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Airports give Mark headaches. Maybe it’s the long wait, the unexplained fear his passport isn’t valid and he will have to return home, or the almost twenty-hour flight. By the time Mark walks through the glass doors, all he wants is to drop his bags in the corner of a hotel room and sleep until he gets used to the timezone. His plans are just like having a nice time at an airport: impossible.
Johnny isn’t so hard to spot. He’s one of the tallest men Mark’s ever known and his vibe is also quite unique. His friend is scrolling through his phone while leaning against his car. When he spots Mark, his lips curl up in a smile.
“Long time no see, Marky boy,” he greets, going for a hug before picking the bags from Mark’s hand.
“Thanks for picking me up,” Mark says back while scratching the back of his head.
Johnny throws the bags on the back of his car before closing it. He stares down at Mark with a smug smile on his lips.
“And…?”
“For letting me stay in your house,” Mark adds.
Johnny raises an eyebrow. “Aaaand…?”
Mark frowns, thinking of what could possibly be. “For asking me to be your best man…?”
Johnny nods and moves on to the car’s door. “That sounds about right!” he says before getting in.
Mark sighs in relief before getting in next to his friend.
✈︎✈︎✈︎
Johnny lives in a cozy apartment in what seems like a nice side of Seoul. Mark wouldn’t know, he hasn’t been to Korea since he was ten. He speaks perfect Korean because that was the only language allowed at the house, but he hasn’t visited his Korean family since his grandma passed away. The country doesn’t hold good memories to him.
He secretly hopes those bad attachments can be scratched. His best friend is getting married and this is the land where his parents fell in love. Perhaps he will be lucky like they were.
“Taeil is probably taking a nap,” Johnny says. Mark has never heard him speak this quietly. “Make yourself at home really and don’t mind it when he walks around in just my shirts, he’s clueless like that.”
Mark holds on a chuckle. That sounds like the Taeil he knew years ago.
However, Johnny couldn’t be more wrong. As soon as he opens the door, he stands face to face to his alarmed and tiny fiánce.
“Johnny-yah,” Taeil says, wide-eyed. “Didn’t you check my text?”
“I was driving, babe,” Johnny replies, apparently not catching on his partner’s nervousness. And he calls Taeil clueless, Mark wants to laugh. Johnny leans down for a peck and Taeil kisses him back. “Say hi to our guest.”
Taeil’s frown gives way to a gummy smile directed at the newcomer. Mark is flustered, he’s forgotten how adorable Taeil was.
“He isn't a guest, he is family! Mark-yah, have you eaten? Did you have a safe flight?”
“Yeah, hyung. Missed ya,” Mark says before hugging him.
Taeil is detaching himself from the hug when they hear a sound coming from the other end of the apartment followed by a question.
“Illie? Who’s that?”
Mark freezes. He recognizes that voice too well. He knows it from late night audios about how tiring work is, from videos showing his cute outfits before going out and from the sweet whimpers he let out between kisses.
A man comes in. He’s taller than Taeil, with a tiny waist and perfect posture. His white-bleached hair fits him. Mark could pretend that he hadn’t known that was his new hair color but he had stalked his instagram page just moments before his flight to Seoul. In fact, Mark had wondered if they’d meet before the wedding but discarded the thought. Seoul has millions of people, that would be impossible.
Yet they found each other again.
“Jungwoo dropped by,” Taeil says in a squeaky uncomfortable voice. It brings Mark back to reality, he doesn’t know for how long he’s stared at him. Jungwoo ignores him completely. “Mark-ya, do you remember him?”
Taeil seems to regret the question as soon as he voices it but Mark still responds. “How could I forget?”
Jungwoo turns to Taeil, offended. “I didn’t drop by, you invited me over.”
“I didn’t,” Taeil replies, more to Johnny than to Jungwoo.
“Yah, Moon Taeil, have you gone mad?” Jungwoo says before turning to Mark. His expression is hard to read. “Hello, Mark Lee.”
