Affinity // (GOT7 Markson)

Chapter Two - Krystal and Bruiser

It was seven in the morning when Mark was rudely awaken by what he could only assume was a dog, but mostly just sounded like some sort of dying beast. He rolled over in his bed and smothered himself in his blue pillow. It was the end of his first week in his new place. He had finally unboxed everything and it was starting to feel like home finally - a bit bare, and kind of empty - but home nonetheless.

Once he realized he wasn't going to be getting any more sleep he finally gave in and summoned himself out of bed. His naked body caught the light when he stood up and made him glow like he was made out of marble. Mark liked sleeping in the nude, it was something he was never able to do back home because of Papa Tuan and his... less than subtle wake up calls. Mark slowly put on his black briefs one leg at a time and glided his way into the bathroom. His red hair caught him by surprise when he turned on the light, and it reminded him that he wants to dye it blonde. 'New city, new me.' he thought to himself.

After making a small pot of green tea it was time for Mark to uncover the source of the dying animal that doubled as his alarm clock. He walked over to his front door and looked through the peep-hole into the hallway. There was nothing there, but he could still hear the faint sounds of grunting coming from across the hall. He remembered what Linda had said about the nice girl who was his neighbor, but he hadn't gotten a chance to meet her. After running back to his room and grabbing a red pair of pajama pants, he decided to introduce himself to the neighbor. Armed with his green tea, Mark made his way across the hall. What was only a few feet seemed like a mile to Mark because he was nervous to meet new people, and he tried to avoid confrontation at all costs.

Tap tap tap. Mark knocked on the door quietly. As soon as his hand left the door there was a loud howl and what sounded like a lumpy dog running at the door from the other side.

"Quiet, Bruiser! Down! Be nice!" a petite voice called from inside the apartment. The green door slowly creaked open only about an inch or two, and Mark could make out what looked like a bulldog's nose frantically sniffing and licking at the bottom near his feet.

"Okay Bruiser get in your corner. NOW!" the girl shrieked, and with that the dog retreated slowly back into the darkness.

"I'm really sorry about that, he isn't usually that hyper in the mornings but he's been sick so lately his sleeping pattern has been off." she explained calmly, "I really hope he hasn't kept you awake. Linda is really on my case about his crying."

"No, no. Not a problem. I don't even notice it." Mark lied. "I'm Mark. I just moved in this week. I thought I would introduce myself."

"I'm Krystal. Krystal Jung." the girl said with a huge smile. "Hopefully we see more of each other. Are you going to UBC in September?"

"Yeah, I am. Just got accepted into the nursing program. So hopefully it goes well." Mark said shyly rubbing his head.

"SHUT. UP. I'm in the nursing program too. First year!" she bounced. Mark could tell that Krystal was going to take some getting used to. His energy level at seven in the morning was the complete opposite of hers. Something told him that she wasn't ever drained of energy.

****

After his interaction with Krystal, Mark decided he should eat. He threw on a yellow sweater, grabbed his keys, and headed out the door. When the elevator doors opened he was greeted by Linda who was busy watering the plants in the lobby.

"Good morning Marcus..." Linda said robotically without looking at Mark.

"Mornin'!" Mark called back as he went out the front door with a quick eye roll.

The neighborhood Mark lived in was very peaceful. As he walked down the small sidewalk he took in all the sights and sounds of his new stomping grounds. Seagulls flew overhead in flocks of three, and a man with a beard went zipping by in a pair of roller blades. Mark couldn't help but feel a little bit homesick as he saw a group of young people getting ready for what he assumed was a day at the beach, fresh Starbuck's drinks and sunglasses, laughing together as they crossed the street. He knew that the feeling of loneliness and homesickness would pass eventually, but for now it stung a little bit. He went a few more blocks before he found himself standing outside of a building named "Tim Horton's." This wasn't something they had back in California, so he decided to head in and see what it was like.

As Mark stood in the line deciding which breakfast sandwich he wanted, there was a small buzz in his back pocket. He instinctively reached down and pulled out his iPhone which had a notification on the lock screen:

PAPA TUAN (text)

"Hi son! Goodmorning, I hope ur ok. I miss u dimsum.

Ok bye. Love, dad."

Mark couldn't understand why his dad signed his name after every text message, but he was so used to it that he didn't notice it anymore. After quickly responding to it he put his phone away and ordered his breakfast.

On the way home Mark couldn't help but notice a brick building down the street with the words, 'NEXT LEVEL DANCE STUDIO" written across the banner. Mark suddenly found himself walking towards the building without even thinking about it. There was a sheet of paper taped to the front entrance door that read 'SIGN UP SHEET.' It looked like a dozen people had already signed up for the weekly classes, which meant that there was opportunity for Mark to maybe meet some people.

'Man, it's been so long since I danced. I would probably look so out of place in there. Everyone in there would probably laugh at me.' He thought to himself. After pacing around the entrance for a few more minutes, Mark made the bold decision to write his name on the paper. 'What's the worst that could happen?' he said under his breath. 'If I don't like it I will stop going. But now I can't say that I didn't take any chances.'

With that Mark headed back down the road to his building to see if he could sneak passed Linda and hopefully get a few more hours of sleep, if Bruiser allowed it, that is.