reflection *ೃ༄ mark lee

ೃ༄ 6

sowon stretched in the dimly lit practice room. today was mark's day off, and those were very rare for him. so she took this as an opportunity to fully immerse herself in the choreography that she had learned just the day previous. the faint sounds of the outside world on the other side of the door fades as the music begins to play.

she begins with the opening moves, her body adapting to the rhythm. the transitions slowly start to flow seamlessly the less she thought about what she was doing.

her mind wandered away the longer she danced. the music played on, but she found herself imagining mark in her apartment. what was he doing right now?

she pictured him standing in her cozy living room, surrounded by all her things. maybe he was trying on her clothes, laughing st how they fit him differently now that he's a girl, or maybe he's flipping through her favorite books, looking at each tabbed page. the thought made her actually chuckle.

mark was probably experimenting in the kitchen too– she could see the new sense of freedom allowing him to make whatever mess while trying to follow one of the recipes on the back of an ingredient's box. although she struggles with different things while in mark's body, she hopes that this is his well deserved rest.

as the beat dropped, sowon pulled herself back into the dance. she felt a sense of camaraderie, imagining how they were both learning from this strange experience, at least she hoped they both were.

as she finishes the routine countless times, this time she stands up straight to catch her breath. a smile spreads across her face. she could already feel the practice paying off, even tho most of the credit should go to mark. although mark's consciousness isn't in his own body right now, his muscle memory and brain still were and that had to be the only reason sowon was as coordinated as she was right now. if she was in her own body, this would not be happening right now.

wiping the sheen of sweat from her forehead, she glanced around the practice room. it was weird being in the place that she had watched in so many videos. some of her favorite artists performed and now she was here, standing in it. granted she wasn't standing in it herself, but still she was there. it hasn't hit her that she was hanging out with the nct boys just yet, but she can feel the emotions coming.

with one last satisfied sigh, sowon gathered her things, the pride of her practice lingering. she stepped out of the practice room, still feeling fatigued from the amount of work she had just done. she headed towards the 127 dorm to change out of her sweaty clothes and into something more comfortable (and less smelly).

once she was ready, she made her way down to the dream dorms. she had found herself enjoying her time most when she hung out with them, it had brought a warm nostalgic feeling that reminded her of how she grew up with them. with them being roughly the same age as her, it was easy to sit and watch their videos, relating to the things they said or did. that feeling never faded throughout the years.

as she entered the dorm, she spotted a few of the boys sitting around the living room, chatting and laughing. she took a moment to take it in before walking over the the couch to join them. she sank into the cushions, letting out a sigh.

as time passed, she couldn't shake the feeling that the boys were watching her every move. it almost made her paranoid, did they already find out that she wasn't mark?

soon, they exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, skepticism evident in their expressions. sowon could sense their curiosity; after all, mark was acting a bit off to them. the subtle change in mannerisms were starting to raise questions.

"hey mark, you good?" jeno asked randomly, raising an eyebrow. sowon could feel a tinge of anxiety loom in her chest, her heart starting to race as she tried to come up with the least suspicious come back that she could think of.

"um, yeah! i'm all good, man." she replied, trying so desperately to remain causal. she tried to make the effort of mimicking mark's carefree demeanor, but it was difficult.

the boys continued their conversation. she couldn't help but to wonder if she had taken a second or two too long to respond. assuming that they were onto her, she decided that every move from this point forward needs to be carefully thought out and calculated. it was clear that the boys were unsure of her, they were trying to decide why mark was being so odd. sowon couldn't help but to laugh nervously, wondering how long it would take for them to figure it out or for her to tell them.

sowon stayed in the boys' dorm a little longer, trying to relax and enjoy the remaining hours of mark's day off. the dream dorm was always so lively, the room always full of laughter and chatter. the boys tended to do separate things, but together in the same room. so many conversations cross crossed there way through the room. she couldn't help to wonder if mark was going stir crazy at her apartment. typically, the apartment was silent ninety percent of the time, even when she was occupying it.

eventually, though, she sensed it was time to head back to her own room. the fun had been great, and she really loved hanging out with the dream boys because she didn't know how long this would last, but once again for the second night in a row, she needs to leave to have some alone time to really process the sudden hectic lifestyle she was currently living.

"alright guys, i'm gonna head back." she announced, picking up what she had brought along with her and the mess of a plate she had ate from throughout the visit, putting it in the sink. just as she was about to walk out the door, she turned her head to smile at them.

"see you tomorrow, mark!" jaemin called after her, a hint of doubt in his voice. sowon waved to them, pushing the door open and stepping into the hallway.

as she walked back to her room, she couldn't help to feel happy. there was something just so nostalgic and genuinely so happy that came with hanging out with those boys. it had only been one day, but she was already dreading the change back (if it happens) because she'd miss the boys too much. once inside her dorm, she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath.

sinking, now, into her bed, she pulled out her phone. she hovered over the instagram icon. she had acknowledged mark's direct message the previous night by accepting it, but not responding. atleast he could see that she read the direct message. maybe she should text him now? she shook her head, it was getting pretty late. she didn't want to bother if he was sleeping.

instead she opens the music app, putting on some music. it felt good to unwind, to be in her own space after a long day. as she relaxed, she started to wonder what she would say to mark when she finally messaged him the morning. she was strangely nervous, probably more nervous than she was actually hanging out with the rest of nct.

with the gentle sounds of the music surrounding her, she closed her eyes, allowing the warmth of the room to wrap around her as she drifted off to sleep.