The Close Strangers

f o u r t e e n

Mark has just arrived at his house when Marcella is making a glass of milk in the kitchen.

"You haven't slept yet?" He asks his oldest sister at the time they meet in the living room to go upstairs together.

"I will after I read one more chapter," She answers.

"How was the date?" Marcella asks when they reach the second floor.

"Theㅡ the date? Date, what?"

"Yerimmie told me that you went on a date withㅡ"

"Arinnie?" Mark receives a nod from his sister.

He snorts in disbelief, "You know how many times I've gone somewhere with her. Cinema, bookstore, exhibition, even we used to go to school together sometimes."

"But, does that mean we went on a date?" He asks.

She shrugs in response as she walks toward her bedroom door.

"Ah, right," She turns around to face Mark again, "Did you buy the cooling gel patch I told you to buy?"

Mark nods as he lifts the paper bag in his hand, "Her fever hasn't gone yet?" He asks about Yerim.

Marcella shakes her head as she reaches out her hand to take the paper bag, but Mark hides it behind him right away.

She raises her eyebrows in confusion.

"Let me give it to her," He says, "You can continue to finish the last chapter."

"You sure? Can you really take care of her?"

Mark squints his eyes in disbelief, "Can you tell me who usually takes care of you when Mom isn't here?"

"Minnie."

"Minnie?! Ya, Noona, how could you say that after everything I sacrificed for you?" Mark whines in betrayal, causing his sister to giggle while ruffling his hair.

At this state, he knows he will forever be Marcella's little brother.

Marcella lows her hand to pat Mark's shoulder, "Please take care of her just as good as you usually do to Minnie and me."

"Anyway, Yerim is probably already sleeping so you just need to put a patch on her forehead and leave. Hopefully, she'll feel better tomorrow morning."

"You can go to bed after that because Minnie is having a sleepover in her friend's house tonight. Dad will also come home really really late and Mom is already sleeping."

Mark nods in response to Marcella's information, watching his sister comes into her own bedroom before he goes to Yerim's room.

He knocks on the door and he's really surprised to hear Yerim respond, telling him to come inside.

When he comes in, he can smell the scented candle fill the entire room. It smells like lavender and it really makes him feel calm down slowly. He spots Yerim sitting on her bed while leaning her back against the head of the bed.

She's actually surprised to see Mark comes in. She thought it would be Marcella since she's the one who's taking care of her since she went back from the campus.

"I bring a cooling gel patch," Mark says as he walks toward the bed.

This isn't his first time coming into her bedroom, but this is really the first time he comes here at night. Yerim only leaves her lamp on her nightstand on, so it's quite dark.

Mark drags the office chair on her study desk and stops it right beside the bed. He sits there before he takes the cooling gel patch out of the paper bag.