Chapter Three

Mark POV

(A/N only mark talks to anna in english. So bold is korean convos with her)

9:55pm

Mark had to hide the fact that he was rather pissed off at JB. He was planning to go home to hours ago but once again he was stuck in the studio because Jaebum couldn't figure out how he wants to record a certain song.

Even Jinyoung who is still in the recording booth was slowly losing his patience because Jaebum wouldn't let him out because the hook part wasn't good enough. It was his seventh time recording but it still didn't seem perfect for Jaebum.

Mark really can't say anything because this is Jaebum's song but as the co-producer of the album he was just staying for support but eventually he realized he had to stay to keep Jaebum calm and from snapping at the members.

"Hyung. I really don't know what you want." Jinyoung's voice was already slightly hoarse from recording too much.

"Then listen." Jaebum snapped. And he repeated the way he wanted Jinyoung to sing which even to Mark sounds similar to what Jinyoung has been doing.

Mark rubbed the bridge of his nose to reduce the headache that's been pounding on his head the past twenty minutes. He has kept silent the past two hours but this has gone too far. He knows Jinyoung well enough that if this continues he's going to come out of the studio and snap Jaebum out of his mood by punching him. It would definitely not be something that needs to happen now.

JJP always has that dynamic though. It's normal for them to be either too vocal or too physical with each other. That only makes their bond stronger. But Jaebum's problem now has nothing to do with work but something else... And this isn't a good thing.

Mark stands up and puts an hand on Jaebum's arm. "Okay, we've all had a long day. Maybe you should give him a break."

Jaebum hissed under his breath. "Go home, Mark. I know you've been wanting to." He switches his anger to Mark instead.

Mark takes a long deep breath, obviously Jaebum has noticed that he has been looking at his watch more frequently in the past thirty minutes. He doesn't mind it actually. It was better this way. At least out of the three of them he's the most calm and rational.

He pushes the button and to speak to Jinyoung. "We'll finish this tomorrow, Jinyoung."

Jaebum's face soured and he said, "Stay there. We aren't done." His voice was so low that if it was anyone but Jinyoung they wouldn't move their spot and would probably remain there until told to move or even breath.

Mark is immune to this though since he knows the real reason behind Jaebum's foul mood. "Go." He said to Jinyoung.

Jinyoung scoffs and doesn't even hesitate. He just gets out the booth and didn't even bother to say goodbye or grab his things that he had left inside the studio. He's probably going to walk home to let off some steam. He is already in a thin line of snapping.

And just like that Jaebum just let out his usual scream from his lungs that echoed the room, that showed he was too pissed off to say anything. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Mark bit back. "You sent Youngjae home and I'm going to bet all my money that he isn't going to come out of his room tonight when you call for him." His mood had worsen when Youngjae kept messing up a certain line because he didn't practice. It wasn't Youngjae's fault though but it certainly didn't help that Jaebum was the extreme perfectionist tonight. He even gave Youngjae's part to Jinyoung, thus this mess started.

"Just go home, Mark." Jaebum said bitterly. There was a loneliness in his voice that Mark knows. This is the main reason Jaebum has been burying and hiding himself in the studio.

He had just broken up with his girlfriend. The real reason why Mark didn't also leave Jaebum alone and always kept him company even though he didn't really need to.

"Look, did you call her yet?" It's only Mark that knows about the break up so far. As being the same age as Jaebum there are things that they both share with each other that they dont tell the other members. This was one of them.

Jaebum sighed and shakes his head, "No. I'm busy and she's busy. There isn't any time."

Park Jimin, formerly of 15&. Was Jaebum's girlfriend for six months until three days ago. Sure a lot of people have been speculating that they've been together for a while but the truth is it their relationship had always been oppa-dongsaeng when she was still in JYP. Though when, she left JYP about a year ago they had both realized that not seeing each other as much in the company as before made them see each other in a differently as if that distance was the reason why this had all started.

"Find time." Mark said simply. He knows that if it's love then it has to be fought for.

Jaebum scoffs trying to sound indifferent but failing, "She's busy with her upcoming solo debut while we are busy with ours." Then he stares at Mark, "Look at you and Anna-noona, I get jealous of that sometimes. You've made it work all these years. Why can't we?"

Mark pursed his lips together. "Trust me, it isn't easy. Relationship is work and we both try. Honestly, It's all Anna. She has been the most understanding in all of this." And he knows that the life of being in the entertainment business is this. It's hard to keep up with relationships because of how difficult it is even have time for personal stuff. Balancing everything luckily has been one of those things that Mark does well.

