Donghyuck embraced himself as the cold air hit his body. It was a great contrast as his body was heated from all the crying he had done. What Mark had said shouldn't have convinced him as quickly as it did, but Donghyuck didn't exactly mind. He wanted to know what Mark's reasoning was. Why was Mark so afraid of not telling him what was wrong?

The car was parked outside his house so Donghyuck hurriedly climbed into it and buckled his seatbelt. Mark had the heater on and so Donghyuck relaxed into the seat quickly. Silence filled the car as they pulled out of the parking spot and began to drive down the road. It was night and Donghyuck's mum was in another city with her sister. Donghyuck would've joined her if he hadn't been so down in the dumps. 

"Donghyuck," Mark said as the car climbed onto the motorway. "Can I explain myself?"

Donghyuck took his slippers off and pulled his legs to his chest, softly placing his chin between his knees and then hummed. "Go on."

"As you know, I've known Jeno since we were kids," Mark started. There weren't many cars around them — only about five — and the light sound coming from the radio was making Donghyuck feel sleepy. At the mention of Jeno, Donghyuck preferred to go to sleep rather than listen to him talk about Jeno. "After what happened with my parents and then my relatives back in Canada, his family was very happy to let me move in with them."

Donghyuck kept his eyes fixed on the road as he flew past. He was listening, of course he was, but he didn't want Mark to know that he was eager to find out what his reason was. 

"Obviously, as a kid who had just lost their parents, I used to look for attention," Mark chewed down on his lip and glanced to his left to see that Donghyuck was still not looking at him. He sighed and continued. "Jeno used to get a lot of love from his parents, and once he began to open up more and finally came out of his shell he got love from everyone. It was meant to be something I should've been proud of, since I helped him gain confidence and reassured him that nothing bad would happen, but I sadly didn't."

"You didn't?" Donghyuck echoed, tilting his head to the side to catch a glimpse of Mark's expression. The older had his eyebrows furrowed and he was frowning at himself. 

"I didn't," Mark repeated with a small groan. "I was selfish and wanted to get loved by someone. Jeno's parents were nice, they really were, but they couldn't love me the same way they loved their own son, despite all the promises they made. I got upset and angry."

"You got angry?" Donghyuck shifted in his seat to look at Mark with a surprised face. From the time he spent with Mark, he knew that the older never got angry. 

"Yeah..." Mark let out another deep sigh. "I did." He shook his head and went on with his story. "I began to hurt Jeno in every way that I could, I know that sounds bad, it was bad. He would cry at night — he thought I couldn't hear him but I could. He once asked me why I did this to him but I just brushed him away. You know what was worse?"

"What?" Donghyuck mumbled, too shocked to speak any louder.

"The fact that he would smile at me whenever he could," Mark's voice cracked yet Donghyuck couldn't find it in himself to laugh at it. "He would smile and ask me if I wanted to join him when he did things with his friends. He would ask me if I had eaten or if I wanted to check out the latest game he had bought. Jeno was so nice to me, it truly hurt."

"Then what happened?" Donghyuck asked, turning his entire body around to face Mark. He couldn't hide the curiosity that filled his body. How could someone who hurt another person deeply and felt no remorse or regret whilst doing it have changed into someone like Mark? It shocked Donghyuck how quickly someone could change themselves.

"I got caught by Jeno's parents once day," Mark chuckled bitterly, turning the steering wheel to take an exit but Donghyuck had no idea where they were heading and at this point he didn't really care. "They got angry at me and demanded that I left as soon as possible."

Mark's hands on the steering wheel tightened and Donghyuck watched as his knuckles turned white. Without hesitation, Donghyuck reached forward and placed a hand over Mark's, hoping it would comfort the other. It did. Mark almost immediately loosened his grip and his shoulder slouched. 

"Donghyuck," Mark swallowed and cleared his throat. "I promise to you, I was going to tell you everything that Jeno and Jaemin had been doing behind your back, I really was. I had hope that the two would come to their senses and tell you themselves but they didn't. The reason it took me so long to tell you that was because Jeno had held my past against me. He— he told me that he would tell you everything about what I did to him, about how I ruined his childhood. But I swear—I've changed! I'm not like my old self anymore."

Mark's breath fastened as he spoke in shorten phrases. Donghyuck's heart ached to see him so scared and worried. He didn't want Mark to be in such a state.

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier," Mark rambled on. "I know I'm a horrible person for the things I've done—god...I can't even look at you properly right now. Saying all of this out loud really does hurt a lot. I'm so—"

"It's okay," Donghyuck finally interrupted him and placed his free hand on Mark's shoulder. "I forgive you, Mark, you did nothing wrong. Your past? I don't care about that. It doesn't define who you are right now. You learnt from your actions and changed. That's all that matters. So neither call yourself a bad person nor apologise for hiding that secret. Jeno was holding you back on something that should've been forgiven and forgotten."

"Thank you," Mark whispered and then sat up straight. "I had to ask," He cleared his throat, shaking off all the emotions that poured into him after he told Donghyuck his past. "Have you forgiven Jaemin?"

"I want to forgive Jaemin," Donghyuck muttered, taking his hands off Mark and wrapped them around his legs. "He's been my best friend since like forever and I can't seem to imagine a life without him. But what he did...it's unforgivable. He could've told me he liked Jeno and that they wanted to date. If they had told me and didn't go on with a relationship behind my back, I probably would've forgiven him for, you know, 'stealing my boyfriend'. Since he didn't, instead he lied to me and basically ruined my first relationship, I don't think I can forgive him."

"And Jeno?" Mark asked in a small voice. A dry laugh escaped Donghyuck's mouth.

