author's note ; prologue

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please note that if you wish to republish or translate this work on any platform you would need my permission. if anyone is to republish MY work in any way without my permission and without giving me credit i don't know what i'll do but it won't bet good. :)

***

Lee Donghyuck... that was his name.

Mark stares at the name in the top corner of the plain red folder, brushing his thumb over the neat writing. He finally knew the name of the young man that had been plaguing his mind since he arrived at Seoul National University.

A small smile pulls at his lips, but he stifles it when he hears the soft thud of feet enter the quiet lecture hall. He quickly tucks the folder under his arm and makes it seem as if he were about to leave the empty room when a man pokes his head through the door. He recognizes the pink head of hair in an instant and heaves a sigh of relief. "Ah, Taeyong hyung."

He sighs with a polite smile, watching his older brother enter the room followed by two friends of theirs, Jung Jaehyun and Nakamoto Yuta.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" The elder of the four scolds, walking over to where Mark stands to flick his forehead. "You texted us saying your class was over, but we've been outside waiting for half an hour."

Scrunching his nose against the flick to his forehead, Mark pulls the folder from beneath his arm and shows it to his hyung. "I found something."

"You made us wait for school supplies?" Jaehyun rolls his eyes which earns him an elbow to the ribs from Taeyong.

Mark realizes how ridiculous this all may seem without an explanation and his cheeks burn in mild embarrassment. "You don't understand. It's his folder." he murmurs softly, the words almost inaudible to the other three men in the room.

Silence follows his words and Mark begins to wonder if they'd heard him at all. He looks up to repeat what he'd previously said, only to find them staring at him with blank expressions.

"When you say his," Taeyong speaks slowly, shortly glancing at Jaehyun and Yuta with an uneasy expression. "do you mean the kid you've been stalking since you got here?"

"I'm not stalking him!"

"Sure," Yuta smirks, sitting on the edge of a nearby table and toying with his white hair. "because following him around on campus isn't considered stalking."

Mark's mouth falls open at the accusation. "I don't follow him!" He glares at Jaehyun and Taeyong upon noticing them trying to contain their laughter. "I'm trying to work up the nerve to talk to him! It's not stalking!"

Taeyong calms himself down enough to smile at Mark apologetically. "Don't get touchy about it, we're only kidding." Taeyong wraps an arm around his brother's shoulders and squeezes him to show his sincerity. He gestures to the folder in Mark's hand with a nod of his head. "What are you going to do with that?"

Mark looks at the folder with his lips set in a frown, shrugging beneath Taeyong's arm. "Turn it into the office maybe?"

"Or you could give it back to him."

Taeyong, Mark and Yuta turn to look at Jaehyun when he speaks. Mark, among the three of them, was more shocked than the others.

"You want me to do what?"

"I know it seems too much for your antisocial ass to do, but think about it." Jaehyun suggests with his signature dimpled grin. "You said so yourself that you've been trying to find the nerve to talk to him, and now you have a reason to. Just return it to him tomorrow, tell him your name, and see what happens from there."

"And what if nothing happens?" Yuta asks and Mark feels his heart drop as the Japanese male voices his inner thoughts. "What if this kid just takes the folder, leaves, and they never talk again?"

"Or," Taeyong speaks up with light laughter following his words. "Say they strike up conversation and they end up exchanging numbers. Then, boom! One step closer to the relationship Mark's pining for."

"I'm not pining—"

"With all that aside, at least he would have talked to him." Jaehyun adds optimistically. "He's gotta start somewhere."

All eyes turn to Mark at the suggestion. He keeps his eyes on the folder in his hands, questioning whether making such a big deal out of all of this was worth it if he didn't even get to talk to him.

The three men in the room with him have known of Mark's infatuation with his classmate since his first day on campus, hearing him refer to him as 'Honey' which they assumed was a temporary name for him until he figured out his real name. Mark cleared up any confusion by admitting to them that the name came from the stranger's skin; describing it to have the same complexion as honey.

Hearing himself say it aloud made him cringe, but it was the truth. The stranger's skin resembled honey, and Mark was sure he was the prettiest man he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Mark?"

Mark blinks back to reality to find all eyes still on him, realizing it was Taeyong who had spoken when he opens his mouth to speak again. "Are you giving it to him yourself or not?"

Mark sighs, tucking the folder underneath his arm once again and facing the three with a shrug. "I don't know yet."

"Pussy."

"JAEHYUN!"

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