(Hello! Just a quick a/n: please do not be confused of the random numbers every now and then. They're not typos. They're there to indicate their age. *winks*)

17/

A dull thud on his temple was the first thing Jinyoung registered that morning; followed by a faint noise that seemed to sound very much alike his older sister. Eyelashes flattering, he hesitantly opened an eye as he realized that the previously muffled noise was becoming louder, and it was coming from his starting to be very pissed, older sister. There was a frown on his face as he slowly sat up on his bed and wondering why he was being awakened at a very ungodly hour.

His vision was still a bit unfocused as he tried to make out the figure of his sister standing at his bedroom door with a hand on her waist and the other holding a plushie waiting to be thrown any minute now. Confusion was first thought that flashed on his mind, but he figured he should be more annoyed since he slept late last night watching random YouTube videos in his phone. It would really nice of if his sister would be really considerate enough to let her beloved little brother to have enough time to sleep. Park Jinyoung is still a growing boy after all.

“…I swear Park Jinyoung if you blame me again later for being tardy, I’ll bite your ears.”

Blinking his eyes repeatedly, Jinyoung attempted to comprehend those words. Automatically, he snapped his head towards his bedroom window and that was when realization slowly, but surely struck him. The sun should absolutely not be shining this much at five in the morning, right? So, if that’s the case then… He frantically rummaged on his bed to find his phone, pulling out it’s charger from the socket. The phone screen glare stared back mockingly at him as things finally, finally made sense. It could be from too much sleepiness from last night that he forgot to set up his alarm for this morning. Boy, he is royally screwed.

“Now he finally realizes it.” He could see the eye roll from his sister’s sarcastic tone. “Hurry up, baby brother. If you don’t get ready in the next fifteen minutes you’re gonna miss the bus.”

He was about to jump from his bed to the showers when a soft thump courtesy of his teddy bear plushie being thrown at him hit his back causing him to yelp in surprise after his sister as she slowly backed away from the doorstep. He did not miss though the “what a drama queen” comment she whispered before closing the door. Park Jinyoung loves his Yejin-noona very much, but she could really be annoying especially in the morning. Pushing the ideas of revenge out his mind (he’ll get back to that later at lunch.), he hurriedly got up to prepare for school. He most certainly cannot be late, especially since it was only a week after class started and it may not be obvious, but he does have a reputation to hold.

However, this morning seemed to be testing his patience. You see, Park Jinyoung has always considered himself as an unlucky person. He had long admitted said fact ever since he was in kindergarten when he was always being mistaken as a girl since he was usually wearing his older sister’s hand me down clothes (side note: they’re pink. Why oh why do they have to be so strikingly pink?). But this shortcoming, he had always overcome with his optimism. His positivity was admittedly off the charts sometimes that his best friend, Choi Youngjae, often commented that Jinyoung is “absolutely preposterous”, most of the time in a British accent.

But this is absolutely ridiculous, Jinyoung managed to think since he was already out of breath from running. He watched helplessly as the scheduled bus was driving further and further away from the bus stop, leaving Jinyoung behind. He tried not to panic as he thought of all the possible solutions at hand. The school gates close in about half hour. Unfortunately though, the next bus comes in the next twenty minutes, and it will be cutting it really close if he waits for it. His shoulders sagged as it dawned on him that the only solution was to run for it. Contrary to the popular belief, this will not be the first time that Jinyoung would and he was a fairly decent runner. He just preferred not to spend first period sweating profusely and out of breath. But desperate times calls for desperate measures. He tried not to think of the possibility of being late, because punishment for it comes with a combination of their scary gym teacher, a playlist of girl group songs and dancing/exercising on the soccer field for the whole school to watch. He shivered at the thought. You can do this, Park Jinyoung!

It had not been five minutes, since Jinyoung had started running when sounds of an obnoxious car horn followed him. The roll on his eyes was an absolute sign that he definitely did not need this, HIM, right now. He tried to ignore the noise as he continued running, but in his peripheral, he could see the car slowing down and matching his pace. Despite the embarrassing situation, Jinyoung was absolutely used to deflecting it now. It being the upcoming juvenile teasing he will be receiving in the next minute or the irritating smirks or this immature guy wearing said smirks. Mark Tuan, the name itself makes Jinyoung want to tear down a piece of brick into pieces.

“Good morning, Park Jinyoung!” A cheery voice came from inside the car as Jinyoung let out a huff. “Nice weather from a run, huh? You really got to get that daily supply of Vitamin D.”

Despite the shortness of breath he was experiencing, Jinyoung’s pride could not help but turn to his side as he glared at the other. “What do you want, Tuan?”

“Nothing, nothing… I just don’t want you to be running all by yourself. You might cry from loneliness.” Mark smiled as he blinked innocently at Jinyoung. Gosh, if only he could crumple up his cheeks and throw it in the garbage can; he had certainly done it a long time ago.

“Oh you’re so kind I want to cry.” Jinyoung replied while wiping the pretend tear on his right eye.

“I knew it.” Mark said as he grinned wider. “Jinyoungie’s such a softie.”

Jinyoung huffed at that thinking that he has had enough of Mark Tuan for the hour and resumed to ignoring. Usually when he became silent like that, the other would get tired of teasing and just leave him after a few minutes. His energy was unfortunately starting to deplete and he decided to focus it more on running than using it to make a decent comeback to his archenemy. He could not help though as he looked at the comfortable interior of Mark’s air conditioned car. To be honest, he kind of envied Mark for getting his student license over the summer. For a very brief moment (which he would never ever admit to himself), Jinyoung considered asking him for a ride to school. Nope, Park Jinyoung’s dignity is worth more than a few minutes of comfort.

“I know you love jogging and all, but I’ll need to leave now,” Mark teased once more. “Don’t want to be late, you see. But I’ll be waiting for you, Jinyoungie. I’ll have my camera ready for your girl group debut. See you!” Mark cackled loudly as he drives away, and Jinyoung could not help but stick his tongue out after the other boy.

Real mature.

But it was Mark Tuan and in Park Jinyoung 101’s manual, this boy could make him feel and think stuff beyond the rules of nature. And it was Mark Tuan, the bane of his very existence, his next door neighbor who made his life purpose to make Jinyoung’s miserable. He unconsciously shook his head as he increased his pace. Clearly, he should not be thinking of Mark Tuan right now since school gates will be closed in the next ten minutes, and it would really kill him if Mark Tuan actually watches him for his upcoming debut in the idol industry. Absolutely. No. Freaking. Way.

