#swapped fic

1. the days before 2. the day 3. the teams' party 4. the third wheel 5. out of touch 6. ITAABTE? 7. late afternoons 8. temporary fix

// to be added //

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ temporary fix

Without fully understanding what had happened, you sat back down on the couch and hugged the pillow that had covered you. The show was still playing, but your mind remained trapped in an endless spiral of thoughts.

Had you done something wrong? Or had he simply not liked what happened?

For a moment, your mind drifted to your worst thought, one that had been haunting you constantly because of everything that had been happening lately: what if Mark simply wasn’t attracted to you anymore? What if everything that had happened had only been a biological response from his body, and the moment he came back to his senses, he realized it had all just been a mistake to him?

The feeling hit you like a punch to the stomach, and suddenly you couldn’t stop a few tears from falling.

You felt like the worst person in the world now, for forcing something he clearly didn’t want, for forcing this relationship when he had been giving obvious signs for much longer than necessary.

Fuck.

You grabbed the closest pajama shirt you could find and put it on, lying down on the couch while hugging the same pillow that gave you a small sense of stability. You opened your phone, and the contact ‘mon cher’ glowed on your screen. The last messages looked absurdly different from the way he had acted just minutes ago. Your first thought was to text him something, but what could you even say?

Last time, he had asked you for space, and you had tried to respect that. Would pushing now only mean anticipating the end of the two of you?

A few more tears rolled down your face before you let go of your phone and turned to the other side.

Mark was everything to you, and if the end of the two of you was really approaching, you would let it happen naturally, trying to enjoy every moment while staying within his limits.

On the other side of the door, Hyuck rushed down the stairs of your building, tormenting himself for letting that happen.

You were a good player, he had to admit it. You had gotten into his head perfectly, and he was a terrible loser because now he couldn’t get you out of it. And worst of all, he was the worst best friend in the world. Not just because of that, but because he knew that if he stepped foot in your apartment one more time, he would probably beat you at your own game and knock some sense into your head his own way, even if his way meant being an even worse friend than he already was now.

He needed to avoid you, at least for that week, but wanting to avoid you was no reason to avoid Mark, especially because he also needed to know what had happened during dinner with his parents. And against all odds, running on half a cup of coffee and two cigarettes, he met up with his friend the next day.

Haechan’s parents had left early that morning, and he hadn’t been able to give the bouquet to his mother, but he brought it to breakfast anyway just in case his friend suspected something. 

If he had to take his frustration out on something, let it be the lilies.

Hyuck’s cheeks were already warm when he took a sip of his iced coffee, quickly asking what had happened yesterday.

“He found out about Taeyong’s job…” Mark said a little dejectedly, paying attention to the spoon stirring sugar into his espresso. “Your dad gave your brother thirty days to quit, move back home, and work with him.”

Hyuck let out a small laugh, looking at his friend.

“He’s never gonna do that…” he said quietly, and Mark smiled faintly.

“Oh! And when he started questioning your plans after graduation, guess who showed up to save you?”

Hyuck let out a small “who,” still watching his friend, whose tone became more animated even though he still looked tired.

“The one and only Yu Jimin.”

“What!?”

“Yeah! It turned into this whole family thing and your dad invited her dad to have dinner with us, and now your entire family kind of thinks you’re dating.”

Mark leaves out the conversation he had with Taeyong, and the two of them laugh softly.

“No fucking way.”

“It even took me a few months to meet Yn’s parents, and you guys are already there before the first date? No way…”

Mark laughed again and Hyuck joined him, though he already felt the mood shift at the mention of your name.

“How was yesterday? You never really gave me any updates…” he asked more seriously now, looking at his friend, who immediately felt his cheeks heat up again.

“It was good… yeah, excellent!” Hyuck laughed lightly before picking up his coffee and taking a long sip.

“Oh, so she liked the places?”

Haechan nodded, still avoiding looking at his friend.

“Yeah… actually, she even made a bouquet for my mom… but since they already left town, you should give it to Jimin. Thank her for saving you yesterday.”

He laughed softly and Mark looked at the bouquet with some suspicion.

Since when does Haechan think like that?

“If you say so…” he shrugged, returning to the topic his friend had tried to avoid. “Oh, did you manage to record anything with that camera? I mean, does that old thing even still record anything…?”

Mark asks in an awkward way, scratching the back of his neck and looking away in a terrible attempt to hide his discomfort. And Haechan would’ve even laughed at the way his friend was acting, but after he got home the day before, he had checked what was on the camera and, after countless cute moments and random things he had recorded throughout the day, there was an uninterrupted sequence of the two of you having dinner, cuddling, and then him sucking on your breasts, followed by you on your knees while he moaned caressing your hair. But the worst part of all was that the recording ended with your trembling voice apologizing while only your body appeared on screen, covered by a pillow behind his. 

“It was out of SD…” he says quickly, scratching the back of his neck too, and Mark nods, relieved of whatever weight had been sitting on his shoulders.

“Sure… but if it was good and she liked it, great, that’s what really mattered…” he says in the same dejected tone the conversation had started with.

“Yeah…” Hyuck agrees, and for a moment both of them focus on their own coffees in an awkward silence.

Their conversation didn’t extend much beyond that. Both of them had you on their minds for completely different reasons and had no idea how to get you out of them. Eventually, the two went back home, preparing for the start of the week.

Mark wanted to text you as himself, to talk to you about the weekend, about your favorite parts of the date, but there was something inside him that simply wouldn’t settle down. He needed to see you, apologize to you, and make it clear that the person trying to force you to stay wasn’t him, or at least not who he wanted to be.

He didn’t think much before, at the beginning of the week, opening your chat as Hyuck and asking if you wanted to have lunch, just you and him, sometime that week.

Your reply came quickly, and soon enough you were already on your second consecutive day meeting at a table for two. And by the third day, you and Mark were exchanging nothing but short sentences or monosyllabic texts in your actual couple chat.

Who you thought Mark was had only appeared a handful of times in front of you, and your interactions had gone back to being awkward. Still, you treasured every touch and every small kiss he offered you between classes, afraid it might be the last one.

And because it was impossible to hide anything from your real boyfriend, Mark noticed immediately that you were acting strange, but he didn’t question it. He had already invaded your space too much to question anything now. He wanted to ask, but what he feared was dealing with whatever would come after your answer.

“I want you to know that… I’ll always support you, okay? As your friend, of course…” he suddenly said after the two of you finished lunch together in the garden, catching you off guard. “That day when you told me about the graduate program, I think I reacted badly… I’m sorry… I just want you to know that, as your friend, I’ll be here for you.”

He offered you a gentle smile and you mirrored it.

It was so sudden and unexpected that it shook you a little, but you only smiled and found his hand on the bench beside you, giving it a light squeeze.

“You don’t… you don’t need to worry about that day, Hyuck. At least you were honest with me, like you always are, and I’m really grateful for that.” Your gentle smile remained as you focused on his face. Mark did the same, even knowing it wasn’t true, and felt guilty.

He wanted to hug you now, kiss you, throw himself at your feet begging for forgiveness, but then you interrupted his thoughts with the most random thing possible.

“Oh! I hope I’m not intruding in your life, but I’m sorry your dad is so strict with you. I hope Saturday wasn’t too hard on you…”

His eyebrows quickly furrow in confusion, and he blinks a few times trying to understand why Haechan would tell you about his relationship with his father. Unable to fully connect the information, he simply answers honestly.

“Oh, no, it’s okay.” He smiles, trying to disguise it. “I learned how to deal with him a long time ago. And whether he likes it or not, we’re adults now, right? Even if he insists on holding me back, I still know I can make decisions about my own life and face the consequences of the choices I decided to live with.”

You nod, but before you can respond, a familiar figure walks past the two of you without noticing you.

Hyuck was wearing only one earbud, distracted by his own phone, and Mark notices how you suddenly tense up. Normally, you would wave and call out to him, but today your expression turns slightly anxious before you take a deep breath and turn back to Mark with a fake smile, continuing the conversation.

The afternoon goes on and the two of you spend it together enjoying the last warm days. Mark notices how strange you’re acting, avoiding any subject that orbited around the real him or your relationship, so he decides not to pressure you about anything. But he would definitely figure out this whole situation with Haechan.

When he gets home, before he can even think about texting Hyuck, his phone vibrates with a new message.

cara mia: can we talk?

cara mia: it’s important, as you can probably imagine…

mon cher: yes of course always

mon cher: what do you want to talk about? :)

cara mia: i think we should do this in person…

Holy shit.

Every worst-case scenario crossed Mark’s mind within seconds. He knew he should’ve pushed Haechan harder on Sunday to understand what had happened on Saturday, but he had been so exhausted with himself that he thought- ah! What had he even been thinking? It was Haechan! Of course something was going to happen and you were going to end up hurt.

Mark ran a hand through his hair a few times while staring at his phone, thinking about what he was going to do. The answer was obvious enough, but at that moment he couldn’t define just how badly he wanted to punch his best friend.

He felt deceived. Okay, you probably wouldn’t tell him if another fight had happened between the two of you, but Haechan should have.

He quickly opened his friend’s chat after settling things with you and typed fast, angry.

mork, the man: tomorrow, 8 a.m.

mork, the man: café near campus exit two

mork, the man: whatever the fuck you did on saturday, you’re fixing it

mork, the man: and then you’re explaining everything to me properly

The next morning, when you arrived where your boyfriend had arranged to meet, you didn’t see him masked, wearing a cap and a hoodie, killing time until he sat close to the table you were at.

It didn’t take long for Haechan to arrive too. He tried to spot where Mark was, but without success. A chill ran down his spine every time a random guy walked by, and he had been cold sweating since the night before when he received Mark’s first text.

Was Mark there just to confirm that maybe he had let himself go a little too far with his best friend’s girlfriend? Or had he already come prepared to erase him from existence inside a university café? It was possible it was both, and Haechan hadn’t come prepared for either.

Hyuck found you quickly, sitting at one of the tables staring at a glass of water. You didn’t have the best expression on your face and somehow still managed to look beautiful to him. To both of them.

He took a deep breath and sat in front of you, watching your eyes light up when you saw him, though there was something else behind them now.

“…I have somewhere to be right after this, so if we could make this quick-”

Haechan was trying his hardest to keep you at a distance, especially with Mark watching from somewhere and especially after what happened over the weekend. But once again you caught him off guard when your lips started moving, cutting him off.

“I’m so so much sorry…”

There was fear behind your eyes. And when Haechan realized it, he panicked for a second.

“I know what I did was wrong. That I crossed the line. Your line. So I understand whatever decision you make from now on and I’ll deal with the consequences of my actions…”

Your eyes start filling with tears at the possibility of him breaking up with you right there, but Haechan’s eyes widen, not only because Mark might be watching him make you cry, but because he had never reached this stage of the game with any girl before, so he had absolutely no idea what to do or say that wouldn’t make the situation worse.

From the table to your left, Mark watched the scene and knew what was going to happen the moment Haechan sat in front of you. Your eyes already said everything he needed to know and he held himself back as much as possible from getting up and going to comfort you himself.

He had chosen that place specifically to hear what the two of you were saying, but who would’ve guessed a café during breakfast hours would be so crowded?

He tried to follow the movement of your lips while your eyes filled with tears, but it was impossible to decipher. When Haechan’s surprised expression appeared, he grew even more anxious and slightly rose from his chair.

He was going to walk over, understand what was happening and why his friend wasn’t doing anything, but then Haechan surprised him by being faster, getting up and sitting beside you while pulling you into a hug.

“Hey, calm down, it’s okay.” He felt your tears soaking his shirt while your hands pulled him closer. “What happened happened, and there’s nothing we can do to change it.” 

Then he lifted your face with one hand. You had red, swollen eyes, like you had already cried before arriving there, and fuck. And for some reason Hyuck hated knowing he had made you feel like this.

“And it’s okay that it happened, because I liked it, and you liked it too, didn’t you?”

You nodded while he wiped away some of your tears.

“Actually, I should be the one apologizing… I ran away and made it seem like it wasn’t good, but it was, okay? I need you to understand that, I just… I need to go back to this abstinence thing and I need you to help me with that…” he says tensely while looking into your eyes, now much calmer, and you nod again.

“Okay, I understand. And I’ll support you. Sorry for not doing that before.”

You hugged him tighter and he did the same, telling you it was okay while kissing your forehead.

The two of you stayed hugging for a few minutes without saying anything while Mark watched the scene from afar. He couldn’t tell if he felt relieved that Hyuck had managed to deal with the situation without making everything worse or even more distressed by the fact that his friend still hadn’t told him what exactly had happened to cause all this.

“I really wish I could stay here with you… but I need to go, okay? Doyoung scheduled a meeting at nine and I need to stop by just to grab some articles for the next few weeks…”

You nod slowly once again and he wipes away the rest of your tears and the bit of makeup they had ruined.

“Can we meet at my place later?” you ask innocently and he smiles briefly.

“I’ll let you know if I can get away earlier…”

He didn’t want to lie, but what was one more lie among all the others he had already told? Telling you the truth in the state you were in would feel like a low blow.

With one last kiss on your forehead, he leaves the café, and Mark keeps watching from afar. The only words he understood from your last sentence were “my place after,” and he was already ready to follow his friend and corner him when he noticed how you remained sitting at the table after Hyuck left.

A waitress walked by and asked if you wanted to order something, wrote something down, and you stayed there. He watched a little longer when they brought you a large cup of what he was sure was hot chocolate, and you just stared at it before taking the first sip.

Fuck.

Mark had two conflicting instincts now. He wanted to go after Hyuck and ask what the fuck that had been, but seeing you like this, after a conversation he hadn’t understood even two percent of… fuck. He needed to make sure you were okay.

Besides, that entire interaction between you two hadn’t felt right.

The way Haechan had stood up too quickly and hugged you tightly, knowing exactly how to calm you down, as if the two of you hadn’t spent weeks only exchanging quick kisses and holding hands at lunch like a pair of teenagers. It stirred something inside Mark that he preferred to label as curiosity so he wouldn’t have to face what it might actually be. Something too overwhelming for him to keep to himself, and the strongest feeling of all was that if he got the answers he didn’t want to hear, he might genuinely lose his mind.

Without thinking too much, he gets up from his seat and walks past a few tables, ready to start his act. He approaches you from behind and tries to fake surprise, but the one who gets completely caught off guard is him when he sees your eyes still red and swollen, from crying much longer than he had imagined.

“Yn… oh shit! Are you good? What happened?”

You flinch slightly when you hear Hyuck’s voice, but he doesn’t wait for an invitation and immediately sits in front of you with a worried expression while analyzing your face.

“Hyuck… hi… I… I’m fine, it’s nothing serious.”

You smile faintly and try to act normal, but Mark looks at you seriously. His hand searches for yours on the table and gives it a small squeeze.

“You know you can trust me, right?”

His thumb traces slow circles over the back of your hand. You offer him a small smile, looking away.

“It’s nothing, really. It’s just… a personal thing between me and Mark.”

You say it stiffly, as if frustrated or simply uncomfortable talking about it, and he freezes for a second, feeling a shiver run down his spine.

“Wait… do you mean…?”

You look back at him and he swallows hard. He didn’t want to ask that, while at the same time he couldn’t stay without an answer.

For a few seconds he wonders how much knowing that would affect him. But being hurt by whatever came out of your mouth was nothing compared to the fact that simply not knowing what happened between you and Haechan whenever he wasn’t around was already killing him.

“Look, I don’t want to intrude in your life, it’s not that, but… are you and Mark having sex…?”

Your eyes widen slightly, and you pull away the hand he was still holding to take a sip of your hot chocolate.

“I mean… we’re a couple, aren’t we?” you laugh awkwardly, but he keeps staring at you seriously. 

Mark’s mind suddenly flashes through a thousand different ways to kill Haechan for breaking the promise, but he insists again.

“I didn’t ask you that. I asked if you two are fucking.”

The two of you stare at each other for a few seconds, and Mark feels a tightness in his chest. Maybe today would really be the day he’d have to kill someone, or maybe he himself would die of a heart attack before even leaving this café. But then your eyes start filling with tears again and you bring your hands to your face.

“I’m so fucking frustrated, because I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, Hyuck.” 

A quiet laugh of relief escapes through Mark’s nose and all the tension weighing on his shoulders seems to disappear in the blink of an eye. Thank God you don’t seem to notice, and he quickly changes positions like Hyuck had done earlier, pulling you into a hug.

Thank God once again for not having to become a murderer today, and for Haechan actually listening to him for once in his life.

You don’t return the hug immediately, but you start spilling every single one of your insecurities nonstop, as if they had been stuck in your throat for days, maybe weeks.

“I swear to you, ever since I came back it feels like I’ve been walking on eggshells around Mark all the time. Every time I think things between us are finally getting better, something happens and interferes and we go right back to feeling like two strangers to each other.”

You turn your face toward him and your makeup is finally ruined, but he just grabs some napkins and starts gently wiping your face while nodding for you to continue.

“And I don’t know what to do about it. Sometimes I get the feeling that he’s making up excuses to stay away from me and…”

“You can tell me, don’t be scared, we’re friends now…”

Mark loosens the hug a little and looks at you gently. Your face is completely swollen now and your nose is running. You were a mess in the middle of the café and he still somehow thought you were the prettiest person on earth.

“…I… I think he’s going to break up with me…” you say quietly because you don’t want to believe it, and Mark gasps. But before he can say anything, you continue again.

“And honestly I think he has every reason to do that because I keep messing up with him, and with his boundaries, and every single time after that I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

Your words come out quickly along with a few tears that he wipes away with his thumb. Your eyes meet once again and you can’t help but plead.

“You guys have been best friends for years, Hyuck, you have to know what’s wrong. Tell me where I’m messing up? Because I know he’s lying about all these commitments and I know sooner or later he’s going to…”

You take a deep breath and feel the supposed Haechan’s hand brush against your cheek again, wiping away your tears and probably whatever makeup you had left. You felt awful for crying like that in public, especially because you needed someone to keep you emotionally grounded.

You probably looked just as much of a mess on the outside as you felt on the inside, but Haechan didn’t say anything. Quite the opposite, he pulled you into one last tight hug before holding you by the shoulders and looking at your face with a soft smile.

“Relax, okay? I know you’re stressed, and I hope you feel a little better after venting. That’s what I’m here for, that’s why we’re friends, right?” he says calmly and you nod. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you don’t need to think about that right now, okay? Mark’s not going to break up with you, I can guarantee you that.”

You looked at him as if doubting his words and he smiled softly again.

“If it’ll make you feel calmer, I can talk to him for you, alright?”

You nod and he spends a little more time calming you down at the table, making you finish your hot chocolate and distracting you with another topic.

Mark wanted to go after Haechan and get his side of the story straight, especially the reason why he hadn’t told him you got so emotionally shaken around his real body, but deep down he knew the blame was his too. 

The distance between you had started because of him, and he could technically put an end to all of this and preserve his relationship until he figured out a way to get back into his own body, but he didn’t know if he could handle the fact that you kept showing everything you felt to another man right in front of him, even if that man was technically himself.

Besides, those small moments he had with you, the ones where he could take care of you and spend time with you, were what kept him sane, and giving them up wasn’t exactly on his priority list at the moment.

A few days pass since the last conversation you had with Mark in that café, and you hadn’t seen your boyfriend ever since. The promise about stopping by your place had faded into just another mundane memory. On the other hand, you and the supposed Haechan started meeting even more often than before.

He would suddenly show up as if he knew your routine perfectly and the two of you would spend hours talking. Hyuck guaranteed he had spoken to your boyfriend and that he wasn’t going to break up with you. You kept hearing the same excuse everyone else gave about him and tried shifting your focus elsewhere so you wouldn’t lose your mind, just like whenever Haechan asked what exactly had happened that made you think Mark was going to break up with you, and you would completely dodge the topic.

How could you possibly admit that you sucked off his best friend and he ran away leaving you naked behind?

It was probably one of the most humiliating things that had ever happened to you. You’d rather be buried alive than tell any of your friends about it, including Chae and Wonbin.

And Haechan thought almost the exact same thing when Mark questioned him about what had happened. How the hell was he supposed to say, “Oh, I came on your girlfriend, panicked, and ran away”? When at the very least a punch to the face would be guaranteed afterward? It was the kind of thing that would probably go to the grave with him, alongside every other malicious thought he had ever had about you.

He had decided. He was going to be a good friend. That should never have happened, and it would never happen again.

When Mark came to question him after that breakfast that had left him with a bad feeling and a tightness in his chest he couldn’t define, Haechan explained the situation… in his own way… and with the information he could actually give.

And Mark burst into uncontrollable laughter when his friend told him about putting the two of you into a fake temporary religious celibacy. Haechan didn’t understand his friend’s sudden good mood, nor why he seemed to be the only one among the three of you capable of giving a genuine smile, but it was irrelevant considering he had a thousand other things on his mind to think about, including the look on your face that morning in the middle of the café.

“Thanks again, Hyuck.” Mark smiled sincerely at him, and he tried to mirror the gesture, but it came out awkward as he looked away. “For helping me with my relationship, for treating her with respect and all that, and for keeping your promise. I know it’s hard for you sometimes, but I’ll make it up to you with whatever you need.”

Hearing that during an ordinary afternoon together almost felt like he had actually taken that punch. But it worked as motivation for Hyuck to go back to his repetitive thoughts about avoiding you.

Now all that was left was making sure you felt calm, and the good part was that Mark wasn’t alone on that mission because Chaeryeong and Wonbin practically never left your side either.

Today was one of those days where they came over to your place and all of you spent the entire day sprawled around the apartment, eating junk food, getting drunk, and smoking joints. If there had been a party you probably would’ve gone just to drink even more, but the main priority, considering your emotional state, was ordering pizza and getting more drunk inside the shoebox that was your apartment.

After both of your friends saw you crying uncontrollably during the week and insisting that Mark was going to break up with you, they pressured you so much that after a few shots of vodka you finally ended up admitting what had happened, completely embarrassed.

“Maybe you just bit his dick…”

Wonbin says with a pained grimace while holding your hand as if it were the most serious subject in the world. Chaeryeong looks at him in confusion, eyebrows furrowed, but he only shrugs and she joins in trying to help too.

“Yeah… maybe it was just… too aggressive and he felt cornered…” she looks at you trying to find the right words, but you know that’s not what happened.

“It wasn’t too aggressive… it was… the way it always is. He just ran away after because… well, I still don’t know why…” you say, still embarrassed even though the alcohol makes it easier to let the words out. “Sorry, but I don’t want to talk about this anymore…”

You let go of Wonbin’s hand and go back to playing with Chae’s hair. The three of you were in a ridiculous but common position between friends. Wonbin was leaning against the headboard of your bed and you were against the wall with your thighs over his, while Chae was lying down with her head on your lap.

The hand that had been holding yours returns to your thigh, tracing small circles that make you shiver, but you ignore it while continuing to play with your friend’s hair. In his other hand was your notebook full of drafts, reading through your latest thoughts.

“Are you serious about this?” he laughs, reading a passage from the notebook. “…everything you wrote in here over the past week is either way too melancholic or way too obscene.”

You laugh softly thinking about how every time your boyfriend left your apartment after spending the afternoon there, you would run to grab the notebook almost like a diary and write down everything you were feeling.

“My bad… but I haven’t had sex in days and unfortunately that’s all I can think about…” you sigh with warm cheeks, making both of them laugh.

“Your era of dating fuckboys is over, babe. Take it easy.” Chae jokes while getting up from the bed and you roll your eyes because you know she’s talking about your ex-boyfriend. “Anyway, do you have more vodka? I think that’s what we need right now.”

“I think that was the last glass… but there’s wine near the fridge.” you point out and she grabs three glasses, pouring them, and an automatic pout forms on your lips.

“What?” she laughs while looking at you and pouring the last glass, already taking a sip right after.

“It’s just that wine makes me horny and I don’t think you guys should pressure me into starting a threesome…”

They both burst out laughing at the way you said it and you feel Wonbin smack your thigh before immediately rubbing the spot afterward.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Chae shrugs while handing the glasses to you. “That practice has been killing me and it’d be nice to relieve some stress.” She smirks at you from the corner of her lips and winks, though she stays standing. “But despite all the adventures you had with Mr. Lee, I don’t know if you actually know how to start a threesome.”

You take a sip of your wine, then place a hand dramatically over your chest and widen your eyes, pretending to be deeply offended.

“Just because I’ve only fucked two people in my life doesn’t mean I wouldn’t know how to start one…”

“And you do?” your friend’s voice comes out lower this time, and you turn your face to find him smirking too while still massaging your thigh.

Your thoughts disappear for a second, only feeling the alcohol going straight to your head and Wonbin’s hand seeming to move dangerously closer to the hem of your shorts. It lasts only seconds, but you study his face, he mirrors the gesture, and eventually his gaze drops to your mouth. But before you could lean into the game you started yourself, someone knocks on the door.

“Are you expecting someone?” Chae asks from in front of the sink while pouring more wine. You blink a few times and look away from Wonbin while his hand remains exactly where it was before.

“No, it’s probably some delivery guy who got lost.”

She opens the door holding her glass, but her eyes widen when she finds Mark standing there holding flowers, his worried expression quickly shifting into surprise.

Haechan definitely hadn’t expected to see her there. I mean, you two were friends, sure, but the wine glass in her hand and the open bottles behind her still caught him off guard. His eyes quickly scan the apartment and he spots you sitting on your bed from the corner of his eye.

“Am I interrupting something…?” he asks your friend, but she quickly denies it and steps aside to let him in.

The moment he takes his first two steps inside your apartment, his eyebrows furrow and he can barely focus on your face after noticing exactly where your lovely friend Wonbin’s hand was resting.

Your eyes widen just like Chae’s had, but unlike hers, yours instantly brighten just from seeing him.

“Mark!? What are you doing here?” A small smile starts forming on your face and you place your wine glass on the nightstand.

“I needed to talk to you… in private…”

Haechan tries his hardest to keep his eyes on your face while saying that, but it’s impossible not to notice the way your friend’s thumb keeps tracing little circles over that area of your thigh.

When Hyuck raises his eyes again, the first thing he meets is Wonbin’s gaze, smirking while taking a sip from his glass and staring directly back at him. Haechan takes a deep breath before looking back at you.

“Okay, sure! We can talk outside and-”

You finally move your friend’s hand away and get up from the bed, much to Haechan’s relief, but Chaeryeong is faster, finishing the last sip of her wine, grabbing her purse and Wonbin’s jacket before walking over and pulling him by the hand.

“No need, we were already leaving! Right, Bin?”

Both boys continue staring at each other while your friend offers Haechan the same smirk as before, and Haechan keeps analyzing him with furrowed brows. Wonbin only looks away from your boyfriend once he stops by the door and you say goodbye to them. As always, Wonbin kisses your forehead, and Haechan crosses his arms while watching the scene.

It wasn’t that he wanted to be paranoid, but how had Mark never noticed this?

You close the door and turn toward him with a gentle smile, excited that he came to see you. But Haechan remains serious, brows furrowed, the flowers he brought now sitting on your table beside the wine bottles while he stares at you intensely.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

The fake Haechan had guaranteed he talked to your boyfriend and that he was just stressed because of the workload he had piled up, but that he’d make time to see you as soon as possible, and you could barely contain the entire garden of butterflies fluttering in your stomach thinking maybe that time was now. Even if his expression suggested otherwise…

“How long have you known Wonbin wants you?”

Your smile slowly fades and you blink in confusion. “He doesn’t… Mark, you know him. You know we’ve always been like this…”

You try to remind your boyfriend that this silly jealousy he only felt at the beginning of your relationship wasn’t actually real, but Haechan lets out an ironic laugh and looks away before meeting your eyes again.

“No fucking way, Yn. That guy looked like he was about to fuck you if I hadn’t knocked on the door right then.”

Your cheeks heat up thinking about how you were the one who started the threesome joke. They had only played along, and it’s not like anything would’ve actually happened. Deep down, Chae was right, you probably wouldn’t even know how to start or maintain the dynamic between the three of you. But why were you thinking about that right now? Damn those three sips of wine.

“And what did you come here for, huh? Forget about that. What did you want to talk about?” you try changing the subject, but he keeps staring at you seriously and only relaxes once he feels your hand in his, guiding the two of you toward the couch, though he still doesn’t sit down.

“I just… came here to apologize.” Haechan takes a deep breath and feels your arms wrap around him without squeezing too tightly. “I acted like an asshole that day. I shouldn’t have run away… can you forgive me?”

His hand immediately goes to your neck, holding your face so you’ll look at him. He couldn’t dare kiss you, not knowing he could lose control like he did that day, not knowing his body already missed yours.

“It’s okay.” Your smile is soft, and it’s almost painful how he knows it’s absolutely not okay. “I crossed boundaries you reinforced several times. You’re the one who should forgive me…”

“Yn, no…”

He’s the first one to pull you into a tight hug and you hug him back, the two of you staying silent for a few seconds while you only feel his heartbeat racing against your body. For the first time in days, you manage to take a deep breath and feel the weight on your shoulders almost completely disappear. Mark still was and probably always would be your safe place.

“You could stay… we could just watch movies and cuddle like always… nothing’s gonna happen…” you murmur against his chest, calmer now but still carrying a trace of fear, and you notice him tense slightly.

“Sorry, princess. I know it sounds like another bullshit excuse,” because it was. “But I promised the guys I’d meet them and sort some things out about the apartment.”

“…Okay.” It comes out almost like a whimper, and Haechan feels another painful sting in his chest. Fuck.

He pulls away from the hug just enough to hold your face again. You weren’t crying, which was a good sign, but your eyes were obviously sad, and the soft smile on your lips was clearly fake too, only there to keep him from seeing how you really felt.

Without thinking properly, before he can start breathing nervously again, Hyuck pulls you into a kiss. It starts soft, his tongue slipping into your mouth with overwhelming gentleness. Your hands remain wrapped around him, gripping his hoodie tightly while his delicately cup your face. You kiss him back, sweet and full of affection, but when one of his hands slides down your body and pulls you closer by the hip, the kiss deepens and turns urgent.

God, he missed that. Fuck, he didn’t want to admit it, but he was almost addicted to the taste of you.

You pull away after a few minutes, both of you breathless, his hand still firm on your hip keeping your bodies close while he whispers against your lips, “We can still see each other tomorrow, what do you think?”

A happy little laugh escapes through your nose while you nod, and he lets out a small “great” before pulling you into a few more quick kisses.

Your boyfriend says goodbye and walks to the door, opening it only to once again be surprised by Chaeryeong almost falling forward with her ear pressed against it. Haechan can’t hold back his laugh when Chae’s face instantly turns red, though the smile disappears once he notices Wonbin leaning against the opposite wall in the hallway, waiting for her.

“I forgot my keys…” your friend blurts out quickly and your boyfriend simply nods while stepping out.

“Sure you did. Goodnight, you two.” Hyuck says before walking toward the stairs, though not before giving Wonbin one final serious look from head to toe.

The moment he disappears down the hallway, your friends walk back into the apartment and immediately notice the shift in your mood. You seem lighter, and your slightly swollen lips give away exactly why.

“We thought he was gonna stay. I was just waiting for the moaning to start so we could finally leave in peace.” Chae says while dropping her purse again and grabbing something to eat.

“No, he just came to apologize again for the other night. And he’s still on that religious thing I told you about, so nothing would’ve happened anyway.” you say casually, though still smiling to yourself while thinking about the kiss.

“And even then he still couldn’t resist this pretty little face.” Wonbin says while squishing your cheeks and making you laugh, blushing as you think about what Mark had said. Really, Wonbin had always been sweet with you, but he was like that with Chae too, wasn’t he?

“The truth is that you two are always going to be cheesy.” Chae says while already pouring more wine.

Even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t be able to find an argument to contradict her, so you only laugh and accept the full glass, ready to go back to your sleepover night.

Downstairs, when Haechan reaches the front of the building, Mark is leaning against the wall waiting for him. The two of them had come together. Mark insisted Hyuck apologize one more time and bring you fresh flowers just to make sure you were actually okay. But since night had already fallen, and only as a precaution despite trusting his friend after that insane religious celibacy story, he still came along under the excuse of getting the information firsthand.

“So? How’d it go?”

“Normal, I guess.” Hyuck shrugs, trying not to think about the taste of the kiss mixed with wine while your boyfriend is literally standing right beside him. “Her friends were there. I think they went back to the apartment.”

Mark lets out a pleased little laugh through his nose. You might’ve been holding back your thoughts from him, but at least you weren’t alone, and hearing that made him happy.

But then Haechan interrupts his thoughts with such an absurd question that Mark stops in the middle of the sidewalk trying to process it.

“Since when does that Wonbin guy want to fuck her?” he asks like it’s nothing, trying to disguise the tension in his jaw while staring at the ground.

“What!?” Mark’s eyebrows furrow as fast as his jaw drops.

What the fuck kind of question was that?

“Her friend, you know? The guitarist? Since when is he into her?”

Hyuck stops walking too and the two stare at each other. Haechan tries keeping a neutral expression, pretending it’s just basic curiosity, while Mark’s face cycles through at least a hundred microexpressions ranging from shock to disgust to anger just imagining the possibility. Not that it would actually happen because he knew Wonbin, and yeah, he was more touchy with you, but he’d supposedly moved past the forehead-kiss phase around the third month of your relationship. Still, this was absolutely not the kind of conversation he expected or wanted to have.

“He… he’s just like that… always has been. Yn and I already argued a lot about it, but that’s old news. I don’t think he wants to fuck her.” he answers quickly, letting out a nervous laugh before starting to walk again. But Haechan grabs his shoulder, still bothered by what he saw in your apartment and trying to at least make his friend see it too.

“Come on, dude… you can’t seriously be saying that.” Mark raises an eyebrow in confusion, trying to understand what exactly his friend is getting at, and Haechan sighs nervously. “I mean, like, he reads her personal stuff, likes touching her and cuddling her, and still says goodbye kissing her forehead?? Naaah, dude, there’s definitely something there…”

Mark furrows his brows again. He wasn’t sure he was following Haechan’s logic. Everything he listed was true, he knew because you always told him, but he had never actually seen it happen in front of him. If Haechan saw it today, was he trying to say…?

“You think she’s cheating on me?” Mark’s chest sinks at the possibility of you looking for something in your friend that he couldn’t give you right now. He stares into the reflection of his own eyes in Haechan’s and watches his friend’s widen immediately.

“What!? No, no, no. That’s not what I meant at all. Never.”

He answers quickly and seriously. The idea didn’t sit right with him either. But then Haechan’s thoughts drift to you, to the way your eyes lit up differently at the mere mention of him being somewhere, or rather, the mention of Mark, and he lets out a nasal little laugh.

“It’s just… I mean, maybe he is into her, but Yn definitely only has eyes for you. Relax, man. I just think you should… I don’t know, okay? She’s your girlfriend! I just think if she were my girlfriend, I’d probably question that relationship between them a little more…”

Mark nods while thinking about it. The previous thought had scared him so badly he barely even noticed Haechan’s answer, too busy nervously imagining that hypothetical scenario with you. But then a lightbulb suddenly goes off in his head and he laughs to himself.

“If she were your girlfriend, huh?” Mark asks, and Haechan feels ice run down his spine.

“I-it’s just hypothetical… I’m not saying that- you know what I meant.”

They continue walking, but Haechan’s mind is spiraling miles away wondering why the fuck he even said that and why the fuck he used you as an example of a girlfriend. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“I never thought you pictured yourself in a scenario where you had a girlfriend.” Mark smirks at him and Haechan rolls his eyes, annoyed at how fast his friend seemed to move past such an important topic.

Fuck, Mark freaked out over almost nothing with Jeno and Jaemin at the beach, and now there was a fucking long-haired guitarist hovering around you, and he should be just as worried as Haechan was right now.

“Is this about someone specific?” Mark teases him with the same question Taeyong had asked before, and Haechan sighs, wanting to answer that it was definitely not about his girlfriend.

“I don’t picture myself, okay? I just think I’m doing a fucked-up job trying to be you with this perfect little life while there’s another asshole right there ready to take your place and you don’t seem to give a shit.”

Maybe the sentence didn’t come out with the same intensity Haechan had felt inside his head, because his best friend bursts into laughter, making him even more stressed.

“Relax, dude. I know you’re not imagining yourself in some world where you’re someone’s boyfriend, but just so you know, when you date someone, you have to trust, compromise, and respect a lot of things. That includes some of your partner’s friendships.” Mark sighs and shrugs. “And you can also just talk to the person. Look at me and Yn, we always talk about what bothers us and come to an agreement. I don’t worry that much about that friendship anymore because I trust her. I know he’s sometimes a little more touchy than you or Jaemin put together, but I also know she’d never do anything that could hurt me…”

Mark smiles at his friend, who nods, though Haechan doesn’t miss the way he shoves his hands into his pockets and lowers his head, disappearing into his own thoughts.

Haechan then thinks maybe he shouldn’t have brought the subject up at all because Mark now looked trapped inside the same memories tormenting him ever since you came back from your trip, and there was nothing Hyuck could say that wouldn’t only make it worse. Especially because he himself was still stuck remembering the way Wonbin’s fingers traced circles against your bare thigh and how that awful unfamiliar feeling burned in his stomach and throat just imagining what could’ve happened if he hadn’t knocked on your door.

The two of them head back toward their respective, and switched, apartments carrying Mark’s final promise with them: if they trusted each other, then whatever happened next wouldn’t hurt them.

And Haechan wanted to believe that, because Mark believed in and trusted him, just like you believed in and trusted the boyfriend he was pretending to be.

So when things returned to your weird version of normal, he started going back to your apartment on the afternoons when Mark was too busy to notice he was gone, especially if you mentioned you were planning to spend the afternoon with your friend Wonbin. But now everything was limited to conversations, cuddling, and, rarely, make-out sessions that dangerously almost ended into dry humping.

Your heart was split in two. On one hand, you felt happy he was spending time with you again, even in his strange way. On the other, you felt stupid every time he openly showed how much he desired you only to ask you to stop once things got too heated and your hands stopped finding anywhere safe on each other’s bodies.

It didn’t happen every afternoon, but whenever it did, Haechan knew he had to control every cell in his body screaming at him to betray his friend, bend you over, and, without even taking your panties off, eat you out until you begged for more.

But he didn’t have the courage for that, so he saved those thoughts for the nighttime, after you spent entire afternoons cuddled against his chest, just so he could fuck the toy Mark handed him weeks ago while breathing in the scent of your shirt, something that had become routine much earlier than he wanted to admit.

Haechan was completely fucked and he knew it, but at least he still exchanged messages and sexted with Jimin sometimes.

Mark giving her the flowers that were originally meant for his mother during some random practice, practically confirming whatever everyone already wanted to label them as, had even inspired her to send more videos and pictures. Still, he’d be lying if he said he came thinking about her a hundred percent of the time.

Honestly, the faceless videos only made it easier for him to imagine the expression you made every single time he got you off after a long, torturous session of grinding your core against his cock, something he prayed every day Mark would never even imagine had happened. Especially because he’d spent days bothering Mark nonstop, making sure the planned date with Jimin actually worked out and that at the very least he secured himself a fuckbuddy once they switched bodies back and he could… well… forget about you.

And all Mark could do was make sure it really happened, whether he liked it or not. No matter how messy everything looked, and even if it wasn’t the perfect relationship he used to have with you, Mark noticed how hard Haechan was trying not to fuck things up with him again, whether by being rude to you or simply taking advantage of the fact that he was in Mark’s body. The least he could do was return the favor.

He knew that ever since they switched bodies, this was probably the longest Haechan had gone without sleeping with someone in his entire life. All the kisses you exchanged around campus or in the university gardens were soft and discreet, and although Mark thanked God for that, he still understood how frustrating it must’ve been.

I mean, if even you were frustrated enough to vent to him, the supposed Haechan, about not having sex, imagine his friend, whose DNA probably contained the stamina of a rabbit somewhere deep in its evolutionary chain.

Besides, Mark originally thought he’d survive just fine, that the little time he got to spend with you would be enough and he wouldn’t even touch the toys he’d taken from your box. But ever since Chenle’s beach house, when he saw you in that tiny bikini and later in that dress that made you look like a doll, fuck… and not to mention those afternoons when you two had lunch together and talked in the gardens.

He hated admitting it because it made him sound like a creep, but he was obsessed with everything surrounding you. And after spending entire afternoons listening to your laugh and breathing in your perfume, there were days he simply couldn’t take it anymore and came home with a painfully hard erection hidden beneath Haechan’s oversized clothes.

Mark felt awful every time he typed and deleted the same message in your chat more than three times, asking if you’d send him a video like the ones you used to send him from Europe.

First, because all the ones you sent back then had been spontaneous, sent after moments when you couldn’t see each other but still needed him somehow, even if only through a phone call. And second because, well… Mark definitely didn’t want you having that same spontaneity with Haechan. Fuck, you were his. All he really wanted after spending an afternoon with you was to go to your apartment and spend the rest of the night with his face buried between your thighs.

It felt unfair that Haechan got to experience everything from your most innocent touches to the soft kisses you stole throughout the day while Mark was the one working hard to keep your relationship together and still had to focus on another woman over the next few days for the sake of both your relationship and his friendship with Hyuck.

He was frustrated, in every possible sense, and he couldn’t deny it. But that wasn’t what truly mattered. What mattered was that after Hyuck went to your apartment and apologized, you seemed happier. That meant Hyuck was holding up his end of the deal, and Mark would be a terrible friend if he didn’t hold up his too.

Haechan had already mentioned a dinner promise to Jimin over the phone, but just like finding a place for you and Hyuck, Mark put effort into reserving a place that was at least somewhat respectable. Not that she seemed upset about how long the supposed Haechan had taken to make it happen, especially considering she had already had dinner with his family and their first date already felt like it promised too much for one night alone.

Eventually, you all started running into Jimin’s friend group in the NCTU hallways and Mark got nervous having to act like he was interested in her right in front of you.

At first it was subtle, almost as subtle as the fact his best friend had been trading nudes with her this entire time while he pretended not to know. But after their parents met, it was almost like a decree spread through the university and suddenly everyone knew Yu Jimin and Lee Donghyuck were involved and getting way too serious.

It started with little touches of their hands, then random hugs, and suddenly she was greeting him with quick kisses on the lips every time your paths crossed.

Mark still remembered the shocked look on yours, his, and Haechan’s faces the first time it happened. You were all walking down the hallway, your hand holding Hyuck’s while the two of you stopped to talk about something random, and before Mark could even react, two hands pulled his face toward glossy cherry-flavored lips.

Your eyes and Haechan’s widened, but his friend already had a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth when he quickly muttered during the kiss, “Yn and I are leaving,” before disappearing down the hallway just so he could tease him later over text.

After Mark, Jimin was probably the busiest person in the entire university. Besides business classes and the cheerleading team, Mark knew she also volunteered teaching gymnastics to little kids and, during that dinner, he found out she occasionally worked at her father’s company too.

So when he finally managed to reserve the restaurant for their dinner, like a gentleman, he felt obligated to invite her personally and ahead of time. But the only moment both of them were free happened to be during the cheerleaders’ training break.

He walked into the gym and most of the team was sitting around stretching or resting by the benches. A few familiar faces turned toward him, maybe because he was holding flowers and looked more put together than usual, or maybe because some of those faces he recognized from Haechan’s bedroom months ago.

He tried not to care. His friend had always been performative anyway, and the entire campus probably already had a vague idea of what he came there for.

He asked one of the gymnasts where Jimin was and nearly froze when he saw your friend Chaeryeong talking to her while drinking water. As he walked toward them, Mark felt like Chaeryeong could see straight through his soul and somehow know it was actually your boyfriend doing the unimaginable there.

Still, despite all the staring, it wasn’t anything over-the-top. Mark didn’t bring a huge bouquet like last time or pull her into some cinematic kiss.

It was just him, flushed cheeks, and the fear of switching bodies right there on the spot.

He quickly asked if she’d like to go out with him Saturday night, and her answer came immediately in the form of another kiss publicly claiming the two of them once again and leaving him even more embarrassed than when he first arrived.

And only once Mark walked out of the gym did he realize again just how hot his cheeks were burning bright cherry red, mostly because he knew the main topic of conversation at NCTU for the entire week would be him, or rather, Haechan.

The week flew by, and the weekend came way too fast. None of you really found much time to spend together during it, but then an invitation from you reached both boys at the exact same time.

Wonbin’s band was playing their first sponsored show at a venue near campus, and the person who had managed to get them the sponsors was none other than Christopher Bahng, your ex-boyfriend.

He was almost done with his music production degree, so he already knew people in the industry and managed to get your friend’s band into that venue. Which also meant he’d be fully involved with the crew that night, and the three of you would inevitably have to coexist for a little while. After all, like always, you and Chae were going to the show to support Wonbin and, more importantly, play around pretending to be his producers.

You had extra tickets to bring whoever you wanted, and when you mentioned it to Mark and Haechan, both of them agreed immediately, though for very different reasons.

The plan would work the same way your date had. This time Mark would actually be there with you all and help Haechan on Friday. Then on Saturday, Haechan would help Mark understand exactly what Yu Jimin liked so much about his best friend.

But of course nothing was ever simple, especially not for two men living a triple life. Friday afternoon, Mark got a text from you.

cara mia: babe, do you think you can grab your tickets and Hyuck’s on saturday afternoon?

cara mia: I might need to leave early to help Bin and the band with hair and makeup :P

mon cher: ?????

mon cher: wait, isn’t the show today???

cara mia: haha no, it’s on the poster tomorrow at 9

cara mia: lmk if you can grab them in the afternoon, if not I’ll sort it with Haechan

mon cher: I got it babe, don’t worry

mon cher: I’ll text Hyuck if needed

He fucking needed Haechan.

Mark barely finished typing in your chat before he was already calling his friend without thinking twice.

Why the hell hadn’t he read the poster twice? Why did Wonbin have to schedule it on Saturday of all days? Fucking hell.

Haechan took forever to answer, making Mark grow increasingly nervous. If his friend took any longer, he’d be forced to run over to his apartment and panic in person. But finally, a relaxed voice answered on the other end.

“What’s up, dude?”

“Hyuck! What are you doing right now!?”

Haechan seemed to think for a second before answering casually.

“Uhm… I was about to shower so we could go to that Wonbin show…” he said indifferently, thinking he’d only agreed to this because he still hated the idea of you hyping that guy up all night. But he couldn’t exactly insist you stay home with him like you had the past few afternoons, because you weren’t even his to ask that from.

“Dude… it’s tomorrow...” Mark said flatly.

“What?? No! I’m sure the poster said Friday night, hold on…”

He left the call connected while searching through the promo post several friends had sent him, only to see in giant letters ‘The Velvet Frame - Saturday 9PM ’.

“…fuck.”

“Exactly…” Mark answered after a few seconds of silence. “But we can handle it! I mean, we’ve done this before… like, the reservation’s at eight and the band only starts at nine. Me and Jimin do what we gotta do, then I’ll head there after and meet you guys, even if it’s in the middle of the show…”

Theoretically, it would work. I mean, if they’d managed your date, his parents, and Jimin all in the same night before, then there was nothing the two of them couldn’t survive.

But when the next day finally arrived, Haechan found himself weirdly nervous just watching Mark get dressed in an outfit he himself would never wear. Everything about it screamed Mark Lee. Still, he didn’t say a single word.

The two of them stood in Hyuck’s bedroom, finishing up the final list of what should and absolutely should not happen during their respective dates so both girls would end the night satisfied and wanting a repeat… or at least almost satisfied enough to.