“Hi,” Mark says back, offering him an awkward smile. It isn’t matched by him and they fall into silence.
Mark considers saying something. Maybe asking what Jungwoo is up to these days or saying sorry for what happened between them. He doesn’t know what to do but he feels the urge to do something.
Johnny clears his throat.
“Let’s unpack this!” he says, leading Mark to the bedroom he will be staying in.
✈︎✈︎✈︎
“So…” Johnny says, after an unusual amount of time in silence, “you and Jungwoo, huh… Never worked it out?”
Mark closes his empty bag. They are done unpacking and he’s tired, though he’s not sure his exhaustion has anything to do with travelling.
“It’s complicated.”
“Bet,” Johnny nods. He stops for a moment, looking at Mark with concern. “You should talk to him.”
Mark opens his mouth to reply but the bell rings.
“Woah, who else has Taeil secretly invited?” Johnny jokes, leaving the bedroom.
Mark follows Johnny. He leaves his bedroom in perfect time to see Jungwoo throwing himself in a broad man’s arms. The stranger picks Jungwoo up and twirls him around before returning him to the floor. Mark doesn’t think he’s ever seen Jungwoo’s smile glow like that, not even when they were together. He looks away in shame, wanting this stranger gone.
✈︎✈︎✈︎
Mark’s gaze can’t seem to stop falling to where Jaehyun’s hand rests, right over Jungwoo’s knee. He always averts his eyes quickly enough so no one catches this slip — or at least he hopes so. Sometimes his eyes meet Jungwoo from across the friendly circle on the living room’s floor but Mark looks away to whoever is speaking at the moment. That role is filled easily by Johnny.
His friend is a social butterfly and changes topics in a heartbeat. He manages to make Jaehyun laugh at the same time he flirts shamelessly with Taeil and winks at Jungwoo. It’s a gift at this point. Mark is lost in his own world when Johnny starts boosting him up.
He details to great extent how they met in university and talks about Mark’s genius as a music producer. Mark tries shrugging it off but can’t help when his eyes run towards where Jungwoo is, expecting to see him glow with admiration. The man is unaffected and, maybe it’s all in Mark’s imagination, but he appears to be leaning closer and closer to Jaehyun.
“What are you doing in Korea?” Jaehyun asks, calling Mark’s attention back to him. How Mark wishes he could punch that perfect jaw without breaking his fingers.
“Had to come back to be my best friend’s best man. I was there when Taeil and Johnny met so it’s more than fair,” Mark replies with a chill smile.
Taeil pinches Mark’s cheek and calls him cute while Johnny rolls his eyes dramatically. “Miss me with that sentimentalism, Markly.”
“Never heard of how you two met.”
If Jaehyun is dating Jungwoo, as their skinship indicates, their relationship must be quite new. Mark knows for a fact Johnny takes pride in their Disney-dream story and repeats to anyone who will hear it. This time around, Mark steals the candy right from his smug mouth.
“Johnny and I were hanging around Downtown Disney, celebrating that uni was over in a silly trip. Then came two hot Asian guys who barely spoke any English. Taeil completely ignored me, which I still take at heart, and came up to Johnny asking for a kiss. Johnny said yes and they had a date.”
Jaehyun’s eyes widened in surprise. “Just like that?”
Mark is about to reply but is interrupted by Johnny.
“Should I be upset with Jungwoo because he chose you?” he says teasingly, probably angry for having been denied the chance to tell the story on how he met his soulmate. Johnny’s narration takes too long and he adds all those loud interjections and comments for dramatism that are unnecessary so Mark doesn’t regret it.
“You cannot judge someone for their ill-judgment,” Mark replies back with a sly smile.
“Wait,” Jaehyun says, dragging the attention back to him. “You and Jungwoo met that day too? And he asked you for a kiss?”
