It was when Jaemin drags Mark by his shoulder to go to the school cafetaria when he first sees the girl he dreamt of last night for today. Ko Eun is standing there, or she is actually tiptoeing on her shoes, looks like she is almost drown in a crowd of students who gather in front of the school announcement board on the side of coridor. Mark has no idea what she and the other students are doing there – he knows exactly they look at a school announcement but what questioning his mind is why they look so excited, especially for the girls, some of them even cup their own cheeks and yell like a mess as they just got asked to a date by their crush.

“Have you seen that?”

Jaemin nudges Mark, nodding in the direction of the crowd as they stop for a while because Mark’s steps has been rooting on the floor since he saw Ko Eun few meters away from him, and Jaemin won’t bother to tell how Mark didn’t notice it by himself, again.

Mark turns his head too quickly, like he is afraid of being caught up staring at someone he never meant to stare. The other guy gives him a knowing smile before swipe it away for  another question, “Have you asked her to be your prom already?”

Mark looks confused, “What prom?” And a second later his heart skips a beat as he feels like he was indeed being caught up, “And who’s her?”

Jaemin disgustingly makes a squeal sound as he notices a slight shade of red creeping up Mark’s ear. Mark really wants to punch him now and there for being a little too loud he doesn’t want everyone’s eyes on them, or he actually just doesn’t want that girl to notice his presence few meters away from her with his embarassingly oblivious flushed ear.

“Stop playing stupid, Mark. I know there are at least five girls asked you to be their prom already.” Jaemin’s sudden answer doesn’t give any explanation for Mark’s stupid brain. “But I swear Ko Eun also got asked as many as you. A school primadona indeed.” Jaemin’s eyes scanning Ko Eun from distance and blows a quiet whistle only to get a secretly dislike look from Mark.

"I seriously don't understand what you are talking about." Mark tries to keep his eyes on Jaemin instead of the crowd where Ko Eun is with her group of girl friends now. Jaemin almost rolls his eyes in disbelieving way before he could catch the pure innocentness in Mark's eyes.

"Oh my God, are you being serious now? It's the school's routine event that holds every two years. And please, Mark, this event is a co-existing event along with our basketball team match, you've heard about this, havent you?"

Mark nodes his head unsurely, more like because he is afraid of Jaemin's reaction if he shakes his head instead. His poor memory reminds him two years ago when he was still in the 1st grade of senior high school, when he was in his room's balcony, sitting on a rocking chair he always sat on side by side with his childhood bestfriend when they were still like five or six - now that they were growing mature, the chair only fitted for one of them. That day, Mark was playing with his guitar while lazily  listening to Ko Eun in her own balcony, she looked all excited and happy moving both of her hands when she talked about the school's legendary prom. The event is indeed a little bit different from any usual prom. Like what Jaemin had said, it's a coexisting event along with the basketball match, and it is supposed to be attended by two schools who join the match. The prom will be held before the basketball match, and the purpose is to make the both of school get close before the match. It's like a bonding party and actually Mark doesn't get it why the party itself more look like a golden chance for the students to get a girlfriend or boyfriend rather than just a friend from another school. Mark still remember Ko Eun talked about the basketball captain from the opposite school named Jaehyun or Jeffrey and how she adored him so much she wished he would asked her to be his prom (in which made Mark's chest tightened to the thought of his bestfriend will be dancing and being touched by other guy who's not him - not like Mark ever touched her in a coupleish way before, but rather in a bestfriend way where Ko Eun slapped him here and there when he made a dad joke). But luckily, only the second and last year student allowed to join the party, so Ko Eun should waited two years later until she is in the 3rd grade in which is the present.

Mark takes a peek to the group of the girls, and he finds Ko Eun is showing less interest reaction than her other friends. He wonders if she still want to attend the party as Jaehyun is already graduated now.

"So you are gonna ask her, aren't you?"

Again, Mark turns his head so quickly and his heart beats faster as he already being cauht up twice. "Who the hell you are literally keep on talking about?"

Jaemin clicks his tongue. Even if he doesn't show it blatantly, this smiley guy knows right how his friend has been growing a big ugly fat crush on the girl standing not far away from them. It's funny how Mark still act like nobody knows about his sad unrequited love to his own bestfriend, even funnier when he'd rather be called gay with Jaemin than to make people think he had fallen for the school's primadona. So Jaemin decides to and say, "Should I say her name out loud?" He takes a deep breath then, "Hey! Ko - hmpfh."

