Thief

10

Jaebum walked into the kitchen, seeing Mark there. He got himself a glass of water and took it to the table, sitting down across from Mark. Mark glanced up from his phone briefly before looking back down.

"Hey Jaebum. Where's the boy?" Mark asked.

"His name is Jinyoung. He's resting right now. We had to get up early to come here and he's had quite a long night." Jaebum stated, taking a sip of water to quench his dry throat.

"Right... I'm surprised he's not following you everywhere. He seemed glued to your hip." Mark stated.

"He's in a new place, of course he's gonna wanna stick with me." Jaebum said.

"Where is he from originally?" Mark asked.

Jaebum went to answer when he realized that he actually didn't know. He's never asked Jinyoung about his past or what he did before. He just saw Jinyoung as this guy who robbed people for a living and needed help to get out of that lifestyle, but now that Jaebum thinks about it, he had to have come from somewhere, didn't he?

"I... I don't know. He said he lived about an hour away from my place by train but... I'm not sure exactly where..." Jaebum stated, realizing just how much he didn't really know about Jinyoung.

"So... you brought this guy that you have the hots for over to my house to stay for a while, and you don't even know where he came from? This is wild, especially for you, Jaebum." Mark said, disbelief in his tone.

Jaebum shook his head. "Firstly, I don't have the 'hots' for him, okay? He just showed up at my door and I could just see how innocent he was. He shouldn't be in the crime life Mark, he doesn't even know what he's doing."

"Innocent? But... you said he shot a guy." Mark stated, a serious tone taking his voice.

"I also said it was by accident. Come on Mark, you already agreed to keep him here for a while, are you doubting this now?" Jaebum asked.

Mark paused to think for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I trust you. The kid looks a mess, I can tell from as soon as he walked through the front door. His life... must be in shambles."

Jaebum shook his head, his hands moving up to press against his temples. "I don't know his life very well... I should ask him about it more just to see what kind of situation he's in... I kinda just scooped him up and brought him here after he got in serious trouble but... I dunno, maybe he's leaving a family behind. They deserve to know where he is."

Mark nodded. "Yeah Prince Charming, I agree that at some point your princess should get himself together and go back. But for now keep him here, he's fucked if he goes into town now and someone recognizes him."

"Don't call me that. His name is Jinyoung by the way, I'm sure that's the third time we've told you." Jaebum said, wishing Mark would just use Jinyoung's name rather than some nickname.

Mark sucked his teeth while rolling his eyes. "Fine, I'll respect you and your boyfriend Jinyoung."

"Shut up, I already told you that we're not like that." Jaebum said. They haven't done anything together that would suggest them being in a relationship, and Jaebum didn't want to push anything like that onto Jinyoung.

"Why not? He likes you, you like him... what's holding you back?" Mark asked.

"Never said I liked him." Jaebum stated.

"So, you don't like him?" Mark asked.

"No I... I like him but not... I don't like like him, okay? Can you just stop the teasing?" Jaebum asked, frustrated with having to explain this over and over again.

Mark hummed, nodding his head. "So... if I were to make a move on him, you wouldn't mind at all?"

Jaebum frowned, his eyes darting over to Mark. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean... he's cute. He's broken and he needs someone. He's gonna be living with me for a little bit. I don't see why I shouldn't make a move. You'd be okay with it, right? Since you two don't have any feelings for each other, I don't see why not." Mark explained with a shrug.

Jaebum shook his head, completely rejecting that idea. "No, you can't. Absolutely not... I mean, I wouldn't be mad if you did but... just... it would be awkward, wouldn't it? My ex dating my friend?"

"So? Who cares? You won't even be here to see us together except on the weekends when you visit. Don't worry, I'll treat him gently. You already know what I like in bed anyway." Mark said with a wink.

Jaebum felt a very unpleasant shudder run through his body, not wanting to be reminded of the past, and definitely not wanting the image of Mark and Jinyoung together in his head. "Mark, just... hold your horses. I know you're lonely here by yourself but, I don't want you to treat Jinyoung like... like a toy. He's a real person who just needs to get his shit together. Can you just be there for him as a supporter and a friend? I want to be here for him but... I can't. So I'm asking you sincerely. Please."

Mark took on a serious demeanor, understanding that Jaebum was coming from his heart. "Jaebum, I know you hate to call me. I know you hate to visit me too. We don't have the best relationship but... the fact that I was the first person you called yesterday touched me. It meant a lot. You know me, I like to joke around a lot, but I understand that this is something serious to you. I'll help in any way I can."

Jaebum smiled, feeling really grateful to Mark. "Thank you Mark. You're the only person who I can call for anything. All of my other friends are out living their own life."

"Yeah same here." Mark said. "It's just the two of us, really. Which is why I don't mind doing any favor you need me to. But you owe me big time for this one."

Jaebum rolled his eyes, chuckling. "I know Mark. I really do owe you for this one."

"You're staying for a few days right? That should give you enough time to tell Jinyoung about your crush on him." Mark stated.

Jaebum rolled his eyes. "Mark I told you a million times, it's not like that. I met the guy just two days ago."

"So? Love finds a way babe, whether you want it or not, it'll sneak up on you. Isn't that what happened with us?" Mark asked.

Jaebum really didn't like going back into the past, the memories there weren't all that great. But the day he met Mark was probably one of the better memories, it was pleasant, and he had fell for Mark almost instantly. Could it be the same for Jinyoung?

"Yeah... I remember... but you see how that worked out..." Jaebum stated, the two obviously not getting along well in the past making them separate from their relationship.

"Yeah but... every relationship you have won't end up like ours. Maybe you should give yourself another chance at love. Let yourself experience it with someone else that's better for you. Maybe Jinyoung is the one." Mark suggested, seeming to seriously care about Jaebum's love life despite the teasing.

Jaebum took in a breath, shaking his head. "No... no Mark, I'd rather not risk it. Jinyoung and I are just friends, okay? I came here to take care of him. I want to focus on that first."

Mark shrugged in response, not willing to argue with someone who won't budge. "Suit yourself. I'm just saying, your feelings are obvious. You'll have to deal with them one day or another."

Jaebum stood up from his chair, tired of talking about it. Love just doesn't work out for him, that's why he was single. Jinyoung was someone special to him, and he didn't want to mess that up with a stupid relationship.

"Whatever." Jaebum responded, walking out of the kitchen and heading back to his room.

He had a lot on his mind, from what he was gonna do next to how Jinyoung would fair with Mark alone. Jaebum hoped that everything would work out well, but he couldn't be sure, and he spent most of his time worrying about Jinyoung's and his own future.