It was a couple of minutes before the school bell when Jinyoung finally saw the school entrance. At the same time, he sees Youngjae looking very worried and jumpy as he stood by the gates. A loud yell of “Park Jinyoung, hurry up!” and a very unnecessary wave of his arms informed Jinyoung that his best friend spotted him already. Using what was left of his energy, he ran the last few steps along with the other almost-tardy students. He wanted to collapse when he reached Youngjae, because he felt like he ran for a marathon, which he kind of did in theory.

“What the hell happened to you?” They were walking to their classroom when Youngjae asked as he offered him a bottle of water. For that, Jinyoung is always thankful for having the former as his best friend. Youngjae might be obnoxiously loud and sassy, and might be abusive of using his self-proclaimed cuteness as a weapon, but he will always be the mother hen when it comes to Park Jinyoung.

“Slept at three, woke up late, missed the bus, and had to run…” Jinyoung answered in fragmented sentences as he was still trying to regain his breathing. Damn, maybe I really do need to start jogging, “Thanks for this, by the way.” He showed the empty bottle of water to his friend.

Youngjae flashed a smile. “Anytime. I really thought you won’t make it. I was contemplating on tackling Professor Hwang just to stop him from closing the gates.”

Jinyoung snorted. “Thanks, but as much as I appreciate the almost gesture, I don’t want you spending your afternoon in detention.”

“No way!” Youngjae answered with an indignant huff. “I’m his favorite. He won’t punish me.”

Jinyoung shook his head smiling. “Always with the confidence… Why are you my best friend again?”

“I’m adorable and you obviously love me.” Youngjae batted his eyelashes and Jinyoung pushed him in mock disgust. “Plus, I have a great set of teeth for smiling. Anyway, why are you sleeping at three in the morning? You logged out of Facebook at like, ten pm. I remember, because I tweeted at that time that ‘Prays for Park Jinyoung’s soul because he sleeps at ten. Bless him.’ I got like a hundred likes and retweets.”

Jinyoung rolled his eyes at his friend. “I was on YouTube. I don’t know, man. I was just looking cute penguin videos at first, and then I just found myself watching instructional videos on how to do a Brazilian wax at three am.”

“What?!” Youngjae laughed loudly at that which caused come of the students in the hallway to stare at them in judgement. “Oh my god, Park Jinyoung, please tell me you’re not gonna wax yourself!”

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll be waxing you.” Jinyoung retorted as he made a gesture of applying wax on his arm and pulling the strip with a savage expression on his face.

“Step away from me and my body hair!” Youngjae playfully ran at that towards their classroom as Jinyoung chased him.

Youngjae’s laughter was still ringing down the hallway as Jinyoung watched his best friend disappear inside the room. However, he bumped into someone as he entered the doorway and when he realized who it was, his mood went south immediately.

“Ah, this is disappointing,” Mark starts as Jinyoung glared at him. “My camera was so ready to shoot the Park Jinyoung dance.” The former emphasized his point as he flashes the screen of his phone, already opened with the camera in video mode. “Ah well, there will always be a next time.”

“Says you,” Jinyoung berated himself for his “brilliant” comeback. This definitely was not his day. Usually, it was him who makes Mark shut up, but sleep deprivation was definitely not good for him. “Why are you so determined to get a video of me on your phone anyway? Damn Tuan, didn’t know you thirst for me so much.”

It was supposed to be Jinyoung’s lame attempt to regain the upper hand, and for a moment he thought he did when he saw how Mark paused and an unreadable expression flashed on his face. It was gone the next second that he could definitely convince himself that he imagined it, because now Mark’s face adorned an even wider smile as he leaned closer.to Jinyoung whispering so that only the two of them could hear what he was about to say.

“Oh, if I’m really, really thirsting for you, Jinyoungie, I’ll be filming you as you wax yourself instead.” Jinyoung’s cheeks flushed red as Mark pulls away with a triumphant smile on his face, both of them aware that the latter had won this round.

Freaking Brazilian wax.

Why did Youngjae have to say it so loud?

“Are you two done flirting?” A cheery voice thankfully interrupted them, which could only belong to Mark’s best friend, Wang Jackson. Jackson, in Jinyoung’s most honest opinion, is a pretty decent guy. He had known him since middle school, and they had been classmates at one time or another. Even though he was really loud (probably at par with Youngjae), he was nice and he never really joined in whenever Mark tortures him. He and Jinyoung could have been good friends in another life, but given the present circumstances, the two of them were at least casual towards one another.

Jinyoung watched as Mark rolled his eyes and faced his friend, who was standing behind him. “Shut up, Jackson.”

Jackson actually had the audacity to pretend looking hurt hearing his friend’s words. “You know, Mark. Sometimes, your words, they really hurt.”

Jackson’s presence thankfully cooled of whatever tension was hanging around them earlier and Jinyoung finally found some sense to go to his seat leaving the two friends as Mark tried to wrestle Jackson. His eyes started narrowing though as he watched Youngjae smiling innocently at him. Dumping his bag at the desk beside his best friend, Jinyoung finally reveled on the feeling finally being able to sit down. This morning had been so exhausting already and their homeroom teacher has not arrived yet.

“Thanks for the support by the way.” He mumbled as he rested his head on his desk, making sure Youngjae hears him.

“Please,” Youngjae waved him off carelessly. “You know you hate it when I meddle with your daily dose of Mark Tuan.”

Jinyoung pouted. He was about to retaliate with “What daily dose of Mark Tuan?” when the booming voice of their homeroom teacher, Professor Shim, filled up the whole room.

“Mr. Wang, please go back to your own classroom! And Mr. Tuan, go back to your seat! First period starts now!”

To say that his mood had improved when the lunch bell rang was a lie. Ignoring the horde of students making their way to the cafeteria, Jinyoung stomped his way to his locker as he retrieved some text books he will need for his afternoon classes. When he snapped the locker door shut, however, he nearly jumped five feet in the air as he was welcomed with the face of his smiling friend, Im Jaebum.

“Jeez, what has gotten our Princess Jinyoung so worked up today?” A knowing smile decorated Jaebum’s face as if he already knew the answer. Jinyoung was already fighting the urge to smack his head.

“You mean who,” Jinyoung turned in surprise as he did not notice Youngjae already standing beside him. “And who else could make our Jinyoung this way?”

“Ah, the legendary Prince Tuan,” Jaebum shook his head smiling. “What did he do this time?”

