#mark lee scenario

[renjunphile]

if my wishes came true, it would have been you | mark lee

PAIRING ✧ nct's mark lee x female reader WORD COUNT ✧ 12.0k TAGS ✧ idol!mark x idol!reader, exes!au, exes to lovers!au, really quite angsty, happy ending, fluff, non-linear narrative

PLAYLIST aka SONGS BY YN ✧ the 1 by taylor swift ; 21 by gracie abrams ; i miss you, i'm sorry by gracie abrams ; champagne problems by taylor swift ; in between by gracie ambrams ; somebody by hwasa and loco ; i know it won't work by gracie abrams, dancing with our hands tied (acoustic) by taylor swift

SUMMARY ✧ persist and resist the temptation to ask if one thing had been different, would everything be different today? (alternatively, every single time you and mark get a chance to talk about your breakup, it never goes as planned)

-

MAY 2021

"NCT are here."

You hum along to the track blasting in your left ear through the singular airpod. It's the first day of your comeback promotions, and while you should feel confident from the many months you'd practiced the song every single day for multiple hours, no amount of time could ever erase the nerves you feel each comeback day.

You're already finished with your hair and makeup, being the first to sit in the chair to give your members some time to wake up from their naps in the van. Though you should all be bright, awake, and preppy for your comeback stage, the reality was that all of you were obliteratingly tired from the near all-nighter in the practice room. Your makeup artists are true magicians for the way they cover up all signs of tiredness even under all those harsh, bright stage lights.

"Unnie, did you hear me?" your youngest member Kali poked your arm incessantly.

"Kali, stop," you whine, pushing her finger away, "I heard you."

"So why didn't you react?"

"Why should I?" you sigh, pausing the track on your phone.

She pauses for a while, choosing to craft her words before replying too hastily, "We should still go and say hi. Haechan is asking if we wanna film a TikTok with them."

"You know they only post with SM idols," you remind her.

"You were in SM too. It's just for fun," she mumbles, "You know how many idols feature on Haechan's private account. Please come."

"You're up to no good, Kali," you squint at her suspiciously, watching the room carefully to see if anyone had overheard. It wasn't really a big deal; all your managers were well-informed, just like your members, and your stylists were basically your friends.

"I already talked to our manager and Haechan talked to their manager," Kali wrapped her fingers around your wrist delicately, but pulling to encourage you to stand up, "Let's go."

The walk to the hallway where the NCT members agreed to meet the two of you wasn't exactly a long one, but the rumblings of nerves bubbling in your stomach made it feel like a million years. You weren't stupid; you knew exactly what to expect and you wouldn't put it past your maknae to meddle in a time like this.

"Oh look, they're here already," Kali was biting a grin behind her words as 3 figures came into view. Haechan gives you a warm smile and a famous bear hug before he was shoved away. 

"Noona," you resist a pout as one of the boys you had been taking care of since you were younger wrapped you up in a big hug, "Haven't seen you in so long. Missed you."

"Missed you too Ji. You grow an inch every time I see you," you also resist the urge to ruffle up his perfectly styled purple hair out of fear of getting hunted by his hair stylist, "I like this purple on you."

He gives you an appreciative grin and somehow you still see him as the tiny, shy boy running energetically around the halls of the company building after being chased by his fellow trainees. Jisung moves on to greet your member, who was still in conversation with Haechan.

It's definitely not that you dread having to face Mark Lee. It's totally not the fact that he's your ex-boyfriend. Or the fact that you're still in love with him. Or the fact that he's still in love with you. No, none of that.

Totally.

"You look really pretty, Y/N," he begins slowly, taking in your appearance in front of him, having not seen each other for a few months.

Mark Lee stands in front of you stoic, hands by his side and feet together. It's almost like he's fighting his instinct to wrap you up in his arms like he's done most of his life because you sure know you're having to fight that instinct too.

"Thanks, Mark. I like your blue hair," you smile softly, "How are you?"

"I'm good. Amazing, even. I guess," he's mumbling, running his hands through said hair you just complimented and you can tell he's nervous, "I love the song. And the whole album. I can tell which songs you wrote. You always make me so proud."

Ouch. It stings your heart whenever he says things like that. How could you have let go of someone so sweet?

"Thanks. Congratulations on your first album and coming back with Dream."

"Ah, thanks. I fought so hard to come back to the group and I'm really happy they finally listened to me," he began, "You know how much I love them."

"Yeah, I know."

You're barely meeting his eyes, but when you do, it feels like he's hesitating in his words.

"Mark-"

"Happy birthday by the way," he rushes out, "For yesterday. I'm sorry that I didn't text. Or call."

"It's okay," you reassure him, knowing that that was probably easier for you both that he didn't.

"How did you spend your birthday?"

"The members got me cake. Coffee, my favourite," you recount, "I did a live for a bit, but other than that we were practicing all day for today."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That really sucks," he frowns.

"You know how it goes. I'll have more birthdays to celebrate anyway-"

"But you didn't celebrate last year either!" he protests.

"Maybe next year, then," you pull your lips into a tight smile, "It's okay Mark. Don't worry about it. I'm not really fond of my birthdays anymore and 22's not a big deal."

He sighs while looking at you, "You deserve to celebrate your birthday no matter what. I hope you can find some time to do something  for yourself."

You chuckle lightly, "That'll be hard to come by. I don't know how you've done it with multiple groups all these years, Mark. I've only been debuted for three years and it's never got any easier. You were really stretching yourself thin, huh?"

"I guess," he's playing with his fingers, so you know he has something to say.

"Just say it, Mark. Whatever you want to say."

You can read him like a book and you've always been able to. It's not your fault that the book is wide open, as compared to the way you've always been- shut, bound, and locked.

"I just wanted to say I miss you. That's all. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Thanks to the secluded hallway that Haechan had found and led you to, the coast was clear enough for you to close the distance between you and Mark even just by a bit more. His breath hitches as you place a hand on his arm.

"Thanks for caring, Mark. I miss you too."

He smiles at you softly and the two of you are so engrossed in each other to notice that Kali, Haechan and Jisung had disappeared a while ago. You know it's time for you to go back though.

The worst part of the whole situation wasn't the breakup itself. Of course, the breakup hurt both of you for a long time and you don't even think you're recovered. It did happen over a year ago, but that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part is knowing that every time you meet again, walking away hurts more each time. It's the fact that there's nothing you can do but listen to your heart break with each step you take away from each other. It's the fact that there's nothing you can do about the fact that you still love each other more than anything else in this world.

-

2014

Mark Lee was known to be SM's golden child. In the future, he'd be known as the most over-worked in the company, due to his talents and resilience, but now, he's just Mark Lee, second to you.

You'd done everything before Mark. You were born first. You moved to Korea first. You beat him joining the company by 6 months and you beat him getting announced as part of SM Rookies just by 7 days.

None of that mattered because it was always just you and him together, wherever. Sure, you trained and practiced separately, but lunchtimes, downtimes, company gatherings- it was always the two of you attached to the hip. There was really nothing the company could say- the two of you were barely 15 so what was the worst you could do?

"How long do you think it'll be before your debut?" the two of you are lying down on the grass in a park a few minutes away from the building. His hands are rifling through the blades, yanking them up every so often, while you made daisy chains quietly.

He hums in response, "I don't know. Soon I hope, but I've only been here for like just over a year. Realistically, I'd say like 2 years. Don't tell anyone I told you, but I heard Johnny hyung talking to the manager about some kind of project that the company has been thinking of for a while. Something about having a group with infinite members!"

Your eyes widened at the thought, "Wow, really? EXO debuted with 12 and I thought that was a lot!"

"Yeah, right? But there are only like 9 of us in SM Rookies right now. How many do you think they'll start with and how am I going to get lines in a song if there's so many of us?"

You nudge him, "Well, with your awesome talent and writing skills of course. I can't wait to see what ends up happening to you guys- oh yeah, by the way, how's that new trainee you guys are training with? Donghyuck, right?"

"New?" he sat up with wide eyes, twisting his body to look at you, "He's been here for like 5 months and it's been the worst 5 months of my life! He's just so infuriating. His voice is amazing, sure, but he never listens and is always talking and hanging off me! I told him that he makes me want to leave the company."

You laugh at his frustrated expression, "Ha, you'd never leave the company. You'd never leave me behind. Plus, I bet you'll be best friends in a few years. Opposites attract and all that."

"Hm, but you and I are quite similar. Don't you think?"

There were definitely some traits that you shared to both be enduring the same path. Resilient, hard-working, brave, and enduring were all ones. After all, it's a big leap of faith to train to have the chance to be an idol just at 12 or 13 with no guaranteed future.

When it came down to it though, you'd like to think that there were also traits you each had that weren't always necessarily opposites all the time, but traits that complemented each other.

Mark liked to talk; you liked to listen. Mark was optimistic and would always be the one to cheer you up on your particularly moody days. You were Mark's calm through it all. Mark loved to rap; you found your passion in singing. Mark liked carrots and would take them off your plate in the cafeteria and swap them with his peas. Mark's hands were calloused from his guitar-playing, while yours were smooth and soft when he held them.

"No, I think we're the perfect example of opposites attract."

"Well then that's why you're my best friend," he grinned over at you while you slid a daisy chain bracelet onto his wrists, "Forever and whenever."

"Always," you grinned.

-

AUGUST 2021

"What are you doing here?"

"No happy birthday Mark?" he teases, holding a bouquet of flowers and a grocery store plastic bag in his hands on your doorstep.

"Come in before anyone sees you," you pull him inside your dorm, sticking your head out the hallway to see if it was empty, "How did you get here?"

"Relax, Y/N. My manager drove me and I was in all this," he pulls out a mask and a beanie from his pocket to show you.

"Oh, good. Happy birthday, I guess, but what are you doing here?" you question him again, looking at the contents in his grasp.

"Well, it all started when Hyuck said that we were throwing a birthday party for me. Then Jisung invited Kali and obviously, you too. And your members, of course. Then you said you couldn't come because you're busy," his eyes dart to the episode of Modern Family on your TV and the blanket lazily thrown on the couch, combined with your pajamas, "So I didn't want to come to the party anymore."

"But all my members are at your dorm," you frown, "There's still a party?"

"Yeah, I guess. Gives Jisung an opportunity to spend more time with his crush, which I'm sure Kali appreciates."

"So they're hosting your birthday party," you hum, "Without you? And you came here to what? Check that I'm busy?"

"I know you're not busy. Erin told me so, which I suspected anyway. I know it's kind of rude for me to come to force you to spend time with me when you didn't even want to come to my birthday party in the first place, but I thought I would try." he shrugs, "Is that okay?"

Mark is adorned in a white T-shirt and grey joggers. He's clearly not dressed for a party and your member clearly told him that you're staying inside and moping to your comfort show while you try to avoid your ex-boyfriend on his birthday. Plan failed, you guess.

Here's the thing: you've always been the worst at saying no to Mark. The one time you did, the world crashed around you. You would've thought it would have got easier to say no to him after already experiencing the worst-case scenario, but looking into his slightly pleading chocolate eyes shows you otherwise.

"Of course, Mark. You're the birthday boy," you finally say after a period of silence where Mark felt like his heart was thumping out of his chest.

"There's no one else I'd rather spend my birthday with," he hums lightly, even though his words are loaded, "Here, a big bouquet for missing last year too."

The tradition started on his 15th birthday in 2014. Even though it was his birthday, he had got you a bouquet of flowers to thank you for being his best friend of one year and making him feel all the more comfortable in his first year in Korea. You were his dance partner, his classmate, his fellow English speaker, and his best friend. He got you flowers again the next year, then the year after, and again and again for being his partner through everything.

The last birthday you shared with Mark before the two of you broke up was his 20th birthday in 2019 and he had prepared his own bouquet that year, choosing all your favourite flowers and colours and wrapping it all up himself. Mark was selfless like that- thinking of other people even on his birthday.

"It's beautiful," you examine the flowers- pink and red camellias and carnations, white primroses, pink peonies, red roses and baby's breaths. Taking that flower language course with Mark back when you were both 17 comes as a regret now, with the messages he's sending you through the bouquet. You hope it's just a coincidence.

"Anyway, I brought us- or I made my manager buy us- some Oreo ice cream, peanut butter chocolate, some ramen, and chicken and mushroom pastries," he grins as he pulls each one out of the bag, "And I brought cake, obviously."

You hold yourself back from saying what you would say every time he presented your favourite pastry from your childhood home to you- 'you know the way to my heart'.

"I haven't had one in so long," you gasp, taking it from him and preparing your plate already, "Thanks Mark. Why are you so considerate on your own birthday?"

"I like to celebrate the people I love on my birthday too. I wouldn't be me without them," he plops himself on the bar stool at your breakfast bar while you sigh hopelessly. He'll never leave your heart alone, "I wanted to soften the blow too."

You turn to him slowly, "Soften the blow?"

He sees the panic in your eyes and lets out that melodious laugh you've always loved, "Oh, nothing like that. Nothing to tell you. I just wanted to bribe you to talk to me on my birthday. I thought after over a year you might be ready to talk?"

"About what?"

"Us."

You thank the manufacturers of the heavenly pastry slice that only takes 90 seconds in the microwave. You set the plate down in front of Mark and take the seat next to him.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Are you still my best friend?"

"Mark, come on," you began warily, knowing the difficult conversation you were about to have.

He meets your eyes and you feel the pain reflected in them, "When we decided to give our relationship a try when we were 16, we pinky swore that no matter what happens, we'll always be best friends. Always. Right?"

You find the power to break his gaze and stare down to your hands on your lap, "We did."

"So, why can't we go back to being friends? I know, I know when you broke up with me, you said that you don't think we could stay friends. I understood, of course, and I wanted to give you some space. Well, at least initially, but it's been over a year now and I really miss us. Your friendship meant everything to me even if I can't have you as my girlfriend." his tone is heartbreaking in the way that it's vulnerable and pleading.

"I told you when we broke up that breaking up was the hardest choice I'd ever have to make. It blew the choice to leave SM out of the water. I didn't want to break up, but it felt like I had no choice," you explained slowly, "When we first started dating, I knew I already loved you, but growing up together and debuting and going through everything I went through really taught me what real love in real life looked like and I could never have predicted at 16 how I felt for you at 20. Mark, you're everything to me, I hope you know. I said I didn't want to be friends when we broke up because how could I have lived with myself seeing you and talking to you still knowing I had you in the way that I did and knowing I loved you that intensely but not being able to show it anymore? How could I live with myself still having you around knowing I let go of the greatest thing that's ever happened to me?"

Mark Lee was brave at 16 when he kissed you for the first time and asked you to be his girlfriend against all the bans and rules. Mark Lee was brave at 18 watching you walk away from everything you both knew at SM Entertainment and for not running after you to stop you because you both knew it was for the best. Mark Lee was brave at 20 hearing you sob through the phone while you were halfway around the world because you just couldn't do this anymore. Mark Lee is brave at 22, taking your warm hands in his, and Mark Lee is brave when he lifts your chin up to meet his gaze and asks you this:

"Why can't we just get back together? This year apart is hurting us more than it's benefitting us."

People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul- that the eyes say everything someone can't say. Your eyes are filled with tears, yes, but also love and fear and all the emotions in between.

The problem was that your brain always rules your life, keeping your heart's true desires always suppressed deep within.

"Mark," you trail, before he cuts you off.

"I don't see the problem, Y/N. Both our companies knew we were dating and you're not a rookie in the industry anymore. I mean, we dated through your whole rookie era! I acknowledge everything you said and felt when we broke up and I wanted to give you time to work through those emotions, but I'm asking if anything has changed. Has it?"

"I've never stopped loving you, but I'm still scared Mark. I'm even more scared now as your career grows," you say quietly, "I don't want to hurt you. If anything gets out, it won't just hurt you or me, because I could take it if it only hurt me, but it's our members, Mark. You know how fans feel about idols who date and it's never ever as simple as 'if they're a true fan they'll be happy for me'. That's not how the industry works."

He squeezes your hands, "Then we'll get better at sneaking around! You know the boys love you so much and they know how much our relationship meant to me and they'd never ever get in the way of that. Or we can just text and call and I don't even have to see you in person when it's risky. I just want the chance to tell you that I still love you every single day as I promised."

There it is again, the sound of your heart breaking at the most loving boy on the planet.

"Will you let me think about it? At least about being your best friend still? I'm sorry that I can't give you an answer right now on your birthday," you murmur. The confessions from Mark came as no surprise, but he never fails to leave you speechless with no clear thoughts in your brain and your heart always full.

"I'm just asking for a chance. Just for anything you can give me," he smiles finally, "How about we eat all this and continue your Modern Family? It's still my favourite show, so I couldn't dream of a better way to spend my birthday."

"I'd like that."

-

2015

"I'm debuting," Mark barges into the near-empty practice room, huffing and panting like he just ran a marathon, "Y/N, oh my God!"

You're sat cross-legged on the floor with your phone propped up in front of you. Your eyebrows are stitched together tightly, indicating that you were probably either criticising yourself on a recording or trying to learn a choreography. The moment you realise that it's Mark, your whole body unclenches and you relax as you pause the video. You don't comprehend the weight of his words until he says them again.

"Y/N, Y/N, I'm going to debut!" he's practically screaming in joy as he belly slides towards you and crashes into you, wrapping his arms around you.

"Oh my God, Mark! Really? Tell me everything right now!" you squeeze him back, pride bursting in your chest.

When you both joined SM, you came with the obvious dream of being an idol entertainer. Sure, the company can make all these empty promises to you at the start, but with the way the industry works, nothing is really ever truly for certain. For you, the company had not given you any time scale or idea of what direction they wanted you to go in. You weren't even really that hopeful, considering the company just debuted Red Velvet one year ago, but you were still enduring.

However, it was almost time to debut a new boy group since it had been 3 years and counting since EXO broke into the scene. You were always certain that Mark was always a part of that plan.

"So, do you remember last year when I told you about the infinite boy group idea? It was true! The company gathered all the male trainees and showed them their idea- it's called NCT and it's so cool, trust me! So it's like they're going to debut groups within NCT like different members in each group!"

"Mark, that sounds amazing. Which group are you going to be in?"

"Uh, they said all of them?" Mark frowns in confusion, "Like the first is going to be this unit where members can switch out anytime and it only has a comeback whenever it wants to, and then the second one is like a normal permanent group which I think I'll be with Hyuck and the hyungs, and the third one is a group where we graduate once we hit 20! But I don't think that one's fully confirmed with members yet."

He's running out of breath explaining it to you and his eyes are going crazy so you just laugh and hug tighter, "That's a lot of information, but it still sounds amazing. See Mark, I told you that you're going to be the most important person in this building! You're literally the best."

Mark nudges you so that you break away, "Psh, shut up Y/N. It's still a few months out anyway. We're going to be writing and practicing the debut song for the first unit really soon though."

"And I'm so proud of you," you tell him sincerely, knowing that there are not many people who you can say have worked harder than Mark to achieve their dreams, "Do you feel scared at all?"

He swivels his body so that he's sitting in front of you and he starts playing with your fingers like he always does, "Naturally, I guess. Debuting is a whole new world and being an idol too, but this is what I've been working towards so why shouldn't I be more excited? I've been waiting for this day, but I guess it's human nature to have fear of the unknown."

"It's definitely not wrong to not be scared. I'd be over the moon if they finally tell me I'm going to debut," you sigh dreamily.

"And you will! They can't keep you hidden here any longer and you know that the company loves you so much! You've given everything for them so you deserve it all back," Mark is now rubbing circles with his thumb on the back of your hand, "I can't wait until we achieve our dream together. No matter how long it takes, we'll both be standing on that stage together as idols. It's so close now, Y/N."

You smile softly at the boy, ever the optimist, "I can't wait for it too, Mark. Don't let the fame get to your head so quickly and don't forget me when you're famous okay?"

"You're so silly," Mark laughs, "You'll always be my best friend- wait scratch that-"

"I won't always be your best friend?"

"No! You will! But this is literally the best day ever and I have all this adrenaline and energy right now and if I don't say it now, I don't think I ever will, but all I'm saying is that I've been by your side for nearly 3 years now and you're literally my other half and it's so goddamn obvious that I like you so much and I really want to be your boyfriend. Okay, exhale Mark."

Your eyes widen at his confession and you slide away from him in shock, "Wait, really? You like me? You want to be my boyfriend?"

He looks at you like you just grew two heads, "Y/N, that's literally exactly what I said. Do you like me back?"

Shyness begins to creep out of you while your whole face flushes red. You've never been the type to be shy around Mark, even in the times his words and actions make you feel giddy.

"Mhm, you're my first real crush that developed when we met. I thought I'd grow out of it, but it kept getting stronger the closer we got," you admit.

The first day that Mark Lee walked into the practice rooms and got introduced to the trainees, you thought he was the cutest boy in the world. He was dorky and shy at first, but when he performed in front of you, he turned into a completely different person that made you fall for him even more.

The two of you were the same age and he was your deskmate in Korean lessons. Though Mark had grown up speaking Korean, he had never lived in Korea speaking it almost 100% of the time, so the company thought it would be good for him to join your lessons, especially to get training for the language he would be using as an idol.

The two of you became very fast friends and by the end of the month, you were chasing each other in the cafeteria and sharing food in corners with your own inside jokes.

His face breaks out into a grin, tackling you into a hug, "Aw, my little Y/N likes me back!"

You roll your eyes playfully and shove him off your body, "First of all, I'm 3 months older than you, and second of all, you have been spending way too much time with Donghyuck."

"Yeah that little devil rubs off on people," he sighs, "Whatever. Does that mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"Wait, wait, wait. We have to consider the implications! Especially if you're debuting soon! Are we going to tell the company? How is this going to work?" you bombard him with questions, playing your part as the realist in this friendship, "Is this a good idea."

"I mean, half the hyungs have secret girlfriends so we can ask them for help and at least it helps that you're in the company with me so if they do find out it's easier to protect the both of us," Mark replies, "I've actually spent a lot of time thinking about this, believe it or not. You keep me up awake at night sometimes."

"You're so cheesy," you mumble, turning away to hide your blushing face, "But I guess I do want to be your girlfriend- but what if we break up? I don't want to lose you as my best friend!"

"How about this then," he extends his pinky out to you, "Let's pinky swear that even if we break up and this relationship goes horribly wrong, we'll be best friends still. Forever and whenever."

His words are dripping with sincerity and it surrounds you like a blanket. There's no one in this world that you trust more than Mark Lee when you entwine your own pink around his and smile at him, "Always."

Your pinkies are still attached a minute later when he's looking at you with a goofy smile.

You glare at him, "What's going on in that big head of yours?"

"If we're dating, then does that mean I can kiss you?"

The thought of kissing Mark had admittedly crossed your mind more than you could bare to say out loud. You wanted to play it off cool- shove him and roll your eyes or something, but truthfully, you really did want to kiss your dorky best friend Mark Lee.

"I mean, I guess," you shrug, "If you want to."

"Ha ha, I do," he starts leaning in closer and your heart is beating faster.

This was it. You were going to kiss your best friend-turned-boyfriend in the middle of a practice room. He was going to be your first kiss too!

Mark's face is so close that you can feel his breath on your lips. You can tell he's never done this before with how slowly and nervously he's advancing, but you can see the hope in his eyes.

Your eyes flutter shut. Your lips are almost touching, just ghosting over each others.

"Wait!" you groan as he opens his mouth, "If I'm your first real crush, then who's your first crush overall?"

You smirk, "Jongin-oppa. Duh."

-

2022

This was the biggest concert of your career. Playing the Olympic Stadium had always just been a distant daydream - something to dream about just to amuse you or occupy time. You'd never thought that you would actually live to see the day when that dream came to fruition.

It wasn't even a realistic dream. No girl groups had ever played their own concert at Jamsil Olympic Stadium, but your group was going to be the first.

Cameras were pointed all around you backstage as you prepared to go on for your opening.

"Leader, give us a pep talk," your bandmate Yana whines while nudging you. You gather in a circle, pretending you're not deafened by the noise of your fans screaming just past the partition, where they're waiting in anticipation.

The 5 of you lean closer, putting your heads together and your hands in the middle. Before that, you make sure to look at their faces carefully and examine each member's expressions.

Jian is a year older than you, but she's nervous as hell and can barely get any words out. You're not worried because she's proven time after time that she's born to be on stage and that she completely transforms in front of an audience showering her in love. Yana seems nervous too, but she's better at hiding it and it comes out through rambles of sometimes unintelligible speech. Erin is gripping her microphone tightly with a poker face, probably recalling all of her raps in her head quickly, even though you know it comes second nature to her. Your youngest, Kali, seems the most excited. That kid is the most fearless idol you've ever met and you're grateful for someone like her on the team.

As for you? Well, you're a mix of all of your members. It's coming up to a decade now since you started training and you still have to take everything that this career throws at you one by one. The feeling backstage is not exactly overwhelming- it's more pride and joy and excitement to be out there and perform the best concert you have to give.

"No one can ever take this away from us. We're the first freaking girl group to host a show here! We've worked so hard for this and we absolutely deserve it. Everyone out there is here for us, so we should give it our all and play the best show ever. Don't let your nerves get to you. Just relax and be the amazing and talented performers I know we all are," you breathe out, "I'm really thankful for you guys and I'm so happy to have you by my side with me for this. We're exactly where we should be. I really love you guys so much. Let's kill it, yeah? 3, 2, 1, Fighting!"

Your members release a chuckle and you all wrap your arms around each other in a group hug. Soon, your cues begin in your in-ear monitors and you break up to take your positions on the platform that will lift you up to the stage.

The concert starts off without a hitch. Everything is perfect and the energy you get as each song progresses is nothing like you've ever felt. The sea of fans is expansive and blinding and you still have to check you're not dreaming every few moments. You eventually settle into the stage and the concert slows down a bit with your solo performances.

Your company had encouraged you all to perform something of your own choosing and while you had a vast repertoire of songs tucked away on your GarageBand, they were mostly unfinished, too personal or waiting to be adapted to your group to go onto your future albums. The song had to be something that would only ever be just for you, but something you could bare to release into the world for everyone else to hear.

Okay, so maybe you let your emotions rule you and get the best of you. Maybe the song you chose was the wrong one to invite your fans to insert themselves into. Maybe it was too personal to sing a song about Mark Lee in front of the biggest crowd you'd ever played in your life, but when else could you?

The baby grand piano is gleaming in the centre of the stage and your blue dress is sparkling from the way the lights hit the crystals adorning the whole slip. You're admittedly more nervous about this, but you think it's more to do with the fact that you know Mark Lee is in the stadium, somewhere.

Your company had warned you that if you wanted to sing this song, you had to do a little speech before that would throw them off your scent, "Hi guys," you pause for their screams, "I know you guys enjoyed Kali's energetic dance and Jian's amazing original song! For my segment, I thought we could have a little chill time and not to dampen your spirits, but I wanted to show you guys this heartbreak track that I wrote after watching too many sad rom-coms. I really hope that none of you guys can relate and if anyone ever breaks your heart, just send them my way, okay? I hope you guys enjoy it. This is '21'."

You let out a deep breath and remind yourself that this was the right choice. Your fingers glide over the keys perfectly like it's muscle memory from the year you've been working on the song. You send a prayer to higher beings that Mark won't kill you as you begin the first lines.

"I missed your 21st birthday. I've been up at home; almost tried to call you, don't know if I should. Hate to picture you half-drunk, happy. Hate to think you went out without me. I'm sorry if you blame me, if I were you I would. Thought you'd see it coming, but you never could. I still haven't heard from your family, but you said your mom always loved me."

Mark celebrated your 21st birthday with you. Public dates were not a thing in your relationship, but this man made every effort to make the best out of your situation. He kicked out your members from your dorm after enlisting their help to decorate the place top to bottom in rose gold banners and balloons. After taking cooking lessons for weeks previously, he had then covered your dining table with expensive cloth and filled up two glasses with wine to go with the steak that he had perfectly cooked all for you. He then took you to the couch and serenaded you with a love song about how much you mean to him and how thankful he was for you. On top of all that, you had boxes and boxes of presents to unwrap that were all thoughtful, beautiful, or meaningful. Mark Lee was the perfect boyfriend.

For Mark's 21st birthday, you were sat cross-legged on your sofa with your phone placed on the table in front of you, face up. It was as if you were waiting for him to be the one to call when you were the one who broke his heart just a few weeks earlier and asked to not be friends.

You were drinking the wine that he poured for you on your birthday and you were half-drunk, punching in his number on your keypad, because even though you deleted his number, you already knew it off by heart. There was just something in you that refused to carry it through. You were a coward and Mark Lee celebrated his birthday without you for the first time in 7 years.

"I see the look in your eye and I'm biting my tongue. You were the love of my life since I was young. When the night is over, don't call me up I'm already under. I get a little bit alone sometimes and I miss you again. I'll be the love of your life inside your head. When the night is over, don't call me up I'm already under."

Later on that night, you're lying wide awake and staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars that you and Mark had decided to plaster all around your ceiling when you were bored one day. The crowd seemed to love the song thankfully and it was easy to get their energy back up. People placed meaning into everything idols did, so you weren't surprised at the people who were making guesses about your love life and the subject of the song. Whatever, they'd never get it right, anyway.

Your phone ringing cuts through the silence and you curse, hoping it won't wake up the other girls in the dorm. They're probably dead asleep from the high-energy concert anyway.

"You're still up?" his voice is grainy through the speaker.

"You're the one that called. Did you not want me to answer?" you quip back, "It's the adrenaline, I think."

"Touché. I was going to leave a voicemail, but this is better, I guess," Mark uttered, "The concert was amazing, by the way. I'm sorry we didn't come and say hello backstage, but we really enjoyed it."

"Thanks, Mark and thank the boys for me too, okay?" you instruct.

"Mhmm, of course," he replies, "That song you wrote was good, you know. But you might've as well called it 'Mark'."

You're laughing softly at his comment, "I should've changed the number, I know. But shut up- if you know it's for you, then why don't you follow my words? I said don't call me tonight."

"I've never been good at following rules when it comes to you," Mark sighs, "Plus, there's not a lot of times I can just call you up like this. At least I had something to say to you."

"You can always call if you want."

"Would you always answer?"

You pause to think, but Mark takes that as confirmation.

"Have you thought about what I said? 6 months ago when I asked if you wanted to be friends again? Or even get back together?"

"That question keeps me awake every night," you joke, "But today, when I was just looking out at the fans and greeting the idols that came backstage after the concert, it really made me think about how much I wanted to be doing all of this with you. I've always regretted what happened between us because it wasn't a choice I wanted to make. There are no words to describe the way that love manifests in front of you from the fans. I always find myself wishing you were still here by my side."

"Hm, cryptic. Is that an answer to my question or do I have to wait another 6 months to call you up and ask again?"

"How long are you going to keep asking?" you uttered, the feeling of disappointment taking over your body as you still couldn't find the courage to finally give in and allow yourself to be happy.

"Until you say yes again."

-

JULY 2020

The world was still shut as you knew it, yet you were halfway around the world from the place you grew to call home. Your company was generous to give you two months off to spend with your loved ones, and you chose to spend some time cooped up in your parents' house and your childhood home because even though there were so many quarantining requirements to get between the two countries, you hadn't seen your parents in almost 3 years.

Of course, you missed your members, but you lived with them and would continue to see them nearly every day for as long as you could keep your career going. Of course, you missed Mark, but it's not like you could go and see him anyway with the tough restrictions imposed on the Korean citizens.

There was also one big- scratch that- giant problem looming over your and your company's heads. The bane of your existence and public enemy number 1 Dispatch had dangled over your heads the threat of releasing the photos they had grabbed of you and Mark abroad in Vancouver at the start of the year. It wouldn't have been damning evidence considering it was the only photo set they had acquired of the two of you, but you were holding hands with your eyes clearly in view. 

Your companies had threatened to sue, of course, but Dispatch has never been scared. Then, your companies tried to play the guilt-trip card and interrogate them on why they would care to do such a thing when the world was suffering enough as it is. Alas, nothing got through to Dispatch. Eventually, your companies surrendered to pay a preposterous amount to get rid of the problem and it probably didn't even make a dent in SM's savings, but it surely hurt your growing but small company even if SM took the majority of the bill. 

It was completely eating you up and tearing your insides to know that because of your slip-up with Mark, the trainees in your company had to get their debut pushed back by a good probable few years.

Mark had been the perfect boyfriend, supporting you through your change to your new company and your short training period before your debut. Mark had been there to metaphorically hold your hand as you got to know the other girls and make lifelong sister bonds out of it. Mark had been there to cheer you on in the early mornings when you were doing your first few stages. Mark had been there when your first comeback did even better than your debut and propelled you to the top of the industry.

So why, oh why, were you thinking about whether being together is good for everyone involved? There you found yourself in a dark room, the phone next to your head as soft cries and hiccups escaped your lips.

"Baby, please tell me what's wrong. I hate when you cry and it's really hurting me that I'm not there with you right now. Do you want me to come there? Cause I will! I'll say I'm sick or something." he's rambling through the phone and you can hear that it's raining heavily in Seoul.

"Mark, you know that I love you right?"

"Of course I do," he coos gently, "And you're my once-in-a-lifetime great love. I love you too, baby. What's wrong?"

You don't even believe the words that come out of your mouth when you whisper them, "I can't do this anymore Mark. I think we need to break up."

"What? Y/N, this is not funny," his voice instantly turns serious.

"I'm sorry Mark, but I'm serious," you're sobbing at this point and you're surprised he can even still understand you, "I really don't want to do this but-"

"So why are you doing this? Look, let's just talk when you get back, okay? You're coming home soon, right? Or I can take a flight there, but baby, don't make these rash decisions- we're just missing each other."

"The guilt is eating me up, Mark," you confess in hushed tones, "I feel like I don't deserve to be happy. And every time I'm with you, I feel only this sense of anxiety about being caught together that I can't shake. I love you so much, Mark, but I don't know why I feel like this."

"Y/N, we've dealt with so much over the years and we've fought through everything together! We can work through this together, I promise. Just give me some time to think about what to do and everything will be okay-" he's crying now too and it breaks your heart to hear it because he barely ever cries, "I'll get the company to pay yours back what you paid to those assholes. Come on, baby."

"Mark," you whimper, "I ruined the company. I don't want to hurt my members either. Even if we admit to dating, imagine the hate that my group will face! I don't want to let them down any more than I already have."

"I'll tell the fans to not hate- Y/N just tell me what I can do to stop whatever this break-up idea in your head is. We're meant to be, Y/N. We're each other's perfect match."

"I don't love you any less, Mark. Please remember that. I need to do this for my members and for my company that took a leap of faith in me. I don't want to walk away from you, but I don't see any other choice. I don't want to hurt you or your members either. I can't be seen with you."

His voice is small and strained, "You're breaking my heart, Y/N."

"And I'm never going to forgive myself for it."

-

EARLY 2018

This was definitely the hardest decision of your life and it wasn't one that you took lightly either. It was something you had been thinking about for over a year and more intensely when the company started to press you on extending your exclusive training contract.

Herin Seo had entered SM just before you did and she lived and trained with you. She was your best friend outside of Mark and it broke your heart when she left the company only after 4 years in 2017. There were only a few months left on her contract, but she was desperate to get an out and an idol survival show finally gave her the motivation to break free.

Right now, she's taking the seat in front of you after setting down your favourite drinks from your favourite cafe that she still remembers, "Iced vanilla matcha latte for me and an iced oat latte for my best friend."

"You're the best Herin! My treat next time," you promise as you take the first sip. It's been a while since you've come to the café since it hurts to go when it used to be your spot with Herin.

"Well better be soon because I'm leaving in 5 days," she pouts, "I'm sorry I could only come to visit for a short time."

"It's okay. I'm glad to see you anyway after all these months," you grin, "How's settling back in Manchester?"

"I mean it's always been home but it took me a few months to really get to grips with the fact that I wasn't leaving after a week like I did when I would visit during my training. It's really weird to know England is now my permanent home and that I'm going to start school again there," she looks outside the large window that overlooks the river, "I really really miss Seoul."

You take her hand and muster your best comforting smile, "I'm really sorry that things didn't turn out how we wanted them to."

"Ha, it's not your fault Y/N. I mean, you're in the same boat; what are you planning to do with this contract thing?"

You sigh at the age-old question that's been plaguing your mind for months. In fact, your meeting with the company to decide your future was tomorrow and you still had no concrete idea of what you wanted, "I really don't know Herin. SM has been everything I've known for 5 years and everyone I love is at the company. I don't even know how to switch agencies or what happens at other agencies. At the same time, I know they're planning for a group soon, but I have this feeling that I can't shake when I think about it. I look at Jimin and Minjeong and my sweet baby Yizhou and I don't think I'm what the company wants."

"But they've invested so much time and money into you!" Herin furrows her eyebrows, "Surely they're building a group around you, Yizhuo, Koeun, Lami, and Hina! We were a pre-debut team! They can't just disregard all of you guys, right?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," you're fiddling nervously with your hands, "They've been good to me, but they're a business at the end of the day. I'm so torn up and I was thinking you could help me. How did you know that you wanted to leave the company?"

She thinks for a while before answering your question, "Well the survival show was just the reason why I left before my contract was up, but I already knew that I wasn't going to stay on and re-sign. For me, it just felt like I had more to give, but the environment I was in wasn't letting me grow anymore. I felt like there was nothing more I could give to SM. Even though Idol School didn't work out for me, I was still glad that I went."

You nod along to her story, "I haven't told anyone about this Herin. Mark's been bugging me about my terms for re-signing my contract, so I don't think it's even fathomable for him for me to leave."

"It's about you, Y/N. This is your story, your career, and your decision. There are going to be a lot of people that are going to be hurt or angry, but they will never understand what you're going through. Especially not the people who already debuted," Herin advises, "Look, talk about it with Mark tonight, and don't leave it until after your meeting because that might hurt more, but if he really loved you and wanted what's best for you, he would trust in your decision."

"You're right Herin. Thanks for being there for me."

So, you called Mark later on that night to come over. You had cooked up a few dishes for you to share and asked your dorm mates if they could give you a few hours for some alone time. Telling Mark was definitely going to be hard, but you couldn't imagine the conversation with the girls, who were going to be the most hurt. You remember when Herin left- you weren't angry, but you were overwhelmingly sad about the thought of the girl you started your journey with not being there anymore. That was when you started to question if you should still be there too, but you were scared to instill this thought in your other younger trainees that maybe thought they still had a chance.