“Yn asked you to get there early so you guys can get a good spot for the show.” Mark said while grabbing his jacket, and Haechan nodded dismissively.

He definitely didn’t want to be anywhere near your friend, but if that’s what you and Mark wanted, then he’d do it. Without Mark noticing, he rolled his eyes, already thinking the night was probably going to drag forever.

“And please don’t drink too much.” Mark said more seriously now, staring at him. “I’m serious. It might sound dumb, but this night is important to her. She worked really hard with the band these last few weeks, and some of the songs they’re performing actually have her co-writing credits on them. Just… try to behave, okay?”

Haechan sighed and got up from the bed.

“Relax, man.” A smirk spread across his face. “I’m kinda getting pretty good at being you.”

A quiet “fuck off” slipped from Mark’s lips while he finished fixing his hair and clothes.

He was supposed to meet Jimin in twenty minutes so they could head to the restaurant together. He and Haechan were dressed in a strangely symbolic contrast tonight. For the first time in a while, Mark would be wearing his own clothes while Hyuck wore his. It was funny seeing themselves like that, but nothing that would stop either of them from playing their parts. And Mark genuinely felt like tonight was going to work out perfectly.

After Mark left the apartment, Hyuck stayed distracted on his phone for a little longer and only remembered he was running late after seeing one of your stories showing some behind the scenes videos. Alongside a few discreet pictures of the soundcheck were some close-ups of yours and Chaeryeong’s makeup looks.

He grabbed everything he needed and rushed out of the apartment. Even though the venue was close to campus, apparently every single car in the city had decided to hit the road at the exact same time, making him even later.

Haechan had never been the most punctual person among his friends, but the adrenaline pumping through him thinking about how much Mark would bitch at him if he missed the show, and worse, if missing the show gave Wonbin a free pass to spend the entire night at your side, got him to the venue in fifteen minutes flat.

With a little under twenty minutes left before the band went on stage, he finally got inside using the ticket you’d given him, and the very first person he saw was Chaeryeong looking just as nervous as he felt.

“Thank god you finally made it! Yn was freaking out less than ten minutes ago thinking you weren’t coming and because you weren’t answering your phone.”

“Yeah, I… there was a lot of traffic…” he lets out a nervous laugh through his nose, and Chaeryeong’s eyebrows furrow as she looks him up and down.

Hyuck still didn’t know how to act around your friends, so he tried steering the conversation back to you before your friend noticed how weird he was acting as Mark and started asking more questions.

“Where is she?”

“Near the stage bar…” she says, her brows still furrowed, but Hyuck only offers a small smile, thanks her, and heads in your direction.

He had no idea what you were wearing, so he’d probably have to approach every hot girl around the bar until he found the one he was looking for.

A few months ago that honestly wouldn’t have been a problem, but he was focused tonight, and he was scared any slip-up could affect what you and Mark had built, and that all the blame would fall entirely on him, so he had to make sure he picked the exact right hot girl.

But a few meters before reaching the bar, a familiar voice called out the surname he shared with his friend, making him let out a deep sigh.

“Lee, what an interesting surprise seeing you here!”

Christopher Bahng stops him. There were two other guys with him that Hyuck recognized as mutual friends of Jaemin’s, but they didn’t say anything, only watching the interaction between the two.

Haechan didn’t want to feel intimidated, especially because he’d been skipping the gym Mark was always so strict about and maybe eating more snacks than usual lately. But Christopher’s sheer shirt showing off all his absurdly well-defined muscles made Haechan think about the burger he shared with you last Tuesday for a moment.

But he wasn’t about to let that slide. He had his and Mark’s dignity to protect, and the last time they’d seen Christopher, it hadn’t exactly ended with their dignity intact.

“Good seeing you too, Bahng. Congrats on all this.” A tight smile appears at the corner of Haechan’s lips as he gestures around at the entire production the other guy managed to put together. But in response, Christopher’s smirk only grows before he speaks.

“Oh, this is nothing. You should see the work your girlfriend did with the band’s makeup and styling. She even helped me with mine.”

Your ex-boyfriend tries to provoke Haechan, but he only sighs and flashes another smile. Apparently he’d have to deal with more than just that friend of yours tonight.

“Oh, it turned out really good. She likes sitting on my lap and spending the afternoon practicing.” Christopher’s friends burst out laughing, shoving him while Haechan looks satisfied, casually asking, “I’m actually going to find her right now. Haven’t seen her?”

The older guy points with his chin toward someone standing alone at the bar with their back turned to them, wearing a baby pink nightgown with black lace details and high boots that didn’t come anywhere close to the hem of your almost dress.

You were very obviously dressed in pajamas with black lingerie underneath and heavy makeup. What they’d call a rockstar’s girlfriend. And Hyuck didn’t know if he liked the label considering he wasn’t the rockstar in question, but it was impossible to deny how tempting you looked tonight.

He swallows hard and starts walking toward you, but you’re the one who spots him first from afar and jogs lightly over to him, pulling his face into a tequila-flavored kiss.

“Oh my god, babe. I was desperate thinking you weren’t coming. I tried calling you, but all the calls keep going straight to voicemail.” Your lips never leave his face, stealing another kiss with every word and making Haechan laugh.

“I would never miss something this important to you.”

He remembers Mark’s words and inevitably remembers Wonbin’s face, thinking they really could’ve skipped this and stayed home cuddling instead. But your expression instantly softens, and you pull him into another deeper kiss. 

The lights go out, leaving only the colorful glow of the bar faintly illuminating the people around, and Haechan can’t resist pulling you closer by the waist and letting the kiss linger a little longer. Until a guitar solo starts a song and the lights slowly begin turning back on, focusing on the stage.

You break the kiss and grab the hand that had been wrapped around your body, pulling him even closer to the stage. Haechan had to agree with Christopher Bahng, you and Chaeryeong had done an incredible job with the band’s styling. They looked like rockstars sent straight from the eighties, all leather, lace, and glittering makeup.

Han Jisung sang most of the first song, and Hyuck could tell the eyes of your friend were searching for you in the crowd the entire time.

There were tons of people screaming and singing along with them at the front, including you, but Wonbin’s smile only truly widened once it found yours. And Haechan knew that because he hadn’t left your side for even a second, and the moment his friend noticed the arm around you, both boys locked eyes, making Hyuck let out an ironic laugh before watching his friend mirror it and go back to singing his part.

At the end of the first song, Han Jisung was the first to speak again, thanking everyone for being there, the friend who had helped them produce the songs, and the venue staff for letting them perform there. Everyone clapped, and then Wonbin stepped closer to the microphone, making Haechan sigh and tighten his arm around your shoulders, pulling you even closer to him as if the other boy was about to come down there and take you away from him.

“The next song… I wanna dedicate it to someone special.” He laughs, and several girls scream from the crowd, making Haechan roll his eyes. “This person helped me write a lot of the songs on our first album and, well… she’s been going through some frustrating stuff lately, so… yeah, this one’s for you.”

Once again, Hyuck knew you and Wonbin were exchanging looks from the way his friend glanced toward the two of you before adjusting his guitar and playing the first chords as he stepped closer to the microphone.

What's your thoughts about religion?

Are you close to your mother?

Tell me 'bout your dream vacation

And all of your ex lovers

Haechan narrowed his eyes, sober enough to catch every single word of the song and the way Wonbin looked at you from afar with a smile on his face. Unlike him, you were already slightly drunk, swaying to the sound of your friend’s voice without ever moving his arm from around your body.

And honestly, he preferred it that way.

Tell me now, what's that look on your face?

She puts her hand on my lips

Begging: Please end this conversation

Han sang the last part before the two of them started singing the chorus together, making Haechan’s brows, previously furrowed,  lift in surprise.

Baby said: When you're talking I go dead

Shut your mouth, give me your head

Uh, uh, uh, uh, I know you really want to

Baby said: Let me taste your silhouette

You can talk between my legs

Uh, uh, uh, uh, I know you really want to

He was absolutely sure that was about the last few afternoons you’d spent together, and he was even more certain that that son of a bitch shouldn’t be reading your personal business.

Haechan felt exposed. Even without Wonbin mentioning names, even without anyone knowing he wasn’t Mark, he could feel his cheeks heating up at the possibility that now at least half the campus knew he couldn’t even properly eat out the girlfriend he was taking care of for his friend. HIM, of all people.

And worse, he felt awful that you were bringing this to someone like Wonbin to turn into music, someone he was sure would trade writing a song about the possibility of eating you out for actually doing it, no matter how much Mark insisted that was all in his head.

The arm around your shoulders slid down your body, stroking softly until his hand settled on your waist, giving it a light squeeze that made you turn toward him with a smile.

I was running and running and running and running and running after you

I was running and running and running and running and running after you

I was crying and loving while you were just coming and howling at the Moon

Yeah, you were running and running and running away from this conversation

Your hands rested around his neck while Wonbin sang the last part melodically. Your eyes didn’t stay on his for long before dropping to your boyfriend’s lips, trapping your bottom lip between your teeth in a small bite.

“I wrote some parts thinking about you… sorry,” you whisper close to his lips, pouting for a second before it slowly turns into a far from innocent smile. Haechan nods before stealing a soft kiss from you. He really had been running from that conversation.

But without thinking too much about it, you pull him into a deeper kiss, sliding your tongue into his mouth while he does the same, gripping you tighter with one hand on your ass. Mark could show up at any moment and find the two of you like this, but Hyuck didn’t care. He was too sober and too pissed off to deal with the fact that Wonbin had written a song about him not eating his girl out well enough… well, Mark’s girl.

Baby said: Let me taste your silhouette

You can talk between my legs

Uh, uh, uh, uh, I know you really want to

I wish she didn't, but my baby said

The last verses of the song played, and only then did you pull away from the kiss, Haechan tugging gently on your bottom lip with a bite, your lips already swollen and red from the pressure he’d put on them. You couldn’t hold back your smile, but soon turned back around and clapped along with everyone else.

As soon as the next song started, Wonbin seemed to shift his focus back to the crowd instead of you, which brought Haechan some relief.

He didn’t know what he had to do or say for you and Mark to finally listen to him, but for tonight he just needed to survive a few more hours and get you home without losing his mind over anyone. It was a shame that just this dress of yours and the packed venue constantly shoving you against his body were already enough to make him lose it. 

One of his hands slid over the thin fabric of your slip dress until it stopped right beneath your breasts, holding you firmly against him. Haechan had never imagined doing something like this with someone if he wasn’t sure the night would end in his bed, but tonight was bringing out something different in him, something he hated admitting, but that felt almost too territorial.

Once again, he knew Mark could show up at any second, but it was almost instinctive the way he buried his face in your neck and inhaled deeply, taking in your perfume before pressing a kiss there and watching you shiver because of it.

Hyuck hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol yet, but he already felt completely drunk on your scent. He needed to get out of there, even if just for a few minutes.

“I’m gonna grab a beer. You want anything?” You only manage to hear him, because your supposed boyfriend’s face still buried in the curve of your neck.

“I already took five tequila shots with the band…” you grimace, and his face immediately lifts, brows furrowing.

“Jesus…” A soft laugh leaves your nose at his expression. Mark always did that… “I’m getting you water.”

Even though his body clearly didn’t want to, Haechan pulls away from you and heads toward the bar. He was trying not to show everyone exactly who you belonged to, right there in the middle of the crowd. So he needed that first sip himself to clear his head and remind himself that you weren’t his, either.

Even from that distance, he could still see you dancing and cheering for your friend while Wonbin occasionally looked your way. He spent a few songs watching the situation from afar, trying to straighten out his thoughts.

Haechan definitely couldn’t lose his mind over this. For starters, he didn’t even know where all of this was coming from, you were nothing more than his best friend’s girlfriend, but every time Wonbin shifted his attention away from dozens of screaming girls just to look for you, the blood rushed straight to his head and his hands tightened harder around the beer bottle.

Honestly? He was tired of it. He grabbed your water and walked back over to you. Without waiting or hesitating, his hand easily found your waist and pulled you against him.

“I thought you got lost.” You turn toward him, wrapping your arms around his neck, which only makes Haechan tighten his fingers around your waist even more.

“I’ll always find you.”

You smile at him, and Haechan notices the way your eyes shine at those words.

You lean in to kiss him, but he stops you for a second just to look at you again.

A guitar solo bordering on melancholy and desperation somehow manages to express everything he feels when he thinks about the fact that one day he might just go back to his own body and never get to see this again.

And then he pulls you into an urgent kiss while the song keeps playing. While you stand there with your back turned to the stage, giving all your attention to him and only him as if he were the main attraction. Your hands tug at his hair while your body presses against his, and his hands roam over yours, pulling you closer like the two of you could somehow melt into one another.

The two of you only pull apart to catch your breath, and Haechan thinks about dragging you into another kiss, but your friend’s voice echoes through the microphone again, making you turn your head and leaving your supposed boyfriend frustrated enough to rest his forehead against your neck, scattering a few kisses there before finally looking toward the stage too.

“Guys, we’re almost wrapping up for tonight…” A wave of collective disappointment spreads through the crowd, making the band laugh. “Relax, we still have a few more songs. And we’re partying with you afterward. I just wanted to thank you all again, for the venue, for Chan helping us out, for our support team, and for all your love.”

A few girls near the stage start screaming hysterically when Wonbin finishes talking and winks at them, and Haechan honestly thinks thank fucking god, rolling his eyes. At least his attention wasn’t on you anymore.

“Lastly, I wanna thank one friend in particular.” Your supposed boyfriend’s hand tightens around your waist, but you don’t pay much attention to it, assuming he’s just continuing what the two of you had already been doing. But Hyuck clenches his jaw while staring at the stage beside you.

“She’s always supported me a lot, especially when it came to standing up here in front of you guys, and I wanted to dedicate this song to her. Well… it’s her favorite band’s song. After ours, obviously.” He lets out a small laugh and adjusts his guitar again. “I hope you guys like it.”

The drummer and Han start playing something in sync that sounds like a pop song adapted into their style, and then your friend starts singing.

Saw your body language and I know how you're feeling

You look like the kind of girl that's tired of speaking

Standing with somebody but he doesn't know what you like

Son of a bitch.

For a moment, Haechan just stood there listening to the first lines of the song before he couldn’t hold back the ironic laugh that escaped him.

Chaos immediately broke out, people screaming, “Is he singing One Direction?” “Wait, this is One Direction?!” and Hyuck honestly didn’t even care when the crowd surged even closer to the stage, everyone starting to sing along, until he noticed he’d loosened his grip on your waist too much and now you were one of the people jumping around near the front.

Worse, you were the person he wanted closest to that stage.

Fuck, why did he have to know everything about the two of you?

You caught my attention, you were looking at me first

All that I can see's you waking up in my t-shirt

If you're not hooked on anything right now, I can be your vice

Haechan bit the inside of his cheek and took a sip of his beer while watching your body jump around in that dress threatening to ride up way too much. You were only a few steps away from him, but your attention was completely on Wonbin, singing the lyrics along with him and Han Jisung.

Haechan had to be in some fucking movie. Watching the girl he was with exchange looks with the lead guitarist was never a situation he could’ve imagined himself in.

All you need to know is

You can call me. When you're lonely. When you can't sleep

I'll be your temporary fix

You control me. Even if it's just tonight

With every word of that damn chorus, Haechan felt like throwing up. Or at the very least punching someone.

You didn’t need some fucking temporary fix. Haechan covered your needs just fine.

Okay, maybe not all of them, but he was sure he was very good at that after your boyfriend. Much better than Wonbin could ever imagine himself being.

That damn song felt way too long. The distance between you and him felt way too long. He was already starting to get irritated by the sound of Wonbin’s voice, so when the last lines of the song were sung almost like a whine by your friend, the first thing Haechan did was find your pink dress in the crowd, pull you in by the waist, and bring you against his body in a half-hug.

“He sang One Direction, did you see that?!” you asked excitedly, and Haechan faked a surprised expression, forcing a tight smile and nodding along.

Mark would probably know it was your favorite band, and maybe he’d be happy seeing you jumping around and singing like that. Or maybe not. Maybe he’d finally understand what Haechan meant when he said Wonbin singing about being your temporary fix was completely different from their friends joking around dancing with you.

The band only played one or two more songs before finally getting off the stage. The venue filled with overlapping chatter until a DJ climbed up and quickly started playing music that swallowed the crowd whole again.

You pulled Haechan by the hand toward the area the band and crew were using as a backstage space. It was complete chaos, Christopher and some friends were already there talking to people, and you arrived right behind the four band members.

Your hand was still holding Haechan’s when you tapped Wonbin on the shoulder, and he turned around with a wide smile.

“You guys were amazing up there. You were literally born for this, Bini!” Haechan squeezed your hand lightly before you let go to be welcomed into your friend’s arms.

The two of you immediately started showering each other with compliments about how good the songs sounded and how great his stage presence was, and Haechan had to make a serious effort not to roll his eyes. Because why were you even still there? You’d already seen him perform, Mark still hadn’t arrived, and literally nothing was stopping the two of you from going back home and cuddling on your couch.

When you and your friend finally drifted out of your own little world, you moved on to hug and congratulate the other band members, and your friend finally noticed your boyfriend standing there, a crooked smile appearing on his lips.

“Mark! Good to see you here, we thought you weren’t coming…” Haechan flashes him a fake smile and watches Wonbin walk closer to him near the door to talk.

“Couldn’t miss it. I’m the permanent one, remember?” He smiles, almost satisfied to remind Wonbin of that, even if it wasn’t true.

Your friend just smiles back, raising his brows in agreement, and Haechan feels like he finally won one. But the universe had apparently been against his peace of mind for weeks now, because when Chaeryeong suddenly appeared and ran toward Wonbin to hug him, the last thing Haechan expected was for her to bump into him and spill half her drink all over his chest.

“Binie, you did so good!!” Wonbin wrapped his arms around your friend and thanked her.

But Hyuck felt the ice from the drink run straight down his chest and automatically let out a quiet, instinctive, “Oh shit,” instantly drawing the room’s attention to him.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry, Mark! I swear I didn’t mean to! I’ll get you something to dry off with!” Chaeryeong quickly pulled away from the hug, setting her cup down and grabbing napkins to hand to Hyuck, who kept insisting it was fine.

“You look like a strawberry slushie.” You laugh while your friend desperately tries drying him off, and Haechan gently pushes her away to look at you seriously.

Half the room was laughing at the dumb exchange between you and your friend while the other half barely glanced over, too busy having serious conversations about future shows or bigger venues.

“I think there are some clean clothes in the suitcase we brought, Yn. It’s under that box, I’ll help you.”

You walk over toward the bags beside a small couch and start digging through them, and then Wonbin moves beside you, and as if the songs, the looks, and the too-long hug hadn’t already been enough, Haechan watches him rest a hand on your waist after moving a box out of your way so you could search through the suitcase. 

Most of it was leather or sheer clothes, stage outfits the band had worn. Haechan noticed how you started carefully picking which piece your supposed boyfriend would feel most comfortable in while your friend suggested options, his hand still resting somewhere it absolutely did not belong, until Hyuck finally lost patience and cleared his throat to call your name.

He definitely did not want to be there anymore.

“Yn. Hey…” Both of you look at him. “I’ll dry off in the bathroom…” Haechan tilts his head slightly, thinking you understood, but neither you nor Wonbin’s hand moved, making Hyuck take a deep breath before forcing another fake smile onto his face. “Will you help me?”

And as if by magic, you were already safely back at his side again, pulling him toward the nearest empty bathroom. The two of you slipped into the VIP restroom, which luckily only had a line of two people outside. And once again, Haechan found himself locked inside a bathroom with you.

The difference from the first time was that now he wasn’t confused or hesitant, he was pissed off and frustrated with everything that had happened tonight.

Without thinking twice, he presses you against the door, locking it behind you before pulling you into a kiss. One of his hands grips your jaw firmly, not letting you move or try one of your usual little games to take control from him.

Not that you were rational enough to even try right now, because at the moment all your body wanted was to pull him closer, even while feeling the cold dampness of his soaked shirt against your torso.

Haechan doesn’t warn you or hesitate. He just grabs your waist mid-kiss and lifts you onto the sink. Your legs part slightly, but it’s enough space for him to slot himself perfectly between them and get even closer to your body. He pulls away from your lips for a second, catching his breath between kisses he trails down your neck to the tops of your breasts, listening to the quiet moans leaving you.

“You’re such a fucking slut,” he says between kisses, and a smile immediately starts forming on your lips. “You spent the whole fucking night offering yourself up to your little idiot friend, huh? What for? Just to piss me off or to prove you’re a whore?”

Haechan slides his hands down to your ass and squeezes hard, pulling you even closer against him. Your moan comes out louder this time, but instead of answering, you just feel his half-hard cock twitch against your core.

“You’d never give that guy a chance, would you? Because you’re mine. Only mine.”

“Yes, I’m yours, only yours…” you agree dumbly through a moan, trying to pull his face back toward yours for a kiss, but Hyuck’s hand moves to your throat, holding your jaw while forcing you to look at him.

“And still, you let that asshole think he can do shit like this.” The first smack lands sharply against your thigh, making you let out a small cry while Haechan laughs.

At this point he’d already thrown the whole good friend thing to hell. I mean, it was hard focusing on being a good friend and a good man when another guy spent the entire fucking night hitting on the girl who is with him. Maybe he was a little crazy sometimes, but he still understood some things had fucking limits, and you were one of them.

His hand massages the spot where he slapped you for a moment, close to the lace edge of your dress. His fingers trace along it before he lets out a soft laugh.

“You look so fucking pretty in this nightgown. Did you dress like this just for that loser friend of yours?” he asks, hand still wrapped around your throat, though his thumb gently strokes your lips as he watches them curl into a smile.

“I dressed like this hoping you’d take me to bed faster.”

A low, satisfied chuckle leaves Haechan’s nose. His hand slips underneath your dress and quickly finds your panties, pulling them down without once looking away from your eyes. If he’d been even slightly angrier, he probably would’ve ripped the tiny piece of fabric apart right there, but instead he only sighs before stepping back and lowering himself until he’s face to face with your stomach.

“I can’t believe you wore something like this to see some asshole like your friend. It’s like I never taught you any manners.” He pulls the fabric down your legs while you stare at him without blinking. “To teach you how to be a good girl, you’re going without these for the rest of the night, okay?”

Haechan looks at you as if it’s a serious conversation while stuffing your panties into his pocket. But the way your teeth catch your bottom lip doesn’t let him keep up the act for very long.

He doesn’t stand back up. He only slowly shakes his head, silently scolding you for everything that happened tonight that you hadn’t even noticed. His hands slide to the hem of your dress and lift it up to your waist, completely exposing you to him.

Hyuck didn’t have time. Worse than that, he didn’t want to wait. The second your dress was lifted, kisses and small bites around your thighs, stomach, and inner hips became automatic.

The kisses weren’t rushed, but the feeling behind them was urgent. He needed this. He needed to make you understand that only he could make you feel like this, because only you made him feel this way.

One of his hands slides behind your thigh and lifts it up, resting your knee over his shoulder and giving him full access to the place aching for him the most. A quiet moan leaves you the second you feel his breath against your slit, followed by a kiss.

The fingers that had been gripping your thigh move between your legs, spreading you open for him while his tongue slowly drags through your folds.

“Oh, fuck, babe!” Your head falls back and you moan loudly. One of your hands braces against the sink while the other immediately tangles in his hair, petting softly.

Haechan repeats the motion two more times, collecting your taste before finally sucking on your clit hungrily.

“Ah, oh my god, please! Please!”

He watched your breathing falter and laughed, thinking it was impossible that you could come from just a few licks, but that was the reality, and he knew it from the way you started tugging at his hair to pull his face closer. Your climax seemed way too close already, so he pulled away, still trying to decide whether he was even going to let you cum tonight.

Your eyes met the second his mouth left your core, moving instead to leave mocking little kisses along your thigh. Your face twisted into a confused, frustrated expression, brows furrowed together, and he hated admitting how much he loved seeing it. Then, after one last kiss to your thigh, he lowered your leg back to the floor and stood up.

Your lips found each other almost immediately once he was standing in front of you again, tasting yourself on him while wondering if he was going to kneel back down or if this was the moment he’d stop everything and reject you because of some stupid promise.

But Haechan’s hand quickly returned to your jaw, gripping it firmly while he studied your face.

“I think I’m being way too nice to you.” His lips curl into an almost pitying smile, and you let out a nervous laugh, not fully understanding what he’s implying. “I mean, you don’t deserve to cum right now after everything you put me through tonight…”

“So what do you have in mind then?”

You blink a few times, expecting him to describe every filthy thing he could do to you, but instead Haechan only lets out a soft laugh through his nose and presses a hand onto your shoulder, making you kneel in front of him. His hand strokes your face sweetly before moving back to his soaked shirt, lifting it slightly and exposing your boyfriend’s abs.

You understand instantly and move your hands to his belt and jeans, working to free the obvious bulge straining beneath them. Your mouth waters the second you get his pants undone, your hands sliding to the waistband of his boxers before stopping just before pulling them down.

It was impossible not to think about the last times he’d rejected you or simply pulled away after things got this far, so you glance up at him, but your boyfriend only stares back with an indifferent, almost impatient expression.

“What are you waiting for, slut? A formal invitation?”

Mark never talked to you like that, but it was impossible not to feel your core clench around nothing whenever he called you that. You knew he wasn’t into degradation, so whatever had happened between you and Wonbin tonight, you fully intended on repeating at least one more time.

A small smile appears at the corner of your lips as you pull his boxers down to his thighs, his cock springing free against his stomach, flushed red, angry, and damp with precum.

Fuck, you were starving.

You look at him one last time just to make sure, and he’s still staring down at you with that indifferent expression, though there’s a new glint in his eyes as he grips the base of his cock to hold it in front of your face.

The second your tongue touches the tip of his cock, Haechan swears he sees heaven. He shuts his eyes for a moment and mutters a strained “Fuck,” loud enough for you to hear, making you smile with the tip of him still in your mouth.

It had been so long since you’d had him like this that you wanted to take all the time you could. One of your hands wraps around the base of his cock beneath his own while the other braces against his thigh. Your tongue drags over as much of him as you can reach, sucking constantly while stroking what you can’t fit into your mouth.

Your pussy won’t stop clenching just from the feeling of him on your tongue. Every time you glance up, your boyfriend’s eyes are still fixed on you, and every moan that slips from him only encourages you to suck harder and deeper.

For a brief moment, you pull him from your mouth and shift your attention lower, licking and sucking around his balls while continuing to stroke him with your hand.

“You greedy little whore, huh? Can’t just settle for the cock, gotta do the full service. Ah, fuck!”

Your mouth instantly returns to his cock at the comment, and you try taking him deeper.

“Holy fucking shit!”

Haechan moans way too loudly for such a small bathroom. And your face pulls away too quickly just to catch your breath, clearly out of practice.

But that was exactly Haechan’s point, he was way too nice letting you do whatever you wanted.

Your tongue had already returned to licking at his tip when the hand bracing himself against the wall moves to your hair, gripping tightly and pulling you flush against his stomach.

“Oh my fucking god!” He holds you there for a few seconds, listening to you choke and feeling your throat tighten around him. “Yes, fuck, yes…”

Your hands grip his thighs tightly. You don’t try to pull away or fight it, just close your eyes and feel the burn in your throat. Your thighs press together uncomfortably again, if only you still had your panties on, you could grind against the fabric and get some friction, but all you could think about now was the image of your boyfriend opening you up exactly the same way he was using your throat right now.

Haechan tightens his grip on your hair, keeping you in place without giving you any chance to escape, and then starts slowly thrusting into your mouth at his own pace while moaning filthy things out loud.

Drool slips from the corners of your mouth, tears streaking through your makeup, leaving you more and more ruined-looking by the second, and all Hyuck can think about is how to make it even worse.

“I’m gonna fucking cum on your face. And then you’re gonna go back to your little friend so he can kiss your pretty face and taste my cum on you. Then he’ll finally understand who you belong to. He’ll finally know you’re only mine.”

He says it through gritted teeth without stopping the movement of his hips, and your eyes open immediately, watery and hungry at the thought of it. Haechan can’t take it. He speeds up the thrusts into your mouth, barely stopping himself from pulling out and doing exactly what he just described, ending up cumming down your throat instead. 

Breathing heavily, he loosens his grip on your hair and watches you swallow every drop before coughing slightly from the unexpected free deepthroating session. You looked ruined, your makeup more smeared than before, your hair messy from the way he’d held it, and still somehow you were one of the prettiest women he’d ever seen.

He stares at you still kneeling there, catching your breath while looking back at him with an expression that doesn’t look tired at all, making him laugh softly. You really were a whore. His whore.

Hyuck brings his hand back to your hair, petting it gently before moving down to caress your face. His thumb brushes your cheek before he delicately cups your jaw.

“Open.”

You part your lips, showing him how you swallowed every drop he gave you, making Haechan smile at your obedience, but for one second he stops thinking entirely about what he’s doing and just spits into your mouth.

Okay... Maybe that crossed a slight line because neither of you moves for a second.

But then your eyes meet, and when he looks back down at your mouth, a small smile appears at the corner of your lips.

“Swallow.”

You close your mouth and swallow again, and the way his cock twitches at the sight makes you laugh this time.

“Looks like you’re finally learning after all,” he murmurs before helping you back onto your feet and pulling you into a quick kiss.

“I think I deserve a reward then…” Your hand finds his cock between your bodies again, slowly stroking him and making Haechan shut his eyes briefly from the post-orgasm sensitivity.

“Oh yeah? And what exactly do you think you deserve?”

You. Inside me.

That’s what you think before speaking, smiling when your thumb drags over the tip of his cock and makes him twitch.

“What do you think I deserve?”

Your boyfriend’s laugh echoes through the bathroom before he quickly turns you around, bending you over the sink and the huge mirror showing exactly how chaotic the two of you looked. Your ass arches back against his cock and you try twisting around enough to at least pull his face toward yours, but he smacks your ass lightly.

“Hands on the sink.”

He says it while staring at you over your shoulder through the mirror, and you can’t stop yourself from biting your lip because he looked absolutely delicious watching you like that.

Both his hands settle on your waist, gently massaging downward until they reach your hips while his thumbs trace slow circles into the small of your back.

Another slap lands on your ass, not like you weren’t expecting it, watching him through the mirror the whole time. Hyuck bites his lip and lifts your slip dress a little higher, giving himself a full view of your ass before smacking you again and laughing softly when your body arches back into it instead of pulling away. 

Fuck, he was getting obsessed with every tiny reaction you had to him.

Without waiting any longer, he kneels again, and you try to turn around too, but he reminds you.

“Hands on the sink.”

“You need to see the slutty look on your face when you come. Only then are you gonna understand what you’re doing to me.”

You laugh at that because from your position all you can really see is Mark’s hair moving and his hands gripping your dress tightly against your hips while he spreads your legs apart a little more.

You were soaked. You knew it, Hyuck knew it. He just hadn’t expected making you deepthroat him would leave you this drenched.

Your core was right in front of his face like the main course at the best restaurant in the city. He exhales at the sight, and the second you feel his breath against you, you clench around nothing again and wiggle your hips slightly like you’re more than ready for whatever attention he decides to give you.

But two of his fingers are quick to slide through your slit, collecting your slick before pulling away again, making you arch back and instinctively chase after them. Which was pretty obvious considering Haechan groans obscenely the second he sucks his own fingers into his mouth.

“How the fuck do you taste this good? Fuck…”

Before you can answer, tease him, or grind back against his face again, both his hands grip you firmly and you feel his warm tongue press against you.

“Oh my fucking god!!”

You brace your stomach against the sink and arch your back even further. His tongue starts fucking you lightly in a teasing rhythm, carefully avoiding your clit as much as possible, only the tip slipping in and out while he alternates between swallowing and spreading the slick he collects from you. You get lost in the sensation almost instantly, eyes falling shut while endless moans leave your lips. Hyuck doesn’t stop groaning against your core either, quiet little “fuck”s, “so fuckin’ delicious,” or even “so fucking mine,” making you roll your eyes back and nod along even though neither of you could fully see the other.

He spends several seconds avoiding your most sensitive spot because throughout these past weeks he’d learned your body too well, and he knew that if he focused entirely on your clit you wouldn’t last more than a few minutes, and he wasn’t ready for this to end yet.

His phone starts vibrating inside his jacket pocket and without even looking, he reaches over and declines the call while adjusting himself behind you. It almost felt like the more he ate you out, the wetter you became.

Without thinking much, or maybe thinking way too much about it, he gathers your slick with his tongue and drags it higher toward your ass. You push your hips back against him and Hyuck laughs softly at your reaction.

“Yes, baby, please…”

He gives a few slow licks there while his thumb circles over your clit, making you grind helplessly while you completely lose control over the volume of your moans.

But that wasn’t Hyuck’s real intention tonight. At least not tonight. So his tongue returns to your cunt, gathering more slick before he spreads your thighs wider and holds you firmly in place while sucking hard on your clit.

The movements are relentless, the suction rough, his tongue moving in every direction with impossible precision. Just like he already knew, you couldn’t handle the stimulation for more than a few seconds before your legs snapped shut, trembling violently while he still held your hips, trying to keep you spread open for him.

You barely have time to recover before your boyfriend stands back up and turns you around hurriedly. His hands quickly steady you on the sink while he slots himself between your legs. Haechan pulls the straps of your dress down with little care, exposing your breasts to him.

From how close you are, you can feel his cock brushing against your entrance and his phone vibrating against your thigh while he presses his body firmly against yours. He doesn’t hesitate before leaning down to take one of your breasts into his mouth, sucking as hard as he did your clit before finishing with a bite that pulls a loud moan from you while his hand lines himself up at your entrance.

You push your hips forward and try pulling him closer with your legs tightening around him. It almost works, because the second the tip slips inside you, both of you let out a moan that had been trapped for months. But your supposed boyfriend doesn’t move, only feeling you pulse around the head of his cock while his phone keeps vibrating nonstop in his pocket. He presses his forehead against yours and looks you in the eyes.

“You sure you want this?” he whispers through a groan.

“I want it so fucking bad,” you whisper back, making him laugh quietly and nod.

His hands move to your hips again, adjusting your position so he can finally push all the way inside. He looks at your face one more time, absolutely perfect, like some fucking dream he’d already had a thousand times before. He was barely ten percent inside you and it already felt like heaven. Once he pushed the rest in… he genuinely couldn’t think straight from the fear of cumming in the first two thrusts.

But then someone starts pounding desperately on the door, startling both of you and making you clench tightly around the head of his cock.

“Fuck, Yn…” Hyuck takes a deep breath to stop himself from cumming right there and drops his head onto your shoulder.

Within seconds, cold panic shoots down his spine as he suddenly thinks it might be Mark outside. He starts turning toward the door, but your hand catches his face first and steals a quick kiss.

“Sorry, sorry… ignore them, they’ll find another bathroom. Just pay attention to me, please, fuck me…” you whine softly, trying to pull him closer again. And fuck, if just your entrance already felt this good, then he needed the rest of you immediately. So he nods and grips your hips again.

But the pounding comes back, sounding even more desperate now.

“Open the fucking door!!”

“There’s an emergency out here!!”

Two muffled voices start yelling through the door and Haechan clenches his jaw in frustration before pulling out of you and quickly fixing both your clothes, already planning on opening the door just to curse them out before finding out what kind of emergency could possibly be happening.

Fuck, he had an emergency too, he hadn’t gotten laid in weeks.

But the second the door swings open, before he can say anything, three girls rush into the bathroom and without even waiting for you to leave, one of them immediately starts throwing up everywhere.

“Holy shit!!” Haechan grabs your arm and pulls you away while you burst out laughing at his horrified expression, the girls still complaining about how long you’d taken inside.

The two of you stumble out of the cramped bathroom and the party still seems packed, but none of those people or any of that noise matters to either of you anymore. Once you’re far enough from the bathroom, you wrap your arms around his neck and steal a few kisses, whispering against his lips.

“Wanna go to my place?”

A grin instantly spreads across Haechan’s face and before he can think rationally, the second head between his legs agrees for him. And you don’t wait another second for a different answer, already pulling him toward the exit.

But as always, ever since that cursed day he ate that fucking pastry at Chenle’s party, the universe didn’t seem to be on his side. Because three steps away from the exit stood Mark, his face red, swollen, and soaked from crying so much, cellphone pressed against his ear while he looked seconds away from a complete breakdown.

“Where were you guys? I’ve been trying to call you for over twenty minutes…” he says while staring at Hyuck, and suddenly it feels like every word disappears from Haechan’s head and maybe the two of them don’t even speak the same language anymore.

Then Mark looks at you, and Hyuck feels another chill run down his spine because you were definitely not in what anyone would call presentable condition for your actual boyfriend. Fuck, for all he knew you probably still had his cum in your mouth.

But before Haechan can even process anything, Mark’s eyes fill with tears again and his breathing starts shaking apart. Without a word, almost automatically, your expression completely softens with concern and you pull him into a hug while he apologizes uncontrollably.

“Hyuck, hey, calm down… tell me what happened…” You stroke his hair gently, but Mark only shakes his head while continuing to apologize. And the real Hyuck just stares at the scene without understanding a single thing happening.

“Hey, breathe with me, okay? One, two, three, four…” Your hands move to Mark’s face, caressing him softly while he copies your breathing, though the tears still won’t stop falling. “Do you want some water? Yeah? Okay… stay here with Mark for a second while I get you one. Deep breaths, I’ll be right back.”

He nods, and both of them watch your pink dress disappear toward the nearest bar.

Reality slowly settles back into Hyuck’s head, and then he’s gripping his friend’s arms, which is enough for Mark to pull him into another hug without stopping crying for even a second.

“Dude, what happened? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

He quickly pulls back to check Mark over from head to toe, but physically everything looked fine. Except for the swollen, watery eyes staring back at him.

“I fucked Yu Jimin.”

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ likes, reblogs, asks, comments are very much appreciated :).

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ late afternoons

It wasn't exactly intentional. Especially since Haechan and Mark had agreed to keep pretending he was still busy, at least until Mark got a new reservation at your favorite restaurant. But things started happening so naturally after the weekend at Chenle's house that Haechan still wondered when he actually let himself be carried away by your games.

I mean, he didn't let himself be carried away. He was still aware that you had this effect on him, Hyuck just needed to understand why. And he was a man of science, it wouldn't hurt to study you closer, would it?

Even though he knew it was wrong not to tell his best friend that he was going to see his girlfriend, Hyuck couldn't stop. But... 

There were no buts. 

He knew it was wrong, but after all that he had discovered, Haechan simply seemed unable to control himself, always ending up on his way to your house at some point in his day.

Things started right after you guys got back from the beach. For some reason, he thought you were as organized as Mark, but after opening his suitcase he found several of your clothes there.

He could have warned Mark, told his friend to go deliver it, and helped him have more time with you. Not that it was necessary, because Mark was fantastically managing to get more time as Haechan than he could believe. And after all, you lived so close to the current apartment he shared with Jisung and Jaemin that it was more practical for him just to go there and deliver it to you.

It also made more sense, since he was kind of your boyfriend now.

And the beginning was that simple.

On the first day he delivered some of your clothes, and you invited him to stay and eat a dessert you had made. You were talking about some topic that you had clearly discussed with Mark over text while he just agreed and looked at you. This was one of the main things he discovered about himself: he liked looking at you.

I mean, you were pretty, he'd known that for a while. He'd already mentioned it to a few people. And even reminded your real boyfriend of it. But he never spent enough time looking at your face to notice how your eyes sparkled whenever he called you by a cute nickname and your eyes met.

Hyuck was sure that all those looks and gestures of affection were part of your little game. He was certain that you were enchanting his friend with those little things and were about to do the same to him. But he needed to be sure, so he came back a few days later to return the rest of your clothes. 

He hadn't returned all of them before, just in case… Haechan couldn't find a better excuse than just going to see you and understanding what you were doing with him. He needed to understand why he felt this urge to meet you, since he’d never felt that way about any girl he wasn’t sleeping with.

So whenever Mark wasn’t home, usually during classes, when he knew he wouldn’t be on his phone, Hyuck’d come over to your place to eat something, have a coffee, or just chat. You'd listen to anything he wanted to talk about, no matter how nerdy or uninteresting it was. 

It was obvious how happy you were every time he came over. 

Sometimes you'd only watch movies or series. But what Haechan got used to fastest was the cuddling. 

He was probably born for that, and wondered where he'd been all his life that he hadn't done it with a girl before.

Sex was great, yeah, and he wasn't some kind of ogre, he knew how to stay for the aftercare, but this was different.

The feeling of laying his head in someone's lap or on someone's chest, especially yours, and feeling your fingers running through his hair while humming or paying attention to some silly series he put on, that feeling was indescribable. 

And speaking of sex, well…

After a few days of coming over to your house and getting so close to you… and to your body, he couldn’t just lie and say he needed space. So sometimes, the two of you would just end your afternoons kind of… making out.

He was a terrible friend for admitting it, but he wanted to feel again what you’d done on the beach, to give you what you wanted. But he always stopped himself just in time, so the promise he’d made to Mark would still be kept. No matter how tempting you were.

And in the beginning, it was like that. But then again, the promise involved him treating you well… and he figured he was treating you very well by doing exactly what the two of you had been doing. Even if that meant spending an entire afternoon with you, letting you play with his hair without a single complaint, and then making out until he went home with a visible boner and a serious case of blue balls.

He didn’t know if it had been during the trip that he stopped finding you annoying, or if it had been a series of small moments that slowly started to make sense in his mind, until spending time with you no longer felt like something he had to tolerate. He simply… accepted it. And got used to it.

The only and biggest problem was that he convinced himself he had accepted it only because of Mark. And Mark could never know about this.

Then, just like Mark, he finally understood what it was like to live a triple, maybe even quadruple life. There were so many lies that even he got confused sometimes.

But logically, if Mark couldn’t know, you couldn’t talk about any of it over text.

Luckily for him, he had already done half of the work when he asked you for space days ago. Most of the conversations by text were now started by Mark, and somehow Hyuck had managed to convince you not to mention those moments you shared with him.

He had come up with an elaborate excuse, saying he wanted to keep the happy moments there, inside your apartment, and that if you ever needed to talk about anything related to that, he wanted it to happen in that “safe environment”.

You were foolishly in love and happy enough because he wanted to spend more time with you, so you simply agreed. 

In reality, you were only interested in lying with him for an entire afternoon, listening to him tell you about his day or his new nerdy interest. He would say nonsensical things sometimes and had some weird demands, but you didn't care. 

You didn't say anything when he arrived drinking iced coffee instead of his usual espresso, or how he suddenly preferred to eat sweets before his meal, how he was more sassy in some jokes, or even how he swapped marathoning Spider-Man movies for watching Game of Thrones when he felt he'd had a tough day. 

You were just happy to have Mark there by your side.

Except there was one problem. Something had been bothering you since before that weekend at Chenle's house.

Your boyfriend would pull you away at any hint of movement with a second intention. He had done this on the other moment when he came to apologize, and you had really felt bad for overstepping his boundaries, but you told yourself it was just a one-time thing. But moments like this have been happening more and more often.

He never refused a make-out session, and if it involved your body, he felt all the pleasure in the world taking off almost all your clothes just to admire you, grind against you, or even suck on your nipples. However, every time your attention shifted back to his body, he would avoid or reject you.

Even though you hadn’t known him as a teenager, you sometimes felt as if you were dating the boy he described, the one who wore a purity ring and got nervous around the girls at his church.

You didn’t know exactly what was going on with Mark, and whenever you asked about it, he would just change the subject. You hated to admit it, but you were starting to feel a little bit insecure about this whole situation, wondering if maybe the problem was you. It was hard even to think about, but maybe he just wasn’t attracted to you anymore and was only making excuses.

On one particular day, you two were in your bed kissing for almost ten minutes. Your lips were already swollen, and Mark had taken off both your shirt and his, leaving your bare chests pressed against each other. He kissed you hungrily and occasionally trailed kisses down your neck and the valley between your breasts, leaving hickeys. You could feel his hips moving slightly against your core through your pajamas shorts, making you both moan softly. But that was all.

At some point you dared to slide your hands between your bodies and search for his belt, running your fingers over his visibly hard member. But as soon as you touched the buckle, he quickly stood up, leaving you speechless on the bed.

"Mark, what happened? Are you okay?" You support yourself up on your elbows.

Haechan looks at you, still catching his breath. Your breasts exposed and your legs were still open where he was. 

So inviting. So delicious. 

He had to think fast about why he reacted like an idiot now.

“We can’t do this…” he says, staring at you.

“Why not?” You look at him with pleasing eyes and slide one foot down his abdomen to the buckle of his pants, but before you can massage his member with it, Haechan stops you.

“I… I’m… I’m participating in No Nut November…” he says, and you adjust yourself on the bed, looking at him narrowing your eyebrows as if you can’t believe it.

Because you didn’t believe it. 

The previous year, you could clearly remember him fucking you hard while calling it nonsense, saying that he saw no point in stopping having sex with you just to win a stupid bet among his friends, who had obviously lied about whether they’d actually fucked someone or not.

And besides…

“Is it September eight?” you say, confused, and he pulls your foot to his face to give you one last kiss.

“I know… but the guys and I, we are doing a kind of rehearsal, you know?” He gives you a few more kisses on your foot and leg before putting it back on the bed.

He left you on the bed and walked over to the small table in your apartment to look for his shirt. 

It had been one of those days he came to your apartment under the pretext of watching a movie, but in less than twenty minutes he was already focused on taking off your shirt as quickly as possible to suck on your tits as if his life depended on it.

And usually those days ended like this. You tried, he made up an excuse and ran away. 

You got frustrated and took it out on your wand. And he walked home with a throbbing erection, a shirt that smelled just like you, and ready to take it out on that fucking pocket pussy again.

You tried talking to him about what was happening, but Haechan preferred to pretend he believed in his own lies. However, once triple J started showing up with different girls during the week, that whole No Nut November bullshit didn’t last very long, and Haechan had to lie again.

He wasn’t particularly religious like Mark, but at this point, there was no excuse other than blaming religion. And in his case, only Jesus Christ himself could absolve him.

"It's almost like a No Nut November, but from the church my family currently attends... They say I need to control myself as much as possible before giving in to my desires… Too many sins don't get me into the kingdom of heaven..." He repeated the phrase Mark had once told him when Hyuck started going to parties, smoking weed, and turning into a bit of a fuckboy. They were finishing high school, but Hyuck laughed at him so hard that he remembered it to this day.

You, on the other hand, were speechless. 

Did he consider it a sin to have sex with you? Or to want to have sex with you? Or to give in to your provocations, which happened almost daily? 

You didn't entirely understand, but he was the church boy. And if there were boundaries in your relationship, religion was one of them. So you respected him and started to be much more subtle in your advances.

Even though he wasn't that subtle, especially since the make out sessions didn't end. 

He still came to your house practically every day, and most of the time he liked to undress you almost completely, sometimes even making you dry hump on him till you come with only your panties on, just to run away afterwards, leaving you even more confused, and with no explanations for the rest of the day. 

Because of the agreement with Mark, you two weren't seen in public as often anymore. Occasionally, you'd have lunch with your friends or arrive at parties together, but you never left together. And any kind of affection in public had become noticeably more restrained at his request.

And without knowing anything about what was happening behind the walls of your apartment, Mark's biggest fear was that Haechan would say something about you being clingy or asking for space again. That, combined with the fact that you weren’t as physically close anymore, made him worry it could shake your relationship. But, to Mark's relief, Hyuck didn't bring it up again. Much to your friends’ relief as well, they were happy to see the maturity your supposed boyfriend seemed to be showing when it came to your relationship. 