Jinyoung frowned at his friends, but did not say anything. That was just adding fuel to the fire. Having Im Jaebum, in all his dramatic glory, knowing things was not something Jinyoung wants, especially not when he was about to eat his lunch.

“Mark kind of found out about Jinyoung’s thing for Brazilian waxes.” Youngjae answered for Jinyoung, as to which he would never again allow in his lifetime because the look on Jaebum’s face will haunt him for months.

“You have a WHAT?!” Jaebum guffawed as Jinyoung glowered at him while crossing his arms, but refusing to dignify the point with a response.

“Are you seriously not gonna talk, Jinyoung-ah?” Youngjae asked thoughtfully as he pulled at his best friend’s sleeves. “Come on, you big baby. Let’s eat your feelings out.”

Jinyoung’s face brightened up at the thought of food and Youngjae could not help but coo at him. What can he do? He seriously cannot say no to food.

“Jaebum-ah! Are you coming?” The three of them turned at the sound of Jackson’s voice. They saw the latter waving at Jaebum with Mark on tow. Jinyoung scoffed upon seeing him.

“Coming!” Jaebum replied before turning to the other two beside him. “Save me a seat on your table, okay? I might come over to chat.” He said with a wink before making his way to Jackson.

“Traitor!” Jinyoung called after Jaebum to which the latter only answered with a snicker.

Youngjae could only laugh at that as he pulled Jinyoung to the cafeteria. “Come on, I’m getting hungry myself.”

“Is that glare for Mark or for Jaebum?” Youngjae asked as the both of them sat down on their usual table with their lunch trays.

“Both.”

Jinyoung was still glaring at the other table when suddenly his and Mark’s eyes met. Jinyoung almost choked on the banana milk he was drinking, but refused to let go of their staring competition. He lost the verbal battle, so he must not back down on this as well. He watched as Mark suddenly pulled up his phone and waved it casually making a move as though he was filming Jinyoung, all of a sudden reminding them of what transpired that morning. He sputtered as Mark gave him a wink before turning back to his friends with a chuckle.

“Why is Mark filming you?” Youngjae asked with voice laced with amusement.

“He’s not.” Jinyoung said through gritted teeth as he took a bite on his lasagna. “He’s just being a jerk as usual.”

“Okay.” Youngjae answered simply, but his expression did not seem to reflect his reply.

Jinyoung once again looked at Mark’s table. It was not really that hard to find since it was always the most crowded one in the cafeteria. With Mark being one of the most popular kids in school along with Jackson, it did not even matter that they were both just on their junior year. Objectively speaking, Jinyoung gets it, and although he would rather drink a glass of spoiled milk than admit it out loud, Mark is really pleasant to the eye. He just hated how often he thinks of that fact. Knowing him since they were seven, Jinyoung was a first-hand witness as to how much attention Mark gets. To be fair though, despite all the praises that he gets, Mark never let it get to his head. He was charming to everyone and genuinely nice to all the people around him.

Well with the exception of me, of course. Jinyoung thought bitterly.

He watches Mark as he wrapped an arm on Jaebum’s shoulder. They were both laughing at one of Jackson’s jokes and as much as he tried to suppress it, he felt a strange pang in his chest. Ah, Im Jaebum is a really a good man. Jinyoung had known Jaebum since first grade and they had been good friends since then. On the other hand, he knew that Jaebum is also a good friend of Mark’s, so Jinyoung never took it against him that Jaebum tries his best to hang out with the both of them. As much as Jaebum tried to deny it, telling him that he only hangs out with Mark since he was popular and he only hangs out with Jinyoung because he could copy all of his homework, he knew that Jaebum cares for them. It must be hard for him.

“Yah, Park Jinyoung,” Youngjae pouts as he aimed a kick for him under the table. “I’m starting to get jealous. Are you only gonna look at Mark this whole time? I mean, where can you find a rare gem like me?! And I’m awesome if I may add!”

Jinyoung smiled at that, “Yes you are.”

Youngjae nodded. “I’m glad we cleared that up. And now that you’ve had your fill of Mark jpeg, gif, mp3, mp4, vine, etcetera in your mind, I now expect to have your full undivided attention, okay?”

“What does that mean?” Jinyoung said as he throws a piece of tater tot to his best friend which the latter catches with his mouth. “Whoa.” Jinyoung could not help, but drop his jaw.

Youngjae shrugged as he chewed said tater tot. “Didn’t I tell you already that I’m awesome? And don’t throw your food. It’s bad manners.”

This little moment however was interrupted when Jaebum came to their table. “What’s up losers?”

“Goddamnit, Im Jaebum.” Youngjae glared at the newcomer. “I was just getting Jinyoung-ah’s attention when you came.”

Jaebum’s eyes widened. “Why are you mad at me? It’s not my fault Jinyoung gets distracted by Mark so easily!”

Jinyoung sighed exasperatedly as he rolled at his friends’ silliness. “Guys, do you not see me sitting right here? Do I really need to tell you that I can hear everything you say about me? And please can we not talk about Mark Tuan anymore?”

“Well,” Jaebum settled himself as he started eating the untouched mashed potato on Youngjae’s food tray (“Hey! I was saving that for later!”). “You were the one who said his name last, Jinyoung-ah. I think you still want us to talk about him.”

“What the- I do not want to talk about Mark Tuan.” Jinyoung hissed before realizing his mistake.

“See?” Jaebum winked at him. “You’re the one who can’t shut up about him. Besides, I know I’ve asked this many, many times before, probably thousand times already, but what exactly happen between you two? I mean the four of us: you, me, Youngjae and Mark. We’ve all been so close since we’re seven, but you and Mark. You guys are always joined at the hip and you guys practically blabbered to everyone who would listen that you will be married someday. What happened? When did it all fall apart?”

Jinyoung blushed as he tried to suppress the embarrassing memories of Mark and him wearing matching candy rings when they were seven, or when they were scolded by their third grade teacher when they kept writing their last names on their exam papers as “Park-Tuan” or “Tuan-Park”, or when they had their “wedding ceremony” under the big oak tree at Youngjae’s house (Jaebum was the priest, Youngjae was the flower boy and Youngjae’s pet dog, Coco as ring bearer.). All of those are in the past now, and Park Jinyoung wished that he could just bury them without having to remember it again like today. To be clear, it was not because those memories were all embarrassing, but more than that, they really hurt so much that sometimes Jinyoung was convinced that the pain is almost physical.

