that one stained shirt | mark lee ✓

best friend knows

Sarah insisted on stopping by on Wednesday. She barged into my apartment with a bag full of sweets, four beer cans and two servings of kimbap, which I appreciated since I was too lazy to cook. We sat in the living room, setting everything down and I could sense the excitement in her whole existence. I chuckled and grabbed a handful of gummy bears.

"You wanna hear everything I suppose," I started and laughed out loud at her reaction. She brought her knees to her chest, beer in one hand, and nodded fiercely. Looking at her, I realized she had run straight from work, her hair messy and clothes wrinkled. It brought a smile to my face because I knew how tired she was from working with people.

Having an interesting life for once was like a reward for her.

"Please, I can't believe it actually worked, like, what the hell? When did I become so smart?"

"You have always been," I stated and shifted in my seat to sit more comfortably. I took a sip from my beer and put it back on the table. "But it's hard for me to believe it either. I haven't dated anyone just to fake date an idol."

We both laughed. "Who knows, Jess, maybe he's your true love."

"True love?" I snickered in response. "Who am I, Snow White?"

"Almost," she admitted, and I smiled. "If I were a man though, I'd take you."

I let out an exaggerated 'aw' and held my right hand over my heart. "If I were a man we'd be already married. Shame on those who don't want you."

"You know it's not like that," she sighed and drank. "They see a pretty package they can't handle once they open it. I don't even remember the last time a guy would compliment something different than my figure."

"Nasty," I uttered and plopped a caramel candy into my mouth. "They should take a drinking competition with you. I'd bet a fortune on your win."

She threw one of my small pillows at me, but we were sitting so close I couldn't dodge it. It hit my chest and I pretended a dramatic death fall into the blankets. Sarah just laughed and pulled me back up by my hand. "Shouldn't we talk about you, Mrs. Lee? How did you even get inside?"

"First of all," I cleared my throat. "I ain't no Mrs. Lee, got it? We've met twice. And second, I've got no idea. I came up to the receptionist and asked her straightforwardly about Mark. That seemed like it wouldn't work, but once I told her my name, she froze, apologized for not recognizing me, and let me go. Strangest thing ever."

"Not recognizing you?" Sarah asked in confusion, and I nodded.

"Yeah. She said she should have known I was a family member."

Recalling that situation brought questions to my mind. Besides the fact, that she hadn't wanted an ID or anything that would prove my identity, I was sure she must have made a mistake. There was no one I knew in the idol industry. She had either mixed me up with a different Suh or my appearance seemed very similar to someone else's.

Whatever the reason, her not being too careful made a miracle possible.

"And so, what now? He agreed and you're waiting for official papers? What if the company declines?"

"I don't think it will," I shook my head. "Mark told me his manager would have to cover the scandal, so us giving him a solution gives him less work."

"How considerate," Sarah snickered and took a sip of her beer. "Try to play on that if anything goes wrong."

I scoffed, but something in me hoped it was a good enough offer not to be let down. A silence spread between me and Sarah, both of us gulping down the beer, and just as I was about to reach for my phone, it started buzzing. We shared a confused look, and I picked up the call.

"Hello?" I asked, nervous, waiting for a response. It took a good second for the voice on the other side to say something, but once it did, I let out a deep sigh. "Oh, it's just you."

"Did you await any other fake boyfriend? Perhaps I should know about him."

I tried hard to keep my voice serious. "Yeah, actually, I can send you his number if you want to."

Mark laughed and I couldn't help but smile too. It was much better than the last time we saw each other. Maybe the awkwardness would disappear completely over time. "That would be really kind of you, thanks."

"Yeah, no worries. Anyways, why are you calling?"

"Oh, right," he cleared his throat, and I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, trying to chase off any negative thought. It will be fine. "The papers are ready. I thought you could stop by this week, but apparently, my schedule is packed, so... maybe next Monday?"

I tried to recall if there was anything special on Monday. Maybe a few classes, but that would be fine.

"Yeah, I can do that. What time?"

"At ten? I could just run down to open the back door for you."

"Sounds fine, yeah."

"Well, that's all from me," he paused. "See you on Monday."

"Wait," I gasped before he could hang up and a soft hum echoed through the line. I meant to say this to him since the agreement. Sarah gave me a firm nod as if she could read my mind, and I let out a big breath. "Thank you for taking part in this. I didn't think you would, but now I'm sure everything will go smoothly, and we'll be out in no time."

"I should thank you, though. You saved my butt."

"Looks like we saved each other," I chuckled and listened to his amused voice. "I'll see you on Monday then."

"Can't wait," Mark responded in a soft voice, and I felt a faint blush creep into my cheeks. Control yourself, Jessica. "Just text me once you're at the door."

"Will do. Bye, Mark."

"Goodbye, Jess."

Sarah gave me a wicked smile when I put down my phone. I took another bunch of sweets and shook my head at her. "What?"

"Nothing," she looked away. "Just that you were smiling the whole time he was talking to you. Maybe there is something about true love, don't you think?"

"Sure," I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "But I'm not looking for Prince Charming. He can have whoever he wants."

"And what if he wants you?"

I laughed out loud. "Me? I'm more of a Mulan, Sarah. I can fight for myself."

We had a business relationship and that was where it ended. No matter the circumstances, we still lived in two different worlds. And I was no Ariel to figure his one out more than I needed to.