If there is a day when Mark desperately want to kill his 3 years bestfriend, that day probably is today. Mark muffles Jaemin's mouth tightly until the younger guy almost stumbles to the back for the sudden move. "You .", Mark mouths soundlessly.

But Jaemin then waves his hand out of nowhere, ignoring Mark's hand on his mouth and mumbling something Mark can not understand. Just when the younger bites his palm, Mark quickly pulls back his own hand with a disgust look and hisses a 'gross' before the younger pointing to Ko Eun staring at them. It looks like she was the first one who waved her hand to Jaemin and some of her friends chuckles to the boys's previous act.

However when Ko Eun then pointing her index finger to Mark, then tapping her watch on his skinny wrist and spread her hand to give all the five fingers - indicating to the time they will go to the Lotte Mall later - makes Mark's lungs is starving for oxygen. So he only gives a quick nod and  turns to  Jaemin to drag him back to go to the cafetaria, as he prays to God that she didn't notice the red flush on his ears while he keeps on flinching it to cover the colour.

∞

Mark never embarrass Ko Eun with his outfit. Oppositely, every girl who had passed them both when they were walking around the mall had a hard time to not stare at how boyfriend material Mark Lee's look is. Even with his old brown hoodie, a casual ripped jeans and his round glasses he only wore when he is lazy to put on lenses. But it’s probably because Ko Eun's standard is too high even for a guy who is a captain of his school's basketball team and one of  the most wanted boy's member along with Jeno, Jaemin, Hyunjin and other popular guys of the school. Or maybe because Ko Eun is too to used to see Mark’s good looking face, as she is grown with him since they are in diapers yet knows all of his good and bad side either (she mostly find the bad side of Mark isn't even that bad compared to another teenage boy’s, like how he hates ketchup and would apologize to Ko Eun's mother endlessly because he can't eat her cooks).

Mark often heard people around him saying how puberty hits him good, the little awkward boy with braces and a round glasses was now changed into a tall guy with broad shoulders and lots of charisma when he plays basketball. But in his entire life, never he heard it from Ko Eun. Even till today, the girl doesn’t seem to get effected by his charm.

“What do you want for your bitrhday?”

Mark blinks his eyes. Takes a glance to his phone then meets his gaze to Ko Eun, looking confused. “It’s still December?” It is. In which it was way too early for him to think about a birthday presents for August next year.

Ko Eun crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You know? Actually it’s not for you. My brother is graduated soon and I just ask your opinion as a same gender person.”

“Oh.” Of course Mark is too stupid to think that Ko Eun will buy him something. Yes they used to exchange a gift to each other on their birthday, but they stopped it when they were in the last year of junior high school. Ko Eun was the one who stopped it first, Mark still gave her a gift for her fifteen’s birthday.  And when Ko Eun said it was too chidish and she was too old to receive any gift from her friends, Mark understood.

Mark’s train of thought is stopped when he feels warm fingertips around his shoulders. Ko Eun puts a dark green flanel shirt on Mark’s top body, her brows frowns slightly as she seriously thinks wether the shirt will fit on his brother’s style or not. Mark gulps. From this few centimeters left between them, he can see Ko Eun’s face clearly. And he realizes not only him who got hitted by puberty real good, this girl right in front of him who used to be taller than him when they were in elementary school now turns to be shorter than him. She looks small, in a cute way. And before Mark can not restrain himself from his own urge to wrap the smaller body in his embrace, he clears his throat, “I think this one suits Doyoung a lot.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Ko Eun takes the clothes from Mark’s body. Making Mark reliefs as she doesn’t take a glance to his slightly flushed ear and decides to look for another optional clothes behind her. She puts another clothes again on Mark, but instead of a flanel shirt that his brother usually wears, it’s a plain gray hoodie with a simple printed word on the front side of it. “What do you think with this one?” She moves to the side so Mark can see his own reflection on the mirror in front of him.

“It’s good?” He doesn’t really sure. He just loves hoodies and he never really cares about any style that would look good on him, but he feels like this isn’t the right one. He means, if it’s for Doyoung, doesn’t she need to go for the previous shirt instead? But his overthinking thought is vanished when he sees a satisfy smile from his bestfriend through the reflection on the mirror.

“It’s perfect.” She says. And did Mark heart ever beats so hard to the praise he never knew who it was for.

.