They knew that you were important to Mark, and although none of them had gone through this relationship world, they were happy that Mark was able to better manage his emotions when it involved you and another person.

But even after reflecting a lot on the maturity mentioned by his friends on the beach, Mark still analyzed them from time to time. Jeno and Jaemin were actually telling the truth and just teasing him during the trip just to see your reactions. The topic of a threesome never came up again, at least not in front of him. Even though every now and then, he still caught his friends checking you out from afar, but nothing he hadn't already noticed other guys at the university doing as well.

All that remained was for him to face his own immaturity. After all, Haechan was right, he was dating a gorgeous girl and would have to deal with it for the rest of his life, after he made you use his last name. He needed to stop acting like an insecure crybaby and learn to react as coldly as Haechan did when you two were together. 

The only difference is that for Mark, Haechan barely knows you, so for him it was extremely easy. And for Haechan, well… 

Mark couldn't deny that he owed his friend a lot now, for the many times Hyuck had saved him, even though his enthusiasm for you was, at the very least, moderate.

For example, during the days you spent at the beach, Mark noticed Haechan’s frustrated expression whenever he had to take you home or the room you shared and miss nights of drinking with their friends. But Mark knew he was doing it for him. And his friend was grateful that Hyuck had pulled you away from those two muscular guys with questionable morals, at least you and your relationship stayed safe.

Also, since you returned from the short trip, Mark could see that Haechan was dealing much better with these problems he had with you. Complaining much less when Mark pressured him about having to spend time with you. Maybe the two of them were on this journey of maturing together. Both learning from each other's limits.

You also stopped complaining about the supposed Mark to the real one. And although you had cut back on your phone conversations with the supposed Hyuck, the two of you had grown much closer in person, having coffee or chatting in the garden between classes. But unfortunately for you, you couldn’t fool your boyfriend. Mark knew every look you gave him, and even if he didn’t fully understand what was going on, after all, you hadn’t opened up like that to the supposed Hyuck, he knew something wasn’t right.

"You seem sad? Frustrated... maybe?" he said the moment you sat down at the coffee shop table, pushing the plate of cookies towards you.

The coffee shop was usually your meeting point, tucked between the buildings where Hyuck’s classes and yours took place. Besides, you loved the cookies there, so every now and then Mark would buy some before you arrived and wait for you at the table with them, especially when he wanted to please you and make you feel more comfortable opening up to him.

But you couldn’t tell him why you were frustrated. Haechan would probably laugh at you, just like Chae and Wonbin did, calling you ‘the princess version of a fuckboy.’

I mean… you could. Maybe Hyuck was one of the only people who would fully understand your frustration. After all, he was a certified fuckboy, and he knew Mark inside and out. But you couldn’t subject yourself to another friend laughing at you just because you really wanted to fuck your boyfriend. So instead, you awkwardly told him about your other frustration.

“Uhm… well… you know about the dinner Mark had planned to take me to?” He hummed for you to continue.

He knew this was going to happen. You’d be upset when he didn’t show up. Especially after planning the dinner, and with Hyuck pulling that behind your backs. But Mark was still trying to book a table, even though the next available one wasn’t until close to Christmas.

"So... it hasn't happened yet and... being honest, I don't even know if he really wants to go or do something like that..."

"Oh, he definitely wants to go!" He cuts you off, taking you by surprise.

"Really?"

"Oh yes, he's been telling me for days that he's planning the whole thing again. You don't need to worry." He smiles at you, but you still didn't seem satisfied with the answer, so he asks what actually happened.

“It’s just…” You take a deep breath. “You know Mark… sometimes he wants everything to be perfect, exactly the way he imagines. And I’m afraid he’s trying to compensate for that certain… uhm… absence… with something big, you know? I love that restaurant, but sometimes I feel like he doesn’t realize that just being with him is enough for me. We could make dinner at my apartment and I’d be just as happy.”

He hadn’t wanted to give the impression that he was complicating things, but he could imagine that forbidding Hyuck from seeing you too often in his body might start to affect your relationship.

Once again, he had to give in to something he didn't want and let you and Haechan have your romantic night. 

Theoretically, he already had it planned, but the idea of ​​doing it at your apartment and letting Haechan spend the night with you wasn't easy for him to digest. 

But Mark already had a plan for that too, Mission Impossible style, which he had already included in your dinner itinerary. He and Hyuck would communicate via AirPods, and that way he would guarantee that his best friend didn't say anything wrong, and also didn't stay longer than necessary at your house.

And as he said, he had already planned everything, so this time everything had to go perfectly. Without the beach, without Jeno and Jaemin provoking him and competing to have you, and especially without Hyuck messing things up. 

But for now, he needed to focus on you. Once again, he managed to comfort you by saying that you shouldn’t worry about your day because Mark had talked to him about it, and everything would happen exactly as planned. You smiled, but remained focused on something in your head while chewing on a cookie.

"You're still tense. Is there anything else bothering you?"

"Have you ever had doubts about your decisions? Especially when they involve your relationship with someone else?" He suddenly gets nervous and asks if you're still talking about your relationship. You agreed, making him sweat. "I need to talk to Mark about some things, but I think he'll freak out when I tell him... He's been calmer about some certain things lately, in a good way, but... I don't know, I still feel nervous..."

He saw you take a deep breath and grow even more tense. “You can rehearse with me! If you want… It’s no problem. You know I won’t say anything to him…”

He spoke quickly and nervously, anxious about the topic, his mind racing through a thousand possible scenarios while he tried to remember all the techniques and guided meditations for maturity he had learned.

You stayed silent for a few minutes before speaking. To Mark, it felt like hours, but when you finally did, he wished he had never asked.

“So… during my exchange program I had a lot to think about… my life… academic, personal… my relationship with Mark…” 

Holy shit. 

Mark could swear he was visibly sweating cold in front of you. “I’m not saying I don’t love him, because I love. I think I’ll love him until the end of my life…”

“But…?”

“But I thought about it and I’m still kinda discovering myself, as any of us, you know… and Mark always seems so decided about his own life. About our life together…”

“I don’t know if I understand what you’re trying to say…” 

Did you get these ideas after he and Hyuck had swapped? He was sure of it, only Hyuck would be able to convince you to abandon him…

“I met some people in France, and they told me about this postgraduate program. I emailed them just to ask a few questions, but they got back to me saying my CV was already strong and that they were interested in discussing a research plan with me.” You looked at him seriously, but with a certain sparkle in your eyes.

Mark didn’t notice that he was holding his breath until you finished speaking. It was great news, but it was… “In France?” 

“Yes. I know, scary, isn’t it? I’d have to move there and stay for at least two years, but…” Your voice turned shy as you looked away. “I don’t know if you two have talked about this, but we’ve kind of planned a life here… and I wanted that. I really do. I want to marry him, live in a big house, and watch him teaching a mini version of him how to play the guitar, but…”

“But you don’t want it right now.” He swallowed hard. And you agreed.

“No… and I really wanted to be able to talk to him about this, but I don’t know… I’m still afraid that some of his insecurities will push us apart…” Your eyes dropped to your drink as you played with the straw, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know if I should tell him now… what do you think his reaction will be? I feel like as soon as I tell him, he’s going to freak out.” Your eyes met his again, and he was quick to respond.

“Oh, he definitely will!” he says, passing his fingers over his hair, internally freaking out, but trying to stay serious while watching you sigh.

If even his best friend confirms his reaction, you can imagine what it will be like when you actually tell him.

There was at least a year and a half left until you graduated, he had time to change your mind and show you why it was much more worthwhile to stay with him there. Especially since, you didn’t know, but he already had all the money for your engagement ring. And he might not have the money for the big house yet, but he had gone to see some apartments downtown with his mother, and they were perfect for the two of you to live together after college.

You guys had the perfect fairy tale. Or at least, you used to. You just needed to follow his plan without wanting to move to the other side of the world to rediscover yourself. 

You could do that right there near him, without the chance of discovering a new love.

He couldn't let that happen.

And when he says that, he means EVERYTHING, from you telling Haechan that would definitely support you leaving their lives, to you actually leaving.

You both remained silent since his last cold sentence, staring at your own coffee cups and thinking about your relationship.

Mark wanted to cry, throw himself at your feet and beg you not to go. You had a soft heart. He knew that this could delay your plans by a few weeks, maybe months. But you also had a head as hard as Hyuck’s, and he knew that if you decided, he would never be able to stop you, leaving him behind, heartbroken.

He held back tears before telling you that you should wait to tell Mark. At least until he could get back into his body and you two could talk properly.

Now Mark’s main goal was to get Haechan to treat you well. Little by little, he needed to show you that it was worth staying with him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't mature enough for that yet. If you went to France to do your postgraduate studies, who could guarantee that you would still love him the same way?

So he needed to act fast! Your romantic night had to happen as soon as possible. And you had an incredible idea. Having dinner at your place will help with that. It made everything feel familiar, comfortable, almost domestic. If you got used to that, maybe you’d start to think staying with him made more sense than leaving. 

So as soon as you guys leave the coffee shop, he texts Hyuck and says they need to make the romantic night happen this weekend. Mark had at least two days to get everything ready, make everything seem perfect, and make Hyuck seem perfect.

The only problem is that a few blocks away, Hyuck was receiving text messages from his parents saying they were coming to town this weekend because they needed to have a serious conversation with him and his brother.

(h)yuck: dude we can’t do this weekend 

mork, the man: ????

mork, the man: why not??? 

mork, the man: haechan my relationship depends on it 

(h)yuck: sorry man 

(h)yuck: but my parents are coming, i need you at this dinner 

mork, the man: just tell them you can’t

(h)yuck: mark????? 

(h)yuck: r u serious?? 

(h)yuck: u literally knows how my dad would react if i even said that

(h)yuck: sorry but i can’t 

Mark stared at his phone, thinking about how badly he wanted to kill Haechan. Sure, Haechan had helped him plenty of times, but this was important. He couldn’t just leave him hanging. Mark then took a deep breath. He needed to think clearly so that nothing would go wrong. Okay, dinner would have to wait, preferably until he was in his own body.

mork, the man: ok fine. i have a plan.

Since neither of them would cancel their plans, they came up with something that worked for both of them. In other words, dinner would have to be replaced by a romantic afternoon. And Haechan, just like Cinderella, should be home before nightfall.

When Saturday arrived, Hyuck picked you up to go to the museum, as you had arranged with Mark. There was a new exhibition, and you mentioned to your boyfriend that you were going to see it, but he promptly offered himself, or rather, offered Hyuck to go along. His intention was to remind you that he would accompany you now and always, so that you would never forget that he would be there for you.

Not to mention the creepier parts, you thought it was sweet of him, especially since lately you’d only been seeing each other at your apartment, barely going out on actual dates unless your friends were involved. But your boyfriend was clearly bothered during the walk, checking his phone constantly and muttering to himself whenever you weren’t looking.

That's when you noticed how he always had an AirPod in his ear. Typical Mark, always listening to some music and making his life a movie with a soundtrack worth living. 

But at that moment he seemed stressed, especially because Haechan couldn't stand your boyfriend dictating in his ear what he should do and how he should treat you, as if he didn't already know how to deal with you after everything you'd been through together.

"So... what are you listening to?" You stopped beside him with curious eyes, and Haechan's eyes widened briefly as he heard Mark whisper in his ear ‘Oh shit!’.

Without thinking much, he quickly ended the call with Mark and opened the music app to show you. You asked if you could listen with him, and he handed you the other earphone.

"I'm sorry about that... you don't mind if we walk around with music playing?" He felt his heart race at being caught, looking at you while several messages from Mark kept popping up on his phone.

"You always ask me that as if you don't know it's okay. I feel like we're the protagonists in a 2000s rom-com, you know." You laughed briefly and took his hand to walk through the exhibition.

Haechan smiled at you, finding it cute that you were creating your own fanfic scene in your head.

But Mark's messages didn't stop. When Hyuck hung up, he sent everything they had gone over the other day about Hyuck needing to be kind and show you how wonderful it was to be with him. He remembered Haechan laughing at him when he asked for that, and thought everything was going to go wrong because Donghyuck couldn't take his relationship seriously.

Anyway, he sent everything he needed to say and do to make you feel comfortable, loved, and to show how engaged he was in this relationship, even though Haechan kept his distance, even if it was at his request.

Hyuck replied saying that he knew what needed to be done and that his friend needed to trust him again, just like he did at Chenle's house. Especially since it all came back to the same question: whether you felt comfortable and happy with him.

mork, the man: ok but keep me updated on everything pls

mork, the man: like i mean everything

mork, the man: if something happens and u don’t know what to do just text me i got u 

mork, the man: and pls don’t forget to record it i need it later

(h)yuck: relax dude 

(h)yuck: i brought the right thing for that

Haechan replied with a picture of a compact digital camcorder, one of the many cameras Mark kept in his room. The phone vibrated with a few more messages, but Hyuck had already put it in his pocket to turn on the camera.

You had wandered a few steps away to look at one of the pieces, and when he turned on the camera and called your name, you turned to him, a smile spreading across your face as he approached.

"Does it have memory?" you asked with some enthusiasm, and he looked at the camera again, uncertain.

"Well, I checked before leaving home and it was empty, why?" he asked, filming around the exhibition.

“Because I thought we had a plan for today… to see the whole exhibition, maybe stop by the flower shop, and you said you couldn’t come over afterwards…” You bit your lip and looked at him.

“We still will… and I still have something to take care of tonight…” He let out a small, confused chuckle. “What are you talking about…?”

You leaned close to his lips to whisper, so no one passing by could hear. “Mark, the last three times you picked up that camera, we ended up making a movie…” It took Haechan a few seconds to understand, but he made a slight surprised expression when he did, and a soft grin appeared on his face.

“Um… uhm… I’d forgotten it was this one specifically…” He was going to have to edit that part out. 

The camera hadn’t caught the way his hands settled on your hips, pulling you closer, but what he was about to say definitely would.

“Well, I can still take you to the bathroom and film while I fuck you against the mirrors. Or even right here, in the middle of all these people. I bet they’d say they hadn’t seen real art until they saw the look on your face when you cum. But unfortunately, I’ll have to postpone that.”

He gave your hip one last squeeze and you bit your lip, smirking as you listened to him talk. If he was saying that, there was a good chance that the next time he came to your house you would actually get some kind of noise penalty. It might not be today, but the possibility was there! And it was very close.

"Do you really need to go help Haechan today?"

You gave him pleading eyes, and no matter how convincing they were to a blue-balled Donghyuck, the idea of ​​having to meet his parents and Mark after thinking about wanting to fuck his best friend’s girlfriend was terrifying and overshadowed the idea of ​​wanting to take you home. He offered you a slight smile before letting go of your hips and leading you for a walk, holding your hands. Another habit he'd learned to like in the last few days spending time with you. 

“Yeah… his parents are coming and… well, one of the only things we had in common when we were kids, besides both being nerds, was that our parents were just as demanding.” He sighed, glancing at you with a sheepish smile. “The only difference is that Hyuck’s dad seems to like me more than his own kids…”

You widened your eyes and squeezed his hand, looking at his face as he stared at the camera, trying to hide his discomfort over sharing too much of his life. “I didn’t know his dad was like that… he never mentioned it…”

“He wouldn’t…” he offered you another small smile. “It’s not exactly Haechan’s favorite topic. And it doesn’t really affect his life that much… at least his mom’s a lot more understanding. And he still has Taeyong, and me… and well, you now.”

“I’ll try to be a good friend to him, just like you are.” You smiled at him again. “Even though he’s still very closed off with me when it comes to his personal life.”

“Oh, believe me, he’s being way more open and vulnerable with you than he’s ever been with any other woman.” He let out a soft chuckle. “In a way, you’re becoming… very special.” He turned his head, catching you grinning to yourself, and pointed the camera at you.

You kept walking through the exhibition, asking a few more questions about the dinner with his parents. You didn’t want to come across as nosy, and he could tell, you were careful, skirting around things, never quite prying into Haechan’s life through the person you thought was Mark.

Haechan, on the other hand, couldn’t help but notice. If anything, he should be congratulating his friend for the investigative instincts he’d drilled into you. Not once did he question your questions, answering easily as he talked about his relationship with his parents, especially his older brother.

You knew Taeyong from the stories Mark told, but Haechan got so excited when you asked about him that he started retelling all the stories you had heard about his brother from a different perspective. A much more admiring and dreamy one.

You loved seeing your boyfriend’s face light up when he talked about someone so close to him he considered as a brother. And more than anything, you loved hearing how inspired he was by Taeyong’s dreams and achievements, how, even though he and Hyuck had accepted some of their father’s expectations, Taeyong had been much braver in pursuing his own dreams.

"Oh, so he won't be at the meeting today?" you asked, surprised, because you had understood it would be a dinner with the whole family gathered.

"Ah yes, he's coming back from New York and will arrive by the end of the afternoon, along with my- Hyuck's parents. But he'll be back before we can do something together…" he says quickly, and you nod.

“Well, then it’ll be great for you to go tonight and be able to meet him. I didn’t know he meant so much to you, but I can see from the sparkle in your eyes that he’s very special.” You smiled at each other.

Haechan stared at your face once more. Smiling at him. Literally at him. I mean, he was the one who told you his whole life story in the third person minutes ago and you… simply listened attentively and were happy for him. 

He couldn’t tell if it was some part of your game of playing with his feelings, and if it was, he had to admit that he lost this time.

Your smile was so beautiful and it was just for him at that moment. He didn’t know how to deal with this strange feeling running through his stomach and fingertips, so he chuckled and walked away with the excuse of filming you, when in reality he just needed to get away from your intoxicating perfume.

He admired you for a moment through the camera lens, admiring the paintings and sculptures. He was still trying to understand what had happened, why he was feeling what he was feeling, until you approached and disrupted his thoughts again.

“Shall we go to the flower shop? You don’t want to be late for dinner, right?” You offered your hand, and he took it, nodding nervously.

Not far from there, Mark was desperate for two reasons. The first, clear and obvious one, was that Haechan had taken the camera you two used to record sextapes, and he couldn't remember if he'd removed the SD card the last time you recorded. This would be incriminating enough evidence, considering the video was inside Jisung's room and was one of the only times he let you take control, riding him on his friend's bed while he was visibly wearing a collar that you were holding.

And the second, well, he trusted Haechan. Even with everything that had happened between the three of you and the interactions you and Haechan had since they switched bodies. But he still trusted him and needed to continue trusting him because this day had to be perfect, with or without the camera, and with or without Haechan's text replies.

Not to mention Hyuck's family dinner, which he already anticipated would be chaotic. Every time he'd attended, it always was. And Hyuck invited himself to go tonight because if his father suspected he was wearing headphones to talk to someone, he’d be the main course.

And then there was Taeyong, whose situation would certainly generate the most chaos at the Lee's dinner. Mark wanted to think about you, but as the afternoon went on, he couldn't stop thinking that his night would be fucking long.

Since he couldn’t keep up with the two of you over the phone, he decided to get ready for dinner and took Haechan’s suit to the dry cleaners. On his way back to the apartment, Mark kept checking his phone to see if Hyuck had texted, but nothing.

He didn’t want to worry about it anymore. Theoretically, your afternoon was already coming to an end, and Hyuck would meet up with him soon so they could head to the restaurant together. But when he got back, he was startled to find Hyuck’s brother sitting on the couch with Jeno and Renjun, chatting.

It was a real surprise to see Taeyong there. Mark had thought they would only meet at the restaurant, but the idea of Hyuck’s brother being there eased some of his nerves about the whole situation.

Taeyong had this magical aura around everyone near him. Haechan had it too, but while Hyuck could bring fun to the people around him, Taeyong had this presence that brought peace and comfort. Like a true older brother would.

“Are you not going to give me a hug?” he asked with a smile after Mark had stood frozen in the doorway for a few seconds.

Mark was quick to set his suit down somewhere before rushing to hug his almost-brother, relief washing over his body as his hyung held him tightly.

“I missed you.” It wasn’t the same feeling Hyuck had, but it was genuine.

“Don’t cry, little bear. Your hyung is here now,” Taeyong replied with a proud smile, ruffling his hair as if he were still a little kid. “And why the hell is your hair so long? I thought you liked that bowl cut you always used to have…”

The boys laughed a little, and Jeno started talking about how the last time Haechan had gone anywhere near a pair of scissors had been months ago. They also talked about how Taeyong had just gotten out of the military and had already landed an amazing job in New York, working as an assistant in the creative direction of a few projects and events, which interested Renjun a lot as he brought over something for them to eat. But the conversation didn’t last very long.

It was Saturday night, and their two friends already had plans, just like the supposed brothers did. So Jeno grabbed his car keys and called Renjun over, giving the two of them some privacy, even though the older boy was still very interested in hearing about how Taeyong was going to work on the production of a rock concert that would take place inside a museum.

As soon as their friends left, Taeyong looked at Mark as if he were trying to read right through him. And he had always been incredibly good at that, ever since they were kids.

Mark grew awkward under the stare and picked up the suit to leave it in Hyuck’s room, just to make sure nothing happened to it, and also to avoid his friend’s brother’s gaze.

“I thought you’d come later…” he commented, trying to hide how nervous he was about the possibility of Taeyong finding out who he really was. Though maybe he was one of the only people who could truly understand and help with the situation he and Hyuck had gotten themselves into.

“I wanted to see my little brother first…” Taeyong replied, the empathetic smile never leaving his face, though his eyes and brows tightened slightly as he watched the younger man pacing around with a suit in his hands. “…but you seem different…”

Mark froze for a split second as he rested the suit by the door before turning back to his friend with an awkward smile decorating his face.

“Ah, this?…” he pointed lightly at the suit before walking back toward the couch. “I just wanted to be respectful to Mr. Lee…” 

Taeyong let out a laugh at the way Mark referred to his father. But that was how he had always addressed him, even getting teased by Haechan whenever his best friend argued with his dad and Mark tried to calm him down.

“Mr. Lee? Where did that come from?” Mark followed Taeyong’s soft laughter, only shrugging afterward as if the older boy had understood some kind of irony, even though there wasn’t any. “Yeah, you really are different… but tell me more about what’s going on. You know, the things you keep hiding from me in your texts.”

Taeyong got up from the couch and walked over to the fridge, smiling when he noticed it was stocked with at least two bottles of beer. He handed one to Mark, who looked at it suspiciously before opening it.

He knew the brothers had a habit of drinking before meeting their parents, which Hyuck always justified as being for the sake of their sanity, but he still felt a little hesitant about doing it knowing that if tonight’s topic ended up being Taeyong, it would turn into a long and intense discussion. But you know what? Fuck it. His week had already been exhausting enough, and the lack of control over his own relationship today, on top of the responsibility of seeing Haechan’s parents, practically called for a drink.

For a moment, the only sound between them was the long swigs they took from their bottles, until Mark turned to Hyuck’s brother and shrugged once again.

“There’s not much to tell…” he lied, because if he didn’t, he knew he and Haechan would go straight from dinner to a psychiatric evaluation with the whole family attending. 

“Ah, I quit smoking!” 

Mark still used two nicotine patches a day, but it was already a huge victory for Haechan’s body. He looked away from Taeyong and took another sip of his beer.

“Oh, really? That’s great to hear!” Hyuck’s brother wrapped an arm around him from the side, genuinely happy about the news, but as soon as he leaned back into his previous position, that knowing smile paired with narrowed eyes settled on Mark’s face once again as he spoke. “But that’s not all, is it? I want to know what’s behind that look of yours…”

Mark mirrored Taeyong’s expression, narrowing his eyes too, though with a much more confused look than his friend’s. He let out an awkward laugh when he asked what he was talking about.

There was no humanly possible way Taeyong had noticed he wasn’t his real younger brother just from looking at him over the last twenty minutes. I mean, he might not have been the best Haechan, but he had been trying like hell these past few weeks, especially considering even you hadn’t noticed.

The older guy stayed quiet for a few more seconds, still analyzing the face of the person he believed to be his younger brother, before a small smirk spread across his lips.

“Is this about a girl?” he pointed at Mark’s face, and his awkward smile faltered for a second as a cold shiver ran up his spine and he laughed nervously. 

He really was a man in love, but was it really that obvious how much you affected him!?

Before he could deny it and protect Haechan’s oh-so-immaculate fuckboy reputation, Taeyong interrupted him.

“You can’t lie to me, you know that, right? I’m probably one of the only people who won’t judge you… well, maybe just a little, but we don’t lie to each other.”

The two of them stared at each other as if Taeyong already knew the answer. Because apparently, it was pretty obvious. So Mark just sighed and nodded.

“Yeah… it is a girl.” 

He took another sip of his beer, and Taeyong let out another laugh, clearly getting excited about the conversation, just like you did whenever Mark or Jaemin came to you with gossip about their friend group.

“I never imagined Donghyuck would give in to someone so quickly.” He adjusted himself on the couch, turning toward his supposed brother. “So? Who is she? What’s she like?” he asked excitedly, making Mark smile faintly because maybe one of his favorite things in the world was talking about you.

“She’s someone from college… honestly, probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life. She’s kind, caring, we have amazing conversations together, she always listens to me… but it’s complicated… you know me…” he tried to change the subject, taking another sip of his beer, but Taeyong didn’t let him.

“What do you mean complicated? Like you said, I know you, and you’re a kind and caring guy too. What’s stopping you from pursuing this?” Taeyong encouraged him, though he rolled his eyes before continuing. “Don’t tell me you’re still clinging to that fuckboy thing… Look, I know that when you were younger and saw me at parties and stuff like that, you thought it was fun, but it’s okay to mature and settle down. Seriously, it’s okay. You don’t have to live as the same persona for the rest of your college years. Sometimes, if we really like someone, it’s more worth it to let our guard down for them than to stay trapped in a fragile ego that doesn’t even make you feel good anymore…”

“No, no, I know that!” And Mark really did know that. Maybe his best friend didn’t, but he answered with so much conviction that Taeyong was actually caught off guard. “It’s just that… she has some issues, and so do I, and… honestly, it’s been stressing me the fuck out lately. Maybe that’s why you noticed it on my face so quickly…”

Taeyong’s eyes narrowed again as he watched Mark massage the bridge of his nose, clearly stressed while thinking about the whole postgraduate situation. He analyzed his supposed brother, the nervous way he held the beer bottle and took smaller sips than usual, and how just thinking about this “situation” already made him uncomfortable, and he immediately interpreted it as something else.

“Holy shit, Donghyuck. Are you in love with a woman who’s already taken!?”

“What!? No, I-” Mark’s eyes widened the moment the words left Taeyong’s mouth.

Technically, you were a woman in a relationship, but hearing Hyuck’s name tied to that question didn’t sit right with him.

Mark knew it wasn’t a realistic possibility, especially considering the kind of relationship Hyuck had with you and how few opportunities you even had to spend time alone together for Hyuck to really get to know you better. And even if, at that exact moment, the two of you were probably still together, the thought still didn’t feel right to Mark.

He also didn’t want to entertain any scenario where that could ever become a possibility, because Mark still needed to trust his friend, trust him to be himself and to show you that staying for him was worth it, not spend every second suspicious that his best friend might steal his girlfriend away at any moment. At the end of the day, they were best friends and Hyuck would never do something like that, something that could shake the foundation holding the three of you together.

But in that context… “Yeah, she kind of is… but it doesn’t really matter. Because she’s planning to leave in the future and-”

“What do you mean kind of? Either she is or she isn’t in a relationship!” 

Taeyong was genuinely baffled by the idea of his brother liking someone who was taken and treating the information as casually as if he were talking about the girl’s hair length, when in reality, another person was involved.

“Dude, you can’t be serious…”

“Okay, yes, she does have a boyfriend, but like I told you, it doesn’t make any difference.”

And it really didn’t. You were already his. What actually worried him was whether you still would be a few months from now.

“She’s probably going to move to the other side of the world and we-” Mark stopped mid-sentence, his voice catching just from thinking about the possibility, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Taeyong, who grabbed his shoulders and looked deeply into his eyes.

“Hyuck, look at me. You can’t think like that! There are plenty of other people out there who are interesting, kind, caring, who’ll listen to you and want your company too. But you have to move on!”

Mark’s eyes started filling with tears. He knew Taeyong’s advice was about the fact that his supposed brother was in love with someone already taken, but he couldn’t help connecting it to the shitty situation he was actually stuck in. The fact that you could leave, and that it felt like it could happen at any moment, only made him even more terrified.

He didn’t want to think about moving on, about finding someone else. He wanted you by his side, like you had always been.

Taeyong noticed the way his little brother was holding back tears, and for a moment, he felt like the worst person in the world for saying that. He had scolded Haechan plenty of times before, for all sorts of reasons, but this was different.

Haechan had had another girlfriend back in his teenage years. It had been something brief, a girl a few years older than him who had seen him as easy entertainment. Maybe at the time he had been too innocent to notice her real intentions, but when she broke up with him a few months later after playing with his heart, Hyuck had closed himself off from his feelings, and this was the first time Taeyong had seen him opening up again.

Taeyong took another deep breath and thought that maybe he would deeply regret this advice later, especially considering how much Haechan still listened to him, but he said it anyway.

“You know what? Fuck it. If you really like her and want her around, then you should give this everything you’ve got.”

“What…?” Mark lifted his gaze and looked at his friend in surprise.

“You have to understand that you’ll probably get hurt, and you’ll hurt other people too if you really want to keep going with this. But if your heart is truly ready for it, then you should take the risk.”

He offered Mark a small smile, which he took as encouragement, returning it softly, though it didn’t last very long.

“And about her leaving… sometimes love requires that, Hyuck… you know that. Loving someone means understanding that you’ll have to learn how to deal with other people’s decisions. And if you really love that girl, distance will just be a detail between the two of you.”

One last emphatic smile crossed Taeyong’s face before he stood up to throw away the empty beer bottle. Mark stayed frozen for a moment, absorbing his friend’s words.

He was right, and Mark knew that, even if the idea of having to let you go hurt like hell.

Two stubborn tears slipped down his face, but he quickly wiped them away before getting up to throw his own bottle in the trash as well.

Time passed quickly, and the clock was getting close to the hour he and Hyuck had agreed to meet up and get ready together.

“I… I’m gonna take a shower. If someone knocks on the door or calls, it’s probably Mark so we can head there together…”

He spoke quickly, already pulling off his shirt and tossing it into the laundry basket as he headed toward the bathroom, but the older boy stopped him with a serious expression and tone.

“Mark’s going with us?” he nodded, only to see his friend let out an awkward laugh. “No, no, no. He can’t. This dinner is about me, and I know dad’s going to go hard on me. I don’t want poor Mark getting dragged into that.”

“But Mark-” he tried to argue, but Hyuck’s brother cut him off, still serious.

“I know he’s your best friend, and basically part of our family, but I think we should keep this between us. He doesn’t deserve to have a terrible night because of the two of us, or rather because of my decisions. It’s better to leave him out of this…” he let out an awkward laugh, and Mark sighed, tense at the thought of having to tell Haechan that and even more tense about what tonight was going to be like.

Taeyong had always been like this. Even though Mark always tried to be present and ease the situations Haechan got himself scolded over, Taeyong would always step in first and try to soften things for both of them. This time wasn’t any different.

Mark did what he asked and grabbed his phone before getting in the shower, sending his best friend a text saying that his brother had asked him not to come.

You had already been at the flower shop for almost an hour, with Haechan filming you and recording all the flowers he found interesting. Every now and then, he would ask you silly questions about the plants or ask you to describe their scent to the camera.

He helped you put together a beautiful bouquet to take home, and you decided he should bring flowers for his mother tonight too, maybe pleasing his mom would help if they ended up being too hard on them. But while you were picking out the flowers, his phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. Eventually, he grabbed it to check, thinking it was probably just Mark desperately asking for updates again, but the first reaction he had when he looked at the screen was:

“Fuck!”

There were messages from his roommates, several from Mark, a few from Taeyong, and the most recent ones were from his parents saying they had already arrived in the city and that they would stop by his apartment before heading to the restaurant.

He opened Mark’s messages quickly, and the last thing Mark had sent was a warning that Taeyong didn’t want him there. Haechan could only think what the fuck was that supposed to mean, immediately replying that he wasn’t accepting that, that he’d just drop you off at home and run there. But Mark answered quickly, saying he had everything under control and that Taeyong himself had asked very seriously, so he thought they both should listen.

Haechan took a deep breath and looked at you picking flowers for his mother. She would probably love the bouquet, lilies and roses mixed in shades of white and pale pink. She would probably love meeting you too, especially if you were his… but you weren’t, and he needed to get that through his head now that the day was coming to an end.

(h)yuck: ok fine 

(h)yuck: i’m not going to the restaurant

(h)yuck: but i’m heading to the apartment now to meet you guys, my parents could get there any minute 

mork, the man: no 

mork, the man: finish the day with her

mork, the man: i can handle things here

mork, the man: i just need you to promise me you’ll end tonight perfectly for her

mork, the man: please. for me

Haechan took a deep breath after that last message and approached you while you were still analyzing which flowers to choose. He couldn’t let it show how stressed he was, not in front of you, not after the promises he’d made to Mark. He held your bouquet in one hand while you looked through complementary flowers for his mother’s bouquet when he stopped beside you, your perfume mixing with the scent of the flowers and calming him down a little.

“I think we’re gonna have to cancel her bouquet. Hyuck just said the dinner was confirmed as family-only, so I’m not going anymore…”

You turned toward him with furrowed brows and a small pout. “Oh no, babe… I know it was really important for you to see them, I’m sorry…” you offered him a soft smile, gently brushing your hand against his face before continuing, “but we can still make the bouquet and you can give it to her tomorrow, before they leave the city again…”

This time, he let out an awkward laugh. “Depending on how the conversation goes, they might leave earlier than expected… but let’s take the bouquet anyway, just in case something good and unexpected happens…”

While Hyuck paid for the flowers before taking you home, his parents were arriving at his apartment just a few blocks away.

Mark had already imagined something like this would happen, so he had spent the entire morning cleaning and organizing the apartment. Jeno and Renjun’s messes were confined to their bedrooms, and Haechan’s room was actually spotless, just like the rest of the place.

He and Taeyong were already dressed and sitting at the table when the intercom buzzed, announcing that Hyuck’s parents were coming upstairs. 

When he opened the door, the first person he saw was Haechan’s mother rushing toward him and pulling him into a tight hug. Even though she could be strict sometimes, she had always been very loving toward both of her sons and had always treated Haechan like her precious baby. 

Except for the day she found weed and cigarettes in his room. Mark still remembered how furious she had been that day, to the point where Haechan ended up sleeping at his place for a week because he was scared she’d beat him in his sleep.

“My honey poo, how are you? You’ve gotten so skinny. Are you eating properly? And this hair? Why is it so long? Haechan, are you taking care of yourself?”

Haechan’s mother held Mark’s cheeks while inspecting every inch of his face, making him laugh and hug her back as he assured her he was doing fine. She pressed a loud kiss to his cheek, something she always did to Mark too, before greeting Taeyong the same way. Then his friend's father stepped inside, briefly looking around the apartment before approaching and offering Mark a small hug.

That was something he really only did with his sons, but it wasn’t exactly warm or natural. It was obvious he had to make an effort for it. It wasn’t technically cruel, it just didn’t fit Haechan’s father’s persona, a man who spent seventy percent of his time focused on maintaining the image of an unshakable head of the family devoted to work, and the other thirty percent trying to dedicate himself to his family while constantly chasing a perfection within it that didn’t exist.

“Hi, dad…”

Mark spoke quietly, the word feeling strange coming out of his mouth while Mr. Lee’s eyes evaluated the suit he had chosen, apparently approving of it to some extent. The older man’s gaze drifted across the apartment once more before stopping on Taeyong, the two of them only nodding at each other.

“Not bad for an apartment shared by three men…” he looked back at Mark. “At the very least, the other two boys don’t seem to share your tendency toward being messy.”

“Oh, come on.” Taeyong rolled his eyes. “He worked hard organizing everything today to welcome you guys. You don’t have to talk to him like that.”

Like always, he defended his younger brother, drawing their father’s attention toward himself. His jaw was already tense, but before he could say anything, their mother interrupted.

“And it looks wonderful, sweetheart. But let’s hurry to the restaurant before we lose the reservation, hmm?”

The drive continued in silence inside Haechan’s parents’ car. Apparently, the important conversation would only happen after everyone’s stomachs were full, with food or alcohol, depending on the Lee family’s mood.

The restaurant was large, seemingly simple but carrying a luxurious and traditional atmosphere, exactly the kind of place Haechan’s father liked. The tables were divided into small private sections with six to eight seats, ideal for turning what looked like an innocent family dinner into complete chaos without the other customers noticing.

The four of them sat down and ordered their meals, falling into silence afterward. 

Every now and then, Haechan’s mother would ask about small details in the boys’ lives, things they hadn’t mentioned over calls or texts, but eventually the silence would settle over the table again. Just like Taeyong had said, the biggest tension existed between him and his father, and even then, they barely exchanged a single word.

The food arrived quickly, and they spent most of the meal eating in silence. Questions would occasionally come up, but they were always directed at Mark, about Haechan’s life, college, sometimes about the boys themselves and Mark, and he tried to maintain a polite and cordial tone, attempting to soften the tense atmosphere hanging over the table thick enough to cut with a knife.

Suddenly, after Mark answered once again that everything was fine with him, his friends, and life in general, insisting there was nothing new for him to tell them, Taeyong interrupted him and told his mother that Haechan was interested in someone.

Mark’s ears immediately turned red, and he froze with his utensils halfway to his mouth before looking at Taeyong in disbelief. The older guy only smirked and winked at him while chewing his food.

“Thank God you’re finally settling down,” Mrs. Lee said sincerely, but the light atmosphere didn’t last very long.

“Your mother is right. I just hope this person is, at the very least, someone who thinks about the future,” Hyuck’s father said, glancing at him briefly before looking back down at his plate. Taeyong frowned immediately, staring at him seriously.

“I’m not sure I understand what that’s supposed to mean.”

His father lifted his gaze and looked directly at his oldest son, and at that moment Mark realized it was a very good thing they had switched bodies, because his best friend would never have held himself back and definitely would’ve said something that would made everything worse.

“Exactly what you think it means. Your mother and I worked ourselves to death to give both of you the best education possible. You graduated from one of the best universities in the country and served your country as a decorated sailor, only for what? To leave all that behind and go work in creativity? What the hell is that supposed to be?”

He spoke harshly to his son, and Taeyong let out an ironic laugh, setting his utensils down and crossing his arms as he stared at his father sitting diagonally across from him. Mark briefly exchanged a glance with Haechan’s mother, but she turned toward her husband and quietly told him to take it easy.

“No, mom. Let him say whatever he wants. He doesn’t understand because he simply doesn’t want to,” Taeyong replied without taking his eyes off his father. “I was lucky enough to get an opportunity like this, doing something I actually enjoy. Because the two of you know very well that I never wanted to major in business, but at least it helped me once I got to New York.”

He went back to eating, and if life were a cartoon, smoke would probably be coming out of Taeyong’s ears from how furious he was. And his father’s ironic laugh, painfully similar to his own, only seemed to throw more fuel into the fire already making the older brother lose his mind.

“No.”

“No?” Taeyong lifted his gaze again in disbelief, and this time it was his father who crossed his arms.

“Yes, no. I’m giving you thirty days to quit, come back home, and take a real job. I already managed to secure a position for you, and eventually for Hyuck too, at the accounting firm where I work, and-”

Taeyong’s laugh cut his father off before he replied simply,

“I’d rather drop dead.”

Mark sat across from Hyuck’s father without saying a word. He took his first long sip of the wine Hyuck’s father had ordered with the meal, and that ended up catching the older man’s attention.

The boys’ mother was still trying to calm both of them down a little more, but the moment their father looked at Hyuck’s face, she realized things could turn into complete chaos depending on what came out of her youngest son’s mouth.

“And you, boy? What’s your problem?”

His father asked angrily, and Taeyong immediately prepared himself to defend his supposed younger brother, but Mark stopped him with a hand on his arm. It was actually pretty unusual to see Haechan staying quiet, especially when one brother was defending the other, but Mark had no intention of directly involving himself in that argument, at least not until his friend’s father offended him too.

“Oh right, you’ve got yourself a little girlfriend now. You’re probably only thinking about that...” The older man said ironically.

“Holy shit… can’t either of you just listen to me and calm down for once?” Haechan’s mother rested her face in her hands, waiting for one of her sons to answer. But Mark took a deep breath, jaw tightening and fists clenching before replying calmly.

“No, sir. I was just thinking that Taeyong is already old enough to deal with the consequences of his own decisions by himself. Just like I am.”

Mark, just like Taeyong, hated when people insulted Haechan, but he wasn’t about to throw himself into the scene Hyuck’s father was creating. Honestly, he already knew the entire family was way too dramatic, but he had never cared much about that as long as they let his friend live in peace.

So when Hyuck’s father laughed at what he said and questioned where he planned to work after college, Mark thought about everything Hyuck constantly said about building a strong enough portfolio to break into the gaming industry. About how his temporary jobs were helping him, but how, as the name implied, they were only temporary. Haechan had no intention of staying someone’s assistant forever, carrying dreams and ambitions far bigger than Mark could even imagine. But before he could answer, someone’s voice called his friend's name from the hallway.

“Hyuck? Donghyuck? Is that really you? What a surprise seeing you here.”

The entire family turned around, their tense expressions quickly shifting into surprise at the stunning woman walking toward the supposed Haechan.

“Jimin! Hey! It’s a surprise seeing you here too,” Mark said awkwardly as he stood up to greet her.

It wasn’t exactly the kind of restaurant broke college students went to, so for her, it probably was surprising to see him there. But Jimin’s father was one of the biggest lawyers in the city, and it was probably pretty normal for her to have dinner at places like that during the week or on weekends.

Not that Hyuck’s parents couldn’t afford it, of course they could. They both had excellent jobs, and that was usually the central issue within their family: how their sons seemed determined to follow their dreams while their father insisted they focus on something stable instead. It always led to arguments like this one, capable of leaving an unbearably heavy atmosphere hanging over the rest of the night.

Hyuck’s mother cleared her throat, and Mark turned back toward the table where Mrs. Lee and Taeyong were openly smiling, while his father only wore a polite host-like smile. A flawless performance, as always.

“Mom, dad, Taeyong, this is Yu Jimin, a… friend? She’s my friend.” He looked at her, and she nodded with a smile, bowing politely to them as they stood up to bow back.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear,” his friend's mother said, and Taeyong nodded as well, carefully observing the two of them together. 

Meanwhile, Mark was thinking about how Jimin somehow always appeared at very specific moments and managed to make him nervous for absolutely no reason.

“Yu? Like Yu & Kim Co.? The law firm famous for handling political cases, including Supreme Court ones?” Hyuck’s father asked directly, and Jimin nodded.

“Yes, my father is one of the partners. We came to have dinner together tonight, but it looks like the restaurant is already full… if you’d like to meet him before we leave…” she said while looking at them, though her eyes settled on Mark as she discreetly held his hand, something Taeyong definitely didn’t miss.

“Oh, yes, we’d love to meet the parents of our youngest son’s friend,” Hyuck’s father replied, a certain interest slipping into his tone, and she turned to gesture toward a man who was already approaching them.

“Dad, this is my college friend, Lee Donghyuck, and this is his lovely family.” Taeyong laughed softly but stood up with the others to greet him.

“It’s a pleasure meeting all of you. It’s lovely seeing a family out having dinner together. Tonight it’s just me and my princess, but the restaurant seems far too crowded, so we’ll probably look for another place. But truly, it’s been a pleasure.”

Jimin’s father bowed once again, but before he could step away, Mr. Lee quickly asked if they’d like to join their table instead, considering the good “friendship” between their children.

The signs were sudden and happened all at once. Taeyong’s smirk as he noticed Jimin’s hand still secretly holding Mark’s, the way her fingers squeezed his with excitement, the subtle pinch Haechan’s mother gave her husband as a warning that the previous argument needed to end immediately, and finally the look she exchanged with both of her sons, clearly telling them the same thing. A few seconds later, Mr. Yu confirmed it.

“If you don’t mind, we’d love to join you. Right, sweetheart?” he looked at Jimin, who smiled brightly and glanced at Mark before agreeing as well.

And so the dinner continued. The new family’s food arrived, and Hyuck’s father ordered another bottle of wine. The conversation loosely circled back to the previous topic, the young people’s lives, their futures, and how the parents themselves had once been young too.

At some point during the conversation, Mark felt Jimin’s hand slide onto his thigh and rest there. It wasn’t anything sexual, but he still took another sip of wine, trying to disguise just how flustered it made him feel. Once again, she had managed to throw him completely off balance.

His only luck was that you weren’t there. Even so, he found himself spiraling inside his own head, wondering what any of this was supposed to mean.

You did that all the time, always saying you were just marking your territory, which usually made Mark tease you by asking if you were the alpha in the relationship, to which you always replied, “As if there were ever any doubt about that.” But he didn’t know if it meant the same thing coming from Jimin. I mean, the way she had looked at him ever since the first party he attended in Haechan’s body already made her intentions pretty obvious, and somehow that small gesture only reinforced the original idea, that Haechan was hers. That he was hers.

And he couldn’t even blame her for thinking that way. Hyuck still gave her hope over the phone and whenever they saw each other during the week at college, she always made sure to reinforce that connection publicly. Nothing too deep, but not shallow either. A safe distance for whatever Hyuck had been extending to her so far, enough to keep her interested while he prepared for the date he had planned.

Mark couldn’t tell whether she was simply attracted to the idea of having an easy fuckbuddy or if she was genuinely interested in his friend, which was already a terrible idea considering everyone knew Hyuck’s history. But in either case, he, Mark Lee, was not emotionally available to help Haechan deal with any of that. You had already been the main focus of his thoughts now… and all the time.

And he had gotten so lost in those thoughts that he missed the question Jimin’s father asked about Hyuck. She was quicker to answer for him, explaining that he wasn’t a business major like her, but a computer science major instead. To make things even better, Jimin went on about how brilliant Hyuck was and how that wasn’t only her opinion, almost the entire college thought so too, and he was popular enough among the professors that if he wanted any teaching assistant position, it would basically already be his.

Mark laughed awkwardly, trying to disguise the way her hand lightly squeezed his thigh with every sentence. He knew she was telling the truth about Hyuck, he just hadn’t realized she paid that much attention to his friend. Until a few minutes ago, he had still been considering the possibility that the interest was one-sided, but apparently Yu Jimin was genuinely invested in his best friend.

Jimin’s father congratulated him, and Hyuck’s father looked at him proudly, though not nearly as proudly as Taeyong, who had no problem saying it out loud.

“Of course my little brother is a genius everyone wants,” he said, grabbing one of Mark’s cheeks hard enough to make him complain. “Haechan’s still going to achieve even the most impossible dreams of his, am I right?” Their father shot him a glare but didn’t say anything.

“I completely agree with you, son. Brilliant minds weren’t made to stay trapped and limited to only one place.”

This time, Jimin’s father raised a toast toward Taeyong, who returned it with a small smile while still subtly observing the way his supposed younger brother behaved beside the girl.

The conversations continued for a while longer, drifting into business topics and how much Hyuck’s father admired Jimin’s father’s work, before Mrs. Lee carefully steered the subject back toward the children’s futures, though without pushing it too far before the Lee family started arguing again.