"Hi baby," Mark is beaming when you open the door to him. He quickly shuts the door behind him with his foot and wraps you up in a tight hug, making sure to plant a kiss on your lips and then all over your face, "I missed your gorgeous face so much- oh my God the apartment smells so good! What did you cook?"

"Just some beef and rice," you lead him over to the dining table with the food set out already.

"Oh my gosh, you're so amazing," Mark smooches your cheek affectionately and takes his seat on the table. You had lived at the dorm for your whole time at SM and along the way, Mark had chosen his own seat at your dining table for when you had dinners inside, which was almost every date you shared.

You start with small talk, letting him eat and enjoy his meal before you inevitably break a little bit of his precious heart. You hadn't seen Mark for a few days since he was busy with some schedules, so he tells you all about the boys and what they've been up to recently. They're working on the biggest project NCT has ever done so far- a full 18-member release- and it's going spectacularly well. The album itself was a few weeks out, but each unit had been dropping some songs along the way.

"Babe, the company is throwing a release party when the album drops in a few weeks! Isn't that so exciting? They actually asked us what food we want at the party so we're all going crazy. I think Hyuck asked for a fondue fountain, so I'm dying to see if they'll actually give that," he's chuckling, halfway through his plate, "Do you have any special requests?"

Okay, deep breath. Now's the time. It's all or nothing.

"Actually Mark, I invited you over to talk about something," you begin and the smile on his face drops at your warning tone, "Please don't be upset with me."

"Ah, what's wrong?" he's pouting and you have to look away to get the strength to say what you need to. If you looked in his eyes any longer, you would find some reason to convince you to stay just for him.

"My contract meeting is tomorrow," you gulp, "I'm going to leave the company, Mark."

The sound of his chair scraping against the floor makes you cringe, "What? Y/N, what? What do you mean you're leaving the company? Where are you going to go? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just made up my mind today, Mark. I'm sorry I didn't confide in you, but this was a decision I had to make for myself," tears are welling up along your lash line, "I spoke to Herin today and I realised that the only thing making me stay any longer was you."

"But you're so close to debut!" he's arguing pleadingly, crouching beside you and holding your hand, "Babe, I can't imagine this company without you."

"I'm not Mark. You know that I'm not any closer to debut than I was when I joined 5 years ago. You're indispensable to this company, but I'm really not," you expressed, "I don't want to leave and I love you, your boys, and my girls, but I think this is what's best for me."

"But where are you going to go?" Mark sniffles, "I love you so much Y/N, but what's going to happen to us?"

You shake your head at his insinuations, "No, Mark. Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to us and I'll make sure that whatever company I join will know about us and protect us. I hope you'll find it in you to forgive me for this."

He stands up and wraps his arms around you from above, "I'm sorry for reacting this way Y/N, but there's nothing for you to be sorry for. I trust you, okay? I love you and I want you to do what's best for you. I know I can't make decisions for you, but I'll try my best to support you however I can."

You look up at him with adoration dripping from your eyes, "I love you, Mark. We're going to be okay, yeah?"

He brings his head down and connects your lips in the most love-filled way that your heart explodes in that familiar overwhelming feeling that Mark always seems to do to you, "We're going to be okay, baby."

-

LATE 2022

The world was playing a sick joke on you- it really was. There was no way your whole career wasn't just some April Fools' prank or that you weren't just the main target of some joke show.

You always prided yourself on being close with the company's staff and higher-ups. As a leader of your group, you felt that it was integral to your success that you were able to communicate your wishes and worries to the company and this gave you more creative freedom too. Apparently, the company too was getting more comfortable with you.

"What did you just say?" your eyes were incredulous, peering towards your sheepish CEO, "That's actually the worst idea I've ever heard in my life."

"Look, Y/N, you wanted a feature on your song," your CEO chuckles at your response, "I think this is an amazing idea."

"You're literally giving Dispatch a green light to release those photos. Do you want me to email you a picture of me and Mark making out so you can just tweet it from the official account?" you counter, "Why in the hell would having my ex-boyfriend feature on my solo debut title track be anything short of a terrible idea?"

"Mark is incredibly famous and incredibly talented," she begins, counting with her fingers, "You have high standards. We have a good relationship with SM Entertainment. Your fans love shipping the two of you together since you're in the same age group."

"He's also my ex-boyfriend. Is that not extremely problematic? Everyone will hyper analyse every interaction we have or have had and then they're actually going to figure out that we dated." you ponder, "The worst part of this all is that I know he would say yes if his company lets him."

"Exactly- he's your ex-boyfriend, not your current one. By all logic, he's now just another fellow idol or colleague that you can collaborate with. Anyway, SM will definitely say yes; look how many of their idols are in relationships or at least feature on tracks."

"This is all Crush and Joy's fault," you groan, looking at the pleased expression on your CEO's face knowing that she had won the argument.

When your company proposed the idea of having a solo debut to you half a year ago, you had vehemently declined the opportunity, citing it wouldn't be beneficial to your group as a whole and that you wanted to be known for your group and not your individuality. Your members, on the other hand, had different ideas and talked you into at least hearing out the company. You had really only agreed to the debut when they told you that they would give you full musical freedom and the help that you personally requested. It only seemed like a good idea when you realised that someone in the group needs to be the one to start doing solo activities so the rest of the group can follow suit. You've always known that Jian has been curious about acting.

So you find yourself swiveling in your chair in the studio, waiting for Mark to find his way to the room. It's your first time working together for your solo debut and the last time you had spoken to him was a text he sent you asking if you actually wanted him to feature on the track before he gave a response to his company. You begrudgingly replied a yes because even though you still didn't think it was a good idea, you couldn't imagine yourself working with anyone other than Mark. The industry was crazy sometimes.

The knocking on the door snapped you out of your thoughts and you jumped up to open it to Mark Lee holding two cups on the other side.

"Hey pretty. I got us some coffee," he pushes a cup into your hand and you move aside to let him in, "How are you?"

"Don't call me pretty," you mumble as you turn away to hide the blush starting to appear on your cheeks, "But I'm okay. It's getting busier with the holidays coming up, so you know how that is, but the company thought this time was a great time to work on my debut."

"I feel you," Mark grimaces, taking a seat on the other spinning chair, "Don't tell anyone but Dream is actually having another comeback. It's going to be out just before Christmas."

"Another one?" your eyes widen in shock, "But you just released 2 Baddies and I know you definitely have a repackage soon!"

"Yeah, it's hard to be part of both units," he sighs, "Cause our new album will be over 6 months out from Beatbox, but only 3 months from 2 Baddies. Whatever, you know I love what I do."

"Doesn't mean you don't get tired," you cross your arms, "Now I feel bad having you on this track. You are way too busy, Mark! Why didn't you or your company say no?"

He shakes his head to reassure you, "Nah, trust me Y/N; you're exactly the break I need from the boys. Besides, I've never had the chance to formally work with you, so why would I give up the opportunity when it comes? We always made a great team back then."

You smile fondly, thinking about all those times when you and Mark were young teenagers and would huddle up in the practice rooms writing songs together and creating melodies on your guitars.

"I guess we did. Anyway, have a listen to this track. It's just something I wrote a while ago, but it always seemed unfinished so I thought that a feature would complete it," you hand him a pair of headphones and gesture over to your laptop with the track already loaded up, "If you like it, you can do your part in the second verse, but otherwise we can start from scratch."

You watch his face as he listens to the song and you're endeared to find out he still carries the same habit of letting his face do all the talking whenever he's listening to something new. His head is bobbing up and down as he nods along to the song and you can easily tell which parts he likes.

"So, what do you think?" you inquire.

He has a grin on his face, "I love it! Honestly! It's a cute song about a crush, I guess?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to go with any song that's lyrically strong for my debut. This song's pretty unassuming and you know how important it is to the companies to have a general public-friendly song," you shrug. They didn't really explicitly give you guidelines, but you knew what the company was really looking for- a hit, "Can you work with that beat? I'll send you the song of course and you don't have to rush or anything."

"I'll see what I can do," Mark teases, "Can I get an insider sneak peek at the rest of the album? You know, feature perks and all of that."

You flush even redder than when he complimented you earlier, "I'm going to be so honest Mark, the whole album is about you. Every song I've written is about you."

He shrugs casually, "I would've figured. You're a big inspiration to my writing too. Is that a no, then?"

You decide that there was no point shying away from Mark's request, considering that he would end up hearing each and every song whenever your album came out anyway. Plus, the two of you were artists and you understood being each others' muse- good or bad. Mark had seen you in every vulnerable state possible. Showing him your songs that you were comfortable enough to release to the public anyway was nothing to you.

"You can listen."

You don't bother giving Mark any explanations for any song- he's the one that lived through these experiences with you. You leave him with your tracklist on the laptop and tell him you would leave him for a few moments to grab some lunch for the two of you in the company cafeteria. You were hoping it was going to be a quick trip down and back up, but you had run into a producer you were also working with on the album, and that gave Mark at least 5 songs worth of time alone.

What you hadn't expected upon returning was to find Mark crying softly, his sweater paws rubbing at his eyes.

"Mark? Are you crying?"

Your surprise caused him to jump up and frantically wipe away his tears, "Ha. That's a really sad album, huh?"

The guilt continues to eat you up from the inside out, "I'm not going to release all of them, I think. A few sad songs and fill the rest in with inconspicuous tracks."

"Well your songs are beautiful anyway," he gives you a pained smile, "You're an amazing writer. I just wish I wasn't the cause of your pain."

"Hey," you scold softly, bumping his arm with yours, "Don't say that. You were nothing but amazing to me. You made me so happy. It was just the circumstances around us."

He chuckled bitterly to himself, "If we weren't famous- if this industry wasn't so vicious, I would still have you?"

"Mark," you warn, but he cuts you off.

"Have you thought about what I asked you?" he interrupts, "It's been a year, you know? I still miss you."

"Mark, it's not that easy," you counter, "Nothing's changed!"

"It's either you want to be with me or you don't. Don't skirt around it and just tell me the truth, okay? It would really make working together easier if I know where we stand. I won't stop fighting for us until you tell me to stop, so tell me what you want, Y/N," Mark pleads, standing up to face you, "I'm sorry for springing it out of nowhere, but I need to know. I can't move on until I know to let you go."

You hate yourself for what you did to Mark. He was the boy that taught you how to love and how to love patiently, sincerely, and passionately. He was the boy that held your hand and rubbed your back when you cried and the boy that celebrated every success with you. He was the boy that told you how proud he was of you, even every time you felt like the world was collapsing around you. He was the boy who would lay kisses on your forehead and whisper sweet nothings in your ear whenever you faced another setback. He was the boy that made flowers bloom out of your heart from his kind gestures and the way he showed you how much he loved you. And if nothing else, Mark was the boy that made you happy.

You remember a conversation with your youngest member the night before. You had confided in her how nervous you were to work with Mark and she lectured you on finally letting yourself be happy. You were already a 4-year idol and Mark was coming onto 7 years. You weren't rookies anymore and you had solid fanbases. It was clear that the companies weren't extremely opposed to revealing that the two of you were dating back then, so she told you that it would be fine now. Kali told you, rather cliché-ly, that the heart wants what it wants and your heart has been screaming and begging from Mark since the second you ended that phone call with him all those years ago.

"Y/N?"

"Mark," you meet his eyes and melt all over again, "It's you, Mark."

Mark wraps one arm around your waist and pulls you tighter. The other hand reaches up to your face to brush your hair out of your face and cradle your cheek as he brings it up to his own face. Your noses are almost touching as Mark lays it all bare for you, "Do you love me or do you not, Y/N?"

"I do," the feeling is cathartic when you finally tell him and when he finally presses his lips in a searing kiss that sets off all the fireworks in your heart. The feeling of Mark is familiar, but the kiss is longing and hopeful and you can't get enough.

You're both panting when he breaks the kiss and he rests his forehead against yours as he laughs softly in relief. He's been waiting to do that for over 2 years.

"I need you back, Y/N. It's been the worst 2 years of my life," he whispers against your lips, "Please come back."

You smile when he opens his eyes. They're that shade you grew to love all those years ago and they're sparkling like the day he first asked you to be his girlfriend.

Nothing's changed in your environment, that's for sure. What you're also sure about is that each time you see Mark again, you feel a little braver and more courageous. Each time Mark tells you that he loves you even though you shattered his heart like glass, you feel like his love can get you through anything. Maybe you needed those 2 years to see what you were missing or maybe you were just stupid.

Whatever. All you know now is that even 2 years on, Mark Lee is still begging for your love and your brain is losing out in its battle against your heart. It might've taken you two years, but now you see that all you need is Mark Lee by your side to get through the torrential storm that was heading your way and that you were going to get out on the other side to a bright and sunny sky, as long as he was holding your hand and leading you.

You place a kiss on his lips that tells him all he needs to know, "I'm here, Mark. It's always been you. You've always been the one. Always."

#mark lee #nct blurbs #nct scenario #mark lee x reader #nct fic #mark lee imagine #nct imagine #nct blurb #mark lee scenario #nct fluff #mark x reader #mark #nct mark #mark fic #fic recs #mark lee au #mark lee fic #nct angst #mark lee fluff #nct #nct 127 #nct dream #exes to lovers #idol!verse #idol reader #idol au

[scarletwinterxx]

loving's so easy to do - mark lee scenario

okay but tell me why do i think Mark is the type of boyfriend who would giggle if he sees you wearing his initials on a necklace? ksksksksks istg this boy got me kicking my feet in the air giggling like a school girl😭😂🥺💛

anywaysss i hope you like this one! 💛

if you have a request or scenario you want me to do, just send me a message I'll see what I can do😊💌

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

"Hi, baby. I missed you" Mark says the moment he sees you walking down the pathway towards him. He tilts his side to the side while he stares at you lovingly. If any of his friends is here right now, they would call him whipped but he would not care one bit because he is.

How can he not be when you're smiling like he hung the sun in your sky, you skip towards his open arms waiting for you to come to his embrace.

"Hey you, what are you doing here?" you ask him, still clinging to him. You feel him kiss the side of your head, smiling at the action you stand on your tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

"Can't I pick my girl up after work?"

You blush at his words and he loves it. He knows the effect he has on you, he knows that even after dating for a few years you still blush when he calls you his girl.

It's not a secret you want to keep, if you could you would scream it at the top of the tallest building for the whole world to hear. You are Mark Lee's girl.

"Let's go, we can grab dinner then go over your place?" he asks, still not letting you go. Instead he steps to the side to open the passenger door for you.

"Sounds like a plan" you smile at him, then you look towards the passenger seat ready to get in but you saw a bouquet of blue tulips resting there

"Baby" you look back at him, he just smiles back at you.

"It's my favorite, and you know what those flowers mean? Inner peace, you're my inner peace. My heart's rest and home"

Feeling so happy you're in love. You thought this is what all those books were talking about, finding the right one.

He ushers you inside the car, helping you buckle in before making his way to the driver's side. He closes the door before facing you with a big smile on his face,

"What?" you ask

"What what?"

"I know that look, love. There's something else is there?"

"Okay you know me too well, but I saw this and I thought of you. If you don't like it, it's totally fine-" "I haven't even seen it, and shut up any gift from you I'll love it" you tell him.

This time Mark couldn't help himself, he leans closer to you. Pulling you gently towards him so he can finally kiss you, he's been waiting all day for this. He kisses you softly and slowly, like he's refreshing his memory of how it feels to have your lips on his.

"Okay okay, here I hope you like it" he says after the two of you broke apart. It's a small bag with a small box inside, you look at him skeptically before opening it.

Inside is a dainty necklace with the letter M hanging on it. The chain was simple, something you can wear everyday. Safe to say it was perfect.

"Lovie, I love it" you pout again, feeling a bit teary eyed

"Hey hey no crying, do you love it that much" he chuckles, taking your face between his hands. You nod, you can't wait so you put it on yourself

"This is so cute oh my gosh I'm never taking this off" you say while looking at your reflection on the mirror.

Unbeknownst to you, Mark is watching from the side falling even deeper in love with you.

"You know I love you right?" he mumbles

You look over at him, holding his face in one hand "I know, you tell me like atleast four times in a day" you tease him. Leaning over the console to peck his lips

"I love it, thank you so much. And I love you"

With Mark, you proved loving someone could be easy. Being with him feels like all the puzzle pieces of your life are finally falling into place. Even on bad days, he can make it better because he truly is everything good in your world.

#story #tags #fluff #nct #nct 127 #nct dream #nct mark #nct imagine #nct fluff #nct scenario #nct boyfriend #mark fluff #nct au #mark lee scenario #mark lee imagine #mark lee fluff #mark lee au #mark lee boyfriend

[lowkeychenle]

모래성 [LMH] (M)

Description: You and Mark have had a friends with benefits relationship for almost a year now. He's in love with you, addicted to you, but you don't feel the same. You're his poison.

Genre: Smut

(This new song is SO good I had to write this literally immediately it has been on my mind all day)

Content Warnings: Explicit unprotected sex (Don't Do This LOL), rough Mark, kind of uncaring Mark?, bad bitch mark what else can I say

Word Count: 1,327

Pairing: Mark Lee x Reader

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Juliet's Masterlist

When you and Mark first agreed to your arrangement, neither of you expected it to come this far. He certainly didn’t expect for you to stay with him, not that he was complaining. After almost a year of it, the only thing that changed for him was his feelings.

He’s in love with you, and even though you don’t feel the same way, it sure as hell seems like you do sometimes.

Like the way you’re lying in his bed right now, clothed only with his comforter. Your head rests on his shoulder as you trace shapes on his arm. Friends with benefits isn’t ever supposed to go past the friend stage, but for Mark, he had always known it was only a matter of time.

“What are you thinking?” he asks, staring at you. With his back against his headboard, all sorts of things swirl through his mind when you look up at him.

“Do you ever…” You pause, chewing the inside of your cheek. “I just feel like I could do this for a long time.”

His heart stutters in his chest. The moon is the only thing lighting you up, shining against your skin in a way that has him craving you all over again.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on.” You nudge him. “Don’t make me say it. You’re saying you don’t want to stay in this bed with me forever?”

But it’s different this time. He dreams about you. Craves you. Loves you. Even then, he can’t do it anymore. Your embrace no longer provides him comfort. If anything, it spreads poison deep into his heart, where it pulses and spreads throughout his body with every beat. You’re killing him slowly. Destroying him and breaking him apart with no remorse.

“Mark?” You sit up, tilting your head. “Are you alright?”

He nods. “Yeah, I’m good.”

He knows he shouldn’t. That he needs to put a stop to this before anything else happens. No matter how much you hurt him—knowingly—he could never do the same to you. He’s addicted to you in the worst ways. Every time he gets his hopes up in those tiny moments of dreaming that you love him too, he falls and crashes harder into the ground than the last time.

At that moment, he decides it’ll only be one more time. He’ll have you one more time, and then he has to be done.

The thought of leaving you tears him to pieces, but he has to stop letting you walk all over him. He needs love—real love, the kind that lasts longer than the duration of time you’re in his bed.

“I can’t fucking breathe around you,” he groans out, tangling his fingers in your hair and tugging you closer to him.

His lips find yours, mouths, teeth, and tongues clashing messily. You’re taken by surprise, but find your body molding into his anyway.

He wastes no time in sliding his fingers inside you, finding you wet and ready for him. Pumping his hand, he swallows your moans, letting out a few of his own at the way you feel around him.

Fucking addicting. Dangerous. Terrifying.

You wonder what’s gotten into him, but you don’t question it. His thumb presses against your clit, sending a jolt through your body. You cling onto his shoulders for dear life, not used to this side of Mark. He wasn’t necessarily gentle by any means, but he’d never been so blatantly rough with you before.

“Mark,” you whimper, grinding down on his hand.

“What?” he hisses, speeding up.

You reach down and find him hard and aching, ready to be buried inside you. His pace stutters a bit as you jerk him off slowly.

“Fuck me,” you demand, resting your forehead on his. “Give it to me.”

But you both know he’s already given you everything he could.

“God, all you fucking do is take.” He pulls his fingers out of you, finding his place between your legs and lining up with your entrance.

When he slams inside of you, you dig your nails into him and scream, the stretch taking a moment to adjust to.

“You’re so good at taking things from me,” he mutters, nipping down your neck. “So good at taking my cock.”

Your entire body flutters at his words and you arch into him, pulling him back down to your lips. The heat between you two is undeniable, the sweat already dampening his skin. You can barely catch your breath with how fast he’s thrusting inside you. Lifting your hips, you try your best to aid him, but your body can’t keep up with his.

“Who makes you feel like this?” he growls lowly, slamming into you. “Who fucks you ‘til you drool?”

“Mark,” you call out his name, scratching down his back.

As soon as his finger comes in contact with your clit, you shatter around him, not holding back any of your sounds as you spasm below him. He curses loudly, the lewd sounds of his skin slapping yours making you dizzy.

You wrap your legs around his waist. The new angle has your head spinning, and he’s able to get a little deeper than before. Everything about him is intoxicating, down to the way he fucks you through your orgasm.

His voice cracks when he moans and spills deep inside you, dropping his head on your neck. He only gives himself a moment there, one last second to breathe you in and remember what it feels like to be inside you.

He won’t do it again. He can’t.

“Holy shit, Mark.” You run your fingers through his hair, chuckling. “Where the hell did that come from?”

The last thing he wants to do is separate himself from you. He’s in love with you. He’d stay buried inside you all day if only you loved him, too.

He curses, pulling out of you and getting up from the bed to grab some clothes.

“Mark?” You frown, but he doesn’t look at you.

He knows if he gives you a chance to convince him, he’ll fall back into your trap. If he looks at you, he’ll remember he’s in love with you. It costs too much to keep you around—physically and emotionally fucking taxing.

“I’m gonna shower.” He stops in the door frame of the bathroom, clenching his jaw to stop it from quivering. “You shouldn’t be here when I get out.”

“What the hell?” You recoil in surprise, throwing the sheets off of you and standing up. Grabbing his T-shirt from the ground, you slide it over your head and approach him.

“Don’t.” He shakes his head. “I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. Keep the shirt as a parting gift.”

He hears you yelling at him through the door, but he masks the sound with the stream of water. Stepping under it, he’s determined to wash the last traces of you from him. He scrubs and scrubs and scrubs, but it’s no use.

You’ll forever be ingrained in him, no matter how hard he tries to get rid of you.

By the time he gets out of the shower, all traces of you are gone. You even made his bed, for fuck’s sake. He runs his fingers through his damp hair, sitting on the edge of the mattress and contemplating what the hell he’ll do next.

You’re poison. Everything about you is deadly, and he’s better off without you.

His heart pounds in his chest at the thought. He knows he is. That’s absolutely the truth, yet the tiny voice in the back of his mind tells him he’s making a huge mistake. That he’ll never find someone like you again.

Good, he thinks to himself. I don’t want anyone else like her.

And for a while, he does well. But just like every other time before this one, he’s too weak to escape you.

He calls you before the fucking week is through.

#mark lee #nct #nct dream #nct imagines #nct dream smut #nct scenarios #mark lee smut #mark lee scenario #mark lee x reader #mark lee imagine #poison

[justwritedreams]

Purple lips | Mark

Mark x Reader, established relationship au Word count: 790 Genre: fluff Author: maari Warnings: none Note: I don't know what happened here but I can't stop thinking about making out with him so yeah BYE Summary: Mark really liked the purple tone your lips got from the exotic fruit. ⪢ NCT Masterlist

"Hey babe."

She smiled as she heard Mark's voice echo through the house.

"I'm in the kitchen." she announced as she closed the refrigerator door and heard him close the door.

Soon, he was wrapping his arms around her waist as she laughed, feeling his lips place a kiss on the back of her neck.

She took a hand to his sweaty hair and stroked the short strands.

"How was the rehearsal?" she asked, and he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Tiring." he sighed and she turned her face to kiss his cheek. "Do you mind if I take a shower here?"

"Of course not." he smiled lightly at her, giving her a quick peck on the lips before walking away. "Do you want me to order food?"

"Please, I'm hungry." She nodded and he went to the bathroom while she took her phone to order food.

As her fingers slid across the phone screen, she continued eating what she had set aside before Mark arrived. After ordering the food, she put what she ate in the fridge when she noticed that she was almost finished with all the contents and went to the living room, throwing herself on the sofa while waiting for Mark.

It didn't take long for him to return with wet hair and clean clothes, which he had purposely left at his girlfriend's house.

"Wow, I really needed a good shower." he said and sat next to her on the couch. "I was-" he looked up at her face but stopped at her mouth, laughing. "What happened to your mouth?"

She frowned, confused.

"What?"

"Why is it purple?" he asked, laughing even harder and kinda surprised.

"Huh?" She brought her hands to her mouth and pulled it forward, looking down. It was a slightly stronger shade of purple that was very different from when she put on lipstick. “Oh.” she laughed lightly too, looking at Mark who still looked impressed. "My friend who went to Japan brought a Brazilian fruit in a bowl as if it were ice cream, it’s called Açaí." “Acaik?” he tried to say it and she laughed, he made such a cute face that it was almost impossible to contain the urge to squeeze his cheeks. “No, you put emphasis on the i at the end.” Mark tried to repeat, shaking his head. "But what does it have to do with your mouth?"

"It's a purple fruit." she explained and he raised his eyebrows, understanding.

"Oh!"

He didn't take his eyes off her mouth, making her cheeks heat up.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Mark didn't respond, he just brought his face closer to hers with his eyes focused on her mouth and then kissed her purple lips, feeling them cold but with a sweet taste.

As if he were intoxicated, he took her lips to himself again, making her sigh and close her eyes as the contrast of his warm lips against her cold ones made her heart race, he took the opportunity to place his hands on her waist. Mark tasted her lips as if he could taste the remains of the fruit, and the slow, wet kiss involved tongues as well, she brought her hands to the back of Mark's neck as he leaned forward and turned his head to the side, to deepen the kiss. His arms wrapping around her waist so that their bodies were also together, he needed her close to him. Her body temperature rose and she had to contain her hissing when Mark bit her lower lip eagerly. She wasn't expecting a make-out session at that time, not that she would complain of course. She opened her eyes, seeing Mark staring at her lips, which were now a mixture of purple and red, as well as swollen, but to him they were even more inviting. “You taste sweet.” he spoke quietly, touching their foreheads and she laughed, anxiously.

"God, you can't do this and tell me these things without warning." she said, taking in the air she was lacking.

Mark laughed.

"Why?"

"I'm sweating!"

He ran his tongue to wet his own lips, which didn't go unnoticed by her.

"Do you want me to stop?" he looked at her with false innocence and she narrowed her own eyes.

With that innocent face, it didn't even seem like he was that naughty.

"Of course not, come here."

She pulled him in for another kiss, which this time would be more sensual but not the last of the night.

Mark would kiss her lips until he could taste the last of the fruit and they would turn completely red.

He himself would make a point of buying that fruit from now on.

#mark lee imagine #mark lee x you #mark lee x reader #mark fluff #mark imagine #mark imagines #mark scenario #mark scenarios #mark fic #mark x y/n #mark x you #mark x reader #mark lee scenario #mark lee imagines #mark lee fluff #mark lee fanfic #mark lee x y/n #nct scenario #nct imagine #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct fluff #nct fanfic #nct x y/n #nct x you #nct x reader #kpop scenarios #kpop fanfic #kpop imagines #kpop fluff

[1nyourdr34ms]

Shadows of Feels: Love at the Second Sight

pairing: NCT Mark x fem!reader

Prequel of Shadows of Feels: Between Heart and Mind

others: Haechan (Marks bestie and friend of y/n), Karina (fem!readers bestie), SVT Mingyu (fem!readers ex), NewJeans Hanni, Johnny, Jungwoo, Yuta

genre: basically fluff and romance

word count: 12.339 words

song rec: NCT Dream – My First And Last & NCT Dream - Hello Future

warnings: making out, kissing

summary: This is a Prequel to Shadows of Feels: Between Heart and Mind Part One. It tells the story of Mark Lee and y/n, detailing how they became a couple.

01 - When I Met Him The First Time

On a sunny afternoon, Hanni and Mark headed to the café to return a borrowed psychology book from you. You met her in your psychology course at uni and immediately became friends. Not close, but on good terms.

As they walked side by side, Hanni could hardly hide her feelings. Her heart beat faster when she thought of Mark, her long-time childhood friend, for whom she secretly harbored deep feelings.

"Mark, are you also looking forward to the barbecue today?" Hanni asked, trying to start a conversation that emphasized her closeness to him. "Of course, Hanni. It will be nice to see our families together again," replied Mark, still thinking about the preparations for the fest.

He saw Hanni as a good friend, almost like a sister, but he had no idea of her true feelings.

As they entered the café, Mark immediately felt an inexplicable attraction to the young woman at the table. He couldn't take his eyes off her, feeling magically drawn to her.

You, waiting for Hanni, looked up from your laptop and immediately noticed the handsome young man at Hanni's side. His undercut, his black hair touching his eyebrows, his well-defined cheekbones, his round eyes that looked innocent but intense at the same time, caught your attention immediately.

Your eyes met, and and a spark of curiosity was ignited. You felt an unexpected but strong attraction.

Hanni noticed a strange aura in Mark, so instinctively she was trying to draw Mark's attention to herself. She casually put her arm around his shoulder, as a sign of their supposed closeness. Mark was a bit surprised by Hanni's gesture, but he smiled politely.

You exchanged a few words about the book with Hanni. "How did you like the book?" you asked, curious about Hanni's opinion. "It was really fascinating. I especially liked the character development," Hanni replied, trying to keep the conversation short.

Inside, she struggled with a feeling of jealousy, as Mark's attention was obviously directed towards you. His gaze still captivated by your radiant eyes. Mark stood a little apart, observing you two, trying to understand his own feelings. This unexpected encounter had triggered something in him that he couldn't put into words. He was confused, but at the same time fascinated by your aura and beauty.

The scene in the café was short but intense. When Mark and Hanni left the café, Mark was still thinking about the mysterious beauty he had just met.

You, for your part, couldn't forget Mark's warm eyes, which said so much more than words ever could.

02 - When I Met Him The Second Time

On a rainy afternoon, you strolled through the aisles of a cozy bookstore, lost in the world of literature. While you were browsing a book about modern poetry, you suddenly heard a familiar, lively voice that made you smile.

"I'm telling you, this book is only for people who have too much free time to think about the meaning of life!" you heard Haechan say.

"Oh come on, Haechan, not everyone has such a superficial taste in literature like you," replied another voice. You recognized Haechan's voice.

So, you turned around curiously and discovered the two friends standing between the shelves. Mark held a book about classical music history, while Haechan held up a comic book.

"Hey, Y/n!" called Haechan, noticing you. "Look who's here hunting bookworms too!" Mark turned around in surprise and his eyes met Yyours. A smile spread across his face when he saw her. "Haven't we met before?"

Haechan, always ready for a bit of fun, grinned broadly. "Ah, this is Y/n. We met her at the university's summer fest."

How I Met His Crazy Best Friend

The university's summer fest, held for kids, was in full swing. Children of various ages buzzed excitedly between the colorful stands and workshops.

You and Mingyu, your bf at that time, were busy leading your creative workshop, helping children create little artworks from recycled materials. You were in your element, giving instructions to the children with sparkling eyes, while Mingyu took care of the organizational aspects.

On the other side of the festival grounds, Mark and Haechan led an instrument workshop. While Mark introduced the children to the world of guitar sounds, Haechan showed them various percussion instruments. With his typical lively and determined manner, he enthusiastically led his instrument workshop. With witty humor that delighted the children, he managed to motivate even the most reserved participants.

You decided to a short break from your own workshop and strolled around to explore the other activities.

When you passed the music workshop, you were drawn by the cheerful music and laughing children's voices. You noticed a boy who, despite the exuberant atmosphere around him, appeared still and withdrawn.

His reaction to the music was unusual – he seemed overwhelmed and at the same time fascinated.

Haechan, noticing your curious gaze, approached you with a friendly smile. "Hey, I'm Haechan, the leader of this rhythmic chaos here. And you are?" "I'm Y/n, responsible for the creative workshop," you replied with a warm smile.

You noticed a boy standing aside and pointed to him. "He doesn't seem to be quite comfortable." Haechan nodded. "Yeah, I've been watching him. He loves music, but the group activity seems to overwhelm him. He has trouble with the noise and the hustle and bustle."

"Could it be a sensory integration disorder?" You asked thoughtfully. "Some children have difficulty processing sensory information. It can be very overwhelming for them.

“I heard that his parents have already consulted many specialists, but so far without success. That's interesting and quite unfortunate,” said Haechan.

"My father is a neuropsychiatrist and has a lot of experience with such cases. He might have some helpful advice," You suggested.

At that moment, Mingyu called you back to her workshop. "That sounds like a great idea. Can we exchange contact information? I would like to learn more about how we can help him," Haechan said quickly.

As they said goodbye, Haechan threw in a humorous comment. "Just be careful not to get too creative and overshadow us all!" You jokingly replied: "Only if you promise not to hypnotize everyone with your sense of rhythm!"

With a laugh, you returned to your workshop, while Haechan watched you and turned back to the children.

You were still surprised by the encounter at the bookstore. "Right, you haven't officially met yet. Mark, this is Y/n. Y/n, this is Mark, one of my best friends," Haechan introduced them.

Mark extended his hand, and you took it, a friendly smile on your face. "Nice to meet you, Mark."

"The pleasure is all mine," replied Mark, his smile widening as he shook her hand. Haechan watched the scene with an amused smile.

"Yes, the summer fest was really nice. But it's funny. I didn't notice you there, Mark. I met Haechan there, but I didn't see you."

Mark frowned. "That's interesting. I was mostly in the background, taking care of the organization. Maybe we just missed each each other." Haechan laughed. "Mark was busy playing the perfect conductor for our little music performance. He hardly had time to mingle with people." Mark nodded in agreement. "That's true, I was pretty busy."

After introducing themselves, they began to talk about their favorite books and authors.

You talked about her fascination with modern poetry, while Mark shared his enthusiasm for classical music history.

Haechan, known more for his humor than his literary interest, waited for the right moment to make one of his typical jokes. "You know what the problem with classical music and poetry is? You almost need a degree in philosophy to understand them!", he said with a mischievous grin.

Mark gave him a playfully annoyed look. "Haechan, you and your superficial taste for literature and music! Sometimes I wonder if you even know who Beethoven is."

"Beethoven? Isn't that the guy who thought 'Für Elise' was a pop song?", Haechan countered, underlining his joke. You couldn't help but laugh out loud. Haechan was just too funny.

Mark shook his head, his smile betraying his amusement. "Haechan, your musical knowledge is comparable to that of a five-year-old seeing a piano for the first time," he replied with a sigh.

Haechan pretended to be offended. "Hey, that was harsh. I think I'll make you sleep in the living room tonight." Mark reacted immediately in shock, worried that you might misunderstand him. "Oh no, no, that's not how it sounds. We live together and – I mean – not like that. We're just roommates and..." Mark stuttered, his cheeks slightly reddened.

Haechan burst into laughter, and you couldn't help but giggle. "Don't worry," said Y/n, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I understand. You're like brothers, right?"

Mark, visibly relieved, smiled broadly. "Exactly, that's exactly what we are.“ Haechan couldn't stop laughing.

Amidst his laughter, he said, "Okay, okay, I admit, my musical knowledge isn't quite as sophisticated as Mark's," said Haechan, "but at least my jokes add some spice to the discussion!"

After talking about various books and authors for a while, Haechan suggested you have a coffee together to continue the conversation. Mark and you agreed, so you left the bookstore to go to the nearby café.

As you left the bookstore, the mood between Mark, Haechan, and you was lively and warm. Now you were standing in line at a café.

Haechan, noticing the subtle glances and developing chemistry between Mark and you, couldn't resist throwing teasing glances at his friend.

Mark felt amused and a little embarrassed by Haechan's implications. He gave Haechan a look that telepathically conveyed: "Stop it, I know what you're thinking." Haechan responded with a broad grin and a shrug, as if to say: "I can't help it, it's obvious!"

You noticed the silent but expressive play between the two friends and couldn't help but smile. It was as if you were watching an invisible, but understandable conversation between Mark and Haechan.

You felt a bit like an outsider looking into a private conversation, but you enjoyed the lightness and humor the two spread.

Mark, aware of your attention, tried to change the subject to defuse the situation a bit. "So, Y/n, tell me more about your work. I'm really interested in what you do."

You were grateful for the distraction and began to talk about your work as a behavior therapist. As you spoke, you noticed how Mark listened attentively. Your eyes met several times, and in those moments, a kind of silent agreement was formed, an unspoken communication that went beyond words.

Haechan, noticing the change in dynamics, leaned back and watched as you two slowly came closer, without directly noticing. He couldn't help but feel a bit like a matchmaker, witnessing something special.

You all chose a table near a large window that offered a view of the busy street. Mark, sitting next to you, took the opportunity to continue the conversation.

"So, Y/n-ah, what inspired you to become a behavior therapist?" You, pleased with his interest, replied with a smile. "Well, I've always had the need to help others, especially children and adolescents. I find it incredibly rewarding to see positive changes in their lives." Mark nodded understandingly. "That sounds really fulfilling. I work part-time as a music teacher at a high school, and I can totally relate to what you mean. There's nothing better than seeing young people develop and unfold."

As you talked, Haechan observed you two and noticed the way you interacted and laughed. There was an obvious chemistry between you two that couldn't be overlooked.

Haechan, always the joker, couldn't help but make a comment. "Look at the two of you! I think I'm sitting at the table with two soulmates," he said casually.

You were slightly embarrassed by Haechan's comment and looked briefly to the side, as if trying to distract yourself from the attention. Mark, noticing this, quickly intervened to lighten the mood again. "Haechan sometimes has a slightly exaggerated imagination," he said with a smile, reassuringly looking at you. "But he has a good heart. And he's right when he says it's nice to meet new people who share similar interests."

You smiled gratefully for Mark's empathetic words. You immediately felt more comfortable and turned back to the conversation. "That's true," you replied, "it's always nice to meet like-minded people."

Haechan, recognizing the subtleties of the situation, steered the conversation to a lighter topic. "So, Mark, tell Y/n about your legendary songs you've written. She needs to know who she's sitting at the table with!" Mark laughed, but noticed that he might do that at a later time.

The conversation continued, and you three spent a pleasant time together. The hours seemed like minutes, and soon it was time to leave.

Outside the café, Mark and Haechan said goodbye to you. Mark looked worriedly at you. "Are you sure you'll get home okay? I could walk you part of the way," he offered, the caring tone in his voice unmistakable.