Jinyoung must have been too quiet, that Youngjae felt he needed to reply for him once again. “Yah, Im Jaebum. Stop it or I’m gonna shove your face on my mac and cheese plate. Why do you keep asking anyway? You were there when it happened.”

“Yeah, I know the one in PE class right?” Jaebum retaliated. “But come on, I don’t think a great friendship for many years would just fall apart, because of a stupid comment Mark made when we were thirteen.”

“Hey, didn’t I tell you to stop it already?” Youngjae was looking serious now. “I swear to god, Im Jaebum. Why do you always bring this up? It’s done. We need to move on eventually and if you’re so curious, why don’t you ask Mark instead?”

Jaebum gave him a solemn look as he stopped eating altogether. Jinyoung wondered if the two was still joking around about ignoring his presence. “Well, it’s not like I haven’t tried. Mark just shuts down whenever I bring it up. They’re both important to me that’s why I want to understand. Besides, how can we move on when Jinyoung and Mark clearly haven’t as well? Look, all those petty fights they have every single day, aren’t you getting tired of those already? Did you honestly think that maybe they could just try and talk it over once and for all?”

This time it was Jinyoung who spoke up and looked at his friend, “How did you know that he hasn’t moved on, Jaebum-ah?”

That seemed to distract Jaebum from his rant. “Jinyoung, wait. I’m sorry…”

Jinyoung laughed bitterly, because as much as Jaebum’s words hit him well, at the end of the day, he knew that it was his friend’s way of mending whatever broken circumstances that they have now. Jinyoung appreciated that. It was an imperfect solution, but nonetheless appreciated.

“No, don’t be sorry. Do not ever be sorry for this.” Jinyoung replied with a smile to emphasize that everything is fine. “Let’s just forget about it today and just worry about it the next time you bring it up, Jaebum-ah.”

Jaebum stared at him a few seconds more to assess if Jinyoung meant what he said. On the other hand, Jinyoung could not handle the scrutiny anymore and started to throw another piece of tater tot with Jaebum as his new victim, laughing when the piece went inside his friend’s shirt and he started squirming.

“Yah, stop throwing food.” Youngjae berated once more.

“Are you okay, Jinyoung-ah?” Youngjae asked as the both of them were walking back to class after lunch. “Don’t listen to Jaebum. Im Jaebum is stupid.”

“I’m okay, Youngjae-ah. Really, thank you.” Jinyoung answered gratefully. “It’s just one of those days I guess. He’s usually not that persistent.”

“Yeah, but really just say the word next time and I’ll really punch his face for you, alright Jinyoung-ah?” Youngjae patted his head.

“Aw, what a sweet moment. Is Jinyoungie feeling sad?”

A short sigh escaped Jinyoung’s lips as he and Youngjae turned around to find Mark and Jackson walking behind them. He really was not in the mood for this anymore, but clearly Mark still is, judging from the teasing glint on his eye as well as the wide grin he was wearing. He watched as Mark made his way up to him, and moved to pat Jinyoung’s head as well; mimicking what Youngjae had done earlier.

“I never pegged you as a sore loser, Jinyoungie.” Mark said as Jinyoung dodged his hand and pushed it away.

“Cut it off, Tuan. I’m not in the mood.”

“Gosh,” Mark feigned a surprise look as he playfully attempted to touch Jinyoung’s hair once more. “Why are you so moody? Is it your time of the month?”

“I said no, Mark.” Jinyoung put an emphasis on his name and almost instantly, the atmosphere shifted after that. Youngjae moved closer to Jinyoung as Mark stopped on his tracks. The hand that was moving up to touch him retreated immediately as the playful grin was wiped off of Mark’s lips. Jinyoung was really bad when he was under scrutiny and he could not bear the look that the other was giving him. So he did the first thing that came into his mind and walked away back to class with Youngjae at his trail. His best friend did not say anything, probably since he wanted to give Jinyoung a chance to think about what happened and to digest how big of a moment it was. It had been years, so many years since Jinyoung addressed Mark with his first name. He does though when he talks about him with Jaebum and Youngjae, but never in Mark’s presence; never in front of him. He only opted using the boy’s last name since it gave him a sense of detachment and gave him the feeling that whatever they have right now, it’s okay. He could argue with Tuan and he could playfully tease Tuan, but never with Mark.

Mark is- was, his best friend and even though several years had passed, Jinyoung could and will never ever attempt to hate Mark.

‘Youngjae-ah, I don’t think I’ll be able to go home with you today. I don’t know if we’ll be able to finish up soon. I’ll just call you when I’m home.”

Jinyoung sent his friend the message as he looked miserably at the tons of work in front of him that afternoon. The beginning of the semester was always a busy time for the school paper committee as they try to map out the school events for the upcoming semester and designate people along with it. It was also unfortunate that their editor-in-chief was sick and will not be back till next week, which meant that leadership was temporarily passed to the associate editor which was Park Jinyoung.

Jinyoung jumped in surprise as he hears the beep from his phone, alerting him of Youngjae’s reply:

“Are you sure? Do you need help?”

“I’m okay. Thank you. It’s just physical labor. Boring stuff. I know you need to take Coco to the veterinarian today. Just go home with Jaebum.”

Youngjae’s reply came in earlier than expected.

“Alright, I’ll text you if I’m home too, BUT I WON’T GO HOME WITH IM JAEBUM. I’M STILL MAD AT HIM. >:-(“

Jinyoung chuckled as he replied a final “okay” to his best friend as he started working. He regretted sending home the members earlier. Boy, did he underestimate the amount of work left for him. However, he just thought of the warm dinner waiting for him when he gets home later and he was somehow energized by the single thought of that.

It was already ten past eight in the evening when Jinyoung finished packing up his stuff in time to go home. What he did not take into the account though was the heavy rain welcoming him as he exited the school paper committee room. A few people were still left in the school, mostly composed of the theater clubs or sports clubs, so Jinyoung really did not worry of being alone in the building. His dilemma though came in the fact that he always forgets to bring his umbrella. Most of the time, it really did not matter since he could always share with Youngjae’s umbrella, but that would certainly be impossible. He figured he could just stay in the committee room as he waits for the rain to subside. Surely, it had to stop eventually, right? Jinyoung thought positively.

However, after a half hour of waiting it seemed that the rain just got stronger and in frustration Jinyoung once again exited the room. There was a small sound of an object falling as he noticed an umbrella on the floor. He looked around the hallway to see if someone left it there, but found no one. Figuring that it could just be an umbrella left there by one of their members, Jinyoung smiled at the prospect of finally going home. He finally texted his mom that he was already on his way. He would just return the umbrella tomorrow anyway and maybe he would be able to thank whoever his savior was.

