Supernerd! MARK

28 | the heaven after hell

I scrunch my eyebrows as I stare at my laptop, the words appearing as one huge blurred blob a sign for me to just stop studying.

With me being preoccupied with the Neo Seoul investigation recently, I feel like I haven't been doing my best in school, and tonight is just an example of me trying to redeem myself.

Which isn't really going so well, obviously.

I sigh, glancing at my phone which is lying face-up on my desk. Despite that, there are no new notifications that pop up on the screen, as though rubbing in my face at my lack of social life.

I don't care about that, however, because there's only one person whose call or text I've been longing for.

I bite my lip, hesitating on whether to give Mark a call, but at this time of night, I know that he's probably busy doing his Spider-Man stuff.

I unlock my phone, my fingers instantly bringing me to my messaging thread with Mark, the last message being yesterday night after we split ways.

Mark Lee
Did you get home safe?

Hwang Yena
you sent me to my door mark

Mark Lee
Just making sure haha
Yena?

Hwang Yena
??

Mark Lee
I'm sorry.

If our texts were awkward, the journey back home was even more.

Despite the tension between us, Mark had insisted to walk me home, with Haechan conveniently telling us that he had 'somewhere else to be' (as though he doesn't literally live under the same roof as Mark).

It was silent throughout, and it felt like neither of us knew how to initiate a conversation. Mark had his gaze trained on his sneakers the entire time, with me sneaking glances at him as I think of what to say.

I had told myself to just blurt out an apology and get it done and over with, but as we stood before each other in front of my door, my throat had closed up.

Mark had only smiled at me softly as he brought up his palm to pat my cheek, a gesture that I had gotten very familiar with. I took it as a good sign, but he was gone before I could even say anything.

His last text only made me feel worst about myself, and I didn't know why it was so hard for me to just tell him the same thing when that was all I had been thinking about, but a part of me knew it was because there were so many other things I wanted to say to him.

A simple sorry through text was not going to suffice.

In the midst of my reverie, I could barely hear the constant tapping on my window, and I almost fall out of my chair when I see Mark on my windowsill in his Spider-suit, waving at me to let him in.

My eyes widen, and I stumble to my window to lift up the grill. "Mark?" I whisper-shout, and Mark tugs the mask up his face, leaving it halfway on his forehead.

The first thing I notice is the bloodied wounds that litter his face, and I gasp in shock. Regardless, I step back to let him in, and Mark ungracefully falls to the floor, making me rush to him.

Mark groans as he clutches his side, and I drop down to the floor next to him. My eyes find the pool of red that is beginning to seep through the cut in his suit, and it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together.