17/

The cool afternoon breeze prickles Jinyoung skin as he stood alone on their school’s rooftop. Leaning into the faded white metal railings, he absentmindedly watched the flocks of students downstairs going on with their own afternoon activities. Jinyoung let out a heavy sigh because he should be one of them right now, lost into the blur of school uniform and mops of hair. But unfortunately, he chose not to. Instead, he chose to be alone in this solitary place waiting for the moment of truth to finally arrive in this uneventful day.

What was he doing anyway?

Well, to answer that question, Park Jinyoung would have to go back a few weeks before when it finally came to him that whatever he was feeling for a certain Mark Tuan was not only friendship anymore. No. It was miles away from that and before he even realized, he was in trouble and a big one that is. He knew he had no chance with Mark. Given the circumstances that they have, it would be more likely for Jinyoung to grow a second nose than entertain the possibility of Mark liking him back. Whatever friendship that they had before was completely gone. Mark does not like him anymore and however painful it might be Jinyoung must learn (and fast!) to forget or at least hide his feelings for the other boy.

And so for the following days after that, Jinyoung’s routine had been the same: Avoid Mark Tuan as much as possible.

That proved to be easy enough since aside from the fact that they were on the same class, they barely see each other outside anyway. So the only thing to do was for Jinyoung to avoid any contacts with Mark as much as he can and maybe escape any arguments and teasing from said boy. What turned out to be difficult though was that as hypocritical as it may be, Jinyoung would always find himself drawn to look at his former best friend’s direction. Be it at class or during lunch time, his eyes would automatically flicker at Mark’s just to get a glimpse of his smile, or his frown, or his laugh or the times when he would bite his bottom lip unconsciously. Damn it, why does he have to be so freaking attractive?

Jinyoung thinks he was getting better at hiding it, but those few times that Mark nearly caught him staring; he could always the red tinge painting his face along with it. Mark did not seem to notice though. If he did, Jinyoung would probably know by now since Mark would never miss a chance to torture an embarrassed Jinyoung. Of course, Youngjae and Jaebum noticed from time to time as well, especially when he was hit by a Frisbee; because he was too busy staring at a passing Mark to hear Youngjae’s warning to look out.

Youngjae might have commented one time that he looked like a pathetic fool with a high school crush as to which Jinyoung felt unfair and not funny at all.

What is so funny anyway when he is indeed a pathetic fool with a high school crush? He is a high school boy after all!

There were lots of defining moments in Park Jinyoung’s life; unfortunately this was not one of them after all.

Avoiding Mark was one thing, but as the next few days passed by, Jinyoung realized that he cannot do it forever. This came to him when he found himself having their usual Sunday brunch with Mark’s family, specifically when he was forced to sit across his object of affection for a good one hour. Suffice to say it was a glorious torture in Jinyoung’s part and he would never admit it even to Youngjae but he might have spent that whole time just trying to figure out how to breathe and avoid hyperventilating upon seeing Mark doing absolutely anything.

He suddenly shivered at the memory of his older sister screaming at their television set whenever her favorite boy group is on. Jinyoung prays to the heavens that he was not acting like a Mark Tuan fanboy after all. Or is he?

No. Jinyoung pushed the thought out of his mind. He is absolutely sure that whatever this might be, liking Mark or possibly more than that was something that cannot be considered as simple admiration towards his former best friend. That was why Jinyoung found himself on the rooftop in this fateful afternoon, because he was not running away anymore. He was too tired of avoiding Mark Tuan and he could not do it for the rest of his life. If he was serious for what he was feeling for Mark, he should not be afraid of it anymore.

Today, Park Jinyoung will confess to Mark Tuan. (100% guaranteed no backing out)

Hopefully his plan will work. Well, if you could call it as such since what he did was to simply text Mark that they needed to talk about something important and they should meet up at the rooftop after club activities (Yes, Jinyoung does have Mark’s number. Jaebum might have sneakily put it before under the name ‘Mark Tuan, Park Jinyoung’s bae’ a few weeks ago, but Jinyoung kept it for emergency cases that arises now and then. At least, that was what he kept telling himself. He also did not forget to change the name to a more decent one. Seriously, Im Jaebum is so embarrassing.) Jinyoung does not know if Mark would come, especially when he did indicate that it was ‘Park Jinyoung’ who texted.

Jinyoung was starting to lose hope after more than an hour of waiting and the feeling of stupidity was starting to slowly gnaw his whole being. Of course, Mark would not come. Why would he in the first place? He has more than enough on his plate to deal with Jinyoung and his feelings. Heaving another heavy sigh under his breath, Jinyoung finally decided to call it a day. But just as he was about to walk back into the school building, the rooftop door finally opens to Jinyoung’s astonishment and with it comes Mark Tuan who was obviously out of breath.

“…Y-you came!” Jinyoung stammered in an unusual squeaky voice that he had to close his mouth immediately to avoid any further embarrassing squeaking.

“Yeah, I did.” Mark panted as he tried to catch his breath, bending down with his hands on his knees. He lifted up a finger to signal that he needed a minute to which Jinyoung nodded unconsciously. “What’s up? Did something happen at home?”

“Oh no.” Jinyoung answered after he found his voice. He took a step backwards as he continues to stare at Mark. He could not believe that Mark really came. He is here up in the rooftop with Jinyoung. When it finally sank into him, he suddenly wanted to back out. “Nothing happened at home. Everything’s fine. Don’t worry.”

Mark breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing that which turned into an instantaneous frown as he looked up at Jinyoung. “Then why did you text me to come to the rooftop to talk about something important? Don’t get me wrong, Jinyoungie, but I wouldn’t think you would text me if it isn’t an emergency.”

Mark has a point, Jinyoung thought and as the next few seconds ticked slowly, he was starting to realize how ridiculous his actions were. However, this was not the time to think about that since this was a chance that Jinyoung could not let pass.

“It’s not what the reason why I called you up here.” Jinyoung swallowed the remaining saliva in his mouth as he nervously watched Mark glanced up him, probably trying to figure out what was the real reason. Jinyoung could feel his palms starting to sweat as his hands shivered slightly. He could hear his heartbeat up to his ears as Mark watched him in anticipation and Jinyoung wanted so much to look away, but does not have the ability to do so. Suddenly, he was gripped with all of the emotions that he was feeling for the boy standing in front of him right now and Jinyoung just wanted to let it all out and shout out to the whole school— the whole wide world that he, Park Jinyoung—

“Mark, I like you.” He blurted out all of a sudden. No plans and no thinking at all and suddenly, Jinyoung wished he could bury himself ten feet from the ground. He feels his cheeks burning as Mark’s face turned from a blank expression into a smiling one and Jinyoung felt his heartbeat skipped a bit especially when Mark’s eyes disappear into beautiful crescents.

“Jinyoungie, you like me?” Mark asked with a smile and it was looked so beautiful that all Jinyoung could do was nod silently from where he’s standing and barely looking Mark in the eye.

There was a few seconds of silence between the two of them and Jinyoung could not take it anymore. “Mark, I know you don’t feel the same way for me and I wouldn’t be surprised. Why would you in the first place? But I just want you to know that’s how I…”

Mark was still smiling as he interrupted Jinyoung. “You’re right. This is hilarious! Of course, why would I even like you Jinyoungie?” Mark’s smiling turned into a smirk and Jinyoung does not need to hear more as he was sure he could hear his heart fall to the ground. “Oh my God! Wait till everybody hears about this! Park Jinyoung likes me!” Mark was bending over with laughter almost falling to the ground and Jinyoung wants to cry. Looking up at Jinyoung, Mark had to compose himself as he continued. “Did you ever think I’ll feel the same? I mean, you? Park Jinyoung with the large ?”

And all of a sudden, the scene from the rooftop changes and Jinyoung found himself and Mark inside the school auditorium. Mark was still smirking at him and Jinyoung still feels like crying, but they were not alone anymore. Suddenly he could feel the whole school looking up at both him and Mark with their hands pointing and laughing at him. Mark was in all fours as his body shook with laughter and Jinyoung wanted to run away. Away from everyone and not hear their mocking laughter anymore. He could not believe everybody heard his confession. He stepped back unconsciously and suddenly Jinyoung felt himself falling into an abyss of never ending darkness…

Park Jinyoung woke up with a start.

Panting heavily as he tried to reorient himself, Jinyoung slowly realized that everything so far has been a dream. Breathing out a side of relief, he pressed the heels of his palms on his eyes as reality finally sunk in. After a few minutes of contemplation, he fished out his phone beside his pillow as he typed in a quick text message to his best friend, Youngjae.

Had the same dream again. I don’t know what to do anymore. TT_TT

A few seconds later, Jinyoung’s phone rang and Youngjae’s face was flashing on the screen. Jinyoung wondered for a second why Youngjae was already awake at 7 o’clock in the morning on a Saturday. It’s so unlike him.

“Youngjae-ah? You’re awake?” Jinyoung said as he answered the phone. On the other line, he could hear Youngjae just barely done with a yawn of his own.

“Of course I’m awake, Park Jinyoung!” Youngjae said and despite not exactly shouting, there was an alert tone in his voice. “I’ve set up my phone’s volume to the maximum last week, so whenever any messages comes in, I’ll be awake!”

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Jinyoung replied guiltily as he sat up from his bed, chewing his bottom lip nervously.

“You don’t really need to apologize, Jinyoung-ah.” Youngjae said with a soft chuckle. “I’m ready for this, you know? I need to know everything about what’s happening and you don’t need to hold back! I’d go at 3am to your house if needed.”

“That’s… too much.” Jinyoung cannot help, but laugh at his best friend’s antics. If he really know Youngjae, he would really do it in a heartbeat. No questions asked.

“So… Same dream, huh?” Youngjae asked all of a sudden and when Jinyoung did not answer, he took that as an affirmative. “At least that one’s a whole lot better than your dream with you confessing in the middle of the football field… .”

