WRITER'S BLOCK ⋮ markhyuck

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎

Mark was going to meet Dongsook in two days. He was getting excited and also nervous just ahead of time. It hadn't been long since they saw each other, but Mark was sure he missed the cheerful personality of Dongsook.

Because of their arranged meeting, Mark started creating scenarios of how will he meet Dongsook, what will he say, and so on. It didn't help him at all when he was doing it instead of writing the book. But then Mark got an idea.

He put all of his annoying thoughts in his notes and promised to use them in his work later on. Because of that, he could worry as much as he wanted because everything turned into work anyway. What a benefit.

"How many pages have you written?"

It was the first thing Taeyong asked when he appeared on Mark's porch with food.

"Fifty," Mark replied, a proud smile making its way on his face.

"Fifty?" Taeyong's eyes widened. "Dang, you're not messing around. I hope you know what breaks are."

"Don't worry. I use them to chat with Dongsook."

Speaking of Dongsook, Mark found her Facebook and also Instagram. It wasn't that hard as Dongsook went to leave comments on Mark's photos herself. That was how the male could finally reach Dongsook on other social media platforms.

Because of that, Mark was able to connect the dots. He looked at the last posts and photos of Donghyuck and then at the first ones of Dongsook. Seeing the dates, Mark realized that Dongsook was like that for a year and three months.

"So, have you reached the part where your character changes their gender?"

"Not yet. It's only about their past for now that I write."

Taeyong paused to stare at Mark, which ended with the manager chuckling.

"You're writing about your own past, right? That's why it takes you so long to get to the point."

"You know me so well."

Mark knew that writing a book with inspiration from an actual living person might sound too realistic, so he had to think about if he wanted it to be based on a true story or not. But then his big-brained manager touched on another necessary topic.

"Since you're writing about Donghyuck and Dongsook, shouldn't you ask for her consent? Names of your characters are different, of course, but Dongsook may not want to share some parts of your past together."

"I'm being subtle about it. There's nothing personal in my work."

"The fact that you're writing about a transgender and transgender is your friend is something personal."

Even if Mark wanted to avoid asking Dongsook for her consent, Taeyong pressured him to do it anyway. What if she gets upset? What if she feels betrayed?

Those questions kept bothering Mark so much that he considered asking Dongsook for approval and then even planned to share the profit of the story.

﹡ ﹡ ﹡

The day came. Mark was coming out of the train, dressed in his newest clothes.

He tried to look fresh, so he took a cold shower in the morning. Yet he still looked tired. Maybe because he could hardly sleep when he knew he was meeting with Dongsook in just a few hours.

Mark saw the girl in front of the candy shop again. He smiled, thinking that it'll be their favorite spot from now on.

"It's a beautiful day today," Dongsook chirped as she hugged Mark. "Would you mind if I ask us to go and take a walk in the park?" the writer asked subtly.