𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘆𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 | 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗹𝗲𝗲

𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔭𝔦𝔱𝔢 𝔬𝔟𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰

third person:

thoughts roamed the young girls mind unknowing to the lingering eyes from her therapist. as she delved deeper into her memories and unexplainable moments with the boy she has built a bond on. little to her knowledge in that moment, that they already were intertwined in every way.

"so you like mark?" dahyun questioned while smirking. placing the notepad down trying to make the young girl feel more open to talk. dahyun had a technique of speaking that hana knew she would end up saying something impulsively. the young girl squirmed in her hair knowing a question like this would eventually arrive, and now she was faced with having to give an answer.

"i-i don't know". hana softly spoke as she habitually bit her lip when she felt fear and nervousness fill her body.

"let's just say someone wants to pursue mark and asked for your help. what would you do?" dahyun pressed further on the topic. knowing the girl would do her typical confession after a bit of interrogating. she knew the girl was trying to avoid and not come to terms with her feelings, and she needed her to realize that, because it might be the root of the problem.

"i mean.. if it makes them happy, then i'll make do. of course it'll bother me though. we spend so much time together, share clothes, memories, and late night talks. i would be forced to be on the sidelines. but that doesn't bother me if he's genuinely happy." hana spoke from the bottom of her heart knowing that it might eventually happen in the future as they age and they want to settle down.

"sometimes you have to realize to be selfish, hana. if you're constantly giving people the opportunity to go over and use you for their benefit, you'll never be happy. you know that. you shouldn't always give in or care about people's opinion or perception of you. just do what you need to do, because in the end, you can't make everyone love you. what matters is that you love yourself and you're happy. now i would appreciate it if you're honest with me hana. you know i've gotten so used to how you speak, i can sense when you're lying." dahyun joked in the end trying to lighten up her lecture beforehand.

"i'm not lying! i mean yes he might be handsome, yes he's talented, yes he's there for me when i'm ugly crying and over thinking, yes he treats me with so much care and gentleness, but i guess that's what i love about him!" hana hurriedly answered dahyun not realizing her outburst response literally was the feelings she has been trying to suppress for so long. she gasps and covers her mouth coming to terms with her undeniable in-denial thoughts about her genuine feelings.

"oh would you look at that? still the same old hana with her rambling. i mean, have you come to terms with it now? did you notice how you seemingly swept it under the rug unknowingly even though you must've felt it over time with your interactions. have you seen a progression in your friendship or should i say relationship?" dahyun gave a thumbs up knowing she might've fixed the problem.

"a-ah! dahyun what are you saying? we're not a couple! at least not yet.. but anyway that's besides the point.i just realized i fell in love with another kpop idol that is literally known worldwide, and it doesn't help the fact that we're in the same group. what if i ruin the reputation of nct? at this point, i wish i didn't come to terms with my emotions! i'm gonna be weary of everything mark and i do and it might change our actual relationship. it's perfect the way it is." hana said panicked as she paced back and forth in the room while ruffling her hair messily thinking about all the negative outcomes that could unravel.

"i mean, just think about it! we would make national news! you know so many kpop idols who dated behind the scenes and it never ended well. and i don't want that to happen. i don't want to ruin any of the nct member's nor the company's reputation. if i do that, i would never forgive myself." hana said worriedly sitting back down in her chair in front of dahyun's desk reaching forward to grab some issues as she got emotional."

"hana, listen to me. don't let it change. do what makes you happy, i'll support you either way. don't allow it to let it affect you. you got this. don't overthink." dahyun said trying to put hana at ease as much as she could.

~

"hey mark. i'm sorry i took so long." hana said tapping mark on the shoulder as he was slouched and fell asleep with his head down in the waiting room. mark lifted his head up to see a gentle smile from the towering girl lightly rubbing his shoulder to wake him up.

"no no, it's okay hana. let's head to the car." mark said getting up and nonchalantly grabbing hana's petite hand out of habit and pulling her to the exit.

"wait i forgot to p-pay mark!" hana panicked thinking about how bad the news could be if they found out she forgot to pay.

"i paid it beforehand while you we're in your meeting. so you do you feel better hana?" mark said tiredly while swaying their intertwined hands as they walked in the streets as the wind breezed through the their clothes making hana practically cling onto mark's arm trying to get some warmth.

"it was okay. i realized a lot, but in the end, i feel better. thank you for making the effort and coming with me. you really didn't havre to yet you did even though you have such a packed schedule. thank you. i appreciate everything you do." hana said occasionally looking to the side to see if anyone was watching and to not meet back at mark's lingering eyes on her.

"no no hana. i'm glad i came. as long as you're feeling better, then i don't mind going out of my way for you. now let's go grab some take out food for the rest of the ones at home and enjoy the rest of our day, okay? in all honestly, i don't know the next time i can take time off or go out last minute. manager-nim said he had to pull some strings so that we could go out together. i guess that's always how it'll be. since we're co-ed now people will suspect things." mark said as they walked towards the car slowly enjoying the fresh breeze and the genuine conversation they were having.

"doesn't that worry you? that people will suspect us for relationships and all that?" hana questioned wondering if she could really go to ease after hearing his response. to her knowledge, she felt a sense of what she wanted to hear and for the first time, she thought about it with an open-mind. she didn't shove it in the back of her mind.

"of course. but for some reason, i feel like i can take on anything, when i'm with you." mark cheekily said he ruffled her hair and opened the door for her to enter the car. and with that, the two had smiles planted on their face for the rest of the day, satisfied with where they were at.

a/n: i hope you enjoyed the chapter :)