Jinyoung groaned helplessly onto the large teddy bear on his bed. “Please don’t remind me. It’s already bad when all these dreams... Well, nightmares ends up with Mark rejecting me. Always saying I have a big .” He ended it with an evident pout on his face.

“Ah, don’t worry too much about that.” Youngjae snorted. “I know you’ve been conscious a lot about your since that incident in middle school, but I highly doubt Mark would be that mean in real life. You should really stop overthinking, Jinyoung-ah.”

“I guess so,” Jinyoung shrugged while at the same time there was a sudden loud knock on his door courtesy of his older sister. “What?!” Jinyoung shouted towards the direction of the doorway before speaking into the receiver once again. “I’m sorry, Youngjae-ah. My sister’s knocking for I don’t know what. Talk to you later?”

“Of course! Text me if anything happens. Alright?” Youngjae insisted on the other line “And by anything, I mean anything.”

“Alright.” Jinyoung said as they both hung up. Another series of knock echoed in the room before Jinyoung finally found the willpower to stand up and answer the door.

“What?” Jinyoung huffed in annoyance when he opened the door to find his older sister, Yejin, with her arms on her sides. “Noona, I’m sorry, but isn’t it too early even for you?”

Yejin looked at him in disbelief. “Huh?! Look at this kid! Weren’t you the one who promised to accompany me to the grocery today?”

“The supermarket opens at nine, noona.” Jinyoung deadpanned at his sister which earned him a pinch on his cheek. “Ow! Noona!”

“I know you, Park Jinyoung.” Yejin said now pinching both of Jinyoung’s cheeks. She might be a feet smaller than her younger brother, but she was still miles stronger than him. “If I don’t drag you downstairs this early, we’ll be leaving before lunch.”

“I’m a changed person!” Jinyoung said as his sister dragged him by his arms. “You’ve seen me early for school, noona! Why are you so cruel to me?” He tried to use his best puppy dog eyes on his sister which almost always… doesn’t work.

Yejin just narrowed her eyes at her younger brother. “You say that, but if I left you in your room, you’ll be sleeping again and it’ll be difficult to wake you up after!” She then brought him inside the kitchen as they watch their mother serving their breakfast on the table while their father reads the morning newspaper. Just another typical morning at the Park household.

“Why are you already so noisy this morning?” Mrs. Park asked with a small smile watching as her two children stomped grumpily to their usual seats.

“Yejin-noona is too violent.” Jinyoung grumbled as his hand was swatted away (courtesy of course by his older sister) when he tried to get one waffle from the plate. “It’s too early for her to be like this.”

“And it’s too early for you to be this whiny, Jinyoung-ah.” Yejin rolled her eyes as she bit on the waffle that Jinyoung was eyeing earlier. “Seriously, Auntie will be arriving in a bit to prepare for the party tomorrow with Mom so it’s better for us to start early, right Ma?” She then looked up to their mother with a questioning look for confirmation.

“Well, your sister has a point.” Mrs. Park answered as she patted a pouty Jinyoung on the head. “But you didn’t have to destroy your brother’s shirt, Yejin-ah.” She also said as she tried to fix Jinyoung’s very crumpled t-shirt. Jinyoung was smiling triumphantly at his sister as she answered him with a glare.

“Ah, I told you I don’t need a large party.” Mr. Park finally spoke up as he lowered down his newspaper. “You really don’t need to go through all these trouble just for my birthday.”

“Nonsense.” Mrs. Park shook her head. “And this party isn’t big at all. It will just be us, the Tuans and Jinyoung’s friends! Just the usual guests.” She then turned to Yejin. “Are you sure you don’t want to bring any of your friends, Yejin-ah?”

Yejin raised her hands as she tries to finish chewing. “No way! Everybody’s gonna be busy doing papers and stuff. Besides, I don’t want Jinyoung embarrassing me.” She added with a smirk to her younger brother which earned her a scowl.

“Alright, alright.” Mrs. Park interjected before Jinyoung could even retaliate. “You two just eat your breakfast in peace. Please.”

It was quarter to nine in the morning when Jinyoung found himself waiting in their living room all dressed up in a simple Iron Man shirt and jeans for his sister, who by the way was still getting ready in her room. Now, Jinyoung may fight a lot with his sister, but he does love and care for her so much. However, at that same moment, he could not help but grumble under his breath as she takes forever to get ready. Seriously, they are just gonna go and buy ingredients at the local supermarket, does she really have to take so long in the shower?

“I’m here! I’m here!” Yejin shouted as she came downstairs and Jinyoung could not help but stare at her in surprise when she saw what her sister was wearing.

“You do realize that we’re just gonna go for a thirty minute maybe an hour trip to the grocery right?” Jinyoung asked. Something smells fishy over here and he was starting to not like it. “Do you really have to wear a dress and what is this?” He gestured at her sister’s feet. “Why are you wearing heels?!”

Yejin shushed her brother as she pulled him outside of the house quietly, eyes watching for any signs of their parents. “I may have a study group go to later. So could you just chill?”

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes as he studied his sister. “What study group? You don’t have any books with you, noona. I even doubt you even have a pen inside that little purse of yours.”

“So? We’ll be meeting in the library. I don’t need to bring books.” When Jinyoung did not look convinced at all, Yejin sighed and shrugged. “Fine. I have a group date later and we know Mom and Dad would absolutely not allow me to go so... Happy?”

“Not really.” Jinyoung answered with a shrug. He could capitalize on this situation which was kind of rare with his sister. “I mean, I could forget telling mom and dad about your plan if…”

“Fine, what do you want?” Yejin rolled her eyes.

“You’re going to drive me to my school paper activities in the next six months.” Jinyoung answered after a few seconds of pondering.

Yejin chuckled in relief. “Seriously? That’s it?” Jinyoung nodded as Yejin laughed. “Oh my God. I thought you’re gonna take my allowance for the month or something. You’re so innocent, baby brother. You had the upper hand, but all you asked for is a chauffeur? I seriously can’t. So cute!”

Jinyoung was still smiling. Her sister has not heard the silver lining yet. “Yeah, noona. That’s all I ask. I mean, driving me to school paper events. You do know who I always bring as my photographer, yeah?” Jinyoung would not like when he felt a little bit of satisfaction when her sister’s face fell.

“Oh hell freaking no.” Yejin gasped as she slightly punched Jinyoung’s arm. “Im Jaebum is not going in my car. Never. Over my dead body.” She punctuated her every word with a poke on Jinyoung’s chest.

“C’mon, noona. It’s been years. You see each other every Sunday.” Jinyoung pleaded with his sister. There was not really so much story between his Yejin-noona and Jaebum. The thing was, Jaebum had a little bit of a crush on his sister when they were little and he may have stolen Yejin’s first kiss when they were all in middle school. Suffice to say, his sister has not forgiven his friend since then.

“That’s different!” Yejin crossed her arms. “When we have brunch I could escape him anytime, but inside a car where we could drive for hours. Ugh. No freaking way. Especially when he always wink at me. Why is he winking at me, Jinyoung-ah, why?”

“Hey, you could be at least kinder to him. He really did like you.” Jinyoung at least needed to say that. “Besides, do you want me to tell Mom and Dad where you’ll be going today? Do you think they won’t ask if I came home alone? How am I even gonna come home with all the groceries and you’re bringing your car with you?”

“Fine, fine. You can have your way.” Yejin surrendered reluctantly. “And are you serious, Park Jinyoung? Did you really think I don’t have a plan? You really think I’m a bad noona, don’t you? Don’t you worry. I’ll be back by lunch so you won’t get in trouble. Just tell Mom and Dad that I needed to get some reading materials from school. One of my friends will fetch me at the grocery anyway so you can bring home the groceries in the car. See? I thought about you, didn’t I?”

“How am I supposed to drive home without a license?” Jinyoung frowned. “And last time I checked, you went nuts when I asked if I could use your car for a practice drive.”

“Who says we’re bringing my car? You’re getting a chauffeur, Jinyoung-ah.” Yejin shrugged with a smile as she looked over the street. “Oh, look! Here’s our ride! Hey Mark!” Yejin waved happily as Mark exited the vehicle and no, Jinyoung’s heart absolutely did not beat faster when Mark unconsciously ran a hand through his hair.

“What the hell?” Jinyoung pulled gently at his sister’s arms as they walked on their lawn. “Why did you bring Mark into this? How were you even able to convince him to go with us?”

“Oh relax, will you?” Yejin rolled her eyes for the nth time today. “It was simple. I just ask him to accompany us and he said yes and there you go. He’s here.” Yejin suddenly looked at him with concern. “Look, I know you two haven’t been close for a while now, but Mark is a good kid isn’t he? I doubt he’ll leave you alone in the supermarket.”

“That’s not really the issue here…” Jinyoung sighed as he stole a look at Mark trying his best to fight the blush threatening his cheeks and hoping to the heavens that his sister would not suspect anything.

“So do we have a deal?” Yejin pleaded at her younger brother. “Please Jinyoung-ah. Please, pretty please? I promise I’ll be less violent with you. I’ll even say hi to Jaebum when we see each other. So please?”

“The fact that you’re even admitting you’re violent…” Jinyoung said in amusement as Yejin hit his arm. “Fine, fine! You win! You can go to that group date of yours. Your dates must be super handsome if you’re acting like this…”

“Yay!” Yejin cheered as she looped her arm with Jinyoung’s. “Now come on, Jinyoung-ah. Mark’s waiting for us.”

To say that the car trip to the grocery store was awkward was beyond an understatement. It was only a little more than a ten minute drive, but certainly one of the most awkward moments of Jinyoung’s life. The fact that Mark was staying quiet did not make it easier too. Yejin-noona did try to make conversation every now and then, but would always end up in silence after a few seconds. What was surprising though is that now that Jinyoung would have found it easier if they he and Mark were the only ones in the car. Nothing like a good argument to pass time, but right now, Jinyoung was too busy being so conscious with all of his actions that it was starting to make him a little dizzy. It did not help too that Yejin was sitting in the backseat whilst Jinyoung got goosebumps just sitting beside Mark in the passenger seat.