That's why Jackson refuses to date anyone, how Jinyoung doesn't pursue this girl he has been in love with for two years and how Yugyeom never gets serious with any girl.

With Youngjae... No one really knows. He's too odd and he's always playing computer games for his free time. Who knows maybe he has an internet girlfriend.

They either had to choose one or the other. And so far Bambam, Mark and Jaebum had tried to risk it and chose both. It sometimes works out, like Mark or it doesn't like Jaebum.

Fresh relationships are always still hanging in the air but at least they tried to follow their happiness and only cares about the now. Like Bambam.

"I mean. I do try. God knows how much I try. But it seems like it's never ever enough. I love this girl alot but at the same time, I love what I'm what I'm doing too. Being GOT7... It feels like it's come to the point where I had to choose." Jaebum sounds so desperate and lost about his feelings.

Mark's eyebrows met in confusion, the way Jaebum is making it sound like Jimin is making him chose, which isn't what he knows Jimin. Besides it would make Jimin a hypocrite because she's an idol too. "Is she?"

Jaebum shakes his head more than three times, "No. But with how this is going... Then yes it's like i'm choosing between her and GOT7." Jaebum runs his hands on his hair, his hat falling on the floor. "I call her and ask to get back together... But the main reason why we broke up is still there. We can't find time for each other. It'll probably be okay but eventually we'll head out this direction again. Do i just keep it this way and have it end naturally? Or fight for us when I know too well it's just going to repeat itself."

Mark sighs. One thing that makes Jaebum one of the best leaders out there is for the fact that he can always foresee things before anything happens. He would have a lot of scenarios played out and fixed before it needs to be dealt with. This is also his disadvantage because well instead of trying to fight for what he truly wants, here is fearing for what's to come.

He could see the sadness in Jaebum's eyes. He wondered if Jaebum slept at all this week or does he just lay around wait for the appropriate time to get up so he can bury himself to work so he won't have to deal with this feeling.

"Okay that's it. Let’s go have a drink." Mark said with a clasp of his hand on Jaebum's back.

Jaebum got caught by surprise to this, "What?"

"Drink. Lets go now." He knows that Jaebum really needs one. He puts his hands on Jaebum's arm to pull him up.

Jaebum doesn't budge. He shakes his head, "Go home, Mark." He breathes knowing that since it's their day off tomorrow he's finally get to go home. Plus he is sure Mark has been wanting to leave since he found JB telling Youngjae and Jinyoung that they have to rerecord today.

Mark smirks and pulls him up instead. "Let's go have a drink. God knows you need it. We aren't going to talk about work, about this comeback, and even Jimin. Just a drink."

Jaebum seemed convinced, "We are on a diet." Which is true, they aren't allowed to eat anything unhealthy until after their comeback. This is one of the things they hated for comeback preparations.

Mark scoffs since he just needs to persuade Jaebum a bit. "Screw that." Then he raises an eyebrow, "I'm not telling, unless you are."

Jaebum just shakes his head as he couldn't believe that he is doing this. He is usually a stickler for rules. "Fine one drink wouldn't hurt." Jaebum stands up and grabs his jacket along with Jinyoung's things that he had left behind. "I was being a wasn't I?"

Mark just puts an arm behind Jaebum's to push him out the door. "No talking about work." Then he smirks. "But yes. You were." He said honestly since Jaebum owed Youngjae and Jinyoung an apology for tomorrow.

And that one drink became a lot more than Mark wanted to admit. It wasn't even him that was drinking anymore because he had decided to stop at his fifth glass when all he could see Jaebum was doing was swallow down the entire drinks in front of them as if he has been deprived of water for days.

Eventually, Jaebum was having a time of his life but at the same time it was like baby sitting a child for Mark. When it was time to go back to the dorms, he had to use most of his weight to carry Jaebum. Luckily enough when he was about to drag his leader to his room Yugyeom came home.

"Dowa jwo," (Help me,) Mark begged with a whisper since he knows the others are probably either sleeping or just chilling out in their rooms. Well the members doesn't really need to see Jaebum like this.

"Yeah, hyung." Yugyeom immediately went to the other side of Jaebum, putting his arm around his waist while having Jaebum's arm rest on his shoulder.