Mark becomes speechless by his inquiring questions and simply nods. His eyes trail back to where Jungwoo is. He has hidden most of his features behind his white curly hair but Mark can sense his apprehension.
“Did you say yes?” Jaehyun adds. Mark cannot avert his gaze from Jungwoo.
“Well, when someone pretty comes along…”
Jungwoo stands up, causing Jaehyun’s hand to drop from his thigh. He excuses himself and goes to the kitchen.
“It was a silly game I was playing with Zeus!” Taeil is quick to fill the void Jungwoo left. “He wanted to celebrate the fact we were in America by making out with an American guy. He ended up with a Canadian. But well, it got me the love of my life…”
Mark gets up as well, deciding to leave Jaehyun with the love birds. He’ll survive.
He finds Jungwoo drinking a glass of water by the counter. There’s no alarm in his eyes when he spots Mark. He continues to appear unaffected. Mark hates it.
He doesn’t bother pretending he came to the kitchen to fetch something else. Mark’s sole reason for coming here is much more urgent than what a kitchen can offer.
“Hi,” he greets.
“I’m that someone pretty, I assume,” Jungwoo says, not wasting time with small talk. He was never one to. It was always, “Hi, you’re hot and American. Can we kiss?” or ''God, shut up and come spend the night with me,” and even “I know long-distance sucks. But being without you sucks even more.”
“Isn’t that obvious?” Mark asks, honestly.
Jungwoo nods, slowly letting that new information sink in. He taps his index finger on his chin.“I wonder… Do you usually ghost people you find pretty?”
Mark sighs. “Zeus…”
“Don’t,” Jungwoo says, firmer. He keeps Mark from approaching him or from using the old pet name.
“I’m sorry,” Mark says, looking for Jungwoo’s eyes.
“Nothing that couldn’t be said by text.” Jungwoo’s lips curl to a bittersweet smile. It’s as if he can taste the irony and it is sour.
Mark feels like he is losing Jungwoo by each moment he doesn’t take action so he is quick to defend himself. “It wasn’t working out and you know it. Long-distance isn’t for everybody, especially someone carefree like you,” he says, daring to cup Jungwoo’s face in his hand.
Jungwoo holds his arm and his eyes are sorrowful. “That isn’t for you to decide.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You should be,” he says, detaching his face from Mark’s long hand. Jungwoo lets out a big sigh, not of annoyance, but of exhaustion and relief. He moves towards taking a step out of the kitchen but Mark holds his wrist.
“Let me make it up to you,” he suggests optmistically. “You always told me about the places you wanted me to visit in Seoul. Well, I’m here now.”
Jungwoo squints his eyes in suspicion. “Your way of apologizing is getting me to work as your tourist guide?”
Mark chuckles. “Don’t act as if you won’t like it, I know you,” he says confidently, earning a small smile from his ex.
Jungwoo returns back to his stoic-self. Mark is afraid he’s lost him forever. He lets go of Jungwoo’s wrist and the man walks to the edge between kitchen and living room. He stops.
“Eight a.m. sharp,” he says, only turning his head around slightly. “I’ll pick you up.”
✈︎✈︎✈︎
It’s not a secret but Mark doesn’t want to tell anyone of his plans for the next day. Knowing Johnny, he’d bombard him with questions and tips on how to get your ex back that would just serve to make him more anxious. Mark wakes up early and puts down a note on his doorstep. He dresses up casually but to Jungwoo’s liking, if he remembers correctly. A big grey goodie, nice sneakers, tight black jeans, totally the boyfriend type.
Jungwoo stops his car right in front of the apartment building. Mark hops in and as soon as he sees Jungwoo he feels underdressed. His ex is wearing a long black coat and a buttoned grey shirt along with white pants. Mark feels butterflies in his stomach just from seeing him.
“Have you eaten?” Jungwoo asks softly.
“No.”
Jungwoo had specifically asked him not to and he followed orders well.
His ex smiles. “Let’s have breakfast then.”
