At the End of Summer || Mark Lee (NCT)

Chapter 18|5. Honeysuckle

『 Birthday Special: Donghyuck 』

- June 5, 2018 -

Tuesday

"Hyuck, where exactly are you taking me?" I asked Donghyuck, sitting on the rear rack of his bike.

"I told you, I'm treating you to this cool place I discovered." He answered.

"I knew that. What I mean is, where exactly are we going?" I asked him again.

We just got out of school, and we were already on the road. It was a day before Donghyuck's birthday, and he said he was going to treat me somewhere.

I thought it was weird because he didn't invite the others, but maybe it was because it wasn't his birthday yet.

Everyone thought we had gone home. I thought I was going home, because Donghyuck was supposed to take me home. But we took a different turn and now we're on the road to I don't even know where.

I might have some idea, though. I mean, we were taking the route towards the secret diner, so I guess that's where he was taking me.

But I was wrong.

Just when I thought we were close to the secret diner, he took a turn at the street before it, and we went to this small carnival place just inside the city.

"Ever wondered how it feels to be on a date?" Donghyuck asked me as we walked around the carnival.

Since it was already 5 in the afternoon, colorful lights were turned on and the place looked livelier than it probably did in the daytime.

It was wonderful, and I was awestruck.

"Um... yeah. Sometimes." I answered him blankly, but then I turned to him, surprised. "Wait. Why'd you ask? Is this a date?"

"Only if you think it is." He scrunched his nose.

I rolled my eyes at him, but then chuckled. "Let's play some games."

Donghyuck never really declared out loud that he likes me. Unlike Jeno and Jaemin, and at times, Renjun, though we actually treat each other like siblings.

So I never really knew. And he was my best friend, aside from Mark.

But like Renjun, at times, he would act really sweet towards me, which sometimes makes me think that he likes me. I'd just shrug it off though, because that would've been presumptuous of me, and I'm not that type. He never really told me anything, so I don't really know for sure.

Anyway, we played cool arcade games inside the carnival. Of course, I aced all those games that had shooting in it, and I won small prizes. But Donghyuck, being Donghyuck, showed off his shooting skills and tried to be as good as me.

Well, I've got to give it to him, he was as good as me. He even won this giant light blue unicorn stuffed toy from one of the games.

"This is for you, princess." He told me as he handed me the giant stuffed toy.

"Since when did you start calling me that? And isn't this supposed to be yours?" I gave him a weird look as we walked around the well-lit carnival, looking for some food to buy.