couple. "I'm not gonna get there in time, ." He stood up, making his way to the front of the bus. "Sir, how far is Seoul Hospital?" He asked the driver.

"Seoul Hospital? From here you'll get there about 20 minutes on car. But 30-40 minutes on foot. But if you're stuck on traffic like this, it'll take you an hour to get there." The driver said, honking to get the attention of the cars in front and take the hint to stop blocking the way.

He cursed again. "I'm getting off please." 

As soon as the bus doors opened, Mark took off and ran, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he ran with only the intention of reaching the hospital. It didn't matter how far it is, he would do it to see Suzy one more time.

"The doctors said that there's a chance that the surgery wouldn't be s-successful."

The tears were running down his face again, indicating how much he longed to see Suzy. His phone beeped, and he took it out. 11 PM. And he hoped and prayed to God for the surgery to be successful, because he doesn't know what to do if he won't get another chance to see her again. To hold her again. And suddenly, the memories start flooding in.

"I'm Suzy Bae."

He wants to hear her giggle as she introduce herself again.

"You're so cheesy you know that?"

He'll be cheesy all his life if it meant that Suzy will live longer. 

"What's got you thinking so hard?"