Author: p.s. This one is pretty long, please bare with me🥹
Mark wasn't the jealous type.
Or at least, he told himself he wasn't.
But when Hyuck texted him that he needed to finish a project with Sungchan and might be late for their date, Mark couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in his chest.
"Don't worry," Hyuck had said. "He's just a friend. I'll be quick—I promise."
And Mark believed him. He really did. Because Hyuck was honest, warm, and bright in ways Mark still didn't think he deserved. Mark had been slowly courting him for the last few weeks—small gestures, late-night calls, coffee deliveries on tired days. And Hyuck? He accepted it all with a smile.
But he never said if he felt the same.
That doubt... was the thing that haunted Mark the most.
When the clock ticked past the hour they were supposed to meet, Mark decided to do something spontaneous. He grabbed his keys, a hoodie, and a flower he had picked up for the night—a yellow daisy. Nothing big. Just something cheerful. Like Hyuck.
"I'll surprise him," he thought. "Maybe he lost track of time."
He never expected what he saw next.
—
Hyuck and Sungchan walked out of the library side by side, laughing lightly as the tension from hours of work faded.
"Thanks for being chill about today," Hyuck said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I've got a date, so I need to rush home."
Sungchan stopped walking.
"Hyuck, wait."
Hyuck turned, brows raised.
"I like you," Sungchan blurted. "I know I probably missed my chance, and you're seeing Mark, but I couldn't keep it in anymore."
The confession hung heavy in the evening air. Hyuck blinked, a little stunned—but not surprised.
"Sungchan..." He softened his voice. "You're amazing. But I don't see you that way. I never have."
Sungchan nodded slowly, lips pressing into a sad smile. "Yeah. I figured."
A pause. Then: "Can I get one last hug? Just... as friends?"
Hyuck hesitated for a moment. Then he nodded and stepped forward. "Okay."
They hugged—short, quiet, and full of a kind of ending.
And just as they let go—
"Hyuck?"
Mark stood several steps away, frozen.
Flower still in hand. Hope completely drained from his face.
Hyuck's eyes widened. "Mark—wait!"
But Mark didn't wait.
He turned and ran.
—
By the time Hyuck made it to Mark's place, he was out of breath, his heart pounding—not from the sprint, but from the fear that he was already too late.
He banged on the door. "Lee Minhyung! Please—open up!"
Inside, Mark sat curled up on the floor of his room, the flower discarded on his bed.
Of course. Of course he'd choose Sungchan. Why wouldn't he?
Mark's hands trembled.
I was the one who liked him. Who tried. But he never said he liked me. I was just a phase. Something to make him feel good before going with someone better.