Haechan couldn't help but grin. "Oh, Mark, the noble knight, always ready to accompany a damsel in distress. But be careful, she might think you're a stalker!" You had to laugh at Haechan's comment. "Thanks, Mark, that's really sweet of you. But I live just a few streets away. I'll be fine," you said with a warm smile. Mark nodded, a little disappointed but still smiling. "Okay, then take care of yourself. It was really nice to meet you."

"The pleasure was all mine," You replied before turning and walking away slowly.

As you were out of earshot, Haechan playfully nudged Mark with his elbow. 'So, how does it feel to be rejected by a beautiful woman?' Mark chuckled softly. 'Rejected? I think she just issued an invitation to see her again.'

Haechan raised an eyebrow. 'Oh, really? And when will you accept this 'invitation'?' Mark looked thoughtfully in the direction you had gone.

03 - When We Dove Into Our Own World

In a cozy café in the city center, surrounded by the soft sound of jazz music and the quiet murmur of other guests, Mark, you, and your friends met.

The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with candlelight dancing on the tables, giving the room an intimate ambiance. Mark, with a thoughtful look, broke the silence. 'You know, Y/n, I've been thinking about the concept of fate recently. Do you believe everything is predetermined, or that we shape our own destiny?'

You looked at him in surprise, pleased by the unexpected depth of the conversation. 'That's a difficult question. I believe in a mix of both. There are things we can't control, but I think we have the power to choose our reaction to them.'

Mark nodded in agreement. 'I feel the same way. Sometimes it seems like certain things are just meant to happen. Like our chance meeting in that bookstore.' A warm smile spread across your face.

'That really was a lucky coincidence. I mean, who would have thought we'd meet again?' Mark smirked.

You suddenly shared a thought that seemed to come out of nowhere. 'Remember the 'flying ducks'?' you said with a mischievous twinkle in your eyes.

Mark, immediately privy to the insider, burst into roaring laughter. 'Oh yes, the 'flying ducks'! How could we ever forget?'

Your friends looked at them confusedly, while Mark and you reveled in memories of a funny moment when you attended a street performance in the city, where a street artist tried to imitate ducks that could fly.

The scene was so absurd and comical that you two had made it your private joke.

Mark leaned forward and said confidentially, 'Remember how we ran through the city in the rain afterward, looking for a place to warm up? That crazy bookstore we found – I think it was the perfect place for us.' You nodded with a smile. 'Yes, and you tried to explain this extremely complicated theory about the evolution of classical music to me. I think I only understood half of it, but it was so nice listening to you.'

Meanwhile, Haechan watched the couple from the other side of the table with a mischievous smile. He leaned over to Karina and whispered, 'They're so in their own world. I bet they wouldn't even notice if an elephant walked through the café.'

Karina agreed with a smile. Only Hanni shifted back and forth uneasily in her chair, uncomfortable at the sight of Mark and you being so engrossed in your own world.

04 - When He Shared His Dream With Me

During your walk through the park with Mark, accentuated by the soft rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds, your conversation found a perfect balance between depth and lightness.

Mark, with a slight grin, began the conversation. 'You know, Y/n, sometimes I wish I could just stand on a stage and play my music without worrying about what the world thinks.'

You laughed softly. 'That would be a sight! The serious and thoughtful Mark, transforming into a wild rock star. I'd book the front row!'

Mark's eyes sparkled with pleasure. 'Oh, I'd love to have you there. But only if you promise not to cheer too loudly. I wouldn't want to lose my concentration.'

You continued to joke, and you told him about an embarrassing situation from her childhood.

'Imagine, I literally stumbled onto the stage during a school performance. Since then, I've had a kind of 'stage phobia'.' Mark laughed heartily. 'That's incredible! I wish I had seen that. Maybe I could therapize you with a few private music lessons?'

The conversation took a more serious turn as you talked about your work. 'I work with so many children who have lost their inner voice. My goal is to help them find it again. Sometimes it feels like detective work, finding the right words and approaches to reach them.'

Mark looked at you with admiration. 'You're like a light in the darkness for these children, Y/n. Your work is more than just a job, it's a calling.'

You blushed slightly at Mark's words but quickly retorted with a mischievous grin. 'Well, I could also say that your music heals souls, Mark. Maybe we should form a team – you play the melodies, and I bring the words.'

05 - When I Friendzoned Him Out Of Fear

On a mild Friday evening, you invited Mark over for a cozy movie night at her apartment.

When Mark arrived, he was greeted by Elvis, your Persian cat, who was doing something particularly funny – chasing her own tail and meowing in a way that sounded like a little song.

Mark immediately burst into laughter. 'Is that normal for him?' he asked, bending down to pet Elvis.

'Oh, that's Elvis's daily entertainment show,' you replied, laughing. 'He's a real rock star. That's why I named him Elvis.' You two laughed together as Elvis theatrically rubbed around Mark's legs, obviously pleased with the attention.

This cheerful mood continued as you two made popcorn and settled on the sofa to watch the movie 'Soul'.

During the film, you kept finding yourselves in spontaneous conversations, laughing and joking about everything.

Mark, sitting next to you, felt a growing tension within himself. He was fascinated by your joyful laughter and the way you tucked your hair behind your ear when you laughed.

Several times during the evening, he toyed with the idea of confessing his feelings. But each time he was about to say something, he hesitated, unsure of the consequences.

In a moment of silence, as the film showed a rather slow scene, you noticed a change in Mark's expression. He seemed lost in thought, his gaze thoughtful and almost longing. 'What's up, Mark? You look like you're calculating the end of the world,' you joked, an amused twinkle in your eyes.

Mark was jolted from his thoughts and smiled awkwardly. 'Oh, nothing, I was just... thinking. You know, sometimes you think about things and...', he trailed off, searching for the right words.

You laughed softly and shook your head. 'You and your profound thoughts. I guess that makes you a good friend.'

These words hit Mark unexpectedly. 'A good friend' – this designation made his heart momentarily stop.

He wanted to be more than that, but the fear of ruining your friendship paralyzed him. He smiled weakly and nodded. 'Yes, I'm glad to be your friend.'

The rest of the evening passed in a mix of casual conversation and shared laughter, but your words echoed in Mark's heart. He left her apartment with a feeling of longing and the question of what could have been if he had found the courage to express his true feelings.

06 - When He Made My Heart Beat Faster

While Mark and you were in the kitchen focusing on preparing dinner, you struggled with a particularly stubborn can of tomatoes. You fought to turn the lid, but it wouldn't budge.

Mark, noticing your efforts, approached you from behind. 'Let me try,' he said softly.

His hands covered yours, embracing the can opener and began to exert pressure. You felt his proximity, his warmth spreading behind you.

His hands moved skillfully, but you noticed his breath quickening slightly. In that moment, as your bodies were so close to each other, you seemed to forget the world around yourselves.

The tension between you two was almost tangible. Mark's fingers lightly touched your wrist, sending a shiver down your spine. Your heart raced, and you felt an unusual nervousness. Suddenly, the lid of the can gave way, and it opened.

Surprised by the sudden movement, you two instinctively stepped apart.

Mark's face was just a few centimeters from yours, and for a fraction of a second, you paused, your gazes locked.

Then Mark stepped back, a slight blush on his cheeks. 'Uh, there are your tomatoes,' he said, trying to play off the situation.

You, also red in the face, nodded and murmured a quiet 'Thank you.' You felt strangely stirred, confused by the intensity of the moment and the closeness you had just shared.

For a moment, you continued working in silence, each lost in your own thoughts.

Then, as Mark attempted to make an omelet and failed miserably, the ice broke again.

Egg yolk splattered on the countertop, and Mark stood there, slightly helpless with a spatula in hand.

You couldn't help but laugh. 'Mark, I thought you didn't want to burn anything. This looks more like a kitchen accident!'

Mark looked at the mess and laughed along. 'I think I should reconsider my cooking career. Or at least start with eggs.'

You stepped closer to help him, and your eyes met again. This time, you took a step back. 'I think I'll take over the omelet. But you can help me with the seasoning.'

Mark nodded gratefully. 'Good idea. I better stick to what I can do.' You continued cooking, and despite the previous tension, you two returned to your familiar, playful manner.

The incident with the can remained unmentioned, but in your hearts, you both knew that this moment had somehow changed your relationship.

07 - When I Touched His Hand

As Mark and you strolled through the usual park, the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful. You talked about everything – from funny experiences to their dreams and hopes.

Mark recounted an embarrassing moment at school, which made you laugh. Your laughter rang through the park, just as dark clouds gathered.

Without warning, it began to rain. At first, it was just a few drops, but soon the rain poured down in torrents. 'Oh no!' you exclaimed, as you hurried to find shelter.

You two found refuge under a large tree, its leaves holding off some of the rain. There you both stood, huddled close together to stay as dry as possible.

You both laughed about your soaked states, your hair sticking to your forehead, and Mark shaking water from his hair. 'Looks like we've taken a shower without planning it,' Mark joked, looking at you with a wide grin. 'Yeah, just what I needed today,' you replied laughing, your eyes sparkling with delight.

'Oh, are you cold?' you asked as you reached out to touch his hand and feel if he was freezing. At that moment, their hands touched. It was a random, but meaningful touch. Your fingers lightly brushed each other, and you both felt a warmth and tingling that spread from the touch through your bodies.

Your eyes met, and you held eye contact for a moment longer than the situation required. In Mark's eyes, you saw a mix of surprise and a deep, unspoken feeling.

You slowly pulled your hand back, your heart beating faster from the intensity of the moment.

Mark, also surprised by the electricity of the touch, cleared his throat and looked away to defuse the situation. 'Um, yeah, a bit cold, but it's okay,' he said quickly, breaking the silence.

Yet you both knew that this small moment had changed something in your relationship, an unspoken awareness of the attraction you felt for each other.

08 - When We Sang Together

Mark gently strummed the strings of his guitar, while you sat comfortably on the sofa, your gaze fixed on him.

The first notes of 'Yesterday' by the Beatles began to play, a melody you both loved. Mark's fingers moved cautiously over the strings, each note clear and full of emotion.

You began to sing softly, your voice perfectly harmonizing with Mark's guitar playing. Your eyes half-closed as you lost yourself in the music.

Mark watched her from the corner of his eye, feeling how the melody took you both to another world.

As the song ended, you simultaneously opened your eyes and met in a deep, meaningful look. An unspoken understanding hung in the air, a connection that went far beyond the words you both could exchange.

Mark broke the silence with a lopsided smile. 'I hope my guitar skills didn't bore you too much.' You laughed, your heart still filled with the beauty of the moment.

'On the contrary, I think you just gave me the most beautiful concert of my life.' Mark blushed slightly at her compliment. 'Well, if that's the case, maybe I'll write a song just for you one day.'

Your eyes sparkled with joy. 'That's a promise I won't let you break.' You laughed together, enjoying the lightness of the moment. Yet beneath the surface lay an unspoken affection, a romantic tension that you both felt but dared not name.

09 - When He Almost Kissed Me

At Johnny's barbecue party, the atmosphere was jovial and friendly. Everyone was in a good mood, and laughter and cheerful conversations filled the air.

When the grilling was over, someone suggested playing games, and soon they found themselves in a merry round of hide and seek.

Mark, you, Haechan, and Hanni decided to hide in the penthouse.

Haechan and Mark, always ready for a little race, playfully argued over who should take the stairs up.

'I was here first!' Haechan called, trying to push Mark aside. 'No, let me through!' Mark retorted, laughing.

Suddenly, Mark felt someone grab his hand. He turned around and saw your laughing eyes. Without a word, you pulled him up the stairs, your fingers intertwined. Haechan, who briefly whined, chose a different hiding spot and left the two alone.

You and Mark found a room in the penthouse and hid behind the door. You were both out of breath and giggled softly.

As you realized you were still holding hands, you both let go of each other, but the air between them crackled with sexual tension.

Your eyes met, and Mark felt a strong desire to kiss you. You felt the same, your eyes half-closed, expectant.

At that moment, Hanni suddenly opened the door. Mark and you startled and quickly stepped apart. Hanni asked with a slight suspicion in her voice: 'What are you doing in here?' Mark and you jumped apart, surprised and embarrassed.

Mark quickly realized the need to lighten the situation. 'We... uh, we thought it would be a great hiding spot!' he said with a forced laugh, trying to play down the embarrassment.

Hanni looked at you both for a moment, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She felt a dislike for you that she hadn't had before. The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and Hanni decided to quickly leave the room.

10 - When We Almost Kissed (again)

During another gathering with friends, a lively discussion on everyday topics quickly turned to love and relationships.

Hanni, unable to hide her growing dislike for you, saw this as an opportunity to rekindle old stories. She began talking about Mingyu, his transformation into a party animal, and directly confronted you.

'Y/n, did you know how much Mingyu has changed? He seems quite different from before,' she asked with feigned innocence.

You, visibly surprised by the sudden turn of the conversation, shook your head. 'No, I haven't seen him since our breakup. I didn't know he had changed so much.'

Hanni, wanting to steer the conversation into uncomfortable territory, continued: 'Did Mingyu also have such a high physical drive for... games during your relationship?'

As Hanni posed her direct and provocative question, Mark felt a wave of jealousy and discomfort rise within him.

He couldn't prevent his eyes from narrowing slightly and his gaze fixating on you, who was visibly taken aback by the question. He wondered how much you would reveal and whether he was okay with hearing details about your past love life.

You, initially felt cornered but quickly responded with a witty comment. 'Mingyu and I had our moments, but I think that's something that happens in every relationship, right?' you said with a slight smile, trying to hide her discomfort. You glanced briefly at Mark, hoping your comment wouldn't worsen the situation.

Haechan, sensing the tension and seeing Mark's reaction, decided it was time to lighten the mood. 'Well, I've heard cats make great pets. They're independent but also affectionate. Quite unlike complicated relationships, right?' he said with a wink.

Karina, picking up on Haechan's comment, nodded in agreement, adding, 'Yeah, just like Elvis, Y/n's cat. Independent but full of love, exactly what's needed in a complicated world.' Her comment brought smiles to the group's faces, slightly easing the mood.

Mark, appreciating Haechan's attempt to change the subject, nodded in agreement and tried to shift his gaze away from you. He knew it wasn't fair to be so influenced by Hanni's question, but he couldn't help but wonder about your past with Mingyu. Deep down, he wished he could just leave the past behind and focus on what could grow between him and you.

Hanni, noticing her remarks hadn't had the desired effect, leaned back and observed the reactions. She had hoped to embarrass you and perhaps win Mark over for herself, but it seemed her plan hadn't worked.

The atmosphere remained tense for the rest of the evening, even as the group tried to return to more normal topics. However, Mark couldn't stop his gaze from wandering back to you, wondering if and how he should categorize her relationship with Mingyu.

On that warm evening, Mark and you sat outside at the table after their friends had gone inside. You both enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, created by the soft lighting and the quiet hum of the night around.

Mark has been waiting patiently until you were alone and tried to keep the mood light. 'Isn't it strange how suddenly quiet it gets when everyone's gone?' Mark remarked with a smile, taking a final sip of his drink. You, leaning back relaxedly, returned his smile. 'Yeah, it's like the world holds its breath for a moment.'

In this relaxed mood, Mark found the courage to change the subject. 'Y/n, I've been wanting to ask you something... about Mingyu. I hope it's okay.' His tone was gentle, but his eyes searched hers to make sure he wasn't overstepping.

You, surprised but open to the conversation, looked directly into his eyes. 'Of course, go ahead. What do you want to know?'

'What was your relationship like? You haven't really talked much about it,' Mark said, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and a hint of concern. You sighed softly, a hint of melancholy in your voice. 'Mingyu and I... we had our good times, but ultimately we were too different. It was an important experience for me, but some things just aren't meant to last.' Mark felt a certain heaviness in the air as he watched you.

He knew he needed to be careful, yet curiosity drove him on. 'I heard from Hanni that you and Mingyu lived together for three years. That must have been hard...' You looked surprised and somewhat overwhelmed that Mark knew about your cohabitation with Mingyu. 'Yes, that's true. We lived together for a while, but honestly, we grew apart during that time.' You paused briefly before continuing: 'We had different life visions. Our values and dreams no longer aligned.'

Mark listened attentively, but internally he struggled with a storm of emotions. The thought that you had lived with another man brought a sharp pain and unexpected jealousy. He tried to keep his emotions under control, but it was visibly difficult. 'That sounds really challenging,' Mark said, his voice trembling slightly from the effort to hide his feelings. He internally battled with himself over whether to ask the next question.

His gaze was thoughtful, almost distant. You noticed Mark's changed expression and asked curiously, 'Everything alright, Mark? You look like you're fighting an internal battle.'

Mark hesitated for a moment before asking the next question, his voice hesitant. 'Do you still love Mingyu?'

You raised her eyebrows in surprise and gave a playful response: 'Well, I think I love my cat more than Mingyu.'

But Mark remained serious, his eyes searching hers for a deeper truth. 'I'm serious, Y/n.' You looked directly at him, your eyes showing a mix of contemplation and openness. 'No, Mark. I don't love Mingyu anymore. That chapter is closed for me.'

A palpable sense of relief spread across Mark's face. He breathed deeply as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. You, noticing the change in Mark's posture, added with a suggestive smile: 'And who knows, maybe I'm now open to something new.'

Mark, surprised by her hint, became visibly nervous. He stuttered briefly before managing to speak. 'Ah, that's... that's interesting to hear.'

'Interesting?' You teased, your smile playing around your lips. Mark, now somewhat flustered, tried to find his words. 'Yes, interesting and... and good. I mean, everyone deserves a chance at something new, right?'

You nodded, your eyes twinkling with pleasure. 'Exactly, everyone deserves that chance.' You two exchanged a momentary look, and the air was filled with a mix of tension, humor, and an undefined expectation.

Mark's heart raced at the thought that maybe he could be this 'new chance.' You leaned back thoughtfully, looking at Mark with a mischievous twinkle in your eyes. 'So, Mark, since we're on the topic... what does your ideal type look like?' you asked playfully. Mark, surprised and a little embarrassed by her direct question, cleared his throat slightly. 'My ideal type? Well, that's an interesting question,' he said, gathering his thoughts. 'I think she would be someone who...' Mark hesitated, searching for the right words, 'someone empathetic and understanding, someone with a strong personality but also a playful side. And...', he added after a short pause, 'it would be important that she's someone my parents would accept.'

You raised an eyebrow in surprise. 'It sounds like your parents play a big role in your life.' Mark nodded seriously. 'Yes, they do. I come from a pretty religious and values-based family background. It's important to me to find someone who shares those values and is accepted by my family.' You smiled, visibly pleased by his honesty.

'That sounds like a good combination. Should she also have certain hobbies or interests?' Mark looked thoughtfully into the distance before replying. 'Well, it would be nice if she had an interest in music or art, but it's not a must. More importantly, she should be passionate – about what she does and believes.'

'Passionate, huh?' You repeated, your smile growing wider. 'That sounds quite romantic.' Mark blushed slightly at her comment. 'Well, maybe a bit,' he admitted. 'But I think it's important to have someone who inspires you and with whom you can grow.'

'That sounds wonderful,' You said, your eyes glowing warmly. 'And who knows, maybe you'll meet your dream woman sooner than you think.' Mark looked at her for a moment, his heart beating faster at the thought. 'Maybe,' he said softly, 'maybe she's already here.' You two shared a long, meaningful look, with unspoken words and feelings hanging in the air.

After a moment of silence, during which your gazes were still locked, Mark cleared his throat and turned to you. 'Well, since I've told you about my dream woman, what about you, Y/n? What does your dream man look like?'

You, having anticipated Mark's question, smiled mischievously. 'My dream man, huh?' you began, gazing thoughtfully into the distance. 'I think he would be someone humorous and intelligent. Someone who can make me laugh but also engage in deep conversations.'

Mark nodded, attentively listening to her words, a slight smile playing on his lips. 'Humor and intelligence, those are good qualities. Anything else?' he asked, a teasing sparkle in his eyes.

'Oh, yes,' You continued, 'he should also be empathetic and have a good heart. Someone who understands and cares for others.'

'Empathy is important,' Mark agreed, his smile growing wider. 'Sounds like you have a pretty clear idea.' You laughed softly. 'I might have a few ideas. And of course, he should have some charming quirks. Perfection is boring, isn't it?'

'Absolutely,' Mark said, his laughter mixing with hers. 'A little imperfection makes everything more interesting.'

'Exactly,' You said, and your eyes sparkled with pleasure. 'And how about you, Mark? Do you have any charming quirks?'

Mark feigned surprise. 'Me? Quirks? Never,' he replied, laughing. 'Okay, maybe a few. But I promise they're all very charming.' You two laughed together, and the atmosphere between them was light and playful.

In that moment, it seemed as if anything was possible, as if the boundaries between friendship and something deeper were blurring.

You leaned in slightly, your gaze intense and full of undisguised attraction. 'You know, Mark, I think the most important aspect is that he looks at me in a way that makes me feel like I'm the only person in his world,' you said with a voice deeper and full of desire. Mark felt the tension between them rise. Your eyes were locked on each other, and he couldn't miss the desire in your gaze.

As you slowly let your eyes wander to his lips, he understood the silent invitation. He leaned in, his heartbeat accelerating as he moved closer to you. Your faces were just a few centimeters apart, and he could feel her breath on his lips. Your eyes were half-closed, and Mark asked with a deep look if it was okay to kiss. You nodded slowly, a silent agreement between them. Just as your lips were about to meet, you both heard the voices of Karina and Haechan approaching.

Mark sighed in annoyance and pulled back, while you gave him an apologetic smile. The missed opportunity weighed heavily in the air.

As Haechan and Karina rounded the corner, Haechan broke into his typical mischievous laughter. 'What's up, guys? You look like you were just trying to crack the world formula!'

Mark and you exchanged a brief glance before turning back to their friends, leaving the unspoken lingering in the air.

You both tried to play off the situation and rejoin the company, but the electricity between you was palpable to anyone who knew where to look.

As Mark and you turned to their friends, you both tried to downplay your sudden closeness and the tension they had just experienced. Despite their efforts to act normally, there was a subtle crackling in the air, a testament to the near-intimacy you had shared.

You still felt the warmth of Mark's proximity and the disappointment that your moment had been interrupted by Karina and Haechan's arrival.

You stole brief glances at Mark, whose eyes occasionally sought and held yours before turning away again. Mark, with his heart still racing, found it difficult to fully concentrate on the conversation.

Each time your gazes met, he felt a pull in his chest, a silent testimony to their unfulfilled longing.

Karina and Haechan, rejoining the group, noticed the changed dynamics between you two.

Haechan, always ready for a joke, threw a teasing comment into the round: 'Did you two have a secret meeting while we were away?' His tone was light and joking, but his words struck a nerve. You responded with a forced laugh that sounded a little too loud and too quick.

'Oh, Dude, you and your conspiracy theories. We were just enjoying a bit of peace.' Mark added, his voice striving to sound casual, 'Exactly, sometimes it's nice to have a moment of silence, isn't it?' Despite your words, an underlying tension between you two was palpable, an electrifying energy amplified by your unfinished gestures and half-spoken words.

Every laugh, every gesture seemed charged with additional meaning, as if you were communicating in a language only you both understood.

The group continued their evening, but the atmosphere had irreversibly changed. There was now an invisible bond between Mark and you, growing stronger despite all efforts to ignore it.

Your friends sensed it, even if they couldn't articulate it. The electricity between Mark and you was subtle but undeniable - a silent promise of what could be, hanging in the air between them.

11 - When He And I Called It Day One

On your first day as an official couple, Mark woke up early in the morning, filled with a mix of excitement and nerves. He wanted this day to be perfect.

Planning to surprise you with breakfast, Mark set out to make pancakes - a recipe he had picked up online a few days earlier.

Meanwhile, you opened her eyes to find a loving message from Mark on your phone: 'Good morning, sunshine. Ready for our first day as a couple? Can't wait to see you. I've got a little surprise for you.'

Your heart skipped a beat with joy. You replied with a smiling emoji, eagerly anticipating the surprise. Despite his excitement, Mark managed to skillfully navigate the kitchen and prepared a tray with freshly made pancakes, strawberries, and maple syrup.

He added a small handwritten note: 'For the sweetest start to the day.' When you opened the door, you found Mark with a beaming smile and the breakfast tray in hand.

'For you,' he said, his heart pounding with excitement. You were touched and couldn't help but laugh. 'You made breakfast? That's so sweet of you, Mark.'

'I hope it tastes sweet too,' Mark replied playfully, placing the tray on the table.

You sat down together for breakfast. Mark nervously watched as you took the first bite. To his relief, you smiled broadly. 'This is really delicious, Mark. You've outdone yourself.'

After breakfast, you two decided to take a walk in the usual park. Hand in hand, you shared thoughts about your relationship and the future.

Mark, sometimes worried about meeting your expectations, voiced his concerns. 'I just want you to be happy, Y/n. I'll do my best,' he said earnestly. You squeezed his hand tighter. 'Mark, I'm happy with you. We'll grow and learn together. Don't worry.'

Later that day, they chose to visit a café. As you sat there drinking coffee, you playfully teased each other about their 'charming quirks,' as Mark called them.

You joked about Mark's 'serious teacher aura' he sometimes displayed, while Mark teased your 'irresistible tendency to be late.' As the day drew to a close, Mark walked you home.

Standing at your door, you faced each other, your gazes locked deeply. 'Today was a wonderful day,' you whispered.

'The first of many,' Mark replied, leaning in to give you a gentle kiss on the forehead. You smiled at each other, knowing you were at the beginning of a beautiful adventure together as a couple.

12 - When Our Friends Found Out

On a sunny afternoon, Mark, you, Haechan, Karina, and Hanni met at your favorite café, known for its cozy atmosphere and excellent coffee, a regular meeting spot for the group.

Greeting each other with hugs and smiles, you chose a table near the window where sunlight bathed the room in a warm, inviting light.

As you settled down, the mood was cheerful and relaxed. 'Have you seen Jaehyun's latest video? He's trying to start his own vlog,' Haechan started the conversation, leaning back in his chair. 'Yeah, I saw it. He definitely has the talent for it,' Karina replied, placing her order. Hanni, appearing somewhat thoughtful, nodded in agreement. 'He's really good at it. It's nice to see how each of us is branching out in different directions.'

During the conversation, Mark occasionally cast loving glances at you. Lost in thought, he finally leaned over to you and whispered softly, 'Can I get you anything else, Babe?' This moment of intimacy and tenderness between Mark and you brought an abrupt halt to the conversation.

The sudden use of the pet name made everyone at the table pause. Haechan, who always had an eye for such details, quickly turned to Mark and you. His eyes sparkled with excitement. 'Wait, did I just hear that right? Babe? Are you two now...?'

Mark, seeing the surprised faces, smiled sheepishly. 'Um, yeah, Y/n and I are officially together now.'

Karina, who always swooned over her friends' love lives, clapped her hands enthusiastically. 'Oh, that's so sweet! Finally! We've all been waiting for this.'

Sana, whose feelings for Mark were still hidden, tried to hide her disappointment. She forced a smile and said, 'That's really nice for you two. I'm happy for you.' But in her eyes, there was a glimmer of sadness.

Haechan nearly jumped up with excitement. 'I knew it! I told you guys! These two were just meant for each other.' He leaned over to Mark and gave him a friendly nudge. 'You lucky guy, you snagged the best girl.'

You, amused by the reactions, couldn't help but smile. 'Thank you, everyone. I'm really happy.'

Mark took your hand and held it tightly. 'Me too.' His gaze at you was full of affection and happiness.

Karina, always the romantic, sighed dreamily. 'You guys are like a dream couple from a movie.'

Haechan, never missing a chance to joke, added, 'Only better because we're the best supporting cast!'

Sana watched the happy couple and struggled internally with her own feelings.

13 - When We Finally Kissed

Mark and your first kiss as an official couple was filled with tension, passion, and a certain playful innocence.

On a warm evening, after a movie night, you two decided to take a short walk. The streets were quiet, and the soft sounds of the city provided a quiet, romantic backdrop.

Walking hand in hand, you both felt the electrifying energy between you.

Mark, usually reserved, felt bolder and more decisive than ever. 'Y/n,' he began, stopping and turning to face her, 'I've been waiting all evening to do this.'

Surprised by his openness, your heart raced. You smiled at him and whispered, 'And what's that?' Mark looked deep into her eyes, then gently placed a hand on your cheek. 'This,' he said softly before leaning in and pressing his lips gently against yours.

The kiss started tenderly and cautiously, as if testing the boundaries of your new relationship.

But it soon gained passion as you reassured each other of your affection.

You wrapped your arms around Mark's neck, deepening the kiss and pulling him closer. Mark reciprocated, his hands finding their way to your back to draw you in.

In that moment, there was nothing else but them. The noise of the world faded away, and all that mattered was the connection you shared. As you finally parted, your foreheads remained leaned together, and you caught your breath.

You smiled and giggled slightly: 'You definitely planned that all along, didn't you?' Mark, still breathless from the kiss, smiled back mischievously. 'Maybe. But tell me, was it worth the wait?' You nodded, your smile growing wider. 'Absolutely. But don't wait so long next time.'

14 - When I Wanted More Of Him

After a long, fulfilling day together, as evening turned into night. Standing in front of your apartment, wrapped in the soft glow of street lamps, Mark and you experienced one of those moments when time seems to stand still.

Mark was torn. On one hand, your proximity irresistibly to join you drew him in; on the other, he struggled with the deeply rooted beliefs of his religious background. 'It's getting pretty late, Y/n. I should probably head home,' Mark said, his voice hesitant, looking for a harmless excuse. In his heart, an internal conflict raged – the desire to stay with you versus his caution not to push things too far.

You, recognizing his hesitation, smiled understandingly. 'Oh, come on, Baby. Just a little longer. Some tea, perhaps?' you suggested, your voice soft and inviting.

Mark felt his resistance wane. The longing to be with your overpowered his apprehensions. 'Alright, but really just for a short while,' he finally replied, a faint smile on his lips.

In the cozy atmosphere of your apartment, surrounded by gentle lights and familiar silence, Mark and you found yourselves on the sofa once again.

It was you who made the first move, your hand tentative but firm, reaching out to touch Mark's face gently.

Mark, surprised by her initiative, felt his heartbeat accelerate. In that moment, everything else was secondary; his focus was solely on you, the woman sitting across from him.

Your closeness was overwhelming. Mark couldn't help but admire your beauty. Your hair falling softly over your shoulders, your eyes sparkling in the dim light, and your smile that captivated him every time.

As your lips met, it was an explosion of feelings and desire. Mark got swept away by the intensity of the kiss, the depth of their connection. The heat of passion rose between you two as your kisses grew more passionate.

Each kiss, each touch brought forth a new wave of affection. Mark felt complete in your presence, as if a long-missing part of him had finally been found.

Yet, in the midst of their intense make-out session, Mark paused, aware of the boundary he had set for himself. He took a deep breath, his breathing still fast from your proximity. 'I should really drink this tea before I go,' he finally said, his voice a little shaky but firm.

You, also breathless, disappointed from the break, but smiled understandingly. 'Of course, the tea,' she said, her voice playful. 'I almost forgot we made it.'

You two rose from the sofa, and Mark took his tea in hand, his thoughts still lingering on the moments that had just passed.

As he drank, he looked at you, a shy smile playing on his lips. 'Thank you for the tea... and for everything else,' he said, his words a mix of gratitude and embarrassment.

You chuckled softly. 'Anytime, Baby. It was a lovely evening.' As Mark put down his cup and turned to leave, he felt a tug in his heart. He knew this was just the beginning of something special. 'See you tomorrow, my love,' he said softly before leaving the apartment, still feeling the sensation of your lips on his.

15 - When I Met His Parents

When the day came for you to meet Mark's family for the first time, you was a bundle of nerves and excitement.

Mark, sensing her concern, tried to reassure her on their way to his parents. 'They're going to love you, just like I do,' he said softly, squeezing your hand.

Upon arrival, you both were warmly greeted by Mark's family. His parents, an educated couple with open hearts, showed immediate interest in you. Mark's father, a university professor, and his mother, a talented pianist, engaged in lively conversations about literature and music, topics you were well-versed in.

The conversation was vibrant and welcoming, with you quickly fitting into the family. You talked about your work as a behavioral therapist, which fascinated Mark's mother.

'It's so important to help people overcome their internal struggles,' she said appreciatively.

Throughout the evening, Mark's parents hinted at a possible wedding. 'We hope to host a beautiful wedding celebration for Mark and you one day,' said Mark's mother with a mischievous smile.

Mark felt slightly overwhelmed. He worried that these talks might be premature and put pressure on you. However, he dared not voice his concerns, fearing to disappoint his parents.

To his surprise, you took the remarks with humor and charm. 'Oh, I think we have quite a bit to discuss before we think about weddings,' you said, laughing. 'But it's good to know we already have your approval.' Your response brought laughter from the entire family and relaxed the atmosphere.

Mark's parents were impressed by your witty and warm nature. Mark watched the scene with a smile, relieved that you fit so well with his family.

16 - When He Was Foolish

At a cozy gathering at Johnny's penthouse, meant to be a simple get-together and have a good time, amusing scenes unfolded.

Haechan, Yuta, and Jungwoo had concocted something special to lighten the mood: an impromptu comedy sketch that had everyone laughing.

As the friends gathered in the comfortable lounge, the three "comedians" suddenly appeared in funny costumes. Haechan, dressed as an overly enthusiastic game show host, led the program. Yuta, as his silly assistant, wore oversized glasses and a crazy hat. Jungwoo took on the role of a confused contestant, constantly getting the simplest questions wrong.

The sketch began with Haechan hosting a fictional quiz show. 'Welcome to the most incredible, fantastic, and craziest quiz show ever!' he exclaimed with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Yuta pranced around him, distributing imaginary prizes to the audience, while Jungwoo tried to follow the instructions with a confused look.

The questions became more absurd, and Jungwoo's answers funnier. 'What's the main ingredient in a stone sandwich?' Haechan asked. Jungwoo, with a serious face, replied, 'Umm, bubble wrap?' The entire penthouse echoed with laughter.

Meanwhile, Mark and you were busy in the kitchen, chopping vegetables for the communal dinner. In the kitchen, shielded from the commotion in the living room, Mark and you were cutting vegetables for dinner.

Your hands worked skillfully as you engaged in a deep conversation. 'Do you know what I find strange?' Mark began as he sliced an onion. 'How different vegetables can taste depending on how they're prepared.'

You, cutting peppers, smiled. 'Yes, it's true. Just like people, right? We show different sides of ourselves depending on the situation.' Mark nodded thoughtfully. 'That's a good comparison. Sometimes I think we're all a bit like onions – layer by layer that has to be peeled back to get to the core.' You laughed softly. 'And sometimes these layers make us cry, right?' You winked at him while tasting a piece of pepper. 'Exactly,' Mark replied, laughing. 'But you know what's the best part? Finding someone you don't have to pretend with. Someone who likes all the layers.'

You put aside the pepper strip and looked directly into Mark's eyes. 'Like a certain person I know and deeply appreciate,' you said with a warm smile. Mark returned your smile and set the onion aside. 'I think I know who you mean.' He grabbed a piece of carrot and playfully held it to your nose. 'You know you're my favorite layer, right?' You laughed and snatched the carrot. 'Your favorite layer, huh? I'm flattered.'

Suddenly, Mark had a cheeky idea. He secretly took a candy snake, held it in his mouth, and turned to you.

You, who was peeling carrots, looked up in surprise and laughed. 'What's that supposed to be?' you asked amused.

Mark replied with a playful grin, still with the candy in his mouth. 'Dare to take the other end?' you, always ready for Mark's jokes, smiled broadly and accepted the challenge.

With a grin, you leaned forward and took the other end of the candy snake in your mouth. Both giggled as they slowly alternated pulling on the snake, drawing closer to each other.

You giggled mischievously. 'I hope we don't get caught,' you said, her words muffled by the candy. Mark countered playfully: 'Would that be so bad?' His eyes sparkled with pleasure. Finally, their lips met in a spontaneous, passionate kiss. You two forgot everything around you, your eyes closed, completely lost in the moment. The kiss was abruptly interrupted when you heard a clearing throat.

You two separated and turned to see Johnny standing in the doorway, grinning broadly. 'Do you mind if I get some water?' he joked, still grinning as he entered the kitchen.

Mark and you, now visibly embarrassed, watched Johnny head to the fridge with a playful smile. He grabbed a water bottle, casting a mischievous glance over his shoulder.

'You know, this vegetable isn't going to chop itself, right?' Mark, trying to play off the embarrassment, quickly replied: 'Oh, we thought we were here to kiss... I mean, chop the vegetables faster.' He laughed, but when he saw Johnny take his comment seriously, his eyes widened. 'Wait, Hyung, I didn't mean it like that!'

Johnny, taking a sip of water, grinned broadly. 'Don't worry, Mark. I won't tell anyone about your little kitchen adventure.' With a wink, he left the kitchen. Mark sighed loudly and shook his head.

You couldn't help but laugh at his naivety. 'You really are one of a kind, Mark,' you said, giggling. Mark looked at you, a smile spreading across his face. 'Well, I try my best. But seriously, let's chop these vegetables before Johnny comes back and thinks we're just here making out.'

Both laughed and returned to your task, but the cheerful mood and giggles remained as you two prepared the vegetables for the communal dinner.

17 - When He Was My Best Comfort

One day as you entered Mark's apartment, you tried to hide your inner turmoil by talking about trivial things. 'The traffic was so chaotic today, and I almost left my scarf at the café,' you said with a voice that sounded slightly shaky. Your smile did not reach your eyes, which were usually so lively and expressive.

Mark, who knew you well, immediately noticed that something was wrong. 'Y/n, is everything alright?' he asked gently, as he approached her. His eyes sought yours, trying to find the truth you were trying to hide.

You continued your forced smile and nodded quickly. 'Yes, yes, everything is fine,' you replied, but your voice didn't sound convincing.

However, Mark was not deceived. He stepped closer to you and looked directly into your eyes. 'Y/n, you know you can tell me anything. It's okay if you're not feeling well.'

You looked down at the ground for a moment, then looked back up at Mark. Your eyes, usually so full of life, now appeared sad and thoughtful. 'It's just...' you began hesitantly, 'my mother and I had an argument today. It's always the same issue - she just doesn't understand what I really want.'

Mark's expression softened, and he placed a hand on your shoulder. 'You can trust me. What did she say?' he encouraged you further.

