It was late at night. The rest of the team hadn’t come home yet from their free-day excursions. Jinyoung came into the living room with the teapot, steeped in some genmaicha that Jinyoung kept in a supply under his bed (now that Mark was privy to this information, Jinyoung had to think up a new hiding place). Jinyoung knelt at the table to pour into the two cups before taking a seat on the couch next to Mark who was sitting cross-legged.

“Aish, you left the stove on!” Mark cried, pointing his finger towards the kitchen.

Jinyoung quickly turned his head, but noticed that the stove burners were all turned off. Then a sly kiss snuck over his shoulder, and collided with the edges of his mouth. Jinyoung turned to the boy next to him. Mark was smiling with glee.

…

That was how the day started – small talk in Jinyoung’s room over a tub of strawberry ice cream. Mark had explained that the flavour strongly reminded him of home. Jinyoung also noted the colour was strikingly similar to Mark’s hair colour. At any rate, it took determination for Jinyoung to hide his delight at the unexpected visit. In Jinyoung’s mind there was the repeated recitation of a single mantra:

He’s just being nice, he’s just being a really good friend.

In truth, Jinyoung had meant to avoid Mark, worried he might fall too hard for if he got too close. But then again, he couldn’t keep it up forever. Eventually he would have to get accustomed to the reality that Mark would only be a friend. Jinyoung realized it was wiser to ease his inner tension on their day off, instead of letting it frustrate him at the next fan meet or broadcast appearance.

And so that afternoon, the two ran errands together. Jinyoung first walked Mark to the post office, where Mark mailed several envelopes to his family in the states. Mark explained they contained mostly Polaroids of their events, which his mom used to make an album. There were also some letters he hand-wrote during some past nights back at the dorm.

Afterwards, Mark accompanied Jinyoung to the weekend market. The two weaved from vendor to vendor in search of food items from a list Jinyoung had scrawled out before leaving the apartment.

                “Where did you learn how to cook, Jinyoung?”

As they turned a corner, Mark ghosted a hand precariously close to a bin of eggplant, to which an uptight ajumma scorned him angrily with something resembling ‘you touch, you buy!’ Mark quickly drew his hand to his side, and the boys carried on as they were.

“When I was living with Jaebum we took turns cooking meals.” Jinyoung eyed a stall of red bell peppers. “You know, you should cook dinner once. Amaze our taste buds with some fancy American food?”

Mark chuckled at the thought of it, as the other boy drew a plastic bag from a dispenser to gather what he required.

“Fancy American food, huh… I can cook a mean chili?”

Jinyoung tied a skilled knot in the bag. “Chi-li,” he repeated.

He stopped to form and reform silently with his mouth. Mark took a step around Jinyoung to face the boy directly.

“It’s a stew with meat and vegetables and beans. It’s also very hearty and delicious!”

Alarmed by the proximity, Jinyoung repeated the mantra once more before smiling (albeit a bit too widely) and moving on. Mark pursued him from behind.

“Have you ever been to the states?”

“Nope.”

Jinyoung stopped to scrutinize a bin long green beans.

“You should come with me then next time. I can show you all the cool places at downtown L.A.”

“You mean like… Hollywood?” Jinyoung threw a small display of jazz hands into the air. “Hollywood, mida?!”

The two then shared in their hundredth laugh that day.

“Yes Jinyoung, Hollywood. You watch a lot of movies too so I think you’ll enjoy it.”

This was true. It was known since his days of inhabiting in the living room that Jinyoung occasionally watched a movie before bed, as noted by his ongoing film commentary which could be heard from the dorms. There was a moment when the group watched a movie together in the living room, and Jinyoung discussed the film as it played, only to be met with abrasive hushes and glares. Since then, not a peep came from Jinyoung during group movie time.

“If only I was good enough to star in one of those Hollywood movies.”

“Speaking of which…” Mark said, playfully emphasizing each syllable in Korean. The boy ahead of him stopped walking and turned around.

“If you’re free this evening, would you want to catch a movie with me?”

Jinyoung repeated the mantra once more in his head. “What movie did you have in mind?”

…

The original Gojira was a film that was dear to Jinyoung. One of his first movie star crushes was Akira Takarada, from those years before when the hot summer could only be beaten with sci-fi movie television marathons. In some ways, Godzilla was also Jinyoung’s spirit animal; dramatic and mysterious, but when you really stared closely you could see the holes in the rubber suit, and you’d realize just how goofy-looking and adorable the monster actually was. Only, Jinyoung didn’t topple buildings.

For Mark, he hadn’t gone to see a movie since before debut, with Jackson. The two often went to the movies as a source of extra Korean lessons, using the subtitles accompanying the American movies to expand their vocabulary.

Godzilla was entertaining for both Mark and Jinyoung. The movie itself was a feat in sound editing, and visual effects, with a meticulously-paced build up to the final showdown. Also, the movie had been out for a while, hence Jinyoung had the entire theatre to comment on everything in the film as it occured. For Mark, he was having trouble on whether to focus on the movie, or the cute boy who was so absorbed by the movie magic – the boy who stared wide-eyed, though physically cowered with each terrific brawl between Godzilla and his match.

