6

chapter 8:

"Oh, you're finally awake. How do you feel?"

"I guess pretty well." Mark slowly propped himself up against his pillows and stretched out his arms and legs. "Where are we today?"

"We're still at our dorm," Jaehyun said. "The bus hasn't arrived yet so we can wait for it until it gets here."

"What did you do earlier this morning?" Mark asked as he turned around on his side and faced Jaehyun who was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Just stayed at home. I slept until seven, but I decided to come over here today anyway. I brought some breakfast with me," Jaehyun said. He got up from the bed and headed straight into the kitchen.

Mark waited for Jaehyun to return to his room with the food and when he did, he found him holding a tray with four plates stacked on top of one another. The plates were covered with different kinds of breakfast foods, including fruits and cereals. The smell was wafting through the air and made Mark's mouth water.

"Wow! This looks delicious," Mark said when he spotted the plate full of pancakes.

"I know you like pancakes, so I thought we might as well have a meal like this to celebrate your birthday today."

"I love pancakes!" Mark exclaimed happily.

As Jaehyun placed the tray on the floor, Mark grabbed the plate full of pancakes and immediately began eating them. After he finished, he took the other plate and filled it with eggs and sausage, then he grabbed the syrup bottle and poured the warm yellow liquid all over his pancakes and bacon.

"Is it good?" Jaehyun questioned.

"It's amazing," Mark replied enthusiastically. "I haven't eaten pancakes since I was little. I used to love them so much. My dad used to make them for me every single morning when I woke up because I liked them so much. Sometimes my mum would also join us for dinner, but not often." He paused briefly and added, "Do you miss them?"

"Sometimes..." Jaehyun mumbled. "They were the best things that ever happened to me. They were the reason why I started working hard in the business field. Before they died, they taught me everything I know about the industry and I wish that I could've gotten to know them better. But unfortunately, they weren't around long enough to understand my dreams."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"Don't worry Mark. There's nothing to be sorry for. I was the one who chose to work in the business field anyways. It wouldn'a been fun being a secretary if I hadn't joined them," Jaehyun assured him. "Now it's time for me to focus on the things I truly enjoy and I know that I have plenty of opportunities to reach for those things in the future."

"Yeah, you definitely do."

Mark and Jaehyun finished eating their breakfast and once they were done with washing their dishes, they left the kitchen and headed for the front door. While Jaehyun was busy putting his shoes on, Mark grabbed his backpack and put in his English book before grabbing his phone from the charger. When he stood back up, he noticed Jaehyun already had the backpack over his shoulder.

"Ready?" Jaehyun asked.

"Ready," Mark confirmed. He turned around and headed out of their apartment, locking the door behind him.

When they stepped outside, the sky seemed even brighter than before and the sun shone brightly above them. A cool breeze blew by them making Mark shiver slightly. Jaehyun noticed this, but didn't say anything as he gently rubbed Mark's arm in an attempt to comfort him.

"Come on Jaehyun," Mark said as he started walking towards the bus stop. "I want to hurry so I can take pictures on my phone. I need to send them to Hyuck and Jackson before we get on the bus."

"Okay," Jaehyun agreed. He kept a firm grip on Mark's hand.

Once Mark was sure that Jaehyun was keeping his promise, he quickened his pace a bit. The closer they got to the bus stop, the less nervous he became. Soon enough they were walking up to the bus stop together. Just as they were walking past the front entrance to the bus stop, the doors opened and a couple of people stepped out of the bus. Mark watched as the man looked up at the bus stop sign and pulled out his phone before calling the bus. Suddenly, a black van pulled up next to him, stopping just short of the bus station.

"There they are. Time for you kids to get on the bus, yeah?" An unfamiliar voice called out from inside the car.

Mark quickly turned his head and saw two men stepping out of the van. Both wore suits and appeared to be in their early thirties. One of the men was tall and muscular while the other one was shorter than him. Mark couldn't see their faces from where he was, but they both had dark brown hair. The taller guy pushed his sunglasses further up onto his forehead before saying something quietly to the other man.

"Excuse me. Could you please step aside for a few minutes?" The man that pushed his glasses up said.

"Um... okay. But just let us know when we'll be able to leave," Mark answered politely, not wanting to offend either of the men.

A few seconds after Mark spoke, the driver of the van shut the back door before he stepped off to the side of the road. As soon as Mark heard the sound of the door closing, he felt Jaehyun squeeze his hand, pulling his attention away from the two strangers. When he looked up at Jaehyun, Jaehyun was staring back at him with wide eyes and his lips pressed tightly together. He had a worried look on his face as he gazed at Mark. Mark could tell that Jaehyun was probably thinking about what happened between him and the other two men.

"Let's go, Jaehyun," Mark suggested, hoping that the younger boy would follow him.

Without wasting any time, Jaehyun followed Mark's lead and walked across the street toward the bus stop. Once they reached the stop, Mark stopped dead in his tracks. He stared blankly ahead, feeling overwhelmed as his eyes grew heavy. All he could see were blurred shapes that he recognized as buildings and cars rushing past him at a fast pace. It was as if the bus stop and everything around him vanished and all that remained were white, empty spaces where everything should be.

Suddenly, a strong, familiar arm wrapped itself around his shoulders and gently led Mark down the steps of the bus stop, taking care to avoid the gaps between the stairs. Then, the arm was gone, and Mark felt himself being guided back onto the sidewalk. He blinked rapidly and looked up at the sky. His vision suddenly cleared and he realized that Jaehyun had led him back to the entrance of the building.

"Are you okay now?" Jaehyun asked as he crouched down next to him. "You look pale. Do you feel dizzy? Are you okay? Did you faint?"

"No, no," Mark said as he shook his head. "I'm fine. That... that wasn't anything new, though. You probably shouldn't carry me again if I pass out."

"I'll try my best not to."

"But it's just a little dizziness right now," Mark added. "I'll be fine after a few more moments."

"That's good to hear. Come on. Let's go inside now."

With that, Mark allowed Jaehyun to pull him along again. They both climbed up the stairs. Once they were back in their unit, Jaehyun told him to lie down while he went into the bathroom to get them some medicine. While he waited, Mark checked his phone.