Requester
SMTownR


Pairing
(GOT7) Mark Tuan x Ara Li (OC)
Kim Taeyeon


Genres
Romance and Angst


Plot
Mark is in love with a Noona (Taeyeon) but she constantly rejects him.
Ara likes Mark and he finds consolation in her and eventually falls for her.


Author
Charlot1081

    Nine o'clock rolls by and the work load starts.  Doors are opened and lights are on.  Mark opens the door with his set of keys and cracks his neck before walking through a hallway.  He puts his vest on and snaps in the mirror when he gives it a wink.  Today makes another day of stocking the shelves and seeing his friends. 

Picking one friend in particular, he will try again today to win the heart of his crush of five years, Kim Taeyeon.  Her gorgeous blonde locks flow from her high ponytail with its ends waving on her shoulder.  Her bangs were split in two, one side longer than the other, covering half of her forehead while the other side was tucked behind her ear.

He could imagine her beauty even when they're not anywhere near to each other, that's how much Mark adores the girl.  He pushes the cart full of boxes they just got from their new shipment.  The first shipment is near to the customer service desk in the back.  This would be the shoe department.

"Morning, Ara."  Mark said as he pushed the cart past the opening.  "How are you this morning?"  He asked as he started cutting a few boxes open. 

"I'm alright.  The weather in my apartment feels like it is below freezing, but I'll somehow manage."  She laughed a bit.  "You?"

Mark shrugged and pulled a few shoe boxes out from the box he had just opened.  "I've been getting pretty bored at home."  He told as he price checked it before putting it on the shelf. 


She hummed.  "What about those school assignments?"  She asked with a smirk.  Her cheeks grow a small tint of pink when he hissed at the mention of school work.

"It's getting done, but I can't do school every minute I'm home."  He muttered as he took more shoe boxes out and did the same tasks like with the other box.

She pursed her lips.  "Well, Taeyeon-"

"I wish I could date her."  He interrupted.  "I think my time when I'm bored would be best if I spent it with her."  He smiled as he looked to the distance.


She could practically see the hearts floating around the man.  Her smile faded and she looked back down at the counter.  "Well, I think today will make the 1,004th attempt of trying to get to Taeyeon's heart.  More or less."  She said as she folded her arms and looked at her computer screen.


He nodded and put the stack of empty boxes on the underside of the cart.  "Yeah, but my dad always said that if you really want something, you shouldn't give up."  He said with a small smile.  "Just because she didn't like me yesterday doesn't mean there won't be a possibility she might like me today or tomorrow."  He said as he took the hand of the cart.

"True.."  Ara couldn't argue with that.

"I need to go to the next isles for these.  I'll chat more later, kay?"  He said cheerfully.  "Wish me luck with Tae~"  He left the area.


Ara sighed and drew circles on the counter with her finger.  "Good luck.. Maybe one of these days I should give up with him.."  She considered.  "But hearing what he said.."

She couldn't help but feel motivated with Mark's father's words.  It's only Mark who is ignorant to the fact that Taeyeon likes Jinyoung.  Jinyoung has one of the lower jobs, being the janitor; however, they like each other.  Of course they're not officially dating.  And only Taeyeon knows how much Ara likes Mark.

It's a complicated situation as Mark always goes to Ara whenever Taeyeon rejects him.  She doesn't want to be an unsupportive friend, however it's starting to hurt saying comforting words to him.



Mark made it to the front of the store with his cart now full of items for the registers.  "Hey, Tae~"  He greeted as he cut open a box.  "You wanna go to dinner tonight?"

Taeyeon folded her arms as she leaned against the register.  "For a date?  Or are all four of us going as friends?"  She asked with raised eyebrows.

"A date."  He confirmed as he reached across the register belt to put selected candies in the tray.  "You and me."  He said further before making it up to the register itself.


Taeyeon sighed with an annoyed look.  "Nope."  She rejected as she looked around to see if there are any customers.  "Not interested."  She walked away to advertise that her check out is available.

Mark kept his confident smile until she was out of sight.  He sighed and looked down at the boxes.  He slowly took more stuff out as he thought about every time Taeyeon rejects him.  If he got paid every time, he wouldn't even be working anymore he would be so rich. 


***

Work gets finished for the day.  Ara watches Taeyeon leave with Jinyoung.  She takes her vest off and hangs it near the other two that are on the rack.  Mark comes up beside her and does the same thing.  What's different today is that Mark doesn't have that confident smile like he usually has.

Taeyeon rejects him every time, but the man usually has high spirits.  Being that Ara has liked him for awhile, her stomach started hurting when he heard him silently sigh.  She could tell the sigh wasn't meant to be audible for her.

"Mark,"  She started to gain his attention, "let's go eat some dinner."  She offered.

"Are you sure?"  He asked.

Ara nodded and hooked her arm around the slumped man.  She then walked him to an outside barbeque and ordered him some chicken and some soda. 


"I don't have too much experience in dating, Mark."  Ara said as she watched him go to town on the food.  "But I know how it feels to not be liked back."

Mark stopped chewing to listen better as her words hit him.  Even after every time she's helped me, I still haven't asked her why she hasn't been in a relationship.  He realized.