“Alright, here’s the grocery list and the money that Mom gave me.” Yejin handed him a small coin purse. “My friend’s already waiting at the parking lot, you boys are gonna be okay here?”

“Yes.” Both Jinyoung and Mark said in unison.

“Alright! I’m going!” Yejin said with a wave of goodbye.

“Come home for lunch or I’m gonna tell!!” Jinyoung shouted after his sister which did not even spare him a glance in return as she ran outside of the supermarket.

There was a few moments of silence as he and Mark stood awkwardly at the entrance. Jinyoung meanwhile started playing with the little purse in his hands, trying to strike up a conversation. That was, until Mark reached over and in an attempt to grab the coin purse from Jinyoung’s hands. The sudden touch of their skin caused Jinyoung to jerk his hand away and nearly dropping the little thing from his hands. Thankfully, Mark’s reflexes are better than his and was the one who caught it.

“What?” Mark asked as he opened the zipper of the coin purse to check the list. “Are you alright? Why are you acting so weird? Did you get enough of sleep, Jinyoungie?”

God, he missed Mark’s voice so much. How long has it been since he heard his voice this close? Jinyoung caught himself staring at the other boy and started shaking his head to compose himself once more.

“You’re not feeling well?” Mark frowned. Jinyoung realized that he must have thought that the reason he was shaking his head was an indication that he was sick.

“N-no… I-I’m fine.” Jinyoung said once he found his voice. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Whatever you say,” Mark eyed him a few seconds before looking at the list. “Your face is very red though. Did you eat something spicy for breakfast? You look like a strawberry lollipop.” Jinyoung pouted as Mark laughed.

“That was super lame.” Jinyoung tried to laugh in relief to release some tension. “Seriously.”

Mark shrugged as he went over the list again. “You’re the one who’s lame. Can’t even appreciate a hilarious joke. What the hell. Anyway. This list is quite long. If you want, let’s just divide it into two so that it will be quicker?”

“Why are you being so nice to me today?” The question was already out of his lips before he realized he said it out loud. Jinyoung was pretty sure the shocked expression on Mark’s face was also reflected on his as well.

“I’m actually not being anything right now?” Mark said after a few moments. “Plus I think I pretty much called you a human lollipop so… Look, are you sure you’re not sick?”

“Forget it.” Jinyoung cleared his throat.

Mark clicked his tongue as he took a picture of the grocery list with his phone before giving it back to Jinyoung. “I’ll take the top half of the list and you get the items from the cheese onwards, deal?”

“Okay.” Jinyoung nodded as he and Mark chose a grocery cart of their own.

“Don’t get lost!!” Mark calls out after him with a snicker and Jinyoung looked back at him with a glare, already regretting that he actually called the other boy ‘nice’ just a few minutes ago.

Shopping on his own provided to be a simpler task on Jinyoung’s part. He has had so many shopping trips with his mother to know which brands she would prepare for the party tomorrow. That proved to be a problem on Mark’s part though and Jinyoung was starting to worry if dividing the task was a good idea after all. (Well, grocery shopping together did not sound good too, Jinyoung thought as a blush creeped out on his cheeks. He might stop thinking once again and probably gonna blurt out to Mark how handsome he looks today.) Leave it to Mark Tuan to cause Jinyoung’s feelings into an overdrive.

It was a little bit later when Jinyoung was almost done breezing through the grocery list when he came into a short dilemma. Unfortunately, the usual brand of milk they use at home was sold out and now he was having a hard time deciding which alternative he should choose instead. He did not even realize that he must have looked so strange just staring or rather, glaring at the cans of milk in front of him for a few minutes now. That is, until he felt a hand tapping on his shoulder.

“Hey,” Jinyoung looked up to see a rather familiar face sporting a good-natured smile at him. “You don’t need to look so mad at them.” He said as he gestured towards the cans of milk. “I know sometimes they’re too sweet, but they said they’re good for your bones. At least that’s what I heard.”

“Uhm,” Jinyoung hesitated, partly because he was not sure if he really knew the guy and partly because he was not sure if he was joking or not and if it would be rude if he would not laugh.

“Ah, my joke huh?” The guy said as he scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you’ve been standing here for so long. I thought you needed some help. I made it worse, didn’t I?”

“Oh no!” Jinyoung waved his hands to show that it was okay “It’s fine really. I just didn’t know which brand to choose. I may have looked weird. I should’ve been the one who say sorry.”

“No worries.” The guy finally looked relieved and he made a move to pick one of the cans from the shelf. “Here.” He said handing the can to Jinyoung. “I’m no milk expert, but that’s what we use at home, so it should be good enough I think.”

Jinyoung smiled as he placed the can in his grocery. “Great. Thanks a lot for your help. Sorry for the trouble too.”

“I’m just glad I could help.” The guy answered him and Jinyoung thought if it will be alright to ask if they did know each other. Maybe he was an old classmate from middle school or someone who goes to their school? However, whatever question Jinyoung has on his mind was replaced when the guy asked him: “Hey, you look familiar. You’re Dain’s friend right?”

“Yes.” Jinyoung answered as his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m actually her associate editor at the school’s newspaper club. How did you know Dain-sunbae?”

“Oh right! I see you at the game sometimes!” Jinyoung was answered with a surprised expression from the other guy’s face. “Dain’s actually my cousin. I’m part of the soccer team. I’m Do Minjoon.” He offered his hand to Jinyoung.

Oh right! Jinyoung finally remembered and how could he even forget Do Minjoon, the star player of their school’s soccer team. “Park Jinyoung.” He said as he shook his hand in return. “And I’m sorry, sunbae. I should’ve recognized you.”

“You seriously need to stop apologizing.” Minjoon said with a small laugh. “And no need to be so formal, Park Jinyoung. It makes me feel old.”

Jinyoung offered him a smile, perhaps still feeling a little bit apologetic for not recognizing him. “Right. Okay.” He does not know what to say anymore and he did not want to be rude to dismiss a senior. Thankfully, Mark’s familiar figure rounded out on their aisle just in time to save Jinyoung’s .

“Jinyoungie, what’s going on here?” Mark came with an unreadable expression, pushing his own grocery cart containing a few items on his list.

“Alright,” Minjoon said as he took a quick glance at the new arrival. “I guess it’s my cue to leave. See you at school, Jinyoung-ah!” He said with a wave as he went on his way.

Jinyoung meanwhile had already forgotten their senior when he saw the contents of Mark’s cart. Clearly, Mark has been taking his time as he only has four items in there from a list of almost twenty items.

“Who was that?” Mark snapped Jinyoung from his thoughts as he narrowed his eyes at him.

“Ah right,” Jinyoung shrugged his shoulders. “That’s Minjoon-sunbae. He’s from our school. He was just helping me choose which milk to buy.” He tried to point at the can of milk in his cart when suddenly Mark grabbed it and put it back on the shelf and replaced it with a different brand.

“What are you doing?” Jinyoung asked in surprise as after that, Mark started to transfer the items from his cart to Jinyoung’s.

“We’ll finish grocery shopping together.” Mark said with a frown on his face. “Are you serious, Jinyoungie? Talking to a stranger? What if it turned out to be someone who’s not from our school? You’re so trusting. What am I gonna say to your mom and dad if something happens to you? Come on.” He grabbed Jinyoung’s cart handle and started to walk away.

“Hey, I’m a fully capable teenager.” Jinyoung said as he tried to match up Mark’s pace. “And do you think I’ll follow someone who offers me candy? That’s a bit insulting. And by the way, I was nearly done with my shopping while yours…” He trailed off looking at Mark’s items with judgement.

“Oh, don’t try to turn this around on me.” Mark said as he side eyes Jinyoung. “I was cornered by a staff earlier for a ramyeon tasting. I didn’t wanna be rude so stop changing the subject and just continue helping me.”

 “I wasn’t even doing anything wrong.” Jinyoung grumbled and pouted all the while following Mark. “You all really need to stop treating me like a baby.”

“What did you say?” Mark asked looking at him closely. “If you’re gonna pout like that, how could we not?” He then pulls one of Jinyoung’s hands (Nope, Park Jinyoung did not squeak. Not at all) and made him grasp the sleeves of his sweater. “There, hold that so you won’t get lost, okay? If I see you letting go of my sleeve, you’re dead, Park Jinyoung.”

Mark might’ve done that just to simply tease Jinyoung for being a big baby, but that was the last thing on Jinyoung’s mind as he lowered his head so hide how red his cheeks are. Seriously, doesn’t he hear how loud my heartbeat is? Jinyoung wondered while unconsciously tightening his hold on Mark’s sweater.

Jinyoung was too busy being too embarrassed in his thoughts that he missed the fact that the person he was holding on to was also sporting a blush as red (if possibly more) as his.

“Ah, Park Jinyoung, you’re unbelievable really!” Youngjae whined dramatically as he and Jinyoung carried the cooler from his best friend’s car towards the grassy park. It was the next day and since it was Jinyoung’s dad’s birthday, their usual Sunday brunch was moved to the nearby park for a picnic. “Didn’t I tell you to contact me if there’s anything that happened? How could you tell me that you went grocery shopping with Mark Tuan a day after it happened? Seriously I don’t know how to feel.”

“Nothing even happened.” Jinyoung said quietly as possible. From the distance, he could see the picnic blankets his mother has set up for them. His father was already sitting there with Mark’s dad, probably talking about the basketball game last night. Behind them, he could hear Jackson’s high pitched laughter indicating that Mark already arrived in the park as well. “And please keep your voice down, Youngjae-ah.” Jinyoung whispered as he eyed the new arrivals.

“Fine.” Youngjae whispered, trying his best to lower down his voice. “But how could you say nothing happened? Uh, you did something that involved Mark Tuan and what’s up with that sweater holding part? Sounds like something that would be included in the “Anything” column I reminded you about.” Youngjae clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Okay, new rule: When I mean anything, it means any event that involves Mark Tuan, okay? Honestly, Jinyoung. You text me about your nightmares, but not this? I can’t get over it!”