You took a deep breath and began to open up. 'She has her own ideas of how I should live my life. It's so frustrating because it feels like she doesn't really see me.' Your voice trembled as you spoke, and Mark sensed how hard it was for you to talk about these feelings.

Mark pulled her into a hug. 'I'm here for you, Y/n,' he whispered." Mark wanted to lighten the heavy mood. With a crooked smile, he said, 'You know, when you cry like that, you remind me of a sad panda. But even then, you're the cutest panda I know.'

You couldn't help but laugh at his teasing remark. Despite your tears, Mark's words brought a smile to your face. You pressed yourself closer to his chest and hugged him tighter. 'I love you so much, Mark,' you whispered, your voice filled with deep affection and gratitude.

Mark's heart beat faster at your words, and he felt the warmth and depth of your feelings. He held you tight and whispered back, 'I love you too, Y/n. More than you can imagine.'

18 - When He Got Lost In Me

In their favorite quiet corner café, surrounded by soft background music, Mark and you sat at a small table, your coffee cups steaming in front of you.

The conversation was lively and full of laughter as you two talked about the little, everyday occurrences that had shaped your days.

You shared a funny incident at work where one of her colleagues accidentally showed the wrong presentation to an important client.

Mark laughed heartily as you mimicked the reactions of those present. 'And then he stood there, with a presentation on tropical fish, while everyone wanted to talk about unhealthy patterns in a work place!' You said, your eyes twinkling with amusement.

Mark grinned and responded with an insider joke: 'Reminds me of the time Haechan tried to convince us of the existence of mermaids.' You laughed together, your shared past and the many moments you had with your friends only strengthening your connection.

As you two continued to chat, seamlessly switching between serious topics and light-hearted banter, you shared your thoughts about a book you were reading, and Mark listened attentively, always fascinated by your view of the world.

He valued your profound insights and the way you looked at things. Amid their conversation, you made a personal remark about a mutual acquaintance, which made Mark laugh. 'That sounds just like him! I can totally picture him making a dramatic entrance into the room,' he said, his eyes shining with delight.

Captivated by your appearance, Mark found himself lost in a world where only her beauty existed. Every one of your gestures, each of your movements, drew him deeper under her spell. As you laughed, he noticed how your eyes turned into shining stars, and your smile ignited a warm feeling in his heart. At that moment, he realized how enchanted he was by you. He admired not only her physical beauty but also the vivacity and depth you radiated. Every expression on your face seemed to tell a story, and he wanted to hear each one.

You, immersed in her storytelling, initially did not notice Mark's distraction. You finished your story with a question: 'What do you think, should we do something special this weekend? Any particular plans?'

Mark, pulled from his thoughts, looked at you confused for a moment before gathering himself. 'Uhm, I was just...' he started, searching for the right words. Then, with a sincere and intense gaze, he said: 'I was just wondering how incredibly beautiful and fascinating you are,' he replied with a mischievous smile. 'Your words are like music to my ears, but I must admit, I was completely distracted by your smile just now.'

You was surprised by his unexpected romantic statement. A smile spread across your face, and a warm tingling sensation swept through you. 'That's a very charming distraction,' you replied, your cheeks slightly flushed. 'But try to focus on my question anyway.' Mark smiled sheepishly and nodded.

'Of course, sorry. Let's make this weekend something special. Just the two of us, somewhere where I can continue to be distracted by your beauty and your other parts.' You laughed and shook your head. 'You're hopeless, Mark Lee. But that sounds like a plan.' Your gazes met, and in that moment, you shared a deep connection that went beyond mere words.

19 - When I Got Jealous

In the shopping mall, as Mark and you strolled through the stores, you had a chance encounter with one of Mark's former classmates.

She was a lively young woman, obviously delighted to see Mark after such a long time.

She started chatting animatedly with him, and Mark, always up for a laugh, made one of his typical jokes. 'Do you remember how we used to study for exams, and I claimed my dog ate my notes?' he said with a mischievous grin. 'The funny thing is, I didn't even have a dog back then!' The classmate laughed heartily at his joke, while Mark was pleased that he could still provide amusement.

The conversation was light and carefree until the classmate suggested they should meet outside the mall sometime to relive old times. Mark, caught off guard by the suggestion, reacted hesitantly.

He cast a brief glance at you, your facial expression had slightly changed. 'Uh, that sounds nice, but I'm pretty busy these days,' he diplomatically replied, trying not to complicate the situation.

After Mark's former classmate left, you stood somewhat stunned. You were surprised that Mark did not mention you were his girlfriend was evident in your facial expression.

Mark, still oblivious to the extent of your discomfort, tried to lighten the mood: 'Maybe I should wear a sign that says: 'Taken and happy'!' he said with a grin.

You, however, were not amused. 'Would it have been so hard to just say you have a girlfriend standing right next to you?' you asked sarcastically, your arms crossed and your gaze averted.

Mark realized then that his light-hearted approach wasn't working. He stepped closer, his look serious and sincere. 'Y/n, I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought it was obvious. You are the most important person in my life, and everyone who knows me knows that. There's no one else for me but you.'

After Mark expressed his sincere feelings, you smiled slightly. 'But your old classmate apparently didn't know,' you retorted playfully. Mark looked at you directly, his gaze piercing and confident. 'Does it matter what she knows?' he replied softly. 'For me, only what we both know and feel counts. I don't need anyone else's confirmation to know what's in my heart.'

His words resonated with a deep, romantic echo in your ears, making your heart beat faster. You recognized the depth of his commitment and were touched by his charismatic sincerity.

You sighed softly, your smirk turning into a warm smile. 'You're right, Markie. I'm sorry I overreacted. I know you love me.' Mark gently wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a loving embrace. 'You're my everything, Y/n. I want you to always feel safe and loved.'

You felt a comforting warmth in your heart as you returned Mark's embrace. You could almost physically feel his affection and the strength of his feelings for you. Your heart felt light and buoyant.

Mark, noticing the change in your mood, loosened the embrace and looked into your face with a playful smile. 'Now that that's settled, how about we enjoy the rest of the day? Maybe with something that brings joy to both of us?' he suggested, his eyes sparkling with delight and a hint of mischief.

You couldn't help but smile. You felt any tension fall away from you, a calm and happiness surrounding you. You were convinced that the man in front of her, with all his love and charm, belonged wholly to you. 'That sounds like a perfect plan,' you replied with a beaming smile.

'I'm in, as long as it's something that makes both of us happy.' Mark nodded in agreement and took your hand. 'Let's make this day something special, Babe.' he said, leading her through the mall, hand in hand, looking forward to your time together and the many happy moments that lay ahead.

20 - When He Got Jealous

On an ordinary day, Mark picked up you from the hospital in his car. He parked and waited patiently as he saw you coming out of the building with a man, deeply engaged in conversation.

You seemed unaware of Mark's presence in the car. Mark observed as the mood between you grew more cheerful; you were laughing and giggling.

A wave of jealousy overcame him as he wondered why the conversation was taking so long. He finally signaled his presence by flashing his car's headlights.

You looked up, recognized Mark, and quickly excused yourself from your colleague. You said goodbye and cheerfully got into Mark's car.

"You scared me with that high beam," you playfully said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Mark didn't respond and drove off.

During the drive, your phone rang. You glanced at the screen and apologized to Mark before taking the call. Mark stopped telling his story and watched you as you spoke in a friendly tone. Jealousy simmered inside him as the conversation lasted longer than he liked.

You sensed the change in Mark's mood and looked at him with concern. "Baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. It was just a quick call from work," you tried to explain, but noticed Mark's continued irritability. "Penny for your thoughts?", you asked, sensing his inner battles again.

"It's just...", Mark hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "it bothered me to see you so cheerful with that guy. And then the call... it made me feel... well, jealous." Mark admitted, his words were soft and hesitant. He briefly looked at you before returning his gaze to the road.

You took Mark's right hand, which rested on the gear shift, and gently stroked it. "Mark, you don't need to worry. There's absolutely no reason for jealousy. I wish you would trust me more." Your voice was gentle, yet firm.

Mark felt the warmth of your hand and looked at you. He visibly struggled as he searched for the right words.

You continued: "I belong to you, Mark. No other man in this world, who isn't Mark Lee, could ever take your place in my heart." These words made Mark smile. His facial expression brightened, and a palpable relief flowed through him. "I know I should trust you more. It's just that the thought of losing you is unbearable," he confessed, his voice becoming softer. You smiled back and squeezed his hand tighter. "You won't lose me, Mark. I love you, and that's not going to change."

Mark nodded, grateful for your words and touch. "I love you too, Babe. More than anything else." Mark held your hand tighter, his fingers gently encircling hers.

He lifted your hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly while his eyes remained on the road ahead. This loving, respectful kiss on your hand was a silent promise of his devotion and loyalty.

"Thank you for always being there for me, Y/n," he said softly as he continued to drive. His grip on her hand remained firm and secure, a physical expression of his emotional bond with you.

You felt the strength of his feelings in the way he held your hand. You smiled, filled with the love that flowed between you two. "I'm always here for you, Mark Lee. Always."

#nct angst #nct oneshot #nct #nct fanfics #nct fanfictions #nct x reader #nct x you #nct x y/n #nct mark #nct mark fics #nct mark angst #nct mark lee #nct dream #nct 127 #mark lee #mark lee imagines #mark lee imagine #mark lee scenarios #mark lee scenario #nct mark scenario #mark lee angst #mark lee fluff #nct fluff #mark lee x reader #mar lee x y/n #nct u #nct dream x reader #nct dream x y/n

[moonctzeny]

hi, if you're still taking drabble requests could you please do mark + face-sitting and praise kink?? thank you <3

mark + face sitting

+

genre: smut

wc: 801

tw: making out, groping, grinding, face sitting, oral (female receiving), overstimulation, spanking, possesiveness

————————————————————

I think the best makeout sessions with Mark would happen at the early hours of the morning. He's had a long schedule and he told you not to wait for him but you did, patiently wasting time in his dorm until he returns. And he might scold you for staying up so late but he's happy to see you, so happy to have you in his bed. He's just gotten out of a hot shower, hair still wet as he rests his head against the bedpost. And your eyes almost fall closed from the exhaustion and the way his voice relaxes you but you still ask him how he's doing, listen to him go on about the dull and vibrant moments of his day.

He takes a moment after your conversation to finally enjoy the silence that the half-empty dorm offers and that gives him enough time to take a good look at you. To realize that you are here, all for him to enjoy, no distractions. So he pats his lap until you crawl your way over, parting your thighs to sit comfortably over his. A palm is soon rested on your cheek and Mark pulls your jaw down softly for a kiss, his 5 o'clock shadow pinching you a little but you don't mind. He tastes like the toothpaste he used earlier and his lips are so soft that it surpises you how hard they manage to press against your own.

You sigh into the kiss as you move closer so that your chests connect, and when he dips a hand under the t-shirt that you're wearing you gladly let him. His calloused fingers run up and down your spine, making your whole body shiver, and you wonder how he manages to make the whole room spin like that.

In a feeble attempt to ground yourself you dip your fingers through his wet locks, tugging on them slightly. With a muffled growl, Mark lets his head fall back, neck exposed and begging your teeth to sink in the flesh, and that's when you notice that his glasses have turned foggy from the heavy breathing. Mark doesn't like how composed you seem to look, hands steady as you take off his specs for him.

If you were good at masking your arousal before you sure suck at it now, a whiny whimper leaving your lips as he thrusts his hips upwards. His hardness nudges your clothed clit in the most delicious way and you start circling your hips over him in search of that same pressure again. Mark's response is his skillfull hands unclasping your bra, groping your chest as you ride him over your clothes. Struggling to keep your lips connected in the desparation of it all.

You almost come on the spot at his next request.

"Sit on my face."

Ridding yourself of almost all your clothes, you watch as your boyfriend lays down on the bed, one hand palming his cock over the cotton sweatpants he has on. With a pair of hungry eyes set on you, you pull your lacy underwear past your thighs, fabric peeling off with difficulty from how wet you've already become. With tentative moves, you hover over Mark's pretty face, taking a deep breath before lowering your hips.

The first lick feels like heaven- tongue collecting all the mess you've made for him. He moans in delight as he sucks at your clit, the vibration making you shiver. Kitten licks over your sensitive bud have you falling over, face planted on his thighs as you let one moan exceed the other. You bite on your hand to stay quiet, you're not alone in the apartment after all, and Mark squeezes your ass as a 'thank you'. God knows he'd want to hear you in your full glory, screaming his name and waking the neighbors, especially when you start to grind your pussy over his face, so close to your orgasm that it takes your breath away.

He's been taught to count his blessings but his mind can't even fathom how lucky he is at this moment, nor how many guys would kill to be in his place. In a sudden burst of possessiveness he lets his palm snap against your ass, the pain only pushing you to pleasure further.

It's while you're drooling over his sweats, with his cock pulsating against your cheek that you warn him you're gonna cum, white heat overwhelming you just seconds later, yet Mark doesn’t stop. He lets you ride out your orgasm freely, his nose bumping on your clit and making your thighs shake from the overstimulation. He starts by soothing you with his tongue, slow motions letting you rest before picking up the pace again.

He wonders how many times he can make you cum tonight.

#neowritingsnet #neohub #nct smut #nct dream smut #mark lee smut #mark lee scenario #nct drabble #mark lee drabble #nct scenarios #nct dream imagines #mark lee imagines #mark lee x reader #nct 127 smut #nct #nct dream #nct 127

[yootaesowlwrites]

Hot When You’re Angry - Mark Lee

A14— “You’re hot when you’re angry. Not that you’re not already really hot!”

Warnings: Explicit language, descriptive scenes, smut, angry/frustrated!Mark, nudism, face sitting, oral(female receiving), bruising, cum eating, rough sex, unprotected sex(reader’s on the pill), aftercare.

W/C: 1.9K

Age Warning: I will not take responsibility because you wanted to read this, but if you’re under the  age of 18+, DO NOT INTERACT OR READ. Do not take this as educational, this is fiction!

You hear the front door slam and sit upright on the bed, you slowly lock your phone and put it aside, you wait in anticipation for him to appear in the doorway, you could hear him approaching, his footsteps heavy as he got closer, you swallow as your heart rate also picks up when he finally does appear in the doorway, your breathing gets caught in your throat, his eyes were dark, and he carried a certain air with him, you could sense he was angry or frustrated.

“Mark…” You whisper, your tone wavering for a moment, he takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment, he grips onto the doorframe, and you watch his muscles bulge.

“Baby… I need your consent that I can fuck you, that I can fuck away my frustrations,” He says, his tone sounded calm, but he looked anything but calm, you swallow, feeling wetness polling between your legs, what did he have planned to get those frustrations out?

“Yes,” You whisper, you watch as he bites his lower lip for a moment and tilts his head back, he takes in a deep breath once more.

“Take off your clothes,” He orders, lifting his head and opening his eyes, they almost looked black from where you were sitting, you quickly climb off the bed, reaching for your shirt and pulling it off, almost thanking yourself mentally for not putting on a bra, you hear him hum as you reach for your shorts and push them down along with your panties, you step out of them and look at him. “Fuck… always so perfect and ready for me,” He moves closer to the bed, his fingers swiftly moving over the buttons of his shirt before pulling it off. “It’s been a horrible day, sweetheart,” He sits down on the bed before moving to the middle of it and laying down. “Come here… come sit on my face,” You swallow and feel yourself only growing wetter, you slowly climb onto the bed and move to hover over his chest, his arms wrap around your thighs and his hands grip onto the crease of your hips, pulling you over his face.

“Ohh, oh, shit,” You whisper, closing your eyes at the sudden feeling over his face between your legs and his breath blowing against your moist pussy. “Mark, baby…” You manage to whimper out. “Who got you angry on your birthday?” You feel his fingers dig into your skin, surely creating bruises.

“I’ll tell you later, but right now…” He begins. “Right now I need to let out my frustration,” You gasp as you feel his tongue against your pussy, licking a stripe along your folds before his tongue slips past them and licks a stripe along the inside of your folds, your breathing quickly picks up, and you can feel your insides churning, his nose brushes along your pussy as he licks and pushes his face more into your pussy, you try and lift off, but his arms around your thighs kept you in place, you reach out and grip onto the headboard, his tongue circles your clit a few times before sliding to your entrance and dipping his tongue inside.

“Fuck, ohh, oh, my, oh, fuck,” You whimper out, squeezing your eyes tighter, he wasn’t giving any kind of mercy as he licked and pushed his tongue inside you, you could feel a tightening feeling building up inside you, your fingers were starting to cramp up from gripping the headboard, your back arches, and you want to squeeze your legs shut, the feeling was completely taking over. “Mark… Marrrkk,” The noises coming from beneath you as he licked and sucked, your toes curl as you feel a warmth suddenly go through you. “Mark, Mark, fuck…” Your legs squeeze against the side of his face, his hands grip tighter onto you, and the tightening feeling inside you snaps. “MARK!” You tilt your head back, sweat breaking out on your sweat, he moans against your pussy, the vibrations causing your walls to squeeze around his tongue. “Oh, my go— fuck!” You try and lift off, trying to get away from the stimulation, but he held you down on him. “Maaaarkkk!” Your fingers slip away from the headboard, and you hunch forward, pressing your hands into the pillows, you move one hand to his hair and grip it.

“Fuck, Mark,” You moan, pulling at his hair, you gasp as he suddenly releases you, and you lift off his face, you look between your legs at his face, seeing the lower half of his face covered with your juices, you watch as he licks his lips clean and moves his eyes to look at you.

“Fuck, you taste so good,” He groans out, he moves out from underneath you, and you move to lay down, watching him, watching as he climbs off the bed and hearing the zipper on his jeans being undone, you lick your lips as you watch his cock hits his lower stomach, the head coated with pre-cum as he does. “The company pissed me off,” He climbs onto the bed, turning you onto your back and moving between your legs, his hand slides over your thigh before moving his hand to his cock, and guides himself between your folds, circling the head of his cock around your clit.

“Maaark, Mark,” You whine, you reach up and grip the pillows as he slowly slides his cock down to your entrance.

“But I’ll tell you after I have all my anger out,” He says, it almost sounded like a growl as he spoke, he pushes the head of his cock into you, your jaw slacks at the feeling, he releases his cock and moves his hand to your thigh and slowly moves it to the inside of your knee, his other hand moves to the inside of your other knee.

“FUCKFUCK!” You scream as he hooks your knees over his elbows and pushes your legs against you as he thrusts into you, filling you to the brim, your eyes roll to the back of your head, your walls contracting around him. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, Maaarkkk!” He lifts his hips, his cock sliding from you halfway before he thrusts into you again, your tits bounce at the harshness of his thrust, your breath getting caught in your throat for a moment.

“Fuck, so damn good,” He grunts out, his thrusts were deep and harsh as, the sound of your wetness squelching sounded so sinful, and the sound of your whimpers and whines filled the room, bouncing off the walls with his groans and grunts. “Fuck,” His fingers grip the top of your thighs, digging into your skin.

“Mark, it’s so good, fuck, fuck,” You moan out, your head thrashing against the mattress, your entire body feeling on fire. “Maarrkk,” His low groans were making you clench around him, and causing your clit to throb.

“Fuck, sucking my cock right in, so needy for it,” He groans out, your walls squeeze around him, your insides churning as a tightening feeling builds inside you. “Such a good girl,” Sweat was starting to build up onto his skin, he could feel his muscles starting to pull with how hard you were squeezing him, he slides his hands up your thighs, over your tummy and cups your breasts, squeezing them.

“Fuck, oh, oh, hmm,” You moan, your back arching, and your hips lifting into him, his cock hitting the spot that makes you see stars, your body quivers with pleasure, you reach up for his shoulders, digging your nails into his skin.

“Fuck, that’s it, that’s right, mark me up,” He grunts out, your nails claw at his skin as your grip slips on his skin, leaving red marks behind, he thrusts harshly into you and moves one hand around your leg and cups your mound. “Cum for me, beautiful, cum around my cock,” His fingers find your clit, and begin rubbing it vigorously.

“Mark, Marrrk,” You moan out, your eyes shutting and stars begin forming behind your lids, your muscles begin pulling, and you could barely control your breathing, your back bends away from the bed, your toes curl as the tightening feeling inside you snaps, and pleasure rushes through you. “Maaarrrkkkk!” You almost turn onto your side from the pleasure, if he wasn’t holding you in the position you were, you would have turned onto your side. “Fuuuck, fuck, so good, ohh fuck.”

“Fuck, you are,” He grunts out, his thrusts becoming uneven as he begins chasing his high, the head of his cock throbbed with a second heartbeat. “Making a mess on the bed and my cock, fuck,” You could feel the insides of your thighs belongs wetter the harshest he thrust into you, you were coming down from your high and feeling another slowly building up, your muscles were shaking as you feel his fingers still rubbing your clit, wanting another orgasm from you.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, ohhh my fuck, I’m oh, oh,” You moan out, releasing his shoulders to grip onto the sheets, twisting your fingers into the sheets and tugging at it, your toes were starting to hurt from having them curled for as long as you did. “FUCK!”

“That’s it, one more, just for me, one more,” He groans out, his fingers relentlessly rubbing your clit, you could feel the knot inside you becoming bigger and bigger until it snaps, your walls clamp down on him as you release around him once more, making him groan as his thrusts halt, and he buries himself inside you, his cock twitch as your walls pulse around him, your body shakes beneath him, his mind begins spinning at the feeling and seconds later hot ropes of cum spills from him and into you, coating your walls with his load, he pushes your legs more against you, lowering his head to your chest, pushing the one breast he was holding into the side of his face, groaning against your skin as he fills you with his load.

“Fuck… fuck, so good, fuck,” You moan out, you feel him slowly move away from you, your legs being released from the hold he had on them, he slowly pulls out from you, your mixed releases spilling from you and making a mess on the bed, he lays down next to you on the bed, laying his arm over your waist and pulling you against him, breathing hard, trying to catch his breath, you slowly open your eyes, your walls clench, and you feel more of your mixed releases spill from you. “What made you this angry?” You turn your head towards him, he lifts his gaze to look at you.

“They wanted me to stay late and go through some things, but when I showed up, the person had cancelled on me,” He says. “And no one told me or let me know, and I was waiting for thirty minutes before I went to ask,” You nod your head, understanding his anger and frustration. “It just angered me, because we had plans, and we had to cancel them,” You could hear the pout in his tone as he spoke. “And I feel bad we had to.”

“Hopefully this made up for cancelling them?” You ask, turning onto your side, whimpering as you feel more wetness leaking from you. “But we can make new ones for the night?” He smiles and leans closer to you.

“Hmm, what kind of plans?” He asks, leaning closer to rub his nose against yours.

“Well, I can go clean up and put on the set of lingerie I wanted to put on for our date,” You say, he licks his lips and swallow.

“I think you should save it for tonight when we have dinner,” He says. “I think I may have plans for them, on how to use them… or ruin them.”

#mark lee imagines #mark lee imagine #mark lee smut #mark lee scenarios #mark lee scenario #mark lee one shot #mark lee oneshot #mark lee oneshots #mark lee one shots #nct imagine #nct imagines #nct smut #nct smuts #nct scenarios #nct scenario #nct oneshots #nct one shot #nct one shots #nct oneshot

[cheosarang]

TEMPORARY FIX

Mark Lee (M)

fic 1 of the “Midnight Memories” 7DREAM series!

inspired by the song:

“you can call me, when you’re lonely, when you can’t sleep. i’ll be your temporary fix.”

TEMPORARY FIX || MARK LEE

🔞 NSFW. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

📝 written by cheosarang

📑 word count: 4,000+ words (i edited the rest on tumblr and i lost count 😆)

‼️ WARNINGS: alcohol use and drinking, unprotected sex, oral (M receiving), a little bit angsty but turns into something else at the end.

TAGLIST: @matchahyuck @m00minjunnie @bockhyun @ephemeral19s @shapeofgyu @ablackbtsstan @njmkjn @t5ukln0qi @teexzya @jenojammin @curieouscapt @thiccfullsun @jianreadsaus @airpodbaekuwu @univexrse

🔴⚫️

August 2020

“Jaehyun?!” You gasp, as one of your hands immediately comes into contact with your lips, covering your mouth.

“Holy shit,” He mumbles, as he and… whoever the girl was on his bed, scampers around the bedroom you two shared, looking for their clothes. “Y/N, please don’t go. I can explain!” He exclaims, hurriedly slipping into his shirt and boxers, but you were already about to bolt out the front door.

As your hand reaches to open the door knob, Jaehyun grabs ahold of your arm.

“Y/N, it’s not what it looks like, she and I-“ He begins, and you scoff, tears welling in your eyes.

“You know what Jaehyun? Save it.” You say in anger and disbelief, as you try your best to compose yourself in front of him, even though your heart feels like it’s shattering into a million pieces. “We’re over.”

Without looking back, you exit the apartment, never to return.

🔴⚫️

October 2022 (present day)

9:13 AM

“Fuck.” This was the first word you mumbled to yourself, the moment you woke up. You hated how you still dreamt of the day when your ex, Jaehyun, cheated on you two years ago. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself that you’ve completely moved past it, for some reason, no amount of tequila shots could erase the hurt and betrayal that the experience has given you.

You exit your room and make your way to the apartment kitchen, where your best friend, Yeji, was making pancakes.

“Moooorning!” She said in a sing-songy tone, as she puts the pancakes on a plate, and slides them over to you as you take a seat on the chair by your table.

“Morning,” You mumble, taking a bite from the pancake.

“You seem to be in a bad mood.” Yeji points out. “Rough night?” She questions, as she pours a glass of orange juice for you and herself.

“Yeah, I had a nightmare.” You tell her, rolling your eyes at the thought, while taking a sip from your drink before continuing. “I dreamt of that night again.”

“That night?” She frowns, not seeming to catch on to what you meant at first.

“Yeah, THAT night.” You emphasize even more this time, and she gasps, finally catching on.

“Oh… I get it. The one that happened two years ago? Y/N! You’re such a lovely person. You honestly did not deserve any of that. And it’s a shame that your subconscious keeps replaying that memory in your head through the form of dreams.” She scoffs, shaking her head in disbelief while digging into her own stack of pancakes.

“I know! It frustrates me. It was a really really fucked up situation. I really don't need any more reminding.” You complain to her.

“But I have an idea, though. Something that can make you forget it!” She smiles at you, and you frown in disapproval. “You’re already making a face! Let me finish first please?”

The reason for your unenthusiastic behavior was because everytime Yeji says something like that, it always ends up not going well. You then recall to her how one of her past ideas to make you “forget” resulted in the two of you waking up to see your apartment in a mess, both of your heads throbbing in pain from the alcohol. The worst part of it all was that you both had to clean despite feeling the worst hangover.

“Okay fine whatever, I admit my idea at that time was really dimwitted. But believe me when I say that this time around, you’ll actually have fun!” She says, really trying to convince you. “Pleaaaseee…”

You sigh. “Gosh alright, alright! But only because you prepared breakfast today.”

“Yay!” She squeaks, jumping out of her chair. “Here’s my idea… I want you to come with me to a university party tonight.”

🔴⚫️

8:30 PM

Bright lights, thumping music, and a shit ton of people. You were really at a party, alright. Your stomach begins to turn as you and your best friend make your way towards the entrance of the house.

“Yeji, I seriously don't like the look of this.”

“C’mon Y/N! What Jaehyun did to you was not your fault. Since you guys broke up, I noticed how you have refused to talk to anybody else. I mean, I understood it the first few months. Even during the first year. But it’s been two years now. And as your best friend, it hurts me to see you mope around your room doing nothing. Which is why I dragged you all the way here! Not to make relationships, because if you aren’t ready, I respect that! I invited you to come because I just want you to meet new people who might distract you from whatever loneliness you’re feeling.” She says to you over the loud music, squeezing your hand.

You were left speechless by her statement, as it slowly dawned upon you that she did have a point.

Maybe the reason why you keep dreaming of that traumatic experience is because you need somebody to help you forget it. Somebody to help you fully free yourself from it.

Taking a deep breath, you condition your mind to let go, and as soon as Yeji hands you the red cup with alcohol in it, for the first time in two years, you’ve felt lighter.

In between the dancing and small talk with the other party goers, you’ve failed to notice that you’ve lost your best friend. You figured she was probably dragged away by Juyeon, her boyfriend. So you’ve situated yourself in the corner of the room, drinking your, what seems to be, 4th cup of alcohol. From the spot you’re standing at, you can see people talking, dancing, making-out, while others are just doing the same as you… drinking alone. Your phone suddenly lights up, and a text notification from Yeji appears.

YEJI: heyy y/n! where r u

YOU: i’m at the corner near the stairs, y? wbu? wru?

YEJI: r u alright??? i’m with juyeon! lmk if u wanna go home ok, juyeon will drive us. hes not drunk xox but we r in his room

YOU: ya.. nope no thanks. i’m fine. u guys hv fun tho, i’ll probably just call an uber otw home.

YEJI: u sure?

YOU: yep, i’m planning to go home in a few mins anyways :)

With that, you lock your phone screen. You were so busy texting that you failed to notice that someone else was standing right beside you.

White shirt, skinny jeans, a black wrist watch, with his raven colored hair slicked back. You didn’t need a second glance to know that the person beside you was none other than your Freshman year crush… Student Council President and straight-A student, not to mention the exceptionally handsome Mark Lee.

He also happened to be watching the rest of the party from your view, and the silence between the both of you was so thick, you cleared your throat to get rid of the awkwardness, before speaking.

“Hey?” You say in a questioning tone, and he chuckles, facing you.

“Hey. Long time no chat, Y/N.” He replies, a small smirk forming on his lips. “I was wondering how long it would take before you actually noticed I was here.” He tells you jokingly, sipping from his cup.

“Oh-yeah right, uhm. Sorry. I was texting my friend.” You stammer, drinking from your cup as well, realizing that you’ve already finished your drink.

Mark immediately takes notice of this, and says “Do you want me to get you a drink?”

“Sure, that would be lovely.” You smile, feeling a blush creep onto your face. He’s still as cute as you remember. You thought to yourself.

As soon as he returns back to your little corner, he hands you back your cup.

“Do you wanna get some fresh air outside? It seems too stuffy to chat here.” He tells you.

Being around him made you feel like you were in some sort of trance, unable to refuse whatever it is that he asks of you. It’s also worth mentioning that this is the first time in a long time that you actually liked being around somebody else (other than your best friend, Yeji), a familiar face… which is why you saw this as a great opportunity to catch up with Mark, an old friend.

“Yeah, sure thing.” You agreed.

The two of you make your way out to the back of the house, where an open area is available. Unlike indoors, there were only a few people outside. Some of them passed out drunk on the beach chairs by the pool. You both decide on sitting on the grass at a secluded part where a small garden was situated, as you and Mark look at the stars.

“I was wondering what a beautiful girl like you was doing alone in there.” He says, breaking the silence.

“What? Oh. Uh.. I actually just got dragged here by my best friend, Yeji. And then she left with her boyfriend.” You reply, scoffing a little as you face him. “I was actually planning to go home. You know. But then I saw you!”

“That’s cool… but what about you, though? You only came here with Yeji? Where’s your boyfriend?” He asks, curiosity lacing his voice.

Of course Mark knew who Jaehyun was. He remembers how crushed he felt after knowing that you were already taken by someone else. Ever since the two of you became groupmates for a project during your Freshman year, he caught himself smiling when you glanced back at him, or when you’d talk to him. It’s a shame that after your project, whatever closeness was beginning to form between you and Mark immediately disappeared when Jaehyun came into the picture. Naturally, he couldn’t react nor show that he was jealous, because he never even told you that he liked you in the first place… and that even until now, he still does.

“We broke up.” You state, looking down at your crossed legs.

“Oh… I had no idea. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, I- I really didn’t know.” He tells you honestly.

Just to move on from you, he’s also had a few relationships here and there. Nothing ever serious. In that time, he tried to forget how he felt about you, which is why he never really asked around for details concerning you anymore. So your revelation about how things were between Jaehyun and you came off as a surprise to him, but if anything, a pleasant one. Because that meant that now, he finally had a chance.

“It’s okay.” You shrug. “It was a long time ago anyways, besides- I have someone cuter beside me anyways now.” You suddenly blurt out. You had no idea if it was the 5th cup of alcohol speaking, or if it was the fact that you’ve always had a little crush on Mark but was too afraid he would never feel the same from the start. You like to think it was probably the former.

Mark looks at you with wide eyes, as you inched your face closer to his, your breaths fanning against one another. Surprise washes over you when Mark suddenly crashes his lips onto yours, his hands caressing your face and pulling you closer, as you tangle your fingers in his hair. His tongue swipes across your bottom lip, and you open your mouth, his tongue and yours fighting for dominance. His hands then make their way to your breasts, fondling them, as you adjust to a brand new position and find yourself caressing him, sitting on his lap, your ass against his crotch.

You can feel his cock hardening beneath you, as you slowly grind back and forth in between kisses, a moan escaping his and your lips.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck- Y/N wait.” He suddenly stops you, holding your hips, as your eyes shoot open.

Shit. You kind of forgot where you were at the moment. You look around and sigh in relief as you realize that no one was around to see your intense make-out session. “God, i’m so fucking sorry Mark, seriously.” You ramble, standing up, and he stands up as well.

“What are you saying sorry for? Honestly? I liked whatever we were doing.” He tells you. “Did you?” He asks.

“Of course I did. But-” Images of your ex and him cheating on you come flooding back to your memory. Mark was intoxicating. You couldn’t resist him. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t want anything to happen between the two of you tonight… but you’d also be lying if you say that you’re willing to commit to another relationship.

“But what?”

“If we’re going to continue whatever we were doing tonight… promise me that there’s never going to be any feelings involved.” You say with a very serious face.

Mark was already fucked in the “no feelings” part. He liked you. So much. But he’s been waiting for this moment for so long, that he’d be willing to take any opportunity to be close to you, even if it meant pretending that his feelings for you were never there.

“I mean, yeah. Okay. You can call me when you’re lonely, or when you can’t sleep… I’ll be like, your temporary fix? You know. Friends with benefits. Only if you want to.” He smiles, and if you weren’t still picking up the pieces your ex broke, you swore that you’d actually give Mark a chance. But for now, whatever this was, will do. Those mere minutes you spend with your lips on his made you forget, and now you want more.

“Deal.” You say. “So, how do we finish where we left off?”

“You know what, I have an idea.” Mark says, as he takes your hand in his and you both run back into the house, up the flight of stairs, then locking yourselves inside an empty room.

You hungrily kiss him as he presses you against the door. One of your hands palming his already hard crotch.

“Fuck, I need to be inside you.” He whispers, kissing your neck.

“Shit, okay.” You say, taking off your jeans and your panties all in one go. You also remove your shirt swiftly, unclasping your bra, as Mark was also removing his clothes at the same time.

“Do you have a condom?” You ask him, since you’ve stopped using the pill for a while after the break-up.

“Of course.” Mark tells you, grabbing one from his wallet inside his jeans, tearing off the wrapper with his teeth, before slipping the rubber on his length.

“Bend over.” He commands, and you kneel down the bed, ass up, face down.

“Damn, so pretty. Mark whispers, as he looks at your dripping pussy.

He lines himself up to your hole, before slowly pushing into you.

“Fuckkkkkk…” You moan out loud, biting your lip, as you feel his thick cock entering your tight hole.

“Y/N, this isn’t your first time, right baby?” Mark asks you, thrusting in and out of you slowly.

“N-no,” You reply.

“Then why are you so fucking tight for me?” He asks you, as the tip of his penis begins to brush against your g-spot.

“Oh my god! Right there, Mark, hngh.” You whimper, your hand making it’s way to rub your clit to increase the pleasure.

“Baby wait.” He says, swatting your hand away. “That’s my job,” He tells you, as he replaces your hand with his, and he proceeds on rubbing your clit while thrusting in and out of you.

The pleasure was overwhelming, and you can feel your brain becoming hazy. “Mark, oh god. Please. Fuck. Oh, shit.” Was all the words that managed to come out of your mouth.

He continues to thrust harder into you. “‘M gonna cum.” You manage to choke out, and he stops rubbing your already sensitive nub.

“Don’t yet, wait for me, I'm close too.” He says, as he places a hand on your ass and starts thrusting in and out of your cunt at a fast pace, hitting your sweet spot over and over again. You cry out his name as he spills his seed into the condom. You’ve never felt that much pleasure in a while, and you found yourself hooked on it once more.

You lay down on the bed, chest heaving up and down, as Mark removes his condom, and throws it inside the trash can by the bedroom’s bathroom.

“Fuck, Y/N. You look so hot lying down on the bed like that. You make me want to fuck you again.” He says, and you smirk.

“Is that so?”

🔴⚫️

THREE WEEKS LATER

EARLIER THAT DAY

That night at the party with Mark, brings you to your current position.

It all started with just an innocent text of you asking him over so you guys could watch your favorite Netflix series together.

YOU: markkkkk? 😄

MARK: yeah, y/n? what’s up? :D

YOU: are you free to come over?

MARK: for? 😏

YOU: netflix! dumbass HAHA this is you fulfilling the FRIENDS part in our friends with benefits agreement 🙄

MARK: riiiiight. ok sure i’ll be over in 5

It did take him only 5 minutes to drive to your apartment. The thing that made this entire agreement between the two of you easier was the fact that you both lived in close proximities. If you call him, you’re just a 5 minute drive away.

He steps out the elevator and onto the floor your apartment was in. He’s been here a couple of times already, so he knew your apartment number, all those kinds of things. Ringing the doorbell to your house, you immediately open the door, as if you’ve already been behind it, waiting for him all these minutes ago.

Mark’s eyes couldn’t help but wander over to your thighs, and the shorts you were wearing. He also noticed how you had an oversized shirt on, but your nipples could practically be seen on it. How on earth was he going to survive sitting beside you, watching Netflix, resisiting the urge to fuck you?

“Like what you see?” You tease him, noticing that he was looking at your body. You gesture him to come inside.

“And if I say yes?” Mark replies to you.

“Well we’d have to do something about that… later.” You wink playfully, making your way over to the couch you and Yeji share and sitting down.

He closes the door behind him, as he sits right beside you.

“So? Where’s your apartment mate?” He asks you, as you open the television and pick up where the two of you left off in the show Bridgerton.

“She’s gonna be out late today. I think she won’t come home ‘till early morning tomorrow. Apparently she had stuff to do for her dance troupe thingy. Choreographing and fixing the group blockings and such.” You promptly explain, and he nods, staring at the TV.

