Supernerd! MARK

20 | neo seoul

I wake up to a darkness and a weight on my body.

I shift slightly to see that Mark has his arm around my waist, his face buried in my neck. The lack of distance between us causes me to blush furiously, and I clear my throat awkwardly.

Mark has been getting too comfortable lately— not that I'm complaining, of course, but I know there has to come a time where we would eventually need to talk about what really is going on between us. After our almost-kiss, I could tell that a certain barrier in our relationship has been broken, though I'm not sure if it's headed towards a good direction or bad.

"Good morning," Mark mumbles, his hot breath against my neck.

"Good night," I chuckle, craning my neck to look out the windows. "It's dark out."

Mark hums, but doesn't bother to move as he continues with his slumber, tightening his hold around my waist. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," I whisper. "You?"

"Hm," he hums again, and it's clear that he's barely even awake. I tap on his back— as much as I don't want him to move, my right arm is numb under his weight.

Mark shifts groggily, cracking an eye open as he squints outside the window. He groans, letting his head fall on my pillow before rubbing his eyes with his fists. "I'm so tired," he mutters, stifling a yawn.

"Should we still be here?" I question. I'm not even sure what day it is, and I don't know where my phone is. Hopefully my roommates aren't all too freaked out at the fact that I haven't been home.

"Yeah, you're right," Mark slurs with his arm over his eyes before he sits up suddenly. "Let's go. Mr. Seo's probably outside... drinking."

I scrunch my brows at his casual statement. Mark stands up from the bed, offering me a hand to which I take. It feels like I haven't walked in forever, and my legs turn to Jell-O the moment they touch the carpeted ground.

"Easy," Mark whispers, steadying me by the arm.

I give him an embarrassed smile, letting him lead me out of the room.

Mr. Seo's penthouse is even bigger than I had expected. The floor-length windows, similar to the ones in the room I had just been in, wrap around the circular living room, giving me a clear view of the stars blanketed over the inky sky. It looks like some sort of enhanced bachelor pad— sleek, minimalistic, and a touch of futuristic.

Hey- that rhymes.

Mark leads me further into the living room where another section of the house comes into view, an open-concept dry kitchen and bar. I spot the back of a man hunched over the counter, a vodka glass in his hand as he swirls the liquid around.

"Mr. Seo?" Mark calls out, and the man turns around, giving me a clear look of his face.

I have seen his face in passing, be it in magazines or on the television, but Mr. Seo looks way handsomer up close. It makes me wonder where he got his title of crazy nutjob from— based on the small smile on his face, he looks pretty normal to me.

"She's awake!" Mr. Seo suddenly hoots, stretching his arms widely. His loud greeting catches me off-guard, and I glance at Mark who only gives me a sheepish smile.

"Mr. Seo, this is Yena. Yena, Mr. Seo."

I bow down. "Thank you so much for letting me stay in your home, Mr. Seo."

"Eh." He waves his hand mindlessly, standing up from the barstool. "I have one too many rooms anyway. Which begs the question, why didn't you stay in your own room, Mark?"