Erin looked at Mark seriously. She could not believe that Mark would say such things, but it happened anyway. "I need to process this first" said Erin to Mark. Her tears were about to drop but she should be strong since everyone were starring at her at the moment. "You just told me you love me"

"Yes I do love you"

"But it's impossible. You like Arin" he looked at Mark seriously, "Mark, you don't need to feel bad because I'm really fine"

"Are you? Are you really fine Erin-ah?" Mark removed the distance between them and looked at Erin until he stand in front of each other. "I could see that you're re really not, that you're hurt, that you actually do love me but you just don't want to say it, that-"

"I do! I do okay! I do love you! But I know that staying with you is impossible and a crazy idea for both of us! I am so sure you realize that somewhere deep down inside of your heart!" Erin started to sobs and cried. Her tears fell down one by one and it was really hurtful, not only for Erin, but also for Mark.

"Listen, if you want, we can make it" Mark told her.

"No Mark. This is a suicidal attempt for both of us, you know that," Erin looked at Mark with a wet face, "Mark, you know that you still have a long way to go and your career is number 1, and I will always support you for that, but us, it will distract your concentration and your career, and I don't want that to happen,"

"So? What is that mean?" mark asked her desperately. He was so scared on what kind of answer that Erin will gave her.

"I say you need to think about it more," said Erin, "I just want you to have the best thing in life, because that’s what you gave me when I am down and thought that I will always be lonely in life. Since we first met, you taught me to always appreciate best thing I can get, and you make me survive until up to this moment"

KRIIIING!!! KRIIIING!!!

"Guys" Jisung mumbled, "bell"

"Johnny," Taeyong spoke to Johnny, " open the door please"

"Yuta" Johnny called Yuta, "door"

"Thai guy" Yuta called Ten, "door"

"Doyoung-ah" ten called, "door"

"Jaehyun-ah" Doyoung looked at Jaehyun who were busy looking at Mark and Erin. Everyone were busy. "Door please" doyoung asked.

"Jeno" Jaehyun looked at Jeno, "door"

"jisung-ah," Jeno looked at jisung, "door"

"Crap" Jisung sighed and walked thought the door of their dorm. He opened the door and saw a guy with black suit. "Who are you? " he asked.

"I'm here for Miss Erin" the guy called Erin's name.

“And you are...” Jisung got confused.

“I’m Mr. Cho, nice to meet you Mr...” Mr. Cho looked confused a little bit, “this is NCT dorm right?”

“Yeah yeah it is...” Jisung nodded. Jisung walked back inside of the dorm and looked at everyone who were looking at him. Jisung himself looked at Erin, “I am so sorry to interupt,” Jisung awkwardly spoke, “but someone named Mr. Cho is looking for you”

“That’s Ara unnie’s guard” Erin wiped her tears away from her face. She looked at Mark seriously, “Mark, think about it again okay? I will consider any option you have,”. Erin walked away leaving Mark and other NCT members who could only look at Erin walking away.

“What will you do Mark?” Taeyong asked Mark who were being left alone inside of the kitchen.

“First of all” Mark looked at everyone, “I will keep the pie off of your hands first” Mark looked at the pie he and Erin made for the project, “and after that I will take a break and do what she said: thinking about what I want”. Mark put all pies to the refrigerator and leaving everyone who were as confused as Mark at that moment.

***

“HE SAID THAT?”

Yura’s voice was loud enough to make every student in cafetaria looked at her and Erin. Yura looked at everyone and bow to apologize. She looked back at Erin and opened her eyes really big. She was shock. She was really shock indeed. “I cannot believe he said that!” Yura looked at Erin who looked confused and worried, “then? What is your answer?” Yura asked her.

“I told him to think about it” Erin spooned herself a rice and put it on . She looked at Yura, “you cannot tell anyone about this, they shouldn’t hear this”

“Why?” Yura asked.

