Love Game

Chapter 13

"So, am I going to lose the bet?" asked Jackson light-heartedly.
"I don't know, Jackson. We're still in friend-zone."
"But I see he's changed a lot," said Jackson, who had heard about Jinyoung frequently from Mark.
"It's surely a positive sign for you, right? You should congratulate yourself even at that point, man!" Jackson did not mind even at the possibility that Mark might win the bet. They were friends and Mark would not demand something Jackson could not afford for the prize, right? At least, he hoped so.
"So, are you confessing to him?"
"Not very soon," said Mark, "I'm not sure he likes me yet. As a friend, he does, but not as a lover or boyfriend."
"Anyway, you still have time. I'm bracing myself for my fate," Jackson said referring to the bet.
"Yes, you should," Mark tried to laugh but it felt so fake.

"Ah, I think, about half an hour, we have to wait," said Jinyoung, taking a look at his watch and letting out a sigh.
Normally they would need to wait for the bus, at most for five minutes or so.
But today the principal had a talk with Jinyoung for some university stuff and it kept him for nearly an hour. He had texted Mark not to wait for him but the older insisted he would be in front of the principal's room.
When they headed for the bus stop, it was not the usual time for the bus running that route.
"Glad that I waited for you, otherwise you'll be here alone."
"It's not unusual for me anyway. Once I'm in front of Mr. Choi, it always takes at least half an hour for the talk to finish. The bus will be here 15 or 20 minutes later in such times. But now you'll be late too."
"I've nowhere to go anyway," Mark assured Jinyoung.
"You have that Jackson friend, right? But I rarely see you together," said Jinyoung, as he remembered the name from Mark's mentioning it once or twice.
"We see in the class. He has a lot of friends other than me."
"Ah, that must be it. He seems an outgoing guy," Jinyoung remarked, as he had seen Jackson once when they were by Han River.
"Jinyoung, what was your first impression of me?"
"You? Nothing special at first. At that time I was really annoyed with you."
"I guessed so."
"But you insisted upon following me. And through the time I spent with you, I became comfortable being around you, like 'ah, this hyung is reliable'. You did nothing but be good to me."
Mark remembered the time he had promised Jinyoung that he would be nice to him so that they could be friends.
"But wasn't it part of the promise I gave to you before we were friends?"
"Yes but even after we become friends, you are still nice to me."
"So I really am your friend."
"Are you kidding me, hyung?" Jinyoung joked, because it was obvious that they were friends.
Mark laughed slightly.
"No, silly. I'm just glad that we have come quite a long way."
Then their talk went on to random things until the bus arrived.

These three days, with the absence of the two class presidents being on the observation trip, Jinyoung and another two classmates, as being the vice class presidents, had to take the temporary role of the class presidents.
They had to attend the weekly meeting on behalf of the class presidents after the classes yesterday. Which kept Jinyoung and also Mark who voluntarily waited for the younger, late again.
Today as well, the vice class presidents were sent to the library before the lunch time to bring the books for the after-lunch-time class discussions.
As the books would be not more than ten, Jinyoung and Wonpil, one of the other two vice class presidents, left for the library, as it would not need all three.
"Jinyoung ah, I'll head first," said Wonpil with five thick books in his hands.
"Awn, go ahead. I'll be right after."
Although the teacher had said the books would not be more than ten, it turned out that they were actually eleven books.
Wonpil left the library first and Jinyoung, placing the other six books in his hands, followed him.
Wonpil was a fast walker and Jinyoung, with the heavy books in his hands, could not catch up with him.
The campus was quiet as it was the class time.
Jinyoung was far left behind when Wonpil disappeared turning at one corner.
"Aish, why so heavy and thick," Jinyoung whined.
"Oh! Cold Prince, Park Jinyoung, right?"
Jinyoung was more than pissed when he saw three students who looked more like gangsters, in front of him.
"I have no time for any of your jokes. Now get out of my way."
They were blocking the way deliberately and what was more, one of the guys approached Jinyoung and touched Jinyoung's cheeks, taking advantage at the fact that Jinyoung's hands were occupied.
"Oh, so soft. How would it feel to kiss them? Or those lips?" The guy's hand was now approaching Jinyoung's lips.
Jinyoung was on the very verge of kicking the guy when a loud voice appeared.
"Don't you dare! Get your fucking hands off! Now!"
Their attention was diverted to the voice.
"Mark hyung," Jinyoung exclaimed.
"What the hell. Mark Tuan?"
"Yes I am." Mark stormed to the guy who had been touching Jinyoung earlier and punched the guy hard in the face.
The guys were starting to fight back when students and teachers came out of their classrooms as it was now the lunch time.
The guys, knowing that chance was not on their side, backed off and ran for their life.
Mark ran to Jinyoung and checked the younger.
"Are you okay? Did they hurt you? I should have punched them more."
Jinyoung said he was okay.
"Thank you, hyung. But you shouldn't have. What if they hurt you? If someone saw this, you'd be in trouble, hyung, although that's no fault of you."
"Why shouldn't I! They were touching you. I don't care if I'll be in trouble or not."
Jinyoung could understand Mark's anger but he did not want Mark to be in trouble because of him.
"Now let's go. Shall we?
Mark, suspecting that those guys would disturb Jinyoung on the way, walked the younger to the class.