Supernerd! MARK

30 | finally there

Mark is quiet for a while as he ponders on my statement, before he lets out a sigh. "Fine. You're right. It's risky, though— we have to assume that Lee Taeyong knows what you're up to, and sending you in as bait would only prove that you're working with me. I don't care if they end up hurting me, Yena. What I care about is what they could do to you. And now that we know the drug has somehow mad its way to campus, we need to be extra careful."

I fiddle with my fingers. Mark is a realist, and I hate that he's right. Ideally, we would be able to stop all this madness from happening with a snap of our fingers, but I know that in the real world, underestimating these gang leaders is the last thing we should do.

"How do you think that happened?" I question aloud. "Do you think it was brought in by students?"

"Likely." Mark nods. "It could be that someone started to spread the drug in school after dealing with Lee Taeyong. We should probably discuss this with Mr. Seo first, though. I don't wanna do anything rash." I feel Mark reach out to my shaking hands, separating my conjoined fingers before he envelops my right hand with his warm one. "Can we just forget about this for one night?" He asks softly, rubbing my skin with the pad of his thumb.

He stares at me with soft eyes, but despite that, I can still see the worry behind his irises. I nod, and Mark gives me a small smile.

"Remember the last time we came here? I found a daffodil in your hair and you made a wish," Mark suddenly says, switching the topic. "Has it come true yet?"

I bite my lip to suppress my growing smile, his stare causing my stomach to do backflips. Letting out a small chuckle, I avert his gaze. "I'm not telling you."

"Aw, c'mon." Mark pouts, but upon seeing me unmoving, he nudges my side. "Was it about me?" He teases. "Oh, I know. Did you wish for me to like you? Because if you did, then I wouldn't say that it actually came true, because I liked you waaay before you even made the wish. So if anything..."

I find myself staring at his face as he continues to ramble, feeling myself get absolutely lost in the moment where it is just him and I, and nothing else. I could hear the thumping of my heart and the blood rushing through my veins as I take in how just beautiful he looks under the moonlight; the way his pretty eyelashes flutter against his cheekbones every time he blinks; the way his dark eyes seemingly hold an infinite amount of galaxies that I wouldn't ever get tired of looking at.

I am so in love with him.

"Yeah, it did," I whisper, and it is only when Mark stops his rambling to ask me what I meant do I realise that I had unknowingly said it out loud.

I blink. "My wish. It already came true."

"Oh, yeah?" Mark grins. "So are you gonna tell me?"

"I wanted you to be happy. To never change," I blurt instantly, almost in a daze before I see his goofy smile falter slightly. Despite that, I continue, "the night you brought me here, I remember thinking what a free spirit you are. You have a kind soul. I realised I could hear you talk on and on forever and I knew then and there that I never wanted to see you sad, ever. And tonight, seeing you the exact same, I knew that my wish came true." I smile softly. "The only difference is that I got more than what I bargained for. Because I fell in love with you, Mark Lee."

"Yena, I-" Mark's eyes are wide and his lips are parted as he searches for the words to say, and for a moment I feared that I might have crossed the line with my sudden confession— that is until I feel him grab my face as he pulls me into a kiss, one I instantly find myself melting into.

"Sorry. I didn't know what to say," he mumbles after we pull apart, his eyes still trained on my lips. "But you're right. I am happy. Because you make me happy." Mark peers shyly into my eyes. "I know we haven't had the chance to talk about us— shit, I haven't even brought you out on a real date yet. I'm sorry. But," he pauses, taking a deep breath. "Know that I love you, alright?"

Those three little words instantly brings a blush to my face, and for a moment all the worry from before has been wiped out from my mind. "I love you too, Mark," I whisper, my cheeks starting to hurt from smiling too much.

As always, he caresses my cheeks with the pads of his fingers before leaning in once more, placing a final chaste kiss on my lips.

It only lasts a second before he pulls away, wrapping an arm around my shoulder before bringing me to his chest. "Sorry. I know I should be asking you this in a nicer setting, but I can't wait any more," he mumbles from the top of my head, and I tilt my chin to look up at him.

Mark looks back down at me. "Hwang Yena, can I be your boyfriend?"

The weird structure of his question makes me burst into a fit of giggles, but it only makes my heart burn as I fall so much more in love with him. Despite his statement, I can't think of a place more perfect than this— just the two of us, on a flimsy piece of cardboard overlooking the blinking lights of the city.

"Yes, Mark Lee." I beam at him. "And I'll be yours forever."

—

Fun fact: I've had this ready to be published for the longest time but decided to add the whole wish talk + sudden confession at the very last minute. I figured that's the least I could do after making you guys wait so long. 🤣

Anyways, I'll be away in Korea for a trip (yay!!!) for the next 9 days so next week's chapters might come a lil slow. I'll still try my best to update though! 🫶