“Alright, alright. Fine. I’m sorry.” Jinyoung shrugged. They were still lugging the heavy cooler in their hands when suddenly a loud “Boo!” with a tap on Youngjae’s shoulders surprising the two friends. Turns out, Jaebum has also arrived at the park and finally decides to greet them in the most obnoxious way possible.

“You are such a loser!” Youngjae yelled when he accidentally let go of the cooler, causing the large container to land on his feet. “You surely want to get killed. Im Jaebum?”

Jaebum only answered with a cackle as he rounded his two friends. “I’m glad I was able to help.” He says wearing his sunglasses and running a hand through his hair. Jinyoung wanted to roll his eyes especially when he realized that Jaebum was only doing it for the group of middle school girls by the fountain side.

“Seriously, we can really use your help. Jaebum-ah.” Jinyoung said as he pointed at Youngjae’s car. “There’s still two food containers there. Can you please go get it?”

“Ugh fine.” Jaebum said fixing his hair as he asked Youngjae for the keys. “Hey, is Yejin-noona here? I saw her car, but I haven’t seen her yet.” He then tried to look around trying to find any signs of Jinyoung’s sister.

“Ugh. Don’t worry, either you see her or not, she’s still gonna hate your stupid face.” Yejin’s voice came from beside Jinyoung and he was actually surprised to see her wearing her own sunglasses and tried to fix her hair. Come to think of it, Jinyoung never realized how alike his sister and Jaebum were. He literally shivered at the thought of that. No way.

“Noona!” Jaebum gasped in surprise as he was instantly at Yejin’s side. “Let me help you with that!” Yejin was only has the box of cake in her hands and Jinyoung and Youngjae did not even hide their glares as Jaebum snatched the very light box from his sister’s hands.

“Eww, he really is a loser. So embarrassing” Youngjae said as they watched Jaebum fussing over Jinyoung’s sister, while she tried her best dodging any attempts from him.

“I think Yejin-noona enjoys it at one point or another.” Jinyoung shook his head in disappointment.

“Jaebum’s trying to get noona’s attention again, huh?” Jackson said as he came up from Youngjae’s side, to his left was Mark who was busy playing a game in his phone. “You guys need help?”

“Finally!” Youngjae said as he stopped walking and gestured the cooler to Jackson. “There’s still a few things in the car, but… . Jaebum has my key. That idiot.”

“Let me help you with that.” Jackson says to Youngjae. “I’ll get the key from Jaebum and you go wait for me at your car?” Youngjae agreed with a nod and Jackson turned to Mark. “Mark, you go help Jinyoung.” He then snatched the phone from Mark’s hands and slid it in his pocket. “Seriously Mark Tuan, try to pay attention to things.”

“What?” Mark asked in confusion and a little bit caught off guard, but it was already too late as Youngjae and Jackson were already heading into opposite directions. It was then that he realized that he was already left with one person standing in front of him.

“Hey,” Jinyoung greeted and he hated how his voice cracked a bit. He could not help but be a little suspicious when Youngjae agreed to Jackson’s suggestion. His hunch was further verified when he saw Youngjae gesturing from afar and pointing at Mark’s direction.

“I guess I’ll have to help you then.” Mark mumbled as he picked up one side of the cooler’s handle while Jinyoung did the same. They said nothing as they proceeded on their finally reaching their destination.

“Well, this is a rare sight. It really must be my birthday.” Mr. Park commented when Jinyoung and Mark arrived. Jinyoung felt too embarrassed as he tried to instead focus on helping his sister set up the cake while Mark started to open the food containers.

“Ah, don’t do that. You’re embarrassing them.” Mrs. Park said as she elbowed her husband which earned a laugh from Mark’s parents as well. That definitely did not help Jinyoung’s awkwardness at all.

“Ah, look you guys. Jinyoung’s face is all red.” Yejin teased as Jinyoung glared at his sister and thankfully Youngjae and Jackson finally arrived with the rest of the food so no one was able to see him aim a little kick at his sister. “Park Jinyoung— what are you… Hey, where are the birthday candles?” Yejin turned to Jaebum who was casually lounging on the grass and certainly not (yes) showing off. “Yah, Im Jaebum, where are the candles? It was taped at the top of the box!”

“I don’t know.” Jaebum got up from his position. “It wasn’t there when you gave me the box.” Yejin could only glare at him.

“I’ll go buy the candles. I think there’s a convenience store nearby.” Jinyoung interjected before anything gets out of hand. He then grabbed Youngjae, who was busy stuffing himself with dumplings to accompany him. He would do anything to get out of there fast.

“What’s up?” Youngjae asked as they walked away.

“Nothing.” Jinyoung replied with a casual shrug. “Just my family being embarrassing as usual.”

“They must have said something then, because your face is seriously very red now.” Youngjae laughed especially when Jinyoung touched his heated face consciously.

“Ah, this has been happening so much lately.” Jinyoung hung his head in defeat. He really should really try to get a better hold of his emotions, specifically those emotions triggered by a certain Mark Tuan.

Youngjae patted his shoulders empathically.” You really don’t have to worry about it. Seriously. It’s very cute.”

“I’m glad I entertain you a lot then.” Jinyoung pouted which got him a boisterous laugh from Youngjae.

They were able to have a quick trip to the convenience store and were happily heading back to their picnic. There were a lot of people in the park, given that it was a Sunday morning, lots of families came in with the same idea of having a picnic under the lazy morning sun. There were also a lot of children here and there running around with their energetic laughter as they circled the grassy park. Jinyoung observed them distractedly as he and Youngjae were walking back and they had almost arrive to where their family and friends were when a sharp whooshing soccer ball almost hit them if not for Youngjae’s fast reflexes.

“Hey, you alright?” Youngjae has a firm hold on Jinyoung’s arm as he tried to find the person who kicked the ball.

“Yeah,” Jinyoung despite still gaining back his balance. “You?”

“Yeah,” Youngjae nodded as he glared around. “Where is that that kicked the ball?”

“Hey!” A voice came from their side and Jinyoung was once again surprised when he saw Minjoon running towards their direction. “Sorry! It’s my bad! Are you guys alright? I didn’t hit you, did I? Hey! It’s you again, Jinyoung!”

Before Jinyoung could even say anything, Youngjae has his hands on both sides of his waist as he looked at Minjoon from head to toe. “Yeah, you almost hit us. Who are you anyway?”

“Youngjae, he’s a senior at our school.” Jinyoung whispered at his best friend. Youngjae could sometimes speak his mind without thinking about the consequences and it would get him into trouble sometimes. However, Jinyoung knew that they don’t need to get in trouble with a senior if it was not necessary.

“Right, I didn’t mean to do that.” Minjoon said apologetically, scratching his head. “Is there anything I could do?”

“Ah that’s all right, sunbae.” Jinyoung answered with a wave of his hand. “We still need to go back to our picnic.”

Youngjae still looked unimpressed. “Yeah, so if you don’t mind, sunbae. We’re leaving now.” He said as he pulled Jinyoung with him.

They were already a few steps forward when they heard Minjoon calling out Jinyoung’s name. “It was great seeing you again, Park Jinyoung.” He said already with his soccer ball in his hands before he went on his own way.

“I don’t like him.” Youngjae said with a huff, still pulling Jinyoung with him.

“Why?” Jinyoung asked curiously. “He already apologized to us.”

“No, not just because of the ball.” Youngjae said with a solemn expression in his face. “He just give off this… “I’m gonna be a pain in the ” aura.”

That made Jinyoung snort. “What does that even mean?” However, he was only answered with a shrug from his best friend.

“Dude, you gotta stop staring at Yejin-noona. It’s rude and creepy.” Jackson said as he threw a piece of unused plastic cup at his friend Jaebum. They were supposed to be playing checkers, but Jaebum was too distracted for his own good.

“I’m not staring.” Jaebum said throwing back the paper cup at his friend. “I’m just… appreciating art that’s all.”

“You’re gross.” Jackson acted as if he was throwing up. “You said you didn’t like her anymore, so what are you doing? Just be a good friend and play checkers.”

“You’re only saying that because your object of affection isn’t here.” Jaebum said as he finally started playing once again.

Jackson was about to retaliate when Mark, who was supposed to be lounging lazily on the grass beside them suddenly sat up and started tapping violently on Jackson’s shoulders. Both Jackson and Jaebum looked at him in surprise and confusion as they followed Mark’s glare at a certain direction.

“Who’s that?” Mark asked as Jackson finally figured out what his best friend was talking about. The three friends watched from the distance as Youngjae and Jinyoung chatted with a familiar face from their school.

“You mean Minjoon-hyung?” Jackson asked with his thumb pointing at the direction Mark was glaring at. It should be amusing to watch his best friend who looked like fire was gonna come out from his ears, but he somehow sensed that Mark was not going to appreciate it. “Yeah, he’s a senior at school. I’m surprised you didn’t know him. He’s like the best player of the soccer varsity. He’s actually great. I kinda knew him when I was still in the team. Nice guy…”

“Yeah,” Jaebum chimed in. “If I’m not mistaken, I think he’s quite famous and I know you don’t really don’t care about it, but he’s almost as popular as you.”

Mark clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Well, you’re right. I don’t care about him.” He then lied back on the grass and Jackson swore he heard Mark grumbling under his breath saying Minjoon was so “ing aggravating”.

“Looks like they’re back.” Jaebum said standing up and patting the dirt on his pants. “Come on. Time for cake.”

Jackson and Mark followed their friend as the birthday cake was finally set up for Jinyoung’s dad. They were rounding up together in a circle when Jackson noticed Youngjae frowning on the side. Giving the other a short tap on the shoulders, Youngjae looked up at him with a questioning look.

“Are you all right? Did something happen?” Jackson asked with concern as he noticed that the serious expression did not disappear from Youngjae’s face.

