MARK’S POV

Yesterday was the end of basketball practice so I called Mina if she can go out on a date with me. I was glad that she agreed. I’m not sure what happened between her and Jinyoung but I’m glad she’s spending more time with me. I woke up early even though it was a Saturday so I can pick her up at their house.

Once I arrived at their home, Jinyoung’s grandmother greeted me. I was waiting in the living room when Jinyoung went down from the stairs.

“Good morning.” Jinyoung said while scratching his head.

“Good morning. You off to go somewhere?” I asked.

“I’ll just drop by the library in an hour.”

“You’re so hardworking. Take some time off.” As I said this, Mina came down of the stairs.

“Let’s go.” She motioned me to come out with her.

“See you later, Jinyoungie.” I bid Jinyoung farewell in which he responded with a nod.

Mina and I went to the Han River. I rented a bicycle so we can roam around the park. She was seated behind me and was holding me tightly as I pedal. It was certainly cold but I did not mind. I was happy just spending time with her.

After that, we went to a convenience store to buy some ramyeon and tea. We cooked it there and I noticed that she put a lot of cheese in hers which was kind of cute.

“Want to have a taste of Mark’s meal?” I asked her.

“What’s that?”

“It’s made with ramyeon, cheese, tteobokki and sausage.”

“When did you start making those kind of things?”

“I didn’t. Nayeonie made it once for me and I really liked it.”

After cooking ramyeon we found a couple of seats and started eating. I think Mina didn’t have breakfast because she ate her ramyeon quickly. I told her to try Mark’s meal and she did. It seems she liked it as well because she started eating it as soon as she finished hers.

“Didn’t know you eat this much.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her.

“I haven’t eaten anything last night. I was such in an awful mood that I slept early.” She said while wiping .

“You shouldn’t go to sleep with a heavy heart. That’s bad for your health.”

“I wish I can do something about it but I don’t really know how to relieve stress other than crying myself to sleep.”

“You can call me. We can talk it over the phone. I’ll sing you a lullaby if you need to.” I winked at her and she smiled shyly. “I love seeing you smile, Minari.”

Suddenly, Mina’s phone rang and she excused herself to take the call outside the store. The call must have been very important because she was there for over thirty minutes. When she returned, I noticed that her expression changed.

“Mark, I need to tell you something.”

JINYOUNG’S POV

I spent the whole day inside the library because I felt that the atmosphere back at our home was not suitable for studying. I thought that it was going to be a very productive day but it wasn’t. I found myself distracted and often staring out into space. To be honest, all that I can think of was Mina. I really wanted to talk to her and apologize but then I will found out that she was hanging with Mark and that makes me feel really upset. I’m already starting to believe that they are dating. But it can’t be, right? I mean Mina said she loved me. But I worried that she might have a sudden change of heart.

Finally, I decided to leave the library. I went to Subway to take out some snacks. As I walk home, I heard somebody called out my name.

“Jinyoungaaaa!” I looked around and it was Jackson.

“Where have you been?” I asked him.

“Around. Whoa some snacks for me? Thank you.” He suddenly snatched the sandwich from my hand.

“Around? You mean with some girl.” I said as we started walking again.

Jackson looked surprised at me. “Are you some psychic? I was walking my cousin around Seoul. She just came here.”

“Really? Sana thought that it was your girlfriend.”

“Why would she think that? I wouldn’t date anyone if it wasn’t her.”

I looked at him with my eyes wide. “Y-you like her?”

“Yeah, for a long time now. I haven’t told her yet because I’m nervous to find out that she won’t like me back. I just don’t want to make things complicated between us.” Jackson took a big bite of my sandwich.

“Oh, but I think you should tell her that. I mean you’d never know unless you try. Besides, I think your chances might be good.”

“Wow! You’re a love guru now Jinyoungie. I’ll think about your advice. But you know what I think you should fix yours first.”

“How can you say that?” I asked him.

“It’s pretty obvious that you’re distracted over girl. And if I’m guessing it’s Mina. Dude, if you like her go tell her.”

“I’m not really sure though.”

“That’s a pathetic answer!” Jackson shouted at me. “You’re the person in love here. There’s no better person who knows your feelings other than yourself.

“But I-”

“Take it from me, Jinyoung.” He took the last bite of my sandwich before grabbing onto my drink. “I think you’re stuck in the thought that you’re still in love with Nayeon when you’ve already moved on. Let go of your childhood fantasies and just accept the fact that you’re already in love with another girl.”

I stared at him for a long time. “I’m amazed by your wisdom.”

“I’m a veteran my child.” He started patting my shoulder.

“Well, veteran sir, I hope you’ll pay me back for my sandwich.” I laid my hand in front of him.

“Consider it paid.” Jackson said before running away from me. “Fighting, Jinyoung!”

That night, I lied at the wooden bench on our rooftop. It was a cool night and the stars looked so beautiful with the dark sky. I can feel that spring is coming. I kept thinking about what Jackson told me. It’s true that I have been in love with Nayeon for the longest time but I can’t deny the fact that I really care for Mina. When Nayeon rejected me, it hurt so badly but then I learned to cope up with it. Maybe, he’s right. Maybe, I’ve move on. Maybe, I’m just scared to admit that I’ve fallen for Mina.

I miss Mina so much. I want to knock on her door and . I miss hearing her voice saying “I love you”. It’s funny to think that we’re living in the same house but I miss her every day. I opened my phone and took my courage to text her through MailPal.

Junior22: Are you still awake?

I was nervous that she would ignore my text but after a few minutes she replied.

Omicron: why?

Junior22: I want to talk to you. Can you come to the rooftop?

I texted back and waited for a several minutes when the rooftop door opened up.

“What is it?” Mina said as she closed the door behind her and sat at the bench beside me.

“I-I just wanted to…” I hesitated for a moment. “See your face. You look awful.”

“I’ll go back to my room now.” She stood up.

“Wait.” I grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry.” I said almost inaudibly.

“What?” She asked.

“I’m sorry.” I said as I look deep into her eyes. “I’m really sorry for making you feel sad and making you cry. Sorry for everything.”

“It’s okay. I forgave you already.” She replied before starting to leave again.

“Wait, I’m not finished yet.” I stopped her by standing in front of her.

Mina looked puzzled by my actions. It was just the two of us but I felt so nervous I can feel my throat drying up. I can feel my hands sweating so I held my jacket tightly. I stood there for a long time just looking at her beautiful pale face. I started to summon all the courage I had in my body.

“I like you.” I said out loud without blinking an eyelid. “I think I always had from the first time I saw you enter my house, I have always liked you.”

Mina must have been surprised of what I said because she just stood speechlessly in front of me.

“I like you.” I repeated. “I was afraid to admit it because I thought I was still in love with Nayeon and I didn’t want to hurt you by making you my rebound. But, I just ended up liking you anyways without me realizing it.”

We stood there for a long time without taking our eyes off of each other.

“Jinyoung, thank you for saying that.” Mina broke the silence between us. “If you told me that a few days ago, I might have been so happy but I can’t accept your feelings anymore. I’m dating Mark now.”

Hearing those words made me numb. I didn’t know how to respond.

“Besides” She added. “I’ve grown tired of waiting for you.”

I never thought that I would hear those words. In fact, I didn’t expect that words would wound that much.

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Author's note:

Hello everyone! As I write this, I realized that there's only a few more chapters left until the story ends. I read all your comments and I'm glad that you enjoyed my story. Please continue on supporting it and I'll do my best to write a good finale ^^