"Nayeon." His voice was soft and gentle but he never let got of her hand, neither did he push her away. When Nayeon managed to sit up, he sat back down on her bed, his gaze as gentle as it had always been when they were together.

"Stay." She repeated, her grip around his hand tightened as if she's afraid that he would leave her. "Please."

Everything just felt natural but at the same time, there was this palpable tension in the air and only the sound of their breathing could be heard in the room. It was only then he realized that close proximity between them and he's pretty sure Nayeon realized that too. However, neither of them was fazed by it.

"Nayeon." Mark was the one who managed to compose himself first even though his fist was clenched tightly, almost as if he's holding back himself. "You're drunk."

With those words, he managed to push her hand away from his and when he saw that devastated look on her face, he almost wanted to take her hand back again.

"I did drink," Nayeon mumbled. "But I know what I'm doing and I know I want you here. Because everything else, I don't want to think about both Minhyuk and Sana. I don't care what the others will say. Right now, I just want you. By my side."

Mark stayed silence, not knowing how to respond for a while. Her words hit him hard; it was almost as if she had read his mind. For that night, he wanted to just forget everything and everyone else. After all, they're the only ones here.

But would that be okay?

The tears b in Nayeon's eyes caught him off guard in the middle of his thoughts. He never liked it whenever she cried and the last time he had seen those tears of hers was six years ago...

The night they've broken up.

"I'm going to ask you this." Mark finally spoke up, his gaze fixed on hers. "Do you know what you've just said? Are you sure of it?"

Nayeon nodded.

"This will be a point of no return." Mark continued, ignoring the strong beating of his heart. "No regrets?"

"Yes, no regrets." That was Nayeon's firm reply.

Mark paused for a moment and took in a deep breath before he muttered a ' this' under his breath.

The next thing the both of them knew was that their lips touched, for the first time in six years. There were no fireworks; their kiss was never like that, not even during their first kiss. It was a kiss that came so naturally, as if they've found their way home. And when Nayeon wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, he had never felt warmth like this ever since that night happened. Why did he even think that he had moved on?

In return, when Mark brought her closer to his body, making sure hers was pressed against his, Nayeon smiled against his lips. It was a kiss of longing and six years of missing each other. Neither of them had forgotten about the other and when both their lips and bodies touched, Nayeon knew that he missed her as much as she did immediately.

The kiss was slow at first but it got a little more playful; Nayeon was the one who started it as usual. Mark would let her lead for a brief moment before he took control of her again. The atmosphere of the room had changed; instead of the uncomfortable tension earlier, it was an atmosphere of two people very much in love with each other.

Nayeon's giggle was what caused Mark to pull away from the kiss which she had pout slightly as a response. Mark could only admire her flushed cheeks with a slight amusement on his face.

"Be patient." Mark teased. "I miss you just as much and would very much want to kiss you again. But let me have a good look at you, you've not smiled like this around me since I came back and I've missed you."

His voice got softer and gentler at the last few words of his which made Nayeon smiled.

"I've missed you too." Her voice was as gentle. "You have absolutely no idea."

"I believe I do."

"Why did I even think that I've moved on from you?"

"Quiet." Mark gave a quick peck on her lips as an indication to stop talking. "Remember what you said earlier? everything else."

Nayeon blinked, giggling softly at that and nodded.

"You're awake now right?" Mark continued. "I wouldn't want you to remember what happened tonight the next morning."

"I am very awake."

"Good." He pulled her closer and onto his lap this time. "Because I wouldn't want you to blame me for what I'm going to do to you."

Nayeon said nothing and only smiled before she wrapped her arms around the male's neck, meeting her lips with his once again.

That night, when they've became one again, everything felt like it's falling back into place. It was slow; there was nothing exciting about it. However, it was enough for them to feel the longing they had for each other. The scent of Mark felt so familiar to Nayeon as she tangled her fingers into his hair. It was never like this with Minhyuk; it's definitely not the same and that was when Nayeon's confirmed that she still loves the man she's with right at that moment.

The eye contacts they've made and the smiles they gave each other when Mark made sure Nayeon's doing okay; he had thought that she's the most beautiful woman in the world. The little tinge of red on her cheeks whenever she gave him a tired smile, the way she rested her hand on his cheek and the sound of her heavy breathing. At that moment he knew- no, he's sure that this woman had never left his heart throughout all the years.