“I don’t know.” Youngjae said with a sigh. Jackson then watched as he flicked his eyes towards Jinyoung and Mark. “Just having a bad feeling that’s all.” He then scooted closer to Jackson. “I’m on Mark’s team, okay?”

“What do you mean?” Jackson said in confusion.

“Just…” Youngjae said trailed off for a few moments. “If in anytime, you’ll need my help. I just want you to know that I’m on your side.”

9/

“Come on, honey.” Mrs. Tuan encouraged her son as the little boy continued to stare intently on the slowly melting candle on his birthday cake. “Don’t forget to make a wish first before you blow the candles.”

Jinyoung watched sadly at his best friend, who he knew was trying his best not to cry in front of the other guests for his ninth birthday party. He could see everybody’s eyes including their classmates and their parents and if Jinyoung would be able to do something for them to stop ogling at the sadness of Mark, he would have certainly done so already. Unfortunately, Park Jinyoung is just a simple elementary school kid whose so far, the only known talent was to eat ten pieces of strawberry under one minute.

He watched hopelessly when Mark turned to his mother with a sad expression on his face. “Is Papa really not gonna be able to make it?”

“I’m sorry, honey.” Mrs. Tuan comforted Mark with a smile. “Papa’s flight was delayed, but he’ll be here tomorrow. I promise.”

“Alright.” Mark nodded quietly as he turned back to his cake, reaching out quietly for Jinyoung’s hand which the latter held tightly as if assuring his best friend that everything will be alright. After a few seconds of full silence, Mark finally took a deep breath and blew the candle on his cake.

The birthday party was again in full swing a few minutes later and the little kids were now enjoying the entertainment of the magician that Mark’s parent had hired. Jinyoung meanwhile watches thoughtfully as Youngjae and Jaebum fought to eat the rest of Mark’s cake. It pretty much ended up with Youngjae making his puppy, Coco, chase after Jaebum.

That was then when he realized that Mark was already missing from his side and Jinyoung stood abruptly from his seat. He tried to check if Mark joined in the audience watching the magicians or if he was playing with Youngjae or Jaebum to no avail. Thinking of the last possible place that Mark might be, Jinyoung decided to go upstairs at Mark’s room.

And he was right, when he arrived, the door was locked. He tried knocking on the door, but Jinyoung was replied with silence. He looked up sadly at the wooden doorway and felt a little bit pathetic that he could not even be by Mark’s side to cheer him up on his birthday. He knew that Mark had been waiting for this day for weeks, especially after his Mama and Papa promised him a party with his classmates. Unfortunately, Mark’s dad had to go for an emergency business meeting abroad at the very last minute. They thought that he would be able to arrive today, but sadly was not.

“Mark? It’s Jinyoung,” He tried knocking once again, but still no response. Sighing sadly to himself, an idea suddenly popped up in his head as he hurried back downstairs to get something from their house.

Mark was lying face down on his bed when he heard Jinyoung’s footsteps running away from his bedroom. He most probably decided to play with Youngjae and Jaebum, instead and suddenly the thought saddened him a lot. He really felt bad about not opening the door for Jinyoung, but at the same time, he did not want his best friend seeing the tear streaks on his face as of the moment. With a heavy sigh, Mark once again buried his face into his pillow, maybe he will be able to fall asleep in a little bit and hopefully, when he wakes up it’s the next day already.

It was a few minutes later and Mark was still in the same position when he heard some shuffling from outside his bedroom door. It made him look up as he eyed curiously, wondering what was happening outside. A few seconds later and silence once again. That was, until he heard Jinyoung’s voice, a little bit muffled due to the wooden door dividing them, but Mark will never ever be mistaken when it comes to this.

“Mark?” Jinyoung’s voice was soft, but enough for Mark to understand him. “I… I don’t know if you’re still awake or not, but that’s okay. If you’re awake, it’s alright if you don’t open the door. If you’re not well,” There was a pause when Jinyoung let out a short giggle. “I just hope you’ll be able to hear my voice in your dreams.”

Mark sat up from his bed as he debated whether or not he would open the door, but it took him a second too long when Jinyoung continued to speak once more. “I know you’re really sad, Mark. I would be too if I won’t be able to spend my birthday with both Mama and Papa. I just want to tell you that… Hmm, how should I explain this?”

Jinyoung’s voice was so animated, Mark could not help the tiny smile on his face as he tried to imagine the thinking expression on his best friend’s face and the little hand gestures along with it. “Remember that time we were watching the scary movie at Youngjae’s house and I almost felt like crying because Jaebum didn’t want me to turn away from the screen. I was really scared back then…” Jinyoung trailed off as Mark walked over to the door and sat with his back against it. Hearing Jinyoung’s voice was comforting already for him and he wanted to hear it more.

“I was so scared,” Jinyoung continued as Mark rested his head on the other side of the door. “But then, you held my hand and it made me feel a million times better. I was still scared to be honest, but when you held my hand I thought, it’s okay to be scared as long as Mark is with me. I think that’s what I wanna tell you, Mark. It’s alright to be sad today. It’s okay if you’ll cry. I don’t want to only see your smile. I want to also see when you’re crying or you’re scared or you’re mad. Just like I am when I’m with you. I want you to know that I’ll always be beside you, Mark. You can always count on me to hold your hand too.”

Mark can feel a few tears tracing down his cheeks when he finally opened the door. There was a sudden yelp from the other side as a surprised Jinyoung fell down on his back. Mark realized that Jinyoung must have been resting his back to the door and he got down on his knees to check if his best friend was alright.

“Jinyoungie!” Mark gasped as he help Jinyoung up, but he was only met by a few short giggles from the latter. “Are you okay? Is your back hurt?”

“Nope!” Jinyoung answered with a cheery voice as he lunged at Mark to envelope him in a hug. Resting his cheek on Mark’s chest, Jinyoung’s voice was a little muffled as he spoke against the fabric of Mark’s shirt. “Are you okay, Mark?”

“Better.” Mark replied nuzzling Jinyoung’s hair. That was when he realized that Jinyoung was wearing something in his head. “Jinyoungie, what is this?” He said as he attempted to touch the headband (?) that Jinyoung was wearing.

“Oh,” Jinyoung pulled away excitedly as his tiny fingers traced the headband adorned with two bear ears at the top. “I borrowed this from Yejin-noona. She wore it last Halloween when she dressed up as my teddy bear, remember? I thought earlier that when I’m alone in my room, it always makes me happy when I hug my teddy bear, so since you’re sad, I can be your teddy bear instead!”

It was then that finally let out his laughter. Jinyoungie is too cute. “Does it look bad?” Jinyoung frowned as he misunderstood Mark’s laughter.

“No, I definitely like teddy bear Jinyoungie.” Mark said, touching Jinyoung’s bear ears with a smile. “He looks so adorable.”

“Jinyoungie,” Mark called out not sure if his best friend was already sleeping or not. It was already a few hours later and they were on Mark’s bed. Jinyoung was still wearing his teddy bear ears as Mark hugged him from the back. “Are you still awake?”

Jinyoung answered with a barely audible “Hmm?” indicating that he was already close to falling asleep.

“Thank you for today.” Mark said quietly, tightening his hold on Jinyoung’s waist. Jinyoung did not answer, most probably in his dreamland already. But that was fine with Mark. As long as Park Jinyoung is by his side, everything will definitely be okay.

Because Jinyoungie is his happiness,

16/

“Oh my God,” Jinyoung gasped in surprise as he watches Youngjae cringed a little as they stared at each other. “Please tell me I heard you wrong, because I need to process this Choi Youngjae. I mean what the hell. You can’t just suddenly spring this information on me.”

“Yeah, I know.” Youngjae answered guiltily as if he expected this reaction from Jinyoung. “You can take your time, Jinyoung-ah. I’ll totally understand if you’re not gonna talk to me.”

Jinyoung looked up at Youngjae incredulously. “No, did you think I’m mad at you?” Youngjae answered with a nod. “No, Youngjae-ah. I’m sorry if I gave you the impression  that I’m mad it’s just that I’m just seriously shocked that you of all people will date Jackson Wang!”

“I know!” Youngjae whined as he slumped and buried himself into his bed. Jinyoung watched him thoughtfully from his own bedside.

It was a week before their school term starts again and they were spending it at the vacation house of Jaebum’s grandparents. Of course, aside from Jinyoung and Youngjae, that meant that Mark and Jackson had joined in as well. It was a really awkward two hour drive to say the least, but what Jinyoung found strange was that even Youngjae had been quiet as well. Usually he would be at least the one to initiate conversation at least with Jinyoung or Jaebum, but nothing. And when Jinyoung asked Youngjae what was wrong when they arrived at the beach house, it was absolutely not the answer he was expecting. Never in his entire life.

“When did this happen?” Jinyoung asked when he finally calmed himself down. Actually now that he really thought about it, it was kind of amusing and a little bit adorable. Of all the guys that Choi Youngjae would choose to be his first boyfriend.

“Blame theatre camp.” Youngjae mumbled as he finally faced Jinyoung. Half of his face still buried on the fluffy pillow. “I didn’t know he was attending and he’s the only one I knew there. Same goes for him. So we stuck together all the time and then… Things happened. Things happen at camps, Jinyoung-ah” Youngjae whined once more as he covered his face with the pillow.

“Oh my… When you say ‘things happened’?” Jinyoung straightened up from his bed as he eyed his best friend in surprise. “Choi Youngjae, don’t tell me!”

“No!” Youngjae sat up as well in defense. “No I did not sleep with Jackson Wang! No way… Just… We… Make out… A lot.”

Jinyoung sighed as he pressed a hand over his heart. “God. Don’t scare me like that. So why aren’t you talking to him at the car if you’re dating right now? Did you guys fight?”

Youngjae started playing with the hem of his sweater. “Well, of course we kind of agreed to keep it a secret first because we didn’t know how people would react given the circumstances…” He trailed off while looking at Jinyoung and he finally understood. It was because of him and Mark.

“Youngjae-ah, you really don’t have to think about me and Mark.” Jinyoung stood up from his bed and sat beside his best friend. “If you two really like each other, you don’t have to hide it.”

