Despite having Sunmi back again and having a direction to head towards, Taecyeon along with Sunmi, Mark and Bambam were still having a hard time to undo the brainwashing. They still have to knock Jisung out a few times in a day.

“He is still human right?” Bambam couldn’t help but asked during dinner even though it’s a mutual understanding between them to not bring up anything unless it’s related to the codes. “Why doesn’t he need food and water like us?”

However, instead of getting shushed by Taecyeon and Sunmi, it was silence that answered him. He quietly observed the expression on the other three; they’re thinking.

“Was it because of the coding…” He asked again, this time a little more careful. “Or is it like Captain America or the Winter Soldier? What if the program affect the whole nervous system?”

“You can do that?” Taecyeon turned to look at Sunmi and put down his bowl and utensils.

“It’s been years and me getting brainwashed myself is affecting my memories…” Sunmi stopped eating too and answered, her voice getting softer as she looked at Mark. “But, I’m trying to trace the coding back to the original one.”

Mark did not make a direct response to them but instead he put down his bowl and utensils, standing up at the same time.

“I’m done and I’m heading out for a while.”

The other three could only watched his back leave the basement.

“Will he be okay?” Sunmi’s voice was filled with concern and a tinge of guilt. “Should I go after him?”

“Leave him be.” Taecyeon placed a hand on Sunmi’s clenched on. “He’s an adult now, he just needs some time to clear his mind.”

Sunmi nodded as a small smile formed on her lips. 

As for Bambam, he had sent a text message.

—

Nayeon stared at the message Bambam just sent to her. It’s not that they hadn’t been staying in contact but it was the content that caught her attention. 

‘Mark headed out. We were discussing about Jisung’s situation so, maybe he might go to you.”

“Why would he come to me?” Nayeon muttered then put her phone aside to focus on her computer. She still have a dummy program to write for her final year. But again, will he be okay alone? Should she go to the park and check since he’s always there when he’s upset? Kookeu need a walk anyway.

Nayeon messed her hair up in frustration.

Why the hell is she thinking about these when her thesis is more important?

“Oi.”

Nayeon lifted her head to look at where the familiar voice came from and her jaw dropped slightly as she took another glance at her phone. Mark’s standing right by the entrance of her family’s cafe.

“What are you doing here?” She put her phone aside and stood up from her seat. “You’ve quitted your job.”

“Do you still have the lollipop you gave me before?”

Nayeon blinked. What is this man trying to say?

“I ran out of them—“

“It’s okay then.”

“Wait!” Nayeon rushed up to Mark and grabbed his wrist with her two hands. “Let’s go for ice cream instead.”

She gave him a sheepish smile when he turned around to look at her. After a second of silence, Mark pushed her hand away and pulled his cap down.

“Okay.” With that, Mark walked out, leaving Nayeon behind as she grabbed her small bag from the cashier counter.

“Wait for me!” She yelled and ran after Mark who was waiting for her outside. However, he turned away and continued walking when he saw that Nayeon’s out from the cafe. She had no choice but to run after him again.

“You could have waited.” Nayeon complained when she finally caught up to him. “I just needed to grab my bag.”

“Your stamina improved.”

“What?” Nayeon was taken aback by the random comment Mark made.

“You weren’t panting like before.” Mark explained shortly and placed his hands in his pants pockets. 

A grin split across Nayeon’s face when the realisation hit her. She hadn’t noticed because of everything that had happened but maybe, that’s why chasing after Kookeu didn’t feel as tiring as before. 

“That’s because I’ve been hardworking!” Nayeon chirped in a happy tone then gave Mark two pats on his shoulder. “Of course, I won’t forget the help I got from all of you.”

Mark took a quick glance at where Nayeon had pat him then quickly avert his gaze to the front before she could notice. 

“The ice cream shop is just there!” Nayeon’s loud voice rang in the air again as she tugged on Mark’s wrist, pulling him along as her foot steps got faster.

This girl…

That was Mark’s first thought but despite the scowl on his face, he still let her pulled him along. 

---

Junior, the idol with a double life?

The mysterious girl of Junior. 

“I am Park Jinyoung!” Junior’s declaration of love.

Who is this mysterious girl whom Junior’s trying to protect?

Where did Junior go? 

