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"Hyung, do you remember your first love?" Mark walked slowly over to the four years older man, that was sitting cross-legged on the couch. Having a yogurt drink in his mouth Johnny looked over to the Canadian lad and cocked an eyebrow before taking the straw out of his mouth.
"My first love?" Johnny furrowed his lips. "It was probably Kimberly Jones. She was one hella cutie, curly blonde hair and big blue eyes. Wow, I was hella whipped for her. But she hated boys so" Johnny shook his shoulders and Mark frowned. "How old were you?"
"Seven."
Mark dropped his head. "Okay, okay I get it. You were still a boy when you were still in Chicago." - "Yup. Didn't have time to fall in love even though I had a crush on Krystal back in the day. But she liked Kai so" again, Johnny shook his shoulders and Mark realized that his usual smart Hyung wouldn't be a good help.
He sighed and walked towards one of the bedrooms. "Gosh, he probably didn't even had a first love as awkward as he is." With a sigh, he knocked at the door and heard Taeyong and Doyoungs voice calling him in. He bit his lip, stepped into the room and dropped the bomb immediately.
"F-First love?" Taeyong's face turned bright red and he started giggling awkwardly. Doyoung, on the other hand, rolled his eyes at their awkward leader and nodded. "I used to have a crush on Han Seolla. She was the prettiest girl in my middle school, but she hated me. Even if I gave her chocolate on every possible occasion." Doyoung explained and laughed at the memory.
"But why are you asking that, Mark?"
Mark only shook his head and left the room of his Hyungs before walking into his own room. He was a little bit disappointed with the love stories of his older members. His own love story seemed so ... different.
The rapper entered his bedroom and laid down in his bed, pulling his earphones over his head and closing his eyes. The day he realized he had a crush on his best friend was still burned inside the back of his head. Even though he had tried to forget it.
Now that she was back in his life, his memories of his first love also came back crushing over him like a wave.
"What are you looking at, Mark?" Mark flinched by the sound of his best friends voice. The friend he tried to avoid all day had eventually found him, sitting on the school's rooftop, looking at Vancouver's skyline. "I'm just looking at the distance." He spoke and watched Mari sit down next to him.
The girl fixed her skirt and smiled at him. "You seemed to be in thoughts." - "Yeah, I was..." He sighed. "I'm nervous." - "Is it because you're moving to Korea by yourself soon?" Mari asked and Mark nodded. "It's kinda hard knowing I have to leave everything behind."
Mari looked at her best friend. "I know you can do it! You're Mark Lee after all!" Mari gave him a stunning smile and the boy gulped, looking away from her. His heart beating too fast for his own liking and he felt guilty for falling in love with Mari now.
Now that he had to leave.
He looked at her and opened his mouth, but when Mari started speaking, the words he planned to say felt heavy on his tongue. "Promise to never forget me, Mark Lee. You're a superstar soon and people will swoon over you! Even more, than I swoon over you."
Mari stood up and disappeared as fast as she appeared and Mark only saw her one last time, crying at the airport.
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The first months in Korea were hard for the young boy, but he soon found friends in his practice mates Lee Taeyong and Seo Johnny, an older boy from Chicago who took the young Canadian under his wing. Mark looked up to Johnny and wanted to become as cool as him.
When Christmas approached, Mark bought a small present for Mari, but due to his extensive training, he forgot to send it to his best friend and first love.
And that was the start of it all. First, he forgot to send presents and cards. Then he forgot to wish her Happy Birthday through SNS. And while his circle of friends in SM Entertainment grew and grew, Mary Ahn grew to be lonelier and quieter than before.
Someday she gave up hearing from Mark. And Mark slightly forgot about his first love and best friend that was waiting every day for a sign of him still being there.
Mark shook his head when the memories flooded him and quickly pulled the headphones off. He had almost drowned into memories that he had tried to lock away. He moved his hands through his messy black hair and fished his phone out of his pocket, texting Mari.
Can we meet? It's urgent. - M.Lee
Mari quickly answered with a K. Where? and soon Mark was on his way to a quiet convenience store in his neighborhood. At this time of the night, not a lot people were around and no one would care for two covered up teenagers to meet in the middle of nowhere.
Holding a bottle of Vitamin juice Mark stepped from one foot to the other, until he saw a figure running up to him. He chuckled when he saw a smiley face under the big black hoodie. "I had to sneak out otherwise Go Juyeon would have punished me like poor little Subinie!" Mari laughed before following Marks eyes.
"You couldn't find, well... other shoes?" He asked and pointed at Mari's holographic sneakers. Mari pouted. "They're cute and I can run in them!" She said before Mark handed her the Vitamin. She smiled opened the bottle and took a sip before looking at her best friend. "What was so urgent?" She asked taking another sip of the vitamin juice.
"I liked you back in middle school and I think I still like you."