“But we don’t!” Youngjae gasped. “At least, I think I don’t. We actually promised to break up by the end of this trip! And besides, Jackson already told me that he already likes someone from our school and I might have promised him I’d help him with his crush so…”

“Youngjae-ah.” Jinyoung said as Youngjae leaned his head on his shoulder and held Jinyoung’s hand. “Are you seriously okay with this?”

“Yeah, I think I am.” Youngjae answered with a sigh. “I mean, Jackson’s nice. He actually took care of me and it was… really fun. I’m not only talking about the make out sessions, but he’s actually funny, you know? And for a first boyfriend, he’s actually good and he’s pretty hot so…”

Jinyoung chuckled at that. “Well, as long as you’re really, really fine with this set up.” Youngjae did not say anything, but Jinyoung felt his best friend’s hand tightening in his hold. “Hey, that one time me and Jaebum wanted to hang out at your house last week?”

“Oh, that.” Youngjae sat up avoiding Jinyoung’s stare at him. “Yeah, Jackson came over that time.” He then stood up and went over his luggage still looking anywhere but Jinyoung. “Come on, Jinyoung-ah, let’s go unpack! The beach is waiting!”

“You’re really unbelievable, Choi Youngjae.” Jinyoung said as he threw a pillow at his best friend.

“What the hell is this news, Youngjae and Jackson are dating?!” Jaebum screamed at his four friends when he arrived at their lunch table. “And I got the news through a text?! Why am I even friends with you four?”

Jaebum’s grandparents own a small seafood restaurant just right by the seaside and since they were all famished by the long drive, they all agreed to eat lunch first before heading to the beach. The place was kind of crowded especially it was already lunch time. They were at least lucky to have a table of their own without any expenses paid and Jinyoung is very sure he was not the only one waiting excitedly for their food.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, Youngjae and Jackson finally began to show some indications that they were indeed going out. At least, Jinyoung did not hallucinate when he saw their hands intertwined around the table and they were kind of touchy (?) every now and then. Of course he was a little bit weirded out at first, who would have thought, right? But whatever he was feeling was completely overshadowed by the looks of disgust from Mark and Jaebum’s faces.

“What?” Jackson asked a few minutes later, finally bothered by the scowls directed at them. “Do not tell me you’re against same relationships?”

“Oh, absolutely not.” Mark shook his head. “I’m not really bothered by it. But you two…” He points at the couple. “You two are the ones disturbing me. That mental image of you kissing under at the front door earlier will be forever imprinted in my mind. Why? Just why?”

Youngjae answered him with a roll of his eyes. “Well, who told you to look anyway, Mark? Mind your own business.”

“God, this is so freaking unfair!” Jaebum exclaimed from his seat. “And here I was thinking I have the best news of the day, but here I have my two friends ruining it for me. Thanks a lot guys. Thanks.”

“What news?” Jinyoung asked curiously as all eyes were now looking at Jaebum.

Jaebum was still sulking. “Well, I was going to tell you that I… Oh there she is.” They then turned their attention to where Jaebum was looking at and from the entrance of the restaurant stood a tall girl with long flowing hair waving, unbelievably, at Jaebum.

“What the actual…” Youngjae turned to Jaebum with his eyes wide. “Don’t tell me…”

“I know right?” Jaebum said with a smirk on his face. “We actually met last summer, but just decided to go out last month.” Jaebum stood up once his girlfriend (Gosh why does everyone in a relationship right now? Jinyoung thought bitterly) approached their table and offered her a seat beside him. “Guys, this is Soyi.” Jaebum said as he introduced them one by one. Soyi in return greeted them politely. She seemed really nice and probably Jinyoung was not the only one in their table wondering how Jaebum actually got a girl like her.

“Aha!” Jaebum said while draping an arm on Soyi’s shoulder. “You’re all thinking she’s out of my league, don’t you.” And without any hesitation, Jinyoung along with the other three boys nodded in unison. “See, Soyi-ah. I told you they’re all mean to me.” He added with a pout while blinking his eyes at Soyi who only answered him with a giggle.

“Didn’t Jaebum like Yejin-noona?” Youngjae whispered at Jinyoung who only answered with a shrug. He really did not know what’s going on with Jaebum’s mind nor does he have any desire of knowing. As long as he was happy. (Plus, Jinyoung was at least 99 percent sure Jaebum has a zero chance with his older sister. The one percent was left out, because hey, Park Jinyoung does believe in miracles.)

“Bleh,” Mark pretended to retch in his seat as he looked at Youngjae and Jackson. “I take it back. You guys aren’t grossing me out anymore. Jaebum is.”

“Ah, Youngjae and Jackson are dating, right?” Soyi asked with a smile. “You guys look cute. So does that mean that Mark and Jinyoung are a couple too?”

Jinyoung, who was in the middle of drinking their complimentary lemon water nearly choked and it seemed that Mark did the same thing as well. That earned a laugh from Jaebum as he explained the truth to Soyi who then apologized immediately.

“I’m sorry,” Soyi said apologetically. “It’s just that you two look good together and I thought… Nevermind.”

“Ah no, it’s fine, Soyi-ah.” Jinyoung shook his head. “It’s okay.”

“Where is the food?” Mark complained all of a sudden. “I’m hungry.”

“Hush,” Jaebum shook a finger at Mark’s face. “No need to be so impatient. It’s coming soon.” He then turned to Soyi. “Anyway, Soyi-ah, if you’re really interested, when we were kids, Mark and Jinyoung were actually married…”

“Shut up, Jaebum.” Jinyoung and Mark said at the same time.

All in all, despite that almost awkward lunch, the rest of the day turned out pretty well. Jinyoung did not mind swimming in the ocean since it was he has not been at the beach for a very long time. He did not appreciate so much though that sometimes, Youngjae and Jackson or Jaebum and Soyi will disappear somewhere since that meant that he will be alone with Mark. But as it turned out, Mark minded his own business most of the time. He just came over sometimes to pull a prank on Jinyoung or to have a good laugh (at Jinyoung’s expense of course), but other than that, Jinyoung loved their first day at the beach.

The next day was spent away from the sea as Jinyoung, along with Mark, Youngjae, Jaebum and Jackson, biked around the small town in the morning while they dedicated their afternoon hiking on the small hill nearby. It was interesting to say the least with the five of them hanging out. They were like a little clique, but at the same time they were not which saddened Jinyoung for a little bit because unspoken as it may be, it was mainly because of the rift between him and Mark. If there was only a way that he could not be Park Jinyoung right now….

After that, the next few days were spent at the beach, especially when Jaebum’s grandparents realized that their handsome visitors were a hit with the customers. They mostly spent their time helping out at the restaurant and only had time to swim at late afternoon through the night. They did not mind though since the food was delicious and they could eat whatever they want anytime they want. Plus everything was free so who were they to complain?

It was their fifth night of staying over and Jinyoung was just lounging on his bed reading an e-book from his phone when all of a sudden the bedroom door burst open. It made him jump in surprise especially when the person who came in was the least expected one in Jinyoung’s mind.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Jinyoung gasped as he watched Mark with an annoyed expression on his face plopping down on Youngjae’s bed.

“Jackson and Youngjae are at our room.” Mark explained lying down with his arms crossed and staring at the ceiling as if it would give him anything he wanted.

Jinyoung was still recovering from his shock. “Well, I’m pretty sure they’re only staying in Jackson’s bed. So there’s no point of you going here.”

It was Mark who sat up and turned sharply at him. “Oh. I’m sorry,” He started sarcastically. “Forgive me if I don’t want to be a witness while they’re each other’s faces. Do you think I’ll go here if I have a choice?”

“What about Jaebum’s room then?” Jinyoung suggested.

“Jaebum sleeps in a single bed.” Mark deadpanned while looking at Jinyoung in disbelief. “And I’ve witnessed Jaebum in a slumber party before. I don’t want to be punched in the face.”

Jinyoung frowned as the memory of waking up to a wailing Youngjae with a black eye crossed his mind. “Fine.” Jinyoung said in resignation. “You can stay here as long as you don’t bother me. Tuan.”

“Who says I’m gonna?” Mark retaliated as he once again took his position on the bed. “And if we’re gonna be honest here, I think I should be more worried of you climbing on to my bed in the middle of the night.”

“Please,” Jinyoung lied down as well with his back facing Mark. He took his phone with him to continue what he was reading earlier. “I’d rather sleep outside.”

Silence once again filled up the entire room and Jinyoung stayed in his position. He did not know if Mark had already fallen asleep, but as long as he kept quiet, Jinyoung can be at peace.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Jinyoung heard Mark clearing his throat, “What do you honestly think about Youngjae and Jackson?” Mark said quietly and Jinyoung looked back to make sure that the other was really talking to him and not just voicing out his thoughts. He then sees Mark turned his head towards him with a questioning glance. Jinyoung finally decided to bring down his phone and lie down on his back once more.

“Well, I don’t really mind it.” Jinyoung replied as he stared absentmindedly at the ceiling. “I’m not gonna lie. I was seriously surprised when I found out. I mean, I haven’t seen them talk so much at school, but I guess since they had camp together… Are you really that bothered by them dating?”

Mark did not answer immediately as he too turned to stare at the ceiling. “I really don’t think I’m bothered with them dating to be honest. I guess I’m more concerned with the fact that they scheduled their break up. Is it really possible to set up an expiration date when you don’t want to be together anymore?”

“Well, I guess at the end of the day, it’s up to what they agreed upon.” Jinyoung sighed. “I can see your point though, but it’s really none of our business to disagree or to even talk about it.”

“I guess.” Mark sighed. “I’m just a little worried, you know? What if when the day they break up comes and one of them still wants to be together or worse, what if they really want to be together for real but they have this stupid rule that they have to follow? Aren’t they gonna be hurt?” Mark paused for a second before they continue. “Why would you continue to spend time and you know kiss someone if you don’t have at least a tiny bit of feeling for the other person, right?”