Jeongyeon threw her phone onto the other side of the couch and sighed in frustration. Because of his long meeting and not knowing when it would end, Jaebum had sent her to his apartment to feed Nora again. Since it was a must to make sure Nora finished her food, Jeongyeon stayed in the apartment as usual which ended with her going through her phone.

Which she regretted straight after. The news about Jinyoung had not died down at all and it only got worse when Jinyoung disappeared from the media’s radar.

A soft meowing sound brought Jeongyeon out from her thoughts and she saw that Nora was staring at her.

“Have you finished eating?”

The cat made another soft meowing sound. Jeongyeon stood up from the couch, wanting to pick up both her phone and Nora’s food bowl but the remote control lying on the coffee table caught her attention. Out of curiosity of what shows and dramas are trending lately, she the television.

“The CCTV video of idol Junior is spreading online wildly. In the video, Junior had shot—“

Jeongyeon switched the channel.

“The charity ball hosted by the Im Corps and KC Telecom has become a hot topic. It is reported that a recording of idol Junior was revealed which led to him saving a mysterious girl. According to the guests and the reporters, Junior desperation to save the girl was obvious. Just who is this luck—“

This time, Jeongyeon turned the television off and threw the remote control in front which then hit the wall. Right, it’s news time.

“Your boss won’t be happy to find his wall dented and a broken television when he comes back.” Jinyoung said in an amused tone and sat down beside the frustrated girl.

“Where did you come from?”

“Jaebum let me stay here for a while. My company and place still had reporters swarming around.”

Jinyoung waited but Jeongyeon did not make any response.

“I’m okay, you know?” Jinyoung continued. “I’m really okay, you don’t have to wor—“

Before he could continue, Jeongyeon hit his shoulder with the nearest cushion that she could grab.

“What— Wait wait, why am I— ouch! Calm down, why am I getting hit!”

“You.” One hit. “Stupid!” Another hit. “Idiot!” 

Jeongyeon used the cushion and slammed it against Jinyoung’s shoulder a few more times before she threw the cushion aside too. Startled, Jinyoung stayed silent and waited for the girl to continue. However, what came next was a sniffling sound from the girl. 

Jinyoung frowned. He never liked it when girls cry, especially Jeongyeon and it seemed like she's been crying a lot lately. 

---

The two of them walked side by side towards the park where Mark always go to. Scooping another small spoon of ice cream from her cup, Nayeon had a happy expression plastered on her face throughout. The thesis had been boring her out and some fresh air managed to cheer her up. 

Maybe she should thank Mark for this.

She turned her head to the side to look at her companion and her smile dropped. The cup of ice cream in Mark’s hand was already melting and there was still more than half of it left. Nayeon could tell that he’s deep in thoughts.

For that moment, Nayeon scolded herself mentally. How could she only focus on herself after Bambam sent her that message. 

“Your ice cream’s melting.” She commented as an attempt to bring Mark back from his thoughts which, thankfully succeeded.

“Right.” He replied absentmindedly and looked down at his own cup. “I’m sorry especially since you’re the one who bought it.”

Nayeon blinked. Did he just apologised?

“It’s okay, I was hoping sweets can cheer you up a little but,” Nayeon gave him a sheepish smile. “I think it failed.”

Silence was the only response Nayeon got and that made her feel a little awkward. She stayed silent too as they walk side by side and racking her brain for any topic to distract him. However, to her surprise, it was Mark who spoke up first.

“I brought some dog treats.” He stated in a quiet voice. “Let’s go meet them.”

Nayeon nodded, her ice cream spoon still in . This time, she’s the one following him. The silence got even more awkward as they continued walking and for once Nayeon had no idea how to start a topic. Usually, she would have many things to ramble on however, this time knowing that Mark’s still troubled over the situation of Jisung, she couldn’t just talk about random things like before.

That Bambam, how is she supposed to make a wooden block feel better?

Once they’ve reached the spot Mark usually stopped at, Nayeon sat down on the bench behind him while he squat in front of it and let out a whistle. The both of them waited for a while before two dogs ran up to him at the same time. 

Nayeon got to admit, that was very amazing. She placed her empty ice cream cup beside her and watched Mark’s back as he feed the two dogs. That moment was the first time she’d seen that many smiles formed on his face in such a short time. For some reason and unknown to her, she was captivated by the scene as she rests her two elbows on her lap and her chin on her two palms. 

