THE LITTLE COPY ⋮ markhyuck

Chapter 𝟯𝟱

"You look like you're at home," Donghyuck commented, tossing his bag on an empty chair and looking at his companion. "Do you come here a lot?"

Mark stopped daydreaming and turned to the younger. He smiled. Even though he appeared excited about meeting the younger at a cafe, Donghyuck still thought that memories of the last encounter lingered in both of their minds. But the hyung's genuine smile changed Donghyuck's mind. It seemed like Mark didn't hold grudges anymore.

"It's one of my favorites," Mark replied as he suddenly stood up and pulled a chair for Donghyuck to sit on.

It wasn't the one the younger would've chosen if he had the chance to pick a place to sit. Because he would've sat across from Mark, but the older one made him sit next to him.

"Well, then I have high expectations," Donghyuck chuckled, then bowed as Mark just acted like a gentleman.

"Oh, no," the older leaned closer. "The drinks here are mid, but the view is perfect. Just look."

Donghyuck looked at where Mark was pointing, in the distance. Really. It was pretty. From there, they could see the beach and a little bit of mountains. The sea seemed way bigger than it actually was, meanwhile, people looked just like ants.

"It is pretty."

Donghyuck finally sat down, and the two looked at the menu. After meeting the waiter and choosing cooling drinks, they discussed a little about the weather and the forecast that nothing would change, and the hot days that would dominate for a while. Then Mark opened up and said he was glad that Donghyuck asked to hang out as he was really bored lately.

"I have work, but I'm bored too," Donghyuck admitted. "Though, the pressure from work is the hardest."

"I feel sorry for you," Mark chuckled. "I'm having the best vacation ever. Years after years, I realize that my commitment to being a teacher is actually very exhausting."

"I can tell. Sometimes, I get exhausted by just one kid and you... You have to look after several kids of literal strangers," Donghyuck also laughed. "That is surely bothersome."

A smile slowly faded away from Mark's face. He broke eye contact with the younger and looked at the beach. His eyes dreamingly locked on the sky then, as if penetrating every single cloud and seeing something more than the blue and white color. Mark's jaw clenched as he rested his chin on the back of his right hand, putting pressure on the table so that it let out a creaky noise. Donghyuck was confused.

Was he daydreaming again, or was it his way of coping with something uncomfortable?

Donghyuck thought he said something wrong, so he tried to get Mark back by opening his mouth again.

"Have you planned any trips yet? It's a must. Everyone has to change their environment once in a while. I—"

"Wait!"

Mark suddenly lifted his arm and moved his fingers, silencing the younger. The next second, he faced Donghyuck, and something flashed through his eyes.

"W-what?" the latter asked in perplexity.

"I just got inspired," Mark mumbled, reaching for his bag and pulling out a notebook.

"Inspired?"

"Yeah, inspired by everything."

Donghyuck didn't ask any more questions, but it wasn't like Mark would be willing to answer them. He seemed so busy writing a poem that he didn't even notice how closely he was watched by the other male. Donghyuck just sat there, tapping the table and observing how quickly Mark wrote as if in his head, there was a whole sequence of words that defeated the hereditary difficulty and made him resistant.