The two of you sit pretty much in silence after that. Occasional comments have been thrown about a couple of characters here and there between the two of you, but other than that, the conversation was to a minimum. This is one of the things you enjoyed that came with being around Mark.

After finishing one episode, you suddenly felt the coolness of the room getting to you. “It’s cold, I should probably get a blanket.” You smile at Mark, pausing the series, and he nods at you.

“I’ll wait for you right here.”

“Maybe you should pull the sofa as well? So we can lay down. It turns into a bed.” You let him know, and he nods, standing up from the couch and proceeding to pull the extension part out.

You return to the living room with pillows and a blanket, throwing one of the pillows at him. “Catch!” You say, and he does catch it effortlessly. “You’re good.” You compliment him, and he chuckles.

“I like to think i’m better than just ‘good’.” He winks, as he lays down on the sofa-bed.

“God Mark!” You sigh, laughing a little, as you position yourself right beside him on the sofa-bed, covering the two of you with a blanket. You play the TV.

A few minutes have passed, and you feel a tension in the air that lingered from all the teasing that happened between you and him today. Even your favorite series seemed to be boring, and so a naughty idea came into your mind.

You purposely pressed your ass against Mark’s cock, grinding slowly. This surprises him at first, until he realizes what you were doing. Blood rushes immediately into his cock, as he feels your plump ass rubbing against his length, the friction enough to drive him crazy.

“I knew this night wouldn’t end without the two of us fucking. You just can’t get enough of my dick, can you?” He says, turning off the TV with a smirk plastered on his face.

—

Right now, you were currently inside your room, on your knees, as he fucks your mouth with his dick. He pulls your hair as a breathy moan escapes his lips, while he thrusts into your mouth steadily. You start to feel his dick hit the back of your throat, saliva dripping from out your mouth. You moan in response, looking up at him.

“Shit, Y/N, baby… I'm gonna cum if you keep doing that.” He says through gritted teeth, and you release his cock from your lips with a ‘pop’ sound. You lick his dick one last time, kissing the red tip, before standing up and laying on the bed, removing the only piece of clothing on your body, which was a lace underwear.

“Mark… I need you in me… Right now.” You say, laying down on his bed and spreading your legs apart.

“You’re eager.” He chuckles, and you roll your eyes. “But isn’t it unfair, Y/N? I always give you what you want easily…” He adds, trailing off. “I wanna do things differently this time.”

“Different in what sense?” You ask him innocently.

He wanted to ruin you.

“I want to hear you beg.” Mark tells you, his voice sounding deeper than usual.

Since the start of this friends with benefits agreement with Mark, the two of you have fucked 9 times in the past 3 weeks. He was something you’re addicted to. You just can’t get enough of him, and he couldn’t get enough of you, either. This is the 10th time you’re having sex with him, but it’s the first time he has ever asked you to beg. Which is why his statement made your heart race, your mouth practically watering at the sight in front of you. He by the edge of the bed, waiting for your response. He steadily strokes his long, hard dick, and you could feel your clit throb…you were just so eager to have him in you. To fill you up.

“Mark, please fuck me…” You say, feeling somewhat shy, and your voice barely above a whisper.

“Hmm?” He asks, sitting on the bed now, and tapping his dick on your glistening pussy that was dripping with your juices ever since a while ago when you still had his cock in your mouth. “I need you to say it louder.”

“Mark, baby, please. I want your cock inside my cunt, I need to feel you— Want you, need you— i’ll be good I promise. I just really really want to feel you in me.” You practically beg, and the look on your pretty face, the way your voice begged for his cock sent Mark’s head reeling.

So he wastes no more time. He needed to be inside you, too. He teases your slit one last time with his dick, collecting your juices before slowly pushing into you, “Ugh, shit, that feels so good!” You moan out.

“Fuck. You’re so wet for me, Y/N.” He says afterwards, as he bottoms out inside of you, your tight walls wrapping around his length.

His thrusts start out slow, and he steadily picks up the pace, the sight of you underneath him, the force of his thrusts making your tits bounce up and down, enough to push him close to the edge. “You feel so good around me.” He says, leaning down and licking your nipples, before sucking on them.

In between moans and exchanged praises between the two of you, you open your eyes and see Mark now hovered above you. He has abandoned your breasts and his lips were caught in between his teeth, softly grunting, he opens his eyes and focuses on his dick entering and coming out of your pretty cunt.

“Mark… Mark! P-Please don’t stop- ugh, h-harder…” You moan out, reaching for his hand and intertwining your fingers with his. He looks at how your hands and his are clasped together, which makes him feel all sort of things.

He couldn’t believe he had you now, not exactly in the way he expected from the start, but he still had you. It was him fucking you dumb right now. His name falling from your lips. And that was more than good enough.

He leans down again to softly make-out with you as his thrusts slowly become sloppy. His tounge enters your mouth as you kiss him back hungrily. You wanted more of him, if that was even possible. You tug on his hair when he suddenly brushes against your g-spot.

“Mark! Shit! God,” You exclaim. He untangles your hands together and he takes your left nipple in between his fingers, playing with it. “Right there, please, d-don’t stop, baby. It f-feels so good. I’m gonna- ah, I’m gonna cum.” You whine, closing your eyes. You can feel your walls tighten around him, signalling him that you’re really near your high.

He groans in response, as he appreciates how you beautiful you look beneath him, your lips slightly parted, hair a mess, moaning nothing but his name, like it’s all you know. “You’re so beautiful, Y/N. So perfect. Fuck.“ He can’t help saying.

You smile at his words, as you pull him down for a kiss once more.

“I’m close too, wait. Fuck, Y/N, baby girl, y-you’re doing so well.” He mutters burying his face into your neck, as he thrusts in and out of you at an erratic speed.

His name continues to fall out of your lips like a chant, you reaching your high first, a little earlier before him.

He pulls out, pumping his dick and shooting white ropes of cum on your stomach. He collects some of it on his finger, before bringing it to your lips. You open your mouth and take his fingers in it, sucking them and swallowing his cum. He takes his finger out of your mouth and pecks your lips.

“Good girl. You were amazing today, baby.” He says, kissing your forehead and brushing a hand through your hair, before he hops out the bed.

“Mark? Where are you going?” You ask him, pouting, as you sit up on his bed, trying to stay awake, despite your eyelids already feeling heavy.

He slips a shirt on and gets himself clean boxers and shorts. You couldn’t help but notice the red, glowing numbers that showed itself on his bedroom clock, as you waited for his answer.

It was 12:42 A.M.

“I’m gonna get water downstairs, as well as a towel, so you could clean up, darling. Wait for me.” He smiles sweetly at you, kissing your cheek. You return a small smile back at him, despite feeling exhausted from the fucking.

“My eyes are deadass closing already.” You tell him in a joking tone, but it was actually happening. “Incase I fall asleep before you come back… good night.” You giggle, and he chuckles in response.

“I won’t be too long anyways… But yeah. Good night, Y/N.”

When he exits his room, you lay down, dropping yourself onto his pillow with a soft thud.

Darling. Mark’s voice echoes in your head, bringing a smile yet again on your face.

You were not yet ready to tell Mark as well, but after a few weeks of spending time with him, other than the sex, you were beginning to feel like your temporary fix, may not be just a temporary fix anymore. Or a fix in general. You couldn’t help but think that you’ve started falling for him. You’ll tell him one day. Maybe when you wake up tomorrow morning. Or the day after that. But your body was so exhausted, so you brought it upon yourself that you will tell him some other time. Just not tonight.

Mark returns to his room with a warm washcloth and a glass of water for you. You were already sleeping, but when you felt the washcloth on your skin, it woke you up just a tiny bit. You stay half-awake until he finishes cleaning you up, you had your eyes closed, but you still had an idea of what he was doing.

Once he is done, he stares at you and finds himself falling more in love with your image. With you. Everything about you. He thought you were asleep, but you weren’t really. Not yet.

He slips into the blanket, right beside you, and he doesn’t know it, but you also manage to hear the words he says before he turns the lights off. “Y/N… Baby. I’m not really sure what we are yet… Or if there’s ever going to be something more between us. I’m always hoping there will be. But for now, I'm glad that you let me be your good night.”

The heart fluttering feeling you felt the moment those words came out of his lips remained there as you drifted off to sleep in his arms.

🔴⚫️

💌 short message from the author

AAAAANDD that’s it for the first one shot in the 7DREAM midnight memories series!

tbh i honestly didn’t plan on this to be a little fluffy when i first had it in mind HAHAHAHA nonetheless, i sincerely hope you all still enjoyed this one as much as i enjoyed writing & conceptualizing it. ☺️

i would also like to take this opportunity to express how truly grateful i am for all the reblogs & likes on this series’ preview. your comments inspire me a lot to write even more! so pls don’t be shy to share ur thoughts with me on my asks or leave a comment under my posts! reading what you guys have to say will truly make my day. hope ur all having a wonderful day ♡

xoxo, izzie <3

#mark lee smut #mark lee #nct mark smut #mark smut #nct dream smut #nct 127 smut #nct u smut #mark lee scenario #mark lee imagine #mark lee x reader #mark lee x reader smut #dreamies smut #nct dream imagine #renjun smut #jeno smut #haechan smut #donghyuck smut #chenle smut #jisung smut #mark lee au #mark lee one-shot #nct mark au #jaemin smut #nct dream x reader #nct 127 x reader #nct u x reader #nct x reader #mark lee fanfic #mark lee fic #nct dream fanfic

[strawberryrickyz]

bridgerton au — mark lee imagine

a/n: not proofread oops! i wrote this a long time ago for my friend and it’s so silly and fun i decided to post

word count: 460

• mark is a stable boy and ur a lady and need i say more?

(more under the cut!)

• he makes you laugh unlike other men and doesn’t see you as an object for power yk

• since ur a duke’s daughter and men only look at you for your family name and nothing else

• and here is this goofy stable boy with a nice smile—who’s weirdly well read? why is he so literate in shakespeare that’s a little odd?—and he looks at you like you put the stars in the sky

• suddenly the idea of being a duchess becomes less and less appealing if it means you can’t be with him and have to be sold off to the highest bidder but—

• mark suddenly disappears!

• you’re worried sick your dad has a knowing look on his face your mother is like who cares he’s poor

• your most prominent suitor is growing more and more impatient with your half assed dismissals of his proposals and vows to go directly to your father with the next and

• you’re SCARED SHITLESS READER bc oh my fucking god where is MARK?

• plus this creep is trying to force you to marry him so he can have all your family money and power and ur like jesus fucking christ what is this mess maybe i should become a nun

• and that pushy suitor comes to your estate to claim you and your biting your nails as he tries to butter up your bored father who is only being nice to save face

• when suddenly there’s a POUNDING ON THE DOOR

• THE FRONT DOOR

• in comes mark in royal regalia? and he’s…. not dressed like a stable boy?

• you’re very confused where did he get the royal get up this doesn’t make any sens—

• he interrupts that pushy bastard and says “no. you cannot marry her because she has already been promised to me”

• he gives you a knowing look, your heart is racing

• his look reminds you of not long before he disappeared you sat in the meadow together behind the stables where the horses were exercised and he braided a daisy clumsily into a ring and promised: one day he would make you his wife

• he finally declares that he—prince mark lee who had fled his country because of his tyrannical uncle who had ordered him to be killed upon killing the previous king—had retaken his rightful throne and is keeping his vow of making you his wife!

• your fathers knowing smiles and mark’s education despite being a stable boy makes more sense

• with a smile, mark takes your hand, never again does he plan on letting it go.

#nct fic #mark lee imagine #mark lee scenario #mark lee fanfic #nct fanfic #nct imagine #nct scenario #nct au #strawberryrickyz #mark lee au #mark lee x reader #nct x reader

[hyuckmov]

mark — sex by the 1975 

does he take care of you? could i easily fill his shoes but you say no you say no 

ex!mark x reader, jaehyun x reader (feat. best friend yeji) 1.8k, angst, a bit of fluff, sad ending (for mark) a/n: was listening to sex by the 1975 and i couldn’t stop thinking about this line so... here this is

somehow, like it’s intuition, like it’s clockwork, mark is always at his window to see you when jaehyun drops you off. 

the first time you notice is on your third date. jaehyun walks you to your door, and you’re thinking of maybe inviting him in: his eyes are doing the crescent-thing that caught your eye from across the company mixer, and in the light of your doorway his dimples and his smile are ever more endearing. your hand is on the doorknob, and he raises his eyebrows at you, almost daring you to invite him in…and mark’s kitchen light flickers on. and in the falling darkness of the evening, it is ever more obvious. 

looking over jaehyun’s shoulder, you look into mark’s now illuminated kitchen. he’s sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of something in his hands, not even hiding the fact that he was watching the scene, watching everything happen. you wonder if he’s been watching since the minute jaehyun pulled up in the driveway. and suddenly, jaehyun completely forgotten, you know exactly what he looks like: brows furrowed, eyes dark and serious, staring into your own. 

the moment is shattered. “it’s late, you should go home”, you turn and give jaehyun a sad smile. confusion flickers across his face, and you instantly regret it, but it’s too late: he’s nodding and walking back to his car. 

“have a good night, y/n. i’ll see you soon.” 

as he drives off, the light in mark’s kitchen goes dark as well. 

x

when you both realized he would only be moving out just to be your neighbor, neither of you knew what to say. you think that he must be bitter about it: even while trying to get you out of his life, there you were right in the middle of it. the first thing he would see when he looked out the window in the morning. 

in the months that follow after mark became Mark, ‘i have a boyfriend’ becoming ‘he’s not my boyfriend anymore’, you realize you’ve forgotten so much of why you even broke up. the excuses you gave to people, short summaries of where it went downhill, slowly started to feel like happenings in a book or a show you chanced across, becoming less real. if you really focus, if you really closed your eyes and thought about it, the overwhelming question you have is “why did i let that go? how could i have let him go?” 

because it’s mark who you once had in your life. mark who ran downstairs for christmas mornings, who cried before you did at breakups in movies, mark who would mumble with his guitar late into the night as you worked on your laptop, and mark who would remove your makeup when you were too tired. everywhere around your apartment are ghosts of who you two once were and you couldn’t sit at the breakfast table without remembering how the scorch mark on the surface came about. 

now, as you walk out to the front of your house to collect your mail, you can see his front door open. for a moment, he catches sight of you and you both pause, facing each other. it is silent, the morning too early. suddenly you want to run across the street and put his face in your hands. you want to tell him you’re sorry, but you don’t even know what you’re sorry for. you want to tell him you want to try again, you want to tell him you’ll do anything to have him back, you want to ask him where it went wrong. 

he looks at you, and for a moment you think he’s about to run across the street. and it is the fear of that happening that makes you turn back and walk as fast as you can into the house. 

x

this is your tenth date with jaehyun and things are going well. 

you went to the movies, you had dinner, and he bought you coffee. the both of you laughed the whole night, during the movie he put his arm around your shoulder, and he held your hands during dinner waiting for dessert to arrive. he stands now, in your doorway, and you distinctly feel a sense of dejavu. sure enough, mark’s kitchen light is on, but this time you don’t hesitate as you press your lips to his. 

over the phone, yeji had been adamant about this. “you have to stop letting your ex stop you from doing simple things like kissing your date goodnight.” 

“but it’s mark”, you said weakly. you could hear her moving around, getting ready for another night out. “i don’t want to hurt him. i don’t even know why we broke up.”

yeji made an impatient noise. “i think it’s my duty to remind you that you found everything he did insufferable and he couldn’t stand you for about a month before you broke up.” you tried to remember any of that happening: what could the both of you have done to make each other so angry? she continues, “it was the littlest things. you hated the way he always had to fill the silence, he felt that you couldn’t trust him. you were annoyed at how he couldn’t even make coffee, and he was sick of you telling him off.” 

you broke up with mark for a reason. he broke up with you for a reason. things didn’t work out, they won’t work out again. and so this time, when jaehyun turned to leave, you pulled at his shirt sleeve. he turned around and raised his eyebrows in a silent question, but really his eyes shone with the answer. 

when you kiss, the first thing that registers is this is not mark. and the second is: you really like it. 

time stops in the doorway. when you break apart, you think the blush on his cheeks and the redness of his ears are the prettiest shades you’ve ever seen. you open the door, and the words “do you want to sit for awhile” are just about to leave your tongue when someone clears their throat. 

mark is standing there, on the steps, holding a parcel in his hands. “hey.” 

you don’t know what to say. jaehyun is looking at you, confused, but your eyes are on mark. has his hair always been this long? and has he ever looked at you so… 

“i think this got sent to my place on accident. i’ve been meaning to give it to you.” as he holds it out, jaehyun takes it from him, and you can tell mark doesn’t like that, his hands shoved into his pockets as he continues to look at you like jaehyun’s not there. 

“thanks.” jaehyun says, on your behalf because you still can’t move. you’re speechless. “do you need anything else?” mark stays silent, and you think he’s giving you a chance to say something, to ask him to stay…to do something. 

“no.” you can’t meet his eyes. “goodnight y/n.” and he makes his way across the street. you and jaehyun watch as he enters his front door, and the light in his kitchen turns off. 

“so he’s the one.” jaehyun breathes. 

“what?” 

“he’s the one who’s always in the kitchen when we’re at the door.” you realise that jaehyun must have noticed: how could he have not? you nod. 

“do you think he’s still there?” 

“i don’t know.” you want to end the conversation about mark before jaehyun asks about what he is to you. taking the parcel from him, you push open your door. “goodnight jaehyun-” 

“-wait.” he tugs you in by your waist until you’re pressed up against him: hips to hips, chest to chest. “just in case he’s watching” he whispers, and he leans down and kisses you, hard. the parcel drops from your hands as you wrap your arms around his broad shoulders. he kisses you like he wants you to feel something, and you do. 

that’s how he leaves you: breathless like a girl who’s just been kissed for the first time, back still pressed against the door as you watch him drive off for the night. 

like magic, it starts to drizzle. 

x 

but of course, that’s not how it ends. 

you barely open the door when mark steps in. “do you love him?” his cologne fills the air for the first time in months, and it feels right. it smells like home. you’d forgotten. you look at him, really look at him: his hair is a mess and he’s wearing an unfamiliar sweater. it’s the sweater that reminds you: you broke up with mark for a reason. he broke up with you for a reason. things didn’t work out, they won’t work out again. 

“mark, it’s 2am.” 

he dismisses that with a shake of his head. “i asked you a question.” 

you think about it. “i’ve only really just gotten to know him.” 

“but could you?” he presses, and he steps towards you. “could you love him?” 

“i don’t know-” you remind yourself that you don’t have to answer to anything, because you didn’t choose to enter this conversation with him at all. “what is it to you? why do you care?” suddenly, you’re defiant. who is he to watch you from his window? who is he to want back into your life?

he looks away, his jaw clenched. silence falls for a while, and you’re thinking about asking him to leave, when he says quietly, “could it be me?” he turns. “i’ve seen what he does. i’ve walked you to the door a hundred times. i could kiss you goodbye. i could drive you home. i could bring you on dates to the movies where you keep the ticket stubs on the back of your phone, i could buy you your coffee order, i could and i have done it before.” he looks at you and it is that look you remember: his eyes dark and serious, the look that used to make you melt but now only makes you want to look away. 

“we broke up, mark.” 

“just tell me.” his hands reaching for yours, “could i be him? could i do it all for you again? or is it-” he doesn’t finish his question.

looking at him, all you want is to run into his arms. you want to say yes. you want to ask why did we ever leave each other. you want to say, you’re the only one i need. 

“no.” 

you shake your head, and you pull your hands back. 

his shoulders fall. and he leaves you without another word. 

x

on your next date with jaehyun, you stand in your doorway. 

the street is empty and silent. the only light there is comes from the moon above. 

you invite him in. 

#mark lee #mark #mark lee scenario #mark imagine #jaehyun scenario #jaehyun imagine #jaehyun #nct scenario #nct angst #mark lee angst #nct fics

[heavenstocharlee]

Orbiting // m.lee

“Can I make it with you, if I orbit around you?”

Summary:  Haze. A despicable name people called you, as your dating life became a public spectacle to everyone. Everyday you hoped that some would see beyond the pretense, when lo and behold, comes Mark Lee. You refuse to believe the truth, until one fateful night where boundaries between friendship and something more become blurrier than ever. The orbiting was over, and collision was imminent.

Characters: Mark Lee x fem!reader

Category: strangers to lovers!au / college!au / angst / mutual pining / slight slow burn (apologies) / suggestive scene / fluff if you squint 

Word count: 15k+

Warnings: Main character has low self-esteem after being with toxic people, has self-deprecating/intrusive thoughts, please be aware! / Chenle and Yuta are meaaan (so sorry)

Song inspiration: Peace by Taylor Swift, Dress by Taylor Swift, Orbiting by Reese Lansangan

Writer’s notes: Hello everyone! After a long hiatus, here is another Mark Lee work of mine. This took so much longer than I was hoping, but it also felt more intimate to me than ever. This idea came to mind when I was listening to Dress by Taylor Swift, and soon followed more songs that fit the meteorological narrative I was imagining. I really hope you guys would enjoy this as much as I had fun stress-writing it (for almost two years)! Well wishes to everyone and happy reading! 

The bare reflection in the mirror reveals yourself, fully unprepared for the night that is about to come. You convince yourself that by doing this game of dress up, you can stall the time enough for your feelings to change. Turning towards where your bed is located, a black satin dress laid upon its pale beige sheets. This outfit was out of your comfort zone to say the least, considering you were more of the type of girl who would wear your favorite sweatpants for parties. However, this was no regular party. A certain someone was there, and you were aiming to leave an impression on his fine evening.  To further awaken your uncertainties of the evening, you placed both of your hands against your cheek allowing its coldness seep through your nerves.

The beginning of festivities always seemed to be the hardest, but you muster up all your courage to get ready. You wore a classic winged eyeliner paired with your hair swept into a low side ponytail. The noir dress complemented the silver choker decorated around your neck. Instead of sacrificing your toes for the party, you sport your black leather boots for good luck. Catching the reflection once again in the mirror, you begin to recognize yourself even more in this look.

Was it enough to instigate the reckoning? Swearing by the stars and sky, You hope so.

A loud car honk sirens your wishful thinking for the night. You look upon the window and saw your friend, Ryujin, waving at the front porch. Quickly collecting your things and spraying yourself with an aroma of courage you’ve built up all night, you decided to step out of your apartment. The stars were evidently rooting for you tonight, as the clouds hid behind their shining glory. Despite the cold spring breeze of May, it was not enough to diminish your excitement of what’s to come.

“Looking extra dolled up tonight, are we?” The lovely Ryujin, dressed in her long-sleeved polo shirt and black baseball cap, greets you with a smirk on her face.

“Are you finally going to declare your love? Oh, I mean tempt the man of your dreams? She further exclaims.

“First of all, I am not a temptress. Let’s get that straight.” Waving your pointer finger to prove a point. “Secondly, I don’t plan to reveal my feelings anytime. He deserves to know at the right time.” “And definitely not in a place where it reeks of booze and cigarettes.” You jokingly added while fastening on your seatbelts. Ryujin starts to drive, still with a sly smile across her face.

“Are you still going to keep on stalling? Mark is a hot guy, _____. He is not going to stay single until the end of the year.” She glances at your side, admitting a well-known fact you already know.

Oh, the epitome of a gentle sunshine, Mark Lee.

“I get that. It’s just…” You try to form the next few words into your head before confessing.

“He is worth waiting for.” A smile forms from the edges of your lips. Ryujin nudges you teasingly.

“Okay, Miss Hopeless Romantic! You guys sound perfect for each other, so he is bound to end up with you… I just feel it.” She taps you in the thigh to reassure your worries.

After countless banters adjacent to the neon city lights, you arrived at the place of interest. Kim Jungwoo’s residence or more so his parent’s summer villa. You observe the mansion that is in front of you, lavishly decorated with gleaming fluorescent lights and electronic sound pounding across the structure. Ryujin accompanies you to the entrance, but from the moment you stepped into the hall, you felt everyone’s eyes were on you. Oh man, were you the belle of the ball.

You weren’t necessarily the most lowkey person in your small college. Unfortunately, your legacy does not originate from the championships you won, or the scholastic grades you earned, but in your “gossip-worthy” dating history. Your name does get around in places you wish wouldn’t, but as much as you said it didn’t bother you, the blatant and judgmental stares when you enter the room sometimes feel like daggers piercing through your skin. These thoughts ruminate on most days, however at some point, you just realize that you can’t control them. You already despise yourself enough.

Trying your best to hold your chin up high, you try to scurry unto the sea of people and arrive in the lobby staircase. This is where you are welcomed by the host of the party.

‘Hey, _____! Nice to see you got here just in time.” Jungwoo greeted. You gave him a friendly hug as a way of appreciation for the not so casual invite.

“I know, Ryujin was such a slow driver.” You nudge towards Ryujin who rolls her eyes as a reply.

“But you bet, I’ll never miss a party in the Kim residence.” You gave a wink.

“Says the one who took ages to get ready. Anyways, I need to greet some of my folks over there!” Ryujin happily remarked while looking across the kitchen where her dance club members are.

“Help yourselves guys! There are drinks, pizza, and some churros. God they’re so good, ______!” He invitingly smiled while pointing over the feast on the counter table. Ryujin sends one of her buddies a wave, before pointing her phone towards you. This is assuming she will text you if she decides to run off with a boy tonight or if she would be an unlucky woman of the night and be your chauffeur home. She slowly disappeared into the vast crowd of people.

“By the way, the squad is over on that side if you’re wondering. They seem eager to meet you about something.” Jungwoo pointed out the sofa where some of your friends are playing beer pong.

“Got it, but first… I am in deep need of a drink.” You gesture to your empty hands, when a handsome young fellow suddenly appeared like magic, and placed a red solo cup unto your palms.

“Here you are, milady.”

You immediately recognize this charmer as one of your closest friends, Jeong Jaehyun.

“Thank God Jae, you are a lifesaver. My only wish is that you continue to refill this cup before it gets empty, or else I’ll be grumpy.” You joked. He responded with a hearty laugh.

“As the designated driver of the night, your wish is my command. I honestly have a feeling you would get yourself wasted tonight.” He gestures a cheer before drinking the liquor.

“Why is that so?”

“Based on that outfit and a certain someone? I feel like you’re ready to lose yourself tonight.” He smirks before drinking the alcohol in his cup. He knows you too well.

“But if you want to go home with someone else tonight, just call me.” He winks.

This time you gave the honest laugh. “Well, I did not come to play around tonight. Maybe next time?” You take a gulp of your Rum Cola, as you watch Jaehyun radiate a meaningful smile that you sometimes miss.

“Well then, let me lead you into the lion’s den.” He stretches his left arm to lead you into the boys on the other side of the room.

Skimming through the people on the dance floor, you recognize more familiar faces sitting by the sofa with drinks in their hands and laughter-filled atmosphere. Nevertheless, one face stands out by the rest of them. That someone is wearing a green and blue plaid shirt with a black t-shirt underneath. Paired with ripped black pants paired with white sneakers. Sparkling eyes and a gorgeous smile. Yes, Mark Lee. The man worth waiting for.

The exact moment your eyes meet, time felt like it ran by ever so slowly; frame by frame just to tease you tonight. Mark looks at you with awe and recognition in his orbits, and he seemed to act like a deer in headlights seeing how you look tonight. He takes a scan of you from shoes to neck up, and though it made you slight conscious, you certainly were happy it was enough to get his attention this evening.

 Your fateful meeting happened during the 30th of October. It was the last day of midterms and a Halloween party galore happening in your local college. It was a special evening, as your school opened for picnics in the big courtyard and various clubs are holding their socials in spooky festivity. You didn’t dress up as anyone, mainly because you didn’t enjoy the holiday that much, but also because you already caught too much attention. This is around the time you just recently broke up with the school’s notorious football player, Yuta Nakamoto.

Your dating life has always made its way in the halls of this school, for reasons still unknown to you. You were known by many names: whore, attention-seeker, fuck girl. However, one stuck amongst the crowd and that is Haze. A mist that lures you in not knowing they are in for a trap. This one you seem to hate less than the others.

You don’t know why people care so much who you date, but it seems to be the talk of the town every single time. Yes, you love to date around. Give your time to handsome men who give you attention, but it was never for the sake of a heartbreak. Everyone seems to think that you take a list and cross off every single hot guy in college, but on most times, you genuinely enjoy their company. You enjoy the attention and “love” they give. Or at least try for some time. Until they cheat, move on for greener pastures, or leave you to fend for yourself.

 As you walk through the dimly lit yet well-decorated halls, you spot the man who was brave enough to invite you in a campfire hangout and disrupt your annual showing of your favorite Halloween movie, Monster House. This man was the resident clown of your friend group, Lee Haechan. He spots you instantly and does a big wave before shooting you with finger guns. He seems to be wearing a banana in a cowboy costume. Classic Haechan.

You slowly tread your way into the picnic area and greeted the people in the circle. Most of them you recognize, like Jeong Jaehyun, the architecture student whom you casually “messed around” from the past but in good terms with, and Kim Jungwoo, the kinesiology major and close family friend. However, there was someone who you were unfamiliar with. He was a black-haired fellow, sporting a blue hoodie, black Vans, and strumming a guitar on his lap.

“Wassup, _____! Glad you could make it.” Haechan daps you like you usually do.

“You were not joking about the banana officer, huh?” You replied with a sheepish laugh.

“It’s so crazy that after all the years you still doubted me.” The young man facepalms himself in disappointment.

“I was absolutely serious, and I look hella good in it, right?” He twirls around, then takes his fake guns in the holster around his waist and poses nonchalantly. This made you burst out laughing.

“I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but it does sound like Haechan.”

“Hey _____! Wait who are you supposed to be?” Jungwoo curiously asked.

“Well… honestly, I am just me, but if you’re looking for a creative answer, it would be Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn 99.” Crossing your arms, you act coy after confessing.

“Come on, you could’ve taken this opportunity to spice things up a bit. It’s Halloween! The perfect place for “fun” if you know what I mean?” Jungwoo teasingly bumps you and winks. You reply with a sigh.

You sit beside Jaehyun, dressed in a Clark Kent/Superman attire that suits him so well. “Help me out here buddy.”

“Jungwoo, she clearly isn’t ready yet. Maybe it’s you who should be spicing things up a bit, Mr. Antman.” You both share a laugh, Jungwoo not sharing the same sentiment.

“Don’t you dare make fun of my hero. He clearly is the best Avenger.” Jungwoo confidently replies.

“Yeah, yeah we know.” You roll your eyes at his statement. It was then that your eyes fall upon the young man still fiddling with his guitar. He is seemingly busy enough not to join the conversation developing in front of him. Just as you were about to ask about him, Haechan interrupted your actions.

“We’re just going to get some food and drinks, stay here and keep my friend company, okay?” He points towards the man in the blue hoodie.

“He tends to get lost in his thoughts for a while, so just tell him we’ll be back.” Jungwoo adds.

“He is nice _____, don’t worry. Same drink as before?” Jaehyun kindly inquires.

“You got it, Jae.”

They slowly fade in the distance and now you are left with the dilemma of looking after this guy who you don’t even know. When you turned around, his back was turned back against you, cross-legged sat on the mat, and fixing the strings of his guitar. Just when you were about to sit down, he lifts the instrument up and starts strumming a tune. Curiosity must’ve struck you by then, because you were excitedly ready to hear what the man was about to play. You slowly sneak unto his right shoulder and sat beside him.

“So, what are you gonna play?” You leaned towards his right side, trying to get as glimpse of his features. The poor man jolted, and the guitar created a loud dissonant sound across the courtyard.

“Oh… hi, sorry I did not see you there.” He scratches his head out of apology and you can finally see the feature of this mysterious man.

You often wonder if it’s the starry night skies or the campfire’s embers filling the air, but you swear his dark brown eyes sparked that night. There was a ray of light that gleamed in his face despite the mysterious evening. He smiled ever so innocently; the extraterrestrial kind, the ones that make you realize that pure people like him still exist. Based on his reactions, he seems to not recognize you or your faults.

You immediately bow your head as an offer of apology. “That was completely my fault, I should’ve just quietly listened.”

“No, that’s okay. I’m not used to people like you—or just an audience in general.” He bashfully commented. The slight blush across his skin were evident even in the warm lights of the campfire. This made you feel like a high school student experiencing puppy love once again.

“Please, go ahead. Let me hear what you’re about to play Maestro.” You gesture your hands for him to continue and offered your best smile to this man you just met.

“Oh okay...” He fiddles around the knobs one last time, before starting to play a song. The poor man still obviously nervous by your presence was quite timid to have a complete stranger watch him stumbling upon his lyrics and hums, but despite that you stuck through the whole song. You found the whole ordeal cute and endearing, as he tries his best to perform with joy in his expression. He ends it with a light strum, and bitter expression in his face.

“I definitely did not gain a fan tonight, haven’t I?” He scratches his forehead. You quickly shook your head in response.

“No, no… you did great! Thank you for showing me your talent. It takes guts.” Offering your sincerest applause, his blush fades into a grin.

“Oh… I’m ______ by the way. Haechan’s friend.” You offer your hand, in hindsight, probably too formal for the setting, but he quickly puts down the guitar and holds your hand in greeting.

“I- I’m Mark. Haechan’s childhood friend.” You lightly shook his hand as a reply.

“And you’re supposed to be…” You motioned unto his outfit.

“I didn’t really dress up, but if anyone asks its Peter Parker from Spiderman.” Mark admits.

“I totally get you! I tell people I’m Rosa from Brooklyn 99, but I didn’t really dress up.”

“Not a fan of Halloween?” He inquired.

“Not much. I’d rather spend it just watching Monster House.” You replied, curiously anticipating his reactions. He chuckles lightly.

“I am not much of an extrovert too, so in big events I just stay home. Haechan is a total pushover though.” You nod excessively as a reply, noting your common enemy. Mark seemed to be become more and more relaxed as the time went on. He suggested some of his favorite Halloween movies he loved when he was young, and you tell the most outrageous Halloween party you went to. Your first conversation made you aware of how fun and easy-going Mark, he complemented your energy very well. Just as it was getting good, the squad approaches your mat, so you both try to return to your usual postures.

“How is everybody getting along here? Mark, I see you’ve already met ______.” Haechan gestures towards you. Mark nods as a reply and looks at you possibly for emotional confirmation.

“Oh yes, he was cool enough to show me his guitar performance.” You replied, watching Mark’s expression light up with the mention of cool.

“Way. To. Go. Peter Parker! Showing off your skills tonight, eh?” Jungwoo slaps his thighs and teasing him for his outfit for tonight. Mark pinches him back and they start bickering around. Jaehyun arrives, giving you your favorite drink, a Crush Cream Soda. You opened the can immediately and drank it in satisfaction.

“A non-alcoholic drink, ______? What are you 17?” Haechan teases.

“Give me a break! I had too many events this week, my liver needs breaks too. Plus, I’m not an alcoholic like you, Haechan.” You mockingly joke. Mark laughs in response. A genuine first of the night.

“I bet that one day, Haechan will be carrying a one pack instead of six pack abs, because of all the beers he consumed during his youth.” Jungwoo jumps in and everyone laughs. Haechan starts hitting Jungwoo in the chest.

“Oh, Mark did you know that _____ here is an astrology student? She loves all the stars, horoscopes, and rock shit.” This time you hit Haechan in the back. The poor man fake cries in response.

“It’s Meteorology, Haechan. Two different things.”

“Mr. Nerdy Peter Parker guy over here is an English literature major by the way. He’s the main reason why my essays in Mr. Edwin’s Literature class last semester got A’s.” Jungwoo interjected. Mark stared him down on the side, implying that it was a pained memory, you laughed.

“God that last essay was awful.” Jaehyun mentioned and a synchronized nod was shared in the circle.

“I have him for this term, and our final assignment does sounds extra tough.” You sighed.

“If you don’t mind, I can help you if you want. I’m pretty sure I still have his notes from last years…” Mark kindly mentions.

“O--only if you are okay though. With me.” His voice slightly falters at the end of his sentence.

“I should be saying that Mark. You would fear how badly I write.” You chuckle, though you soon realize how much an A can greatly affect your final grade.

“I would honestly shy away at this opportunity, but I am pretty scared of failing his class. So, thank you so much, that would be of so much help.” You bow down slightly in a way to reply to him courteously, he shook his hands to show that it was not of big deal. With a glance, you could see his faultless smile slowly form and until this day it is forever embedded in your mind.

“Is this the start of something else?” Jaehyun annoyingly inquires.

“We have done something good guys.” Haechan taps Jungwoo and Jaehyun in the arms and Mark replies with an elbow jab to his thigh as his way of acting his shyness.

It was nice to meet everyone that night, as you all got the chance to unwind after such tough midterms. Mark did not mention anything about who you’re dating next, or your past relationships, it was just pure friendship talk. That alone sparked interest in you. It truly was such a big difference, as all you could remember that week was just people’s whispers and inquiries about your life. You were happy that these men never really cared about those gossips. Bits of happiness you would say, enough to keep you going to the next few months.

Little did you know, that really was the start of something. Out of all the plans and formulations you’ve laid out in your life, this one seems to be the most unprecedented. In the Richter scale, you’d say Mark’s meeting was of great magnitude level of earthquake.

They say the best love comes unexpectedly.

This one, however, was not just any ordinary encounter,

He disembarked, brought the totality of the sky, and offered it unto your presence.

 Looking back at it now, you’re unsure if you were charmed by his smiles or you’re in that desperate need of a good grade in English literature. Maybe it’s a little bit of both, but you were set in meeting this man at least once a month to discuss your final paper. Your first meeting was scheduled in the library, not in the totally quiet kind, but in the semi-private one where you can converse freely. As a constantly late person, you strived to be early this time around, but when you arrived at the place he was already nose deep into his textbook. The young man was wearing black turtleneck, gray buttoned shirt, washed blue jeans, and his black spectacles. His pale skin was even more evident as the sunlight hits the high points of his face. You can’t help but admire his features. This made you become conscious of what you’re wearing. A white buttoned shirt, cream colored sweater vest, and black skirt, or as your friend Ryujin described it a “classic academia” look. You did look done up, but man you kind of wish you worn something warmer as the library’s air conditioner was blasting today.

You slowly made your way towards the low seated tables, trying your best not to surprise the man who was willing enough to tutor you this term.

“Hello there!” You greeted the busy boy. He offered you the cutest smile in the world. This sent you into a spiral of emotions and Lord did you forget your words.

