upstaged || markhyuck

04: babes.

"hey, markie!"

"yeri, can you please not call me markie-"

"wait up, markie!" she giggled, catching his arm before he reached the theater.

he sighed at her amused expression. "what?"

"busy after school?" she questioned, shouldering her bag.

"i'm helping chittaphon set up the new spotlight," he explained. "did you have something planned?"

"no, i was just wondering," she said with a grin. "though minhyuk asked me if i wanted to see a movie with him and chan, but i told him i couldn't and said that he and chan should still go."

"well, aren't you a matchmaker," he drawled.

"you're next," she said with a wink. "anyway, i'll let you go do shit," she added, waving a hand. "i've got stuff to do!"

"stuff like your girlfriend?" he yelled after her as she ran off.

the mousey-haired girl turned around to give him the finger before disappearing out of the school gates.

mark sighed heavily before hefting his rucksack on his shoulders and entering through the stage door. chittaphon was talking with a couple of the stagehands backstage, nodding towards mark as he passed by. onstage there was a piano. mr park was sitting at the keys, his large hands picking out jazz chords, and mr byun was sitting on the piano and scat singing with ease.

"you having fun, there?" mr park joked, cracking a brief smile as he glanced up at mr byun.

mr byun continued his improvised song with a wink.

"stop flirting!" a student called.

"don't tell me what to do, orange beanpole," mr byun snapped, hopping off the piano and adjusting his waistcoat.

"i don't even have orange hair anymore," yoon sanha protested.

"it's still orange in my mind," mr byun brushed him off.

"aren't we going to start?" donghyuck demanded from where he stood, centre-stage.

where else would he be? mark thought, rolling his eyes.

"hey, mark," said chittaphon, lightly tapping his shoulder. "help me test the lights."

"sure thing, hyung," mark replied, shooting one last glare donghyuck's way (not that he even saw) before following chittaphon towards the auditorium.

"kyla," mr byun said brightly, spotting the mousey-haired girl who had just walked onstage. "hand out the sheet music, please, babes."

"okay," she replied, leaving her bag by the piano and taking the pile of papers from him. she began handing them out awkwardly to the other actors, earning a massive grin from her best friend seungyeon.

"oh my god, hurry up," donghyuck whined, snatching a sheet from her as she tried to give him one.

mark scowled from where he stood holding onto a step-ladder as chittaphon screwed a pole into place on the lighting rig in the middle of the auditorium. he narrowed his eyes as mr byun lined the principal cast up (donghyuck made sure he was in the middle) and mr park started playing the piano.

"mark," said chittaphon.

the thai man glanced down at mark, thankful that the student was making sure he didn't die, but annoyed that he wasn't even listening. chittaphon followed mark's gaze and smirked when he saw that it was donghyuck he was glaring at.

"hey, mark. mark!"

"what?" mark uttered, startled, his hand shaking on the ladder.

"oh my god!" chittaphon's expression was one of fear as the step-ladder shook violently.