Love Game

Chapter 12

As days went by, Mark and Jinyoung had also got closer, knowing and understanding each other better now.
Mark enjoyed every single moment he spent with Jinyoung.
It was like he could understand Jinyoung really well.
Jinyoung was the type who rarely showed his feelings openly. He was not an emotional type but his heart was gentle and at the same time strong.
He was sometimes hard to be understood but sometimes like an open-book.
Jinyoung deserved love but would Mark be able to give it to him?
Mark himself was not sure.
One thing he was certain was that he did not want Jinyoung to be hurt, he did not want to hurt Jinyoung.
But again he was still going on for that bet. He did not want to lose it either.
His intention was still there but became so vague whenever he saw Jinyoung or when they were together.
Jinyoung's smiles and laughters warmed his heart, knowing that they were because of him.
He adored Jinyoung and everything about the younger.
But was it strong enough to be called love?
Mark did not wish to think about that any further.
There was still a month left for him to enjoy Jinyoung's presence.
But after then, things would change and Jinyoung would hate him when that time came.
A part of him was praying that Jinyoung would not fall for him because the younger did not deserve to be hurt, deceived and betrayed.

"You're spacing out a lot lately. What's bothering you, hyung?"
Jinyoung asked as he observed Mark, who had been in silence sice they had arrived at the cafe.
"N-nothing. Just thinking where we should go next after this," Mark lied, as in reality he was drifted again to those doubts concerned with Jinyoung and the bet, like he often had been recently.
"But hyung, you already said you will accompany me to the bookshop," Jinyoung raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"Ah right, I mean after that."
"I have assignments to work on, hyung. I have to be back at home in the afternoon."
"Okay then."
It was on Saturday morning. As they had agreed to hang out, here they were in a cafe not very far from Jinyoung's place.
After a while, their orders, two Iced Americanos and cakes, arrived.
Jinyoung went on talking about how he usually did exercises at home, and that he stayed up quite late last night, watching a movie.
Mark commented here and there, sipping his Iced Americano and eating the cake.
Jinyoung also had his snack, and watching Mark eating a bit more eagerly- perhaps he had not had breakfast- noticed some cream on the corner of his lips.
Jinyoung chuckled at the fact that Mark, without knowing, just made it worse and worse as more cream appeared on both sides of his lips.
Jinyoung grabbed the tissue and handed it to Mark.
"Hyung, cream near your lips."
"Huh, Mark took it and wiped both corners of his lips as Jinyoung pointed them.
There was, however, a little bit still there, and Jinyoung, taking the tissue from Mark's hand, wiped it for Mark.
"Aigo, hyung, you seriously are like a baby," Jinyoung joked, shaking his head.

The next stop was the bookshop, and as it happened to be next to a supermarket, after Jinyoung had bought some recently published books, they decided to stroll there before going back home, although they had nothing particular to buy.
They entered the supermarket, and as Jinyoung had been here a couple of times, it being near his place, he went directly for where meat and yoghurt were, intending to have them while writing his waiting assignments.
Mark was curiously looking around, thinking of something to buy, when his eyes landed on a little girl, maybe of about two years old, looking up at the shelves where there were mostly chocolates.
There was only a woman nearby beside themselves and Mark assumed that must be the child's mother, who was curiously examining green-tea packs and whose back was facing the girl.
Mark went near the girl and pointing to where the girl was looking at, asked, "You want that?"
The child looked at him, pointed at a shelf of chocolates, and nodded.
It was too high for the child to reach and actually Mark did not know what she was exactly pointing at because there were different sets of chocolates at where she was pointing at.
"Ah, okay, come," Mark bent to take the girl in his hands so that she could choose whatever she wanted.
The girl, however, as soon as she knew that she was in a stranger's hands, kicked Mark and started to cry.
Her mother immediately looked back at them.
Mark tried to shush the girl but she was already crying extending her hands toward her mother.

Mark, in shock, bent and released the girl on the floor, as the child ran to her mother.
"I-I'm sorry, I was just helping her to take that chocolate," Mark awkwardly explained.
Jinyoung, seeing the whole scene, had to stop himself from laughing. In his eyes, Mark seemed like an accused person, desperate to prove that he was innocent.
"It is okay, young lad. She's always like that. It's just that I've taught her not to be with strangers," the woman assured Mark, and then turning to her daughter, scolded her for always wanting sweet snacks.
She gave the child some biscuits, which were not too sweet like chocolates, and went to the counter.
Jinyoung went to Mark and tapping Mark on the shoulder, he burst out into laughter.
"Hyung, I saw everything. You're lucky that she did not do anything to you for helping her child getting sweet things," Jinyoung joked, enjoying Mark's reaction.
"Yah, how do I know about that! I just pitied the child, so I helped her."
"Okay, okay, don't be too defensive. It's just nothing. Let's go," said Jinyoung, although he still couldn't erase that face of Mark's when he was caught.
"Hyung, you really were cute, you know, when you were explaining carefully to her," Jinyoung teased.
"Yah, Park Jinyoung! Drop it!"
Anyway, despite his stopping Jinyoung, a while later he was also laughing with Jinyoung, amused at the accident.