Maybe Park Jinyoung is not so unlucky after all.

12/

“Jinyoungie, are you still mad at me?”

No I’m not mad at you. When have I ever been mad at you? Jinyoung wanted to say those words out loud, but right now as a brand new flood of tears painted his cheeks, all he could do was blubber some incoherent words and shake his head furiously. He watches through hazy eyes as a fond smile found its way on Mark’s face as he ruffled Jinyoung’s hair while nuzzling his cheek. I should be used to it right now. Why am I such a crybaby? Jinyoung thought miserably, because this was not the first time that Mark will be leaving. Every summer, his best friend along with his parents travel to America to visit some of their relatives there and every year, Jinyoung finds himself a blundering mess the night before Mark’s departure.

Mark always stayed beside him with repeated promises that he will come back soon and Jinyoung always believed in him. They are best friends after all and will always be together forever. Park Jinyoung had always believed he was unlucky. That changed though when he was seven and two moving trucks arrived at the neighboring house bringing in a new family with them. At that time, he was ecstatic to find out that the neighbor’s kid is a boy around his age and a potential playmate.

They eventually met that same day when Jinyoung looked out his bedroom window and found the boy at the house beside theirs staring back at him. Jinyoung had no idea who made the first move, but somehow they found themselves both bedroom windows open and spending their whole afternoon chatting. (Well, technically Jinyoung did all the talking while he watched his new friend’s reactions. He found out later on that the boy’s name is Mark and he barely spoke Korean.) It was a start and though Mark needed the help of a tutor (not Jinyoung) to finally hold a decent conversation with everyone, Jinyoung always selfishly thought that he also helped in his own little way.

“Are you getting sleepy?” Mark asked later on as they were sitting on Jinyoung’s bed.

It has been a couple of hours later and Jinyoung’s break down was now reduced to just a few sniffs as he laid his head on his best friend’s shoulders. Mark being himself comforting him with gentle rubs at his back. The truth was Jinyoung was indeed sleepy and there was a bit of a struggle as he tried to keep his heavy eyelids open. He refused to fall asleep, because he knew that when he wakes up, Mark will be on the other side of the world.

“You’ll miss me too, right?” Mark asked with a slight hesitation on his voice. “I know one month is very long, but I’ll be back. Look, I know Jaebum is funnier than me and Youngjae has better toys, but I’ll still be your best friend, right?”

“Of course!” Jinyoung nodded.

“Good, because I’ll miss you too.” Mark laughed lightly as he pushed Jinyoung. “Now stop acting like I’m gonna die or something. I know you’re tired and sleepy. Come on, scoot over. I’ll wait for you to fall asleep.”

“Hey,” Jinyoung shouted and even though he was protesting, he was at the same time complying with Mark’s wishes. “You guys always treat me like a baby.” He mumbled as he pulled up his blanket up to his nose.

“Well, that’s because you are one.” Mark grinned as he tried to fit himself under Jinyoung’s blanket as well. “But that’s okay. Baby Jinyoungie is so small and cute.”

Jinyoung whined as he aimed a punch at Mark. “Just you wait till I get taller than you!”

Mark pretended to scoff. “Alright, alright. Just go to sleep now. Baby’s eyes are droopy.”

“Mark,” Jinyoung whispered as he reached out a hand to safely hold on to his best friend’s shirt.

There was a small smile on Mark’s face as Jinyoung watches him through his sleepy eyelashes. He felt once more his best friend’s arms wrapping around him as he was being lulled to sleep. Up until the end he refused to look away or close his eyes as if he wanted to imprint this memory on his mind forever. He hated it when finally his fatigue was slowly taking over and he was slowly closing his eyes. His last recollection as he finally gave in was a smiling Mark leaning closer whispering a “Good night, Jinyoungie. I’ll be back. I promise.” before softly pressing their lips together.

He’ll come back. He promised. Mark always comes back.

Although this time, he didn’t.

13/

“What do you mean you haven’t spoken to Mark? Didn’t he return like last month?”

It was the first day of middle school and Jinyoung found himself walking with his friend Youngjae who by the way grew half a feet over the summer causing Jinyoung to look up at him when they. Nope, he does not feel betrayed at all. A flock of students wearing the same uniform was walking on the same direction; all fresh faced at the prospect of entering adolescence. Jinyoung felt a little sad that he was one of the few who still looked like an elementary school student with his small stature and slightly oversized blazer (the smallest size already, but his mom thought that he’ll grow into them soon… hopefully, she adds).

“I don’t know.” Jinyoung shrugged trying to suppress the feeling of sadness as he relays this piece of information to Youngjae.

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” Youngjae asked loudly getting some of the attention of some of the students walking with them. “Sorry.” He apologized to no one in particular. Jinyoung could not help but envy his friend once more since it seems that while everyone’s voices developed the past few months, his still remained sounding whiny and squeaky. When will puberty…

“That’s it. I don’t know.” Jinyoung replied.

“He’s your next door neighbor, Jinyoung-ah.” Youngjae deadpanned.

Jinyoung sighed. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you to be honest. I mean we’re okay when he left. He comforted me as usual and he even…” He trailed off blushing as he remembered the kiss, his first kiss, which Jinyoung is now 99% sure he dreamt about. Clearing his throat as he looked at Youngjae’s expectant expression. “He even promised me that he’ll be back soon. After that, I don’t know what happened. When he got back from the US, I wasn’t able to see him. I thought he was just jetlagged and was just sleeping it off. Then it became a week and whenever I came over at his house, Auntie would tell me that he’s at martial arts class or hanging out somewhere else. He wasn’t hanging out with you or with Jaebum so I really have no idea what “somewhere” means. The only sign that I know he still exists is when I see his bedroom lights at night. That’s it. So there…”

Youngjae seemed to ponder about this and his expression reflecting the confusion on Jinyoung’s face. “But doesn’t your family have that weekly Sunday brunch with them?”

“Unfortunately, Uncle was overseas the past couple of weeks, so nothing happened.” Jinyoung replied. “And the other two instances he flaked out saying he’s sick or something.”

“Weird.” Youngjae’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I know.” Jinyoung answered trying his best to hide the bitterness on his tone.

“No, not only that,” Youngjae looked at him with concerned. “You. You don’t seem to be bothered by it so much. I mean, you should be a sobbing mess right now, Park Jinyoung and you know, trying to bother Jaebum and I to figure out what happened.”