“Oh-- thanks for helping me by the way. I hope I don’t take much of your time.” You carefully sit in the chair in front of him and placing your backpack on the floor. He closes his book and starts arranging his stuff.

“It’s absolutely okay! This also serves some practice for me… I—” He trails of his sentence as you were starting intently in his face. This made him nervous, transferring the jitters to you as well.

“I was thinking of become a teacher.” He confesses shyly.

“That sounds great for you! Wow, I am not only your first live audience but your first student as well? What an Honor, Mark Lee.” You compliment with the best smiles.

“Don’t compliment me too much, I haven’t taught you anything yet.” He scratches his head out of embarrassment. It seems to be a habit now that you recall your first meeting.

“I am just giving you a heads up, my paper is really bad. Please help me.” You faced your laptop towards him so he can inspect your material. He shakes his head and reassures you that he is not going to be judging you for it.

There was something oddly trustworthy about Mark, after your first interaction he seemed to be nice enough to not judge your character. You were afraid that Mark would get a whiff of all the bad talk going on around you, but during this moment you silently wished he would stay ignorant, or at least not care enough to avoid you. You hoped he was different.

You were awoken from your thoughts when he calls out your name out of the daze.

“Oh sorry, I was off to dreamland. How bad is it?” You fearfully inquired.

“You make it sound that you don’t know grammar, but this is better than what you make it out to be.” He assured you with a positive nod.

“It still needs a lot of work though, but that’s why I am here, right?” He tilted his head to side as he utters the question. This gives you assurance, that you trusted the right person to share your pieces with.

“Okay, I’m in your care Mr. Lee.” You bow your head and welcome the new friend you just made.

 Time flew by very fast during your first session, and honestly all you could remember was how insightful Mark was teaching you grammatical issues that you probably should’ve known before university, helping you narrow your thesis topic, but still maintaining positively concise throughout. Of course, not all the session were you asking questions, he was also doing homework while you work on your paper. You try not to disturb the man, as he seems pretty interested in reading and taking notes. Time passes quickly than you hope and now you realize it’s past 6 pm and you must get home and make dinner. Mark realizes you checking your phone and recognizes that was enough time for your English homework.

“It’s getting late now, and you probably should try to have the introduction and first body paragraphs done for the next session. By the way, do you have a ride home?” He slowly packs his homework and books laid across the table.

“Yeah, I still have some errands to do with Ryujin and it seems like she just finished cheerleading practice. How about you?” You inquire.

“I’m heading straight home, still got loads to take notes.” He packs his bag up and escorts you into the exit doors of the library. You nod along, but we’re reminded of one special event you were looking forward for tonight.

“Oh! I am not sure if you’re interested...” You mention almost too excited to your liking. “The Leonid’s Meteor Shower is happening tonight between midnight and dawn… if you are interested in watching it.” Your last few words come quieter, and you try to compose yourself for someone you barely know.

“That is pretty cool. Thank you for telling me, will be on the lookout for it.” He enthusiastically nods. You were pleasantly happy that he was as interested as you.

“Well, it was a nice first session with you Mark! I’ll see you again, soon?”

“No problem! Hey, if you have any questions, you can text me anytime and we can arrange sessions to your liking.” He mentions. You try not to think that this is his way of saying “I want to keep meeting you” but you can’t help it. You want to keep meeting him some more, this point on, out of interest, but you didn’t want to get your hopes up. So, you settle with a nod and wave as you walk to the other side of the school.

That night both of you admire the works of the same sky; the heavens showering meteors across its vast blue expanses. The stars were evidently speaking, and Mark never forgot to text you the view of his balcony. It brought a smile to your face, replying with your own rooftop setting. Oh, to be connected like this. Unknowingly, it’ll be the start of something grander than what you intended.

All Mark wanted that day was to eat peacefully, as he was already stressed about his theology quiz after lunch time. Boy, he was wrong.

“Are the rumors true, Mark?” Chenle curiously asked the young man quietly eating his sandwich.

“What rumors?” Mark intriguingly replied.

“That you’re hanging out with Haze!!!” Chenle raised his voice, a little bit too loud for Renjun’s liking.

“You’re too loud. And ______ is her name. Address her the right way.” Renjun scolds him while slapping his shoulder. Chenle calms down for a bit and awaits Mark’s answer.

“If you’re talking about _____, then yes, we are meeting. But that’s only because I’ve been helping her with her Literature homework.” He genuinely responds.

“Ah I see. I thought you guys were hooking up. Whew.” Chenle sighs, which confused Mark even more.

“What does that mean? Why did you call her Haze?”

“You didn’t tell her Renjun? Man, I thought you were a real friend.” Chenle glares at Renjun and he slaps him as a reply.

“Well, first of all, it is none of our business. Second, I don’t agree with any of accusations towards her because I know she is an angel, and lastly… that is up to her if she wants to tell Mark, right?” Renjun calmly iterates.

“Okay, you guys are so confusing. What the hell are you guys talking about?” Mark exasperatedly sighs. Chenle rearranges his seating, almost as if he was about to drop some truth bomb.

“You see, _____ has gotten the nickname Haze because everyone who dates her seems to be in a spellbound when with her. She was always lovely in the beginning, but once the fog clears up, she dumps them.” He looks at Mark waiting to see his reaction to all of this. Mark just stares him unfazed.

“Girls just purely hate her because they say she plays with men’s hearts… especially hot ones. Boys on the other hand, reduce her to a sexual object. That is why is she is the so called, Haze. Unbearable, dull, and evil.” Renjun shakes his head of disapproval. Mark seems to be in thought for a while, looks down at his food, and resumes eating.

“Aren’t you at all scared of what everyone’s going to think of you? You’ll be called Haze’s next victim.” Chenle exclaims.

“Right, because you haven’t met her yet.” He heavily places his utensils down.

“Any of those descriptions don’t resound to the ______ that I know. I don’t really care what her past was, and I’m just a mere tutor to her Literature homework... Nothing more, nothing less.” Mark continues drinking his lemonade but stops midway.

“But if you continue to disrespect her like that, I will have issues with you, Chenle.” He stares right back at him. Mark is rarely seen mad in the group, and the boys got the message loud and clear.

“See Lele, don’t play with Mark. Besides, Mark is nowhere hot as the ones _____ dated so we are good.” Renjun jokes and Chenle laughs exaggeratedly.

“What the hell does that mean?!” Mark exclaims.

“Hell yeah, Mark is neither as handsome and talented as Yuta or Jaehyun.”

Mark almost spats his food, luckily, he just coughed. Most surprised because of the latter name, because you and Jaehyun seems to still be close friends. “She dated them?”

“More of the notable ones. Just think of the hottest boys in this college, 10/10 chances she dated them before.” Chenle mentions. This makes Mark reflect on his own, not because he shames you for your choices, but rather than his own appearance and status towards these more attractive men.

“Anyway, whatever happens don’t cry when you fall for her, okay?” Renjun pinches Mark’s cheek and Mark removes his fingers briskly.

“Like I said, nothing less… nothing more.” He glances at your table across the room and reaffirms his feelings.

 The second session was of an exciting nature. You guys met in the same library but this time you wore the right clothes for the weather. Desperately trying to be early but ultimately failing, you see the silhouette of the man at your usual spot. He was wearing a denim jacket with a striped sweater underneath. This time around, he was still wearing his glasses that complimented his black vans sneakers. You are wearing your gray sweatshirt today with your cargo pants, opting for a more casual vibe. You slowly walked up to him and softly said your “hey” to get the young man’s attention. He notices and greets you with a familiar smile. During this time, you had more chances to get to know each other even more. How Mark doesn’t like frozen yogurt and ketchups, and how you are deathly allergic to shrimp and afraid of the thunder. Little things he did, you also started noticing. His mannerisms, like saying “honestly” a lot, or moving a lot while laughing. These little things told you how he is as a person. These were also the times when you seem to notice how his touch seems to linger slightly longer and his pale blush resurfacing underneath his cheeks when you stare a little too long. At the time, you thought you were imagining it, but one thing’s for sure… his presence eases you enough that you forget, even for just a moment, that the world is not closing in upon you.

Simple things, you said. But you heart does not deem it simple. They start to matter. They start to be engraved in your being.

This was unlike any of your encounters. And that is where the danger lies.

Time flew faster the second time around.  Unaware of the passage of time, it was your growling stomach alerted you that it was already past school hours. Mark glanced at the clock on his left, and he quickly realized that he kept you longer than usual. You were already thinking of either stopping for groceries or eating at a place nearby when these thoughts were stopped when Mark spoke with clarity.

“I know it is kinda late, but do you maybe... want to grab something to eat?” He asks sincerely. “It’s okay if you say no, I know you are busy with everything and I’m a stranger—”

You chuckled at his offer, and this stops him from embarrassing himself with running sentences.

“I am absolutely down to eat. Especially something warm, and not alone in this dreary weather.” You mention while looking at the white snow softly falling upon the pavements of the campus.

“Okay, I’ll drive you to some place warm then!” He excitedly cleans his stuff up and you can’t help but admire his child-like wonder.

Mark takes you to his favorite ramen place. This was the after-hour session that granted you to see Mark in a different light; someone beyond the confinement of the cream library walls you both were comfortable in. Some of your discoveries were: 1) Mark does not mind listening to your TMI stories, even more so, he jumps in with his own anecdotes. This made you extremely comfortable with him. 2) Mark seemed like someone you’ve met before, because you both understand each other with such ease. In some lifetime. In some way, shape, or form, he felt familiar. 3) Mark was non-judgemental. You never had to worry about how you act, because he welcomes you with his bright smile. Never judged. Pure and untainted. That was what you craved. You, however, believed you were beyond repair.

Within all the banter exchanged, dating or love life never came up in the conversation. This slightly made you nervous, as it might mean that he wasn’t interest with you. You were just a girl who is bad at writing and in need of help. Why would that matter? You did not know. He was just a tutor, right? Raging thoughts ran in your mind at surpassing rate. What if he is just playing with you? What if knew about everything and is just being nice to you because he feels bad?

“______, are you okay?” Mark’s gentle voice shakes your consciousness. The world was once in distortion, and with one sound, it was silent.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry just dozed for a bit.” You mention, brushing hair strands to the back of your ear.

“Hey, if you are worried about anything…” He starts rubbing his nape and turning his head away before finishing his thought.

“Even if it’s not Literature related, I hope you know—that you can tell me. No judgement.” He sneaks up a glance, anticipating for your reaction. Even without a mirror, you can tell that your cheeks got even redder than what it was winter hours ago. He doesn’t even know how much those words meant to you. You try to compose yourself at once, stubbornly refusing to admit your weakness for him.

Leaning your head slightly and you smiled sneakily. “Are you sure you can handle my secrets, Mark?”

“People say I’m a good listener and keeper of secrets. So, yes. Whenever you’re comfortable, lay it all on me.” He dramatically puts his right hand on his chests and acts assertively.

“Maybe, I’ll take you up on that offer soon. Thank you, genuinely, Mark.”

The night ended with him driving you home. Mark, aside from wanting to be a teacher, was passionate about music. He shared his favorite songs with you, and of course you made fun of his devotion to Justin Bieber. You also texted with him through the night, heck even for the rest of the week. It has now become a routine that you both share each other’s burdens. Almost like you guys are each other’s vent station. With your high tempered self, Mark diffuses you very well. With Mark’s constantly worried ass, you reassure him of his strengths very well. You complemented each other effortlessly.

It was good to be true, honestly. You try to enjoy it selfishly, but in the back of your head lies the thought that he will eventually leave you.

Mark was nervous about the last session, oddly because it was in a completely different setting than before. You both knew each farther than before. Furthermore, this closeness was unlike any of Mark’s experience. He found himself always looking forward to your texts, your monthly meetings, and even seeing you in the school halls. He wishes daily that he gets to see you once, so that his day becomes complete. Oh, he was head over heels, yet somewhat still in denial.

He has never found someone as genuine as you do. He fears the familiarity, as he was thinking of his heart’s ability to accept that you were out of league for him. So, he cut off most of the red strings even before they were starting to attach with one another. To him, you are one resplendent unreachable destination. Like a star.

As it was a busy school day, you both ended up starting the session very late. The destination of your final tutoring session ended up in Mark’s apartment. You shy away from his roommates, Chenle and Renjun, as they were extremely curious why you guys were hanging out this late in the evening. Mark’s embarrassed deflections did make you giggle a little bit, and it was enough to inspire you to complete the assignment. Mark was in his “chill” clothes, as he likes to call it. He was wearing a blue sweater with a white shirt underneath, paired with a new set of spectacles: clear ones which emphasized his doe-like eyes. As it was the final proof-reading, you gave it your all. Time passed excruciatingly swift, and the silence did not help with your already sleep-deprived state. Mark is quick to notice that your eyelids were slowly fluttering. Smiling to himself, he offers a solution.

“Mind going for a break?” He nudges your hand slightly, sparking fireworks into your brain.

You exasperatedly sighed and leaned your head across the table. “I thought you’d never asked.”

“There’s a convenience store near here and we could head for some sweets.”

“Nothing defeats sugar. Honestly.”

You were unaware of the weather conditions tonight.

The sky’s transparency was as its best. There were no humidity or dust. There are great seeing conditions, and celestial objects appear clearer than ever. The darkly expanse of a night made the stars shine effervescently. This atmosphere made this mundane memory an unforgettable one. Mark was carrying a plastic bag filled with snacks on his left and Melona ice cream bar in his right. He insisted on getting you a hot chocolate instead, because of how cold your hands felt earlier. Honestly, you were more stunned of how he noticed that, but his sweet gesture made your heart grew fonder of him. To be honest, you did not feel like heading back yet. When you passed by a playground, you invited him to the swings to gaze the glowing night even for just a moment. Being the nice guy he is, Mark gladly accepted your offer.

You took a glimpse of the hot drink before taking a slow sip of it, and Mark sat in the swing set beside you. There was tension in the air, and as much as you want to break it, you were afraid of its consequences. Greatly, the fates must have heard you, as Mark boldly knocks down your fears.

“This must be out of topic but…” He takes a pause, aware of its spontaneity.

“Have you ever regretted falling in love with someone?” Mark appears with an expression that you could only describe as filled with solemnity and sentiment. You’ve never seen him like this before, and it caught you more off guard than the question itself.

You gaze at the expanding sky above you, in the hopes it could give you the answer. Regrettably, it faced you like a mirror, and reminded you of all your past relationships you had. Was any of it worth the regret?

“To be completely honest with you Mark, I don’t think I have ever been completely in love to admittedly say I regret them.” You gave him a somber smile. He replies with an expression that mimics your melancholy.

“I know this sounds dark, but more so than regretting the people or the action of falling in love, I regret becoming an unrecognizable person in its process.” You admit with a heavy heart.

“I have always preoccupied myself with people, regardless of whether there is love existent within or not. I hate that I let it go on, give them too many chances, but I don’t regret choosing them.”

Trying not to shy away from his stare, you took a sharp breath before admitting further burden. “I act like their own version of best, into their ideal girlfriend, in the hopes of their approval. So, when everything goes wrong, I don’t regret the people, I hate…”

Myself.

You hate yourself for giving everything, and it still not being enough for people.

Expecting people to love you preciously. Like a jewel, worthy of value.

When deep inside you, there’s a part that says you did not truly love them.

You quickly stop yourself, holding back all the tears, because poor Mark should not be the ultimate receiver of your burdens. You let out a pitiful laugh, trying to light up the gloomy mood.

“That got dark quickly, huh?” You instantly remarked. He reassures you by shaking his head of disapproval. Mark offered you a snack in his bag, as a way of apology, and it made you smile genuinely.

“Thank you sharing that with me. I know, it is hard to be vulnerable.” Mark admits.

“I was just curious. You seem like a person who might know how it feels. Being popular and pretty and all that.” Mark shies away from admitting the latter sentiment, and despite you feeling giddy about his compliment, his expression makes you want to tease him more.

“So, you think I’m like a love expert? Wonderful of you to think that.” You joked around. He hits you in the arm slightly, before taking a bite of his ice cream.

“Well, let me return the question, Mark. Have you every regretted any of yours?”

“And since you opened these whole past loves talk… let me raise you another one. Do you think exes could stay friends?” You asked, giving him a quizzical expression.

Mark chuckles for a bit before giving your question much thought. “I think falling in love is such a strange and indescribable phenomenon. It is one of life’s treasures, as everyone experiences it at least once in their life. Yet, I think the experience is never deserving of blame, if the only reason for contempt is our choice of people to share it with.” You give him an impressed look. He is definitely an English major, alright.

“Similar to you, I also don’t regret any of them. I feel like I choose them for a reason, and I did not feel disingenuous to any of them. So, no. I don’t regret it.” He crosses his arms acting confident with that last sentence. You nod to show your understanding.

“As per the second question, I think it depends. If things ended badly, and there are issues unsettled, then, yeah, that would not end well. Of course, you can never go fully back to being just friends like before, but I think it is possible.” He admits honestly.

“How about you, _____?”

Now this is a treacherous question. You don’t know how aware Mark is of your history, but there is no way you can lie to him. With those eyes, it’s a losing game. So as always, you try to answer genuinely.

“Well… there are definitely exes that I prefer not speaking to ever again.” You chuckle and he joins in with you. “But there is also someone who proved me otherwise.”

Memories of your shared time with Jaehyun flashed across your mind. “He showed me how love is such a multi-faceted emotion, and that it could not only be romantic, but also deeply platonic. We are still friends until this day.”

You can’t help but smile with re-encountering all your shenanigans back then. Things did end between with you too, but it was not for bad reasons. Of course, you are not as close with him as before, but looking back it at now, it was ultimately for the best.

It was at this moment when you first notice how Mark’s expression changes. You were convinced that it was because the nightlights shifted, or the gust of wind passed by more swiftly than usual, but he seemed slightly saddened by your story. He avoids your concerning stare, stands up, and takes a deep breath before exhaling an exaggerated puff of air. It was time to go back home.

“You are really interesting; you know that right?” He jokes. “Nope. Just a bad writer.” You reply, he laughs in agreement. You both picked up your bag of snacks and sweets and preparing to go back to hell.

 Mark knew he had no right to be jealous. You were not his. It was a first; Mark feeling this novel emotion. A stir in his being happened when you spoke of someone else with such glimmer in your eyes. Even more strongly, he wanted to beat those asshole exes of yours who broke your dear heart. This newfound feeling made him want you more. He wondered if you talk about him that way as well. He wondered if you would like him to take revenge. Oh, how Mark wishes he could tell you how you see him. How much you meant to him.

Underneath these stars. How breath-taking you look under the streetlights. With a smile worth countless fateful meeting. Eyes filled with moonlit understanding. He would never exchange this moment for anything.

 When the two of you returned, the atmosphere shifted. It turned into a not-so-silent-anymore working session. Miraculously, after countless breakdowns (which consisted of you banging your head into the table and Mark encouraging you to keep going), binge-eating, and hearing his (harsh) yet critical feedback, your paper was finally done. Yes, its morning already.

“I am ready.” You told Mark as you were preparing to click the submit button in the assignment folder.

“You got this.” He replies, almost instinctively placing his hand on your back for moral support.

You cannot believe this was the final straw, and that after countless nights and sessions, it is over. As the website changes to File Submitted, both you and Mark raised your arms in celebration. Looking back at it now, what seemed to be Mark offering a high five, you mistook for a hug. Poor guy was caught by surprised. It took you a while to realize your action, and this created an awkward release. You bow your slightly, as your face for sure a shade of sherbet red.

“I-- I just want to say thank you. For everything.” You avert your attention to somewhere other than the man in front of you, and he endearingly does the same.

“N-No problem, _____. Happy to help you!” He timidly replies. You can’t help but look at the clock, shocked of how late or I guess early it has been. 7:50 am.

“God, I need to be home soon. Pretty sure my mom is going ballistic.” You scratch your head, imaging your mom scolding you for going over your curfew.

“Do you need a ride? I think I am still awake enough to drive.”

“No, its okay! I texted Renjun and I’ll be joining him take off to work, since it is near my place.”  Mark nods while helping you clean up.

Both of you headed downstairs and just as you expected, you were greeted with sly smiles from Chenle and Renjun. It was too early to hear such uproar for staying the night, but you just ride along with the jokes. Mark offers you breakfast, but you decline knowing you already overstayed your welcome.

“Renjun, drive safely. I know how reckless you are.” Mark mentions as he escorts you to the door.

“Says you, dude. See you guys soon!” Renjun bids and you also wave towards Chenle. You offered Mark the best smiles, but instead he replies with a different expression. Mutually, you felt unaware of how to split ways. Of course, it’s not the end of the world, but it did feel like you were closing a chapter you didn’t want to end yet. You just waved your hand farewell, in the hopes that this was not the last meeting. He reciprocates this action, with a smile. Just as always.

This was your last meeting before the inevitable.

It was not exactly a joyous parting, because both of you know, to heart,

that there are so many things left unsaid.

You did not expect to drink this much when you came to this party. Nerves took a hold of you, and you hoped it made blurring these memories easier as ever before, Maybe you hoped to not remember the day after. Being with Haechan and Chenle did not help, as they continually were encouraging you to take shots whenever they win a game. You could’ve denied this, but seeing the guy beside you is also rejecting any, your competitive instinct chimed in. You were not really a lightweight, but something about being beside Mark lowered your tolerance. As the vivid warm lights shakily reflect upon the dark interiors of the living room, you take a little sip from the half empty cup. It is odd being beside Mark again after what felt like years. It was not like you did not meet at all after the sessions, but it was almost like both your paths were unwilling to intertwine. This night, however, was where ends meet. 

The orbiting was over. You are headed for collision.

Mark breaks the ice, just like he always does.

“So… how did you do on your paper?” He stares at the cup resting in between his legs. You couldn’t help to recall the moments you shared because of that assignment. A smile erupts from your face before admitting gratitude. “Aced it, of course. Thanks to you.” You gesture your cup to offer a toast. He lets out a chuckle before meeting his cup unto yours. The drink tasted better because it was like a price of victory shared by two comrades.

“Glad to hear you’re doing okay, ______. I gotta admit, I do miss our tutoring sessions…” He ponders in thought before sneaking a quick glance to you.

“Now I’m just stuck baby sitting these rowdy seven-year-olds.” He points his cup towards Renjun and Chenle playing loudly at the beer pong table.

“Admit it Mark, you enjoy taking care of them.” You tease him by nudging his right arm.

“Clearly, you haven’t been around them long enough.”

“What you mean? I’m around boys all the time!” You pointed towards Jaehyun encouraging Jungwoo and Haechan taking alternating shots. He feigns acknowledgment.

“We’re built different, I guess?” He tilts his head slightly before leaning his back against the sofa. You mimic this action, taking in the sights of the colorful reflections of the ceiling. Silence sustains before you too, even though the music blasting and crowd roars were contrasting this echoing void.

“Are the drinks hitting you now, Mark?” You turn your head to towards your left, meeting his side profile gazing unto the ceiling. He slowly closes his eyes before smiling.

“A little bit. If I ever do pass out, please remind me that I still have something to ask you.” He slightly turns to face you, with eyes searching for answers. His hand falls on your left thigh, alerting your drunken senses into a slight panic. You feign nervousness and allow the alcohol to do the talking.

“Shoot your shot, Mark Lee.” You softly trace circles on the back of his hand. This happening was absolutely impossible without the alcohol in your body. The world was… ironically, like your nickname, filled with haze. However, Mark was in focus, even in these times. His eyes follow your gentle touch, before returning the irresistible gaze unto you. Filled with curiosity, he faces the ceiling one last time.

“Not here.” His voice comes out like low whisper.

“Then, where?”

He glances at your hand, clearly showing his drunken intentions. You notice how hesitant he was to hold it, so you offered your hand with palms facing upwards. Mark smiles artlessly, before grabbing it and leading you out of the crowd. Of course, Mark holding someone else’s hand and heading upstairs is going to spark some rumors. Most especially, you so-called Haze, glances were lingering longer than usual. Despite all the chaos, you did not mind. You simply averted your attention towards Mark’s warm hands and broad shoulders leading you towards Jungwoo’s guest bedroom.

What an unexpected turn of events.

You and Mark Lee alone together in a room. Heartbeats can be heard even through the bass speaker blasting at the first floor. Nerves were picking up on record speed. No doubt, it was yours.

As you sit in the bed, all you can think about is what you’re wearing. The black dress has entered you in a battle zone. You try to rack your brain on every possible scenario, because for the life of you, don’t know what Mark is going to ask. There are so many things that you intentionally kept from him. Has he heard all the bad things about you, and now breaking off your friendship? Is he just like the assholes that took you for granted? You sincerely hoped its not the latter. Because Mark was different. You believed that to heart.

He seems to notice how quiet and nervous you are, so he admits his truth right away.

“Sorry, I don’t want to make it seem like I am going to take advantage you or anything—” He assures you. You giggle at his honesty.

“I just want to get out of the crowds for a bit. I feel like it makes me even more drunk.” He lays down the bed, and you do the same.

“You don’t really seem like that person, Mark.” You rest your hands on your stomach calming the restless butterflies in it.

“Then, what kind of person am I to you, _____?”

Mark’s low and whisper-like voice reverberate in the room. You can feel his gaze on your side, and this energizes your mind like a hamster on a spinning wheel. Doubts flooded your mind again. You were unwilling to risk the heartbreak again, so you answer with closed thoughts. However, this was an impossible task, as you were tipsy enough that you could pour your heart towards him and have no recollection the next day.

You calmed yourself down and answered honestly. “Mark, you are the kind of person who sees the lighter side of things. Despite my constant anger and blabbering rants, you listen and search for positivity even through it.” You cowardly talked towards the ceiling.

“I admire that about you, not everyone can be like that. You are such a genuine and kind-hearted friend, Mark.” The last words were lathered with your true feelings, and you face his direction this time. You were truly grateful of Mark. So much you want him to be beside you all the time. You were greedy enough to despise the word friend. Because for once, you want to be someone of meaning to his existence.

“Wow, I didn’t think you thought so highly of me. I thought I was just your harsh English tutor.” He jokes.

“Well, of course you were, but I knew I could rely on you, any time of the day. I can recall your words of encouragement when I need them the most and… that’s really special.” You slowly admit your thanks towards the man, but you know it was not all you wanted to say to him. You want to tell him how the starry sky seemed to appear whenever his around. How seismic events sees to happen in your entire being whenever he stands close to you. How you want to dance with him even under a heavy rain, because you know he won’t let you slip. How you want to bend the fates and convince the orbits for your paths to meet in the expanse of the never-ending universe.  You want to be the person he considers most precious. These were all you want. And those thoughts will stay with yourself that way.

Mark looks toward the ceiling. You were unaware of what is going through his head right now. You blame the alcohol for your next actions, but bravery strikes once again.

“What kind of person do you think I am, Mark?”

Various words pass through your mind. Names you were called by.

Whore. Fuckgirl. Unworthy. Fake.

Haze. Blurring and undefined. Something you can’t get rid of.

  “______ is a person who’s unaware.” He stops at this statement. You quickly turn your face towards him.

“Unaware of what?” You curiously ask. He blinks slowly, retaining his gaze unto the ceiling.

“Unaware of how caring of a person you are. Unaware that you impact people more than you know. Unaware that there are people out there who love you dearly.” He mentions these words straightforwardly.

“You have such a beautiful soul, _______. I hope you know that.” He turns to face you once more. You search for lies in his eyes, but it is nowhere to be found. The words you just heard were quite unbelievable.

“I—I don’t feel like that at all. In fact, I feel the exact opposite.” You admit honestly. Mark follows your actions and leans forward to listen.

“I feel like I am burden to other people because of who I am. You are just saying that because you are affected by my haze, Mark. Most people are praying for my downfall.”

“That is not true, _____.”

“I want to believe you, Mark. I really do. But—” Tears were starting to well up in your eyes.

“Anyone who dares to be near me can never have peace. I can never give you that, Mark. I would never be enough—” Mark interrupts your meltdown by placing his hand on your upper back.

“The Haze they are describing to me, is not you at all, _______. I’ve met you, and I did not see a person who is reckless of people’s feelings. You were a delight to my presence, and never did I want our time to stop.” He stoops low on the floor to meet your gaze. You could not face him, knowing he knows what people have said.

“_______, look at me.” Mark tucks your hair behind your ear, and his touch felt like sparks on your cold skin. His expression was filled with concern, almost as if he doesn’t bear the sight of your looking this unhappy.

“I hope you see yourself, like I see you.” He utters while staring at your defeated soul. His hand is now in your cheeks, slowly wiping the tears flowing across them. Your hands are now shaking, but you close your eyes, desperately holding his hand and pressing its warmth unto yours. The closeness was inevitable now. Despite alcohol setting your head on fire, your desires were clear. You want to be close to him. More so than ever before.

“Mark…” His name comes out like a breathy plead. You stare him back reciprocating his eyes craving of touch and yearning. Your eyes fall unto his lips, and that was it, your intentions were loud and clear.

“Will you let me?” His mellow expression expressed his desire. You reply by closing your eyes.

This time, you surrender.

Mark brings you closer to meet his lips, and this is where it all starts.

 Inescapable. You did not try to get out of it.

You burned but electrified. It was clear.

Little do you know that was the start of something far beyond your control. One minute you were talking, the next thing, hands were in places that it shouldn’t be. His soft lips were on yours longing for more. You give in, reciprocating every bit of desire he gives you. He allows you to take a breath, eyes never leaving you for one second, before hastily retuning his stained lips unto yours. Your back was now against the headboard, shoes fully on the bed, and for once, the white sheets felt dirtied by your black satin dress. You reach for his neck, supporting yourself to lay comfortably into the pillows.

Mark kisses you with every cent on intention, as if he want you to feel like the most loved and precious person in the room. His right hand is now in your waist, holding you ever so gently to make sure that he is not pushing you too hard. His left-hand lays rest on the bed for support, as he tilts his head to deepen the kiss. The heat between you two was not dissipating, and it was only growing stronger and stronger, as your heart longs for more of him. He moves on from your lips to your cheek, enveloping your face with loving presses. His resting hand traveled unto the edge of skirt, slightly raising it to softly caress your thigh. He breaks the kiss to removes his jacket and reaches for your hand urging you to touch him even more.  So, you return the favor by putting your hand in his chest and touching his chin bringing him closer once again.

Sights were blurry, but Mark’s touch was defined. It was then when you see Mark’s expression clearly. Dilated pupils, disheveled hair, and lipstick-stained lips that shook your sense. Slowly, you realized this was not what you wanted. This was not how you wanted everything to go. For once in your life, you wanted something to treasure. You wanted to confess, tell him everything honestly under simple circumstances. Naturally grow into loving and trusting each other. Letting him know everyday how much he means to you. Not in this way, again. This just proves that everyone was right. You can’t get any guy you like unless you sleep with them. You attract people close enough to their downfall.

You want him to find solace in you, not be someone who would just satisfy his drunken desire. You remember the Mark, you wanted to treasure.

You can’t do this to him. He is going to end up broken like you.

This was a mistake.

It was when he started kissing your ears and neck, when you realized that the line you desperately wanted to uphold has now been crossed. As you lean your forehead over his shoulder, tears started falling out of your eyes. Mark immediately stops his actions.

“Hey, hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Mark holds you by the shoulder, your shivering hands still in his chest.

“I—I can’t do this, Mark.” You say in choked sobs.

“Why? Did I do something--” You avoid his gaze, as you know that the moment you face him back you can’t resist yourself. Because he has always been your weakness. Before you even hear his answer, you remove yourself from the situation. You get out of the room, hearing Mark’s calls out to you on the way downstairs.

With tears in your eyes, the scenery was even more obscure. Lights were colliding into one. Faces were unrecognizable. You try to find Ryujin amongst the people, but by quickly checking your phone you realize that she texted you that she had to leave early. You curse to yourself, but out of desperation you asked the only person who can take you home tonight. You reach Jaehyun, who was the designated driver of the night, who upon seeing you can’t help how lost you are.

“C--can you take me home?” You reach the fabric of his shirt just in time for your mind to think straight. Clear enough you were losing your balance. He notices your teary state right away.

“You, okay?” Jaehyun checks up on you, clearly in a mess.

“Please, Jae. I don’t want to be here right now.”

He looks behind you and notices a rumpled and worried Mark clearly looking for you. You hear Mark calling your name, so you tried to hide and avoid Mark from seeing you. Jaehyun immediately holds your arm almost in defense when Mark spots you.

“Hey buddy, I don’t know what happened, but _____ clearly isn’t in a clear state of mind. Don’t worry, I’ll take her home.” His tone seemed genuinely worried, and it broke your heart even more.

Mark sighs out of regretful surrender. “Just be safe, okay?”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Jaehyun chuckles tapping Mark’s shoulder. All throughout the drive, Jaehyun was quiet. Almost as if he was waiting for you to tell him anything. You were already in a spiral deep regret and tears, so you just tried to count the passing lights hoping that the shame will melt away soon. Before you left, he gave you reassuring words partnered with his dimpled smile. You never forgot to thank him for tolerating your drunken state. You fell straight into the bed, desperately trying to forget the sins that happened hours ago.

 Life wakes you with the light of your bedroom window, accompanied with a hangover typical of your night extravaganza. Sadly, moments of last night were not erased. You still remember how it felt kissing him. His touches of reassurance. His face when you left the room. How disheartened he was. You were to blame as always. You were not in shape to go to classes anyways, so you spend the rest of your day distracting yourself and running away from your mistakes.

What seemed to be merely hours, now lead into days. Your phone has been buzzing for quite some time now, but you were not in any way capable of answering questions. You just stuck towards your same routine hoping that it will make you feel better, but deep inside you knew that it was just escaping the truth. After settling your thoughts, and a very convincing argument made by Ryujin, you managed to get up from the bed and actually go to school after a while.

Classes go on as usual and your friends were aware vaguely of what happened, but they respected your space. However, they always stuck by you and helped you in avoiding any kind of confrontation with Mark. You see him in the hallways and the cafeteria tables, even from afar you recognize his usual worried expression. You avoid from staring too long and try to go on by your day to day.

During your spare time, you notice a text from an unusual contact of yours. Yuta Nakamoto. Your ex-boyfriend. The bastard who cheated on you.

He asks to meet you at the tables near the football field after class. It was weird that he called you out of the blue, as you both did not talk at all after the breakup. Well, after you learned that he talked to his teammates about how you were an easy girl who would do anything he wants. To add insult to injury, he also cheated on you. So yeah, he is not someone who you probably should talk to. Still, something in your gut wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, so you met him at the said area.

“What is it you want, Yuta?” You angrily said towards the young man wearing his usual red flannel and khaki pants.

“Damn, no sweet greetings at all? We haven’t seen each other in a while.” Yuta kids around like the olden days. You were not having any of it, so you just rolled your eyes.

“God, feisty as always.  I just want to catch up with you, you know. How you’re doing?” He reaches for you hand placed upon the table. You quickly avoid any advances, as he was not worth entertaining at all.

“We’re not friends, Yuta. I could give less care about your life, as you should.” You stare him down. The man looks dejected ruining his chances.

“If that’s all, I’m leaving.” You add, quickly standing from your seat and walking away.

“Wait, _____!” Yuta’s voice echoes in even in the open field. He grabs hold of your arm which cause you to stop on your tracks and face him.

“I want you back, ______.” Yuta confesses. This shakes your core. “These past few months have been hell, and I realized how shitty I treated you and I—” The man takes a deep breath.

“I am a lost cause without you, ______.” Yuta admits while pressing your hand unto his. You search for sincerity or any truth behind in his eyes, but you can’t find it. He was not a changed man. He was still the same person who treated you like you were an accessory.

“How dare you act like you’ve been through hell, Yuta? When throughout our time together you treated me like shit? Oh, let me remind you again. I’m ______, the easy girl to mess around with! Yes, the one who caught you cheating!” You raise your voice, not withholding any anger pouring from all the mistreatments.

“That was a mistake, I promise to be better this time.” He pleads while holding unto your wrist tighter this time, and despite how much you want to let go he was too strong.

“Let me go, Yuta! I said I don’t want to be with you.” You desperately try remove yourself from the situation. Yuta was about to hug you when a person interfered your conversation.

“Hey man, she said let go.” The voice recalled by your heart said. It was none other than Mark.

Mark held your left arm before stopping Yuta from his grasp on you. Yuta scoffs at Mark’s actions. He combs his hair out of frustration, rolling his eyes out of anger.

“So, is this the new boyfriend I heard about, _____?” He glares at you. Mark guards you on his side out of instinct.

“Your new plaything, huh? Good for you, sweetie.” Yuta mockingly says.

“Why do you even care?” You reply. He laughs in disbelief before turning his gaze over Mark.

“Buddy, piece of advice...” Yuta places his right hand over on Mark’s shoulder.

“Run while you still can. This bitch is just playing with you.”

“She’s Haze. She’s going to blind and confuse you for as long as she wants, and then, dumps you for inconvenience. That’s just who she is.” His gaze was filled with revulsion. Despite hearing these words repeatedly, shame still tightens your being.

You felt Mark’s grip on your arm tighten, looking up and it was the first time you’ve seen Mark in such an angered state. He swats Yuta’s arm before uttering his reply.

“You don’t know her at all, nor did you take the time to really do. So, fuck off, will you?” Mark fake smiles at the end of his statement. Yuta holds his arm in surrender.

“Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.” He mentions nonchalantly while walking away.

 You let out a deep sigh before placing your hand on your forehead out of frustration. Mark’s hands still grip on yours; he faces you filled with concern.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” He checks up on you searching for any injuries.

“I’m fine, Mark.” You lie, immediately detaching yourself from his touch.

“You are clearly not.” Mark declares. You know he was right, so frustration seeps out of your shameful state.

“That’s none of your business anymore. Now, I must go.” To avoid any more confrontation, you walked away once more.  

“_______, you can’t run away from me anymore. We need to talk about what happened.” He said in a troubled tone. This made you stop in your tracks.

“We have something, right? Please tell me, I’m not the only one feeling this.” His voice now arriving closer. The wind was blowing stronger than usual, and the air was dry as it can be. Thunderous rain will happen, but you know it is the atmosphere’s signal… turn your back. You took a deep breath before facing him once again. His face paints a painful expression. Just like a mirror, you felt his pain even across physical entities.

 “Mark, you don’t know how much… I want to keep you.” You choke up the tears that want to come out.

“Just when I found you and I soon realize that you were the person I could ever hoped and dreamed of, and just like always… I ruined it.” You touch your nape out of frustration.

