“Tzuyu!”

Chou Tzuyu, a young fine lady in her age of 26, turned around from where she was seated to find her best friend waving at her from the door. She waved back, letting her friend know she acknowledge him, then turned to bid goodbye to her band-mates. They agreed to have another practice in two days, so Tzuyu can go straight home tomorrow after her classes. After saying another goodbye to her friends, she went to Mark who now was leaning to the door frame, learning his best friend’s slender figure approaching him.

“Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark!!” Tzuyu called him out, with a hop she lunged forward and circled Mark’s shoulder with her arms. “I got your text. What is it you wanna talk to me?”

“Umm.. can we talk while walking home?”

Tzuyu looked at Mark with a worried expression on her face. “Are you okay, Markie? Did somebody bothered you again?”

Hearing Tzuyu’s worried tone, and the nickname she called him with, Mark chuckled. He shook his head, making his blondish hair shuffle cutely on top of his head. “Come on, let’s go.”

Tzuyu was genuinely worried for Mark. Her best friend had grown from the awkward-crooked teeth-nerd teenage boy into one beautiful being. Well, to Tzuyu he was always pretty, but not many people can see through the glasses and the awkward demeanor Mark always had back then. Right now, Mark was nothing but perfect. He was a bit small for a male, but his muscles grow just on the right places on his body. His face held a feminine feature but still a lot of people fell in love with his high cheek, perfect sculpted nose, plump and kissable lips tainted with a natural pink color, and his smooth white skin without any beauty product. He had a long fingers that were so delicate. It was the fingers that creates magic every time it held a pen, a pencil, or touches a keyboard on any gadget he can use to type. Those fingers was his magic wand, the wand that distributes his genius ideas in writing lyrics and composing music into wonderful pieces. Wonderful pieces Tzuyu was lucky to enjoy because her best friend let her sung all those magic he creates. Mark was a definition of a genius beauty. But all that comes with a cost. While he was bullied for being nerd and awkward in junior high, high school was a total hell because anywhere Mark went, people harassed him. Being in college are quite relieving since a lot of the college students act more mature or pretty much don’t care about others, and now that they had entered the world of grownups, it all gets better. Mark can stand a few whisperings at his office, but back then, high school has its toll on Mark. Mark had come to Tzuyu’s doorstep one day, all beaten up by a group of naughty boys in their high school, just because they think he was too pretty for a guy, and he does ‘girly dances’. Mark was called names; , gay, girlie, pretty boy; are some of a thousand names they made up for Mark. Tzuyu was the one protecting him all the time. Being the popular girl she was, she was respected, and no one messes with Mark when she’s around. But when Tzuyu’s not with Mark, that’s when she worries the most.

Now, no one uses that kind of harassment to bully Mark anymore, now that Mark learned martial arts and knows how to use it to defend himself. But the trauma didn’t only scarred Mark, it left bad memories to Tzuyu too. She gets over protective and finds herself worried about Mark all the time.

“Mark?” Tzuyu tried again when they’re halfway to the bus station. Mark hasn’t spoken a word since they left the band’s practice room even though he said he wanted to talk about something. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Mark didn’t answer. He kept walking until the both of them reached the bus station. This was a habit for them. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Mark would come to Tzuyu’s band practice studio just a few blocks from his office, and then the both of them will take the bus home together. Tzuyu purposely choose the practice studio near Mark’s office. The both of them spent their childhood together even until graduating college, and Tzuyu is still not used to not being with Mark every day since they had different workplace. Now Tzuyu worked as an accountant at a small insurance company just around their neighborhood while Mark worked as a researcher for one of Korea’s top university.

Seeing no other people were there, Mark threw himself to the bench, letting out a long sigh. Tzuyu could only look at her friend in confusion. After a couple minutes of silence, Tzuyu huffed, turning around to examine the road. Seoul’s traffic can be pretty crazy, especially when it’s cold like now and people thought using their cars with heaters are more convenient than using the public transportation.

“He’s coming back, Chew,” Mark suddenly said when Tzuyu was s