"Mark, your melodies are pulling me in, but I'm wrestling with these lyrics."
"Well, can't blame the guitar for wanting to dance with your words. And yes, I admit, my hotness is a bit distracting."
"Mark, let the lyrics take center stage without dis...
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“We’ll start the recording tomorrow. The guys have been practicing,” Mark said, turning his chair toward her. The dimly lit studio surrounded them, with instruments scattered across the room. Jia sat buried under her books and study materials, the glow from her desk lamp casting a soft light on her focused expression.
Jia sighed, putting her pen down. “I think we need to promote ourselves before the competition. It’s going to be telecasted worldwide, right?” She looked up, her brow slightly furrowed in thought.
“We already have an account,” Mark responded, casually leaning back in his chair.
“But you barely post anything on it,” she shot back, raising an eyebrow. “So, let’s focus on that for now. We need to take some group photos of you guys and maybe do a few trendy posts.” She leaned back in her chair, her voice matter-of-fact, as if she’d already decided.
“Fine. We’ll do that,” Mark muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
“We’ll use the photos Jaemin’s already taken, but for the group photo shoot, we could ask Sang Woo,” Jia said, watching his reaction closely, bracing herself for what was coming next.
Mark froze, his chair stilling mid-spin. “Sang Woo from the soccer team? Are you serious?” His jaw tightened, and he turned fully to face her. “You know how I feel about this, Jia.”
The way he said her name, sharp and clipped, made her wince slightly. Whenever he called her that, she knew he was irritated. Still, she had to push through.
“Mark, listen. Jaemin can’t take all the photos—we need him in the shots, too. Sang Woo is the only other person skilled enough to help. You need to set your rivalry aside for this. I can also speak to Ji Tae. He’d understand and—”
As soon as Ji Tae’s name left her lips, Mark’s expression darkened. He glared at her, his eyes narrowing. The intensity of his gaze sent a chill down her spine. She immediately regretted mentioning him. Asking Ji Tae for anything was clearly not on Mark’s list of acceptable solutions.
“I mean, I’ll ask Ji Tae for a favor,” Jia quickly corrected herself, her voice softening. “You don’t have to deal with him.”
Mark exhaled sharply, looking away for a moment, clearly wrestling with his frustration. He finally met her eyes again. “You won’t give up on this, will you?”
Jia bit her lip nervously and shook her head.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. I’ll think about it.” He said it begrudgingly, but she knew that phrase well enough to recognize it as a reluctant agreement.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Think about it" meant she’d won—for now.
"Did you finish studying?" Mark asked, gesturing to the open books and scattered notes around her.