"I once liked a boy.  He was cute, smart, and.. He just made me smile even when I was just thinking about him."  She continued as she smiled down at the table.  "Unfortunately, I wasn't ever able to tell him how I felt."

"Why not?"  Mark asked before clearing his throat with the soda.

Her smile was a sad one, Mark could tell.  Her eyes stayed on the table and she let out a small hum.  "Because he's with another girl.  I can't break his love for her just for my happiness.  That wouldn't be fair.

"But what you were talking about earlier with your father's words, I think I can wait a little bit longer for him to come around to me."  She pursed her lips.  If he doesn't understand it's him, then maybe I should move on..  She thought as she reached for her fork.  "Taeyeon might like someone else, you should make sure before you try taking her away from who she loves already."  She suggested before taking a bite of chicken.


Mark watched her with his eyes a bit wide due to his lips being around his soda bottle. 

"At the same time,"  Ara started back up, "don't give up hope.  If Taeyeon is to like you, just be patient.  She'll come around."  She said before taking a gulp of soda.


Mark nodded in silence as he looked down at the table.  We're both hopeplessly waiting for our crushes, huh?  He realized with an inward sigh.  Maybe if we can't have our crushes, we can date?  The thought made him sit up straight suddenly.  He looked the smiling girl up and down as the thought kept growing stronger.  Maybe..


***

And like that, another week passes by with each day Mark getting turned down.  And every day, Mark went straight to the customer service desk to get kind words from Ara there.  What's different with today was that Mark skipped the Taeyeon rejection all together. 

He set the empty boxes in the back and pushed out another cart out near the shoe department.  He worked in reverse order this time, making it so his first load of the day ended near Ara.

Ara looked at him confusingly.  "Changing things up?"  She asked in curiosity.

"Yeah.. I figured that ending here would be better than ending in sadness."  He said as he scratched his neck.

She hummed and looked down.  "She might say yes today."  Ara tried to encourage.

He shrugged.  "I don't care if she says yes at all,"  He confessed, "I rather be happy at the end of the first load."  He said with a big smile.


Ara was speechless as she watched him empty the boxes with energy.  He event started humming a random tune and skipped along the isle to certain places.  It made some of the nearby customers look at him. 

After the first shipment was finished, Mark sighed and leaned back agains the counter where Ara is sitting.  She put her hands in her lap as Mark takes his short break.  He usually takes this break to either flirt with Taeyeon or chat with Jinyoung.  "Is there something troubling you, Mark?"  She asked nicely.

Mark shook his head.  "Nope.  I just want.."  He stopped and sighed.  "I just want to hang out with someone who doesn't get annoyed of me too much."  He said without his smile.

She lifted her eyes to him and sat up straight.  "Hey, Taeyeon isn't like that."  She tried to console.

"Yes, I figured out she likes Jinyoung."  He sighed sadly.  "So you know what?"  He stood up suddenly.  "Give up on that idiot you're curshing on!

"If he likes someone else, so be it.  He's an idiot for not realizing how precious you are to him."  He said proudly while holding his hips. 

Ara couldn't help but smile at that. 

"Ara, will you accompany me to a dinner tonight?  As a date?"  He asked as he reached to hold her hand.


She laughed a bit and nodded.  "Yeah, let's do that.. Idiot.."

Mark's smile fell.  "Huh?"

"You're the idiot, Mark."  She stood up too and walked around the counter and up to him. 


It was Mark's turn to be speechless.  He just watched her as she stood up higher to kiss his cheek.  "You know when my shift ends and what food I like.  Get back to work, Idiot."  She joked before slapping his lightly.


His brain didn't register what just happened, but his body moved him and his cart to the back of the store.  Once he made it to the door that has his next shipment, he realized what happened.  His smile slowly grew back as he put the new boxes on the cart.  I'm the idiot she's been crushing on..  He thought as he pushed the cart to the frozen section.

"I'm the idiot!!"  He cheered, making some of the customers look at him again. 


Taeyeon looked at Ara as they are sharing their break together. 

"You told him?"  Taeyeon asked as she elbowed Ara teasingly.

Ara smiled with a nod.  "Yeah.. How did he figure out about you and Jinyoung?"  She wondered.

Taeyeon laughed before sipping on her smoothie.  She swallowed the sweet beverage.  "Jinyoung kissed me in the boy's bathroom last night."  She told.  "And Mark just happened to need to use the bathroom before closing."


Ara laughed and shook her head.  "Well then.. Looks like I won't have to keep cheering him on to get to you."  She gave a relieved sigh.

Taeyeon nodded with a hum.  "Good luck, Ara.  You know him more than I do, he's an obssessive guy."  She encouraged.

"I don't midn his clinginess."  She confessed.  "He always cuddles when he's depressed, so I'm wondering how it'll be when he's happy."  Ara said as she folded her arms.


Taeyeon looked up in thought.  "Probably the cutest thing ever, really.  Guys are good at making us feel warm."  She laughed.  "I'm going back to the registers now.  See you."


Ara waved her off and sat back down at the desk.  She couldn't get over how Mark's voice echoed in the store once more.  Yes, you're my idiot, Mark.



 

I feel like there wasn't enough angst or drama hahah
Was it too cute or too sudden?  I didn't want it to get boring with Mark keeping getting rejected.
Maybe there should have been more kisses XD

Thank you so much for requesting!
<3