Jimin’s father thanked them for inviting them to join dinner and once again commented on how lovely it had been meeting them before they all said their goodbyes and headed toward their cars.

Mark couldn’t help noticing how shy Jimin seemed while saying goodbye, smiling softly before pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth and following after her father. His ears were red when he turned back toward the family again, only to see Taeyong smirking and wiggling his eyebrows at him.

“I loved her, honey poo. She seems like a very decent girl,” Haechan’s mother was the first to say as she got into the car.

“I agree. She seems focused, with big goals,” Hyuck’s father added this time, and Mark noticed Taeyong rolling his eyes beside him, making him laugh softly.

“Yeah… yeah, she really is focused. She’s an athlete, a cheerleader, actually, but she still manages to be one of the top students in her classes…”

He said it casually, only remembering the articles and interviews he had done with her over the years. But when he lifted his eyes, Mr. Lee was smiling proudly at him through the rearview mirror while driving.

“You finally got that habit of chasing random women out of your head and started focusing on making a real relationship work with someone on your level,” Hyuck’s father said, making Mark’s brows pull together in confusion. He looked at Taeyong, who was still smirking, but his friend only shrugged.

“But we’re not in a relationship…”

Haechan’s parents’ smiles disappeared instantly, and his friend's mother turned to stare at him wearing the exact same confused expression he had.

“Why not? I thought you liked her?”

“Well, she’s Yu Jimin, you know…” he let out an awkward laugh, but his friend’s mother’s expression didn’t soften.

“And you’re Lee Donghyuck! She said it herself, everything is already yours, you just need to know how to ask for it.” She spoke seriously, but in the same way she had always boosted Hyuck’s confidence ever since Mark had known him.

“Yeah, I know… it’s just…”

Something about all of this didn’t feel right to Mark. He hated the idea of imagining himself in a relationship with another woman when you still occupied his mind most of the time. And as if Hyuck’s father pressure and insulting his friend right in front of him wasn’t enough, there was also the pressure of meeting Jimin’s father while her hand rested patiently on his thigh, along with all the little smiles Taeyong kept throwing his way even after he admitted he liked a girl who was already taken.

Tonight was really becoming too much, and not in the way he had expected. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t heard anything from you or Hyuck in over two hours, which only made him even more tense.

“…I think I’m old enough to decide who I date and who I don’t.” He crossed his arms and turned toward the window, growing frustrated with the entire situation without knowing what else to do.

Soft laughter echoed inside the car before Haechan’s father spoke, drawing his attention back to the rearview mirror.

“You’re right, Donghyuck. As an adult man, you really should concern yourself with how you’re going to provide for your future family before actually starting one.”

His eyes moved through the mirror until they landed on Taeyong, and Mark already knew exactly what was coming next.

“It’s a shame I’m about to say this, but as the older brother, you should take inspiration from your younger brother. Haechan hasn’t even graduated yet, and he already has important people begging to work with him.”

Taeyong only rolled his eyes. He wasn’t offended by the comment at all because he knew his own potential and wasn’t about to create some unnecessary rivalry with his brother just to please the older man. Besides, if his father actually listened to him for once, he’d know there were people begging to work with him too, just in his own field.

Mark froze for a second in that situation, carefully thinking before responding, something Haechan definitely wouldn’t have done. But before he could say anything to defend his friend’s brother, Taeyong grabbed his arm, silently telling him to let him handle it.

“I’m not offended by that comment at all,” he said, and his mother let out a quiet laugh, fully aware this was a fight between three stubborn people who would never give in. “Actually, I already take a lot of inspiration from my little bear. In fact, it’s because he inspires me so much that I’m motivated not to quit my current job. End of discussion for me.” He flashed a smile, and the boys’ father scoffed.

The distance between the restaurant and Hyuck’s apartment wasn’t very long, and soon Mr. Lee parked the car in front of Haechan’s dorm building.

“I’m giving you thirty days, Taeyong.”

His friend rolled his eyes and got out of the car, muttering a quiet “fuck off” that his father never actually heard, though he probably assumed would come out eventually. Mark said goodbye to both of them before getting out as well, Hyuck’s father congratulating him one more time over what a beautiful girl, and the daughter of someone important, had said about him.

He slowly followed behind Taeyong toward the building entrance, but the car didn’t move. Instead, Mark heard a brief whispered argument before Haechan’s mother stepped out and walked toward them.

She had always been the mediator of the family, in every single argument.

“Honey poo, bubu, wait up.” The two boys stopped and turned around. It had always been easier to listen to her, honestly.

She gently cupped both of their faces before offering them a soft smile. “You two are just as stubborn as he is. Although you’ve been acting very strange today, honey poo.” Mark looked away with a small smile on his face, but it was Taeyong who answered.

“We’re nothing like him.”

“Oh, please, bubu. He only wants what’s best for both of you. He loves you…” Taeyong crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know what kind of love cuts our wings off and limits our dreams.”

Mark immediately looked at him after that comment. Once again, Taeyong was completely right, and the words stabbed straight through his heart.

Was he being just like Haechan’s father? Rigid and selfish, giving you a deadline to choose between him and your dreams? The question was entirely rhetorical, and he felt the weight of what he had made Haechan do today crashing down onto his shoulders. Fuck.

He would never survive losing you, never, but losing you that way, the same way his friend’s father was slowly losing his sons, somehow felt like an even crueler way to lose the person he loved.

For a few minutes, Mark got lost in his thoughts, vaguely hearing Taeyong’s mother explain that they would understand what their father meant once they had children of their own, while Taeyong argued that he would never do that to someone he claimed to love. But Mark only felt himself shrinking further because he couldn’t say the same. He had spent days planning to do exactly that.

For a moment, all he could feel was anger and sadness, until his friend’s mother interrupted his thoughts to add,

“I really liked that girl you’re seeing, Haechan.” She caressed his face once more, and he smiled shyly, slowly returning to reality.

“Uhm? Ah, she’s just a friend…” he answered awkwardly.

“Well then, make sure you don’t lose her, and make her your girlfriend.”

He smiled shyly once again, feeling the weight of that sentence hit him all over again.

There wasn’t really any point in explaining beyond that, so he just nodded, and Haechan’s mother pulled both of them into a hug.

“I love you both. Even if you’re two stubborn idiots. Consider your father’s offer. Or don’t, honestly, I’m not the one who’s going to force my two grown boys into doing something they don’t want to do.” She sighed tiredly, though her tone stayed light before hugging them again. “Just take care of yourselves, okay? And cut that hair, honey poo.”

The two boys said goodbye to her and headed toward the dorm building. It was still early, so none of Haechan’s roommates had come home yet, and honestly, Mark didn’t even know if they would. Which was great, because all he needed right now was to be alone with his own thoughts for a while. 

“So… you don’t have to lie. Who’s the girl?” Taeyong asked as soon as Mark closed the door behind them, sitting down on the couch.

“Apparently someone I need to fuck now,” Mark let out an awkward laugh, making Taeyong laugh too as he sat beside his friend.

“You and this incredible sensitivity toward women, huh.” He shook his head amused. “I wasn’t talking about this Yu Jimin girl. I mean the person you actually like.”

That caught Mark off guard, and he turned his face away from the ceiling he had been staring at hopelessly to look at his friend instead. Taeyong was watching him with a natural smile, as if the night hadn’t been especially tense for him too.

“Ah, right… well, you’ll find out if anything actually moves forward… but I seriously doubt it. She’s really busy, and like I told you, she’s leaving in a few months.”

“Yeah, she’s leaving…” he repeated quietly, staring at the person he thought was his younger brother, heartbroken over the mere possibility of a girl for the very first time. “Are you sure you can handle that?”

“Hmm?”

“You know… the fact that she already has someone… that she’s leaving…” he spoke calmly, and Mark knew exactly what to answer, but he didn’t know if now was the right moment. “You seem willing to do a lot of things. Honestly, I usually only see you like this when a new game release gets announced. But you know, right? This kind of game is way harder to play. A lot of people can get hurt, including you…”

Mark closed his eyes and sighed, nodding. He was aware of every danger that came with loving someone, and he had agreed to go through all of them for you. He just never imagined himself like this, hurting you this badly and becoming blinded by the obsession he had built around you.

Silence settled over the living room for a few minutes. The two of them stared at the ceiling, exhausted, not really knowing what else to say. Maybe if Mark were honest and told him about the body swap, Taeyong would actually give him good advice. Especially because everything he had said so far fit Mark’s life almost perfectly.

Honestly, he didn’t want to think about any of this anymore. Before, he had been afraid of losing you, but now all he could think about was how much he had suffocated you and how you must’ve felt because of it. At this point, all he needed was a shower and his bed.

“Are you sleeping here? If you want, I can take the couch and you can stay comfortably in my room.” He turned his head slightly toward Taeyong, who laughed softly.

“I know you’re a grown man now, but I still wouldn’t mind sleeping next to my little bear.” He teased him while pinching Mark’s waist. “But relax, I’m staying at a friend’s place near the airport. My flight leaves first thing in the morning, and I didn’t want to bother you if you had other plans after dinner.”

“Oh! No… but… Mark really wanted to see you…”

He said it knowing exactly how anxious Hyuck had been about this dinner, especially because he might get to see his brother. Taeyong’s smile widened at the mention of the other boy as he stood up, already pulling his small suitcase toward the door with him.

“Tell him I’m sorry about that, but I really did sneak away from work just to come here for this stupid dinner.” He laughed awkwardly before speaking more softly. “But at least I got to see you. Tell him I sent him a hug, and when I manage to get some time off, I’ll come back and we can all hang out together. We can even invite Doyoung too. I heard they’ve been working together, right?”

Mark nodded and noticed Taeyong already had his phone open to call a ride. He knew there was no point arguing about it, so he didn’t insist.

It didn’t take long for the app to find a driver, and Hyuck’s brother prepared to head downstairs, pulling Mark into one last hug.

“It was good seeing you, little bear. Take care of yourself, okay? I’m happy you quit smoking, but be careful with whatever you’re about to do with that heart of yours, alright? Love you.”

He hugged him one more time before leaving with his suitcase, leaving Mark alone with his thoughts.

Without waiting long, he grabbed his phone and sent Hyuck a message to ask if everything had gone okay.

⋆˚࿔ 

When you and Hyuck arrived at your apartment, you immediately went to arrange your flowers in a vase while he stood near the door holding the bouquet you had made for his mother. You smiled softly and walked over to him, taking his free hand and gently pulling him further inside the apartment.

“I know you’re upset about not being able to go to that dinner, but you could stay with me a little longer. Here. Just the two of us. What do you think?” You brushed the hair away from his forehead affectionately, your lips moving close to his ear as you spoke before your arms wrapped around him in a hug, scattering little kisses along his cheek and neck.

Hyuck nodded slowly, without much energy, though he still gave you a faint smile, and you understood that maybe tonight wasn’t the time to push him too much.

“Do you want to have dinner with me?” He nodded again and wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer.

Without warning, without even really thinking about it, Hyuck pulled you into a slow kiss, one that somehow soothed everything going through his head. You kissed him back, your arms wrapping around his neck as you pulled him closer too. The kiss lasted only a few minutes, but it still felt completely special, something that eased the tension from both of your shoulders while also increasing that strange tingling feeling in your stomachs. 

You pulled apart slightly breathless, with Hyuck still stealing small kisses from your lips. He knew he shouldn’t be doing that. You weren’t his to begin with, but his mind was already messy enough because of this whole dinner situation, and he was afraid that if he let himself get carried away any further, he would start confusing things and fall too deeply into your game.

Luckily for him, you untangled your arms from around him and walked toward the kitchen, already gathering things to start making dinner.

For a moment, he simply watched you, admiring you while you carried out such a simple, domestic task, and somehow it made something unfamiliar bubble inside his stomach. The tension he had been carrying about his family slowly began giving way to another feeling he couldn’t quite define.

Then he remembered Mark’s camera. He would probably love filming this. Apparently, he loved filming a lot of things involving the two of you. Hyuck set the camera down somewhere on the counter where it briefly captured both of your bodies while you washed and prepared the food.

Right now, he needed to keep both his hands and his mind occupied, and cooking felt like the perfect way to stop himself from having a breakdown.

The camera actually framed everything from your waist down, capturing the table and the rest of your apartment in the background, especially the way your supposed boyfriend’s hands circled your hips from behind, pressing your bodies together.

“Let me do this?” he asked, his face buried against your neck, copying your habit of inhaling his scent.

“You’re really going to risk making dinner?” Your smile widened with a nasal little laugh while you continued washing the vegetables. “I trust your breakfasts and a quick lunch, but are you sure you’re ready for the responsibility of dinner?”

Haechan laughed because he knew Mark genuinely tried in the kitchen, especially whenever the goal was making you happy, and even then he still wasn’t exactly the greatest chef in the world. Still, Hyuck nodded, accepting the risk that you might find his behavior strange, though he felt relieved when you turned toward him just enough to hand him the knife and give him a quick kiss.

You trusted Mark. Even knowing all of his flaws, and over the past few days Haechan had finally started understanding what Mark meant whenever he said he was lucky.

He started peeling some vegetables while you sat at the table watching him. The camera focused on your face now, a silly smile decorating it while you admired him. His tense shoulders, short breaths, and the rough way he peeled the poor vegetables didn’t fool you at all.

“You’re tense…” He laughed because you knew your boyfriend like a book you’d read over and over again.

“A little, yeah…” He rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath without stopping what he was doing. “I should be there supporting Haechan…”

“Do you think his parents are really going to be that strict?”

“It’s not exactly that…” An awkward nasal laugh slipped out of him. “They’re… demanding. His mom a little less. She had expectations too, mom stuff, you know? But she was always very loving. His dad’s, though… he’s always been much more distant.” He kept talking while turning to look at you, watching you listen carefully to every word he said. “He does show love in his own way, but he always… suffocates people, you know? And let’s just say Haechan and Taeyong weren’t exactly born for a life filled with love that suffocates and limits them.”

You nodded, understanding that feeling perfectly.

“Do you know why they scheduled the dinner so suddenly?” His head shook no while still turned away from you, placing things into their respective pans.

“I suspect it has something to do with Taeyong’s new job in New York. It’s a music production company. Their dad must be losing his mind over it.” He laughed to himself at the thought. “But it was bubu’s dream to work in a creative field, especially with music. He only majored in business because the old man pushed him really hard.”

This time you laughed at your boyfriend teasing the older generation, something incredibly rare to witness. Before you could question the nickname, he continued, now focused on the meat while speaking casually.

“You know when Hyuck had to choose his major? Bubu was the one who fought their dad the hardest so he could study whatever he wanted. Even though it’s a field that’ll probably give him stability in the future, his dad still thought Hyuck was just sitting in front of a computer doing nothing or playing games.” He shrugged before turning toward you. “I can only imagine what’s gonna happen when he says he wants to work in a creative field too. The old man will probably go fully gray on the spot.”

He laughed at himself and noticed you were still staring at him with a huge smile on your face.

“Ah, sorry. I talked too much…”

“No, no, it’s okay. I like seeing this side of Mark Lee that enjoys going against parents’ rules and supporting his friends’ careers.” You laughed softly, and he mirrored the gesture.

If Hyuck had to rank people, Mark would probably be in his top three supporters. Ever since they were kids, when Hyuck first said he wanted to make games for the PlayStation they spent hours playing on, Mark had been amazed and told him he’d love playing anything he ever created. It was a good memory. Years had passed, and they had barely changed at all, aside from the body swap, obviously.

“I hope he tells me about it someday too. I want him to know I’d totally support him following his dreams, and even though I’m a terrible gamer, I’d love to play whatever he makes.”

Haechan turned toward you and smiled softly. He was sure his cheeks were already red because of that comment and the way your eyes smiled at him.

Okay. Another point for you in this game you kept playing with him.

Dinner was ready after a while, and Hyuck served your plates. You were surprised to notice he was actually getting better at cooking, and he smiled proudly, finally starting to relax between conversations and teasing remarks.

When all that was left was the dishes, you didn’t want the night to end and asked if he could stay with you a little longer. Hyuck checked his messages, still no news from Mark, so he agreed, and the two of you moved to the couch to continue watching Game of Thrones.

You watched Daenerys reclaim everything that was hers by right while your fingers slowly ran through his hair, but your mind wasn’t really there.

Mark suddenly seemed so much more open to possibilities. This whole conversation about his friend’s dreams and about not being able to live inside a suffocating love was making you anxious, in a good way. The two of you had already gone through a rough moment before your trip, and you knew the blame rested entirely on the terrible communication between you.

But your thoughts kept spiraling between everything that had been said today and the conversation you had with Haechan, asking you not to tell him about the postgraduate program yet.

After thinking about it for too long, the anxiety started affecting you physically, and sitting there quietly suddenly felt almost impossible, something your boyfriend noticed immediately.

“What’s wrong, moon of my life?” He lifted his head and looked at you curiously.

Calling you that was dangerous, Haechan knew that, but the nicknames had come just as naturally as the way he leaned into your touch. And he knew he could stop once he got his body back, just like he was convinced he could quit smoking whenever he wanted.

He just didn’t want to right now.

“It’s nothing, my sun and stars.” Your smile widened slightly as your hands caressed his face and hair again. But Hyuck knew something was wrong because you were still trying to make yourself comfortable when you clearly weren’t.

“Yn…?”

This time he sat up properly and looked at you seriously, but your mind kept spiraling, thinking maybe Haechan was right. Maybe Mark would freak out right now and your entire wonderful day would go to waste.

But suddenly, a hand interrupted your thoughts, gently cradling your face and forcing you to look into the eyes of the person you loved most.

“I have something to tell you…” The words came out almost as a whisper.

“It’s okay. You can tell me anything you want…”

Hyuck tried to sound calm, but he felt more nervous than ever.

The feeling was strange because suddenly it felt like you were holding his heart in the palm of your hand, ready either to score another point in your game and toy with him again, or to squeeze it hard enough for Hyuck to physically feel it aching inside his chest.

“I… uhm… I’ll get straight to the point,” you said nervously, looking him in the eyes, and he simply nodded while caressing your face. “I met some people in France who told me about this postgraduate program, and well, I know I still have time, but I sent them an email and they replied saying they’d like to talk next semester…” You spoke way too fast, making Hyuck, who was still gently holding your face, stare at you with furrowed brows in confusion.

“Okay… and what’s bothering you? I’m sure you can get in…”

“Mark… you’re not… mad at me for this…?”

“Why would I be?” His face twisted in confusion again, and you were genuinely shocked by his reaction. “They want to talk to you. That’s amazing news, isn’t it?” You smiled, still not fully understanding.

“But what about the life we planned together… here…? I thought you’d be upset and I don’t know… maybe against the idea…”

Hyuck’s expression softened this time, and he looked at you with a faint smile. “I would never do that. If this is your dream, then I support you one hundred percent. You know that.”

Your smile widened, and you leaned in to kiss him passionately.

“And the life we planned together… well, we have our whole lives to live it, don’t we?”

He spoke between kisses with a smile on his face, and in that moment you had no doubt about how much you loved Mark Lee.

The kiss between you deepened quickly, and you grew more excited, kissing him harder while almost automatically moving onto his lap. And as if this were just another one of the afternoons he spent at your place, his hands immediately settled on your waist, pulling you even closer against him.

After a few minutes of kissing, you adjusted yourself on his lap, and the summer dress you had worn today was soon undone through the zipper in the back. Hyuck wasted no time pulling the straps down to your stomach. Your lace lingerie matched the color of the dress, and he could bet you were probably wearing matching panties too, but right now all he could focus on were your breasts so close to his face, practically begging to be sucked.

His lips left yours and followed a familiar path down your neck and collarbone until they finally reached your breast, alternating kisses with small bites and suckles that made you moan softly.

His hands found their way beneath your dress, and he could feel the lace against his fingertips as he caressed your ass. The first thought that crossed his mind was to finger you, but he needed to see you dressed the way you had done just for him… or for Mark.

So he gave your thigh two light pats, and you stood up, letting the dress fall from your body. His smile widened when he saw exactly what he had imagined, the lingerie set hugging your body perfectly. He spread his legs wider just to pull you back between them by your hips.

You held your lower lip between your teeth while waiting for his next command, your fingers running through his hair once again just like earlier. But he said nothing. He only brought his hands back to your ass, pulling you closer as he scattered kisses across your stomach, lower belly, and along the edge of your panties, not yet brave enough to remove them while his fingers toyed with the straps resting on your hips.

For a while, the sight of Mark’s face leaving kisses and slow licks near the edge of your panties was enough to hold your attention completely, making you press your thighs together and lean against his shoulder for support. But then Hyuck stopped kissing you just to unclasp your bra and stare openly at your body.

Your breasts exposed, a tiny decorative pair of panties that definitely wouldn’t survive much longer in front of him.

He was definitely losing his mind.

Being in Mark’s body had taught him a lot about self-control, and he could see the progress right in front of him because if you were any other girl a few months ago, and he had been under the level of stress he’d been dealing with all day, by now you’d probably have your face buried in his pillow only capable of saying his name.

But with you, it was different. He slid his fingers from your hips up to your breasts, teasing your nipples and taking pleasure in watching you tremble under his touch and let out soft little moans.

Haechan then pulled you back down onto his lap and your lips crashed together urgently. One of his hands returned to rolling one of your sensitive nipples between his fingers while the other moved down to grip your ass as if you might run away. When the kisses began trailing down your neck and his mouth found one of your breasts, the tips of his fingers pulled your panties aside and slowly pushed into you, making a slightly louder moan leave your lips.

The feeling was so good and you needed to feel him so badly that you lost yourself for a moment, grinding against him and throwing your ass back, trying to get more of him while Haechan’s eyes studied you, still sucking and making your nipple even more sensitive.

You close your eyes, savoring everything, one of your hands keeping his face pressed against your chest to guarantee that immediate pleasure, while the other slips down between your bodies and easily finds his dick completely hard.

Without much difficulty, your hand slips into his sweatpants and wraps around him, giving him a light squeeze. As soon as Haechan feels your hand around him, he pulls his mouth away from your nipple to let out a loud groan and scold you.

The fingers he had inside your pussy don’t stop fucking you slowly, but you had your own tricks too and you wanted to show him, after all tonight was supposed to be about the two of you.

“We shouldn’t…”

Your body leans in to scatter kisses over the sensitive spots on his neck and leaves yours at the perfect angle for his fingers to speed up and push deeper inside you.

“Yn… please…”

His voice comes out like a weak moan, making you smile, but you don’t stop the steady up-and-down movements on his dick beneath your hand, nor the kisses on his sensitive spots.

Haechan knew, fuck, every single time he came to your apartment he knew this was wrong, for you and for Mark, but fuck, he was already weak from trying to keep everything under control. His day had been stressful thinking about that dinner, the amount of times you’d left him painfully hard, the fact that this body was ten times more sensitive, and the way you dressed up just for him even without any guarantee this would happen.

It had been so long since he’d felt someone’s touch that for a moment he let himself get carried away by the way your hand pumped him. Haechan knew he couldn’t fuck you, and he definitely wouldn’t, but even this little bit of attention on his still-covered cock was driving him insane.

His fingers, still fucking you a little more slowly now, slip out of you and instinctively move to his own mouth, tasting you before throwing his head back with an obscene groan.

“Hmm… so fucking sweet.” He keeps his eyes closed and hears you laugh softly against his neck.

Suddenly you stand up and it takes him a second to understand, lifting his head to see you kneeling between his legs, pulling his pants down just enough to free his cock and stroke it in front of you with hungry eyes.

Haechan froze for a moment, not enough for it to overpower the feeling of your hand stroking him, but once again he knew this was wrong.

“What are you doing?” His hand moves to your arm, holding it gently as he speaks calmly. “Yn, you don’t have to, this isn’t about- ah, fuck! my god!”

Before he can say anything else, you drag your tongue along his entire length and then take him into your mouth. Haechan whines and throws his head back again, one hand immediately moving to your hair. All he wanted was a second of your touch, but this was definitely too much. He could feel your head bobbing up and down while your tongue and cheeks gave him the best feeling he’d had in weeks.

Every now and then his hand forces your head down a little farther, listening to you choke around him and fuck, he loved that sound, but unfortunately it doesn’t last as long as he wants because you pull your mouth away and start stroking him while one of your nails traces small circles against his pelvis. Haechan shivers at the sensation, still with his eyes closed, still focusing hard on not cumming all over your face within seconds.

He grips your hand tightly, and with the other he squeezes one of the couch cushions, making you laugh despite finding the way he reacts kind of cute. You’d barely done anything and he was already so close.

Your mouth returns to him, increasing your movements and sucking a little harder this time. The moans from your supposed boyfriend grow louder and you take them almost like praise, never stopping for even a second.

Haechan opens his eyes and looks down at you, one of your hands still holding his while the other grips the base of his cock, squeezing lightly and helping tease him even more. He lifts the hand that had been clutching the cushion just to brush your hair away from your face and keep the view clear, but at that exact moment you deep throat him, choking on his cock and making him moan loudly.

You pull your mouth away for a second and he meets your eyes, tears gathered at the corners while you smile up at him.

“So fucking beautiful…”

Haechan could only think about how fucking lucky that bastard was.

When you go back to only the tip of his cock, sucking softly and giving little kitten licks, your free hand starts stroking his length again and he can’t take it anymore, throwing his head back once more and closing his eyes as he cums into your mouth, murmuring quiet little “I love you”s into the blowjob.

You keep sucking him even after his orgasm, and Hyuck lets himself get lost in the sensation until the overstimulation hits and he tugs your hair lightly. When your eyes meet again, you’re smiling, finishing swallowing everything he spilled into your mouth, and only then does reality crash down on him again.

This couldn’t have happened. Not again.

You’re still on your knees wiping the corner of your mouth when he suddenly stands up, yanking his pants back up and startling you.

“No, no, no, no, oh shit…” he mutters to himself, taking a few steps toward the kitchen just to get away from you.

He couldn’t say he didn’t know what would happen if he stayed close to you, because he knew exactly what he wanted to do with you now.

“Hey, calm down. It’s okay?” You stand up too, still half naked, looking at him with a gentle smile, unsure of what to do, but his answer comes quickly and leaves you frozen in place.

“Definitely not. This shouldn’t have happened… I told you we couldn’t…” Haechan takes a deep breath and looks away from you for a moment. He needed to think.

Mark’s voice comes out slightly harsh, but Hyuck wasn’t angry at you, he was angry at himself for losing control and letting this happen.

But fuck, you looked so pretty with his cock in your mouth, and he needed that orgasm so badly, fuck, fuck, fuck.

When he looks at you again, your smile has already faded and you’re pulling one of the couch cushions against your body to cover yourself.

“Oh… I’m sorry… I didn’t realize the no nut thing was that serious…”

“Yn… I…” He looks at you once more and takes a deep breath, running his hands through his hair.

If he tried to explain himself, he knew exactly where it would end. 

He’d bend you over the couch and make you understand that when he says something, you should listen to him. Fuck.

Hyuck drags his hands over his face again, trying to erase the image of your ass arched for him, or your mouth wrapped around him. He needed to get out of there before those thoughts became reality.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. He was a terrible friend.

Your boyfriend was clearly stressed about what had happened, and for the first time you didn’t know what to say or do, trying your best to make yourself smaller behind that cushion. You were about to apologize again, but he turns quickly, grabbing all the things he had left around the kitchen before finally looking back at you.

“We’ll talk later.” He stares at you seriously for no more than a few seconds before disappearing through the door.

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ likes, reblogs, asks, comments are very much appreciated :).

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ Friday, the day

Mark wakes up in a room that he soon recognizes that wasn't his. The Star Wars figures, some Michael Jackson vinyls and a lot of headphones and video game controllers adorn the walls, everything with the mess that the room was he rapidly identified as Hyuck’s room. But what the fuck had happened to him ended here? 

Mark also feels like his head and body were a hundred times heavier. He had some drinks the night before, but this feeling was like a really bad hangover. One that he had only when he and Hyuck drank for the first time together in adolescence, and those he had in those weeks when you two had fought and he thought that going to those parties would drown his miserable life. He tried to get up, but someone’s arm hugged him pulling him down. He starts grinning without thinking coherently about how you end up with him in Hyuck’s room, but he certainly knows that Hyuck would kill him if he knew that you two had slept in his bed. 

He shudders as he feels the hand moving up and down his back, making circles with the long nails.

It doesn't take more than three seconds for him to remember that he hadn’t seen you using long nails since you came back, and even if you had done yesterday, you usually don't use them too long. He leans on his arms and turns, facing a very peaceful Ryujin half asleep and rubbing his back.

Mark gets up so quickly, tripping over the bedsheets and falling to the ground. Ryujin also sits up fast with the movement and the agonized sound he makes, then when he notices that both of them are completely naked. 

“What are you doing here? What am I doing here?” He asked, while hiding his cock with the clothes that were on the ground. He was so fucking confused and anxious thinking about the shit he had done.

“What do you mean? I was sleeping… Come back to bed, please. I'm feeling fucking tired from yesterday.” Ryujin replies as confused as him. She doesn't wait for his answer, pulling the blanket over her shoulders again, turning over on the mattress and returning to her dream world. 

Unable to think straight, he gets out of the room, and looks around to see if somebody has woken up and luckily for him nobody has. Then he headed to the bathroom because he needs a cold shower to start thinking coherently again and to take out the smell of sex and alcohol from his body. 

When he enters the bathroom, he leans against the door, almost having an anxiety attack. Mark opens the shower thinking how he would explain this to you, if he already had the Minjeong rumor to tell you. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, you're so screwed Mark Lee’, he couldn't stop scrubbing himself in the shower. ‘She certainly would understand the rumors weren’t true, but wakes up fucking naked with Hyuck’s fuckbuddie by your side… You have to be fucking kidding with me…’ he said to himself getting out of the shower and stopping in front of the fogged mirror. 

For a brief moment, he remembered that the Minjeong rumor also started after Hyuck presented them to each other, and for another brief moment, he wondered where his friend was, because he was going to kill him for putting him in this situation again.

Mark grabbed his toothbrush, which he leaves in Hyuck's dorm for when they have game nights, he cleaned the mirror with the back of his hand and automatically dropped the toothbrush.

The face, the hair and the body in the mirror definitely weren't his.

The person facing him was a very confused Donghyuck, with the exact same expression that Mark could swear he was doing.

He moved his hand and saw Hyuck in the mirror did the same. ‘Ok, it must be a dream! No it's a fucking nightmare… But everything's fine, I’m fine and when I wake up again, I am going to be on my body!’ He placed his hand over his heart, trying to calm it, and faced Hyuck doing the same through the mirror ‘I just need to find a way to do this faster…’

Mark tried to pinch himself, but had no success. So, he just slapped his own face so hard that he had to put some water on his red cheek. ‘Ok it's not a fucking dream… fuck… or maybe, maybe I just have to find myself, right?’ he looked at the mirror again kinda waiting for his best friend to reply, which did not happen. Then Mark opens the door abruptly and sees Jeno and Renjun sitting at the table while serving their coffees. He looked at the boys with a surprised expression, and they returned the stare very confused.

“Are you okay, Hyuck?” Jeno asks him with a furrowed brow. ‘Great, they also see Haechan.’

“Yeah… Uhm, I was just showering and… Uhm, I…” Mark tries to talk, but it is a dream, what is he supposed to say? Luckily for him, or not, Renjun talks.

“We should talk about yesterday. You brought Ryujin even though Chenle asked you not to bring anyone.” Renjun was absolutely right, and Mark knows that, because they fought for the exact same reason yesterday. But he should tell this to the real Hyuck, not for him. 

“I know!” he agrees, catching Renjun by surprise. “But… Can we talk about this… later?” As soon as he finds Haechan, and they change their bodies, Haechan could come back and be chewed out by Renjun. “I need to find… Mark? Like... right now.” He said uncertainly about the idea of finding himself. 

Mark ran to Hyuck’s room, listening to Renjun say ‘you need to apologize to him’ before closing the door. Ryujin was still sleeping in bed, so Mark threw on some clothes, grabbed Hyuck’s phone, and headed out. Halfway to his dorm, he unlocked it and searched for his own name to check if his friend had already woken up.

A few quarters from there, Hyuck woke up only because the alarm wouldn't stop ringing. Even though he remembered that he had turned all those off, because his compromises on Fridays started exclusively in the afternoon and that damn thing wouldn't stop playing that annoying Mark alarm sound. And that's when he noticed that he wasn't in his room.

But what the fuck was he doing in Mark's bedroom? Could he have come here after dropping Ryujin at home? He could only ask himself why, because even after some drinks he remembered vividly the fight he and Mark had, and thought that they would never talk again.

Haechan sees that he was holding one of the plushies with the face of Spider-Man that Mark had in his bed, which he seriously thought about why his friend still had this in his bed, but did not say anything to not embarrass him.

He turned off the alarm for the third time, checking the hour quickly, it was marking just ten o'clock in the morning. He gets up, stretching and thinking about how funny it was that he hadn’t gotten a hangover, even after drinking at Zhong's meeting and afterwards in the restaurant with Ryujin. And speaking of her, the last thing he remembers was turning to the side exhausted while she was hugging his body after a very satisfying angry sex.

Hyuck knew he had lied to her about the reunion, saying that he would take her to a private fancy dinner and promising the best fuck she could have after that, and it was only half a lie, if she considered the last part. 

However, he still couldn't remember when she went home and he ended up here, only because he could vividly remember that he also promised morning sex as sorry sex after the angry sex. They could be only fuckbuddies, but he was not an asshole who didn't think about the woman who was with him. 

After he got up, he looked around searching for his phone. Maybe he could call her and still make the offer, it's only ten in the morning after all, but his phone was nowhere to be found. He gave up, mostly because he was half asleep, and left the room, heading toward the bathroom. Before he could open the door, the entrance code beeped, announcing someone’s arrival.

Among the three people who lived there he wasn't expecting to see himself by the door.

“What the hell…?” Hyuck lets go of the doorknob watching himself entering his best friend’s house. 

“Finally, I found you! Why did you not answer my messages and calls?” Mark said, going towards his own body, but when the boy didn't reply he stopped to analyze. “Please, tell me you are Donghyuck” he begs. 

“Oh, I am definitely Donghyuck. What really matters is what you are. What the fuck, are you a fucking doppelgänger?” Hyuck grabs the first thing he sees, just in case the supposed doppelgänger wants to attack him. 

“What? No! Have you already seen yourself in the mirror today?” 

“… Not yet, why?? Have you already robbed all my face?? I’m not afraid to use this mug against you and get it back.”

“Please, just check yourself in the mirror…” Mark massages his temple, because of the stress and the hangover that his body is experiencing.

“Ok, but you don't move till I come back” Haechan goes to the bathroom, opening the door and coming face to face with Mark in the mirror. “What the fuck???? I'm Mark!!!!” he screamed and grabbed the face of his friend.

“No! I am Mark!” Mark said, waiting at the bathroom door while Hyuck had the same reaction he did, doing gestures in front of the mirror.

“Oh no, you're me, I'm a hundred percent sure. I'm literally seeing you.” 

“As much as I could see you in my body.”

“What the fuck… Is this some Scooby Doo Spooky Island shit?? Like everyone swapped bodies??” Haechan asks, turning again to the mirror to examine his face closely. 

 “I don't know… Jeno and Renjun still seem to be the same this morning. But we should check on Jisung, Chenle and Jaemin.” 

“How do you know we aren't sharing a dream?” 

“I slapped my… your face. And I didn't wake up…” 

“So, what is this?” he asked with desperation in his tone of voice.

“…I don't know.”

Haechan left the bathroom to sit on the couch still processing what he saw in the mirror and that himself was standing in front of him waiting for some coherence in what was going on. He starts bouncing his leg staring at the TV, without saying a word. It's very rare to see Donghyuck without knowing what to say, but there they are. Mark knows his friend, and even if most of the time he shows up only his outgoing side, being unwavering in most situations, Mark saw the anxiety attack forming and sat beside him.

“Look we have to remember what happened last night, maybe we lost something and fell into some parallel reality.” 

“This is not a Marvel movie, Mark.” Hyuck looked at him incredulously. “And even if it was, I bet we still would be in our bodies. However, that's not even how parallel realities work, we just don't fall on them. And I can perfectly remember that we went to Chenle’s party and then I was with a hot girl in my bed.”

“Well, there has to be something that was off to make this happen…” Both started thinking about the night, about the fight and the apologies they owed each other.

“The earthquake!” They said together.

“Yeah, we had a fight, and then we were the only ones who felt that.” Hyuck remembered, kinda embarrassed for his behavior and for the fight.

“Yes, but before the earthquake, Nainai showed up offering that dessert…” Mark recalled. 

“Oh, Chenle's grandma… That old lady certainly knows something.” 

“Hey, don’t call her that. We don't know if she knows something or is responsible for this, it could be only a coincidence…” Mark tried to protest, but slightly chuckled with Hyuck having no respect for the elders.

“And if it wasn't? I thought we had understood each other. I thought she had understood her fancy party wasn't the only one I brought pretty girls to.” He crossed his arms and pouted, murmuring to himself. “But of course, she had to swap my body with the only dude who didn't go to fancy parties with pretty girls.” 

“Stop complaining, we have to make a plan. First we need to guarantee that it is just with us. After that, we go to the Zhongs and patiently ask if she knows something.”

After planning going to Chenle’s parents house at the end of the day to talk with his grandma, they both agreed to meet in the usual coffee shop once they had finished their respective commitments. Both left the apartment with each other's daily responsibilities. Haechan was supposed to stop by the newspaper to pick up the schedule and talk to Doyoung about Mark doing his work at home. Meanwhile, Mark was supposed to find the other boys who were at dinner and confirm that the switch only happened between him and Hyuck.

When Hyuck arrived at the newspaper he went straight to Mark’s desk. He hadn't been there so many times, but it was easy to find his friend's table with all the Spiderman ornaments around. He started to put the paperwork and the laptop inside the backpack Mark gave him, when Doyoung stopped beside him holding a cup of coffee. He knew Doyoung from parties, and because he is one of his brother's friends, but they never really talked, except when he ran into him with Taeyong or during blunt rotation. He had no idea how Mark would behave around him, so Hyuck opted for the safest thing: to be himself, or Mark's self.

“Morning, Mark. Is everything okay? You are a little late, and I have to confess in two years in this newspaper this is probably the first time this has happened with you” The newspaper director says, chuckling and seeing the boy putting everything in the bag without his usual organization.

“Yes, yes sure… I was just grabbing a few things, you know?” he smiled.

“I see… Can I ask why?” Doyoung narrows his brow.

“Well, I was wondering if maybe I could do my thing at home…?” Ok, maybe he isn't a good Mark. 

What should he say? All of his own work could be done at home, he even resolved his commitments along the way with a few emails, but he had no idea what Mark did that could be done at home. 

“Your thing? Are you referring to the articles?” 

“Yes! The articles! You see, I took on some extra tasks with some professors and I kind of thought I could optimize my time by doing this and that at home. Does that make sense?” Donghyuck asked quietly, more to himself than for Doyoung. 

“Yeah, sure, Mark. Take your time and stop thinking you could handle all of this. Someday you're gonna burnout” Doyoung chuckled again and went to his own desk, but before he sat down, he turned to Hyuck to say “And hey, don't forget you have to interview some athletes for the new article about their social life during this weekend's party. And no, you can't miss it.”

“Oh, I certainly would not miss it. See ya, hyung.” 

Hyuck thought that even if Chenle's grandmother had switched their bodies, she chose the right moment to do it, because who else would be the right choice to do the job but him instead of Mark? He goes to the coffee shop to wait for his friend, and chuckles to himself thinking of how he would easily handle being Mark until the end of the day.

Living with Jisung meant knowing his routine, so Mark couldn't just barge into the classroom and ask if he was being himself or not. So, he crossed the campus heading towards the basketball court in search of Chenle. The team had already finished practice and were dispersed around the court resting when Mark arrived. Chenle approached him with a surprise on his face.

“Hyuck, what are you doing here?” Only eleven hours had passed, and Mark had already forgotten that he was in Hyuck's body.

“Oh, I just… I was passing… I just wanted to say hello.” He blushed, unsure how to ask his friend if he was still himself.

“Ok. Hi.” Chenle crossed his arms and frowned. “I thought you would come here to apologize for yesterday. I asked you not to bring anyone, and yet you did it. You have no idea what I heard from my mother when you came in with Ryujin dressed like that. And do you really need to drink all that? What the hell, dude…”

Okay, Chenle was still Chenle. He still had to check on Jaemin and Jisung. But if he knew Jisung well, he'd probably be freaking out by now. So all that remained was to confirm where to find Nainai and switch bodies before the end of the day.

“I totally understand, Chenle. And I'm so sorry for the inconvenience.” 

“You're sorry?” His friend asked incredulously. He knew Hyuk would probably tell him to fuck off, but he couldn't to say that to Chenle, so as always, he apologized for his friend.

“Yes, I'm really sorry! And Ryujin too, she's a good girl, you know. But I was thinking… I really wanted to apologize personally to your parents and your Nainai. Are they still living at the same address?”

“…How did you know where my parents live?” 

“Mark told me! He asked me to tell them sorry, and said he could go with me to see them, if this is not a problem.” He replied very nervously, afraid of Chenle catching him lying. 

The guys have been to Chenle's apartment a few times, but only Mark was invited to his parents' house afterwards, maybe after the fourth article talking about Chenle's basketball skills. The Zhong family was more reserved, protecting themselves, so it made sense that meetings and events, like yesterday's, were held in their establishments, not in their house.

“Of course, Mark asked you to do that.” Chenle chuckled, massaging his temple. “They moved into the new building, where the party was held, to promote the business. If you plan to go tonight, you'll probably find them all at home. And actually, if you're really going to apologize, bring a gift, maybe some wine. My mother will appreciate it.”

Mark knew Chenle's parents well, so he agreed, thinking about what he could buy for them as an apology. He had everything he needed to know to find Mrs. Zhong asked her to swap them again, but before he could go Chenle touched his shoulder offering a gentle smile.

“I like you and our friendship, Hyuck. And I want my family to like you too, please don't mess this up.”

Mark felt nervous again. He knew people saw Hyuck as someone funny and outgoing, but often impulsive and difficult to control. And he was, in fact, but Mark wanted others to see him as he saw his friend. Hyuck had always been kind and empathetic, saving him from various troubles during childhood and teen years, sometimes not always in such a kind way, but never with bad intentions. They both protected each other, and that's what he would do while in his friend's body. Even though he didn't deserve it after what he said about you, but he was right, they're friends long enough for Mark to know that his friend failed sometimes. Just as he knew Hyuck would freak out when he found out he had to apologize to someone who had changed their bodies, Mark would do his best to show Chenle's relatives that he was a good guy. So, he agreed and walked to the spot where they had arranged to meet.

When Mark arrives at the coffee shop, he sees Hyuck through the window waiting for him while scrolling on his phone. Mark comes inside sitting in front of him and orders some espresso while Hyuck drinks his iced coffee.

“I talked with Chenle and he still seems to be Chenle.”

“His grandma wouldn't change her heir body, Mark,” he said looking up from the phone. “Do you talk with the others?”

“No. Jisung was in the class, and I have no idea where Jaemin is.” The waiter came with his drink and he rapidly thanked her, while Haechan checked on her. “But Chenle gives us amazing news. His parents and grandmother are living in the building where we went to the party, so it's way more near from their other residence.”

“Great! We could go now and swap before nightfall. You'll be back with your paperwork, I'll go to finish what I started yesterday with Ryujin, and we'll be ourselves in time to the teams’ party tomorrow” Hyuck celebrated.

“I wasn't planning to go to this party tomorrow…” Mark took a sip from his coffee kinda distracted. 

“Well, I have great news for you. Doyoung asked for some interviews about what he calls ‘the social life of the athletes’ and it should have been done at this party. So, you are not going to blow me off.”

“Oh fuck, I had totally forgotten about this-” Mark stops in the middle of his sentence, because he couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him.

Suddenly you appear, put your hand delicately on Mark’s face and pull him into a kiss. Hyuck, in Mark's body, was also totally caught off guard, widening his eyes and freezing when he felt your lips on his. Mark clenched his jaw, feeling like he had been punched in the stomach watching you kiss his best friend, even though it was his own body.

“Hi babe, hi Hyuck. How have you been?” you asked while sitting next to Hyuck who was perplexed staring between you and Mark. He wasn't expecting to meet you today, and by the shock expression on Mark's face he also wasn't. Actually, Hyuck had totally forgotten about you, and Mark thought you’d be occupied with your dorm, that way they could resolve this before you two met, and prevent that from happening.

“Good.” Mark forced a smile at you. Seeing your fingers lace around Hyuck’s on the table. “How did you know where we were?” 

“Oh, I did not! I was just heading back to my new dorm and saw you sitting there. I don't know if Mark told you, but Jaemin let me use his old studio as a dorm, because I couldn't find any available on campus. It is very close, less than two blocks away if you wanna meet.” You replied, trying as always to be kind with the supposed Hyuck, while playing with the real Hyuck’s fingers, and thinking about how unusual it was for Hyuck to initiate a conversation with you. “But what were you two talking about before I arrived?” 

“Nothing!” Hyuck was the first to reply, saying so abruptly that you kind of got scared, turning to him. And Mark also narrowed his brows trying to communicate to Hyuck something like ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

“What he meant is that it's nothing important. There's just another college party happening tomorrow night.” Mark chuckled awkwardly, trying to convince you, and kicked Hyuck under the table.

“Yes, but Mark… Me… I have to go, and do some interviews, these type of things…” Hyuck tries to appear convincing, but barely moves for fear of being discovered, or Mark killing him because of you holding his hand.

“Oh, that's great, baby! An article outside the sports courts” You giggled and pressed your body closer to him, and Hyuck could feel the warmth from your boobs pressed against his side. “I would love to go with you. It's been a while since we went out.” 

“You don't have to.” Mark listened to Hyuck saying this staring directly at you, and instantly got dead serious. Ok, sure, his best friend is the end of him. 

You also got serious, but way more confused by your boyfriend's answer, laughing kind of nervous. You look between your boyfriend and his friend trying to understand what he'd said. And Mark immediately recognized that face of yours, kicking Hyuck under the table again and giving him a hard look.

“I mean, it’d be a boring night… full of tasks” Hyuck tried to make an excuse before his shin turned completely purple. “You'd probably get so bored that we would hardly be able to call it a night haha.” he forced a smile.

“As long as I'm with you, it will always be a perfect night.” You smiled at him and kissed his cheek, understanding what he was trying to say. “How about I meet you in your dorm and we go together?”

“Actually, Mark is coming with me. Right, Mark?” The real Mark drew attention to him, and Hyuck agreed by your side. “We can wait for you in his dorm, and you can go with us, if you want to.” He offers with a smile on his face, but clenches his fists again while you kiss Haechan's cheek. 

He was sure they’d swap today, and if everything went according to the plan, Hyuck would go with Renjun and Jeno to the party, ignoring you two for the night. However, if their plan didn't work in time, there's no way he would leave you two alone, if he wanted to have a girlfriend till they swap again.

“That'd be great, Hyuck. Thank you for offering.” You give him that sweet smile that only you have. “Well, actually I came here just to grab some coffee for Jaemin who is taking out his latest things from the studio. I'll talk with you later, baby.” You turned his chin delicately again and Hyuck felt the plump of your lips against his once more, before you got up and just said ‘bye Hyuck’ to Mark. 

There were very few times when Hyuck didn't know how Mark was going to react. And after you left, Mark still was glaring at him, and Hyuck wasn't sure about how angry his friend was and what he was going to do with it.