They silently walked towards Jaebum's room and placed him carefully on his bed. "Aigoo, you idiot." Mark complained as he stretched his back by how much it hurt carrying him from the car to the front door.

Mark bends down to take Jaebum's shoes off while Yugyeom does the same thing. He glances over towards their maknae and he could read his expression as if he knows why Jaebum is acting like this. "You saw Jimin today didn't you?" He remembers that Yugyeom is in the same 97er group and those two including bambam and Jungkook from BTS are the closest.

Yugyeom sighs and nods. "Just me though. Bambam doesn't know."

Mark pushes off Jaebum's feet off the side so he can sit on the side of the bed. "How is she?" If Yugyeom just got home this late only means that she's not doing well also.

Yugyeom shakes his head, "She's trying to be okay but she's not."

Mark pursed his lips together. Jaebum is trying to be okay but obviously it is failing since he was taking it out on Youngjae and Jinyoung today. Guess three days was enough for him to try to keep it together and he just snapped.

"Are they going to get back together?" Yugyeom asks. He was one of the people who knew these two was eventually going to date. He was also there when their oppa-dongsaeng relationship started to evolve into something more. So seeing them hurt at the same time was something he couldn't handle. He knows the only fix to it is each other.

Mark just sighed deeply as he watched Jaebum curl into a ball hugging and lightly snoring. This is probably the first he's actually slept at all. He also noticed the picture frame on his table is facing down, it's the photo of Jimin and him. When he looks back to Yugyeom, he seems as if he already knows the answer to his own question. Mark just smiles sadly.

Yugyeom clenched his teeth and shoves his hands on his pockets. "It seeing them both this way. When the only way they'd feel better is each other yet at the same time it's their source of pain."

Mark doesn't say anything. He doesn't really know what to say. After what she heard from Jaebum at the studio awhile ago and seeing him drink that much it's obvious that he already made a decision and from Yugyeom's expression it seems that Jimin has made her choice as well. It's the choice that most entertainers deal with, just time to go by it's course and hopefully the term "remain friends," still apply.

"You're lucky, hyung." Yugyeom said after a few moments of just hearing Jaebum snore or mumble incoherent words at least they sound like he is singing though.

He gives Yugyeom a questioning look, not sure why the topic came to him.

"You and Anna-noona. Most of the time relationships with our current idol status is hard. Whatever you and noona have... You two make it look easy when in reality I know it isn't." Yugyeom said. Despite his age, their maknae has always been the wisest when it comes to dealing with relationships and his heart. This is why Mark doesn't understand why Yugyeom never takes his girlfriends seriously. It's not that he two times them, he's always been loyal but when the girls break up with him it doesn't faze him. It's just that expression, meh it's just a girl, there's more of them where they came from.

And now, hearing these words he finally understands why Yugyeom is this way. He isn't dating around just to fool around but he is dating to find that person who can understand just like Anna does with him. After all this time, he couldn't believe that he never caught on to this. "You know if you keep doing this, your heart will eventually go numb and you won't know what love truly feels." But somehow saying this doesn't sound right.

Yugyeom just smiles knowing that Mark didn't even believe the words he just said. "Don't worry about me, hyung. I always know love."

Mark understands this as Yugyeom's truth. It made him smile, he never really had to worry about the maknae because he is never afraid to show his feelings. He is always far too honest with for his own good. They as the "critic-king" but in all seriousness they always want to hear it because the members all know it comes from his heart. Out of everyone, he can proudly say that their Maknae is the bravest one to be able to be this way. He still hasn't changed still they were trainees. He is still so innocent and pure.

And next thing happened that totally broke the serious atmosphere in the room, shocked Yugyeom more than it surprised Mark. Jaebum who was crawled into a ball suddenly stretched so suddenly that his foot hit Mark's face making him drop on the floor.

"Shhh—" Mark cursed as his landed on the floor.

Yugyeom tried his best not to laugh but he failed miserably when Mark was glaring at him. "Miane, hyung. Miane." He put a hand on his mouth to stop himself.

Mark stood up stopping himself from hitting either Yugyeom or Jaebum. He rolled his eyes instead and put his hands in his pocket feeling the car keys in his pocket, "You got him, right?"

Yugyeom stops laughing this time and nods, "Yeah, hyung." He heard the keys making noise in Mark's pocket. It doesn't take a genius to get that Mark isn't going to stay in the dorm like he has been for the past week.

Mark grins happily, "Good. Because I'm going home."