“They’re so high up. Oh my gosh. Mark, they’re so brave!” Jinyoung noted with child-like wonder, as the paratroopers jumped out of the plane and towards the battered and beaten San Francisco, streaks of red smoke marked their path into the hellish chaos below.

In that moment, Mark felt inspired.

…

“Ta-da!” Mark cried, arms flailing into the night sky.

Jinyoung stumbled out the door to a surprisingly strong wind. The boys had arrived on the rooftop of the company building.              

“So this was where you were leading me all this time. I’ve been here before, Mark!”

In that instant, the American boy lowered his arms, in defeat. Immediately, Jinyoung felt guilty.

“But… I haven’t been here in a while.” He smiled extra wide, hoping the cold wind wouldn’t make his expression appear so displeased.

Mark guided them towards one edge of the rooftop. Save for an eerie red light that shone from a lonely pole, and the light radiating from the city surrounding, the rooftop was completely dark. The rooftop was also cold, to which Jinyoung tried to hide his shivering. His inner body temperature had yet to rise against the chill of the wind.

“When was the last time you were here?”

“A couple of days ago.” Jinyoung replied. “I come here to think sometimes.”

“What do you think about?”

The two took to sitting, side by side, on top of a metal vent that emerged from the floor of the roof, and then descended back into the building.

“When I was a trainee for the JJ Project, there was one dance practice where I got hot-headed and disrespected the dance trainer. We had an argument, and Jaebum took me here to cool me down…”

Jinyoung gazed into the city below. Seoul was abuzz with twinkling lights: lights trickling down freeways and city streets, lights advertising everything from face creams to karaoke bars, lights in the windows of family apartments and office buildings and planes. To count the lights would have been an exercise in futility, but to admire the symphonic view as a whole was as soothing as the strongest remedy.

“Here, Jaebum reminded me that no matter how big the JJ Project would get, we would always be like the people in the city. We’re no different than anyone. We’re all just... small things in a large city.”

“Sleepless in Seattle.”

Confused, Jinyoung turned towards the Mark. The boy was also gazing into the city skyline. In Mark's expression, Jinyoung found a sense of reverence, but also the feeling that Mark had been on that rooftop many times before. It became apparent how ironic it was, that the two should find sanctuary in the same place, but never encounter each other on the rooftop until that day.

Mark broke his gaze, and turned to Jinyoung. “Do you know Tom Hanks?”

The Busan boy shook his head.

“There’s a movie he stars in called Sleepless in Seattle. In the movie, this man calls into a radio show one night, and one girl who’s listening into the radio at the time immediately falls in love with him. And then the entire movie is them searching for each other and finding eachother. It’s basically a story about --”

“About two lovers lost in a city of millions.”

Mark turned towards the boy besides him. Within Jinyoung’s eyes was the twinkling which could have challenged the brilliance of a thousand city skylines. And in the clarity of Jinyoung’s eyes, Mark found no fault nor barrier that could hinder his expression of how he felt for Jinyoung -- amidst the light of the stars and the city, Mark’s lips found the gentle slope of Jinyoung’s cheek.

“What?”

“I like you, Park Jinyoung.” Mark said calmly, unapologetically. “You’re not small. You’re brilliant. You’re the one I’m searching for... in this city of millions.”

“W-would you… do that again?”

“Do what, Jinyoung?”

“Kiss me.”

Mark this time planted a kiss closer to the edge of Jinyoung’s mouth. He withdrew in fear, realizing that Jinyoung’s lips had not moved.

“One more time?”

“What are you getting at Jinyoung?”

“Just do it.”

Mark went in to plant a kiss even closer to Jinyoung’s mouth – but this time Jinyoung quickly drew a hand to Mark’s jaw, effortlessly guiding the boys lips to his own. And in the dark, their lips met, melting with desire, trembling at the power of it.

Mark stared at Jinyoung. The edges of his mouth rose in a smile, and his eyes began wrinkling. Jinyoung lightly punched Mark’s shoulder.

                “Pabo, you should have done it sooner. I was literally getting cold here.”

…

It was late at night. The rest of the team hadn’t come home yet from their free-day excursions. Jinyoung came into the living room with the teapot, steeped in some genmaicha that Jinyoung kept in a supply under his bed (now that Mark was privy to this information, Jinyoung had to think up a new hiding place). Jinyoung knelt at the table to pour into the two cups before taking a seat on the couch next to Mark who was sitting cross-legged.

“Aish, you left the stove on!” Mark cried, pointing his finger towards the kitchen.

Jinyoung quickly turned his head, but noticed that the stove burners were all turned off. Then a sly kiss snuck over his shoulder, and collided with the edges of his mouth. Jinyoung turned to the boy next to him. Mark was smiling with glee.