"Jeno?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes and pressed himself back in the seat. "Never. He doesn't deserve my forgiveness."

Silence follows as Donghyuck continued to stare out of the window. The most important exams of the year were coming soon yet he was still stressing over a failed relationship. His education was more important than what his relationship status was. Donghyuck frowned to himself as he thought back to all the time he wasted that he could've spent studying. Jeno and Jaemin weren't worth the time that he had wasted. They weren't worth anything for him. 

The car came to a stop and Donghyuck looked around in confusion. It was fairly dark outside but he could make out a store not far away. 

"Where are we?" Donghyuck inquired and sat up in his seat, allowing his feet to touch the ground but then immediately pulled them up like a scared child and brought them to his chest once again. "Mark, if you brought me out here after having such a long and emotional chat just to kill me, I suggest you rethink your choices. I learnt how to fight when I was a kid."

Donghyuck held out his fists but coward away as Mark leaned closer.

"Oh really?" Mark attempted to stifle his laughter. "What're you gonna do? Punch me with your baby hands?"

Donghyuck perked up at that and threw a fist straight for Mark's stomach. The older let out a whine and fell back on his seat. Their playful fight dismissed the awkward aura around them and it felt normal again. Almost as if nothing had happened.

"I'll be right back, you can lock the car from inside," Mark said as he hopped out of the car. He didn't need to know that the second he closed the door, Donghyuck locked the car and began to sing to himself in fear that there was something nearby. 

As Mark disappeared from Donghyuck's sight, he began to think about how the older hadn't rejected him yet. After the messy confession he had made when they had met up, Donghyuck expected him to have told him by now that he didn't like him. Then again, Mark was too kind for his own good and would probably never hurt Donghyuck. He was probably just pretending as if he didn't remember it, or didn't understand what Donghyuck meant. 

"Ahh," Donghyuck groaned and held his face in his hands. Mark didn't understand what he said, which meant Mark didn't even know that Donghyuck liked him. "I'm an idiot."

A knock resonated in the car and Donghyuck's heart dropped. He slowly raised his head to see a bag against the door and more knocking follow it.

"Open the door, Donghyuck!" Mark yelled after the younger refused to unlock the car.

"Oh my god, it's only you Mark," Donghyuck breathed out in relief and unlocked the car, feeling stupid for assuming a murderer had suddenly appeared by the door to finish him.

"Who else did you think it was?" Mark huffed and climbed into the car. He handed Donghyuck the bag in his hands and then settled down, waiting for the younger to react.

Donghyuck looked down at the bag and his jaw dropped in shock. The same dessert that he had asked Jeno to get him not long ago had been placed neatly in his lap.

"Mark?" Donghyuck looked up at him and then back at the bag. "How did you— when?"

"I just knew," Mark smiled at him, not wanting to tell him that he was the one who got him the desserts last time he asked for them.

"Thank—wow...thank you," Donghyuck rubbed his eyes as he felt the exhaustion of everything fall onto him. "Thank you so much."

"It's no problem," Mark pat his back and then panicked once he saw Donghyuck begin to cry. "Why are you crying? Are you not happy? I'm sorry—"

"No, no. Don't apologise," Donghyuck sniffled and wiped away his tears. "I just feel bad."

"Why? What happened?" Mark ran his hand down his back and Donghyuck felt even worse than before.

"I liked you at the same time that I dated Jeno," Donghyuck covered his burning face with his hands. "I'm not any better than Jeno yet you're treating me so nicely."

"Donghyuck," Mark grabbed his hands and tore them away from his face. "You may have liked me at the same time as dating Jeno but you never acted upon it since you knew it was wrong. Jeno, on the other hand, did. He acted upon his feelings for Jaemin when he shouldn't have, especially not whilst dating you. You did nothing wrong, don't worry about it."

Donghyuck looked up at Mark and smiled despite his inner conflict. Mark had just acknowledged his feelings but didn't accept nor reject him. Maybe Mark didn't care about them? It wouldn't make—

"And for the record," Mark chewed the inner part of his cheek and shyly looked away. "I also—" He cleared his throat and glanced around the car. Donghyuck felt a smile creep up his face.

"You also what?" Donghyuck teased and felt his heart get lighter.

"I also," Mark whined and threw his head back in frustration. "I also like you, okay?"

"Okay," Donghyuck beamed and laughed as Mark got flustered over the small confession. They didn't need to have a big event before they could confess their feelings. Not everything has to have a large preparation. Mark liked him and that's all that mattered. Jeno and Jaemin weren't worth dwelling over especially after what they had done. Maybe one day Donghyuck would find it in himself to forgive them, but he couldn't see that being a day close by.

"Do we have to put a label on this?" Mark asked, watching Donghyuck open the box of his dessert and pull out the fork and knife. 

"Do you want to?" Donghyuck paused and glanced over at Mark, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Honestly?" Donghyuck nodded. "I don't want to, not yet at least. I want you to get more comfortable around me and not rush straight into dating."

Donghyuck lowered his hands and smiled at that. Of course Mark was going to be super considerate. "I'd like that too, Mark."

"Great!" Mark clapped his hands and then shook Donghyuck's arm. "Alright now, eat your ice cream and waffles quickly! I don't want any of this to ruin my precious car."

《the end》

Just like the previous book, this also only has 10 chapters. I actually wrote out the entire plan for this fic at the same time I wrote 'Close Your Phone'. The whole concept of ending the story with the title is proof of that lmao. I hope it doesn't seem rushed :D

Of course, Mark and Haechan would end up together as boyfriends sooner or later, but Mark just wanted to give Donghyuck time — plus their exams were coming up. Education is important kids >:(

Anyways, thank you for reading :D
I'm glad to see people enjoyed this short series.

♡