“Well, I want to keep this as a secret since it’s my problem with Mark,” Erin answered, “anyway, I saw how crazy people were when they found out that I was dating Mark, even though it’s fake”

“I see” Yura nodded, “so, if he still insist on dating you, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know actually” Erin sighed. She shook her head few times and tried to smile at the end, “but hey! Lets not talk about it! we should talk about the Halloween! It’s only weeks away!”

“I know!” Yura seemed to be excited, “I’m really excited about it! They said many people will come to our party this year! We’re going to do it Art school way” Yura laughed.

“What do you mean by Art school way?” Erin frowned.

“Well, we’re going to have our party at school and many agencies will come” Yura smiled, “my agency will be here as well! I recommend you to them!”

“Where are you from again?” Erin asked Yura.

“Bighit!” Yura laughed, “I’m so excited about this! If you do well! We’re going to be in a same company! Mr. Bang Will love you!”

“What do you mean if I do well?” Erin got even more confused by Yura’s statement.

“Don’t you know? The list of performers is posted already!” Yura laughed, “and you’re on the list!”

***

“I can’t believe Erin is on the list now!” Jaera looking at the list with a shock in her heart, “our teacher must be crazy for putting her in stage!”

“Well, she’s actually really good you know” Arin smiled. Jaera looked at Arin and got even more shock for hearing Jaera saying that, “it’s time for her to get exposed and actually enter an agency”

“Which agency do you think will pick her?” Jaera laughed, “I am sure not many agency want her”

“I don’t know, but I am sure my agency wants her” Arin looked at the list again, “they have been asking about her to me, I’m not even sure where they heard her name, but they asked her if she’s really good or not”

“This girl...” Jaera shook her head. She looked at the performance list again. Most of the performers will be coming fro third year and it’s a mix between trainee, idols and students. Jaera looked closer at her name and Arin’s name who will perform in the second part of the show.

“Look! Mark will also perform!” Jaera looked at Mark’s name and pointed at it. Arin looked at the name and smiled. She was actually excited to be in a same stage with Mark. Arin knew they were close, but somehow, Mark haven’t ask her out again since he fake-dating Erin. And Arin tried to find out the reasons why.

“Mark!” Jaera’s voice was heard calling Mark. Arin looked around and saw Mark was walking with Jeno, Jaemin and Haechan. Arin smiled at him and he smiled at her as well, but Arin could see something was really different from Mark.

“Mark” Arin greeted him with her sweetest smile, “how are you?”

“I’m good” Mark smiled. “Did you see the list?”

“Yeah I did” Arin pointed at the list, “your name is here,”

“Let me see” Mark came closer to the board to see the list. Jaemin, Jeno and Haechan followed from behind and looked at the list with Mark.

“I guess we’ll perform together” Haechan laughed and Jaemin followed.

“Oh! Erin noona’s name is here!” Jaemin pointed at Erin’s name, “and on the second show! Wow, the teacher must love her now”. Hearing Jaemin, Jeno hit him a bit and Jaemin closed before he got another hit.

“Yeah I know, I think they misplaced Erin’s name” Jaera laughed, “maybe we should tell them to move it”

“I don’t think so sunbaenim” Haechan tried to be polite to Jaera, “because SM has been watching her as well for this past few months, Mr. Sooman himself will be here during the party”

“WHAT?” Jaera widened her eyes as well as Arin. Arin looked at Mark and it seemed like he did not deny the statement, “are you serious?” Jaera asked, “but this is only Erin!”

“Well.. she’s talented that’s why” Mark smiled.

“Are you sure it’s not only because of her looks now?” Arin started to speak, “I think people pay attention to her now because of how she looks,”

“What about her talent?” Mark asked Arin seriously, “what do you think? Do you think she’s good?”

“She is but I don’t think she’s good enough,” Arin replied. She felt angry for a while because all of the sudden Mark paid attention to Erin more than her, which were the things she was really afraid of. “Listen, if she’s really good, she should be recruited even before she enter high school”

“But she’s from Canada” Jeno mumbled. Mark looked at Jeno and smiled.

