니 눈빛으로 말하는게 더 크게 들려 내 귀엔 그래.
( I can hear what you say through your eyes better. )

"Did I hear that right?" Saemi pretends to gasp dramatically, "The perfect Mark Tuan doesn't come from a perfect family?"

Mark had arrived at Saemi's address, as texted to him, prompty at 6 o'clock. It wasn't anything much, just a small apartment. It seemed quite cozy for just a single girl; Saemi had told him that her parents always worked late, so they weren't always home for dinner. Of course, Mark knew this was another lie.

"My perfect personality has nothing to do with my family background," Mark defends himself, but the smile does not fade from his expression, "Park Saemi. It's not like your family is so perfect either. You did transfer back to here because your family business in Seoul didn't work out!"

The two had been sitting across from each other at a small table, attempting to tell each other about their personal stories. However, every time something unexpected was raised, the two of them quickly learned to tease each other in such a manner as if they were friends for a very long time.

In the eyes of any bystander, the two of them would have seemed like they were lifelong childhood friends due to how relaxed and familiar they seemed to grow by the second. That is, if that bystander could not read minds.

"Alright, alright," she gives in to the other's complaints, and she looks at the him with a curious look, "You said that your mother died when you were young, and your father no longer lives with you. Care to elaborate on the reasons?"

Shifting a little uncomfortably in his seat, Mark doesn't know if he should reply. He has never had to open up to anyone before, and he finds it a little unusual for him to have to open up to someone who, in reality, never actually opened up to him, "My mother was afraid of me because I was different from all the other kids, so she made some rash decisions that lead to her death. My father, after seeing my mother die, became extremely paranoid and found it impossible to have me in his presence."

Saemi's covered with her hand, concern filled her eyes, "Oh, I'm so sorry. You didn't have to tell me something so serious. I never should have asked about something so personal!"

A lie, of course, but Mark could see in his eyes something genuine spark within her. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it almost seemed like his personal story did cause her to truly be surprised, even if her words were still, in reality, lies.

He supposes that she was just really insistent about learning about himself, so even if it was personal, she would have still wanted to know.

"Now that you've heard something about me that no one at school knows, why don't you spill some secrets of your own?" Mark grins, quickly regaining control of the situation. He doesn't want the atmosphere that the two of them were in to be too dark.

It wouldn't be like his character.

Saemi taps on her chin for a few minutes, trying to determine what kind of secrets that Mark wanted to hear about, "I don't think I have a past that's anything like yours. Regarding my parents, well they are constantly busy, so I never really see them. While I might have the parents that you wish to have, it's almost as if they are non-existent. However, I'm still happy that I'm still living. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and I know that I'm not alone."

Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.

Mark found it quite ironic that this assignment was supposed to break through the act of lying and find the truths about each other, but while he was being mostly honest with her, he knew for a fact that she was only creating a completely fake character.

The person in front of him was not Park Saemi. The person in front of him might not even have any parents. The person in front of him might not even know what it means to be happy. The person in front of him might not even know how to care for herself. The person in front of him might just be as alone as he was.

Suddenly, Park Saemi didn't seem as different from himself as she always did. With that new perspective, Mark almost feels his heart soften, and when he realizes what she was doing to him, he found it almost hard to believe.

Nothing like this has ever happened before.

"While you might say that you're not alone," Mark begins to say, "I feel like if you never see your parents, then they have basically left you by yourself in this apartment of yours. Isn't that literally what it means to be alone?"

He still doesn't understand why he is asking her about this, because he should not care. However, he had proposed the question before he could even re-think what he was doing.

It was strange, but he almost desired for her to be just like him.

"It's not the same!" Saemi blurts, losing her composure for a few seconds, but quickly regaining it right after. Her words softened, barely above a whisper, but it wasn't hard for Mark to detect the feeling of sorrow, "It's really not the same."

Lie.

Before he realizes it, he finds himself hugging her.

***

Saemi prepared dinner for Mark after they finished trying to learn about each other's pasts, and dinner went by smoothly without another emotional release like what had happened earlier. Both Mark and Saemi were quite surprised that Mark hugged her so suddenly, but neither of them chose to bring up the topic.

After the meal, Mark quickly took his leave, avoiding the awkward atmosphere that he had created over something so simple like a hug. He couldn't understand what was happening to him. While he had never actually gotten close to anyone ever since his mother died, he also never actually felt such a wide emotional range.

Did getting close to a person also come with a bundle of unnecessary, bothersome feelings?

He found himself growing annoyed. Who was Park Saemi to come into his life and completely destroy who he was? Why did she have to transfer to his school and lie about everything? Why did he have to take notice of such a liar? He never cared about the other people who lied. Why was it only her?

Was it because she never once spoke the truth in front of him? Was it because he was curious as to what big secret she was hiding? If she spills the truth, then would he stop caring? Would he go back to the way he was prior to meeting her?

Suddenly, Mark found himself stopping. Slowly, he turned around to face the direction in which Saemi's apartment was at.

...Was she going to feel lonely after he left?

A defeated laugh escaped from Mark's lips for a few seconds. It took him over ten years to become who he was now, someone without a care for the well-being of others. What happened to that version of him who easily tossed Seura out of the second floor window, putting her in a hospital? He liked that form of him.

He was happy to be the person that everyone idealized, and he was happy to be the person that everyone liked. He loved living for himself, by himself. He loved the him who didn't give care about anything.

So why was he growing away from that part of himself?

"What the hell," Mark mumbles to himself, "I'm not your toy. I don't need to be manipulated by your words. I don't need to feel the way you make me feel. I'm... I'm Mark Tuan for goodness' sake."

***

"M-Mark?" Saemi didn't understand why he had returned to her apartment, "Did you forget something?"

He seemed to be slightly out of breath, and he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. With those two small acts, it was clear to Saemi that he had ran back to her place after he left. Of course, this shocks her as this was something very unlike how he usually acts.

"I'll stay here with you until you fall asleep," he announces, putting her in a state of complete confusion.

She raises an eyebrow, questioning his motives, "What are you trying to do? What do you want from me? There better be a good reason for this."

To be completely honest, Mark didn't know what he wanted from her. He had a hard time trying to decipher any emotion he was feeling at that present moment. For a person who never felt anything other than annoyance and hatred, things like gratitude, sorrow, and happiness were all very foreign to him.

He couldn't bring himself to tell her that the thought of her feeling lonely was what was bothering him, so instead, he makes up a reason, "I need to make sure you're not making up stories about me in that assignment we received earlier. I need to make sure you don't ruin my reputation at school."

Now that was something Park Saemi believes, "Don't worry. I won't write anything too horrendous."

Though her words were spoken jokingly as a way to make sure he doesn't worry, he continues to be quite insistent. To prevent wasting anymore time, she finally gives into his demands and allows him to stay. Making her way back to her laptop, she finds Mark taking the seat beside her, glancing over her shoulder.

This makes her feel a bit self-conscious, but she easily keeps her emotions to herself, proceeding to write the paper. While she was focused on her paper, she failed to realize that Mark had slowly directed his attention from her paper to herself.

Her long hair, her brown eyes, and that focused expression that took over her; he just couldn't take his eyes off of her, and it scared him. He couldn't understand what was happening to him, and it only made him want to get rid of Park Saemi faster before she could ruin his life even more.

But all of that fear that he felt suddenly dissipated when Saemi suddenly fell asleep on his shoulder, mumbling something to herself.

"I wish I had never met you, Mark Tuan."

...Truth.

I can feel what you say with my heart better.