Supernerd! MARK

When I reach my seat in the auditorium, I notice a roll of what looks like kimbap on my table.

I pick it up suspiciously, turning it around to inspect it. Maybe someone from the previous lecture had accidentally left their breakfast here.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I take it out once I settle in my seat.

Mark Lee
Enjoy :)

My eyebrows knit in confusion, and I look forward to see that Mark has his body turned in my direction. He gives me a small wave and makes a small burger-eating gesture, his nose scrunching up in the process, and I don't need to second-guess who the kimbap is from.

Hwang Yena
thanks??
what's it for though

Mark Lee
I promised I'd make it up to you the other day didn't I

I frown, and I recall he's probably referring to last week when he had oh-so-nicely stood me up at Lee's. He did apologise profusely and said that he was going to make it up to me, and I see that he has chosen the way to my stomach to do so.

Mark Lee is a very bad liar, so when he told me that he had gotten a very bad case of diarrhoea after eating the 'awesome donut', I couldn't find it in me to believe him.

One, because I take offense on behalf of my boss that someone would even dare accuse him of food poisoning (Ten is very particular about food safety) and two, if Mark had really been stuck on the toilet for two hours like he had claimed, he would have returned from the back, not the front door.

As suspicious as he was being, I let it go.

Professor Qian walks in with his textbook and laptop in hand, and I flip my own book open to begin with today's lecture.

Our project that had been assigned last week won't be due in another two weeks, so I'm not too worried about it, unless Mark decides to stand me up one more time, of course. We agree to meet again today at Lee's to work on it, seriously (his words), and I find myself agreeing considering I don't have a shift to worry about today. I did ask Mark if he was sure he wants to go back to Lee's, considering the last time we went there, it didn't really end well for him, but he assured me that it was fine.

Professor Qian's lecture ends as quickly as it had begun, and as I step out of the auditorium, I see Mark leaning against the wall next to the water cooler, waiting for me.

"Hey," he greets, pushing himself off the wall as he grasps one of his bag straps.

"Hi." I raise the uneaten kimbap in hand. "Didn't have the time to eat it just now. Thanks."

Mark grinned, and we now walk side by side as we exit the wing. "I bought it from the auntie down the street near campus. It's really good."

I hum in acknowledgment. "Anyways, you know you can sit next to me, right?" I ask, finding it weird that he chose to revert back to his old seat today after Professor Qian made him sit next to me just last week.

"Oh, yeah," Mark chuckled meekly. "I just thought you were angry at me."

I narrow my eyes at him, to which he returns with an awkward smile.

"I'm not that bad," I mutter, but Mark doesn't catch it when his attention is grabbed by something— or rather, someone — else.

"Mel!" A familiar voice shouts, and I realise that it's none other than Lee Donghyuck.

"Ooh, pretty girl?" He asks as he approaches us, and I give him a small wave. "Small world! Since when are you two acquainted?"

Mark tells him that we share the same elective, and I'm silently grateful that he didn't take Donghyuck's question too literally and blurt out that I'm the girl who stole his first kiss.