He drives through the busy streets of Seoul with ease. Mark stays still but wishes he could lay his hand on Jungwoo’s thigh. Before he can say anything, Jungwoo turns on the radio.
Mark checks his phone. There are some messages from his mom asking if he’s arrived safely and he gets a notification from his to-do list to not forget to buy Johnny and Taeil a useful wedding gift. Just after he locks his phone, Jungwoo parks the car. They’ve arrived at the N Seoul tower, which marks the center of the city.
“I haven’t come here in some time,” Jungwoo sighs as he closes the door of his car. Mark follows him, dazzled by the tower’s height.
They pick an elevator in the tower’s lobby and Jungwoo chooses the floor. The doors open to a nice cafe up in the sky. Jungwoo sits at a table close to the big windows. From there, Mark feels like he can see the whole city.
Since it’s a weekday and early in the morning, the place is quiet. Mark is quite aware of that. He’s alone with Jungwoo in a romantic place such as this. Should he consider this a date?
“What will you have?” Jungwoo asks.
“Uhh,” Mark hums, taking a quick look at the option. “An omelette and watermelon juice,” he says to the silent waiter.
Jungwoo orders bibimbap and iced tea. The waiter leaves right away.
“Still obsessed with watermelons I see,” Jungwoo says with a kind smile.
“I haven’t changed,” Mark replies. He hopes Jungwoo can understand what he means. Perhaps he has from the look of his now sour smile.
“I will be the judge of that,” he bites back though remaining diplomatic. “How have you been? Last time we talked you weren’t so happy about your job,”
“Yeah, I quit. Been freelancing since. How about you?”
Jungwoo seems happy for him. Apparently he remembers Mark’s insane boss and the crazy deadlines. Mark complained about him quite a lot in their endless Facetime calls.
“Well, I was recently hired to plan a party in New York. Some fancy socialite. Really good money and networking,” Jungwoo says, winking cheekly.
Mark cannot hide his surprise. “Woah, you’ve come a long way since those trashy graduation celebrations.”
He always knew Jungwoo could make it. He is organized, strict about his goals and, most of all, he loves a good party. Jungwoo has always had a way of knowing what his clients wanted—better yet, what they needed. Mark could easily see him throwing posh balls for an eighty-year-old politician as well as insane bachelor celebrations for TikTok influencers. He just never expected Jungwoo to go international, but he should know the sky's the limit. (Literally, Mark recently saw on instagram that his ex had thrown a party in a private jet. Color him jealous.)
“Yeah,” Jungwoo nods, though suddenly shy. Mark would like to fluster him some more. “Thought of texting you while I was there.”
That’s news to him. Sure, Mark didn’t live in New York anymore but just one phone call from Jungwoo would get him on the next airplane.
“Why didn’t you?”
“You never replied to my last text.”
Jungwoo speaks quietly but Mark tenses right away. He’s read those texts, a hundred times, thousands even. They started with a simple “goodnight bby ttyt” and then slowly moved to “are u busy?”, “are u feeling okay? why dont u reply?” and “please pick up markly. please”. the last text he remembers receiving just when one of his songs broke into top 10 of Billboard Hot 100. “why”. Mark read it through his screen just as he was congratulated by fellow producers.
Mark raises his eyes to Jungwoo. He wishes he could comfort him even though it’s not his place. “I messed it up, right?”
The food arrives and their conversation goes unfinished.
✈︎✈︎✈︎
After they’ve eaten and taken a couple pictures on the last floor, Mark reveals he hasn’t bought anything for Johnny and Taeil’s wedding. Jungwoo rolls his eyes but pulls him by the hand to a nearby mall. Mark’s skin tingles where it connects to Jungwoo’s hand.
His ex drops his hand when they get to the mall. Mark wants to complain and wrap his fingers around Jungwoo’s but lets it go. He has no right in asking more from him.
“You were always awful at gift-giving!” Jungwoo exclaims when Mark suggests they go to a bath supply shop.