“I'm sorry… I didn’t know she would appear and kiss me… I just, I didn't- “Hyuck tried to explain himself shyly, but was cut off by Mark.

“Why did you talk that way with her?” He asked angrily.

“What do you mean? Are you not angry because she kissed me?” 

“Fuck off, of course I’m furious, Hyuck. But there was nothing I could do then. It would’ve looked suspicious.” Mark said as this was obvious. “But the way you talk to her… Dude, she certainly will question me about why I was being so awkward this noon. Fuck, what am I supposed to say?” He leaned forward and rested his face in his hands.

“Are you really worried about a conversation that hasn't even happened yet? Or what, are you afraid that she’ll leave you because you were a little awkward in a conversation? What the fuck, Mark? That’s why I’m always telling you, you don’t deserve to be in a toxic relationship.” Hyuck said, unbelieving that Mark did not see the red flags.

Mark takes a deep breath and gets up his head from his hands. He already had chosen not to discuss his relationship with Hyuck, mostly because it was one of the only things that he hadn't shared physically and deeply with Hyuck, so he knew that his friend wouldn't listen when he tried to defend you. And also, because he'd so many things to talk to you, explain the rumors and implore you not to abandon him. He didn't need Hyuck being mean to you while in his body, instigating another possible fight. Mark then simply looked at his friend, the face was the same one he saw every day in the mirror, but the eyes staring back at him were Hyuck’s. 

“I don't wanna debate this right now, okay? I only need to ask you if we meet her again today, please don't talk that way to her. I want… I need to end this day with my relationship intact.” he pleads with sincerity in his eyes. “And you are not gonna kiss my girlfriend again.”

After some seconds of staring at each other Hyuck also takes a deep breath, chewing everything he wants to talk about you right now and agrees. 

“Ok, but just for your information, I wasn't being mean. That was the natural way I always talk with her.” he mumbled. “And also, for your information, I never thought about kissing her. So, this is not my fault, either.”

Hyuck lied about the two things. He and Mark know that Hyuck is always picking on you, he tried to not be so mean in front of you, but even you notice that he didn't like you that much. And about the kiss… Well, before you and Mark started dating, when Jaemin introduced you as a friend of his, Hyuck kinda flirted with you, but you already were all lovey-dovey towards Mark, and his friend still didn't get it. So yes, Hyuck admits that he was one of the wingmen responsible for bringing you two together. 

At that time, he just thought ‘ok she's a really hot girl who doesn't want me, but is into my loser best friend, I had to do this for the bros code’, but it ended up that you two stayed together and you showed your real self being this clingy and crazy woman, in Hyuck's vision. 

However, Hyuck always imagined that if you two hadn't ended up together, he would have the opportunity to taste your lips, but that was something that he would never admit or talk about with Mark. Especially now, knowing you taste so sweet.

“I thought we wouldn't meet Yn again. Why the flowers and the wine?” Haechan asks as they enter the elevator of the luxurious Zhong building, heading straight to the penthouse.

“It is for Chenle’s parents and his Nainai. I'll apologize for your behavior yesterday. You should have put on some more decent clothes.” Mark fixes the clothes Hyuck was wearing. It was not bad, but he definitely wouldn't wear this in front of Chenle's dad. 

“Wait, wait, wait… The old lady messes up and I have to apologize? No way!” He said letting Mark finish what he was doing like they are a dad and his mischievous son.

“Relax, you just have to give the wine to Mr. Zhong smiles and agrees with the things he says. I'll speak for both of us. I'll apologize and request a private conversation with Nainai. That's when we go and demand she switch our bodies again. If we follow the plan nothing will go wrong.” Mark talked with so much confidence that Hyuck thought that he was listening to himself.

Once they informed that they were arriving, Chenle's parents were already waiting for them. Chenle’s dad received them and went straight to hug Hyuck.

“Mark! My third son, it's so good to see you again. Did you enjoy yesterday?”Mr. Zhong hold Hyuck by his shoulder, and the boy could only agree giving his best, and most awkward, smile. 

“Oh, I… I certainly did.” Hyuck chuckled, the gathering was really good, but he said that not exactly thinking about the dinner, but his time with Ryujin. “Here! I bought you a wine. Your favorite actually. The best for the best.” 

He handed the bottle, which the old man took, but barely looked, hugging him again and laughing. Chenle’s mom came to greet them too, hugging Hyuck. Mark clears his throat to get attention. Chenle’s parents were like that, always treating him like a real son, and he kinda likes it, but they didn't have time for this today. The plan was traced and they need to follow it. 

“Oh, yes. Mr. and Mrs. Zhong, this is Lee Donghyuck, he's a friend of ours. You didn't meet him, but he was at the dinner yesterday.” Introducing himself in third person was probably one of the strangest things Hyuck had done in his life. But everything has to go according to the plan, and he’d to thank Nainai for swapping their bodies, because the next step was one of the hardest parts for him. “Well, he came with me, because he really wanted to know you, and he also has something to say to you.”

“ Mr. and Mrs. Zhong, it's really a pleasure to meet you.” Mark bowed to them. “We didn't meet before, but of course I know you, and it's an honor to be in front of you. I should have introduced myself yesterday, but actually, that's the reason why I am here today.” The couple looked at each other and then at the boys, not understanding where this was leading to. “Well, yesterday I exceeded my limits and drank too much. I leave the gathering right after your speech. But even so, I came here to sincerely apologize for my attitude.” He threatened to kneel, but Chenle’s parents stopped him. 

“No, no, sweetheart. There's no need to do that. Please, stand up.” Chenle’s mother was fast grabbing his arm. 

“You don't have to worry, son. You're young, we know you kids sometimes are uncontrollably near alcohol. We had two boys, don't feel so bad for that. And we also were young one day, right, my love?” Mr. Zhong laughed while his wife agreed. “And I actually know you Donghyuck.”

“Do you?” Mark and Hyuck asked at the same time surprised.

“Yes, Chenle talks about his friends all the time when he comes to have dinner with us, including you.” Mr. Zhong took Hyuck's hand in his, greeting him. “He said you're a sort of computer genius. It's so good to hear that our youngest son is surrounding himself with such intelligent people, right, love?”

“Oh, definitely! But I remember more of you from the comments that Jisungie does all the time. They’re the youngest in your group of friends, and both draw a lot of inspiration from you.” 

Mark and Hyuck looked at each other, surprised again. They knew Chenle and Jisung sometimes mirrored them in some moments, but they never thought about being an example to someone. Especially for these two. 

“Well… That's actually extremely good to hear.” Hyuck was the first one to talk. He smiled at Mark, who agreed, proud of themselves.

“Yeah… But we also came here for another reason.” Mark scratched his neck. “Chenle introduced his grandmother yesterday, and she caught us in the middle of a fight. We wish we could apologize to her in person. Is she at home?”

The couple confirmed and asked one of the employees to call Nainai at her studio. As soon as the old lady looked at the boys she let out a loud laugh. The political smiles on their faces slowly faded. If they have any doubts it was Nainai's fault, now they're one hundred percent sure. Mark clears his throat again, it would be way easier to ask her to swap them.

“Good evening, Mrs. Zhong. Mark and I came here to apologize for the inconvenience we caused yesterday. We shouldn't try to resolve our problems in the middle of a gathering, and especially we shouldn't do it at someone's house. We're so sorry, please accept these flowers as our apology.” Mark gave the speech he rehearsed all afternoon. But the lady couldn't stop laughing. 

“Mark and you?” She accepts the flowers, wiping away the tear in the corner of her eye. “I forgive you two, but this isn't what you should be worried about." 

“Mom, what did you do?” Mr. Zhong seemed confused looking between his mother and the boys. The way his mother was acting, the two boys looking lost. He had already seen something like that, but didn't want to believe his mother would do it again.

“Nothing that they wouldn't be able to figure out together.” 

“Mom!” Mr. Zhong spoke indignantly, massaging the bridge of his nose. “I thought you had stopped doing that.”

“I did. But you know that I have good eyes for those who need help.”

“Help?? Sorry interrupting, but we definitely didn't need help. Not this kind, I mean, I know you saw us arguing, but some advice from grandma would also come in handy. You know?” Hyuck was the first one to speak again. 

“You must be Donghyuck, right?” Chenle’s mom comes to hold his hand. Haechan looked at Mark, and both agreed timidly. “And you, our third son, Mark.” 

“Yes… I guess you already figured out why we came here today…” Mark said.

“Well, I have some bad news for you, honey. The only way you could make the change again is by fulfilling the prophecy.” 

“Wait, wait… What do you mean? Which prophecy?” Mark asked, getting confused. Haechan looked at him, getting stressed. He might even believe in conspiracy theories, but prophecies and magic, no fucking way. 

“Each of you carries your own prophecy, and only together you will be able to unravel them.” Chenle’s grandmother explained.

The answer hit them hard. They tried to explain to Nainai that they've their own lives and couldn't live like that. But she only repeated the same quote. The boys left Chenle’s parents' house devastated. Haechan had thrown away his prophecy, but Mark remembered that his paper stayed in his suit jacket. Then they were on their way to Mark's apartment to end this bullshit.

When both boys entered the apartment, Mark looked through his clothes until remember that every three days one of the roommates had to take all their clothes to the laundry room, and today was Jaemin’s day. He could recall Jaemin going out with a big smelly bag. The bad news: the laundromat closed at 1 PM today, and it was already 7 PM. The good news: they don't really have them. But it’ll open at 7 AM on Monday, and they will probably be themselves at noon.

“Ok, but what are we gonna do now?” Hyuck asked, unsure about the next few days. Everything still seemed to be a dream or a really bad trip.

“We’re going to live each other's lives, at least until I get my suit on Monday morning.”

“Ok, but then? How are we gonna find out this shit? Fulfill the prophecy or whatever that means…”

“I consider myself an excellent researcher, and well… You’re a genius, Chenle’s dad literally calls you a genius. We will get it.” Mark remembered him, trying to cheer Hyuck up. The boy gazed at him thinking about it, before replying. 

“Yeah! Not to brag, but honestly I'm a fucking genius. We fucking gonna get it.” Hyuck said confidently. But then he remembered what Mark's life is, and stopped to think again. “But what about your thing at the party tomorrow? You’ve got a fucking article to do and you have to be sober for that, I don't even know what to ask for a 6’ tall muscle mass. And what about Yn?? She’ll come with us. Actually, you offered to let her come with us. How am I supposed to survive all of this?”

“Oh! She can't suspect that we aren't who we're supposed to be.”

“Dude… sometimes it's kinda obvious…” 

“It’s just a weekend, we can pretend to be each other. And if we stay together all the time, nothing wrong is going to happen.” He looked at Haechan, unsure if he could do it, but Haechan needed to do this. “If we put in the effort, we can do it. Just for the weekend.”

The uncertainty of the circumstances makes them anxious, but as Mark said it will be just one weekend, they will survive. 

They combine every possibility if someone asks them something that only they know, or if you ask Mark to sleep in his apartment. Mark made Hyuck promise that he wouldn't break up with you while in his body, even touch you inadequately, which made Hyuck laugh and tease him, because at all the previous parties, the two of you were always glued together by the hips. But he agreed, ironically saying he didn't know how he could stand being next to you for five minutes, let alone touch you. Hyuck also had his demands, but didn't explain them further than ‘if I'm going to live your life, you have to deal with mine’, when Mark asked what this meant, he just responded with ‘you'll see‘.

For Mark, everything was going to be alright. After agreeing to all of each other's demands, including what to wear to the party, he had everything under control. Haechan understood his side, and he trusted that his friend wouldn't say or do anything to hurt you. All Mark would have to do was explain to you on Monday night why he had been so distant at the party. And everything would be fine.

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ Sunday, five days before

Sundays after parties were always a mess. The usual hangover and the half-naked body of someone sleeping in the coach, it was just another normal morning in Hyuck, Jeno, and Renjun’s apartment. Today the half-naked guy on the couch was Jeno. He probably brought Hyuck home, but was so exhausted that he just passed out and didn’t wake up in time to go to his own room. 

Mark had promised to bring a bag full of medicine and some isotonic drinks that Hyuck had asked for. He opens the front door at the same time that Hyuck goes out of his room. Renjun was drinking his coffee in the kitchen, among all of his friends, he still knows his own body not to drink too much and end up vomiting all over someone’s yard like Haechan or passed out like Jeno. But, in his own way, he was somehow part of that world of fuckboys with the rest of them.

The only person who didn’t exactly fit in this world was Mark, known for being an ideal romantic guy with the same girlfriend for almost two years. But what people didn't see were the arguments they had before she participated in an exchange program in Europe. After that, something strange happened during the last month while she was out of the country. Mark hadn't changed drastically, but to his friends, something was wrong, as if he hadn't been completely himself during those weeks. At least, that's what they suspected.

“Morning…” Mark enters and puts the bag on the table. “Jeno still hasn't woken up?” He asks Renjun. 

“I think he probably died… He hadn't moved for two hours straight.” Renjun replies, looking at his phone without paying too much attention.

“Yeah, or maybe he just wants you to be quieter” Hyuck complains while squinting because of the light, taking some pills and drinking with the isotonic. 

“You know this can’t cure your hangover, right?” Mark, as always, asked preoccupied with his best friend, grabbing a cup with water and stands to him “Here, drink some water, it’s gonna-” 

“I’ve survived worse than this without water, thank you very much, Mark Lee” Dealing with Hyuck when he was hungover was one of the most difficult things to do according to Renjun and Jeno, yet Mark could handle it perfectly. He pushes Mark's hand away, gives one more sip in his drink and then smirks. “By the way, Minjeong asked for you last night. She was pretty much interested to know why you ran away from her and left the party so early.”

“Can we not talk about this? Or about her?” That was a forbidden topic for Mark. He gets instantly annoyed and tries to not bring this up, even knowing his friends would pressure him to.

“Who are we talking about?” Jeno enters the kitchen using just his underwear and some Star Wars t-shirt. He takes one of the isotonic bottles in the bag and some fruit from the fridge, leaning next to where Renjun was sitting.

“Kim Minjeong” Haechan says, still smirking. He also opens the fridge, grabbing some bananas and milk to put in the blender and makes his breakfast 

“The hot one? Co-captain of the cheerleading team? What about her?" Jeno seemed surprised by his friend's slyness.

“Well, at the last football post-game party, she and Mark…”

“Haechan, please don’t…” Mark said, getting way more stressed with the situation. He didn't want anyone to know what happened that day. And even though Haechan is a tease, he is still his best friend, so he stopped, raised his hands in surrender.

“What do you mean? We're very curious right now. What happened between you two?" Jeno frowned and Renjun agreed with him, still drinking his coffee.

“We… Nothing, ok? Yn is coming back this week, and I don’t want to be involved in any rumors with another woman when she arrives.” Mark explained.

“What does Yn have to do with this? Didn't you guys break up or something before she went to Europe?" Renjun chuckled and asked because that was the big news on campus back these days.

“What?? We never broke up! Who told you that?" Suddenly, Mark was stunned, because he never thought he would have to explain his relationship to his friends. Actually, as a future journalist, he never thought that he would be the lead part of a romance rumor spread around campus.

“A girl from my design class. We were going out, and she mentioned something about her friend being interested in you” Renjun said, like there was nothing. Minjeong had some friends from her design major who probably had some classes with Renjun. Mark totally forgot about it, it's obvious that the rumor had already been spread right under his nose.

“That’s exactly why we’re not going to talk about Minjeong or any other woman, even any fucking rumor that comes up. I don't want anyone going around thinking and spreading rumors that some girl was interested in me, or worse that my girlfriend and I broke up.” He stood up and went to Haechan's room, so he wouldn't have to face his friends questions.

Renjun and Jeno stared at each other surprised, because all this attitude was way more than awkward. The last thing they knew was that Mark and Yn had a terrible fought a week before she started her internship in Europe. After that, Hyuck told them that Mark confessed to him that he and you had stopped talking to each other. So Mark started going to parties more often with the boys. It's not like he hadn’t been to parties before, but it’s just not his natural habitat. While most of his friends attend parties every weekend, he prefers to spend his free time in his dorm chilling with them, especially with you, or walking around the city, rediscovering the coffee shops and bars he always frequented. And even when he went to these parties, he was always accompanied by you. What kinda stressed Hyuck out, because he always wanted to party with Mark and the rest of his friend group, like they did when they entered the university, and when Mark hadn't met you yet. But now for Hyuck, it seems you were always there disputing (and winning) Mark’s attention.

But then for about three weeks straight, right after you two fought, Mark attended every damn party his athletes' friends invited him and his group to. From Wednesday to Saturday, you could find him with his friends at these parties. At most of them, Mark drank more than usual, so much that even Hyuck sometimes had to help him, switching their roles. It was intense weeks, but the truth is, Jeno and Renjun hadn't heard anything about Mark being single or dating anyone during this entire time. They should have asked, but Mark's behavior and the rumors left the whole situation implicit. Especially because of the rumors. But now he's saying that he and Yn didn't break up. So what the hell is this?

“Did you know about this?” Renjun, very confused with his friend's reaction, whispered to Haechan who just opened and closed his mouth until he let out a whisper that sounded like a ‘maybe…’

“What the hell, Hyuck… You could have told the truth to us.” An absolutely frustrated Renjun scolded him. “He's our friend too, we could have helped him with whatever he was struggling with. Even that doesn’t explain why he was acting this way all those weeks…”

“Sorry… I actually was hoping they break up” Hyuck replied whispering awkwardly while scratching his neck. Renjun closed his eyes, losing his patience. Jeno chuckled, not believing in that situation, and impressed by his friend's honesty.

“What?? You should have seen him after their last fight, he was inconsolable. Like every other fight they had.” he whispered again, trying to justify himself. “She’s not good for him, and I always told you guys that”

“Yeah, but this doesn't explain you supporting him going through this shit alone all those weeks.” Now it was Jeno's turn to scold him.

“Whatever had happened between him and Kim Minjeong, which apparently only you know, is eating him alive. So, you gonna talk with him and calm him down, cause his fucking not ex-girlfriend is coming back and we can't be responsible if he has a fucking heart attack because of that.” Renjun had the final say before Hyuck left.

In Hyuck’s room, Mark was sitting in the bed thinking about how he was going to explain to you about that rumor, and what he had to say that wouldn’t make you want to officially break up with him. There's still three more days till you arrive, but every second that passed he gets more and more anxious. Hyuck enters the room holding two cups with his banana’s milk and offers one to Mark, sitting next to him. 

“I put some of the protein you left the last time” Mark accepts, but just stares at the glass. “So… are you planning to tell her?” 

“I have to.”

“You know you don’t have to. You don’t even have to be in a relationship with her, if you don't want that." Hyuck said it as if it were obvious, but Mark looked at him as if he'd said the most absurd thing in the world.

“Yeah, but I want it. And I need to tell her.” Mark puts his glass on Hyuck’s setup table and gets up. “What the fuck, Hyuck. You are my best friend, you should support me. You know I love her.” 

“Yeah, I am your best friend, I see how you get after all those fights.” He leans back on the bed, relaxed because they've already had this conversation for the nth time. “Over the past two months you have all what you say you wanted. You had the freedom to go to parties, you didn't have to explain yourself to anyone, you had fun, you drank, you even slept with a cheerleader, just like our naive teenagers always dreamed.” Mark was staring at him with clenched fists and jaw, while Hyuck settled himself in bed. “Unfortunately, I know you Mark Lee, I know you had fun and would do it all again if you could. But now your sweet, perfect princess is coming back, and you have to behave and maintain your sweet and perfect relationship.” Hyuck teased. 

“Donghyuck, you don’t know nothing- “Mark tried to speak, but Haechan interrupted him. 

“Oh, I certainly know! I know what you and Minjeong did, and now you’re freaking out about it, all because if the perfect little princess finds out, you'll probably lose your annoying girlfriend. And you two will be the talk of the campus for a few more weeks like everyone else already has been.” He rolled his eyes and teased Mark again. “Oh, c'mon. It's not that dense.”

“You know nothing happened between me and-” Mark tried to speak again, justifying himself, perhaps begging his best friend not to say anything. But Hyuck interrupted him once more, chuckling at his friend's misery.

“Don't worry, Mark. I am still your best friend. I would never betray you like that. I respect our bros code.” He rolled his eyes. Mark clenches his wrists harder. “Even if it costs my sanity to be near your girlfriend.”

“Even so, you should stop talking about her like that, otherwise…” Mark got serious and gazed at his best friend.

“What, Mark? Otherwise what?” Hyuck frowned, stood up and raised his voice. They had had a few arguments throughout their more than ten years of friendship, but Haechan hadn't expected a threat coming because of you. Before Mark could respond, Renjun opened the door with Jeno still in his underwear behind him, both prepared to intervene in a potential fight.

"What's going on here?" Renjun asked, looking at the two of them. They stared at each other until Mark said.

"Nothing. I'm going back to my dorm. See you guys tomorrow."

After Mark left the house, Renjun looked at Donghyuck and said, "I thought I told you to calm him down."

“I tried, ok? But he can’t listen to the truth…” 

“The truth is that he always listens to you, Hyuck. Even when you're wrong, he respects your opinions and your decisions, because you know that if he disagrees, he'll tell you, but he'll never intervene in your life. And all he asks you is to respect his opinions and decisions too. But you're messing with something much bigger than it seems. I don't know what happened between him and her, it's his private life, and if he only trusts you to talk about it, it's because he has his reasons. Everyone knows why. So, stop acting like a jerk and go back to acting like his best friend.” Renjun was right, and Haechan knew that, so he just remained silent.

The truth is that he and Mark have been best friends since childhood, grew up together, shared their entire adolescence as nerds together, and decided to go to the same university with the intention of staying together. Even though they shared common interests, they were completely different from each other. Mark had always been more introverted, thinking about his future, he dreamed of his dream job, the ideal family and the perfect life. He knew he couldn’t control people or the future, and Haechan was the perfect example of that, but he liked to dream about the day when everything would be perfect in his life. Mark always cared about others and tried his best to help people, even if it sometimes cost him his own life. This caused Mark to develop a major problem expressing his feelings. But that's where Hyuck comes in. Mark always had Hyuck to do it for him. Because, unlike him, Hyuck lived in the present moment.

He also dreamed about the perfect future, but for him, that means making the most of what life gives us now. Hyuck was great at making friends and he always kept them safe. When he met Mark in elementary school, some kids bullied Mark, but Hyuck approached him and taught him that there was nothing wrong with being who he was. After that, they became inseparable friends, even if it meant being teased together. Sometimes, Hyuck would respond to the other kids with some bad words that his older brother had taught him, and Mark would always reprimand him afterward and apologize for Hyuck. And that defined their dynamic.

In their teens, both dreamed of going to NCTU, rebuilding their identities, as if they could take out the nerdiness in them and build the life of their dreams. Hyuck's older brother, Taeyong, graduated from NCTU a year before Mark and Hyuck entered university, but when the boys were younger, they always heard about Taeyong's university life. He talked about the parties, how he joined the soccer team and the student council, and especially how he made lifelong friends there. Hyuck went into computer science and dreamed of the fun and memorable part of his brother's life, full of friends. And Mark followed his heart to become a journalist, dreaming of how his life would change with so many different opportunities that would lead him to the perfect life. Both had their own goals, but they were never too far from each other.

But at the end of his first semester of college, Mark met Yn, a girl who was perfect for him. She was a sweet girl, with dreams of a perfect future planned out: college, job, family, like the perfect character in a perfect romcom. Mark fell in love almost immediately, since everything about her was perfect, she was also perfect for him. One of the things on his wish list for a perfect life was to have a stable relationship with a beautiful, romantic, and intelligent woman. But for Hyuck, all of that was bullshit.

When Yn came into their lives and Mark told Hyuck he was in love with you and had asked you to be his girlfriend, the dynamic between them was compromised. It wasn't just Mark and Hyuck anymore. All the fun college experiences Hyuck had planned for the two of them went down the drain. At first, Hyuck tried to be your friend, inviting you to the night games or parties they were invited to, but he couldn't get along with you. For him, you seemed to be a kind of prude girl, who was trying to steal his friend. You studied English, were a member of the student council, encouraged everyone to be healthy, and were almost never seen at parties, and even when you did go, you probably didn't drink enough to be there for your friends. If someone needed help or was being rude, you always responded kindly. All of this seemed like a persona to Hyuck, the perfect girl, almost a female version of Clark Kent, and that stressed him out, even because you were perfect for Mark.

So, after your relationship began, the boys' relationships changed. Mark spent most of his free time either with you, or at the university newspaper as a reporter and editor, or participating in various activities organized by professors to earn extra credits. And on weekends, sometimes (most of the time), he saved his friends from headaches and hangovers. Hyuck, on the other hand, had managed to get part-time jobs with some professors, which he did at home, but most of the time he could be found at every party someone threw from Wednesday to Saturday. He and Mark hadn't completely drifted apart, but something had changed, and Hyuck blamed you for it.

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ Monday, four days before

Every Monday morning, Mark arrived at the newspaper at nine o'clock, checked his inbox for news, and reviewed his schedule for the week. Currently, he was one of the columnists in the sports section, covering most of the university's games, as well as situations related to the teams, coaches, and athletes. He aspired to the position in the community issues column, but understood that there was a hierarchy in the newspaper, that Doyoung had placed him in that position because he knew his potential, and that his friendship with some athletes would make the job easier. Also, Mark didn't feel comfortable asking to change his position to what he really wanted. He felt like he was questioning or even challenging his hyung's decision, and he definitely didn't want to give that impression. Especially since his current position came after months of proving himself capable enough as an assistant to take over the sports column, and even if it wasn't his ultimate goal, Mark would never let this opportunity pass.

Today, his main activity is conducting interviews and recordings with the basketball team. One of his best friends, Chenle, is the team captain, which made it easier to talk to the rest of the players. But before going to the gymnasium, he checked his phone, only to see that the last message he sent to his girlfriend hadn't been read yet. She was probably still on the plane, because the "you know I love you, right?" and "can't wait to see you" stared back at him. He simply closed the app, grabbing his things, and headed to work.

The basketball team was warming up when he arrived, and Chenle went to talk to him. They had won three consecutive games and would probably play out of town in a month. So Mark suggested to Doyoung that they do a big news round recalling the games, with some individual interviews with the coach and the players. Doyoung agreed, as he always did with Mark's ideas, and now he was there ready to record almost two hours of video.

After finishing the interviews and filming with the captain, coach and the team, Mark stayed a little bit to chat with Chenle during their water break. They two are away from the rest of the team when suddenly, Mark heard your name being said by Sungchan, one of the athletes he had interviewed.

“… I'll talk with my boy, and he’ll surely convince her to go to the first party after they arrive. Besides that, she's totally a goody girl, probably hasn't seen a dick since Lee.” He was talking with some boys who laughed at his comment. And if Mark doubts if they're talking about you, when Sungchan said his surname, he confirmed, turning his head to the boys. 

“Dude… wait.” Chenle called him while he was walking towards the boys, with his fists clenched. When Mark approached them, one of them asked how Sungchan could be so right Mark wouldn't look for you again, and what prevented him from not killing them for flirting with his ex.

"I'm not sure if I'm following the conversation... Why are you talking shit about my girl?" Mark asked them, looking between the boys and crossing his arms before Sungchan could reply his friend.

“Oh, hi, Mark… Well, I mean… everyone knows you and Yn broke up, so we were just chatting about maybe inviting her to the next party… You know…” Sungchan started to get nervous and spoke quickly because of the way Mark stared at him, and with their captain silently behind him. “Well, like, I just thought you’ve already moved on with Minjeong, so you wouldn’t mind if one of the guys goes on Yn—”

"What the fucking hell are you talking about??" Mark exclaimed, staring incredulous at Sungchan. "Yn and I never broke up."

“Ah… sorry, I thought that after that party where you and Minjeong left toge-” Sungchan tried to explain further but his cheeks were already red. Mark interrupted him, trying his best to be intimidating, yet still polite.

“That never happened. Did you understand?” Mark says firmly, cutting off any attempt at conversation Sungchan might be trying to start. “And you and your friends should stop talking about my girlfriend!”

The boy simply raised his hands in defeat, muttering an apology and left with the other guys to the locker room. Mark sat on the bench, scared and shy with the way he talked to the boys. Meanwhile, Chenle, who had been silently observing everything, and just like Renjun and Jeno, didn't know that you and Mark were still together, asked first.

"Dude, are you okay? I don't think I've ever seen you talk with someone like that before..." He looked at his friend, who was still staring at Sungchan and the other athletes walking to the room from afar, trembling with anxiety and anger. "And since when did you and Yn not break up? Everyone saw you and Minjeong at the football team party. Besides that, when we asked, Haechan said it had been two weeks since you two had spoken. Everyone assumed you had broken up." Chenle crossed his arms, staring at Mark.

"What the fuck, Chenle. Keep your voice down." Mark tries to reprimand him, but like Haechan, Chenle was probably one of the only people who couldn't be reprimanded, especially when he was wearing his ‘captain's shoes.’ "We just argued and didn't speak for a few days, but our relationship remains intact." Mark sighs, puts his head in his hands, and stops talking because he knew he had messed up.

"What the…?" Chenle sits down on the bench next to him. "Do the guys know about this? Because if you hadn't told me… I, at least, would never have known… And what about Minjeong? Everyone who was at that party knows that you two went out together." Chenle takes a deep breath and looks at Mark. "Does Yn know about this?"

"WHAT? No, definitely not!" Mark raised his head from his hands and exclaimed. "But I'll tell her the truth, because even though Minjeong and I left together, nothing happened, okay?" Mark repeated that more to himself than to the others.

"Okay, okay... it's just that... you fucked up, you know right?"

Chenle asked him, and Mark nodded, hiding his face in his hands again, as if he had no idea of ​​how big his own shit was. Mark already felt guilty and anxious about your arrival because he had planned to tell you, he just didn't know how and didn't want you to find out from someone else. But suddenly, the whole campus was talking about it again. 

He always had this feeling that he could lose you if he didn't do something. And with all these rumors that he couldn't control, that feeling only intensified. Besides, he didn't think he was the jealous type, but after this morning, knowing that half the basketball team was just waiting for you two to break up so they could make their move, definitely made him jealous.

He went back to the newspaper to finish his tasks, but all he could think about was Sungchan and the team laughing at him while thinking about his girlfriend. 

Sometimes Mark wished one of his friends had a girlfriend so he could share this kind of frustration and be understood, but none of them were the type who liked commitments. And Mark was angry enough with Hyuck to talk about anything with him right now. So since this was driving him crazy and on Monday he usually has the afternoon off, he simply went home to prepare things for your arrival, still thinking about how he would tell you what happened, or rather, what didn't happen.

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ Tuesday, three days before

“I think you shouldn’t say anything,” Haechan said while sitting on the sofa holding his plate in hands. Mark went to take some of his things he left in Haechan's apartment, and stayed for lunchtime with them. “Look, in the best possible scenario, somebody will tell her for you, you don't have to explain yourself and you two will break up, so you'll become a free guy. Or in the worst case someone tells her, you explain yourself and she apologizes, after long explanations and poems. What made you end up living your fairytale with your miss perfect princess.” 

“No, in the worst scenario she breaks up with him, Haechan” Renjun rolls his eyes, eating his own lunch at the kitchen table next to Mark.

“Oh yeah, I was thinking about the worst scenario for me as his best friend who is trying to protect him from crazy women…” he chuckles, getting up and walking towards the boys in the kitchen. “Well, in this very plausible case, you will finally be part of us, uncommitted men who can do anything with anyone, anytime, anywhere, sounds fun, right? We could go to parties and drink till we pass out, and no one will ever bother us.” he finished his speech smiling and side hugging both boys. “Uh, what do you think?” 

Mark looks at his friend and takes a deep breath massaging his temples. It's always the same damn conversation with Hyuck, so he didn’t bother to answer. Hyuck always said that he wasn’t free enough with you, he thought you were the person responsible for pulling his friend away. After you two started dating, everything and everywhere Mark did or went, he wanted you with him. Like you didn’t exist without each other. Occasionally stressing out Mark's friends. Particularly Hyuck, who was used to being the two of them, not the three of you. 

“I think you should stop talking about Mark’s relationship” Renjun pinched Haechan's arm. He likes you, but sometimes he agrees with Haechan about you and Mark being together all the time. At the same time he understood that the relationship wasn’t his to decide what to do about it. And if Mark wants to tell you about what happened, he should face the consequences, whether they are good or bad. But if he doesn’t want, fuck that too. Renjun had almost five assignments for the next week and couldn’t be babysitters of his grown-up friends right now. “And you have to remember, who cares most about your drunk ass, is Mark right here, idiot.” He finished his lunch and got up.

Mark stayed in silence eating his own lunch and listening to his friends after he said he would tell you about Minjeong. He was expecting some advice from them, because you were his first girlfriend, and they had past experiences, perhaps they could have more knowledge, but the conversation didn't go where he expected. Actually, recently things weren't going to where he planned and this was driving him insane. Mark sighs again and looks at Jeno, who was sitting on the same couch that Haechan was eating his food before.

“What about you, Jeno? Do you have any advice for a desperate guy?” Like Renjun, Jeno used to analyse things from the outside, with a sober sense, but putting his heart into his opinions too. 

“I don't know, dude,” he simply replied. “I agree you should tell her everything that happened. Even though I don't know what really happened.” Jeno says this part more quietly, shrugging. “And we can’t guarantee what will happen with your relationship after that. But I only hope that if she gets angry enough to punch you in the face she fixes your nose,” Jeno said, and Hyuck immediately started laughing, while Mark rolled his eyes.

“Whatever happens, we would be there for you. I will be there.” Hyuck said, putting aside the joking tone, and talking directly to Mark. 

Even after several weeks of bickering, he understood what Hyuck meant and the weight it had on their friendship. Since childhood, whenever Mark was sad or feeling lost, Hyuck was there for him, just as he was there for Hyuck. Even after arguing all week, after the fights they had, especially after those fights, Mark knew he could count on Hyuck because nobody understood him better, and that was a fact. 

Mark came back to his apartment just in time to complete the organization and take a quick shower. He would pick you at the airport before the nightfall and take you to his dorm until your own was ready. Right after he finished getting ready, he heard some knocks on the door, and thought that maybe it was one of the boys who had forgotten the keys, but when he opened his door, there were you, stunning from head to toe, more beautiful than ever, smiling at him. Mark could only think that it must be a dream.

“What… How…” He could barely form a phrase before you jumped in his arms, hugging him while kissing all over his face, concluding with a passionate kiss on his mouth.

“I missed you so much,” you said with your arms around his neck.

“I missed you too, baby.” Mark said, smiling silly at you, holding your body against his. You can't help yourself giving more kisses on his cheek. “But what are you doing here? I thought we had agreed that I would pick you up at the airport…” 

“Yeah, but our flight arrived earlier than I thought, and some of Bin’s friends offered a ride till here. And well, I couldn't stand being away from you any longer, so I just accepted.” You released him from the embrace to grab you suitcases, which he promptly took from your hands to carry inside.

“I see… Did you come with Wonbin?" Wonbin is one of your best friends, who went to the program with you. He’s a music major, and you two met through the creative writing classes. And now you helped him to write some music for his band with your poems.

“Yes. Well actually one of his friends brought us here.” You said pulling your last suitcase inside the house and closing the door. “I think you know him… His name is Sungchan, he plays with Chenle on the basketball team.” Mark felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Did you come with Sungchan?” He asked softly, but extremely nervous inside. He definitely didn’t plan to tell you about the rumors today, and definitely wasn't planning that someone would tell you today. 

“Yes, he was very friendly. He said you did a great job at news about the games that they had won. But you always do an amazing job. Congrats, baby!” You kissed him again. Apparently, Sungchan didn't tell you, which was a momentary relief for Mark.

But by the end of this week, he still planned to tell you. He just needed you to be settled in your dorm, because depending on your reaction, he didn't want you to be helpless and dependent on someone. Perhaps you would hate him more for leaving you helpless than for the rumors, so he'd simply sit and wait patiently for now.

“Are you good, babe? Suddenly you got so pale…” You hold his chin and look directly into his guilty eyes. But Mark just smiled, saying ‘nothing, maybe just hungry’.

You hummed and asked him about Jaemin and Jisung, his roommates. Among Mark's friends, Jisung was probably one of those you spent the most time with, due to the amount of time you spent at their house. Despite being what people call fuckboys, you always joked that Jisung was also part of your relationship because of the time the three of you used to be together in the dorm. Jaemin wasn't the type to stay home, he was always in his photography studio, or walking around the city, or, like Mark, at his friends' apartments. 

Mark smiled slightly this time, more relaxed, and hugged you, putting his hands on the small of your back. “I asked them to sleep at someone else's house, so we’d have some privacy.”

“Oh, you really thought about everything, huh?” You smirk at him while putting your arms around his neck again to pull him into a kiss. “But before anything, you need to get something healthy to eat. And I’m serious, Mark. You're still very pale”

After eating the dinner he had prepared for you two, and dragging your suitcases to his room, the night came and you two found your way to his bed watching movies on his laptop. It was another typical night back to your routine with him. Mark was lying down with his laptop on one side of him, and you were hugging him on the other, playing with the cross necklace that was on his chest over his shirt. You had one leg wrapped around his leg, while your foot playfully gripped the hem of his pajama pants.

“Angel… what are you doing?” Mark asked, as if he hadn’t already felt you moving your hips slowly against him. 

“Uh? Nothing… Just watching the movie” You look at him batting your lashes innocently. Mark chuckled, saying a little ‘ok’ and turning his attention back to the film.

In less than ten minutes, he felt you moving again. Still tangled with him, you climb up a little higher to hide in his neck. Mark moves his hand from your waist to your hip and presses you against him, helping your movements. For a moment you stayed like that, smelling his neck while controlling yourself to avoid whining, making circular movements with your hips against his thighs. If it wasn't for the movement, it wouldn't be an unusual position for you two to cuddle when you're alone, but that certainly wasn't your intention when you started kissing his neck, and giving him little bites.

“You're not watching the movie…” Mark said, smiling and pulling your body close to his, as if it were possible.

“Of course, I am. This is my favorite part” You replied, turning his face to kiss you.

Mark didn’t waste any time to push his laptop aside, turning to you and adjusting your bodies to deepen the kiss. You stopped the kiss quickly enough just to sit on your knees and take off your shirt, which Mark also did. When your breasts are free from your pajamas, Mark salivates, putting both of his hands in your boobs.

“Oh, I fucking love when you aren’t wearing bra.” He whines, going straight to licking your hardened nipples. You moaned and grabbed his hair, which made him chuckle. “My baby is always so sensitive. Did you miss my tongue on you?”

All you could do was nod, whining and holding his now long hair. Mark sucked one more time, before laying you down “I'm gonna give you everything you missed, huh. How does this sound?” 

He kisses your lips, lowering to your chin, neck, belly but stopping by the hem of your shorts. Without too much effort, he pulls your shorts and panties out, and you open your legs for him. Mark moved his fingers to your slit opening you, so he could see you dripping for him. 

“Oh fuck, angel. You were this needy and didn't say anything before.” You could barely process what he'd said when you felt his tongue slowly passing through your entrance till your clit. 

“Oh, my goodness, Mark.” You whined, pulling him by the hair and bringing him closer to you.

Mark's hands moved from your core to your thighs pushing them to your chest, you have to let go of his hair to hold your thighs for him. And he gave you some more licks, sucking harder your clit just to listen to your cries. He got his head up, that was one of the exact scenes he loved most: you naked, moaning his name, holding your legs spread open so he could do whatever he wanted. 

He smiled to himself, kissed the back of your thigh and started massaging your clit with his thumb again, before inserting one finger inside you. He felt your soft walls clenched around the only finger inside you, so he put another and started to move slowly, hearing you moan louder. 

“Hm, my angel is so tight. What happened? You didn't use the toy you took on your trip?” he hummed between your whines. Mark pulled one of your legs to the side, adjusting himself on top of you, so he could kiss your body, particularly your titties. 

“No… Mmph, I didn't want that in me… Mark, babe please…” You cried more, feeling his fingers torturously slowly stretching you. 

“No? So what did you use when you sent me all those audios and videos moaning my name?” He leaned into your body distributing kisses along your collar and belly, never stopping the movements of his finger, but never increasing the speed. And he knows your body so well, that he has barely started and knows you're already almost cumming.

“Only my fingers… Hmm, Mark… I don't need anything but you inside me.” You pull him to a kiss, and he giggles against your mouth. You're always a tease, and he could feel his cock throbbing in his pants with your moans. So he decided to stop teasing you. “Fuck, please, babe… I think I'm going to cum please…” 

He added one more finger and increased the movements, especially on your clit, slowing down to catch your nipple in his mouth. He sucked and gave slight bites looking at your face, with your eyes closed and your mouth forming an ‘o’ while you tried to control yourself from moaning louder. He knew you were so sensitive in your breast that sometimes he liked to simply put you on his lap, lick and suck your nipples while dry humping until you two were almost having orgasms. So when one of your hands let go of your other leg to hold the wrist that was working on your pussy, and the other holds on tightly to the bedsheets. Your core started to clench more around his fingers, trying to push them out, and you couldn't help but moan louder. Mark knew you would come in seconds, then he placed the hand that was in your pussy more angular, so his thumb could play with your clit while he still finger fucked you. He switched his mouth for the other hand, placing it on your nipple to roll them between his fingers. And adjusted himself again, so he could see his other favorite scene in the world: your cum face. 

There were very few times that he’d fucked you from behind, or on four, or in a way he couldn't see your face directly or through mirrors. He hates it when he loses that face when you squeeze your eyes, and make a silent ‘O’ with your mouth followed by repeated cries of his name, then bite your lips trying to suppress your moans. He was obsessed with that expression, and with the next one when you open your eyes, smiling, looking for his kisses which he gave willingly.

When your euphoria post orgasm slowed down, you quickly searched for the edge of his pants to pull it down and return the best orgasm you had in two months. But he noticed what you were trying to do, involving your legs around him to force him to turn over in bed and you get on top. Mark holds your hands stopping you. 

“Let me return the favor, please. I missed your taste in my mouth too…” You asked, kissing his jaw and chest.

Mark groans, he could feel a shiver running through his spine and his cock throbbing inside his pants since he saw your wet pussy. Despite wanting so much to see your mouth around him, right now, he needed to be inside of you.

“Another time, baby.” He kisses your forehead, grabbing one of the Spider Man plushies that was on his bed and placing it under your hip, adjusting your body below him. “Right now, all I need is you to be right here, all pretty, cumming on my cock.”

With your head comfortably on the pillow, and your hip a little higher from bed, Mark sat on his knees between your legs, sliding his hands all over your body, massaging your hips and waist. One of his hands guided his dick to your core, and he leaned to kiss you while entering you. He started slowly, feeling you very, very tight around him. Your walls clenched around his tip, and you both moaned mouth to mouth, between a kiss.

“Oh my god, I love you so.” You whispered in his mouth, with your eyes closed. Mark watched your face, pushing his length further inside you. “I missed this so much. Fuck, I missed you so much.” 

You slid your hands down his back, scratching it, but pulled them back to his face, leading him into an open kiss. You'd your legs tangled around his waist, but Mark was gripping one of your thighs so tightly it felt like you could escape at any moment. He stayed for a moment static inside you looking at your face, just feeling yourself get used to the old sensation between you two. His other hand caressed your hair, and you smiled at him. He could live in this moment forever. 

“I love you too.” He replied and you feel him starting to move inside you, making you moan and bite your lip trying to suppress it again.

“Don't do this… I want to hear you.” Mark said, increasing his movements.

He gave you another passionate kiss, before adjusting his body again and grabbed your waist with both his hands. The plushie beneath your hips left you in the perfect position for him to push into you. You groan by the feeling of the thrust increasing, your legs kept tangled around him limiting his movements. You move your hands to his own, pulling one of them to your breast again, and Mark laughed but squeezed it. You were moaning his name so loud, sending shivers all along his body. Usually you both tried to stay more quiet, because of Jaemin and Jisung, but without them in the apartment, all you had to worry about was the noise penalty. You're still sensitive from your first orgasm, he could feel you clenching around him, near to come. Mark rolled one of your nipples in his fingers, leaning to give a quick sucked on them making you groan, and your legs tried to pull his body closer to yours. His other hand, which was still holding your hips, dropped it and went straight to your clit, doing circular movements. You cried louder, calling his name. Your hands tried to hold his wrist, wanting to control his movements, but he took off the hand from your nipple to immobilize yours in your belly, still rapidly thrusting and playing with your clit.

“Are you close again, baby?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer by the way your walls clenched his dick. You just nodded and whined, getting cock drunk. 

Mark leaned again, just to tell you near your mouth he wants to see you cumming on his cock. He kissed your lips and one of his hands came back to your hip, holding you still for him pound with more strength, while the other hand continued playing with your clit non-stop. You grabbed the sheets, moaning his name louder than expected, coming hard with all the stimulation. Mark slowed his thrusts, watching you navigate through your pleasure, then he started to do it again reaching for his own. It doesn't take too much for him to come inside you too, groaning your name.

He took the plushie from beneath you, but didn't pull out of you. Enjoying the cockwarming, while watching the tired but passionate expression on your face. He smiled at you, unable to hide how much he was enjoying the moment. When he took out, he saw his cum dropping from you and went to get a towel to clean. And when he comes back you're with your sleepy face watching him. 

“You got tired?” he asked, laughing slightly. You nodded and smiled while he cleaned you up. He kissed your temple again, covering you with the sheet . “Ok, go to sleep. I'm just going to finish cleaning and come back here” 

When he came back, wearing only underwear, he lay down next to your naked body below the sheets and watched you sleep peacefully, although he loved this moment, Mark remembered that the truth would come out, and then he felt guilty again looking at your angelic face. He loves you so much that he can't even imagine his life without you, but from the beginning, even with many arguments, you both knew that a relationship without trust would never survive. So, he would tell you as soon as he could, and he will have to face the consequences, whatever they may be.

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ Wednesday, two days before

“Hey…” You wake up with your alarm ringing, and Mark caressing your hair. He smiled, murmuring a silent ‘morning’. “Are you watching me sleep, you creep?” You said softly.

“Just memorizing every single detail of you, in case I need to build a clone.” He joked, giving you a kiss on the forehead, and you smiled cuddling him more. 

“You'll never have to do that, we'll be together forever.” You two had already talked about marriage, it's something you both want, but for two broke students, it's just a dream for the future. However, Mark tensed, thinking about Kim Minjeong, and got unsure if you two will really be together forever after he tells you that. 

“I’ve to get up, my appointment with the head of the English department is at 8 a.m.” You nestle against his chest, looking into his eyes. “I'll go see some dorms with the person responsible on campus, before I get used to this view every morning.” He chuckled and leaned to steal a kiss. 

“I wouldn't mind getting used to seeing your face every day. For me, you could stay here with me in this tiny room till we graduate.” He spoke, watching your naked body get up and search for your clothes on the floor. After putting your pajamas back on, he watched you search for your things in your suitcase for a shower.

“Oh, but I'm sure Jisung and Jaemin will care. Did you ever wonder if they hear us every night?” You provoked him, smirking, and Mark rolled his eyes, sitting in the bed.

“Every night, huh? You know your moans are only for me to hear. And even if they did, they would have to just wonder about it.” He pulls you close to him again to give you a kiss.

“That's why I'm going to search for a dorm for me, especially with just one roommate.” You pecked him before going to the shower. 