---

On the other side where Jeongyeon was trying to stop her tears from flowing, Jinyoung spoke up. “Hey,” He started softly. “I really am alright. Idols’ popularity dies down eventually, I guess I’m just going to retire early.”

“Stop joking.” Jeongyeon hit him with the cushion again. “You’re making me feel even worse.”

“I’m serious.” Jinyoung affirmed with a small smile. “Beside, if I’m really jobless, you can take care of me for my whole life. Jaebum pays well right?”

Jeongyeon blinked and looked up at him, her eyes still slightly red but the confusion was obvious on her face.

“You like me, don’t you?” 

Jeongyeon choked on her own saliva then cleared as she stood up from the couch, trying her best to not be flustered. 

“Where did you get the idea?” Although she stammered a little, Jeongyeon still managed to form the question calmly. 

“Sit.” Jinyoung grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down onto the couch. “Also, Bambam and Nayeon aren't really the kind to be subtle. You have all my albums, don’t you?”

Jeongyeon was speechless for a while before she let out a nervous laugh and then in a second, her face darkened.

“Can I kill Bambam after all these that’s going on?” She blurted out which caused a burst of laughter from Jinyoung.

“You know someone once said this. When you’re having fun, you don’t mention it. You just feel a strange sense of comfort.” Jinyoung smiled then pulled a surprised Jeongyeon into his arms. “This is not a fun situation and I know that everyone, including the both of us are having a hard time. But somehow, with you here, I feel comforted. Everything is going to be alright eventually.”

That silenced Jeongyeon whose eyes were still widened at Jinyoung’s sudden actions. The whole apartment was silent; only their sound of gentle breathing could be heard but that peaceful moment was interrupted by the ring tone of Jeongyeon’s mobile phone. She pushed Jinyoung away, feeling flustered as she went to pick up the phone she had thrown away.

“Boss.” She managed to hide her fluster and avoided Jinyoung’s gaze which was on her. “I’m still at your apartment… Yes, he’s here too…. I thought you want him to stay away?” That caught Jinyoung’s attention fully. His amused expression changed into a serious one in a second. “Got it, we will come over.”

“They want us there.” Jeongyeon turned to the man who was already standing up. “I think they found a way to bring Jisung back. Do you want to drive?”

“Car key.”

She tossed the keys towards Jinyoung’s direction who caught it easily. They both of them then headed out of the apartment together. 

---

After the two dogs finished with their meals, Mark stood up and turned around. He caught Nayeon’s gaze on him and he felt a rush of heat from his neck and to his face. Nayeon who finally realised she was staring, sat up straight too and looked away. Neither of them said anything while Mark went to sit beside her. The both just sat in silence, watching the two stray dogs playing in front of them.

“I’m envious.” Like most of the time, Nayeon was the one who broke the silence, her eyes still on the two animals. “They might be stray but they are carefree and lucky to have someone who love them.”

She turned to look at Mark whose face was plastered with his usual blank expression.

“I’m talking about you.”

“What?” He turned to look at Nayeon, a little surprised at what she just said. 

“I was watching you.” Nayeon admitted. “I bet you didn’t realised you were smiling at them and it was the first time I’ve seen you smile that much. You should smile more, you look better.”

“What?” Mark asked once again, this time their eyes met and for a while no one knew what to say as the atmosphere around them got a little awkward with a tiny bit of ambiguity and intimacy.

Nayeon could almost hear her own heart pounding against her chest and she couldn’t help but wonder if it’s the same for Mark. Neither of them could look away until the ringtone of Mark’s phone echoed in the silent air. Soon after that, Nayeon’s own phone started vibrating in her little bag too.

Both of them turned away, picking up the call. As they listen to the other side of it, Nayeon could see Mark’s eyes widening from the news they’re both getting.

“Alright, we will come over.” Nayeon responded and hung up. At the same time, she also felt Mark running past her. “Oh damn it, that idiot.” She muttered under her breath and ran after him.

Even though it’s not guaranteed but Taecyeon and Sunmi found a way that might regain Jisung’s human consciousness.

---

` yay for another update! purely emotional scene for this one bc we are going to get some excitement next chapter. jisung's going to wreck the whole basement upside down. :) soooooo, did i manage to quench all the markyeon fans' thirst? remember mark is a tsun, no ultra intimacy yet but hey, if anything. a kiss might have happened earlier! however, i at writing kisses... we shall see HAHA.