to all the boys i've loved before ||nct dream||

.:chapter twenty-three:.

i woke up with the sun creeping into my room. i noticed that i was in my bed. arms were wrapped around my waist, a warm breath tickling my neck. holy cow- mark is cuddling me. i panicked while getting out of mark's grip. how did i get on my bed?

"oh my god you should have seen the look on your face!" hyunsoo laughed. he was dying, trying to laugh, and breath at the same time.

"you're so mean!" i hit his arm repeatedly.

"ugh, i regret life." mark woke up. "wait. how'd i get here?"

"we had to drag your sorry a-" hyunsoo stopped as i elbowed him in the stomach.

"hyunsoo brought you here. lucas told me that he didn't want to send you home, drunk, to your parents." i explained. "you should probably shower. hyunjin can lend you some clothes."

"oh. okay. thanks." mark said sheepishly.

"you're helping me make breakfast." i dragged hyunsoo out of the room.

•

•

•

"good morning sir." mark bowed to my dad.

"good morning." dad responded. his expression was hard to read. he was particularly happy to see mark and hyunsoo, but he wasn't mad either.

"s-something came up, and mark and hyunsoo uhh... had to come late last night, and by the time we were done, it was late and we decided to have a sleep over." i hesitated. my dad raised his eyebrows. he knows i'm lying. "okay, so i am lying."

"i knew it. you hesitated at the beginning of your sentence, plus you used the word "and" four times." dad said.

"wow, you counted?" hyunsoo asked. i pinched his leg and he let out a yelp.

the truth will set you free.

"okay, so last night mark was drinking, and he was too drunk to go home so his friend decided to text me, so i decided to text hyunsoo for help, and hyunsoo was able to bring mark here, which brings us to this morning." i said.

"did you even breathe while saying that?" hyunsoo added.

"i appreciate you telling the truth. because you told me the truth, we don't have to tell mark's parents what happened." dad says. "but i don't want you hanging out with mark ."

"what?" i ask in disbelief. "you can't just separate me and my best friend."

"i don't want him to be a bad influence on you. you are all underaged and he was drinking last night!" my dad rarely raised his voice.

"doesn't mean we can't hang out! he's still a good person! and you know i'm a good kid!" i argued.

"i can't risk that. peer pressure is so easy to give into, especially when you're in the moment. i can't risk your safety." dad argued back.

"b-but mark is such a good friend to me." tears welled up in my eyes. it felt like my throat was closing and suddenly i felt numb.

"what about jaemin? isn't he a good friend too?" dad asked. my heart pained at the mention of his name.

jaemin replacing mark?

i got up from the table and ran into my room. i heard them calling after me, but i didn't want to talk to anyone.

"hyejin? we're gonna leave." hyunsoo knocked at the door. i didn't answer, i just suffocated in my pillow. footsteps descended down the stairs and i heard the front door open and close.

am i letting mark walk out of my life?