∞

Being a goddamn porter for Ko Eun isn’t really bad though. Yes, Mark feels tired for following the girl’s quick step around everytime her eyes caught something she found cute. But she didn’t buy anything though, just some windows shopping and actually they spend the longest of their time on this clothing store. When Ko Eun pays the clothes, he is looking around by himself and looks fascinated by a simple, dark-blue dress that is shown on the display window. It doesn’t have any exaggerating pattern and that’s what make it looks more elegant. Suddenly, his eyes wandering through the cashier desk to look for a person who will suit the dress the most. Ko Eun has grown to be a pretty girl. Despite her cute bangs she had had since she was a child, her long black shiny hair frames her chubby cheeks perfectly. She will definitely looks good in everything. But Mark wonders how good she will look in a dress, looking like a sweet georgeous girl every guy would like to date.

And that is when Mark’s phone buzz on his back jeans pocket. Sliding his screenphone only to read a short message from Jaemin.

Na Jaemin :

You won’t believe who’s Im going to have for the prom

Mark doesn’t really want to reply the message. But then come another one.

Na Jaemin :

Ask me.

Mark sighs. Typing quickly on his phone, “Who?”

Na Jaemin :

Try to guess.

Mark really, really, really doesn’t interested about this conversation but Jaemin will probably mad at him and poutting all day long tomorrow if he doesn’t reply his message.

Mark :

I don’t know, dude.

You always close with almost all the girls at school.

Na Jaemin :

You’re no fun

No wonder Ko Eun not wanting you

Mark :

Fck off

As Mark shoves his phone back to his pocket, Ko Eun comes to him and Mark takes the shopping bag from her grip without she asking, like it’s a default motion everytime they go shopping together. Mark’s mother always tells him to be a gentle man, and despite Ko Eun was the one who’s asking him first to help her with the shopping bags, it was Mark who snatched them first even when Ko Eun said she was fine bringing her own stuff by herself. And now that it’s being a common thing, Ko Eun doesn’t restrain herself and Mark is absolutely okay with it.

They step out from the store and Mark doesn’t ask anything about where they’re going to go next. It’s when he realizes that Ko Eun leads them to the parking lot. The sky is still dark bright and the time they spent feels shorter than Mark thought it was. Somehow, he feels like he still doesn’t want to send them home. Doesn’t want to end this moment he barely had with his bestfriend, as they are getting busier as the last year student. But Mark is bad at making excuse. So when they are finally inside Mark’s father car, he keeps his mouth quite. Thanks to the radio Ko Eun just played on, an old song filling the air between them.

Ko Eun turns her head to the window, doesn’t notice Mark’s grip tightening on the steer. She mumbles something about the cold weather as December is coming, Mark answering with a low hum. It’s still so quite until they finally arrived at Ko Eun’s house. The girl bents her body to the backseat to take her shopping bag. Her small shoulder bumping to Mark’s arm and he presses his lips together at the contact. He turns his head only to curse himself mentally as he actidentally smells her fragrance on the thin gape between them. And when she finally backs to her seat and grab her stuffs in one hand, she takes a glance to Mark. They exchange eye contact for 5 seconds straight until Ko Eun opens . “Okay, are you going to unlock the door or let us have a sleepover here til tomorrow?”

Mark almost chokes from his own saliva. Speaking the truth, he will definitely choose the second option, and tomorrow is Saturday too, means no school and they could cuddle at the backseat in the morning if one of them would like to. But Mark needs to slap himself mentally. He whispers a ‘sorry’ as he unlock the door from the driver seat.

“Do you want to come over?” asks Ko Eun. “It’s kinda late, but my mom asked me to tell you that she missed you before we leave two hours ago.”

Mark smiles weakly. He always sees Ko Eun’s mother when he passes her house on his way to school, but barely has time to greet her properly these days. But he knows Ko Eun’s mom is always sweet to him. “Maybe next time.”

Ko Eun nods and gives him the last smile. She turns her head and about to push the door open when her hair is swaying, they spark that same fragrance as Mark smelled some times ago, and did Mark never want to forget the way his heart drumming just because of that little thing. And how his heart aching a little when he remembers he probably won’t have the chance to smell it again when they both graduated soon. Suddeny he feels a lot of thing inside his chest. And a lot of thoughts inside his head. That makes his body is like do something out of his control. Because suddenly he decides to take a courage, ignoring the oblivious flushed ear of his and reach out to his friend’s shoulder.

The gesture makes Ko Eun turns her head to him a second later. She blinks and looks at Mark with a questioning look.

“Did you..” Mark’s voice is barely audible so Ko Eun frowns her brows a bit.

“Yes?”

Mark’s eyes goes to her hand that is loosen up a bit now from the car’s door. And he makes a note to better not ruin his one and only chance to ask this stupid question he had prepared even before he picked up this girl two hours ago at this exact same place.

“Do you probably wanna go to the school’s prom?”