Changes | Mark Lee

2.

Gyuri's eyes widened as she looked at Mark, standing in front of her in all his glory. He noticed her surprise and smiled softly at the reaction, thinking she must be a fan of some sort. He seemed to not recognize her, as he gave her his order without saying anything else.

"Hi, can I get 3 iced americano's?"

Gyuri nodded silently, not being able to form a sentence. Did he not recognize her? It seemed like he treated her like any other barista, so maybe that was the case. Damn, she thought. He probably thinks I'm so surprised because he's an idol. Well, maybe a little bit. But mostly it was the pure surprise of seeing him again after so many years that caused her to be completely put off track.

She caught herself in time and quickly regained her posture, remembering what she was there to do in the first place.

"Would you like them to go?"

"Yes please," he answered, handing her his card with which she paid before handing it back quickly. He thanked her and went to wait at a table in the store while Gyuri got started on his drinks. With her back turned to the store, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and shook her head in disbelief. He was actually there, in the store. It was crazy to see him in person after all those years. The last time she saw him, he was just a little kid about to go through puberty. Now, he had turned into a grown young man. It made her realize they had really missed out on an important part of their lives, a time in which they both grew into independent individuals with their own styles, taste and personality. Where Mark had grown into a young man, Gyuri had also grown into a young woman. She had her own morals, developed her own style and became way more confident than she was as a teen.

She quickly finished his drinks and signalled that his order was ready. He hurried over and took the drinks from her, thanking her. She greeted him goodbye and waited until he was gone before going into the back of the store. She closed the door and leaned against it, letting her head fall back as she released a breath. She held her hand over her heart, feeling how fast it was beating. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly as memories from her childhood flashed before her eyes.

She thought about their trip to Los Angeles. They were both 9 and had the time of their lives in the big American city known for the golden coastline. They stayed for two weeks and enjoyed the beautiful weather, the food and the city.

She thought about their middle school musical, where Mark was so nervous he hid in the bathroom where Gyuri found him and calmed him down, whispering how he'd do great because he always did and that she'd be supporting him from backstage.

She thought about their endless visits to Gyuri's grandpa's farm, where they played and cuddled with the animals and helped out with little tasks around the farm. Those days often resulted in them coming home dirty from head to toe, but with the biggest smiles on their faces.

She also thought about the day Mark left for Korea, and how Gyuri had said goodbye to him and his mother, who was coming along for a few weeks, at the airport. Many tears were shed, and Gyuri clearly remembered that final hug they shared before Mark and his mom went off into the airport, leaving a broken-hearted Gyuri behind. For the first time in her life, she truly felt alone.

Not having him by her side felt as if she'd forgotten her keys; it felt like something was missing.

Throughout the years, Gyuri made sure to keep up with the kpop industry for the day Mark would make his debut. In 2016, she watched as the Mark Lee she knew as her friend became the Mark Lee everybody knew as an idol when he debuted in NCT. Gyuri was amazed by his rapping and dancing skills, as well as his looks. He had grown up a lot, and was quickly becoming a young adult.

As the years went on, she always tried to keep up with NCT's comebacks and performances as she loved being able to see Mark shine. He grew out to become one of the best idols in the industry and Gyuri sometimes couldn't believe that he was the same guy that she once was so close to.

Watching him perform in some of the biggest venues around the world, she was amazed by how well that life seemed to suit him, even though he'd never cared for it much as a kid. Going on the audition was an impulse decision for him, and he simply went because his brother did, not because it was a lifelong dream of his to become an idol. However, he became so good at what he did that it was hard to imagine any other life for him. He seemed right at home on the stage, together with his other members. Gyuri saw he had found his calling, which reassured her that he would be okay. It made it easier to move on with her own dreams.

Not being able to contact him personally was something she had made peace with a few years ago, and she was content with seeing him achieve incredible things and be a role model for many. She understood that he lived a life that she couldn't be a part of, and she was okay with it. She had shared some incredible memories with him in the past and that was something she'd treasure forever.

He did come to Vancouver one time on tour a few years back and he met up with some friends there, but unfortunately, Gyuri was already in Korea at the time and because she'd changed her phone number somewhere in the meantime, she couldn't get in contact with him anymore and wasn't there to meet up with him. She would've loved to tell him how proud she was of him, and she would've loved to even see him again after all that time, but the odds weren't in her favor.

Because of the fact that she'd already made peace with not seeing him again, meeting him randomly like this was even more of a shock. It messed with her brain. Never did she imagine that if they ever saw each other again, it'd be so casually like this.

So there she was, in the back of the store, trying to process what had happened. She didn't expect to be so shaken up by this, it wasn't like he was someone she'd cut out of her life for bad reasons. Even though she was still in shock, she was also very amused by the fact that he didn't recognize her. It was totally understandable, as they hadn't seen each other in years and only Gyuri knew what Mark looked like nowadays, but it was funny to her that this reunion was so shocking to her and for him, she was just another barista.

After she'd regained her posture and had calmed down again, she went back into the store and tried to forget about their little reunion for the rest of her shift. She found it impossible and only caught herself reliving the moment over and over again until she fell asleep later that night.