It had always been a lie he made up.

It had always been an illusion.

"Are you doing okay?" Mark whispered in a low tone, keeping his gaze on the younger female who in return gave him a light nod of assurance.

That night, the both of them had not only felt that they've made their way home. They had also found themselves again in a way that they knew they would be smiling differently from then on.

It was also the start of their endless sins.

Nayeon woke up the next morning when her hands couldn't find the familiar masculine figure beside her. She had half wondered whether everything from last night was actually a dream that her inner conscious made up especially, since she had drank a lot more than her usual.

But the sound of the shower from the bathroom told her otherwise. It wasn't a dream; it really did happen. She stayed under the covers, making sure her bare body was hiding completely under it while she waited for Mark to finish showering. There was a small yet obvious blissful smile playing on her lips as she closed her eyes once more; a small part of her had hated herself for feeling like this when she already had a boyfriend but a bigger part of her couldn't care less about it.

The sound of the shower being turned off was what brought Nayeon back from her thoughts. She opened her eyes once more and was greeted by Mark who just walked out in a bathrobe, his hair still wet.

"Hey." Mark smiled automatically upon seeing that Nayeon had already woke up.

"Hey," Nayeon greeted in a quiet voice while she sat up, holding the covers close to her chest. "Why didn't you wake me up too?"

"You were sleeping really soundly." The male answered as he sat himself down on the edge of the bed beside her. "Beside, you were really tired last night so I thought you deserve more sleep. Do you have a headache?"

"A little I guess?" Nayeon nodded, her gaze fixed on Mark's face. "But I'm coping. Are you going to leave now?"

"Well, I was supposed to fly back to-" Nayeon's disappointed face stopped Mark mid sentence that chuckled in amusement. "Let me finish. I will go back when you do, alright? I just need to call and book another flight. However, it probably won't be the same one as yours."

"I can deal with that." The smile made its way back onto Nayeon's face again. "You won't pretend nothing happened when we're back right? I mean..."

"I won't." Mark's firm voice cut her off. "And, we will deal with whatever you're thinking of when we get back. Now go get yourself washed up. We will grab something to eat before your manager come pick you up for your fanmeet."

"But." Nayeon had wanted to protest but she knew he's right too. There's indeed a fanmeet waiting for her and she knew she couldn't just run away from it. "Alright, it will be a quick one."

"Good girl."

Those two words earned Mark a pillow smacked in his face.

Despite Mark's inactivity in the industry for years, there were still fans who would recognize him. Usually, he wouldn't care less about it but since he's currently out for brunch with Nayeon, an active soloist, his cap was put into good use again.

It wasn't anywhere far from the hotel; it's just a simple date but enough to lift the spirits of both Mark and Nayeon. For the past few months, ever since Mark's return, the both of them had never once felt this light like how they were feeling at that moment.

There was no hand-holding, just occasional fingers brushing against each other's. There was no whispering of sweet nothings, just occasional teasing and playful banters. Everything just came to them naturally; words don't mean anything anymore.

Last night was enough for the both of them to know what the other was thinking.

"Hot soup." Mark firmly nodded.

"But curry udon." The pout on Nayeon's lips was still very visible despite her wearing her cap low.

"You need something soupy." Mark insisted as he leant back against his chair, his arms folded. "Your fault for drinking too much last night."

"And who do you think was the reason I drank." Nayeon grumbled under her breath but loud enough for Mark to catch what she's saying.

"Well." He cleared his throat, sitting up straight again. "You get something soupy, I will get the curry udon you wanted. And being the nice boyf- I mean nice person I am, you will get to eat a little of it."

Nayeon raised an eyebrow at the change of his words.

"Let's just pretend you're my boyfriend for now." She spoke in a nonchalant tone that caught Mark by surprise.

"What?"

"You said we will deal with whatever we have to only when we are back in Korea right?" Nayeon continued. "Let's do that."

She didn't give Mark any time to respond to that when she raised her hand to call for the waiter soon after her words but the amused smile which formed shortly after on Mark's face told her that, he too liked the idea of it.

Mark had absolutely no idea when was the last time he had talked that much to someone. Was it when GOT7 was still together? Or was it before the break up? He was almost surprised at himself whenever he initiated a new topic but he also remembered that Nayeon had that ability to make him talk.

Similar to how Bambam could.