“Anyway, I don’t think she’s really that good, she’s not that pretty anyway,” Arin hit him hard and shocked Mark with her words, “and she’s really bad in socializing with people, take a look at her now, the only reason why she has friends now is because people think she’s your ex and she’s prettier now”

“Wow..” Mark smiled at Arin. He smiled but his face was really cold that it scared Arin a little bit, “I did not know you feel that way towards Erin,”. Mark looked at Jaera and Arin one by one, “but just so you know, she practice as hard as us, she practice here at school while we’re practicing in our office, that’s how she stays on top. And it’s true that her face make her stays on the back, or yet, sit in every front chair in class, but I am telling you, that’s what this entertainment wants, looks. And there’s nothing wrong in changing looks to move forward if it’s not too extreme. Even you guys did it. Even we did it every comeback. So why is it wrong for her?”

“Burnn...” Jaemin giggled from the back. Arin face were red of embarassment and she looked at Mark with guilty feeling. What Mark just said was all right. That’s what makes her an idol up to this moment. Talent and looks. Then, why is it so wrong for Erin to do that? She thought about it once again.

“I’m sorry but I need to go with the boys,” Mark smiled at the end, “we’re going to have practice for performance”

“I need to talk to you first” Arin stopped him at the end.

***

Arin walked with Mark to one of the corridor where no students could see them. Arin looked at Mark who looked a little bit taller than her. “Mark” She called him. Mark only looked at her with a very... flat, face.

“Yes?” Mark smiled.

“You need to tell me the truth” Arin asked him seriously now. The tone has changed to a very serious tone and she looked at Mark, “why did you have a fake relationship with Erin?”

“You want to know the truth so bad don’t you?” Mark looked at Erin and she nodded, “well, I know, eventually, you need to know this”

“What is it?” Arin frowned.

“I did it because of you” Mark gave Arin the answer the wanted to hear, “I did it because I want to make you jealous and make sure that you actually do love me”

“Please tell me you’re joking” Arin looked at him. Arin did not know how to react, “I actually-“

“I’m not done talking” Mark cut her, “I want to make you jealous and make sure, but in the process, Erin showed a part of herself to me and I never expected that I would see that”

“And what part of her that she showed you?” Arin asked him. She knew from now, her relationship with Mark was already going downhill.

“Her true self, which the one that I love and need the most” Mark smiled, “she’s independent, cheerful, she doesn’t whine a lot, really tough, charming and cute as a girl.”

“You just like her beacuse she changed now” Arin stated a fact to Mark.

“No, I realized that I love her since she was missing in action with Jaehyun hyung” Mark replied, “I’m just stupid enough not realizing that she’s actually the one that I really care about”

“So, what? Are we over here?” Arin asked him.

“We never start anything Arin-ah” Mark answered her, “but I am, I am over you”

“Hmm.. I never thought that it would end like this” Arin bitterly smiled at him, “well, can I ask for a request from you?”

“What is it? maybe you can” Mark smiled, “anyway, I’ve been liking yolu for almost 3 years, I will try to make things work for us as well”

“Can you hug me?” Arin asked Mark a question that Mark himself never thought.

“Arin-ah...” Mark smiled. He looked at her and smiled really bright, “I do like you, but I think it’s only until this”

“it’s my last wish anyway” Arin looked really sad.

Arin thought Mark would say no and reject her, but the fact that Mark pulled her and hugged her the next seconds made her day. She knew Mark still had feelings for her even though now most of that feelings is covered by the way she felt to Erin, but at least, she could feel what she was missing for the last time.

“I do like you Mark” Arin hugged him really close, “but I seriously think of my career first before love.. because I want to make my parents happy”

“I know, that’s also my confusion right now” Mark replied to Arin, “I love her but-“

“Wait” Arin looked at Mark shocked, “you love her?”

“Yeah” Mark smiled.

“That’s a whole new level, you know that right?” Arin smiled at Mark, “but still, I’m glad to see you happy”

“I’m not yet happy, she told me to think about it” Mark told Arin his story, “because I also need to think about my career”

“Well..” Arin gave him advice, “if you really love her, don’t let her go, you can make it, I believe in that”

“Thankyou!” Mark smiled and hugged Arin once again. Right now, Arin could feel that Mark loved her as well, but not more than a best friend. And she liked that.