It's super early for Mark to go to the news, then while you shower and get ready, he cooked some pancakes and made you a coffee. But as always, you took too long getting ready and ended up only having the coffee before rushing out of the house. He got ready too, left some breakfast for his friends, but left before they arrived. 

On Wednesday, he went to the newsroom to check his schedule. Since he didn’t have any interviews that day, he could get lunch early before his classes. The only particularly odd thing in his schedule would be a new story about ‘the social life of the athletes’, something Doyoung planned and put in his schedule as an interview to be done on Saturday, at the general teams' party. Mark just confirmed his task in the shared calendar, putting it in the ‘in progress’. 

It was almost noon when he entered the restaurant where he always had lunch on campus. He didn’t know if you’d meet that day, since you both had your own commitments, so he just sent you a message saying where he was, and he would see you at home late afternoon. 

Donghyuck was sitting alone at one table, eating his lunch. He had attended a few classes that morning, would have lunchtime there, and then return to his apartment to begin a new part-time internship as a programmer for one of the professors. 

He saw you this morning on his way to class. You looked pretty, in fact, you're beautiful, but you looked even more beautiful in that summer midi dress that accentuated your curves when you entered the coordinator's office. He didn't greet you, he almost never does that when he's alone. Only nodding from a distance, barely managing a smile or a wave. But you didn’t see him either, and he was wondering what your arrival yesterday had been like. Luckily for him, Mark sat down in front of him holding his own lunch.

“So?”

“What?” 

“Did you tell her? Or did she find out herself?” 

“Neither… But I’m going to… maybe on Friday. Yn’s sorting out her dorm stuff. After she’s settled, comfortable and safe, I’ll tell her.” He explained as he’d rehearsed. Haechan chuckled.

“No way, you're going to help her tidy up the house, only for her to break up with you later.” 

“You don't know if we're gonna break up. And I'm still her boyfriend, I've to help her.” Mark rolled his eyes at his friend, who was chuckling. 

“Okay, okay, Mr. perfect boyfriend from a perfect relationship. You know what, she's very pretty, but she's not worth the stress.” Hyuck says, eating the fries from his friend’s plate. 

“Haechan, please…” Mark takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, he definitely doesn't want to fight in public, especially with Hyuck, and especially because of you.

“You know my opinion…” He shrugs. “But if you really want to keep this relationship, you should bury this ship deepest, and deny every supposed rumor that comes in. Even because I know this is going to end in fights between you two, and you'll probably cry on my shoulder again, just like last time…” He finished his speech getting more fries from Mark.

The last time they had a fight was in the week before you went to Europe. You met your ex-boyfriend at the farewell party your friends had done, if you could even call him that. He was just someone you hooked up with, long enough for him to end up breaking your heart. He didn't even know your parents, you two just shared some friends, and it ended before it even began. However Mark didn't see it that way, mostly because of the way you two talked with each other. Your ex was older, still friends with some of your friends, and you hadn't exactly broken up, it was simply an agreement between the two of you that this relationship wasn't what you were looking for. So it seemed like you were still close, which made Mark a little uncomfortable. 

He didn't want to be jealous, because if he were to compare, he had far more experience than you, even though you were his first girlfriend, he’d been with a few people before meeting you. However, his friends frequently told him about their experiences, especially Hyuck, who was always very explicit about his own life. Mark always wanted to know more so he could experiment with you. And well, your ex was known for his reputation, he was a gentleman, but even Mark’s friends had him as an inspiration in their fuckboys lives. He really seemed like a nice guy, not that Mark liked guys being that nice to his girlfriend, especially guys like Christopher Bahng. 

The fight started from there. Mark was already a little tipsy when you were talking to Christopher. He didn't want to say he was uncomfortable, and particularly jealous of your interaction with Chris and his history with some girls. To be honest, Mark felt inferior, he wanted to be able to offer everything that Christopher exuded, but he couldn't, so he shut down. When you returned to his apartment, you asked what had happened, and he was unintentionally rude, telling you to ask Christopher Bahng since you were still so close to him. After that comment, you started an intense argument about his lack of trust in you and especially in himself, which only stopped when a drunk Jaemin arrived home to separate you.

After that, you went to Europe the next day, and the two of you spent almost three weeks without talking. He only went to the airport to say goodbye, but you didn't exchange more than a few words, and "sorry" wasn't one of them. That first week, he slept in Hyuck's room, crying because of his own immaturity. Mark wanted to send the first apology, but was afraid that he could invade your space. He could have named a lot of reasons, but Hyuck still blamed you. That’s probably where the chaos began.

At some point, Mark commented that he wanted to be more like Hyuck, free and confident to live the way he wanted. He was talking about overcoming his lack of confidence and low self-esteem, but Hyuck interpreted it differently, which led him to several speeches about breaking up with Yn and finally living in peace. And which led him to his worst mistake.

“I'm not going to break up with her, Haechan.” Mark remembered him again, starting to get stressed. “And I'm not going to lie to her either.”

“You should think about that. You could be much less stressed if you didn't have a commitment, especially since your commitment is with someone so annoyingly clingy and doesn't care about your feelings.” At this point, he'd eaten almost all the fries from Mark's plate.

“Oh, fuck off…”

“All I'm trying to say is that you should think twice before telling her the truth. Actually, I think she'll blame me for everything and put us against each other, creating fights between us, just like what's happening now.” Haechan said that seriously, he was sure that you didn't like him as much as he didn't like you. And if you asked, Mark would certainly distance himself from Hyuck. But he just sighed at his friend's comment and gazed at him.

“Hyuck… I'm not going to discuss my relationship with you anymore, because you've been complaining ever since the last time I talked about it. Period.” Mark also said seriously. 

Before Haechan could answer, Jisung and Chenle sat down next to them, asking what was going on. Mark and Haechan exchanged a quick glance and replied ‘nothing’ to their friends.  There are a lot of people wanting to opine on Mark and your relationship, and he doesn't need anyone else. They rapidly forgot about it, chatting about other things, when at the end of lunchtime, Chenle made an interesting proposal. 

“So, my family will open a new business in the city and invite everyone to dinner tomorrow night. Are you two free? The rest of the guys have already been confirmed…”

“I don't know, dude… I've to think about it…” Mark wasn't feeling good about the arguments with Hyuck and the pressure to tell you about the rumors.

“Oh, c'mon. Let's put the fights aside and drink the expensive champagne my father will serve.” Chenle insisted. Mark thought a little, maybe it would be good to distract him, and have some fun with you and his friends.

“Okay, sure… Can I take Yn?” He asks, and Hyuck rolls his eyes.

“If he takes Yn, can I go with one of my friends?” Haechan immediately asked.

“Yes, Mark, you can take her. And of course not, Haechan. Are you crazy? It's a fucking family reunion. My grandma will be there, have some respect for her.” Chenle said, throwing one of his last fries at his friend. “As I told Jisung, I don't want to see any sign of  fuckbuddies there. And please, wear your best suit with ties.” 

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ Thursday, one day before

Thursday was another ordinary morning, when Mark woke up, Yn had already gone to resolve the problems that she had with the dorm. She had left his breakfast ready, which is unusual because he tries his best to spoil her and not the inverses. But he accepted his coffee with toast and got ready to go get his own schedule for the next week and which games he should follow.

The day before you two spend more time occupied with your own assignments that you barely could meet. Only after a long day do you arrive at their apartment, meet Jisung, Jaemin and your boyfriend already in their pajamas eating together. 

After a shower you joined them, telling them about how the campus was without dorms inside, indicating that you had to search around. The boys did that a long time ago, there aren't many apartments inside campus with three rooms like this, and considering the rent, it was better for them to share the same roof. Except for Chenle, who has his own apartment, it actually was one of his father's buildings so he isn't worried about anything.

You, on the other hand, have to give up your old dorm before the exchange program, not because you wanted to, but because it was the rules. Now you wanted to get a room with Chaeryeong, one of your best friends, but her name was on the list before yours so she got one dorm with two bedrooms and already has a roommate. And lucky for you, the waiting list for a dormitory grew longer while you were away, and your name fell far behind it. Then after receiving this information and other list of rooms to rent around, you go looking for them. However being a broken student has a lot of problems, first you didn't have enough money to afford an apartment with two rooms, second you didn't have a roommate to split the expenses and third most of the studio apartments were already rented.

But like the charming prince, wearing his Hello Kitty pajamas, who saved you on a Wednesday night was Jaemin. He would have to get out of the studio he rented for professional use as a photographer, because according to the building manager, the constant sounds coming from the apartment weren't professional and were bothering the neighbors. By the way, he needs to save money for new equipment and he barely uses that studio for professional use since he was an outside photographer after all. Even though you think it was kinda too much information just to justify why he was leaving, you accepted. But Jaemin was like that, he loves to tease you and Mark about why you two didn't share too much about your intimate life, like the rest of the group did. Mark always had to cut him when you and Jaem were drunk before you got carried away and actually tell him about your adventures, but you’re used to this relationship. Especially because even Jaemin being 24/7 horny, he always treats you like a real princess, and as Jisung he tries to be your friend.

Then the next morning, when Mark was still sleeping, you got ready to go to IKEA, while Jaemin was already taking his last things out. That's a small studio, but you could maintain your bed, wardrobe, a little kitchen and your own bathroom. You couldn't have Chaeryeong as a roommate, but you had privacy and enough space for Mark to come whenever he wanted. 

Thursday's routine in the newspaper was hard. Some games happened that day, and theoretically Mark should interview and provide cover during the game, but with the Zhong family's dinner he was released early. 

In the middle of his afternoon class, you sent him a message saying sorry, because you couldn't go with him to Chenle's. Jaemin had helped you to carry all your furniture inside the apartment, so you dismissed him to start cleaning and putting things in order. Mark asked if you didn't want any help before he went to the meet. But you also dismiss him, telling him to have fun there. He sent you some lovely messages before going straight home, getting ready for dinner.

The Zhongs are an extremely important family in the business world. They probably own almost all hotels, resorts and some work buildings in the town, and the missing part, they are probably negotiating it. So it wasn't a surprise that the party happened in the hall of a very luxurious building. Waiters passed all the time offering expensive champagne and some appetizers to the guests, most of them old couples settled in the business world, with their heirs following like puppies. The only ones who stood out among those people were Chenle's friends. Broke students realizing the value of networking in real life.

Mark arrived earlier and started to chat with Chenle's relatives. They had been introduced before not only because they were friends, but because Mark had written excellent articles about Chenle as captain of the basketball team, which adorned the Zhong family's trophy room. It was obvious that his friend didn't need a sports scholarship, but good PRs are great for business. Besides, Mark was the golden boy for Chenle's parents, just like for everyone else. They love him as if he were their own son, always wanting to know everything about his life, and that includes you. 

Mark sometimes felt so overwhelmed by this idea of ​​"almost being like a son to them" that he often took more responsibility than Chenle himself for certain events. For example, today he almost had an AVC when he saw Haechan arriving in a suit with his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, showing the beginning of his chest. And next to him was Ryujin, one of his fuckbuddies, in a backless dress, so short that every step risked revealing too much. They definitely weren't following the dress code for the event, and Mark could see from afar, by Ryujin's face, that she had no idea she was coming here. 

She was certainly very beautiful, but being a business major like Chenle, there were few familiar faces among the crowd. And from what Mark knew, her image was something she really aimed to maintain, considering the competition in this world. He could see her angrily muttering something to a completely uninterested Hyuck who was picking up a glass of champagne.

“I didn't lie to you. I just need to show up, give some smiles, greet some people, and then I'll take you to a private and fancy dinner.” Hyuck said to her, still unbothered, drinking his champagne in one sip. 

“Excuse me… Haechan, Ryujin, good night.” Mark approaches them. The girl gives a slight bow, smiles at him, and immediately excuses herself and heads towards the bathroom.

“What the hell are you doing? Chenle expressly said no fuckbuddies.” Mark whispered to him. Chenle and another waiter arrived at the same time, so Haechan could pick another glass of champagne. 

“Haechan, what the hell are you doing? I said no fuckbuddies!” Chenle whispered, also grabbing a glass and turning the liquid quickly. “Oh my fuck… My mom is going to kill me when she sees Ryujin's dress.”

“First of all, Ryujin is my friend.” 

“Yes, who you fuck eventually!” Chenle exclaimed whispering.

“Yeah, okay, that's a detail… But today she came as my friend and partner. Mark confirmed Yn as his partner, so I brought mine, too.” Haechan said as if it was obvious, discarding his second glass, but rapidly getting another. “By the way, where's she? I thought you two were glued to each other by your hips.” He instigated.

“She couldn't come. But even if she had, this doesn't justify why you brought Ryujin and why are you guys dressed as if you're going to a casino… It's a fucking family thing, dude…” Mark analyzed him.

“Exactly! My parents know Yn, they know she's Mark's girlfriend and that they would never match outfits to risk it all. Seriously, this is giving me a headache, Hyuck. Thank you very much.” Chenle said ironically, pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stay calm.

“What do you mean? Ryujin and I have been fucking for six months, she's almost a kind of girlfriend.” Hyuck chuckled, changing his glass again with a waiter who was passing. “Well, some other girls could say the same… But you could tell Ryu is the main one.” Ryujin approaches them, walking very slowly, afraid of her dress revealing too much. 

“Hey, Chenle! Everything it's so beautiful, your parents did an amazing job tonight.” She greeted him shyly. “If I knew we would come here, I certainly would put something better.” She replies giving Hyuck a deadly stare, before bowing to Chenle. Hyuck rolled his eyes, taking off his blazer to put it over her shoulders.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, you're beautiful.” Chenle didn't know what to respond, but his parents gave him manners, so he did his best. “If you guys need anything, feel comfortable talking with the team.” He referred to the people walking around in that big hall that worked with his dad over the years.

Before he could excuse himself, his grandmother arrived beside him, immediately making his ears redden. Not only because of Hyuck's chest on the display, but because he was sure she had seen Mark and him arguing with his friend earlier.

“Nainai, hello!” He bowed and she put one of her hands around his arm. “Guys, this is my Nainai. Nainai, these are my friends from college.”

They bow and greet her, while Hyuck and Ryujin introduce themselves. She took one of Mark's hands to greet him.

“Mark, honey, you're so pretty. This suit fits you perfectly. Where's your sweet girlfriend tonight?” Luckily for Chenle, his Nainai was looking at Mark and didn't see Hyuck rolling his eyes and taking his third glass of what seemed to be wine now.

“Unfortunately, she couldn't come tonight, Nainai. But she sent her regards, and said she would be so sad not to be able to see you.” Mark said to the old lady, who murmured ‘she's so sweet’, before turning to Ryunin.

“Oh, and who is this beautiful lady? You must be his partner, I guess.” She held Ryujin's hands looking between her and Donghyuck. The girl could feel her cheeks warm up at being next to one of the most important women in the business world. But everything got worse when Hyuck let out a big laugh. He started to feel a little tipsy, and totally ignored Mark and Chenle mimicking him to not say shit.

“You can call it that, Nainai. But Ryujin and I are just good friends.” She gazed at them with narrowed eyes.

“I see. You just take beautiful women like her to fancy parties like this one.”

“You totally got me, Nainai.” He winked raising his glass to her, she found it funny. Behind her back Mark closed his eyes, breathing deep and thinking about how Hyuck probably had embarrassed himself in front of the woman who kinda built the Zhong empire in the business world.

“Well, then I won't interrupt your party. It was a pleasure meeting you all. Have fun, kids.” She might be the woman who in another life was a business genius and built their empire, but now everything she has is her observant eyes and some very interesting tricks. 

After she saw Hyuck and Mark arguing, it was clear that his destiny lines were connected. She started thinking about what to do, and maybe she had the perfect solution for them. But when Ryunin appeared she had to know if her energy would influence their destiny, but after holding her hands nothing seemed to change between those two. Then she puts her plan into action. “Chenle, honey, don't forget your dad’s speech is in about twenty minutes and you have to be by his side. Show your friends their seats before that.” He just replied with ‘sure, Nainai’ bowing while she went away.

While sitting at their table with the rest of his friends, Haechan had drunk his seventh glass of champagne. 

“Dude, I think you should suspend the alcohol during Mr. Zhong's speech.” Renjun said, tried to get his cup, but Hyuck quickly finished and called another waiter.

“Relax, we’re going to our next stop soon.” He took his next cup sipping.

“Hyuck, it's serious, you should stop.” Mark gazed at him, but he replied with a grimace.

“Fuck off, Mark. Your princess couldn't come today, so you got to see me, huh?” Mark clenched his fists in anger, and considered answering his friend. But Haechan was almost drunk, it wasn't worth it. However you're his girlfriend and this was going too far, he needs to stop. 

“Can we talk? In particular.” 

Donghyuck sighed and stood up, Mark followed him to the entrance hall of the restrooms. He could hear Chenle’s dad start to talk on the microphone. The crowd was so full that they barely went unnoticed.

“So?”

“I don't want you talking shit about Yn anymore.” Hyuck laughs.

“Me? All I'm saying is the truth, but apparently you're in some type of pussy blindness and can't see how stressful this girl is. But I've news for you, there's a lot of pussy out there.” Haechan said it loudly, and Mark couldn't stop checking if someone was coming. 

“You fucking know I love her. And I'm not asking for you to like her too. But I'm tired of you talking shit every time someone mentions her.” Mark exploded without considering whether someone was listening. “If you're so jealous about my relationship, maybe you should look for someone too, keep my girlfriend’s name out of your mouth..”

“You know me, and you know I don't want this kind of bulkshit in my life.” Hyuck bickered again. “And it doesn't matter to you, but if I find someone, I certainly wouldn't want a person who is so fucking stressful as your girlfriend. She is putting us against each other. I would rather be pussy drunk with the worst girl of campus, than being trapped in a relationship like yours.”

“I'm not guilty if you're sexist with the women you hang out with, but I demand you have some respect for Yn.” Mark whispered with anger, he had to control himself and couldn't scream all he wanted in Hyuck's face, if he didn't want the guards coming to kick them out of the event.

“I'm not sexist, you asshole.” Even drunk Hyuck got totally offended by his comment. He supported every woman's rights, especially the ones that they are free of commitment and sexually active with him. “I'm just saying you're in a fucking toxic relationship, and you could have any other person you want. But you literally aren't listening to me.”

“Yes, because all I could hear is you talking shit about my relationship and especially my girl.” Mark huffed, losing his patience. Hyuck chuckled, gazing at him.

“Why can you listen to me? I'm your best friend longer than she is your girlfriend. You should at least consider what I have to say.” Before Mark could reply to him with the same old answers, Nainai came in holding a plate with some pastries that weren't being served to everyone, not that they noticed it.

“Honey, I saw you two coming in, and you can't miss out on these treats. It's a recipe that’s been in our family for generations.” 

She handed the plate to them. 

How long has she been there? Did she hear their fight? Both boys accept the pastry. 

It's a type of biscuit with a lotus flower design on top. They examined, bowing to the lady, still embarrassed by her presence in the middle of their discussion. “Westerners have tried to export this wonder and market it under generic names like fortune cookie, but only a noble lady knows the secret behind the formula. You should try it. And never forget to check your fate.” They thanked her again, and she vanished, as if she had never been there.

The two friends gazed at each other again, feeling the air tense between them. Hyuck wanted to scream at Mark until he realized why he was wrong. And Mark wanted to do the same with his friend, but as always he avoided confrontation.

“I don't think I can talk with you right now.” He entered into one of the cabins of the men's restroom, leaning against the door. But Hyuck followed him. 

“Oh, c'mon, dude. You can't be serious. You literally will run away from this talk?” He knocked on the locked door. Mark sighed and wiped away some tears that were in his eyes, he couldn't understand why Haechan couldn't accept that you're the love of his life. 

“Go away!” He said and Hyuck stopped to knock on it. For a moment everything goes silent, and he really thought Haechan had gone, so he got the pastry Nainai handed him and broke it, taking out a little paper with some handwritten words.

Outside the cabin, Hyuck looked at himself in the mirror, thinking that maybe he had talked too much, and perhaps there was no turning back. He was going to lose his best friend tonight, and it was obviously your fault. He looked at the pastry in his hand, what else could destiny prepare for him? He broke it while reading the same handwritten words as Mark.

“A path unfolds where hearts must bend. A truth revealed through the eyes of a friend. What you desire, you do not own. Through selfless love, you’re led back home.”

“Bullshit poetry.” Haechan threw the paper in the trash, putting the pastry in his mouth. 

When he turns to get out of the restroom an earthquake begins and he runs toward the door where Mark was. The things in that fancy room started to fall and break, but all he could think about was whether Mark was alright. The earthquake ended as quickly as it began. Mark opened his door as fast as possible searching for Haechan, who was next to the door protecting himself from the things that fell off. 

“Donghyuck, are you good? Did you get hurt?” He asked looking for blood or injuries. 

“No. Did you?” Mark sighed in relief when his friend stood up.

“No, let's see if the others are good.” 

The guy ran outside the restroom, but as soon as they left the restroom everything seemed to be in the perfect position as before. The waiters were still walking calmly between the guests, and Chenle’s dad was in the middle of his speech talking about how Chenle helped him idealize this latest release, combining accommodation and coworking. Their friend was being applauded when they sat down at the table again.

“Hey, are you good? Did you not get hurt in the earthquake, right?” Hyuck held Ryujin's shoulders, analysing her as Mark did with him.

“What are you talking about?” She looked at him like he was crazy. 

“The earthquake. Didn't you guys feel it?” Mark asked after checking if everyone at the table was alright. 

“Okay, no more alcohol and fighting for both of you.” Renjun took their glasses and handed them to the waiter. 

Mark and Haechan looked at each other and thought the same thing, ‘Was it just us?’. They didn't comment anything else about it, listening to the rest of the speech. As soon as it ended, Haechan invited Ryujin to leave, and they both left before dinner began. After some hours Mark and the boys also went to their dorms. He said goodbye to Chenle's family and went straight to his house. He had left his keys with you, and noticed your things weren't there anymore, so he sent you a message asking how your day was. But before he could read your reply he fell into a deep sleep. 

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ is this an ‘anime beach-themed episode’?

The little trip to Chenle’s house was strange. Well, at least between you and Mark. You came in Jeno’s car, with your boyfriend by your side, and Jaemin in the front seat. Hyuck insisted on coming with you, but Renjun pushed him inside Chenle’s car, with Jisung waiting for him in the backseat. On the way, Mark chatted and laughed with his friends, but every time you talked something he suddenly became monosyllabic. You search for his hand in some moments, but he always drags them gesticulating while speaking. And even if you don't mention it, your friends notice too. 

When you arrive at the mansion that Chenle calls beach house, you're left behind by your boyfriend, with your suitcase. He grabbed his own bag and entered the house while chatting with Jisung. Not that you need him to help you, but usually he always offers to carry your things, and this was another strange behavior he's been exhibiting lately. 

From the other car you can notice Haechan walking towards you, holding his own hand baggage.

“Hey! Do you need help carrying them inside?” He asked, but didn't even let you answer before grabbing your things with his free hand.

“Oh, no worries, really... But thank you, Hyuck.” You smiled at him, with only your small bag in your hands, heading inside the house next to him. “Mark’s just leaving his things in there before coming back here.”

“Sure, I'm just… Optimizing our time so we can get to the beach sooner.” He smiled back at you. But when you entered the house, both of your smiles faded away. 

Haechan, Jisung and Jaemin were already without their shirts, chatting and laughing louder while looking for their bathing suits inside the bags, messing the room. Chenle and Renjun are coming back from the kitchen, looking at that scene in horror.

“Dudes, we left for less than five minutes… What the hell happened here?” Renjun asked, but the three other boys just laughed at them.

“I'm going to ignore that, just for now, before I get stressed in the middle of the weekend. Where's Jeno? We need to divide the rooms.” Chenle looked at you and Mark entering the door. Soon Jeno walked behind you two, your friend spoke. “Okay, even this house being big as fuck we only have four rooms. And since Mark and Yn are here, one of them is theirs. We'll decide the rest with rock-paper-scissors.”

“What!?” Mark totally forgot that spending the weekend in Chenles means you and Haechan would have to share a bed for two nights straight. Everyone stared at him, confused by his abrupt reaction. 

“What, what?” Renjun asked. 

“No, I was just wondering… thinking out loud… sorry.” He scratched the back of his neck, fuck he had to control himself.

“So… someone volunt-” Chenle tried to talk, but Jaemin and Renjun spoke at the same time interrupting him.

“Jeno and I will sleep together.” Jaemin comically raised his hand to talk. While Renjun crossed his arms to say.

“Oh great, I would say I would be with Jeno, but Jaem just robbed my roommate. And I'll definitely not sleep with Jisung or Haechan.” Renjun furrowed looking between them. Jisung put his hand over his heart making a face. But Mark was the one who let out an outraged ‘hey’ thatnobody listened. 

“Well, then you're gonna have the pleasure of sleeping with me.” Chenle wiggled his eyebrows to the boy, who just rolled his eyes. 

“I don't know if I want to sleep in the same room with you. You three have this problem with sex, which I fear that I will wake up in the middle of night with a stranger in our room doing some crazy fetish of yours. Actually, except for Mark, I think all of you could do that to me.” He pointed to his friend, and Hyuck's body started to turn red. But Mark's body only giggled with the rest of them.

“What!?? I don't- I don't have a problem with sex-.” Chenle gagged at his friend's words, while the others laughed at his reaction. “Look, okay! Rule number one for the weekend: we aren't going to fuck anyone in this house. Whenever we find someone interesting, we'd go out and then come back before it was time to call the police on kidnapping charges. Understand?” 

“Is this valid for the couple too?” Mark asked. Chenle could save him this time. But Mark suddenly felt the weight of Jeno's arms around his shoulders pulling him down. Mark looked at his next and Jeno was with his friendly smile muttering ‘shut the fuck up.’ Haechan and Jaemin stopped in front of Chenle giving him a comical military salute saying ‘Understood, captain.’

After some more minutes of discussions about the rooms, it has been decided that the two upstairs rooms are for you and Mark, Chenle and Jisung, and the downstairs rooms are for Jeno and Jaemin, and for Renjun who lost in rock paper scissors, and ends up with Haechan. 

“Lele, can you show me where our room is, please?” Chenle led the way through a hallway. Haechan who was still playing and planning to go to the beach with the boys barely noticed you getting out. But Mark saw you getting your suitcase in one hand and your bag in the other. He quickly gets up saying ‘Let me help y-’ but Jeno pulls him again to the couch where they were sitting. 

“Dude, seriously. You have to stop trying to interfere in their relationship.” Jeno looked at his face impatiently, and even though Mark knew his friend would never beat in a bug, he felt a shiver run down his spine under Jeno's eyes. 

“What!? I would just-” Mark tried to justify, but his friend cut him off again.

“No, you wouldn't. And you will not. Look, it's pretty obvious that they're having problems, so we won't get in the way of anything. Especially you. That episode with Minjeong was enough already.” Before he could respond, Jeno turned to their friends who were in the kitchen filling a cooler with beer, and got up saying. “Mark, where's Yn? Call her to go to the beach with us.”

After Jeno called for Mark, Haechan looked around, but you, Chenle and Renjun weren't there anymore. He sighs when Jeno enters the kitchen joining them, so he leaves towards Mark who was sitting with crossed arms on the couch.

“Hey dude, where is she?” He whispered sitting next to him.

“I don't know, maybe you should check in your room.” Mark replied ironically.  

“Oh, come on, dude. Chenle forbade every nasty thought in this house. Nothing will happen, nor would it have happened any other way, you know that. Don't worry.” Hyuck whispered playfully.

“Of course I have to worry, Hyuck. I can't barely talk to my girlfriend while in this body, because you fucking built a reputation for yourself, and now all of our friends think I want to see me and her breaking up. And worse, I fear you want to see us breaking apart, because you're definitely not being a good me.” He rolled his eyes.

“Okay, okay. Understood. I'll try harder.” Both gaze at each other with tired eyes.

Haechan got up, grabbed his own bag that was still in the living room and headed to the stairs. Chenle left the last room on the left without his shirt, wearing his usual sunglasses and with a towel over his shoulder. 

“Hey, we're gonna be neighbors.” The chinese boy pointed to a door with his chin and whispered. “Please, don't moan too loud.” Chenle just smirked at him thinking Mark would be shy, but Hyuck only rolled his eyes, going toward the door.

He knocked, announcing that it was him, and you rapidly responded to him to come in. He did, already closing the door behind him. You were rummaging through your bag looking for something. He just stared at you without saying anything, until you turned and smiled at him. 

“Why are you just standing there staring at me?” You chuckled, finally finding what you were looking for. 

“I came here to invite you to go to the beach…”

“Here, I found it! Help me apply sunscreen and we can go.” You handed him the sunscreen, took off your shirt and let your breasts be exposed to him. 

Hyuck gulped. He didn't want to stare, no, fuck. Actually, he wanted to squeeze it. Suck it. But fuck, Mark was across that damn door, it was the first day, he had to control himself. You turn your bare back to him, and he thinks about how he's seen this scene before. 

Before he could think straight, he ran his fingers through your back and saw you shiver from that. He chuckled, taking some sunscreen and spreading it on your back. At some point he started doing a massage on the small of your back, near the edge of your shorts, but you interrupted him by turning your body again. 

“Do you want me to help you apply here too?” He holds you by the high waist, and you can feel his thumb brushing near your breast. You giggled, and someone knocked on the door. It was involuntary, but Hyuck just pulled your body to his, covering you and feeling your boobs against his own chest, even though the person didn't open the door. “Yeah?”

“We're going out, are you two coming?” Renjun asked behind the door. 

“Yes, hm… Give us a few minutes and we'll be there.” You responded this time, pulling away from his embrace to put on your bikini. Turning around again, so he could tie it for you.

You put your shirt back on, and you two left the room holding hands, walking down the hallway in silence, but you had a silly grin on your face as you looked at him. Entering the living room, you came across some semi-naked bodies.

Mark was sitting in the same spot as before with his arms crossed, but he had changed his outfit, wearing shorts and a t-shirt with UV protection. As soon as Hyuck saw his own face with an angry expression looking at him, he let go of your hand, saying he was going to help the boys with the things they would carry to the beach. You asked if they needed help with the things but your boyfriend denied, and you went to sit near Hyuck on the couch. And as soon as you sat down, Mark started staring at you. He couldn't help himself, so he just asked.

“Do you need help applying your sunscreen?” It was one of  your little summer rituals, so he let it out almost involuntarily. And he only noticed what he had spoken when you turned your face in surprise at him. And Renjun, who was sitting in front of you, looked up from his phone to gaze at him too. 

“Oh, no need… Mark already did it!” 

“Of course he did…” He sighed. “Then… Do you want me to carry your bag?” You open your mouth without knowing what to say. 

“Well… That's very gentle, Hyuck. Thank you, but I thought you would help Jeno with the beer coolers…”

“He doesn't need me…” 

“And I do?” You laughed slightly. Yes! He took a smile from you! But before he could respond to you how much he would love to help even you being a total independent woman, Jaemin called you from the kitchen. You stood up and left still laughing.

“What the hell are you doing?” Renjun squinted and whispered to him as soon as you disappeared by their vision. 

“Being friendly. Like you asked.” Mark responded ironically to Renjun, not wanting to be scolded again mostly because of Hyuck's behavior. He had forgotten about his friend for some seconds. Renjun stares at him, searching for something more malicious in his words, before speaking.

“All I ask you, is to please don't ruin our break. If you're planning to do something, or to say something, just wait till we come back home. At least we don't have to be ashamed of your comments below the same roof. And I'm being very serious, Hyuck. Please.” Apparently every single friend of his was trying to save his relationship from himself. Except for the person who is in his body. How ironic. 

“I won't do anything, Junnie. I swear. All these days, all I've been trying to do is be her friend.” He looked into his friend's eyes, but making promises in Haechan's body was like wearing a mask. But what could he do, if not treat his own girl well? “I can be a gentleman sometimes.”

Renjun narrowed his eyes at him, still searching for malice in his tone. But the supposed Haechan, for some reason, seemed to be telling the truth, so he decided to give him a chance before reprimanding him again.

The rest of you appear in the room ready to go. Jeno and Jaemin were carrying two coolers, while the others carried their towels. Mark gets the bag you had left on the couch, and you go out.

Chenle's house was literally across from the beach, just a few meters away. It wasn't defined as a private beach only because other residents of neighboring mansions also had access. Mark handed you your bag and adjusted the parasol so that everyone could put their towels on the ground. But everybody watched with suspicion as he did that, without complaining like a child about going to the water, like Haechan would. After settling down under the parasol, they began to prepare to enter the sea. 

You weren’t planning to go in just yet, so you dragged your beach towel a little farther away and lay down to sunbathe. When your boyfriend put down the things he was carrying, you remembered he hadn't put on sunscreen and called him over to your towel.

“Do you want me to apply sunscreen to you right now? Or are you going to wait a while before going into the water?” You asked him, already getting the tube in your bag.

“What do you mean? I don't think I need that, I already have naturally tanned skin.” He laughed awkwardly, not exactly looking at you. You laughed too, thinking he certainly was kidding.

“Okay, tanned boy. Sit there, I'm going to apply right now, before you forget again.” You stared at him indicating your own towel. He was still laughing and paying attention to Chenle and Jaemin's conversation about going out tonight. “Mark, are you serious?” 

“You're talking exactly like his mom.” Renjun laughed, he was sitting under the parasol, still wearing his UV-protective shirt. “Let her put on the sunscreen, tanned boy.” Some of his friends looked at him, but he looked directly at Mark, who gave him a little nod, with his lips pressed together, hiding his frustration. 

Hyuck sits down in front of you, the guys keep talking, losing their interest in the couple next them. Except for Mark, who saw you kissing Hyuck's back, or rather, his own back, before applying sunscreen. He saw Hyuck tense up and avoid his gaze, looking out at the ocean while you massaged his back.

“You're so tense… What happened?” 

You whispered in his left ear, giving him a kiss first on the shoulder and then on the back, he shivered. Unfortunately, he liked the feeling of you taking care of him. But he wouldn't admit that and couldn't look at Mark right now. Hyuck could feel his ears reddening, and just murmured ‘nothing’ feeling your hands travel through his back massaging his tensed points. After you finished applying the cream to his back, he turned around, you gave him a little kiss on the lips, and put some sunscreen on his face, spreading it around. 

You smiled sweetly at him, and he smiled back, shyly. “Ready to go, baby boy.” 

Baby boy, you had called him that in a completely different context. And the idea of ​​you calling him that in front of his friends tormented him. 

He smiled awkwardly at you. He had seen you being affectionate and caring towards Mark countless times, but he just never imagined it would feel so good…? He shouldn't think that, not about you. 

Haechan took one of the beers Jeno offered, drinking it quickly. Perhaps only alcohol could save him this weekend. After they drank beers for lunch, with the sandwiches you had prepared before you left the city, some of them decided to go to the sea. You stayed in the sand, sunbathing, while Renjun, Jaemin and Haechan were under the parasol. The rest of them were playing with some water guns that Chenle had at home.

“What is his problem today?” Chenle asked, looking through his sunglasses at Haechan, sitting next to you. 

“Renjun said that this morning he told him that he wants to be friends with her now.” Jeno shrugged. “What do you think, Mark? It’s your girlfriend and your best friend, no one knows them better than you, after all.” Jeno got his friend's attention with a shot of water.

“I don't know. Sometimes he acts strangely... You know him.” He answered while filling his gun with water. 

Of course Mark was acting awkward, you're involved, and always you're involved Mark gets strange.

Hyuck tried to appear occupied, because their friends already complain a lot about his behavior under normal conditions, that is, when he is in his own body. Hyuck definitely doesn't want to listen about what he did or didn't do while Mark is being him. 

But Jeno and Chenle exchanged glances. The alleged Haechan wasn't the only one acting awkwardly recently. Normally, Mark can be a little overprotective over you and your well-being, always prioritizing your comfort, regardless of his friends. This has led to some arguments between Mark and his friends, but they eventually understand that this is the life choices Mark wants to follow and that they will simply respect it. So Haechan follows and bothers you during a break that was supposed to be relaxing, and Mark simply doesn't mind, just saying it was his best friend's personality. Surely something was off. 

“Do you want to say something to us?” Chenle asked. For a second, Haechan thought that his friends had found out everything about the swap thing, and he really didn't know what to say.

“What do you mean? I don't think that I have anything to say...” Fuck. Mark should have been with him if his friends found out.

“Dude, you had been ignoring her since she came back. At the last parties we went to, you spent the whole time with Jeno instead of her. This weekend was the one you had planned to spend with her. Alone. Trying to fix the mistakes of the last times, but then you're the first one who's free and confirms you're coming with us.” Chenle started to point, and Haechan avoided contact. “Not to mention the past situation and the party when I saw you clearly checking out Minjeong… Dude, seriously…”

“I don't want to be disrespectful to you, hyung, but if you don't like her anymore you should break up with her…” This time Jisung appears floating next to him, and avoiding his gaze. 

“Yeah, dude. You're always the first to say we shouldn't play with anyone's feelings. But now you're the one being the asshole.” Jeno pointed slightly toward the beach where you and the boys were sitting. All Haechan could see was you laughing at something Mark said. “What we are trying to say is, are you really sure about you two?” 

His friends stared at him with tense expressions, uncertain of how Mark would react. He looked at them, then at the beach, and saw his own face smiling at Yn.

Whether he wanted to or not, he listened to Mark's advice about playing with other people's feelings and knew that what they were doing with you was wrong. 

Haechan avoided relationships precisely for that reason. He always made his intentions clear to the people who dated him because he hated feeling like he was being used by others, so he avoided doing the same to the others. He liked going out, having fun, fuck anyone and being free. And even though you offering your affection and care might be tempting in trying to shake his structure, he knew he could slip up and hurt you. And probably that was the part he hated most: hurting people and trying to explain himself for being himself. He hated that responsibility. And he hated even more the way the other person looked at him when he didn't fulfill their expectations.

He had no idea how you and Mark functioned with all the conversations you had. It seemed fake to him. He thought you would never accept all the excuses Mark gave about being busy with his crazy life. But you did. You talked and you accepted it.

It was such a perfect relationship, so unattainable, and so different from the first and only one he'd had in adolescence that he couldn't believe it. So he preferred to avoid it. 

In truth, he simply couldn't handle it. Everyone knew he was like that. Everyone knew he didn't get involved in relationships. This game of push and pull wasn't for him. And if it were up to him, Haechan would break up with you.

But Mark seemed happy. 

Even without being able to act as he wanted with you, these few moments between the two of you kept him sane. And after everything, Mark also agreed to keep Hyuck's life as it was before, even if it meant doing things he didn't want to do. As his best friend, all Hyuck could do was return the favor. No matter what. 

He takes a deep breath before answering his anxious friends. 

“I think it's too early for you guys to be already drunk.” He smiled at his friends. “Look, Yn and me, we're good, okay? You don't need to worry about anything, because we're not going to break up. At least not that I know of, or want to... What really matters is that we're okay, I just have a few more things on my mind.” Hyuck did his best to give the best answer he could, and when he thought about changing the subject, he saw you entering the water from afar. 

⋆˚࿔

“I love this book.” You are lying on your belly, sunbathing and reading the unbearable lightness of being when you see Hyuck accommodating next to you. You certainly don't expect him to like this book, although Tomas might be a character he identifies with. 

“It's my fourth time reading this…” You said awkwardly. You really hoped he wouldn't make fun of it, but the response surprised you even more.

“I know.” He smiled, looking into your eyes. 

“What?” 

“I mean, Mark said one time you really liked this book, so I guessed you read it more than one time…?” He gets embarrassed. What kind of freak would reply ‘I know’, what the fuck? But your smile grows wider, and Mark could feel his cheeks getting hotter.

“This sounds like something he would do. I'm impressed that you remembered.” He could remember every single detail about you. “So what do you like about this book?” You said, closing your book and sitting closer to him.

“I think the author perfectly captures this eternal push and pull of life's choices. He's not afraid to show how flawed human beings are. Teresa and Tomas are just humans burdened by the weight of their decisions and the differences between them in the middle of a war scenario, but that's life, isn't it? Maybe that's the beauty of it… Even though we try to make it look perfect, it will probably always be involved in the chaos.” He started speaking and noticed how your eyes lit up to his reply. You keep smiling at him and he wants to kiss you right there, oh fuck, you're so close he could smell your perfume mixed with the sunscreen.

“You and Mark had a very similar opinion. I think the book gives us many perspectives to analyze. Yours included, obviously. But I love analyzing Teresa's perspective. Each of them is a complex character, but I love seeing how she draws on her own fears. It's not funny, I know, but it's exactly what you said, you know? The eternal push and pull...” You gesticulate while talking, it's a sign of your nervousness. Mark chuckled, nodding with you, he already talked about this book so many times with you, but he sure wouldn't mind talking again. 

Meanwhile, Renjun and Jaemin watched the two of you, exchanging glances and trying to understand since when Hyuck had liked literature. And what had happened to him to make him act this way. Jaemin looked at Renjun over his sunglasses, and the boy just shrugged. 

“Hey, do you guys know what would be cool? And kind of poetic?” Jaemin's tongue was rolling from the effect of the beer, but he saw everyone turn at him.

“What?” You asked.

“We could throw a party in Chenle’s pool with his very hot neighbors.” He lifted his body trying to gesticulate something big.

“Oh, he would never allow…” Mark laughed. “Chenle died a hundred times before this happened. Drop that, pretty boy.” 

“No, he's right! That would be great. Let me talk to Mark and see if he can help us convince Lele.” You stood up, adjusting your bikini. Jaemin's idea was great. If they were busy with pretty girls, you could be busy with your boyfriend. “Don't worry, guys. I'll handle the house, and you handle the alcohol.” You winked at them, smiling, and turned to walk towards the ocean.

“She has no idea what I’ve been handling lately…” Jaemin lowered his sunglasses and sighed, watching you dive in and then walk over to your boyfriend.

“Shut up. You idiot.” Renjun started to laugh and threw him a t-shirt.

“What do you mean?” Mark was confused. But Jaemin was a lightweight, so he was sure it was just drunk rambling. 

They didn't answer his question, and Mark wondered if it was something about their lives that they hadn't shared with him, especially since he was in Haechan’s body now. 

⋆˚࿔

Haechan tried not to look at your body, especially after you got up from the dive with your wet body begging for his attention, but that didn't last because you quickly found his body in a hug. He could feel your tits on his side, and without thinking about it he threw an arm around you, and the other he kept holding his water gun. 

“I came here to inform you of great news. Jeam had an excellent idea.”

“He's drunk on two cans of beer, what kind of idea is he having now?” Jeno chuckled.

“He suggested a pool party in Chenle's house.” You did your best pleasant eyes, but Chenle’s answer is no automatically. Your boyfriend and Jisung made a reproval sound, so you made your last-ditch effort to convince him. “Well, he said we could invite the girls from your neighborhood who were at the beach earlier.”

“Oh, dude, you have to think about it.” Jisung holds Chenle's shoulders, the same time as shaking them.

But the boy was certain that wouldn't be a party there. He'd even thought about it before when it would be just the boys. But as soon as he mentioned to his brother that everyone had confirmed, his brother forbade them from getting near his wine basement. Which was already very complicated for them under normal circumstances, imagine what it would be like at a party.

“I had already made a reservation at a club restaurant nearby.” You pouted and said you were going to tell them, but Chenle said he'd love to give Jaemin the news, and got out of the water.

Haechan didn't understand why you came trying to convince Chenle to throw a party with other pretty girls. Okay, he'd seen you at several parties and knew you liked to have fun, he even had some fun with you, but he found it funny that you showed up excitedly asking, and even funnier the face you made when Chenle refused. He didn't question anything, but he observed you.

After Chenle got out of the water, Haechan thought you would keep clinging to him, like you always did with Mark. And even though he complained, he was getting used to it, especially since he was clingy too. But instead, you picked up the water gun that Chenle left behind, messed around for a bit, then gave up and swam over to Jisung, who arrived beside you with his float and water gun.

“Where did you learn to swim so well?” You laugh at his cuteness. 

“First of all, I'm not doing very well, it's just the basics so I don't drown. But it was at school, I think, when I was a little kid...” 

“I hoped to learn too. I even asked those two idiots to teach me but they just gave me the float and told me to go to hell.” He said, turning around with the help of the float.

“Mark!! You should have taught him how to swim!” 

You called your boyfriend who was busy pretending to be shot and thrown into the sea.

“No way! That way he'll lose all the water fights as quickly as possible.”

He started shooting at Jisung, who dove to avoid it. Then Jeno started shooting at you. And when Hyuck noticed, he started shooting back at his friend.

You started playing like kids. You're hiding behind your boyfriend, but sometimes Jeno or Jisung would grab you and suddenly jump on top of you both. Even if you yelled for Mark to help you, he would just laugh. You did the same with the boys some times, and Haechan found it funny how you joined in the fun with his friends. Normally you would be more reserved and stay by Mark's side, wouldn't you? At least that's what he remembered from the parties and game nights…

You guys kept playing around, and after Jisung swallowed a lot of water, Jeno decided he was going to teach him how to swim.

“You have to relax your body and imagine you're floating.  We won't let you drown.”

Jeno was trying to explain, while you three were standing right next to him in case his body sank. Hyuck and Jeno were holding his legs and you his neck, but then Jisung started getting nervous, which didn't help at all as his body remained floating.

“You are weighing your body.” Haechan said, trying to keep his friend's body above water.

“Sorry… It's just like… I feel like I’m a baby again…” 

You're all staring at him without understanding. Jisung quickly looks at your breast near his face and you release him. The boys started laughing and Jisung sank.

“Oh shut up!” You said. And again, Haechan thought you might be offended, but you started laughing with them, seeing the youngest boy get up rapidly with his cheeks red.

“No! No! I mean, I feel like a baby because I can't control my own body.” Jeno and Hyuck started smirking, looking at their friend. And the boy realized the comment he made, whining. “Nooooo, I didn't mean it that way.”

“Okay, mama's boy, we understand.” You spoke and you spotted Chenle from afar waving and yelling for you to come back to get ready before going to the restaurant. 

⋆˚࿔

You had already done your makeup but were unsure about your outfit, waiting for Mark to finish getting ready so he could help you, when Jaemin knocked on the door and came right in. He was shirtless holding a linen button-down shirt in one hand, and in the other a white baby tee with ‘trEat your girl right’ written on the chest.

“I need your help. I don't want to give the wrong impression.” He joked like it was a job interview. Then your boyfriend comes out of the bathroom already dressed and sees you two trying on the t-shirts on Jaemin in front of the mirror.

“I like this one, but it's just that I think you're being too direct about your intentions… Some girls like it a little more mysterious…” You suggested, while he held the baby tee in front of his torso.

“What do you think, Mark?” He asks through the mirror to his friend who sat on the bed to watch you two.

“What are your intentions?”

“Make an invitation.” He quickly winked through the mirror at Hyuck, who chuckled.

“That's why I think the t-shirt serves a much better purpose. You wear it kinda open and leave your chest exposed. There's no better invitation than that.” You say, placing the t-shirt in front of his torso.

“Oh, you like them?” He smirked at you, but you just giggled back, giving him a light tap on the arm.

Haechan watched the scene, still sitting on the bed. Was Jaemin hitting on you? Or was this a normal interaction that happened when you went to Mark's house? He couldn't say because he avoided going, but judging by your reaction, you seemed familiar with this.

“Now that you two are ready, I need help choosing my dress.” You said, looking in your suitcase. Jaemin adjusted his shirt like you said, and sat down next to Hyuck.

