String to my heart ♪ Mark Lee

♪ 71

Looking back on us, it's a beautiful sailing
Leaning on each other, talking all through the night
We raised the biggest sail in our hearts
And then moved endlessly far ahead
We flowed just like that, it's a beautiful sailing

♪

They were sent back to the hotel with around four to five hours before the final practice of the day at the stadium later that evening. Just enough time to shower, eat and maybe sleep for an hour if luck was generous enough.

The gathering at lunch was quieter than usual, the exhaustion looming around.

Chenle and Haechan argued over something ridiculous across the table while Renjun looked moments away from beating them up, Chenle laughed too loudly and Jisung nearly dropped his drink.

But Mark barely participated.

He sat there with his bowl untouched for so long that it became noticeable. His eyes were fixed somewhere distant, chopsticks hanging loosely between his fingers while conversation blurred around him into blur.

"Mark."

Renjun's voice cut through sharply.

Mark flinched hard.

Every head at the table had turned towards him after the mention.

A split second of realization crossed his face before his instincts took over.

he scooped up an absurd amount of rice and shoved it into his mouth immediately, his cheeks full as if he needed physical evidence to prove that he was eating.

"Mark." Chenle muttered, half concerned and half surprised.

Mark gave a quick thumbs up while struggling to swallow too quickly.

Haechan watched him quietly from across the table, the way Mark avoided eye contact, the way exhaustion wasn't the only thing weighing on him anymore. Haechan knew it all too well.

The others slowly moved back into conversation again, though the mood had shifted slightly softer around the edges now.

Mark barely finished a single bowl of rice which he force-fed himself.
"I'll head back first."

No one really stopped him, they saw him at the practice applying pain relief which was enough for them to let him rest and sometimes? food does end up in the last priority.

Later after the lunch ended and everyone slowly scattered back towards their respective rooms, Haechan walked down the hotel corridor while humming absentmindedly.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, a notification appeared.

Haechan took out his phone to check, a message from Jihye.

He opened it casually at first.

His steps slowed slightly.

His eyes lingered on the screen for a moment longer than usual.

All the dots connected in his mind.

♪

The ride back to dorm after a long flight was unusually quiet.

Not fully quiet, there were still tired sighs, the occasional rustle of jackets, someone scrolling through videos with their airpods on, but the energy was gone completely, drained out after hours of rehearsals and the final concert in that location, cameras, airport mobbing due to the sudden explosion of the article online.

Mark sat near the window with his hood up, his head resting at the backrest. Streetlights flickered across his face in soft intervals.

Jeno finally spoke up from the back, breaking the silence.
"What are you going to do about the article?"