THE LITTLE COPY ⋮ markhyuck

Chapter 𝟰𝟬

Staying at Mark's apartment must've been quite a good decision. Donghyuck calmly took a shower, which relaxed his body and cleansed his mind. He then wore Mark's clothes the latter gave him. The moment the fabric of an oversized shirt met with the man's melanin skin, Donghyuck's face flushed. Why did it feel like a human touch? But that wasn't the only thing that affected Donghyuck. It was also a smell. It smelled like Mark...

The man left the bathroom and headed straight to the bedroom. The apartment owner was in his office, and therefore Donghyuck could easily lie down and think about getting some sleep. It didn't really work like this, however. He could close his eyes, but there was no space for dreams. Donghyuck kept thinking about his life, especially about Dongchan. His dad's words rang in his head, his comments about Haewon... He hated how much his father idolized Haewon, but there was truth in his words. Not that Doghyuck needed him, but that he needed a man in general. He really needed a rational mind since he was just too focused on Dongchan and his well-being. The bond between the two was great, but unhealthy at some point. Dongchan didn't let Papa explore the world, and Donghyuck prioritized his child too much.

Mark walked inside the room but didn't say anything. He must've thought his friend right there had fallen asleep, but Donghyuck was wide awake. He heard Mark changing, and then the bed bent. The younger's heart fluttered, but he ignored it. They were about to sleep next to each other with no intentions for more.

"Hyung," Donghyuck said suddenly, looking over his shoulder and meeting Mark's eyes.

"Oh, sorry for waking you up. I'll try to be quiet. You have work tomorrow," Mark said apologetically and then laid down, keeping his distance.

"I can't fall asleep. There's still a lot on my mind," Donghyuck whispered as he laid on his back and locked his eyes on the ceiling. "Way more than before."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Donghyuck hesitated. Should he? His problems weren't Mark's problems, even when they were a little related to him...

He was silent, but his opened eyes, which remained on the ceiling, kept Mark awake, too. The older had his phone in his hand, but he didn't do anything, as if waiting for Donghyuck to speak. That seemed to work as the younger knew Mark was there to listen to him, pushing him to do it. He took a deep breath.

"I have a question for you, so please be honest. Like a teacher, okay? Be a teacher and evaluate the problem," Donghyuck said, then lowered his voice. "So, many people had told me this, and recently, I began thinking about this too... Does Dongchan need another father figure?"

Donghyuck turned at Mark to capture his expression, but the man was already into the teacher's role and seemed to keep his facial expressions under control.

"Honest?" Mark hummed. "Well, if you want my opinion, I think single parents can raise children just like those in full families. But in your case... Don't get mad at me, but Dongchan needs to learn to be independent since you're... How can I say this? You're spoiling him too much and doing things the kid should be able to do himself."

"For example?" Donghyuck raised his eyebrow.

"Tying his shoelaces."

"That's... I didn't know you saw it all."

"It's great that Dongchan knows he can get help from you, but sometimes, you're overdoing it," Mark went on. "He's failing to learn new things because he knows you'll always be there to help him, but that's not true."

"How come? I'm always by his side. I'm his parent..." Donghyuck frowned.

"You won't be there for him all his life," Mark shook his head. "Anyway, he's too attached to you, and once in a while, he shows that he's insecure about you and your attention, so I'm guessing he got hurt before. When that happens, he gets jealous and capricious and does everything to be in the spotlight again. It means he needs another attention giver, another attention center, to stop this unhealthy behavior. Like this, he would never run out of it."