“Believe me when I say that you’re lucky you haven’t seen me the past month.” Jinyoung answered dryly. “Did you really think I’m okay right now? I went to his house every single day trying to see him and enduring the sad look that Auntie gives me every single time she informs me that Mark’s unavailable. I’ve racked my brains trying to figure out if I did or say something wrong, but nothing. Even our parents are starting to notice that’s something’s going on and when my mom asked I didn’t know what to tell her. What was I supposed to tell her, Youngjae? I don’t even have any idea what’s going on. So yeah, maybe right now you could say that I’m all out of tears and maybe I’m starting to little by little come to terms with it.”

“Sorry, Jinyoung-ah.” Youngjae offered him a smile. “Sorry. Of course I know you’re hurting right now. It’s just shocking for me, that’s all.”

‘I know. I’m sorry too.” Jinyoung smiled in return. “I shouldn’t be dumping this stuff on you when we should be celebrating our first day in middle school, right?”

“Yeah,” Youngjae laughed. “But listen, if you want me to talk to Mark. I can haunt him down.”

“Thanks.” Jinyoung replied. “But I highly doubt you’ll be able to, given that he’s absolutely avoiding me like a plague. He’ll talk when he’s ready.”

“Guess so…”

“Jinyoung-ah! Youngjae-ah! Over here! Hey! I missed you guys!”

Jinyoung heard Youngjae groaned in embarrassment as they both looked at their friend Im Jaebum waving at them enthusiastically and absolutely oblivious of the judging looks that he was receiving probably from upperclassmen. Last thing you want to see on your first day was a starry eyed freshman who was going to be overly enthusiastic trying to look cool. Unfortunately, Jinyoung and Youngjae were privileged to have first-hand experience on that as they watched Jaebum dashed towards them smiling while wearing a very noticeable jagged-rock necklace on his.

“Nice tan,” Jinyoung commented. At the back of his mind, he could not ignore that Jaebum has gotten taller too. He’s even taller than Youngjae. “Had a good summer?”

Jaebum nodded. “The best. I thought spending summer with Grandma and Grandpa’s gonna , but they’re cool. Their house is so close to the beach too! They said I can bring you guys over next time if you want!”

“That’s nice of them.” Youngjae answered. “But come on, Jaebum. Do you really have to wear that thing around your neck? So uncool.”

Jaebum looked offended as he gasped. “I’ll have you know that this was given to me by a shaman to ward off bad energy.” He then side-eyed Youngjae. “Clearly it’s not working since you’re still here.”

“What the…” Youngjae aimed a kick at Jaebum. “You’re a bad energy.”

“Am not!” Jaebum then frowned as he turns to Jinyoung, looking around in confusion. “Hey, where’s Mark?”

“What do you mean you haven’t spoken to Mark?”

Jinyoung could only smile sadly at the similar reaction from Jaebum. They were lining up to see the class list and Youngjae was kind enough to fill in the general details of what has Jinyoung recounted earlier. A small frown made its way on Jaebum’s face as Youngjae droned on while Jinyoung listened only commenting every now and then along with a few nods and hums verifying whatever was being said.

“We’re talking about the same Mark right?” Jaebum asked. “Mark Tuan?” Jinyoung nodded. “I can’t believe it. I refuse to believe it till I see it with my own eyes. I mean it’s Mark, you know? He’d choose to jump off a bridge than let a mosquito bite Jinyoung.”

“Tell me about it.” Youngjae shook his head as he looked at the class list. “Well, good news is looks like we’re all in the same class.”

“Mark too.” Jinyoung said quietly.

It’s been a couple of weeks later when Jinyoung along with the rest of his classmates found themselves lining up for their first practical in gym class, and as usual he has to endure standing in front of the line. The only comfort that he had received was a pat on the shoulder from his classmate Bambam (who by the way is 3 centimeters taller than him when they measured) telling him that smaller kids tend to move faster. Jinyoung highly doubts that was true on his part as he glanced sadly at his skinny legs.

“I know you’re sad, Jinyoung-ah.” Bambam piped from behind him. “But don’t you worry, you have my back. We small fries need to stick together. We could defeat the opposing team with our cuteness.” He then proceeded to pinch Jinyoung’s cheeks (“Oh my goodness! Why are they so fluffy?!” Bambam cooed.), adding fire to his dread. He then casts a sad look at Jaebum and Youngjae who are both near the back of the line giving him thumbs up.

“Okay, listen up.” Their gym teacher, Mr. Cho called out when they arrived at the gymnasium. “The game is dodgeball and I’m gonna randomly pick two of you to become team leaders and it’s up to them to pick their team members, got it? No switching.”

An affirmative chorus rang out in the building as Mr. Cho picked the two team leader. The first one to be picked was their rather reserved classmate, Jung Soohyun and of course, the next one was Mark Tuan. There was a quiet “ooh” from the rest of the class, because even though it has only been two weeks since the semester had started, Mark had alreadymade his way up to the social ladder. He watched carefully as Mark was patted by Wang Jackson (His obvious best friend now. He added bitterly in his head) before making his way in front of the class to stand beside Soohyun.

Eventually the member picking started and Jinyoung watched in horror as Youngjae and Jaebum's names were called by Mark. He was pretty sure that he would not be chosen at Mark’s team. The boy barely even looks at him anymore. Soon enough, the number of unchosen people was getting thinner and Jinyoung refused to look at his friends who he was pretty sure were watching worriedly at him. Four people remaining and Jinyoung was still standing among them waiting for Mark to take a pick. Finally, he saw Jaebum approach Mark to whisper something in his ear causing Jinyoung to look away. It did not take a genius to figure out what Jaebum had said judging at the way his eyes flickered at Jinyoung’s direction when he approached Mark. There was a glint in Mark’s eyes as he replied to Jaebum the words that would haunt Jinyoung for years.

"Park Jinyoung? Why would I pick him? He’ll just drag us down. Park Jinyoung is a pipsqueak and has a large .”

There was a five seconds of absolute silence as Mark’s words echoed not only throughout the gymnasium, but also through Jinyoung’s mind. It was only broken when Youngjae and Jackson, who were both standing next to Mark spoke up at the same time.

“Hey, dude, stop it.”

“That’s mean, Mark!”

There was a smirk on Mark’s face as he replied. “What? I say it like it is. Am I wrong? Look at him.”

