Trainee Trouble

{Chapter 36: Affections}

As I slept like the dead through the night, it didn't take long for morning to come. That meant school again. Waking up and doing my daily routine, I got ready for school and left at 7:30 am as usual with Jeonghan. Somehow, Hansol and S.Coups had gotten a fever from the trip to the jimjilbang. They must've binged on boiled eggs and slept too long in the saunas, causing them to upset their system.

I had overslept again this morning, narrowly missing my allotted time in the restroom before rushing to meet with Jeonghan on the way to school. He had slept in the studio last night after some self practice. Once again, I had forgotten my cellphone, a habit created from disconnecting myself the past week.

Jeonghan and I barely made it to school on time. After a brief warning from the discipline mistress at the gate, we were shooed off to our classes where Jeonghan and I were split up. Checking my schedule, I noticed that I had conversational Chinese for first period. However, since we already took classes for Chinese and other languages in the company, we were excused from certain language classes in school as the company provided a much more advanced syllabus. That meant that I basically had an hour and a half of free time.

Contemplating for awhile, I decided to head to the music room to work on producing a song for our upcoming music aptitude test in school. With laptop in hand, I walked to the music room.

Settling down at the grand piano, I pulled a table up next to me to set up my computer and midi set. Then I started tuning into my musical abilities to produce the song. Banging at the piano keys and on the mini midi pad, I didn't notice the sound of the door opening and closing with footsteps approaching me.

Suddenly, a pair of arms enclosed around my torso in a back hug. The person had their head buried in the crook of my neck and it felt like they were breathing raggedly. Pulling off my headphone in shock, I inhaled sharply before recognizing the familiar scent of the person holding me.

"Mark?" I breathed as my heart rate quickened.

It'd been long since I'd seen him and I had forgotten the familiar feeling of having him next to me. A mix of regret and relief rippled through my body as I relaxed into his hold. Regret because I had neglected keeping in touch with him and relief that we finally connected again. It felt like home and all at once, my stress left me. Mark was the only one who could do that. I missed it so much.

"Hey Marky. How have you been?" I smiled.

Tightening his arms around me, he didn't bother answering me.

"Hey.... Are you okay?" I said, trying to get out of his grip to take a look at his face.

As I struggled with him to get out of his embrace, he suddenly spun me around and stared me straight in the eye. Behind the brown familiar orbs, there was subtle anger that was slowly building up.

"You....you...." Mark started.

Raising my eyebrows, I sent him a questioning look. What does he want to tell me?

"What about me?" I asked, heart rate quickening.

The anger in his eyes faded into hurt.

"Do you know what you put me through?" He said, gripping my shoulders.

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused.

Releasing his grip on me, he clutched at his hair and huffed in annoyance as he paced back and forth. Throwing his hands up and then perching them on his hips, he pinched his nose in a thinking position.

"Why haven't you answered any of my texts or calls? The last time you were online was a week ago! A whole week of me trying and trying! I couldn't get in touch with you through anything! Why do you even have a phone then?! The last thing you said was 'have a good time Marky. I love you.' Have a good time? A good time?! Hah. Do you know how that sounded? Especially with no response after?! You disappeared off the face of the earth. I thought you.... I thought you..." He ranted.