“I’m trying, okay!”
“You’re the best man. Give them something sentimental and something useful as well,” Jungwoo advises, kinder this time.
They end up in a rustic furniture store. Jungwoo looks around with amazement in his eyes. He’s always had great taste and Mark used to say he’d let Jungwoo decorate the entire house when they moved in together. It never happened but Mark can’t help but wonder how it’d have been if they had.
“Are you going alone?” he asks, startling Jungwoo, who was analysing a wooden coffee table.
He raises one of his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
Mark’s face heats up under his gaze. “To the wedding. Do you have a date?”
“Not as of yet,” Jungwoo replies relaxedly. He continues walking around the store and Mark follows him. “Too busy organizing it, I guess.”
When Johnny told Mark who the organizer was, he became speechless. Of course Jungwoo would want to give his best friend his dream wedding but they had just broken up — or rather, Mark had just ghosted him. Apparently, he was as functional as ever. Mark shouldn’t have wanted Jungwoo to be sad they were over and a part of him was happy, but he couldn’t help but feel their relationship had meant nothing to his ex.
“I thought Jaehyun would have asked you out,” he says, apparently offhandedly.
Jungwoo stops on his feet. “Jaehyun is just a friend.”
“Oh.”
“Do you have a date?” he inquires, leaning closer to Mark.
Mark shakes his head. “No.” Jungwoo continues walking towards the more inexplored and empty corners of the store. “Maybe I should, right? Best man not having a date is bad…”
“Ask someone,” Jungwoo replies. Mark feels spite in his tone but he can’t see his face to be sure.
“I only want one person,” Mark whispers. He grabs Jungwoo by his wrist and turns him around before pressing him against the wall. They are hidden by the store’s shelves.
“Mark…”Jungwoo says, a hidden warning in his tone.
Mark acts oblivious, eyes landing on Jungwoo’s lips. “Yes?”
“What are you doing?” he whispers back, not trying to leave his grip.
“Asking you to be my date,” Mark says, raising his eyes to meet Jungwoo’s. “Will you say yes?”
“You left me,” Jungwoo says. There’s accusation in his tone.
Mark lets go of his wrist. He can’t defend himself from the truth but he can try. “I—“
“Why did you leave me?” he asks, voice breaking before he’s finished.
“You were running all of those parties, meeting so many handsome men.”
“You were jealous?” Jungwoo’s voice rises one tone higher and he squints his eyes.
Mark brushes his thumb on his cheek in an attempt to calm him. “Not only. Mostly I just felt like I was holding you back,” he confesses, guilt clear on his face. “You’re too lively to deserve a long-distance relationship.”
Mark cups his face gently but Jungwoo remains skeptic.
“What has changed now?”
“It doesn’t have to be long-distance now,” Mark says. Jungwoo doesn’t react to that news so he continues speaking.“I got a job offer here in Seoul—“
“Shut up,” Jungwoo says, sounding almost angry.
“I’m not lying—“
“No, Mark Lee. Shut up,” Jungwoo says before pulling Mark by his shirt so their mouths can meet.
Jungwoo tastes of the strawberry cake they had at breakfast. The sweetness melts inside Mark’s mouth and he wants to devour him. Last time they kissed was years ago, before Jungwoo took a flight back to Seoul. Maybe Jungwoo would grow some sense in him and stop the kiss. Mark can’t let this happen.
He hungrily devours Jungwoo’s lips, pressing him against the store’s wall. Jungwoo whimpers but doesn’t disconnect their mouths. Mark kisses him further, swirling his tongue inside Jungwoo while placing his hands on the man’s tiny waist.
Jungwoo kisses him back eagerly. He doesn’t fight for dominance, allowing Mark to take control of the kiss. After putting up so many walls for the last couple days, it seems like he just wants to be handled. Mark will gladly take that matter in his own hands.
