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Hailee sat on the bench in the hallway, Mark an awkward space away from her. Her fingers were restless against her legs as she refused to acknowledge the unfortunate silence.
"So you have a boyfriend?"
Hailee glanced up at Mark in confusion.
"Yeah... how did you-"
"You told me," he said, "and like I understand, but I would like more context and more information ya know?"
"I don't know," she said, "what do you mean?"
Mark glanced at her to find her sitting in absolute confusion.
"What you said to me last night?"
"I didn't say anything to you," she whispered, "you never said anything either... wait what is going on?"
Mark's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"But you literally said-"
"What did you say maybe I don't remember," she said, "it was a rough night."
"I said 'I think I know who you are,'" he said, "do you remember?"
"Not at all."
Mark frowned as Hailee looked at the blank wall across from her.
"What did 'I' say?"
Mark glanced at her.
"You said 'I have a boyfriend so kindly fuck off you shit idol," he said, Hailee grimacing.
"So not my style," she whispered, "was that it?"
"Not exactly..."
She looked at him, Mark fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
"What else was written?"
Mark inhaled and closed his eyes.
"Uhm it was something around 'have a good time being a failure and a slave to an industry that will never appreciate you.' And uh something like 'have fun having an unstable future. I have a future unlike you.'"
Hailee frowned, knowing that these words were definitely not hers, but meanwhile someone else she knew.
"I know actually," she said, Mark turning to her in expectance.
"What?"
"My boyfriend," she said, "he always says shit like that. Hates idols because he thinks that they are egotistical and are over their heads."
Mark frowned.
"Do you?"
Hailee tilted her head to the side, still staring at the wall.
"Not sure," she muttered, "I'm not one to want to form opinions on people until I truly know them. That changed a little after... ya know, but after a while of me collecting myself..."
Mark nodded.
"Same here."
Hailee nodded.
"I never really judged you on your choice, by the way," she said, "I was just really... hurt."
"Why do I feel like really hurt is an understatement," he asked.
"It's because it sorta is."
Mark nodded, not only irritated with himself, but the company. It wasn't like it was a crime to have a soulmate, but it was still a complex system for his industry.
Idols could have them, but it was frowned upon to actually act upon finding them. Most times it was kept extremely secret, even to the extent of never talking to them again until after three years of solid stability.
Sometimes that three years turned to never.
Mark had honestly expected it to be like that, stress and the lack of rest he got making everything seem like it was crushing him. All the eyes on him was scary, he was always afraid of messing up or publicly doing something wrong to earn himself a punishment from SM.
But when he finally got enough courage, and a grip of his schedules when he graduated from Dream, he realized he did want to reach out.
He didn't understand how some idols simply didn't write their soulmates back. Mark wasn't one to simply... ignore it. So when Hailee has written him he had practically jumped at the chance to grab a pen.
The thing that stopped him?
His manager.
"Sorry," he said, "there was many complications and I honestly couldn't even figure out how-"
"I accept your apology," she said, "but I'm not saying that it's ok. But at the same time I'm kinda glad you did fuck shit up."
"Huh?"
"Well I was able to mature and find myself and motivation," she said, "plus I met my boyfriend-"
"Who doesn't seem to like me much-"
"- but is a total sweetheart."
Mark snickered.
"Well did he even tell you he faked being you to tell me off," he asked, "and not to mention say some very offensive things?"
"No he's just kinda protective," Hailee tried to explain, "his soulmate ditched him for a gay lover and well... he's just a tad worried."
"Damn I would leave him to be gay," Mark joked, Hailee holding herself back from hitting him.
"Also he seems a bit possessive."
"He's not though."
Mark hummed.
"Yeah you're probably right," he said getting up.
Hailee nodded and grabbed her bag before getting up.
"Also maybe next time we meet try not to be beating some old man up," he said, Hailee grimacing.
"Not my best moments," she said, "but he deserved it."
"Never said he didn't but still-"
"Yeah," she said, "I'll try."
"Great."
After a long pause of awkward silence, Hailee slowly turned around and left, remembering Hyeok's words to her before he left.
She headed off to his office while Mark headed back to his dance practice, both soon to be facing a very similar predicament.
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I made a driving playlist today and looking at it I truly realized how all over my music taste is.