There was an eruption of chuckles that filled the building, but Jinyoung was not listening. In fact, he felt all his senses numb as he felt his brain shut down, completely oblivious of his surroundings as Mark’s words filled his head repeatedly. He was only brought back to reality when he felt Bambam pulling him towards Soohyun’s team. There was an encouraging smile on Bambam’s face as he squeezed Jinyoung’s shoulder. He then whispered to Jinyoung with a wink; let’s kill them with our cuteness, okay? To which comforted Jinyoung a little.

At that same moment, he was not feeling crappy anymore. No. To be quite honest, he was a little bit ticked off right now. Here he was feeling miserable for the longest time trying to understand what was going on with Mark and all he had been getting was silence. And now, he finally got a response and that was it? Jinyoung bit his lip as he tried to suppress the contempt rising in him. He just felt really, really tired and all he just wants to do was to get hold of a ball and throw it at Mark’s stupid face. That face whose lips uttered those words, and as petty as it may sound, Park Jinyoung’s is not huge!

After a quick huddle, both teams stood in front of each other. He saw Youngjae gave him a small wave and a wink, which Jinyoung reciprocated. Their team leader, Soohyun, was still giving last minute instructions as they waited for Mr. Cho’s whistle. Despite his inner turmoil earlier, Jinyoung still felt a bit nervous as he looked at the other team.

Soohyun gave him a quick pat in the head as they heard the whistle. “Just remember to run very fast and throw the ball as hard as you can, Jinyoungie.”

The game had barely started and it had not been at least five seconds when a fast ball zoomed in Jinyoung’s direction, but it did not hit him. It all happened so fast that Jinyoung barely registered Soohyun falling down on the floor as he clutched the side of his head. There was a whoop coming from the other team as they celebrated their first hit courtesy of their leader, Mark.

On instinct, Jinyoung moved to help his classmate until he heard Youngjae calling out his name, alerting him that any moment another ball might come towards their direction and hit him. Jinyoung barely dodged a couple of attacks. He held onto the ball on his hand as he tried to figure out which one on the opposing team he should throw it to. He looked up at Youngjae who moved towards Jinyoung and was mouthing the words “Me! Hit me!” at him.

Unfotunately, Mark was faster than Youngjae as he moved between the two. “What the hell, Youngjae! Stop telling him to hit you!”

This time it was Jinyoung who saw an opening. While Mark was reprimanding Youngjae, he simply but surely threw the ball on Mark’s face to which caught the latter off guard. There was a slight pause as the ball hit the floor with a few bounce as Mark looked at Jinyoung in surprise. Jinyoung felt a sense of slight victory though as he finally brought out an expression from Mark aside from his usual indifference. Instinctively, his hand moved to touch the red mark on Mark’s forehead and for a slight moment, Mark’s eyes widened a little. As quick as the expression flickered on Mark’s face, it was replaced by a smirk as he exited the court to join his other teammates.

A few moments later, Jinyoung was also out of the game. He became too distracted watching Mark walk away that he did not notice another attack courtesy of Jaebum. But that’s okay. Jinyoung thought as the dodgeball game continued with him sitting on the sidelines. This was the closest thing him and Mark had been for weeks and he did not realize how much he craved for it until it happened.

“Ah, it’s raining again! Damn it, I didn’t bring my umbrella!” Jinyoung heard Mark telling Jackson when the final bell rang that same afternoon. He quickly looked at the folded umbrella in his bag courtesy of his mom.

“Ha! Well it’s your fault for forgetting yours.” Jackson cackled from his desk.

“Let me share with you!” Mark demanded.

“Uhm, no way.” Jackson replied. “You live at the other side of the city. I’m not making that effort in this weather.”

“You’re so nice.”

“I know.”

A short tap on Jinyoung’s shoulders interrupted his slightly subtle eavesdropping. “Jinyoung-ah, you coming with?” Youngjae asked as he and Jaebum wait automatically at his desk so that the three of them could proceed to choir practice.

He did not know why, but Jinyoung once again glanced at his umbrella. “I… I’m just gonna finish organizing my notes here, you guys. You can go ahead without me.”

“You sure? You might get lost.” Jaebum joked.

“I’m not a baby!” Jinyoung squeaked as he threw his strawberry eraser at his laughing friend.

And soon enough, his classmates dispersed one by one heading to their join their own club activities leaving Jinyoung alone in the classroom. He was not sure why he was moving quickly since surely no one will be back in the next hour or two, but he still hurriedly picked up the umbrella from his bag and dropped it on Mark’s desk before exiting the room to join choir practice.

For the lack of a better word, his mother freaked out when Jinyoung came home wet to his bones that afternoon. He had lied telling her that he had lost his umbrella at school. Although he repeatedly assured her that he was fine, it did not stop the fever that knocked him out later. But he guessed it was okay. Jinyoung told himself as he slightly opens his curtains seeing that the lights in Mark’s room was . As long as he got home safe. I’ll be fine.

Well, he was still not able to go to school for three days due to his high fever, but somehow Jinyoung wouldn’t have it any other way.

17/

“Mom, I'm home.” Jinyoung called to his mother as he heard her bustling around the kitchen when he arrived home that night. It was still raining pretty hard outside that he cannot help but once again his lucky stars that he found an umbrella earlier.

“Jinyoung-ah.” His mom’s head popped out of the kitchen. “Come here. I was just reheating your dinner. It’ll be ready in a bit.”

Jinyoung entered the kitchen and found that they have a guest. “Oh, hi Auntie. You’re here?” Jinyoung bowed at Mark’s mom.

“Yes, I was just asking your mom for broth since we ran out of ours back home.” Mark’s mom replied, before turning to Jinyoung's mom to probably continue their conversation. “I seriously don’t know what to do about that kid anymore; all of a sudden running out of the house in the middle of the night then coming home soaking wet. And now he’s sneezing all over the place.”

“It might be something important if he did that then.” Jinyoung’s mom suggested as she turned off the stove.

“It better be.” Mark’s mom replied fondly despite the frown on her face. “Are you alright, Jinyoung-ah?”

Jinyoung blinked as he realized that he was just standing there trying to digest what he heard. “Oh, yes. Sorry. Just starving, Auntie. Thanks.”

“Well come on then,” His mom placed the plate on the table as he Jinyoung took a sit on his usual chair.

Jinyoung ran back to his room after washing the dishes, dumping hurriedly his backpack on the floor. He hurriedly swiped the corners of his curtains open to watch the fluorescent light illuminating from Mark’s curtained room. Somehow, looking out the window across from his had became a safe haven for Jinyoung. It brought him back to that moment when he was seven years old meeting for the first time the boy who would change his life forever or those times when they were grounded where the only way they could talk was through the sketch pads which they bought together.

