translucent [markson]

[Three] Raincheck

"So, what'd you think of Yugyeom and Jackson?" BamBam asked once they got back into their room.

"Yugyeom is a cute kid. Jackson seems friendly. I don't know," Mark replied, shrugging. Mark climbed up the bunk bed ladder and flopped onto his bed.

"I thought you were going to finish packing." BamBam looked up at Mark from the ground, a confused and skeptical look on his face. "Did you lie to avoid talking to them?"

"I'll finish unpacking in a second. And no, I didn't lie. You don't understand how hard it is to think with how bad my jetlag is." And that was the truth. Mark didn't want to talk to Yugyeom and Jackson, but it wasn't because of anything negative. After his plane landed, he went straight to the school, so it had been a while since he had gotten real rest.

"Fair enough... Hey, why don't I treat you to dinner? It'll be a nice 'welcome to the country' kind of meal and a good break from packing." BamBam sent a friendly smile towards the top bunk, even though he knew Mark wasn't looking.

"I don't want you to spend-" Mark began.

"It's nothing. All I want is for you to have a decent first meal in Korea, that's all." BamBam spoke with finality, letting Mark know that there was no room for argument. Mark sighed before climbing down from his bed and going back to his suitcase.

~

Seven o'clock rolled by and Mark found himself getting dragged to a restaurant by BamBam. He had to admit that it was a little embarrassing that someone two years younger than him was going to pay for his dinner. Of course he was grateful for the boy's efforts to make him feel comfortable, but Mark didn't want him to go out of the way to do too much.

In no time, the two were sat down across from each other at a fairly nice restaurant. Though Mark didn't know it, they were at a restaurant owned by BamBam's family. His family owned a small chain of restaurants that was mostly based in Thailand, with their only restaurant out of the country being the one in Korea.

"Are you sure this isn't too much? I don't want-"

"It's fine. Besides, I get a great discount here." BamBam laughed to himself, making Mark confused.

"Discount?"

"My family kind of owns this chain, so..." BamBam replied, shrugging.

"Really? That's cool. Does that mean they're here or...?"

"No. It's kind of a long story, but, basically, when I was younger I really liked it here and convinced my parents to let me live with Yugyeom's family. Our families are really close, though I'm not quite sure how."

"Oh. How'd you meet Jackson then?"

"We went to the same elementary school. We just kind of stuck together that long, I suppose." BamBam suddenly looked away from Mark and at his hands.

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" Mark asked, his head tilting in curiosity.

"It's not really. He's a great guy, honestly. I just don't want to start my first year of high school with a bad reputation," he answered, evasively.

"Look, we're going to be sharing a room for the next year. You might as well explain as much as you can right now." Mark wasn't usually very talkative, but he meant what he said. He also felt some kind of connection to BamBam, and he wanted them to become good friends.

"I love Jackson, but he doesn't really have the best rep at school. You wouldn't know, since you're new. He's kinda had this playboy thing going on for the past couple years, and, even if it's all some misunderstanding, I don't want people to think of me badly. I know that's harsh, I just..." BamBam sighed and ran his hands through his hair.