Jungwoo lets out a particularly loud moan and Mark interrupts the kiss. They don’t want to drag attention to themselves. Jungwoo tries protesting but Mark speaks first.
“Come home with me. I think this is enough touristing for today.”
✈︎✈︎✈︎
In the darkness of his guest room, Mark feels Jungwoo’s naked body against his. He kisses Jungwoo from his long neck to his slender thighs. He can’t help but adore every inch of his body, he hasn’t touched it in so long.
Mark remembers the last time they had sex, in that tiny Disneyworld hotel room. Jungwoo’s plane was going to depart soon and they knew that meant goodbye. Mark held Jungwoo close while he fucked him, as if somehow that was going to keep him from leaving. It didn’t and they cried at the end, whispering promises and trading kisses.
To a certain degree, this moment reminds Mark of that time. There’s the same neediness and want there was, but right now is also tender and slow. There’s no airplane waiting to take Jungwoo away so Mark can kiss his chest as much as he likes, listen to his moans until he grows tired of them — not that he ever will.
“Mark, please, please,” Jungwoo whimpers, begging his lover to hurry up.
Mark might not be impatient but Jungwoo surely is. He stops kissing his abdomen and goes for his lips as he spreads Jungwoo’s legs. They continue kissing, messily and between labored breaths, while Mark adjusts himself on Jungwoo’s entrance.
They halt kissing but their faces are still side by side as Mark penetrates him. He’s only managed to push his head inside but Jungwoo is already rolling his eyes.
“God,” he pants. “I missed this so much.”
He pulls Mark for another kiss while Mark enters him slowly. Jungwoo was prepped properly while Mark kissed his entire body so his cock slides in smoothly. Mark is especially careful, not wanting to hurt him on their first night together in years.
Jungwoo stares Mark deep into his eyes and Mark moves his hand to hold Jungwoo’s. He’s balls deep inside him when he stops pushing.
“Okay?” he asks, to he sure.
Jungwoo nods with half-lidded eyes.
Mark finally starts thrusting inside Jungwoo. He thought that his lack of sex would drive him to slam inside him carelessly like a horny dog, but his want to make this moment last leads to his thrusts to go deep and slow. He establishes a rhythm both feel comfortable with. Jungwoo wraps his legs around Mark’s torso and smiles at him. Mark doesn’t recall the last time he was this happy.
He remembers the few times they had sex. A great part of their relationship was also based on sexting and phone sex. Although the times Mark came the hardest were to Jungwoo’s nudes or to him whispering sweet nothings on the other end of the line, nothing beat real-life Jungwoo, with his slender body, delicate features, welcoming Mark inside him while teary eyed. Nothing can ever compare to this.
Mark lifts Jungwoo’s legs a little, changing their position. His next thrust earns a surprise moan from Jungwoo.
“Yeah, right there.”
“Yeah?” Mark asks, seeking confirmation if this is the right spot.
Jungwoo hums and Mark continues fucking him in that place, going harder and faster than before. Jungwoo’s free hand goes towards his unattended cock and he starts masturbating. His hole clenches harder and harder around Mark’s length and Mark thinks he might come soon.
Jungwoo is the first to come, moaning one last time as his semen spills from his cock to their bellies. Mark fucks into him just a couple more times before he’s orgasming inside the condom.
Mark keeps himself from falling on top of Jungwoo by the strength of his arms. He stays inside him while his cock spurts the last drops of come and leaves only once he’s gone soft. Both are spent and tired but Mark doesn’t go to bed just yet. He throws out the condom before falling next to his lover. Jungwoo immediately curls up to him. He’s always been clingier than Mark. Before Jungwoo, Mark was never like this with anyone. Jungwoo was the first and only one.
Mark is running fingers through Jungwoo’s white curls when he is surprised by a sudden move of his head.
“Is it stupid I gave in so easily?” Jungwoo asks quietly. He bites his bottom lip and avoids Mark's gaze.