“Right,” Jinyoung nodded. “But if what you’re thinking’s gonna happen and they did not end up right now, maybe it was not the right time yet.”

“Then when will be the right time?” Mark asked quietly.

Jinyoung shrugged a little. “I don’t know. I guess the right time is different for everyone. It could be weeks, months or years, but I believe that if the two of you are heading the same direction, then eventually you’ll end up together. If not, then it’s a shame. Maybe they share their destination with someone else.”

“Maybe.”

Jinyoung woke up pretty early the next day and for some odd reason, he did not know how or what time he fell asleep last night. He felt a bit refreshed and he counted that for the fact that it was the very first time that he had a serious talk like that with Mark. It made his heart lighter for a bit. He saw Mark still sleeping soundly on Youngjae’s bed, so as quietly as possible, Jinyoung made his way to the kitchen to make himself a hot cup of chocolate. It seemed that it was only him who was awake at this hour, so he slowly made his way back to his room to wait for breakfast.

Around seven in the morning, Jinyoung finally heard the regular hustle and bustle at the kitchen and that was when he decided to finally wake Mark up. Youngjae and Jackson had sheepish grins on their faces when they saw Jinyoung and Mark emerging from their room. Youngjae at least apologized for not being able to go back to their room the previous night to which Jinyoung accepted without any problems. He and Jackson just have at least two days together, so they should spend more time in each other’s company whenever they want.

“Hey,” Jaebum sat sleepily on his usual seat. “Soyi was actually suggesting we have a little late night picnic tomorrow night before we go back to the city. Are you guys in?”

Jaebum was then answered with different kinds of sleepy grunts which he took as a yes. “Alright, I’ll ask grandpa and grandma if we could get some food for tomorrow then and maybe we could buy some sparklers later.”

“Sure.” Youngjae answered with a yawn while Jackson was already nuzzling his neck and snoring loudly.

Disappointment and annoyance was etched on Jinyoung’s face the following night as he sat on the house’s balcony as numerous slices of uncooked meat (courtesy of Jaebum’s grandparents) and rice stared mockingly at him. The sparklers they had bought yesterday was placed on one of the chairs. It should have been a fun night but unfortunately everyone cancelled for the last minute with Jaebum and Soyi opting to watch a movie at the local theater and Youngjae and Jackson disappearing somewhere Jinyoung does not even want to know. With everyone gone, that only leaves him with…

‘Great,” The sarcasm from Mark’s voice can be heard even before he entered the balcony. “I’m really the unluckiest person alive.” He then plopped himself on the seat beside Jinyoung’s as they tried to both figure out what to do.

“Nope,” Jinyoung said dully. “That’s me. I’m the unluckiest one.”

“So what are gonna do now?” Mark asked as he pointed at the heaps of food in front of them.

“Well I don’t know about you,” Jinyoung said as he stood up walking towards the grill. “But I’m seriously hungry and I don’t care anymore. I wanna eat and I’m not gonna cook for you.”

“Who says I want you to cook for me?” Mark replied snatching the tongs from Jinyoung’s hand. “You might try to poison me or something. Do you even know how to grill, Jinyoungie?”

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes at Mark as they tried to wrestle for the tongs. “I do know how to grill meat, thank you very much!”

In the end, they both found out that they both at grilling, but hey they were at least able to produce some decent (if not slightly to medium charred) dinner. Both of them eating with gusto and not wanting to waste any food. After dinner, they did use the sparklers they had and if Jinyoung would be really honest, he did have a great time. He and Mark still bickered a lot, but for some reason, there was no real intent on the teases that they threw each other. Maybe Jinyoung still missed Mark a lot and maybe on this one night, Jinyoung allowed himself to be a little bit selfish as he tried to let himself be happy.

It was around midnight when Jinyoung and Mark finally called it a night. Jinyoung made his way to his own bedroom and was surprised when he saw Youngjae already on his bed lying with his back facing away from him.

“We broke up.” Youngjae said quietly and it surprised Jinyoung a little because he was very sure that his best friend was already sleeping.

Not hesitating for a second, Jinyoung made his way to Youngjae’s bed and lied down from behind him, arms securing his best friend’s waist. “I thought tomorrow was the deadline?”

Jinyoung felt Youngjae shrugging. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, right? What difference does a few hours make when it’s going to happen eventually?”

“Oh, Youngjae.” Jinyoung said not really entirely sure what to say.

“I’m okay, Jinyoung-ah.” Youngjae said with his voice a little too much steadily for Jinyoung’s ear. “That was the plan from the beginning, right? I should be okay since I prepared myself for this, right?” Youngjae shivered for a bit and Jinyoung could not help but tighten his hold on him wanting to convey all the comfort that he could not convey into words. “Hey, Jinyoung-ah,” This time, Youngjae’s voice broke a little as his shoulders begin to shudder slightly. “Why does my heart hurt?” Youngjae laughed for a little bit which sounded strange because his voice was shaking.

Youngjae finally turned around to face him and Jinyoung’s heart clenched when he saw the trails of combined wet and dried tears adorning his best friend’s cheeks. “Why does it hurt, Jinyoung-ah?” He says brokenly as he buried himself onto Jinyoung’s chest. Jinyoung did not say anything as he continued to Youngjae’s hair. After a few minutes Youngjae pulled back as he stared at Jinyoung through hazy tears. “Okay, I’ve decided. Tonight, I’m gonna cry my eyes out, but starting tomorrow I’ll promise to be alright again. I’ll be back to my awesome, cheery self. And promise me you won’t tell anyone, Jinyoung-ah.”

“I promise.” Jinyoung said as Youngjae continued to cry in his arms holding onto him as if his life depended on it.

Youngjae was not lying. The next day, Jinyoung was woken up with a very cheerful Youngjae pulling him up for breakfast. They were leaving that morning and like what Youngjae has told him, it was better to have an early start than to panic later. As much as Jinyoung appreciated that he was still a bit groggy since he had pretty much stayed up the entire night. It looked like he was not the only one as Jaebum arrived at the kitchen with disheveled hair informing them that Soyi also broke up with him the previous day. Needless to say, breakfast was a quiet affair that morning.

He was not sure how it happened, but somehow he ended up sitting with Mark at the back row on their way back home. He was actually more worried when he saw Youngjae and Jackson sitting together, but they ended up being joking around almost the entire trip. Eventually, Jinyoung’s concern disappeared entirely as sleep finally took over and he finally let himself go.

“Hey man, we’re here.” Jaebum called back from the passenger seat in front. He looked back at the remaining two passengers at the back. Mark stared back at him with an uncertain expression on his face while holding Jinyoung’s head to make sure it won’t fall down as he slept peacefully on his shoulder.

Mark hesitated for a little bit as he spoke to Jaebum. “Uh, is it okay if we drive around one more block?”

Jaebum chuckled as he nodded. “Sure, you know what, let’s make it four blocks.” He then turned to their family driver with the instruction.

As the van started driving again, Mark looked thoughtfully at the sleeping boy beside him and somehow Jinyoung’s words from the other night echoed in his mind: …if the two of you are heading the same direction, then eventually you’ll end up together.

Somehow in his own twisted mind, Mark finds himself hoping for the same thing.

17/

It was finally Monday morning and Jinyoung found himself dragging his feet to the bus stop. His eyes were barely opened as he was awoken very rudely by yet another dream. The only plus side of this situation was that Jinyoung was just in time for the bus to arrive, which means that he would have ample time to get to school and maybe have some peace and quiet while he reads the latest edition of “Peach Princess.”

Jinyoung breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw some empty seats left in the bus. Just as he was heading for one of them, he felt someone bumping into him which almost caused him to fall down on the floor.

“Oh, sorry,” That certain someone said absentmindedly as Jinyoung looked back at him in surprise. “Oh, it’s you. I take my apology back.”

“M-mark?” Jinyoung said in surprise as thoughts of getting the last empty seat flushed away in his mind. It made no sense to him that Mark Tuan was riding the bus with him this morning. Mark has a car. Is he starting to have hallucinations? Or is it still part of another nightmare? Jinyoung unconsciously pinched his cheeks just to check (and ouch that hurts!). So, he was not dreaming. His mouth just remained gaping open like a goldfish, staring at Mark like an idiot when the bus started to move. Good thing Mark was able to catch him on time before he did fall down on his face.

“What are you doing?” Mark asked still holding on to Jinyoung’s arms. “Can’t you even ride a bus right?”

Jinyoung pulled himself away from the other’s hold as he cleared his throat to hide the embarrassment he was feeling at the moment. “No need to help me, Tuan.” Jinyoung turned away, holding on to one of the poles for dear life. The area where Mark touched him earlier was still burning on his skin. “What happened to your car anyway?”

Mark hummed in response. “It won’t start earlier. Dad’s gonna bring it to a shop later.”

“I see.” Was all Jinyoung said and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of the trip.

It was at least expected that their classroom was empty when Jinyoung and Mark arrived there. Still not speaking to each other despite waking to school together, they both minded their own businesses waiting in silence hoping that one of their classmates would finally arrive and somehow break the ice.

“Park Jinyoung?” Both he and Mark snapped their heads at the classroom door with the sound of the voice.

“Oh, Minjoon-sunbae, what’s up?” Jinyoung stood awkwardly at the sudden intrusion, watching as their senior welcomed himself inside their classroom.

Minjoon scratched the back of his neck as he handed Jinyoung two bags of candies. “Ah, I saw you coming in while we were practicing at the field. I was really bothered at what happened yesterday at the park so here. I just wanted to apologize. You can give the other bag to your friend.”

“Ah, you seriously need to, sunbae.” Jinyoung attempted to give back the candies, but Minjoon refused.

“No, I’ll feel better if you accept them.” Minjoon put back the candies on Jinyoung’s hands.

“Alright, thanks, Minjoon-sunbae.” Jinyoung said as he put the candies on his desk.

“You’re welcome.” Minjoon said as he turned to leave. “I’m glad I was able to find you, Jinyoung-ah.”

