"So, Mark, do you really not recognize me or are you just ignoring your childhood best friend?"
When her best friend moved to Korea to become an idol, their contact died down and they soon started living lives completely separate from one another...
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For the first time in her life, Gyuri was everything but excited to get back home to Canada. Everything about the place that usually cheered her up was now draped in a melancholy mist, one that you couldn't escape. Even while still in Seoul, the thought of Vancouver repulsed her. She didn't want to go there and be confronted with the realization that her dear grandpa was really gone.
She had been thinking about the last times she'd spoken to him. It had already been three weeks since she'd last called him to say hi, and Gyuri hated herself for not contacting him more often. She loved talking to him; he was such a wise man and always loved to crack jokes as well.
Mark had stayed with Gyuri all night, even after Gyuri had worriedly asked him if it wouldn't mess with his schedule. He had promised her it was okay, even though he didn't tell her he would probably get an earful for showing up very late to his practices the next day. It didn't concern him though, at this moment all he wanted was to stay by Gyuri's side and take care of her. He was sure the company and his members would understand.
He had helped her pack the following morning, but not before they had to carry out a big search to find Gyuri's suitcase. They eventually found it behind some boxes in the storage room, and Mark had almost broken an ankle trying to carry it out of the room without stepping on anything.
Since he was more used to intercontinental traveling than she was, and because he had a clearer state of mind, he helped her jot down a list of everything she would need. She would only be gone for a few days, so the packing part wasn't a heavy operation but it still needed to be done thoughtfully as you didn't want to discover you forgot your favorite socks on the other side of the world.
He assisted her in folding all of her clothes as neatly as he could considering he wasn't a star at it. Mina stayed close by as well, ready to help with whatever Gyuri needed. The truth was, Gyuri didn't even know what she needed. She felt so numb and hopeless that she didn't know anything. She just floated through her apartment like a soulless ghost, whose every last bit of life had gotten ripped out. It broke Mark's heart to see her like that.
They were currently in the car, with Mark driving and Gyuri in the passenger seat. Mark kept glancing over to her side but never once saw something different than her disconsolate self staring out of the window mindlessly. The heavy rain coming down from the sky certainly added to the gloominess of it all. Mina sat in the back, quiet except for some small comments she exchanged with Mark occasionally. She had insisted on coming along just so she could be there to send Gyuri off. She would've flown to Vancouver with her if she could, but since it wasn't her own family who passed away the university wouldn't let her take leave. This pissed her off and she heavily tried to talk to some higher-ups to try and change their mind but it was to no use. They were adamant in their decision and Mina had to accept it, whether she liked it or not.