“I like seeing you in black...” Hyuck said out of nowhere, thinking about the mini skirt you were wearing at the first party after he and Mark had swapped.

“In black? I don't think I've brought anything black…” You pouted before speaking. “But I brought two that I think you'll like.”

You showed the two dresses, one in each hand. Looking at them like that, they didn't seem like much, just a piece of cloth and another slightly larger piece. Hyuck was going to say either one just so you guys could come down and go to the restaurant, but Jaemin was faster.

“Why don’t you try them on for us?” He purred.

Hyuck still didn't know what to do, staring between you and his friend. Your eyes lit up and you went into the bathroom to change. He might have been a little lost in the strange atmosphere that had grown between you two, but at least he knew that if it were just you and him, you would change in front of him and he was going to enjoy the view.

It didn't take long for you to emerge from the bathroom wearing one of the most beautiful dresses Hyuck had ever seen in a girl. It was a strappy dress, long to mid-calf, in a slightly yellowish gold color, and hugging to your body accentuating all the right parts. Your breasts were there, in a V-neck, inviting him again. He could undress you right now and suck you off in front of Jaemin, just so his friend would learn some manners around his best friend’s girlfriend.

He wanted to tell you to go with that one, so he could admire you from a distance all night, but again Jaemin was faster.

“It's beautiful, but I wanted to see the pink one.”

“That's favoritism towards the color pink. What did you think, babe?” 

You asked, turning around at him, and he could see how perfect your butt looked in that damn dress too. But he only agreed with Jaemin so as not to raise suspicion.

“Let’s see the pink one.” 

You went back into the bathroom and Jaemin looked at him with a sly smile. He asked what was wrong, but his friend just shrugged, smirking and waiting for you.

And you showed up in the pink dress, just as short as that skirt that you wore that day. With your back exposed, but more delicate than the last time. It was a beautiful dress, of course. You looked beautiful in any of them. For Hyuck, it didn't compare to the last one. But Jaemin stood up and started praising how beautiful you looked in it.

You waited for your boyfriend to say something, and when Hyuck agreed that you looked really beautiful, you decided to go with this one.

Jaemin gave his opinion on which of the two high heels you had picked out, and whether you should style your hair or wear it down. That's when Hyuck noticed. 

He was dolling you up, treating you like one of his girls, just like Hyuck did with Ryujin at the Zhong family reunion. 

What's the problem with Jaemin? He couldn't see that you were with Hyuck? He means, with Mark... What the hell did he think he was doing?

“Can you give us a minute?” He looked seriously at his friend who was helping you put on a necklace.

“Sure, I'll wait for you guys downstairs.” He smirked and winked at Haechan.

“Are you okay? You know you don't have to wear that dress just because we gave our opinion, right?” 

He asked, looking at you through the mirror, but you turned, nodded and smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck. You kissed him, and that feeling was almost too intimate. Almost too dangerous. 

He pulled away and looked at your face. Fuck. He wanted to kiss you again. Your kiss had that effect. He forgot who you were, the reason why he hadn't gotten along with you in the past, and worst of all, who you’re dating. But he couldn't, and wouldn't.

So he just smiled and invited you to go to the living room with the other guys.

⋆˚࿔

You arrive quickly at the restaurant that is in front of the beach. It's an atmosphere with a mix of tropical and techno. The lights are low, in a mix of green, yellow, and red colors. There was a large bar facing a dance floor, but you're guided to a large table a little further away.

Chenle arrives and greets a few people as if he's known them for years. In fact, you wouldn't be surprised if the place belonged to his family. 

When you all arrive at the table, Mark thinks about pulling out a chair for you to sit down, but Jaemin quickly sits on one side and Renjun on the other, pulling him between them. The place was starting to get crowded, and even though you tried to stay together, you arrived at the table a few seconds later, guiding Haechan by the hand while Chenle walked behind you two, still thanking one of the workers.

After some moments, you all had dinner, a few drinks, and lots of chat, but all Mark could think was that an opening would appear and his moment with you would finally come.

“I love this song!” You grab Haechan's hand pulling him while a Bad Bunny song starts to play. “C'mon, babe, let's dance.” 

“Actually, I'm gonna get more drinks… Maybe later, okay?” He offered a smile to you, who pouted, but he went towards the bar anyway.

You're the only one standing, gazing at a bunch of men finishing their drinks and avoiding looking at you. You crossed your arms to analyze your possibilities. None of them wanted you on this trip, fearing you'd ruin their chances with someone else, let alone dance with you at a party full of beautiful women. You flipped through your options, ranking them in order of who would be least likely to reject you.

“Lele?”

“I'm very full right now, sorry.” He gave you a weak smile but barely looked at you. Ok, great, even him. It's gonna be hard.

“Ji?” Now you offered a small smile looking at him. Jisung sighed. And right when he was going to reply to you, Marktried to speak, but Jisung was faster.

“Well, if you wanted, we could-” Mark was cut off. 

“Only this song, okay? And you owe me a cocktail.” 

Jisung barely had to stand up and you were already pulling him to the dancefloor by his hand. Took some steps, but in seconds you two aligned with the rhythm and with each other. 

Mark watched you two from a distance, still on the table with the others. He knows that if any of your friends didn't accept to dance with you, you would probably just sit down again and wait for Hyuck to come back, hoping he will accept the next song. So he thought about offering to dance with you and enjoy these little moments. But Jisung was probably his only friend he knew that would never hurt you, nor in these little things like declining your call to dance. So even though he lost his chance to be with you, Mark felt relieved seeing you and Jisung laughing and having fun from a distance.

“Since when does Jisungie know salsa?” Renjun asked, and Mark noticed he wasn't the only one watching you two.

“Yn taught him some steps when she went to their house…” All eyes were on him now, curious to know why he had that information. “Mark told me.” He simply answered and turned again to watch you two. 

“Isn't he being too adventurous with his hand there?” Jeno suggested watching Jisung hold your hip with one hand after you spun around and returned to his body.

“Well, she doesn't seem to mind. Honestly, she kinda has a soft spot for him.” Jaemin joined the joke and commented. He lives with Jisung, and he certainly knows that you spoil his friend, not as much as your boyfriend, but if they want to, they could compete. “I bet if he asked, they'd agree right away.” This time Mark turned his face to his friends with his eyebrows furrowed. If he asked what? He wondered.

“But she has a soft spot for you too, probably she's into this pure boy vibe. I mean, she dates Mark.” Chenle pointed out. Mark still wasn't understanding where this conversation was leading on. “But I’d definitely put my money on Renjun. Artistic boy, angel-faced, kinda sly.” Renjun laughed and winked at his friend murmuring something like ‘are you into me?’

“But you guys forgot that Renjun is almost a pillow prince, and Haechan here said one time Mark spilled to him that they were into missionary. Mark’d probably have to do all the work” Jaemin put his arm around Mark's shoulders while talking. And then, Mark realized, widening his eyes. “I'd bet on Haechan. Mark always gives him everything he asks for.” Mark looked at Jaemin and the boy pouted as if he were going to kiss him. 

“Oh! Are you guys talking about a threesome!?? With Yn and Mark!!??” He looked at his friends who were laughing, everything seemed so natural. Did they talk about this frequently? 

“Yes, why? Usually, you're the first to start this conversation, and now you're all quiet. What happened?” His friends asked but all that was going on in Mark's head was Hyuck's face and ‘oh, that motherfucker’. 

“I-I… I think you’re all drunk! All of you!” He crossed his arms, visibly stressed, but the boys continued laughing.

“Yes, and ready to get more!” Haechan arrived at the table holding beers and a waiter followed him with the tray containing the drinks. “What are we enjoying so much, uhm?” 

“Nothing… We're just commenting on how excited you’re tonight.” Jaemin changed the subject, taking his drink from the waiter and taking a sip. Mark gazed at him thinking ‘the second motherfucker’. 

“Of course, I am.” Haechan sat in his place and opened his beer. “I'm in a beautiful place, eating delicious food, drinking a great beer, chilling with my beautiful friends…” 

“And with your beautiful girlfriend…” Chenle remembered him. With crossed arms, Mark still watched them. ‘The third motherfucker’.

“Oh, yeah. My beautiful girlfriend. Where's she?” He said, opening his beer and taking a sip again. 

Just in time for you and Jisung returned from the dancefloor laughing. You sat next to Haechan, pulling his face into a kiss that ended with a few pecks on his lips as you smiled. Haechan wasn't used to this kind of thing happening in front of his friends, so he could feel his cheeks getting hotter while you grab your drink. He had sat right in front of Mark this time and besides his flushed cheeks, he could feel his friend's eyes piercing him.

“Mark,” Mark offers a cynical smile to his own face. “Can we talk for a while?” The other boys started to make ‘uhm’ sounds, saying ‘this night is yours, dude’ or wishing luck to Hyuck. As if he wereactually gonna request and Mark would give him everything he asked for. 

Both of them went outside the restaurant, but before they could stop to really talk, Mark was already giving Hyuck a slap on his shoulder. 

“Ah! What the actual fuck?” 

“At first, I was worried about the possibility of you fucking my girlfriend, but you guaranteed me that it would never happen. And now, I just found out you don't only want to fuck her as you incite everyone to want to do the same. What the hell, Donghyuck!” Some people passing by looked at them, but neither gave a fuck. 

“Ok, okay…” After a long pause, Haechan said. “I admit it, I already talked about Yn being hot with the others. I mean, she's pretty. But it was all a joke, you don't have to worry about it, everyone knows you date a pretty girl…” He tried to change the subject and return to the party. 

“That's literally not what I am worried about, and you know that, Hyuck.” 

“And what bothered you, Mark?” He sighed.

“I know you and our friends had shared a couple of girls before, and I don't want you making this swapped thing the opportunity to fuck my girl or even invite someone to our relationship. Are we understood?”

“Man, I told a million times, I'll not do it! You're my best friend, I'll never do it with you.” Hyuck grabbed Mark by the shoulder to look at his eyes. 

Mark stared at his own eyes, looking for some indication of untruth. But the kindness in his own eyes, along with Haechan's convincing attitude, dissuaded him from detecting any malice. 

They go back inside the restaurant party, just to see you and your short baby pink dress next to Jeno, but leaning over the table holding your drink while Jaemin takes a sip from your straw. That definitely doesn't help with Mark's jealousy. Hyuck looks at his friend and sees his own face with a hard expression.

“Hey, hey, hey. YOU calm down, and let ME resolve this. Okay?” 

You’d moved from your place, next to Jisung, to sit next to Jeno to talk, still drinking from the same glass you offered to Jaemin.

“Okay, but I still cannot believe you taught Jisungie all those moves in just two weeks, it's actually insane.” Jeno said, he's not exactly drunk, but they could tell he started to get tipsy. His arm resting around your chair while he gazed at your face with dark eyes that didn't go unnoticed by Mark.

“Oh yeah, you turned the introverted gamer boy into a salsa master. You're such a great teacher.” This time Jaemin declared, and you giggled at him. He was definitely drunk. Actually, it doesn't take much for that to happen, but tonight it seems he outdid himself. And, unlike Jeno, he forgot to hide his hungry expression.

“No… Honestly, he’s just a good student...” You barely noticed the way they both looked at each other, and then looked at you. 

You're so drunk that everything that was going through your mind was how you showed the steps you took weeks learning to Jisung and he just did it without a second explanation. You glanced at your nearly empty drink, then looked up at Jaemin, but before he could say something Haechan sat next to him, with the most serious expression you'd seen on him, and your boyfriend sat next to you. Immediately, almost like automatically, your body turned and your face found his neck where you left a kiss, and he shiver. 

“You took too long, babe.” You pouted. “Here, try this one, you're gonna love that!” You put the same straw you shared with Jaemin in his mouth. Haechan promised Mark he would resolve this, so he grabbed your glass and drank all of it. 

“Yes, princess. I love this one. But what I really would love to know is which of these two jerks gave you more alcohol knowing you're a lightweight?” He questioned his friends, but the three of you laughed. 

“Relax, daddy. We thought you said we would get more drunk and have some fun.” Jeno rolled his eyes at Mark, who was serious, and Haechan finally understood his friend, because he found that unacceptable. But before he could act like the real Mark, you pecked his lips, smirking, and looking between his eyes and lips, and whispered. 

“Yeah, relax, daddy. Let's have some fun.” Everyone at the table saw the way Haechan got speechless looking at you. Jaemin and Jeno stared at each other again, smirking. And this time the real Mark rolled his eyes. 

“Where are the others, huh?” If it was needed he was going to drag everyone back home in seconds. 

“After Jisung danced with Yn, some girls called him to dance, and Chenle went together. And Renjun is getting more drinks.” Jeno explains.

“And us, we’d never leave a beautiful lady alone.” Jaemin declared, winking at you, who giggled leaning towards your boyfriend's chest.

“More drinks??” Mark questioned incredulously. “There's no way for you to drink more, I'm gonna find him and tell him to change it for water.”

“No need. I already bought water for everyone. Especially for these two. I can’t deal with your drunken asses anymore. ” Renjun appears holding eight bottles of water and handing at least two of them to you and Jaemin. 

You stayed for another hour at the restaurant, dancing and getting a little more sober. You and Jaemin stopped to drink before you got your asses kicked by Renjun, but the others with a little more strength to handle alcohol continued. Then Chenle and Jisung showed up, saying that the girls they were dancing with had invited them to a nearby club. The guys agreed almost immediately, and it was just starting the night, but you were tired. For obvious reasons, getting drunk and sober again took out all of your energy, everything you could think of was a bath and your boyfriend's arms holding you in bed. 

“Sorry, guys… I'm really tired.” You explained, awkwardly. Mark was one of those who seemed too excited with the idea of going to this club. You really wished to go home and dream in his chest, but you don't want to be the vibe killer, so you just whispered to him. “Babe, if you want to go, I'll just wait for you at home. No problem” You offered a kind smile.

Haechan didn't expect this from you, usually you and Mark just go home together, and the rest of them stay at the party till sunrise. But after you offered that smile to him, he looked at Mark, and his friend was indicating to him to go with you. And considering how long this night was, he just sighed and said he’d go with you. 

“Yep, uhmm. I'm going home with them.” Mark said. Jeno and Jaemin stare at each other again, giggling, as they know where this is going to end based on their jokes earlier. But Renjun interrupted their daydreaming.

“No fucking way. For some reason, today you're the only one conscious enough to help me carry them if something happens. You'll go with me. And no excuses.”

You all waited for your Ubers in front of the restaurant. You inclined your body against Mark's, and he holds you with one of his hands. After a short drive to Chenle's house, you prepared your bath while Haechan was still in the living room downstairs. Before entering, you go check on him only to see your boyfriend with a cigarette in hand watching the ocean from afar. 

“I don't know if I'm going to get used to this habit.” You hugged him from behind, when he took another drag.

“Sorry, I thought you were taking your bath.” 

“I came here to invite you to come with me.” You kissed his shoulder. You can be very teasing when you want. But he promised Mark, again. And he wouldn't break it again. 

“Maybe another time, uhm?” He turned and kissed your forehead. You're not very invested in that, because you just smiled at him and went upstairs again. 

Haechan kept a moment there looking at the ocean, he wondered how they would swap again, or if they even would someday. He thought of how much he wanted to talk with his brother about this craziness, Taeyong probably would have the answer to this whole shit. Fuck, he really missed his own life. 

He remembers that afternoon together again. Despite everything, it was fun. He didn't remember you being like that with Mark. But he also didn't pay enough attention to you to notice it. Hyuck only remembered you clinging to his friend, whispering things in his ear, and now Hyuck knew why his friend was so flustered.

Those were strange days. It felt strange having someone like that with him. When he went out with girls, there was always that physical part, but the affection and care were something new to him. Even though Hyuck was a very touchy guy, and it was kind of cool to have someone like him wanting his body all the time, you weren’t his. And the touches and glances you sent weren’t meant for him. He sighed, taking his last drag before putting out the cigarette.

And then there was the imposition that Mark had made that was still almost killing him. He could swear that his dick would fall anytime on any day if he didn't fuck someone as quickly as possible. But he would control it, Mark has done so many things for him over these years, and all he had to do was keep fucking a pocket pussy. 

When he entered your shared room, the shower was already off. Your dress was on the ground, near your panties and your heels. He didn't think much of it, picking up the things and putting them next to the dirty clothes. You had prepared his things to shower, putting them all over the table. He also didn't think much of it, just sitting in bed and waiting for you to get out of the bathroom, so he could use it. Mark texted saying that he and Renjun were heading home, but Haechan was distracted by a video and didn't pay attention, barely noticing when you left the bathroom.

“Babe…” 

“Uhm?” Haechan kept scrolling, but when you didn't answer back he turned his face. “Do you need help with-”

You're wearing one of Mark's old shirts, red with the spider from Spiderman printed on it. The shirt barely covers your thighs, and Haechan ran his eyes over your body. He wanted to believe you were wearing a very tiny shorts below it. You smelled vanilla and lemon, your hair was still wet, and he already knew that hungry look in your eyes since that party, right after him and Mark had swapped. Oh, right, Mark! 

“That’s Mark’s favorite t-shirt.” He let out dumbly. You approached, chuckling, when you heard him talk about himself in the third person.

“Yes… And do you wanna know what other favorite thing of Mark's I'm using?” You stopped right beside him and saw him giving you a slight nod. “Mark’s favorite panties.” 

You slowly pulled your shirt up revealing a black lace with some straps that contour your hips. It was very pretty in the front, but Haechan only understood why it was his friend's favourite when you turned around and he saw your butt totally exposed. The straps that contoured your hips made some draws around your butt, but didn't hide anything. Forming almost a perfect heart, and ending in a bow on the small of your back, like a fucking present for him. No, no, no! What the hell was he thinking about? You had said ‘Mark's favorite’, not ‘Haechan’s favourite’, this is a present for Mark, not for him. Although, this could easily be Haechan's favorite too. 

You turned again and sat on his lap with one leg on each side, and his hands went straight to your hips below the shirt. He swallowed hard, blinking and feeling you deposit your weight on his lap to roll your hips. You were smiling when you leaned towards to kiss his jaw, lowering to his neck. You could feel his nails pressing your hips, but never moving. You searched for the edge of his own shirt to take it off, but Haechan stopped you right before.

“Wait!” You looked at his eyes, placing your hands on his shoulders, not understanding if you had done something he didn't like. “Are you sure you wanted to do this?” 

“Yes…” You smiled at him again, but then you noticed that maybe that question wasn't for you. “Oh! Mark, babe… If you don't want it, it's okay. I’d just…” You started to stand up, but he pushed your hips against his again, biting his lip to prevent moaning from the contact. 

“No! No… I mean, I thought you were tired…” He pulled your body closer to him.

“Never for you.” You started to roll your hips again and watched how he closed his eyes and bit his lip again, sensing your movements. You leaned over again to give him some hickeys around his neck, but he stopped you just in time holding your shoulders.

“Listen, if we're going to do this, it's gonna be on my way. Okay?” He had promised Mark he wouldn't fuck you. And he would not! He just needed, and apparently you too, some relief. You agreed, biting your lips and starting to get lost in your own pleasure without stopping your movements on him. “Right! So no hickeys tonight.” 

“Mark!” You whined pouting, but he kept his hard glance. “Okay… Any other rules?”

“I'll let you know.” He smirked, kissing you deeply.

His hands traveled around your body, playing with the straps in your ass, then going towards your waist helping you put your weight on his lap and didn't let you stop your hips from moving over your clothes. When his hands found your boobs, he squeezed them, but soon put your nipples between his fingers, rolling them, you separated from the kiss to moan. Oh, that's new, Haechan thought, smirking. He needed to test it again, so he pulled your shirt up and gave the edge to you to hold between your teeth. He was thinking about your tits since that morning and now they're totally exposed to him, making him the one who let out a groan. 

He grabbed your boobs, pressing them together, only to release them and watch them bounce. He did this twice before catching one of your nipples between his fingers to roll them, your reaction was instantaneous, whimpering and stopping to move your hips to squeeze your thighs around his body. Haechan held your other nipple, rolling them at the same time, kept his gaze on your face watching how you released your shirt to moan loudly. He couldn't help but giggle at your reaction. 

“Princess is so sensitive, uhm?” He said, inclining to put his mouth around it and suck your nipple. You moaned louder, placing one of your hands in his hair to caress. Fuck no hickeys, he'd to make sure you remember that when you look at your breasts tomorrow. 

“Babe, please…” You're squirming in his lap, pulling his body closer to you by his own shirt, and making an effort to take it off. Haechan holds both of your hands with one, while the other continues massaging the nipple he had bitten.

“Slow down, princess. It's in my way, remember?” He gazed at your face before pulling you for a peck. 

He took off his shirt, and you ran your nails through his chest and abs. Your lips were fast exploring his sensitive spot below his ears, but your fingers were faster searching for the edge of his pants and underwear. Haechan couldn't help but groan, feeling your kisses with slight bites along his neck. He wanted to lose himself in that feeling, and wanted you to enjoy it too, but when the hand that you're using to try to undress him rubbed his cock, he woke from the trance and stopped you again. 

“Wait, wait…” 

“Did I do something wrong?” You asked nervously. 

“No, princess… Just let me take it off myself.” 

He gave you a little pat on your thigh and you got off his lap and knelt on the bed, looking at how Haechan pulled out only his pants, kept his underwear. When he makes no further intention of taking it off, you move towards planting kisses all over his abs and rubbing his hard cock above his boxer. You looked beautiful in this place. Your hands traveled to the edge again ready to pull off, but when you would do it Hyuck grabbed your hair and forced you to stare at him. Fuck. Mark. He couldn't do this. 

“Can the princess do me a favour?” He asked, inclining his body. This was the perfect position to spit in your mouth if you were any other girl. You nodded with a little whimper. Fuck, he wanted to ruin you. “Ride me with those panties on.” 

You bite your lip and smirk at him, it has been on your mind since you did your suitcase. You tried to pull his underwear again, but this time he slapped your hand away.

“I'm gonna keep mine too. If in the end I think you deserve it, you'll gain the cock.” He let down your hair and sat back on the bed beside you. 

“But I… I deserve it…” You looked at his face like a lost puppy and he chuckled. Haechan never thought that you, among all people, could get cock drunk without even seeing the cock.

“Oh, did you?” He pretended to be surprised. “Everything you did tonight proved me wrong, princess. I saw you letting Jisung hold your hips like you're his. I saw you letting Jaem doll you up for him, and then you flirting with him and Jeno at the same damn time. And principally, I saw the way you looked at Haechan all day long. Did you really think you deserved my cock now?”

“No! I… I didn't mean to…” You really didn't mean to. If you two could talk you're sure he would understand, but all that was going through your brain right now was how much you wanted to prove to him that you deserve him inside you. And for the print on his underwear he probably was thinking the same.

“Then prove it. Ride me.” Haechan smirked, caressing your hip on one side and indicating his cock to you. You swung one leg over him again, but before you could deposit your weight he denied. “This looks like a gift, so I would want to see the bow turned to me.” He pulled one of the straps of your pantie. You blinked and pouted again. 

“But I want to see your face… I want to kiss you…” You meowed softly.

“Prove yourself, and then you'll have what you want.” He smirked and you gave up, turning your back to him.

As soon as Hyuck felt your weight on top of his cock he held a moan. The t-shirt was too big and blocked almost his entire view, you seemed to know this and took it off before you even started to ride him. He could imagine your boobs right now, and bite his lip at the thought. You adjusted yourself on him, making sure your clit was seated on top of the hardened base of his cock, so you moaned while starting to move forward and backward. Haechan places one hand on your butt, following your movements, and with the other runs it up your back until he reaches your hair, holding it. 

He likes to think that he had this in mind since you came from that door in these slutiest panties. He would dry humped you until you two cum, maybe fingered you and gave you some more orgasms, the necessary for you don't ask for his cock, because he definitely wouldn't fuck you. He promised Mark, and he was going to keep it. He just needed to avoid seeing your face, and everything would be fine.

You rolled your hips a little harder, crying incoherent ‘please’, ‘babe’ and ‘fuck’, and making Hyuck moan too. He let your hair go which made your back more arched and gave him a total vision of your exposed core grinding on his underwear. Your wetness had printed his cock, and you couldn't stop rolling your clit on there. Hyuck also couldn't stop looking at how delicious your pussy looks grinding on him. 

“You're a fucking slut, you know that, right?” 

He left the first slap on your butt, and you whined. Hyuck could see your cunt tighten around nothing but your hips never slowing down the movements. He delivered the second slap harder and you moaned louder, pressing your core on him as if he was going to fuck you through the clothes. He laughed at you, slapping your butt one more time. 

“So fucking desperate whore. Is that why you were flirting with Jeno and Jaemin earlier? You almost became their dessert tonight…” He gave you one more slap and then massaged your butt where it started to redden. “Did you want they both fuck this needy cunt in the restaurant, in front of everyone, right? I bet you want two cocks inside you…” 

“No, babe…” You whine again, never stopping your movements. You could feel his dick twitching beneath you, when you turned your face to answer him. “I only need you… I'm yours, I'm totally yours.” He gave you the fifth slap and you returned to your position, tightening harder around nothing. 

“Does that mean I could do anything I wanted with you, huh?” You nodded, waiting for the next slap, but he held you open to see your core better. 

You stopped rolling your hips when his thumb passed through your entry until your clit, making you shiver slightly, and this didn't go unnoticed by Hyuck, who chuckled again. So wet, so sensitive. You gave him so many ideas and he could never implement them. Suddenly you felt his thumb entering your needy core, making you moan in relief. He pats your hip slightly and you understand that you still have to prove yourself, so you start fucking yourself in his finger while he caresses your back. You adjusted your posture, putting your head on his shoulder and starting to bounce slightly on his thumb. Hyuck could see your profile, and seemed like you're close to your climax, so he let you do it a little more, rolling one of your nipples in his fingers. He also could feel that his cock must explode anytime soon through the desire to want fuck someone, not you, never you, of course, because he promised Mark, but you bouncing on him, fuck, his mind was going dizzy.

“It’s so good, babe, I love you so much…” You whined and rolled your hips. “I think I'm gonna cum… Please… Let me have you.” Then suddenly, he pulled out his thumb from you and pushed your back away from his chest, while you whined.

“You said you're mine, so let me play a little more.” Haechan analyzed your core exposed for him again. He collected the stickiness from your cunt dragging it till your rim. 

That was something he wanted to do since he saw those butt plugs in your toy box. Your back arches at the sensation of him circling your rim to prep you, biting your lip to hold your moan. But after spreading a little bit more of your natural lubricant he inserts his thumb inside your rim this time, and you let out a loud moan. He let you adjust to the same position as the beginning, patting your hip to let you know that you could fuck yourself on him again. This time you didn't throw your body back, nor did you lean forward to ride, Haechan watched you grab both of your tits and squeeze them together, while moving forward and backward on his cock. 

“Such a filthy whore. You love assplay.” He follows your movements with his thumb, fucking you slowly, seeing you nod desperately. If he'd doubt who likes to use the plugs, now he knows it was definitely you. “Who taught that, princess? Hyuck, that fucker? You're spending a lot of time with him…” You cried a little ‘no, I'm yours’, but Hyuck laughed again. “I know you're mine, but I bet you'd like to be choking on his cock while I fuck your ass, huh.” Hyuck leaned in to whisper this close to your ear.

“I-I’m going to cum” Feeling your walls tighten around him and your moan cracks, he chuckled again. 

He pulled out his thumb from you again, bringing your body against his own. Kneeling over him, with one hand he inserted two fingers inside you and started to fuck your walls, and with the other he found your clit inside your panties starting to rub it fast. It didn't take more than a few seconds until you cum hard, holding his arms for balance. 

As soon as your euphoria passed you sat on your boyfriend again giggling and sensing his dick spasm beneath you. Haechan took his hand out of your panties and you two looked at his fingers covered with your cum. He thought about giving it to you suck it clean, but he was probably the hungriest man on the earth right now, so he put it in his mouth, closing his eyes and moaning obscenely. 

Why the hell did you taste so good? And why in the fucking heavens did Mark never tell him that? Hyuck opened his eyes and you're biting your lips examining him. He barely had time to say anything before you turned your body and pulled him into an intense kiss. 

“Can I ride you now? I want to prove to you how deeply I'm yours. Only yours.” You started distributing kisses along his jaw and neck again, but, one more time, Hyuck stopped you. 

Change of plans. Scratch that. In his defense, he didn't know you tasted so good. It was obvious that Mark didn't need to smoke, he was probably addicted to this pussy. Hyuck just needed to eat you out a little, and maybe get off in the bathroom with the memory of it. He promised ‘not to fuck you’, not ‘not eat you out’, those were different things, right?

“You can prove it to me.” He kissed you back. Your mouth. Your chin. Your neck. Your breast. “Lying right there, all pretty with your legs spread open.” 

“Mark…” Fuck. Okay, he needed to hear that name to stay grounded. “You always do that. Let me please you too…” But, well, great! Despite the hundred times he called you slut, you weren't out of your schedule. 

“Another day, princess. Now I need you open up for me.” He kisses your forehead, arranging the pillows for you to lie down. 

He positioned himself in front of you, finally taking off your ruined panties and moaning at the sight of your pussy displayed for him. Fuck he missed seeing a pussy this close. He spread some kisses along your thighs and belly, before adjusting his own position. The bed was big enough for Haechan to lie on his belly, and once he did, he grabbed your hips again pulling you against his face. When he first licked you, both of you groaned loudly. He deposited his tongue at your entrance collecting your juice and dragging it up to your clit where he sucked with so much hunger that it made you squirm away.

“Where are you going? I thought you wanted to prove yourself.” He giggled looking at you, with your eyes closed, holding the sheets. 

“So sensitive…” You move one of your hands to caress his hair. 

He came back to lick your slit while watching you with your eyes closed, moaning. He maintains his attention mainly on your clit, alternating between kitten licks and giving long sucks, which makes you hold his hair with more strength and makes him moan more times. If he was close to cum when you were grinding on him over clothes, now it was almost involuntary how he started to dry humped the bed. You tasted so addictive, he couldn't hold on anymore. Hyuck adjusted his position searching for a better angle for his hips to fuck the mattress, never leaving you, quite opposite, he held you in place and put more pressure on his sucks. When he sensed you were reaching your climax again he started to fuck you with his tongue, while rubbing your clit with his nose.

Okay, maybe he was getting used to your cries, because he could sense his own climax coming. He would come, but before this happens he replaced his tongue with his fingers, fucking you hard again while sucking your clit. You cried louder, pulling him by the hair and drawing him closer. You two came together, it was so hard that your entire body spasmed, making you tremble in his hands. While he groaned on your clit. 

After some seconds he raised his head to look at you laughing. Half of his face was soaked with your juices, but as always your boyfriend doesn't seem to care. You were catching your breath and giggling when your eyes met. You're looking at him differently. A look you couldn't fake, even if you wanted to.

“Did you cum?” You asked softly, caressing his face and pulling him to a kiss. He just nodded, intrigued with that damn look. He kissed you back intensely, thinking about this look. When you two separated, he looked at your eyes again, you're smiling with them. 

“Fuck it.” Fuck the promised. Fuck Mark. 

No. Sorry Mark, but fuck the promise. He needs you right now.

He pulled you to a kiss again, passing an arm beneath your body to hold you tight against him. Nobody ever looked at him that way, even Ryujin. Haechan felt he needed to experience everything that gaze offered. He knows that's not right, that look wasn't exactly for him. But he was the only one with you right here, right now. He made you feel this way. And he needed to know why he felt that way with just a simple glance. 

You giggled at his hurry, involving his body with your legs while he kissed your neck. Hyuck returned to your face kissing you deeply, almost desperately. He was holding you tight, not giving change for your body to squirm away, and you didn't intend to do that after all. 

But everything fell apart so quickly when you heard a noise coming from the backyard followed by a scream.

You stopped kissing as soon as the person yelled. Haechan looked at you and your naked body and tried to think about what to do. He stood up grabbing his clothes and put them on faster than he thought. 

“You stay right here!” He said to you while closing the door. 

He couldn't affirm who had screamed, but he knew that was one of his friends. So he runs downstairs as fast as possible and finds Renjun and Mark kneeling beside Jisung, crying in pain.

“What the fuck happened??” He asked, kneeling next to them. “Jisungie, are you okay?” Helping his friends who were trying to get the boy up.

“I think I broke my arm, hyung.” The big boy cried like a little baby. Superficially everything seems normal, but Jisung was holding his arm as if it were going to fall.

“Oh my fucking god. We need to take him to the hospital.” Haechan exclame.

“We know, genius. But who in this house isn't drunk as fuck to get the car?” Mark responded to him. And Haechan widened his eyes in surprise at his friend's answer. Why was he so furious? What if he found out about you and him? Maybe Mark could read minds. Maybe he had heard you two.

“Jesus!” You appeared on the stairs in your pajamas. “What the fuck happened?”

“We left our keys with the others, but Jisung had left his window open and this drunk-ass idiot thought he could climb in and open the door for us. He ended up slipping and falling before he even reached the balcony.” Renjun explained, asking for an Uber. 

“Don't talk about me like that, I probably broke every single bone in my body and will die in a couple of hours.” They managed to get him seated on the sofa, and you sat down beside him with a glass of water to give him. 

“Why didn't you call us?” You asked as you brought the glass to Jisung's mouth and wiped away his tears.

“We did it. But none of you answered.” Mark was with his arms crossed gazing at Haechan. “What are you two doing, Mark?” He asked ironically.

“We were… Heading to the shower. Probably our phones are on low battery too. Sorry, guys. Sorry, Jisungie.” You noticed the tension between them and replied Haechan, before your boyfriend did it and started a senseless bickering. 

“Uber is arriving. Who's the least drunk to go with Jisung to the doctor?” Your boyfriend was the obvious answer, so he grabbed his and Jisung's things, ready to go, when Haechan said he was going too. No one objected, letting the two of them go and sort things out like two divorced parents of a young child.

While the two were in the waiting room awaiting Jisung to be released, Mark couldn't relax, looking at his friend using his own face. Hyuck couldn't relax either, thinking that the “slip-up” he'd made that night was bigger than Jisung's, and could leave him with much more than just a broken arm.

“So… How was the night?” Hyuck tried to start a conversation, but Mark was furious.

“Oh don't come with that on me. We called you three times.” He turned to Hyuck. 

“I'm sorry, dude. I really am… We just didn't hear it ringing…”

“Why, huh? What are you doing with MY girlfriend that prevented you from hearing it?” He asked suspiciously. Haechan feels his ears heating, and for a moment he ponders telling Mark everything. But that will probably only worsen their situation in finding ways to swap again. Mark would stop to talk with him, and would tell you everything, they probably would never find the answer to this damned prophecy and would be known as the two weirdos.

“Nothing. We didn't do anything…” They stared at each other for a while, trying to read each other's minds in search of answers. 

Haechan knew that he had faltered that night as a friend, but it won't happen again. And it was your fault too, after all. You had to look at him that way, his body just… replied involuntarily. You seemed so… in love? Haechan didn't remember seeing you look at Mark like that before. Maybe it must have been the post orgasm effect. He only knew that that look was tormenting him. And Mark, looking at him like a mirror, tormented him even more. 

But it passed. He regained consciousness, and he wasn't going to fall for your games anymore. He was Mark's best friend and would act as it, keeping his promises and staying close to you only when necessary, ensuring that nothing like this happened again. Fuck, he needs a cig… Ah fuck, Mark also didn't know he was smoking. Well, at least he could tell his friend about it and listen to him complain without losing the friendship, he guessed. 

“Hum, dude, I have been smoking in your body, sorry…” Haechan initiated quietly. “And Yn kinda saw me…” 

“I knew that, idiot.” Mark rolled his eyes, but he wasn't angry. “Yn told me. Actually, she scolded me for introducing this habit to you. Which is very ironic, because I'm using two nicotine patches per day in this addicted body.” 

Hyuck chuckled, of course Mark would like to disinfect his body from his old addictions. He was a good friend, and Hyuck was being a pain in the ass, disrespecting his boundaries. His laugh ended up in tears rolling out of his eyes, and Mark turned confused about what was going on.

“Hey, hey, calm down. You good?” 

For people who saw them grow up together, this is a very common scene actually, Haechan calming an anxious Mark. But now this hides a lot of other means between these two. Haechan thought again about telling him the truth, but perhaps not even Mark was ready to hear it.

“I just… I would offer you a cig, but you… You had been taking so much care of my body, even in this forced celibacy… I don't… I just…” He kept mumbling, but Mark started to laugh. “Ah fuck you, Mark… I’m trying to be passionate here.” 

“Excuse me, are you two Mr. Park’s companions?” An older nurse analyzed them. Mark was holding Hyuck's face, and he’d stopped crying, but tears still soaked his face while he held his cigarette pack. “He’ll be released by the doctor in five. Just finished his dressings. Here's his x-ray, and his prescriptions. We recommend a calcium rich diet for recovery, and please don't act like you're seventeen anymore, or twelve.” 

As soon as the nurse turned the corner, Jisung appeared with his arm bandaged. Mark and Hyuck provoked him, hugged his body, saying ‘we thought it was the last time we would see you’ and ‘it’s so good to have my baby back’. They ordered an Uber to go home, and when they arrived, the lights were already off. Hyuck entered the room you two shared and looked at your body in a deep sleep. He headed to the shower frustrated. Again, you're the one between his good relationship with Mark, you and your amazing taste. He was trying to clean all the memories of you, but everything in that damn room was remembering you. Even the shower gel reminds him of you. 

He finished his hygiene and tried to lay down without touching you, but as soon as you felt his weight in the bed you moved involuntarily to cuddle him, mumbling some ‘love you’ that he never answered back. 

The next morning you woke up before your boyfriend. You could feel his breath on your neck while he was sleeping, hugging you like you're a big teddy bear. You watched his face peacefully sleeping and decided not to wake him up, disentangling yourself from his embrace to get ready and prepare breakfast.

The house was silent when you came downstairs. Everyone was probably still sleeping, recovering from their hangover. You went to the kitchen and started making coffee. Somewhere between separating things and whisking the eggs, you turned around and came face to face with an incredibly beautiful woman dressed in party clothes with her heels in hands. 

“I didn't know there was another pretty girl in this house. Are you leaving too?” She smirked and looked at you from head to toe, coming in your direction. She picked up one of the fruits from the table and put it in her mouth, never taking her eyes off your face.

“Leaving? Oh, no. I'm making breakfast… I date one of… the guys.” She was making you nervous with her feline eyes.

“Of course you are.” She giggled at you. When Haechan appears in the kitchen. You wondered if she was with him last night, after they arrived with Jisung. But your doubt was quickly answered by the confused expression on his face. 

“Morning. Uhm, hi? Can I ask who you are?” He served a mug of coffee and stopped near you two. 

“Oh, you must be the boyfriend!” She analyzed him too, not responding to his question. He choked on his coffee and you were quick to respond.

“No, no! This is Hyuck, he's just a friend.” The mysterious girl chuckled at the two of you. And your boyfriend came down the stairs just in time, with a confused expression on face because of the unfamiliar laugh.

“I didn't know there was someone else here-” He stopped right in front of the kitchen door and got surprised when you three looked at him. Hyuck couldn't control his grin when he saw the girl, she was so stunning that he couldn't say anything at first. 

“This is my boyfriend, Mark.” You introduced him, your cheeks still flushed from your interaction with her. Hyuck muttered a small ‘hi’ through a grin, and she returned it with another.

“I see… Well, I have to go, pretty.” She turned to you again. “But next time you're in town, we can have some fun together. Bring your boyfriend, if he wants.” She winked at you and headed to the door. “Bye pretty, buy guys.” 

Mark chuckled incredulously, he couldn't believe it. One day you two were living your best as the greatest couple of the year, and the next he casually discovers everyone wants to fuck his girlfriend, and worse, he couldn't say anything. If he had stress issues before, now he was sure that he would have to start smoking like Hyuck or boxing like Jeno. 

“Who’s she?” Hyuck asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee as well. Sitting at the table with Mark “And you're terrible, dude. What happened? Oh, she was with you?” He whispered hopefully, but Mark did the most stressed expression you had seen on Haechan’s face. 

“No, dude. She arrived with Jeno and Jaemin after we did.” He rubbed his sleepy eyes, and your boyfriend started to grin. You finished the eggs and toast and placed them on the table, sitting down with them. “Renjun and I could barely sleep tonight. Actually, Renjun goes upstairs to sleep in Jisung's room. But I was so tired that I had to hear Jeno groan all night long.” Hyuck couldn't hold his laugh anymore. 

“Who are we laughing at?” Jaemin entered the room followed by Jeno and Renjun. If Haechan looked sleepy and hungover, they looked ten times more so, except for their naked chest covered in hickeys and scratches.

“Speaking of the devils.” Markrolled his eyes.

“Ah, dude… If we had known that you were unsuccessful in what you were looking for yesterday, we would have invited you.” Jaemin said, hugging him from behind. You saw Haechan's ears turning red. Were they with the same girl? That girl!? She could literally eat them alive… And what was Haechan looking for yesterday? 

None of your questions were answered, and you watched the five boys sitting at the table for coffee, looking horribly hungover. Jeno barely talks while eating his eggs, Renjun was almost sleeping again holding his mug, Jaemin was finishing his second cup of coffee and refused to eat anything, saying he was going to vomit, and Haechan was finishing the breakfast he had swapped with Mark, with his cheeks still flushed from what Jaem said before. To be fair, it seems that only your boyfriend managed to sleep well that night, considering the events that occurred. And then Jisung appears from upstairs, holding his shirt against his own chest. 

“Guys, can someone help me put my shirt on?” He asked timidly.

You stood up putting your dishes in the sink and helped him. He explained to Jeno and Jaemin what happened with his arm that night, and they asked the same question as you, but when Renjun said 'we did', they both understood what happened, just grinning at each other. 

After everyone finished eating, Haechan was put in charge of washing the dirty dishes, while the rest of you planned what you were going to do during the day. You were still in your pajamas when you sat down in the living room and decided that you would stay by Chenle's pool.

Maybe it was all in your head, but it seemed like your boyfriend started avoiding you as soon as you left the breakfast table. At first, when you went to the living room, you sat on a sofa waiting for him, but when he came in he went straight to sit next to Jaemin. Then everyone went to change their clothes, but he stayed in the kitchen, talking with Haechan, instead of going with you. He only went to the room you two share after you came downstairs asking for help applying sunscreen, and he helpfully replied, ‘ask Jisung’, who looked to you, showing his right arm covered in bandages and a confused face.

When everyone had gone outside, you called him aside to talk.

“Hey, we good?” You whispered to him, your heart racing, waiting for his answer.

“Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?” Hyuck avoided your gaze. 

“Because… Well, because of what happened yesterday…” He furrows his eyebrows and looks at you.

“What do you mean? I thought you liked what happened yesterday.” Now Haechan was nervous wondering if he had crossed some of your boundaries, calling you names, or even being too bold with the slaps. 

“I liked it. I loved it, actually. It was just… You mentioned the boys during our moment… and I thought maybe you wanted to talk about it…” You bite your lip nervously and Hyuck relaxes his expression.

“I don't want it. We good, ‘kay?” He replied, but before he could turn to go with his friends you held his hand.

“Wait, Mark, please… We aren't like that. We don't resolve things with sex. We talk with each other. And if you think I was being too much, and made you uncomfortable near our friends you had to tell me… Please.” Your voice didn't crack, but he could see the supplication in your eyes. He didn't want to do this again, he didn't want to fall for your games, but there's no other option, so he brought your face into a soft kiss. 

“Yn, listen to me. It was all dirty talk, okay? I don't mind you dancing, drinking or talking with our friends, they're OUR friends for a reason.” He whispered the truth looking in your eyes, but eventually running at your mouth. Then he grinned at you, before murmuring against your lips. “And even if we ended up in a threesome with them someday, I wouldn't mind if you enjoyed it. In the end of the day you continued being only mine, right?” You nodded, and he pecked your lips. “See? So don't worry, cause I'm not. Let's enjoy the pool!” He pulled you into a last kiss and went outside with the others.

And once again, Haechan was fucked. Why did he have to tell you that? You aren't his, let alone only his. And why did he have to kiss you again? What the fuck, Donghyuck? You have to be a good friend, let Mark be the good boyfriend when you swap bodies. But fuck, you and your games. You and your sweet kiss. And your pleasant eyes, and the way you looked at him yesterday. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He has to concentrate on being a good friend and find the answer to swap the bodies. But you played with his feelings again and he couldn't... Well, he didn't know what would happen next time.

Unlike him, you were thoughtful because you never thought Mark would talk about your friends while you were having sex, much less about a threesome. You had no idea if he was thinking about it or if it was just dirty talk, but knowing your boyfriend, it probably was just dirty talk. He felt uncomfortable about the others hearing you two fucking when you spent the night in their dorm. You chose to ignore those thoughts  for now before you go crazy. Finally, you two were having a good time, and you weren't going to ruin it.

You were all sitting around the pool, enjoying yourselves. The boys were discussing which music they should put on, while Jaemin complained about the sound and his hangover. You sat in one of the sun loungers next to Jisung, helping him apply sunscreen and adjust the bandages so they wouldn't get wet. It turned out that Jaem was the one who helped you with the sunscreen, being the only one who didn't enter the pool and stayed next to you before you sunbathed.  

After a couple of minutes, Chenle arrived home carrying a large bag of food.

“Dudes, I left you alone one night and you broke our only child. What the hell.” Many voices started to ask where he was, who he was with, and why he had only arrived now. “Chill down, guys. I slept in someone's, remember? No sex in this house this weekend, out of respect for our beloved friends and the lady.” He pointed to you. “So I went to the market and got us lunch. Who wants to help?” 

The boys spilled Jeno and Jaemin to Chenle, who quickly entered into the conversation asking about the mysterious girl. You and Haechan were helping him in the kitchen while he listened to the latest gossip.

“You good?” Mark asked you while you were cleaning the vegetables for him to chop.

“Uhm? Yes, I'm just spaced out… Probably hungover too…” You lied, smiling at him.

“I thought you had already recovered at the restaurant yesterday…” He gazed at you, hoping you would speak with him openly, but you just smiled tiredly.

“Yes, yes I do… But something must have remained, and I'm only feeling it now.” 

“Okay… Well, if you want to talk about your hangover lately, I'm all ears.” He smiled at you, and you smiled back. Thinking it was cute that he cared about you.

Chenle's delicious food was ready in minutes, and after everyone sat down to eat, what actually took the longest was you all taking turns spoiling Jisung and feeding him like a baby. Haechanespecially made airplane noises when he fed his friend. Nobody could contain their laughter at Jisung's red cheeks and ears. Especially you, watching your boyfriend pretending to be his father.

When you finished lunch and went back to the pool, you had to help Jisung with his bandages again while you were sitting near the edge.

“You officially have your mommy and daddy here to spoil you.” Chenle was in the pool watching you guys and teasing his friend.

“Shut up… Yn is just helping me, she's a much better friend than you guys who are just watching and barely helped me eat without treating me like a baby.”

You finished wrapping his bandage in plastic and rested your face on his shoulder, pouting. “Poor baby, speak up! Don't let them treat you like that!”

Jisung's ears turned red again and the boys laughed.

“See? All you have to do is call her mommy and she'll come. Right, Mark?” Jaemin asked, and it was your turn to blush. Haechan smirked and splashed water on the boy sitting on the edge of the pool.