Mark felt terribly guilty as he walked in their apartment.

He saw Anna sleeping on the couch, while the television was still on. It was 1am of course she's be sleeping. Though what made him feel that heaviness in his stomach is that she fell asleep waiting on him. He had told her was coming home close to six hours ago and when he went out with Jaebum he has forgotten to tell her about it since he didn't want to make Jaebum feel that he was rubbing it on his face that he has to text his girlfriend.

From how she was laying comfortably he is sure he's slept for awhile now. If he would have texted her that he was going to be late, she'd probably sleep on their bed already not on the couch waiting for him.

He sat across the couch and knelt to touch her face lightly, she looked so peaceful he didn't want to wake her up. "Hey babe, wake up. Let's go to bed." He kissed her cheeks lightly. When she just groans since it's always hard to wake her up, he just kissed the top of her head, then her jaw, her frowned up eyebrows to the tip of her nose, then her soft lips. "Come on," he whispers against her lips.

She breathes realizing that Mark is waking her up. "Hi." She mumbles groggily. She then wraps her arms on his neck pulling him close to her.

"Ommfhh...." He almost choked since it was such an uncomfortable position for him. "Jakkaman..." He said as he tries to free himself from her tight hold. He quickly takes off his jacket and then he hops on the couch laying laterally.   She immediately snuggles up against him holding on to his shirt making sure he doesn't fall off the couch. "Hi." He replied as he rested his chin on her head.

"What time is it?" She mumbles.

He takes a deep sigh and felt terrible as the words left his lips, "1 am."

"Oh." She said against his chest. "Guess Netflix is out of the picture." Since she has to go to work in six hours.

"I'm sorry, babe. It's just--" he stopped. He didn't want to make excuses. He is sorry that he had made her wait. This was why Anna always tells him not to say I’m coming home when he isn't sure that he isn't. Or even say those words since she's always wait for him. He had no intention to make her wait this time but under the circumstance he was in. He couldn't just leave Jaebum. Even though he knows she'd understand he didn't say it anyway. "I am sorry." He said again as he moved closer to her and holds her tighter.

She looks up and reaches over so she can kiss his lips lightly, "it’s okay."

He pursed his lips together. She always says she's okay and as much as it pains him that she says that. Sometimes he wonders if she really is okay. "Yeah?" He asks again worried, the light from the television is the only way he could see her face. She just looks at him with a smile as if nothing is wrong, she is just genuinely happy.

Her eyebrows met in confusion, which he found so adorable. She grins and hides onto his chest again snuggling. "Yes. You're here now. That's all that matters."

He kisses the top of her head and lingered there for a few moments taking in the scent of her. Her smell that's ingrained in her mind that he had missed so much. Having her in his arms now, well it doesn't compare to anything.

She giggles, "I probably don't smell good." Since she remembered she didn't wash her hair today.

He chuckles, he always loved how she smells. "Never." They laid there for a few more seconds. He was running his hand on her back, up and down. He would also plant a kiss on her forehead. He could feel her slowly even breathing across his chest, that he knows she is about to fall asleep. "Come on babe, let's go to bed."

She snuggles tighter and holds on to him not even giving him a chance to move if he decides to get up. "No, I just want to stay here." She begged.

"Okay." He closed his eyes and bites his lips. He just pulls her alot closer, so her form would mold into his more perfectly. He was mad at himself. He knows why she's acting like this, she is afraid that if they get up he might leave again or possibly thinks she's still dreaming and fears that if she wakes up, he wasn't here to begin with.

Times like this when he feels that he isn't enough for her. He knows how lacking he can be when it comes to being a boyfriend to her. As much as he refused to look at the coffee table it was full snacks that he can only have since he is in a diet for their comeback. she does little things like this and makes him feel that he deserves so much better. Like what Jaebum said, he does so much but the biggest question is it enough?

"Illsasam..." She said all of a sudden as if she heard his doubts and thoughts.

He just smiles sadly, thankful that she was snuggled in his chest or else she'd see the sadness in his expression. "Dork, we're alone. You can say I love you like a normal person." He repeated what she had told him a couple days ago.

She just chuckled in reply. She slightly moves up so she can see his face. She was gazing into his eyes lovingly that he would have melted right there and then, "Since when did we become normal people?"

"I love you, Anna." He replied instead and leans down to brush his lips against hers softly.

And this is normal for them... And he is happy for that.