…Most importantly it brings him back to those thousands, no, those million instances when Jinyoung would miss Mark so much that it hurt and the only way to relieve that pain is for him to sit by his window watching and wanting all by himself.

He hears a faint sound of someone sneezing from the room across from his and Jinyoung flicked his eyes at the still wet umbrella soaking his carpet. Jinyoung shook his head. It’s impossible. Jinyoung hated himself for hoping on something as absurd as Mark going out of his way to leave an umbrella for him.

No way.

Or using Youngjae’s words: Absolutely Preposterous.    

What the hell are you doing to me, Tuan?

bonus:

13/First day of middle school

There were just a few people left at the school grounds as Mark makes his way back to their classroom. He was just coming back from a successful soccer tryout and while he was feeling ecstatic and all that, his muscles are aching all over. All he just wants to do is to have a nice warm shower and just sleep the night away. He was surprised though when he entered their classroom to find Choi Youngjae sitting on his desk table, swinging his legs as he plays with his phone.

“Argh, damn it. You distracted me! I lost” Youngjae pointed an accusatory finger at Mark.

Mark rolled his eyes. “What are you still doing here, Youngjae?” To be honest, he had an idea what this is about, but he was still hoping he was mistaken.

“That depends on you actually,” Youngjae put his phone in his pocket.

“What?” Mark sighed exasperatedly as he sat on his chair avoiding Youngjae’s eyes, which are boring holes on him. “I don’t like to play games, Youngjae.”

Youngjae snorted. “This may surprise you, but neither do I. So please put it inside your head that it's not the reason why I'm here, Mark.”

“Well, go on then,” Mark feigned the confidence tone on his voice. “What do you want?”

“Just a simple answer from you.” Youngjae replied. “Park Jinyoung. What the hell do you think you’re doing, Mark?”

And there it is Of course. Mark thought as he hears Youngjae’s answer. “What about him?”

Youngjae for a second sputtered. “Come on, Mark. Don’t act like you don’t know. Of course you do! I don’t need your bull right now, please. You just don’t go from being his best friend one day, then coming back as a stranger. Last time I checked you only went to America for a vacation. Did you hit your head somewhere? Do you have amnesia? What the hell, man. What the hell are you doing? Tell me something that makes sense.”

Mark considered for a second trying to rack his brain for a smart answer to give but found none, so he decided to go with the most honest reply. “I don’t know.”

He watched as Youngjae’s left leg kicked air, a gesture Mark noticed he does when he’s frustrated about something. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“That’s it. I honestly don’t know.” Mark answered feeling dumber by the second.

“So tell me if I understood you correctly,” Youngjae said. “You’re being a jerk to Jinyoung-ah, because of something you don’t know. Are you feeling well, Mark?”

Mark remained silent at that question and after a minute of silence, Youngjae sighed.

“Let me guess. You don’t know.”

Mark nodded. “Do you really think I’ll be acting like this if I know?”

Youngjae stared at him and somehow Mark hated the way something flashed on his friend’s eyes; like there was something he figured out and Mark does not know about it. He watched as Youngjae turned away as he stood up patting his pants. “Alright. I think I already found the answer I needed.”

“You did?” Mark asking more of because he was curious, but not really wanting to know the answer.

“Yeah,” And all of a sudden there was a sad smile painting Youngjae’s face. “And I guess this is where our friendship ends, Mark Tuan.”

Mark stared at Youngjae trying to figure out if his friend was pulling a prank on him. “What are you saying?”

Youngjae rolled his eyes. “Not like really the end. More of I’m putting a pause on our friendship. I’m sorry, Mark, but I’m not really a saint like Jaebum and with him I’m one hundred percent sure that he’s gonna try his best to mend whatever that needs to be taken care of. If it doesn’t work out, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna try his best to spend time with you and Jinyoung equally even maybe being into places at once. But I’m not really nice like that. Look, you’re one of my best friends, Mark, and whatever is bothering you, I hope you’re gonna figure out soon. However, while you’re doing that, I can’t be your friend. Not when you’re gonna treat Jinyoung-ah like that, so right now, I’ll stay with him. Jinyoung needs me more than you.”

There was a lump forming on Mark’s throat, but he somehow managed to say the words. “Take care of him, okay?”

“Of course.” Youngjae chuckles. “I don’t want you killing me and dumping my body on a ditch somewhere. I'm too cute for that. Imagine the crime scene photos. Anyway, as for Jinyoung-ah, I’ll make sure he’s more than great when you come back to him. Alright?”

“Thanks, Youngjae.” Mark said with a small smile. Somehow, he felt relieved talking it our rather than keeping it all to himself. “Really.”

“Anytime.” Youngjae answered. “Any last reminders?”

“Always visit him during exam week. He gets distracted during those times the most, so make sure to hide all DVD, comic books, paperback novels, everything aside from his notes and textbooks. Always bring water during gym classes or anywhere where Jinyoungie has to run. He won’t admit it, but he gets tired easily and he needs constant rehydration. He loves chocolates, but he hates white chocolates so never ever buy him anything like that. When there’s a thunderstorm, he’s not really scared, but he doesn’t like the sound of thunder so just give him a call and chat until he falls asleep. He always says that he hates us when we call him a baby, but he secretly likes it, so make sure to call him that especially when he’s sad…”

Mark suddenly noticed the amused expression on Youngjae’s face which made him realize he was babbling. “You’re like a Jinyoung instruction manual, aren't you? But anyway, anything else?”

There was one thing that crossed Mark’s mind and before he could stop himself, he’s already saying the words. “Don’t fall for him.”

This time, Youngjae cringed. “Oh my God, please. I’m more into the wild and y types than the cute and cuddly ones.”

Mark has no idea why, but he needed to hear that. “Make sure of that.”

“I sure will.” Youngjae picked up his bag as he heads to the door. “I will be looking forward to our friendship renaissance in the future, Mark Tuan.”

This time it was Mark who offered him a smile. “Absolutely.”

“Oh, wait. Sorry. Youngjae? Jinyoungie cannot know.”

“Of course.”

(Hello again! I hope you enjoyed Chapter one! Hope to see you guys again soon! Talk to me. I don't bite (most of the time)!)

Unbeta'd so far, but I'll be back later to edit it. I'll just sleep. Zzzzz.

I'm out!