The real Mark wanted to tell Jaemin to shut up, to ask for more respect for you. He tried to signal this to Hyuck, but his friend just laughed, and he felt the urge to drown his best friend. But what intrigued him most was seeing you, even shyly, laughing at the joke too.

He knew he was overprotective sometimes, but that's because things had a limit, and making jokes about your body or your intimate moments as a couple really crossed that line. But your light laugh made him wonder if he wasn't the paranoid one.

“Ready to go.” You said that, and Jisung automatically jumped into the pool, leaving his broken arm resting on the edge.

You remained seated on the edge, watching them splash each other or curse at each other for getting Jisung's arm wet. When you stood up to sit next to Haechan, the only one who wasn't wet this time, Jaemin asked where you were going.

“If you say sunbathing one more time, I swear to God…” 

“Good thing I was just about to say I’m gonna sit with my friend Hyuck” 

You shrugged and laughed, walking towards Mark who also laughed because even though they were trying to push away this new "friendship," you were there to prove that it existed. 

However you bumped into Jeno who was coming straight from the kitchen with bottles of water and beer.

“I don’t know… We think Donghyuck is kind of monopolizing your attention, and since we’ve been your friends the longest, we should get priority…” Jeno said, putting down his bottles and placing his hand on your shoulder.

Your smile faltered nervously, and you glanced quickly at the pool where your boyfriend was laughing with your friends, then at Hyuck who was also laughing nervously.

“Jeno... don't you dare…” You laughed nervously and held the arm he had placed around your shoulder. If he pushed you, you would both fall into the pool.

“Oh, I would never…” 

And when you least expected it, he simply pulled you close to his own body and jumped into the pool. As soon as you surfaced, the boys were already laughing. 

Except for Mark, who didn't like jokes like that, especially when it involved one of his friends holding his girlfriend's semi-nude body so tightly.

“That's not cool, dude. You could've gotten hurt.” You all looked at a serious Haechan with his arms crossed at the edge of the pool, staring at Jeno who was still laughing.

“Relax, man. I know you're into it, but we already have a daddy, and he doesn't seem to mind. Right, Mark?” He glanced at Haechan, who was chuckling, and Haechan simply nodded, telling him to relax. “See? Relax, but keep your eyes open.”

Jeno said, laughing, and before Mark could ask why, Chenle had gotten out of the pool, climbed onto his back, and pushed him into the water.

Everyone laughed at him, it was always like that, the boys would do something and he'd shut it down, saying it was wrong, but for some reason he always ended up getting involved in the joke. The story only changed when it involved you, but you were laughing at him along with the other boys, so he allowed himself to laugh too. 

Mark controlled himself from grabbing you by the waist while watching you take off your shorts, the last piece of clothing besides your bikini, underwater. He leaned close and whispered, asking if you were okay. You agreed smiling, but the boys noticed how he swam directly towards you and started shooting at him with the water guns while laughing.

“Oh, you're gonna regret that.” Mark grabbed a toy and started shooting water back.

You guys stayed up playing around like that for the rest of the day, enjoying the nice afternoon and getting drunk on the beer that was in the fridge. At some point, someone asked for more food, and you took the opportunity to get out of the water. You were already quite tipsy, curing your hangovers with more drinks, when Jeno and Jaemin thought it would be a good idea to ask you to teach them how to dance, just like you taught Jisung, the only one sober because of his medication.

You tried to explain the steps, but they seemed much easier in your head than in words. As soon as Jaemin put his hand on your waist, everything went wrong. You tried to explain again, and he pretended to understand, but every now and then you stumbled, stressing out Jisung, who was watching.

"Hyung, it's not that difficult, you just have to follow her feet and hips. Even Junnie learned by watching us dance." 

“I would love to follow her steps and hip movements if she didn't move so fast.” He said, stepping on your foot again and making you lose your balance. You almost fell, but he caught you in his arms, hugging you as you giggled.

“By the end of the song you're going to leave me all bruised.” You guys separated so you could massage your ankle. "Jisung can't dance like that, but where's Mark? He knows all the dance steps. We can show you and you repeat it."

“He had to answer a call, but I think I know something… we could try, if you want…” The real Mark approached. His turn had finally come. The other three boys rolled their eyes, murmuring, ‘Here we go again’. 

He holds your waist tightly as Jisung puts the music back on. Your bodies pressed together, he chuckles, gazing at your face. Then Mark repeats what you and Jisung said, in a much more coherent and less drunken way, about the rhythm and following your hips, at least until they learn and take control of the dance, to guide their partner. 

He starts humming to the rhythm of the music, guiding you in the melody while you laugh and enjoy it. You had no idea how and when Haechan learned to dance like that, but it was great to know you'd gained another partner. Before the song ended, Jisung also joked that he didn't know where his friend had learned it, but that was exactly what needed to be done.

But unfortunately, Mark's happiness didn't last long. As soon as the music ended, he barely had time to admire you, your eyes shining as you looked at him, before Jeno pushed him, saying he finally understood how it worked.

“My turn, stop hogging!” Jeno shoved him, holding you in the same way Mark did before.

The music starts again, and at first he even seemed to understand, but soon you both show that you're still drunk, bumping into each other again and start laughing. Between one spin and another, you go back to Jeno's chest and he loses his balance, and you both fall onto the sofa while he holds you by the hip.

Jisung tried to explain, clearly frustrated, what the two of you had done wrong, and Jaemin was helping you up, but Mark simply crossed his arms and watched the scene grumbling. From yesterday's conversation, he knew exactly where his friends wanted to take this whole story of you teaching them how to dance. In fact, he was certain they wanted the girl who left their room that morning to be you. And he suspected that his friends hadn't given up on yesterday's idea yet.

He couldn't let that happen, but he also couldn’t say anything, or they’d start teasing him again for the way he was acting around you. He would go after the only possibility he didn't want right now: leaving you alone with Haechan.

He leaves the house and goes to look for Haechan near some plants in the garden where it was darker. He was alone, smoking a cigarette, while texting Jimin about their date. He was still promising many things by text even knowing that Mark wouldn't agree to any of them, but it didn't hurt to let her know that he was still horny and really needed to fuck someone. Whether it was her, or… someone currently close to him- No! 

“Dude, I finally found you! You have to go in there now, Jeno and Jaemin are totally out of control… someone has to stop them, but if I say anything they're going to pick on me and push me away from her again.”

“What are they doing?” Hyuck asked, putting out his cigarette, after Mark spoke too quickly.

“Yn is teaching them how to dance, and…” As soon as Mark started talking, Hyuck understood everything and sighed before continuing. 

He tried to be a good friend and understand Mark’s limits, but sometimes it felt like that line was too thin, but tight enough to strangle you both.

“Dude… Seriously?” 

Mark took another deep breath and looked at his friend. “You don't understand, I'm trying to protect my relationship. I know you guys don't care about this, that you share girls for fun and don't care about commitment. But Yn is my girlfriend. And I need you to respect her. Respect me.” He desperately stared at his friend. “Fuck, you weren't at the table yesterday when everyone was talking about her…”

“Oh, is that about yesterday?”

“Yes… When you're practically offering her to them on a silver platter. And actually, you're doing the same right now standing out here.”

Mark said seriously, but Hyuck chuckled. He found it funny that Mark had only just now discovered he had a hot girlfriend. I mean, probably no one there was romantically interested in her, but even so, Mark was desperate at the mere thought. Haechan wouldn't argue about it. He just had to be a good friend, and if Mark felt uncomfortable with it, he would find a way to fix it.

They both go back inside the house and you're dancing with Jaemin this time. Your back is turned to him while one of his hands is firmly on your hip. You say a few praising words because your dance is going well, but as soon as you see Mark and Hyuck coming through the door you call your boyfriend to show him the news. Jaemin spins you around and you end up in Hyuck's arms laughing.

“Babe, look, Nana learned it perfectly. I think we can teach them that harder step.” 

“Nana?” Hyuck looked at you, then at Jaemin, who smirked at him, then at Mark. You were clearly drunk. 

Only the girls Jaemin flirted with called him Nana, at his request. And Haechan never heard you call Jaemin ‘Nana’ during all the time you were with Mark, for obvious reasons. Maybe Mark was right. He took a deep breath and looked at you again. “Can we talk? Just us?” 

You smile and agree with him, and you both leave through the same door he just entered, hearing your friends making a suggestive "hmmm" chorus.

Mark wanted to go with you. He wanted to know what Hyuck was going to say, if he was going to hurt you like last time, blaming you, saying that you are too much. Mark didn't intend to accuse you of anything. He knew perfectly well that all this talk about a threesome came directly from his dirty-minded friends, and he was afraid of what Hyuck might say or convince you of in that conversation. But he had to trust that his friend would know what to do, so he sat on the sofa next to Jisung and watched you from afar.

“Okay, you guys went too far. She looks like a doll, with both of you pulling her from each side, not even thinking you might rip her apart and piss Mark off... And if… WHEN he gets mad, everyone else ends up paying for it… Especially you two.” Renjun said, and Mark looked at him. 

Even drunk, Renjun at least understood what Mark was feeling and tried to help. The two people he was addressing just laughed. Both drunk, like half the house.

“We thought the same. Usually if someone hit on his girlfriend, he’d go back to his normal self. All paranoid. But he hasn’t even reacted since yesterday, and today he was super chill as well.” Jaemin said, smirking. “I don't know... I was wondering… maybe if we ask for a foursome they'll agree.”

“Or maybe he's maturing from this thing of thinking he's going to lose her all the time. We flirted with her all day and she didn't reciprocate even once. I think he's finally seeing the truth and getting over this insecurity.” Jeno said, even though he was drunk, he was still a little more sober than Jaemin and could better express what they tried to do. 

For a moment, Mark was furious at Jaemin’s comment, as if what they’d talked about behind his back last night wasn’t already enough. But he didn’t realize that he was making his insecurity obvious to his friends when it came to you. I mean, they'd all seen Mark cry at least once, thinking he was going to lose you, it wasn't new, but he didn't think that was the main impression they had of your relationship. Not to the point where him being a crybaby was what they called normal.

He suddenly became thoughtful while Chenle was once again cursing his friends, insisting it was still wrong for them to interfere so closely and intimately in his relationship, something even Hyuck did.

In the backyard, Haechan leads you to the area near the exit, where he was smoking earlier and from where you could see the beach. You stop side by side and look at the sea from afar, with the moon adorning a clear sky. After a few minutes, he glances quickly at you and asks.

“You good? Like, are you cool with guys asking you to teach them how to dance and stuff?” You agree and take his hand gently, still gazing at the sea.

He agreed too, confirming to himself that you were good. And then when he thought you weren't going to say anything else, he would suggest that you two go back inside since everything was fine, but you rested your head on his shoulder and spoke, your words a little slurred because of the alcohol.

“I know I wasn't supposed to come, but I'm so happy to be here with you.” Haechan didn't know what to do or say, so he gave you a small smile, turned around, and kissed you on the forehead.

He was also thinking about everything that happened between yesterday and today. He was doing this specifically for Mark, but a part of him still feels strange having to fake this relationship with you. 

And when he thought about other things, like Jeno and Jaemin's situation, he knew his friend would freak out, as had been happening since before the whole swapping thing, but he thought you would too. He thought that as soon as the first sexual joke came out of someone's mouth, you would shut down, complain to him, and he would have to pretend to be your perfect boyfriend, calming you down and cuddling you. But there you were, laughing and accepting being called "mommy" by your friends. He hated thinking this way, but he was starting to think that his best friend was more paranoid and insecure than he imagined.

But none of that really mattered, except for Mark's part. Haechan promised to be a better friend TO HIM, and if guys hitting on you all the time bothered him, Hyuck would find a way to fix it. And how funny life was, right? He would do anything for Mark, but if someone had told him a few weeks ago that this would mean being kind and loving to you, he would have laughed in their face.

You go back inside and the boys are still drinking and talking loudly. The first thing they do when you step inside is offer you another drink, which Mark and Haechan refuse at the same time.

“I think she’s had enough. And you guys too, huh… We’re going to sleep. Come on, Yn.” Haechan said seriously, but you were giggling with the other boys. He took your hand, glanced quickly at Mark, and you both headed towards the stairs.

You came back in the same, if not better, mood as you were, meaning Haechan hadn't been harsh with you. He wanted to thank his friend, but Mark understood what his friend had done and quickly added that everyone had had enough and should go to sleep, considering you'd all be returning home tomorrow.

As soon as you enter the room, you even try to kiss him, but he only responds with a quick kiss, saying you should take a shower before bed. You laugh and let him take you to the bathroom, thinking he was finally going to shower with you. But as soon as he opens the door, he leaves you there alone and goes back to the room, so you follow him.

“What are you doing? Do you need help?” He says, separating his own things. You agree, smirking, and he goes back to the bathroom with you.

You place both your hands around his neck and plant a few kisses near his mouth while pulling him towards the shower. But he quickly pulls away, a little breathless, clearly nervous.

“Hey, hey, hey… You need to take a shower. Do you need help with that?” You agree again, biting your lip as you look at him. Hyuck understood now when Mark said that sometimes he prayed the hardest because he felt like the weakest soldier next to you. “Okay… so let me help you here…”

You were still wearing your afternoon outfit, which consisted of your bikini and shorts. He couldn't believe you really couldn't take off a damn bikini and shorts, but even so, he let his hands slide down your waist to your bikini and untie it with one hand, watching it fall and expose your breasts. He sighed deeply, moving his hand to the button of your shorts, opening them and lowering himself as he pulled them down. Suddenly, his face was right in front of your stomach. Again.

You stared at him as he pulled your shorts and panties off your feet. When your boyfriend stared back at you, you caressed his hair. All you wanted was him, pressing you against the bathroom wall, making you moan until Chenle and Jisung came to complain about the noise. But he stood up and looked at you seriously.

“I need to know if you're okay and if you can shower by yourself.” You grumbled, a little pouty, but said you were fine. Haechan teased you by saying ‘good girl,’ and then left the bathroom.

He only noticed he was holding his breath when he left the bathroom, trying not to think about you, while looking for his things. A few minutes passed and he heard the shower turn off. He had left your pajamas in the bathroom and was distracted again watching a video on his phone when you stopped in front of him, still wet and in a towel.

You smirk, drop the towel in front of him, and Haechan swallows hard. He was supposed to be a good friend? Yes. But he was also fully aware that you were acting on a drunken impulse, thinking he was your boyfriend. So he put down his phone and picked up the towel from the floor, drying your body. He went to get your pajamas and dressed you without saying a word. In the end, you're still staring at him confused, so he just gives you a quick kiss on the lips and says it's his turn to shower.

When he comes out of the bathroom, he expected to find you already asleep, considering the amount of alcohol you drank, but you're staring at the sea through the window, lost in thought. He calls you to bed, and you quickly snap out of your trance, sitting up beside him. Hyuck tries to lie down away from you, but in a way that you won't notice. And you really don't notice because the first thing you do is hug him and kiss his cheek.

He had already rejected you twice, so he assumed you wouldn’t ask to cuddle again. But soon he felt your talent for knowing exactly where to kiss his neck, which made him shiver from head to toe. You held his chin, turning his face towards yours, and smiled before kissing his lips.

It was such a good kiss. Fuck, he hated that it was so good. 

One of his hands was around you and he had the casualty of pulling you closer. You didn't climb onto his lap like you did last night, but he felt one of your hands sliding down his abdomen to his member, gently massaging it over his clothes. He let out an involuntary moan, but quickly broke the kiss and held your hand.

“Princess, sorry, I can't do this…” He says, catching his breath from the kiss. Haechan really wanted the reason to be only Mark, because your kiss and you being hot as fuck would have been reason enough for him to want to do it if it were a normal situation, but the truth is: "You're very drunk and I'm not going to use you."

You stared at him, a little dumbfounded, laughing softly and burying your face in his neck again, murmuring, ‘I love you.’

You lie down next to him again and hug him like he’s your personalized plushie, falling asleep almost immediately. Hyuck watches you sleep like an angel, as if just minutes ago you weren’t up to something dirty, and soon he falls asleep too.

Sunday arrives and you wake up in the same position as the day before, with Hyuck's head buried in your chest, holding you tight as if you were going to run away. You woke him up by stroking his face and hair. When he noticed, he sat up quickly and tried to avoid you. Routine would return to normal, and although this had been one of the best things he had ever experienced, he couldn't and wouldn't make it a habit.

You all pack your things and hit the road. During the drive, you're still hungover and end up falling asleep on your boyfriend's shoulder, and Hyuck couldn't hold a laugh, thinking you're cute drooling on his shoulder. 

He felt strange, and he’d spent at least an hour and a half staring out the car window, trying to figure out what had caused it. 

He would never break the promise he made to Mark, not again. But he needed to understand why, when he looked at you now, he no longer felt the need to try to keep you two apart. I mean, you were still clingy with who you thought was your boyfriend, but this weekend he discovered that you were really kind, and funny, and not as the crazy girlfriend stereotype as he thought you were, and that you listened to what he had to say, even when his own friends ignored him in the middle of the chaos and he cursed them out in frustration, you even laughed when he complained about them in those situations. Besides, he probably discovered that his best friend must be addicted to giving you a head, and that he’d soon start craving it too.

He was trying to avoid you, but those thoughts about finding you cute and about you taking care of him subtly messed with his head. You hadn't stopped being yourself, so what had happened?

After you guys get back home, Mark asks Hyuck to keep pretending to be busy at least until dinner with you. He had a kind of Mission Impossible plan in his mind to communicate via airpods while you ate so that nothing would go wrong. But unfortunately, he lost the reservation he had made for the day of the trip, and the next table wasn't available for another two months. 

Well… that was enough time for Haechan to analyze all his thoughts about you.

Except he decided to do it with you.

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ likes, reblogs, asks, comments are very much appreciated :).

𐙚⋆°｡⋆ out of touch

The good thing about Saturday mornings is that you can see Wonbin and Chaeryeong without feeling rushed. They hadn't gone to the party yesterday, but the only person who didn't look tired was Chae. 

She had thrown herself completely into the athlete’s routine, the auditions would be next week so she was giving her best to enter the cheerleading team. 

Wonbin was also busy with his band's rehearsals. They were negotiating with small bars to play on weekends, hoping to eventually get space in larger venues. The tired look on his face made it obvious he’d been up late practicing. 

And you? Well, you're just a little hangover and with an anguished heart. But both came to meet you, because you messaged them in the middle of the night and that probably never happened before, not in such a serious tone.

You three sat in the same coffee shop while Chae explained why she wouldn't eat the cookies you always shared because of the sugar, and how she started to drink her coffee decaffeinated because of her health. Wonbin rolled his eyes, saying that the cheerleaders were trying to recruit her into a healthy lifestyle cult and that if she abandoned their habit of getting drunk in the middle of an ordinary afternoon to do hot yoga, he would be obligated to rescue her, or at least release photos of her sleeping in the shower hugging a bottle of tequila. At least you could count on them to make you smile, even with your head in such a mess.

“…Wanting to be a rock star doesn't give you a pass to ignore your health. And I know Yn’s on my side, right?” Chaeryeong asked you, and you nodded, sipping your coffee. 

“Yn is clearly hungover. She’s in no state to have an opinion. And she probably would be the head of the plan to rescue you from hot and flexible girls.” 

“The way you put it, it's like you're waiting for me to get kidnapped, just so you can be my savior and heroically take my place.” She said suspiciously, and Wonbin smirked.

“Whatever you say… But we didn't come all this way for nothing. We want to know why this pretty one texted us five hours ago saying she needed to talk. Be honest, the party was terrible without us, wasn’t it?” He winked at you, and you returned a tired smile.

“Actually, it was,” Both of them smiled confidently. “But I texted you because I was kind of anxious about… Mark… And I didn't know how to bring it up…”

And then you started telling them how your boyfriend had been acting strange ever since you got back from Europe. How he began to distance himself from you, calling you clingy and asking for space. If you asked him out, he refused, if you tried to kiss him, he would turn his face away. But on the phone he treated you normally, waking you up with sweet messages, and ending the day worried, asking how it had been. Even though you had already seen each other that day and he had acted differently. He was actually acting like two different people. Mark was definitely different, and you were sure he would break up with you.

“He’d be crazy if he did that…” Wonbin whispered, and you looked back at him with watery eyes, but gave a small laugh.

“Well, I think he is…” You wanted to cry so badly, but you held it in. Chae pulled you into a brief side hug before speaking.

“Hey, look at me.” She gently wiped the tears from your face. “I know you’re worried and have a lot of mixed feelings, it’s understandable. But maybe… maybe he really was stressed, like he said, and didn’t want to stress you out too. Especially since you just got back from your trip and are still adjusting to your new routine. You know he’s like that.” She smiled at you. You nodded, because Mark really was like that. You just didn’t expect what came next. “My friend Yuna, who also works at the newspaper, said she saw him talking to Doyoung and asking to work from home because of how stressed he’s been lately.” Your smile faltered. 

“Is he working at home? And why didn't he tell me!?” Wonbin and Chaeryeong look at each other. “He isn’t telling me anything these days. Since I came back, I think we only had ONE normal day.” You let the tears roll down in frustration, feeling silly for crying over a boy again, even if that boy is someone you love so much. But what hurt the most was the feeling of no longer belonging to your boyfriend's life. “Did you know he was smoking? Mark Lee, smoking cigarettes!!”

You and Mark had participated in the joint rotation before. You perhaps more than him. But cigarettes? Never, it was completely out of character. Mark hated cigarettes. He kept telling Hyuck to quit, but it never worked, leaving him completely frustrated. But now he was the one smoking. And you felt like you didn't recognize that person anymore.

You were trying to hold back the tears again when Wonbin wiped them from your face and took your hands in his, bringing them to his lips and kissing them.

“He must be an excellent reason for not telling you that. Chae's right, he doesn't want to stress you. So let's be calm, okay?” Wonbin offered his most angelic smile to you. 

You smiled and nodded, trying to believe their words. You finished breakfast quickly, and before 11 o'clock Chaeryeong received a notification reminding her of the weekend rehearsal. She said goodbye and headed towards the other side of the university where the gyms were located.

You and Wonbin continued talking but went to your apartment seeking more comfort. Considering that neither of you had slept more than four hours, it would be great if the conversation unfolded between naps.

Your tiny apartment had already hosted Chae and Wonbin more times than you could count, even considering how little time you'd been living there. When Bin entered, he immediately made himself at home, lying down on your bed and putting on some music. You came and lay down beside him, listening to him humming a song but with your mind still on Mark.

You once knew what was going on in your boyfriend's head, but now even your friends knew he was stressed and you had no idea why.

Wonbin turned to your side, noticing how tense your face and body were, and began to caress your face. “You know… If you really are stressed thinking about this situation with Mark, I know something that could help…” He smirked at you. 

He stood up and began searching inside his backpack until he found what he was referring to. A joint. You laughed at him holding it with a big smile and bright eyes.

“You can't be serious.” You sat in your bed while he lit it, taking a drag.

“Well, if Mr. Lee is doing it, you will too.” He handed it to you and you did the same as him, coughing a little at first.

You didn't smoke often, and when you did, you were usually with Mark, but mostly with Chae and Wonbin. Actually, it was Bin who introduced you to that world. It was your first semester of college, and you were just two introverts needing to relax at parties, and then after classes, and before going back to the dorm… and maybe later when you went to Europe. Of course, it was a very important and productive educational program, but sometimes the day seemed too long, and you'd end up in each other's rooms smoking while he caressed your hair.

Mark had no idea that you had started smoking more frequently again, just as you didn't know about him. He hated it when you smoked without him around. Knowing you well, he always said that you either got sleepy or horny, and he hated not being near you in both cases.

But, to be honest, you only smoked during your time in Europe because you two had argued, weren't speaking to each other and you looked like you were about to have an anxiety attack. That's when Wonbin reminded you that sometimes all you need is a joint and a hug from a friend. Luckily, you had both right there.

And here you two were, you lying on the bed drawing Wonbin, while he was sitting on the small sofa next to you, while you passed the joint.

“Let me take a look…” You handed him the notebook and took another drag, feeling your muscles relax.

This little notebook was a space where you let all the things in your head come out in the form of some text, poetry, or some drawings of your friends. But most of it was dedicated to Mark. Most of the drawings illustrated him. His face, his body, his hands, the way he looked at you from different angles, always with affection. But now he seemed so distant. Anyway, that didn't stop you from writing about him, and for him.

Wonbin looked at his drawing and smiled at you, who stood up and went to sit next to him. He then took a drag and began to flip through the pages while reading the sketches you had written.

“Is there something that you liked?” You ask, resting your head on his shoulder. Maybe Mark was right, you always got sleepy. 

Usually, your friend likes to use fragments of your art in his compositions. He would take passages from your poems and work on more elaborate lyrics with you or the rest of his band. In any case, it was always a surprise to hear the finished music because you almost never participated in the melody's creation, considering that Han Jisung, one of Christopher's best friends, was the second vocalist. So you avoided production days as much as possible, because you were bound to run into them at the studio, and Mark would certainly be upset.

He smirked at you. “What is this about? Let me taste your silhouette, you can talk between my legs…” He read and you laughed, pushing his arm slightly. You didn't respond to his question, because Mark's drawn eyes looking at you from below made it completely explicit. “Can I work with that?” You nodded and got up to drink some water.

“I'm excited to see where this goes.” You leaned against the kitchen sink while he put out the rest of the joint. “Do you want to eat something?” Before he could reply to you, his phone vibrated and Wonbin widened his eyes looking at his last texts. 

“Shit! I completely forgot that our rehearsal today was moved forward. I have to go now. Talk with you later!” He grabbed his bag and kissed your forehead, storming out of your place in seconds. 

And again, here you are. Alone and high. You prepared your own lunch thinking that maybe you shouldn't have to smoke that joint. Or maybe you just shouldn't be alone, because as soon as Wonbin left your place your mind came back to Mark. He was partially right, when you got high you really did get either sleepy or horny, but mostly hyper-focused on something. And that thing was him.

He hasn't sent you anything since that message in the early morning. A cold text simply asking the price of the Uber you took. Mark had never done that before, and you wonder what he is doing right now. Was he occupied with the tasks that were stressing him out so much? There was only one way to find out.

You grabbed your bag and headed towards his apartment. It was relatively close and the doorman already knew you, so you just went upstairs and entered with their dorm code. As soon as the door opened, you came face to face with a shirtless Jaemin preparing his meal. He looked at you, speechless. He hadn't expected to see you there, at least not today, especially not after yesterday.

“Yn!? Did you come here to see Mark? Do you want me to tell him you're here?” He asked dumbly, but you just gave a silly smile, shaking your head.

“It’s a surprise!” You put a finger to your lips, signaling him to keep it secret, and go straight to Mark's room. Before entering, Jaemin said 'Use protection, I don't want another surprise in nine months.' and you just laughed silly again.

You opened your boyfriend's bedroom door only to see him sitting in front of the computer with headphones on and shirtless. Without thinking much, you closed the door and automatically went to him. Hyuck was dumbfound when he saw you, and especially when you wrapped your legs around him, sitting on his lap. Both his hands held you by the waist and he could tell he was already getting used to it. When you kissed him intensely, without even saying anything beforehand, he pulled you closer but remembered that it was dangerous to let this happen again, especially since your kiss was addictive and this body was so sensitive.

Eventually, you broke the kiss, glanced quickly at your boyfriend's face, and began to place kisses along his neck, moaning softly as you said between kisses, ‘I missed you so much’ and ‘I love you so much.’ 

Hyuck might not be Mark, who already knew all your moaning sounds, but he noticed something strange while you were kissing his neck. It was like you were slower. Okay, you'd stayed late at the party, but you were strangely happy for someone who'd been dumped by your boyfriend at the party. 

Then he used one hand to hold your chin and pull you away from his neck. He carefully examined your face, biting your lip as you looked at his. When he looked again, your red eyes told him what he already suspected.

“Are you high?” You laughed at him the same way you did at Jaem.

“You got me so high.” You leaned to give him a slight kiss and bite his lip. This time he was the one who laughed.

“Okay, Doja Cat. But when did you…? Who gave you weed?” He asked confused and you just laughed softly, spreading kisses along his chin, murmuring ‘I've my secrets too’. 

You leaned your body forward further, and Haechan's hands automatically slid down to your butt, squeezing and pulling you closer to him, as if that were possible. When you pulled him in for another kiss, he closed his eyes, savoring the sensation once more before gently pushing you by the waist to say.

“Uhm, sorry baby, but I can't do this right now. There are four guys waiting for me to start the game… And, uhm…” You turned your body to see league of legends on his computer screen, waiting to start. 

You hadn't even noticed his screen when you entered the room, and you were so high that you didn't even care that he was playing a game instead of at least sending you a message. You just pouted, hiding your face in his neck again. You wanted him so badly right now, but he had already asked for space before, so you weren't going to force it. 

“Let me play one match, okay? Then I’m all yours.” 

You got off his lap and lay down on the bed without saying anything. It had been a long time since you'd seen Mark playing LoL, but you didn't think much about it. Actually, your mind was occupied watching him in his glasses and shirtless, focused while cursing into the microphone. Fuck. He was completely right about how you were when you were high.

One game turned into two, which turned into three, and when he was starting the fourth, you got tired of waiting and got up to sit in the same place as before. On his lap.

“Wait, wait, wait, princess. I'm almost finished here, I'll give you my attention in a minute.” 

You quickly sat on top of him, saying you were only going to stay there because it was more comfortable, and he didn't even stop playing. You could hear some laughter through his headset and someone asking ‘Princess? Is your girlfriend there?’ Hyuck replied briefly that yes, and ignored the jokes his friends started making. Maybe inviting his friends over to play with Mark wasn't such a good idea. He was going to be teased for the rest of his life.

His hands didn't leave the keyboard and mouse for a single minute, focused on the game. At first, you really just stayed there, with your arms around him and your face hidden in your boyfriend's neck. But he smelled so good, and every time he cursed someone from the opposing team or his own, he seemed to get even hotter.

Haechan began to feel you shift slightly in his lap, distributing your weight while giving him small kisses on his neck, making him shiver. He held back from moaning into the microphone and controlled his hands from going straight to your butt again. Someone started cursing at him, saying he was taking too much damage, and he tried to concentrate once more.

“Mark, what are you doing? Pay attention!!” Someone yelled through the headset. Haechan adjusted himself in the chair making you two get closer. You let out a small moan, but he chose to ignore it so as not to do the same.

“Ok, ok, my bad. Princess, one second, okay?” The guys on his headset were laughing and joking again, even though they didn't know his real situation.

He refocused on the game, even though you were still giving him little kisses on the neck. Then he felt your hips moving against him, and almost involuntarily he could feel his dick throb. 

He took a deep breath, and began to take more damage. You didn't stop your movements, but you didn't speed them up either. He didn't know what to do with the guys yelling in one ear while he could hear your small moans in the other. Then, just as he thought about taking one hand off the keyboard to slap your butt, the bedroom door opened. 

“Dude, I have a theory- YN??” You jump in surprise, while Hyuck barely has time to react, turning the chair towards the door and facing a stunned Mark. “You didn't say you were coming! Did she say she was coming?”

“Fuck!” Haechan didn't know if he said that because the screen indicated he died in the game, because Mark scared you, or because you jumped right on top of his dick.

You got off your boyfriend's lap and went to hug Mark. “It was a surprise!” Oh, it's clearly a surprise to Mark.

You smiled calmly, but he was evidently desperate. As if yesterday's situation wasn't enough, finding you in Hyuck's lap while his friend was shirtless and didn't stop you... Mark was certainly going to have a heart attack before they could switch bodies again. 

He returned your hug, but thought about how unusual it was for you to hug him in Hyuck's body. You hugged him that day at the coffee shop, but you were shaken, it was a specific occasion. Then he held you by the shoulders, studying your face.

“Are you high?” He squinted at you, but you laughed.

“I'm gonna make myself a sandwich. You guys want one?” They shook their heads, and you went to the kitchen. 

“What the fuck… Are you giving drugs to her!?” Mark whispered.

“No, dude. She arrived like that. I swear.” Mark massaged his temples, trying not to get even more stressed out by his friend.

“And what the hell was going on when I got here? Why are you shirtless? Why was she on your lap? And why didn't you do anything about it?” 

“I barely touched her!!” Hyuck raised his hands defensively. He wasn't going to admit that you arrived early, and that he had undoubtedly touched you. Yesterday's fight was enough for him. “I was playing, and she… I don't know, maybe she was feeling needy because you abandoned her yesterday.” Mark rolled his eyes. 

You opened the door while chewing your sandwich. “Oh my goodness, babe. This might be the best sandwich I’ve ever had. You have to try it!” You placed the sandwich in front of Hyuck's mouth, who bit into it making sounds of approval for a sandwich that was completely normal, maybe with a sweet and sour sauce, but nothing too special. “You too, Hyuck!”

You did the same with Mark, but he held your hand when you did, and took a bite looking at you.

“That's really good!” He smiled at how pleased you were with his compliment.

“So? What's your theory about?” You asked, and both of them widened their eyes, babbling nonsense things.

“It’s a game!” Haechan exclaimed.

“Yeah! A mystery game… a RPG, actually… about friends on a journey… and well, my theory is that it is about self-love…” Mark looked at Hyuck, and he understood, agreeing. 

Mark started explaining to you a game he just invented. It's about characters who need to get back home, and the paths they try to take never lead anywhere, but his theory now is that maybe the characters should find self-love. 

“It’s…” You analyzed his response. Still high. And it seemed to make a lot of sense, but there was one problem. “It sounds nerdy… I think you're two nerds. But relax. I won't tell anyone.” 

You whispered the last part close to Haechan's face, and returned to where you were on the bed before. You listened to your boyfriend, still in his chair, give suggestions for his friend's theory. They both started discussing why it might or might not work for the characters, but you weren't exactly paying attention to their conversation. They looked so nerdy talking so seriously about their silly game, but Mark was still shirtless, with his arms crossed and focused on what Hyuck was saying. He looked so stunning that all you wanted was to sit on his lap again, or maybe just kneel in front of him and let him use you however he wanted. But Hyuck was there and… you had never noticed how he gestured when he spoke, with his long and soft fingers… and how his lips were so plump, Haechan always pouted when he spoke… without realizing it, you started biting your own lip while staring at Hyuck's lips, imagining how they would feel in your skin.

Hyuck noticed that from the chair and gave you a quick glance, then he returned to Mark and grinned. When your real boyfriend noticed that his friend's eyes were suggesting something, he turned to you, taking you by surprise.

“What do you think, Yn?” He looked at you with his round eyes, and you quickly stopped biting your lip and looked away from his own, which did not go unnoticed by Mark and Hyuck.

“Uh??” What did he actually ask you? “I don't know… I never played this game before…”  Haechan chuckled at you. He noticed how throughout the conversation you were devouring him with your gaze, and how eventually your gaze fell on his real face, doing the same. “Actually, I think I'll go home and leave you guys playing…” 

You got out of bed and Mark asked if you wanted company on the way home, but all you needed now was to be alone to get your boyfriend's best friend's face out of your head. Damn the moment you smoked that joint. 

You went over to Hyuck, pulling him in for one last kiss. And then, without thinking much, you kissed Mark on the cheek, and he blushed instantly.

The two boys saw you leave through the door, and when Mark turned his face back to Haechan, his friend was smirking.

“I think she was feeling very needy, because of you.” Haechan extended the words, laughing and Mark threw a plushie at him. 

“Shut up! We need to test the hypothesis.” 

“Well, I know I love myself, and I know that I would love to be in my own body loving myself and letting Jimin love me too for as long as she wants.” Hyuck shrugged, holding the plushie. “How about you?”

“I love myself too, and I would love to be in my own body. Especially preventing you from letting my girlfriend love my body while you're in it.” 

“I don’t know, man… you seemed pretty insecure for someone who loves themselves that much.” Hyuck provoked him. And Mark rolled his eyes.

“It's shocking that you noticed this, considering how self-centered you are.” He snapped back. 

“Me self-centered!?? I am really doing this for you!” 

“As if you wouldn't like a pretty girl on your lap…” 

“Oh, I certainly love it! But not your girlfriend!!” Hyuck took a deep breath and looked at his friend. “Mark, listen. I'm your friend! And I'm really trying to make this whole ‘not breaking up with her’ thing work. But I also don't want to hurt you, okay? And if being near her does that, I’ll step back and let you handle your relationship over the phone.” 

Mark sighed and agreed. He was already living a triple life, what could get worse? 

He would lie that he was busy, and if you saw Hyuck in person, he would do the same. And that's what happened. Or that's what he thought would happen.

That night, you texted your boyfriend and he emphasized that you should always let him know when you were going to his house. You knew this, and you respected it mainly because of Jisung and Jaemin, and you didn't intend to do it again. So you apologized after the effects wore off, but he couldn't stay mad at you, and you spent the whole night talking. Mark also emphasized how he would be busier with his activities and might not have as much time for you two to meet. You sadly agreed to, because you were actually used to his heavy routine, and the things really seemed normal.

Haechan also followed the plan, avoiding passing by the places you were when your schedules clashed. Most of the time, Mark lied to you in text messages, saying he was in important meetings with professors and the newspaper supervisor. But this didn't last long, until one afternoon, on your way home, when you saw Mark buying coffee at the same old coffee shop.

He left the coffee shop, sipping his iced coffee, distracted by the latest messages Jimin had sent him. She had been angry after that party, but he managed to smooth things over by sending a nearly one-minute video of himself moaning, and promising her the world when they met. Haechan’d been heavily into sexting lately, and considering Mark's prohibitions, he'd had to improve his skills overnight. 

That's when he felt someone's arms wrap around him in a hug from behind. For a moment he thought it was Jimin herself, but then he heard your voice and jumped in shock, almost dropping his phone and coffee.

“Yn!? What are you doing here?” 

“I was coming back home and saw you.” You smiled and leaned in to kiss him, but he furrowed his brows and moved away, making you pull back. “Are you free now? We could go to my house and watch-”

“I thought I said I needed space.” He quickly put his phone in his pocket, afraid you might have seen something. Your smile faltered. 

“Well… yeah, but I missed you… The last time I saw you was that day at your house, and we barely had time for ourselves, since Haechan arrived. So I thought…” He chuckled ironically. He had to maintain the character he used to play before, for his own sake and especially for Mark's.

“That day, you showed up at my house high and acting all clingy. When I ask for space, I mean I'll look for you in my own time.” A couple of people leaving the store gave you odd looks. “Did you really follow me all the way here?”

“No, no, I just saw you leaving the coffee shop and came over to say hi, I didn't think that-” Mark had never spoken to you that way before, accusing you. You couldn't stop your eyes from filling with tears as you tried to explain yourself.

“Yn, listen, if you want our relationship to work, you need to respect my boundaries.” He stared at you seriously. “I need to go now, please think about it.” Then he turned and left without looking back.

You let a few tears fall as you watched him walk away. He had definitely never spoken to you like that before. Aside from the fight you had before the trip, during which you didn't speak at all, most of the other times you sat down and talked, being honest about what bothered each other. You wondered if you were really overstepping his boundaries. And judging by how he reacted, you were. So you decided to give him the space he asked for, no matter how difficult it was for you.

Mark had just finished one of the worst classes Hyuck had ever had. Something about calculus, systems, or anything involving a bunch of numbers whose relationship he was completely unfamiliar with. All he needed now was to go home, take a shower, and talk to you. It was still a long way until nightfall, and he had already finished some appointments early, so he knew he could talk to you for the rest of the afternoon without any problem. 

And as if the universe had heard him, there you were, sitting on one of the benches in the university garden, hidden among the trees where you two used to have lunch, study, or rest.

He saw you from afar and automatically smiled and waved, but you didn't see him back, preoccupied with pretending to write. The closer he got, the more he noticed your eyes, swollen from crying. You barely noticed when he sat beside you, automatically pulling you into a hug, but you quickly reciprocated, letting a few more tears fall.

“I'm sorry, this is the second time you've seen me like this, I didn't mean to bother you.” You said, staring at his face. 

“It's okay, I mean, are you okay? What happened?” He cupped your face and gently wiped away your tears.

“It's nothing… honestly, Mark and I, we…” It was very hard to admit. “Well, I haven't been a good girlfriend. And I don't know, I think Mark would probably break up with me. But I love him so much…” 

You rested your head on Hyuck's chest again and cried some more, ruining your makeup. You could feel his heart racing incredibly fast because, well, he was desperate. What had Hyuck just done?

“He would never do that, okay? He'd be crazy if he did.” He holds you tighter. A few acquaintances passed by, frowning with intrigue at the sight of you two. He didn't even think about that. All he wanted now was to calm you down. “Why don't you tell me what happened? Maybe I can help you with something...”

You raised your head to find his gentle smile waiting for you. He wiped away your tears once more, and you opened up to him.

While you two were talking, Mark calmed you down, but lied again, saying he didn't know what was going on with your boyfriend. He added that as his best friend and your new friend, he would talk to him. You thanked him again and apologized for being such a crybaby. Mark laughed because he always knew what you were like, and then he started bringing up other topics to see if you would cheer up.

You spent the rest of the afternoon like that, chatting in the garden. You were trying to get to know Haechan a little better, and Mark even responded with memories of his friend, but quickly changed the subject to your current interests. Nothing that would give away the body swap. As soon as night began to fall, he walked you home, saying goodnight and then walking back to Haechan's house.

At home, the first thing Mark does is text Hyuck. Once again, he explains that Hyuck can't talk to you like that. He was getting tired of explaining. The agreement was to stay away, not to push you away completely. Then he sends Hyuck one last message, an ultimatum: he has to apologize to you. A few minutes pass with Mark waiting for his friend's reply. He starts to get anxious, wondering if he's taken advantage of Hyuck's good will, when his phone vibrates.

(h)yuck: ok, fine

(h)yuck: but u will have to make smt for me too

(h)yuck: Karina wants to see me, irl

(h)yuck: and u can't ditch her again

(h)yuck: take it or leave it 

Mark read that text at least five times before sending his answer. He could go out with Karina, no problem. Okay, he was a committed man, but going out with her didn't mean being with her. Nothing prevented them from having a nice dinner and returning home safe and sound. And after all, it was for you and your relationship.

mork, the man: ok, fine.

mork, the man: I’m setting up a dinner. first, with Yn. u will go, apologize, be a gentleman, and take her home looking exactly the way she left

mork, the man: fix the mess u made today and I’ll set up a dinner with Jimin. 

mork, the man: one she’d never see coming from u

(h)yuck: deal

They exchange a few more messages, and Mark reminds him that he can't make any plans for the day of the dinner. He intended to get a table at your favorite restaurant, but he also planned to have one of those romantic afternoons you always had, visiting museums and flower shops. On the other side of the screen, Hyuck wasn't very happy, it wasn't his ideal day, but he sent a text agreeing with his friend. The concept of a romantic afternoon with an apology that he had in mind was spending the day comfortably at home watching series, preparing good meals and ending the night giving you a head until you couldn't take it anymore, maybe fucking you until you can only remember his name. 

But Mark was your boyfriend, and if he knew what would make you happy, Hyuck would only agree. And about Jimin, he wasn't worried about the excessive romance Mark might offer. He just needed her to still be interested when they finally switched, so he agreed.

The days go by and you remain distant from your boyfriend, seeing him only casually. The night after what happened at the coffee shop, Mark texted you apologizing and saying he was very stressed and that it was just a reaction to tiredness, but that he was very sorry. However, he didn't change his habits in real life. He became more distant, and only occasionally approached you, but it wasn't the same as before.

Unlike him, Donghyuck became much more present in your life. After seeing you cry twice because of his best friend, he asked you how you were doing almost every day and tried to find out how your days were going. You even started having lunch together. Sometimes with Wonbin and Chae. Sometimes with him, your boyfriend and your friends.

The boys found it all very bizarre, but they didn't say anything around Mark so as not to hurt his feelings. However, when they were alone with the supposed Haechan, thousands of questions and comments arose about what he was doing. Renjun, Jeno, and Chenle were the main ones questioning why he was suddenly so interested in befriending you and including you in their group, just like Mark did. But he promptly replied that his intentions towards you were the best. It was just that now he had realized that you were good for his friend, so he was going to build a good relationship with you.

However, Mark's behavior showed the opposite. His distance from you and his involvement with his group of friends led the boys to develop a theory that Hyuck had finally convinced Mark to distance himself from you, and that by the time he realized this, it might be too late, and they would once again have to deal with a heartbroken Mark, but much worse because it could be official.

So they started thinking of ways they could get you two together for at least a weekend without Hyuck around. Mark had already mentioned in the group chat that he was planning a romantic day with you, so it was just a matter of waiting.

As soon as they knew which weekend Mark intended to do this, the plan began, mainly led by Chenle.

captain zhong: guys 

captain zhong: are u free this weekend? 

captain zhong: something between us. just the guys. no girls. 

nana: this sounds suspiciously gay…

nana: im in !!!!

mork, the man: sorry dudes

mork, the man: don't know what it is but I've this thing with Yn and cannot cancel

mork, the man: but have fun :] 

The bait was set, they just needed Haechan to bite. And they knew their friend well enough that he wouldn't refuse the offer.

Haechan woke up incredibly late that day. His phone was dead, and he hadn't slept well for at least two nights, finishing up some projects for the part-time jobs he was involved in. 

He missed the first class and knew Mark would kill him for it, but since his friend already had enough reasons to do that to him, he just went straight towards his certain death. You, Mark, Jaemin, and Renjun were sitting at the same table having lunch. He appeared with his own lunch and sat next to you, already getting used to the new habit. You turned your face and offered him a slight smile, kissing only his cheek. After the last time he spoke harshly to you, it seemed that all your gestures towards him had become even more delicate. At least you were giving him the space he asked for, and the memory of the few times you were together was starting to stop disturbing his mind so frequently.

It didn't take long for the other boys to arrive and sit with you. They started talking non-stop, and you were still being somewhat cautious with your boyfriend, so you only joined the conversation occasionally. It wasn't long before Jisung brought up the topic.

“So? What are you talking about earlier in the group chat?” The youngest boy asked his best friend. Chenle wanted to kill his friend. They weren't supposed to talk about it in front of you. He forced a smile before replying.

“My gege said we could use his beach house for the weekend. I thought we could go on Friday and come back on Sunday. The weather was still warm, so all the bars were open.” Chenle said grinning. 

You knew the invitation wasn't directly for you because you weren't in the group Jisung mentioned, but even if it were, Mark had been reminding you all week via text message about your romantic date on Saturday. And it had been so long since you'd done that that only a meteor could make you want to cancel it. Which surprised you when you heard your boyfriend's voice celebrating along with the other guys.

“Oh, I'm totally in. You can definitely count on me! All I need right now is to chill to the sound of the waves” You froze. And not just you, the whole table kept silent. You didn't dare look at him, but you could feel your friends' gazes between the two of you.

Maybe he'd just briefly forgotten, there are so many weekends, so many commitments… but you didn't say anything, nor did your friends. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting to see which of you two would speak first. Which didn't happen, because Hyuck broke the silence.

“Oh… Uhm… Yn could come with us, right Chenle?” He asked spontaneously, smiling. 

All eyes were on Chenle now, and he wanted to kill Haechan for it. Obviously, they wanted you and Mark to sort things out as a couple, but even Mark wasn't helping himself in this situation. And when Chenle called his brother, he was also thinking about going on a boys' trip, going there and pretending the world was ending. Drinking, getting high, and inviting a bunch of strangers to a party that would start on Friday and end only on Sunday. But now he couldn't say no to you, so he smiled and said.

“Yeah. If you want to.”

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