My Bully, My Love | NCT Mark

19| The Invitation

The beginning of a new school week saw the girls making their way across campus, their chatter filling the crisp morning air. Joy, always one to complain, voiced her usual grievances about the burdens of her schedule.

"I can't believe I have History first thing in the morning. It's so boring!" Joy groaned, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.

Seulgi chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, well, at least it's not Maths, right, Mina?"

There was no response. The group fell silent, looking over at Mina, who seemed lost in her own world, her steps slow and her eyes unfocused.

Seulgi furrowed her brows and gently shook Mina's shoulder. "Hey, Earth to Mina!"

Mina blinked, snapping out of her reverie. "Huh? What?"

"I said, at least she doesn't have Maths first thing. Right?" Seulgi repeated, her eyes searching Mina's face for any sign of normalcy.

"Oh, right. Yeah," Mina replied absently, though her mind was clearly elsewhere.

Seulgi exchanged a worried glance with the girls. "You okay, Mina?" she asked softly.

Mina took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She had been dreading this moment all weekend. The prospect of facing Mark in their Maths class after their intense encounter filled her with anxiety. She didn't know what to expect, or how to act around him. Would he ignore her? Tease her? Or worse, act like nothing had happened?

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, forcing a smile. "Just a bit tired."

The girls continued walking, the usual lightness of their conversations weighed down by Mina's evident unease. As they approached the school building, Mina's steps grew heavier, her heart pounding louder with each one. She couldn't shake off the memory of Mark's touch, his intense gaze, and the unexpected tenderness that had left her reeling.

As they reached the hallway where they would part ways, Joy gave Mina an encouraging smile. "You'll be fine. It's just Maths, right?"

Mina nodded, though she didn't quite believe it herself. She watched as her friends dispersed to their respective classes. Taking a deep breath, she looked over to Seulgi, who stood by her with a warm smile. Mina felt relieved to have her in this class. The door to the Math classroom loomed ahead, and with it, the unknown that awaited her inside. 

Pushing the door open, she stepped in, her eyes immediately scanning the room. There he was, sitting at his usual spot, his back to her. She took a deep breath and walked to her seat, her mind racing with what-ifs and maybes.

As she sat down, Mark turned around, his eyes locking onto hers. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still, the classroom noise fading into the background. His expression was unreadable, his eyes giving nothing away.

Mina quickly looked down, fumbling with her books, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach. She could feel his gaze lingering on her, and it took all her willpower to resist looking up again.

Mark hadn't noticed Mina walk in until one of his friends nudged him and snickered, "Hey, your pet just arrived."

Mark turned around, his eyes locking onto Mina as she walked into the room. Although his face remained indifferent, a wave of unexpected nervousness washed over him, a feeling he was entirely unaccustomed to. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

His gaze trailed over her, starting with the soft curls that framed her face, bouncing slightly with each step she took. They looked so delicate, he almost wanted to reach out and run his hands through them. His eyes moved lower, taking in her school uniform that hugged her figure in all the right places. Every detail of her appearance seemed to draw him in further.