Reality Check

Mark turned the stove off before transfering the fried kimchi to a clean platter on top of the kitchen's counter. After doing so, he wiped his hands clean on the apron he's wearing. It's a Sunday morning and it's just a quarter before 8. Jinyoung did text him to say they're running a bit late because Jio refuses to take a bath without his rubber ducky and Jinyoung seemed to have misplaced it.

It was while he was frying some eggs when his phone rang and he read Youngjae's name on the screen. He reached for his phone and put the younger on loud speaker. "Hey, Jae." Mark greeted as the oil sizzled.

"Hi, hyung. Good morning." Youngjae's voice in the morning always sounded less noisy than his usual speaking voice. Mark could just smile as he asked the younger why he called. "It's just... I w-was just trying to get my mind off of things. To lessen my anxiousness... you know?"

And that reminds him, today is a huge day for Youngjae. His twenty six year old dongsaeng is working as a product marketing manager in Creatip- a leading marketing agency in South Korea. The younger is up a candidate for promotion and if he nails this day's presentation, he might just be promoted as the marketing manager of their company. 

Transfering the eggs to another clean platter, Mark talked. "Listen to me, Jae." He could already imagine the younger's whiny pout while lying on probably his bed and petting his dog Coco. "You are one of the smartest person I've ever come across with in the Earth's surface. Remember in college, from struggling in Trigonometry, you became top one in class! If that ain't amazing, I don't know what is."

"Hyung..." and Mark knows Youngjae is now smiling, He could hear it in his voice as he speaks but he still continued.

"You can pull this off, like how you always do. No need to be anxious because there's no way you would fail. You're the best at what you do. Make them all see what I'm seeing in you. I trust and believe in you, Jae. Always keep that in mind."

There's a few seconds of silence which passed between them before he heard a sigh of relief from the other line. "You always say the right words, hyung. How is this possible?"

Mark laughed at that. "You better get on your feet and prepare for work now. You still have a presentation to nail."

"Thanks, hyung."

Mark cou