Another community meeting and this time, Jinyoung could let Mark work on his own. Having Mark here did help a lot. Byeol was among the people, taking special interest in children, some of whom were timid and scared of it but many of whom wanted to play with and stroke it.
Jinyoung had to take it away from frightened children and sometimes Mark did. Now it was lounging near a group of females and especially close to a little girl who stared at it with alert eyes and was clinging to her mother. Jinyoung motioned to Mark to get Byeol away from the child, since Mark was bringing pancakes to the group.
Afterwards Jinyoung was distracted and when he looked in their direction again, a woman in that group was talking with Mark and Byeol was in her hands, pleased and excited. The child was curiously staring at Byeol.
Jinyoung met Mark again outside the hall, much later. They were both exhausted and seated themselves on the bench. The soft wind cooled them down.
"You're sweating," Mark said, his eyes on beads of sweat on Jinyoung's forehead.
"As if you weren't. Shall I go fetch a drink?"
Jinyoung got up but Mark pulled him back down. "Don't. You're already tired."
"Will you go then?" Jinyoung asked.
Mark just hummed in response and leaned closer, which froze Jinyoung and filled him with wild thoughts. These days Jinyoung had learned that Mark was kind of unpredictable. Mark leaned even closer and Jinyoung was about to recoil when Mark's hand dabbed Jinyoung's forehead and wiped the sweat away.
"Aren't you disgusted?" Jinyoung asked, eyeing Mark's now damp hand - damp with his sweat. Then he looked at Mark in the eyes and oh man, did his heart quicken to an alarming pace.
"What? Are you touched?" Mark said, with a teasing glint in his eyes. "How about returning the favour to me?" He moved closer and closed his eyes, expecting Jinyoung to touch his face.
Could he caress it then? What would Mark think of him if he did? Of course, he had got no guts to do something like that. He just reached for Mark's temple where a drop of sweat was rolling down. But he was interrupted by shouts and shrill voices that came from the hall. He got up on his own feet alert and Mark followed suit.
"What's that?" Mark asked.
"I don't know."
They both rushed to the hall and found everyone restless and a large crowd had formed. At the centre of the crowd was a fuming woman and it was the same one who Jinyoung had seen talking with Mark earlier when Mark had tried to take Byeol away.
"I think you misplaced it," Sangchul was trying to reason with her, for what Jinyoung had no idea of. "Are you sure you brought it? Maybe-"
"Am I sure?" she glared at Sangchul, "I checked it when I just got here! And it was stilll there when I took out my phone."
"I saw you didn't zip the bag back afterwards," the woman who had sat next to her recalled.
"Then it was just easier for the thief to slip it away!"
"Hold on," Sangchul pleaded, "Why do you think it was stolen? I think you dropped it somewhere. Maybe, when you went to the toilet? We'll search the whole hall-"
"I haven't gone anywhere since I sat here! Anyone who caught a glimpse of the velvet box could guess it was something valuable inside. How am I going to face my client now? You're responsible for it, Sangchul. Either you catch the thief or I'm going to sue you," she declared her face red with anger.
Jinyoung felt a nausea starting to sink into him as he had got the gist of what was happening. "Your uncle's going to be in trouble. It must cost millions of won," someone beside him murmured.
"What?" Jinyoung asked, faintly.
"She lost a ruby pendant. Thinks someone has stolen it."
Jinyoung found it impossible to look at Mark. He was starting to sweat again and his heart was racing fast. He felt like he wanted to help his uncle and plead with her but his legs would not move.
Then the woman, whose name he vaguely remembered was Hwaja, turned in his direction but her eyes were set on Mark beside him. "You're new here, aren't you? Where're you from?"
No response came and Sangchul intervened. "He's nothing to do with it. He's Jinyoung's friend. You can be assured-"
"Don't interfere," she snapped. "I'm suspicious of him. Nothing like this had ever happened before. I remember he was near me earlier. And he can't even answer where he's from."
"It was only to serve you refreshments and to get Byeol away," Mark defended himself. "I never noticed any jewel or whatever you had brought."
Hwaja did not reply, only remaining her judging gaze on him. Then she asked the others, "Search him. It could still be on his body."
Two men came forward and examined the insides of Mark's pant pockets and then underneath the shirt. Nothing was found, however.
Hwaja was not satisfied. "It must be in his room. Or he must have hidden it somewhere already."
The whole place - every room, the hall, the toilet, and the yard - was searched. When it brought out no fruitful result, she declared she would sue Mark and go on until she got her thing back.
When everyone was gone, there was the threatening silence among the remaining three. Jinyoung could not talk to Mark nor look at him in the eyes. Sangchul approached Mark, patting his shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Don't get upset, Mark. I'm sure her memory was tricking her. There's no way it could've just disappeared like that. It's possible she had left it at home."
"Can I talk to you?" Jinyoung asked Mark, whose eyes were vulnerable when they lay on Jinyoung. When Mark nodded, Jinyoung took him away to the yard, leaving Sangchul.
"Tell me the truth. Did you take it?" Jinyoung asked. He could not shake off that picture of Mark talking with Hwaja. He wished he could judge Mark well but his head was not calm enough to do so.
"I swear I didn't, Jinyoung. If it was stolen, then it must've been someone else. I didn't," Mark said, desperately.
"Don't put the blame on someone else. You know, I know, we both know that if there was any thief in that hall, who was the most likely to be!"
"Can't you trust me?" Mark said, sounding both upset and disappointed. "The whole world could accuse me of anything. But don't you know, Jinyoung, all I care about is what you think of me. I'm just as clueless as you're. Believe me, Jinyoung. Please." Mark stepped forward but Jinyoung stopped him.
"I want to," Jinyoung said, "But the thing is I don't, Mark. How're you going to prove you didn't steal it? I thought you'd changed. Committing a crime turns you on, huh? That was why you did that?"
"Jinyoung!" Mark shouted, his face flushed, "You're offending me. I could've accepted it if I'd stolen it. But I'm telling the truth. I didn't and why you've to accuse me? I don't care if I've to go to jail. But all I ask for is your trust. Nothing else matters. I won't ever lie to you, Jinyoung. Please trust me."
Jinyoung looked hard at Mark in the eyes and said, "I can't. Not when I know who you've been. What you've done. Leave," he said out of anger and did not stop Mark when he moved away.
He only needed some time alone to cool his head and calm himself down. But what he did not realise was Mark had left, with no intention to ever come back.