Mark stills his gaze, as you continue pouring your heart out. “I wanted to treasure you for as long as I could, to let you see who I truly am. That I am not the person they say who I am. Desperately begging for the stars that you’d love me beyond the mistakes I’ve made in the past. But that night, I broke my own promise. I went back to the past, hoping that you could prove my worth. I gave in to my selfish desires, because I am broken, Mark.” You point towards your heart hoping that Mark would understand painful state it was in. All that did was ignite the tears in your eyes. Mark holds your hand ever so closely.

“Please don’t ever say it was a mistake. I can bear all the pain, ______ but you deserve so much more than what the world is treating you.” He hugs you tightly, despite shivering.

“I just don’t want to see you breaking.” The words reverberate into the air in a desperate whisper. He hopes for the opposite, but it broke your heart even more.

“Please don’t say it’s over.” His warmth felt cold against your already lost state. He is not your savior, nor can he fix you.

“Mark, I can’t let you bear my weight. You need to let me go.” You gaze at his teary eyes.

“Will you let me go to piece myself back together?” You held his face under your cold hands, tears streaming down your faces. He closes his eyes, an angel’s tear falling on his cheek. His expression showed how hurt he was from your question. He did not want to lose you. Now, more than ever before. But he also knew, this was not your time of meeting. All he could do was nod, unable to form any words. You mouthed the words of thank you, before turning your back to him one last time. At that moment, both of you met, but not really fated.

 The night of the Perseids.

A year has passed since you and Mark fought and reached an ultimatum. It was clear you needed some time to heal and reassess your priorities. Rome was not built overnight. After therapy, family hangouts and focusing on hobbies that truly sparked your joy, you can say for in fact, that you are getting better.

Just in time for one of the most prominent meteor showers, and this was your reward.

Did you miss Mark when you were gone? Absolutely.

Did it kill you not to jump at his arms every time you saw him? Yes.

Were you worried of losing him completely? In every waking moment.

 You did not ask him to wait for you. Nor was there any binding contract stating that he is not allowed to date at all. You seem him around girls who may or may not have been hitting with him, but despite that you remained strong. Not because you trust him to come running back to you, but more so, as crazy as it sounds, left it up to the heavens. If the time comes that you were comfortable enough with yourself, he will be there. Throughout your countless meetings with Mark in the past, the sky is always respondent. If that is not more of fate’s reassurance, then you don’t know what.

You set up your equipment in one of the only known places where you can perfectly see the night showers. It is a secluded watchtower, located at the outskirt of the city. Not many people know about this place, but it was here where you often come to see the stars ever since you were young. You place the sherpa blankets on the wooden floor and position the telescope, despite having little snacks and an obvious lack of company for enjoyment. Everyone seemed busy with a bunch of stuff, so no one was able to get your invite. You were already understanding for not many people shared your interests in the celestials.

As you were about to check your phone for any updates, you immediately sensed of movement at the ground. Scared for your life was your initial emotion, as you were in such a secretive and vulnerable state at a height like this. It was when you glanced at the ground, you recognize the black denim sherpa jacket, ochre khaki pants, and white sneakers you always loved. Only one person can pull this off.

Mark Lee.

 “Mind if I join you?” He yells intended for you to hear up top. “I brought some snacks and music!” Mark raised your favorite crisps and sweets, as well as his acoustic guitar. Classic Mark Lee move, you thought.

“Sure, come on up!” You replied, immediately cleaning up and composing yourself as this was your first time meeting each other in a while.

When he reaches your stargazing set up, you welcomed him to sit beside you and take a rest.

“Woah, is that a real telescope? It’s huge!” He exclaimed with child-like amusement walking towards the gadget.

“Uh yeah! It was gifted by my father, who also was fascinated with the stars.” You follow his actions. Taking the time to teach him how it functions and by his excited tone, he truly was enthralled. These little things made you fall for him the first time. You were reminded of that just now.

You walked back to your seat and took a quick look at the time. There were still a couple minutes before the showers start, so you chug your hot chocolate to warm yourself up. Mark seats besides you one last time, clearly, wanting to say something. You beat to him this time.

“So how have you been, Mark?” You took a sip after the inquiry.

“I—I have been fine. Winter semester ended roughly, but honestly, I’m glad it’s over.”

You nod in agreement. “How about you?” His words hang on the air a bit longer than you’ve hoped. Still, you answer, with an open heart.

“I’ve never been better. I feel it genuinely this time. Therapy and Journaling helps, I kid you not.” You mention while glancing at his serious face. He smiles after hearing your answer.

“That’s good then. I’m happy for you, ______. I really am.” He reassures with his eyes never unyielding.

The air still denser as ever, as you both look at the stars hoping it will answer for you. And it did.

“I—” “Do—” You both spoke simultaneously. Almost as if you were in the same wavelengths right at this moment. Smiles erupted instinctively.

“I feel like I always talk, so you can go first, Mark.” You jokingly said. He chuckles with you, sarcastically agreeing with the sentiment. He takes a sharp inhale before recollecting his memories.

“Do you remember when we first met?” Mark asks. You nod as a reply, letting him continue.

“You see, _______. I did not know anything about you when we met that night. All I really thought was that you looked really cool in that biker jacket and that you are so kind to listen to a stranger’s messy guitar performance. I really just came there because Haechan told me to, but having to meet you and have a beautiful student to tutor English? I scored a goal.” He honestly states. His tone made you laugh.

“After getting to know you, I realized how kindness and charm just naturally radiates from you. You weren’t afraid to be candid, vulnerable, and were always willing to go all out to care for their friend. Your studying face was also quite adorable, let me tell you that.” You smile while lowering your head out of shyness from his compliments. He stops for a second to form his next few sentences.

“I did not really care for about people’s rumors about you, or how many you dated, because I knew that the person, I saw during our sessions was the real ______. I believed that someone with a heart like yours was never able to do that.” His gaze was on the sky, before laying his hand at the back to lean.

“To be honest, I was scared too. I knew that you were a person who know what she wants. A go getter. What can an average looking English major dude, still figuring out his life, compete with his handsome more achieving exes? Not even close. I thought.” You quickly shake your head in disagreement and him kindly smiles at your response.

“However, each second of our time together, I still hoped that one day you would look my way and notice that I was not just a friend. I hoped to be someone more. That was what I hoped that night at Jungwoo’s. I was desperate to make you feel loved, make you feel how much I adore you, but instead I just hurt you. I am truly sorry.” He suddenly looks dejected. You held his right hand softly caressing it before uttering your first reply.

“That kiss I could never forget. Even after a lifetime.”

“Am I that good? You’re making me blush, ______. I am not even finished.” He shyly says, covering his face with his left hand. You tap him in the shoulder encourage him to continue.

“But even after all we’ve been through, my heart still is sure. What we have is something worth pursuing. Day and night, I thought of being together with you. Wishing everything went smoothly. Wishing I was more courageous.”

“The ceaseless yearning; the ones I begged for the stars ever night, made me fall even harder for you. Hard enough that I am willing to wait. No matter what. Because I know that’s what you need.” He mentions. You recall that he was the man worth waiting for. You can’t believe you were worth waiting for too. Tears start to fall to your lap, for despite countless o times you feel like you felt unworthy of love, there is still someone who is willing to love you. He intertwines his hand into yours, gently kissing it to reassure your tears. He patiently waits for your answer, so you wipe your tears and rephrase your countless thoughts to pour your heart unto the man who just poured his. “Let me remind you, I am a good listener and keeper of secrets.” He recalls your first conversation. You laugh at his offer. He was right though. You filled your lungs with the cold-stricken air surround you.

 “I was scared, Mark…” You finally admit.

“Most of my life, I just picked, choose, and hoped they would return the love I gave them. I selflessly gave them whatever I have until I can’t anymore. I ran out of it--- love.” You gesture at your cold chest.

“I am not claiming to be a victim, because I knew deep inside, that I was desperate of wanting to be loved that I also lack in more ways than one. But —” You try to compose yourself from crying once again.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I’m here to listen. No judgement.” He is now facing you, reaching for your shaking right hand to steady it, and you held it tightly.

“Maybe you could say I atoned for my sins, that I wanted to redo all the mess that I’ve made. But believe me when I say that it was not until I met you, I recognize that I was deserving of more.”

“I kept searching for it and now that I am close to you, I am afraid that you’ll turn your back to me just like everyone who saw my past and left. I already made the mistake by hopelessly roaming around, but you, Mark… you are not my mistake.” You stared at his glowing orbs before admitting the remains inside your heart.

“This time you were the only thing that’s right.”

You gave a comforting smile, with a tear flowing in your eyes. Mark notices this and gently wipes it across your eyes.

“Thank you for telling me. ______, you are still one of the bravest… and talkative souls I know.” He jokes around and this turns your tears into happy ones. You look at him straight on this time, never running away from the presence of the man who loves your unconditionally. Marks looks at you like you are the only thing that matters against this vast expanse of a universe.

“This time around, ______—” He touches your cheek ever so warmly.

“Will you let me love you… just how you eternally deserve it?”

 His eyes were unwavering of truth. These eyes were never going to let you go. These eyes are the one you trust.

“Yes.” And this time you mean it. Each of your forehead’s are touching, transferring heat upon contact.

“Will you let me kiss you this time?” You joke, recalling your first encounter. Mark chuckles at your frank comment.

“Will never say no to that.” He replies. And slowly you kiss him, unlike you ever kissed before. Ever so softly, ever so loving. Like you waited for a lifetime to do so. Both your lips found each others rhythm, and in perfect unison. Intertwining with no faults. It was more than just perfect. The alarm then rings, and almost instinctively you both look at the sky.

“Oh my god, I see them! Right there!” You see the first few shooting stars crossing the horizons. Mark jumps excitedly and moves in closer to the telescope.

“They are more beautiful than I expected.” He mentions while wrapping his arms at the curve of your back. You lean in his chest admiring at the star filled sky.

“Wait a second, how did you know I was here?” You suddenly interjected.

“Um… some bird might have told me.” He’s looking side to side, looking guilty as charged.

“I gotta thank Jaehyun, then.”

“How did you know it was him?” Mark surprisingly looks at you.

“Well, he is in support of us since day one. That man has good instincts.”

“Your special ex is?” He exclaims.

“What?! Now where did you get that information?” You release from his hug, mirroring his shocked reaction.

“I have my sources. You are clearly biased, not even telling your future man your location.” He crosses his arms. You scoff.

“Can’t believe we’re having our first fight not even minutes of being together.” You place your fingers towards your forehead in distress.

“Your boyfriend is petty, you got to deal with that.” Mark jokingly mentions.

“Okay Mr. Lee, I did not even say you were my boyfriend.” You tease.

He leans down closely towards you daringly. “So, what does a kiss of a lifetime mean then?”

“God, I knew you were gonna tease me about that.” You hit him in the shoulder, and this made both of you chuckle. For one last time, he holds you close never letting go of each other’s warmth. Unbeknownst to each other, you both thank the heavens for blessing your journey towards one another. It was not an easy path, but it was meant to happen the way that it did. Through seismic events and atmospheric conditions, Mark remains to love you, ceaselessly.

#mark lee #mark lee scenario #mark lee imagine #mark lee x reader #nct mark #mark lee x you #mark lee x y/n #mark lee x femreader #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct blurbs #nct fics #nct x y/n #nct x reader #nct fluff #nct 127 x reader #nct dream x reader #mark lee fanfic #nct #nct127 #nct dream #nct u #mark lee drabble #mark lee drabbles #mark lee blurb #mark lee blurbs #mark lee fluff #nct soft hours #nct angst #nct slow burn

[deryicantwait]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: NCT (Band), WAYV, K-pop Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jeong Yuno | Jaehyun/Mark Lee, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Liu Yang Yang, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Suh Youngho | Johnny Characters: Jeong Yuno | Jaehyun, Mark Lee (NCT), Liu Yang Yang, Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Nakamoto Yuta, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Taeyong Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Pining, Mild Sexual Content, Dom/sub, jaehyun is a slut (affectionately so), the author loves Yangyang and it shows, Foreplay, supportive friends, lots of side characters???, Attempt at Humor, Bottom Jeong Yuno | Jaehyun Summary:

Jaehyun used to fuck all his friends but now that most of them are in serious relationships it’s the perfect time to admit he has a massive crush on Mark Lee.

#nct smut #nct 127 #nct127 smut #mark lee scenario #mark lee smut #jaehyun scenarios #nct mxm #nct fic #jaehyun smut #wayv

[scarletwinterxx]

just like you - dad mark lee scenario

hello ~ and we're back with another dad mark scenario. I'm so happy a lot of you seem to like this series as much as I do🥺 also, this isn't written in a particular order, I just write it based on requests/or whichever timeline the scene fits in. anyways, I hope you like it!

alsooooo I'm going to see 127 again next week😭🥺 so expect me to be in my feels again for the next few weeks hahah

if you have a request or scenario you want me to do, just send me a message I'll see what I can do😊💌

part1: day with dad mark lee

part2: another day with dad mark lee

part3: a day with the lee's

part4: (prologue) i don't know how to make eggs

part5: glitter pens and goodnight kisses with the Lee's

part6: first love and kisses

part7: naps and baby kicks

part8: then there was three

part9: just like you

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

"The kids are doing alright, Minjung is loving the music lessons. Minjee, well she's causing all kinds of trouble" you tell your dad thru the phone, he laughs heartily hearing about how his grandkids are doing

"You and Mark doing okay?" he asks

"Yep, he's actually home now. He took Minjung to piano lessons earlier so it's just us three at home"

"How about you, are you okay? Not to tired?" he asks you, even now your dad still babies you. This made you smile, imagining one day this will me Minjee and Mark.

"I'm good, I'm great. I'll call again okay? You and mom take care" you say a few more words before hanging up. You walked back downstairs to see Mark and Minjee in the living room, some cartoon was playing on the TV and both father and daughter is busy watching to notice you.

You sat down next to Mark, catching both of their attentions. Minjee smiles at you, the same way Mark did. They really do look alike.

"Your dad okay?"

"Yep, he was just asking how we're doing" You smile at him, cuddling his side.

"You know I just thought one day that's going to be you and Minjee"

Mark sits up straight making you sit up too. The little Lee looks up at her dad, a small frown on her face forming from being disturbed. She then crawls over your lap to get comfortable again.

"She's not allowed to move out, or have a boyfriend" Mark says making you laugh

"My dad probably thought so too, and look where we are now"

"Yea but she's my baby"

You laugh at your husband's cuteness, looking down at your daughter "Minjee, who's your first love"

The little girl looks up, answering with a few words she could say "Huckie"

You laugh then looked over at Mark, a confused look on his face

"Who???"

"Baby, you love who?" you asked Minjee again, the little girl smiles before answering "Hyuckieeee" she says this time Mark takes her from you

"Are you saying you love your uncle Hyuck more than me?"

"Minjee love Hyuckie" she tells her dad, meanwhile you laugh at Mark's reaction. Donghyuck has always been around ever since the kids were little, Minjung grew up having his fun uncle around much to Mark's dismay some times but you know he's thankful to have his bestfriend around.

After Donghyuck's daughter was born, they would sometimes go on double daddy-daughter dates.

"You did not just say you love him more than me. I thought dada was your favorite" Mark frowns but Minjee just giggles

"Ah you're breaking dada's heart, let me ask you again who do you love the most" Mark asks his daughter, the little girl smiling before uttering the name once again

"Hy-"

"Dada, you love dada. I'm going to buy you all the toys and ice cream and whatever you want" then he attacks her with tickles and kisses making the little girl laugh.

"You're only 2 and you're already breaking dad's heart, I don't even know what I'll do when you get an actual boyfriend"

"Do you know what my dad said before we got married?" you asked, making Mark look over at you with curious eyes

"He said he dreaded the day he would give me away, but after meeting you he can breath easier knowing it would be you I'll come home to" you smile at the memory. The words your dad said you'll forever remember.

"He cried so much during our wedding" he mumbles, taking one of your hands to hold it in his. Caressing the band you're wearing, the very same one he also has.

"You would to, I can see it" you smile, "And I love you so much for that, to know that our daughter would grow up with that much love and care. She would know what true love is because you showed her that"

He smiles at you then looks down at Minjee then back at you, "Oh dang I'm gonna cry, I can't even think when that day comes"

You giggle before cuddling him again, this time he hugs you close. Both of his girls in his arms. "We got a long way to go, for now you need to beat Hyuck first" you joke

"Oh you already know it"

#story #tags #nct #nct 127 #nct dream #nct fluff #nct dad #nct imagine #nct au #nct mark #mark lee #mark lee imagine #mark lee scenario #mark lee au #mark lee fluff #mark lee husband #mark lee dad

[lowkeychenle]

모래성 [LMH] (3)

Description: You and Mark have had a friends with benefits relationship for almost a year now. He's in love with you, addicted to you, but you don't feel the same. You're his poison.

Genre: Angst (no smut so sorry)

Content Warnings: Sad bitch hours because Mark doesn't answer the phone

Word Count: 2,098

Pairing: Mark Lee x Reader (feat. Jaemin and Jeno)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four (Final, coming soon)

Juliet's Masterlist | Requests

(none of the pics in the moodboard belong to me, I got them from pinterest lol)

When you call him, he doesn’t answer. It pisses you off more than you care to admit, but you refuse to give up. At this point, you’re not even calling him because you’re needy. You just want him. So that’s why you decide to get in your car and show up at his apartment instead, fully ready to embarrass yourself in front of his roommates.

Arriving at his place, you hesitate. Going upstairs means you’re giving into this cycle again—after he’s left you twice, you think you have the power to make him stay. At the very least, you think, you deserve an explanation for his sudden change of heart.

You make it upstairs, standing outside the door for longer than you’d care to admit. Laughter filters through the door, and you cringe at the thought of all of them being home. And Mark being happy without you. After he ignored your call, too.

With an eye roll, you work up the courage to knock. You’re only standing there for a few seconds before Jeno opens the door. As soon as he sees you, his eyes widen.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

“Wow, hello to you, too.” You scoff. “Is Mark here? I need to talk to him?”

“I…I don’t think this is a good time.” He looks over his shoulder, inhaling sharply. “Yeah, you need to go.”

“Jeno, be fucking for real right now.” You give him a slight shake of your head, narrowing your eyes at him.

“Who is it?” Jaemin appears around the corner, shoulder bumping Jeno’s as he halts. He has a similar reaction to Jeno’s. “Aren’t you two—”

“You know what, I’ll just go. Tell him I stopped by, if you want.” You turn around, but Jaemin grabs your wrist.

“What are you doing?” Jeno asks.

“Let her in.” Jaemin shrugs, tugging you toward the inside of the apartment. “Not our business.”

The two men step aside and let you through, and you stare at them in confusion as they cross their arms over their chests like a couple of bodyguards. You soon realize why Jeno wanted to send you home. Sitting on the couch is Mark, his arm around a girl you don’t recognize. Your heart lodges in your throat before you get a grip, and your jaw drops.

He doesn’t notice you until after he’s done whispering something in her ear. You ignore the burning sensation in your eyes, and right when he sees you, you’re already turning around to walk back out. There’s clearly no reason for you to stay, so you aren’t going to put up an argument for a man who gives up and moves on that easily.

 “(Y/N)--” Mark calls out behind you, but you barely hear it from the end of the hallway you’re at.

You have a few seconds to choose between the elevator and the stairs. He has more of a chance of catching up to you if you wait, so you opt for the latter. You slam the door open, moving as quickly down floor-by-floor as your body will take you. Not even ten minutes ago, you wanted to be with him. To lie in peace like you used to before. Now? Now you want to get as far away from him as possible.

There’s no coming back from this—not that there should have been in the first place after what he did to you the past couple weeks. He catches up to you when you fumble with your car keys, unable to find the fob for some reason.

“Can you wait a second? Please?”

You drop your hands to your sides, turning to look at him. “Why?”

“Because I…I don’t know. You’re here for a reason, right?”

“Yeah, Mark, I was.” You scoff, shaking your head at him. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with what I just saw?”

“I thought you didn’t care. After all this time, I thought you didn’t want what I did. What did you come here for?” he asks, pleads, eyes wide and sparkling in the starlight. You swallow past the lump in your throat.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does.”

“Not to me. Not anymore.”

“What did you come here for?” The sternness of Mark’s voice surprises you, and you recoil at the sound of it.

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” You massage your forehead. “I came here for you. You ignored my phone call, and I wanted to see you.”

“I didn’t ignore it on purpose,” he tells you, stepping closer. “I haven’t even been on my phone all day. You know I’d never ignore you.”

“You were literally just all up on another girl.” You snort.

“I thought you weren’t an option. How else am I supposed to get over you?”

Get over you? What does that even mean? This whole time, the entire year you spent together, none of it was real. The two of you needed to get off, and it was an arrangement you both willingly set. What was there to get over?

“What are you saying?” you ask, even though the realization is dawning on you faster than you’d like.

“I’ve…” He pauses, avoiding eye contact with you. “I’ve been in love with you for months. You didn’t know?”

An unknown force slams into you, almost enough to send you reeling backward. The confession hangs in the air like a dense fog, so thick and palpable you could cut it with a butter knife. He waits and waits for you to say something, but you’re at a loss for words. You have no idea how to take that information, and the longer you let it sit, the more it makes your stomach turn in on itself.

“I guess you didn’t know.” He clears his throat, wetting his lips as he runs his fingers through his hair.

“Don’t say those things to me,” you breathe out. “You don’t get to say those things to me after everything you’ve done.”

“Everything I’ve done?”

“Seriously? You’ve left me twice in just the past two weeks, and right after you fucked me. Do you know how that makes me feel? Has someone ever made you feel like that? And then I come here and you’re all over someone else. How am I ever supposed to reciprocate those feelings for you when you act like a fucking teenager and not ever tell me?” Your frustration grows the more you talk, the more you realize how doomed the two of you really are if this is the way he communicates.

“I barely even know her—”

“Have you slept with her yet?” you snap, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Come on, dude.” He frowns. “Do you know me at all? No, I haven’t slept with her. I don’t even want to.”

“So you hang all over random girls all the time?” You unlock your car. “I’m leaving. Do us both a favor and don’t call me.”

You turn, gripping the handle. Before you know what’s happening, his palm slams against the window to stop you from opening the door. You take a shuddering breath, terrified of turning around and being so close to him. His chest is against your back.

“Mark, let me go.”

“No.”

“Mark.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” he asks. “I love you.”

You whip around when you finally work up the courage to look at him. “You wouldn’t have done any of those things if you did.”

“I thought you knew. I thought you were talking about forever and staying with me every night to keep me with you. And I was okay with it for so long, but then I just broke. I don’t know how else to explain it. But is that true? Do you want me around because you don’t want to be lonely or because you want me?” He leans closer to you, the faint smell of his familiar cologne drifting up. His brown eyes shine, begging you for the answer you both know is true.

“I would never do that to you,” you reply, voice thick. “But if that’s what you think, I’ve been right this whole time. You’re better off with whoever that girl is in there. Let me go.”

“I can’t.” His tone sharpens briefly, and he grimaces at his outburst. “I can’t. I love you, damn it. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, and I refuse to let you walk away until I know whether or not you feel the same. I want to hear you say it.”

Your jaw quivers as all of the emotions buried deep in your chest force their way up your throat. Heart twisting violently in your chest, you feel as if you’re crumbling in on yourself. If you tell him the truth, you won’t leave. You won’t be strong enough to.

“Mark…”

“Tell me, and I’ll let you go. I just need to know.” As a tear slips down your cheek, he reaches up to brush it away. “Please.”

“Of course, I love you, you idiot.” You smack his chest, but you’re so weak, it doesn’t even make a sound. “How could you ever think I’d do those things to you?”

A thousand emotions cross over his face, like the world has split open beneath his feet, ready to swallow him whole. This is everything he’s ever wanted, yet it’s not right. This isn’t how you two were supposed to end up.

“My God,” he chokes out. “My fucking God, you love me. And I-I…fuck.” He steps back, hands running down his face.

You stay silent, staring down at your feet as you sniffle. There’s little that could fix this anymore, and you both know it. You don’t want to leave him anymore, even though the weight of all of this is soul-crushing.

“What can I do?” he asks, snapping to attention. “Please say I can fix this. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”

“I don’t know.” You shrug. “There’s nothing. I need to go.”

“Are you coming back?” His words shatter the quiet, calm atmosphere and turn it into something completely different. Awkwardness sinks into the night air around you, even when all you want to do is run into his arms and stay there.

But you have to keep your strength. You have to know if he’ll actually respect you.

“I don’t know,” you say honestly, fidgeting with your hands. “I have to think about all of this. How do I know you’ll be any different?”

“You’re right,” he agrees, breaking the newfound distance he created. Brushing your hair behind your ear, he gulps. “I don’t want you to go, so don’t think that’s what I’m saying. But I do want you to feel like you can, whenever you want or need to. Before you go…Can I kiss you? Just once.”

Your mouth opens for the words threatening to spill out, but you can’t force anything out. Even though you shouldn’t, you nod, craving the feeling of his lips on yours. If it’s the last time, you’ll be able to cherish it as the only real kiss the two of you ever shared. The only one where everything is on the table.

He leans in, pressing his lips to yours with a gentle fervor in an attempt to show you exactly what he’s feeling. Your entire body is shaking at this point. You hope he doesn’t notice, but you know it’s no use with him so close.

After a year of sleeping together, he’s never kissed you like this before. Like the world depended on it, like he’d fall apart at the seams if he hadn’t been granted permission. Much too soon, he pulls away, resting his forehead against yours with his eyes closed.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers. “I never wanted to do this to you. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” You almost reach out for him when he moves away.

Leaning against your car, you watch as he walks backward to keep his gaze on yours. Once he’s inside the doors and no longer able to see you, you get in your car and break down. You have no idea what to believe—if he’s being honest about the girl he was with or even about his reasoning for everything before.

It makes sense, but that doesn’t make it okay. You have a lot to think about, and as the tears stream down your face, you swear you see him through his third-floor window when you finally glance up to leave.

#nct dream #nct imagines #nct #nct scenarios #nct dream smut #mark lee #mark lee angst #nct dream mark #nct mark #mark lee scenario #mark lee imagine #mark lee x reader

[justwritedreams]

Surviving The Game | Mark Lee

Idol Mark x Investigator Reader

Word count: 11.368 Genre: Drama, angst, action. Author: maari Warnings: Mentions of stalking, guns and very sensitive topics with a happy ending bc you know me Note: I think I need to make it clear that this has nothing to do with yandere and personally I don't agree with stalker attitudes or anything like that. If you are going through this in real life, don't be silent, this is not normal. Btw this it’s just a fiction so don't come after me. Summary: An sasaeng turns Mark's life a nightmare and the only solution it's bring the police into this case. And it's your job to make him feel safe again.

⪢ NCT Masterlist

“To be more than a conqueror You have to learn to enjoy the pain If you want to survive the game” “Y/N, come with me, please.”

“Of course, boss.” Y/N stood up from her chair, ready to grab her vest.

“Without the vest.” the boss warned and she looked at him confused but left her protection behind.

She walked beside him anxiously, waiting for him to say something but it didn't happen until they were in the car. No vests, no flashy vehicles. Like normal people.

"Where are we going?" she asked as soon as the boss started the car.

“Visiting a victim." Y/N frowned, she had never done this type of work. Noticing her confusion, the boss decided to explain. “It's a delicate and completely confidential case, it involves a large company that wants a silent investigation.”

She knew how to keep a secret but the anxiety of knowing what it was all about was eating her alive.

"Understood." she replied and silence returned to them both until they reached their destination.

Y/N wanted to know more about the details but she knew that the boss wouldn't talk about the case on the street or while they were going up the elevator, after identifying themselves to the doorman. She was attentive to everything and when they arrived on the floor, they didn't have to wait long after the boss rang the bell.

A man probably the boss's age, if not younger, answered the door and bowed as he faced the boss.

"Detective." the man greeted him and the boss bowed in the same way, entering shortly afterwards.

Y/N did the same and noticed that the man was worried, she walked in behind the boss and felt several pairs of eyes staring at her.

She didn't usually get nervous, she liked to investigate and was one of the reasons why she joined the police but she confessed that now it was different. She didn't expect four  extremely handsome young men to be in the room, staring intently at her and the boss.

She was used to police officers of all ages, so she was struck by the beauty of mere civilians. She had never seen so many handsome men since University.

The four of them got up from the couch and bowed, they seemed more anxious and nervous than Y/N, and she tried not to show how affected she was by the looks.

“Detective, this is Taeyong, Yuta, Johnny and Mark.” the oldest introduced, indicating who was who and Y/N took a good look at the boys.

But the last one caught her attention.

He appeared to be the youngest and was visibly shaken, huge black dots under his eyes that were shaking constantly, but beneath his pale, worried face, he carried an innocent, almost childlike look. Although he wasn't that much younger than Y/N.

“Detective Kim, this is my partner Y/N.” the boss announced and all eyes stopped on her.

Y/N smiled slightly, holding her gaze for longer with Mark, who quickly lowered his gaze.

“Very well, tell us from the beginning what happened.” the boss asked and the oldest signaled for everyone to sit down.

Y/N and the boss sat across from the four young boys who looked at Mark before starting.

“We were returning from a recording that lasted all day, when we got out of the car a woman approached us, she wanted to talk to Mark.” Y/N's eyes met Mark's and he looked embarrassed, the boss pointed for her to write down what Taeyong was saying and she took her phone out of her pocket. “At first we thought she was a random fan who had just passed by on the street and saw us getting down, but after we entered, the doorman announced that the woman had not left the sidewalk.”

Y/N cocked her head to the side when she heard the word fan. Were they famous? Why hadn't the boss warned her about this?

“She stood still for a long time, looking at the building trying to find our floor.” Yuta continued.

“That’s when she started screaming.” Mark spoke quietly and Y/N stopped taking notes to look at him, his small voice made her feel sorry for him.

It was clear that this had affected him in a bad way, it was actually sad.

“We spoke to our manager.” Johnny pointed to the older man who was standing next to them with his arms crossed. “And we didn’t do anything but record it for proof.”

“What was she shouting?” Y/N asked and they looked at Mark, who shook his head and looked down.

"Nonsenses. That Mark couldn’t go without talking to his girlfriend, that it wasn’t right to leave her outside in the cold.” Tayeong spoke and it was at that moment that everyone had the same expression, anger.

Y/N tried to contain her grimace and went back to taking notes.

Reminder: the girl was crazy.

“But the next day she was in the same place we were and the next day too, and now she’s going to where we are.” Yuta showed the discomfort he felt and it seemed like he wasn't the only one.

“It even seems like she knows our schedule better than our own manager.” Johnny commented.

“How long has this been going on?” the boss asked.

"3 weeks?" Taeyong asked Mark and he just nodded, while stared into nothing.

Now Y/N could understand the case.

It made perfect sense for the police to go to their house in disguise, if the idols went to the police station or if they knew that a detective had gone there, it would attract a lot of attention.

From the media, from the fans, from who knows how many stalkers they had. It would be detrimental to the case.

“And when did the messages start?” the boss asked and Y/N looked at him.

Messages?

“A few days before she showed up.” Mark responded and put his hands together, stirring constantly.

“Can you show us?” the boss asked and Mark agreed, taking his phone out of his pocket and moving it around until he found what he was looking for, he handed it to the boss and as Y/N was closer, she held the phone.

The boss approached to read it and Y/N's eyes widened at the amount.

The number was already blocked, but on the same day Mark had received 52 messages.

‘I know where you are’

‘Why don’t you come out and talk?’

‘I see your face in the window’

‘Are you looking for me?’

'You are so cute'

There were some of them, Y/N noticed that the girl was really watching Mark closely and every second as she told him exactly what he was doing.

Psychopath, she thought.

Y/N looked at Mark once again. He was sad, dejected and tired, she could see that. It was clear as water.

Cases about stalkers were not rare, but she had never been at the forefront of the investigations. But now, knowing the story, she could only feel anger and disgust.

How could someone who claimed to be a fan do that?

“Have you ever thought about carrying armed security guards?” she asked and that caught everyone by surprise.

The boys looked at each other, looking for an answer while the manager scratched his head.

“It wouldn’t be fair to the fans.” Mark replied and for the first time held Y/N’s gaze.

She didn't want to notice how welcoming yet sad his brown eyes were, but she did.

“And is it fair to you?” she returned the question.

Okay, she understood the fame part but she couldn't understand why their safety didn't come first, especially since that girl was a perfect sasaeng.

They were obsessed and would stop at nothing. Someone needed to set limits.

“The company thinks it is more prudent for the police to investigate first and then we will see what can be done.” the manager said and Y/N wanted to snort.

She knew what to do, locking the crazy woman in a mental hospital was the solution.

“That’s what we’re here for.” the boss assured, resting his hand on Y/N's shoulder who was still looking at Mark. “We will do whatever is necessary.”

Y/N and the boss talked a little more with the boys so they could have something to start, as well as writing down the numbers the stalker was using to send messages to Mark.

Yes, numbers.

She was pushy, in Y/N's words she was annoying.

As soon as they left, after a long conversation that Mark apparently didn't want to have, they returned to the car with a plan in mind.

Well, Y/N had a rather radical plan.

“You know we’re going to have to check his phone, right?” Y/N asked her boss as soon as they left the street of the building. “The girl probably hacked it, based on her history.”

“I didn’t want to say that at first and scare him.”

She laughed, humorless.

“Boss, the guy is already scared!”

"I know. What did you find of her?” he asked and Y/N slid the file onto her phone.

After looking up her history in every database the police had access to, she found some interesting things.

“She was adopted when she was 6 years old. Her academic record is not the best, she went through several schools in a very short period, she must not have had time to create a bond with someone, her teachers made some notes over the years about her being quiet, introverted and extremely inattentive because she was too busy kissing posters of actors and singers.” Y/N saw the boss staring at her with a disbelieving look. "What? It’s written here!”

The boss laughed, nodding his head.

“I know what you think about stalkers.”

“That they are unbalanced people who deserve to spend the rest of their lives in a psychiatric clinic, am I wrong?”

“No, but it’s not right either.” the boss pondered, searching for the best words. “Cases like this involve a lot more than it seems, Y/N.”

"What does that mean?"

“I mean, you need to see beyond your outrage about this issue. Or do you think I didn’t realize you got mad when they started talking about the messages?” Y/N was silent. “You will be a good detective in the future and that is why I have an obligation to train you until then, I want you to be the best, but for that you will need to act more with reason than with emotion.”

[...]

Although the detective was in charge of the case, it was Y/N who was solving everything, especially because the boss was busier than usual. So he confided in her everything he said about this specific case.

That was why Y/N had gone to the group's dorm again, now she knew about Mark's professional life and how the group was famous, it made sense why stalkers showed up thinking they knew the boys closely.

However, a face that Y/N hadn't seen yet answered the door in confusion, so she held up her badge.

"Goodnight. Investigator Y/N, is Mark here?” she asked subtly and he nodded, giving her space to enter.

“Milk!” he shouted and even though she didn't know anything about him, she could tell that he must be one of the group's vocalists, by his powerful voice.

It was time for him to close the door and turn to face her, Mark appeared running and visibly tired, it was no wonder after all at that time of night they should have been sleeping due to their busy schedule.

“Officer, good night!” he greeted her and looked at her expectantly.

“How are you, Mark?”

"Good." she didn't believe the answer, not after the sad eyes gave it away. Y/N would have continued to hold his gaze if the boy who opened the door hadn't interrupted the brief moment. “This is Haechan, I guess you guys didn’t meet last week, did you?” he introduced and the boy smiled at Y/N.

"Pleasure."

"Equally!" he replied happily and the room fell into an awkward silence.

"Well, I'm sorry to come unannounced but I came to update you on the investigation." Y/N spoke and Mark moved in front of Haechan, pointing to the sofa.

"Please sit down."

She did so, taking off the backpack she was carrying on her back and placing it on her lap.

"First of all, your phone, where is it?"

Mark looked confused at Haechan who was on the same page, he pointed to one of the rooms.

"Charging, why?" He asked, curious.

"I'm going to need a favor. Two in fact." she saw Mark nod and then continued. "Bring your phone over here and cover all the cameras, you two will have to be silent at all time."

Mark looked complicit at Haechan who felt the investigator's eyes switch between him and Mark. The two agreed.

"Why?" Mark asked and saw her become reluctant.

"I need to make sure that what I suspect is happening." She explained without giving many details and received a shy ok from Mark, who got up and went to get his phone.

A few minutes later, while Haechan was silent and looked like he was going to explode, Mark returned. Y/N noticed that he had turned the phone's cover over and the rear cameras were covered, while the front was covered by a Band aid.

Creative, she thought.

Mark handed the phone to Y/N who quickly took the notebook out of her backpack and turned it on, Haechan approached Mark and the two remained standing next to the investigator while she worked tirelessly on the keyboard, concentrated enough to get Mark's attention .

He shouldn't have noticed her face so much, the way her lips held a firm line as she pressed them together, but he did.

In an absurd and boring silence, as Haechan thought, minutes passed until her expression changed.

From concentration to anger.

Y/N quickly turned off Mark's phone and got up from the couch almost at the same time.

"Officer…?" Mark caught her attention, and she looked at him seriously.

"What I thought was right." Mark looked at her expectantly, ready to understand what she meant but it wasn't that easy. She didn't want to be insensitive, so she took a deep breath before speaking. "She hacked your phone, she had access to any and all of your personal information."

Y/N saw Mark react in a common way, complete astonishment and despair. But even though it was normal, she hated seeing the vulnerability in him.

"How? When?" he asked, astonished.

"It is possible?" Haechan questioned, worried about his friend. Mark was whiter than usual, he looked like he was going to faint.

Y/N nodded and placed her hands on her hips.

"Unfortunately, yes. Did you leave your phone somewhere or access any unusual links?"

Mark reached deep into his memory.

"No, I don't access links that easily and I don't take my eyes off my phone. Well, only on the plane when I'm sleeping."

Y/N felt like a click appeared in her head.

So that was it.

"But she would never have access to my flight." He laughed in disbelief and saw Y/N look at him not so confidently. "Right?"

She sighed.

“Are you sure you never saw her before that night?” Y/N crossed her arms.

She had to have left some clue, everyone always did.

"Never!" Mark responded promptly and looked at his friend who was holding his hand to his face and staring into space, thoughtfully.

“Thinking back, I recognized her from somewhere. I remember seeing that face behind the scenes of our recordings.” Haechan replied, leaving Y/N on alert.

