Mark hadn’t expected the bullying to take place so soon. Sure, he had expected it to take effect within a day but he never expected to be confronted by some basketball player in his year the minute he stepped foot into his English class, one whole period after roll call (thank god, he was able to avoid everyone with his free and focus on his maths homework). 

“Hey, Mark Lee! Where’s your boyfriend at?!” The player called as his crew of cowards laughed along with him, leaving Mark to fight off a blush on his own since Donghyuck was not his boyfriend - no matter how much he wanted him to be. “What now?! He stole your tongue along with your heart?!” Several more cackles were heard as he sat down in his seat, trying his best to block out the laughter. “Why don’t you actually just disappear since this school doesn’t need people like you!”

“I can say the same to you, Kim.” He heard a female voice say harshly, keeping his eyes trained on his desk as he unpacked his stationery. “This school doesn’t need dickheads like you.” He felt someone sit in the empty desk to his right - the same one that some random student used to be in but didn’t sit in today for whatever reason - before a familiar touch of a friend was on his shoulder. “Mark, you don’t have to go through this alone.” Looking up, he saw his saviour in the form of a smiling Ko Eunji - Kouen, thank God - and wryly smiled back. “We’re here for you, Mark Lee. We always have been and always will.”

Flashes of Jaemin and Jeno’s concerned faces alongside Hina’s blurred his vision before the faces of his friends morphed into the face of someone else. 

“He…He came up and talked to me, you know,” He said, voice so quiet since he was afraid that it would crack with his low self worth and serve as more laughing material for the others. “He came to me while I was waiting for the bell.” He heard Koeun hum, a thoughtful look on her face.

“What did he say?” She asked, planting her right elbow on the desk and leaning her cheek on her fist. “He must have said something.”

“He said that if I needed anyone to talk to…he’d be there for me,” Mark answered, glancing between his fidgeting fingers and Koeun’s face. “I really don’t deserve him.”

“If anything, i think it might be the other way around,” Koeun said, giggling at the end of the sentence before reaching out to pat his hair. “Either way, he’s concerned about you, Mark, and so are the rest of the group. Hina was flipping out when I passed her in the halls and the group chat has been going crazy.”

“I…I didn’t know…sorry…my phone has been on silent since the end of roll call.” Slowly, he felt a sinking feeling in his chest at having ignored his friends who were simply concerned for him. 

“Don’t be, you need time for yourself,” Kouen replied, smiling softly at him. “You work and practice so much that it’s unhealthy, Mark. Check it when you have time.”

“Oh god, now I feel like since I just brushed Jaemin and Jeno off when it all happened,” He groaned, leaning back in his seat as Kouen’s lips formed one thin line, another insult from the group behind them heading his way but Koeun’s presence helped him block it out. 

“They’ll understand,” Koeun assured him, turning to glare at the students who were laughing obnoxiously. 

“Hey, do you think…do you think Donghyuck’s creeped out by all of this?” He asked her, voice timid and gaze worried as Koeun furrowed her eyebrows in thought. 

“I think he’s okay with it…I mean, he did check up on you after all.” He dumbly nodded along to Koeun’s words, wanting Donghyuck to be creeped out since it would be easier to avoid him if he were creeped out. “You’ll get through this, stop thinking so much. You’re overworking your one brain cell.”

“God, why are you even here? Don’t you hang out with Yoojung at the back?” He asked, annoyed that she had insulted him and growing even more annoyed when she laughed. “Yoojung isn’t here today and can’t I take care of my overworking, overthinking and over concerned friend?”

“I am not over concerned,” He protested, scoffing at the accusation as Koeun rolled her eyes.

“You’re literally wondering if Donghyuck is creeped out and he probably isn’t,” Koeun pointed out as he sighed, the teacher walking in several seconds after and prompting him to sit up straight once more. 

“Just don’t distract me,” Mark simply said, rolling his eyes when Koeun began to pass him cute notes to cheer him up that were in broken English and showcased drawings of himself and another figure that he assumed was Donghyuck in a ferris wheel or a boat. 

If Mark smiled…no one picked up on it. 

~

“Um…what are you doing?” He couldn’t bring himself to phrase the question better when he had gone to his locker for lunch only to see a certain tanned male angrily ripping paper cutouts of from his locker. 

“Mark! Look, it’s not what it looks like!” The other protested, eyes wide at being caught as Mark raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Don’t tell me that you’re the one putting them on my locker…” He exasperated, already tired of all the whispers that had ensued the minute he had arrived and all the photos that were being taken. He watched as Donghyuck laughed sheepishly, his hair bouncing a bit as he shook his head. 

“No, I’m taking them off but I swear I’m not trying to like, hack into your locker or anything!” Donghyuck shouted, probably louder than necessary so that the phones could capture his words. “I wouldn’t dare to do anything like that because I don’t bully people for who they are!”

“Look, just…ah, forget it,” He let out, shaking his head since he didn’t really know what he was about to say - couldn’t really think of what to say since Lee Donghyuck was right in front of him and smiling at him. “Just…keep it down, okay? I’ve got a massive headache.”

“I have some panadol tablets if you need them,” Donghyuck offered, ripping another paper off his locker and tearing it up. “Some water too.”

“I don’t think i’d need it but thanks,” He replied awkwardly, shuffling his feet towards his locker and turning the lock to his combination. “You didn’t have to rip the off either.”

“I couldn’t exactly just walk past,” Donghyuck said, pouting