Even though he wasn't able to take it during the first year of his trainee period, he eventually started laughing at how ridiculous Bambam's conversation could be with Nayeon and the girls. That was twenty years ago and Mark couldn't help but to focus on the female in front of him.

She's definitely grown into a fine lady and a lot more for the past six years which they hadn't been in contact throughout.

"You're beautiful, do you know that?"

Nayeon choked on her soup when he suddenly blurted that out. Mark was quick to react and handed her glass of water to her, apologizing and laughing at the same time. That definitely wasn't how he thought Nayeon would react.

"That was something I wasn't expecting in the middle of a meal." Nayeon said as she placed her glass down. "Do you find me eating that beautiful?"

"I find you beautiful every single moment. Are you done with your soup?" Mark changed the topic, feeling slightly embarrassed at both her reaction and what he just said. "I've been watching you focusing on that bowl of soup for a while. The amount of MSG you've just taken in is unhealthy."

"You talk a lot today."

"Yeah I realized," the older male shrugged. "But I guess it just came naturally when I'm with you or the boys, especially Bam."

He stood up from his seat, which Nayeon followed right after.

"Wait outside for me, alright?" He gave the woman a gentle pat on her head out of habit. "I will place the tab."

Their stay in Tokyo for the next one and a half day almost felt like they've been transported back to the time they were dating. They couldn't do anything openly in the public but it was the small and subtle gestures that made their relationship special to them and them only.

Nobody noticed how Nayeon's smile grew wider when she spotted Mark sneaking into the venue hall; the latter only gave her a cheeky grin before he sat down on a seat in the last row, watching her interactions with her fans from where he was sitting. Due to their schedules in the past, he never really had the chance to watch her with her fans up close like this. He would sometimes be appear near the venues of Twice Korea fanmeet when he happen to have an off day which was really rare. But even so, he could never stay long because they couldn't afford to get caught.

When Nayeon had to fly back to Korea, nobody noticed how he was just walking nearby her within a safe distance; she would occasionally turn to look at his direction in which he would just return with a small smile. There was no need for sappy goodbyes since he would be flying back soon later on the same day. And even though the both of them knew that they couldn't just pretend that their partners don't exist, they also knew that the other wouldn't just pretend that whatever happened never did.

Back in Korea, they hadn't been meeting constantly but they definitely had been contacting each other in secret. Sometimes, Jeongyeon would catch Nayeon smiling to herself and when she asked what the other girl was reading, Nayeon would always make up some random excuse and hide into her room.

Which left Jeongyeon feeling both ridiculous and suspicious. That was a very very very familiar scene.

Mark had been staying at Bambam's place since he had returned to Korea. He had initially wanted to just rent a small apartment but Bambam offered him his place instead, saying that he wouldn't be home because he's always flying between Korea and Thailand.

And that had given Mark and Nayeon a place to meet up whenever the younger male flew back to his home country.

"You're very sure he won't be coming back until tomorrow right?"

"Yes ma'am." Mark nodded, keeping his eyes on the television screen as his arms tightened around the female's smaller body. "He said he had to extend his trip for another one day."

Nayeon merely nodded, keeping silent for a brief moment before she spoke up again.

"I think Jeongyeon is suspecting something."

That caught Mark's attention who sat up on the couch, releasing his hold around Nayeon who sat up too, a look of worry on her face.

"Should we tell them?"

"No." That was Mark's firm reply. "Not yet, until we find a better way to tell Sana and Minhyuk too."

"Will there even be a better way?" Nayeon frowned a little.

"Do you want to end this then?"

"No!" Nayeon exclaimed which she toned down right after, feeling surprised at her huge reaction. "I mean, yeah no. One time was enough."

"Then, let's just wait. We can't possibly go up to them and..." Mark stopped mid sentence and turned his attention to the door, which Nayeon did too. The sound of someone keying in the password for the digital lock was what caused that reaction from both of them.

The two of them made a brief eye contact.

Well, .

Nayeon could only close her eyes and let out a sigh of defeat and for Mark, his only reaction to that was facepalming himself.

"Turns out I didn't have to-" Bambam stopped at shifted his gaze to the woman sitting on the couch beside Mark. "Nayeon noona...?"

"Yo." That reply from her was awkward and that nervous smile on her face was very familiar to Bambam too.

For a while, neither of the three knew what to say; only the sound from the television could be heard.