“Not that easily…” Mark protests softly. He brushes his thumb across Jungwoo’s cheek. “Well, your problem was me ghosting you and I can’t do that when I move here.”
“That’s true…” Jungwoo gives in after some consideration. “If you ever break my heart again, Mark Lee, I will…” he stops, seemingly to better formulate his threat. “I’ll make sure everyone hears the demo tape from when you were 14.”
Mark gasps in outrage but his lip corners still rise up in a wide smile. “You wouldn’t!”
“Yes, I would!” Jungwoo says back.
Mark tries caging Jungwoo against the bed but Jungwoo fights back. Mark ends up winning, he’s stronger and perhaps Jungwoo is weak for his charms.
“I love you,” Mark says, staring into Jungwoo’s deep eyes.
“Love you too,” Jungwoo says back. He closes the space between their lips.
✈︎✈︎✈︎
Jungwoo is snoozing softly while holding onto Mark’s torso. Mark gently detaches his hands from his body so he can leave to get a glass of water without waking up his boyfriend. Boyfriend. Jungwoo is his boyfriend now. He is his boyfriend again, to be more exact. It brings a smile to Mark’s face as he puts on some pants and leaves the room.
He almost stumbles on Johnny. It is late so Mark has no idea why he’s still up.
Johnny raises one of his eyebrows and leans closer, clearly suspicious of something. “So… Do I wanna know?”
Mark considers pretending he doesn’t know what he’s talking about but drops that idea entirely. Maybe Johnny saw them arrive together while holding hands or perhaps he heard them fucking. Mark’s face grows hot in embarrassment. Truth is, it was impolite of him to bring Jungwoo to Johnny and Taeil’s apartment so they could have sex. Mark didn’t want to go to any love hotel and apparently Jungwoo’s house was getting a paint job and he was staying over at Jaehyun’s. Mark tried being quiet but perhaps the moans or the thrust sounds made their way through the door.
“Sorry, dude—“ he starts saying before he’s interrupted by Johnny.
“Taeil sleeps like a rock and I got to listen to my favorite album over and over again. Just next time, do it while we are at work.” Johnny says. He’s being nice, too nice, and Mark’s ears become even redder. “What does it mean though?”
Mark scratches his head. He thinks he knows what it means but he still wants to be sure before announcing it everywhere. “We still have a lot to talk about but… guess we are back together,” he says while a smile spreads across his lips. He feels like a teenage boy in love. It’s pathetic and yet he’s so happy a part of him doesn’t care.
He’s always known Jungwoo was the love of his life. Part of why he ghosted him was because he couldn’t deal with only seeing Jungwoo through a screen. It was good, Jungwoo was a great long-distance boyfriend, but it hurt Mark going to bed and not feeling his warmth next to him, not touching his hair locks whenever he felt like it or not being able to steal kisses randomly. It hurt so much he couldn’t even text Jungwoo for a week and when he finally could, he thought better not to. Jungwoo deserved something better and Mark was dying of hunger with scraps.
“Congrats, man,” Johnny says, earnestly. Johnny is mostly playful but when he’s serious, he means it.
“Should really thank Taeil for inviting him,” Mark jokes with a chuckle.
His friend grins. “Hmm, maybe someone else invited Jungwoo…”
Mark frowns, taking a moment to understand the insinuation. “Johnny!”
He’s about to hit his friend when Jungwoo leaves the room wearing one of Mark’s oversized shirts and shorts. He wraps his arms around Mark from his back.
“Let Johnny be, he is the groom,” he says while pouting.
“Thank you, Jungwoo,” Johnny says, bowing his head majestically. “Hopefully you’ll be a groom soon,” he adds with a wink.
This time Jungwoo is the one outraged. “Johnny-yah!”
Johnny escapes to his bedroom before Jungwoo can try something against him. Only Mark and Jungwoo are left in that tiny hall. Mark felt his warmth from behind him and turned around to mess with his curls before stealing a kiss. He will never let Jungwoo go again.