“Mr. Lee! Miss Choi!” All of the sudden, someone called them. Arin looked around and saw one of their teacher caught them hugging, “what is this? Are you guys dating here or something?”

“Ma’am-“

“Teacher room, now” The teacher walked by herself and Mark could only look at Arin and gasped a little bit.

They were seriously in trouble right now.

***

 ‘Are they dating now?’

‘I’m pretty sure they are!’

‘well they’re hugging each other in a very quiet corridor!’

‘Gosh this is really big! Lets tell somebody!’ 

The news was spread like a wildfire and it went to everyone’s ears really fast. Everyone all of the sudden knew the rumor about Mark hugging Arin in a quiet corridor and got caught by a teacher. Before the school ends, everyone knew that it already happened.

“Did you hear?” Yura asked Erin while she was fixing herself in mirror toilet. “About Mark and Erin?”

“Yeah I heard” Erin nodded. She put a lip tint on her lips and looked at the mirror, “maybe, after all, he never really love me, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know.. You haven’t hear anything from him”

“Well I don’t really think I need explanation” Erin smiled at Yura and giggled.

“But that’s just...” Yura looked at Erin seriously, “that’s just wrong...”

“Nothing’s wrong from that!” Erin laughed bitterly, “I guess he never really love me afterall”

“That’s-“

KRIIING!

“Ugh” Erin sighed and looked at Yura, “next class”

“Your next class is cooking class right?” Yura asked, “listen, don’t worry about anything, just pretend you don’t know anything in front of Mark and you will be fine”

“Yeah I hope I’m going to be fine” Erin sarcastically replied. She smiled at Yura and sighed again, “it must be so good to date someone that is not as complicated as Mark”

“Why is Mark so complicated? And by the way, dating Jimin oppa is a whole new level of complicated, she’s very childish”

“Is it because of his height?” Erin laughed.

“ERIN!”

“Fine fine!” Erin laughed really hard and walked out from toilet with Yura. She went inside of her class and saw everyone was pairing with their pair already. She looked at Mark who looked confused and looking for her. She smiled at Mark and Mark waved at her. “Mark!” She smiled and pretend nothing happened.

“Erin-ah!” Mark smiled at her, “how are you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah totally!” Erin smiled and looked at Mark, “do you have the pie that we made yesterday?”

“Yeah I have it here” Mark took a box and showed the pie to Erin, “is it okay?”

“Yeah! I think our teacher will like it!” Erin smiled.

“So...” Mark looked at her, “I think about what happened”

“What happened Mark?” Erin looked at him, “what happened actually?”

“Lsat night?” Mark frowned, “you’re asking me to think about everything, and I realized that losing you would be scarier than losing many things I have right now”

“Mark...” Erin looked at Mark, “I know what you’re thinking”

“I don’t think you know”

“No, I know”

“No you’re not!” Mark stopped the argument and looked at Erin, “Erin-ah, I do like you and losing you would be a very unfortunate things that happened to me”

“Mark,” Erin sighed and looked at him, “I know what happened a while ago”

Mark looked at Erin worried. He knew what she was talking about immediately after seeing her face being really disappointed on him, “Erin-ah I don’t-“

“What?” Erin looked at Mark looking for answer, “don’t what?”

“I don’t have feelings for her anymore” Mark explained.

“I’m not convinced” Erin shook her head, “try again”

“I do not!” Mark raised his voice a little bit, “I just-“

“Did you hug her or not?” Erin cut him and asked him seriously.

“I’m just-“

“Did you or did you not?” Erin cut him again, “the answer would only be yes, or no”

“Yes I did” Mark sighed.

“That’s more than enough for me” Erin smiled at Mark. Mark knew she would misunderstand all those things, but dealing with fire when the fire was really big was a suicide for a firefighter, so he decided to keep it low and tried not to talk about it... at least for a while.

***