"The both of you have some explaining to do."

Mark and Nayeon both cursed under their breath at the same time.

Eventually, the both of them ended up coming clean to the people who sat them down and demanded for answers. For Mark, it was Jaebum and Jinyoung. Initially, he had thought that Bambam was the one who told them since the younger one was never one who knew how to handle this kind of situation.

When he had been the first to find out that the two people he viewed as his older brother and sister were dating many years ago, he ended up telling the older boys too which earned him a smack from Mark.

"Mark hyung and Nayeon noona are dating."

"Oi!"

"Ouch!" Bambam touched the back of his head, turning to look at the older boy beside him who just smacked him. However, that statement was enough to bring their old dorm mates' attention to him. They were having lunch then.

"Wonpil." Jinyoung had held out his hand towards the other boy at that time which Wonpil placed a 10000 KRW note on Jinyoung's hand with a slap, showing his unwillingness.

"Did you two make a bet on us?" Mark stared at the two boys in disbelief.

"You're too obvious." Jinyoung gave a shrug which Sungjin and Younghyun both nodded along. "Jaebum hyung was in denial and Wonpil just couldn't see it."

"Disappearing at the same time after practice? Yes, Jeongyeon and Jihyo talked to us too." Younghyun added for Mark's benefit even though he never asked.

"Not joining us for lunch at the same time?" Jinyoung continued.

"And bringing Yugyeom and Bambam out for ice cream that many times?" Sungjin was the next one.

"I didn't want to accept it since it's against the rules." Jaebum started hesitantly. "But checking your phones one after another when the whole gang was having a meal?"

"The both of you are too obvious." Jinyoung concluded with a firm nod.

"Jeongyeon noona and Jihyo noona are going to interrogate Nayeon noona." Bambam interrupted the older boys conversation, placing his phone back down on the table.

"Bambam..." Mark started slowly. "Please tell me you did not just announce that in the group chat the four of you are in."

"I did!"

19 years old Mark said nothing and simply just let out a long sigh of defeat.

"No, Bambam did not say anything this time." Jaebum answered after Mark voiced out his thoughts. "He's not the same 15 year old Bambam. It's just, we know the both of your dating style too well. How long has it been?"

"Since Japan."

"It's wrong; it's not about rule breaking anymore. The both of you know that right?" This time, it was Jinyoung who voiced out. "Shouldn't you at least be honest to Sana?"

"Do you expect us to go up to them and tell them that Nayeon and I dated since we're trainees and we broke up a few years ago, now we are back together? Can't we just take one step at a time?"

The other two men kept quiet. That was indeed a little too much to take in especially when Sana's just came back with both Momo and Mina.

"There's a lot to consider. There's the media too so," Mark sighed and his tone got softer. "Just please help to keep it a secret like you guys used to."

Another silence took over their table but Jinyoung was the one who broke it.

"Alright."

"Jinyoung!"

"Can't you see that they're a lot happier?" Jinyoung turned to face his best friend. "Mark started talking more again and when you meet Nayeon in the company, did you not realize that sparkle in her eyes? Her eyes haven't been looking so alive ever since their break up."

"But-" Jaebum wasn't able to continue after that. He knew Jinyoung was right and he did notice that too which was one of the reasons why they suspected.

"You know what, let's call the girls out. We will meet at Bambam's place."

this is by far the longest chapter i've ever written. but according to my plan, this chapter needs all these. i actually shifted some of it to the next chapter. but anyway, yeah the theme of this story is finally showing. i was having a super super suuuuuuuuper tough time writing the start of this chapter. i've never written anything like that and i had to make sure it doesn't turn into bc i want the emotions to come out more than anything.

i didn't state some of their current jobs (for eg. bambam) it's up to your imagination. i personally think he has his own fashion brand now. jeongyeon might have gotten into acting like her sister and jihyo could be married. oops. remember, they are in their 30's. this story is filled with markyeon and markyeon and more markyeon. i had to satisfy my thirst too. so, i hope you've enjoyed this chapter, subscriptions, votes and feedbacks are very welcome! thanks for reading this chapter! please show some life, my 6 subscribers. it will mean a lot!

disclaimer: i have no means of promoting cheating. i will have to remind this every chapter.

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here's a markbamyeon selfie. i want to make some friendship edits for this story so. who do you want next? only the 2010 trainees!