“Well, that was gross,” Mark was writing on his notebook. His voice was so quiet, but it still echoed around the classroom. “Isn’t it too early to flirt, Jinyoungie?”

“I’m not flirting with him.” Jinyoung slumped on his seat. “Didn’t you hear he just came by to apologize?”

“As if you put up a fight.” Mark replied and it offended Jinyoung a little. How could Mark accuse him of something like that when the only person who was invading all of his thoughts was him? “What travesty did he do anyway for him to get out of his way and give you… candies? How childish.”

“You know what,” Jinyoung said through gritted teeth. “I don’t think I need to explain myself to you. Why do you care anyway?”

Mark was quiet as he suddenly stopped writing and slamming his notebook shut as he turned sharply at Jinyoung from his seat. “I don’t care. I really freaking don’t care. Alright?!” Jinyoung was surprised hearing Mark’s raised voice. He thought Mark was only his usual teasing self, enjoying his usual torture on Jinyoung, but Mark was not enjoying himself at all. “I don’t care if you like him or if you flirt with him. Just do it somewhere else!” Mark stood so abruptly that it nearly knocked his chair on the ground. Jinyoung stood up in confusion while Mark headed towards the door.

“Hey—!” Jinyoung called out, but it was already useless since Mark was already out of the room.

Meanwhile, Youngjae who was just about to come in looked at Jinyoung in confusion as he also watched Mark went down the hallway angrily. “What’s wrong with him?”

Jinyoung slumped back into his seat in a daze. “I honestly don’t have any idea.”

“Somebody’s in a bad mood.” Jaebum commented as he sat beside Jackson during lunch time. The two friends watched Mark as he sulked in the corner of their table ignoring everyone who approached them. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. He won’t talk.” Jackson shrugged as he turned to Jaebum speaking lowly so that only the two of them could hear the conversation. “But if I would venture a guess, I think his hormones are acting up.”

“Hormones?” Jaebum asked with a raised brow.

“I think you also know the reason he keeps acting this way lately, right?” Jackson munched on his mashed potato while tilting his head on a specific direction.

Jaebum following his gaze, found himself looking at Jinyoung, who was wearing the same grim expression on his face. “You know too?” He turned to Jackson with a rather impressed expression.

“Please,” Jackson shrugged. “I’m not dumb. And to be honest I’m not the one to meddle, but this is honestly getting out of hand. And also frustrating. We need to I think start intervening and actually I know someone who can help us with that.”

Jaebum nodded in understanding. “I’ll text Youngjae”

Jinyoung was still feeling down when he stopped at their local convenience store before heading home. He thought that maybe a cone of his favorite strawberry ice cream would at least cheer him up. He was aware of how grumpy Mark was the whole day and he wanted to comprehend if all of it was just because of the simple misunderstanding from this morning.

He was worriedly munching the wafer cone of his ice cream when he exited the convenience store. At that same time, Jinyoung saw Mark passing by in front of him most likely heading home as well. Jinyoung knew Mark still had that angry expression on his face that was why he decided to give him a minute to step ahead before walking on the same direction.

Jinyoung walked slowly as he watches Mark’s back in front of him, making sure that there was enough distance for the other boy to not notice him. Well, he failed miserably.

“If you’re planning to follow me, you could chew a little bit lower.” Mark said when he turned around to face Jinyoung.

“I’m not following you.” Jinyoung answered blinking at him, lowering his ice cream cone consciously. “I know you’re mad at me, so I know that I should stay away from you.”

Mark sighed heavily as he turned back and started walking once again. Jinyoung stood unmoving in his position. Maybe he should give Mark more space then. It was just a few steps later when Mark himself stopped on his feet as he again turned back.

“Aish, I can’t do this.” Mark said as he beckoned Jinyoung over. “Come here. Walk with me.” Jinyoung hesitated for a moment before walking over to Mark. “I’d prefer you walking beside me than behind me. You might do something when I have my back on you.” They started walking again with Mark making sure that they were on the same pace.

Jinyoung rolled his eyes. “You always think I’m gonna do something bad at you when I’m actually an angel.”

Mark snorted unattractively. “Well, that was hilarious, Jinyoungie. I’ll give you that.”

They were silent for a few moments when Jinyoung decided to ask, “Hey, are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Mark replied.

“I can’t understand you, you know?” Jinyoung said wondering where all this courage to speak his mind came from. He sees their house from a very short distance and to be honest he wished that they will not be arriving home so soon. “I mean, I’m glad you’re finally okay and all, but…” He took a deep breath, cutting himself short.

“But?”

Jinyoung hesitated. “Forget it. You’ll get mad.”

Mark looked at him for a little bit. “I’m sorry. To be honest, I’m kind of confused too. I don’t understand what happened earlier either. Sorry I might’ve vented out on you, Jinyoungie.” There was an unreadable expression on his face when Jinyoung looked at him. Somehow, Mark looked afraid and confuse

“Okay,” Jinyoung nodded. He hated seeing Mark this way. Moreover, he hated that there was nothing he can do to erase it.

“It’s just so frustrating…” Mark said it so quietly that Jinyoung barely heard it.

“What is?”

“You.” Mark suddenly grasped his wrist taking Jinyoung by surprise. “You’re ing frustrating me, Jinyoungie. It confuses me a lot.”

Jinyoung gasped in shock as his mind whirled on multitudes of interpretations from what Mark had said. Mark was looking at him with so much intensity that he was frozen on the spot and it certainly was not helping that it did make his heart flutter for a little bit (actually, a lot). Jinyoung was just about to ask for clarification when one of their neighbor’s cars backfired pulling the both of them out of their trance.

Mark cleared his throat as he let go of Jinyoung’s wrist. “Come on, we’ll be late for dinner.”

Jinyoung rushed inside their house once he arrived, ultimately ignoring his mother’s calls from the kitchen. He headed straight to his room, his safe haven, and dropped his things carelessly on his bed. Still panting from all the running, he then headed straight to his window pushing the curtains open to look upon the room across from his to get some comfort for all the confusion he was feeling at that moment.

Only, that seemed to not be possible when Jinyoung found himself staring back at his object of affection/confusion.

Mark has the same look of astonishment on his face as the both of them looked at each other. It had been years since this had last happened and from Jinyoung’s recollection, they were still in elementary school back then.

“What the …” Jinyoung whispered to himself as his fingers shook when he slid the glass windows open. He felt his heart drop immediately when he sees Mark doing the same thing. “What are you doing?” He says once he was sure that Mark will be able to hear him.

“There’s a bug inside my room.” Mark replied as he started swatting his hands, most likely to ward away that certain insect he was talking about. “What about you?”

“Oh, Um… I like the sound of crickets.” Jinyoung answered dumbly as feelings of silliness settled down in his stomach. Of course, Mark had to catch him at this moment. He prays to the heavens that Mark would not find out that one of his hobbies was staring at his room for hours.

“Really?” Mark asked raising his eyebrows, not even trying to hide that he was unconvinced. “You sure you’re not just looking at my room like a creep?”

Jinyoung gasped with his face reddening. “I’m not!”

“Hey, hey…” Mark chuckled. “I’m just kidding. You’re starting to look like a strawberry lollipop again.”

Jinyoung knew better than to dignify that with a response, so he just settled for a small “Hmph!”

“Anyway,” Mark said as he looked at Jinyoung with a smile. “Dad says my car won’t be fixed for a few weeks. So I guess see you tomorrow morning at the bus stop then?”

Jinyoung still red on the face as he replied, “Okay, see you.”

Mark gave him a small wave as both of them closed their windows and Jinyoung could not help but jump onto his bed as he nuzzled his favorite giant teddy bear. He might have squealed a bit and there was a small smile he could not contain as his feet started flailing around.

“Oh no…” Jinyoung mumbled when he pulled back for air a few seconds later. “I really am in trouble, aren’t I?”

bonus:

16/The final night before going back home

A small whimper escaped from Youngjae’s lips as he felt Jackson’s wandering hand resting on his stomach. He had let himself to be again buried into the soft mattress of Jackson’s bed when they were supposed to be enjoying their dinner with their friends. But that was the last thing on both of their minds especially when Youngjae started nibbling on Jackson’s bottom lip.

“Youngjae-ah,” Jackson said pulling back with so much hesitation as he sat up on his bed.

“What’s up?” Youngjae asked worriedly as he got up as well.

“Remember when I said that I have someone that I like…” Jackson said turning away from Youngjae, but the latter was too fast for him. Youngjae grasped his face with one of his hands while the other covered Jackson’s mouth.

“Okay, I understand.” Youngjae said with a straight face. “Let’s break up now.” Jackson tried to say something, but that only made Youngjae’s hand press on his lips more. “Listen to me, okay?” And all Jackson could only do was to nod. “I know we agreed that we will break up tomorrow, but I think it’s better if we set each other free now. However, promise me one thing. That person that you like… Promise me that you won’t give up on that person okay? Promise me that you’ll take care of him and make him feel worthy as if the whole universe belongs to him, because he was the person that will replace me in your life, Jackson Wang. Do you understand?” Once again, Jackson responded with a nod.

“Alright.” Youngjae said, contented with Jackson’s answer. “Now, I’m gonna head back to my room and tomorrow we’ll be back to normal.” Jackson felt Youngjae’s hold on him slackening before his hands pressed onto him one last time. “It was a great summer all thanks to you. I really appreciated everything, Jackson.” And finally, Youngjae brought down his hands and bolted out of the room before Jackson could even react.

Jackson looked intently at the door for a few moments before lying down on his bed staring up at the ceiling, counting the little bumps on it repeatedly, before he started laughing at himself pitifully.

“Ah, how can he even think that someone else can replace him in my life? Choi Youngjae, you’re really a crazy person. You didn’t even give me a chance to confess to you properly.”

a/n;

Hahaha. FML.

Thank you so much for reading and I'm sorry for not updating for a month.

I have a lot to say about this chapter, but I don't know how to put it to words yet. But feel free to talk to me anytime. :)

Have a nice day!