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"They told you they were breaking up with you because you worried too much?" Mark scoffed softly. "That's a messed up reason, bro. If anything, that means you cared."
Tiffany hummed quietly on the other end of the line, staring at the dim glow of her lamp. She didn't know what else to say. Talking like this, without text bubbles, without time to overthink, felt strangely intimate.
Mark cleared his throat.
"So...I met uncle and aunty after so long today."
She smiled faintly. "Yeah. I wanna meet you guys too."
"Then come to Korea already," he blurted out. "I miss you."
Her heart did a small, stupid flip. "I miss you too, bro."
"Then what the hell are you waiting for?"
"My exams to end."
"Didn't they just end?"
"They did," she sighed, "but they start again next month."
"Wow..." he muttered. "So you'll never be able to come see me, huh?"
"I can," she said. "Christmas break."
There was a pause.
"You can?" His voice lifted immediately.
"Yeah," she laughed. "I'll tell you when I book the tickets."
"Do you want me to book them for you?"
"Mark, no," she laughed again. "I can handle it."
"You sure?"
"Yes. Now go sleep or something. I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, Tiff."
"Bye, Mark."
The call ended, but the warmth of his voice lingered.
*
Mark didn't get to talk to her much after that.
Promotions for Sticker had swallowed his schedule whole, dance practice, recordings, interviews, fansigns. Days blurred into each other.
Meanwhile, Tiffany got an unexpected surprise.
Her dad had pre-ordered the Sticker album for her birthday.
Which meant she got a fancall.
With Mark.
She almost dropped her phone when she saw the confirmation email.
She didn't tell him.
Because honestly?
It was funnier this way.
She spent an entire hour getting ready, nervously smoothing her hair, reapplying lip balm, pacing around her room while Lana Del Rey played softly in the background.
She sat in front of her laptop, fiddling with the Jaehyun photocard between her fingers as the timer ticked down.
Okay. Breathe.
The screen loaded.
And suddenly, Mark Lee was right there.
Staring straight into the camera. His eyes widened just a fraction.
Then his face lit up.
"Yo!" he blurted. "Hey!"
Her cheeks burned instantly. Why was she nervous?
They'd known each other forever. She swallowed anyway.
"Hey," she said softly.
"What's your name?" he asked in Korean, his tone carefully neutral for the staff around him.
She smiled.
"I'm Tiffany."
"Woah," he said, glancing down to write her name on the album. "That's a really pretty name."
He looked back up and caught her staring.
His ears turned pink. He covered his face with both hands.
She laughed quietly. God.
Same idiot. Same Mark.
Just somehow closer than ever.
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