“You didn't tell me that before.” Mark accused and Haechan shrugged.

“I wasn't sure, but now that the police officer said it, it makes sense to me. She kept looking in our direction.”

Y/N took a deep breath, feeling her blood boil. With the case, she had analyzed other reports of sasaengs and the rumors she had heard about agencies allowing them to infiltrate artists' agendas because they had money was disturbing and revolting.

However, this theory seemed to make more sense than before.

"What do I do?" Mark asked, visibly desperate and Y/N raised her hand to rest on his shoulder but stopped in her tracks.

It would be too inappropriate.

That's why she put her hair behind her ear instead of physically comforting the boy.

"I suggest you buy another phone and don't answer any suspicious calls from an unknown number, always keep your phone in your front pocket."

Mark sighed, he looked so tired that Y/N sympathized with his suffering, it was the final reason she needed to speak with determination.

"She'll pay for this, I promise you."

[...]

Y/N closed the soaked umbrella while banging her fist against the door, that routine was becoming normal and she felt a mix of sensations run through her body waiting for the door to be opened.

She smiled slightly when she saw Mark's clean, confused face and his messy hair, but when she looked down at his bare torso, shock took over her body, she blinked a few times and her jaw dropped as she tried to find some words to say but there was nothing.

Y/N didn't want to notice the way that, even though he was so thin, Mark had a defined body. Well defined. It wasn't surprising, after all he was also a dancer, but she couldn't control her body to contain her stuttered speech.

“Ah shit, sorry!” she heard Mark speak after looking at his own body, finding himself only in his sweatpants while the guitar was in his other hand, Y/N looked at his face and saw that his cheeks took on a pink tone.

“It is…” Y/N cleared her throat as her voice came out weak. "It’s ok."

It was more than fine, she thought.

"Please come in." Mark gave her space and Y/N did so, moving next to Mark's hot body who looked anywhere but at her face. She left her shoes at the door, along with her umbrella. “I'm just going to…” he pointed to his body and she nodded frantically, still not knowing what to say, and followed him to the living room.

Mark practically ran with the guitar in his hand and Y/N put her lips together in a thin line as she watched Mark's back but when her eyes went to the waistband of his pants, she turned her head and with her eyes widened in surprise by the thoughts not at all pure that invaded her head, she lightly slapped her own cheek as if she managed to expel the thoughts.

Put yourself together, she thought.

“Sorry, I have this habit of playing the guitar like that.” she took a deep breath before turning to face Mark again, she was disappointed to see him without his guitar and in his gray hooded sweatshirt but she tried not to show it, the boy was embarrassed enough.

She didn't want to make the situation more uncomfortable than it already was.

“Don’t apologize, please. It’s me who should apologize for coming unannounced, again.”

Mark shook his head and smiled, crossing his arms.

“Apparently you have some more news about the case.” Mark tried to sound subtle but Y/N could find the anxiety in his voice, that was why she took a deep breath feeling her stomach churn with anxiety so she decided to be direct.

"We have the mandate ready." Mark smiled hopefully and was ready to say something when she interrupted him. "But the prosecution knew about your case in advance."

"And?" Mark asked, confused, his frown made him look cute.

"And they want to use this as an example to pressure Congress to pass stronger laws against stalkers."

Mark looked down, the gears in his brain seeming to grind slowly.

"Use as an example?" He questioned and she nodded. "A public trial. Is that it?"

Y/N bit her lip when she saw Mark's very serious expression.

"Yes. The prosecutor believes that with public opinion, especially international opinion, congress will have great motivation for stalkers to be treated as-"

"Wait, officer." Mark interrupted her, raising his hand. "I'm a layman on the subject but this means I'll have to testify in front of the jury. In person."

Y/N scratched the back of her head, feeling her heart sink when she saw Mark's pained expression.

"Yes, Mark. Your testimony at the trial is the main key, just testifying to the police is not enough to convict, it also needs to be in court."

Mark laughed in disbelief and ran his hand over his face, and then through his hair where he ruffled it hard.

He was visibly upset, Y/N understood the reasons but it was the only way to end it.

"Is not fair." he spoke and kept his gaze fixed on Y/N, who felt her shoulders sag.

It was true but he had no choice.

The investigations were practically over, she had nothing else to do.

Now it was with the prosecutor's office.

Mark shook his head and walked past Y/N who just followed him with her gaze, watching him go to the front door angrily, looking for some sneakers.

"Where are you going?" Y/N asked when she saw him put on the pair but had no answer, as Mark opened the door in the next second and walked out of the dorm in long strides.

Y/N ran to put on her shoes and follow Mark, finding him at the end of the hallway.

"Mark!" She called out to him but all she got was silence, which made her run after him again.

He walked out of the dorm and didn't even care about the rain outside as he took long steps down the street, Y/N didn't think about anything other than following him.

"Mark, wait!" She spoke loudly because the heavy rain had already soaked Mark's body and hers, her heavy hair fell in front of her face. "Hey!" she hurried and grabbed his arm, putting all the strength she had into making him stop.

Mark did it, suddenly, and Y/N almost ran into his body for it but she wished she hadn't because now she was staring into Mark's red eyes.

He looked broken inside and out, even in the heavy rain you could see the tears. Y/N felt an uncontrollable urge to protect him.

"What?" he shouted, making her fall silent.

She didn't know what to say, she just wanted to hug him tight enough to ease that suffering.

"I just…" he reluctantly and Y/N kept her eyes fixed on his, encouraging him to continue. "I just wanted, once, just once, to have a normal life like everyone else."

"And what would you do if you were a normal person?" she questioned and saw Mark look intensely into her eyes until he moved down to her mouth.

Y/N didn't have time for any more questions, she just saw Mark approach her in a blur, grab both sides of her face tightly and pull her towards him, their mouths colliding in an almost desperate way.

She widened her eyes when Mark's cold, wet lips took hers, letting a sound of surprise be muffled by the kiss, but Mark's palms covering her skin and his face so close to hers was enough for Y/N to give in to the brief desire at that moment.

She closed her eyes and her hands found Mark's shoulder, feeling her whole body light up with the way his lips moved between hers, tilting her head the kiss became deeper and was the perfect excuse for Mark's tongue seeks hers, bringing his chest closer to hers, their bodies emanating a heat that not even the cold rain was able to stifle.

Y/N sighed when her tongue began to dance in the same fast rhythm as Mark's and she felt his hand hold the back of her neck firmly, sending shivers throughout her body.

The rain, although it made the kiss much wetter and with more saliva than normal, seemed to wash away any kind of insecurity or fear on both sides.

Y/N didn't restrict herself from feeling everything she wanted. She had been attracted to Mark since the first day, and even though her rational side screamed that it was dangerous, she couldn't control the way her heart warmed much more than her body that was touched by him. She felt a peace, a strong connection that she had never felt before.

And Mark, he finally managed to put all his problems aside, it was like he was in another world. One in which Y/N wasn't the police officer who was just there to investigate the case, it went much further. He felt safe and normal.

When they separated, breathing heavy and missing from their lungs, they faced each other once more. Without saying anything, Mark just caressed Y/N's cheek that he was holding and watched her, her lips swollen and red, parted and beautiful.

Y/N kept her hands on Mark's shoulder and lost herself in the current of his eyes, as if it were a black hole that was pulling her. That day, she had promised that she would protect him from everything.

Even if she had to with her own life.

[...]

Y/N sneezed once again as she entered the police station, receiving a greeting from one of her colleagues in which she responded with just one hand.

The headache, the runny nose, the lack of sleep, and being woken up late had everything to do with last night, but none of that mattered to the boss when he saw her.

"You come with me." he pointed at her and continued walking outside the district, she just took a deep breath and turned around, following the detective to the parking lot.

When they got into the car, she dropped her suitcase at her feet and sneezed again.

"Shit." she complained, closing her eyes for a while.

“Did you catch the rain yesterday?” the boss asked and she opened her eyes instantly.

She didn't want to be so suspicious, she hadn't even been able to digest what had happened last night, so she just nodded as she put on the seat belt.

“I told you to use your umbrella.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes theatrically.

"Thank you, dad." the detective laughed at the sarcastic tone, before throwing the tablet that Y/N only noticed he was holding at that moment onto her lap and starting the car.

If it were any other police officer, would never talk with the detective like that. But Y/N was intimate enough for that, and sometimes he acted like he was her father.

"What is that?" she asked, holding up the tablet.

“Unlock the screen and you’ll know where we’re going.” he warned, without taking his attention off the streets and Y/N did as he said.

When she read the title of the article, she felt her blood run cold.

“Lee Mark accused of drugging and abusing minor”

Y/N swallowed hard and wrinkled her nose as she read the article quickly, closing the fists of her other hand so hard that her nails dug into her skin but she didn't care about the pain.

That article was even worse.

And the worst part, it was all a lie. False.

The alleged victim’s “statement” on a social network was too clear for her, in addition to not making any sense, it had only one objective.

“It was the stalker.” she spoke through gritted teeth, trying to control her breathing.

She had no doubts. There was no one other than her who could lie about something so serious.

“I asked intelligence to track the account, of course, she already deleted everything.”

Y/N laughed humorlessly.

“Obviously, her goal was to just throw shit at the media.” she replied angrily.

“And she did, the phone was the same one you identified as the one that had access to Mark’s.”

Great, more evidence against her.

“Can we arrest her now?” Y/N looked at the boss who had a serious expression.

“No, this morning the phone was found.” he glanced at Y/N and took a deep breath before continuing. “On the Han River. I sent a car to her house and the doorman said she hadn’t been there for two days.”

Y/N glared angrily at her boss. It wasn't with him but with the stalker, she wasn't enjoying that Tom and Jerry game.

They should have arrested her last night.

“She knows we’re after her.” she concluded.

“If your theory that she infiltrates the group’s staff is right, then yes.”

“Boss, a lie cannot be proven.” she said, indignantly.

“No, but a true can. That’s what we have to do.” he reminded her and Y/N took a deep breath, looking back at the street.

Anxiety took over her body when she realized that they were close to the company building, very different from the path to Mark's dorm that she was used to, but all she could think about was the boy.

He must have been desperate, much more than yesterday.

Although she should be thinking about her work, it was difficult to control the shiver as she remembered last night and the kiss.

That line was dangerous but it felt so right, Y/N didn't regret kissing Mark because it had only incited the fire of justice within her even more. She needed to help him more than ever, protect him in any way.

“Will SM let the police in through the front door?” Y/N asked as soon as they got out of the car and the boss nodded.

“You can’t even imagine how desperate they are to solve this case.”

Ah, she could actually imagine it.

They entered the building, just showing their badge and entry was authorized, they went to the elevator towards the meeting room where one of the employees had informed them that they would be waiting for them both.

The boss knocked on the door and someone spoke loudly for them to come in, Y/N felt her hands sweat as she entered the room and her eyes searched Mark's, finding him sitting in one of the chairs.

He seemed surprised to see her there but held her gaze, making her heart skip a beat in her chest and memories of last night flooded her head. She could still feel the texture of Mark's lips and the taste of him.

However, she blinked several times when the company's CEO suggested that they sit down, she followed the boss and ended up sitting facing Mark who couldn't take his eyes off her.

She then discovered that in addition to the CEO, SM's lawyer and Mark's lawyer were there, as well as the head of the public relations department.

The meeting had a single objective, to find a way out of that maze.

And Y/N observed everything quietly, listening to the discussions about how they would deal with that without tarnishing the company's image, something that made her raise her eyebrow.

Mark's image should be a priority, or rather, his safety.

She looked back at Mark, he looked not only bothered but irritated too, he kept rubbing his hands while fixing his eyes on a random spot on the table.

“If Mark is sued, we won’t be able to continue with the contract-”

Y/N rolled her eyes surreptitiously. But there was no way she could be listening to that.

"Excuse me." she interrupted, raising her hand and got everyone's attention. “I have an idea, we can set a trap for the girl.”

Y/N's boss looked at her curiously.

"What did you think?"

“It's clear that she is doing everything she can to ruin Mark's life, and I think everyone is aware of that. But you can hush up the case of the false report made on social media.”

"As?" Mark's lawyer asked.

“Release an official note, say Mark has an alibi.” she looked glancing at Mark who had his eyes narrowed at her, trying to follow her reasoning.

“This won’t help without proof.” the head of the public relations department said and she shook her head.

“It will if you say he was with his girlfriend.” she replied with conviction and saw everyone's eyes widen.

"What?"

“But that’s a lie.” Mark spoke a little louder and Y/N looked at him. "I don't have a girlfriend."

She suppressed her smile, she didn't know why but she was happy to hear that from him.

The situation between them would have been much more dangerous if they had kissed while he had a girlfriend...

“Do you want us to defend ourselves from an exposure like this, exposing ourselves even more?” The CEO asked and she nodded.

“Listen to me, if you confirm that Mark is in a relationship and that you hid it to protect his image, in addition to you coming out of this situation as sensible, this will attract the stalker.”

“She’s right.” Y/N's boss agreed, drawing everyone's attention to himself. “The girl has been missing for two days, no one knows where she is. If she believes Mark has a girlfriend, she will come running back to find out who the girl is.”

Everyone was silent, pondering.

“And then, we took action. We take her to jail and the prosecution does its part.”

Y/N looked at everyone's faces, trying to make her confidence convince everyone that the plan was ideal.

They needed to attract the stalker somehow and she couldn't imagine a better scenario than if she believed that Mark already had someone, the girl would change the focus of the threats to the supposed girlfriend.

She faced Mark last, he didn't seem so comfortable with her suggestion but she managed to see something in his eyes that she hadn't seen before.

Hope.

[...]

Y/N wanted to hit herself, she stared at the wall with focus thinking about how she could hit her head without passing out.

Watching Mark after the dating scandal came out to ensure his integrity and watching the stalker appear was perfect.

She had the perfect idea.

Mainly because Mark had been removed from his activities for a few days, the official statement said it was for personal reasons, but Y/N knew that it was all part of the plan to catch the stalker in the act and increase her sentence.

A great idea that the boss had approved.

As long as Y/N kept Mark safe, that she escorted him, and she watched him all night.

Spending all her time outside his apartment doing what exactly? Thinking about the kiss they shared!

Even on duty, with the gun on her waist and her hand nearby in case of any eventuality, she couldn't stop thinking about his lips, no matter how hard she tried.

She didn't know if it was because she had a personal connection to the case and had just felt the need to protect Mark but that kiss moved her in a way that no other had.

It was more than affection.

Mark's sad eyes and the way he looked so small and defenseless in that situation made her feel the need to not only protect him, but also help him in some way.

And as wrong as it was, since she couldn't get involved with the victims, she wanted to do something for him besides work.

To make him feel better, even to vent to someone because she more than anyone knew what an extremely stressful situation it was.

Y/N turned her head and all her attention when she heard the door to his house open slowly, making the noise echo through the silent hallway, her palms were already sweaty before she even saw Mark's shy face.

His dark hair fell into his eyes that were looking for anywhere to look but her eyes.

"It's… um… good evening, officer." His voice came out so shy that she would have smiled if she didn't feel so embarrassed.

The air was tense between them, it was palpable.

"Good evening, Mark." she returned it with a wry smile. "Do you need something?"

"No." He shook his head incessantly, he seemed to search for the right words while holding the door. "Listen, are you going to be out there for too long?"

Y/N sighed, of course he was feeling uncomfortable.

"Until the patrol finds some movement around the perimeter." she explained.

That was the deal.

Mark took a deep breath and raised his eyes to look at her.

"You are not hungry?" The question caught Y/N off guard and she frowned, not understanding. "It's just that I made a lot of food…" he pointed inside his own apartment. "I forgot the members wouldn't be here." He smiled shyly, scratching the back of his head and she watched him carefully.

The police had been very specific, keeping Mark in the dorm was a necessity but they weren't going to put the other boys in danger.

So they all went to a hotel that night.

"I don’t want to bother." She was being sincere, although her stomach rejoiced at the invitation.

"No, no. It won't be uncomfortable." Mark replied promptly, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not against what was stipulated, you'll still watch me... just from inside."

Y/N pondered, a huge part of her saying to accept it soon but until she remembered that she was on duty, working to keep him safe.

Except, well, Mark wasn't wrong. He had a point.

"I don't know…"

"Please." Mark's eyes shone with guilt and she surrendered right then and there. "I feel responsible for you being out there alone when you could be somewhere you really wanted."

She felt offended but didn't take it personally, Mark didn't really know her so he didn't know that she was there of her own free will, it was her duty.

"Don't say that, I don't want you to feel that way." She took a step forward, her fingers itching to touch his shoulder, but stopped where she was. "It's not your fault, Mark, it never was!"

She spoke with conviction and he remained silent, only to nod his head shortly afterwards.

"I'll feel a lot better if you at least come in for a drink of water."

She suppressed a smile and Mark gave her space to enter, without hesitation she did so.

The house was much warmer than the hallway she was in before, she took off her boots at the door and walked in, hearing Mark close the door behind her and feeling him watching her.

"Do you want to eat? Seriously, I made a lot of food." He walked ahead and pointed to where Y/N imagined the kitchen to be, a clear invitation for her to go.

In silence she entered and saw that Mark had actually made a lot of food, enough for the whole night. Even though she was about to deny it, her stomach betrayed her and growled loudly the instant she saw the food.

It looked very delicious.

Although there was one thing missing.

"I know, the egg needs to be fried, right." He laughed softly and Y/N looked at him.

Had she been watching the food for so long?

"I’ll just eat it as is." She replied and Mark approached the stove.

"No, it's okay. I'll do it in a second." He offered and she smiled gratefully.

However, Y/N's smile faded when she saw that Mark looked more like he was about to plant a bomb than fry an egg.

Mark took what he needed a little confused, he muttered quietly to himself and she couldn't understand but she imagined it was the steps of the process.

When one hand was free, he scratched the back of his head and looked at the items on the kitchen counter, as if he wanted to ensure he had gotten everything needed.

This was taking a lot longer than a second.

"Mark." she called after him, stifling a laugh.

He looked at her, even more confused and a little shy.

"Yes?"

"Do you know how to fry eggs?" she crossed her arms and saw him frown.

"Yeah!" he responded promptly, scratching the back of his head again. "You just can't guarantee that it's edible."

Y/N put her hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh, he also laughed a little more shyly.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Y/N approached the stove as Mark opened and closed his mouth to retort, but she just raised her eyebrow and reached out to hold the spatula he was holding.

He ended up giving in willingly and their fingers ended up touching briefly, making them both look at each other at the same moment.

Mark walked away, shyly while Y/N cleared her throat trying not to show how much Mark's eyes affected her.

"Do you want a tip?" she asked, to dispel the disturbing silence and he nodded. "You need to get the oil hot before you add the egg."

Mark paid attention as she announced what she was going to do in a step-by-step that seemed much simpler than what he did.

She took the opportunity and made him an egg too, Mark helped put together the dish and they were quickly sitting on the stools ready to eat.

"Seeing you cook, it seemed easy to do." Mark pointed to the egg, laughing and she mirrored the same reaction.

Catching her attention a little on his wide and genuine smile.

"Because it's easy." She noticed and started to eat.

"For me it's much more complicated than it really is, officer." he replied, watching her expression as she ate.

"But you cook well." She spoke after chewing everything. "This is a feast compared to the hot dogs I eat on the street."

Mark frowned.

"Don't you eat real food when you work, officer?"

She looked at him. She didn't like it when Mark called her an officer often, it seemed like every time he said that word a rift grew between them.

"Define real food."

Mark laughed, he didn't need the answer because she had already said it.

They ate some more in silence, although she noticed Mark's uneasiness.

"Can I ask you a question, officer?" He spoke quietly.

"Y/N."

Mark looked at her confused.

"Huh?"

"Y/N. That's my name." He raised his eyebrows and she smiled slightly. "Instead of just officer."

Mark smirked.

"Y/N."

She had to control the huge smile she wanted to give, she had enjoyed hearing him say her name.

"Of course you can." She moved away from the plate, turning all her attention to him. "Go ahead"

Mark took a deep breath and looked at her deeply.

"Why did you become a police officer?"

She swallowed hard, she didn't imagine he would ask her that right away.

She tried to hide how much that question had weighed on her shoulders and frowned.

"And why did you become an idol?"

He shook his head, his eyes shining with stubbornness.

"I asked first." He remembered and she nodded, looking down at her hands that were in her lap.

"I know how you feel." She shifted on the stool and looked somewhere in the kitchen, avoiding Mark's eyes. "With this stalker thing. You're not the only one who has someone chasing you everywhere."

Y/N suddenly fell silent, her mind flooding with the memories she had forced herself to forget.

"Ex boyfriend?" Mark asked reluctantly.

Y/N looked at him again, smiling sadly.

"I wish it were." She shook her head and he looked even more confused. "I had a childhood friend, we were inseparable in kindergarten but I ended up having to change cities shortly after and lost contact. In elementary school, on a random day, she showed up at the same school, she had enrolled there. At first I thought it was great because I didn't know what had happened to her so I would be able to have that friendship again." She took a deep breath before continuing. "But I had grown up, met other people, had new friends... and she didn't seem to like it very much. She was jealous of all my friends, she said she liked the same guys as me. I started to think it was strange, but it was only in middle school that I started to feel weird around her. She did everything she could to be near me, all the time, as if… as if…"

"You had an intimacy that no one has ever had." Mark concluded and she nodded.

She laughed, sadly.

"Yeah, but it wasn't like that. She wasn't my best friend, the memory I had of her was very different, and her jealousy bothered me a lot so I tried to stay away."

"But it did not work." He guessed.

"Yes, it seemed that the more I moved away, the more she tried to be close to me. She even followed me home several times, sending me messages in the early hours of the morning wanting to question me because I had posted photos with my friends." she sighed. “She said I was the reason she self-harmed.”

Mark's jaw dropped and he watched her helpfully.

"She sent me sensitive photos of slit wrists every time and I always felt guilty. But the messages started to be more frequent and she started threatening me, threatening my family, saying that I had told her to kill herself , although it wasn't like that, I had just warned her and tried to help that if she continued doing that she would end up killing herself. I was so angry because I didn't think there was a reason for that. Until I had enough."

"How?" He crossed his arms and she then realized that Mark was really interested in the story, so she continued.

"I joined the police academy, I was always afraid that she would do something against my family so I thought I could protect them if I was a police officer. Then I decided to change cities, I wanted her focus to change, so she wouldn't need to focus on what to do against my family. I left all social media, I never showed up in the city again."

"And then?"

Y/N scratched her head, this was part she had never told anyone, not even her family. She then got up from the stool and crossed her arms, turning her back to Mark and heading into the living room.

He followed her, he was curious and also worried, but he felt relieved somehow. He had identified with her story.

"And then I ended up here." She opened her arms, turning to look at him. "I was feeling safe enough, until…"

Y/N looked down at the floor, running her hand over her forehead while Mark didn't take his eyes off her, a little reluctant.

"Until?" He urged her to continue but seeing that she was still silent, he took a step towards her.

"Until I was assigned to handle your case." She raised her gaze again to Mark's, seeing him change his expression to one of surprise. "I said I know how you feel because it's the truth. I understand the fear you're feeling."

Y/N saw Mark's eyes falter so she took a step forward, getting closer to him.

"I know it's desperate and that you will do everything to protect the ones you love because that's exactly what I'm doing." Mark looked away and, unable to contain himself, she brought her hand to his face, making him regain eye contact. "If the trial appears on TV, if it's public, she'll find me."

"So you think I shouldn't testify?" he asked quietly, his shoulders so shrugged that it gave him a very fragile image, one that Y/N didn't like.

She shook her head and moved closer to him, cupping the other side of Mark's face with her free hand.

"Quite the opposite. You need to testify." she spoke firmly and he stared at her lips. "You have to end this or else you'll spend the rest of your life hiding."

“But what about you, Y/N?” he asked, worried. "What will happen to you?"

She sighed. Even though she knew that maybe her life would become a nightmare, that wasn't what she was worried about.

It was Mark's life that was at risk, he might never do what he loved again because of a false accusation and if she had the power to stop that from happening, she would strive to help him.

"I'm finally going to put an end to this story. I'm going to stop being the scared, terrified victim." she replied with certainty, a conviction that took Mark's words away.

He just stood there staring at her determined face, he saw a strength in Y/N's eyes that infected him.

He had to do that not only for him or the people he loved but also for everyone else who was going through the same situation.

If he had a chance to start a change, he couldn't let fear stop him.

And as strange as it was, she gave him a security he had never felt before.

Then his eyes dropped to Y/N's lips, not wanting to hold back anymore, Mark moved closer to touch them softly with his own lips.

She slowly closed her eyes at the light contact and had to force herself not to let out a sigh.

However, when Mark hugged her waist and brought her closer while his lips moved skillfully against hers, she simply gave in.

She forgot everything. Her past, her history, what she was doing there, what her mission was.

Mark took her out of orbit and it was intoxicating, all she wanted was to stay there with his warm lips moving slowly against hers, appreciating every inch and tasting her without rushing.

From Mark's face, her hands went to the back of his head and hair, moving his head to the side so that the kiss intensified.

Mark didn't stop the kiss until Y//N hit her back against a hard surface, it was only with surprise that they separated to realize that they were glued to the glass door of the balcony.

She laughed softly, followed by Mark's laugh as he raised his hand to her cheek. Y/N just watched him, with wobbly legs and dropped her hands to his shoulders while Mark caressed her face.

They didn't need words, the only thing that was exchanged there was complicity.

Mark's sideways smile indicated before he tilted his head that he intended to continue what they had started.

If it weren't for the ringing on his phone, notifying him of a new message. He took a deep breath before walking away.

"Y/N. Over."

Still a little dizzy from the lack of air, she reached for the communicator on her waist, watching Mark walk to get the phone from the sofa.

"I am here." She responded, forcing her voice to come out steady.

She saw Mark using his phone with his back to her.

"We saw some strange movement around the back of the building."

Y/N's entire body became alert, her rigid posture appearing again.

"What?"

Y/N didn't take her eyes off Mark, he was motionless.

"It was near some trash cans so we walked around the street to be sure what it was."

She took a deep breath, not liking it.

Mark turned to her, his eyes wide and an expression of pure shock that made Y/N look at him suspiciously.

He turned the phone screen and she returned her attention to Mark's shaking hand until she realized that a video was playing.

She felt her blood boil as she recognized the place and people in the video.

"We didn't find anything."

In front of her, on Mark's phone, a video of the kiss they had just exchanged played with a zoom clearly enough to identify both of them.

Y/N swallowed hard, not knowing what to do for the first time ever.

They kissed with so much passion that even though she didn't feel guilty, she felt embarrassed that it was recorded.

She looked at Mark, who even confused, had understood everything.

"Stop the car and go up to the building. Now." She ordered before turning off the communicator.

Y/N ran a hand over her face while Mark scratched the back of his head, staring at his phone screen again.

"She is here." He spoke quietly, with his eyes lost on a specific point on the phone. "She is here!"

Y/N took a deep breath and approached Mark.

"Hey." She rested her hands on his shoulders. "Mark, look at me."

He obeyed, scared.

"How did she do it?!"

"Don’t do that. That's what she wants, to make you scared!" she reminded him, making him nod.

"She sent the video with a message." He handed the phone to Y/N, who quickly took it, breaking the contact established with Mark.

She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes angrily after reading 'If you don't come and find me, your girlfriend will become famous'.

"I'm tired, Y/N!"

She opened her eyes, looking at Mark, he shook his head nonstop, completely disbelieved.

"I can't take all this mess anymore."

"You can, Mark, you're strong!"

He wet his own lips with his tongue and pressed them together in a thin line.

"You are right." He looked at her, making her raise her eyebrow in silent question. "I need to testify. I'm going to testify."

[...]

Y/N was hurriedly walking down the corridor of the police station, it was early in the morning and even though her body was tired from not having gone to sleep yet, the anger and hatred that coursed hotly through her veins left her more awake than ever.

She entered her boss's office without knocking and when she saw him standing next to the table, she found that he was already waiting for her.

He took a deep breath, his hands in his pants pockets.

"What about Mark?" he asked, worried.

"I left the patrollers there." she replied after closing the door with a thud, heading towards the chair in front of the table.

Y/N threw herself into the chair, being watched by her boss.

"Great, so we can talk." She nodded, the boss then handed his phone and she looked at it with a frown. "About this."

Y/N turned her attention to the phone and felt her blood suddenly run cold as she reviewed the video of the kiss between her and Mark.

A lump formed in her throat and she had nothing to say for a few seconds.

"How… who sent you that?" she raised the phone, after closing the video, irritated.

"She sent it to another deputy from another police station." he explained, returning to his chair and sitting down, to face Y/N. "Lucky for you two, he is a good friend of mine and realized it was a case of blackmail. This hasn't been leaked to the press yet."

She swallowed hard. She had nothing to explain to her boss because the video was enough.

"Y/N, I warned you about your emotions in this case."

"Boss, I didn't plan any of this-"

"I know that." He raised his hand to stop her. "But it doesn't make any difference anyway, because that kind of involvement is too dangerous."

She narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Getting emotionally involved with a victim in cases like this rarely ends well." he leaned back in the chair. "Know that I'm not removing you from the investigations just because everything is ready."

She swallowed the answer she wanted to give. It wouldn't be fair to her.

"It would be very difficult to explain why to the supervisor and both you and Mark need to protect yourself from this type of gossip."

She nodded.

"The girl said that if Mark didn't find her, this video would be exposed, but apparently she can't keep her word." She huffed, irritated.

"I thought you better than anyone understood that these kinds of people can't be trusted."

"I'm always surprised." she replied in disbelief.

"I'm going to talk to Mark's lawyer by the end of the day." she frowned, that information was new to her. "We need to get him out of the country as soon as possible, we can't delay it any longer."

Y/N felt her shoulders sag. They were fighting against this possibility at all costs but apparently there was no other way out.

"With the warrant issued, she won't be able to leave the country and so we caught her."

"Let me tell him." she begged, being closely watched by her boss. "Please."

"You overstepped, didn't you?" he crossed his arms after a while of silence.

Y/N swallowed hard and looked at the boss in complete surprise.

"What?"

"You fell in love with the boy."

Y/N felt her entire body shiver and her jaw dropped slightly as words failed her, she wanted to deny it with all her strength but her body didn't obey.

Didn't obey because she agreed with the boss.

Didn't obey because it was true.

At first it was pure need to protect him, she identified with his case in a very personal way. But after the first kiss, she felt her heart leap out of her mouth every time she thought about him, which ended up being very constant because her entire attention was focused solely on Mark, either because she was working on the case or because she was thinking about what had happened between them.

She rubbed her cold hands, still trying to find an answer, which wasn't coming.

"Boss-"

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.” his voice sounded much calmer than she imagined. “You can’t imagine how common this is.” she smiled, embarrassed. “But you know what happens now, don’t you?”

She frowned, confused.

“You became the main target.”

“I’m not afraid of her.”

Y/N felt the blood bubbling hotly through her veins every time she thought about that stalker, it was the fuel she needed to do what was right. She wanted justice, that's all.

And she would, one way or another.

[...]

Y/N drove down the streets that would lead to Mark's house, her only purpose in talking to her boss was to ensure Mark's safety. First they would take him out of the apartment and take him to a safe place before boarding him on a flight back to Canada, it would be for a short time but enough to arrest the stalker and begin the trial.

He would come back, that was obvious, but that didn't mean that Y/N's didn’t heart sank and anguished when she remembered that she wouldn't see him for a few weeks.

She wanted to make sure he was okay.

“Attention vehicles, report of suspected robbery at a grocery store.”

Y/N turned up the volume on the radio to hear better and frowned when the location was mentioned, a street next to the one where Mark lived. When the center repeated it, Y/N's mind worked quickly and was soon fitting all the pieces of the puzzle together.

That was why she accelerated the car even more, turning on the siren so she could pass between the cars more quickly. She felt her heart racing faster than the car she was driving and she shook her head, wishing that what she was thinking wasn't happening. However, all her fears became clearer when she didn't see the patrol car on the street outside Mark's house. Y/N got out of the car before she could even turn it off, pulling the gun from her waistband as soon as she set foot on the street.

Her hands were shaking and she had to hold the gun tighter than necessary, she didn't enter the building through the front door, she went through the back and was very attentive to every inch, she went up through the service elevator. She would have taken the stairs if she hadn't known that it had been on purpose, she knew where to go and wouldn't need to analyze the floors of the building as protocol said.

The climb to Mark's floor felt like slow torture and when the metal doors opened, she took a deep breath before leaving. She swallowed hard when she saw the apartment door slightly opened and there was no longer any doubt for her, she felt her heart beating in her ears and her jaw clenched as she approached the door without making a sound.

She raised the gun forward with one hand and with the other she opened the door suddenly, she didn't see anyone in the entrance hall so without thinking twice, she entered the house.

She didn't hear any noise and that made her alert, but when she went to the living room she felt her shoulders give in slightly, the strength seemed to be lacking in her legs but at the same time her instinct reacted by raising the gun towards the stalker who had a knife pointed at Mark's neck.

Y/N swallowed the growl that almost escaped her mouth and aimed for the girl's head, she was ready for that with her finger on the trigger, the stalker didn't even make the effort to hide behind Mark.

She just didn't shoot because Mark's terrified face and tears weighed heavily on her heart. The rational part of her brain knew that if she fired there and now, with the blade's proximity to Mark's skin, she would risk his life.

And that was everything she wouldn't do.

“It took you long enough.”

Y/N took a deep breath, controlling the urge to tell her to fuck off.

That crazy woman was still cynical.

"What do you want?" she asked through gritted teeth, gripping the gun tighter.

“I already have what I want.” She smiled widely, bringing her face closer to Mark's to plant a kiss on his cheek, who tried to pull away with a disgusted grimace. “It’s right here, isn’t it my love?”

“And why all this theater to get me here?” Y/N questioned, glaring at her. “You were the one who made the anonymous report of the theft.” it wasn't a question.

Because the stalker's insolent smile said exactly the answer she already knew.

"Of course." she replied with a tone of obviousness. “How did you expect those two idiots guarding the door to let me in without me being seen?”

“They weren’t going!”

"Exactly." she shrugged. “That’s why I needed to get them out of my way. You should thank me, police officer, I spared their lives.”

Y/N laughed in disbelief.

“You won’t kill a fly.”

The stalker smiled devilishly and pressed the knife further into Mark's neck, making him raise his head to try to get away from the blade, Y/N held her breath.

“Don’t provoke me, officer, you don’t know me.” she threatened.

"Okay!" Y/N agreed. “Get away from Mark and I’ll give you what you want.”

“Do you think I’m stupid? I walk away and you shoot me. You're smart." she grabbed Mark by the shoulder with her other hand.

Y/N was becoming distressed by the exaggerated proximity so she raised her hands, removing her aim from her head.

"Is it better this way?" she asked angrily, raising her eyebrow.

“I don’t know how Mark got interested in a coward like you.” she teased and Y/N locked her jaw. Okay, she wasn't going to fall for that conversation, it was purposeful and she knew it. “But you know it can be funny.” the stalker slightly raised the hand that was holding the knife and Y/N paid attention to the movement. “Almost like a joke.”

Now it had become too personal.

"You're right." she smiled ironically at her, who looked at her in surprise. “I’m really smart.”

Before a blink of an eye, Y/N aimed the gun at the stalker and fired. The shot echoed through the apartment and Mark flinched to the side in fright, Y/N kept her stance firm and the gun still extended as she saw the stalker fidget on the floor, reaching for her injured shoulder.

Y/N approached in long strides, placing herself in front of Mark protectively, the girl struggled to try and hold the knife that had fallen a little away.

Y/N shook her head and kicked the knife away, far enough away that the stalker couldn't reach it.

"You are under arrest!" she announced before turning to face Mark.

Y/N felt her heart sink when she saw Mark devastated, he seemed like he couldn't breathe and that made her place a hand on his shoulder.

“Mark.” she called softly, seeing him run his eyes around the room, scared. “Hey, it’s over.”

He nodded before looking into her eyes, the exchange of glances was quick but for them it lasted an eternity, until Y/N shifted her attention to Mark's neck.

It was marked and red, but no injuries. It was enough to breathe a sigh of relief, she felt her whole body tingle with the adrenaline that was beginning to subside.

She put the gun in her waistband and took her phone from her pants pocket, calling for backup.

After the call, she lifted the stalker and handcuffed her, leaving her sitting on the floor near the sofa. Then, being very careful not to scare Mark, she led him out of the apartment. Only then would they have privacy to talk.

"Are you okay?" she asked, calmly analyzing his face.

He swallowed, drying his sweaty hands on his pants.

“I guess… I guess so.” he took a deep breath.

“I know, after all the adrenaline wears off your body feels sore.” Y/N's fingers itched to touch Mark's face and this time she didn't hold back.

She made him look her in the eyes. He had a mix of emotions there and it was enough to hug him.

Y/N buried her face in the back of Mark's head and he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, shaking so much that she had to pat his back to try to calm him down.

She wanted to envelop him with the certainty that everything was okay in the same way that the heat of his body enveloped her.

"You saved my life." he said, his voice being muffled by the hug. “I will never be able to thank you enough.”

Y/N smiled lightly and moved away, seeing Mark's grateful smile up close.

"You don't need to. Just live your life like you have been doing and that’s enough for me.” Y/N's eyes dropped to his lips.

She fought the urge to kiss him one last time and so she bit her lower lip.

“So it’s like this?” Y/N narrowed her eyes at Mark's question, not understanding. “Is this how we’re going to say goodbye?”

Y/N opened her mouth to respond but no sound came out as she didn't know what to say, she shrugged sheepishly.

“If you want to-” she started but was interrupted by Mark, who got close enough so that their noses were touching slightly.

Y/N got lost in his eyes, which begged her to stay.

"Don’ go away." he asked and she smiled slightly. “It's going to be hard being away from you, officer. I survived the game thanks to you.”

#mark imagines #mark scenarios #mark lee imagine #mark lee imagines #mark lee scenario #mark lee x y/n #mark lee x you #mark lee x reader #mark lee #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct imagine #nct scenario #nct x reader #nct x you #nct dream imagines #nct dream scenarios #nct dream x reader #nct dream x y/n #nct dream x you #Maari

[mokitariau]

one last summerㅣsixteen.

“maybe it'll take my mind off her”.

previousㅣnext

one last summer masterlist.

#mark lee texts #mark texts #mark lee scenario #mark lee #mark lee imagines #mark lee fanfiction #mark lee social media au #nct social media au #social media au #mark nct