Loveswept // Mark Tuan //

Ch. 7

Yerin

"Mom!!" I yelled for my mom as I tossed my school bag on the couch and ran upstairs. I wanted to tell her that I invited Mark for maths study. I never really had any friends home except Nam Ju before. So, I didn't know what my mom's reaction would be.

Not that she wouldn't allow it. She wasn't unsupportive about having friends over. Instead, she would sometimes get furious at me for always staying home alone. But, I couldn't do anything about it, could I? I was who I was. And my mom certainly had problems with that.

Our personalities clashed a lot. She was an outgoing, party person. She worked in a middle school as an art teacher. And I felt that's where I got my drawing skills from. Ever since childhood, me and my mom would have constant arguments over something either of us couldn't agree. And the teenage years were even worse. She criticized me often for being anti-social. She wanted me to go out, have fun, party, have a boyfriend, the way other girls of my age did. But I couldn't care less. I lived the way I wanted to.

Nonetheless, she was my mom. She brought me into this world. She went through endless pains and sacrifices for me. So, I loved her.

I heard her reply from her room. I knocked on the door before I heard her yelling, "Come in!" I turned the door knob and slowly peeked inside. There was my mom, with her glasses on, sitting by the window with a book in her hand. She had her usual normal face, no smile, no brightness. Just plain makeup less face.

"You are back." I nodded and stepped inside her room. Yellow evening light hit her face, giving her face a glow. "Eomma, I have something to tell you." She took of her glasses and set them aside. She fixed me under her soft, brown eyes. Eomma patted the space beside her on the couch. I went over to sit beside her.

"Eomma, there is a new friend I made." Her face lit up and she smiled. Mark and his friends were probably the only new friends I had made in the past 2 years. "Who is it? Is it a boy?" I nodded. She gasped and held my shoulders. "What's his name? Is he handsome? Do you like him? How-"

Both of our heads turned to the door bell that rung that time. "I invited him home." Mom's eyebrows raised before she nodded and got up. I followed her downstairs and opened the door. Mark stood at the doorstep in only a sweat shirt and tracks. And a backpack hung from his wide shoulders. He looked up to me and smiled. Shit.

I smiled back at him. "Hi." I didn't respond to him. Just kept staring. Until my mom came up from behind. "Annyeonghaseyo." Mark greeted formally before giving an almost 90 degree bow. I almost laughed at how nervous he seemed. My mom smiled brightly at him. I smiled too, at the thought that at least I made my mom happy once.

"Ah, it's ok. You don't need to be this formal. Come inside." I pulled the door wide enough for him to pass. He stepped inside slowly, looking around my house. "Take off your shoes." I passed him a pair of home slippers before he put them on. He put his bag on the couch where I had thrown my bag. Then I just realized that I hadn't even changed. Oh, god.

"I'll be back." I gave Mark a smile before running up the stairs to my room. I rummaged through the stack of clothes for a comfy tshirt and sweatpants. I settled on a blue tshirt with grey pants. I freshened up and brushed my teeth before washing my face. Grabbing my hair for a ponytail, I walked down the stairs to the living room.

Mark sat on the large sofa with a long book, which I assumed was his maths book on his lap. He looked at me and smiled. I gulped before taking a seat in front of him. "Kids, study well. Call me if you need anything. I'll be in my room." Eomma walked from the kitchen, holding a tray with glasses of water and biscuits. She smiled at me before patting my head lightly and walking upstairs to her room.

"Your home is so warm," Mark looked around my house once more. It wasn't too big nor too small. It was just me and my mom so we were okay. There were three rooms, all upstairs. And a small backyard. Where I had planted marigold flowers when I had turned 13.

Mark took the glass of water and brought it to his lips, before gulping it all down. He wiped his mouth before turning to me, "Let's start?" I nodded and grabbed my maths books from my bag along with my pencil case. "Hey, I remembered something." Marks voice startled me. He grabbed his bag before opening the front zip and pulling out a brown paper bag. I knew what it was.

"I got this for you. I mean, for us." He passed the bag to me. I glared at him before the opening the paper packet, revealing chocolate donuts. "Why do you keep being so sweet?" I mumbled under my breath before folding the packet and keeping it on the center table. "Huh?" Mark asked, confused. I silently thanked god that Mark didn't hear that. Or else I wouldn't have known what to do.

"No, nothing."

"You don't want them?" I looked up just in time to see his lips formed in a pout and eyebrows raised. Aaahhskbdnendb. "I never said that."

"Then why don't you look happy? You don't want to eat them." He clutched his hoodie and whined. And at that moment. I lost it. Completely. I smiled at his adorable ness. With you by my side, how could I not be happy? Pabo. Huh, Mark Tuan.

"I'm not hungry."

"What? Wae? How? Since when? Said who? You only ate carrots at school. And you say you are not hungry. Why do you lie to me?" He said the last question in an alluring whisper. Mark fixed me under his intense gaze. I couldn't stand it, so I looked away while clearing my throat.

"I have problems with trigonometry."

"What can you not understand?" He asked in his silvery, smooth voice. I knew he was being extra sweet and considerate so I could finally get something inside my head. But with Mark Tuan beside me, I didn't think I could.

I asked him to explain the Heron's formula to me first. And he did, without any hesitation. Mark remained so calm and patient with me that he felt unreal. No teacher ever had been this way with me, let alone a friend. Oh wait, I barely had any friends.

"So, here the adjacent angle is 12 cm. And the hypotenuse is 20 cm. Cosine equals to adjacent/hypotenuse. Hence, 12/20.." I stared at him, and lost myself again. I didn't listen what he explained, instead I started admiring his features as he calculated some cosine shit.

His brown eyes fixed on the book. While his large, bony hands worked on the sum. The way his thin, rosy lips moved as he mumbled the formulas. His jawline, his concentrated face, his pale skin. I took a deep breath as he smiled, showing his pearly white teeth. His smile had always captivated me. So cute but mesmerizing. "Done!" Mark turned toward me.

"Did you get it?" Oh shit. "Uhm, yea. I'm good." I gulped as he put down the pen and leaned in towards me. "Oh really? Then answer my one question." He whispered. I swallowed once more as I felt my cheeks heat up.

"Uh?"

"What is the area of the triangle according to Heron's formula?"

"What?" I didn't think he would ask me something related to studies judging by his actions that moment. I thought he would rather ask me..
No, nothing.

I saw Mark's lips lift up in a smirk. "Kids! Are you guys hungry?" Eomma's alarming voice broke our moment. Where did eomma come from?? Mark looked away and straightened his position as eomma walked down the stairs with a huge grin.

"Ah, it's ok, eommoni. I'll get going." Mark's eyes widened as he realized that he addressed my mother as 'eommoni'. I looked back at my mother, she looked surprisingly touched. She smiled at him, "Call me eommoni. It sounds nice." Mark grinned widely this time.

"And have dinner before going please." Eomma's voice echoed as she walked away into the kitchen.
"You know, I've always wanted a son. I was really hoping for a son when I was pregnant with Yerin."

All my smiles faded as I listened her speak about her wishes for a son. And all the while, I felt Mark's eyes on me. I couldn't look at him. I was happy and blushing for a moment. But the next one, I felt like a burden.

I felt a warm hand on mine. I turned to see Mark looking at me. Smiling warmly.