Saturday evening, Mark wakes up in Jaebum’s penthouse, or so he assumes, because it is not his own room and he no longer in Jinyoung’s study. A beautiful golden ray of sunset somehow making its way behind his eyelid. He wants to be annoyed for waking up, because there is a rock still lodging inside his throat, a pounding on his head, and his whole body feels like submerged underwater for a day. He is having a hard time to move it. But upon seeing such a beautiful view that indeed waking him up, he couldn’t help but smile at the blessing. Thank you God for giving me a chance to see a beautiful side of life.

A sound of water running distracts him from the beautiful view showcased in floor-to-ceiling window in front of the bed. Come to think of it, he is alone in this room. He is alone in this big rounded bed with a black sheet and red velvety blanket, also stack and stack of pillow behind him. He is alone in a strange room, wearing an overly large white shirt he never seen before, with a black boxer brief that for sure not his. On the far wall, there is a door from which the water running sound emerging. A soft song is playing, much like the one which was played last night in Jinyoung’s ball.

When he is about to drift back into a dreamland, a sound of door opening startles him. Following by a familiar voice humming to the song played in the air. Mark tries to pry open his tired eyes. Noticing a man standing in front of the bed. With the backlight, Mark couldn’t recognize him at first, but from the sound of him, of course it is Jaebum.

“You’re awake babe?” Babe. His mind instantly playing a distant clip from his memory where the similar voice calling him Babe but with a lot breathy voice. Nope, don’t go there Mark. His eyes is adjusting to the lighting. He could see clearly now. There is Jaebum, wearing a white tanks and a grey sweatpants, looking like an angel with a sunset as his background.

“I hate you.” Mark grabs a closest item on his reach and throws it to Jaebum. The later just simply catches the pillow and lets it fall to the ground.

Jaebum smiles. He sits near where Mark is slumped on the bed. “What did I do this time, hmm?” Clearly feeling amused at Mark throwing a hate tantrum at him first thing when he wakes up.

“For looking so perfect, while I am feeling like a big truck hit me last night.” Jaebum laughs. Showcasing the pearly white teeth that leaving a ton of bites mark on it wakes. His hand is creeping under the blanket, caressing Mark’s right calf lightly.

“I didn’t know you had a tattoo. Never peg you to have one.” Jaebum is referring to a cross tattoo he has on the back of his right calf. A memento from his college day.

“There is a lot of thing you don’t know about me, Mister. And, there is a lot of thing I don’t know about you too.”

They are looking at each other, much like many times before. But there is a difference now, a much bigger difference. They don’t feel the need to one up each other much, they don’t see each other as someone they should be superior at. There is understanding that was not there before. When Jaebum already stooped himself low to level in Mark’s feeling, Mark brings both of them back into where they should be, by letting Jaebum in. Arising Jaebum back to his own level and at the same time, making himself feels better by arising himself to a place where he was before. Before he moved to Seoul.

“Alright.” Jaebum crawls over to the other side of bed, his side. He lays sideway with his head supported by his hand, looking at Mark’s direction. Mark struggles to move his body bit by bit into the same position. So they could look at each other. He notices Jaebum’s hand stopping short almost touching him before retracting it back into his side. Mark appreciates the gesture. Jaebum understands the need of him to feel strong as independent being. To be Mark. There is a time where he is Jaebum’s Mark, at that span of time Jaebum free to do thing as he please, as long as Mark is not opposed to it. But, there is a time where he is Mark’s Mark. A person that has boundary and personal space which needed to be respected. And Jaebum took this boundary to his heart apparently. Mark is grateful.

After a lot of hissing and several grunts later, he is finally in comfortable position. But instead of propping his head on his hand, Mark stacks several pillow and lays his head there. Finally, smiling at Jaebum’s apparent distressed on Mark concerning condition. Jaebum raises a questioning glance at him which Mark translates into an ‘are you okay?’. 

See Jinyoung? I could communicate with Jaebum too without talking.

Mark shakes his head, on which Jaebum frowned into. Another shakes of his head, and finally Jaebum understand his, ‘Don’t worry about me’.

“What do you want to know about me?”

“How about you introduce yourself first?”

Jaebum chuckles. It is fascinating how a simple gesture capable of making his heart pit a pat. It is almost disgusting how with a simple smile, he feels his inside already melting like a warm gooey.

“Hello, Mark! I am Im Jaebum, a lot of my model friend still call me JB because it is the alias I’ve been using. I was born in Ilsan, Goyang City. My birthday is on January 6th and that’s making me a year older than supposed to be. I am the only child of my parents. I am a composer under the name of DefSoul, what you are hearing now is one of my composed songs. I have a cat named Nora. I have twelve piercing on my body and a tattoo inside my mouth. I live alone in this penthouse and very hopeful that you would move in with me as I often feel too lonely.”

Mark laughs. This smooth talking man. How could he throws in the moving in proposal amidst looking goofy and so soft like